PattyGirl66

if you are breathing, talking, typing, and can swallow..you are fine! Just becareful next time

Oh, did you lose any weight 'before' the surgery??

wow! how are you feeling after that huge drop in such a small time?

TLM, you shouldn't feel bad.. your only obligation is to follow your doctors instructions. While many of our peers had to do an all liquid diet pre-op, I was ordered to do 1 Protein Drink in replace of a meal, followed by 2 low fat/low calories meals total of 1200 calories daily 2 weeks before. In any event, it is best to start cutting out the 'bad' foods from your diet, including sugars and white starches. Incorporate more Protein in. It will give you a head start of what is to come... Best of luck!

Sending very good vibes your way!!! (fingers are crossed) Keep us posted (((hugs)))

yup, 5 weeks post-op here and still swollen around the port area....

Elcee, I hope all works out for ya ((hugs))

I have anxiety due to being perimenoupausal, it started a few years ago. I have had tons of hormonal blood work and they always come back negative. the only way I knew i was perimenopausal was my obgyn had to do a biopsy on my cells because I was having very very bad periods, hemorage like periods. Once the biopsy came back he confirmed I was. The anxiety happens mostly around my time of the month. I had every heart test under the sun. Now, sometimes if my blood pressure starts to spike I will get palpatations, or if my potassium levels are low I get the same effect. My symtoms can range from heart palpatations, racy, edgy, sleepless nights, and even dizziness. I take a very low dose of xanex.,0.25 its amazing how this little tiny pill can take the edge off. I usually take it right before I go to bed. Now, I know someone who has very bad acid reflux and had the same symptoms you are having. btw,.. 140/80 is okay for your bp, however I can honestly tell you having high blood pressure for over 6 years that it can spike all sorts of time of the day. My suggestion to you is to buy one of those blood pressure monitors and record, morning ,noon, and night. See if your bp is spiking during any of these times. Your top number needs to come down, your bottom number is fine. Lately my bp has been all over the place since I lost weight. My last reading last week was 119/80. the following week it was 117/72. Two weeks before that I was 110/54. Its crazy, I am finally off of one bp meds and take a 50mg of Atenolol. Take care, keep us posted... -Patty

OHHHH NO, you are deff not the only one, I gain anywhere between 5-8 lbs. blah blah blah!

Dominitere, that must of been very scary for you, I am glad you are okay! We are all learning as we go along, believe me I am not 100% perfect and I have my little issues too.One is the drinking after eating. I still have a hard time with this while I am suppose to wait for an hour, I make it at the 30-45 min mark. One time I drank immediately after I ate (mushy) food, and it felt like it was just sitting in my throat and I freaked out and drank water on top of it. I had no pain, but I can tell you my belly felt sooooo full! Every meal its a struggle for me to do this and I strive to do my best, even now if I feel like I have to I just liberally sip and not gulp.

I would have to agree with Mis73 on this! I will miss my club soda and lemon wedge when I go out to dine, but knowing how gas can push up (almost like a little explosion) and can possibly force your band to dislocate. I myself would not be taking any chances, water or tea with lemon wedges from now on...

Foxy747, you can do it!!!! track all your food you eat so you can keep tabs,.. this will be good to do now because even after surgery once you are all healed you are going to have to start tracking all your calories and fat grams. Its a good habit to get into now. Best of luck I am rooting for ya!!!!!

Thank you everyone! It wasn't easy at all, pure willpower! I just had to keep talking to myself. This is only the beginning as I know I will have many many more temptations ahead of me.

Domika, Don't get discouraged, as your peers have stated you are in the healing process so new out from surgery and you should focus on recovery only. As per the others, your healing times is between 4-6 weeks. I am in my 5th week and have lost weight steadily till this week I have not lost anything, nor gained. I know what I need to do and up my calories and fat grams so that I can burn fat. You don't have to worry about that yet because you are so new out. I suggest worrying about Protein and fluids at this point this is crucial in order for you to heal properly. I on the other hand know my body is not going to survive on only 400-500 calories per day so I am going to up the ante this week and see what happens. I am moving around a lot more and it feels good to not be in so much pain doing so Hang in there!

