mrscontarino

Ok, so now I am getting frustrated....maybe I shouldn't get on the scale, but I am only down 11 pounds since my 10/18/12 surgery! I can tell I am losing inches, but I want to see the scale move! Is it because I am not eating enough? Drinking enough? Surgeon is happy with everything, but I just thought I would be further along...

so this week i had a client dinner and a night out with friends who don't know i'm banded. I'm 2 weeks post-op and was fine eating Soup at the restaurants, but what i found funny was how much i noticed the amount of food everyone else was eating! I have told everyone i'm on a diet trying to really control portion size and they didnt give it a second thought. It was great. And I've lost weight (although i haven't weighed myself so dont know exact amount) so I fit back into my smaller size jeans which made the whole difference going out!

I am now 9 days post op (dos: 10/18/12) and 9 pounds lost! I had to do a double take this morning when I got on the scale! The pain is manageable, and my body definitely tells me when I have done too much! I feel asleep outside on the hammock yesterday for 3 hours! Still trying to get my fluids in as best I can. I do get hungry and try to drink hot tea or broth, as that helps me feel full.
I go back to work Monday (full moon and a Monday in the medical field..oh boy!) So I have my little emergency kit in my purse: goody's powder, gasX strips, packages of boullion and tea! (bringing the liquid Lortab, just in case!) LOL!
Hoping everyone is doing well and feeling better and recovering worry-free!

I to am in the healthcare field, and your rights were definitely violated! As the other bandsters have stated, "you are doing this for you, and no one else!" I too, would be very upset about being confronted like that. I hope you understand that it is out of jealousy about you taking this big step to get healthy...you showed how strong you are in making the first step (getting banded) and taking charge of your weight and health. For me, I have told no one in my family...only my husband knows. They will notice I have lost weight, but they will also notice I am eating smaller meals, getting exersize and drinking more Water...making healthy choices...
Hang in there, believe in you and remember you have support from all of us who stand with you in making this our new life!

I am now 9 days post op (dos: 10/18/12) and 9 pounds lost! I had to do a double take this morning when I got on the scale! The pain is manageable, and my body definitely tells me when I have done too much! I feel asleep outside on the hammock yesterday for 3 hours! Still trying to get my fluids in as best I can. I do get hungry and try to drink hot tea or broth, as that helps me feel full.
I go back to work Monday (full moon and a Monday in the medical field..oh boy!) So I have my little emergency kit in my purse: goody's powder, gasX strips, packages of boullion and tea! (bringing the liquid Lortab, just in case!) LOL!
Hoping everyone is doing well and feeling better and recovering worry-free!

