ChopswyfT

I'm a nurse too ( x 15 yrs) and I just had the band placed on Jan 4th. It's funny you brought up this subject, my hubby & I were just discussing this- this morning.

I told him it made no sense to me either why so many of us nurses often promote health i.e d/c instructions and other discussions we have with our patients. Yet, many of us do the exact opposite of what we encourange our patients to do.

Regardless, I am glad I am finally getting it right. I don't plan to ever have to wear a 2x scrubs ever, ever again

I find this topic hilarious because I was kind of thinking the same thing. I keep seeing the freaking Red Lobster commercial and they show those damn biscuits at the end LOL. I just got banded so I don't have a clue, but if I can help it, I don't want to restrict anything from my diet. Which is not really a diet it's a lifestyle change. I don't think it would be a problem if you had a couple of bites (depending on your band experience). Life's too short..the lord knows I'm eventually going to want a biscuit.

Too funny Yes, the good Lord knows I am going to want one too. I guess we will just have to pray that He keeps that biscuit from getting stuck .

Port Flip...how does that happen ? I thought they anchored or sutured those things down during surgery ?

Yes, I do count calories since I am just getting started. It has really helped me a lot to be able to "SEE" what I am eating. I use an ap on my Droid phone, really cool and easy.

It's funny of some of yall have eaten them and had no problems, while other have experienced getting "stuck." This band is strange how it works so differently for everyone.

Oh well, I can dream about the biscuits for now.

If you are ever having difficulty breathing you need to call 911 and go to the ED. If your surgeon will not help you, I'm sure a ED physician will take youy seriously.

Pain and difficulty breathing is no laughing matter and should not be taken lightly. As someone else mentioned, you have to be concerned about a PE (pulmonary embolism) . Someone needs to check you out, you are 10 days post op IMO you should be feeling A LOT better.

I pray you start feeling better soon.

Hey there,

I am not in NoVa, but I do live in the Hampton Roads area. A few hours from you. I am also in the soft/mushy stage. I know how you feel, I don't hang out or go to bars. But, my family and I usually eat out at least once during the weekend. It's hard, right now because I can't eat regular foods yet. So, for now we have been eating everything at home.

If my hubby and the boys really want to eat out, they go without me

Just remember, this too shall pass. By February we will be free to come out the house

OH YES, hiccuping like crazy. I am 9 days post op. I thought it was just me.

I just went back and measured /calculated everything . I ate a total of 170 calories (ENTIRE meal)...it was more like 3oz's of lean beef. So, I'm not trippin' so much now. I waited an hour & a hour to drink something. Everything went down fine , just had a good burb. So, everything is all good.

Lesson learned....

Okay everyone, I am freakin out here. I am on stage 3- mushy/soft stage. I was sooo hungry by dinner. I am supposed to only have 2oz per meal. Well, I had 4oz's (maybe 5oz) and I am so worried that I might have over did it. I can feel a very slight discomfort towards the middle of my back.

I've read things about band slippage from over eating. I pray I haven't screwed it all up. I just saw my doc yesterday and he said I was doing well. Now, I go and eat like lil' miss. piggy.

BTW, I had 96% ground beef (taco meat) with a lil' mild taco sauce and a few pieces of lettuce.

Did I totally screw up ?

So today one of my best cousins called me to see how I was feeling. During our conversation she begin to question me about what I can & cannot eat. She also took the time to remind me about our numerous trips to Red Lobster. I explained to her that I now have to be very careful about what I put into my pouch (fear of getting stuck). Which brings me to my question....don't laugh

How many of you still eat Red Lobster Cheddar Bay Biscuits ? I think I will be too afraid to ever eat those things again. I've heard about the pain associated with getting "stuck." I'm just curious who has eaten since getting banded. I know it's a sappy question, but just humor me

I love, love, love Zumba. It's by far my favorite exercise ! I'm post op 8 days and have already gone back , I really felt like I couln't wait. Went back two days ago, I let my surgeon know today that I had already gone back and he kinda gave me the eye...hehe

Anyway, just make sure you invest in proper footwear before you start i.e a good pair of dance sneakers otherwise your knees will be very angry with you by the time you're done. I got a pair for Christmas and boy did they make a difference!

Every class I've gone to has been different becuase every instructor teaches it differently. I am currently taking Zumba for college credit. Cool huh...getting 2 credits for something I actually love to do

Hey there,

Glad you found this site, it is full of great info so, read, research, search and ask as many questions as you need to.

I am post op 7 days, so far so good. Surgery it self went well. I was very fortunate and had a great surgeon and great follow up care. So far I have lost 11lbs. I have already started working out, feeling good! I am happy I made this BIG decision to have surgery.

Good luck with your surgery. I'm sure everything will work out fine.

