Dr. Gerald Kirshenbaum - Considering Dr. Kirshenbaum

[marcyinak 0]

L.A. I am so happy to hear that you are doing good.

I am just wondering if anyone moved on to mushies/soft solid foods after 11 days. I did really well on liquids for about a week - and then went to mashed potatoes, yogurt, pudding, etc. and did very well. I have not thrown up or gotten stuck once, So, I have bravely been moving onto a few other things. Like a crab cake, and some fat free Beans. Has anyone else done this? I know Dr. K's main concern is that you don't throw up. The nutritionist has stricter guidelines, I know. Just curious. Mostly I am on full liquids and liquids, but i have had a few bites of softer solids and seem to be doing well.

Sunshine - I don't remember exactly how long I stayed on mushies, but I didn't think it was that long. I was told by Dr. K that I "could progress as I felt comfortable doing" and that the purpose was to HEAL and NOT vomit. So...go ahead and try some things and see how they do...remember to chew well and don't engulf something! I tend to do this when I sit down to eat...that the meal is "finally" ready and I eat the first couple of bites too fast and end up stuck for a while and just sit there at the table until it finally goes down (or my pouch stretches a little)...it's uncomfortable, but it DOES remind me to slow it down! Take it easy on yourself and try to enjoy the new you!

Lost a couple of pounds, but it's a little disconcerting...so I've been faithfully working out 3x a week and then there's a lot of shovelling to do (been snowing like crazy for a couple of weeks). Then I had a weekend where I ate crap (cake and ice cream anyone?). I check the scale everyday (this keeps me in check, I'm not crazy about it, but it works for me) and I keep going down! Not that I'm thrilled that the scale is finally moving again, but mentally this is a little encouraging to eat crap if you know what I mean!:tongue:

[Lap_dancer 8]

Hello Friends

Happy Tuesday. I'm back to work and have a nice long break here to spend on Lapband.

L.A.- Hope you are doing well. If the pain gets to be difficult to sleep, liquid Tylenol does the trick. I also used liquid anti-nausea if the nausea got to be too much to prevent me from sleeping. Rest well. Lukewarm liquids..broths were my salvation especially good beef stock that's used in french onion soup...don't eat the cheese.

Purple...love your name as purple is my favorite color. To answer your question about stretching. I suppose if someone were determined to do it, stretching could be done. I personally would not care for the nausea and vomiting that would accompany volumous eating enough to stretch the pouch. Dynamo gave you a good answer. The band IS different from gastric bypass in that we have restriction by the band. If food is restricted as to how much you can eat, it would take some effort to stretch it. Unlike the bypass where the pouch is bypassed, you could still stretch it (as a family member of mine has done so )

*I am beyond grateful for this procedure. It is a perfect fit for me*

Woofay~ great to know someone loses like I do. I've accepted this and as long as I'm going down I'm happy. It can HOLD as long as I get that WHOOSH of loss which seems to be my pattern.

* * * *

I should not complain about exercising when I see your temperatures. Yesterday it was a very cold... 68 degrees. When I read '10' with snow I think treading through volumes of white stuff and seeing your breath..burrrrr.

Florida Joke: What do you say when a snowbird tells you ' I like ALL of the seasons so I could never live here all of the time"?

Snappy Answer: Floridians love all the seasons too, we just don't have to put up with the sh**ty ones.:tongue:

[Lap_dancer 8]

On eating mushies and 11 days.

I used a rule of thumb with my banding. Rule #1 NO vomiting.

If I thought anything would cause me to PB or vomit, I would not risk it.

I looked at my recovery period like a baby. A baby starts off with milk. It stays with milk because it can't handle food at such a young age. After some time though, it is ready for some Cereal. As unappealing as it may sound, I ate baby food. What worked for me was trying one thing at a time one bite tested at a time. I graduated to Gerber graduates and I think that was at two weeks. Gerber graduates are for toddlers who are not quite ready for adult style food but ready for something a little more solid. I supplemented my diet with Protein in the form of Liquid Protein drink that I sipped. Get that 80 grams in. I didn't feel like losing my hair and that can happen if you don't give your body the nutrients that it needs.

My kind of exercising! Someone want to join me??? ((grins))

[MissMom24 2]

Looking good LAP!!!

[Mal 0]

Purple~thanks for the info, I learned a lot. I have heard of the "water loading", but wasn't sure if it was for LB patients and I was going to ask Dr. K the next visit. I think that is one aspect I was missing. I also heard about the cottage cheese test...interesting. I appreciate your post and will implement. Thanks again, you answered a lot of questions that I had and some that I didn't know I had!

