NWgirl

I was also banded yesterday and am feeling pretty good, minimal pain/gas. I was in surgery at 730AM-ish and woke up in recovery about 930AM. The nurses said everything went well and that there were no complications. I was discharged around 11:30AM and when I got home, I immediately took a nap. I drank a couple cups of peppermint tea throughout the day yesterday, as I had heard others say that their nurses had sworn by it for gas pains. I have also been walking around often. I did take pain meds every four hours throughout the night. I was told it was easier to keep the pain at bay rather than try to get it to go away if it came back. I haven't really had too much gas problems. I did have two times yesterday after eating where I felt like I was going to vomit and started to salivate, but then I was able to burp out some gas and I felt perfect. I haven't really experienced too much shoulder pain. When I woke up today, I had a little shoulder soreness, but I wandered around the house for 30-40 minutes and it seems to have gone away. My incisions kept looking worse and worse throughout the day yesterday, and I was sure I would wake up with huge bruises on my belly. To my surprise, the bruising has decreased tremendously and I am overall feeling really good. Definitely some discomfort getting up, sitting down, or twisting when getting in/out of bed, but not too bad. My port is on my right side, so I did sleep on my left side off and on during the night with no problems. Congratulations on your surgery and hope all goes well

I was told to sip throughout the day and to hopefully get 60+ ounces of fluids in. Yesterday was surgery for me, and I have had minimal gas/pain. I did drink a couple cups of peppermint tea yesterday and have been diligent in walking around. I am drinking my first protein drink of the day and hope the rest of the day continues well! Congratulations on getting to the other side

I did a comparison on my blog http://thebandedblogger.blogspot.com/2012/03/bariatric-vitamins.html between Unjury O-Purity, Bariatric Advantage, and Celebrate bariatric vitamins. I personally chose the O-purity because it came out to about $0.30 a day. I did purchase a sublingual B12 from Walmart for $5 or $6 because the other two bariatrics had 833% of B12 and O-purity only had 100%. I also bought biotin 5000 for possible hair loss and Coromega Omega 3 orange squeeze packs. I knew I would be unable to swallow or stomach regular fish oil pills (never have been able to get over the smell, taste or size), and I bought a 90 day supply of these off of Amazon for less than $20. They are pretty good considering they have fish oil in them As for protein, I have purchased the Costco/Sam's Club premier nutrition ready to drink high protein shakes (160 cal, 3g fat, 5g carbs, and 30g protein), as well as the Body Fortress Vanilla, Chocolate, and Cookies n' Cream powders from Walmart. I did buy an unflavored protein called Fundamental Protein, but decided that I will use it further down the road to mix with fruit smoothies, etc. I thought that the smell and taste was too overpowering to mix into my broths, as I had planned.

Yes, you look absolutely AMAZING!

I think that as long as you understand what gastric banding entails and are ready to accept those life changes, you will be okay. Some people cannot eat certain foods, while others can/ The only thing I've heard is that if you have a junk food addiction, it is something the band may not be able to help with. Most of these are considered sliders, and will slide right past your pouch, making you miss that feeling of fullness. You also need to know your triggers and be mindful. I know, and have known for a long time, that there are some foods that I never feel full on. Cereal is one of these, no matter if I eat one bowl or five. In the same vain, you also need to be committed to eating protein first and eating enough of it. My dietician told me that protein should be based on weight, and you should calculate your weight x 0.3= how many grams you should receive daily. You should also try and stay away from mushy and softer foods to get the most out of the band. I watched a clip from Dr. Oz about two gals with Lapband, and one girl was still eating mostly yogurt and pudding and smooth soup 6 months out. These are not solids and will not stay in the pouch as long.

hmmm, interesting.

