Cazzy

We all should be following our surgeons instructions as to the timecscales they want us to follow diet wise... post op is a time of healing , its essential that u dont make the stomach move around by trying to digest solid food too early I use a sharp knife for salad and cut really small, most days it doesnt get stuck but ocassionally it will bite me and get stuck so be gentle with ypourself and cheww like crazy and small bites only .. if u are on solids then u should be ok

the other thing to do is to photograph the rashes every time they are angry and inflamed .. u also need to visit the doctor everytime this happens too this may provide u with enough evidence to get the insurance to pay for the skin removal at some point as a medical proceedure. I have just undergone an 11 hour operation to remove excess skin, this is a big operation. I used to pad out the sore bits on my tummy so that the skin would never touch each other, this helped a lot in prevention and making sure u dont use too perfumed washing powder or fabric softner on anything that will be touching your skin. good luck ..

niceeeeeeee .. keep up the good work

i have read quite a few articles here in the uk which also supports this theory about how quickly food passes through the pouch. It would also explain why a lot of people can drink when they eat .. like all new information it will be argued about for a good while yet .. Some people can still eat large amounts of food and yet their pouch isnt distended or their band particularly loose so i think there is clear evidence around that it is possible that this is just as valid a theory than any other ..

Thanks all for the nice messages well i had to return to the ward over the weekend as i am so full of fluid at the minute that the surgeon requested me to go there so she could look me over .. all is ok but i need to go back to the girdle compression with legs as my legs are really full of fluid .. apart from that all is ok , suprisingly very little pain with no heavy duty painkillers from around day 3 .. can see anything till after next week and the compression garments come off for the first time lol shape looks good tho .. am eating like a horse so will need to get some fill in a couple of weeks .. and yes post surgical blues seems obligatory.. i been crying and stressing out lol poor DH he has the patience of a saint

Most 'first fills' the majority of people feel no different .. but there is an odd one or two people that do feel a little too tight afterwards, the decision is either plan a 'just in case' solution like plenty of protein drinks and liquids or postpone for a few days .. .. its your call

Yea i agree with this .. u need to make the best of your time on the bike. I have a normal exercise bike and a road bike and cycle around 25 miles a day which works for me .. its around 80 mins time wise .. ive not done any real spin cycling but interval cycling on any bike is a great work out too So u had to have more sutures in your arms ? ouchie, i cant even see my arms till next weekend till the compression garments come off , the only thing i can see is the shape and i am impressed lol I am thinking i will go back for a fill in 2 weeks maybe if i am still healing ok as i am absolutely starving and this heat wave we got here at the minute is driving me crazzzy for all those nice bbq treats .. i am still very swollen with fluid but gradually its going but the scales dam those scales lol

If the info in your profile is correct u have only just been banded, the time post op is for healing and following your doctors regime of ...so long for liquids , mushies then finally solid food again. Most people dont lose weight till they start with a few fills, some that do lose weight will be doing things like restricting their calories once they are on solid foods till the band is filled enough to 'kick in' and they start feeling satisfied / restriction. I am not a great lover of protein shakes and just prefer fresh protein, so my protein in the liquid stage came from skimmed milk mixed with greek yoghurt, my own veg soup or chicken broth etc.. i had 4 weeks of liquids had 4 weeks of mushies then onto solid food .. just take your time this isnt a fast trasck weight loss programme is a slow steady change over a period of time .. i am sure u will be ok in the longer term

Totally agree with holly .. u need to keep a close eye on things if u arent losing to find out the reasons why

i was 4 weeks post op liquid diet too ... u just grin and bear it, you have a lifetime of not being on a liquid diet to look forward to

I am sure that most of us thought at some point in this process what the hell have i done or i am going to do but those moments for the majority dont last long Most bandsters when they start feeling some level of restriction ..( can be after 1 fill can be after 3 or 4 .. there is no definitive amounts ).. have moments when food will not pass through the banded pouch part of their stomach into their main stomach and the oesophogas where it meets the stomach thinks that u are choking and produces a slime like saliva to try and unstick/unchoke u .. it can be quite painful some stuck episodes can be due to the type of food, the speed at which u ate the food or that it wasnt chewed enough ... some people get stuck food often others rarely .. depends on how tight your band is and how carefully u eat etc ... it isnt good to get food stuck on a regular basis as this can lead to other complications with the band for a few people like erosion or slippage .. The bandster term for food sticking / burping up the saliva type slime u can produce is called PB = productive burping . Hope thats helpful .. good luck and relax eventually u will become your own expert at you and your band ..

In general most liquid stages are limitless but u should check with your own surgeon / nutritionist as to their guidelines etc.

