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Yeah I am ready for Monday. This 2 week preop diet is about ready to kill me!

Well....it happened. I just received my third fill on Friday which brought me to 7.25cc in a 14cc band and wouldn't you know Saturday night as I transfered from fluids to mush I couldn't even get down a spoonful of soup. Tried like heck for 5 hours to try and get it to go down but to no avail had to call the docs and they drained my band. Said I have to rest my band for three weeks and then if all looks well they can start filling it again. Mortified of the though of ruining all the work I have done and praying that my weightloss won't be affected by the unfortunate set of events.

22 lbs in 5 weeks in awesome. Nothing to be concerned about at all. You don't say how long you've been at your plateau? Can't be very long? It's not really a plateau until it's a month long. There are so many things that affect your weight. TOM, sodium intake, carb intake, anxiety, stress, meds all can make your body hold excess fluids. Most of us find that we can go a week or two with no weight loss and then over a few days we drop 3-5 lbs. It's mostly water retention most likely? tmf

Yep. My doctor has me on fluids for 3 weeks post op. No Jello. Nothing puréed, etc.

Hey everyone! I was banded on May 4th and so far, so good! One of the main reasons I decided to have the surgery was for the joint pain I was experiencing because of the weight. Well, that joint pain is GONE! I am so happy I did this. One thing that has happened though and I am not sure what it is, I have developed this pain on the same side my port is. Its a really SHARP pain if I twist a certain way or bend over or lean over and have to stretch when I do so. I am worried I did something to the port or it detached when it is still healing. I have only started cleaning my house again. Nothing too crazy and still not lifting anything so I am not sure how this happened. So, last night I took it easy and did not do a thing. I went to bed and I slept fine and when I got up, I felt a little better BUT then I had to pick something up off the floor and the pain came back. It wasnt as stong as it was the day before but still there. Other than that, I feel wonderful! Has anyone had this? Should I be concerned? My next Dr apt is June 2nd and he is super booked so I was trying to see if I could wait until then or if I really needed to press to be seen now. Thanks all!

It's still pretty early in your healing process. The typical healing period is 6 weeks. While I normally felt great, occasionally when something brushed against the area just above the port it was an uncomfortable feeling. I think it was pain, but not unbearable. Always air on the side of caution and leave a msg for your doctor, but I bet you're still healing. Remember to take it easy!:thumbup:

I have Aetna insurance and they require a three month supervised diet/exercise/psych program. I had my first appt with the psych guy today. This was our "intro" meeting and doesn't count toward the three month deal. Darn! Oh, well...I'll end up seeing him four times. I guess it depends on insurance requirements. Good luck to you on your journey!! :tongue2::biggrin:

Hello and welcome! Just wanted to chime in with Bandfun4me and say to follow your doc's orders about diet. I couldn't have Protein shakes, let alone fruit, the first week. (blended or not) You can really damage your healing process if you eat "ahead" So unless blended fruit is given a green light, hold off until mushies! of course you're sore, you had surgery! But it will pass. Just walk, stay hydrated, and give yourself a chance to heal. Good luck!

Take it slow and easy. This is a guideline not set in stone. I had to go slower advancing my diet stages. If you have any issues just back off and go back to clear or the stage below were you are advancing to. I had some trouble but at 4 weeks out this coming Monday I'm on a pureed/soft diet and doing much better. Eat really slowly, like several minutes between bites and allow plenty of time after eating before resuming drinking and a min. of 15-30 minutes of nothing before eating. If you are constipated or not pooping at all that needs to be addressed or eating will be difficult. Gas also will cause problems. There are solutions for these issues. Also indigestion can cause trouble. If you have any problems call your doctor and let them help you and don't get discouraged. They can give advice and solutions to make things better for you. Good luck and God bless you and keep you!

I have no idea what might be happening with your knee, but I do think you should go see primary care if it still feels that way after a week or 10 days. This is great advice. If you start working it too early you could hurt it further...water exercise is smart.

