Fanny Adams

I have 6 incisions - 4 really small, one about an inch and the other about 2 inches. All with just the Dermabond glue, so I can see the gory bits nice and clearly

I hear you loud and clear... that is, what I can make out over the roar of my stomach rumbling... I've been dreaming of spicy chicken wings for days now...

Hmm... I think sodium might be the significant factor here. After all those days on Optifast (yuck!), I was craving some savoury food and the Soups were hitting the spot, and those are pretty high in salt content (*makes the evil eye sign against low salt soups*). I was piling on the salt too, to try to satisfy my hunger, so I probably upped my salt intake by a factor of 10. oops! I'll try salt-free for the next few days and see what difference that makes. By the way, I am not specifically trying to keep the calories that low - it just works out that way. With the limited choices on the liquid diet, the items I like (as listed above) only work out to around 350-400 a day.

I really don't get this. I did 10 days on a liquid pre-op diet, averaging 6-800 calories a day and lost 10lb in that time. in the 4-5 days post-op, I was on Clear liquids and barely cracking 300 calories a day and lost another 4-5lb. At 15 days from the start of the pre-op diet, I had lost 15lb. I was ecstatic! I had a really easy time of it for the operation - hardly any post-op pain, a little gas but not a problem. Wounds are recovering well. As per doctor's advice on Day 4/5 I moved onto thick liquids and have still been maintaining around 350 calories a day for the last 4 days (it is now Day 8 post-op, Day 18 since the diet began), and EVERY DAY for the last 4 days I have GAINED almost a pound!! What the hell is going on? I'm not stopped up - have been taking a laxative and been twice since the op. I'm not cheating ONE BIT and I'm going up as fast as I came down. This has been my menu for the last 4 days: Breakfast: 1/2 cup diet jelly, 1/2 cup fat free yoghurt - 45 cal, 7g Protein, 7 g carb, 0 fat Lunch: Optifast - 152 cal, 17g proteing, 15g carb, 3g fat Dinner: Heinz 99% Fat Free Soup (average) - 66 cal, 5g protein, 8g carb, 1g fat Snack meal somewhere in there: Heinz 99% Fat Free soup (average) - 66 cal, 5g protein, 8g carb, 1g fat 2-3 cups of coffee with 0% fat milk and Equal sweetener @ 43 cal, 4g protein, 6g carb, 0g fat. Total: 382 cal, 37g protein, 44g carb, 6g fat How the HELL can I be gaining almost pound a day on that? I know the scales will go up and down with Fluid retention, etc, but this has been 4 days in the UPWARD direction! I was down to 259lb and today I'm back at 263!! I refuse to update my ticker upwards!! I don't feel sick, no gas pains, no vomiting/retching...in fact I feel perfectly fine and as though I could eat normally (but I won't - which is hard coz I'm hungry!). If that damn scale doesn't move in the right direction again tomorrow, I'm going to cry As it is, it's going to take 4 more pound before it even counts

I figured safer surgery, less slippery difficult to hold liver and fewer lacerations and damage would automatically translate into a faster recovery with less pain. It seems logical that reducing all those things would reduce internal bruising and swelling, thus reducing pain.

This is my favourite thread in the whole board and I'm going to be on that list one day... one day SOON!!!

We all read about different types of pre-op diets and some who have had to do them, some who haven't. Most of us have also read or been told that the purpose of the pre-op diet is to shrink the liver to make surgery easier. So...how effective is that overall? Does the pre-op make a difference in post-op pain and recovery times? If so, how much? I did a pre-op of Optifast and steamed veges, with the occasional substitution of a very lean meat dinner with veges, but still sticking to the high Protein, low carb, low fat rules. I am now 5 days post-op and my recovery has been fantastic - very little pain post op, mostly around the actual incisions, a little gas pain but not unbearable and I'm feeling just about fully recovered today. What were your experiences?

First google hit for "lap band slippage" - they all say about the same thing. Note the underlined bits (my underlining): "The two most common complications associated with the LAP-BAND® procedure are band slippage (up to 3-5%) and band erosion (up to 1%). A band slippage can be described as when a portion of the stomach slips up through the band and causes dysphagia (difficulty swallowing), nausea/vomiting, and acid reflux. Band slippage can be caused by a repeated or sudden increase in intraabdominal pressure. This could be related to repeated vomiting or even trauma caused by a car accident. A band slippage usually requires the patient to return to the operating room for repair. A band erosion is related to the pressure of the band being wrapped around a hollow organ. Over time, the band may erode through the stomach wall and if this occurs, reoperation is required. "

This is from the printed information given to me by my surgeon before the op: "REMEMBER In the first month, gradually increase the food and ensure that you eat slowly. Avoid a situation of food getting stuck as vomiting, especially early, may tear sutures around the band and increase the risk of SLIPPAGE and further surgery." My doctor gave me 2 types of anti-nausea medicine to take home after the surgery. One is Metoclopramide, which is for general nausea, to be taken up to 4 times a day if necessary. The other is Ondansetron, which is a wafer to be put under the tongue in "emergencies" only, i.e. if you are just about to chuck. He was very insistant that I don't let myself get to the point of heaving, and apparently the latter stops the urge instantly. I haven't needed to take either yet (4 days post-op) but I'm hanging onto them for possible future problems. You might want to talk to your doctor or chemist about anti-nausea medicines. Better to have them on hand and stop the heaves before they begin, than to let it get to the stage of needing a trip to the ER. I haven't had a fill yet, but everything I've read about them says that you should go back onto liquids for at least 24 hrs after a fill, so if you've been trying solid foods again straight after a fill, that could explain the vomiting. If I were you, I'd go onto liquids for a day, then mushies for a day, then back to normal band eating after that, on every fill. That's my plan anyway...

