hopefully soon

MIne are peeling too and I take mulit-vitamin twice a day and calcium twice a day...ugh!

Best of luck for an easy surgery and quick recovery! I was scared too but you can do this! Its been 4 weeks and I have no regrets!!

Well I did not have this happen dlucia, but suspect that the biscuit got stuck and you just got lucky and didnt have the pain that usually goes with that.....it finally made you slime and puke after it loosened some while you slept. There is a reason why we are given stages to advance our diet. Your tummy is definately still in the healing stages and is very likely still quite swollen since it has only been a few days since surgery. Anything other than liquids and very mushie things are likely to get stuck due to the swelling (not due to the band yet). Please stick to the stuff on your list!!! I hate seeing anyone suffer from PB episodes! I am 4 weeks out and just beginning to try a few things that are on phase 3 (after mushies stage) like tuna and berries but am still mostly on mushies and I have not had any stuck episodes or PB's. Think healing and be creative with your liquids and mushies so you are not so tempted by those no no's like biscuits!! Though I sure would love to have one!! Best of Luck.

Yep, gown and socks only and I suspect no gown during since they are working on your belly!! No worries though since these docs see naked people every day...lol

Bobbi, how long when it finally stopped?

Ditto, ditto, ditto.....and wear dresses and skirts without shorts or spanks underneath!!!! I would also love to RUN in a 5K instead of WALK which I have been doing for the past 8 years.

I gurgle all the time...no rhyme or reason as far as when it occurs...wierd! Digestion maybe, gas? who knows

Way to go!!! Keep it up!

Try this.....a cup of skim milk, 1 scoop of chocolate protein powder (my is Fusion chocolate mousse), 1/2 banana, 1 TBS of smooth peanut butter, and a couple ice cubes.....mix in blender or smootie maker.......I found this once I was ready for mushies (go figure) but it has been my "go to" breakfast for the past 10 days or so......very yummy and easy to tolerate. I HATED the protein shakes too and struggled to get even one a day down. Once I started with these, the scale started to move again because they have about 40 grams of protein (27 from the protein powder, plus the milk and peanut butter). Best of luck!

I have been banded for 3 1/2 weeks and was stuck for a week....I bumped up my exercise and protein and low and behold, my scale moved 1 1/2 pounds this morning. Sometimes, we just gotta change things up a bit I think; hang in there

Hmm, what's miso soup? I have not heard of that....I'm still on mushies so still eat soup

Yes, this happened to me to after having bag after bag of IV fluids while in the hospital....it stopped after a day or so of being home

Cream of Chicken soup, Cream of Potato soup with the potatoes strained out, sugar free jello, chicken broth thickened with skim milk

Hey I have also had pintos and cheese from taco bell and it is just the right size with only 170 calories and 9 grams of protein. Getting enough protein is sometimes a struggle. I have been eating between 500 and 750 calories a day...how about the other April bandsters?

Hi all, I am Cyndi and I had my banding on 4/5/11. I also had a hiatal hernia repair which made recovery a bit tougher. The first week was rough and I too took my pain meds about twice a day and they helped especially at night. The gas pain in the upper chest and shoulders was lousy but gas x strips helped a little. I hated those darn Protein shakes and tried lots of different ones. I usually managed to choke down one a day for the first 10 days then some broth, Jello, and sugar free popsicles. I went to mushies on day 11 and this has been much better. I have since discovered a way to improve the chocolate Protein shake which I use for Breakfast most days (add 1 scoop of choc Protein powder to 1 cup of skim milk, 1/2 banana, 1 TBS of Peanut Butter, and a couple ice cubes to a blender or smoothie maker and soooo much more palatable!!) Well, here I am am, a little over 3 weeks out and feel really good. The incision sites are nearly healed except the one up top where the band is but its getting there. I was back at work on day 9 and haven't had any issues there. I have re-started my exercise program and have been to the gym 3 times in the past week, first the treadmill and now back on the eliptical as of yesterday. Per doctors orders, I can't go back to strength training till I see him on 5/16 (follow up with surgeon). I may or may not get a fill that day because I have pretty good restriction still and have lost 17 lbs (as of Tues). My band is very tight in the morning so its liquids only till lunch for me. Lunch and dinner are usually Soup or greek yogurt but yesterday I had the insides only of homemade caneloni (ground beef and ricotta cheese with spices and tomato sauce) and this went down fine, about 1/2 cup (bowling banquet!!) I managed to avoid both bread and cake!! I have stuck to the rule about not drinking with meals and I think this helps. My clothes are getting loose, yay!! Keep in touch everyone; I love hearing about others' journies and suggestions!!

