betty_s

i read a comment the other day about someone who had initially chose the band, someone said "why get the band when you'll have to get a revision to sleeve or bypass eventually". that made me SO MAD. some people do really well with the band and you are living proof. i had a band to sleeve revision in one of my seminars and she kept making comments about how awful the band was and then would look at me and say "no offense".. like really?! it is very frustrating. i think sleeve and bypass patients look down at us, and thats not how it should be.

ahhh yes. please be patient. it will come. i had to do 12 months of insurance mandated health 'coaching', then, it took them 6 weeks to approve me. I had my consult jan 6 2013 and didnt get banded until may 8th 2014. it may take some time, but it will def be worth it!

congrats!! you'll do great! i'm 3 weeks post-op and so happy with my decision!

Hey there! I'm almost 3 weeks post-op. My surgeon had me on full liquids for 7 days, which consisted of 2 Protein shakes and 1 creamy soup, mixed with Protein powder. I chose cream of chicken, but that upset my stomach, so i tried campbells golden mushroom. There were a few small mushrooms that i chewed as long as i could, but they never felt like that got stuck. I was advised to take 30-45 mins to drink my shakes and soup (all 8 oz). I never felt uncomfortably full during this stage, but never felt hunger. As i've moved to softer foods now, like scramble eggs and chicken salad. I find that if i eat too quick (forgetting i actually have a lap-band) i feel really tight in my esophogus. I then take a few minutes, let the tight sensation go away, and continue eating small bites very slow. It sounds like you are still just swollen from surgery. I had the urge to burp the first week and couldnt get anything out either. I'd be careful with the chunks, but continue to eat the soup. Congrats on being banded!

i always gain 5-10 lbs the day before my period. its usually gone by day 4 or 5 when i'm feeling back to normal. its just your body holding on to water and bloating.

mine didnt include a bbq, but i did go to the beach with family. while everyone was eating subs and chips and drinking beer, i was drinking my water and eating some lunch meat with laughing cow and some watermelon. so happy i grabbed a cooler with only things i could eat, i felt so much better, esp without the hangover! what you've said here is one of my biggest fears. i cant imagine what goal weight feels like, but i already think about how maintenance is going to feel like. will i ever be able to enjoy a family bbq without worrying about every little thing i put in my mouth making me gain all 130 lbs back? you seem like you did as good as you can! enjoying the food without overeating!

YAY! So closeee!! Is the pre-op diet going well?

Just know that its only temporary. You'll get to green, but you'll have to work a little harder before you get there and let the band take some of the work off you.

I had loose bowels right after surgery, as well. It sucked cause I was seriously sore on my port side, and going to the bathroom didnt feel good. Then, I started getting constipated. So i had both it will all get better. I'm 3 weeks post-op and feeling amazing!

I cant relate, personally, but when I was talking with my therapist and she was trying to figure out where my weight stemmed from, she told me this story: She had a gastric bypass patient that came in and did amazing with her weight loss. As she kept losing weight, she had more and more anxiety attacks, something she had never dealt with when she was heavy. Finally she started having flashbacks of being a very young child and getting molested by a family member. The therapist concluded that she probably put on the weight as a security blanket to stop the molestation. It really is crazy what our minds can block out. I think maybe you should try talking to therapist. You've worked hard for your weight loss and you deserve to enjoy it!

I joined a conversation yesterday where the OP had lap-band as surgery type. I commented, then got all these comments correcting me, because the OP must have changed their surgery type to sleeve after my comment.

I've only been banded almost 3 weeks. My doctor put me on stage 2 and 3 mushies, so I've eaten some solid Proteins like shrimp, chicken (cooked in skillet sauces), and barbacoa from chipotle with some sour cream. Ive never felt stuck eating these. I take really small bites and chew well because i'm afraid of getting stuck. If i eat too fast, I can feel my esophagus get kinda tight, but after a few minutes I can feel the food move through the band and feel fine again. I've been able to get all my Protein in my eating it, and not having to drink it, for the most part.

I've felt the urge to burp quite a few times and cant seem to get anything out? I'm interested to see what someone has to say, since i was banded 2 days after you. A few times i have small little "bubble burps", but nothing like i've felt i needed to.

Maybe try some cheesy grits + unflavored Protein? Applesauce + greek yogurt + cinnamon? SF pudding mixed with unflavored

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Love it!!! Congrats girl!!!!

I cant say it enough. I'm SO HAPPY with the decision I've made regarding the lap-band!! At this point, I'm 2 1/2 weeks post-op, and have lost a total of 30 lbs, including the pre-op diet, 11 lbs since surgery. My energy is up, my attitude is great, and I'm following my doctors orders so I don't mess anything up. Today was my first day back to work since May 8th, because I took a week for surgery which happened to be the week before my already planned 'staycation'. I'm actually really glad i had 2 weeks off, because I was really sore until about day 10. My clothes that I wore 2 weeks ago are already loose! I think whats helped me so far, is just keeping a positive attitude. I never once complained about the pre-op diet or the post-op liquid diet. I got moved to mushies after 7 days, which seemed pretty quick compared to some others here, but I'm enjoying actually chewing my food and seeing what concoctions I can come up with in the kitchen. I've felt very little ACTUAL hunger, its just listening to my body instead of my mind that I need to keep up with. It also helps that I have a super supportive fiance! I love this site and all the helpful tips and support I've received so far! I just wish all other wls would be supportive of our decisions. I've seen a lot of hate for lap-bands recently and snarky comments about why someone would every choose the band over rny or sleeve. I guess I cant change them, and just not worry about it tho. I guess the point of all these random rambles is to say "thanks!" for all those that have given tips, tricks, and encouraging words. And if you're a newbie, listen to your doctor and stay positive! Its seriously helped me so much!

Congrats!! My advice is just take it easy! Don't push yourself. I hate being taken care of, but i tried to be the "Diva" my doctor told me to be. Ibuprofen PM (checked with my doctor to make sure it was ok) at night and a heating pad during the day were my best friends. I had a lot of soreness/swelling on the port side, so it wasnt until about day 9 or 10 that i actually felt like i could get off the couch or out of bed without pain. I know some people get tired of them, but I love the sf tropical popsicles.

Good luck on this diet! In no time you'll be completely banded! I was banded may 8th and I'm loving it!!

@@toomuchrose I had awful diarrhea as well. I had to stay overnight because that was my doctors protocol and I was up every hour going to the bathroom. I was nervous they wouldn't release me so I didn't risk dehydration. I feel your pain. My NP told me the barium swallow was what caused it. I thought it was the apple juice they gave me to sip on.

People love to harp on the negative! Don't feed into it. If you've come this far you've made the right decision!

Sorry to hear you were sick. I had the opposite of you, abdomen pain but no gas pain. Weird how we all react differently.

How's everyone doing?

Checking in at 273

How's everyone doing?!