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About this blog

My personal experience with Lap Band. Hopefully informative and occasionally witty.

Entries in this blog

 

NYC Restaurant Week & Lap Band Family Ties!

Current Mood: Pretty Good :sad:   Restaurant Week has always been my 3rd favorite holiday after Christmas and Halloween. Now I am facing my first restaurant week with a band and restriction and....my 2nd fill in 3 days!   NYC Restaurant Week allows us the opportunity to eat in some of the world's best restaurants that we normally couldn't afford. The fixed price for lunch is $24.07 and dinner is $35. I looked at the list of participating restaurants and got really excited and even made a reservation before I realized that my 2nd fill is Wednesday at lunch time! Luckily, I will be going to Tao on Tuesday for lunch. I'll just skip the fried rice and it will all be good.   What I'm really looking forward to is my next fill. I have 6ccs in a 12cc band and though I have some restriction, and recently experienced getting food stuck for the first time, I still think I can eat too much at a time. I'd like to get down to a full feeling at 1/2 cup of food rather than 1 - 1.5 cups that I can currently eat.   In other news, my "little" brother got a band last week. He is 6'8" and I couldn't even guess what he weighs. I hope it works for him. He is still young and has a great life ahead of him if he sticks with the plan. I'll be trying to support him as much as I can.   My older sister, though she was not very overweight to start, has a band too which we found out about a year after she got it. She's been very helpful to me and I hope she supports our brother as well since he's pretty much going it alone.   I am really looking forward to Mexico in a few weeks. I feel like the fill will help me be the weight I want to be when I get there. 10 lbs is not impossible between now and then and, I just bought a maxi sun dress a size smaller because I'm just that sure...or at least optimistic...that I can do this.   Next self improvement - teeth whitening. I just had trays in my mouth for 45 minutes this evening and I swear my teeth look better already. I realized it will benefit me in another way too - if I put the trays in right after dinner, it prevents me from drinking for 45 minutes. I've been having problems waiting a full 30 minutes before/after meals to drink and at least this should keep me "dry" until an acceptable amount of time has passed. I'll have to figure out something else after the bleaching is done. Suggestions are welcome.
BarbaraWM

BarbaraWM

1
 

On the verge of another decade!

CURRENT MOOD: A-OK :thumbup:   I've been pretty successful at getting back on the program since the new year and it is paying off. I got on the scale yesterday and was down a few more pounds. I am judging my weight loss by my personal history and I am currently somewhere in the mid 1990s. I am hoping to break into the late 1980s by the end of the summer.   Something new: I finally experienced getting food stuck for the first time and it IS really as unpleasant as everyone says. I didn't vomit, slime or foam but the pain stopped me in my tracks and my husband thought I was choking for a second until I was able to say what was going on. It was steak and I just didn't chew it well enough. The weirdest sensation was when it cleared. I could actually feel it slipping through my stoma after a couple of minutes and sips of water. Very strange and uncomfortable. Why did this happen? Well, I've eaten steak plenty of times (it seems I need solid meat to stave off hunger) but I was wolfing down my food because we'd waited too long for lunch. Then we chose a restaurant that was too crowded so we went to another restaurant and the kitchen happened to be incredibly slow. I think I said something about lunch initially at 1:30 and it was literally 3:20 by the time our food arrived in front of us. It was a learning experience: 1) Do not wait too long to eat or you risk eating too fast and not chewing well enough 2) Do not choose a restaurant that is so popular you will have at least a 25-30 minute wait for a table when you are already hungry 3) Do not choose a restaurant over a mile away and insist on walking (for the exercise) when you are hungry 4) Chew, chew, chew, especially steak 5) Have some sort of signal ready for your loved ones so they don't think you are choking to death and try to do the Heimlich maneuver on you   I am getting my 2nd fill on 1/28. I currently have 6ccs in a 12cc band and can still eat over 8 ounces in a sitting. I am hoping to have restriction at a lower volume and get used to it before our vacation to the all-inclusive (BUFFETS!) resort in Mexico on 2/16! I am also hoping to drop another 10 lbs by then and fit in the seat on the plane without pushing up the arm and overlapping on my 6-year old. Well, that part might be pushing it...I probably need to lose 30 more lbs before I stop overlapping on planes.   A couple of updated stats: Weight loss total since consultation: 34lbs Weight loss since surgery on 11/9: 23 lbs Jeans: same size but now they actually fit and don't restrict the circulation in my lower body! LOL
BarbaraWM

