lizrbit

congratulations guys! post as soon as you are able and let everyone know how it went!

I read your thread and ordered mine from the GNC website. It arrived today. Im glad it did too because id beenhaving "weak" problems. I got a big bucket of the strawberry and cream and got a case of the chocolate ind packets for half off! Its not bad. At 50g protien each shake and no carbs, i gotta say it at least takes that "oh my god im going to die cause im starving to death and broth just doesnt cut it" feeling away. Im going to live. I found myself frustrated though. It said "two scoops" then DIDNT HAVE A FREAKIN SCOOP! I eyeballed about how much one of the indi choc packs were and added that much into the blender. DOES ANYONE KNOW how much in actuality the "two scoops" are? also..how often do you drink one? I bet one of these inthe mornings for Breakfast would kickstart the day on weak feeling days, and later when you have the fills i can see it come in handy, but fifty grams of protien is a LOT of protien. Seems like you wouldnt want two of these a day. ALSO: notice the writing on the bucket that says "Meal Replacement not for weight loss" on the side? whats that about?

thats totally no fair if your off licking doritos! :mad: i keed i keed... its significantly better now. Im a week out today! last night i had a cup of low fat strawberry and banana yogurt. It was the best tasting stuff ive tasted so far. yum.

Tracy, i was banded on the 13th. Red, THey make liquid TYLENOL PM now! i used to use the pill form for pain at night when i couldnt sleep and i love the stuff. I found the liquid at the drugstore next to the cold and cough stuff. Today i start the creamy stage! ahhh Soup beautiful soup! I ordered some of that Isopure protien powder online, it should arrive by thursday hopefully. and i think thats going to make things remarkably easier. Ive been really struggling to get in enough Water and protien. i havent come close yet to what im sposed to, BUT ive been recovering wonderfully without problems or real discomfort so far.

HI!!! man its good to hear everyone doing so well! Today im six days post op, and im sitting at a cafe with wifi a block from the house. I thought, "no problem, ill have tea and a cream soup!" but they had no cream soup. so i ordered cottage cheese, and its very ...different than the stuff i got at home. They got it for me from the back, its not on the menu. I explained i have a stomach situation and could only eat limited things. worked out pretty good. Oh to CHEW something! Im very concious of getting it all 'smooth' texture to pass okay.I also started back on my protien shakes today. Last night i was so incredibly hungry, i heated up some instant pea soup, then blended it to make sure. It was earth shakingly wonderful. My aunt flo came to visit yesterday and i REALLY feel weak. Im doing okay though. im thinking of sucking on a raw steak tonight....hahahaha (im kiddin)...

i LOVE that we are talking about SEX like its just okay! I want to sit on the floor crosslegged again. i want to be able to ride a bicycle comfortably as long as i want to. i want sex! i remember sex! to dance..in my house, with no one looking, without hurting my ankles or knees. I cant wait to have a conversation where im not wondering what the other person is thinking about my size. but the sex thing, definitely!

Right on Sandy! Man it seems like there were aLOT of us this month eh? are you itchy too? WHEN can we eat a creamy soup??? im starving! ahhahhh!

itchy means its healing!! i read your post and had to post too. I was banded the 13, and mine are all really itchy too. makes me crazy. I wouldnt put anything on them that could infect them if they are still open anywhere. just know you are healing, and soon you wont have any bandages! woohoo!

Hi Tina, Regarding the burping and gas..take lots of gas x (i like the chewable) and walk walk walk...the more you move the better that stuff goes out. I try to walk thirty minutes a day, twice a day. rest the other times. It does get better!

hi Gret and Karlee! welcome to bandland! i was really nervous, but listen, it went very smoothly. I could probably compare it to a c-section light...its not as bad as all that, but similar in some ways. For me, gas after the surgery was a huge issue (still is a little) this is the gas they put in your belly so they can move stuff around, your organs reabsorb it and so you will probably swell a bit. Just do EVERYTHING your surgeon tells you to do, and walk walk walk. It hurts to first get up, but once you are up and walking it helps your body get back to normal faster. also helps the gas bigtime! Keep us posted with your experiences too. This board really does have a wealth of info.

another good juice for the inbetween clear and creamy stage is CARROT JUICE heated up for a minute in themicrowave. Its a little heavier than broth but not so much that its creamy. I tolerate this very well and it gives me a 'full' feeling. you can get these in the fresh produce department at the grocery store near the tofu and soybean products.

