terril

So Pre-op I was a huge Diet Coke fan. I drank almost a 12 pack a day - to the exclusion of everything else!!! So you can imagine the lovely withdrawl I went through:blink:

So now I am 1 month post -op and have not had any caffeine in 5 weeks and doing fairly well. I really do not have any desire to go back to the Diet Coke, but I think I might like a regular cup of coffee or Dunkin Donuts Iced coffee from time to time. So does anyone know the deal with caffeine? I was told that I would need to give caffeine up once I had the surgery. I just wondering why - the nutrionist never really gave me a straight answer. Why is the caffeine so bad for bansters???

ok I only take like 3 precription meds and they are all tiny, but a lot of the supplements I take are capsules with "contents in them" or super big horse pill Vitamins. The multivite, thats easy I can get a chewable. I also take an acidophilus probiotic for my tummy and to help prevent yeast infections, I think thatt wont be too hard to find a chewable. but other questons.....

I take a fish oil supplement, and it comes in a BIG softgel. (I get the omega-3 ones from puritans pride, my whole family takes them they are a mix of like sardine, anchovy and mackeral oil) I will no longer take fish oil if I have to take it by the spoonful or in any other way as a liquid. SO does anyone know if you can buy "tiny" or small fish oil softgels? I dont mind if I have to take 4 or 5 of them, I just don't want to choke.

ok now here is the tricky one. I take this amino acid called n-acetyl cysteine. I take it to help with OCD symptoms, mainly compulsive skin picking. It is currently being used in several clinical trials around the country for obsessive habits such as hair pulling, nail biting, and skin picking with promising results. It also is said to help prevent insulin resistance and diabetes. The thing is, it STINKS and when I say stink, I mean smell the bottle, make you gag stink. It's main odor is rotten eggs because it's primary component is sulfur. I would not take it if it were not in a capsule, the thought of opening the capsule and putting it in ANYTHING makes me want to puke. I may take it if it were in pill form.

And then I take other things that are in capsules, like ginger for nausea, and valerian root for sleep.

pre-surgery I am like the pill taking queen. I could put 20 pills in my mouth and swallow them down all at once with no issues. I don't know about post-op however

what were your restrictions about standard sized capsules?? can you take them at all? please help I am mainly worried about the fish oil but any of these if you can help with suggestions, I would appreciate it. thanks!

Wow…that is a lot of pills at one time!!!

I also take a few pills. When I went through life skills class, we were taught the rule of thumb is the pill must be smaller than a TicTac if you want to swallow it otherwise it has to be liquid, dissolvable, or crushable! I tried that with my blood pressure pill – but it doesn’t matter what I mix it with the taste is too bitter, so I have started cutting pills in half..and in some cases 3’s 4’s and 5’s…LOL

Right now I am 1 month post-op and I didn’t have much restriction so swallowing the smaller pills was a little easier. However, I just had a fill today 3cc. So far I have taken an Ambien (just waiting for it to kick in) and I didn’t have any problems with that

I have cut up Benadryl and Tylenol and an antibiotic which is a horse pill. I take the Viactiv multgi-vitamins. They are chewable and fairly good. I also take the One A Day gummies and a sublingual Vitamin B12. You can double check but I think the n-acetyl cysteine comes in tablets, powders and liquid capsules. Maybe that will help.

I know exactly what you are saying! I gained back 4 pounds and luckily got my first fill today. Proteins will cut the hunger for sure. I would try to make good choices and eat as much as I need to feel satisfied. Limbo is awful...hope Jan 4th gets here quickly. One thing I have learned is make the appt for next time when you go in. AND make sure you get your band filled to a quality level when you go in depending on your size band.

Sounds just like me. I was banded on 11/16/10. Did well initially but starting feeling hungry by about week 3 and gained back 4 lbs. I just had my first fill today – 3cc so I am hoping this will provide good restriction and help me lose more weight. Good luck to you!

Yes, I had the same issue. I was banded on 11/16/10 and I started eating solid foods three days ago. I have saw my surgeon yesterday (I don’t get my first fill until 12/17) and she said just try to stick with softer foods so my stomach can heal. So I have been eating a lot of eggs, tuna, baked fish, potatoes and soft vegetables along with the Protein shakes. So far everything has been great – no nausea or vomiting. I was also afraid of getting sick.

I know the one post asked “why would you eat something if you thought you might get sick?”

