1 week post op..and i am confused

[iwalktheline 1]

i had lapbanding done 2/16. recovered well. but my brain and body are not working together. i am supposed to be on liquids for 2 weeks but i am so weak that that i have to get some real food. im hungry, but when i eat i feel full right away.

also i have a new tenderness on the left upper side of my abdomen. i feel like my port kind of popped out a bit. anyone else have this?

oh yeh, i still think this is the most awesome thing i have ever done for myself!

[denriquez 0]

Well I was banded on 2-18-09 and today is my first day back to work. I am sooo weak, that I can barely stand it. I'm sick of drinking Protein Shakes and liquids all day! I"m sure once I step up to thicker liquids in a few days, I'll feel better, but like you my brain just isn't functioning. I feel sick. I also had this sharp pain (which I also thought was the port) on my left side right below my ribs, but it is gone now, probably just air.

[spud.mama 7]

I'm not banded yet, but just assuming that the pain by the port is the muscle healing as the port was placed in the muscle. I might be using the word wrong here but doesn't it spasm a but while it is reattaching itself? It's not where it knows it should be and its trying to fix itself. Give it some time. View it like a pulled muscle. If the pain is unbearable, of course, call your doctor. Good luck.

Spud :hurray:

[HeatherO 7]

I had the port soreness both at 2 weeks and 4 weeks. It sounds normal, but I will still suggest giving your doctor a call just in case. Also keep an eye out for signs of infection like increased swelling at the site or extra redness or if the wound feels hot to the touch.

We all go through feeling of weakness at the beginning. It helped me to increase Protein consumption. Some of the feelings of weakness are also related to healing after surgery as well as dietary changes. It is normal to feel a little weak in the beginning.

If you call your doctor, they may be able to suggest small dietary modifications that might help you to feel a little better.

[shellyphaunts 0]

Iwalktheline~ I too, was banded 2/16. I was feeling great until day 5. I tried to get out of the car with a heavy bag in my left arm. I felt a strange tug over my left incision, which is the only incision that has bothered me. The next morning, it hurt like the first hours after surgery. I called my surgeon and he told me I had likely pulled that muscle or the stitches he set into the muscle. He told me it was a very common injury. Once patients start feeling better they forget they still can't lift with that side. It is slowly healing, each day a little bit better. But it is slow and pretty painful.

And like everyone else has said, I am STARVING and soooo weak. I have been trying so hard to get in all my Protein, but it is really difficult. I skipped ahead a bit and tried some really thin refried Beans. They are rich in protein and helped me to finally feel full of REAL food instead of sweets like jell-o & yogurt. All the sugar free food was giving me an upset stomach. The beans also helped with the gas that has been building up and I couldn't release! :tt1:

HUGS,

[GuyMontag 1,264]

I did the liquid diet 1-week post-op then the mushies. So far the mushies stage is a cinch compared to the liquid stage. Just keep your eyes on the prize and you'll pull through.

As for port pain, the one thing I notice is right in the middle of my stomach it feels like someone is poking me with a hot poker every now and then. This always happens after I've used my ab muscles too much...like bending over, sitting up, or coughing. Placing my hand over the spot and applying a little pressure while I bend or cough seems to help a lot. It's kind of strange though because the pain isn't where my bandages are but about 3 inches to the right of them...probably where the rubber cord goes through my muscle wall. I'm looking forward to this pain going away and it's already improved a lot in the last week.

[froggin4colorado 0]

Guy, how have your managed to lose 30 lbs in a week? Or does that also include your pre diet loss?

[TQUAD64 9]

I would be careful right now with the post-op diet. It is important to follow your doctor's instructions. If you should be on liquids, then get back to the liquids.

Call your doctor about the port pain and let him/her know that you are consuming foods that are not part of the liquid phase.

Your small pouch is swollen and in recovery mode. When you eat solids or mushies your stomach has to digest those foods down. The digestion makes your stomach work, when it should be healing.

I wish Restless was here she has such great analogy for this. Something about the turning and churning like a washing machine but its your stomach doing the work.

I know the post-op diet liquid phase sucks!!! Increase your liquid Protein. Talk to your doctor.

[Jachut 487]

You CAN have real food on liquids!! I dont know why people persist in trying to live off nothing.

Get out a pot, the lentils, the meat and the vegies, and make yourself some decent Soup (or buy it!). Not cream Soup rubbish, soup with something actually in it that will give it a bit of substance. Now blend it up. Throw in some cooked wholeweat Pasta and blend that too, for a little energy.

I lost tons of weight post op, I followed my instructions but I ate real food and wasnt hungry - my instructions were "anythign that will go easily up a straw is a liquid". So blend it right, and as you heal, you can handle thicker liquids until they become mushies. Dont eat crap, dont blend up chocolate or drink milk shakes of course, but healthy Soups and stews can be blended down into a suitable consistency with the addition of broth or a can of tomatoes. Eat when you need to, even if its every hour, but I found soup like this sat with me for hours.

Another good one - a fruit smoothie, I used up my leftover vanilla Optifast - blend with milk, some tinned fruit like apricots (somethign soft) and I threw in a weetbix too (wheat Cereal, you could use AllBran, anything like that) to make a good protein/carb/fruit balanced meal, drink half, refrigerate half and drink a bit later.

I had 3 weeks liquids, gradually thickening - by the end they were very nearly mushies.

Trying to live on V8 and Jello will leave you weak and exhausted.

Edited February 24, 2009 by Jachut

[TQUAD64 9]

I don't know about that Jachut. My doctor placed me on Clear Liquids after surgery for over a week. However, if I couldn't see through it, then I could not have it, liquid or not.

[Jachut 487]

For sure, follow YOUR doc's instructions - I only had one day clears, then anything that would go up a straw for 3 weeks.

[blondie2 0]

hello all! I had my band done on 2/19 and I am experiencing the same pain on the left hand side. I think it is gas because when I take gasx and move around it seems to go away. Does any one who has been recently banded feel like when they get up out of bed that their stomach feels like they did a million situps? Oh- and I am hungry too! I tried creamed Soups last night- only a few tablespoons. I started having a Protein Shake about 1/2 hour before I go to bed becasue my stomach was growling and aching beacause I was so hungry! Tomorrow I am going back to work! How's everyone else doing?:w00t:

[Neena 0]

Blondie ~ I was banded 2.19.09 and have had similar pains. I do not feel like I've done a huge amount of situps, but I do know it's gas. When I sit down then I feel it and my stomach aches.. When I get up and walk; is when it goes away and I have a rumble in my tummy. I don't have it as much anymore, but I do notice that when I eat; I burp. That's where my issue arises.. Right now I am on liquids; though I did have some cottage cheese (4oz) which I handled well. I am just having issues knowing when I'm full because I don't ever feel realllly hungry...

Well Good Luck to All!!!

[GuyMontag 1,264]

Guy, how have your managed to lose 30 lbs in a week? Or does that also include your pre diet loss?

That's including my pre-op diet. I've lost 30lbs. in 3 weeks.

[autigerfan 0]

I also was banded on 2.19.09. I am back to work today for the first time and a bit tired. My port site is also still a bit sore at times, but managable. This surgery has got to be the best decision I ever made!!!