BarbaraWM

3
 

Good news for the new year!

Current Mood: Hopeful:thumbup:   My last blog entry was about how much I drank (and ate) over the holidays and the fear of getting on the scale. After New Year's I went back on the program and finally screwed up the courage to get on the scale on Monday, 1/4. As the title says, it was some very unexpected good news!   I'd previously suspected about a 4 pound gain but I was wrong. Instead, I have lost about 15 pounds since my fill on 12/3. Wow! 15 pounds over the holidays and I wasn't actually following the plan very closely. I still think I eat too much in one sitting but I definitely feel some restriction and if I eat too fast (usually bread) I get a horrible pain that takes a minute or two to go away. At least when that happens, I have to stop eating.   For the new year, my resolution is to make better food choices, avoid too much alcohol and finally get to the YMCA to sign up for the free (for members) personal fitness program.   Other thoughts:   1) I got back in touch with a friend from 25 years ago via Facebook. Hopefully by the time I see her again,I will weigh less than I did in 1984.   2) My skin is squishy already. Man am I going to need some serious plastic surgery after this.   3) I love cooking and am considering it as a new career which is sort of funny for someone who has food and weight issues. I realized the reason I love cooking is the appreciation of those eating my good food not because I want to eat it all myself. As Martha Stewart would say, "this is a good thing."   4) I wonder how much weight I need to lose to go down one size in pants. I have been wearing the same size (even when they were so tight I could barely move) for the last 31 lbs and they are getting loose, finally.   5) If I could just win Mega Millions...
BarbaraWM

BarbaraWM

3
 

Booze and bad choices!

Current Mood: Festive :cursing:   I think I have gained 4 lbs since the beginning of December. I say "I think" because it was 3 lbs last time I got on the scale and my behavior has actually gotten worse rather than better so I haven't gotten back on.   I entered the holiday season with too much bravado and confidence for a fat person trying to lose weight. I thought, "I can't eat too much - I have some restriction - so I'll be ok." Not only did I make some seriously bad choices about what food to eat, but I also drank, and drank, and drank without regard to the calories. And, my habits suffered as well. I took the bus instead of walking because walking with a hangover was painful. I drank fluids with my meals because I was dehydrated from the wine the night before. I felt starved....And so on.   I do not have a drinking problem. I do have problems with self control related directly to food -- thus the lap band decision. But, just as when I quit smoking, I find myself replacing one bad habit with another - this time it's red wine. I apparently forgot that the health benefits of one glass of red wine per day DO NOT extend to 4 glasses twice a week. The calories from 4 glasses, which now make me quite tipsy because of the lower volume of food, add up and fast. And, then when I have a few drinks, I feel a bit peckish and need a snack when I'm not supposed to be eating. It's a vicious cycle so, my new year's resolution is to avoid drinking alcohol. I'm not saying I won't enjoy a day-ending glass of red as a wind down, I just have to get out the recent holiday habit of downing booze at parties and dinners because I'm not eating.   So, tomorrow evening, Christmas Eve, I have already invited over friends and family for mulled wine and cheese! Oh well, hindsight is 20/20 and this was my husband's idea more than 2 weeks ago when I still thought I had some control. We'll see how I do.   In the meantime, my jeans are looser, I walked miles in the snow over the weekend and I actually got down in the snow with my kid to play and was able to get back up without a forklift. The scale may not be moving but I do feel better overall. January is my buckle down month...and then February...and then March, etc, etc, etc!   Hope everyone has a Merry Christmas and successfully avoids the more caloric niceties of the season. Best of luck and Happy New Year to all!   B
BarbaraWM

BarbaraWM

2
 

Woooooohoooo! It's Friday!

