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I am sorry about the blackout. I hope you didn't injure yourself. Unfortunately, I can't offer advise about that but I can comment on the throat feeling. I am 8 weeks post op and that throat feeling just started to go away for me about 2 weeks ago. Two things: chew until your food is the consistency of yogurt so it doesn't get stuck on the way down. That throat feeling is murder and I spent lots of time hurling because of it. Second, take small bites and fully swallow before you take your next bite. That way, you know the food has gone down and you can actually decide if you really need that next bite or if you're full in your new little belly. Those things worked for me. I was not eating too much, but eating too fast and not chewing enough. Hope it helps!

Syntrax Nectars. come in various fruit flavors.. I mix with appropriate flavor of crystal lite, 1/2 cup of some kind of fruit & some ice. Syntrax will send you samples for 1.00/flavor. www.si03.com 90 to 100 calories, 23 grams Protein, 0 carbs per scoop. Whey Protein Isolate. My surgeon prefers us to get our protein from "real food", but if we're too tight in the am to eat or we need liquid after a fill, etc. This is the brand he recommends. It can also be mixed into plain yogurt or even eaten straight like a pixie stick. Roadside Lemonade is very good and so is the new flavor Pink Grapefruit. Fuzzy Navel is excellent. I don't think they have a flavor I have disliked. I use 1/2 scoop in some crystal lite or Powerade zero after my weight lifting or bootcamp to help restore the muscles I just got through stressing.

I'm down .5 today to 267. Yay. Better than nothing My bad habit- is wanting something sweet after dinner. I'm doing yogurt and a pudding cup at the end of the day- still within calories, but still a habit I'm not happy with.

6 days post op and hungry.. Burn out on protein, sugar free pudding and broth.. Oh jello-o and let's nt forget the yogurt... no regrets just so darn hungry....

Hi, Congratulations on your upcoming banding. Every Dr. has a different diet for post op. Mine let me have any liquids, blended soups, yogurt drinks,juice. No pop, in fact I just plain quit drinking it! Applesauce and other blended fruits were ok, milkshakes or diet shakes were ok too. Good Luck, you'll love it!!! Nancy

I am wondering the same thing...I want mushy beans! I'm 7 days post op and have been on clear liquids amd now full liquids. I'm keeping everything down, even tried yogurt. I feel in ready for more but my paperwork says 1 week of full liquids. I'm tired of liquids lol #thestruggleisreal

wow how much sugar we are allowed upto 15 grams in yogurt things after surgery. so just trying to figure out others experience i want to dump on the bad stuff like the things not good for me. not yogurt lol

If you're going crazy, so am I - it's not constant, but I certainly seem to be a lot more sensitive to sewage smells post-op than I was before. Some other smells too: I had some rugrats over and for a week afterwards, I'd suddenly get a whiff of berry tube yogurt. My sister later told me one of the kids had spilled a little on a couch and she'd cleaned it up, which I'm sure she did, since I'm the only one in the entire family who keeps smelling it. I'm also pretty sure one of my perfumes has turned, though no one else thinks it has. So maybe it's just a sharper sense of smell?

Cottage cheese, yogurt, scrambled eggs, oatmeal, soups.

Yes, it's pretty normal to have diarrhea early on. You're only taking in liquids, so most of what you eliminate will be liquid too. Also, you've likely also had massive doses of strong antibiotics which wipes out the naturally occurring bacteria in your digestive system. Without those little bugs to help regulate things, your system will be torn up. Try mixing in some probiotic containing yogurt (activia or another brand). It helped me out. Bryan

