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Hi, Yes, My doctor put me on a two week liquid diet.. the best shake besides my own w/ fruit is actually Ensure.. (Chocolate) 4 of those per day are great!.. My doctors pre-op info. also says that you can have raw veggies, or cooked (no beans, potatoes, peas, or corn) or you can have salad w/ vinegar.. so I have made this delicious meal outta veggie broth and green giant, just for one's brocolli and carrots, ( only 60 calories) combo the two and it's a great soup. I also have hot and sour soup from the chinese restaurant, This really helps! still shrinking the liver and chewing at same time... 1 more week till surgery whoo hoo.. my date is 4/28.

1 week seems waay too soon to me, but them I'm just going by my doctor's schedule. He simply won't do a fill before 30 days (of course you can get an unfill at any time if you are uncomfortable). I'm personally very wary of any doctor who is way too aggressive with fills. Any fill runs the risk of extra swelling, and that can really become problematic if food gets stuck, and some people have had to have total unfills when that happens. Good luck!

@Floridays: Just took a look at your before & after pics! No one can tell that you require any surgical work! You have done fabulous! I will try to get hubby to help me post pics this week. I think that has a lot to do with success on these programs! And you are absolutely right about the heart attack, I don't want to think about it happening either! Thank you!

Yes!:faint: Lots of pain in my chest after this third fill. After the second one I would get this pain sometimes but only if I really over did it and ate the wrong things or didn't chew enough/took too big of bite, etc.:rolleyes I am still contemplating an unfill. It's my TOM next week so I am thinking about riding it out for now and seeing how I feel after the TOM.

Does anybody know, about how active I should be and/or what type of exercise I can do at this point? I had my surgery 1/30 so I'm 16 days post op. Before surgery I worked out regularly 3-5 times per week mostly cardio, and strength training once a week. And I did this mainly to control my stress and anxiety. I was told that I shouldn't go back to that routine for a minimum of 8 weeks. However, since not being able to work out, and being back to work now, a lot of my stress and anxiety is coming back but now I have no way to de-stress...

Hi Vanessa, It's been awhile since I have posted too. I will go for my third fill this Friday. I felt restriction for a few weeks after my second but now in the evening I want to eat, eat, eat. I also have the small band. My first fill I got 1.5 cc and my second fill I got 1.0 cc. Later, Bobbi

Kim, This is so good to hear. I just had my first fill last week (only 1cc) and I can still eat a Big Mac, NO PROBLEM. I too thought my band had left me! I am set up for a second fill this Thursday. Hope it works...... Staci Orlando Fl banded in Mexico 12-14-04

Just my thoughts... you say you are on Liquid/mushy stage, for me they were two distinct stages, weeks apart. I moved to pureed foods two weeks after starting full liquids and mushy foods two weeks after that. My NUT told me, "if you have to chew, it' s not for you" during pureed. She stressed that my stomach needs to heal and I need to let it by not progressing until told to. You will get as many different answers and thoughts on this as there are doctors, try and do what your NUT instructed until you can reach her. You don't want to progress too quickly, you can hold off. It is in your best interest to do what you were instructed. Good luck and congratulations on your surgery and loss so far!!

Some times the body needs a break. 15 lbs is a good amount of weight, maybe your body is saying WHOAH! Stop! I need time to catch up. Its weird, I'll lose one week and gain the next w/out changing anything. If your at 1200 calories just keep it up and give yourself some time to heal, and remember, its not a race. Good luck !!!

Sorry to hear about your friend..I am also March 6th..and I too am in my first stall.. My pre op weight was 304 ( day I started pre op diet) current 260 looks like we lost almost exactly the same...lol..hope the stall passes for both of us soon

Congrats Anissa! Get lots of rest this week and I'm sure you be up and running in no time. BTW, I've been taking my vits whole since about a week after surgery with no problems. I just take one at a time. My multi looks like a horse pill. I'm sure after I'm filled I'll have to look at other options. I also had a hernia repair during my surgery. Didn't even know I had a hernia. I'm sure burping in fairly normal but if your concerned I would call the doc. There no such thing as a stupid question. Drink looks of fluids, take long naps, and be kind to yourself. gentle hugs, j~

Doc said I have to wait a minimum of three months before we can consider refilling. If my stomach goes "back to normal" we can start again, but if it doesn't, we will have to consider removing it. He feels pretty strongly that everything will be alright, I'm not his first pt this has happened to; but it is devastating to me. I guess the only good thing thus far, I am drinking a lot more water trying to keep the full feeling!:sad:

Hey all I am 3 weeks post op and I so full all the time. I just started blended food. If I open a can of tuna I can only eat 6-7 bites before I am stuffed. Is this normal? Should I be able to eat more by now? Even Protein drinks. I can only drink half and it takes me so long to drink it. Water goes down good no problems there. Any feedback is greatly appreciated!!! ????

Went in last week for a complete unfill due to recent medical conditions unrelated to the band. After a week of an unfill, I am now reminded of why I have the band in the first place. I am feeling no restriction for the first time in 18 months and I can eat anything. Old habits die hard, but I am trying to keep a grip on it. I don't want to gain weight and if I could just stay the same I would be fine- wow it's hard! I would have thought that after 18 months of restriction I would have better self control........it's scary and a little depressing to think I can just slip right back..........

My doc is aggressive with fills, has an excellent success rate and an A+ reputation here in Dallas. He has said once we start the fill process, I can see him every week if need be to get to good restriction. You'll hear all kinds of stories here. Since you presumably researched your physician beforehand, trust his judgement and do what feels right to you.

