questions for a newbie who is doing this alone

[flowerpot 0]

i got my lap bad a week ago. i went through the process alone. didn't tell my family or any friends. i was banded on december 3rd and went to work on the 4th - tired but did ok for fear of people finding out. people around me think they are fat at 125 pounds. but i need support so i reach out to all of you.

is it normal to be hungry still? i have another week of liquids and have not cheated but it's getting harder. the gas in the back and stomach can be so difficult to deal with and my incision itches and hurts but is not hot to the touch, red nor does it smell bad - so should i not worry? can i put something on it?

i go to my dr. for a checkup on thursday. what is done on that first post op? why do they wait so long for the fill? and how do i know what is the right fill for me?

[~Jules~ 0]

Hi Flowerpot. I admire you for doing this alone. Sometimes I wish I had done that. I have a few people that ask me EVERY time I see them how much weight have I lost. It is a slow process. I will be happy to lose 2 pounds a week. If I just saw them 3 or 4 days ago, it might not have changed. If it has, it is only going to be a pound or so. That drives me nuts. Plus I don't like having a food police. "Should you be eating that." or "Can you have that yet." If I hadn't told anyone, I wouldn't have to deal with this.

I was hungry soon after surgery. Some people aren't quite yet, but I sure was. Be sure to get your Protein in. I use Slim Fast Low Carb and nectar. I ordered Nectar protein from Vitacost.com. They have the best price. It mixes with Water and doesn't have any fat or carbs. It has 90 calories and 23 grams of protein. It also comes in different flavors. The protein helps curb your hunger longer.

For my itching incisions, I put a tiny bit of neosporin on them. Mine itched because they were healing and dry. I only put it on every other day so that it would heal properly.

For the gas, I walked about 5 minutes every hour. Many times I just walked in cirles around my house. It gets the gas moving and feels much better. I also used Gas-X for the gas from swallowing air when I drank something. It helped, but didn't work miracles for me. The walking did the best. After a week for me it was all gone, but sometimes it takes longer.

The first fill is not usually for 4 to 6 weeks after surgery to let your stomach heal. This first phase is all about healing. My doc told me if I lose weight during the beginning, it was a bonus because this time was to heal and not worry about losing weight. This is another thing that others that aren't banded have a hard time getting. People sometimes think that weight loss surgery (WLS) is all the same. This is nothing like the gastric bypass, but the don't always get that.

I also ate a lot of sugar free Jello and sugar free, fat free pudding. It is only fat free if you use skim milk, though, so keep that in mind. My doc said these were fine during liquids because at body temperature, they were liquids.

I hope this helps you some. Hang in there, it does get better, I promise.

[flowerpot 0]

THANK YOU SO SO MUCH FOR THIS! i didn't tell people because of all the past failures. You lose 10 lbs. and friends/family say "keep going, you look so good!"...next time they see you, you put it back on and feel like double the failure.

i appreciate your advise and will order that stuff pronto. i keep saying to myself, if i'm on liquids and not eating...i should be losing without the fill. but i'm not. so that's what i accept.

your words helped more than you know.

[flowerpot 0]

THANK YOU ALL. you make a difference. i had no idea about the colon motility of it all and how that affected my weight. i must admit that has been rough!

Bless you all.

[w8t4me 0]

hi flower pot, I was blessed having a friend do the same thing with me. I too have not told anyone. She had her banding last monday and I have mine tomorrow. Stay with the program. You have come this far and I am proud of you. I am looking forward to people noticing that i have lost wt and the secret will be mine for as long as i choose. w8t4me

[flowerpot 0]

good luck!!! stay in touch please.

[transformer 1]

My doctor's office has told us to make sure we take in about 90 grams of Protein daily to avoid losing lean muscle mass while we are losing weight. We have to follow a low-fat, low-sugar liquid diet for the two-week phase after the banding. The nurse and dietician suggested drinking high-protein shakes like Pro-Complex or Champion Nutrition mixed with skim milk and to work toward taking in 6-8 cups of Clear Liquids a day. They said that we should sip liquids throughout the day. Maybe it would help you to raise the amount of protein in your diet if the doctors did not give you any specific requirements?

[flabuless 18]

welcome flowerpot

you have come to the right place for support and advice...hopefully all you need to make this new lifestyle a success for you...

Well done...you have taken the first steps for a healthier, happier YOU! I look forward to seeing your progress.

becky

[annieM 2]

Hi Flowerpot,

I was banded on Nov 15th and told only my sisters who ask about the weight loss everytime I speak to them. (what was I thinking when I told them??)

I drank the Myoplex Protein Drink in the ready to drink boxes. It has 300 cal, but only 2gm of sugar and 42 gm of Protein. Unlike a lot of other drinks it tastes OK. The only problem is going into the GNC store and buying it from some muscle-bound fellow....

[mousecrazy 2]

Hi, and welcome!

Just in case you don't know, it is sooo important to stay with your liquids, and then mushies. It is not about "cheating" now...it is about HEALING. You want that band to heal up nice and smooth and healthy...the better you do now, the better you will do in the long run. Oh, did I mention? It IS a long run! So, relax. This is a long journey, and you are going to SUCCEED!!!!!!!

It is the best feeling ever!

Good luck...post and let us know if you have any questions!

[flowerpot 0]

thanks all. i read on a thread that during the liquid portion after the procedure if you eat a solid, even once, your band can slip? is this true?

[ser123 0]

Hi Flowerpot... I am pretty much going it alone too, even down to Mexico. I have only told my best friend and that is it. I had to tell someone so if she gets a call from Mexico she doesn't hang up!

Not everyone can be supportive, and as Julestwu (awesome post by the way) pointed out not everyone can be supportive in the way that we need. But I can definitely say that Lapbandtalk has been a lifesaver for me. Not only do I get a ton of great information, I am often reading other people's posts and feel like I could have written them myself.

Good luck and I am sure I will see you around!

[Dii 2]

Hi everyone...

This site seems really great! I'm having my band fitted on 15th Jan in Belgium and I'm doing this alone ... I put a thought out to a couple of friends about me maybe doing this and they were horrified ... So, I think its best for me... I just can't cope with being judged (had it too much in my life) so I'll just get on with it quietly...

Good luck to everyone and I'm SO pleased I found this site...

Di x

[amillerjones 0]

I was wondering about people's experience with nausea and pain after surgery. My surgery was on Thursday. It is now Monday and I am having a difficult time

[tonya66 13]

THANK YOU SO SO MUCH FOR THIS! i didn't tell people because of all the past failures. You lose 10 lbs. and friends/family say "keep going, you look so good!"...next time they see you, you put it back on and feel like double the failure.

I'm in the same boat you are. I'm not telling anyone either, mainly for the same reasons you stated. I'm sure my friends & family will just think its another attempt to lose weight and think of all my past attempts.

I did however come clean with my husband. But I wasn't completely honest with him either. I know, shame on me. I told him I was getting a hernia repair (which I am) and at the same time they are going to place a lap band to Help me with my reflux. Although not exactly the whole truth, they are actually doing a lap band on me and fixing my hernia while they are in there.

Anyhow, I haven't been banded yet and got my approval today, I suspect I will have my surgery In january, I am waiting for the docs office to call me so we can set up a date.

I wish you well!