March Bandsters: MASTER THREAD

[pippinje 0]

Hi March 2008 Bandsters!

I was banded a year ago and wanted to shout out "HI" to you all. Sometimes a few of you drop into our forum to get a glimps of what life will be like a year from now. It gave me the idea to come here and share. Hope you don't mind.

For the most part it is fantastic! I'm not going to sugar coat everything and say it's always easy because there are times when it certainly is far from easy. But never have I've lost weight like this and I know deep in my heart I'm going to see my goal weight.

Some of the hardest times are shortly after surgery, when you don't have restriction or when your body hurts from being cut and poke around in. But it gets better. You'll be surprised at the changes and more importantly how the changes continue. Just yesterday I got up on chair to change a light bulb, I felt confident and balanced and it was easy! An odd NSV, but one none the less. They keep happening, those NSVs.

I'm so excited for you all and your new journey! It is thrilling! Congratulations!

Juli,

That is so sweet of you to come give us hope and encouragement during "bandster hell". It really helped cheer me up after going to my two week post-op appt today and being told "Yes, you have to be on liquids for 3 more weeks." I could have cried. I know in the long run 3 weeks is nothing, but considering I have already been on liquids for 3 weeks, it is getting boring, monotonous, and I want to actually chew something. LOL.

Thanks for being a sweetie and giving us newbies words of encouragement.

Jenna

[scrappy_friend 0]

im 3 days post op and i just ate almost a whole can of Tomato Soup with milk in it so was about 20 oz of liquid. Do u think that was too much to eat? I dont feel sick or anything but feel sort of like i was bad. I dont even know what hunger is now and if im hungry or full. my body is so confused.

[Fenton 3]

Congratulations, all you 3/19-ers! We'll see you here soon.

Juli, thanks so much for dropping in and saying Hi - what fantastic weight loss you've had! It's really inspiring for us to have someone show us just what we can accomplish with a band and a bit of effort.

[Fenton 3]

Rhonda, if you feel OK, I doubt it did you any harm physically.

But as I understand it, we're trying to get used to smaller volumes of food, trying to relearn how to feel full. Perhaps next time you make that you should work through half of it slowly, then put the second 10 oz aside and drink them later.

[HarleyGirl 1]

Day two for me.....feeling a little more sore today....sort of a heavy feeling in my abdomen, if that makes sense.

NO NAUSEA.....god bless modern chemistry!

Did eat a half of a cup of vanilla activia yogurt.....it tasted good and seemed to settle okay! First I've tried to eat on the "full liquid" diet....

Been trying walk around the house every hour......just to keep things moving....sound like a motor boat as I walk :thumbup:

[Fenton 3]

POD 12

I finally got bored of my steristrips and took them off. The skin underneath was smoothly scarred and pink. The strip covering the right side of my port scar came off after one week to expose a slightly raised, red and crusty wound. The scar underneath the covered side, by contrast, is smooth and even and red. I'm not sure if the raised crusted end of the scar is that way because the strip came off early, or if the strip came off early because the scar was raised and crusted.

Anyway, the scars look great, and will be pretty hard to see when they heal properly, and my hair grows back.

Which reminds me: am I the only dude posting here? Am I, like, completely surrounded by chicks?

Otherwise, I'm pretty fine. I'm not even gassy in the mornings any more. I've transitioned pretty abruptly into soft foods, and it's both good and bad. As the swelling has gone down, I've had diminishing restriction, and hunger is gradually returning - I'm beginning to see why at NYU Dr. Fielding starts with two weeks post-op liquids, then two weeks soft foods and then does a fill at the start of the 5th week before the patient goes on to solid food. I think yesterday I passed the 1000 calorie mark for the first time in about a month.

My menus have settled down to a pretty similar sameness - unsurprising, since I'm getting most of my stuff from Trader Joe's. I'm not having Breakfast. Here are my menus for yesterday and today (the latter part of which, obvs, is projected):

Yesterday:

Lunch:

Creamy polenta with broth, bacon, minced mushrooms and a poached egg - 350 cals 15 g Protein?

