marjon9

I'm not sure when you were banded. If it was just a week ago or so, then the restriction you feel is still the swelling of your stomach from the surgery. It is too early to tell much about any actual band restriction you may have once the swelling goes down. My situation is a little different. I'm 3 1/2 weeks out from surgery and I still have major restriction. I'm a little concerned about it because sometimes I can't eat anything but liquids even now. When I try to eat real food, slowly and chewing really well, sometimes it goes down OK. Most of the time, however, after one or two bites I get the golf ball and have to PB. I know this is not good, especially so soon after surgery. I'm just not sure what is going on with me. I don't know if this is a sign of a problem, or just that I am lucky to have so much restriction without a fill. Since I can eat solid food sometimes I feel like this is probably not a slip. But I don't really know that yet. I know, I know, I should go to the doctor. Anyway. I'm going to stay on liquids for a few days and see what happens. But as for your question, if you have had surgery recently, don't worry about your restriction. It's definitely normal until you heal a bit.

When you are in the clear liquid phase your menu options really are pretty limited. The one thing I can say is, homemade broth is vastly better than just cracking open a can of Swanson's. And it does not have to be chicken only. Beef broth is great too. Even if you are not a cook broth is easy to make. Just fill up a pot with a big load of chicken pieces. Wings, legs, necks and backs are fine. No need to use the good parts. For beef stock obviously use beef bones. For both chicken or beef you can brown these in the oven first for a slightly different flavor. Mixing beef and chicken is also quite good. Then, cut up some celery, onions and carrots into big pieces. Throw in a couple bay leaves if you have them around. Fill up the pot with bottled drinking Water (don't use tap water for this). Then simmer for a long time. 24 hours is best but 12 is really good too. Skim the frothy, scummy stuff off the top once in a while and throw that away. When it has cooked long enough, strain and cool in the fridge. Lift off the fat layer which will become a solid at the top. And then heat, season, and enjoy. It's so much better canned broth you can't believe it. Also, whether you make your own or use canned, you can boost the flavor even more by using some high quality chicken or beef base. The good ones list "chicken" or "beef" as the first ingredient, instead of "salt." One good brand you can find in a lot of markets is "Better than Bouillon." You can order this on line as well if you prefer. It's probably cheaper on line. I have to say, it's really good. Few of us have time to do this kind of thing these days when we are living our normal lives. But when you are healing, and broth is your only menu option, it can be fun and the results are really worth it.

I'll probably get my fills in Maryland even though they cost $150 or $200. I can get them for just about free if I go to Denver, but the time and trouble is probably not worth it. At this point, though, I feel like I may never need a fill.

Actually I'm from Maryland. I just went to Denver because Dr. Kirshenbaum has such a great price for the surgery - and a reputation as fine surgeon. It worked out well for me, although I am still struggling a bit because I have so much restriction still. It's very hard to learn how to eat tiny bites in slow motion. I still find that eat too quickly all the time even when I'm trying hard not to. I know what you mean about the weather. I was dodging airport closings to and from Denver to get to my appointment. We made it through OK but it was touch and go. We've been going through a major cold snap here as well. It's been 5 or 10 degrees at night and between 20 and 30 during the day. That's cold for us here. We're not really prepared for it here so it takes its toll. Quite a number of our Metro stations, for example, are outdoors. But it is, after all, February, so I guess I can't really be too surprised if the weather is cold.

I was scheduled for 1/16 but I had a small glitch and had to move to 1/17. For that reason I consider myself to be an honorary 1/16 bandster. I started at 340 and I'm down to 318, so that's pretty good in just a few weeks. But I have to say, it is likely that this is attributable mostly to the liquid diet and the fact that I've had a lot of restriction since day one and can hardly eat anything even now. I doubt I'll continue losing a pound a day. In fact, I certainly hope I don't continue losing a pound a day.