Current Mood: Excellent, party on! :tongue2:   I'm going with stream of consciousness blogging today....   Friday, Friday, Friiiiiiday! Started out the weekend right last night by having a lovely home-cooked chili courtesy of my husband, doing all the laundry, wrapping presents, watching a movie and having a glass of wine. I slept like a log for most of the night and today I hopped on the scale and....ta da....another 2 lbs gone.   I'm going into the weekend in a great mood and good attitude. Final holiday shopping, setting up the tree, some baking (I won't eat the cookies, I swear) and probably sledding too! Next year, I'll have to buy smaller snow pants so I might as well get use out of my big girl ones now!   I think I can cram in enough activity this weekend to lose the last 2 lbs needed to make my year-end goal of 30 lbs total.   Fills: When I got my first fill on the 3rd of December, I didn't ask about follow up so I finally called the doctor's office yesterday and they said to schedule my next fill at the end of January unless I really felt there was no restriction and then I might come in earlier. I feel the restriction and even had a bad moment this morning - possibly the first time I've had first bite syndrome. I've been talking to my sister, who also has a band and is now a size 8 at 5'10" (same height as me but much smaller frame in general), and she's told me about her PBs, eating too fast, gas, etc.... She says it is all worth it though she does miss pizza. I already ate pizza.   Have a great weekend! I hope you stay on track but don't forget to enjoy yourself!   B
BarbaraWM

BarbaraWM

4
 

By jove I think she's got it! Down 9 lbs in 5 days.

Current Mood: Pleased and Relieved:cool2:   The fill worked! I have been very tempted to shove food in my mouth and/or keep eating when I think I've had enough and I've been able to stop when I needed to stop! To a certain extent, I think it is mental. I'm just too afraid of pain and vomiting to push it. But then again, maybe I'm just beginning to recognize the signs of a band that is properly restrictive.   I just came back from lunch with a colleague and brought at least 2/3 of it back. It was delicious - chicken breast, mushrooms w/ goat cheese and roasted potatoes - and I could have kept on going but once I hiccuped, I decided that was enough and hoped my body was trying to send me a signal. I had the food removed from the table and wrapped immediately so I wouldn't keep snacking. I brought it back to the office and gave it to someone who was quite pleased. It's working.   Since my first fill last Thursday - 3ccs - (admittedly after soup and about a quart of water and while having my period) I have lost 9 lbs. I think the fluids and water weight I was holding probably accounted for 4-5 lbs so I'm feeling pretty good about my loss because I figure it's 4-5 lbs of NOT WATER. I make my total weight loss since consultation to be 26 lbs. I'm on target to lose the 30, and maybe more, I'd hoped for by Christmas.   Setting Mini Goals: How do you determine what your mini goals are? I think mine are related to where I was in my life when something specific was happening rather than a particular number on the scale. Here are my mini goals:   1) The low after my daughter was born in 2003 - 9 lbs away 2) When I quit smoking in April - 24 lbs to go 3) When I met my husband - 44 lbs to go 4) When I started my career - 60 lbs to go 5) When I graduated from high school - 80 lbs to go (must also lose 2" of height! haha)   If I get that far, I'll have to set some new goals based on pants size because although I can remember what I weighed when I was in 8th grade, I am 4" taller and a lot older so it's actually lower than my ultimate goal.
BarbaraWM

BarbaraWM

3
 

First Fill - How Can I Tell If I Have Restriction?

