Lily76

I just got banded on 2/6/08 and I have been experiencing a lot of pain in my left shoulder! My surgeon said that it has to do with my diaphram and how it distributes the pain, plus the fact that our bellies get filled with CO2 during surgery. Has anyone else been experiencing this strange pain? Have you found anything that helps it go away?? Lily :confused2:

I just met with my doctor today for my first follow up since my surgery last week. He told me that my first fill will be on Friday 2/29!!! I was shocked that it's coming up so quick!!! :wink2: Can anyone please tell me what to expect? What does it feel like? Will I feel it? Will I feel nautious? What's eating like afterwards? OH!! and I am TERRIFIED of needles....it's a terrible phobia of mine!!!! That's what I'm scared of the most!!!! :biggrin: Please help...........:Dancing_chief:

I just met with my doctor today for my first follow up since my surgery last week. He told me that my first fill will be on Friday 2/29!!! I was shocked that it's coming up so quick!!! :wink2: Can anyone please tell me what to expect? What does it feel like? Will I feel it? Will I feel nautious? What's eating like afterwards? OH!! and I am TERRIFIED of needles....it's a terrible phobia of mine!!!! That's what I'm scared of the most!!!! :biggrin: Please help...........:Dancing_chief:

I get to start eating my pureed/blended foods this Wednesday! Does anyone know of any good websites that I can find yummy recipes? Or does anyone have any ideas/recipes that you've tried that are good? I would love to know what things taste good blended and/or what tastes good mixed together! I am dying to be able to eat mashed potatoes and gravy or even some mashed tuna w/mayo!!! :eek: I would love to hear from you all... Thanks!! :thumbup:

I don't think that I've tried Hummus. Can you please share your recipe? Thanks!

It seems as though that every time I eat my lunch and dinner I get this terrible pain on my left side that then goes through my arm. It is a really uncomfortable pain and I'm wondering if it's because I'm eating too fast? I'm only eating a 1/2 cup to 1 cup per meal, which is what I was told by my doctor and nutritionist. I just don't know how slow is slow when they tell me to eat slow????!!! I have never been a slow eater so this part is difficult for me. Can anyone help me understand how slow I am supposed to eat? How much time should I be waiting in between sips? I'm still in the full liquids stage until Wednesday then I start my pureed stage and I'm afraid that it will get worse? Please help!!!!!!!!!!

I have never been told that I cannot have anything with skins or nuts. Beans are actually encouraged because they're very high in Protein. I have been drinking a lot of milk!! I drink both 1% white and chocolate but I drink chocolate the most. I make all of my cream Soups with milk. The weirdest thing for me since I started my liquid diet before my surgery....I crave chocolate milk all of the time! So needless to say....milk has been a huge part of my diet since I started! Good Luck! :scared2:

Today was my best day so far since surgery!! : ) I didn't have to take any pain medicine and I started to feel so much better. I'm going to my first doctor's visit tomorrow (Tuesday). I made a really yummy creamy potatoe Soup tonight and I added shredded cheddar cheese to it. It was sooooo gooood!! But I totally agree with you Ky....I am SO ready for pureed/mushies starting this Wednesday!! Hey I have a question for you guys...it seems as though that every time I eat my lunch and dinner I get this terrible pain on my left side that then goes through my arm. It is a really uncomfortable pain and I'm wondering if it's because I'm eating too fast? Are any of you experiencing the same thing? I just don't know how slow is slow when they tell me to eat slow????!!! I have never been a slow eater so this part is difficult for me. I'm planning on asking my doctor about it when I go in for my appointment on Tuesday. I hope all is well with everyone! : ) Goodnight!

Hi everyone! My name is Lily and I just got banded this week on 2/6/08. I just started my full liquids today and so far I'm doing pretty good. I love that I found this site because I really need friends that have been through this so I can bounce questions off of! I'm so scared of learning to eat and drink now that I'm banded...I'm afraid of the throwing up part and discovering the pain of possibly eating too much? I would love to get to know as many people as possible...so please message me back! :thumbdown: Thanks! Lily

I just got banded on 2/6/08 and one thing I am dying to know is.......... Will I ever be able to have pizza again??? Even if it's just one bite??:thumbup:

I must say that I am soooo glad that I started this thread and asked this question!!! Pizza has always been my most favorite and all I want is just one tasty bite! : ) After reading all of the responses I have gathered that if I'm gonna go for pizza that I better go for thin crust for sure! : ) Everyone on here is so awesome!!!!! Thank you all so so so so much!!!!!!!! Keep em' coming I really appreciate all of the support!!!!!!!!! : )

Kacee ~ Thank you SOOO much for those detailed definitions!!!! I gotta be honest...I am so not looking forward to that at all! It sounds so nasty!! I really hope that I don't have to experience it often! Thanks again, I really appreciate it!! : )

Hi Toni! Yes I'm so glad that we're all together on this! I agree with you that we'll be a good support team for each other!! : )

Hey Marcy I had the same "chest inflated like a balloon and not able to breath feeling" the past couple of nights. It seems to be that I'm not eating slow enough and I know that this will be a work in progress for me because I've always been a fast eater. I'm not patient! What I have found that helps me is to get up and walk around my living room for about 10-15 minutes and take nice long breaths as best as possible. It really helps me feel better. However it does confuse my dog!!! He just sits there and watches me pace back and forth....asking himself "what the hell is my Mama doing?!!" : ) Hang in there!!

