Gilmour

I just had my first fill yesterday, 4 and a half months post op and after 3 months of only minimal weight loss. I put it off as long as I could but knew I had to go the the next level. I was scared and acted like a big baby in front of my doc! He told me liquid diet for 3 days and I am starving! Protein drinks aren't making a dent. I hope it's true that I will start feeling less hungry soon...

I enjoy going out to eat with friends now, and being the only one who leaves half the food on my plate while they clean theirs. I never even noticed before how much volume OTHER people eat, and I mean all types of people--male, female, old, young, fat, thin, vegetarian or meat eaters. They finish everything. I notice because now that I am less focused on my meal I actually look up from my plate! I also have solved the mystery of how I got so fat in the first place. I was eating too much food. Sounds so simple but it really was a revolutionary insight.

My period started when I had just checked in about an hour before my surgery! They said no tampons but they gave me a lovely giant diaper and mesh undies. I was stylin'! It was a hassle and painful getting up to change the pad in the first day after surgery but otherwise no problem. I think a tampon would have been more difficult to deal with.

I joined a program with my local hospital which coordinated closely with my insurance company (Blue Cross). The insurance required a 6 month process of monthly consults with the surgeon, dieting with progressive weight loss, plus a psychiatric consult and meeting with a dietician. I also had to join a gym with an electronic sign in (Gold's) and the insurance company checked how often I went during those 6 months. So 3 weeks before my surgery date, my doctors' office got the approval done (in 4 days), Because I did everything required it was a forgone conclusion. Good luck to you. I am glad there was a standard protocol for me.

How are you feeling now? Scary!

I know that it helped me having a doctor direct me. Suddenly my diet became a medical issue for the first time. I stuck pretty strictly to the liver shrinking diet but after surgery the doc told me my liver was still pretty huge... :/ Anyway it was not a problem and he said some people just have big livers! The hardest part was the post surgical liquid diet. UGH! I could not stop watching food TV and looking at recipes for high Protein meals, waiting for my chance to eat meat again. Funnily enough, when I started eating "real food" nothing really satisfied like before, and I lost my cravings. I am 5 weeks post surgery and have decided not to have a fill yet. I am losing at a nice pace and am very careful about what I eat. Have had many instances of that "too full" feeling and want to avoid it. Food and that "full feeling" just doesn't offer the same comfort anymore. I am looking at other ways to get those endorphins going.

Great story! Good illustration of why we should not give up until all avenues are exhausted.

I am scheduled for my first fill later this month, approximately 6 weeks post surgery. I don't want it yet. Part of it is fear (of being too tight, having reflux, getting stuck, etc.). The other part is that I think I am doing ok on the weight loss and changes to my eating habits. Of course I lost a lot of weight during the post-surg liquid diet, and since I have been on regular food I am continuing to lose (not as fast though). I am comfortable with this pace and don't want to mess with it. I am comfortble with the band as is (and yes I can feel it working). I am going to speak to my doc before the appointment, just just wanted to know what you guys thought. Is he likely to try to talk me into it?

How cool! You will have such great support for your new ways of eating and being active and you can share your successes together! What a great family goal. I hope you will post your progress here!

Hey we made it through Christmas with our wacky liquid/soft diets and scary first attempts at chewing and swallowing. How did it go? I think I am getting the hang of it now. My surgery was the 11th, and after 2 weeks I have lost 11 lbs. I'm finally feeling like I am getting the car I'm learning to operate out of the driveway and am taking it slowly around the block. The first week of liquid diet was hard and I found myself obsessing about what I was going to eat when I could finally have real food. then as soon as I got the all clear I came down with the flu AND a UTI (is my immune system suppressed?) and stuck with the easy stuff for a few more days. Last night I went to Christmas dinner at my friends' and decided tonight was the night to eat a normal meal at the table, with a knife and fork, like a human being! It was great. Started off with 2 glasses of white wine (sorry, not giving up my apéritif!). I had about 8 tiny bites of tenderloin, about 2 tablespoons of mashed potatoes, 2 tiny nibbles of bread and half a sliver of key lime pie. It took me as long to finish that as my dining companions took to consume huge platefuls of food--and seconds! I put very little on my plate, ate about half of it and I was full. And I stayed full the whole night until I went to bed like 6 hours later! I am so pleased! Today I was down another pound. I am not craving any foods now.

Thanks Pink! I am day 5 post surgery now, still on painkillers for a bit of soreness AND serious hunger pains! I really feel like I am starving, but it is not as uncomfortable as it sounds. I am counting the days until I can ditch this liquid diet. Of course the scale is going down but I am not going to get excited until I get back on real food and still see the pounds drop. Is it a problem that I haven't pooped yet?

I got home from the hospital yesterday afternoon. Moving around (especially getting in and out of bed) was really painful yesterday but today is a lot better, even getting better by the hour. I feel like I will be ready to go back to work Monday (I am self employed and work from home). I am already bored with this week's diet, but I have my eyes on the horizon!

Congratulations susan! My day is tomorrow. I am getting nervous...doubt I will sleep tonight! Is there anything I should remember to do or bring that you wish you had done/brought?

God luck tomorrow, @@susancae!

Hi guys, I just became active here because my surgery is next week--the 11th--and I am on day 4 of the pre op. I finally decided to start focusing on what is about to happen! Let's stick together!