November 2010 Bandsters - post op

[angieboyd 0]

hi everyone, sorry i haven't posted. I went in on the 16th to be banded, and it went well. The only problem that i had was with my bladder! I had to stay in the hospital overnight because my bladder would not wake up. I finally came home yesterday just to go back to bed. I have slept most of the day! The gas pain is really bad. I have been taking the gas-x and the pain meds. I have to remind myself to drink. I am on the full liquid diet now. Just trying to figure out how they want me to drink every three hours when i have no desire to drink or eat anything?

[valwat1 0]

hi everyone, sorry i haven't posted. I went in on the 16th to be banded, and it went well. The only problem that i had was with my bladder! I had to stay in the hospital overnight because my bladder would not wake up. I finally came home yesterday just to go back to bed. I have slept most of the day! The gas pain is really bad. I have been taking the gas-x and the pain meds. I have to remind myself to drink. I am on the full liquid diet now. Just trying to figure out how they want me to drink every three hours when i have no desire to drink or eat anything?

Congrats and welcome to the other side. I was the same way. Didn't want to do anything but lay there and sleep. But if you aren't already doing it, get up and move around it will help with the gas (mine is getting better finally) I also drank warm liquids like tea and broth which finally seemed to help the gas move. the pain meds cut your appetite that's why u have no desire to drink anything. So you have to force yourself to drink a little bit at a time(an ounce here and there). My second day post op it took me over 2 hours to finish an 11 ounce Protein drink. Now its getting better. So just take it day by day and know that any little bit you do is to help nourish your body. In a few days u will be taking in more and more. Good luck!

[topazz 4]

Hi all! Well today is one week post-op!! I officially start week #2 of liquids. Has anyone tried to eat other than liquids? I actually mashed a meatball today, and ate just a tiny bit. I probably ate about a 1/2 tsp worth, then put the rest in the sauce. I feel fine, but won't have anymore until I get to the mushy phase next week. I certainly do not want to hurt my stomach and jeapordize anything. I don't know why i did it. Maybe because I have not had a solid food since before my pre-op diet! But i have to tell you, I am hungry a lot! I ate more than the 6 oz of liquified Soup I am supposed to have. Then I'll have my shake later and that is that. I am trying to be so strong, and am anxious to get my first fill in a few weeks!

[LowPSI 0]

Hi all! Well today is one week post-op!! I officially start week #2 of liquids. Has anyone tried to eat other than liquids? I actually mashed a meatball today, and ate just a tiny bit. I probably ate about a 1/2 tsp worth, then put the rest in the sauce. I feel fine, but won't have anymore until I get to the mushy phase next week. I certainly do not want to hurt my stomach and jeopardize anything. I don't know why i did it. Maybe because I have not had a solid food since before my pre-op diet! But i have to tell you, I am hungry a lot! I ate more than the 6 oz of liquefied Soup I am supposed to have. Then I'll have my shake later and that is that. I am trying to be so strong, and am anxious to get my first fill in a few weeks!

I was banded 11/10 and my first appointment with my doc isn't until 11/22. I was given permission to progress to mushies yesterday! I've had scrambled eggs with cheese (No problem - ate 2!) and chicken salad with low-fat mayo, which I ate with a cracker. (Yeah, I know...) I paid dearly for the cracker, as I got "stuck". Serves me right! (Now I know that I do have some restriction though.) Today, I had 2 hard boiled eggs and discovered that one and one half fit in my new stomach! Stuck again! Lesson? Eat slow, small bites, chew throughly and when I get the first sensation that I'm getting full...stop eating - or else!

[valwat1 0]

I was banded 11/10 and my first appointment with my doc isn't until 11/22. I was given permission to progress to mushies yesterday! I've had scrambled eggs with cheese (No problem - ate 2!) and chicken salad with low-fat mayo, which I ate with a cracker. (Yeah, I know...) I paid dearly for the cracker, as I got "stuck". Serves me right! (Now I know that I do have some restriction though.) Today, I had 2 hard boiled eggs and discovered that one and one half fit in my new stomach! Stuck again! Lesson? Eat slow, small bites, chew throughly and when I get the first sensation that I'm getting full...stop eating - or else!

