SillyBandster

Hey all, sorry, I haven't posted on here since I was pre-op. A little background...I had my surgery Jan 18th of this year, with a starting weight of 244 (I'm 5'6"). I'm currently at 160, and haven't had any major problems with my band (very few incidences of PBing, reflux, etc.). I'm trying to get the remaining twenty lbs off me as soon as possible, because I was a self-pay and my year of free doctor visits/fills expires on 1/18/11 (I'm not trying to REACH my goal weight by then, just trying to get as close to is as healthily possible). I've kept my band tight, but not tight enough to cause discomfort, with the exception of the past week. I had my last fill a week ago, and I was fine the first few days, and now it takes a little while for water/protein drinks to go down, and food is basically non-negotiable. I haven't thrown up, I'm very careful about that. I am definitely going in for a slight unfill tomorrow morning, but I've noticed that if I have a few drinks (I like gin and tonic) my band loosens up and I can eat food! Is this normal? Has anyone else experienced this? I know alcohol is a diuretic, but so is caffeine and caffeine TIGHTENS my band!! Hope someone else has experienced this and give me some insight as to why this happens. Also, just to clarify, I know I shouldn't be having alcohol since it leeches vitamins from the system and is empty calories.

I'm a KC bandster as well, living in Waldo. Dr. Hitchcock at New Hope did my surgery in Jan of '10 and I couldn't be happier! Started at 242 and down to 212 as of today!

Yum! Did you have any problems with the heat from the enchilada sauce? I'm craving spicy, but I haven't gotten the guts to try anything hot yet. I don't know how common it really is to have stomach upset with spices post-op, but I certainly can't do bland foods for life!

uh oh....really? I haven't heard that...maybe because it's high in fat?

I just had my surgery a week from yesterday, and I'm in Kansas, too! I went to Dr. Hitchcock at Malley Surgical, where did you go? My starting BMI was 34.9, and I've lost over 12 lbs. Yay for bands!

Hi everyone! I was really struggling getting used to the creamy foods, because I couldn't find anything that didn't totally gross me out. Plus, I was seeing other people eat the foods that I love, like mexican and italian, and knowing that I couldn't have any of it. So I played around with some ideas and came up with two solutions to appease my cravings for real food when I could only eat stuff with the consistency of baby food. let me know what you think! For those who love Mexican food: 2 tablespoons fat-free refried Beans 1 teaspoon campbell's canned cheddar cheese sauce 1 tablespoon mashed avocado 1 tablespoon fat-free sour cream Layer refried beans and cheese sauce, microwave for 30 seconds, then layer avocado and sour cream and enjoy! Makes about a 1/4 of a cup, which is perfect to keep me full for hours. Be careful adding hot sauce, as I've heard that spicy things can cause indigestion while your stomach is healing from surgery. And when I'm craving italian, I take a scoop of polenta mush, a scoop of fat-free ricotta, and a scoop of marinara sauce and sprinkle with a bit of parmesan. Yum! So far, I'm a week post-op, and have gone from 245 to 229! I love my band, but I can't wait for solid food again! Good luck everyone! :confused:

Hi again all, Had my surgery yesterday (the 18th) and just wanted to let everyone know my experience. It was a lot less painful than I expected! I have some soreness today, especially at the incision sites, but other than that I'm doing GREAT! Here are my post-op suggestions for those of you who are getting ready to have your surgery. Get up and walk around as soon as possible! This will help alleviate the gas pains tremendously. I have been drinking Vitamin Water, as well, since I can't have anything other than Clear liquids. The barium swallow, for those of you who have to do that, isn't a big deal at all. It kind of tastes like vanilla (or at least mine did) and takes less than two minutes to do. Anyways, have positive thoughts, everyone! I will be wishing you all a smooth experience!

Thanks for all the welcomes! I'm taking BioChem whey Protein powder (vanilla) mixed with yogurt and frozen berries. I hate sugar, and I hate dairy products, so this has been really tough for me. I don't know how I'm going to get through the post-op Protein shake diet, either. I think I'm going to have to try pureed meats/beans. I love tofu, maybe I'll be able to stomach that! So far I've lost about fifteen lbs. I cheated on my pre-op diet last night. :thumbup:

Yay! Congrats, your date is coming up soon! I'm on a liquid diet too, it's not a good feeling. And everyone around me insists on eating the most delicious smelling food. I'm just going to be glad when the cravings go away. Or do they ever...?

I'm Jan. 18th! It's coming up quick!!

I'm being banded January 18th, so I thought it would be best for me to get a start on joining a support community. Not to mention this pre-op diet has me so bored and hungry that I can't sleep! Short bio: I'm 23, I've had weight issues since the 2nd grade, especially problems with weight fluctuations. I've lost 80+ lbs. three seperate times in my life, but unfortunately gained it all back within 3 or four years. I'm hoping that having the surgery will either cut back on the yo-yo weight changes or stop them completely. I currently weigh 245, and my goal weight is 135. I'm 5'5". Also, I'm terrified of vomiting, and not at all looking forward to this "PBing" stuff I keep reading about...eeek. The exciting part about my story is that my 57-year-old father will be doing the surgery a month after me! I guess I'm kind of his guinea pig, to make sure it's not as bad as he imagines it will be. Anyways, I'm excited to get to know everyone and learn! Feel free to ask me any questions you might have, I'm very open.