Looking for guidance?

[very.rara 0]

Hey there,

I am in Perth and am going into get banded this week, and although I am extremely excited, I am also awfully nervous.

I have had all the consultations and they have all told me what I should expect, but I feel there is no better advice than that from someone who has actually experienced it.

So im here to see if anyone can answer a few of my Q’s!!!

What can I really expect from the surgery? how long were you in for? Hospitals are not my fav place in the world.

As like many I hate vomiting, so at all lengths I want to avoid it, what foods would you advice I stay away from?

Any help would be appreciated.

Thank you :tt1:

[Skye2 0]

Hi, I was banded on Dec 16, 09 in Sydney. I was in hospital overnight and was home by 10 am next morning. I found the experience very easy other than experiencing some severe shoulder tip pain around 6 pm the night of surgery. They gave me some morphine and i had a great night sleep. I didn't have any other problems. The next morning I had a barium swallow before being discharged. The shoulder tip pain continued for about a week but each day got a little better. I used Nurofen Plus (crushed up) about twice a day. I didn't have any vomiting. I now can eat pretty much what I like but in smaller quantities. I have lost 8 kg so far but this is now slowing up as I find as time goes on I am able to eat a little more. My first fill isn't due until 10th Feb (due to doctors being on holidays). I am looking forward to getting the fill done. The first two weeks or so I found i didn't need to eat anything until around lunch time. Now I have a small size yoghurt for Breakfast, maybe a small tin of tuna for lunch and some cooked fish for dinner. I like you was so looking forward to getting the procedure done and I was not nervous at all. I just looked upon it as a positive thing i was doing for myself (it was my Christmas present to myself). I am hoping in all to lose about 28 kg. My starting BMI was 34 but due to other health issues i was able to get it done. I have spent my whole life dieting and am sick of loosing weight, getting to almost my goal and then putting it all back on plus a little more. I am hoping even to loose 20 kg and maintain this I would be a happy person. I wish you all the luck with your op I am sure you will be happy with it.

Lisa

[very.rara 0]

Thank you skye!! I really appreciate it; you have put my mind at ease a little. Hopefuly its as easy for me as it was for you. 8kg in under a month sounds great!! my doc said not to expect more than a kg a week! I hope all goes well with meeting your goal weight

[Fanny Adams 7]

Hi very.rara I was banded in Perth by Dr Stephen Watson in December 2007. I have to say that it was, hands-down, the best thing that I have ever done for myself and I have not regretted it for an instant. I think I can safely count myself as one of the "success stories" , as I am now just 5 weeks post-op from having plastic surgery to repair all the damage that I did to my body by carrying so much excess weight for so long, and I feel FANTASTIC!

With regard to your questions:

What can I really expect from the surgery?

If you've ever had surgery before, you can expect that this will be an easy one in comparison. If you've not had surgery, it is hard to know what you are up for and some people have been surprised by the fact that cutting through skin and muscle will actually hurt somewhat and take some time to heal. I've had a lot of surgeries over the years and the band was one of the easiest but it IS still surgery and you don't get over it completely overnight.

how long were you in for? Hospitals are not my fav place in the world.

I was the first patient in the theatre in the morning and consequently was allowed to go home that evening - if I had been scheduled for later in the day, I would have had to stay overnight.

As like many I hate vomiting, so at all lengths I want to avoid it, what foods would you advice I stay away from?

You should get an eating plan from your surgeon but here are some pointers in general:

Immediately after surgery and for the next 4-6 weeks, you will be on a special "recovery" plan. The time periods differ from surgeon to surgeon but they all have the same basic pattern. Mine was: Days 1 to 4, Clear liquids (clear Soups, jelly, juice, teas such as peppermint or ginger ), Days 5-14 thick liquids (creamed Soups, yogurts, milk/fruit smoothies, etc), Days 15-21 very soft foods, called "mushies" in this forum (scrambled eggs, chunky soups, really soft casseroles, tuna with mayo - fat free of course!, etc), Days 22+ gradually work back to normal solid foods, focussing on lean meats, vegetables and fruits and avoiding processed white carbohydrates such as white bread and Pasta.

You'll find a lot of advice about food here but there does seem to be a real split between what our Australian doctors advise and what most of our US counterparts are told. The US seems to have an obsession with Protein and Protein drinks and with avoiding carbs at all costs. I don't subscribe to that opinion at all and truly believe that Protein Drinks are one of the worst choices you can make after you've finished with the healing process and not much of a choice during it - there are so many better tasting options out there!!

