I finally had my Lapband/Plication, should be excited, but...

[Den 0]

Hi Guys!

I hope that you are all well. And congrats to all my fellow bandits. Well done to us for choosing to sacrifice our love for food for her long term health.

My name is Den, and I wanted to share my experience with you all.

Well, after months of waiting, I finally had my Lap Band/Plication done at Sydney Adventist in Wahroonga. One minute I am in the theatre breathing into a mask, and the next I am sick as a dog post surgery, thinking "what have I done?"

The first couple of days were awful; nausea and vomiting and just feeling icky. I was surprised that I was ravenously hungry by the second evening, so much so that I couldn't sleep at 4am I was so hungry and begged the nurse for something to 'eat/drink.'

It's been nearly a week, and I am still always so damn hungry! I thought the hunger pangs would have been eliminated. Last night I was so ravenous that I ate crackers and dip, and boy did I regret that! I was in so much discomfort that all I could think to do was go to bed and hopefully sleep it off.

I know that I am not supposed to eat. I am supposed to be on a liquid diet all this week and the next... but it's impossible. How can I be expected to just be on a liquid diet when I feel like I am going to faint with hunger?

So, for anybody out there, I am asking.... Is this normal??? I would be grateful for answers.

Also, does anybody else have bad gas now? Every time I eat/sip I get bad gas lodged in my chest, which also causes discomfort, I keep tapping away at my chest until the gas comes out, and what a relief that is.

Look forward to hearing back from you.

Regards

Den

[2muchfun 8,927]

First, it's imperative you follow your doctors post op diet. If you don't, you can ruin the surgery by causing the sutures holding the band in place to tear away. We all went through this period and yes most of us were hungry, but it can be done and has been done thousands of times.

Yes, many of us were starving shortly after surgery. You won't feel any satiety till you get a few fills. Till then it's just another diet. They don't tell you this before surgery but we call this period "Bandster Hell".

Hang in there, it does get better.

tmf

[JustWatchMe 7,117]

Hi Den,

High Protein shakes will hold you longer than Soup or other liquids. Good luck. I was on liquids for six weeks. It wasn't easy but it's so worth it.

[beth11252003 8]

I had to cheat a little from full liquids. Hunger pains are no joke. Cottage cheese has been one thing I have used and soft Soups

[mrsto 2,925]

Hi Den,

I have the band with plication, and those painful hunger pangs are normal. I was freaked out by it too, and the nurse at my doctor's office told me that they hear it a lot......from plication patients. The GOOD news is that is does go away. To me, it felt like my stomach rebelling against being folded and sewn - LOL. But I promise.....it does stop within a few weeks; maybe less. But you will still go through bandster hell, which is what tmf explained above. Once you start getting fills, the the band will start doing its magic.

Hang in there..... It's a huge upset immediately post surgery, but in time this part will be a distant memory. As mentioned above, follow your doctor's orders, and don't eat! You can do a lot of damage if you don't follow the diet protocol to the "T".

[danni#L 9]

Hi den!

Reading you story made me say "yep" I know exactly what your talking about plenty of times!

My doctor never told me to be on a liquid diet only.. I seen dr desmond hughes and he has done several lap banding ops on different people I know, and he recommends a soft diet. I have been living on soups.. I have chosen to eat the thicker chunkier Soups because I can eat them and it fills me up. Cottage cheese, scrambled eggs and yoghurt have been all I have had and its working fine.

I have lost 5kg in 10 days and I eat when ever I am hungry I just don't over do it. I may have a break and come back to what I have not finished.

I hope it gets easier for you!

[Den 0]

This hunger is eating me alive, I've never known anything like it. Even after drinking a banana Protein shake I get this voracious, gnawing hunger & grumbling stomach. I've had plication and lapband.

The hunger pangs weren't this bad before surgery, especially 1-2 hours after having a Protein Shake. I went to the doctors to get weight loss pills, this is because I can't continue to eat this much so soon after surgery, as I am risking serious damage, but I just cannot help it. I haven't filled the prescription yet, but if the hunger pangs don't ease up, I'm going to have to resort to diet pills, what a shame.

[oui1213 29]

I have wondered if it is ok to take diet pills with lap band surgery? Did the dr say it is ok????

[Den 0]

Thanks for all the kind words of support and encouragement. It's been 16 days since surgery, and I think I've lost about 2-3kg so far. I am concerned that my stomach is still swollen and very sore. I wrote to the Surgeon's office and told them I was always ravenously hungry and that I needed diet pills to cope with the severe hunger pangs, but unfortunately, they didn't bother to reply.

I went ahead and filled the prescription for the diet pills and have been taking them for a week. This has curbed the pangs somewhat & now I don't get as hungry, the downside is that the tablets (Duromine) causes depression, so I've been sad and crying all week!

In Australia, there are very strict laws about prescription diet pills and there is only one company who are allowed to sell it. This gives them the monopoly and they can charge what they like, for 30 pills, the price starts at $105 dollars, stronger pills cost more.

I think the government have a duty to keep it's citizens healthy, but for some reason, fresh fruit & vegies cost a lot of money and junk food is incredibly cheap and readily available for our convenience whenever our heart desires. I can go to any fast food chain and buy a family meal to feed four people at a cost of $20!!

I will never understand why the government is allowing the nation to get extraordinarily overweight and unhealthy when ultimately, it is the government who has to deal with the cost of the growing health problems. Yes, the choice is ours, but it's a hard choice when fast food is so cheap, so convenient and so delicious.... (no shopping, no cooking, no mess... and it costs less than cooking at home anyway).

[lisacaron 5,075]

@@Den I'm sorry...I have to be a bit harsh here with you!! What are you doing????!!!

You just had major surgery!! You started taking prescription pills that you got from....? Did the doctors that operated on you give you that script? You seem bound and determined to hurt yourself and not help yourself and I fear that you might do just that irreparably. Government B.S. aside YOU need to take responsibility for yourself and your health!

Stop looking for scape goats, and easy fixes. This is your life! Take control of it! Why do you want to lose weight? If it's for health reasons this is a bad way to start my friend.

Make a appointment with your doctors office, tell them what is going on. Don't just wait for them to reply to you, if they don't respond GO there and be in their face until they see you. That is their job, your job is to be compliant with what they tell you to do for your health and well being.

Now stop and make that call take that ride or what ever you have to do to get yourself back on track here and stop hurting yourself!!

[mrsto 2,925]

These pangs are the plication settling into place. I had them, and it hurt.....BAD! Although, after a thick shake, they did quiet down for a bit.

I agree with Lisacaron, that you seem to be on track to sabotage all that you just went through. Many of us on here have been through the same thing, and you just have to suck it up for a bit. It will pass, but if you keep doing things to injure the surgery, then I fear that you're dragging it on longer than it needs to go. It sounds like maybe you weren't mentally prepared for this? I'm not trying to beat you up.....I promise. But everyone else and I on this site want to see you succeed. Given that, it's hard to watch you grasp at things that will only hurt you long term. STAY FOCUSED on why you had surgery to begin with.

If you have to sip thick Protein shakes all through the day and night, then do it. But diet pills are counterproductive. That road is one we've all been down way too many times. It's one piece of why we chose WLS. Diet pills and surgery don't go hand in hand.

Edited October 20, 2014 by mrsto