Well, in my opinion everything has the potential to make you feel sick post-op. Your diet changes, your body is changing and the way your body receives certain foods will change and just because I could tolerate certain foods pre-band doesn’t necessarily mean they will be tolerated post band. Part of the process is re-introducing foods into your diet in stages (just like a baby) and you won’t know if it will make you sick or not unless you try. So at some point, whether it is 2 weeks post-op or 3 months post-op you are going to be faced with the possibility that something you eat may not agree with you!!

Best of luck

Hello everyone. I was banded on 11/16/10 and feeling great – but I had a question on OTC medications. My sinuses are killing me and I was thinking of liquid Benadryl or something – but all my paperwork says Tylenol only!! So I was wondering if anyone has taken anything beside Tylenol. Somehow I don’t think the Tylenol is gonna do the trick - so why is this the drug of choice???

Hi All,

In Nov of 2009 I attended a lap band seminar and was able to sign up for an appointment in January of 2010. Due to several issues on both the office and my schedule the appointment got pushed back to March of 2010. After a 3 hour wait in the office I was finally seen by the surgeon, he looked at the forms I filled out and seemed to imply I had not tried enough dieting because I only had one listing in the form. The surgeon then proceeded in a very demeaning way to say that I was not a good candidate for lap band and that I would only loose 50 lbs and be stuck unable to get any further weight loss surgery. Now my BMI is over 65, and mostly has been and prior to a couple of years ago I was not unhappy with my weight. But recently I find I cannot move well, getting more and more tired. I have sleep apnea and a varicose issue in my lower legs. I have what I call permanent pregnant woman's back and my lungs are scarred from chronic bronchitis and a bought of pneumonia. I hate the thought of trying fad diets to only have my weight yoyo which even I know is not healthy.

Needless to say I was very upset. Now I have spoke with other Lap Band patients who were as heavy or heavier than me and they have lost well over 150 lbs each. If I were to loose 150 lbs that would alleviate a great many of my issues. I have a couple of new Dr's names but due to the rejection I got the first time I tried I am hesitant about trying again.

Has anyone been through this???

Let me tell you a story . January 2000, I started getting really sick; nausea, headaches,. Fatigue, body aches…you name it I had it. At the same time I was preparing to take the LSE (Law School Entrance Exam), so I was very nervous. (It was a 6 hour test with no breaks), so I drank almost an entire bottle of Pepto Bismol and took quite a few Tylenol. I really feelt like I was gonna die. So I took the test, did failry well…had my top 3 picks for Law School . About 1 month or so later –I’m still feeling pretty crappy and go to the doctor. They told me I had a sinus infection and that the post nasal drip was the cause if my nausea and not to worry. We as it turns out, the nausea was being caused by the little life inside of me. I was pregnant and didn’t know it. WHOO HOOO away from crazy doctor # 1 and onto to crazy DR #2

I was bleeding pretty heavy, so I went to the OB. He came into the room – looked at my chart and without any exam told me I was miscarrying the baby. I started to cry asking him what could I do to stop it. He told me that it wouldn’t matter if I stood on my head leaned up against the wall – I would still lose “it”.. Needless to say the only thin g I lost was him. Got a new OB and they ran some tests and said I better get my sleep while I can because the baby appeared to be a health kicker!!

In Oct 10 years ago I gave birth to my wonderful beautiful and healthy daughter (who coincidentally is an avaid soccer player)

Never take someone at their word, especially if it doesn’t feel right. Get a second opinion and a third if you have to. This surgery is a lifelong commitment - so if you’re not happy with this Doc. Then you should find someone else. Why deal with the same pessimism - especially when they are wrong in what they are saying.

I had my surgery on November 17th and I'm happy about it, however, after reading all of these posts I was led to believe there would be minimal to no pain...HAHAHAHA THAT'S A JOKE!!

I was certain that death was imminent on the day after surgery until I got my hands on the GOD-SENT GAS-X. My doctor prescribed Demerol and I say TAKE IT!! There is no need to walk around thinking, 'Oh a little extra strenght Tylenol will get me through it', that's a crock of crap!!

I'm totally paranoid about how much I eat. I'm sustaining myself on about half a cup of food per meal. I'm scared of what a stuck situation will be like. Also I'm chewing everything 28 times. So having a conversation while eating is out of the question. Imagine counting in your head and talking... bad idea!! food isn't fun anymore, after you have chewed something 28+ times it doesn't even taste good anymore...I had 31 years of food tasting unbelievably good, hence needing the surgery!!!