Sounds like you've got it covered with the echo and EKG I'm doing well. I'm down a total of 103, 43 since surgery. My old 5X and some 6X clothes are hanging on me. Even my underwear is baggy and my bras are loose! My mother had gotten me a new 5X outfit for Christmas, and I asked her to return it for a smaller size, since I knew I wouldn't be in them for long. She mailed the replacements in a 3X last week. I tried them on - a pair of black knit pants and a long sleeve cotton knit sweater. They actually almost fit! A little more snug than I would like to wear them comfortably, but since my stomach isn't as lumpy, they were presentable! Too bad the weather is now too warm to wear them, and by the time it's cold enough for them again, I will (hopefully) be out of the X's altogether! Hope things go well for you!

I had to do 2 weeks of protein shakes, and yes, the first 3 days were horrible. I felt like I had the flu. Headaches, body aches, tired. BUT, by day 4 I felt a whole lot better and made it through the rest of the pre-op with no problems. Just be sure to drink lots of water. It will help. Hang in there, it will get better!

I was banded the day before you, and I'm experiencing the EXACT same toleration problems, although I haven't had a temp. I had to do a liquid diet 2 weeks pre-op, and I wasn't able to tolerate Protein shakes then either. As for the pooper issue - it's been 13 days now for me since I've had....an experience. I haven't talked to the doc yet - so I'm glad to know this is normal. My doc advised that I could start having very thinned out creamy Soups on the 4th day post op, so you may ask yours if you could start doing something similar since you can't get any protein down. V8 makes a few soups - they're in cartons, and most of them are already strained pretty well. Of course you have to strain them AGAIN and add some chicken broth or milk to thin them, but they are HEAVEN after only having Water for 3 days. The Garden Vegetable variety has 5g of protein per serving - which isn't great, but it's better than the 1 or 2 grams in other soups. Just a thought.

You will feel better. Lots of people are not allowed protein drinks until a week out......clear fluids is what is important right now. I ran a little bit of a fever for a day and a half and then nothing.......I also started my period (light) right after surgery. I think alot of this will pass and I know for a fact each day gets a little better than the last. Hang in there and rest when able......walking helps with the gas so your on the right track! Good luck and take care.

Thanks for being our guinea pig swiftflow....its all good info. It looks like stalls just may be part of the package.

Hey all, I got on the scale tonight to find I'm down 42 pounds from the day I started my pre-op diet on 3/16! I almost can't believe it! Tomorrow will be 6 weeks post-op for me and I have not one regret on getting this surgery. Compared to all of the diets I've tried and failed on in the past, the last 6 weeks with the sleeve have been so easy! I finally feel like a normal person who doesn't think about food all of the time. I have been very diligent on tracking every calorie, carb, and gram of Protein since surgery, but I've been so-so with exercising. My goal for the next 6 weeks is to work out six days a week so I can keep this downward scale momentum going!

You do feel like that? It's been a week and two days...and I just have like a lingering heavy feeling in my belly....went to the regular dr yesterday, not my band dr, he said it must be my band, cuz everything else seems fine? Who knows, but it hurts, so called where I got my band, and will probably end up going there this evening. Thanks for sharing, I'm ok w/ TMI, because it helps to know someone has the same thing as me! :eek:

Perth bridetobe, yes they are it was in a report released a few weeks ago when they were approved for the rate increase. I'm not sure which health funds are dropping the cover but I think NIB was one of them. Just be careful and check with the fund prior to taking out your insurance, or alternatively, if you already have insurance and find you aren't covered, move to one that does cover it. Most will waive the waiting period if you have already had similar cover with another health fund. Pyretta

On Monday it will be three weeks for me too. I can't believe how I used to smell, now that I can smell other people. My house stinks but I can't do anything about it unless my husband gets the urge to quit. We are just getting more and more healthier aren't we. Josephine

Hello and welcome. I am currently on my 2 week pre-op diet. my surgery is on week from today...aug 16th. I work in the same field as you (i'm a psych tech) and i have suffered with hypoglycemia as well. i havent had any problems so far with this on the diet. I did get some sugar free popsicles and fudge pops as well as sugar free Jello to help me through the cravings. I'm sure the hard candy..as long as its sugar free wont be bad, but i would ask your surgeon about the juice. it might spike that blood sugar a little to much, as well as take you out of ketosis. i have been cranky on this diet, but it usually is around the times that i have to prepair food for my family to eat, and relize that i wont be able to eat anything for weeks. lol ....good luck to you, welcome again, and im sure you will do great!

