Shorty81367

Is is normal for a doctor to not give a fill? I was banded on 10/27 and have lost about 25lbs from about a week before surgery. I went for my 6 week post op appointment last week and the doctor told me that I was doing great and have been losing on my own so he didn't want to give me a fill. I am able to anything and everything right now and I'm trying to control how much I'm eating because I can eat everything the way I did before surgery except for soda. I don't go back to him until the 2nd week of January and I am afraid that I'm going to gain some weight back now. I was banded and do not have any fill, is it normal for the doctor to do this and make me wait just because I have lost a little more than some of his other patients that had surgery the same time as me.

Hi, I was just banded on 10/27 and would like to know if anyone has any suggestions on what is best thing to use for the scars.

I was just banded on 10/27 and I just could not stick to the liquid diet because I was feeling so sick and my stomach would not stop growling. I have a little food chopper and have been putting everything in it. I was taking a regular can of soup and putting it through there so I had more flavor and felt like I was actually eating something. I even put a container of mixed vegatables in there and it was so good and it didn't bother meat that it was nothing but mush, it still tasted the same to me! I guess we just have to be a little experimental when it comes to the foods we can eat now since everything has to be soft and mushy.

I bought a few things from Unjury and they carry the unflavored protein which can be put into soups, pudding jello and so on. I tried some of it in some crystal light pink lemonade and it is not too bad. It still gives a taste of something else but at least I was able to get it down that way for the liquid phase. I have found that the easiest and best way for me to get the most at one time is to mix the vanilla (Unjury) with decaf coffee. I don't have to add milk or sugar and it gives it a sweet taste and is actually not bad at all. It tastes so much better to me than the protein shakes when you are sick or them or don't want to drink it that way. It is 20 grams of protein per scoop and I can get about 1 1/2 scoops of the protein in the coffee and it does taste really good. You just have to make sure that the coffee is not too hot or it will clump. The site also carries little packets which are great because you get your favorite coffee once you can have caffeine and just add it while you are at work or out.

Don't beat yourself up. It is new to us and we can't just stop everything that we are used to doing. Things happen and as long as you are doing the right thing most of the time then you should not be too hard on yourself when you slip up a little bit. I think it is really hard to go from eating all of the bad stuff to being on liguids and so on and it seems a little normal that you would want something that you have not been able to have in a while. People can tell you that they don't eat anything that they are not supposed to have and if that is true for everyone than why did we need the surgery to being with? We needed some help and as long as we do our best and only give into our not so good for us stuff once in a while then we are still doing better than before the surgery. I'm not sure how far along in the process you are but one time of eating something bad is not going to ruin it for you. You just learn from it and if it happens again then you tell yourself that you will get a kids meal or only eat half of whatever it is that you really want. We can not deprive ourselves of everything and it will take time for us to learn how to control the cravings and the weakness for what we are so used to eating. I'm new to all of this and I know that there are going to be times that I will want something so bad that I am going to eat it and not feel guilty about it. I'm going to try to reward myself with something special for every 10 pounds that I lose and that way it will give me something to look forward to but then after seeing how hard it was to lose the 10 pounds, it might make me think twice about what I will allow myself to eat and how much of it I will be willing to eat without feeling guilty or thinking that it just isn't worth it. Good luck and try not to feel so bad about that Sonic moment of weakness!!!

You should speak to your doctor as soon as possible to find out what other tests you need to have completed. My doctor just worked wonders for me and I was not supposed to have my surgery until January but then found out that my insurance was going to change on 11/1. He told me that he would do everything possible to get things done and he sure did. His office scheduled all of my other testing and I did all in under 2 weeks and had my surgery last Wednesday. It will be a real hard time to go through the surgery and recovery with the holidays coming but if he can get it done within a few weeks then you should be fine for the holidays. It does not hurt to ask and sometimes they will really work with you to make it happen. I have also heard that a lot of insurance packages are now not covering any bariatric surgery unless the employer pays a much higher rate for the policy so that could be why you are hearing that it is not changing but then they say no bariatric surgery. What I recently learned was that when they said no change they meant the co-pay and other coverage and not the actual package and that is what almost happened to me. Hope you get it all worked out!!!

Doesn't the protein prevent the hair from falling out? I was told that as long as I get enough protein that my hair will not fall out and that is a big fear of mine. A lot of doctors have different rules and some just keep giving fills even when the patient is losing a massive amount of weight very fast. I was told to expect to lose about 2 pounds a week and that is normal but most people I know lose a lot more than that at first.

Are you saying that you have only had 2 bowel movements since surgery and it has been 3 weeks? If that is the case then I would imagine that is where the extra weight it coming from. Sounds like you might need a little help to get things going if you know what I mean. Good luck to you!!!