An apple-melon Isopure - 200 cals 40 g Protein

Half a peach yogurt smoothy 100 cals 5 g protein

Yogurt 120 cals 10 g protein

Clam chowder 160 cals 10 g protein

Pork carnitas meat 170 cals 18 g protein

Gorgonzola dolce with pear sauce 250 cals 10 g protein

The hard part is the pear sauce - it's insanely good.

Today:

Two eggs scrambled, some pork carnitas, spicy black bean puree (fat free!), corn and black bean salsa - 360 cals, 33 protein

Yogurt with pear sauce - 200 cals, 10 g protein

Isopure - 200 cals 40 g protein

Dinner:

Blue crab and corn chowder 200 cals 10 g protein

Half peach yogurt smoothy 100 cals 5 g protein

I'm going to try to keep to 1500 cals a day, see how I do with that. And, for some reason, I want to see how long I can go without getting a fill. If the hunger becomes bad, though, I'll go and get that band inflated...

[whimsy 0]

im 3 days post op and i just ate almost a whole can of Tomato Soup with milk in it so was about 20 oz of liquid. Do u think that was too much to eat? I dont feel sick or anything but feel sort of like i was bad. I dont even know what hunger is now and if im hungry or full. my body is so confused.

My post-op instructions were 2 ounces of liquids per hour and that does not include the constant sipping of Water to stay hydrated.:thumbup:

My suggestion to you is to call your surgeon right away. If you are not sure what you should be doing, then they need to tell you. Every surgeon is different and while all of us can tell you what *we* were advised, it's best to follow the advice of your doctor.

At my 2 week post-op visit, my surgeon advised me that my extensive full liquid phase is conservative to not only to have my body fully heal but to also re-train my mind and my stomach. Many of us are overweight because we eat far more than we should - like they say, our eyes are bigger than our stomachs. :tt2:

Good luck to you, hon and please keep us posted on how you are feeling! :thumbup:

[whimsy 0]

Day two for me.....feeling a little more sore today....sort of a heavy feeling in my abdomen, if that makes sense.

NO NAUSEA.....god bless modern chemistry!

Did eat a half of a cup of vanilla activia yogurt.....it tasted good and seemed to settle okay! First I've tried to eat on the "full liquid" diet....

Been trying walk around the house every hour......just to keep things moving....sound like a motor boat as I walk :thumbup:

*SO* glad you are doing well, hon! You can do this!:thumbup:

[whimsy 0]

Juli,

That is so sweet of you to come give us hope and encouragement during "bandster hell". It really helped cheer me up after going to my two week post-op appt today and being told "Yes, you have to be on liquids for 3 more weeks." I could have cried. I know in the long run 3 weeks is nothing, but considering I have already been on liquids for 3 weeks, it is getting boring, monotonous, and I want to actually chew something. LOL.

Thanks for being a sweetie and giving us newbies words of encouragement.

Jenna

Awww, Jenna! I'm right there with you, woman. You know I was ready to leave my doctor visit and run out for a cheeseburger or a nice steak. :thumbup:

We've got to lean on each other! Vent as much as you need, you know I'll listen!:thumbup:

[hungry4help 0]

Hi March 2008 Bandsters!

I was banded a year ago and wanted to shout out "HI" to you all. Sometimes a few of you drop into our forum to get a glimps of what life will be like a year from now. It gave me the idea to come here and share. Hope you don't mind.

For the most part it is fantastic! I'm not going to sugar coat everything and say it's always easy because there are times when it certainly is far from easy. But never have I've lost weight like this and I know deep in my heart I'm going to see my goal weight.

Some of the hardest times are shortly after surgery, when you don't have restriction or when your body hurts from being cut and poke around in. But it gets better. You'll be surprised at the changes and more importantly how the changes continue. Just yesterday I got up on chair to change a light bulb, I felt confident and balanced and it was easy! An odd NSV, but one none the less. They keep happening, those NSVs.

