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Hello all newbies! Samantha--how you are feeling is all normal. I felt overall yuck for several weeks after my banding, it will pass. Your tummy is still swollen alot from surgery so being filled up by liquids is to be expected. Take Mylanta strips for the gas, it really helped me. There are lots of things to expect as you go along, but the easiest way to deal with them is step by step. If you are on just liquids right now as you progress to soft foods that full feeling becomes more. You will be amazed the amount you don't eat now. Once you get your first fill the feeling will change again. For me it took 3 fills to get to really feel good restriction, and it never last more than 6-8 weeks. When I was getting fills I had a total of 9. I have a 4 cc band but I could never tolerate more than .10ccs at a time so it took a long time to build to my sweet spot. It all takes time so just take everything day by day! You will never be drinking when you eat anymore, and what you can eat will change. I can not eat bread, Pasta or rice. They tend to expand and hurt my tummy. Otherwise I eat whatever I want in small amounts! Good luck to all of you! :confused_smile:

I think loosening it for an overseas trip, where care may not be available is a valid option, but not one you should be doing thinking that you can eat heaps on the trip and really enjoy yourself - that is the kind of dysfunctional thinking that made us fat in the first place. You can actually indulge in unusual or out of the ordinary foods on holidays without loosening your band, and you can enjoy it thoroughly. I think yo'[d find most doctors are willing to unfill for travel becuase it ensures band safety. To think you can unfill for one special occasion, that's not a very healthy way of thinking of life with the band. You need to be committed to a lifestyle change and that means your life no longer revolves around food - the whole point of a holiday or a wedding is not how much you can eat. And with a properly adjusted band, you can eat sensibly and enjoy special meals anyway- if you cant, you're too tight. When you get to goal, you can unfill. I never did, I stayed the same weight for years with the same fill, but recently, I had to be completely unfilled for cancer treatment. Amazingly it has not caused weight gain, over time on maintenance, you do learn to eat your caloric needs one way or another - and in hindsight, I was doing a fair bit of eating around my band - sweet treats, alcohol, Snacks, they made up the gap between the caloric values of the size meals I was able to eat and what my body needed, and they were the "extras' that I wasnt eating during the losing phase. When I was unfilled, i got straight onto tracking calories and have moved onto a three meals but bigger meals and healthier foods (all the fruit, vegies and salad I couldnt eat in real quantity while restricted) and I've actually lost about 20lb more (that I really didnt need to lose). I'm finding my balance over time, but am amazed that I need well over 2000 calories a day to maintain my 135lb - so my metabolism, given all the running and circuit training I do, is definitely not shot, its actually very healthy. But I exercised vigorously all the way through my loss and never dipped below 1500 calories, I think very low calorie diets are going to set you up for having quite a deal of trouble in the longer term maintaining your weight loss. Like the poster above me, I monitor my weight, and adjust if it goes up a little - had a big weekend away with a once in a lifetime gourmet dinner with wines matched to each course for our 20th anniversary. Ate breakfast, lunch and dinner in restaurants and cafes - yeah, got home with 3 extra pounds. So its back to 1400 calroies a day and right back on the exercise regime for the next week or so to shift it. If you remain aware, know what you're eating and are sensible, it is indeed possible to live unfilld once you've lost.

I've had laparoscopic surgery twice before, and I'm scheduled for single incision VSG in early August. Everyone keeps saying how this surgery is so different from any other surgery. My other surgeries were lap gallbladder removal, went back to work in 4 weeks in '09. The other was robotic female surgery back to work in 2 weeks in May of this year. I'm an OR nurse and did a double shift my first day back and I felt fine. I'm only planning to take 3 weeks off because the surgery last month was unexpected and I had to use the PTO I was saving up for VSG. Can anyone who has had laparoscopic surgery before VSG tell me how it was different, besides the fatigue?

Please Please Please, do not back out! I (like everyone else) has gone through this!!! Your emotions are very out of whack by this point! My recovery was sooo smooth and I thought the same as you, and here I am 3 weeks and off all of my meds as of today, forgot about the surgery already! Really, you will get through this! Be strong and think about all the good things that will come out of this, they will outweigh the bad! Good Luck and God Bless!

I think the majority of people here had fears just before surgery... I know I did. I doubted myself, I though.. . "I can do this on my own can't I?", I worried about everything that I wouldn't be eating after surgery... and then I stopped and remembered why I was doing this in the first place. I realized that I couldn't do it on my own, I had tried so many times before and failed. I remembered that eating anyting and as much of it as I wanted is what got me here in the first place. I realized that if I wanted to live a long healthy life that things had to change... and change NOW. I was sleeved on June 13. I lost 25 pre-op and 34 so far post op.... I would have never been able to do that on my own... especially in that timeframe. Don't get cold feet... It's a big change... but it's a GOOD change. When I first joined this site someone told me that "nothing tastes as good as skinny feels" and let me tell you, after losing 60lbs of me I agree completely. Good luck and all the best with your surgery this week.

Hi, I had surgery on the 21st of January so I'm almost 3 weeks out and I'm worried my calories are too high. I am on puréed foods now and I am getting about 800-900 cals a day. I have been at the same weight for almost a week. All together I have lost almost 40lbs so far, 26 of those were Pre op. Just wondering how many calories people were getting at this stage?

You'll be right Beth. The calories / amount off food drops through the floor when you start eating 'real' food. 40lbs in 3 weeks - nice work!!