I am not to real food stage, but did buy a book called "eating well after weight loss surgery" after my dietician recommended it. I also bought "Bandwagon Cookery" along with the 2nd edition of "Bandwagon."

http://www.lapbandtalk.com/topic/143801-us-doctor-5500-for-self-pay-patients/

there is a recent posting by a gal who had gone to mexico for the band and found a fill Dr here that said he would have charged her $5500 for the band procedure. is there a reason you are considering just the plication now, or are you doing it in conjunction with the band? have you considered outside help, like obesitylaw.com? I would personally fight my insurance company for something like this, as they do not have to provide any followup or emergency care for a procedure they denied! They want you to give up.

yeah, I've transitioned all meds other than the thyroid to nighttime because I cannot take anything before the thyroid or after for two hours and I have to take the thyroid an hour before Breakfast. Finnicky little thing! on a good note, I was able to swallow all of my pills just fine last night though.

take the time to learn new ways of eating. No drinking with meals and a lot of chewing. You are probably experiencing food and quantity size mourning please keep the journal, as it will help you be accountable to yourself. Are you eating the way you always have, or are you going a little crazy?

I was not told to stop my birth control, the only stipulation I received would be that any pills I took for the first month after would need to be the size of a pencil eraser or smaller. If you take your BC in the am, you should ask about if you should take it the day of. I was told the only medication that morning could be my thyroid med. Also, nothing other than Tylenol for one week before surgery and afterwards no NSAIDS due to the possibility of stomach erosion If they sat above the pouch for too long.

I did find that a couple times today I would start to feel nauseous and salivate like I was going to throw up. At those times, I was able to burp and release some gas. Made everything perfect again. Are you possibly also having trapped gas issues?

yes, port pain has been the worst- hard getting up or down and twisting from side to side, otherwise I feel pretty good for just having surgery. Please update us. I am thinking of you ans hoping you've got it under control now.

congratulations on your surgery! I actually purposefully stayed up really late last night and woke up early today (had to be there at 530) because I knew I would have problems sleeping otherwise. are you having any gas pains?

My dietician says no drinking ten minutes prior and 45 minutes after a meal. You know what you need to do, and you know the problems you ran into last time. If you make sure to lessen the problems, you should be able to lose the weight you want. If you're willing to try again, I wouldn't classify that as a failure.

I knew that if I was going to do a procedure, it would be the gastric banding. I just think gastric has so many more risks, and even though the weight loss may be faster, I could not overlook the problems. Don't get me wrong, I've known people who have had bypass and have done great, but it's not for me. You will decide in time what is best for you.

I'm sorry you've had such an unhappy day I had my surgery this morning too, and I have been okay. How did they even discharge you if your pain was so severe? Have you been taking your pain meds on time? If you are still in pain, I would recommend calling the Dr or going to the emergency room.

I actually started drinking the tea before any problems, so am not sure if it is helping of not. The gas didn't set in til 6 or 7 hrs after surgery.

For the drinking, I was told to try for 3oz every hour or so. After surgery, I was required to drink 1oz every 15 minutes. I am drinking just fine, but because the nausea am not drinking too much. I am also allowed full liquids starting today.this includes cream soups, yogurt w/out chunks, low sodium v8 juice, protein drinks, blended and strained soups, sugar free jello/pudding. And of course broth too I did find that Lipton cup-a-soup cream of chicken is a delicious alternative to broth.

yes, I've started to experience a little nausea here and there. My mouth starts to salivate like I'm about to throw up, then I am able to burp and it goes away. The last time it happened, I felt my tummy rumble (not in hunger) ans then I had a very large burp. Feeling went away instantly. l am most positive the gas is causing it. I had read somewhere that a person's nurse had recommended peppermint tea for gas, so I've been drinking that. I may try broth later depending on how my tummy feels.

I have heard many say sushi is still edible with the band. Some have said whole wheat breads are a go, especially if you toast them. Cheap white bread or doughy bread just clogs the opening. Remember that everyone has different reactions to foods; you may tolerate something that another cannot eat.

I think our stomachs are so surprised right now that food probably is not too good a factor to add. I'm not really hungry either, so that's a good thing I am definitely sleeping a lot because of the meds.

Congratulations. I had banding done today, and would have opted for plication+band if it was offered at my clinic. I was told to make sure to stay ahead of your medication- it works better when taken on time, but does not work as well if it is taken once the pain has started again. I feel a definite soreness/achiness in my stomach, but feel pretty good overall.

I was banded today too. I have had two cups of peppermint tea and have been sipping on a no calorie generic vitamin water. I tried to eat a SF jello earlier, but I felt uncomfortable after a few bites so I did not finish it. I will be trying a cup of broth later in the evening.