Once you have the band, generalities with food really have to go out the window. Some people can eat salads with no problem, but it is also true that salads cause a problem for many people. Just gotta try. I've always loved salads so I'm hoping I'll be tolerant of them. I'm only three weeks out so it's too early to tell. I'm still having trouble eating anything and everything.

So, did I miss the announcement of your new roller derby name, or is the search still in progress?

Those turkey pepperoni chips sound like a great idea. Thanks Wheetsin

I think any day now you are going to turn a corner and start to feel better, and then the worst will be over and you will then be able to start dealing with creating your bandster journey. Many people feel like crap for quite a while after surgery. I felt awful for a good two weeks. I got a bad cold, had extreme diarrhea, and felt weak and unmotivated. Once you start to feel better it will all fall into place quickly. Hang in there!

Charlotte, most people go through what you are describing. You are certainly not alone. Just the other day my company had a little get together at a restaurant. They ordered a variety of Italian appetizers and passed them around. I really did not want to eat them but I took some so I would not generate a lot of questions. I tried to eat some, ate too fast in an effort to appear normal, then I had to go to the restroom an PB the whole thing up. I really don't know how to recomment that you deal with this type of situation. Next time I guess I'll just say I'm not feeling well. And, yes, all of us connect food with social events. It is hard to relearn all these things, and train ourselves in a whole new direction. That's part of why I waited until after the holidays to get banded. I don't think there is an easy answer, but it is one of the things that we bandsters have to learn how to handle. On a positive note I can say that I'm finding that even though I am eating less, I do enjoy it more. Rather than wolfing down anything I could find indiscriminately, I'm actually choosing quality items and taking the time to enjoy how they taste. You may find that you have the same experience.

There may be a few people who are experienced and mature "daters" who have everything in perspective and take everything in stride, but if there are I don't think they are in a phase of life that is open to a meaningful relationship. If you are truly open to the real thing, dating is hell. By its nature it makes everyone feel like a helpless, out of control dork, no matter how "mature" you are. So try to keep that in mind. You don't need to pile on to yourself and feel not only like a helpless, out of control, dork, but a dork that is wrong for feeling that way.

I think if we were real men we'd just tear off the hair with our own bare hands while lying on the operating table.

Nice way to put it. It is like that boost of willpower that puts you over the top and in control. Now, instead of having to work really hard to lose weight, a person has to work hard not to lose weight. It is possible to defeat the band, but it takes effort. I know I'm only three weeks out, but my experience is that I need to struggle to get in enough calories so I don't get weak. Man, is that ever a change. This morning I ate half a portion of oatmeal and 1/2 a chicken thigh and I'm still stuffed.

Yes, there is time. When food won't go down it hurts, but it just sits there until you "let" or "encourage" it to come up in the restroom.

lisah25 is right. The thing that can be confusing is people sometimes use the terms vomiting and PBing as the same thing. So when someone with the band says they vomit all the time it's hard to know exactly what they mean. Many people with the band PB pretty often (although it should definitely be avoided). But on the other hand I don't think there are really very many bandsters who truly actually vomit very often. It's a difficult thing to define, because to a lot of people, when they PB it seems to them very much like vomiting. When I PB it seems really different from vomiting because there is little or no convulsion in the stomach, and the material that comes up does not taste bad. So it seems really different to me.

I would just be a little careful with "pureed" foods. That word can mean a lot of things. If you are pureeing a little chicken in a lot of broth, that's probably OK. If you are throwing a steak, baked potato and a tablespoon of tobasco in the blender and eating a thick paste, that's probably not so good at one week out. I can just say that I tried to move past liquids a bit too fast at the beginning and my stomach swelled up in response and I could barely drink water for a couple days. I think it's better to take it easy at the beginning.

Above all follow your surgeon/nutritionist's advice. From my own non-expert opinion, I would say be sure you are taking in plenty of Water. Beyond that don't worry to much at this point. If you are up for it at all drink some broth, eat some popsicles and Jello if you can/want to. Over the next day or two try to incorporate some Protein shakes, and possibly some liquid Vitamins. But again, try to stick with the plan your surgeon provided for you.

