magic1127

Yep, it's gas. Your doctor probably sent you home with some pain medication. You can try that but the best thing you can do is walk, walk, walk. It only lasts a couple of days. Congratulations on the first step toward your new life! Best of luck to you.

Hi, I was banded April 4th and I have never had a fill. I have the realize band and had a lot of swelling initially. However, even now I feel like I am having enough restriction to keep me happy. Exercise is the key. I alternate 3 days of swimming with 3 days of cardio/weights. Helps keep the appetite suppressed. Good luck everyone for lots of weight loss success!! Kim

Hi, Congratulations on your band. You need to follow your surgeon's post op instructions regarding swimming. I think it is common to wait 2 weeks before getting the incisions wet in a pool, and if that is the case, then you're good to go. Swimming is fantastic exercise and I highly recommend it. I started swimming when I was 4 weeks post op and I'm up to swimming a half mile a day. You have the right idea about starting slowly at first. Good luck to you! Kim

I'm 2 months post op and have never had a fill. I have a realize band and have not had any issues with being hungry between meals. It would be nice if I never need to get a fill, but I'm open to it if I start getting hungry. I also find that when I eat a high protein diet I lose my appetite. So for now, I try to eat as healthy as possible. I also exercise 7 days a week, which helps to suppress my appetite. It must be working because I've lost 41 pounds!

List: Name:Kim Date you were banded:April 4, 2008 Weight loss to date:34.5 pounds How are you feeling? great! Very little hunger...satisfied with 500-600 calories a day. Exercising 3-4 days a week. I'm so glad I got my band!!

Hi everyone, My one month anniversary was 5/4 and I've lost a total of 34.5 pounds including the weight lost during the preop diet. I also have the realize band and have not had to have a fill yet. I still feel great restriction. I'm now working out at the gym (cardio and weights) and I feel great. Also, my BMI is finally under 50! Yay! That was one of my first little mini goals and I've done it! Life is good! Congratulations on everyone's weight loss and NSV's. Kim

I'm down 31 pounds since the preop diet 3/21. I was banded 4/4 and have not had a fill yet. Still getting pretty good restriction without it. Congratulations on everyone else's weight loss. Way to go Avengers! We're getting smaller every day!! Kim

I'm wondering how you were able to eat such a "big" meal? Do you measure your meals? I was told that the small pouch can be stretched by overeating. Also, according to my doctor, the number one cause of band slippage is overfilling the pouch. I eat no more than 4 ounces per meal and have never had any problems with pb or slime. Also, did you wait at least an hour before drinking?

Banded April 4th...down 20 pounds since beginning of preop diet!

My doctor's post op liquid phase was 3 carnation instant breakfast shakes per day. It was the sugar free/ no sugar added powdered mix in the blue box. I mixed it with 8 oz skim milk and added an additional 1/3 cup of nonfat dried milk to it. I put everything into my little shaker cup...shake...shake...shake...and presto an easy, tasty 20 grams of protein. I've also bought "unjury" brand protein powder. It comes in several different flavors, one of them being unflavored. I made high protein jello which works out to 10 grams of protein in 1/2 cup serving. The recipe is on the unjury website. The unflavored does have a little "milky" taste to it, but I couldn't really taste it in the jello. Anyway, hope this helps. My challenge now is how to get in 50-60 grams of protein now that I'm on the mushies stage, and I'm not supposed to be drinking meals anymore.

I was banded April 4th. I am supposed to be drinking 3 carnation instant Breakfast shakes per day. The best I can do is 2 shakes per day and 4 oz of high Protein Jello. It gets me about 50 grams of protein a day which is within the limit set by my doctor and nutritionist. Does anyone else have a problem with being really tight in the morning? I've had to do jello in the morning because the CIB feels like it's too thick to go down. Will the morning tightness go away in a few weeks? Thanks, kim

