How Bout New Zealand

[::tracy:: 0]

Well i am now at the end of my first week with my band ... it has been all good so far.

The weight is falling off at present, I know it won't last like this, but i am sure as anything going to make the most of it.

I have now lost 7kg :clap2:

i went to see the surgeon today to get the staples out - it all went well, he is pleased with my progress.

Feeling a little tired of Optifast so i have been having some Soups instead sometimes - nice for a bit of variation.

I haven't really been tempted to eat anything shouldn't and i have turned into obsessive calorie counter. I went supermarket shopping tonight ad it took about 3 times longer than it should have because i was checking the calories on EVERYTHING.

Great to hear everyone is going well ... long road ahead so it is nice to have some inspiration from others.

[Ange123 0]

hi tracey,

where were you banded ?? and who by ???

I was done in Christchurch,

opti fast id not that bad I like the chocolate one

have a great christmas

Ange

[::tracy:: 0]

Hi Ange,

I was banded in Hawkes Bay by a surgeon here, Mr John Fleischl at Royston Hospital. Both Mr Fleischl and the staff at the hospital were absolutely wonderful.

Optifast tastes fine, i have no issue with the flavour, just day in and day out it is boring, so being having some yummy homemade vege Soups etc blended and watered down.

You have a great Christmas too ...

[Tia Maria 0]

Hi Tracy, How you doing?

I got really fed up with the Protein Shakes, so I now make myself fruit smoothies and drink up and goes....I was drinking Soups, but I also got a bit fed up with them.

I thought I would be able to eat mushed food on Christmas day, but when I visited my doc the other day he said I have to stay on liquids until new year! I felt so gutted, but I suppose its for the best. I don't want to end up in hospital for Christmas with it stuck!

What sort of advice has your doc given you?

Have a good Christmas, imagine how we will look next year!:clap2:

Tia.

[::tracy:: 0]

Hi Tia,

I agree with the Protein Shakes, i am only drinking one a day in the morning, eating Soups and smoothies also.

Had my first visit to the surgeon, he is really pleased with my progress, he said I can go onto mushies on Christmas day, and said if i was very very careful i could try some other food too.

He said the most important thing was to not vomit.

I am not sure if i am ever hungry or not, i don't think i am, i just eat because it is time to now. I am not consuming alot either ... and as always i am struggling with my Water, i have to really push myself to get enough fluids.

How have you been feeling post op?

my tummy has been a bit sore today, at the incision sites, it feels like muscular pain, healing. If i don't get better by monday i will give the surgeon a call.

[Tia Maria 0]

I'm just the same Tracy, my tummy is a bit sore....But I expect thats normal after being cut into an all. It makes getting in and out of the car a bit of a mission, I tend to hold my belly as I go over speed bumps in the road.

I think I'm coming to terms with what I have chosen to do (lap band) I have had a few moments of panic, where I have thought about how it will be not to be able to wolf down half a loaf of bread at a time, especially when stressed. I will have to find another way of dealing with situations I guess.

I still haven't gone back onto tea and coffee like I was, instead I have become addicted to hot chocolate the jarrah 98% fat free one. I'm not sure that is such a good thing though, its lovely though!

I have had a lot of chest pain, well maybe discomfort is a better word to use, I think its indigestion. Have to had any of that? I'm a bit worried that maybe I'm eating too much or something. Tonight for dinner I did mash potatoes, I made them really creamy then added some gravy, it was actually really nice.

Did your doc weigh you? Mine told me it was a waste of time as the body is too interested in healing itself at the moment and weighing in would be very inaccurate. But I can tell by my own scales that I have lost weight anyway lets hope it stays off!

Wishing you a speedy recovery, take care.

Tia

[::tracy:: 0]

I have been very good up until today. Today pain wise has been worse, it feels like i have done 100 sit-ups.

How many nights did you spend in hospital? i spent two, during that time i had alot of pain meds, however i haven't required any since i was discharged. Not even today.

Yes i have been weighed, i am now 8kg down since i started the preop diet. i know it won't last, but i am making the most of it.

I have fortunately haven't had any indigestion, however i have eaten more than i could cope with, just a matter of taking time and learning what is enough and what is too much. I still can't drink an entire Optifast.< /p>

I have been walking everyday too, which i am enjoying alot. Have you started exercising again yet?

[::tracy:: 0]

oh ... where is your port site? have you had any problems with sleeping on it?

[Tia Maria 0]

My port site is just above my tummy button, sometimes its a bit uncomfortable to sleep on my side, but mainly I can sleep any way that I want. It seems to be the area with the most bruising.

Well done 8kg!!! Thats fantastic! Why don't you think its going to last? Do you know when your due to have your first fill? Although it sound like you won't need one for a while if your struggling to drink a whole Optifast, I could do that straight away...Slowly. I staying in hospital for 1 night, I had the most pain in my shoulders. But now my chest is really awful, it feels like someone is sitting on it! I'm not sue if this is because he also fixed a hernia while he was in there, or just indigestion....I should phone him and ask really, I just don't like to keep annoying him.

