Ahhhh

[shann1e 0]

Ok so I had surgery on 12/8. Im really confused about a lot of things, maybe someone can help.

1) Im in the mushy stage, how much can you eat? I find that i can eat a lot right now, im not full after 1 cup not even close....not good. I don't get my first fill till 1/20, I feel like I can move to soft foods, ill haveto ask my doctor, but if I do what can it do? can it damage my band or make it slip??? What if i eat solids??

2) I know they say no alcohol for a year, but will it hurt to have a little glass of vodka and cranberry on new years?? just wondering. What could that do??

3) and the bread thing....verry confusing!!! I have heard like 5 different things, and its making me go crazyyy!! Can you eat it??? I have heard you will never be able to eat it again, or you can't eat it for 5 months after surgery....whats the deal?

4) How long after surgery can you start going back to the gym?? I walk right now, a lot. Like the mall or just around my street, but I would really like to go back to the gym.

If anyone can help answer my questions, it really would be a huge help!!!

oh one mroe thing...sorry

My friend had sugery 12/2 and she was doing sooo good not smoking, I for one was really proud of her. She just startd smoking again....I tried telling her that it could damage the band, but she told me it couldnt. What can happen so I can get the right facts to tell her soshe will stop!!!!

[nkara 0]

Ok let's see ...

1. some people aren't full after 1 cup of food. Mushies stage for me I was eating about 1 cup but depending on what I ate I was hungry again after only 2 hours. If I ate just chicken I was good but if I ate oatmeal I was hungry faster.

2. the healing process takes at least 4 - 6 weeks so pushing yourself to eat solids might be harder to handle on the inside of your stomach. I've seen people on the boards who have eaten regular food a week after surgery. It won't damage your band but I would check with your doctor.

3. exercise is limited until the healing process is complete. Again at least 4 - 6 weeks. You don't want to stretch the stomach before everything is nicely healed around the band and port. But also call your doctor on this to check as well.

I found adding more Protein Shakes helped me with hunger in the "mushies" stage as well.

The alcohol and bread thing is again depending on how your stomach can handle it. With bread my nutritionist told me to not heat "doughy" breads because they can form balls and be hard to pass through the pouch. the alcohol is I believe due to the absorption rate now and empty calories.

That's possibly what the answers are and what I've seen ... we'll see what others say about this as well because I'm definitely not an expert. :thumbup:

[zobee 0]

I'm no expert, having just been banded on 12/11, but I'll share with you what I've been told, and maybe that will help:

1. You CAN eat as much as you like, pretty much as you always have been able to -- but that doesn't mean you SHOULD . Until such time as your band is filled to the point that it is causing some restriction, you may not feel full after 2, 4 or even 8 ounces of food. This is a time for good old fashioned will power. Do try not to over indulge, but don't get down on yourself if you slip up and gain a few pounds back. From what I can tell, it happens to the majority of us. Just keep walking and doing your best!

2. My nutritionist/doctors did not state how long I had to go without alcohol, and I don't drink so I didn't question further, but my understanding is that an occasional glass of wine or mixed drink is not going to hurt you. However, once you reach your restriction, a drink might very well may knock you on your tookus. Remember, there is only so much room in your tummy. A 4 oz stomach will only hold so much -- is it going to be food or liquor? My nutritionist told us a horror story about an alcoholic that got this surgery specifically because it is easier to get drunk, so please do be careful!

3. Bread/Pasta is not made of poison - of course you can eat it ... but get your Protein first, and be smart about the amount of carbs you're eating. Remember to treat carbs as what they are: sugar. Yumminess, and not going to kill you, but definitely something that will require (and here's that phrase again...) will power. Having said that, bread was on my top five foods that I tried in my mushie stage. Specifically, I mixed some stuffing and turkey with enough chicken broth to make it mushie. It was bliss after 21 days of liquids!

Remember, the band is not going to do this for us. It is not a magic trick, it is a medical tool designed to assist us in strengthening our will power muscles!

4. My doctor told me no bending or lifting of anything heavier than 10 pounds for two weeks and no exercise for a month. I did heavy housework at week two and ended up hurting myself. Stick to walking until your doctor tells you otherwise.

5. I think it's sad that your friend is more concerned about damaging a 15 thousand dollar piece of silicone than she is about damaging her own, invaluable organs -- and I say this as someone who used to smoke. If this surgery does me no other good -- if it ends up giving me trouble and I have to have it removed, it will still have been worth it because it forced me to finally quit smoking. I cannot even imagine wanting to pick it back up again, and yes, I was totally addicted.

If she absolutely MUST smoke, maybe she could use an electronic cigarette. Still a bad idea, as she will be taking in nicotine, but at least she'll spare herself the tar -- and she could work down to the nicotine free cartridges, but still get the satisfaction of drawing on a cigarette and blowing out "smoke" (vapor). Just a suggestion.

Edited to add that in all things, you should follow your doctor's advice and see him or her before you try something you're not sure about. Gather advice and such, absolutely, but then bring those ideas to your doctor and question him. Remember that each of us are different, and each of our bodies need different things. I, for instance, have a Vitamin D deficiency, so foods high in D are on my list, right next to Protein, but for you, probably not so much; and someone with a fatty liver might need a 2 week sugar free liquid diet pre op, while someone else may not. Your doctor knows your history and your body's needs far better than we do!

Best of luck to you!

Edited December 26, 2009 by zobee

[shann1e 0]

Thank you guys so much!!! If you havent had a fill yet, you cant stretch out your band by eating too much in the mushy stage right?