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Well it been two weeks since my last fill and have very little restriction. I guess I should call the doctors office and see if I can get another fill and not wait another two weeks. I can get at least 2 cups at a sitting. I'm not eating as much as I was before my band, but not anywhere close to 4 oz's the doctor talked about. I'm going to challenge myself to excersise this month. I will start slow and add some time to it each week. Dana wants me to do the walking program at zona rosa that is to start tonight. I don't think I can walk as far as the want you to. If it wasn't for this journal I might as well be invisable to the world out there. I'm trying to keep track of my food intake on fitday.com. Do pretty good most of the time, but somedays I just don't feel like doing it. I also don't do very well on those days. I still can't see myself as every being a normal size. I have been this size for so long, I hope and pray that it will come. My love affair with food is going to kill me if I don't get it under control. My blood pressure is better, can't say that much for my blood sugars. I the blood sugars are coming down slowly. I would love to get off the medications. Today will be a good day.

Well it been two weeks since my last fill and have very little restriction. I guess I should call the doctors office and see if I can get another fill and not wait another two weeks. I can get at least 2 cups at a sitting. I'm not eating as much as I was before my band, but not anywhere close to 4 oz's the doctor talked about. I'm going to challenge myself to excersise this month. I will start slow and add some time to it each week. Dana wants me to do the walking program at zona rosa that is to start tonight. I don't think I can walk as far as the want you to. If it wasn't for this journal I might as well be invisable to the world out there. I'm trying to keep track of my food intake on fitday.com. Do pretty good most of the time, but somedays I just don't feel like doing it. I also don't do very well on those days. I still can't see myself as every being a normal size. I have been this size for so long, I hope and pray that it will come. My love affair with food is going to kill me if I don't get it under control. My blood pressure is better, can't say that much for my blood sugars. I the blood sugars are coming down slowly. I would love to get off the medications. Today will be a good day.

I want to go to bed! Unfortunately I still have 4 pills left from my pile to take . . . staggering 10 minutes apart . . . crossing my fingers they all go down. GRRR. So the meds I take for my colitis are capsules, which doctor says are OK but I have to stagger them 10 minutes apart. I take 8 pills a day - so I've split them up 4 times throughout the day. I also was getting massive heartburn from the Calcium crystals I got, so I have switched to the citracal petites (CVS brand) but I have to take 6 of those a day. Then I have my 2 softgel Multivitamins a day, and my BP pill in the morning. HOLY CRAP! I feel like I am constantly taking pills. For those of you who are at least 3-6 months out, do you get to the point where you can take more than 1 pill at a time? Pre-op I could take 4 of my colitis capsules at once with not too much Water . . . I could get down my morning Vitamins in a gulp or two.

So I was on 1 week full liquids then mushies one week then transition to normal which is MUCH less than everyone else, which makes me worry. So if we are chewing everything into mush, then why go through all the stages anyway, is there anything about the particular foods classified as mushy . I mean I am three weeks out and eating pretty much anything, in small well chewed quantities. But everyone else seems like they are not there yet?

thanks how long does the stall usually last I have been spoiled by seeing a weight loss everyday

When I left the hospital, I was given a list of medications that I needed to take that included a chewable vitamin (I had taken these same vitamins for two weeks pre-op). After surgery, the chewables made me extremely nauseous. I called the phone nurse and got permission to take my regular multivitamin with water. Those went down just fine. At my two week post-op appointment I was started on vitamin B12 and restarted on vitamin D. At six weeks they said I could take biotin if I was noticing that I was losing hair. I started it immediately as a precaution. I go for my 3 month post op appointment this week and expect they will add iron and calcium supplements. I was hoping that after surgery I could take significantly less medication. For me, I have switched medications to control high blood pressure and diabeties for vitamins. I still take the same number of pills. I guess thats a good tradeoff?