Current Mood: Tired :thumbup:   I finally got the first fill yesterday just in time for my company holiday party! Woohoo. After the last fiasco on Tuesday, I went back the doctor after 2 days on liquids and my weight was up another pound. Amazing considering how starved I felt.   The good news was that I finally got that elusive fill. I am trying to figure out if I have some restriction but it's not easy when you're limited to fluids initially and then if you're unwilling to eat too much to test it. After the fill, which was pretty painless and only took a minute or less, I drank 1/2 cup of water and thought it pretty much went down but I did feel a sort of cool pooling sensation at the base of my throat. Later I had some hummus and guacamole, licked off vegetables at a party and fluids seemed to go down just fine too. By the time I got home, I was ridiculously hungry so I ate about a cup of chili. No problem at all.   When I woke this morning I had the feeling I'm beginning to associate with mornings in general...a tightness or indigestion feeling that stays until I get up and have something to drink. After coffee and water and waiting an hour or so, I had 2 eggs and cut a banana in half. After the eggs and a bite of banana, I suddenly thought I'd better stop. It was just sort of a feeling, not pain or anything. For lunch, I ate a 3 oz. hamburger. I felt like I could keep going but made myself stop. I had some flat Diet Coke after lunch and that provoked a bit of a full feeling but nothing I couldn't handle.   Just now, about 4 hours after lunch, while I was making turkey salad (yes leftovers), I snacked on some stuffing and that did it....I think I feel restricted or, it could just be that it was bread. Not sure.   I am going to get a good night's sleep and then start tomorrow on plan and following all the rules and see how I do. It will be hard because there is yet another party tomorrow, but I can't keep using parties as an excuse to test my limits. Maybe I just picked a bad time of year to get this band. Oh well, it's there now.
BarbaraWM

BarbaraWM

1
 

God I suck!

Current Mood: Very Frustrated :wink2:   So last week I went back for the check up and everything was looking good so they told me to eat solid food for a week and come back for a fill today. Yesterday morning I ate two slices of apple with my breakfast and it did me in. I had a feeling indigestion for the whole day and decided to have soup for dinner and drink as much fluid as I could to "loosen up."   This morning, I could feel some pressure in the same place but it seemed to dissipate a little after a coffee. Breakfast went down fine - 2 scrambled eggs - but after I ate lunch the clogged feeling returned. I can only describe it as similar to the feeling I had the week after surgery when I was still swollen and tried semi solid food. Uncomfortable but not really painful.   So, being the honest woman that I am, I told the PA about it and she asked a few other questions and decided I shouldn't get the fill and instead I should go back to liquids for a couple of days and then call the doctor on Thursday. If the feeling hadn't gone away by then, they would probably want to get another upper GI series.   I am so disappointed! I gained two pounds. I have no restriction. I can eat and drink anything without any real restriction and then this set back. On top of this, I suffer from PMDD and my period is 4 days late (I attribute this to the stress of the surgery) - my OB/Gyn says the later the period, the worse the PMS/PMDD. I am depressed, sad, angry, feeling like a total failure and embarrassed that I acted like a total f'ing baby at the doctor's office today.   So, feeling like crap emotionally, and on the verge of tears, I leave the office and run into my surgeon on the street. He asks me what's wrong and I warn him that his PA is going to tell him what a baby I am.   I feel like such a failure. I go through a major alteration to my body to lose weight and I feel like this journey that everyone writes about just won't start for me. It's like I'm seated in coach, in a middle seat, on the runway for 9 hours and they won't let anyone get up or take the damn plane back to the gate.   I know it took me a long time to get this fat and it will take time to lose the weight...I just want to START.
BarbaraWM