I can't remember if I told you this, but yesterday for dinner I had creamy mash potatoes for dinner mixed with gravy, it was so good to have something different. I made sure it was so runny that I had to eat it with a spoon.

I just phoned him on his mobile about the chest pain and he said its normal, I'm just sensitive to the band and its probably over stimulated...Well thats good to hear.

[::tracy:: 0]

mine is on the left had side a couple of inches below my breast. Not too sore.

i think the rate of weight loss will slow down, thats all.

i am going back on the 22 Jan ... not sure if it is for a fill or not.

i had scrabbled eggs last night ... they were the best tasting eggs i have ever tasted!!

[Hoodoofan 0]

Wow you guys are doing so well. My port is just where my underwire rests and I still can't lie on that side confortably but otherwise all going well. You;re lucky you ere able to eat soft food so fast my doc has 4 week rules, 4 liquid post op 4 soft the real food. ave to admit after dong alot of reading and talking to people who have had it and the nurse i started some soft food like mashed egg or avocados after abot 3 weeks, and now I eat most things as long as they're moist ie fish, salads, seafood, chicken curry spag bol etc. short Pasta has give me trouble though as it has slipped down before being chewed properly.... alwas remember to chewe as hat reminds you what you've had done! It HURTS, like you can't breathe, and usually comes back up. Not like a real vomit someone else descibed it like it coming up on lift back to your mouth, sounds gross I know.. don't know why I'm being so graphic, probaly coz I'm hungry and waiting for the family to return or dinner.< /p>

HoPE ALL GOES WELL FOR YOu BOTH OVER Christmas. Can't belive it's 7.5 weeks since my op!

Merry Christmas

[Tia Maria 0]

Hi Hoodoofan, so how does it feel 7.5 weeks after surgery? Have you had a fill yet? How are your eating habits? Are you hungry?

Tracy, I can't believe that. I'm also going to see the doc on 22nd Jan!! Very strange! I'm not sure if I'll be getting a fill that day either....I suppose it all depends on if we need it or not.Wow scrambled eggs!! That would be heavenly at the moment. I think I'd be a bit too scared to try them just yet, don't they come under the mush food description? He told me to stay on the liquids until nearer to new year....bummer! :hungry:

[Ange123 0]

Wow it sounds like all of you guys are doing very well!!

I am six months out from my operation and i am still training my self to eat slowly and not to eat to much, I find old habits die hard, Still cant eat bread and I do not think i will ever be able to. it gives me awful chest pain and feels like it is stuck. i find that things tend to get a little stuck when i am really hungry and do not chew properly

2008 is my year to shake most of this weight.

Happy Christmas you guys will find it tough but just remember it is only one day out of a life time!!!!!

:clap2:Ange

[::tracy:: 0]

Hi Hoodoofan,

I guess every surgeon is different with their rules and preferences. Mine was very specific about not letting anything get stuck and bringing it back up. He said that is how you cause damage. I guess the down side to being allowed to try new foods sooner is that risk of causing damage by PB-ing.

It must hurt having the port so close to your bra-line, mine is an inch or so below. i haven't had too many problems laying on mine either, just in the first few days. Which i really quite fortunate as i would not have been happy as that is the side i sleep on.

Hi Tia,

Yes scrambled eggs are on my mushies list. It took me over 45 mins to eat one egg and each little tiny bit was dissolved in my mouth and mixed with so much saliva, i think my Optifast might have had more texture going down. i was nervous through the entire meal however i felt infinitely better afterwards, tasting something different.

As mentioned above, my surgeon said the key at this time is to not bring the food back up ... to chew chew chew. And that is what i did!!

my nutritionist has given me a great list of mushies, i must make an appointment to go back and see her too. she was very nice and helpful. I need to talk to her about calorie intake.

The best advice is to follow the instructions of your own surgeon however with regard to food and when to try things.

I am nervous about getting my first fill. If he is happy to do it on that day, he can do so, i doubt he will though, unless something changes between now and then ... i still have not been felt anything remotely like hunger pains. Then again, i am eating more than i ever did before. I used to only eat once a day ... and by that stage i was always too exhausted to cook so it was the wrong foods.

Hi Ange,

Thanks for the words of support.

I am fortunately not worried about Christmas day, it is my first day on mushies but as mentioned above, i have not had anything resembling an appetite since my surgery. It takes such a small amount of make me full that food is not high on my list of priorities for that day.

Overall i have been feeling good, i have been a little tired the last few days, though i am not consuming very many calories at all , so that is probably part of it ... that and the stinking hot days we have had.

Everyone enjoy christmas ... hope you get some nice presents and enjoy the time with your family! The day doesn't need to be about food.

[Hoodoofan 0]

Happy Boxing day. Hope everyone did ok yesterday, I just had a small tase of everything and that worked well for me.

Thought i'd ADD one of these too. as a visual reminder.