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I also do not think that consuming more grams of Protein will make you feel more satisfied. It is a liquid and it is not filling. I also could not stand the smell of the Protein shakes, but I started preparing them in the magic bullet. Some of the things I've mixed are chocolate Protein powder with milk and a heaping spoonful of Peanut Butter and this actually did make me feel full. I have also done vanilla protein powder with milk, a banana and peanut butter. Since the powder is mixed in so well I cannot smell it like I could when I was preparing it with a spoon in a glass. Here are things that are on my stage one-liquids only-list: Light yogurt (I got the kind you drink) SF pudding or custard cream soups-strained cream of wheat (drinkable consistency) Fruit and Veg juices broth protein shakes fruit smoothies At this point I am into the mushy stage and that has been helpful, but yesterday was the first day that I have REALLY felt hungry since my surgery on the 3rd. I did manage to satisfy my hunger, mainly with yogurt and cottage cheese-which I just ate until I finally started to feel satisfied. The other night I pureed thin strips of beef prepared in the crock pot. Tasted fine if you can get beyond the look and texture. My 4 year old was pretty thrilled by it and ate a whole cupful... I was not so thrilled. But I did get it down and I felt satisfied afterward. I used quite a bit of the juices from the cooking process to puree it.

I would call the doctors office back and ask them if they can put more steri-strips on. I just had carpal tunnel surgery in June and my strips fell off right away causing extreme pain and a huge scar so when I had my lap band surgery I mentioned this to the nurse and she gave me a pkg of steri strips to take home with me. I used almost all of them before the incisions had all closed up. I have also been extremely itchy since the day after surgery. My friend said she had the same problem.

Unless you have money to throw away. First I want to say that I am extremely thankful for this forum. I found this site a couple months prior to surgery and I learned so much and went into surgery with my eyes open. My surgeon even commented that it appeared I had done my homework. But when I first found this site I went gung ho. Found the pre-op shopping list and got pretty much everything on it. Here's a list of the things I have that I would not have gotten if I had it to do over again because I didn't need them: Two ice packs. Two different kinds of gas-x (the nurse told me gas-x does not help eliminate the gas that you get following surgery that is caused by the surgeon blowing air into you). I could have lived without the heating pad. Two boxes of ex-lax. 12 lbs of Protein powder in 3 flavors (quit laughing)! What I have used: liquid Tylenol Maybe a pound or so of the Protein Powder SF & FF pudding Special K Protein Water (lots of this) I have used the heating pad, but have not found it nearly as wonderful as others have indicated. Magic Bullet blender/mixer (love it) I am not saying that you and I would have the same lists, but I will say that after the first day I felt well enough to go shopping and I wish I had left things like the ex-lax, the second box of gas-x, the ice packs at WalMart and waited until after surgery to see if those things were really needed. I also wish that I did not have more then 10 lbs of protein powder in 3 giant containers taking up space on my kitchen counter!!! That's my tip for the day.

I am totally paranoid about medication getting stuck. I cannot figure out why it's okay to take medication/vitamins when you can't eat solid food. I have not taken my Calcium since the day before my surgery (last week) because this is a large tablet, and I hate taking the Vitamin C and the metformin. I have cut the metformin tabs into 4 pieces and that helps, but I am sure one got stuck this morning because as I was drinking my Protein drink a while after taking my meds this morning I became aware of a sensation like a plug getting pulled and my esophogus draining. It was very strange. What does everybody else do about medication and Vitamins?

The difference in the doctors suggestions amazes me. The facility where I went, considered a "Center of Excellence", instructed me to have 1 week of liquids, nothing specified this should be Clear Liquids. 1 week of mushies. Start of week 3 begin to work in solid foods. The nutritionist told me that if I am just starving and absolutely cannot make it to the 3rd week for solids to just be sure to chew, chew, chew and when you think you've chewed enough chew some more. They gave me a pamphlet of suggestions for each stage. My doctor's office actually suggests against using Protein drinks beyond their liquid stage because they do not make you feel satisfied so you may consume more calories then you should. It's hard to believe these doctors can have such drastic differences, but that each person should be sure to follow their doctors orders. One thing that actually made me feel full on the liquid stage was adding a spoonful of Peanut Butter to a Protein shake. I couldn't finish it all.