BarbaraWM

3
 

Here We Go - First Post Op Visit

Current Mood: Lighter :cool2:   Had my first pre-op visit yesterday. Down a total of 20 lbs (they count from the consultation and with clothes on!!) so far. It was more but in the last few days I added a couple of pounds from PMS and once again, the dread of high protein diets.... constipation.   After a quick check of my incisions, which are pretty much healed, and a measurement of my waist (huh? they didn't do that before and I didn't see what it measured anyway), the PA asked questions: Are you hungry? RAVENOUS. Do you feel any resistance? NONE What can you eat? Everything. Etc, etc. On the chart that shows too tight all the way on the left and not tight enough to the right, I put myself about 8" off the chart to the right. I am so hungry.   Next steps: The PA says it is time for a fully solid food diet. No more mushy stuff, no gravy, no condiments....protein, veg, fruit and good carbs and that's it. She wants to see how I do on solids for a week and then I'm getting a fill - just 3 weeks after surgery! I'm kind of excited about a fill because I feel like my new tool will finally be put to use. It's still shiny and new but don't we all appreciate something when it's a little more broken in and used?   I celebrated the move to solid food with meat last night - lamb, two bites of naan bread and lots of curried onions. I ate too much and would have been uncomfortable if I hadn't had the 1/2 mile walk home to move things along.   And boy, did it move along! The Benefiber supplement finally kicked in. I'm thinking I am down a couple more pounds today. Phew.   Next test, Thanksgiving, which will be interesting because we're not going anywhere and no one is coming over. I told my husband to get the smallest fresh turkey he could find at the market. He came home and proudly presented me with an 8 lb Purdue Oven Stuffer Roaster. He is right -- it doesn't actually say chicken anywhere on the package but come on!!!! This is what I get for asking a Brit to buy the Thanksgiving turkey. If I can't get a fresh bird today then we're having chicken. But..absolutely NO GRAVY! Per the PA it lubricates the food and makes it slide through the stoma faster. Maybe just a dab.   Happy Thanksgiving everyone! Remember, don't gobble gobble.
BarbaraWM

BarbaraWM

2
 

Frustrated - Time to Vent

Current Mood: The title says it all   Here I am 12 days post op, having made bets on how much weight I would lose by the time of my first post op doctor visit, and I'm stalled.... already!   Ok, I get that the first 5 pounds just dropped off from being on liquids for a couple of days, then the next 5-6 were probably from this very low calorie soft food diet and not being able to eat much as a result of swelling. Now, however, the swelling is down and I don't feel any restriction. I am trying to make the right choices and I'm walking around hungry most of the time but the scale has not budged since Tuesday except to go up or down the same 2 lbs.   Restriction: My doctor put 3ccs in my band when he put it in 12 days ago. Last night I ate the inside of a calzone (ricotta, mozarella, mushrooms and a bit of ham). I chewed, I made it last, I swallowed small bits at a time and did not drink. I still managed to eat all of it which was more than the 4 oz my pouch is supposed to hold...it was more like 8 oz and I just couldn't stop myself!   I know the band is only a tool and it will take a lot of work and self control on my part but I thought one of the major functions of this tool was to make is very unpleasant to eat too much. It's not doing that for me yet. I guess that's why it takes 5-6 fills to get it right.   Also, I'm disappointed with myself for lacking control. I've just gone through this physically painful ordeal, subjected myself to surgery and anesthesia, taken off work and put my family through some major machinations yet I couldn't even make it through 2 weeks of the prescribed diet! I am weak.   And, to make things even worse, I am so constipated from this high protein diet with practically no fiber from vegetables and fruit. I remember one of my many past diets was Atkins - I felt the same way then and got very corked up and cranky. I just went off that diet and everything normalized. That's no longer an option.   To top it all off, I'm pre-menstrual and this is my "ravenous hunger" week. I dreamed of pizza!   That's certainly enough bitching and moaning for one post. If you've made it this far, I apologize for you having read my crankiness. I will try to think and act positively.   Positive: My pants were definitely sliding down my hips yesterday and I am no longer short of breath.
BarbaraWM

BarbaraWM

4
 

A Quick One....

