secondchancesally

Post op day 5 here. I'm having trouble w protein AND fluids. I sip a 1/4c of protein shake over serval hours. I have 2 quarter cup portions of soup and that's all I can have all day. I feel uncomfortably full all day. Not hungry at all. Gotta get in more fluid or I'm gonna dry up. I have A appointment Monday but hurricane sandy is intervening.

Day 4 post band for me. Last night skipped the meds. My belly feels SO full on 4 sips. I'm not hungry at all so that's ok w me but I am working on getting enough fluid and protein in. I'm supposed to have2 protein shakes / day and I had about half of one. I'm supposed to have 4-6 cups liquid and I have about 2-3/ day. The scale dipped below 200 today! Suddenly I'm 197 and was 203 yesterday and that has to be fluid, right? 13 lbs down from start date. Today the weather is supposed to be awesome so I'm planning a stroll to the park. How are all my other October bandsters?

Yikes! This is getting really real! Today I went to a support group at NYU and met a bunch of awesome people who have lost tons of weight. They were really an inspiration and even the ones who were not losing as much as they would like or who were struggling to eat well all agreed it was the best thing they ever did. Are there any other october bandsters out there? I'm going to need you guys to get me through this. Let's do this together! Come on, don't make me hang out with the sept banisters! Post, my soon to be skinny sisters and brothers! I want to meet you!

So I was banded oct 22 and I just re read my post op diet orders. 6 glasses of fluids. 2 protein shakes. I can have tomato soup, broth, juice etc. the thing is, I feel SO full just taking my meds and a few sips of water. Until tonight I just had juice and after. So tonight I made some watered down tomato soup. I kid you not: I dipped the spoon and licked it off 5 times and I feel stuffed to the gills like the worst thanksgiving ever. I know this surgery is supposed to make you feel full fast. But this is crazy. I'm hoping I can digest and get more comfortable because I need to take 2 tsp of medicine and that seems lie a huge volume. I think I'm gonna call my dr tomorrow to make sure this is normal. I don't want to get dehydrated. It's just post op day 2. Anyone have this experience?

I am so jealous of y'all who are feeling great. I was banded oct 22 w hiatal hernia repair a d I feel like a truck hit me. Dr said no driving for 4 weeks! No lifting baby for 6 weeks. I'm at NYU and they're pretty famous so I trust them. But man, I'm in a whole lotta pain.

I was banded oct 22 and had hiatal hernia repair. stayed overnight and went home the next day. Well whoever that gal was who went back to work next day or strolled Walmart after surgery...she was a superhero. I'm in way a lot of pain. Last night I got up to pee and got all sweaty and tunnel vision and had to call my ex who is an ER doctor to come over. Despite sipping all day I was dehydrated. I was up most of the night, too nauseous to take my pain meds I just sipped water, then apple juice, eventually I got hydrated again. I'm feeling a bit better today, but can't manage anything with protein, it all seems too rich and I feel like I would risk throwing up. So I'm sticking w water and juice and taking meds every 4 hours. I know people refer to that's rid when you have no restriction as banister hell, but I am in my own personal bands year hell day 2 post op. everyone says it gets better, so I'm hanging in there. But I'm SO glad I took 2 weeks off. This is rough.

Thanks for the support Fallon. It's day 1 post op and I'm figuring out the pain meds. When they say stay on TOP of the pain that's good advice. I had my nurse wake me at 3 am to give me meds so when I had to pee at 6 I was ok. I am asking the I've meds on the dot instead of waiting. So far it's been tornados I'VE every 4 hours, Tylenol IVF every 4 hours and I've morphine as needed, bt I haven't needed it if I take the others. Since I'm heading home today I've switched to liquid lortab. I read on here someone once said it tastes disgusting so you only take if you really need it. That made me laugh because yes, they clearly made no attempt to give it a flavor and its right yellow color only adds to its appeal. But a sip of vegetable flavored herb ox boullion washed it down. I have no hunger, am walking every few hours and looking forward to being in my own bed tonight with my remote in hand and neighbors arranged to walk my dog twice a day. Yesterday sucked. But today's already looking brighter. And I didn't mention my hospital room in NYC has a view over the river into Brooklyn that is stunning. Can we add pictures on this forum? I wish. I'd share it with you all!

Tomorrow is my surgery date! I have to be there at 11. I've lost 7 lbs on pre op diet. Good luck fellow oct 22 bandsters. I sure am glad to have you all going thru this with me. I'll check in as soon as I'm able and hope to hear we all made it thru ok and are on our way to the next step of this journey!

Last night was my bday. My 2 best buds came over and had protein shakes w me. W played music and danced and carved pumpkins and my daughter put halloween tattoos on everyone. It was lots of fun and nice to be not food oriented. I am finding it really hard to do just the protein shakes. I'm allowed 2 cups of non starch veg or salad per day but no dressing or sauce or fat. That's the hard part. I'm craving salt. I could eat pickles all day. Yesterday I put no fat hot sauce on my veg and that was great. I have no cravings for sweet because that's all I eat all day with the shakes so even tho I'm allowed SF pudding jello and pops and I have them in my fridge I don't want them. I've tried the unjury chicken soup but since its not thick like the shakes it wasn't satisfying and my stomach growled til I could eat again 3 hours later. This weekend my daughter turns 2 and I have the challenge of making her a cake without licking anything!!! Then surgery is on Monday oct 22

Anyone in the NYC area, send me your emails, I'm hoping to get together an in person get together once we are all banded.

