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I was prescribed Vicodin, which I flushed down the toilet. Other than my allergy medicine, I have not taken any of my regular medicines since surgery (Lipitor and Cymbalta for generalized pain). I am taking 2 chewable Tums for Calcium, one Gas-X chewable with each "meal", one Biotin tablet (a B Vitamin supplement), and 2 chewable multi-Vitamins per day.

Congratulations on your banding! Try taking a chewable Gas-X tablet with each meal. I am almost 2 weeks post-op and have had absolutely no gas pains or hiccups yet. I'm so glad my doctor advised us to take Gas-X! My docs advised us to drink our Protein shakes first, then to have other things such as puddings, Jello, etc. They emphasized over and over in our nutrition classes the importance of meeting our protein needs (90g+/day) before anything else. He didn't want us to lose lean muscle mass or to get too hungry during the healing process (I'm still trying to find anything lean on my flabby old body--I'll have to take his word for it that it's there)! :faint: As KayDotRn said, the swelling will start to go down for you soon. My appetite just came back about two days ago (10 days post-op). You'll find that you'll be able to drink more easily once this happens. Hang in there--as my mom used to say, "This too shall pass!" Happy New Year! :party:

Sorry to hear about your suffering! I have to agree with the other folks that your first step should be to get in touch with your doctor's office as soon as they re-open after the holidays. I don't think it's a stupid question to ask why you have to stay on the liquids for so darn long. Maybe there's some good reason for torturing you...although I can't imagine what. Try to avoid wrapping your hands around your doctor's neck when you seem him though... :party: The only other thing I can offer is that tomato soup and lowfat, low-sugar yogurt are an acceptable part of my own post-op liquid diet. I've also been having sugar free Jello and sugar free and fat free pudding. I'm just coming up on my first post-op appointment on January 3rd (2 weeks post-op). At that time, the doctor decides if I can move to real "pureed" foods. Again, make sure you're getting in your Protein, which will help keep your hunger at bay, at least for a little while! Hope your clothes are already hanging off of you!

That's terrific! Keep up the good work--you've come a long way, baby!

If you were perfect, you'd be oh so annoying! :croc: I am so impressed that you have already lost almost 30 pounds! That is quite an accomplishment! Don't lose sight of that--get back on track right away and the numbers will keep going down. You can do it! :clap2: Does anyone have any suggestions for things to do instead of eating when you get nervous, depressed, or bored?? I've started cross-stitching again to keep my hands occupied during prime snacking time in the evenings...

My first reward was my son asking if it bothered me to make him a sandwich. He was very impressed that it didn't make me nuts because I'm still on liquids!

Sorry this is so long--you seem to need a pep talk! :eek: I've been alone for 14 years myself--somehow the holidays just seems to magnify it, especially New Year's Eve! That's my least favorite holiday--everybody seems to have someone special except me! This Christmas, I'm recovering from surgery so I couldn't drive home to NH to see my family, I couldn't eat anything I cooked, and I spent the day with my son and my ex-husband who can be extraordinarily annoying (thus explaining why he's an ex-husband)! Despite all of this, it was one of the happiest Christmas Days I've had in a long time which sounds really stupid. :loco: I guess I avoided slipping into my usual huge vat of self-pity this year because I've been working hard on changing my whole outlook on life (check out the butterfly image in my signature). I am very happy this holiday season because I chose to improve my health and had the lapband procedure. For some reason, I don't feel resentful at all about giving up foods I shouldn't be eating any way. I'm still cooking "normal" food for my son and it doesn't bother me which he finds really weird. He's 14 and eats constantly it seems! It makes me happy when I look at my food log at the end of the day and I can see that I stuck to my plan. I took up an old hobby of mine--cross-stitching--again this week. I had forgotten how much I enjoy creating things and it has the added bonus of keeping my hands busy in the evenings so I'm not snacking. Being in education and a single mom, "my kids" always came first. Focusing on "improving me" has made a huge difference in my outlook about this time of the year. I think it's because I have taken control. I think I might finally be starting to make peace with myself and how I view food. I guess my point is that maybe you can try to get the most out of this downtime. Really enjoy the time with your family. You are so very blessed to have them in your life. Plug in your favorite tunes (the ones that make you smile, not the depressing ones) when you are alone and reflect about everything that is good about yourself (push out those negative thoughts). Set some goals for yourself (not just weight-loss related ones). Avoid negative people and seek out the positive in everything. :huggie: As for the bulimia, make it a New Year's resolution to take the first steps to overcome it. Find a professional who can support you. It won't be easy, but you deserve to be healthy. And by the way, I read postings the other day where someone wrote that a man made a pass at her and she had not reached her goal weight yet! I really believe there's someone special out there for all of us--don't give up hope yet! I haven't--not even after 14 years! :bananapartyhat:

This posting has just made me realize that I really need to grow taller--fast! :laugh Seriously, if you want plastic surgery, you get plastic surgery. If your sis wants to be jealous, it's her own energy she's wasting!