Every year my Mother throws a Labor Day BBQ. This year was very different because I am banded (5 weeks post-op). I actually started on solids this week. I made the usual potato salad and Pasta salads for the event (without eatting it). Usually when I make my salads I would have a bowl of each. When the food was served I kept busy, I even stood in the pool with my granddaughter a little longer while everyone ate so I could mentally prepare myself . I ate a half of hot dog (no bun) I had bought over a few crackers and a slice of laughing cow lite cheese. When dessert was served there was a large variety of cheesecakes set on the table, i took a very small fork full from my husbands for taste and served myself some fresh fruit. I survived my first family outting with tons of food and managed. Yes, I am not going to lie there was temptation. I knew this was going to be the first in many temptations to come. While I sat at the table looking at all the food, I thought to myself how much I would of ate last year. I will try hard to continue to not let food be the center of my world, at least for now I conquered one!

sparingly of course, .... be mindful of the calories/fat intake for the day

Avacados are sooooooooo healthy! I love them! I mix them in everything!

A perfect drink to that will quench your thirst, perfect for on the go.... Did I mention it is good for you and taste great! By: Apple & Eve Fruitables - Fruit & Vegtable drinks (juice box size) 6.75 ounces (= 1 serving combined a of fruit & vegtable) Nutrition: 6.75 oz. juice box Calories 30 Sodium 15 mg Total Fat 0 g Potassium 0 mg Saturated 0 g Total Carbs 7 g Polyunsaturated 0 g Dietary Fiber 0 g Monounsaturated 0 g Sugars 6 g Trans 0 g Protein 0 g Cholesterol 0 mg Vitamin A 10% Calcium 0% Vitamin C 100% Iron 0%

Just fluffy, thank you for that information I truly am taking in all the feedback as I read. I am on the surgeon around the clock. In the next 2 weeks if there is no changes at all with my reflux I will start getting tested (upper gi series, etc.) I will continue to take the acid blocker as well. The only changes I have had over the weeks is that my tongue is no longer white. OMG it was dreadful the dry white tongue. Its back to its own color now, but i do have the foam and am praying that it goes away. I am doing everything right by the book and want this band to stay in as long as possible, unless of course to no fault of my own it has to be removed for any medical or emergency reason. And you are right about the sugary drinks, after I drank prune juice (4 ounces) I immediately started to foam. I write down everything that triggers the acid. Althought I have to admit I went to the bathroom after that (amen), LOL However, I do not drink anything but Water. I noticed now that any sugar free drinks like crystal light and even diet ice tea triggers. Most all sugar free items are triggering the symptoms, such as ss ice pops,ss pudding, and ss Jello. This is leaving me with barely any choices to eat to curb any cravings I might have. I had watermelon and a peach and was okay. (I did remove the skin from the peach). So far with foods I haven't found anything that is triggering the symptom, as of yet ... I am so sorry you had to go through all that, and you are right, some things are just out of our control and we are not to be blamed! Thank you again so much for your advise, Much continued success to you -Patty

Everytime I see that commercial I sooooo want to buy one!!!! Let us know how it works and if it really does the job with those heavy duty fruits and veggies

Yea that is scary, I think all of us going into this type of surgery worries about our liver not shrinking. I mean you lost 20 pounds and one would think that would be enough to perform gastric banding. Its so crazy to think that some surgeons don't even require a pre-op diet. It certaintly sends mixed signals around the board. However, we now have full proof that you need to stay strict to what 'your' surgeon's requirements are... You can do this FOXY747!!!!

ohh wow, I went from very light little periods each month, and after surgery I had an 9 day practically hemorage period, blah!! I am perimenopausal so this heavy flow was not something I was looking forward to, I wish it would just gooooooo away forever! LOL

Familygirl, thank you.. I hope to be post something positive on this soon!! feel better yourself

They did not do an upper gi series pre-op testing because I have no history of acid reflux. They do check for hiatial hernias during the surgery and repair it while getting banded. Yes, I do burp/belch all day long, even after drinking Water. Yes, I do trust these surgeons they are the best in NJ that we have. There are 4 surgeons on call at all times no matter who I get they are very very good. She did mention to give it some time that they have patients who never had reflux and get it after being banded,but it goes away over time. I have to say looking at my tongue from weeks ago to now its a huge difference, its pink and not covered in white anymore, thank goodness for that! If this persists I am certain she will do some testing on me, Thanks for your help that means a lot

I am so lucky I have found this site. It helped prepare me for what I 'might' expect after surgery. I know what I have to do to get through. I have met a wonderful friend on here who has litterally helped me through this journey before, during , and after! I am doing everything by the book, even though I have hit a bump in the road right now (not of any fault of mine). I am dealing with this now and I am thankful I have my friend Missy their to give me reassurance and encouragement (she is the pro). I have read the good,bad, and ugly. Even with all that I did what I felt was right for me and I was going to make sure I put every effort to use this band as a tool only. I have to admit, I was scared reading some things that were posted, and at times I did cry because I was scared. My main goal here is to get healthy and I am going to do whatever I can in my power to get there...