PSJ71

Hi Rosie, Thanks for the advice! But I think we are all new bandsters. It's not food we are craving per se, it's we are just hungry from having to be on all liquids and not to the next stages yet. You have a good plan of action though for one who can eat anything. :thumbup:) Thanks for sharing.

Cee Cee, I know what you are going through. I didn't have an appetite for the first 3 to 4 days after surgery and Monday the hunger really started in and each day it gets worse!!! I loved not having an appetite and the hunger pangs hurt :eek: I keep sipping and luckily though, I can have shakes and anything a normal person could suck through a straw, except no straw. Next Tuesday I can start on pureed. Hold on honey, we can do it!!

I can sympathize with you. Banded on 07/07. Had no real hunger until yesterday!! It's getting worse and worse, but stay strong!! My NUT told me I could up my Protein to 70 grams to make sure to get enough Fluid. I know how you feel sister!

Hi Nellie, I had surgery a day before you on July 7th. I went back to work today, or rather yesterday now, 07/14/2009. I felt good enough to go back on Monday, but wanted the extra day and start on my normal first day at work. I work from home as a medical transcriptionist, so I didn't really have to "go in" to anywhere to work. My doc told me to go back to work whenever I felt like it. I probably would have taken some extra time too just because, but I didn't have enough vacation time. Good luck!! :thumbup:

Hi all, Was banded on 07/07 and starting to feel really good. I never had any real problems to begin with just a lot of gas inside my stomach, which was miserable the evening after I got out of the hospital. I can't burp normally now, but at least I now know how to get the gas out. My question is were any of you able to eat popcorn ever again? I absolutely love popcorn and each time my husband makes some I just want to dig in! lol Oddly, this has been the one food in which I wanted to cheat with on my preop diet!! HOw about pickles? Were you able to tolerate pickles? Thank you so much!!

That's what I'm thinking. Maybe a couple of months down the road I might try some popcorn. You're the bestest, Monkey!! )

Thank you, Monkey for the reply! Cheating? Heck No! I didn't go through all of this to mess anything up. I have been doing pretty good about not getting too hungry; although, I am only 5 days postop, though. I expect my appetite to return a little more each day, as it has, until I am ravaging. Hopefully not until my 14 days are up though. My postop appointment is on the 22nd, and they told me if my appointment is past the 14-day mark to just start the next phase anyway and not wait until I see the doc. So, my 14 days will be up on the 21st just a day before my appointment. So far, I have lost 7 pounds since Tuesday :huh2:) BUt, I was just curious about the popcorn, because I do like to have a little during a movie. and I absolutely LOVE dill pickles. Best Maid is my fav~~!! Anyway, thank you again for your advice ) Paulette

We had surgery the same day, and I have been experiencing a lot of chest pressure and dull, achy and very uncomfortable pain around my diaphragm. Cannot burp. Today feels a little bit better, but it makes it difficult to get in the Water and other Protein liquids. Hopefully, this will all resolve for us.

Hi all, Since getting out of surgery on 07/07, I have noticed a pressure feeling at my diaphragm and the feeling of needing to burp really, really badly, but I can't get anything to come up. Is this due to swelling because of band placement and will it eventually go away? I have been trying to sip, sip, sip, but the pressure is really bothersome. Other than that no gas pains, no shoulder pains. Feeling okay other than needing to burp. I have also been taking the gas X strips, and have been moving gas the other way. Thank you so much, Paulette

Hi Tish, Thank you for responding. I called my doctor today and they told me to just keep walking, taking Gas-X Strips. I feel a burp try to emerge, but it seems to get stuck at where I think the band is and doesn't go anywhere. Everytime I drink anything it feels like it makes all the gas expand up to my diaphragm. So far, I have taken a Phazyme today and 3 Gas-X strips and I managed to be able to lie sort of on my left side for a short nap and relieve the pressure, but as soon as I got up, it was right there again. I just hope it passes. I am completely miserable. :drool:

Yes, I am very jealous! :ohmy:I am completely miserable that I cannot get any air out of my stomach! The only way I can get any relief and it's temporary is to lie on my left side, not completely lying down. But, wow! I really hope this goes away! I wouldn't wish this feeling on my worst enemy. :thumbup:

Hi all, I got home today. I arrived at the hospital at around 6:10 and waited for them to call me back. At 6:45, they called me back into the preparation area. I was weighed, asked a few questions, had the IV started and the anesthesiologist came in around 7 to talk to me. He was a really nice guy. Around 7:15 my surgeon came in to talk to me a little and told me he would send for me in about an hour. It was a little less than an hour and I was on my way. Oddly, through the whole process, I wasn't really nervous...until.....I got into the OR. I was wide awake. They inflated my air mattress to transfer me to the operating table. They were all bustling about here and there getting things ready. Putting on monitors, etc. Then my anesthesiologist said he was putting something in my IV, which I never felt take effect. Then he put a mask on my face and said to breath normally and I would be going into dreamland. I remember waking up being asked if I was in pain and to rate it. I think I said an 8 and my left collar bone was hurting soooooo bad. I could feel the incisions on my abdomen being a little painful. No nausea though. Thankfully!! I was in recovery about 45 minutes and then taken back to my room. All in all it wasn't a bad experience. I am having feelings of needing to burp and feeling a bit of pressure around my diaphragm, but have not needed any pain meds. I did use some of the morphine that was hooked up for a while. So far, though, my tummy is sore, but not real pain. It has never felt so good to pass gas though. Sorry (TMI) lol. Just wish I could burp!! I am just so excited to get all of this going and get healed. :smile2:) I hope the rest of my fellows 7-7 bandsters had and will continue to have a wonderful experience!! It is going to be a challenge though getting in 64 ounces of Water in a day. But trying hard to work on it. Hugs and can't wait to hear the rest of your stories!! Paulette

Gosh, it's 1:11 a.m. and I have to leave at 5 a.m. to be at the hospital at 6 for my surgery at 8:15 a.m. I was so tired tonight, but just too excited to sleep!!! Not really nervous, but excited.! I can't believe the time is here. ) I'll post a surgery story when I am released on WEdnesday. Good luck to everyone else who is having surgery today and this month!! :thumbup:) Paulette

Sounds like our surgeries are going to be very close! Mine is scheduled at 8:15 a.m. on Tuesday. I had my first bout of nerves just a few minutes ago. I have had several surgeries, but no matter how many you have, you still get a little nervous. Good luck to you :tongue_smilie:

Hi, I am scheduled to have an IVC filter place in the a.m. and wondered do I stop having anything to eat or drink (mainly drink since I am on my 9th day preop diet) after midnight? My doctor's office and hospital didn't say anything about not having anything to eat or drink after midnight.

Hi Stacey, Yes, I will be banded by Dr. G on Tuesday. Paulette

Thank you restless, I have some of those plastic-type clog looking shoes that I wear a lot. I think those will be good. I don't have to bend over or anything. Thank you so much!

Thank you so much! Yep, I forgot to put down a pillow and the sport bra!.

Hi Krnpick, I was just curious as to how many carbs/protein your doctor has you on? I am day 8 of my liquid diet and except for the first day of having a headache, I have felt okay. My doctor recommends no less than 130 to 150 carbs per day and 50 to 60 grams of protein. I was just curious. I hope it gets better for you. It is definitely hard! Good luck to you, hon.

Lisa, That is AMAZING!! Reading your post of losing 82 pounds gets me sooooo excited!!! Come on July 7th!! I can't wait!!

Hi Poppet, Thank you for posting about that book, as I saw that the other day on Amazon and wondered if it would be worth it to get it. I will definitely check it out. I am about to be banded on Tuesday and will need some ideas on what to puree. My hubby got me a Magic Bullet on my birthday and just cannot wait to use it!! It'll be a while, but thank you again! :eek:

Plain and simple, he is afraid you are going to slim down and leave him. He is afraid other guys will try and take you away. My husband is super supportive of my surgery, has been from day 1. But, every now and then he will say something that makes me think he is just a "little" scared that I am going to change after I lose weight. He tells me since I have been doing the preop diet, he is already noticing subtle changes. But, he's not telling me that I don't need to do this, because he knows this is something that I want and NEED. Don't stress too much about it. Go with what you want to do for yourself and do it for YOU!! I really, really wish I could have had this option at 21. I just turned 38 on July 1st. So, I envy ya there. ) Good luck hon.