Betsyjane

Or ask your doctor if he will skip it. My Dr. didn't require anything except a CBC blood test.....

I think I burp for a long time if I don't chew everything totally to liquid, or gulp too big a gulp. Not sure, but we were banded the same day and it sounds like our recovery is very similar.

I love the chewable Tylenol!!!!!! Thanks for the tip. The rest of my pills I'm crushing and downing with a couple of swallows of chocolate protein drink. Chocolate cures all.

Hi Jen! I was banded just a few days before you and I had ALL those symptoms! Sore scratchy throat from the tube during surgery...and it's mostly gone now. Awful pains from the gas they pump you up with so they can see what they are doing during surgery......tolerable now finally! GasX helps some, eating slowly helps some, heating pad helps ALOT, walking helps some,chewable Tylenol helps ALOT! Bruising-yep! Just yesterday, I started to feel alot better. Here's the next challenge---as the swelling in your belly goes down and you start to feel better, then you have less restriction....until your first fill a month from now. So I'm pretending I am restricted and continuing to practice eating correctly...and counting the days to my next fill. And feeling good about getting rid of those first symptoms...especially that horrible back chest and shoulder pain. We can do it, buddy!

I hate the treadmill too! I get through it with music, TV, whatever I can. It's going to be a hard habit to make. I'm also worried that my Dr. is goin g to be disappointed...so I called their office yesterday whining that I wanted my first fill early, and they laughed and said that everybody says that...so I feel better.

If you decide to start one for Humble/Atascocita/Kingwood, please let me know. I'm brand new and have never been to a meeting, so I probably can't volunteer any more in setting it up than to show up. I know Atasc. library and both hospitals have meeting rooms..... Are there others of us out here?

What's the closest support group to Kingwood? (northeast Harris county)

I appreciate the information. Why do we wait for a first fill? Is it to allow healing first?

Actually, he's been doing them longer than anyone else in Texas. Is part of the NIH team that evaluates studies submitted on lap bands, etc etc. He's one of the guys here who bands the doctors.....

I was told not to lift more than 5 pounds for the next 3 months. Anybody else? Seems like a long time.

Thanks. I'm actually pleased with everything but the weight. I'm eating in a calm and reasonable way, and my choices are good. I did splurge once though and that's what started all this. I got scared that it was possible to mess up so badly with no punishment. I want to be beaten for my sins. Auuuggghh.

I'm on mushies and have been since day 3. I called my Dr's office and they said it's not true that there's no restriction until it is filled...They said having the band at all is a restriction and I should be able tp use it as a tool. Although I'm not steak and potatoeing, I think that's due to fear, not restriction. I don't feel any different if I eat 8 ounces or 4, larger bites or pulverized, etc.

I have been struggling with gas, aftermath of anaesthesia and the like. today, I finally feel good, and now what???? I'm hungry, able to eat anything, and feel the same as I did before I got the band! How can that be?????

1 egg nuked in the microwave so I don't have pan clean up to do, and cottage cheese. I seem to be craving protein.

Congrats Jay! You are my hero.

Hmmm. My surgeon said I can eat anything mushy...eggs, fish, veges. You name it. Just chew alot and 4-6 oz per meal. Am I going to regret this for some reason? Seems like everything is fine......

maybe some day there will be enough bandsters that the drug companies will come out with mini pills or flavored crushables...

It's good to be cautious and think it through every way that you need to. Having surgery and having a foreign object inserted in your body is not something to be taken lightly. I almost postponed my surgery, and I kept going over lesser options just to reassure myself that I had tried everything else first. And when I was coming out of the anaesthetic, I was dismal...thinking that I shouldn't have done it, wanted it out. Panicked about wanting to eat and not being able to...wondering what to do with all the hours I would get back that have been spent either eating or being too low in energy to do anything beyond TV. By the end of the day of my surgery, all of that changed. I'm learning how to eat and feel satisfied. I'm learning how to structure my day differently. But none of it seems really foreign or deprived. I just feel like I'm beginning to "naturally" be one of those lucky people who can eat a bit, push away from a table and say "Wow, I'm full! The portions they give here are ridiculous!" I'm just barely beginning to be that person who is health-conscious (which I am anyway), and on whom it really shows. I am mentally rehearsing being a moderate health nut. I like it. I'm still dealing with horrible gas from the surgery, so I can't strut yet, but I'm strutting in my own mind. I'm so pleased with my band and want to take such good care of it for taking good care of me. I think I'll name it. I'm open to suggestions. Hmmm. Is this why men name their .......?

Ha! I called my Dr's office today to say I have been pretty good, but I don't feel like there's a restriction. I feel like I could eat anything without a problem. She said even without the first fill, the restriction is still there and will help, and that if I didn't believe her, I should go drink two big glasses of water and they would come back up. Being one who sometime has to learn from experience, I did it, and it did.

Vegge-can you spray some Nasalcrom or get a shot or a pill to knock out the sinus infection???? Might be worth a try.

My doctor didn't require pre-op testing of any kind, or a pre-op diet. He put me on liquids for 24-48 hours and then on to mushies. I feel like I've really had it easy! I hope I'm not missing something that it would have been good for me to do. I specifically asked him about a pre-op diet, and he said it's too hard to stick with one, and he can't figure how people who are major eaters can accomplish it.

That's a great idea! Donating back to the Thrift Store! Not having all those sizes in your closet! I'm going to do that! Ebay's a good idea too. I buy all my DKNY flat shoes on ebay. Hope they'll still fit, but the most I've ever paid for them is $19. Also big clothes sell well on ebay...another way to get rid of stuff. Hey I thinI just had my first punishment. I thought I ate slowly, chewed alot, and had the right portion, but I see somewhere between nauseous and drooling. It's minor, but I think it was a warning.

I'm looking forward to seeing my feet.

Hi everybody! I was banded on Monday. I have Lupus, and my doctor was nice enough to arrange for a bandster who has Lupus to come talk with me and husband in pre-op. Nice touch! Here's what I experienced immediately after.... I was groggy and nauseous after the surgery and anaesthetic. I had slip on shoes with me, and a pillow. At home, I slept most of the afternoon, and then felt clear headed. I was NOT inteerested in eating, but had a no sugar added popsicle and some Imagine boxed broccoli soup. I couldn't lie down, so I slept in a recliner. I didn't need the gas-x (didn't work), the stool softener, the toilet tongs mentioned eslewhere, or the dressing changes. I've had bad trapped gas and pain, and I do deep breathing exercises and lots of walking-both of those seem to help. I can't bend in certain ways comfortably due to the incision, but otherwise, I'm peachy keen. Not accomplishing much in life at the moment but am really just taking the time to learn....crushed pills go down best with applesauce....getting enough protein is a challenge but I want to not lose my hair later so I'm sipping on protein drink. My best friends so far are my tiny plates and shot glasses, and my tiny cappuccino spoons. I'm just beginning my new relationship with food and am thinking of it more as medicine...making sure I get the right doses and the right balance, even on mushies. I appreciate this site so much, I felt well prepared.

I have enough sizes in my closet to get me through anything, but as I lose weight, I know I'll want to celebrate with a few new things. Will probably rely on Walmart for awhile. It's a great problem to have!