uiwleelee

Hey everyone.

I'm kinda just here. It's been one week since I started regular food, and all I can say is that I've been pretty naughty. I haven't reverted back to any old lifestyle choices (like fast food twice a day, every day), but man, it sure is hard to cut carbs down to only 30g a day. I'm still working on that.

I think my swelling is officially gone, because I don't have anymore restriction. I can pretty much eat regular portions now, but I still have to chew, chew, chew or I'll give myself a stomach ache, and that just plain sucks. If I take too big of a bite, I also have trouble breathing afterward. It's teaching me to eat slower and chew more, which is a big turnaround from all the inhaling of my food I did before, lol.

My first fill is schedule for July 19th. I can't wait to see how that goes.

My tear day was day 3. I agree with everyone that we all have one of those days. Now that I'm on day 17, I feel fantastic, so it DEFINITELY gets better.

Sent from my Evo.

I got the OK to actually start real food instead of mushies. They recommended soft foods for a couple of days, though, so I can work my way up. I ate some salmon and steamed carrots today, and it was delicious. I made sure to chew everything really well, too.

I am definitely eating less than I did before surgery. I'm not sure if it's because of residual swelling, or I'm actually getting restriction from the placement of the band, but I could only eat about a quarter of my salmon and about four baby carrots. Yeah, four weeks ago, I would've ate the entire plate, and a dessert. No kidding.

My dietician also convinced me to join her team for a marathon in November. I'm kinda excited for it. I'm going to train for the walking/jogging team, so now I have a goal to reach.

What kind of goals are everyone setting for themselves? My first goal is Onderland! It's not that far away now. I'm hoping to meet it by my first fill on August 1. When I get to 190 I have a reall cute outfit I haven't worn in 6 six years that I'd like to wear before summer is over as hopefully next year it'll be WAY too big!

I suppose my first goal would be to get down to 230 by September. I'm hoping that's reasonable enough.

Today I get to start mushy food. I have never, ever been so excited to start eating refried Beans in my entire life.

Also, I have never, EVER been so constipated in my entire life.

On a side note I have to go out of town on my day 10 so I hope I am almost to 100% by then too!

Today is my day 10, and I'm completely ready to go back to work. I go back on Wednesday. Also, good luck with your surgery. I hope all goes well.

So, nothing new to report, guys. I'm still starving, and I'm still frustrated about it, but eh... I can't really do much about it. I e-mailed my doctor about starting mushies and some other questions, but he hasn't got back to me yet. I hope he's not on vacay yet.

So, I have a question. Have any of you started exercising yet? Even if it's just a walking routine. I'm still dreading walking. I went up some stairs on Friday (it wasn't even a lot), and I almost died. My quads were killing me and my knees felt like they were going to give out by the top step. Then, going down the stairs, my knees were wobbly. Can you say severely out of shape? I guess my real question is, how did you get yourself up and moving? I'm terrified of working out because, well, it hurts.

About 40 hours away from surgery now (Tues am). Can hardly wait. 9th day of Pre-op diet which hasn't been too tough overall, except to say I really miss chewing! I'm anxious somewhat about post - op issues I've seen from various posts. I still can't figure out why people say they have shoulder pain for days/weeks due to anesthesia, and why even after a wk post-op people can barely swallow sips of Water. I'd say that last one is my biggest fear, not being able to swallow/gag. WHY does that happen when the band isn't even filled at first, nor is it in your throat??? Has anyone out there had a fairly smooth post-op in the first week or two?

The shoulder pain is due to the trapped gas from surgery. I still don't know why it only travels up to the left shoulder, but honestly, I never had too much of an issue with that. Just a slight aching, like I slept wrong the night before, for one or two days. People not being able to swallow after surgery happens for a number of reasons. I know there's a condition some patients have where the esophagus forgets how to swallow or something like that... (someone back me up here...)

I'd like to think I had a really smooth recovery period. I was banded on the 15th, so today is what, day 9 for me? I swear to you I'm at nearly 100%. My gas pain went away after two days, so I stopped my pain meds after two days. My appetite returned after 4 days (that's not necessarily a good thing since I'm starving all the time now). The rest of the week, I just had to deal with some soreness around my port area from standing up/sitting down. The worst part was getting out of bed because of the stinging sensation from bending my torso, but even that's gone away now. Honestly, I could have went back to work on Thursday and been totally fine.

I really do agree with all the other Bandsters out there who say that walking, walking, walking after surgery is the key to a speedy recovery. And Water. I had trouble getting all my water down due to the swelling in my tummy making me full so fast, but that goes away too.