My biggest Pet Peeve. I have a very close friend. Shes the only person ive ever let as close as she is. Sometimes i think its onesided. She is mentally incapable of making a plan. She cant ...literally cannot...say, "here is my calendar, and lets plan on doing x on date y." then working towards it, making arrangemnts and so forth. Its beyond her. THis has caused a few serious problems. SHe also doesnt realize that i can see her priorities by her actions. She will say "oh i wish i could take some time off and be there" but when she gets time off shes elsewhere. I just cant figure her out. when she was single, i once saw her use a guy for TWO YEARS paying her phone bill and internet subscription, long after they broke up and she was dating someone else. I saw her in person, go to him like he was the only person in her life, acting like she ws so appreciative, but in fact the moment he left we would go out. She really doesnt care if she leaves people hanging in the wind. I need a new best friend.

oh thanks so much suzanna! That is so sweet of you. I had a few days where i felt sorry for myself. but in all seriousness, reading the posts from other people who did it alone helped TREMENDOUSLY in seeing that i could, and that id be fine! I was scared a bit the day before surgery, but they were right, i was fine. Thank you for thinking about me. Im doing well so far! Everyone at my surgeons office has called to check up. It really has been fine. can i do something please? i saw it and i couldnt resist.... "oh susanna, now dont you cry for me..for i came from the tip of Maine with a banjo on my knee" hahahaha... I really really tried hard not to do that....Thanks again. Sincerely, Beth

man...my dr has me on clear liquids....you get a protien shake!?!??! lucky...lucky....lucky.....

i hope you dont mind if im candid... 1) my father died from obesity related factors in july 2005. His estimate weight was 475-500lbs. Nine days later his identical twin brother, also the same size, died from same factors. They suffered horribly the last month of their life. 2) Ive always struggled with obesity. Ive lost around 300 lbs in my life at 50-70 lbs at a time, and gained it right back. 3) i rolled over one morning and my head went one way, and my big body didnt follow. I ruptured an already herniated disc, blocking the nerve to my left arm. My pcp at the time, told me to get over it. eventually i got ahold of my current doctor and got to a nuerosurgeon who got me in for a laminectomy and discectomy to fix the problem. it did, and left a long horrible scar. 4) i havent had sexual relations in two years. Not my choice, But i understand. 5) My job has alot to do with image. my sales have plummeted since this last round of extreme weight gain. 6) i started to question every chair i could fit into as to weather id wind up on the floor again. 7) i wanted the least invasive option that would fix these issues on a permenant as possible basis 7) i researched and found a surgeon with an excellent record and personal approach, then really be pursuant about insurance and working with this surgeon. those are the real reasons i did this.

lessofme! WALKING walking walking helps sooooo much. the bike ride was funny because i had my britches unzipped and my hoodie pulled over my belly. it still feels alittle like my wind is knocked out of me every now and then. i love bike riding. OH I ENVY you and the creamy stage, milk....sweet lovely creamy milk. Today is the first day ive even thought about real food. im of course still on clear liquids and having trouble with even jello, but today i drifted off while watching a cheesburger commercial and MAN it looked GOOD. Im no where near ready for anything even similar to that.Anybody eat tofu? i dig it, and im wondering if thats in the creamy stage, or if its in the mushy stage? anyone know?

seriously, this is why i came to Houston to have mine done. They do banding in Maine, where im from, but have only done a handful there. it took some serious convincing to my insurance company, but i am SO GLAD i did. My surgery went off without a hitch, the surgeon is certified with the producers of one of the lap band products and he teaches the techniques to other doctors and hospitals, plus he answers his own email and responds to questions. i am really happy. i didnt have any of the shoulder pain other people have talked about and i just feel pretty good. You can choose who does your surgery, and i think its the MOST important decision you can make after deciding to do the band in the first place.

thanks very much everyone! Out of all the surgeries ive had, this one was definitely the smoothest. My throat isnt even sore from the breathing tube. I love this surgeon. im three days out now, and its been fine. I told my employer i had stomach flu and she brought me some chicken broth yesterday, i drank all that, and then today i woke up and honest to gosh laid there with my eyes open and could not feel anything sore. I felt completely normal..then i sat up! yikes! by dr's orders im walking thirty minutes a day and its helping a LOT with gas as well as soreness and nausea. Today i even rode my bike to the store to get more gas x and chicken broth! That cabbie wound up costing me 480 dollars. For the other tests it was 200. he waited for me and really went out of his way to help me, and it was worth it, but you should have heard the sound i made when i found out! Having the house set up helped significantly. some examples: i had extra pillows all over the bed ready for me to just fall into. cans and cans of chicken broth, liquid medications ready and on a table right next to a couch with more pillows. Toilette paper stocked up, wetnaps available in bathroom, bag of ice in freezer, my favorite sweats all clean and wainting. lots of kellogs protien water. flip flops i wound up not using, but got them just in case i couldnt bend over to put on my shoes. lots of netflix movies, lots of flavored teas and honey. Its working out very well so far. my people from back in maine call often and ive enjoyed that, but find that if imon the liquid pain meds i dont like being on the phone much. Being alone sucks, of that there is NO doubt. but i think this board is a wonderful wealth of knowledge that can prepare people in a realistic way of what to expect so that its not too bad. Thanks for inviting me to the Houston Group, i would have already been there if i could. since i flew down, im on foot, and after this last round of cab ventures i need to save the money to get to the follow up visits. Hey though, im staying at a vacation cottage thats used for group retreats in the historic district in Galveston. Maybe we could set up a meeting here? i could host it! we could make band freindly meals, and hang out and talk. PM me if this sounds even remotely interesting? Id do it in a heartbeat.

