RestlessMonkey

For some, a high Protein low carb diet is healthy. We all have to find what works! However it's not really rational to think a person can live on 6 shakes a day forever! But for now, enjoy it. And..it's gone!

Are you getting enough Water? A major cause of a schizo band like yours is lack of hydration. Try drinking 16 oz of water and then have your Breakfast.

For most people, drinking isn't a problem. liquids generally go through quite well. There are some people who are really swollen after surgery and need to sip, but that problem isn't as common (with the sized bands) as it used to be. AND...some surgeons put in fill during the surgery and that can cause some to have problems getting things down, but fortunately that too is more rare.

Lastly if you are really nauseated you may not want to drink, but if you're nauseated tell your doc immediately. Usually they can give you meds to control it; they don't want you vomiting if it can be helped (and why suffer?)

Many are like me; able to drink easily and able to stay well hydrated from recovery on! Once they did a post op swallow test on me and saw things were flowing fine, I think I drank 30 ounces of Water in that first hour!

You should be fine and if you aren't there are steps that can be taken very quickly to "fix" it for you.

Yes sounds to me like they've approved it as long as it's done by Dec 31 2009. So celebrate!

With the caveat that we (and our surgeons!) are all different, and this is just MY experience:

It didn't hurt much. I was sore as if I'd done bunches of sit ups. I had an easy surgery. I took my prescription pain medication exactly twice, and both times on day 2. Otherwise tylenol was ample for me. I am not superwoman but I didn't need to be "pain free". I preferred a little soreness to being "out of it". Although my surgeon generally keeps patients overnight he let me go home the same day. I had the surgery TWICE at 2 1/2 weeks apart and each experience was the same. (First time I had surgery but no band) So even op. #2, that close to the first one, didn't bug me. I'd think you'd need at least a week off of work. You might be one who needs more; if you have to be on your feet you might find it a little grueling, especially if you have an extended liquid post op diet. A problem might be picking up your toddler; many of us have a lifting restriction post op. How long and how much will depend on your surgeon.

I started my senior year of nursing school on the tues. following my fri surgery and was ok. I was never nauseated, felt fine, sailed through. Not all people are as lucky, though. Some feel ratty for weeks, some have severe nausea, some have debilitating gas pains. You would be safest to have the surgery during a school break so that if you needed more time off, you could take it without being stressed.

However you and your surgeon can make the "call". Personalities and health histories, the skill of the surgeon and the anesthesiologist, many things play a role in how quickly and easily you can recover.

As to Cigna, no clue, although I think there's a forum for ins. questions.

Don't advance your diet against docs orders (I know you know this)!! I don't think anyone likes the Protein Shakes if they've already "done" them for a period preop! but they do provide nutrition when you're in the "liquid" stage. Just hang in there! Call your doc on Mon or Tues if you're still just disgusted beyond words and see if they can recommend something else. I know some docs say not to have milk immediately post op (gas? digestion? not sure why) etc...so just do the best you can. FYI going without ANY nutrients for a few days won't hurt you unless you're diabetic. I was on Clear Liquids (NO Protein SHAKES!) for the first week post op. Most of us won't be harmed by that for a short period so just do the best you can and check with your doc on Tues.

Having to "tinker" with the fill level is common. I'm sure your doc has encountered it before and will probably re-fill you to a lower level, like 5 cc's instead of 5.5 In fact I'm shocked he removed ALL of it. The one time I was tight my doc removed .25 cc and I was fine! (a little bit goes a long way when you're close to restriction)

You need to run this by your doc. Being thirsty even though you get enough liquids can mean you have something medical going on.

Welcome and good luck! Do you like Eddie Izzard (re your avatar)? I weighed 405 when I started this journey and am 5'5"; my doc didn't try to push bypass on me (thank God) and i am losing well and steadily and expect to do so for some time to come, so good for you sticking by your guns. Are you getting banded in San Angelo?

I know you're frustrated and I want to share this with you; getting the band is nothing. The aftercare is what makes it work (or not!) and I think any experienced bandster will tell you that. In the "I wish I had known then what I know now" dept, that is often listed. We think "I'll get the band" and then things will change but actually, you need fills and follow up care.

