beanie80

6 months and 3 weeks ago. I was a huffing, puffing, size 24 wearing, 286 lb weighing miserable woman...today I weighed in at 186.2!!, 100 lbs gone and so much more, gone are the size 24's replaced with 12's (I have a lot of muscle!), I don't huff and puff anymore, I can run!, food does not consume my days or my thoughts anymore and I'm happy!! not miserable....If you are struggling or just starting out...I'm just a normal person, my band isn't magic, I follow the rules and respect my band, you can too

With all due respect, this isn't true at all. It doesn't matter how much you chew your food, if you're on mushy or liquid phase then that should be the consistency before you put it in your mouth. If doctors just wanted food chewed til mush then that is what they'd say- but they don't. They are very specific about it being liquids, mushy, soft, etc.
Your stomach is seriously manipulated, sutured, and outright injured during surgery. The whole purpose of the post op diet is to allow the stomach time to heal. By not following your doctor's post op diet exactly, you risk ripping those stitches and/or causing a slip.
Everyone needs to follow their own surgeon's post op diet exactly- no exceptions or variations.

Heather - I agree (for the most part). At the same time, if a partner chooses to tell their significant other, they should also advise them to keep it to themselves. I know that when I tell my friends certain things (private), that it's a good chance that their husband/boyfriend knows. But never has anyone's partner said something to me, as if it was open knowledge. I think in Aviva's situation, that's the issue. Thank goodness that the response was positive, because that could have gone either way. If negative, there would probably have been a whole OTHER layer of discontent.

PS: If my BF told her husband, I would expect that at the same time she would tell him that it's private.....and not to say anything. Which equates to, don't bring it up with me, until that time that I choose to bring it up with you.

Aviva - I haven't experienced this situation with the band, although, I'm sure there are a few people who know, that I didn't tell.
Regarding your friend, the issue isn't whether or not you're overreacting regarding the surgery. The issue is that you asked a close friend to keep your decision private......and he didn't. That is the conversation you need to have. It's a trust thing. If I found out that my BF shared info that I specifically told her not to, I would be pissed. And I would have a difficult time trusting her with personal things going forward. With your friend, I think that is what needs to be addressed.
Aside from that......if someone contacted me on FB regarding such a sensitive subject, I'd be even MORE annoyed. I certainly hope it wasn't posted on your wall!!

Pebbagirl- It looks like you are getting some great advice. The only thing I can add is it sounds like you need to start over with the low cal/low sugar/low fat/protein shakes diet. I am 8 days post op, do low/no sugar, low fat, low cal and I can't imagine eating pizza. I love pizza. I LOVED pizza. I can't imagine putting that into my body now as I would get incredibly sick because my body is not used to it anymore. You need to detox again, re-set your body back to a clean way of eating. We are all like drug addicts. We get our bodies detoxed and then if we go back and get a little hit of the high fat/high carb/high sugar stuff it is so hard to stop. You have done this once before and you can do it again! Someone else suggested the 5 day pouch test, which I think would be a great idea for you. You have the tools, now you need to get your head straight!

I think you need to sit her down and ask her why she can't be supportive. I have found that when the people closest to us get scared for us, they can become unsupportive. I'm guessing she is worried and doesn't want anything bad to happen to you. You can always share with her the really low mortality rate with the band and the fact that you already are having medical issues which can kill you if you don't get this disease under control. Is she a big girl? maybe she doesn't want to lose her eating partner....

8oz = 1 cup
4oz = 1/2 cup
So if you are eating between 4-8oz you are doing fine

8oz = 1 cup
4oz = 1/2 cup
So if you are eating between 4-8oz you are doing fine

It is called an incentive spirometer. It is used after surgeries to get people to take deep breaths as we tend to shallow breathe with pain. It is important to do your breathing exercises, even if your lungs hurt. Your lungs hurting is your lungs expanding, work through it.

Someone else posted this so I can't take credit for this link, I just can't remember the original poster
http://www.5daypouchtest.com/

Pebbagirl- It looks like you are getting some great advice. The only thing I can add is it sounds like you need to start over with the low cal/low sugar/low fat/protein shakes diet. I am 8 days post op, do low/no sugar, low fat, low cal and I can't imagine eating pizza. I love pizza. I LOVED pizza. I can't imagine putting that into my body now as I would get incredibly sick because my body is not used to it anymore. You need to detox again, re-set your body back to a clean way of eating. We are all like drug addicts. We get our bodies detoxed and then if we go back and get a little hit of the high fat/high carb/high sugar stuff it is so hard to stop. You have done this once before and you can do it again! Someone else suggested the 5 day pouch test, which I think would be a great idea for you. You have the tools, now you need to get your head straight!