I would like to share my experience with you all so you can learn from my mistake. Ive been banded for 7 weeks and initially lost 14lbs on the liquid stage after surgury and was having problem after that. I was working out like a horse - 1 hour at the gym with and average heart rate of 145 but I was also consuming and experimenting with foods. I started going for fills and .5 cc at a time - I already had 6cc put in at surgery. I got .5 cc didnt really do much I was even able to eat bread. Then I got another .5 cc and I was suppose to be on liquids and shakes but because I was able to eat the last fill right away I decided to have a piece of tofu...just one lil piece well I got stuck....and started vomiting. So much that I slipped my band. It was so horrible, painful, emotional, embarassing...please listen to your doctors and dietians. Its not worth the pain or the $$$ this will probably end up costing me. I had to go through surgury all over again. But I still have my band will this time I am sure it will be different. Please be careful all and if you feel like you are going to vomit (more than the just being stuck) CALL YOUR DOC, and dont take no for an answer!!!! My NP told me to meet her in the office at 9am after calling at 8pm and then again at 3:30am! I might not have slipped if she met me at the hospital. But I will take ownership of my own mistake and dont want this to happen to anyone!

Please don't rush it. Would hate to see you get a leak. At 6 days you should still be on clear liquids or close to full liquids. Are you on mushies yet? If so, that is awfully quick. i would not even be having yogurt at 6 days, and certainly not a banana. Even when you get there, please watch the bananas, they are full of sugar. Iif you are drinking coffee, you should be drinking decaf because caffeine will dehydrate you especially at this stage. Right now please concentrate on liquids and protein. You do not want to get dehydrated. there is no reason to make your stomach ache or to be nauseated when you are this far out. It takes your stomach 12 weeks to heal. Please follow your doctors or NUT's instructions and don't vary from it. Your time will come sooner then you realize, but if you keep making yourself sick, he won't let you go to the next stage! Good luck!

Hang in there hun...the first 3-5 days are the worse. i promise it gets better. i thought my all my insides were going to fall out everytime i got up. I think back now to that and it seems so long ago(actually only 2 months). i ate chicken broth a lot, but the protein shakes were ok with me. i didnt have an appetite for 3 weeks so i was fine with sipping on flavored water or the occasional juice. Hope you feel better soon. hang in there. i had the dreaded shoulder pain, and i'm not trying to scare you but it took about 6 weeks for mine to go away completely, but everyone's body is different. congrats on your decision to be banded. feel free to add me as a friend and PM me any questions, no matter how silly or gross you may think they are. That's why we're all here to support each other. Blessings!

I was about there also. Maybe I am just getting in an impatient mood right now. Dont you ever have those days where you wish it would go a little faster. I really can't complain, I am still losing (after my 4 week recovery plateau) and I feel pretty awsome for the most part. And besides the one day a week were I would like to eat everything in the house, I have been doing pretty good restriction wise. Saturday seems to be my grazing day. I have to catch myself about 1/2 way thru the day to stop myself. I might try doing a little bit lower carbs and see where it takes me for a week.

The pain, discomfort and breathing issues stopped around a week post-op. Almost 8 months later and I still can't burp very well but it is not uncomfortable...I hiccup a lot though. Burps are more from the throat rather than from the stomach and I have to force them out.

Hi there! I'm no doctor, but I did the same thing - since you were just sleeved last week, I think it's all the meds that have been pumped in your body for surgery and pain. It will subside, I promise, as your body gets rid of all of the chemicals. Good luck!!!

