SashaWLS

Thanks so much!!! I do feel like I'm more likely to be empty than full, and I haven't walked much this afternoon. Appreciate your response. It's VERY weird not knowing what's going on with my body!!!

Any advice for how to avoid?

I'm day 3 post-op. Am I just full? Is this gas? I feel slightly nauseous. I keep having these hard, painful burps. And it feels sort of uncomfortable, like heartburn but not quite, just above my diaphragm... WTH is going on?? I was totally fine 5 minutes ago, and I haven't had anything to drink for about 1/2 hour. Last thing I drank was a mug of senna tea (for the constipation). I started drinking about an hour ago and it took me about 1/2 hour to finish... Is this normal? Is this what being over-full feels like? yech!

I desperately wanted the sleeve... I have absolutely no intention of having this reversed... I want this to be permanent... But, it really came down to a numbers game for me: -- The mortality rate for the sleeve is 1/200... In the band it's 1/2000. -- 1% of the people who get the sleeve have a leak, and if they do, they're in AGONY in and out of the hospital for possibly 5-6 months at a time -- My doctor said that 1/3 of the people who get bypass or sleeve gain it back with no other option afterwards than to get the band (i.e. carny wilson). But if you have the band and start to gain, you can get filled... IMHO, the sleeve is a fabulous option when it works. But the risk that it could turn out to be a total disaster is way way way too high for me... I have a family that loves me and a 4 year old daughter. I don't have the right to gamble with something that could take me out...

This is the hardest part. The pre-op stuff. Because you CAN eat. And you believe that soon you won't be able to. So you want to even more. But here's the thing, I keep reading this over and over and over again... You WILL be able to eat afterwards. And it's possible that you'll even be able to eat anything you could eat before—only in smaller portions. You're not alone. I was banded 3 days ago and was petrified leading up to it. I'm also a food addict, and it's TERRIFYING knowing that you're about to cut off your "supply" to your drug... But you know what? I'm doing ok. I don't really crave anything right now. I've had a popsicle, I've had a couple of lollypops, and a lot of tea, and a lot of Soup, and I wonder if I'm drinking too much... But I'm really ok. This isn't too much. It doesn't feel overwhelming now that I've done it. Just get through this hard part (anticipation) and get over to the other side. You'll be fine... But you have to get here!! Don't cheat so much that the doctors won't do the surgery! Just try to be a robot for a few more days, do what you're supposed to do, and you'll be fine!!!! And post here if you feel like you can't handle it. We're here for you.

I took 3tsp of liquid Vicodine every 4 hours (dose was 2-4tsp) the day of surgery and the next day... The following day I only took it once in the afternoon and twice at night... Today I think I'm done...

Hi there! I had mine Weds and I know what you mean about eating. I went out with my mom this morning to a coffee shop and realized that I was pretty stuffed after drinking my cup of tea, and wasn't going to get the Soup down. It's very very strange to just stop there and think "Ok, I guess I'm done." I'm not looking forward to feeling hungry though! And I hear that should start soon...

Mine was 5 protein shakes a day, and no more than 1000 calls total... Can also have 2cup non-starchy veggies a day...

I did have 3 glasses of Motzah-ball soup broth which I guess is pretty fatty. Otherwise I'm having tomato soup and protein shakes... And tea...

Hi- Was banded Weds am and feel pretty good... I was wondering how much liquid y'all are drinking... My doc said 6-8 eight oz cups was the goal, but I get that pretty easy. Am I doing something wrong? Should it be harder to drink?

The first 5 days are the worst. Get through that, and you'll be ok. It takes some time for the last stuff you've eaten to make it through your system, but once it's through, your cravings will go down a lot. Additionally, I would recommend doing some meditation. Get one of those guided meditation CDs or something. They're dorky, but it will calm your mind down. I'm the most cynical, cranky New Yorker and I don't like the new-age sh** at all. But I used meditation when I did a cleansing fast a couple of years ago and it was surprisingly helpful. Once I even start crying in the middle of it. No idea why. Good luck to you. You can do this if you decide to do it.

I slept on my side last night (had surgery in the morning) and was ok. It was little more painful than on my back, but so much more comfortable!! I can't wait till I heal a little more so I can do half belly half side again!

In the future we'll have Lap-Band-Filling-Stations on every corner.

My insurance covered it, but self-pay would have been $17,000.

