Pre-op Diets and Complications.

[Ghetto 0]

Hey guys and gals.

Well, I've been on my 2 week liquid diet, and I unfortunatly cheated on the 2nd day, not proud of it but worked through it and stayed well. So today I don't know what came over me, and I cheated again. I ate some meat and a small glass of lemon soda.

I was so angry at myself and wasn't even thinking straight that I went to the bathroom and made myself throw up.

I'm so ashamed at all that has happened, and I don't know if I should be worried.

My surgery is this Thursday (9/24) and I'm just hoping everything will go well.

Also, a little bit about myself, I'm 17.

The person at my pre-op meeting told me I was the youngest person she knew to get the lap band.

I'm just hoping to get some advice on what I should do, any tips on not cheating, and I just need to know if I should be worried or not.

People keep saying that the more I stress out about it, the worse it'll be.

[Ghetto 0]

Anyone? :/

[DianaDickey 3]

I am only on the 4th day of my pre op diet. Are you drinking your Water? I'm not sure what your doctor has you doing pre op. I do 2 Protein shakes and 1 meal with 4 oz of lean meat and a green vegie. I am some how doing very well on this. I don't know if this will help you, but I can list what I am doing.

Morning: I put my scoop of Protein into my coffee

From morning until lunch I drink Four 8 oz glasses of Water

Lunch: I make a shake

Fom lunch until dinner I drink Two 8 oz glasses of water

Dinner: is 4 oz of chicken and a cup of peas (green vegie). I am getting myself use to the coming changes in eating, so it takes me an hour to eat that small amount. I chew as if I had the surgery. I don't drink while I am eating and I try not to drink 2 hours after I have eaten.

2 hours after eating I start working on the last two 8 oz glasses of water for the day. This gets me 64 oz of water in daily.

Doing this has helped me not starve and it is much like we will have to be doing it after surgery. Hope some of that will help you and good luck.

Diana

[junbug178 0]

Hey guys and gals.

Well, I've been on my 2 week liquid diet, and I unfortunatly cheated on the 2nd day, not proud of it but worked through it and stayed well. So today I don't know what came over me, and I cheated again. I ate some meat and a small glass of lemon soda.

I was so angry at myself and wasn't even thinking straight that I went to the bathroom and made myself throw up.

I'm so ashamed at all that has happened, and I don't know if I should be worried.

My surgery is this Thursday (9/24) and I'm just hoping everything will go well.

Also, a little bit about myself, I'm 17.

The person at my pre-op meeting told me I was the youngest person she knew to get the LAP-BAND®®.

I'm just hoping to get some advice on what I should do, any tips on not cheating, and I just need to know if I should be worried or not.

People keep saying that the more I stress out about it, the worse it'll be.

Hey G,

I just wanted to say hang in there, what happened, happened, concentrate on rest of your pre-op diet. Take it one day at a time, or even one hour at a time. Don't get discourage. Maybe try finding a Support Group or a buddy to help through the process.

Remember all journeys begin with one small step.

[jbgvscamg 0]

Ghetto: do you have a history of throwing up after you eat like that?

If you do, please tell your surgeon. You might need some counseling or support...

Vomiting (whether on purpose or by accident) is dangerous after lap band.

I agree with the other advice you received. Take one step at a time. The pre-op diet is hard for a 17 year old to follow, there is a natural 'rebellion' at that age-- it's programmed into your brain.

Try to turn you rebellious energy against the diet into something positive: use that energy to tell yourself that you are going to do it your way-- and decide to follow the plan that was given to you because YOU want to.

Only you can ultimately decide how to handle your eating behaviors... now and in the future. Don't beat yourself up-- just use your remorse to propel you forward to make the right choice next time.

good luck and good health

[kiz 1]

The fact that you made yourself throw up is much more worrisome than the pre-op diet cheating. Jbg is right, if you have a history of this, you have to tell your doctor. You can seriously harm your band and more importantly, your health, if you have a history with bulimia that hasn't been addressed by you and your doctor.

With the band, there's a lot of high calorie foods that are well tolerated. The band is only a tool to help you feel satiety after small meals. If, for instance, you're an emotional eater, it won't stop you from eating a pint of ice cream or a sleeve of Girl Scout Thin Mint Cookies. Soft foods zip right through the band.

You have to be on board emotionally and mentally for the band to do its job. With proper restriction, the band will help tame your hunger between meals and the urge to eat large portions. But, if you have the compulsion to make yourself throw up to eliminate unwanted food, please talk to your doctor before your surgery.

[Ghetto 0]

I have no history of bulimia whatsoever, and honestly it was one of the worst reactions I've had to date.

I stuck to my diet 100% after the incident, and I followed everything with a positive outlook.