I'm 6 days post op I have to do 10 days on liquid diet until I can again. oh goodness, I'm hungry all the time now. Eggs with cheese sounds like heaven. Its killing me. My nutritionist says 3 shakes a day plus Clear Liquids. I'm starving that's only about 500-600 calories. I'm back at work and need more. **sigh** I gotta hang in there.

[topazz 4]

I was banded 11/10 and my first appointment with my doc isn't until 11/22. I was given permission to progress to mushies yesterday! QUOTE]

So jealous!! I'll just stick it out I guess! It's interesting you mention restriction. Not to sound dumb, but I don't think they restricted my stomach at all. I thought they wait for the stomach to heal and do the 1st fill about a month later. But is there any restriction??

[J in Vermont 0]

I was banded 11/10 and my first appointment with my doc isn't until 11/22. I was given permission to progress to mushies yesterday! QUOTE]

So jealous!! I'll just stick it out I guess! It's interesting you mention restriction. Not to sound dumb, but I don't think they restricted my stomach at all. I thought they wait for the stomach to heal and do the 1st fill about a month later. But is there any restriction??

The initial "restriction" comes from the post op swelling around the stomach. Also it depends on the size of the stomach. if you have a small stomach then the band itself will have little restriction until filled but someone with a larger stomach will feel restriction sooner. I mean the stomach here and not abdomen.

THX

[Louismom 2]

Morning all =) I was banded Nov 15th, home from the hospital next day. I am doing great and the gas pains seem to finally be on the way out. I have been making it a huge point thru my day to get outside and walk, even if it's from my front door to the end of my driveway. I am on stage 3 foods, so I have not been very hungry. Getting about 50 grams of Protein in. Adding protein power to my yogurt, and shakes. I made Tomato Soup and added 2 tbls spoons of parmasan cheese. Today I can feel the tightness around my band, but I am psyched because it's my reminder to stay the course and go go go!!!! Happy Friday all =)

[lawismylife 41]

Hi all! I am 3 days post-op and doing ok. I have an on-Q pain system which is a little annoying at this point, but I stopped having any pain since yesterday (if you want to know what this is, see www.askyoursurgeon.com). I am up and about and really feeling good that I got the surgery.

I had the x-ray test with swallowing the barium, and it was really cool to see. The barium I had tasted like milk of magnesia mint flavor, so it really wasn't bad at all. I didn't realize that when I have liquid, there is no restriction at all so the liquid is flying right into the big stomach pouch and leaving my band and little pouch completely alone.

I started shakes yesterday and am grateful to not be starving on the shakes like I was pre-op. However, my doc told me that if I get to be starving on the shakes I should call her because the purpose of this is not to torture myself. I am set to be on shakes for 2 weeks, but she would progress to mushies sooner if I feel I am hungry. To those who are working and starving, I suggest calling your doc too.

My mother in law also got the surgery and her doc had her on puree 2 days post-op, so there is not likely any damage you can do. Most surgeons are just super careful. I also think they want us to take advantage of not being hungry and losing a lot of weight in the beginning to make us feel good about doing the surgery. Nothing like losing 20 or 30 lbs to give you a positive boost.

[LowPSI 0]

The initial "restriction" comes from the post op swelling around the stomach. Also it depends on the size of the stomach. if you have a small stomach then the band itself will have little restriction until filled but someone with a larger stomach will feel restriction sooner. I mean the stomach here and not abdomen.

THX

After my surgery, I was told that the doc put between 2 and 4 cc's in my band. I didn't think I had any non-surgical swelling restriction until I got stuck the other day!