Well, I did it. I'm on the other side!! I was the doctor's first patient yesterday at 8:30am and had to be there at 6:30. I wasn't particularly nervous until I left my family and got into the OR. But was oddly comforted when I looked over the resident's shoulder to see her playing Draw Something on her iPhone. We had a good laugh guessing bagpipes, and it made me feel like this wasn't going to be a big deal... Surgery took an hour end to end, and recovery was fine, though they made my mom and husband leave the room and even though I kept asking for my husband, they never got around to letting him back in... I suggest if you want your significant other to be in there with you, urge them to be a little aggressive about it and keep trying to go in... Left the hospital around 5pm. A little sore, but not too bad. Mostly EXHAUSTED! The worst part has been my throat. The breathing tube just destroyed it. I've been using the numbing spray, which helps a lot, and lollypops, which helps a little, but is a little too sticky-sweet... It's weird, before surgery I was all about the sweet. After surgery I'm all about the savory... I was able to get down surprisingly more liquid than I thought I would!! But because of my throat, BY FAR the most helpful thing to drink has been matzoh-ball Soup broth. I made my husband go out to the Jewish Deli last night (it felt like a pregnancy craving, HAD to have it!!) and it lived up to every fantasy. There's something amazing about the heat and all those spices like dill and pepper that opens up my throat. I feel like a sponge filling up. As others here have described, my stomach has been achy, but not really painful. It's like I've been kicked in the stomach, or did too many sit-ups. The later it got last night, the worse it got though. And even exhausted, I had a pretty bad night... I just couldn't get comfortable or fall asleep.... And every time I did fall asleep, I'd JOLT awake to one of those dreams where you're afraid you're holding a drink or your computer and are about to drop it... This went on for hours, and I finally started crying I was so tired... The only way I was ultimately able to fall asleep was by laying on my side. It hurt a little more in that position, but since it's my usual position, I think I was asleep in less than a minute... Woke up at 5:30am feeling tight and dry in my stomach. Like a scab feels tight... Took meds, drank some broth, and feeling really good. Very well rested, relaxed, and it's a lot easier to get up and down from the bed and walk around. My shopping list for post-surgery: - GasX strips that melt on your tongue - throat spray - Lollypops - Hot Drinks with lots of flavor—home-made chicken soup broth, tomato soup, tea, etc - cold with a lot of flavor—V-8 juice, diet sports drinks, crystal light, etc. - bed tray would have been nice... - and if you wear reading glasses, make sure you don't leave them at work. Anyway, I'm so excited to be feeling better today. I had such a great sleep!!! I'm looking forward to taking a walk around the block later, get some air.

mine's on wednesday, so I'm in the same boat... good luck to you!!

I totally relate to your post and all the replies... I haven't been banded yet (april 18th) but this is totally my worst fear... I will say that my surgeon warned me that if I was ever told to "try harder" or "muscle through it" or "just go see the dietician" that the band probably isn't tight enough. I'm nervous to see for myself what this is all about.

I wanted the sleeve because I have absolutely no intention of having this reversed... I want this to be permanent... But after doing a lot of research and not rushing into surgery, the decision came down to a numbers game... -- The mortality rate for the sleeve is 1/200... In the band it's 1/2000. -- 1% of the people who get the sleeve have a leak, and if they do, they're in AGONY in and out of the hospital for possibly 5-6 months at a time -- 1/3 of the people who get bypass or sleeve gain it back with no other option afterwards than to get the band (i.e. carny wilson) IMHO, the sleeve is a fabulous option when it works. But the risk that it could turn out to be a total disaster is way way way too high for me... I have a family that loves me and a 4 year old daughter. I don't have the right to gamble with something that could take me out...

There's a video of my surgeon (who's also had the lap band surgery) talking about how he likes to have a couple of drinks every day. Towards the end he talks about how he could lose probably 10lbs more if he were to cut out the couple of drinks he has a night.. But that those drinks are good from a cardiovascular and pleasure point of view. http://mc-rms01.med.nyu.edu/qtmedia/013_is_it_possible_to_get_too_thin__medium.mov So there we have it. A world class surgeon's opinion probably trumps ours...

Does it have to be an all or nothing thing... Making lifestyle changes doesn't necessarily mean becoming a nun... :-)

It's my most comfortable position, and I'm afraid I won't be able to later... Are you able to?

I started yesterday and posted a very similar post about hating all the drinks I had tried... But today I found one I like -- Lean Shake, you can get it at GNC. The chocolate tastes like a Yoohoo..

Thanks for all the suggestions... I will try some of these! But I did find one that I really like at GNC — "Lean Shake" — it's much thinner than the Muscle Milk Light, so it tastes a lot like a Yoohoo...

Today's day one of liquids, I'm being banded on April 18th... Isopure is sort of ok. I got one big one down, but it leaves a weird coating in my mouth so I can't do more than a few sips at a time without getting grossed out... I managed to down a Muscle Milk light, which was pretty think and kind of gross, but at least I got that in... But now I'm so hungry!!!!!! I ordered the

I hope to be in your shoes someday!! Congratulations.