laurr925

johnp, everyones surgeons are different. i was on full liquids prior to surgery for 2 weeks. now post-op i have to do 10 days of thin liquids and 10 days of mushies. hang in there, it will get better. as your body gets used to the liquid diet you will feel better. i need to start walking more, now that the weather is getting better by me im going to start walking outside after work because treadmills bore me.

Traci- I am so sick of liquids. I am actually excited to fire up my blender and food processor on Friday (I was banded 2/2 and get to move on to mushies then). Until Friday, I am dutifully sipping on Water, low-cal gatorade, broth, and whatever else I can pass off as "thin-liquid". Good luck! Laur

Congrats! I was banded on 2/2 also! I hope everything is going well for you.

Hey! I hope everyone is doing well. It's one week out and I am feeling pretty good. I went back to work this morning and it hasn't been too bad. I brought my heating pad with me, and that has helped a lot because sitting straight up makes my side hurt (I had a LARGE hiatal hernia that had to be fixed and so my doctor said my shoulder/side would hurt for about a week). Also, I still have some pain from the gas they use in surgery, even though I've been walking around. Last night was the worst night of sleep of my life. I decided not to take pain meds because I had to drive this morning and I was afraid to take narcotics. BAD IDEA. I barely slept so I'm really looking forward to napping when I get home. Otherwise, I'm doing well. Drinking as much liquid as I can to stay hydrated. Lotioning myself A LOT because my skin is super dry. Taking my supplements and looking forward to starting mushies on Friday!

Definitely something to hold ice chips for the ride home. I was dying of thirst and was taking tiny sips of Propel (the hospital gave it to me) and I was getting no where. Chapstick for sure, because my lips were so dry. I didn't need a pillow for the ride home, I was okay. A BUTTON UP SHIRT! Wear a button up shirt home because it will just be that much easier. I thought of this the morning of, and was so happy I had because I didn't want to be bothered with a normal shirt. Mostly, just listen to everything they tell you, and you will be fine. I'm one week out and I feel pretty good...

Hey everyone, I wanted to share with everyone my experience being banded yesterday! I'm laying in bed and I feel pretty good so I figured I'd share. I got to the hospital around 8am and had to fill in some forms then I got taken into a small private waiting room with my parents. The nurses gave me a gown, socks, and a hair net thing. They went over my medical history. I filled out more forms. Then the anesthesiologist came in to talk to me - more forms. And he told me about the breathing tube they put in you while you are asleep. He said it would make my throat hurt for a little but it wouldnt be too bad. Finally my surgeon came in and gave my parents and I the rundown of what would happen during surgery and she told me they were just finished cleaning the operating room so it'd be about 10 minutes before I went in. I hugged my parents and they walked me down the hall until they couldnt go any further and the nurse took me to the operating room. I honestly was not nervous until that moment when I walked in the room. There were about 8 people in there, and since NYU tisch is a teaching hospital, there were lots of interns observing. I honestly didn't mind because they were all so friendly. My nurse helped me up onto the table where they put massaging things on my legs and strapped me onto the table. They put a heart and blood pressure monitor on me. One of the interns asked if I had a prefernce in which band they used and I told them the Lap-Band, I didn't want the realize band. Then the anesthesiologist came over with my intern and they started my IV. They put an oxygen mask on me, I remember thinking "this smells like plastic" and I was out cold. I woke up in the recovery room and I'm not going to lie, I felt terrible. It felt like someone was sitting on my chest and shoulders. I couldn't even feel my incisions. The nurses came over asked how much pain I was in and gave me some pain killers. It burned when it went into my IV but wasn't too bad because it helped a little. I stayed there for a while, my parents came to see me for a few minutes and they said my surgeon told them my hiatal hernia was pretty bad and she fixed it for me. After about an hour or so I got moved into a room. Once I got into the room I was able to move around in my bed and I felt so much better. I was uncomfortable in recovery because I had so many wires on me I could not move. The nurse in my room gave me some ice chips and told me when I felt like I had to pee I could get up and walk around. She also gave me some breathing exercises to do. My parents came up a little while later and stayed in my room with me. When I got up I felt my incisions hurting for the first time. I couldn't really stand up straight but with the help of the nurse I made it to the bathroom. I then walked the hallways a bit and when I was tired went back to my bed. I did this about every 45 minutes. I had horrible gas pain that would come and go so I would try to burp to relieve it. I also found that going from laying down to sitting up helped because it move the gas around. So I moved around in my bed and felt okay. After a while I got some stuff to help the gas pain and some pepcid. It definately made me feel better. I drank some broth, a little tea, and a little Propel. My surgeon came to see me around 6:30 and told me I could go home once I felt okay. She also told me that I had "the insides of a little girl" and that I only needed TWO incisions! I got home around 8pm and drank a little more Propel. I watched some TV with my parents and sister. I took my painkillers and went to bed. The painkillers wore off around 7am. My dad got them from downstairs for me and I took some more. My voice is a little hoarse from the tube and everything Overall I feel ok. The worst part for sure is the gas pain. My shoulders stopped hurting this morning and now just my abdomen hurts from the gas. My stomach is swollen from it, which sucks. I have some port site pain but it definately is manageable. Overall, yesterday was great. I already feel different and the nurse told me I lost 17 lbs on my pre-op diet!! If anyone has any questions, feel free to PM me. xoxo Laur

im sorry shelly, thats a bummer? did they reschedule or do you have to wait?