I am very grateful for this site. I just read this whole blog and relate to every bit of it. I was banded in Oct. 2007. Got all this the same responses from my surgeon and bariatric team...eat dime size bites, chew chew chew, shoulder pain unrelated, you're eating to fast, etc. Maybe this team should read this site. These symptoms are way to common in post-banders to say the symptoms are unrelated. To this day, I've never been able to eat much solid food. I've always had to live on a couple of bites of food...always with discomfort. I've never been able to eat sitting down. So going to dinner parties, vacations and restaurants are out of the question. I just went for my first unfill a few weeks ago. I notice mild difference. Still can't tolerate solids very well and still have to stand up. Only difference is I can eat about 2-3 extra bites than before. So I will have to probably get another unfill. Yes, the financial aspect annoys me because I am a self-pay. Paid for this surgery and fills and now have to pay again to undo what I've already paid for. BUT, I don't dwell to much because after all said and done, I am paying to try to be comfortable. This band is a love hate relationship. I've been able to lose weight but I am worried that I am not eating nutritious food. I eat whatever can get through. I can only tolerate very small amounts of meats and forget any potatoes, pasta (except small amounts of rice) and bread. My carbs most come from yogurt and crackers. Ironically, I can eat some junk food without difficulty...but hate eating the stuff. Yet when I am hungry...I am eating what I can. I hate fish and my doctor always says "Can you eat fish?" Well, I didn't get this band to live off fish....but I will say I ate swordfish last night and liked it. I sat down but could only get about 3oz of it down without anything else. Went to a movie and was able to get popcorn down. so I was thrilled just to have those two things and nothing else that night. This isn't how I want to live yet I don't want to put weight on again. If anyone out there is having the same fear of unfilling because of putting on weight, I relate...BUT it won't stop me from doing what's necessary. I say that because I don't want to eat junk...I want to be able to eat small meals and be satisified...not rade the cabinet. I also have heartburn. I know I can't remain like this because I will have further gastric issues if not treated. Again, this site and especially this blog has encouraged me to perservere and get whatever unfills necessary.

Personally, I would hold off on the fill. Sounds like you may need to eat more protein to help keep you full. Do you have some protein powder you could add to yogurt or something like that? Have you been keeping track of how much protein your eating daily? I have only had a total of 3 fills and I am almost at my goal weight. Good luck! Chew lots and keep eating slow! Have a great day

Well last week I lost 5lbs I am on my 2 week pre op diet, with one week left. I can only have protein shakes and sugar free liquids. But I added carbmaster yogurt from Krogers it only has 4grams of carbs and 12 grams of protien =80cals. I also eat this AMAZING new cheese it's a 100 cal pack from Kraft called 3 cheese blend. It's my one treat everyday And only 1gram of carbs. I have been doing 800-1000cals per day and although it sucks it is somewhat tolerable as long as I keep myself busy. I also eat these prepackaged SF jello jigglers from krogers called gel bites and that has helped a ton to keep me satisfied. I don't think I could tolerate 500 cals a day yikes!! You should def. go low carb and you will for sure loose the wt by June 9th. And shrink your liver

I did my weekly weigh-in today and I've gained 2 lbs. Not real, stuck on the hips pounds because in order to gain 2 real pounds in a week I'd have to have eaten 1000 calories a day, every day, over my calorie expenditure, which I didn't do. What I did do is eat a lot of Asian recipes this week. All are high in sodium, so I suspect I'm holding on to some water weight, but I wanted some strong flavors after yogurt, egg salad, and cottage cheese these past weeks. So I broke out the fish sauce, soy sauce, and made some quick cucumber pickles. Everything was delicious. I tried half a toasted English muffin, seemed to sit well. I haven't vomited at all, or dumped. Maybe I'll escape that. I am walking 5000+ steps a day and I will add some yoga and squats I think. I still feel like I'm wearing a corset, a tightness under the skin. It's odd but not painful. My incisions have all healed and the scab from the hole where the drain exited has finally fallen off. I still get some odd pains here and there, mostly around my belly button. I am taking a 750mg psyllium capsule each morning and have not had a problem with constipation despite falling short of my 64 oz fluid goal a couple of days this week. And best of all, still no GERD, no regurgitation, and I started swallowing full size pills without a problem this week. I have a telephone appt with the surgeon's office on Friday and I hope I can stop taking omeprazole then.

I'm on all liquids still, my kids are home eating popcorn by the truck full. It is driving me crazy. I grabed a hand and was eating it til my husband notice hit it out of my hand. He yelled "liquid- not popcorn!" I had to go hide in my room so I won't steal any more popcorn. I want my post op visit to be soon then it is 1/5 so maybe get a fill. , scared that I won't. Can't wait to kids go back to school and stop munching on everything. I wanted to eat thing today I don't even like, just to I could chew I think. I ran to store and got more greek yogurt and ate it very slowly. Hang in there we got this!