Just a reminder, please do not start topics specifically for the purpose of ranting and raving about other members. Please click on/refer to our posted rules that specifically address this.

Thank you.

Don't do Metamucil! It is an osmotic laxative. You will have even worse diarrhea and that Johnny Cash song ring of fire will have all new meaning to you. Are you using milk in your shakes? maybe it is an uncovered lactose intolerance?

Ok I don't know what profession you are in. But I'm a nurse. Goody day seems to be everyday. Although Cookies, cake etc seems appealing, it can get quite old after awhile. So we always love the person who goes against the grain and brings in Breakfast Bagels, yogurts, cheese sticks, veg/fruit trays etc. No problem redefining "goodies"

Step 1: Take Orea out of box, Step 2: Take meat cleaver out of drawer, Step 3: Pound said orea w/ meat cleaver and scream "damn you orea, damn you" repeatedly

Don't do Metamucil! It is an osmotic laxative. You will have even worse diarrhea and that Johnny Cash song ring of fire will have all new meaning to you. Are you using milk in your shakes? maybe it is an uncovered lactose intolerance?

Well I had to come back to tell everyone about my journey..luckily for me it was not as hard as I thought.
Was banded 2 years ago..weighed 311 pounds before the surgery..got down to 303 the day of the surgery..and now I have stabled out today @ 178 pounds....yup..133 pounds gone..along with my Type 2 Diabetes and a much lower blood pressure.
Did I think I made a mistake at first...duhhh..you bet..those first few long weeks were both scary and
humbling but I was bound and determined to make this work for me.My main reasoning/rationale was
not only my health issues of course...but I was a self pay and every day I told myself not to mess this up due to all the money that I shelled out..lol..it helped!!
This forum was also a lifesaver...I was on everyday scouring for bits n pieces of any info that I thought would help me thru this journey.The main piece of info I would like to share is that..as we have all heard time n time again..IT IS A TOOL..not a miracle cure...you also must shift thru all the info and find what works best for you.WE are all individuals thus we are all different..what worked for me will not always work for you!
We all now know that different clinics have different sets of rules/guidelines..drove me bonkers at first reading about this Dr said yes to this...but this Dr said no..wow!! I shifted thru alot of info and it can be so frustrating and confusing!
Case in point..how long to wait before consuming liquids.The first year I stuck with what my Dr told me..wait at least 45 minutes to an hour before having liquids..set my alarm after every meal..stayed busy until I could drink!!Now I only wait 20- 30 minutes and have no problems at all.Will it work for you..I cannot answer that..but I experimented with everything that I read til I found a solution that I could live with.
I want to tell the newbies to stay focused...it can and will be difficult for some but the outcome is worth all the frustrations and self doubts!!
Do I know the band is still there..of course..I still follow some simple rules/guidelines...but it has become such a daily part of my life and I refuse to go back to the way I was before surgery.
I wish all continued success on your life changing journey!!

Congratulations! What a milestone. Keep up the good work!

After almost 6 months, I finally hit ONEDERLAND while on vacation in Florida! I had to stop at Bed, Bath & Beyond to find a scale (thanks Creekwood!) and stepped on, then stepped off, then back on to make sure of what I was seeing! I'm beyond excited, but not only about the number on the scale, but about how my life has changed since I decided to get healthy. I've learned to LOVE exercise, especially running. Who knew??!! And I've also learned to control the food and not let the food control me. It's such a wonderful, liberating feeling. I'm also so very grateful for the friends I've made here as well. There have been days that I wanted to quit trying, felt frustrated or just made poor choices, but I can always count on my friend Catfish to keep me motivated or inspired to keep going and never give up. But most of all, I'm just excited to have my life back and to enjoy it a little. I'm a happy girl!

I think that counts as a small meal at this point post-op...maybe it will keep you full for a while

I'm having my LapBand procedure done on August 9th! Prior to surgery, I will be on a 2 week liquid pre-op diet.
How much weight did you lose during the pre-op phase? What can I expect immediately after surgery? What's the usual down time? Feeling a little anxious, but super excited!

I think that counts as a small meal at this point post-op...maybe it will keep you full for a while

My doctor said that a band could wear out, but it doesn't have to. He said just like any foreign object placed in your body may wear out, just like a knee or hip replacement, a band may have to be replaced; but it doesn't mean it will give out. He said it was something that I shouldn't worry about, it may last my life time and it might not - but the better I take care of it the longer it will last me.

I think that counts as a small meal at this point post-op...maybe it will keep you full for a while