banded 6/30,my story, doing really good

[pmcw 0]

My incisions never did really have much pain, just more a tenderness, like sore muscles after a good workout. But the Gas! That hurt, but not unbearable, and would not scare me off the surgery. Pre-op my Dr. only had me follow a low carb diet, no flour, corn, rice or potatoes, but I was allowed 1 serving of fruit a day, and basically all the meat eggs and veggies I wanted, so that wasn't hard at all and I still lost 5 lbs. On Wed. the day I had my surgery I slept most the day, with ice pack on my stomach, wasn't really hungry but did eat some Jello and drank juice and Water, took pain med twice I think. Day 2, Thur. I felt pretty good, still not really hungry, but ate Jello, sorbet and juice, about 4- 6 oz at a time every few hrs. kept ice on my stomach most of the day but the pain I had was in my back and shoulder not my stomach. I tried walking around the house and even walked around the yard a bit, layed down with my feet elevated anytime I was laying, and I did feel a bit better by bed time, but I did take pain meds for the gas pain in order to sleep at night. Friday, day 3 not so bloated feeling but the muscles in my back and left shoulder were still very sore, and I started feeling HUNGRY! I added Protein Shakes, and the thickness of them helped. I was feeling more normal so I drove my daughter and I to see a movie, got a big Icee to sip on during the movie, only taking pain meds 1 time at night and Dr. said I was ok to drive as long as I wasn't on narcotics. Sat. I was really hungry I had Protein Shake in the morning, finished it for lunch, had sorbet, and jello every couple of hours, but I was still hungry between, took my daughter to watch fireworks and stopped to get a chocolate malt on the way, nothing seemed to satisfy my hunger for long, and I was feeling like if I ate another sweet thing I would puke...ugh! 11:30 at night I am making myself cream of chicken Soup, I mixed it with water and put it in the blender to make sure their were no lumps in it, I only slightly warmed it, since I am still not suppose to have hot liquids, but soup never tasted so good. I feel like I am rushing it a bit, starting cream Soups so soon, but my Dr. said the diet plan was only a guideline and everyone is different as far as how much swelling they have, and how soon they should move up from full liquid diet. Sunday, I started out with the other half the cream chicken soup, later I had a Protein shake, still hated the sweetness, but Doc said the protein was important. later tried Butternut Squash soup, never had that before, but thought it would be safe to eat. It was surprisingly good, and just thick enough to make me feel satisfied a bit longer. Monday, no more gas pain, still some muscle soreness in my back though, stomach feels good though, I'm hungry again, I have lost 11 lbs since my first visit, so weight loss is going well, but I feel hungry within 30 min. of eating, I think the liquid is just going threw too fast since I won't have a fill until at least a month out. I am fighting the hunger, I still can only take in 4-6 oz at a time, but if I let myself I could do that every 30 min. I had a vanilla protein shake, and a can of broccoli cheddar soup spaced out threw out the day, I also had some juice and some sorbet, but late night I gave in and ate 1/2 cup of cottage cheese, I felt so much better, it was thick enough that I felt satisfied much longer. I didn't want to go to bed right away because I was afraid of heartburn, but it has been over three hours ago, and I basically felt ok this whole time. I am going to bed now that I am finished typing this, I don't know if this will help anyone else, but I wonder if I am pretty normal so far?:thumbup:

[lv2bgoing 0]