So now I'm 7 days post-op and I generally feel fine. I'm nauseated when I wake up in the morning, could it be because I haven't had a bowel movement in days... um yeah!!! I can't find a comfortable sleeping position and I don't know if i'm coming or going most days but I still think this was the best procedure for me. I have made a call to my doctor to better understand why I feel the need to sleep sitting straight up in the bed, she called me back and laxatives here I come. This is less that ideal for longterm so I hope we can nip this in the bud. Best of luck Bandsters, please don't take my rant as advice not to get the surgery. I think this tool is going to actually work, heck I've lost 6lbs since last week!!!

My appetite has increased which means the swelling around the band must have gone down. I guess this means I'll be increasing my intake to 1 cup of food per meal. I'll keep you posted on my progress. I'm still excited about the new me that is waiting in the wings!!

6lbs down.... 78 to go!!!!

Sorry that you have had such a rough time post-op. I hope things get better for you. I was banded on 11/16/10 and fortunately had minimal post-op pain. I did have problems with gas – but I used suppositories immediately and resolved that issue..lol, but the gas was the only discomfort that I had. I can honestly say that the emergency appendectomy that I had a year ago hurt worse - it was a week before I could even walk upright! Two days after the lap-band I coordinated and hosted a Community Health & Wellness Expo.

Good luck and feel better soon!!!

Hey everyone, my surgery date is 12/22/10 and im trying to prepare myself for the post op diet. My nutritionist said I have to make sure that any food I eat must be under 5 grams of fat and 5 grams of carbs. However for the first month I can only eat mushy foods such as yogurts, cottage cheese, pudding etc... I went to the supermarkets and cannot find anything under 5 grams of carbs...if you guys know of anything pleaseeee let me know...Im getting desperate here

thanks

Seems like every Dr has their own protocol. I was banded on 11/16/10 and I am currently on mushies. I have been eating low fat small curd cottage cheese, fat free yogurt, instant mash potatoes, Soup, eggs….plus Protein shakes and I have been feeling great and losing weight! Maybe check with the nutritionist and ask for specific examples of products >5 carbs. My nutritionist never mentioned that restriction. I was just told to keep I low fat/low cal, make sure sugar is listed as one of the first 3 ingredients on the nutrition label and the other standard list of “no-no’s”

Good luck with your surgery!!

I'm sorry you are having so much trouble. I think you should talk to the dr's office and tell them you are weak and just not tolerating the liquid Protein supps well. I would think a bland mushy diet could give you some valuable nutrition and energy without jeopardizing your surgery in the next several days. Cottage cheese, low fat yogurts, cream of wheat.

I don't understand the wide variations between doctors and their diet restrictions. I only had a 1day clear liq pre-op. I was supposed to do a 7 day clear liq post-op, I couldnt do it. Not because of hunger, because of nausea and NO energy. The clear Protein supps are so gross, esp. after surgery when your tastes are not right. I called my dr, he asked me several questions about my healing, then told me to start on mushies. I have felt 1000% better since then. Amazing what a few TBL of cottage cheese and yogurt can do for one's system.

I agree with you. I was banded on 11/16/10 and was supposed to do 7 day liquid for the pre-op and couldn't do it because of the nausea and headaches. I ate light, low-cal foods right up to the night before the surgery - and stuck with the standard nothing to eat or drink after midnight rule. The surgery went great - no problems at all. It's true every Doctor/Clinic seems to have different pre and post -op guidelines!!

I am 13 days post op and have no trouble eating anything. I do not have any restriction, and everything goes down ansd stays down just fine. I do take tinyy bites and chew food very carefully. But I don't think I'll have any trouble eating anything at all. This make me nervous, as I am fearful to go back to my old eating habits! I do not have another follow up until Dec 21, but I don't want to gain any weight back!! It already seems I have gained 2 lbs. back since going on to the mushies! UGH!! So worried!

Wow...I am having the same problem! I was banded on 11/16/10 and I am eating and drinking just fine. I did the first week post-op full liquids then bumped it up to mushies because I was still hungry. So far I am loosing but I'm not having any trouble getting any food down and that make me nervous too! I see the surgeon next week. I'm almost afraid of how I am gonna feel after my first fill. I thought it was just me. I kept thinking..can I possibly be this greedy??? I'm eating small portions but I am eating several times a day plus Protein drinks

As far as the gas and chest pains are concerned, the same thing happen to me. I finally has to thin my Protein shakes down a little. I could tolerate drinking my shakes but the ratio was too much for me. My favorite shake was GNC Protein max chocolate shake. I would mis 1 scoop which is equal to 22 grams of protein to 24 oz of skim milk. Each ounce of milk has a gram of protein. For 2 weeks I had to do that then I was able to decrease the milk to 12 oz. Itis a juggling game sometimes. You just have to see what your system tolerates. Best of luck to you..