Today I spent hours going through the binder of information given to me by the bariatric team. I am one of those super organized, Type A personalities, so it was necessary for my peace of mind to have dividers and tabs and plastic sheaths for the important papers. Kinda crazy, I suppose, but that's me! Next I went through all my diabetic magazines and clipped the yummiest sounding recipes. :-) So far on this journey toward surgery-- 1. I established the insurance requirements (a complicated story I may share at another time) and got the preliminary clearance. That was a relief! 2. I discussed my desire with my personal physician, a fabulous doctor and man I respect greatly who has been my GP since moving to KY 3 years ago. His approval and support was not a deal breaker, necessarily, as I was 80-90% sure surgery was my best course, but it was important to me for him to be on board. It was a relief when he not only didn't disagree but also confirmed the positive reports I had read about the local surgeon and bariatric program. 3. I (and my husband) attended the informational seminar offered by the Bariatric Weight Loss Program here in my home town. The surgeon was at the meeting, as well as others on the team, and the info was very thorough. So far nothing to give me pause! I filled out the request form, then waited.... 4. The wait wasn't too long. Gayle, the program coordinator, called me about a week later to set up my first appointment with the surgeon Dr. Farrell. 5. August 4 was my appointment with Dr. Farrell. Before meeting him I also had brief meetings with the dietician and again with Gayle. A binder containing detailed information about the pre-approval process and appointments, the surgery itself and surgery prep, diet pre- and post-op, possible complications, exercise, recipes, and much more. VERY thorough! I even got a few samples of protein powder and shakes. 6. August 11 was my appointment with a cardiologist for "surgical clearance." I had seen this doctor just over a year ago, before my diagnosis of sleep apnea, to rule out any cardiac issues. Nothing had shown up at that time, and as a prior patient I was able to get in to see him quickly. Unfortunately, I have been very sick with bronchiolitis and possible pneumonia, on strong cough medicine and steroids. The latter (I'm convinced) is why my heart rate was high, and of course my chest wasn't as clear as it should have been. For this reason the doctor recommended a follow up ECHO and treadmill test to be sure all was well before surgery. As an RN, I could not argue the logic even if it adds more to the process. Better safe than sorry! 7. Gayle called the next day to give me dates for all the various appointments: Psych Eval, Support Group meetings, endoscopy, Nutritional Eval, Exercise Eval, and a Healthy Lifestyle Class. These, along with the cardio followup, are scheduled over the next month, beginning tomorrow. No set surgery date as yet. The initial estimate was early November, but it seems to me mid to late October makes more sense. My birthday is on October 26, and while it doesn't sound like too much fun to spend one's birthday in the hospital, in pain, and unable to eat at least a small piece of cake, I am willing to make the sacrifice if it means getting the rest of my better-health-and-skinnier-life started! I'm ready!

Hi all! I'm new to this forum. I have some concerns about the pre-op diet. I have to be on a strict liquid diet of protein shakes for two weeks, and it's limited to 800 calories. I tend to get symptoms of what may be hypoglycemia when I get hungry, so I worry about this. The symptom I worry about most is the really irritable mood and fogginess. I work in the mental health field, which means a very high stress job. I don't want to snap at people! Will the doctor know I've cheated if I drink a little juice or have a hard candy or something to bring my blood sugar back up??

Hi all: Banded a little over a week ago in Mexico. REALLY having trouble with this post-op diet. Diets and me just don't do well. When hunger kicks in, will-power goes. I feel good, but a little sore from surgery. My questions is this: how important is the post-op diet? (Week of Clear liquids, then week of Soups, then week of purreed foods, etc.) What dangers exist if I were to just start eating lightly? I confess, I have eaten some solid foods this past week and have had no problems at all. So, what does everyone think? I'm sure I'm not the only one that has wanted to skip the post-op diet and go straight to eating a little solid food. If I have no problems doing it, can it still hurt? Are there reasons for the post-op diet that I don't know about? Lost about 5 lbs since surgery. No problems or complecations that I can tell. :hungry:

Hi everyone! Thanks for the warm welcome. I am three days out from my surgery and feeling better. I went to work today for about 5 hours and it was ok but I was about to collapse when I came home! Is there another get together already set up? I definitely want to try and make it.

Definitely wait it out, in the first few weeks I felt as if I wasn't going to have any restrictions. But now 6 weeks out I can barely eat my 2oz of food.