You'll find that as you heal (probably about 2 weeks post-op), you'll start to feel hungry again and feel that you can eat anything, especially if you chew it enough. DON'T DO IT! You won't have "restriction" at this stage, so it might be easy but it can be damaging long term. The soft diet isn't because eating will be hard at this point, it is mostly to stop your stomach from having to churn to digest the food, which can prevent the stitches holding the band in place from healing properly and can lead to slippage much later down the track.

The best advice I can give to avoid vomiting (after the healing phase) is to chew every single bite slowly and thoroughly and to stop and listen to your body in between each bite. It takes time to change the eating habits of a lifetime but it can be done. If your band isn't too tight, you should be able to eat just about anything you want if chewed slowly and thoroughly but you should find that you can only eat between a half and a whole cup of food at a time. Try to eat solids rather than "slider foods" like chocolates and icecreams, so that your band has something to work on. The whole point of the band is that it holds solid food up at the top of your stomach, triggering the Vegus nerve and fooling your body into thinking that you are full. If you drink your calories or eat foods with no fibre/substance to them, they will slide straight past the band and you won't get the "full" feeling.

I think I've been pretty successful with the band - over 2 years now, down over 50 kg and feeling fabulous. If you want to ask any other questions, feel free to send me a private message or post the questions in this thread.

Good luck!

Edited January 13, 2010 by Fanny Adams

[very.rara 0]

Fanny Adams,

Thank you so much for you details answers, the doctors can only tell you so much, so to hear from all you people who have already been banded has helped me allot!!

I was banded on the 12th and everything went well. I stayed in 2 nights, only because I doc wanted to make sure I was drinking enough fluids.

I have been home since Thursday morning and have since had up and down periods, the normal abdominal/shoulder pain/Nausea (which I didn’t think was common, but I phoned my doc and he said it was after surgery) but every day I am getting better. Im struggling with the Protein shakes because the nausea is not really letting me eat much. Although my dietician said I can start on mushy foods on day 7, so im just hanging out until then to get some food and nutrients into me, even if it is just a little bit and i am also going to take your advice of going easy when i start to feel hungry and have no restrictions, thank you for that.

Im not so much hungry at the moment, but when everyone around me is eating I feel like im missing out and just want to take a big bite!!! This is probably just my love for food coming through, which i will have to work on.

I guess I have had to much time to think about things but im worried im going to miss food, do you miss food? In the first few days post op I was thinking ‘god, what have I done’ but I am told now the worst is over, so im hoping things can only improve from here.

Im going to try stay away from liquids near meal times.

Do yo u still sip your Water? what happens when you drink to much Water? is there any specific food you still avoid? i am told everyone is different, but mostly white bread is the culperate.

I really want this to work for me like you and all the other success stories on this forum, so all your tips are highly apreciated. :w00t:

Cant wait to get some mushies into me :drool:

Thanks again, you really are a great help!!

[Angela72 0]

Hi there

You have definitely done the right thing having this surgery...who did your op? re: do you miss food? I did at first, but now am getting used to what i can and cant have...although do miss fresh bread with butter!!!!

Re: Do yo u still sip your Water? what happens when you drink to much water? .....I still sip water...and I had surgery in June 09..if you drink too much too quick it could come straight back up....i have had a few near misses when i forgot i had the band and was really thirsty, but generally its not a problem

Re: is there any specific food you still avoid? I tend to avoid bread, dryish meat, i think everything else is okay in small doses

I hope you are feeling better from the op!

[very.rara 0]

thank you Angela!!

I have just started on mushies which was a little exciting. Because my tummy is still tender and achy from surgery i cant really pin point pains/hunger/fullness, but last night when i ate around half a cup of mushed bakes Beans, at the end i had lost my appetite, is that the feeling when you have had enough?

I am struggling a little with eating so slow and drinking throughtout the day because usually i would just have 1-2 glasses of Water 3-4 times a day and not sip throughout the day, but i guess i will just have to get used to it, im have been re-assured it will all be worth it when i see results!