I was a little anxious right before surgery. I'm really difficult to draw blood from and not being able to drink anything made it worse. They had to try multiple times to get an IV in and also to draw blood. After the surgery, I felt like I couldn't breathe and was very nauseous. I was put on oxygen afterwards and given zofran for the nausea. I was told that the Dr. wanted me to sit up the first day for at least 30 minutes. The pain was manageable. Mostly, I was just very uncomfortable. The IV was in an awkward place and there were people in my room frequently. I had surgery on a Monday and was released on Wednesday afternoon. I had to go home with a drainage tube that would be removed in a week. My biggest problem was that I couldn't get comfortable anywhere. My mom had bought me a recliner and that seemed to be the most comfortable place to rest. I was put on Hydromorphine as a pain reliever. I figured out within a few days that I couldn't take it close to bed time because it caused insomnia in me. I switched to Tylenol for night time pain. Thursday morning was a 100% improvement over my hospital stay. I went out for walks and everything just got better from there. I don't have kids and my mom was there to help me and my husband. This helped tremendously! Mike is visually impaired and I was not able to drive for a week or as long as I was on pain medication. I was able to get back into my normal routine in about 2 weeks. I took the 2 weeks off from work for after the surgery. I'm almost a month out from surgery and I feel I can do most things. I do get tired quickly singing at church and lifting anything that's slightly heavy. The first few days after surgery I was having slight regrets. I just felt so uncomfortable and due to the medicine, I wasn't getting any sleep. I've had a pretty smooth path so far. Thank you Jesus! I have been getting really positive responses from people! They are very excited that I got the surgery and are supportive. The one weird thing is my best friend and I are about the same size and I have heard multiple people say "I wish she would have the surgery. She is in such bad shape" , etc.I know that they mean well, but it just kinda rude. My aforementioned best friend has been a little distant lately. I don't know if it's because we're both really busy or if it has something to do with this surgery. She's asked me a few times if when I get thinner if I'm still going to like her/ hang out with her. I've tried to reassure her over and over that this is not going to change our friendship, at least not negatively.