I am 14 days out and also had/have the red around the steri strips. The three of five that have fallen off, the red is nearly gone but the others...still red and itchy but certainly dont want to take them off before they are ready and leave an open wound so I have just dealt with it. I know mine is a mild allergy because I also react to medical tape and those sticky dots they put on you to attach leads during heart testing. UGH

I consider myself lucky so far...I have lost 17 lbs in the 14 days since surgery!!! I dont think this is typical though! And I know it will probably slow dramatically when I can eat "real food" again.

Forgot to add.....lost 9.5 pounds since surgery....whoo hooo! (total of 19.5 since the beginning of this process)

Hello all, I too am an April 5th bandster! I was totally expecting to be a later April bandster but got my insurance approval on 3/25 and they scheduled surgery on 4/6. There was a change in my pre-op appt. (originally for 3/28) so I saw the doc and signed all the consents on 3/31. At that point, I had lost 10 lbs and my BMI was 37 so doc said I did not have to do the pre-op liquid diet!!! That was the best news ever because like Woodslass I HATE protein shakes. And usually my doc requires 1 to 2 weeks of nothing but Carnation Breakfast drink and water. I then got a call from my doc on 4/3 and he moved up surgery by a day to 4/5 due to needing to attend an out of state funeral. So, here I am 6 days out and finally feeling pretty good. I had a hiatal hernia that was repaired during the surgery and doc said it was much bigger and worse than he expected so I was in OR for 2 hours instead of the 45 min to 1 hour he had originally predicted. Because of that, I think I have been in much more pain and much weaker than I would have been with just lap band. I usually bounce back from surgery and pain quickly but this time, it kicked my butt. I finally weaned myself off pain meds as of yesterday though!! I also walked around the block yesterday and drove my daughter 2 blocks to school today. Getting there!! I am really struggling with getting enough protein because as I said I also hate them, the texture and aftertaste are awful and it takes me over an hour of sipping and sipping water after each sip to get it into me, ugh!! I don't know how I am going to make it through another week!! I have had some cream of chicken soup and tomato soup but the protein level is pretty low. I cant wait till I can get my protein with scrambled eggs and yogurt!!! I empathize with lack of BM (one very small this AM and thats it) and gas pains....they come and go though. Hope everyone is well. I have been reading posts at work but can not post from there due to filters

I havent started my pre-op yet but I met with the nutritionist and was told that during the liquid pre-op diet, the only things I could consume were carnation instant breakfast (blue box suagr free) mixed with one percent milk and water....thats it, nothing else!!!

I have Highmark BCBS insurance as well and the requirement is that you have monthly "check ups" with your PCP that include a weigh in, review of your diet, and review of your exercise. They have to record this for 6 months and you need to lose at least a small amount of weight during that 6 month period to show that you can "follow a program" which is what they want to see. In my area, I was able to attend a seminar at the Bariatric Clinic and they have an insurance specialist on site to assist with helping you meet the requirements. They also provided me with the monthly forms that the PCP completes. During this 6 months, you can proceed with the other requirements such as meeting with a nutritionist, having blood work and other lab tests done, and attending support groups (required by some surgeons). This way, surgery can occur soon after the 6 months and insurance approval. I am on my way and will hopefully have my surgery in March or April!!!! Good Luck and start with a surgeon's office in your area