Julie_JJ

The NP in my surgeon's office told me warm liquids, NOT cold liquids, when I had tightness in my chest from the stomach swelling the week after surgery. And when I go in for a fill, they have us drink room temperature Water rather than cold Water immediately after the fill to make sure it's passing through.

I didn't have to do purees for the mushy phase - as long as the meat was soft and moist and I chewed it well, it was allowed. In this phase, our surgeon also allows a bit of low-fat mayo to help the meat stay moist, if needed. Laughing Cow light cheese wedges were also great; I'd mash them with a bit of unflavored Protein Powder to give them a boost. Egg beaters, refried Beans, yogurt, cottage cheese.... I also added the unflavored Protein powder to whipped potatoes - because of band tightness in the morning, I needed something warm and don't always have time to make eggs, so the potatoes were nice because I could just nuke a couple tablespoons. The potatoes aren't great for my solid diet, but my surgeon is okay with them now (especially with the protein).

I got liquid everything - liquid Tylenol, liquid multi, liquid Calcium, liquid Omega-3. I'm paranoid something's going to get stuck, so for the time being it's a "better safe than sorry" policy. I also bought one-ounce cups with lids on Amazon (like the kind used to make Jell-O shots) so I could measure out portions of certain things and have them ready to go. Broths, Jell-O, Crystal Light... I couldn't do the shakes very well after surgery (tasted too "milky" to me) so I would make up a single-serve Crystal Light (about 16 oz) and dump a scoop of Isopure's unflavored whey isolate in it. Much easier to tolerate and a good amount of Protein. I also dump the isolate into broths and other liquids that already have a flavor (so, not plain water). It thickens them slightly, but doesn't really affect the taste. And when I needed a little more flavor than broth could offer, I made chicken noodle Soup and strained out the noodles. Popsicles and Jell-O are also great when I wanted something with a texture other than "sippable."

Ahh! After working out self-pay (thank you, husband's Christmas bonus!) and getting my pre-op taken care of... my surgery is THIS Tuesday! The hardest part so far has been quitting my Coke Zero habit - I used to drink three 12 oz. bottles or more a day. I had been tapering off, but I finally just went cold turkey a week ago Thursday. Now that the headaches have passed, it's not so bad! Our surgeon's pre-op diet is just a "balanced diet" or "eating clean" - still an adjustment, but not terribly difficult. But tomorrow - liquids only! I've got a fridge full of virgin Jell-o shots waiting for me this week.

Got my band yesterday! So far so good - I've got some trapped air in my shoulders and chest that's bothering me, but other than that I feel great for having had surgery yesterday.

Congrats! I feel the same way - so excited and ready to begin the rest of my journey.

Just got my bad yesterday! Port is about three inches to the left of and one inch above my belly button.

Ahh! After working out self-pay (thank you, husband's Christmas bonus!) and getting my pre-op taken care of... my surgery is THIS Tuesday! The hardest part so far has been quitting my Coke Zero habit - I used to drink three 12 oz. bottles or more a day. I had been tapering off, but I finally just went cold turkey a week ago Thursday. Now that the headaches have passed, it's not so bad! Our surgeon's pre-op diet is just a "balanced diet" or "eating clean" - still an adjustment, but not terribly difficult. But tomorrow - liquids only! I've got a fridge full of virgin Jell-o shots waiting for me this week.

I just had to get a Vitamin D prescription filled this week - my level is 14 and my surgeon wants me at 35, whatever that means. My insurance covered it, although it was more expensive than the pain and anti-nausea meds I filled to get ready for surgery on Tuesday - the pain and anti-nausea were about $7 a bottle and the Vitamin D was about $11 with insurance (I was to say it was $25 without). I take it once a week; I think it's the 50,000 dose.
For after surgery, I bought liquids *and* a pill crusher - I didn't want to risk something getting stuck. I have a liquid multi, a liquid calcium+D, and a liquid omega-3 that comes in little honey-sized packets. I even got liquid Tylenol (and not just the kids' version!).

Hi, all!
My name is Julie, and I'm having lap-band surgery. (Hi, Julie...)
I've been overweight all my life, but in the past few years it's been creeping up on me. And then I had a baby a year ago, and things went downhill fast. My mother is on dialysis as a result of Type 2 diabetes, and she can't walk unassisted. Having a young child has made me realize what I missed out on as a kid with my mom (and what she's missing out on now), and I want to make changes now rather than wait for my health to take a nose dive. I also want to be able to crawl around and run after my son, while I can still keep up with him!
I'm working with Dr. Michael Snyder in Denver, and I've just about done with all my pre-op appointments - one last visit to my primary care doctor next week and I can schedule my surgery! I'm self-pay, thanks to working at a small business and having an exclusion on our group coverage for bariatric surgery, so once my husband and I get our Christmas bonuses I'll be able to set the date. I'm shooting for mid-January - huzzah!
So, hello everyone! I'm glad to be here!