deneicy

I've had 6 surgeries--this was by far the easiest.

The most painful thing for me in the process was the manometry pre-op procedure--because we discovered I had a deviated septum, and the first drips went down my air pipe rather than my esophogus.

The shot before surgery was no worse than a tetanus shot, stung for maybe a minute. No pain at all from it a few minutes later.

No discomfort at all during the surgery. Took 3 breaths of oxygen and awoke in recovery without any grogginess or nausea whatsoever.

When they had me move a bit, I had some pain in my belly, as I recall, so they gave me pain meds, and I was fine within seconds, it seemed.

I had a mild sore throat from the intubation tube. It lasted one day and the lozenges helped.

I got a little sore inside a lip that went away in a few days. No damage to teeth.

I needed assistance in and out of bed for 2 days. Couldn't use core ab muscles without a sharp, fast pain, much like doing a lot of crunches.

I took my tylenol with codeine only 3x during the first 3 days. It numbed the discomfort completely.

The biggest challenge for me was related to GAS, the CO2 used to inflate the belly for lap surgery. I just felt bloated, like STUFFED. And the gas sometimes collects in odd non-digestive places like your shoulders, clavicle, or back. My left shoulder felt strained--like from a workout--for a week. That discomfort would come and go and was certainly tolerable. A heating pad helps.

I had some diarrhea for 2 days. It went away immediately when I moved to full liquids from clear. Didn't like being homebound. Wanted to get out.

You'll want to rest probably. Watch movies, read. I didn't want to talk on the phone for a few days.

But the surgery itself....a snap. :smile:

Certainly worth the huge payoff.

Best!!!!

:biggrin:

I've had 6 surgeries over my 55 years. This one was the EASIEST by far. I had mine in San Diego at UCSD Medical Center. The team was incredible. The only thing that was slightly uncomfortable was the shot. It burned like a tetanus shot for a few minutes. Nothing.

I took 3 nice breaths of oxygen and ....awoke. Without grogginess or nausea.I had a mild sore throat and a little cut on the inside of a lip that went in a few days. Throat lozenges the first day only.

Felt a little discomfort in the tummy so they gave me a pain med. It went away.

I needed some help being lifted and lowered into bed. The incision sites would OUCH a bit if I used my core muscles. That passed by day 3. I took 3 dosages of the tylenol with codeine and stuck it in the med cabinet.

The most discomfort has been sore shoulders and clavical area from the CO2 used to inflate the torso. It is tolerable, not as intense for me as a hard workout. Walking helps.

Bloating has been slightly uncomfortable, feeling like you need to pass the gas and can't. It's not painful. That is almost gone now

I had diarrhea for a couple of days. That passed when I graduated from Clear liquids to full liquids.< /p>

The most painful experience for me the entire time was the pre-op procedure for swallowing--the manometry--where the tube with the camera goes thru the nose into the tummy. I had a deviated nose (didn't know it), so it was painful trying to shove the tube up a broken nose. And then the Water drops went into my trachea and lungs, instead of the esophogus.

It's over.

Onward!

Best to you.

PS Read about the dietary stages in the forum. If I were you, I'd make sure I followed the more conservative dietary guidance. I was surprised you're eating whole food before surgery. My surgical team said liquids are crucial to keep the liver small. I drank 2-3 Protein drinks, sf popsicles, Jello, 3 servings of yogurt, cottage cheese, clear broth 2 weeks before surgery. Those who needed to lose greater weight did this a month, a nurse told me.

It is CRUCIAL for you to follow your surgeon's instructions re the liquid diet to shrink the liver--you don't want it nicked, do u? I had clear and some full liquids 2 weeks before surgery. Don't eat whole foods off the list before the surgery, even if some doctors let their patients. It's chancy.

As for being hungry afterwards, yeah. We're supposed to get hungry when our stomach is empty. It's healthy. Most of us don't know what real hunger feels like. The hunger comes--it goes. Drink if you're hungry. I'm told Proteins stave off hunger, too.

And look at your psychological hunger cues--the lapband didnt eliminate those, did it? And it didn't eliminate the emotional needs we when we ate. This requires serious psychological work, too, not just diet and exercise.

This all said, I know the band will make us fill physically full after we've eaten the appropriate SMALL portions.

Give your MIL your program after you talk with her. Maybe tell her how much you love her and have appreciated her wonderful cooking and all the other things that express her love and generous spirt. ANd tell her you're doing this for yourself, her son, grandkids(?), so you will live longer, healthier and fuller. And ask if she can help you.