Size 12s! Absolutely outstanding! Keep up the good work!

sirena63-I'm so sorry to hear you're so hungry! I hope the feeling passes soon! :hungry: scorpio-Don't dwell on your slip. :doh: Just get right back on track--you can do it! KayDotRn-Good for you for not polishing of the kids' leftovers! Keep it up! :bananapartyhat: sweethot143-Your stories sound like my mother's tales of how dental work was done in her little New Hampshire town in the 1940s. Unbelievable! :omg: I hope that you start feeling better once you have been out of their evil clutches for a while! Rest up as best you can--things have got to start going your way! carol1453-Sending healing thoughts and wishes for a quick recovery for your DH across the cables! I've lived through that stress several times over--be sure to remember to take care of yourself, too! :huggie: smithkr1-Congratulations on already losing 14 pounds! That is so wonderful! :eek: I want to be surprised on January 3rd when I go in for my post-op appointment. I'm dying to update my ticker and start a downward trend! We'll see how it goes!

My doctor says as soon as you are comfortable, with a time estimate of about 3 weeks post-op.

I'm still on liquids, but I read somewhere that chicken can be dry which wasn't very helpful when you first start eating "real food". I saw a lot of others on this site mentioning eating really soft things like cottage cheese and scrambled eggs when they first started out on mushy foods. I think it's a matter of progressing from clear liquids, to thick liquids, to soft foods, then to pureed meats. I hope your pain goes away soon!

Karen AR-Thank you very much for the sites you provided. I haven't had a chance to do much "surfing" to find these types of sites since my surgery due to the hoopla of the holidays and all! KayDotRn-Thanks for the tip about the evaporated milk. I'm going to try that with my tomato soup today. Yum! Congrats to all on so many wonderful NSVs! Keep it up! I have found it very interesting to read about the wide variety of experiences that everyone has been going through--I've read postings from people in Australia, England, Ireland, Germany, the US, etc. It sounds like some folks were hardly given any information about what to eat after surgery and I feel SO badly when I read about them being so hungry or in so much pain when it doesn't have to be that way. I just want to reach through the screen to give them a big hug and tell them it'll be okay! I'm glad that these boards exist so all of us can share what we know in the hopes of helping out someone who's having a tough time. I realize now that I was truly blessed with an outstanding team of people at my surgery center who have kept me flying high (so far)! :plane: I feel very spoiled, indeed! By the way, my ex-husband, who drove me back and forth to have this weight-loss surgery a week ago, thought it would be okay to give me two boxes of cordial cherries because I could "nibble a hole in the chocolate and suck out the liquid filling." Sigh! :faint: Thought you'd all get a kick out of THAT one! Suffice to to say that both boxes have a hot date with a big old trash bin! Congratulations to everyone who has managed to fend off all of their well-meaning relatives who tried to derail your healthy eating plans over Christmas! You all have "bands of steel!" Now we just have to survive New Year's...

You've already lost 23 pounds--wow! Keep up the good work!

Good for you! I hope the rest of the process is a smooth sail for you!

That is wonderful! :clap2: Here's wishing you get hit on a whole lot more in the near future! You realize I'm sitting here calculating how long it'll be before I get hit on, too! I'm so tired of being alone!

It's so hard to be good in the face of so many goodies! Stick to the foods you know you should eat first so you won't come to work really hungry. Bring the foods you need to eat for lunch with you. If you know you can't trust yourself to have a little taste of those evil goodies, then try to focus on interacting with your colleagues rather than on the food. Amaze them with your tremendous willpower! I just noticed that you are already halfway to your goal weight--that is SO outstanding! To me, that is worth so much more than a holiday cookie! Keep up the good work!

I'm so thrilled for you! You are the incredible shrinking woman!

I have told very few people so far and here's why. There were some negative comments being made in the office about someone else who had lost a lot of weight (i.e. "She must have had that surgery instead of losing it the hard way"). When I told my boss, she said she didn't think I was "big enough" to qualify for surgery. Keep in mind she considers herself to be a "glam-ma" not a "grandma" and is SO much taller and thinner than my stubby little rotund self. Naturally skinny people just don't get it. It's not their fault, they just haven't had to fight the same war all their lives that we have! As for anyone else I tell about the surgery who choose to be negative--they can knock themselves out. I know this was the right decision for me, and that's reallly all that counts!

I'm very proud of the willpower you displayed. That couldn't have been very easy!

I am so sorry you are stuck in this situation! :cry I think you need to explain to your mom and to your children why you can't deviate from your diet (how it could harm your stomach and your progress). Give them a list of healthy food items or non-food items they could bring you that would make you really, really happy! If they don't stop it, set up a storage bag/bin out of plain sight where you'll dump all of the crap they keep bringing you! Stay strong! If it makes you feel any better, my ex thought it would be okay for my son to give me two boxes of cordial cherries for Christmas (after I specifically said no food gifts) because "I thought you could nibble the chocolate and suck out the liquid inside." :faint: My chocolate cherries have already been stashed and they will be trashed tomorrow morning!

Great NSVs! Love the little one noticing your shrinking butt! Too cute! I love the tips on what to eat at Disney--you are making some excellent choices! Keep up the good work, and enjoy your shrinking butt. As for me, my boobs are already shrinking and I'm only a few days out from surgery...why me? :think

Good luck with your surgery! I'm so glad your mom was supportive and that she can help you with the kids!

Good for you! That's quite an accomplishment--at a holiday dinner, no less!

:clap2: AWESOME!