Jellyfish

For the most part I'm doing okay, I've been up and walking every hour and I haven't had hardly any gas pains so that's awesome. But I can't seem to get water down for anything. I hope that will get better as time passes.

I feel SO silly asking this question so don't laugh at me, but I cannot for the life of me manage to drink any water without swallowing a bunch of air in the process. I'm only 1 day post-op so I'm worried about damaging my band if I can't find a way around this. I don't have any fill yet, so I am able to bring the air back up, but it feels a little tight going down which is pretty scary. Is this normal? Any suggestions?

Maybe my sips have been too big. It's gotten worse, I almost feel like I'm stuck right now, but I don't know what I could possibly be stuck on. All I've had was half a protein shake, some clear chicken brother and water.

Thanks Mybella! Those are really neat, I love the cup that measures your water intake.

They told me no straws at first, but that I could try 3 months post op and see if they work for me then. So for now I'm drinking out of cups or bottles of water. I LOVE those plastic cups with the straws, maybe I've just gotten used to those. I'm glad to her that you swallow air too, that's a relief. I guess I just never noticed it before the band.

LOL! Man now I want one...

Congrats! Best wishes to you, that two weeks is going to fly by.

I live in Houston just west of the Galleria area. I'd be happy to be your band buddy! Looks like I was banded just one day after you so congrats!

Where are you located? Houston When did/do you get your band? Today! August 2nd What do you like/look forward to do(ing) for exercise? I'm going to get Zumba 2 for the Wii, then hopefuly take some classes later. Once I lose a few pounds, I'm going to try the couch 2 5K method of running, but until then I do a lot of dog walking. What's your fave thing to eat? Fried foods and carbs of coure! But since those aren't on the menu, there is this amazing Greek across from my house that I've been frequenting. Almost everything there is healthy and it's all made fresh right in front of you. Fave music groups/artists/types? I still love 90s rock/metal, but since there are no radio stations that play it, I will listen to anything with a nice beat... except kesha, she annoys the tar out of me. What are you looking forward to? Call me shallow, but I''m looking forward to the day when I get hit on by complete strangers again. I'm also looking forward to knee high boots and being able to wear a real bathing suit! Anything else you want to tell us? I'm a mom to a wonderful 7 year old boy who has been taking good care of me since surgery. I work long hours because I am the only income in our three person family. My husband is currently in school and I can't wait for him to finish and get a job! I also have a lot of hobbies that I try to make time for. I play the harp and the flute, I knit, and I like to make digital paintings in Photoshop.

Good luck Dian, wishing you a safe and smooth surgery. I got there early this morning, about 6:30 with a 7am surgery. They put me under at about 8am and I left at 11:30 this morning. One thing I wish I'd brought was a light cotton jacket/hoodie. The IV left me pretty cold. I was under blankets and the nurse put a heater in with me, but once I had to get up and start walking around in my clothes, I was freezing. The pain isn't too bad, but I did request more medicine at the hospital just to be safe. I woke up with horrible gas pain, but the walking helps a LOT. I've probably only walked for 20 minutes total today and it's almost gone now. They also gave me a little machine to take home to practice my breathing. It's hard to take deep breaths right now, but maybe that's from the leftover gas pains.

Thanks everyone for the tips! I hadn't thought about chapstick, I will definitely pack some of that. I only live like 20 minutes away from the hospital I'm probably being dramatic... oh well. Off to bed now, bandland tomorrow!!

I had a headache throughout, but the hunger left almost entirely by day three for me. The headache will probably get better as time goes by, I think mine was from caffeine withdrawal, so if that's the case for you a few sips of black coffee (yuck) will really help. Or you might just be a little dehydrated, so make sure you're drinking plenty of water. Water also helps some with the hunger, and if you drink your shakes and eat your food really really slowly, that will also help the hunger. Hang in there! It will get better.

I want to go to a water park in a REAL bathing suit. No more t-shirts and shorts. I already have a trip planned for next July so I'm hoping that will help me stay on track. Also knee high boots... I have a hard time with them anyway since I wear a size four, but I'm still gonna try to find some, darnit!!

You can make it seven days no problem. Just keep that goal in mind and don't stray for anything. Days 3-4 were where it got rough for me, but it got better again after that. If you take teensy bites, eat slowly, and drink lots of water, you'll have an easier time. Good luck!!

What a fun topic! It's neat to find people with my same date. I'm scheduled on August 2nd, only two days away!! Can't wait!!!