I stayed in a hotel the evening of my surgery and the one thing I forgot was something to drink. I ended up paying $9.20 for a glass of milk, 2 cups of tea and a cup of coffee (for my friend) at the hotel restaurant. My friend was buying bottled Water for me so who the heck knows how much she ended up spending on that! You may not be planning a stay in a hotel, but you might want to consider some bottled water for the hospital... or bringing a gallon from home if you don't mind tap. I was very very thirsty after surgery and the water in the facility where I had surgery was AWFUL! One note... I asked the nurse if gas-x would help eliminate gas caused by the doctor using air during the surgery and I was told that it would not help because gas-x is only effective on gas created in the stomach/bowels (natural gas :-). I am not well endowed and was able to wear a bra home because the incision was below my bra line. I took the most comfortable clothes I could find and wore slippers. I would not recommend slippers, but instead would suggest slip on shoes because slippers (even the ones with a walking sole) do not protect well enough when it rains. Make sure you pick up your pain meds before the surgery, your doctor should give you a script for this so you can have them ready. I also bought liquid Tylenol.

What a variation in stories. Since all people are different, and the practices of each physician/facility is different-I just don't know that you're going to know what to expect until you're going through it. If you are a control freak you will at least want to know if they will give you a catheter or not, if there policy is to keep you over night or if they consider a day surgery, etc. I had my surgery last Thursday, Jan. 3rd. The only person that I personally knew who had lap band was a year before mine, and was done by a different physician. I figured that if it went that well for her then I would do at least that well. My friends experience (from my point of view): Her check in time (not the time the surgery started) was 10:30 am, and she was home before 3:00 that afternoon (she lives nearly an hour from the surgery center). She called me on her way home and she sounded so good that I was just floored. She healed well, and the only pain she ever described was from her bra rubbing on one of the incisions, and said that the incision for the port was very sore for a long time. She described a feeling of being hit by a bus the day following surgery. My experience was totally opposite of her. I have the most vague memory of coming out of the OR and throwing up. Going into the recovery area and thinking OMG!!!! I cannot believe how bad this hurts! The surface of my belly felt like it had been burned all over, and I was VERY aware that there was something wrapped around my stomach (my actual stomach) and it HURT! According to the friend I had with me, the surgery ended just after 11:00, but the first time I remember looking at the clock was in my room at about 1:00-I was quite surprised by how much time had gone by. I did not have any tubes in me, and was not connected to IV fluids when I woke up. I had the heating blanket on and the same stockings/huggers that others have mentioned. No catheter for me. I was in pain and slightly nauseated and was very afraid that they were going to try to get me to leave because I did not want to do anything but lay in that bed (I have to say I was totally horrified by the post that said when she came out of anesthesia she remembers hearing them say to bring the car around). I was very hot, but found this comforting for a while. And I was thirstier then I ever remember being in my life-which lasted for about 2 days after surgery. Somewhere in there they gave me pain meds, I have no memory of being given anti-nausea meds and I started to feel better. But my surgery ended just after 11am and I think it was about 4:00-5:00 that evening that I got out of the bed for the first time. Walked around with the nurse. Still hoping that I didn't have to leave. Got my fluids down. Went pee. Was discharged at 6:30 which I thought was perfect. I have been shocked by how quickly I have recovered since that first day... after the initial time in the hospital I have not had that hit by a bus feeling that my friend described on her second day. If I was recommending this surgery to someone I would tell them to plan for no less then a week off work. Yes, you could probably go back sooner, but you won't feel too great. Good luck to you!!!

I also stayed at a hotel the night of surgery, which was last week. My friend, who used to work as a home care assistant had ordered extra pillows for me. I doubled (or tripled-can't remember) the pillows on my right side and lay down on the pillows on my right side. I slept okay that first night... not great. The next two nights I slept in my recliner-and slept pretty well. By the 4th night out I slept in my bed, was comfortable, but had to alternate between my right side and my back throughout the night. You are definitely at the worst part of the recovery process (day 1) and if my experience is any indication then I'm sure you will be feeling better by tomorrow night.