My starting point was 125kg (275lb) on November 27. After 10 days of pre-op and 4 days post-surgery, I'm at 120.2kg (261lb), so have lost 14lb in 14 days... whoohoo!

My doctor gave me 2 types of anti-nausea medicine to take home. One is Metoclopramide, which is for general nausea, to be taken up to 4 times a day if necessary. The other is Ondansetron, which is a wafer to be put under the tongue in "emergencies" only. He was very insistant that I don't let myself get to the point of heaving, and apparently the latter stops the urge instantly. I haven't needed to take either yet (4 days post-op) but I'm hanging onto them for possible future problems. You might want to talk to your doctor or chemist about anti-nausea medicines. Better to have them on hand and stop the heaves before they begin, than to let it get to the stage of needing a trip to the ER.

I hope it went well for all the people being done today and goes well for those up tomorrow. Good luck all!

ROFLMAO!!! Damn this liquid post-op phase!! I want popcorn!!!

I think you'll find the reports of 15lb lost are after at least 2 weeks of the pre-op diet and the 20lb reports are probably after 3 weeks. 7lb in 5 days is an awesome loss and sounds like you are on track to make 15lb in 14 days! I lost 10lb in 10 days and was absolutely stoked with that. It's now day 2 after the op for me and I'm still on track at 12 days and 12lb... Wouldn't it be great if this rate kept up forever? Not going to happen, I know, but I'm going to enjoy it while it does.

Have you ever "pinched a nerve" in your shoulder? Does it feel like that? It is possible that you have been sleeping in a different position because of the operation and have done something like this to make your shoulder sore. I know that I get mild arthritis in my neck, which can result in pinched nerves. Generally, they feel like someone has threaded fishing line through my body from neck to shoulder and any movement "twangs" the line causing intense sharp pain. If I sit still, the pain fades to a dull ache. Eventually, something eases up and the tension on the "fishing line" just disappears, usually instantly. If what you are feeling sounds anything like this, you might want to look into changing the position you are sleeping in or getting your neck checked out for arthritis. Something like Voltaren cream (prescription only in Aus, not sure about the US) is very helpful.

I just got home from the hospital. I was the first one on the theatre list this morning (Monday 10th), went under the knife just after 8am and was in recovery by 9:30-10am. Spent the day in the ward with a drip giving fluids and drugs (nothing fun though ) and got out at 8:30pm. Feeling quite well, considering... stomach muscles are a little sore around the incisions (6 different incisions!) and a little bit of gas pain from when they inflate your abdmonen, but otherwise feeling fine! Whoohoo... I made it to Bandland!

So what do you experienced Bandsters recommend for munching on when watching drama unfold, now that popcorn is off the list? I so want to post a "munches popcorn" icon

Being in Australia, I spend a lot of time in various pools and I love the floating boob effect! Someone should invent a bra that does that! The one drawback is when you are doing aqua aerobics in chest deep water and, no matter how much your body jumps up and down, your boobs stay at the same level floating on the surface. NOT a pretty sight!

A couple of suggestions: * Put a cotton blanket down on the floor and change him there * Get him to climb in and out of the car seat on his own - he's 2 & half! My granddaughter (also 2 & half) has conniptions if I try to lift her in or out of the car seat "I do it!! I do it!!" * Have lots of cuddles on the couch, rather than picking him up

Good luck to you, Michelle! I'm going in tomorrow (Monday) too. I too gained a few pounds between making the decision and going on the pre-op diet. I think that is pretty standard, as most of us do the "goodbye to favourites" thing. I've been on a pre-op for 9 days and so far have lost 9lb! Whoohoo!

Here are my before pics - they were taken a few months ago but not much changed between then and the start of my pre-op 8 days ago.

This is me in June, at 2-3lb lighter than my starting weight, 8 days ago, of 275lb (125kg).

My surgeon rang me at work this morning because there'd been a cancellation at the hospital on Monday, and he offered me the earlier surgery date. I told him about what I'd been eating/drinking for the past week and asked him about the liquid vs solids issue. He was very happy with what I have done and said that the main reason doctors recommend the liquid diet is because it is far more accurate than when choosing solids. With solids, it is easy to underestimate quantities and go over-budget on calories, etc, but essentially if the numbers were the same, there was no great advantage to liquids. Soo... SURGERY IS ON MONDAY NOW!! (And I'm doing the strict liquids for the weekend, just to push it as hard as I can).

USA chatita - Houston, Texas christasha - Chula Vista, California DonHoll1 - Indiana egorsgirl1 - suburb of Dallas,Texas Ellisa - Ohio freebird - Cheyenne, Wyoming grannyk - Missouri Jazzywoman - Ohio jomama36 - Sterling Heights, Michigan jwright - Michigan motocrossgirly - Liburn, Georgia sfeiner - Baraboo Wi sghatl - Georgia thundandlight - Massachusetts tomecia25 - Dallas, Texas Twilight - Montana CANADA Meghan1983 - Hamilton, Ontario AUSTRALIA Sewenup1 - Sydney Fanny Adams - Perth

I was doing just fine with the date being on Wednesday 12th but it just got moved to Monday 10th and now I'm REALLY NERVOUS!! LOL!! I'm never going to get organised in time!