[bwhitty 1]

finally!!! postOP:biggrin:

was in yesterday the 18th, home by 4p... woot

gas pain sux, but gasx is helping

[DebWS 1]

Hi all! Well today is one week post-op!! I officially start week #2 of liquids. Has anyone tried to eat other than liquids? I actually mashed a meatball today, and ate just a tiny bit. I probably ate about a 1/2 tsp worth, then put the rest in the sauce. I feel fine, but won't have anymore until I get to the mushy phase next week. I certainly do not want to hurt my stomach and jeapordize anything. I don't know why i did it. Maybe because I have not had a solid food since before my pre-op diet! But i have to tell you, I am hungry a lot! I ate more than the 6 oz of liquified Soup I am supposed to have. Then I'll have my shake later and that is that. I am trying to be so strong, and am anxious to get my first fill in a few weeks!

Topazz and others:

I just hit my two week post-surgery milestone (yesterday). I have had no problems with food getting stuck. Here is my best wisdom on the food subject:

- a two week liquid/shake diet is boring as all get-out. I started to stray 'off the reservation' at about day 8. But I was VERY careful of how I strayed. I picked things from the next phase (mushy) diet, and had teeny quantities of them, eaten very slowly, to test out where I was. I also found that doing this, with broth or whatever, made the broth tolerable. So I would have 1 T. cottage cheese and 1 T. tuna salad along with broth. I found that it provided enough variety to keep me going ...and that was my only goal...to buy one more day on a mostly liquid diet.

- When you get to phase 3, make good choices again. Celebrate that you don't have to drink another shake, or at least not 4 or 5 a day! Enjoy the Soup, cottage cheese, mashed squash, and measure it all. I have a digital scale and I use measuring cups...I find that I'm satisfied and it helps to know what I'm consuming.

- Be honest with your nutritionist. I told her, at my 12 day visit, what I had been doing (with straying) and what I had eaten. She said, "That's fine, and you did the right thing. And you are clearly ready for the next phase, so go for it." That was a great feeling.

Having said all that, my three other comments -- and I wonder if others have found this -- are that I am REALLY bummed to not be able to take ibuprofen or aleve (naproxen sodium) any more for arthritis pain...Tylenol doesn't cut it. I also have some persisten swelling and sensitivity on the left side of my abdomen (in other words NOT the side where the band is, the other side) and wonder if others have had this. And I found that it really was just yesterday, or today, that I started to "feel like myself" -- in other words, two weeks to the minute, more or less.

Best to you all,

Deb WS

Banded Nov. 3 - Brigham and Womens Hospital, Boston

Surgeon: Dr. Malcolm Robinson

[poppieswife 0]

Well surgery was Wed. and I had to stay overnight as my heart rate did not want to go down. Everything went well, nursers and doctors were all great and got me back to normal fast. I got home yesturday about noon, took pain meds and slept on and off all day. Kept getting up to walk and finally this morning had gas refielf. Lucky so far no shoulder pain like others have spoke about. I do have a little burning sensation when I get up and down at the largest incision but doc said that would go away, that is my biggest pain complaint.

[Cangel76 1]

hi everyone, sorry i haven't posted. I went in on the 16th to be banded, and it went well. The only problem that i had was with my bladder! I had to stay in the hospital overnight because my bladder would not wake up. I finally came home yesterday just to go back to bed. I have slept most of the day! The gas pain is really bad. I have been taking the gas-x and the pain meds. I have to remind myself to drink. I am on the full liquid diet now. Just trying to figure out how they want me to drink every three hours when i have no desire to drink or eat anything?

As much as you want to, don't sleep all day. Get up and walk, walk, walk or else you will have gas pain for a very long time. As far as drinking, keep a bottle near you and just do it. I mean it is either that or back in the hospital. That is how I made myself drink. I thought, "do I want to end up back in the hospital, hooked up to IVS because I am not drinking enough or do I want to stay home.

I also numbered my bottles of Water, I had 2 because the other liquid came from Protein shakes. What I did with that is I had to finish bottle one by noon. Protein shake am, Water between, then the next Protein Shake, etc. I also had a Protein mix that was fruit flavored I would do with my water just to boost protein when needed. Good luck!

[Cangel76 1]

Topazz and others:

I just hit my two week post-surgery milestone (yesterday). I have had no problems with food getting stuck. Here is my best wisdom on the food subject:

Deb how has your weight loss been two weeks out?