I just saw this second part of your original question. I am now 9 days post op and am just now starting to lift, not carry, my 45 lb son-I have not carried him anywhere since surgery. But I hope for your sake that your briefcase doesn't weigh that much! If you don't have any complications following surgery, and you heal pretty quickly then I'd bet you'll feel up to working a week after your surgery. I went into surgery with the mind set that I heal quickly and I have a high pain tolerance. But the quick healing process still surprised me.

We do need a 4-6 day option up there. I have a job where I spend a lot of time sitting, and I am also set up to work from home and had been approved to work from home if I felt up to it even though I had scheduled a week off. I had my surgery on the morning of January 3rd. I honestly felt like I could have put in a few hours the following afternoon, which was a Friday-but I didn't. The next work day was Monday and I worked 5 hours and thought I would go back full time Tuesday (this week). Monday evening I went grocery shopping and on the way out of the store I realized that I had become sore and tired. My alarm went off Tuesday morning and I was exhausted so I didn't work that day. Wednesday was my last scheduled vacation day, but I worked 5 hours and felt fine Thursday when I went into the office to work a full day. I also worked a full day Friday and feel fine...(as you can see since I am posting at 1:25 in the morning). I will add that if it hadn't been an option for me to work from home I would have taken the full week off. I did feel like I needed this time to myself and not have to deal with the firing squad of questions I got on the day I returned to the office. Working from home also allowed me to roll out of bed at the last possible minute and go to work in my pj's. I don't think I would have been up to "getting ready for work" if I'd had to go into the office. I think this does vary by person, but this topic comes up a lot on this site and the general consensus seems to be (depending on the activity level of your job) that most people can return to work after 7-10 days.

I did... I guess I just needed to open my eyes! Thanks!

Maybe there is already a thread out there that is for people to post favorite recipes, but I could not find it. I think having a thread specifically for recipes is a great idea. So here's my contribution. If you're looking for a 1c of this, 2T of that... that is not how I cook. But here is what I came up with. If you like enchilada's you might like this. Here are the ingrediants (please note that the only other time I have cooked with tofu it found a nice place in the garbage can): 1 pkg silken tofu Olive oil minced garlic chili powder small can of tomato paste chicken flavor boullion salt Water more chili powder garlic powder I started out with a small frying pan on medium heat, put in olive oil and minced garlic (the kind from the jar). After the garlic had a chance to flavor the the oil I added the tofu which I had cubed. After cooking a bit the tofu will start to fall apart so I broke it into smaller pieces with the spatula. Sprinkled tofu with chili powder. Stirred well. While the tofu was cooking: I put the can of tomato paste into the blender (magic bullet). Added 1/2 - 1 can of water. Started out with chicken bullion. Gave it a spin so these ingrediants were mixed. Added the tofu mixture. Gave it another spin until everything was well mixed and smooth. You will add water to create a smooth, but thick mixture. At this point you will sample and add spice to your own taste (chili powder, boullion, salt, garlic or garlic powder). Mix well after adding spices. I put this mixture in a small baking dish and mixed in some shredded cheese, covered with tin foil and baked it all together at 350 for about 30-60 min. Next time I make this I will not add the cheese because it did not melt as I expected it to and it left the otherwise smooth mixture with lumps in it and as far as I'm concerned no extra flavor. I got 3 meals out of this mixture. I will say that I just started throwing this all together and was pretty shocked by how good it tasted when it was all done. If someone had served this to me I would never have guessed that tofu was one of the main ingrediants. I have tried and failed at using tofu in the past and thought I'd give it one more shot since I'm trying to get some Protein in. If you try it I hope it works out as well for you as it did for me.