My incisions never did really have much pain, just more a tenderness, like sore muscles after a good workout. But the Gas! That hurt, but not unbearable, and would not scare me off the surgery. Pre-op my Dr. only had me follow a low carb diet, no flour, corn, rice or potatoes, but I was allowed 1 serving of fruit a day, and basically all the meat eggs and veggies I wanted, so that wasn't hard at all and I still lost 5 lbs. On Wed. the day I had my surgery I slept most the day, with ice pack on my stomach, wasn't really hungry but did eat some Jello and drank juice and Water, took pain med twice I think. Day 2, Thur. I felt pretty good, still not really hungry, but ate Jello, sorbet and juice, about 4- 6 oz at a time every few hrs. kept ice on my stomach most of the day but the pain I had was in my back and shoulder not my stomach. I tried walking around the house and even walked around the yard a bit, layed down with my feet elevated anytime I was laying, and I did feel a bit better by bed time, but I did take pain meds for the gas pain in order to sleep at night. Friday, day 3 not so bloated feeling but the muscles in my back and left shoulder were still very sore, and I started feeling HUNGRY! I added Protein shakes, and the thickness of them helped. I was feeling more normal so I drove my daughter and I to see a movie, got a big Icee to sip on during the movie, only taking pain meds 1 time at night and Dr. said I was ok to drive as long as I wasn't on narcotics. Sat. I was really hungry I had Protein shake in the morning, finished it for lunch, had sorbet, and jello every couple of hours, but I was still hungry between, took my daughter to watch fireworks and stopped to get a chocolate malt on the way, nothing seemed to satisfy my hunger for long, and I was feeling like if I ate another sweet thing I would puke...ugh! 11:30 at night I am making myself cream of chicken Soup, I mixed it with Water and put it in the blender to make sure their were no lumps in it, I only slightly warmed it, since I am still not suppose to have hot liquids, but soup never tasted so good. I feel like I am rushing it a bit, starting cream Soups so soon, but my Dr. said the diet plan was only a guideline and everyone is different as far as how much swelling they have, and how soon they should move up from full liquid diet. Sunday, I started out with the other half the cream chicken soup, later I had a Protein Shake, still hated the sweetness, but Doc said the protein was important. later tried Butternut Squash soup, never had that before, but thought it would be safe to eat. It was surprisingly good, and just thick enough to make me feel satisfied a bit longer. Monday, no more gas pain, still some muscle soreness in my back though, stomach feels good though, I'm hungry again, I have lost 11 lbs since my first visit, so weight loss is going well, but I feel hungry within 30 min. of eating, I think the liquid is just going threw too fast since I won't have a fill until at least a month out. I am fighting the hunger, I still can only take in 4-6 oz at a time, but if I let myself I could do that every 30 min. I had a vanilla protein shake, and a can of broccoli cheddar soup spaced out threw out the day, I also had some juice and some sorbet, but late night I gave in and ate 1/2 cup of cottage cheese, I felt so much better, it was thick enough that I felt satisfied much longer. I didn't want to go to bed right away because I was afraid of heartburn, but it has been over three hours ago, and I basically felt ok this whole time. I am going to bed now that I am finished typing this, I don't know if this will help anyone else, but I wonder if I am pretty normal so far?:thumbup:

Hi PMCW,

I love your pre-op diet. I lost a lot of weigth on that same diet once.Low carb. Sounds like you are doing great. how much do you need to loose? I still am waiting for insurance to approve me. I will not have surgery until October. Have to do the 4mo. requirements for Aetna. Its not so bad as long as they approve me. I need to loose 60-70 lbs. I am so hoping I have made the right decision. I started thinking about it 4mo. ago and should of started the process then but oh well. will follow your progress.

lv2bgoing:cool2:

[pmcw 0]

OK, I am still learning this site, I hope my original LONG post doesn't copy again:rolleyes: Anyway, nice to meet you! I started out weighing 252, I am 5'7", and I think my BMI was 39. I am a 50 year old female, I would like to weigh no more than 160, so far I have lost 11 lbs, so I still need to lose 81 lbs. I had to do my surgery self pay, because my insurance, doesn't pay for any of these type of surgeries. I do plan to still turn it in to them though and maybe get lucky, as it turned out I also had a hiatal hernia repaired so maybe that will get me something? So Far I am not regretting my decision at all, but will admit I am still scared I might fail again:frown:. I am curious, if you don't mind my asking, if you only need to lose 60-70 lbs aren't you afraid after 4 month of dieting you won't weigh enough to qualify for the surgery? or maybe afraid isn't the right word, because if you were to lose the weight on your own, wouldn't that be good too? What ever your outcome I wish you luck, please keep us posted on what is happening with you!