CURRENT MOOD: Ecstatic :biggrin:   Just had to post what I ate for dinner because it was sooooooooo good after liquid and mushy food for over a week.   I made a 3 ounce extra lean turkey burger (140 calories) with one slice of Kraft deli deluxe American cheese (70 calories), 1/2 tsp mayonnaise (15 calories) and 1 tsp ketchup (5 calories) and 4 thin slices of Claussen deli pickle (3 calories...if that much since a whole one is 5).   I ate it over the course of 30 minutes, cutting a small piece for each bite and putting the knife and fork down while I chewed.   OMG! It was so good to have flavor and texture all in one. And, it went down great. Not even a burp.   The best part about this is that I know I can stomach something that I really enjoy, is satisfying and is on the plan...and, it had 25 grams of protein. YAY!
BarbaraWM

BarbaraWM

1
 

Science is cool!

Current Mood: Light and Breezy :biggrin:   At 8:30 yesterday morning, exactly one week since my surgery, I got an upper GI series to check the position of my band. I was worried about drinking the barium before I went as I'd had a bit of a difficult weekend with pain and the feeling that I had too much restriction. Phew! They don't give you the giant bottle after the band, just a little cup of barium and, I only had to take a few sips. It was really pretty cool watching it go down my throat into the "pouch" and then through the stoma to the larger part of my stomach, which appeared to be something like outer space the way the liquid sort of floated around. The radiologist said it looked exactly right (8 and 2 o'clock) and the restriction looked fine as well.   I feel much better today than I did over the weekend or even yesterday. Maybe it was swelling from the surgery that was causing me the trouble. It seems to be pretty much gone now although I still feel...something and, I am still getting winded from walking.   Besides the X-ray, I also went back to work yesterday. I've been very open about my surgery with a number of colleagues and to the last one, they all said I looked like I'd lost weight. I even showed a couple of them the incisions (they still had steri strips on them) and then...I got to work.   Work is going to be an issue -- too bad I haven't won Mega Millions yet. I don't have enough time in the morning to eat, make my lunch and my daughter's breakfast and lunch and get my daughter to school and then get myself to work on time so I decided to bring my breakfast with me and eat once I get to my desk. Of course, I want my coffee first, which takes at least 20 minutes to drink, then I have to wait 1/2 hour and take 20-30 minutes to eat and then wait 1/2 hour for more to drink. By the time I've actually finished breakfast, it's pretty much lunch time. So far, I've just pushed lunch to later but then, when do I have my protein shake and all that water? I know I just need to work it out but it's a bit of a juggle right now.   Update on the post op situation at day 8: 1) I pulled off the steri strips after my shower this morning and 2 of the 3 small incisions look a little red so I put Neosporin and bandaids on them. The other small one looks like a scratch that is healing well. The doctor buried my port behind my navel so, unfortunately, the largest scar is also where I bend and where my jeans hit. 2) My stomach muscles are sort of tender and I have to keep forcing myself to stand up straight instead of leaning forward when I walk - probably just a little residual pain from the surgery, 3) I have a raging yeast infection from the IV antibiotics (this was mentioned in the literature I got before surgery) even with a near constant diet of yogurt. OTC remedy in the works. 4) The band feels tighter in the morning and seems to loosen up as the day goes on. I wake up with a feeling of slight indegestion followed by uncomfortable burps and/or hiccups within the first minute or so of being upright. 5) After days of being ...uh, non-productive and taking colace for that issue, I finally, and with much struggle....um, produced last night. Yay! This took longer than I anticipated so I just bought some Benefiber to add to ....EVERYTHING. 6) I can eat a full 4 ounces of yogurt and 2 ounces of apple sauce without pain.   Good news on the scale this morning: I was down 11.3 lbs from my day-of-surgery weight. That's 21.9 lbs down from my consultation weight. I really can feel the difference and it's good.
BarbaraWM

BarbaraWM

2
 

This thing is definitely on!