hey everyone! if youre interested, I posted all about my surgery experience yesterday in the February 2009 sub forum! good luck to everyone being banded in Feb. i hope everything goes well!

thanks for all the advice, it has helped me think about some things. thus far the only people who know are my boss, my parents, my sister, 2 friends from college, and 4 friends who all have the band (they have helped me immensely throughout the entire process). i dont think im going to tell many other people. my band comes on tomorrow and maybe i will change my mind, but my friends have been my friends regardless of my weight and im thankful for that. i guess im just nervous to tell them and have them judge me. thanks for listening to my concerns and addressing them - i truly appreciate being able to see all sides.

yeah the fiber powder was reccommended to me by a friend who had the surgery. the whole liquid only diet post-surgery really messed with her system and she had "issues". obviously not everyone is the same, but i figure better safe than sorry. as i sit here typing this, i have less than 8 hours before i leave for the hospital so i probably should go to sleep. good luck everyone!! i cant wait to hear how everyone is doing when we are all recouped! xoxoxoxox

thanks a lot debbie! i will be sure to update once i am feeling up to it... wendy, good luck tomorrow! my surgery is set for around 9:30 tomorrow morning and im really excited :w00t:

well, surgery is all set for tomorrow. i have to be at the hospital by 8am, and they suspect ill be operated on around 930am. im nervous but truly excited. i think i have everything i need and i just cannot wait. everyone else being banded tomorrow, good luck! i will put a post up in the feb 2009 forum after my surgery once i am feeling okay. thanks everyone for the support! xoxo

It seems like we have very similar friends. I am nervous because I have a similar situation, it is alumni weekend at my college 3 weeks after I get banded and idk what I will be able to handle. My advice is just tell them you are taking it easy. If they ask why, make something up or tell them the truth, you are trying to be a healthier person. If all else fails, fake it. Get a cranberry juice, throw a lime in there, and just have fun. As far as food goes, I would stick to soup or mashed potatoes.. Let me know how it goes, because I'll be headed for the same situation at the end of Feb. Have Fun!

My 6 month supervised weight loss was a roller coaster of ups and downs because a lot was going on in those 6 months (college graduation, down, went on vacation, up, started exercising, down.. etc). I was approved by Empire BCBS even though my weight was pretty much the same when I was done with my 6 month supervision. Good luck to you.

Congrats on getting a date derbin! I got a phone call from my surgeons office yesterday telling me I had medical clearance for surgery and that my insurance had officially gone through (I was getting slightly nervous because it was getting down to the wire for me!) 3 more days and I will be banded!! I don't know what time my surgery is on Monday, but I will keep you guys posted on everything.. Good luck to everyone

congrats on your surgery date!! i am being banded the day before you, on feb. 2nd.. i am nervous too bcs i have never had surgery either! good luck with everything..

My surgery is 2/2 and I had to start my pre-op diet on 1/19. It has been hard, but now that I'm only a few days away I feel it has been worth it. It will be that much easier for me to handle the post op restrictions. The week before my pre-op diet began I certainly ate sushi, a burger, a nice steak, all knowing it would be a while before I could have those things again (if ever at all)... but I am down 13 lbs and I feel pretty great!

My nutritionist gave me a little packet full of information on what to eat, etc. In there it says something about how Protein drinks can be used as a Meal Replacement because you really don't consume much protein in 4oz of food per meal... she says the trick is to thicken them up a bit (with ice, sugar free pudding, bananas, etc) to make them filling. I really like the EAS Myoplex Fudge flavor in the blender with some ice and I think post-surgery it would really fill me up.

I've always wanted to go to New Zealand! I'm from Brooklyn. NY

Thanks for the great post. It really helped put things in perspective. I'm on week two of my pre-op diet and everyday I have to remind myself WHY I am doing this. Your post definitely helped!

yeah i really havent been able to focus on much at work.. this is going to be a long week for sure!

Yeah the Protein drinks have funky smells some times and you just have to ignore that. I like Muscle Milk and the EAS Myoplex ones. They are tolerable. Shelly, I drink the Isopure ones every day. I usually pour a whole one into my Nalgene bottle and dilute it with Water and Crystal Light powder so that it lasts me longer. I have one week to go and I'm super excited!!