Jill

Thanks Jill. I'll try that. I have beeing adding one scoop to 8 oz of light soy milk....so sounds like I definitely need to thin my shakes out. I will start with my shake later today!!!

Thanks

Hello,

I'm on the fourth day of the liquid diet for pre-op. I'm using Carnation No Sugar Added shakes. They taste fine. But I'm starving. Is there ANYTHING I can supplement this with. My doctor told me 'off the record' that I could eat thanksgiving dinner --- ?? which surprised me. So, if I could break the diet for that , can I add 0% greek yogurt or something? Anyone else have a brutal time with the pre-op part? Thanks for the support.

I was banded on 11/16/10 and doing well. I was on a liquid diet of Opti-Fast for 9 days prior to the surgery and by day 3 I was so sick from hunger and caffeine withdraws that I couldn’t take it. I had terrible headaches and was vomiting – so I finally decided to eat. I kept the meals light and kept my daily caloric intake under 900. I had my last meal at 6pm the night before the surgery. The surgery went great. Aside from some bloating and pressure after the surgery (from the air they use), I haven’t had any problems. My dietician told me the reason for the pre-op diet is to shrink the liver - so that is why I kept the meals light, small and low calorie.

Definitely check with you physician as it seems everyone has a different protocol. Good luck!!

Hi everyone

So I was banded last Tuesday, the 16th. My surgeon put me on clear liquids for 10 days and I'm going buggy! I did have to have some SF pudding (which is in the next stage) just so that I felt like I had something in my stomach. But I'm starting to feel so hungry like I could eat a whole cow! Everything I think about seems to be food related...I was reading a John Grisham novel, to try and keep my mind off things...and all I seemed to see was all the food the main character was eating....I had to stop reading! Someone please tell me this will go away soon!

I"m driving myself crazy...a friend of mine who got her band 8 months ago told me that she did a shortened version of the doc's (we have the same surgeon) liquid diet. She moved to full liquids within a week instead of the 10 days and she said she moved on to some soft solids after the first visit with the surgeon. I'm praying that this happens for me as well...I go see him tomorrow and I'm in so need of some real food!! I'd be absolutely ecstatic to eat a salad...I know that's probably a long way off...but I can still dream!

With T-day only a couple days away, I would really just like to be able to process up some turkey and mom's potato salad so I can at least have the flavors in my mouth!

Am I the only one??

Hi,

I was also banded on the 16th and I am having the same exact problem - - still hungry and I did exactly what your friend did!!! I did the full liquid until this past Tuesday. I am sticking to liquids for Breakfast and lunch but yesterday and today I have had some pureed consistency foods and that has really made the difference. I am still getting 60 grams a Protein via the drinks, but yesterday and tonight I add about 2 tbs of mashed potatoes and a few bites of fat free small curd cottage cheese.

I plan to continue with this until I see the surgeon on 12/3 - and I'll see what she says at that time. Let me know what you decide and how it works!!

I was banded on the 16th as well, my Dr. said don't use the gas x because it's not internal gas, it's just gas they pump into you and you need to walk alot, that's what I did and have not had any problems, I know every one is different I also used the heating pad a lot. Sorry i have no other suggestions, hope you feel better soon.

Makes sense abotu the gas-x! I'll keep walking and hope it passes soon. Thanks

I tried one flavor of the Isopure liquid drink so far and I could not drink it, it tasted nasty. I have bought a coupe other flavors to try, but am not holding out hope. I wanted to know if there were any other liquid Proteins for when I can only drink liquids? Or does the unflavored Protein powder absorb and I cn dissolve it into my crystal light or something? ANy help would be appreciated. Thanks

Hi Jess,

I have been using unjury which is 20 grams per serving. The chocolate powder mixed with light vanilla Soy milk or Almond milk is really good - just like a chocolate milk shake. The unflavored with the vanilla Soy milk tastes just like a vanilla milk shake. The Health Wise (15grams of protein) coffee flavors and Strawberry/Bannana are also pretty good. These seem to work so I haven't tried any others. Hope this helps.

Terri

Hi everyone. I am 9 days post-op, had the band placed on 11/16/10. Overall doing fairly well meeting Protein requirements, but I think I have been drinking my Protein drinks too fast. I feel full and have really bad chest pains. I actually went to the ER a few days ago because I thought something was wrong. Several hours and multiple tests later to rule out blood clots, the Dr said it was probably gas. I have taken pain meds, used a heating pad and tried walking. Any other suggestions to relieve the pain?

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