[lv2bgoing 0]

OK, I am still learning this site, I hope my original LONG post doesn't copy again:rolleyes: Anyway, nice to meet you! I started out weighing 252, I am 5'7", and I think my BMI was 39. I am a 50 year old female, I would like to weigh no more than 160, so far I have lost 11 lbs, so I still need to lose 81 lbs. I had to do my surgery self pay, because my insurance, doesn't pay for any of these type of surgeries. I do plan to still turn it in to them though and maybe get lucky, as it turned out I also had a hiatal hernia repaired so maybe that will get me something? So Far I am not regretting my decision at all, but will admit I am still scared I might fail again:frown:. I am curious, if you don't mind my asking, if you only need to lose 60-70 lbs aren't you afraid after 4 month of dieting you won't weigh enough to qualify for the surgery? or maybe afraid isn't the right word, because if you were to lose the weight on your own, wouldn't that be good too? What ever your outcome I wish you luck, please keep us posted on what is happening with you!

Hi PMCW,

I sure hope you get lucky and they pay for some of your surgery. Most insurances for them to pay they have to pre-approve But maybe you will luck out.

I have been on the fence about this surgery for a while. Should I or Shouldn't I not get it done. I can loose the weight but just afraid again I will not keep it off and like you its is very upsetting to regain it again and again and them more each time. After I loose it something in my head I just says well now you can eat anything you want and you know before long the weight is all back on. I dont know what it is. I am hoping that the lap-band will make me realize I have to keep it off. I am 60ys old,female 5' and 188 w/BMI 36. I have heart condition (Cardiomyopathy)Which happened 8yrs ago when I got pneumonia and it caused my heart muscle to harden so it doesnt pump very good. I have high blood presser and morton's neuromans on both feet which are just killing me. It is hard to exercise like I use too. I still do my walking but it hurts with every step.

I go see the doc for Psychology Clearnce next week. If I loose 5lb I will not qualify for the insurance or that is what they told me. I am only doing this because I can not keep the weight off. They told me that would not be a problem with the lap band. This would be my dream come true. The least I have weighted in 40 yrs is 150lbs. and at my height that is just too much. I should weight 115lbs. I know I would feel so much better and my cardioligest would love it also if I would take the weight off and keep it off. I was told they go by your weight from your 1st visit but not sure so will ask.

I really hope I dont regret going throught this. I am not looking forward to the Clear Liquids when it comes time.

Good luck and post your progress.

Oh if all goes well I will have my band in October 2010 some time.:confused:

[pmcw 0]

Hi PMCW,

I sure hope you get lucky and they pay for some of your surgery. Most insurances for them to pay they have to pre-approve But maybe you will luck out.

I have been on the fence about this surgery for a while. Should I or Shouldn't I not get it done. I can loose the weight but just afraid again I will not keep it off and like you its is very upsetting to regain it again and again and them more each time. After I loose it something in my head I just says well now you can eat anything you want and you know before long the weight is all back on. I dont know what it is. I am hoping that the lap-band®® will make me realize I have to keep it off. I am 60ys old,female 5' and 188 w/BMI 36. I have heart condition (Cardiomyopathy)Which happened 8yrs ago when I got pneumonia and it caused my heart muscle to harden so it doesnt pump very good. I have high blood presser and morton's neuromans on both feet which are just killing me. It is hard to exercise like I use too. I still do my walking but it hurts with every step.

I go see the doc for Psychology Clearnce next week. If I loose 5lb I will not qualify for the insurance or that is what they told me. I am only doing this because I can not keep the weight off. They told me that would not be a problem with the LAP-BAND®®. This would be my dream come true. The least I have weighted in 40 yrs is 150lbs. and at my height that is just too much. I should weight 115lbs. I know I would feel so much better and my cardioligest would love it also if I would take the weight off and keep it off. I was told they go by your weight from your 1st visit but not sure so will ask.

I really hope I dont regret going throught this. I am not looking forward to the Clear Liquids when it comes time.

Good luck and post your progress.

Oh if all goes well I will have my band in October 2010 some time.:thumbup:

I went into this expecting to self pay, so if my insurance pays anything at all it is just a bonus! I totally understand what you said about losing the weight only to regain it, that is me, I know I can lose weight when I am focused enough, and believe me I have lost and regained a lot of weight over the years. I am praying this is the last weight loss plan I ever have to do. I don't have very many other contributing health factors, I have high cholesterol, and arthritis in my knees, other than that I am just obese, but I have a 13 year old daughter and I want to be able to be active with her, whether she likes it or not:wink2: :thumbup:

[JanicaPeterson 0]

I had my surgery on the 30th also... I havent had much for pain, but I did suffer a bout of dehydration Sunday through Tuesday tho that had to be treated with IV therapy... but am doing so much better now... the full liquids were such a treat for me to switch to...Good luck on your journey!!! God bless you...