Yes, hang in there I am in week three and I can think of all kinds of things to eat but I won't I love cheetos. I have found that popsicles and pudding and yogurt are my best friends when I have those sweet fits and the cheesy fits. So, just talk yourself thru it and find another out and a healthier craving.

My suggestion is prepare lots of " your foods" I bought 2 dozen small plastic containers and filled them up with jello or jello and yogurt parfait, green pea soup, onion soup, and today making black bean soup and maybe some squash soup and it will be at my fingertips. Yest I took 4 of these and my milkshake on my shopping trip etc and my kids bought me a nice lunch bag- and I ate the same way I would have fed my babies 40 yrs ago, every 3/4 hours. I think preparation helps.

I started gaining weight in my late teens and was never able to control it no matter what I did. My PCP had encouraged me to have bariatric surgery for the last five years or so, and I finally decided that I'd done everything else I could possibly do. The sleeve seemed like the best option for me, so I went to Dr. Alexander Abkin in Florham Park, NJ, who's one of the best doctors in the NJ-NY-CT area. After months of classes, tests, etc., I finally had my procedure two weeks ago. It's been a struggle to get down enough Protein, and Clear liquids have to be within a very narrow temperature range not to upset my stomach (the gurgling is loud enough to be heard from across the room if my drink is two degrees too warm or too cool), so I've had to be creative. I was told to go to full liquids as soon as full digestive function had returned, so the third day after surgery heralded the return of milk, yogurt. farina and Soups. Nine days post-op when I had my check-up I was told to progress to Phase III, and I've been adding cheese, fish and other items gradually. My highest weight was 304, and it was 295 the morning of my surgery. Shifting those few pounds was sheer misery, even though I never really ate much nor had much of an appetite. After the surgery the weight has truly fallen off: this morning the scale read 272, a drop of 23 pounds in 14 days. It will be great to lose weight and look better, but I'm really looking forward to being healthy enough to be able to see my grandchildren grow up. My son and his wife just told us that they're trying for their first, so by this time next year we may have a little one and his or her future is of vital importance to me.

Early on I thought I was having problems with dairy, but eventually I figured out that the very loose stools were due to the post-op antibiotics. It cleared up as soon as I finished taking the antibiotics, and started eating mushies and solids. I have not problems with dairy now (5+ months post-op), but I don't drink regular milk (only unsweetened almond milk, once in a while). cheese, yogurt, cottage cheese, etc. are all well tolerated (and loved!) Now my biggest challenge is eating too fast (I still haven't learned how to slow down enough!), and occasionally eating too much . Just ONE bite too much can send me into bad stomach pain and I have to lie down or walk around (no sitting, crunching my stomach together even more!). And I get the "slimies" where I have excess saliva production, have to swallow alot and wait for it to pass. Not fun! I also get hiccups when I'm full or slightly past full.

well to continue I have three sons but they are older and do not need me liek they used to. Oldest two on their own and this year youngest wants to be in the big smoke so he is with his dad..so just me in the basement while the one ( BF)who ignores me sits upstairs watching tv. Yes i have tried talking til I am blue in the face but I can see,he shuts me out as I get that glazed look in his eyes. Can I do this? Do you need support and someone to help and drive etc. I have three dogs too so I will need to be there for them. I am feeling really miserable,honest to god, and why must I eat yogurt and cottage cheese?? How will that help my liver, I don't understand, boy I can see that I will feel more yucky as far as mood when I do that. I am supposed to have a b day party for my mom and son on the 7th of aug,,just three days before i get banded, how the heck am I going to pull that off and just eat cottage frigging cheese??? I must apologize to you all for sounding so down. I have read you guys now everyday and I feel like you get to know someone, I mean mandy aka ARGon is hilarious, Yoda is the wise sage, there's cloe and the list goes on and on, man I feel like I am looking through the romper room mirror.. Anyway apologies!