Sweet thanks! They gave me liquid Vicodin, sis is on her way to pick it up for me now. I'm so happy I did this, now it's 4 weeks of a clear liquid diet but I will definitely get through this, that is for sure. I just can't believe it's finally done! It's so surreal right now.

Welcome to BandLand!!!!!!!!!!! The first few days after surgery, just be kind to yourself. Walk when you can. Keep your incisions clean - unless they have that glue on them .. I had that.... It's all so new. You think you know how you'll feel, and what you'll do, but you have to remember, your band will control all that for you soon. Read as much as you can on the Forum, I'd be LOST without everyones posts - letting me know what to expect. There's no way the Dr's office will ever tell anyone what's really going to happen. Sounds easy - a 4 week clear liquid diet. I made it 3 weeks? It's so important to drink your Protein, and your Water. I am so sad about my inability to get all the water in, have to keep trying daily to remember to do it. Repeat after me: "I will not look at everyones numbers and compare myself". They told us 2 pounds a week... this ain't gastric.

Anyone else out there have surgery around 12/20?

32 lbs. is fantastic! I had surgery on 12/20 and have lost 28 lbs. I feel that I should have lost more, but I'm basing my information on other people's experiences, which I shouldn't do, but it's hard when others seem to be losing faster/more! I stalled for about 3 weeks, but it has picked up again and I am starting to lose again. I am 5'2" and weighed 218 the day of surgery. I also had to have my gallbladder removed at the same time of the WLS.

I'm three months out and this cycle has been two weeks of brown paste. Tmi. Sent from my SM-G930V using BariatricPal mobile app

I had white tongue too. It went away after about a week as well.

I had a white tongue for about a week or longer after surgery. I asked several people if it was thrush, they said no. However lots of people get Thrush afterwards. If it hurts when you swallow, he needs to call the dr.

Hi! I am 3 weeks post op today. I am on BC that I only get my period every three months. I've had 2 bad ones since the surgery. It's weird but I hope it doesn't become the normal.

Has anyone ever had days when nothing stayed down and then the next day be fine? I had this with the lap band, but did not expect it with the bypass! I am 8 weeks out....WTH??

I do have this happen occasionaly. I cannot explain it but what works today for food might not work tomorrow yet it could work again next week. Also when I have one of those days, I pretty much try going back to Protein shakes to ensure I get as much protein as possible. It is weird but I have read posts from others who experience the same thing. I hope you feel better soon!

good luck! I am two weeks behind you - started my pre-op diet today. Let us know how you do!

Just got my surgery date of July 20th.. Reality if it hasn't set in yet. When does it get real? What should I expect pre-operatively? I read surgery can lead to hair loss? Maybe I should spend a week reading everyone's posts and think about this...

I was doing good. Through the entire process I was terrified but hopeful this Is what my life needed. I had a terrible experience with surgery. They couldn't get an iv in. Then they rushed me away from my husband then I woke up in terrible pain. The pain stayed with me for 6 days because they sent me home after one night with a two foot drain tube in my stomach. I was in terrible pain. They took the tube out yesterday. Today has been a week since surgery. They took me off all pain meds. I haven't eaten since the day before surgery. Now for the first time I'm wondering if I made a mistake. I just want to move without pain. I started at 444 and I know that's no life to live. I'm at 370 now. I should be excited but I'm terrified of what I've done to myself. Did anyone else fill like this? What got you through it?

Hi My2bys9799, Its good to have you here. Congratulations on your acceptance for surgery. I don't have any personal experience with the band but I am 7 weeks post-op from Sleeve surgery and I am just as excited about it now as I was in the waiting period before hand. It is an amazing tool. I am losing weight but I exercise 5 days a week and I stick to my eating plan. In all of the posters I have seen on this board I think I've only read one time where a poster said they weren't losing weight with the sleeve. I honestly don't see how but that is what they posted. Unlike your band, the sleeve is a permanent change to your anatomy and you will need to alter your eating habits for life. If you are willing to do that, this is definitely going to work for you and you will be so pleased with your progress. The first 2 to 3 weeks are not really too much fun but its worth it and in the over all scheme of things, what is 2 or 3 weeks? After all if it will give you a healthy weight for the rest of your life it is a small price to pay. You will be successful at this and you will have lots of support here so come often and post much.

I am into the second week of my liquids and I am having server cotton mouth.. makes it hard to sallow.. is this normal?

IM TIRED OF POPSICLES ..WATER...GELATIN ...UGHHHH... CAN I HAVE ANY ICE CREAM ..IS THERE ANYTHING BESIDES THOSE ITEMS UP TOP THAT I CAN HAVE?

It is very comforting to hear that it is possible to not lose weight in the 2nd week. this is why i love this website, you have people that can share their experiences with you and tell you not to freak out . without the sleeve, i would have gotten discourage and blow my diet. yay sleeve!

Every doctor is different. My doctor does only lap band surgery, he's been doing it for years, and he has done well over 1000 of them with a high success rate, very low band slippage rate (which he says is mostly from vomiting, which can easily be avoided) and many very, very happy patients. He has his patients on one week post-op of liquid diet and then one week of mushies, then on to regular food. I don't really like to see people posting scare tactics from other doctors.... let's everyone just follow the advice of their own doctor, ok? That being said, follow the advice of your doctor. And peanuts right after surgery is totally wrong by any doctor's advice!