Now, on a different note, who here is comfortable talking about BMs? Because I had my first one today, and I thought I was going to die.

uiwleelee,

try some other thicker Soups, just drain out the solids, thats what i did with some hot and sour Soup, it was amazing-i think the corn starch helped with the feeling of fullness! btw how are you feeling, day 9 and im feeling 85% better thank God! just a little sore and a little gas but im starting to feel like my old self, minus the constant itchy feeling around my stitches! let me know how the Soups are working out!

I am back from the dead! (Actually, I was just had a lazy today yesterday, and super busy day today )

So, as for the soups, I bought some Tomato Soup. The fuller liquids help...but not really. My hunger has taken on a vicious cycle. I'll eat some soup/pudding/Jell-o, get full off of a little bit (half a can of Soup or 1 pudding cup/Jello-cup), and then two hours later, Armageddon is occurring in my stomach again and it's just grumbling to be fed. I hate this. I hate having to eat every two hours, and I hate that I can only eat soup. Pretty much, pudding and Jell-o don't go down well in my tummy ( and I have no idea why), chicken broth goes through me like Water, and if I ever have to see another SF popsicle again, I will kill someone with said popsicle.

I think I'm just frustrated. I've never been restricted on what I can and cannot eat. At least during the pre-op diet, I had the ability to sneak some chips in if I wanted. Now, if I did that, I could potentially harm myself and my band, which would be no bueno. Is anyone else as frustrated? Do any of you guys have the same crazy hunger cycle as me?

I wouldn't be too upset if I could start some mushies, because I know I'll stay fuller, longer. But I know if I ask my doc, he'll say no. *sigh*

I have humongous thighs. I have never been able to wear shorts that didn't reach my knees. Ever. I can't wear a bathing suit either because of the chafing. Last summer, I wore trunks that were too thin out to a waterpark, and came home with a horrible burn between my thighs from all the chafing. Quite frankly, it sucks.

The things is, I see girls with thighs my size, sometime even bigger, that can wear short and walk around in them like no problem. Am I the only one who chafes like that? Or is there some miracle to prevent the chafing that I don't know about?

I really, really want mushy food.

I ate some potato Soup today. It went down fine, no nausea or discomfort whatsoever.

I need to know what some good full liquids are, because I'm starving, and I'm tired of SF popsicles.

Congratulations!!

I had my surgery on Friday, about two days before my period was due. I still haven't started, and haven't had my usual warning signs either (mild cramps). I'm just waiting for the throwdown, though, since I have no clue when it will start up again.

Did everyone get an incentive spirometer? Because I didn't. :/

Sent from my Evo.

I hope everyone who had their procedure day comes home safe and sound.

I'm back from the dead. Day 3 killed me. Nausea and a Migraine for a good 14 hours straight is not my cup of tea. At least today I feel tons better, and I don't need to take my pain meds anymore!

Also, if you guys get an opportunity, I would really appreciate it if you would stop by my blog and follow me. If you have a blog, I will follow you right back. I noticed a lot of Bandsters who blogged about their experience had a lot of success in their weight loss goals. I could use the support. The link is in my signature.

Are you taking gas-x strips? I swore by those for the first six days. As far as coughing up phlegm, I would call your doctor. You don't want pneumonia. Are you taking deep breaths with the incentive spirometer? I did have mucous for a few days post op.

I don't have any GasX strips, but I did take a chewable GasX yesterday. Are they not the same?

I'll email my doctor about phlegm. It's only a tiny little bit each day. And I wasn't given an incentive spirometer.

The first day, I only had a small sip or two of chicken broth. Today, which was my second day, I ate a whole sugar free popsicle. Well, almost a whole one. I don't know if I should have went so far with either of those.

Don't eat if you're not hungry. My doctor has explained carefully that after surgery, you may not be hungry for a few days, which is perfectly normal. In regards to the Protein, I was instructed not to start those until the second week. I'm still trying to figure out if the grumbling my stomach makes is from hunger or gas moving around.

Sent from my Evo.

Sorry for the repeat post.

sap1021,

You basically have all of the same symptoms I do. Little burps, full off of Water, lots of pain from coughing up phlegm. I don't even attempt to sleep on my side, though. I'm too scared. I sleep with my back propped up with some pillows, and lay on my back. I probably won't attempt to sleep on my side until the gas pain subsides.

Other than that, I tried to take my Nexium and gallbladder meds today, and had a hard time keeping them down. I emailed my doctor, and he told me to wait a week before taking them. I ate a sugar free popsicles today because my tummy was growling, then I felt sick afterward, like I overate. Seriously, my body needs to make up its mind already.