And other things you need to know about WLS but are afraid to ask...
I wonder sometimes if bariatric professionals forget to emphasize the importance of good band eating skills because they they've never had to live with a gastric band. Of course, a few bariatric professionals are also bariatric patients, and thank goodness for that.
I also wonder if bandsters are unaware of the importance of good band eating skills because their brains slipped into neutral during that part of their pre-op education. You'll have a hard time convincing me that's never happened to you, because I am the Queen of Lists and Note Taking. In high school and college, classmates would pay me for copies of my class notes. (Not only were they thorough, they were neatly penned in my prize-winning handwriting and decorated with cunning cartoons depicting my teachers and professors in embarrassing situations.) I take a notebook and a list of questions to every medical appointment, I ask questions, I re-read my notes, but despite all of that, my brain tends to shift gears when I see or hear something that strikes me as unimportant or irrelevant. And aside from being The World's Greatest Living Expert on Everything, what exactly qualifies me to make the unimportant or irrelevant judgment? Nothing. Nada. Nichts. Niente.
During my pre- and post-op patient education, which was tailored exclusively to bandsters and administered by well-prepared bariatric dietitians, nurses, physician's assistants, and so on, I must have heard the eating skills lecture a dozen times. I was told that if I didn't eat carefully, I would end up in pain or with my meal in my lap. I nodded my understanding each time I heard that and could repeat the lecture verbatim, but it wasn't until I took a huge bite of a grilled cheese sandwich 24 hours after my first fill that I truly understood what all those folks had been telling me. And that’s not an experience I’m likely to forget.
Take Tiny Bites
I talk about good eating skills a lot. Why do I go on and on about that? Is it because I like the sound of my own (editorial) voice? Well, sure - that's no secret. But for what reason besides that?
Important information bears repeating, and repetition is one of the ways that we acquire new information and learn new habits. If you doubt that, pay attention to how many times the Geico lizard appears on your television screen each day. Good band eating skills must become a habit if you're going to succeed with your band and avoid side effects and complications. Those eating skills must be your habit every hour of every day, not just as a new post-op or after each fill, but every day for the rest of your life.
That sounds like a pretty tall order, doesn't it? Don't panic, though. A well-ingrained habit doesn't take as much conscious thought as a brand-new one. Your own behavior has already proven that if you've ever found yourself with a half-finished Twinkie or a cigarette or a beer in your hand and couldn't remember how it got there. It works the other way too. Your healthy new habits will eventually dig themselves into your life and using them will get easier as you go along.
When you forget your band eating skills, your band will give you a loud reminder in the form of side effects like PB's, sliming, or stuck episodes, but I beg you not to rely on your band's built-in warning system on a regular basis, because doing so will send your bandwagon skittering down the road to complications like esophageal dilation, stomach dilation, band slips and even band erosion.
One of the problems with the band's alarm system is that the truly destructive behaviors it reacts to may trigger relatively mild warnings so long before the damage is done that it's easy to shrug them off. For example, let's say that you often take big bites, don't chew very well, eat quickly, and/or eat beyond your soft stops (soft stops are gentle stop-eating signals, like hiccups). Each time you do those things, you experience mild discomfort. Nothing horrific. It happens, you think, "Oops," and you go back to whatever you were doing before the discomfort happened. Eventually this mild discomfort becomes just a part of your post-op life - the same as the way you sneeze when you pet a cat, pass gas when you eat Beans, or get a headache when you don't wear your eyeglasses. Hey, that's just the way it is, right?
But one bad day after dozens of ordinary days you can't even swallow your own saliva. You rush to the doctor, who does an upper GI x-ray and tells you your band has slipped. "How can that be?" you cry, "Everything's been fine until now!"
In fact, everything has not been fine, because your careless eating has been pushing, pushing, pushing at your band's limits, until finally it pushed your band up your esophagus or down your stomach. I don't like finger-pointing any better than you do, but whose responsibility is that band slip? Is it your surgeon's, for not stitching it on there well enough? Is it the band manufacturer's, for not making your band slip-proof? Or is it yours?
There can be a happy ending to your story, though. Even if the band slip is clearly your fault, you won't get sent to prison to sip brackish Water and gnaw on stale bread for the rest of your days. Your surgeon can unfill your band (or, less likely, re-operate to reposition your band), and you can revamp your eating skills, lose weight, and live happily ever after. Or better yet, you can avoid the pain, inconvenience, financial and emotional costs, and pay attention to your eating from now on.
I ain't gonna lie to you...acquiring and practicing this new habit won't be easy, but I can think of a lot of things that could be worse. A lot worse.
The official Bandwagon® Eating Skills are:
1. Don't drink while you eat or for 30 to 60 minutes afterwards.
2. Take tiny bites.
3. Chew, chew chew.
4. Eat slowly.
5. Eat the Protein first.
6. Learn your stop signals.
7. Pay attention to problem foods.
8. Eat only when you're hungry.
9. Avoid liquid calories and slider foods.
10. Use a small plate.
11. Plan your food in advance.
12. Don't watch TV or read while you eat.
13. Don't put serving dishes on the dining table.
14. Eat sitting down at the dining table.
15. Follow the HALT rule (don't eat when you're too hungry, angry, lonely or tired).
You’ll find full explanations of each skill in Chapter 12 of Bandwagon, Strategies for Success with the Adjustable Gastric Band, by yours truly.

I to am in the healthcare field, and your rights were definitely violated! As the other bandsters have stated, "you are doing this for you, and no one else!" I too, would be very upset about being confronted like that. I hope you understand that it is out of jealousy about you taking this big step to get healthy...you showed how strong you are in making the first step (getting banded) and taking charge of your weight and health. For me, I have told no one in my family...only my husband knows. They will notice I have lost weight, but they will also notice I am eating smaller meals, getting exersize and drinking more Water...making healthy choices...
Hang in there, believe in you and remember you have support from all of us who stand with you in making this our new life!