I have never been a coffee drinker but decided to try some decaf since I was going to be giving up my Coke Zero. I ordered the vanilla protein from Unjury and tried that in my coffee. I was actually shocked that I liked it and I was able to drink that before surgery. I just had surgery last week so I am not drinking much coffee right now but it does taste great if you are looking for another way to get the protein in. It is weird because it didn't need any milk or sugar and it actually feels like a treat when I drink it. I have not tried any other brands of the vanilla but I'm sure that any of them would taste just about the same in coffee. Just be sure that it's decaf coffee for now because we are not supposed to have regular for a few months. I have also tried to add a little bit of the unflavored to different things and it is hard to get it all in. They say that it does not change the taste but it does. If I only use about a 1/4 of a scoop I can add it to some soups or mashed potatoes but it does change the taste of the food somewhat. I guess we just have to expirement and it sure is a shame that they don't make it in pill form. Good luck!!!

Hi, I was told that some people end up lactose intolerant after weight loss surgery. I have always had a problem with certain dairy product if I had more than just a little bit. I was told to buy soy or lactaid milk for now and that is what I have done. I just had surgery last week and I am using the lactaid milk which is not bad at all. It tastes so much better than the soy that I tried. That stuff was so nasty that one taste and it went rigth down the drain. If you are having problems with dairy products ask your doctor if it is due to the surgery. The lactaid is really good with the carnation instant breakfast and protein shakes. It is also great if you want to make your own puddings. Good luck!!!

I was just banded on the 27th and it is not even a full week yet and I am starving. I mean the kind of starving that my stomach makes so many noises and the hunger pains actually hurt. I have tried to do the liquids and I am not even on full liquids yet and don't know how much more of this I can take. I don't have the energy to much of anything and I am weak and have headaches. Is it normal to feel this hungry the first week of surgery? I would kill for some mashed potatoes right about now!!!

I was just banded on the 27th and am still on liquids so I can't eat any of the candy. I am not a real sweet eater but I sure could go for some right now but it will wait, that is if my husband doesn't finish it all off. I think that I will take a couple of pieces and stick it in the fridge and that way I will know that it is there for when I can have it and that way it doesn't feel like I am so deprived. As for all of you that did eat some candy... I wouldn't feel too guilty about it unless you ate the entire bag. I know that it is really hard to go through this liquid phase and anyone that has been through this deserves a couples bites of candy or whatever else it is that makes them feel less deprived. I would say you have to give yourselves credit just for being able to get where you are and being able to go through the surgery and the phases to get back to normal food. If you are eating good and doing what you are supposed to be doing then I am sure it is a lot better than you were doing before the surgery and there is no reason to feel such guilt for having a little bit of candy. It is not like they stitch our mouth shut and we are still going to want the things that we are used to and this is supposed to be a tool to help us. The word there is tool!! Even with it, you can not expect to never want or eat something that is not good for you or on our list of foods that we are supposed to eat. If we did everything the way that most think we should then we would not have needed the surgery in the first place. We needed help to lose the weight and if you need a cookie or some candy once in a while as a treat then it should not be something that you punish yourself for. I just give you credit for admitting it because most people hide it or deny eating any of the wrong things. I give anyone credit that can admit that they had a moment of weakness and had something that they didn't think they should have. There is always tomorrow and if you can get back to the way you were and progress then I give you credit because this is not a miracle band it is a lap band.

I was banded on the 27th and I have the same sort of pains going on. I am not in real bad pain and I am now only taking some Tylenol instead of the pain meds since they make me feel too out of it. I have the tightness pulling feeling under my chest and have almost like a stabbing pain once in a while on the upper left side. I did have a hiatal hernia repair when the band was put it so I am pretty sure that it's coming from that. I have to agree with you that the hunger pains are terrible and they hurt more than anything!

I'm on the 7 day liquids as well and can't stand the hunger pains. I was so sick earlier today that I just kept crying thinking that I made a big mistake. I decided that I couldn't do just the broth or juice so I put a container of yogurt in a bowl and added some lactaid milk and some protein powder so that it was very thin and liquidy. I had a few spoons of that and it did seem to calm the growling pains. I have also mushed 2 saltine crackers and put them into my broth which helped but not much. I don't want to eat anything too heavy and I sure know that there are a lot of things that I would love to have right now but it is not the time and if I can just do a little to get through this liquid phase then I hope it gets easier for me. I did just scramble myself an egg and added lots of milk to it so it would be very mushy and that did seem to hit the spot for a little white. It doesn't take the hunger away completly but it does stop that sick emty feeling that makes you feel that you are so empty that you are going to vomit. I was just under the impression that you would not feel the normal starving hunger pains because of the band but I was wrong. I guess that it depends on the person but I myself felt like I was going to colapse and couldn't even think straight with just the liquids. I am adding a little more to get me through this and I hope that it' ok because at least if I know that I can have a little something to get rid of the growling loud starving hunger pains then I hope that it helps me to feel better.