I was banded on January 3rd, just a few days after you. Today is the first day that I have really felt hungry, and today is the first day that I've really eaten more then the 1/2 cup at a time they suggest. I don't know if it's really the case, but here's my theory.... the swelling has gone down and I am on the mend. I have been told that until you get your first fill it is likely you will not have any restriction. So if you were chew chew chewing like they told you too it's possible that the food passed quickly through the stoma leaving you feeling unsatisfied.

Susan2008: Thanks! My pre-op was yesterday and now it's really becoming a reality! Good luck to you as well!

Munchkin392: Your Avatar gives the impression that you are a nurse. Did you know that statistics show that nearly everybody that is a nurse has at least one parent who is an alcoholic?

My BMI is in the upper 50's. My doctor did not tell me to do a pre-op diet. My surgery is scheduled for January 3rd and I had my pre-op appt today with the surgeon and the nutritionist. I specifically asked if I should be on a pre-op diet for these remaining days. I was told that was not necessary. I certainly don't think it would be a bad idea for you to reign it in a little if you are on a food fest right now. Any change you can make now will probably only be to your benefit at the time of surgery. You may be wondering if I have selected a reputable surgeon, and I can say that I have. He is the chief of bariatric surgery at Virginia Mason which is a Center of Excellence for bariatric surgery, he has been a surgeon since the early 80's, specializes in laparascopic surgery and has an excellent reputation at the clinic where he works. I commented to the nutritionist today that it's odd the drastic differences all the doctors have for pre & post-op diets.

Here's a thought.... why don't we start our own support group for addiction. Addiction is addiction, whether it's to food, drugs, working, shopping, watching TV, exercise (and yes this is the one I'm hoping to go to).... anything that a person does in excess to avoid feeling their emotions. My pastor does a support group for dealing with co-dependency and addictions. He says the average addict has 6-7 addictions that they can alternate between. He also says that most often when people decide to quit their addiction of choice without dealing with the issues related to their addiction that they will normally just "replace it with one that peeves people off less." Addiction is insanity. How many times I have thought to myself, "I can't believe I'm killing myself with food." Yet I can't seem to stop myself. Food is my addiction of choice, and I have had enough counseling to know the chances I will addiction jump are pretty good... that is why I have informed my former counselor that I may be needing some therapy over the course of the next few months. I plan to be very aware of what I'm doing, and I'm hoping for the best. So I ask you, have you acknowledged that there are issues related to your family of origin (aka... your childhood), that are causing you to avoid feeling? You're trying to fill yourself from the outside in, instead of the inside out. Have you ever noticed how many food addicts have relationships with drug addicts and alcoholics? Addicts attract each other.... How many of your closest friends came from dysfunctional families? I am not saying this to blame my actions on my parents because I believe that as an adult it is now my choice to improve my life and not pass on the mistakes of my parents to my own child. Sooo.... how does LBA sound (LabBand Anonymous)?

How long after surgery were you feeling up to cleaning house? Cooking dinner? The time after my surgery will be my last vacation for quite a while and I was hoping I would feel well enough to kind of putter around going through old stuff and tossing it out as needed.

Once upon a time I was 11 years old and had a single mother who dated. She ended up meeting the man she's married to now, 23 years later, just before I turned 12 years old. At the age of 11 I figured out what my mother was doing in the bedroom with the men she dated and it disgusted me. I absolutely hated everything about her having sex. It was not a moral issue for me. So maybe it really is your bf's 11 year old daughter that said something to her mother about it making her uncomfortable. Maybe your daughter is feeling the same way... or will be soon. One thing I will tell you is that I have never gotten the following comment out of my head that my mother said to me at the age of 11, "Once you have sex your body just needs it." YUCK!!!! The thought of her saying that to me still makes me cringe!!! So if you're going to talk about what adults do with a 10 or 11 year old-choose the words carefully. You stated here that your bf ex-wife seems to be a nice lady, and my personal opinion is that maybe you should give her the benefit of the doubt. This is her childs father, so there will probably always be a part of her that is curious about what is going on in his life. Not necessarily because she wants him back, but because she wants to know that her daughter is in a good situation when she's with her father and his friends. I will go on to say that as an ex girlfriend from a long term relationship there are times that I am still curious about what's going on in the life of my former bf. Not because I, in any way-shape-or form, want to be with him.... just curious. If there was someone that I could ask without sounding "curious-interested in re-establishing a relationship" I would, but there isn't so I don't. I think you hit the nail on the head when you said that you may just be over-reacting to what happened in your former relationship with an ex who clearly had some issue's. I wish you the best, but more importantly I wish the best for the children involved in this situation. Happy New Year!