I smell a LAW SUIT!! As a Nurse can I tell you what a HIPPA violation your insurance company has commited. Your medical information is private and whomever had direct contact with the hospital records at the insurance company should be fired. Plus those discussing it should lose their jobs also. If I were you, I would have a nice long talk with the person in charge of the company and make it known the violations they committed. There is a reason for confidentialty and if you want the town and your family to know you would have told them. Not some unprofessional gossip queen at the insurance company. I can't begin to express the trouble they would be in if you reported the company.
I am so sorry you are going through this. Those asking about your weight you can either ignore them or say nothing special. Don't let them make you feel uncomfortable.
I so wish I could deal with that insurance company and their employees!

id say to follow your dr's instructions as they are in place for a reason.
all dr's are different and have different post ops.
yeah, its hard to think how long the post op is, but if you eat too soon, you could hurt your healing.
best just to do what anyones dr suggests. ones health is worth more than a bite of food.< /p>

I just wanted to recommend a couple recipes I've tried, links to them in my blog.

that's great, having support is the best and that what i have found. keep in touch and this will also continue to help you
oh, everyone is different on the post op pain management. please don't e scared or disappointed if you have to take pain medication, remember the doctor gives it to us for a reason
but like you hear alot of us it is minimal and very manageable. big big recomendation...walk walk walk to aide with the gas in the belly and/or shoulders.
you will do great and we will hear (read) about your experience soon!
good luck!!!!

Thank you! I will keep you posted!

Hi All !
I was banded Oct 23, 2012. Was in the surgery center 23 hours, insurance said so HA. Was down 35 pds before the banding, 20 of those from the 2 week diet of shakes, broth and Jello. I was totally shocked that morning when I stepped on the scale and saw I had lost 20 pds in 2 weeks.
I had some pain the first couple days. But the pain meds every 6 hours helped. Now just taking pain meds before bed. I am a tummy sleeper, still can't do that, but getting closer.
The Protein shakes from Bariatric Advantage are a life saver, they are awesome. I add some extracts, sf pudding to them to mix up the flavors. And the Protein Soups, chicken noodle and pea Soup from Protdiet, are pretty good too.
My stomach does 'gurgle' a lot. It isn't uncomfortable at all, just gurgles. I hope this will pass. I have never had any hunger. However, I just want to guzzle down a bottle of Water or a glass of tea. I'm so thirsty. I drink every 1/2 hr as instructed by Doc. But still thirsty.
So glad to have found this site, and FINALLY learned how to post HAHA.
I live with my boyfriend, and he really tried to understand, but he can't.
So I am here to stay with some awesome people to DO UNDERSTAND it all.
THANKS EVERYONE AND HAPPY BANDING !!

Feeling a little better tonight! Getting all my liquids in and hoping to start Protein Shakes tomorrow. I'm so grateful for the encouragement here, I freaked out earlier wondering why I'd done this....

I am now 9 days post op (dos: 10/18/12) and 9 pounds lost! I had to do a double take this morning when I got on the scale! The pain is manageable, and my body definitely tells me when I have done too much! I feel asleep outside on the hammock yesterday for 3 hours! Still trying to get my fluids in as best I can. I do get hungry and try to drink hot tea or broth, as that helps me feel full.
I go back to work Monday (full moon and a Monday in the medical field..oh boy!) So I have my little emergency kit in my purse: goody's powder, gasX strips, packages of boullion and tea! (bringing the liquid Lortab, just in case!) LOL!
Hoping everyone is doing well and feeling better and recovering worry-free!

Keda, I love the sugar free " popsicles " brand. Yellow box and the tropical ones are awesome!!

2 more nights!

Hi all, I was successfully banded yesterday. Got to the hospital at 6am and was home by 1:30. Sharp pain on my left side near an incision but otherwise I'm doing great!

Grats on the band hun!! Ya, 2nd day is the worse and then after that it was getting better and better everyday! Walk walk.. drink... and rest! and you'll be better in no time!

Hi everyone, I'm starting this because we are mid way through the month so I'm guessing about half of us have had the procedure done. The October Bandsters thread has been really great with all the positive comments, suggestions and support. It would be great to keep that community going.
I'm two days post surgery. My pain meds are working fine. The surgery was easier than I expected and I hope the recovery keeps going as well.
How is everyone?

I too am at day 4 post op, and just had a Decaf coffee . I feel good when i an up and around, but this gas pain is annoying! Not as bad as day 2, so i know its getting there! Congratulations to you on your new journey ,...feeling it with you !!
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