I typed my responses in all caps so you can see them, not because I'm yelling at you. 1) I know its surgery.. I've never had one! (But I have had 2 kids and labor was painful) but what should I expect? Is the pain manageable? Is it mainly from the gas, incisions, stomach pain? I'VE HAD TWO SINUS SURGERIES, INCLUDING A DEVIATED SEPTUM, AND TWO C-SECTIONS, ONE WITH A PAINFUL ,OPEN INCISION FOR NEARLY 6 MOS. FOR ME, PART OF THIS WAS WORSE. THE SURGERY PAIN ITSELF WAS COMPLETELY MANAGEABLE, BUT I HAD EXCRUCIATING PAIN (THINK STABBING ICE PICKS) IN MY SHOULDERS FOR A GOOD WEEK AFTERWARDS. I HAD AN ON-Q PAIN PUMP IN THE HOSPITAL, WHICH LET OUT A CONTINUAL DOSE OF PAIN MEDS TO MY INCISIONS. THE IV PAIN MEDS MADE ME NAUSEOUS. I FELT MUCH BETTER WITH THE liquid LORTAB. HOWEVER, WITH EVERY 24 HOURS THAT PASSED, I NOTICED A HUGE IMPROVEMENT IN HOW I FELT OVERALL. FIRST 24 ARE THE WORST. 2) When were you able to go back to a "normal" routine? I have kids that are active in lots of sports and dance etc.. will I be able to take them? I HAVE A SIMILAR SITUATION WITH MY OLDEST SON PLUS A 19-MONTH OLD SON. I HAD SURGERY ON A MONDAY AND MY HUSBAND TOOK THE YOUNGEST TO THE BABYSITTER'S BEFORE WORK FOR ME THAT WEEK. BY THURSDAY, I WAS ABLE TO TAKE MY OLDEST TO SCHOOL AND SOCCER TRAINING, AND WE TRAVELED TO GAMES SATURDAY AND SUNDAY. FOR ME, IF IT WEREN'T FOR MY SHOULDER PAIN, I WOULD HAVE BEEN OK ON WEDNESDAY. YOU ARE SUPPOSED TO BE OFF OF PAIN MEDS BEFORE DRIVING. I COULDN'T LIFT MY YOUNGEST UNTIL I WAS NINE DAYS POST OP, SO I TAUGHT HIM HOW TO CLIMB INTO HIS CAR SEAT ON HIS OWN. ALSO, WHEN I DRIVE OR RIDE IN A CAR, MY DOCTOR SAID I HAVE TO GET OUT AND WALK AROUND EVERY 30 MINUTES TO HELP PREVENT BLOOD CLOTS FOR THE FIRST THREE WEEKS. 3) I have read people have the "post surgery blues" are you or were you upset you had the surgery? In pain? Lost your best friend (food) feeling? I DON'T HAVE THE POST-SURGERY BLUES PER SE, BUT A COUPLE OF TIMES, IT HAS BEEN DIFFICULT NOT BEING ABLE TO EAT THE YUMMY SMELLING STUFF. FOR EXAMPLE, RIDING IN A CAR WITH A FRESH, HOT pizza OR GOING TO THE TACO SHOP AND PICKING UP dinner FOR THE FAMILY WHILE I ATE chicken broth. FOR ME, IT WAS EASIER TO RESIST THIS STUFF PRE-SURGERY BECAUSE i WAS SO EXCITED. POST SURGERY HAS BEEN A BIT HARDER, BUT STILL COMPLETELY DOABLE. THERE IS NO WAY I'M GOING TO EAT SOMETHING THAT MIGHT MAKE ME SICK RIGHT NOW. I'M ALREADY NAUSEOUS IN THE MORNINGS AND AT NIGHT (LIKE BEING PREGNANT) AND I DON'T WANT TO MAKE IT WORSE. 4) I was put on bed rest with my first child and on very strong meds that kept me to the bed.. so had a folley (so?) Catheter .. it was terrible, and had a terrible experience... so I hated it. Did you all have caths and how long were they kept in? (I know crazy fear..) I DIDN'T HAVE A CATHETER. HOPEFULLY, YOU WON'T EITHER! I DID HAVE A REALLY HARD TIME URINATING AFTER SURGERY THOUGH. I WOULD SIT THERE FOR 15 MINUTES SOMETIMES WAITING FOR IT TO COME OUT. 5) Now that you've lost weight, what are your friends like? Have they changed? I'M ONLY 14 DAYS POST OP, SO I HAVEN'T EXPERIENCED THIS YET. I ONLY TOLD A FEW PEOPLE BEFOREHAND, BUT THOSE THAT I DID TELL OR THAT I'VE TOLD POST OP HAVE BEEN VERY SUPPORTIVE.

Was sleeved 8/23. At first I didn't do anything but walking & a few different stretches. At the end of 3 weeks my doctor told me I could go back to the gym & do whatever I felt like I could handle on the bike or elliptical but he told me to take it easy on the weights - if I couldn't do 30 reps then the weight was too high. The next week I went up in weight & down to 20 reps & now I am back to my regular routine (3 days lifting to build muscle & 2 days to burn fat + 9-12 mile/day on a bike). Crunches were a little hard at first but didn't have any issues with anything else.

2 weeks was the magic number for me to feel human. Stopped pain meds at that time too, however, I occasionally still take them at night so I can sleep. I am a side sleeper too, and didn't sleep well until that 2 week start when I could carefully roll onto my side and place a pillow under my stomach. I was so sick of sleeping on my back and being uncomfortable!! I cryed during that 1st week too, thinking "what the hell did I do?". Kids05 Dr. Trivedi will allow you to stay out longer from work -- you need the time to heal. I just started on pureed's this week and it is a little better. Liquids did stink, big time, I barely got enough fluids in - and I'm so sick of cream of chicken soup I'll probably never eat it again. I know that many people have posted this same thing in the forum, and I didn't believe it at the time, but I promise IT REALLY DOES GET BETTER EACH AND EVERY DAY! Good luck and keep your head held high -- it's a courageous thing we've all done and it will pay off in the long run. Kid05 - call me if you need to talk - I'm here for you!!!!