It's great to see someone take their life by the Mountain Oysters and just make it into what they choose for it to be. Congratulations puddin

Kat is definitely right about this. But I want to add one thing. I think you will find that not eating for a while after surgery is much easier than not eating before surgery. After surgery most people don't seem to have much of an appetite. I wasn't hungry at all for at least a week. Also, the doc wants your bowels cleaned out because the surgery and medication they give you after surgery can cause constipation. They want you to start with a "clean slate," so to speak. I don't think a spoon of noodles is going to cause a major problem in this area. Good luck on your big day!

I was feeling pretty crappy all around for about two weeks after surgery. I never had much pain at the incision points, or pain from gas. But I had just about everything else. Bad cold, diarrhea, lack of energy. Think of it this way, you have an excuse to explore the intricacies of day time television. Don't worry too much. You'll feel better soon. For energy, I found that protein shakes were helpful. The pre-mixed kind in the can are easiest.

Congratulations on the surgery date. It's just around the corner, you'll be on the Light Side before you know it. And that's a good question about what we did before the intenet (and that was just ten years ago!). Can you imagine trying to do all this on your own? Trying to get information from the occassional medical magazine or whatever? Amazing to think about it.

It's true most people find that there are certain things they can't eat. I'm still not able to eat much that is solid but that's because I just had surgery. But the thing I am noticing is that I am experiencing about twice the flavor in the things I do eat. I used to just wolf things down. Now, I savor everything I eat (because the band forces me to do that) and I'm finding that I really enjoy the actual flavor of the food much more than I used to. If this is a permanent change I'll consider it a good trade off even if there are some things I can't eat.

I'm still really restricted, too. It's starting to bug me. I want to get to the point where I can eat some solids that will fill me up. When I try to eat solids sometimes they go down OK, but I still have problems inadvertently eating too fast or not chewing enough. It's so hard to get used to the new way we have to eat. Who has 30 minutes to eat a one-egg omelet? So, anyway, when I eat too fast I PB, then have my stomach swell up again, and I'm back on liquids and I have major restriction. I know this is bad. I feel guilty for doing things that result in a PB. I am just having such a hard time with the tiny bites and endless chewing. I'm just going to have to get a grip on this.

Nykee, this is serious situation that you need to get resolved. You need to work with your doctor about it. I'm no doctor and no expert, but this is what I understand: When you slime and the food comes up that is a PB. When the food is stuck, it is just that, stuck, it is not a PB. You need to get the tests back from your doctor so you can see what is going on. It is true that the band can slip to the point where you can't get anything down. Perhaps when that happens the band is slipping "up," I don't know. But it sounds like you might have a slip. If the band is not slipped, but just "placed very high," then that can also be a serious problem if it causes these symptoms. It might as well be a slip, because it makes the band unworkable for you. I can also say that you are supposed to take at least a day or two of liquids after even one single PB before you try and eat again. When you PB the stomach swells and it needs to heal before you try to eat anything. It sounds like you don't give it that rest and just continue to try to eat at a time when the stomach is swollen. Nothing will ever change if this cycle continues. It sounds to me like you need to get a complete unfill (assuming the band is not slipped), drink liquids for a week to heal up, then start the band filling process again from scratch. I know you are afraid you will start gaining weight if the band is unfilled, but you just have to go through this process if you are ever going to be able to get it to work for you. If you just continue trying to force food down over a swollen stomach this is going to lead to more and more serious problems. Above all, work with your doctor to get this fixed right.

Maxdog, as Ted said, getting a fill does not mean there is a problem. That's the way the band is supposed to work. You are supposed to fill (and sometimes unfill) the band until you get the level of restriction that allows you to feel full on a small amount of food. You are definitely not supposed to go around feeling starving. It sounds like you are doing great with the weight loss. Congrats! So go ahead and start getting fills until you find the point where you get full on a small amount of food, and then sit back and watch the scale keep dropping.