Dynamo~I totally "get" the pants thing. It used to really bother me when my boys sagged their pants, but I got over that battle. Do you feel like your britches are sagging too??? LOL YAY, the gym, I am going today after work!

Lap~Nice to hear form you!...20's??!!! that is SUPER FANTASTIC!!! You must post us update pics, you just must!!

I also had to add a ton of memory to my computer (pictures everywhere)! Hope it all goes smoothly

brrrrrr!

[Mal 0]

Sorry Lap, I was ont he previous page..you look amazing and I know you must feel amazing! Can't wait to see you again.

Speaking of babies...how is the "mother to be" doing?

Woofay~did you join that gym yet?...GO FOR IT!!!

[adorkbl 156]

Great pic Lap... looking good! :tongue:

Just checking in. Doing good here. Last night I was very gassy and bloaty... and so annoyed by it! lol. Still not really hungry. I really think I need to be eating more. Right now I am straining Soup and drinking the liquid. That is sooo little though. I tried drinking my Protein Drink but just couldn't get much down. Too afraid it would bloat me more.

Still too soon to move onto full liquids, but I am soooo ready for some oatmeal! :smile:

Just thought I would share a few pics from my surgery day. :w00t:

[Mal 0]

LA~Thanks for sharing your pictures (I am such a picture FREAK). You look relaxed and ready!

Try the Gas-X and walk as much as you can.

[ShelbiCallie 0]

Lap -- I love your new picture -- you look so beautiful and happy! The caption should be "Life is so good". This tool is wonderful, for sure. :rolleyes2:

LA -- I love the pre-op shots! You are such a cutie. I absolutely love seeing pictures of Dr. K -- I feel like he's family or something, who I don't get to see often. I just love the man.

For Fatwidow -- One of my regrets about coming to Denver is that I didn't take any time to see the sites. But I really didn't have a choice at the time. Take a week if you possibly can. I flew out the morning after surgery and did fine, but I don't feel like I've really been to CO.

I am looking up now and the world is so much clearer these days; quite a change in my outlook and I SO don't want to go back there again! Have a great Tuesday, peeps. :tt1:

[Woofay 0]

LA! Yay and congrats! Thanks so much for sharing your pictures! What a cutie! At that point I was crying...and crying...just like a baby! That bloaty feeling lasts for a while. But use some gas x and walk...its great that you did so well and your feeling okay. Don't over do it! Welcome to band land! You did it!:rolleyes2:

Mal~ no, I haven't joined yet....I work out in my head...does that count??? hahahahaa!

Have a great one! Loved the pics, Lap Dancer! :tt1:

[adorkbl 156]

Thanks all... I hope to be more of a cutie soon!! Tee hee. I told Dr K I would make some gorgeous AFTER photos for his website! ha ha. I am a modest one aren't I? *wink*

[Mal 0]

Shelbie~PLEASE tell me that my PM went through this morning...it was sooo long! and I didn't want tosend a repeat if it went through (gosh, can I remember what I wrote?)

[BellaPerdente 0]

Hey guys, I am getting really nervous about my surgery on 2/13/08. I guess I am having second thoughts. I read about how so many people are still hungry after surgery. I read about the honeymoon period and wasn't sure if that applied to lapband surgery or gastric bypass. I have such an gi-normous appetite right now and I am a stay-at-home mom and all I do ALL DAY is eat. I am sooo afraid that I will not be able to mentally resist eating. I know that with any diet, you have to be committed. Well, I know that I want to lose weight but food as such control over me I am scared. I felt that lapband would help me NOT EAT and eventually my appetite would go down. But if people are still hungry after surgery, what is going to help me resist my strong desire to eat. Am I not ready????? I feel I will never be 100% ready. Do I have the surgery and then deal with it as it comes? Help!!

[bahotmomma 0]

Fatwidow: Welcome and congrats on taking such a huge step to get healthier. I was just banded 1/2/08 and have lost of 20lbs so far. I too lost my Mom this past summer(june 9, 2007), so I know what you are going thru there. I am lucky to have a great husband to help me thru it (I don't know what I would do without him, just keep thinking of your beautiful kids). Best of luck to you.

[BellaPerdente 0]

Bahotmomma: thanks for the reply. Sorry to hear about your mom. It is hard without her to talk to and my husband giving me advice. He was so good at that. Do you have any regrets? How is your appetite?