Post op help needed...

[BlairE 1]

What I love about this site is I can be brutally honest with my weaknesses and get good advice from everyone on how to help myself....

I am scared to death, did I make the wrong decision ... I was banded on the 28th stayed over night b/c of sleep apnea so yesterday was my first day home. I am suppose to be on a clear diet but I am so hungry I have been eating little bites of stuff here and there. I know this can't be good but don't know how to get my head wrapped around the idea of the band. How bad have I hurt myself and the band by eating the little things???? I am scared I am going to mess this whole opportunity up..... Any suggestions from you guys would be sooooo appreciated. Only on Clear liquids at the moment but I think I can go to Protein Shakes tomorrow which I am hoping will alleviate some the these weeknessess. Thank you again for any suggestions.....

[amberakamom 13]

I would definitely not eat any solids at this point. You could tear the sutures inside and that would be a major problem. I only had to be on Clear Liquids for 2 days and then it was on to full liquids, which really is like a feast compared to that darn pre-op diet. lol

I think you just need to make a commitment to yourself to follow the rules, so that you will have the best outcome possible.

Good luck!

[dcowens 2]

PLEASE don't eat solids right now. =( I'm worried for you. I don't know HOW bad you might or may have damaged things, but the point is you CAN and probably WILL if you continue. =( I know it's hard to be on clear liquids. Trust me. I was on clear liquids for 2 weeks pre-op. Stick to your clears and if the hunger gets unbearable please call your surgeons office/patient advocate/nutritionist or whoever can help and explain to them your dillema. Someone will be able to tell you what you can do, or what damage you may actually do when and if you eat solids again. Right now I'm on a full-liquid and I'm doing fine with cream of Soups. You'll get there and it will help you to be able to have more than clear liquids. Please make smart choices and remember that we're here to support you on this site. =)

[trishfish 1]

The liquid diet is to help your stomach heal. When you eat ANYTHING your stomach contacts. The contracting stomach can then lead to your newly sutures band to come apart. The liquids suck byt it is so very important!

[Humming Bird 275]

A Protein Shake would be better than tiny bites of solids. Hang in there and get as much of the clear liquids in as you can along with lots of sleep. Drinking a bit of liquid Jello helped me at that stage.

[AmyH33 0]

What I love about this site is I can be brutally honest with my weaknesses and get good advice from everyone on how to help myself....

I am scared to death, did I make the wrong decision ... I was banded on the 28th stayed over night b/c of sleep apnea so yesterday was my first day home. I am suppose to be on a clear diet but I am so hungry I have been eating little bites of stuff here and there. I know this can't be good but don't know how to get my head wrapped around the idea of the band. How bad have I hurt myself and the band by eating the little things???? I am scared I am going to mess this whole opportunity up..... Any suggestions from you guys would be sooooo appreciated. Only on clear liquids at the moment but I think I can go to Protein shakes tomorrow which I am hoping will alleviate some the these weeknessess. Thank you again for any suggestions.....

i was banded on 12/30/10, i too was on a liquid diet 2 weeks post op, at first it was kinda easy, but if i had to eat one more Jello i would have puked! They want u to be on liquids so the swelling will go down and so you dont throw up, thorwing up is bad, it might happen but they dont want it to be an ongoing thing to help prevent slippage. Try your hardest to stay on the diet that your doctor gave you, he knows what he is talking about. I know its hard, but this is a life changing tool that you have, i have fallen off the wagon a few times, and then i have to say to myself you didnt go thru all this and put your family thru this to go back to the way you were. Keep in mind the BIG picture, and i wish you lots of luck.

[BlairE 1]

thank you soooo much for snapping me back to reality .... Today is better, I think the effects of anesthesia left me with less self control yesterday. I didn't realize that I actually had sutures in and around my stomach....don't ask me how I thought it was secured in place, I guess i never thought about it...

Some of you mentioned that I could make the sutures come apart.... how do I know if that's happened or not.... today had a Protein Shake instead and feel better.