YOu can't do all that at the restaurant, can you? But you can order whatever's on your program. Clear broth at first. You'll learn what works. There are loads of tips in this forum. I told my sweetie that I'll be snuggling next to him now and nibbling 20% of his meal.

He liked that.

He urged me to look into this and is so supportive. He only called me a Drama Queen once since I had surgery last week. hehe

Best!

It's funny that many of us have WAITED a long time to really take on our obesity, but we don't want to wait for other things, like the numbers on the scale to drop.

I want to understand this-- how to patiently defer gratification for the in my best interest.

Something to ponder...

best!

I've been on the scale every day, too.

But, you know what, it's really silly.

We've done this too much in our lives--chased numbers--and not really made the lifestyle CHANGES necessary to maintain a healthy size.

We know we aren't doing anything "wrong," so it doesn't matter what the scale says now. It could be water-yes. It could be SHOCK. Our body may be trying to maintain itself to stay alive--it doesn't "know" what we have chosen to do, does it! It could be related to the surgery itself, as some of you've said.

It doesnt matter.

It doesnt matter.

It doesn't matter.

We need to learn to look ahead and trust that by making the right decisions, following the guidelines, learning to eat differently...that the path ahead will have both reinforcements and challenges.

But we'll get there if we use this miraculous tool right--to change some of the things we couldn't before. It will make us slow down our eating. It will keep us from overeating.

We have to choose what foods to put into our bodies, to have our fills, to exercise, etc.

Best!

well, my puter isn't constipated, is it? Seems to have the "other" potty problem!!!!! Sorry about that overflow of postings. Weeeeird.

I've read posts in here that milk of magnesia (MOM) solved their Constipation. Do a SEARCH on "can't go potty." hehe Hope everything comes out well for you. (BTW, I faced the same problem for 4 days with the barium test...and drank prune juice w/success. )

I think the fast food monoliths that brainwash 34% of our nation to eat fattening diets should pay an OBESITY tax to fund treatment, including tummy tucks.

j/k (sorta)

I just re-read your post and saw that your doctor calls cream of wheat a liquid. My nutritionist includes it in the Starches Group of Puree Diet, weeks 3 and 4. The other foods in the group are mashed potatoes (all varieties, no skin), oatmeal, and grits.

I'm in the Full Liquids stage--had surgery two days before you--and will be here thru the second week post-surgery.

I get skim milk, fudgsicles sf, alba, Protein shakes and smoothies-low sugar (no fruits added), instant Breakfast, and strained creamed Soups.

Best to you.

Most doctors put patients on liquids for 2-5 days following surgery, then full liquids through the second week. In weeks 3 and 4, the Puree Diet includes your cream of wheat.

Some of the postings suggest their doctors either do not give them ANY dietary restrictions pre or post op....or they do not HEAR or HeeD them.

I suppose if your doctor has told you nothing, you can rely on the second-hand advice of other doctors via forum members here...

or you can have anything you want, from cotton candy to tacos, which some of the folks in here apparently consume soon after surgery.

Guess they got Magic Wands with their lapbands.

I was told the band would only help me eat healthily, not allow me to eat anything I wanted.

The big problem with the band is this--people don't lose weight with them!

Not everyone.

Just folks who don't change.

I've also read in here that the first month is for HEALING.

The liquids before surgery are for SAFETY.

The liquids after surgery are for your HEALING and SAFETY.

I wouldn't eat the cream of wheat til week 3. But I trust my SURGEON, doctors, nurses, nutritionist, and the psychologist who work at UCSD.

Best to you.

Sipping my Tomato soup~

DeNeice

I've noticed some differences among doctors and/or patients in what we are eating before and in the early post-surgery months. If you have interest and time, it may be interesting to know:

1. Did you have a nutritionist? Did you receive a written diet or program?

2. What was your pre-op diet? How long were you on it?

3. What days were you on Clear liquids?

4. How long were you on Full liquids? Did you incorporate any whole foods in this stage, for example, by blending?

5. When were you on the Puree Diet?

6. When were you on the Soft food Diet?

7. In the soft food diet, were you told which foods to avoid or be careful of?

(eg high Fiber breads and cereals, raw/fresh veggies, fresh fruits w skins, fried foods, tough meats, nuts & seeds. Were you informed that meat, rice and bread usually not tolerated until after 2-3 months)

8. Did you deviate from your diet? What was your experience, if so?

Thanks.