I had my pre op yesterday and My doctor told me to take an ativan before coming in to surgery with 1 sip of water because it will HELP anesthesia. How excited was I. He also gave me an ambien for the night before. Love it! Im a bundle of nerves and I'm one week out. I can only imagine how scared I'll be before. Blessings to all having surgery today. We all have our fingers crossed that all will go well and you will wake up pain ( and gas ) free and on your way to a new shot at a better life

I asked my dr about the gas x strips. She says they don't work. Apparently the as is carbon dioxide and you can't pass it by passing gas. Your body has to absorb it they the tissues, because its in your abdominal cavity, not the tube of your gut, and then you exhale it out. Yet everyone on these boards says gas x works! I've been looking fir the strips buy no pharmacy near me sells them.

I'm 4 days into liquid diet. So interesting because if I just have my 5 unjury shakes I'm fine. But if I eat my 2 cups of veggies as a substitute for one if them (I'm allowed thus option) I get into all kinds of head hunger. I start to crave what I can't have, I wanna add butter, salad dressing etc. but if I just stick to the shake I'm fine. Interesting how addiction is a slippery slope. I can see why alcoholics can't 'have a sip'. Incidentally I have reeled in my temptations and stuck to the diet. Just sharing. I can see that when I go back to food it may be a real challenge. I'm glad I'll have my band with me to help contain that urge to overeat. I'm on my way to NYU now for my pre op thinking, "oooh oooh child, things are gonna get easier" love that song.

praying for you

I really like the unjury brand chocolate splendor. It tastes just like a milkshake. I make it w 8oz almond milk and 4 ice cubes. Yum

First day of shakes pre op. I wasn't diligent about eating every 3 hours. Got busy taking care of kids and 5 hours passed and I was starving! In the pm I had veggies steamed and another protein shake. I fell kinda gross. Hoping this 2 weeks goes fast.

I'm on day 1 of my pre op liquid phase. I'm only allowed protein shakes 4 times a day and a cup of veggies at night. I can have coffee if I want, but I dont. I'm home watching my kids and I can see how once I'm back at work and distracted this will be easier. But if someone nuked some chi in the break room right now I'd probably knock them over and grab it.

Im curious to hear what the experience is like for you guys.

I really dont have much to report except that I'm in this weird holding pattern...nervous...excited...feeling prepared. My drawers are filled with my current size 18 which is really too tight but I am not going shopping now! Instead I stocked my drawers with stuff from storage that is the next two sizes down...Stuff I haven't worn in a while but am excited to! I also applied for 3 credit cards because, even though I have the cash saved for the surgery, I WANT THOSE MILES! No one credit card has a high enough limit and I've gotten some great sign on bonuses going on that will give me extra points for spending/charging in the first 3 months, Won't they be surprised when I charge up a $18K surgery! Its going to be a points extravaganza! Another interesting detail. I have been dating, and after 12 years of marriage its pretty weird. Since I'm a working Mom I dont have a lot of free time, so internet dating it is. So I recently went out with a guy I really liked. The emails and texts were witty and out first date lived up to my expectations. He was adorable, creative, expressive...we stayed out til 1 AM just talking. Then NOTHING. I was so sad. I had really thought he liked me. I assumed it had to be because of my weight. I just assumed. Because, well, I guess that's what we do. I'm certainly not perfect, but my weight has always been my go to insecurity. It is my most obvious flaw. Finally my friend Michelle said, "you idiot, text him, dont just assume". I kind of feel that a guy should make the move so this went against my usual protocol, after all I had sent the last text and it was his "turn" to respond. Turns out he was so glad I texted. He had heard me say I had a really busy week and assumed that was me saying I dont have time. He couldn't believe I had been thinking that he didn't like me. He had assumed I dodn't like HIM. He proceeded to lavish me with reassurance about how much he liked me and how attracted to me he was. WOW. How nice was that? So here I was being so insecure about my weight that I almost didnt reach out. I was so glad to have had that experience pre op. I know that once I/we lose weight there will be alot more attention and alot more confidence...but its nice to go into this surgery feeling that I'm ok as is...you know what I mean? I wouldn't want to face post banded life and wonder if all the people I date would have dated me "before". I promise to post during my 2 week pre op, its going to be interesting getting through my daughters Bday and my own on a liquid diet. If you tend to just read these and not post I want to encourage you to share. I sign on every day and I need to see new posts. i dont know why. It really helps me. I'm newly divorced and its very strange to not have my ex to share all this everyday info with...so thanks everyone for being there for me.

That sounds awful. It so hard to stay focused when you are HUNGRY. I am so impressed with you for sharing all this and hanging in there. Hopefully the fill will do the trick.

I keep hearing the same advice about the Gas X strips. I dont see how they get gas from your abdominal cavity into your colon so you can fart it out. That seems like two separate compartments.

Congrats! I'm oct 22nd self pay. Where are you having surgery? Please post under the monthly october 2012 bandsters forum, I'm on here every day looking for support, advice and friends. Good luck on your surgery in a few days. Keep us posted. We are all here with you!

I've got no advice. Im a newbie just like you. I'm experiementing with the shakes because that muscle milk light has a very bitter aftertaste that I dont like, reminds me of sweet n low. I bought a hamilton beech personal sixe blender today for $20 at a discount store and it whips up great smoothies, crushes ice like a dream. I made myself an unjury one and my daughter a peanut butter banana smoothie. Both were yummie

How is it today everyone? Are you drinking shakes made with ice in a blender or just shakes in milk? Does anyone make them w soy or almond milk? Has anyone tried the unjury cheese powder?