[~*~Rachel~*~ 2]

I am no help in this department. While I am not eating solids I just did have a couple bits of some cream potatoes.

[catthegrape 0]

I had surgery on Thursday and am also suffering with severe hunger pains. The one thing I have found that helps the most is warm chicken broth with a scoop of tasteless weigh Protein mixed in. It turns to almost a creamy consistency and helps alleviate the hunger pains for at least 90 min to 2 hrs. DON"T eat solids! Contact your doctor about maybe adding some yogurt or sugar free pudding.

thank you soooo much for snapping me back to reality .... Today is better, I think the effects of anesthesia left me with less self control yesterday. I didn't realize that I actually had sutures in and around my stomach....don't ask me how I thought it was secured in place, I guess i never thought about it...

Some of you mentioned that I could make the sutures come apart.... how do I know if that's happened or not.... today had a Protein shake instead and feel better.

[SMOKEY2112 1]

I am having the same problem...I too was banded on Friday and I'm STARVING.. and the Protein Shakes are not satisfying at all... Maybe I'll try to drink some more broth... can I add some shredded cheese in it? I'm craving some meat and cheese bad!

[ElfiePoo 109]

I've known a couple people whose doctors had them back on solids within a day or two of surgery and mine had me back on solids at 2 weeks, but still...your band area needs this time to heal. I didn't have to do the Clear liquids after surgery, just nothing thicker than a milkshake and absolutely no solids in it. You *DO NOT* want to take the chance of something getting stuck during this time and you face that risk since your band area is most likely swollen.

If you're hungry, then eat...but at least eat the permitted foods. Ok, so you go over your calorie limitations (if you have any), but at least they're foods that will slide through and not do damage. C'mon ladies...suck it up (couldn't resist the pun) and get back to the non-solids. You can do this!

.

[BASIMAH 9]

I was banded 1/27 and I know how you feel. The first day after was the worst! I was still a little nauseated from the anesthesia so just thinking about liquids made me sick. I had to force myself to drink Water, and I do mean force. Today, I'm experiencing severe hunger mixed with gas pains. I am able to eat creamed Soups, but I'm so burned out from my pre-op diet. I think the Protein Shakes will be the only thing satisfying right now. I never expected to be this hungry so soon after surgery. Just stay hydrated by any means!

[stateofzen 46]

This period of time is the MOST important time for you to just take a deep breath and force yourself to stay on track. It has nothing to do with weight loss- it has to do with healing. Being hungry is uncomfortable but it will not kill you-- you can do it and you will get through it before you even know it. I promise! Figure out a few distractions, keep Water on you 24/7 and sip sip sip every time you feel hunger. Also, sometimes it helps to take a few index cards and write "coping statements" on them. Things like: "I can do this. It isn't forever", or whatever you need to combat the eating solids-- then anytime you feel really tempted, you pull it out and read it until you believe it.

If you've done harm already, you could have symptoms like acid reflux, vomiting, and not being able to keep anything down including liquids. Probably you're ok for the moment. Talk to your surgeon at the next appt-- they can do a fluoroscopy to check band placement if they are concerned.

[amberakamom 13]

Wow, we are really so different. i havn't had a single ounce of hunger since i was banded on wednesday.

I wonder why its so different for all of us.

I feel really lucky.

[BlairE 1]

So I have had better success today .... made my shake a little more hearty by adding a bit more Protein. Basimah I am sorry you are going through the same thing but was happy to see I was not the only one...I think what happens is we are doing the liquid diet before hand in preparation for the surgery that once the surgery is over we lose site of the healing process and just want to eat.... I likes the suggestion Stateofzen gave with the flash cards, reading those words out loud should do a lot to keep me focused....I feel so much better knowing what symptoms to look for and am happy to say I don't have any of them at the moment. So glad I did not ruin this our of my own stupidity ..... again thanks for all the words of wisdom and support.... I know if I need a kick in the butt again where to come too....