Your journey and success inspires me. Thanks, Denise.

Another one (DeNeice)

on second thought, maybe I'll just suggest we have liquid lunch over in the bar, and I'll avoid the cherries, onions and olives. liquor doesn't get "caught," right? :wink2:

Now I know why my nutritionist has BReADs on the AVOID list and said when I eat chicken to "pound the heck out of it first." It likes the fast fast places don't do that. Maybe when I eat out, I'll have....soup broth and yogurt.

story about gastric surgeries in children

Could this be related to an unrepaired hernia??

Welcome to the hood. I was banded last Wednesday and feel pretty darn good. :biggrin: My gut was thrilled to progress from clear to full liquids. Best to you!

I read a lot of resistance to change in here. The band won't make us thin-- it is just a TOOL to help us make the CHANGES in our behavior that made us obese.

If we insist of throwing our favorite high calorie recipes into a blender and drinking them, we are not really changing, are we?

If we whine about giving up caffeine or carbonation, we are resisting even small changes.

I know it's going to be reeeeeally hard for me to eat "like a baby," to chew my food til it's goo, to put my little baby spoon and fork down between itsy bitsy teensy bites and wait an interminably long time for the next bite...

but when I took this step, I knew it was the best way for me to live a healthier, HAPPIER, richer life.

My old ways of being let me lose 1,000 pounds and regain 950.

I'm ready for change.

And that's why I'm voting for Obama.

:frown: I read a few dozen of these posts and just...hiccaburped! And it felt gooooood. Aaaaaah whatta release. I had surgery 5 days ago and feel pretty darn chippper today. Just wondrin if I'll continue to need the potty nearby thru the rest of the liquid stages. :eek:

I've been reading posts to find recipes and have discovered some that sound absolutely scrumptious....and absolutely loaded with calories. I'm leery of creative concoctions that convert our favorite fattening recipes into a lapband version by simply blending them into extremely rich Soups.

When I asked my doc what the biggest risk of getting the band was, he said, "Not losing weight."

I can see how this could easily happen. All dieters know how you can devastate a regimen by drinking all your calories. That takes on new meaning to banders.

My professional team knows this is just a tool to help support healthy lifestyle choices.

Best to all!

My program guidelines on puree level in this food group (Rice/Pasta/Potato/Cereal/Grains) says choose mashed potatoes, oatmeal, cream of wheat and grits. Do not choose "Noodles" et al.

In weeks 5 & 6 Soft Diet in this food group the nutrition guideline does not include Pasta in the choices. It says do not choose chow mein noodles or Pasta in cream/butter sauce. I think the implication is that noodles are not a great choice but if you can tolerate them, don't choose those with high fat content or sauces.

I'm also 4 days post-op and understand your fears. I think it's good to only use the posts to answer specific concerns when we begin to feel overloaded with stories of risks and problems.

When all's well, we can help others.

You might need a little breather from the postings??

I had to stop before surgery--was beginning to freak out.

If you still want to read, look for the headings that sound very positive so you can communicate with those folks. As tempting as it is to peek at the car wreck, keep your eyes on the prize and move straight ahead.

Best to you.

Clear Liquids for 3 or 4 days after surgery is important for HEALING. The standard post-op diet is explicit that full liquids are NOT allowed immediately after surgery.

We can quell hunger pains with liquids. If we still feel pain, it is probably that ol' culprit gas, which I've read will pass within a couple days to a couple of weeks. There is a good discussion about the quite odd aches and pains related to CO2 used in the surgery in the thread "I think I finally figured it out."

Go to the thread "I think I figured it out"

I don't know what your mystery pain is but a lot of them are related to the CO2 used to inflate the belly for surgery.

Read on...and as Benjamin Franklin said, "fart proudly."

I just received this in that thread..

This thread is located at:

I think I figured it out - Lap Band Talk Forum - The largest forum for Lap Band Surgery Discussion and Lap Band Surgery Support

Here is the message that has just been posted:

***************

GAS-X STRIPS WORK!! If all else fails, do some very gentle knee bends and small stomach crunches. And, believe it or not, sit on the toilet and have a nice bottle of bubbles. Blowing bubbles uses the same muscles that cause you to release gas (and have a BM, thus the toilet). Usually helps! (I'm a spec ed teacher and have had to use this technique w/ kiddos at school... and w/ myself after surgery!!!!) Enjoy!