JRob, I felt great on Friday and Saturday, but yesterday I was definitely a lot more sore. I've had my mom here to help out and my ten year old son has been good for fetching stuff. I tried to get all of my housecleaning done before surgery. If you have the ability to have someone help you out then you might take her up on it...especially with your 2 year old child. Also, you might find you tire more easily after surgery. I have a long post about my surgical experience under the thread about Avengers checking in after surgery. All in all, it has not been a bad experience at all and I have absolutely no regrets. Best of luck to you. Kim

Hi fellow April Avengers, I had my surgery on Friday 4/4 and it wasn't nearly as bad as I thought it would be. I had to be at the hospital at 6:30 am and I went to the OR around 8:45 or so. During that time I changed into a gown, met with my doctor, anesthesia, and the OR crew. My nurse was excellent-got my IV in one stick. They were all fantastic. I had some IV medication to help me relax just before going to the or. I remember moving to the OR table and breathing in the oxygen. Surprisingly, I also remember waking up and the trip to the recovery room. I was a little nauseated and I got something for that. Once I was in recovery I was wide awake. I felt great...but I could tell that I had had surgery. My belly was a little sore and very distended. I looked at my lap sites. I have 3 little ones and one longer one where the port is. I had to stay in recovery for 6 hours while I waited for my room to be ready. My surgeon insisted that I stay overnight in the hospital, even though I was feeling so good. While I was in recovery I went to radiology for the upper GI. That was probably the most unpleasant part of my hospital stay. The contrast that I had to drink was nasty! I had to drink it lying down, on my left side, and on my right side. Fortunately I passed with flying colors. The other thing that was annoying was the dry mouth and only being able to drink Water an ounce at a time. I felt like I could have chugged a gallon, but of course you're not allowed to have that much. I sipped my tiny cups of water and tried to savor them. I wasn't nauseated and they started me on full liquids for dinner that night. When I got to my room the head nurse hooked me up to the heart monitor and she told me that my surgery had been telecasted live to some surgeons at the University of Maryland. She also watched it and said that I was only under anesthesia for about 15-20 minutes. Apparently it went very well and was very easy. That night I walked about every 2 hours and felt great. I took percocet and toradol for pain and really didn't have much at all. I got to go home about noon the next day. Today (2 days post op) I have been a lot more sore, but I've also been doing some very light chores around my house. Still, the percocet has helped and I've rested when I needed to. The hardest part is getting up and down from sitting. Keep a small pillow close by to splint against your belly. My son bought me a small stuffed giraffe in the hospital gift shop. It fits perfectly against my left side. It's amazing how much better it feels when you put a little pressure against it. I fortunately have not had much problem with gas. I've passed a lot of it and it really does feel like chest pain when it's pushing on your diaphragm. Walking helps a lot. Don't sit more than you have to once you go home. I've also been sleeping in my recliner. It's just more comfortable. I hope this helps all of you who are looking forward to getting your band soon. Yes, I have been sore...yes, I do have weird rumblings in my belly....and yes, I have had to learn to drink very, very slowly. However, I don't regret this one bit. I am looking forward to the next chapter of my life. I'm ready to face this new challenge and see it through to completion. Best of luck to the Avengers scheduled for surgery this month. I hope it goes well for you. Kim

I had surgery yesterday and it was a breeze. I've hardly had any pain. I feel great. Just learning how to drink slowly. I had a very dry mouth afterward and wanted to just chug my ice Water. Instead I had to work on it one ounce at a time. I walked every 2-3 hours last night and I'm trying to stay active now that I'm home. Well, I'm sleepy. I'm going to go take a nap. If anyone has any questions about my surgical or hospital experience, I'll be happy to answer them. Reply to this post or send me a private message. Good luck to the rest of the April Avengers! Kim

I lost 13 pounds on the preop diet. Going to the hospital in about an hour for surgery! Yikes...Wish me luck.

I'm Kim, I live in Richmond,VA and my surgery is April 4 with Dr. Brengman at St. Mary's Hospital. I'm divorced. I have a 10 year old son named Caleb who is my heart and a couple of pets. Sadie is an 18 month old pound rescue dog. She's a hodge-podge of herding breeds. That's her in the picture with my son. Our other pet is Skittles. He's a huge orange tabby tom cat who pretty much runs the house. I have been a nurse for 18 years. Go Avengers!!