My Surgery Was On January 11, 2013 I Started With 233 Pounds. As Today My Weight Is 200 Pounds, So I've Only Lost 33 Pounds. I Feel That Not Much Progras And Really I'm Following All The Rules. I Eat Evrey 5 To 6 Hour Small Portion .Drinks 8 Glass Of Water A Day I Have My First Fill In2/26/2013 4cc Feel No Difference And I Feel I Can Eat More Than 6 Ounces Per ,Meal ,But I Control Myself Not To Eat Much Or Over Eating. my Question Is You Think I'm Good Or I Do Not Have Much Progress? After The Fill And Only Loss 2 Pounds. I'm Very Confused And I Have Much Fear Of Failure In My Weight Loss Attempt , The Truth Is That I Feel No Restriction With 4cc And I Can Eat Anything Bread, Rice, eggs, Almost Everything That Everyone Says You Can Not Eat. Like Bread Or Rice I Dot Eat But Is Because I Do Not Want. So Please ,Please Need Opinion Of You And Let Me Know If Everything Normal Ho No Tank U I had to copy and paste + punctuate to read your post. It can take a few fills to make a real difference. Are you 1) measuring 1/2-1 cup food that includes 4 oz lean Protein and a small serving of fruit or veggies? If not, then you're really not eating a band friendly diet and you're not going to be satisfied. 2) after this meal, do you feel hunger, real hunger, not "head hunger" or cravings, for 4+ hours? If you can go 4 hours between meals, you're good. Just have to deal with head hunger, go for a walk and try not to think about food. 3)Are you eating white carbs at all? White carbs contribute to cravings, cravings cause head hunger. Keep some raw carrots on hand, make ranch dip out of ff Greek yogurt and ranch mix, dip your carrots in it...high protein, low fat and satisfying snack. Even if you're hungry, eat only band friendly foods. Even eating 6 oz protein and a salad with ff dressing, you can lose and meet your nutritional needs. Hang in there...

I had my surgery 4/22 and am not 4 days post opp. My NUT said I can have yogurt, cream soups, pudding, cottage cheese and shakes. So....they also say not to drink 30 minutes before and after a meal. But I'm drinking all day. Does that apply to this liquid phase too?

My surgery was December 2nd. I should have been out on Thursday the 4th. My bowels would not wake up...I could not pass gas. I walked my rear off. I fought hard too. Friday the 5th I decided enough is enough and would walk til I could not go anymore, take a short break and walk again. Still no gas coming out. By 430 I was having projectile vomit, my IV wouldn't support a drip and I was so dehydrated they couldn't get any others to go....after and this # is accurate I counted 24 sticks from various people a guy came in and got one on the first try in my foot! It worked. So from 430pm to 12am I was being stuck. Finally exhausted I crashed. The next morning I was slowly passing gas. I was discharged Sunday about 430pm. Had my first post op today. I told them I felt like I just opened my front door to publishers clearning house and they had a check for the rest of my life back along with all the other hoopla. I can tell you I cried several times while in the hospital...said to mulitiple nurses I can't believe I did this to myself. But each of them encouraged me to believe it would get better. I have a full 4 weeks of soft foods, nothing thicker than greek yogurt. When we checked out my hubby under my encouragement went to a Wendy's got himself a burger with cheese meal...the smell doesn't bother me. Just me for now I know there will be challenges but being this overweight has taken away so many options for my life! I feel like I am empowered to take them back!

Good Morning, Dianne, sounds like your esophagus is irritated from the PB and raw from it. If your going to eat food, I would have very soft food for a day (yogurt or pudding), even a liquid diet might be good for a day to help it heal. Betty glad you enjoyed your bike ride. Some times ya gotta say WTF Cindy you'd die if you saw my closets and drawers... clutter bug for sure. Some day I'll clean them but not now, life is passing me by and the drawers are the last thing I want to do. But mostly I'm lazy :scared: :D Pat how was the banquet? You know, I've never had a manicure. My dd is 5 and she's had 2 already. I lead such a sheltered life RoFLMfAO !!!! :scared: Well nothing much is happening here today except aunt flow decided to visit me yesterday and ruining my weekend.... I get so grumpy and so dang tired I could sleep for 2 days strait... its not fare I tell yah lolol. Today I'm making tuna salad for the week and ribs (with out burning them this time lolol) and some acorn squash mmmmmmmmmmm mmmmmmmm. Whatcha all up to?

I'm 5.5 months out. I can eat 6 oz of yogurt but 2-3 oz of solid food is pushing it.