I just had my surgery on Wednesday and had a hiatal hernia repair as well. I am only aloud to have clear liquids, broth or juice 2 oz at a time. I feel sick from the hunger pains and so weak. I would like to know if anyone has tried something else during this phase that helps to get rid of the starving feeling. I can't have the shakes yet so I don't know what else I can do to make me feel like I'm not starving.

Thanks for the words of encouragement. I am just feeling so down and out. It is just so much harder than I thought it would be. I didn't think that I would have the hunger pains that I have either. It's so hard to think positive right now and I just can't wait to have something that will take away the empy feeling and the loud growling noises that are coming from my stomach. When did you have your surgery?

Thank you so much for sharing that with me. I am sitting here so depressed and have been crying. I keep thinking that I might have made a mistake by doing this and I'm mad at myself for allowing myself to gain the weight and not be able to take it off on my own. I really don't want to be regretting this decision so early on and it's so much harder than I thought it would be. I just took a yogurt and added a little bit of lactaid milk to it and added some protein and had a couple of spoons of that to try to take the sick hunger pains away. I think that it might have helped a little bit but I'm too scared to have more than a few spoons of it. Is it normal for us to be this depressed so soon. I heard that it would be later on when you start dealing with the food issues but this is so early and I really don't want to get so down and out that I can't get back up. It is really sad and I'm so worried that I might have made a mistake by doing this.

I talked to the girl that answered the phone at the doctors office when I called and she told me to just have the liquids, which is not enough at all. It is only a choice of broth, grape, cranberry or apple juice diluted with water, jello, or decaf tea. I'm only allowed a couple ounces so I really can't get the protein in except for maybe a tablespoon or less into the 2 oz. of broth. I feel so weak and my stomach is growling so loud. I felt so sick earlier from the hunger pains that I pushed a saltine cracker and put it into the broth but I really need something else and there is no way that I can do this until I go back to see him on Wednesday. A friend of mine had the surgery done and she gave me her diet papers to look at and she was allowed to start adding the shakes and other liquids on day 3 after surgery. This is so much harder than I expected it to be and the pains and weakness from the hunger are bothering more than the actual incisions. Did anyone else have to wait 7 days to have something more than juice, broth or tea?

I just had my surgery on Wednesday and the gas (belching) is so bad. The pressure is there and it helps so much when you can finally get it out. I had a hiatal hernia repair as well and am having more pain than others that I have talked to that had it done. I keep feeling like I'm having spasms in the center of my chest and it takes my breath away. I called my doctors office and the girl that answered the phone said that it is probably my stitches pulling or the hernia repair. All I know is that this is so much harder than I thought it was going to be and I feel like I'm starving to the point that the huger pains over taking over and making miserable. I can only have clear liquids, broth or juices that are diluted and only 2 oz at a time. I don't see the doctor until next week so this is going to be a really long week. Hope that you are feeling better and it really does help to take the gas relief chewable pills or the liquid. It also helps to have someone rub your back.

I am having my surgery tomorrow and am really starting to get nervous. I am hoping that I am doing the right thing. I would like to know if it is normal to feel this way because I really don't want to regret doing this.

Hi there, I'm new as well and am getting ready for my surgery tomorrow. Feeling a little nervous and just hoping for a speedy uncomplicated recovery. It sounds like you are doing really good. I just wanted to say hi and welcome you since you are new as well.

Good luck to you as well. Are you staying in the hospital or are they going to send you home tomorrow?

Thank you for the words of encouragement. I think it is just me stressing out about the recovery more than anything else. I'm also worried because I don't have my surgery until almost 4:oo tomorrow and I would feel so much better if it was being done in the morning so that I could just get it over with. I'm glad to hear that you are doing so well and that is great that you have lost that much weight so fast. It that the weight loss amount since your actual surgery or is that counting the weight from the pre-op diet as well? How long were you actually layed up not being able to really move around? That is the thing that scares me the most because I don't like to be down and am so used to going and going. I know that I have come too far to change my mind now and I just have to get it through my hard head that this is just one step and supposedly the hardest part and that it does get easier. Thanks again for the words of encouragement.

Did you just recently have surgery? I noticed that you are pretty new too and I wanted to thank you for the encouragment.