My doctor adviced against this. Would rather me process real food with chopper or food processor. I can't even imagine eating baby food

Working out is ESSENTIAL to lodong weight....and you will look better in the long run! I have lost 80 lb in 7 months (started on the low side at 255 and wore a 22 pant) and I am wearing size 12 pants....i totally blame the gym I started slow but have worked my way up to close to 2 hours of some type of activities a day (zumba,p90x,jillian 30day shred,gym,bootcamp my choices never make me bored) KEEP UP THE GREAT WORK!!!!!!

Trish, I'm glad you mentioned this because I keep hearing people discuss this 6 weeks of banster hell. I keep wondering if they're exercising . I am DETERMINED I am going to exercise my way through this " Bandster Hell" AND lose weight in the process. I've already started working out and I am 7 days post op. For me , Zumba is my activtity of choice. Once I can start pushing weights, I will be seeing a personal trainer.

Yesterdy was my first day back working out (post op 6 days)...today makes a week since my surgery. I take Zumba at my college for credit (yayy). Anyway, I had a great time, felt really good. I even had the younger students watching my every move. Most of the younger students in my class were Zumba virgins. I knew the most of the moves already and had a great time. Self proclaimed Zumbaholic!

No pain, no soreness afterwards. I must say having the right shoes helped quite a bit.

I felt nervous when I finshed , like I may have went back too early. So, I called my surgeon's office and asked was it okay? I was told to go at it easy starting out and slowly progress. But, no weight lifting or kick boxing.

Thats why I keep track of everything I put in my mouth. Everyone needs to do what works for them..... but I just ate 5 organic whole wheat crackers for 25 calories with my 2 oz of tuna and 2 oz of fat free cottage cheese for well under 200 calories. I simplify my life by just bringing 5 crackers in my lunch bag so there wont be any temptation.

Just curious did she eat 700 calories of crackers in one day?

Yes, that's exactly what she did. She works in a hospital and there's always crackers available in the snack room. She said she kept going through and grabbing a hand full ...munching on them all day. When she finally realized what she was consuming she stopped. Hopefully, she was exagerating ! That's a lot of calories to waste on some crackers.

My surgeon FORBIDS crackers ! He actually had one of his previous patients come in to our nutrition class to tell us her personal "cracker story"...she said said that once she finally started journaling what she had consumed , she found that she eaten 700 calories in saltine crackers alone. Needless to say, she was NOT losing any weight.

So for me, NO crackers. Someone suggested toasting a low carb tortilla and break it up into chips. Seems like a better choice.

Are cheese sticks considered soft/mushie? I found a great recipe on Spark People made with low fat cheese sticks, italian seasonings and panko .

That may be the first thing I choose to cook this week .

"Man.....I think I'd try a blended up rubber tire right about now! LOL"

Imagine923...you got me crackin' up right now. But, I feel ya...lawd knows I can't wait till Wednesday.

Imagine 923...Egg Foo Yong is a fast food chinese dish made is scrambled eggs, onion, grn peppers and meat...like shrimp , pork or beef. They have there own special seasonings. It's usually served over rice and smothered in gravy. They take the eggs and make them into a pattie. I read that it's okay to eat just the patties.

From what I can remember as a child , it was reaallll good!

I love to try and copy cat Chinese dishes, just recently mastered Crab Rangoon (prior to surgery) .l am going to see if I can find a recipe for Egg Foo Yong, that way I can avoid the extra sodium from the fast food joints.

I've been experiencing this too. Especially, notice it after eating. I am still on stage 2 , so I'm not necessarily eating till I feel full. Everything just slides down right now anyway.

But, definately have the runny nose thing. What a strange side effect of being banded.

Can't remember where I read this, but somewhere or someone suggested Chinese Egg Foo Yong patties. Without the their heavy gravy of course...you can vacuum pack the extra patties and have them later. Seems soft and mushy to me. Also , Buffallo chicken dip was a suggestion too.

I remember having egg foo yong as a child. Now they are starting to sound more appealing to me. I move on to mushies Wednesday and I CANNOT WAIT. I am so sick of Soup , shakes, grits...well you get my drift

I wonder if focusing on exercise and consuming meals that are high Protein and low carbs help you get through the 6 weeks of "Bandster Hell?" At least maybe the scale might move .

My doc told me he "pre-filled" my band with 3cc of Fluid during surgery but, not to expect to "feel" a lot restriction with 3cc's...go figure ?? To me 3cc's is better than nothing.

Well said, it's about time someone said something about all this negative talk. It's hard enough getting adjusted to living with your new band. And quite often the office staff at the surgeons office can't answer your questions quickly . You have to feel comfortable enough to ask questions without feeling like someone is gonna yell at you.

And I agree , the new search engine is not as user friendly as the previous one prior to the site getting updated.