mrsto

I agree with the above.... Follow the eating plan prescribed by your doctor, and pay very close attention to the band signals. Stop eating at the first sign of satiety. It's so easy to go brain dead when eating, but the key to the band is to pay attention to what it's telling you. If you do that, you will be able to stick to smaller portions, and if you choose the right foods, stay satisfied for a few hours.

Fabulous! Good job

I wasn't limited during that phase, either. But the key is, do not eat if you're not hungry. Even if it's only a sugar free popsicle.

If your spine surgeon didn't prescribe physical therapy, maybe you could ask him to. They will know exactly how to work with your limitations, and the movement will help. I'm in line for disc repair surgery, and I have no idea what to expect. But I'll just focus on the outcome being less pain! I hear mixed reviews. Feel better..... PS: YES, and as Mis said......count your calories diligently. And if you're mobile, get out of the house for awhile when you feel like eating. Easier said than done, I know

Horrible! I feel for you..... But I'm really glad that you're on the mend, and that the excess Water is coming out. As I said prior, I really hope that this is the worst possible thing you ever have to go through. Such an ordeal......really scary stuff

When I had my surgery, they gave me shots of heparin in my stomach; one before surgery, and more (I don't recall the intervals......possibly every 8-12 hours) during my stay in the hospital. This was to avoid possible clots. The worst bruising I had was from those shots. Like someone spilled a bottle of blue/purple ink.

Thanks..... I have an epidural scheduled in a couple of weeks, so hopefully I'll get a break. I've had them before; they don't last very long (relatively speaking), but I'll take what I can get! Please let me know the outcome. I'm interested to hear. Good luck - hang in there......

I have a pretty bad herniated disc in my lower spine. It plays all kinds of havoc with my hips and left leg. Also, when you walk and compensate for the pain, it can throw something else off; like a knee or the opposite side of the original pain. I've had the groin pain, too. Sometimes if I get up from a chair, it's like the whole thing has slipped out of place. All of this stems from my lower back. Weird.... And very draining I hope for you, whatever it turns out to be, isn't anything TOO serious. I hope it's correctible with physical therapy.....something along those lines.

Yeah - that doesn't sound good. Have you had an X-ray and MRI of your spine?

VERY exciting!!!

What are your symptoms? I don't have AVN, but I have a lot of hip pain issues.

My pre-op diet was pretty much the same. It was 1200 calories/day; high protein, low fat & carb.

Thanks, Alex. I'm using an iMac.

Good for you!! I wish I could say the same. It's still an arduous process to get me to simply walk every day. I hope to be in a place where I look forward to exercise. I've been there before, but it seems like ancient history.

I tend to agree with Michpell39. When I hear "broth", it sounds like clear liquids. But to be sure, you should call you doctor's office and ask.

Mine was there, but then it disappeared days later. I've come to the conclusion that if your doctor isn't registered with this site, they won't be listed. It seems all doctors seen on the members profiles, are setup in the system (somehow). If I'm wrong in my conclusion, I would love to know what the issue is.

Amen!!! Thanks for posting this.

Duchess - I like the way you think

I didn't even know there was Fluid in the band, until I went for my first fill. I found out that at the time of surgery, he completely fills the band, and then lets the fluid run out. Whatever is left after this process, stays; typically around 3 cc's. My surgery was 3/25/13, and I did very well for about 3-4 weeks. Then went into bandster hell. The first fill took me from 3 cc's to 6.4. About three weeks ago I had a second fill, and I'm now at 7 cc's. I believe I'm now in the green zone :-) I eat small portions (about 2/3 cup of.....lets say, Chili). I'm full for a good 3-4 hours.

Dusty - I don't have any tickers; I have a signature line. I just scrolled up this thread, and I think Steph04 has what you're looking for? I haven't ventured out into tickers.....yet

I got 3 cc's at surgery.

OMG - swallowed a bee? I can't EVEN imagine! I'm glad you're up and around.......it can only get better from here

If you are staying full for that long, it doesn't sound like you need a fill. Believe me, you will know! When I started on mushies, I couldn't eat a full cup; 1/2-2/3 at most. Actually, that is still the case. 2/3 of a cup is my max, otherwise I'm too full (can't even believe I'm hearing those words come out of my mouth!!). Steph - is your doctor wanting to give you a fill, whether you need it or not? If so, YES - tell him that you want to wait. If you're too full on one cup, and staying that way for a good 3-4 hours, it seems to me that a fill will put you over the edge. It's not necessary to put yourself through that. CG hasn't had a fill since her surgery, and I know another patient from my doctor's office that did perfectly fine for the first year without one. I don't think that there is a template; everyone is different.

Dusty - what happened that they kept you for three days?

I had some baby backs at Stonefire Grill. When I put them in MFP, some options came up to log by the number of ribs eaten. Unfortunately, they are a lot more calories than chicken or lean meat! I like Hockywife's method....weigh them before, and the bones after. Some are a lot meatier than others, so this would be the most accurate.