I have been thinking about you and wondering how you are doing. Have things gotten better for you?

Is this wellness doctor submitting claims to your insurance company? If so, it could be that she's afraid to note these charges as "obesity/weight related" because if records are requested by your insurance company it may not be a coverable expense. That's the only thing I can think of.... About 10 years ago when I had a consultation with a surgeon for gastric bypass (which I did not go through with) I ordered chart notes from an orthopedist I had seen for back pain and she had the comment in reference to me, "her massive form". I wasn't there about weight issues, but back pain. I have never forgotten that reference in her notes. And I mention it here because it's a reference to the fact that if you are discussing your weight and general nutrition with this person you would definitely think that she would have that recorded in your chart notes.

I have also read on this site that if something hot doesn't work then to try pineapple juice. It is on my list of things to get for post op.

I just ordered a cookbook from amazon.com with recipes for people who have had WLS. The author of the book had lapband surgery in 2003. The books title is Eating Well After Weight Loss Surgery Over 140 delicious, low-fat, high Protein recipes to enjoy in the weeks, months and years after surgery. The authors are Patt Levine and Michele Bontempo-Saray. I just opened it last night and starting reading through it. She has instructions after each recipe to let you know if it is good for the liquid/pureed time frame or if it should wait until you can consume more normal foods. It also will let you know how to serve it to others who have not had lap band.

It's happening. That thing I do when the word DIET enters my mind. No matter how hard I try to convince myself that this is a lifestyle change. I want to eat everything in sight. Just at the point that I need to be trying the hardest to lose weight pre-surgery I have gained back 5 of the 10 lbs I had lost. No thanks to this wonderful holiday, and 4 family get togethers that were all food-fests. Now I'm trying my hardest to get motivated to put the brakes on the eating. Although my surgeon hasn't told me I have to do a liquid diet I feel I should. But I don't want to!!! And then I start to panic because post op I won't have a choice. I have read too many horrible stories on here about people that tried to take a small bite of something and it got stuck--yikes! My friend told me that fear is what's going to keep me from eating. Anyway, am I the only one feeling like this right now? My surgery is 1 week and 1 day away and this is the first time in months I have struggled like this.

"Pumpkin pie pudding": Make SF or FF butterscotch pudding, mix in a can of spiced pumpkin and a tub of SF or FF cool whip. This may not be the exact recipe, but it is GOOD and pretty low cal. Get some carnation SF hot chocolate packets and when she brings out the hot chocolate and looks at you like poor pitiful you--say, "Oh I brought my own... just need some Water." And... as a matter of fact I just read another post where someone said their first mushy meal was blended meatloaf, mashed potatoes and gravy. So maybe blended prime rib, mashed potatoes and au jus??? I don't think I'm that brave, but it would be pretty funny to see the look on sis' face when you walked over to the blender and dumped it all in! Anyway... I suppose you and your sister have at some point been eating buddies?? If that's the case there is probably a part of her regretting your decision for her own selfish reason's. When I was in weight watchers they talked a lot about this issue... people don't like change and when you're the one that is changing they don't know how it will affect their life. As for why your sister was willing to embrace her daughter while she is hasseling you.... could be a couple issues or a combination of both. Her daughter needed to do this to start on a very specific path to better her life that will quite possibly have a positive affect on your sister. Also, as a mother... you hate seeing your children gain excess weight, and you always wish they would try to be healthy. My son just turned 4 years old and he went through a stage where he was getting chubby. I could feel panic set into my heart when I noticed this and I remember thinking to myself how hard it must have been for my mother to watch me get fatter and fatter and fatter as I was growing up.