[Nicole74 4]

thanks for your post! I liked to read the details on how you felt and what you eat the first few days..I am scheduled for surgery on the 30th of this month and nervous but excited and the first couple weeks Im anxious to get over

[sstrahley 0]

I was banded on July 1. I think I'm doing really well. My doc has me on liquids for the first 2 weeks, but I've kind of broken a few rules, like eating Soups that are creamy or have itsy bitsy pieces of chicken or veggies in them. The Protein Shake I like is chocolate Special K. I use 1/2 of bottle with one scoop of chocolate flavored Protein Powder, add ice and blend. It's pretty good! I drink two of those a day, so that puts my Protein up to about 46 grams, and I figure with the soups and other things like sugar free fudge bars I get my full 50 grams in. The doc stressed that I must get the protein in, it's the most important thing. I have also had frappes from McDonald's (minus the whipped cream), but I only drink about 1/2 of a small size. I have noticed my stomach feels uncomfortable if I drink too much in a short period of time, especially the Protein Shakes. Over the last day or so I have been feeling more hungry, so I'm thinking I need to eat more often, instead of more at each meal. I am realizing the band is so great in getting you in touch with your body, and listening to what your body is telling you. I don't like throwing up or feeling miserable, so I am very motivated not to drink too much. It's great to hear everyone's stories, and knowing there are others with the same concerns/experiences!

[pmcw 0]

I had my surgery on the 30th also... I havent had much for pain, but I did suffer a bout of dehydration Sunday through Tuesday tho that had to be treated with IV therapy... but am doing so much better now... the full liquids were such a treat for me to switch to...Good luck on your journey!!! God bless you...

I'm so sorry it has taken me so long to reply to you, how are you doing now? I saw my Dr on Thur. the 8th, for my follow-up appoint. I told him I felt good but was HUNGRY! He gave me the go ahead to eat "anything that doesn't make me throw-up" he said the phase I was in was called "bandster hell" because we have had the surgery but not the benefits of the fills yet. I feel better now that I can eat, but the weight loss has slowed down too. Let me know how things are going for you now, I'd love to compare especially since we were banded on the same day. Pam

[pmcw 0]

thanks for your post! I liked to read the details on how you felt and what you eat the first few days..I am scheduled for surgery on the 30th of this month and nervous but excited and the first couple weeks Im anxious to get over

Hi Nicole, glad to meet you, good luck with your up coming banding. Don't be too afraid, the pain was very minimal, and since I also had the HH repair the dr told me I probably had more discomfort than someone who did not have that, and I still didn't think it was bad. Just be sure to drink/eat everything slowly, and stay sitting up for a bit after you have anything or you get heart burn(at least I do). I have moved on to a full diet now, and I feel better, but I do have to remember to chew everything very very well, or I have experienced what they refer to as PBing, it is not too awful, not the same as throwing up, but depending on where you are when it happens it can be very inconvenient. Keep me posted on how things go for you! Pam

[pmcw 0]

I was banded on July 1. I think I'm doing really well. My doc has me on liquids for the first 2 weeks, but I've kind of broken a few rules, like eating Soups that are creamy or have itsy bitsy pieces of chicken or veggies in them. The Protein Shake I like is chocolate Special K. I use 1/2 of bottle with one scoop of chocolate flavored Protein powder, add ice and blend. It's pretty good! I drink two of those a day, so that puts my protein up to about 46 grams, and I figure with the soups and other things like sugar free fudge bars I get my full 50 grams in. The doc stressed that I must get the protein in, it's the most important thing. I have also had frappes from McDonald's (minus the whipped cream), but I only drink about 1/2 of a small size. I have noticed my stomach feels uncomfortable if I drink too much in a short period of time, especially the Protein Shakes. Over the last day or so I have been feeling more hungry, so I'm thinking I need to eat more often, instead of more at each meal. I am realizing the band is so great in getting you in touch with your body, and listening to what your body is telling you. I don't like throwing up or feeling miserable, so I am very motivated not to drink too much. It's great to hear everyone's stories, and knowing there are others with the same concerns/experiences!:cool:

How are you doing now? I think I am doing good, though my weight loss has slowed down, I keep telling myself I haven't had a fill yet, so I need to be patient. When I went to see my dr for my post op follow-up last Thur. (8 days post-op). I told him I was HUNGRY, when I would eat(well really drink since I was still on the full liquid phase, which did include creamy soups) I would fill up quickly, but it would only last a short time and I would feel hungry again. He told me I was in the phase known as "Bandster Hell" because I had the surgery, but none of the benefits of the fill yet. He gave me the go ahead to eat anything I wanted, as long as it didn't make me throw-up. He told me to stick to the low carb foods and I should still lose weight, and I could get my first fill sometime the last week of this month. I do feel better now that I can eat real food, I still can't eat very much at a time( I mean this in a good way, that is why we have the surgery, RIGHT!), but I stay satisfied longer now, I just have to remember to eat slowly and chew everything REALLY WELL, or I have experienced the PBing, it is not as bad as throwing-up, and it does give you some warning, sort of like a lump in your chest and feeling like you need to keep swallowing, but before too long you basically burp up some saliva, and you better excuse yourself and go spit it out because if you try to just swallow it back down it comes back up with more, so I advise with the first signs just go take a bathroom break for a couple of min. until it settles down. I think it will be mostly a learning thing, when I get distracted, while I am eating , I have more problems, when I stay focused on chewing things go much more smoothly. let me know how things are going with you now. Pam

Edited July 16, 2010 by pmcw
clarify statement

[JanicaPeterson 0]

I saw my doc for my first post op on the 13th, all looks great.. I am doing really well also...I was moved to pureed's for 5 days then on to softs as tolerated... So I am slowlyyyy introducing more and more soft things... Today for lunch I had 2 small turkey medalions with mashed taters and gravy and some very well cooked carrotts....

I cant wait for my first fill, they said I might get it when I go in for my next appointment in 5 weeks....

Keep me posted... Take Care...

Janica

[pmcw 0]

I saw my doc for my first post op on the 13th, all looks great.. I am doing really well also...I was moved to pureed's for 5 days then on to softs as tolerated... So I am slowlyyyy introducing more and more soft things... Today for lunch I had 2 small turkey medalions with mashed taters and gravy and some very well cooked carrotts....

I cant wait for my first fill, they said I might get it when I go in for my next appointment in 5 weeks....

Keep me posted... Take Care...

Janica

Glad to hear things are going well for you:smile: I'm heading out camping,just for the night really and part of tomorrow, but I'll see how this goes:scared2: anyway, I gotta run. thanks for keeping me posted, I really am interested. Pam

[sstrahley 0]

How are you doing now? I think I am doing good, though my weight loss has slowed down, I keep telling myself I haven't had a fill yet, so I need to be patient. When I went to see my dr for my post op follow-up last Thur. (8 days post-op). I told him I was HUNGRY, when I would eat(well really drink since I was still on the full liquid phase, which did include creamy soups) I would fill up quickly, but it would only last a short time and I would feel hungry again. He told me I was in the phase known as "Bandster Hell" because I had the surgery, but none of the benefits of the fill yet. He gave me the go ahead to eat anything I wanted, as long as it didn't make me throw-up. He told me to stick to the low carb foods and I should still lose weight, and I could get my first fill sometime the last week of this month. I do feel better now that I can eat real food, I still can't eat very much at a time( I mean this in a good way, that is why we have the surgery, RIGHT!), but I stay satisfied longer now, I just have to remember to eat slowly and chew everything REALLY WELL, or I have experienced the PBing, it is not as bad as throwing-up, and it does give you some warning, sort of like a lump in your chest and feeling like you need to keep swallowing, but before too long you basically burp up some saliva, and you better excuse yourself and go spit it out because if you try to just swallow it back down it comes back up with more, so I advise with the first signs just go take a bathroom break for a couple of min. until it settles down. I think it will be mostly a learning thing, when I get distracted, while I am eating , I have more problems, when I stay focused on chewing things go much more smoothly. let me know how things are going with you now. Pam

