gottobeme

I think it's interesting to read peoples decisions on whether to tell or not to tell. I especially like to read their reasons for their choice. For me I had been working with my clinic and already lost 70 lbs prior to surgery. I have pretty much told everybody. I let them know that it is only a tool and that I can gain the weight back. I chose this over bypass because I know I need someone besides myself to be accountable to for my weight and because I feel with the band you do need life long follow up, and for me that's a plus. By letting others know I also hope that if there is someone contemplating the surgery they will feel comfortable asking me anything about it.

I also had surgery last Friday and had the problem in reverse, to some degree. I had taken some MOM on Monday (1/4 the normal dose) and after having a terrible time getting things moving Tuesday morning, the "Water works" started. It pretty much ran it's course in one day. After reading your post I'm not so sure it was the MOM that caused it. Considering it happened about the same time post op as mine I'm thinking it's pretty normal.

My surgery was last Friday and I took this whole week off. Although I have been feeling good I think having the time to learn how to eat without having to worry about work and working my "eating" breaks around my schedule has been a great gift to myself.

I have to admit that I liked the fact that my insurance/clinic required informational meetings, support meetings, nutritional counselling and other items before I had surgery. Having a supportive spouse will be great but I would also suggest looking for another type of support group, even if it is online. Knowledge is power and the more you know the more it will help you along your journey. I just had surgery last Friday. I would say things have been pretty easy for me since surgery. The toughest part for me has been learning to listen to my body and learn when to eat and getting enough liquids and proteins in. Good Luck on your journey!

Day 2 was the worst for me also. Popsicles and sugar free jello helped me the most. If your doctor allows yogurt at this stage I have found yoplait light with no chunks or seeds help me out a lot right now. I'm only 5 days post op now but it gets better!

I know I suffered from caffeine withdrawal during my pre op diet. I don't drink coffee but was addicted to Coke Zero. It took a few days to get past it but tylenol did help some. Good Luck!

Sorry to hear about that!

I had been "lucky" enough to have had a couple of major abdominal surgeries prior to my lap band. I think that helped put me ahead of the learning curve for getting in and out of chairs and bed. I think most of us use our stomach muscles to sit up and you need to give them a break right now. Use your arms and legs as much as possible when moving into or from a chair or bed. When getting up from bed try to keep your legs together as much as possible and move them over the side of the bed. Use your arms to push yourself up. Take advantage of chair arms or a table in front of you when standing up from a chair or as you go to sit down. And most of all remember it gets better and easier!

Some people refer to it as their sweet spot. I am only a few days post op so I can only tell you what I've heard/read about it. When you can eat a small amount, be satisfied and not get hungry for another 4-5 hours. You don't want to be able to eat too much or too little and you want to not get hungry for approx 4-5 hours after a meal. Having your band filled or unfilled is what helps you get to your green zone. It is something you and your surgeon will work on together after getting banded.

My daughter is also a vegetarian so we modify a lot of our meals and use a meat replacement. I know they are generally higher in carbs. I would love to know any vegetarian recipes you have that are band friendly! I'm only 4 days post op so it will be awhile before I can try any of them.

That's a good idea. When I started the entire process last August I set smaller 10-20 lb goals for myself. It gives you more short term attainable goals to work toward. By the time I had surgery last Friday I was down 70 lbs. It all counts!

I have a feeling you are going to be an excellent doctor! I honestly think it will be tough to handle med school and the band at the same time. That being said, I also think it is the best time for you to do it! The longer we let our old habits go on the tougher it gets to change them. You have so much of your life ahead of you and no matter what field of medicine you decide to go into your patients will benefit from your experience! Good Luck

That's tough! I was on a similar modified very low cal diet but could also include limited fruits and veggies which helped me greatly. Having to cook for clients is not going to be easy while you are on such a restricted diet. Can you time when you eat your Lean Cuisine at the same time as they are eating or maybe right before? For me if I could have something so I wasn't so hungry before I had to cook it helped. Sorry I couldn't offer much more than that but know that you can do it!

You should tell your boss that if he insists you go, you must insist he provide you with food that is compatible with your post-op stage! Maybe provide him with a list of 5 items you can eat and ask that your Protein be served first. Maybe I'm a little over dramatic here but if he is aware of your post op status it is extremely rude of him to expect you to sit through a 5 course meal and not have made arrangements for you!

I would say a variety of things you will be allowed to eat the first week or two. Although you won't have much to eat, I have found that the thought of some of the things (again) turns my stomach a little.

Congratulations! I had my last official weigh in two days before my surgery and was 199.5 then. Now I am a little over 192 but also thinking I might be a little dehydrated so I'm not counting that as an official weight. I'm not sure but I think I weighed around 180 when I got married almost 23 years ago. My anniversary is next month on the 19th, would be nice if I was at that weight again. Considering I am almost 80 lighter than I was last summer, if I don't make 180 in one month I won't be disappointed!

Yea!

Sounds great! My first couple of days sounded about the same.

I'm thinking it needs to go into a food processor first to get really mushy...like baby food.

I think what you feel is the port site. I know I can feel mine, they had me feel it before I even got dressed at the hospital. My understanding is yes, you will always be able to feel it. I found pictures of someone on here who had a port replacement and referred to it as her alien baby. I like that and am now calling my alien baby Bandy.

Just an FYI...Pinterest and a liquid diet DO NOT go well together! Got to get off the computer!

I am only 3 days post op so I can't speak long term. Yes my stomach makes noises even when I am not hungry. I had my surgery last Friday, good luck!

I did notice the more water I drank the more water I craved. Not a bad thing unless you don't have bathrooms close by! I believe it is not only normal but healthy.

There are a lot of protein shakes out there. I was very lucky pre op that my clinic sells their own which have 100 cal and 15g of protein. I do use some of them now along with others that I have gotten at Costco and GNC. An excellent source is Unjury and you can find links to them on this site. I have had some in the past and they we're pretty good. As for people who have had the lap band and things are not working for them there are as many reasons as there are people with bands not working for them. From what I've read sometimes the band does not work but those seem to be very rare cases, it's usually the people who do not work the band. Also keep in mind that advances in the band and surgery procedures have been made recently and problems that were common in the past are now considered uncommon.

How long are you guys taking to drink your shakes? This morning I had about 8 oz and took about 15min to drink it. I didn't feel like I was going to fast while I was drinking it but now about 10 min later I am feeling very full! Today I decided not only to journal what I ate but the times and how I felt afterwards. Yesterday I would eat and feel like I was starving a few min later so I thought I should journal to see what makes me feel full longer and what doesn't help much.