CURRENT MOOD: Cranky :mad2:   Some days just getting out a bed ends up being a bad idea. That was today. I felt a little tightness in my chest last night before bed and upon waking this morning but was going full steam ahead with the plan as prescribed by my doctor.   1/2 cup of coffee, 2 chewable vitamins later the 4 oz of oatmeal with skim milk seemed like a real treat. But nooooooooo. Even though I added plenty of milk to thin it, chewed every rolled oat and took almost 20 minutes to eat it I ended up with that awful pain in my chest again and, it didn't go away. I had it all day, from 10:30 this morning. I tried Gas-X, a warm drink, water, hot broth, a decent walk (in the pouring rain!) and nothing seemed to make it much better.   The walk: We went out for late lunch because husband and daughter still get to eat and they were hungry. We walked to the restaurant, probably 1/2 mile, and I had to tell them to go ahead because I felt so winded and uncomfortable. After lunch (broth) we went to the drugstore for the Gas-X and then to a toy store for the two 6-year old birthdays coming up. By the time I got home I was really quite sweaty - from the constant pressure and pain.   So, I called my sister in Norfolk to find out if she'd had a similar experience with her band. I forgot about the storm until she answered so I pretended that was why I called. They had 4 feet of flooding and no electricity or land line for 2 days now. Luckily, they have a generator so they can keep the mobile phones charged and, like so many houses right by the bay, theirs is on stilts. Brushing aside all their worldly possessions that were in jeopardy, my sister confirmed that my symptoms were the same she had when her band was too tight! Her suggestions was stick to cold fluids to get some of the swelling down and, if I am really hungry, try some fat free frozen yogurt.   I've been sipping ice water as I write this and it does seem to help somewhat. Lord knows I'm not going to attempt to eat anything solid again today but amazingly enough, I do feel a little peckish.   I suspected that my band was too tight (3cc fill upon insertion) yesterday and talking to my sister has sort of confirmed that. I suppose I'll need to stick to liquids until I can talk to the doctor on Monday. Dammit! I really wanted that oatmeal with mashed banana that's on the menu for tomorrow.
BarbaraWM

BarbaraWM

5
 

Pardon me, that wasn't the dog!

Current Mood: Good:thumbup:   Well, as much as I enjoyed the cauliflower yesterday, I paid for it dearly. A couple of hours after I ate it and several sips into my protein shake I was struck with debilitating gas pains. I have heard others compare this type of gas pain to labor with labor coming out on top.... they are right! Oh how I wished I could burp, or vomit or anything but no....   Instead I went on line and quickly realized that chemical intervention was required and it was going to have to be something OTC...Maalox to be exact (Gas X was actually recommended by name repeatedly but my corner store didn't have any)! With the aid of Simethicone, the gas storm subsided somewhat though I still had pain. I did not eat dinner. In fact, I took a Percocet, sipped some water to help the Maalox through and went to bed. Lying down helped.   This morning it was all gone and I proceeded with caution. Greek yogurt and, dare I try it, 1/4 cup of unsweetened apple sauce. Well, the gas kicked in but not nearly as harshly as yesterday. This time I took a spoonful of Maalox and headed out of the house for a walk. It didn't seem to dislodge the gas so I decided to try warm liquid - decaf, about 3 ounces. I sipped it while I got a pedicure. Well at least that turned out well. The gas was still there but not as bad by the time I walked home.   I decided to try for lunch because I actually heard grumbling and felt a bit hungry. Mmmmmm, 2 eggs in 1 cup of fat free chicken broth did the trick (ate about half). Not only was it mouth satisfying, but the pains went away too after a few much appreciated burps.   Since lunch...um, let's just say if there were a dog around, it would be getting blamed for the noises coming out of whatever room I am in. Wow! That cauliflower is finally making itself heard and it's not pleasant but boy does it feel good. To paraphrase a famous quote, "A fart by any other name would still smell as ...." Well, you get the point.
BarbaraWM

BarbaraWM

2
 

Food, glorious food! And, I was right - 5.3 lbs gone.