I know that vomiting can cause problems with the band as well, I went through a 3 month program of seeing Psychiatrists, Dietitians, and Support Groups and what not, but I felt like I did it because I had done so well up to that point that I just did not want it in me.

I appreciate everyone's advice, but I do not think I will ever do something like that again.

My surgery is tomorrow, and I'm pretty nervous, not because I cheated but because I mean, I'm young and I've never had surgery. :thumbup:

Thank you guys very much for the advice, and I hope all goes well for me tomorrow. :thumbdown:

[kiz 1]

I'm so glad to hear that, ghetto. I was really worried about you. Of course it's better not to cheat pre-op, but it doesn't sound like you went crazy with it, so I'm sure all will be fine. Now, post-op ... follow your doctor's instructions. It's very important that you let the stitches that are holding your band in place to heal, so that you have a strong bond, which will lesson the likelihood that you have a future band slip. Good luck tomorrow, and I'll be thinking of you.

[Ghetto 0]

Thanks for your support once again.

Everything went awesome!

I woke up and the surgeon told me everything was awesome and that my liver was perfect.

Now I'm just dealing with gas pains and wound pains as well.

Walking around helps, and I've been having a bit of Constipation D:

But the nurse recommended something called Citracel (?) I believe it was called.

Hasn't worked yet, but I just took it a few hours ago, so I'm not expecting miracles.

Luckily I might get 2 weeks off from school, (I'll be getting homeschooling during that time) but the doctor said if I really wanted to I could go back this Monday, but I don't think I'm ready enough to go back yet, since there's LOTS of stairs I have to climb to get to classes.

Also they apparently damaged my lip a little bit with the tube they used to go down my throat during the surgery so it's a bit swollen and it's bothering me, but the nurse said the swelling will go down eventually, oh well, haha.

I'm hoping everything goes well and everything heals nicely.

I'll keep you guys updated, I'm really excited now :]

[kiz 1]

I'm thrilled to hear everything went so well, and that you're home. The first thing I asked my doctor when he came to check on me, under my groggy hazy state was how my liver looked. I was really worried about an organ I never gave a thought about before. lol

Hopefully, the Citrucel will help with the Constipation. I have to keep an eye on my Fiber intake since we eat such small amounts.

I think walking, even if just around the house, helped me the first few days. I'm glad you have it arranged to home school over the next couple of weeks. Climbing lots of stairs, carrying heavy books, and especially having to sit at a desk for several hours would be hard on you for the first few days.

Keep us up to date on how you're recovering as you have time, and get a good night's rest.

[Ghetto 0]

Yeah, It sucks with the gas pain, I haven't gotten much sleep, kinda grumpy because of it, hehe.

Also, do you know something that might help with my lip being swollen? It's really annoying me and the swelling hasn't gone down at all. It's getting a bit white around the area too. So I'm not sure if there's anything I can put on to help the swelling go down quicker, it's kind of annoying trying to drink Water or my shakes with it there, it's hard to explain, D:

If not I guess I'll be patient and stick to putting ice on it. :[

[kiz 1]

I wonder how you ended up with a swollen lip. Once, I was having surgery and the nurse said I fought them putting in the breathing tube (whatever that meant). It sounds like you put up a fight, but the breathing tube got the last punch. Other than icing it, I don't anything else to do, except wait for it to go down. It must be pretty annoying to deal with.

I hope you ended up getting some sleep. I anticipated being awake the first night, but I ended up sleeping like crazy, only waking up once (laying on my port side at that). I got up and walked a little because I was worried about forming blood clots (I'm a worrier, as you know..lol), but went right back to sleep.< /p>

[Ghetto 0]

Yeah now that I think about it the nurse said something about a breathing tube while I had just woken up. I think I mumbled why my lip was swollen, and she responded with something about a breathing tube, Haha.

It's going down a little bit, still VERY annoying.

And I had REALLY bad gas pains yesterday, couldn't get any sleep till about 3 AM. It was horrible.

Just to be woken up at 9 for a Lovenox shot, pfft.

I'm also wondering, are the wounds closed by using that gluey stuff or stitches? Because a little clearish wire is sticking out of one of the white strips covering my wound, I hope they aren't stitches :[

[kiz 1]

I had the same thing happen to me with a popped stitch through the glue on the incision. Not to worry though, they're self dissolving stitches. If it starts to bug you, be sure and ask the doctor, or whoever you see to clip it for you. Mine got snagged on my clothes, so I had it snipped.

I hope the gas pains are subsiding by now. It seems the gas pains are often worse than the surgery itself. Let me know how you're getting along when you get a chance.

Edited September 28, 2009 by kiz

[corinne211 0]

WOW So jeaous. Good Luck with your recovery. =)