Hi there. Well, I'm on day 8 now of my two week pre-op diet. Two or three days ago, I suddenly couldn't finish my Protein shake. I had been liking them just fine up to that point, but suddenly they're making me sick. I switched to a different brand and I'm doing okay so far with those. But my real problem now is at dinner when I'm allowed to have a small meal consisting of 4 oz of protein and a cup of fruits and veggies. The protein is making me so sick I can barely finish it. Last night I had baked skinless chicken and tonight I had my favorite ever, tofu. (I'm weird I know) The food tastes fine, but it still makes me feel sick. Did anyone else go through this? Any suggestions on how I could change my diet maybe to make it better? I'm getting about 500 calories a day, it dropped down to nearly 400 the past couple of days because of this issue. I know that's probably too low but I haven't been too hungry and I'm feeling okay for the most part. I'm still taking my 30-60 minute daily walks too. I'm definitely not pregnant, the doctor tested me for that last week when I went in for something else. So I'm really clueless here. Any help would be SO appreciated!

That's not true, I started with a six month requirement but True Results called me right before my fourth visit to tell me about the changes. They bumped up my next visit so I could take my lab work and I was submitted to Cigna soon after that. They approved me on the first try.

Thanks for the tips. I have been taking teeny bites and chewing well, trying to get myself used to eating slowly. I haven't cheated even the tiniest bit and I had been feeling better so I really thought I was over the worst of it, but then the nausea started. I only have a few days left now, I guess I'll just have to grin and bear it.

They wanted me to lose 10 pounds in 2 weeks. I lost all 10 by day 6. They'll probably give you a mostly or completely liquid diet to follow and as long as you stick to it, you should have no problem losing that weight.

So the psychiatrist said you were stable and the insurance disagreed? Definitely appeal. Sometimes they just want to make us jump through hoops to make sure we're serious. I'm sorry that you're having to go through this...

Hooray!!! Congrats, I'm glad everything came out okay and I hope they can get you scheduled soon!

I posted this somewhere else, but just in case you didn't see I'll put it here too. I'm with Cigna and they did approve me on the first try. They have their requirements listed on their website, and from what I hear as long as you have all of the required paperwork submitted, they're pretty good about approving you. So I think this is a great insurance company to be with for the band. They did make me wait the full 30 days that they were legally allowed though, no matter how many times I called. My theory is that the only way to get that expedited is to have your surgeon give them a preliminary surgery date. My surgeon doesn't schedule preliminary dates until after insurance approval because of how many people they get, and they told me that ALL of their Cigna patients have to wait the 30 days. I've seen a lot of people on here who didn't have to wait though, so if you can get your doctor to send in a preliminary surgery date when he submits you to Cigna, you may have a quicker wait time. Good luck!

The pre-op diet is definitely getting easier as the time goes by. I had a pretty horrible experience today though. I have been LOVING my Pure Protein vanilla shakes this whole time. I made mine today at lunch and couldn't finish more than three sips, it made me want to throw up. I'm not sure why, I wasn't nauseated aside from that and it didn't really taste bad. So I guess now I have to find something different that I can stomach. Skipping a meal on the pre-op is NOT fun, I felt horrible all day but I managed to still get in my 60 minutes of walking. Trying to stay on track!

Ugh I feel you on the clothes, especially the bras. Mine are 60 bucks a pop and they come from Britain so I have a hard time getting the size right.I don't have nearly as much clothing as I should because they're either so expensive or they don't fit. Lane Bryant depresses me, I go in there looking for cute tops but all I ever find are overpriced muumuus. I can't WAIT to go shopping and actually ENJOY it! I can't help too much on the insurance, but I am guessing they won't make you take another sleep study if they already know you have sleep apnea. Even if they do, most of them are done at home these days. They just mailed me the machine, I slept with it on for two days, then shipped it back ore-paid. Mine had this horrible voice, it talked at me and told me (when I was asleep) that it was out of position, then my husband would laugh at me. I was super embarassed over it for some reason haha! Believe it or not, the reflux may help you out. A lot of people with bad heartburn also have a hiatal hernia, and even if your insurance won't pay for the band, they will pay for that. Some surgeons will put in your band when they go in to repair the hernia, so your insurance covers the hernia and you will only have to pay for the band. Fills aren't usually cheap though, so make sure you don't forget about those whatever you do! Those are some great goals you have in mind, good luck!!

That's very specific, I'm surprised they let you have bread. Wish I could have bread!! I get two 140 cal shakes a day and one very small meal at dinner. I'm on day 5 now and granted it's early, but I'm feeling a lot better than I was yesterday