Im in the same boat (one week and 4 fdays) and i am so counting the days till my mushies! LOL Good luck to you all...

And I envy both of you I have 21 days left OMGGGGGGGGGGGGGGGGGGGGGG. I had a revision from band to sleeve so I have to be on liquids for 4 weeks......... Surgery was on 3/23/11, I hope I make it I’m so miserable. My first mushie will be mashed pot, green beans and meatloaf....

So I was sleeved on May 2 and am down a solid 50 lbs. I feel so much better and have more energy but...I have not lost an ounce for almost 2 weeks. I have 30 more I want to drop and the scale is just not moving. I have tried upping my carbs and calories and lowering my carbs and calories but nothing seems to work. I do Zumba 3-5 times a week and swim a mile once or twice a week as well. I am fitting into my old size 12 pants, which is great but I want to be a loose 8. I was hoping to be able to wear my cheerleading outfit from high school for Halloween but at this rate...that's not happening. I am just feeling discouraged. I have tried to keep up a good attitude for the last few weeks but being stuck here at 170 is driving me nuts. Any one else have a nasty stall at 4 months out?? I will be 4 months tomorrow. Last month I did lose 10 pounds during the whole month...but still. Any advice,encouragement and "this is what happened to me" stories are very welcome. Thanks, Laura

I'm 7 days post op and still on liquids. My doc said next week I can start mushies or soft foods. I've lost 10 pounds and am so afraid it's all going to come back on when I enter the real food (mushed as it may be) stage because i cant exercise yet. I have "my fitnesspal" app on my iPad that helps me so much with cal, fat, carbs, calories burned, etc and I'm going to try to keep it around 800-1,000 cal/day. Is that too much? I'd love to hear other people's stories when they transisitioned from liquids to mushies...thanks

I will be 3 weeks post op tuesday. I need to know when will this overstuffed feeling go away! Also, I have NO appetite at all for anything!!!! I can not get all that protien in!!! I have lost 50lbs but I dont want want to be unhealthy either!!! I don't know my husband thinks I am a worry wart!

I have heard ppl mention protein shots. They say they are gritty but not near as bad as the shakes and, my thinking, its alot easier to drink a couple ounces of something mildly gritty than a serving of something extra gritty. That's just me though. I haven't tried anything yet so I am not the best source as far as taste, I just know what I read. Mostly I am posting to say WAY TO GO!!!! 50 pounds in 3 weeks!! Holy crap! At this rate you will be at your goal b4 the end of august lol Kudos! Just stick to what you CAN do for now and do your best at it and try not to worry about what you can't do yet. Think of it this way. If you had knees surgery 3 weeks ago you wouldn't be expecting to run yet, you would have to give it time to heal. The same goes for your tummy. Just hobble along as best as you can and b4 you know it you'll be thinking back on this difficulty as a distant memory

there is one thing I haven't seen on here..... the negatives.....I wanna learn from others mistakes or weigh in on logic when I go to make decisions influence my thought to help me not make a mistake.....Anyone doing this surgery for the second time? What led them to doing it over? does your stomach stretch over time? I can swallow a huge mouth full of liquid on three weeks out is that normal? I have been really focused on drinking a lot of fluids. I had a packed half a cup of refried beans is that ok?

Hey fellow Bandsters....I have a quick question for you fine folks. In my discharge paperwork it states that my steri strips need to be on for 2 weeks and when the two weeks arrive I can remove them. So now here is my question, how many people just let them fall off naturally versus who took them off at the two week point. I'll be two weeks post-op tomorrow and I have no plan to remove them unless there is a chance of the incisions getting infected. I fiddle with the ends and trim them as they release, but other than that, I don't mess with them. You thoughts? G

so I lost 7 lbs this week after not losing more than 1 1/2 for two weeks. The protein and water is working and even if this is not seen again for another two weeks, this is a success. No more complaining. Not posting to brag (hate that) posting because a lot of others go through the same stagnation and it is impossible to see hope.