IF your doc's office can't even send in some paperwork in THREE weeks, how will they be able to give you timely care post op? I don't mean to be snarky or a "downer" but this is something you should consider. Impatient or not, to have to wait too long for fills, or to be put off if you have an issue (no one plans on complications but they DO happen) what will you do? Will you be told "well there are too many new patients you'll just have to wait?"

Is there another surgeon who is better staffed/has better time management you could switch to? If not, just realize that getting the band is like buying a car. Once you have it you still have to keep it gassed, get the oil changed, rotate the tires etc. same with the band...getting it is exciting but it is the fills and follow up that make it work.

Agreed; not everyone needs or has a preop diet, and even within a practice the length etc can change depending on the patient! So don't fret, and good luck!

You have had trouble from the start. For many of us, the band experience IS what you expected (not what you got, but what you expected) I can chug Water if I want, I can eat anything and none of it is vomit consistency. HOWEVER...if that is what it's like for you then that is no way to live.

Can you go to a diffferent doctor? I wouldn't trust the one you have to remove the band, myself (that's been a big part of your problem, I think.) See a different surgeon/practice and see what he says. If you can't have the experience you wanted (and paid for!) then you do need to have it removed.

From what I've read, you should go back to "normal" once the band is out. I hope that either that is the case for you, or a new surgeon can help you have the experience you wanted originally.

Good luck!

I can eat about a cup of food and feel full for about 6 hours...IF the food is something like chicken, steak, dryer fish (LOL that's fish that is dry, not fish done in a dryer LOL) . And I don't get "full"...I am just "not hungry" any more (it is subtle. hard to get the hang of) I eat and then kind of forget about food. I asked my doc if a cup was ok (so many on here will say "I eat 1/4 cup" or whatever) and he said it's PERFECT! So I guess I'm there.

The chart in his office says if you are full on a small portion, are losing 1-2 pounds a week, and stay full for hours, then you're "there".

And I can eat ANY food. I know many have problem foods. I will have a problem with chicken skin if it isn't very crisp but otherwise I can eat anything. So you can't really go by what you can't eat. You do need to be able to eat most nutritious things though. Too tight and you'll turn to softer "junk" type foods and that will slow or stop your weight loss.

Yes it's normal, but if it is excruciating you may want to call and get a different pain med. As long as you didn't lift anything, walking is GOOD for you, not bad. The more you walk, the better you should feel and the faster you'll heal.

And yes I was starving from the moment I woke up pretty much until 3 weeks later when I finally got mushies! Some are swollen and not hungry, others (like us) don't have that issue! :sneaky:

Try bracing your abdomen with a pillow when you stand, and take it easy this evening. If your pain doesn't improve or gets worse, call your surgeon.

If you click on the word sleeve in your post you'll see it's a hyperlink to a support web site much like this one.

I personally don't think I'm heavy because of my stomach...(it's hormonal, genetics, "between my ears" etc but not my stomach) and so don't want my stomach cut up and removed. HOWEVER the sleeve is a viable option for some. It's smart to do thorough research before you choose any WLS.

Getting stuck is ALMOST always caused by user error. Assuming at 3.7 cc in a 10cc band that you are not too tight, odds are it's something "mechanical" you aren't doing.

Are you cutting the "meat" into small bites? Are you chewing it TO MUSH? Seriously...I think that for me, for example, a bite of rib eye steak needs to be chewed about 40 times. and yes I have counted it occasionally; I need to do SOMETHING to entertain myself while I'm sitting there chew chew chewing! LOL

So I would try that first. Sit down with your chicken, beef, whatever. Cut it up into your normal sized bites, then halve those. Then take a bite,put the fork back down, and CHEW until it feels almost liquid. Then swallow, and repeat. If you still can only eat 2-3 bites, you're too tight and probably need some fill removed.