Thanks for writing...things are still going great. I saw the doc this past Thurs. and I'd lost 12 pounds in the 2 weeks since the surgery. I have noticed now that I haven't lost any for a few days. I'm getting hungrier. I think I'm going to start exercising. I've tried to stick to my doc's orders as far as food goes. I have had mashed pot. w/gravy, cottage cheese, refried Beans w/melted cheese, and scrambled eggs. Today I tried some green Beans, and I just cut them up well and chewed a lot before swallowing. Before the band I was in the habit of basically inhaling my food. This is teaching me to SLOW down and pay attention, like you said. I am really wanting to try some meat but I'm scared! I haven't had anything come back up yet...I go back Aug. 9th for my first fill. Keep me updated! :cool:

[pmcw 0]

Thanks for writing...things are still going great. I saw the doc this past Thurs. and I'd lost 12 pounds in the 2 weeks since the surgery. I have noticed now that I haven't lost any for a few days. I'm getting hungrier. I think I'm going to start exercising. I've tried to stick to my doc's orders as far as food goes. I have had mashed pot. w/gravy, cottage cheese, refried Beans w/melted cheese, and scrambled eggs. Today I tried some green beans, and I just cut them up well and chewed a lot before swallowing. Before the band I was in the habit of basically inhaling my food. This is teaching me to SLOW down and pay attention, like you said. I am really wanting to try some meat but I'm scared! I haven't had anything come back up yet...I go back Aug. 9th for my first fill. Keep me updated! :scared2:

Hi, good to hear from you, it sounds like your dr. is much more conservative than mine is on moving along, since I have no prior experience with this I couldn't say which is better, I assume it is different for each person what they can tolerate or not. I have eaten chicken several times now, with almost no problems, I just chew it a lot until it is totally disintegrated, if I happen to find a lump if gristle or something in it I spit that part out, I don't want to risk an actual blockage. I have also had a hot dog twice now, the first time I ate it with out the bun, but the next time I decided to go ahead and try the bun, since I was hungry and away from home, I ended up only eating half the bun though, because I started feeling really full before I was done. and I ate some home made meat loaf with mashed potatoes and gravy, again I just chewed and chewed. Last night I was the only one home for dinner, so I made a lean cuisine spinach & mushroom pizza, I was a bit worried about the crust, because I know breads are hard for a lot of people, but with lots of chewing things went just fine. I have actually had more problems with Water lately than anything, I know we are not suppose to drink while eating but I thought that was because it would wash the food threw quicker, but I have found that if I try to drink while eating the water can't go threw and sometimes it just comes back up, this has happened to me twice now, the first time it was actually the first time I ate chicken, I didn't chew a bite well enough and I felt a lump in my chest and I thought if I took a drink of water it would help to wash it on threw, well, I was wrong, because pretty quickly the water came right back up, luckily I was alone and able to spit it right out, I consider this pbing, because it was not throwing up, there was no heaving or food coming up, just the water. But the last time it happened the timing was awful. I was driving my car home from an overnight camping trip Saturday it was around 11 am and I hadn't eaten anything yet because I didn't feel like eating the granola bars my husband had packed and I was just going to pick-up something on my way home (my husband was camping for 3 days I just went up for Friday night). Well, I noticed he had left a bag of pretzels in my car so I decided to eat a few, since it would be another half hour before I got some where that I could bye food. The pretzels went down fine but they made me thirsty, so I started drinking water, I thought things were going ok, until all the sudden it came right back up everywhere, just the water Thank God, because I had almost no warning, I felt a bit like I needed to burp, so I stopped drinking, but I didn't burp, the water came up with force all over the place. Luckily I was driving on a quiet gravel road so I just pulled over and wiped the water off everything, at least I was alone, because otherwise it would have been so embarrassing. I swear more water came up than I thought I had drank, and because now the front of my shirt and shorts were all wet I couldn't stop for real food, and I had to just wait til I got all the way home an hour and a half later to eat anything. I think for now I probably shouldn't eat and drink while I am driving :smile: I think I will wait til I get back from my vacation to get my first fill, so it will be around Aug. 16. Let me know how yours goes! Pam