SashaWLS

Hmmm... Not sure, but here's what I had today so far... breakfast protein shake - 170cal lunch 2oz-ish grilled salmon - abt 100cal 3 artichoke hearts - abt 90cal 4-5 thin apple slices - abt 15cal also a couple of calcium chews - 30cal Total so far is around 400... I figure I'll probably have a dinner something like lunch... So figure I'm getting around 600-800 a day?

Hrm. No idea. Sorry. I would call your doc, and make sure you're drinking enough water! Don't get dehydrated.

in the words of my husband... "never leave a good party in search of a better one"

What about vitamins? Are you taking iron and calcium at the same time? Your body can't absorb both...

Maybe it's more dairy than your body can handle? Are the protein shakes dairy free?

Welcome!! Sorry you've had such a hard time of it. Wanted to share that I had left-side pain (like a runners cramp, under my left rib) for about a week and a half after surgery. It seemed to get much worse before it got better and I couldn't put ANY pressure on my left side, not even to sleep... At my one-week checkup I was still in a lot of pain, but the doc showed me the xray from the esophogram and she said "See this white cotton looking stuff over here that's the size of a softball? That's gas!" But it did go away! I'm 3 weeks post-op and totally pain free. Good luck to you!

Hi there... We were banded the same day. I had some trouble going the first few days, and some funky stomach and back and forth between constipated and diarrhea while I was getting used to eating again, but I've been pretty regular for the last 2 weeks... Have you tried calling your doctor? What are you eating? Did you have something that didn't agree with you? Beans, something fizzy, spicy? Too much dairy? Too much oil? Anything you can trace this back to?

FYI Kathie, you can appeal your insurance denial. I've heard that some people got the decision reversed. Good luck to both of you!

I was banded 4/18 — lost 12 in the preop diet and 14 the week after surgery. No idea how much I've lost in the last 2 weeks cause I don't have a scale, but I'm hoping it'll be lots when I weigh in next Thursday. My clothes are loose, I feel good, and my husband said I feel smaller when he hugs me. That said, I bought some pants one size down and they DEFINITELY don't fit yet...

I don't know about all the really bad stuff, but I recommend really doing your homework about what surgeon to use, and what after-care they have. From my research, good aftercare is as important if not more than the surgeon... I've only been banded 3 weeks, but I've already lost 26lbs since the pre-op diet, though it's likely considerably more because I haven't weighed myself since my first checkup two weeks ago... So far so good. The surgery was easy. Recovery wasn't too bad. Eating now is weird. I just had my first "stuck" today on day 2 of real food because I swallowed some mango too quickly before I finished chewing. I guess old habits die hard. But it wasn't SO bad. It certainly didn't feel worse than after a huge binge where I not only felt gross physically but also totally hated myself on top of it... It was just uncomfortable for a while. And yes, people have complications and slips and all sorts of things that go wrong. But people also have diabetes and bad hips and ankles and get out of breath tying their shoes... So it's all relative. In the end, I figure I have to at least try, and we'll see what happens from there... And FWIW, I never ACTUALLY decided I was going to get banded. I put a stake in the ground one day and said "I need this" and then went to an info session. Then a few days later I found myself calling for the surgical consult. And then, I don't know, somehow one foot was in front of the other and here I am banded. It's really all about what YOUR pros and cons are. If you think you need it, and you want it, do it. Don't let fear of the unknown hold you back. But if you don't think you need it, or aren't sure you want it, then think about it some. You're young. Take the time you need. But I'm glad I did it.

LOL! I was like WTH???? :-) Hope everything goes well.

I used to love Crystal Lite and diet iced tea, but for some reason both taste weird to me since the band... My favorite post-band is Powerade Zero. Tastes like a Gatorade.

Thanks. I was feeling like such a loser for messing this up day 2! I appreciate your words coming from someone who's been doing this a long time...

Ok, I posted first around 11am, and now it's almost 1pm and I think it's passed... About 5 minutes ago I felt a weird "glurp" in my chest and a small relief in pressure, I wasn't sure if that was it passing through because I'm still not totally better, but I do think that was it... I'm still uncomfortable and still have pressure and burping, but I don't have that golfball feeling anymore... Guess I'll stick to liquids today.

This actually sounds like a band success story in the making, and the reason I was excited about the band over other forms of WLS... You know how to do this and be successful. Now you just need to do it and you'll be back there again.

I was banded 4/18 and started real food yesterday. Now, I am learning my first lesson in what it means to have a stuck episode... I was doing great, ate some rasberries, cottage cheese, mango... And then I ate a bite of mango and swallowed before I meant to. If I could have pulled it back out at that instant I would have, I knew it was too big... I'm so thankful I don't have any restriction because I'm uncomfortable even without any. That was an hour ago and I'm still stuck with this lump in my chest and I'm burping like crazy. It's not painful, just VERY uncomfortable. So much for my dreams of being 10 years without ever getting stuck or needing a fill... Oh well.

Well, it's an hour later and I'm still very uncomfortable and still burping. No extra saliva, no pain, but I feel like there's a golf ball in my chest. Hope this eventually goes through. :-( I did some reading on here and I'm going to try to sip a little hot tea. Maybe that will make this go down better. UGH!!!

I'm scared... I have this lump in my throat and I'm burping some, and I feel uncomfortable. But so far no extra saliva and no pain... Praying this goes down and wasn't as bad as I fear...

3 weeks post-op, day 2 real food... I just took a bite of mango and swallowed too quick—I think is going to be too big. It feels bad already and it isn't even in my stomach yet... Is there anything I can do early, before it gets stuck? I'd like to avoid throwing up as I'm not too long post-op... Is there anything I can do?? Or I guess I just have to wait.

I would be scared too... But don't put off calling. Maybe it's just a matter of getting some antibiotics. Or getting something slightly tweaked so you can be more comfortable!! Just because it feels all weird doesn't mean it's a big huge problem where they're going to remove it. Call asap so you can get this worry off your shoulders!!

sounds like she was so jealous she couldn't stand it... sorry you had to deal with that, but it sounds like she's got issues...

Sal, I'm so sorry about your brother. I can't imagine what you must be going through.

Hey good luck, you'll do great. See you on the other side!!

Hi... I'm 3 weeks postop and I'm finding that there are a whole host of foods that used to taste awesome that no longer taste good. The shakes, for one, used to taste like chocolate milk, but now they just taste sour. And yogurt tastes weird. I had to get my husband to taste it and tell me if it was off, because it tasted so sour to me... Has this happened to anyone else?

I'll tell you, getting to mushies opened up more problems than it solved... I was desperate to get to mushies, but then having to figure out what the hell to eat was a whole other can of worms. Nothing tastes good, nothing feels right, it's all weird... And on some level I feel like I'm failing "Being Human 101" by not knowing what to eat!!!