Good luck and the worst part of this process in my mind is the waiting around so be patient and things eventually happen when they should

I lost tons off my boobs and now i am smaller than i ever was. Unfortunately age and genetics play a big part in the boob shrinkage thing, but i would rather be alive and smaller boobed than a well endowed dead person

i can only drink something very cold if its about an hour before i attempt to eat something .. the coldness seems to restrict my band quite a lot, but then i find warm drinks relax my band so sort of makes sense

Get a good sharp knife and just cut a tomato up ..

Some people feel a lot of restriction from day 1 most need a few fills to get a good satisfaction/restriction going, common sense should tell you that the written information on any things like diet/nutrition etc can only be for the average amount of people some will be less hungry some will be more hungry it is the nature of genral guidleines which is what u have been given .. stop beating yourself up over the small things that will probably not make an ounce of difference in the long run and chill and relax and heal .. good luck and i wish you every sucess ...

Bel i would question your surgeons ability if he doesnt know many banders that can lose a lot of weight .. successful surgeons have successful patients ... but Randella makes a good suggestion ... the different sort of WLS should be more about your ability to cope with the different methods etc as most WLS weight loss seems to even out after 5 yrs post op from the stats i have read .. I admit i am my bandster hospital's biggest loser but theres plenty of other bandsters who have lost all the weight they needed

Having surgery can make u put on weight with thigs like iv fluids etc, it is very unusual to not put on weight when your body is trying to heal. The scales i believe are important to this process so make them your friend, not your enemy .. i recently had 11 hours plastic surgery and they took 9lbs of skin so how did i wake up 15 lbs heavier, its all to do with fluids can u imagine my horror to see the scales go up so much when i was at goal, but i know i am healing my day will come again when losing the weight to get back to goal is more important as i will have finished healing. Dont do anything radical just ride the healing wave untill u get some fills under your belts then u will see some movement

all drains out now i had 8 of the darn things am now at home but weather is waaay to hot for me these compression garments are a nightmare lol well my hands and lower arms are swollen but worst is my upper thighs omg all the loose skin i had from the weight i lost is now filled with fluid i did read about the lymphatic system having to reroute itself after its been cut about a lot as in large tt ops and abdominoplasty stuff so i am not surprised. am just concentrating on healing for now and not worrying about the scales .. did u swell too ?

Thanks everyone for the positive thoughts Going home today so will have spent 5 nights 6 days in hospital. Am swelling up a little at the minuter but got rid of all my drains and am just in compression garments now ... arms look great but hard to see scars at the minute as i have to leave compresssion garment on for another 10 days before i see the surgeon and change it to a clean one they changed the tummy compresssion one from the normal type shorts one to a wrap around girdle type this gives me a little more control over the tightness and its easier to keep clean etc. have been on anti biotics since day 1 and all scars at present looking ok but will be monitoring closely for any leaks/changes etc well now we have a mini heat wave so am gonna be too hot lol .. will post another update soon ...

I ended up with a vertical incision too, mainly because of the same problem i needed a repair to the ab muscles i am always happy to have a neat scar rather than a wierd shaped looking abdomen .. glad u are recovering well

Well i am now 3 days out of surgery. The surgery took 11 hours i ended up with a catheter, 8 drainage tubes and a whole 24 hours in the high dependency unit. It was more uncomfortable and sore rather than lots of pain, today i have had my pressure garments changed and my arm drains out tomorrow i should have my abdomen drains out and finish with them yay lol i am sitting out in a chair today looking at a nice sunny day ty all for your caring words and concerns .. i am not expecting miracles at my age but it certainly is looking good from what iu can see they took 9lbs of skin away

Thats great news for you .. i hope it all goes well

i am worried this will be my outcome too, having so much surgery tomorrow to remove all this skin i know i am gonna whack on a load of fluid weight, i tell myself i am prepared for putting on weight initially but i know i will just be so disappointed when i see those scales creeping up .. I have tried to prepare by making meals for the freezer and trying to stick to what i normally eat .. but since monday when i had a 1ml removed from my band i have eaten, what has felt like, double what i normally do, i have exercised it off but i am not going to be able to do that after my op tomorrow .. i am surprised how much i can eat with only 1 mls removed .. makes 7mls out of a 14 mls band .. how quick are u going to have the band fill again ? I hope u both sort out the bumps in your recovery and hope that we can end this journey on a positive note where we all get the results we want ill post some pics after i get done tomorrow .. i will be in intensive care for a day or so because of the amount of surgery i am having so will be posting next week sometime probably.. ill try and let people know i am at least alive