Hey Gibson you can play with me if I can play with all of you!! I just got banded and I am so glad that I found this site!! I feel so comfortable knowing I'm not alone. I have lost 15 lbs. so far and I have 160 more to go but I figure I am well on my way! I know this will have it's ups and downs but I know that having friends on here will make things easier! : )

Thanks Kat!! I look forward to hearing back from you and your ideas from when you went through this phase! The Ricotta and Marinara sauce already sounds like something I will be trying!!! : )

MHazelRigg....WOW!!! Congrats on going back to work so soon!! You had your surgery 2 days after mine. I'm not going back to work until Friday the 15th. I decided to give myself extra time to get back on my feet, I'm a wimp when it comes to pain! I actually have been feeling pretty good though. I've had some shoulder pain and soreness in my belly where I believe my port is but other than that I've felt better and better each day. I am soooo excited about starting the pureed foods this Wednesday!! Today was the first day where I felt hungry...I was hungry quite a bit tonight. I had some cream soup and a sugar free fudgsicle for a snack about an hour and a half later. Anyways...good luck to you with your first day back to work!! :eek: Good luck to all the February Bandsters!!

Lily..........2/6/08!!!!!!! :thumbup:

I got banded on 2/6/08 and I stopped drinking pop 11 days prior to my surgery. I balled my eyes out the night before I started my liquid diet because I thought saying goodbye to pop was going to be THE HARDEST thing I would ever have to do!! My osession was diet cherry coke and I would drink that like it was water and every morning I would stop at McDonald's for a large diet coke to start off my work day. I have to say that it really has not been hard at all saying goodbye!! Once I started the liquid diet and was on my way to surgery it was like something inside me clicked and I never had the craving again! Trust me...I was SO shocked!!! You can do it...it's not hard at all! Plus thinking of the outcome is the best thing to do!! Do I want diet cherry coke...OR...do I want to be healthy and to be a little hottie? Hands down....I wanna be a little healthy hottie!! :thumbup:

Hi Bonnie (aka bandster sister!) LOL!! I just woke up from a nap. I sleep a lot! Do you? I lost another 2 lbs from yesterday. I'm surprised because I thought I would've either gained or not lost any since I started full liquids yesterday, I ate pudding and that dreaded chocolate shake that just about killed me! This morning I had a carnation instant Breakfast, I really like those! I think I'm going to have a yogurt for lunch. I'm not a huge fan of yogurt...do you have any suggestions on yummy fun flavors...like bannana cream pie or coconut cream pie? Maybe I'm just making those up. I haven't been going to the bathroom too much. Last night was my first since Thursday afternoon. Lily

Thanks Ky! I love this site I'm so glad to have all of you to talk to and share our experiences with each other! It's so nice to not feel like the only one that has just been "banded"!! Last night I had my first SMALL chocolate shake. I drank it in very small sips, it tasted so damn good that I drank a little more than half and then I got that VERY FULL FEELING!!! Wow!!! What a BIG MISTAKE!! Luckily I didn't throw up BUT it sure made me realize that I have a new stomach and it will definitely let me know me when it's had enough!!

OK this may be a dumb question but I'm so curious! (I just got banded on 2/6/08) What does "PB" and "slime" mean??? I'd like to know so that I'm prepared...from the discussions...it doesn't sound like fun!! Sounds pretty bad! Please help me better understand what's in store for me....... Lily

Hi Lisa, Thanks so much for replying to me and being supportive. I am from Illinois, I'm about an hour west of Chicago. Where abouts are you? I would love to keep in touch and be buds! Lily

Hi Bon! I just got banded on 2/6/08 so you and I are at the same point! I totally understand your "head being hungry"! I have been the same way today. I am so glad that I had this surgery but I agree with you that this liquid diet is no walk in the park! I am so excited that I have found this site because making new "banded" friends is something that I am really looking forward to! I hope to hear back from you soon. Good luck! Lily

Thanks Jax! I know what you mean about going slower...tonight I was having a shake and I was watching TV. Then I realized that I felt VERY full and I experienced such a strange feeling in my chest and stomach so I stopped. I had not finished the shake which surprised me because it was so small and my band isn't even filled yet! This is amazing how it holds you back and keeps you from going too far. I am so glad that I did this! It is definitely the help that I have been needing all along! Good luck to you too and please keep in touch! Lily