Its really great reading everyones threads on here though, it helps allot to know everyone is doing so good, and one day i will be there aswell.

thanks again! :mad:

[Fanny Adams 7]

Hi again, Very. It's good to hear that everything went well with your banding. I'm sure the nausea will settle down soon but it may actually be a good sign! Restriction is a very individual thing and some people need a lot of Fluid in their band, while others need very little, in order to feel it. Some have even never felt the need for a fill at all! Nausea is pretty common for the first couple of weeks but if yours goes on for longer, it may mean you won't need much in the way of fills to get to your sweet spot.

One thing the band will do for you is to teach you to LISTEN to your body. Don't be in a rush to get fills just for their own sake. Listen to the demands your body is making and, if you're hungry, by all means get filled, but if not, let it ride for a while longer.

Regarding liquids with meals: There are two reasons why we are told to avoid drinking with our meals. Firstly, if you don't have much restriction yet, the Water will wash the food through the opening quickly, leaving your pouch empty and reducing the effectiveness of the band. Secondly, if you DO have good restriction, the Water can fill your pouch and not leave much room for food. If you are tight and something gets stuck, DO NOT try to wash it through with water - almost always, the water will just come straight back up again...ew...

White breads are usually one of the hardest things to eat when you are quite restricted. What happens is that, no matter how well you chew the bread, it can still glug back together to make a kind of glue in your stomach (ever made paste glue from flour and water as a kid?) and plug up the opening. Multigrain breads are easier or toasting the bread can help. I find I avoid white carbs (white breads, refined rice, pastas) when I am restricted and that is a good thing - lots of calories for not much nutrition! However, at the moment, I'm still getting back to my sweet spot after my PS surgery and I can easily eat a whole sandwich! (LOL - it would have been 3 whole sandwiches a couple of years ago!)

My personal sweetspot point is where I can eat small amounts of anything I want, if I take it slowly and carefully but foods like bread and Pasta are usually too much trouble so I avoid them. That's still such an odd thing for me to say given that I practically lived on sandwiches and various pastas before being banded.

You don't have to miss out on anything at the right restriction level - you still get to taste it, you just don't get to scoff down the whole thing (like I used to...)

[very.rara 0]

thanks guys!! you have all been such a great help. 2 weeks post-op now, on mushies and excited to start on solid foods! and 5kg down... very exciting!!

Thanks again!! :confused:

[Jenschmitz 1]

its very exciting to see the scales point down-not up!! congrats to you!! 5kg yay!!

[very.rara 0]

Thank you! 5kg down feels good! Although im starting to come off my mushy foods onto normal foods now and I have put on 1kg, which is a little disappointing, but I have been told to expect this. Im excited to get my first fill, what does the first fill feel like? Do I need to take the day off work? Any other info relevant? :biggrin:

xo

[LouLouBell 0]

Hi there!

I am near Bunbury so not too far from you.:biggrin:

Congrats on having the band and for your loss. It is the best thing I have every done and have no regrets.

Don't worry about the kilo, - your Fluid levels can make a difference day to day. My dietician says that I should only weigh at my appointments but I can't help jumping on all the time, - a bad habit!

I have been banded since September and I have only PB'd about 3 times, - I am very careful to eat slowly and not to eat past my restricton because vomiting does not appeal to me either!!! I have a friend who vomits constantly and has lost a lot quicker than me but I am not going to make vomiting part of my lifestyle.

You don't need to take a day off work for a fill. It only takes a few minutes and does not hurt at all. You can feel it for a little while, - a fullness, but no big deal. Make sure you ask your Dr how much he is putting in.

I look forward to hearing how you are going.

Edited January 31, 2010 by LouLouBell

[bobby_hamrick 0]

What can I really expect from the surgery?

Its not magic. You will have to work too. Many people feel they are done when its installed. Its a new beginning. Follow Dr instructions and 1-2 lbs a week avg. isnt unheard of for a while.

how long were you in for? 1 Day

Hospitals are not my fav place in the world.

As like many I hate vomiting, so at all lengths I want to avoid it, what foods would you advice I stay away from?

Everybody is different but its safe to say uhhhh pizza, hamburgers, Big lovely pastrami sandwiches, nuts, som eof my sacrifices but Im better for it. You'll find that each fill will change your diet. My last one took many foods away from the 8th fill I think. Now I think Im where I should be.

good luck on your journey. Be calm. We have all been there and are okay...Feel grateful with your new diet...