I took some GasX to see if it would relieve some of my pain, and it didn't. Nothing really changed, but I do feel like some of the pain has receded a little bit. I guess I'll just have to see how the dreaded Day 3 goes.

I was wondering, about how long does it take for the gas pain to go away? Those who were banded this month - when did you see some of that pain subside? I've been doing my walking every two hours and taking my pain meds, but jeez does it still hurt to sit down and get up. And I've been coughing up some phlegm every now and then, which hurts even more.

So my fiance has been so supportive with me throughout this whole thing...but lately his eating habits are off the charts its like he's trying to pick up my slack or something. (Like right now its also 11:30 pm and he's eating 3 hot dogs COVERED in mayo)...every time I call anything to his attention he's all "ok mom" or "anything else you wanna nag about?"....so FRUSTRATED right now and not sure what to do! Any suggestions? Thanks for letting me rant.

That's rough. I know, because my boyfriend did some of the same things. During my pre-op diet, he ate a huge pizza by himself in front of me while I was eating my measly dry tuna and green Beans. It was torture. In my opinion, it comes down to respect. I had that discussion with my boyfriend, and he didn't do it again. I carefully laid out to him that I love food, and when he eats in front of me like that, knowing fully well that I can't eat it, it's tempting and torturous and extremely bad for my weight-loss goals. Honestly, it's disrespectful, too. I don't try to nag at him for what he eats, I just told him, "If you're going to eat like that, do it away from me."

He's been really good with it. I think one of the main reasons is because we have different sleeping schedules, too, so he'll pig out after I've already gone to sleep. He has altered his diet some since I started my journey, and now drinks Protein shakes and tries to have a home-cooked meal for lunch at work (we work together), instead of ordering a pizza or Chinese. Yesterday, my tummy was grumbling and he made some beef fajitas while I was still awake. Oh man, did I want some. But I didn't scold him because he was getting his Protein in, and I was happy for him. I can only be on liquids now since I'm only 2 days post-op, and I completely understand what I need to do.

So, in my opinion, if you explain to him that it's not what he eats that bothers you, but when he eats it (i.e., in front of you), then it should change his perspective a little more.

I'm so sorry to hear that TreehouseLady!! In my opinion, I think they were probably right about your previous lab work, but something happened to where there wasn't a good communication and no one knew what happened. Have you scheduled your next surgery day yet?

I would say not to give up on the band. You lost a significant amount of weight on the pre-op diet, but I bet it was pretty difficult sticking to that hard regime. Imagine doing that long term. I honestly believe it is a short-term diet, and could potentially be harmful both mentally and physically if done for a long time. Especially if you loved to eat prior to the surgery.

I really want you to stay optimistic. Your delay sounds like a huge mistake made on your medical team's end, and I'm so sorry about that. But you came this far already, and it's just another road block you need to overcome. I hope that if you decide the continue to pursue the band, then please hold out for a little bit longer.

Has anyone else been hungry on day 1? My tummy is grumbling, and I think I'm gonna try and sip some chicken broth.

And boy, this gas pain is killing me. I've been walking every few hours, so I hope I can relieve some.

Follow me on My LapBand Adventure! www.uiwleelee.blogspot.com

Oh man! It's currently 5:50pm here in Texas, and I've been home since around 3:00. My surgery went A-ok! I'm going to post more about my experience on my blog later tonight.

Right now, I'm feeling super exhausted. I haven't been awake much since I came out of OR. For this being my first surgery ever, it went really well. I have a TON of gas pain, though, and more pain around my port than anywhere else. I have meds for the pain, but they don't work too much on the gas. I just have to walk that off!

I'm not really nauseous, just really sleepy. I can SIP Water relatively well. I feel like I should be sipping more than I am, though. The only major discomfort is this gas pain. The nurse at the hospital told me GasX won't help. Has anyone else had any luck with it?

Congrats to all the ladies and/or gentlemen who were banded today! Yay, we did it!!!!

Follow me on My LapBand Adventure! www.uiwleelee.blogspot.com

I'm being banded tomorrow! I can't believe I've made it this far. I'm excited, nervous about the surgery, but totally ready for some time off work. ;P

I'm just glad I have the opportunity to make such an important change in my life. I wish nothing but the best for the other bandsters who are going through the surgery tomorrow, and all the others who are having their surgery soon as well!

Five more days!

Thanks for the encouragement! Only five more days.