WOW how strange was it to see this at this site?? hehe well I know my husband used to eat chicken and potatoes and bananas when he was working out and trying to bulk up. He had a protien sorce with EVERY meal. I try to do this as well, but he also did the potatoes. Hope that helps. Unfotunately I didnt gain my weight with chicken and potatoes so the way I did it wouldnt be helpful for you. I supose you came to the right place though. lol Every one here could tell you their worst fat culprit. Mine is probably pasta! If you dont care if your gaining fat or muscle just eat fetichini alfraido everynight for a few weeks..................mmmmmmmmmmm fetichini **sighs**

Just started liquid 2 week pre-op myself. Today! If today is any indication of what it's going to be like, I would rather starve! I have to drink 5 HMR shakes a day - and water - that's it. They are making me gag - they are too thick and foamy. I just had fat free can of chicken broth, because I can't drink the shakes anymore. I don't know how I'm going to get through thirteen more days - seriously! I have already lost about 10lbs on my own and I would much rather continue with what I have been doing and then do clear liquids for a couple of days before surgery (11/12) but nope, not in their plan. Oh well, just bitching about it I guess. I'll have to get over it and keep my eye on the "prize" Good luck everyone

You could have been talking about me. I go for my 2nd fill this week. Hopefully we will both get some restriction and relief from the hunger. Hang in there!:thumbup:

How do i make my story short and not so sweet? Anyway I had my sleeve done August 15th and was oh so happy and was dropping pounds like bombs and my doc was like you can exercise after 2 weeks. So what does Tashara do after 2 weeks? I went for a nice little bike-ride around DC, 2miles tops. Anyways, I came back and collapsed at my desk and had a high fever. (this was last Tuesday 8/30). So I go to kaiser urgent care who checks my blood and sends me home with Tylenol and says I have a bug. OK. Wednesday I call my surgeons office (Dr. Salemah and Dr. Mayes) and go in to have a UGI to make sure my sleeve is in good condition. So my sleeve is great, and then I suddenly get sharp pains in my left side along with my 102+ fever. But they too send me home and say follow up with PCP. Now its Thursday and I'm about to die and so I see my primary who puts me on an IV, antibiotics (Invans) and liquid Tylenol for my fever. They check my blood pressure and it has dropped to 88\48! Usually I have to take Lisinopril for my pressure but I haven't even taken it since my surgery, so that is some very low numbers. So my doc puts me on another bag of fluid and sends me home when my fever drops to 99 and my pressure is up to 95\56. I woke up early Friday morning shivering like no other and a temp of 104.3. I called an ambulance and was rushed to the ER. So they gave me a CT scan and come to find out..my spleen has an abscess of liquid on it. So now i'm being transported to Virginia Hospital Center (where I had my surgery) and of course Dr. Mayes comes to meet me and he is rushing me to their CT scan so they can take out my infected spleen and place a drain tube through my back to get all of the excess fluid. Pain Pain Pain Pain. Saturday, the infectious disease doc comes in and totally freaks me out saying that the spleen and the stomach are basically connected by some blood vessels. When they cut my stomach they had to remove the cells connected to the spleen which usually dies off and grows back. But instead mines picked up salmonella. SALMONELLA!!!! Has any body ever heard of a crazy thing like that. I caught salmonella during surgery on my friggin spleen. Like of all the times I have eaten somewhere that might not have been the cleanest or pigged out on some nasty fast food, I catch salmonella poisoning on my spleen during surgery. So my labor day weekend was spent in the hospital and I came home finally today with a taped up back and a drain with yucky stuff dripping out. Would i be wrong to ask my surgeon to foot my hospital bill, I mean c'mon son!

I also have Aenta and Drs. office told me anywhere from 2-3wks, but most the time 2wks. Good Luck! I'll be sending in my paper work end of next week.

I have Aetna as well. My paperwork was submitted this Wednesday and I called them today. They told me it may be up to 3 weeks.

I had my surgery on Nov 30th, I went in for a fill 2 weeks later, and when the PA put in my first fill, aparently my stomach swolle up, and I couldnt get water down, we had to remove the fluid to let the swelling go down. Trying to find my port has been just a crazy game, I get so sick to my stomach..cant find it. I went in for a refill this last Monday she dug around unable to find the port again OMG. I couldnt belive it not again. I am scheduled for a floroscopy Thursday. I guess I have been eating acting as I did before I decided to get the lapband or as I have always eaten my whole life...feeling like a failure. I have gained some weight back..I need something to happen soon. The PA told me we would have to add fluid to the band slow at first. What a crazy begining to a new year, and lap banding.

OMG, all that talk about needles, I think I'm gonna be sick....I hate needles. I may never get a fill, plus my doc said no fluro. He said he use to treat cancer patients and had to inject meds into implanted device s/a port. Said it was nothing to it, well I guess we'll see. Why does it take weeks to see if it's working, seems you'd know pdq. Good luck Blossom

Betty, makes sense to me that I would have gotten a larger fill for a larger band. But then, I still can't figure out why I would have gotten the larger band in the first place... Michelle, 2 weeks sounds a lot better than 3, LOL!! Plus, I will still be off work for the holidays. Thanks for the suggestion! Kim, the swallow was something else I was expecting and did not get. Seems to me, testing the fill should be a given!! Pat, I hate needles, too. But honestly, the needles were the not that bad. Besides, one of my bosses is a RN, not to mention the Director of Health Services in our school district, and she says that your tummy has fewer nerves so you don't feel as much pain there as in other areas of your body. I kept telling myself that as I was looking at all those needles, LOL!!!

If you buy them from the manufacturer, make sure to search for online coupons. I found one that gave me three free bottles. The bottles are 25.4 oz or 750 ml so they last a long time.