And as I think someone else noted, too; if you have PB'd (thrown up as you call it) your stomach is probably swollen and it would be smart to give it a chance to chill out. So...after a PB, 24 hours of liquids, then give what I said a try. That way you'll know for sure. Because where you are? You should still be able to eat pretty much anything right now. There is no hard fast rule about it, but generally you should still be able to eat non-slider foods.

marmar...people lose at different rates. You are losing because you are getting only 900 cal a day, and that is amazing! See, your hard work and struggling to stick with it is paying off. I'm 54 and not supposed to be able to lose fast because of menopause but when I do my Atkins type diet weight drops off! :sneaky: So your loss probably will slow down some, esp when you get food...but you are working hard and earning that loss so enjoy every OUNCE of it! You are now closer to 400 than 500...!!! You'll be out of the "fourest" (as they call the 400's) and into "threedom" before long. I am almost where you are, just 100 less...trying to get out of threedom into twoterville. We will both make it, and soon too! :sad:

Glad to help! This time is often called "bandster hell" because people TRY to eat just a little and lose but it's really hard because for most of us, the band is in place but not really functioning yet! :sneaky:

bambam is right, I did read and like that one a lot! What I did was go to Amazon and read people's reviews, then pick a couple top rated ones that seemed to address what I was interested in learning. Some are heavy on promotion, some are more medical, some have recipes etc ....

If you don't want to BUY from amazon it's still a great resource for info about the books!

3500 calories is 1 pound of fat (and many of us store Water with the fat) So no it's not all Water weight. You are eating 900 cal a day. You probably "need" around 2500-2700 (just a guess, a wild guess) so you have a deficit. Probably 1/3 to 1/2 of it is fat, the other water.

HOWEVER! You need to lose the water too. So whatever it is (water or fat) you weigh that much less NOW than you did 12 days ago.

Until you are well restricted the band won't do much. For some it can take up to 2 weeks to "feel" a fill. Also depending on how much was put in your band, you may NOT feel any restriction yet.

And quit feeling guilty. You ate salmon and broccoli for gosh sake, not cake and ice cream and root beer floats! :sneaky:

Until you are restricted (filled) your band sits LOOSELY around your stomach. It forms a pouch but the hole/stoma caused by the band is large enough that things generally move on through with ease. Unless you were filled during surgery (some surgeons do this) by 5 weeks your swelling should be gone and you should feel fairly "normal". This is a time to practice the chewing, small bites, etc...the things that will help you use your band to it's fullest. So yes, it's normal. Yes you'll need more to be not hungry because food isn't hanging around in the pouch. Right now you are almost configured just like you were preband. So there's not much change. (more gas I bet! LOL)

You may want to avoid some foods if you are trying to lose weight, but you should be physically able to eat anything right now.

In other words, sounds like you are doing fine, healing well, and ready for the next step...starting to tighten the band! Too bad you can't get back to your doc any sooner!

Hi All! I'm still here and loving my band. No issues, no problems, although it took me FOREVER, it seems like, to get restriction. Once I finally "felt the love" in MAY of this year I'm doing well. I seem to be able to "diet" (atkins-ish) and drop 20 or so, then hold for a bit, etc. In the past, preband, if I "dieted" and dropped 20 then relaxed I'd gain back 30. That just doesn't happen any more.

Funny isn't it how differently the band works for each of us?

I will be working towards my goal for years to come, probably, but that's ok. I started out REALLY heavy and still weigh more than a lot of you did before the band, so I expect it will take a while. As long as I'm headed down, I'm happy!

I too feel better, I move better, my blood work is better (I'm no longer "borderline" diabetes, high cholesterol, High blood pressure etc) I'm backing away from that cliff!

So one year out I love my band. I love my almost 75 pounds lighter self. If at 2 years I am 150 pounds lighter I'll be able to levitate. Really! check back and see! :sneaky:

Hang in there. Just realize a little hunger (ok a LOT of hunger) now won't hurt you nearly as much as a slipped band, and advancing a diet too fast is a major cause of them (per my surgeon). Follow your post op diet, don't add in things not approved (and that includes felines I'm sure) and you'll make it.

I always say "Do what YOUR doc tells you" but in your circumstance, as sensitive as you are, moving slowly back to regular can't hurt and I will cross my fingers that it helps! (that and the small bites well chewed!) Good luck, matey (LOL Burp)