what do they do when the band slips? can they just go in and move it back to where it goes and restich?

im on my third day post op, and just today saw a hamberger commercial and felt my belly grumble. its insane because im still on clear liquids, and will be for two full weeks! (three weeks total) i added boost to the diet today. One. its high in protein and available to the grocery store i can walk to. i felt immediately better after getting three quarters through it. Its not very big. One day, even if its just a bite or two. im gonna have a cheesburger. even if i gotta put it in a blender, even if i gotta chew it until its water, one day i sure enough will. I tried adding jello last night, i could get a few bites down but just a few minutes later. you know what else i dream about? i used to LOVE fresh baked italian bread soaked within an inch of its life in extra virgin olive oil (the elixir of life) and balsamic vinegar. ::::: man ill just be glad when i can eat food again.

hey all! this is another question i should have asked while i was there, but of course i didnt. When can we take a shower??? Do we change bandages or just leave the ones the dr put on..on? can anyone advise?

ive posted this inanother area, but i REALLY struggled through the clear liquid diet preop. Post op it makes perfect sense, but preop was tough. I FOUND SOMETHING THOUGH...brands in broth matter! if you like fried chicken, Butterball, the same people that process turkeys, have canned chicken broth that is so good im sipping hardly anything else. (beside the special k protien water, those are great too) But different brands do taste different. I think one of the reasons i did sowell in recover is because i really stuck to the clear liquid diet. there was nothing in there to throw up or make me nausious (spelling?). Just keep reminding yourself that you WILL EAT AGAIN! yes you willl, you will eat again and enjoy it and feel more satisfaction than you have before! (thats what i tell myself)

Mom! how wonderful!! congratulations! man we are just banding all over the place! Mine was yesterday and i dont feel too bad. I never got the gas pain in the shoulder. Im VERY grateful for that! I tried a few bites of jello tonight, and have discovered its a bit too early for that mess. nothing bad happened just after a little while my belly (thats still a little swollen) got really hard, and didnt feel so great. it passed, but now i get an idea of what its going to be like! Man im excited for us all. my cravings are back though. im ignoringthem, and telling my head "you will eat again, yes you can have a piece of pizza in a month or two, you just wont devour the whole thing anymore!" Im looking forward to my new relationship with food. I cook exceptionally well, and im really looking forward to preparing meals for my new body that are nurturing as well as nurishing! mom i could totally relate to your gas bubble pressure. Mine felt like id swollowed a football! ive been eating chewable gas ex like crazy and it does help!

Hey! im on liquids, been on them for a week, and will be on them for two weeks from now, since i just got banded yesterday!!! Everyone on this board have posted some really wonderful information that's helped me a LOT. Here is a small chance to give a little back! I had the hardest time with beef broth, and the chicken was also kinda blah...but a friend brought me over a can of "butterball" chicken broth and oh my gosh its just as good as kentucky fried chicken!!! (Butterball also makes Turkeys) i love it. Im also drinking the kellogs protien Water too and it really does help! DONT FORGET TEAS TOO! decaffinated are best, get the variety pack and start a routine, like decaf tea (with a drop of honey) for Breakfast, butterball chicken broth for lunch and Jello for dinner!

hey congratulations!!! i just got banded yesterday!! that liquid diet is REALLY important, i stuck to it but by the hair of my pants! im SO GLAD i did, i think it makes the most difference right after the surgery. I had a moment in the hospital after the barium and extra swallow test where i dry heaved, just for a second and then it was over. THANK GOODNESS i didnt have anything in my stomach. Second day out and i feel alright! im a bit tender in the incision areas but thats about it. Congratulations on your dates guys!!!! (ps,it still kinda feels like i swallowed afootball) oh..DONT FORGET YOUR GAS X. I actually prefer the chewable. GOOD LUCK!!!