I'm having surgery on Friday and I'm also planning to bring my mp3 player. I know they won't let me rest during the night because the standing orders are to walk every 2 hours and do deep breaths every hour. But I figure I can nap with my music in between. It will help drown out some of the noise. I downloaded a bunch of nice, relaxing music. I'm also bringing sucrets losenges for the sore throat. Someone told me that if you really load up on Water the day before surgery, that it helps with the dry mouth. We'll see. I'm going to try it tomorrow. Good luck to all the april avengers! Kim

I'm being banded on April 4th and have been doing the preop liver shrinking diet for a little over a week. My problem is that I have no appetite anymore. My diet should be (in a 24 hour period) 2 high protein shakes, a light sandwich with 4 oz low fat meat, 1c salad, 1 small piece of fruit, 4 oz fat free/sf yogurt. I started out doing okay with that, but now I can hardly get in 2 of those items. Yesterday I had nothing but the yogurt and sandwich. Every time I went to drink a shake I couldn't bring myself to open the can. I don't know if it's aversion to the slimfast flavor or what. I don't miss food...and surprisingly, I sometimes simply forget to eat. I'm worried about being in starvation mode and not losing any more weight. I don't want to go to the hospital on Friday and have them think that I cheated on my liquid diet because I didn't lose very much weight. Has anyone else had this problem? Thanks, Kim

I'm being banded in a week. At my preop class the nutritionist basically said that slippage comes from not measuring your meals. As long as you eat only 4 ounces by volume you shouldn't have any problems. She also mentioned that Target sells a set of measuring cups that are made of silicone that are collapsible so you can tuck the 1/2 cup measuring cup in your purse or pocket if you're eating out. Hope this helps. Kim

LisaB, Does your doctor require a preop liquid diet? I'm being banded one week from today-Yikes!-so I've been on the liquid diet for a week already. I've completely lost my taste for carbs and diet pepsi. I won't lie, it was REALLY hard coming off that stuff. I had the worst headache and I felt like absolute crap for about 2 days. I guess it must be kind of like a drug addict withdrawing. Anyway, I get the impression that you may be able to eat some of your favorite foods once you're a few months post op...you just won't be able to go nuts with them anymore. That's what I'm looking forward to. Also, I went to before and after pics thread. If you need inspiration that this is the right decision, look at the smiles on the faces of the "after" pics. Kim

Love this thread! I can't wait to wear shirts tucked into my jeans and run a 10K race. I don't want to be invisible anymore. I have spent so much of my life trying not to be the center of attention because any attention you get when you're fat is humiliating. I'm ready to embrace life and be so active that my 10 year old son has to struggle to keep up with his 40 year old mom.

Hi I'm also in Richmond. I'm being banded April 4 at St. Mary's by Dr. Brengman. I feel the same...anxious, scared, thrilled. I just have to believe that this is the right thing to do. I have been overweight for the last 30 years of my life and I'm ready to do what it takes to be healthy once and for all. Keep talking to people at this site. I've found so much inspiration and support here. I'd be happy to write or talk about my experience with you since I will be going through it a couple of weeks before you. Maybe that will help you be a little less anxious. Be strong! Kim

Thanks Sue. I'll just eat healthy and exercise until it's time to do the liquid diet. Way to go... 107 pounds lost! How long did it take you to lose that much? I just can't wait to see those kind of numbers for me. This website is so inspiring. Kim

My surgery date is scheduled for April 4th. I was just wondering if there is any advantage to starting the preop diet now. My surgeon requires it for 2 weeks before surgery since it shrinks the liver. I know that the more weight I lose before surgery decreases my risks of obesity related surgical complications. Anyone have any thoughts on the subject? Has anyone done the preop diet for longer than two weeks? Thanks, Kim

Just got my surgery date. It's 2 days before my 40th birthday! My doctor is Matthew Brengman at St. Mary's hospital in Richmond, VA. I'd love to know if anyone else in the Richmond area is going to be banded around the same time as me. Wish me luck! Kim