CURRENT MOOD: Surprised :mad2:   After yesterday's fiasco with too much coffee, I poured myself half a cup this morning and took it so slowly that I couldn't finish the last couple mouthfuls because it was so cold. The good news is....no pain!   Today is my first "mushy" day and it was so good to have something with texture finally. Breakfast was 1 cup of skim milk, 1 scoop of vanilla protein powder and 1/4 cup of strawberries thrown in the food processor with a couple of ice cubes. It was surprisingly good but I couldn't finish it. I took a nap through lunch time but walked to the store to get some fresh cauliflower. What? Cauliflower. I usually hate it but I looked up a few recipes and thought I might as well try it. Again, SURPRISE! Mashed cauliflower with some margarine, a bit of chicken stock, a splash of milk, salt & pepper and then chopped up .75 ounces of smoked Gouda and threw it in the microwave to heat through and melt the cheese. Oh my it was good. I guess I'm excited about food since I hadn't had anything solid since 11/7. Of course, the house stinks of cauliflower   Fill, really? My surgeon filled my band with 3ccs when he put it in on Monday. I've been reading a lot of blogs and it seems like most people start with an empty band. So, Surprise #3, I've already got restriction.   All in, a good day. Three more days at home and then back to work - that will be a challenge.
BarbaraWM

BarbaraWM

2
 

Day 3 post surgery and I think I've lost 5 lbs!

CURRENT MOOD: :confused:   My neck is feeling better after getting some percocet last night. I still have no idea what they did to it - maybe some vigorous adjustments when they put in the breathing tube?   I did something wrong today. I'm not sure exactly what it was but probably coffee and vitamins at the same time. I took my time drinking the coffee and had only chewable bariatric vitamins...didn't matter. I got pain like really bad indigestion and it lasted and lasted. Finally after a couple of hours I decided to try a little yogurt and that seems to have worked to cut the acid.   I've just come back from a walk and think it may be the cure for gas. Had the best burp while out walking and felt instant relief. But, maybe I didn't take the surgery thing seriously enough - got a bit winded and sweaty and now feel more tired than I should from only walking a mile slowly.   Hoping tomorrow will be better when I get to start the day with some food. It would be nice to poop again some day too.
BarbaraWM

BarbaraWM

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Just had surgery yesterday - Pain, Food, Drinks

MOOD: Very positive:smile2:   I had LAP-BAND® surgery yesterday, 11/9/09 at Lenox Hill Hospital. I weighed in about 11 lbs less than at my last doctor visit before surgery so I felt good about that. Surgery went smoothly - Dr. Roslin said it took 11 minutes - and I was in recovery before I knew it. The nurses were really great. Cute anesthesiologist too. Dr. Roslin told me he filled my band with 3ccs already. I walked out of the hospital with no problems early in the afternoon.   So, what about pain? The pain yesterday was all related to the CO2 used to inflate the abdominal cavity. It felt like someone was pushing my lungs or standing on my chest. After a couple of percocets, it mostly went away. I did not get the shoulder pain that is common with laproscopic surgery and they used a local on the incision sites so nothing there beyond a twinge when the dressing pulled.   Today, however, I've got muscle pain in my abdomen, diaphragm and neck and a sore throat and mouth, probably from the breathing tube. I am trying to get by with Aleve but if it doesn't subside I may go fill the percocet prescription.   I just ate my first "solid" food since Sunday morning - 2 days ago. I had about 2.5 ounces of fat free greek yogurt with 1/2 packet of Equal mixed in. I served it in a children's bowl and ate it with a small coffee spoon, like the kind you get with espresso. It only took me 10 minutes to eat it and I was trying to go slowly. No pain yet so I guess I did it right. The temptation to drink something while eating is very strong. I think this might be the hardest thing for me when eating, especially since my throat is sore. We'll see.   So, day one done. Day two off to a good start. I've got fat free cream of chicken soup lined up for lunch and dinner but I'm just not hungry enough to think about it right now. I'm sure it will be good though. And, my first protein shake is chilling now.
BarbaraWM

BarbaraWM

3
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