I'm so excited for you all and your new journey! It is thrilling! Congratulations!

thanks for visiting, juli. i was definitely one of the lurkers you mentioned. i've been scanning the "upper classman" threads for several weeks, so that i can glance into what my future may and may not look like. reading what you all have posted has made me a far less anxious woman.

that said, i'm entering bandster hell. my urge to eat is back, tho i'm trying hard to define head hunger from actual hunger. i haven't gone too crazy, but am very much looking forward to my first fill. i'm lucky tho, i'm skedded for 1 cc add next thursday. it's on the early side, but one of the reasons i chose my doc was because he tends to proceed aggressively with patients who are recovering well.

thanks again. hope everyone out there is doing well. and fenton, keep up the personal diaries! they're fun and informative.

[ajoneen 0]

chica- try some lactaid before you drink anything with milk. It really helped me on the preop phase when I was having so many milk products. Ive switch to mostly soy milk now.

[ajoneen 0]

Fenton what is Gorgonzola dolce with pear sauce? It sounds really good.

OK I googled it and it does sound wonderful.

Edited March 19, 2008 by ajoneen
googled

[ajoneen 0]

Last night I went to the support group run by the psych Dr and nutritionist. (they are once a month and cost $20) Most of what was said was useless to me (mostly about avoiding stress eating) but one bit of wisdom stuck- when out eating with friends cut all your food up into little bitty pieces first, put fork down between bites, and concentrate on chewing. If you're talking away while you eat you run the chance of BPs. :thumbup:

That was good advise. Just though I would pass it along.

[hopeinapril 1]

Good luck to all the people getting banded today.

Welcome back to all the newly banded sounds like everyone is doing pretty well.

I am really struggling with this pre-op diet, and yesterday had a bit of a binge, but it's over and I've asked my DH to please help me instead of bringing home all these really tempting foods. This diet was so much easier while he was away.

The strange thing is, I know it really does work. I measured my liver before I started the liquids and again on Mon (a benefit of being an ultrasound tech)and was amazed at how much smaller it is and less fatty. I really was shocked. That was only after a week! So I have 4 more dedicated days of liquids and then surgery on Monday.

Pre-surgical testing is tomorrow...do we need to fast for that can't remember.

Christine

Hi Christine:

I just completed my pre-op testing yesterday and I was told no eating after midnight. (My tests started at 8:45 a.m.) They did tell me that I could drink Water, but nothing else to drink. I hope that helps!

Otherwise, I just LOVE how active these threads are! It is always a treat to come to the board and realize I have several pages of stuff to read!

Positive thoughts to everyone getting banded today. I think we have one tomorrow and then it starts again next week. I can't wait. I am excited! My tentative surgery time is 9:30, so I am suppose to be at the hospital at 7:30. It works for me! I'd rather be one of the first patients than the last. I truly don't expect to sleep much that night. Look for me on the board in the middle of the night! Especially you night owls. (I see the times on the postings!)

Well, see ya all later! :thumbup::biggrin:

[egnebs 0]

I was banded 3/7 in Conroe Texas.

So far so good! Lost 15 lbs already.

There are some other shakes that you only have to drink 6 or 8 oz to get at least 20gr Protein per serving....just have to look at them close and see which ones you like.

Personally Id rather drink less and get more!

Because I'm big, I'm allowed 6 Slimfast Optima shakes a day, which brings the Protein intake to 60 g and the calories to 1170. I haven't felt particularly hungry - I don't know if it's because I'm aggressive about how much Water I take in, or because I'm spacing out my shakes, or whether I'm just so determined to lose that I'm somehow overriding hunger. The only time I've had hunger pangs was when I watched some TV fast food commercials, and after having a chocolate pudding (low fat, sugar free). I was also a bit fluish when I began, with a not very good appetite.

I think the other thing that stops me from being hungry is that I know that the only thing I"m going to eat is those damned shakes, and I just can't get excited about them. Indeed, it's a bit of a challenge to get them down - try as I might, I can't convince myself that they're tasty.

Christine, I'm (hopefully) going to be banded by Dr. Ren's husband, Dr. Fielding, on the 6th at NYU. I'll do my best to give you a detailed description of what the whole process was like.