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I was driving one week out, but I don't think you should until you have taken no pain meds for at least 24 hours....My surgery was on Monday and I stopped taking pain meds by Thursday and drove the following Tuesday with no pain.

I was cleared to use this machine (and do all exercise, without restriction) after my 4-week check.

I actually gained 5 lbs at thw start of my 3rd week I felt horrible and withing the past two days I a lost the 5 plus an extra lbs I make 4 weeks tomorrow it will come off don't worry I know I did

Yep- been having the same since the first week.. Surgeon says it isn't surgery, Nutritionist says I'm doing everything right. protein and hydration. I started drinking G-2 at work- and it seems that has helped- today I didn't drink it but straight water, today has been my best day, dizzy wise as well as food wise. PCF- says it's my body getting NORMALIZED, I'm a tall person- it takes a while for the blood to reach the top floor... what is confusing is- it happens sporadically, early morning, late night, after lunch... didn't happen after cycling 17 miles... I have been puzzled, I think it is getting bettter. hope you do too!

Thank goodness you were not operating lawn mower when you passed out. Fainting is not because of VSG but because of health. You don't faint from surgery 2 weeks later. BUT...are you hydrated enough? How much liquid have you consumed today? If outside you should be over 64oz. Carbs? Protein? You should be getting in around 50-75 of protein daily. Vitamins? You should be taking a Multivitamins with Iron at this point if surgeon okayed. Sounds like you need to take charge so this scary episode does not happen again. Hope you feel better soon. Contact surgeon if you pass out again, okay?

2.5 weeks post op. So several times since surgery I have been laying or sitting down and stood up and almost passed out. Yesterday I went out side and mowed the lawn for twenty minutes and thought I was going to die. My head rush was so extreme I could feel it in my head and eyes. I came inside and fainted on the living room floor. I woke up and my dog was licking me. Any ideas?

I have been feeling great and have lost 17 pounds in 2 weeks. Wednesday night when I sat on the sofa I had severe pain in my upper left stomach at the top of the ribs. It has hurt on and off since--sometimes severely. I saw the doctor yesterday and he thought the band may be rubbing on a muscle. Last night I started getting a fever. My doctors don't seem very concerned.

Holla fellow bandsters! Yes you read that correctly. I have not only survived Hell week, but I believe I have thrived! That's right, 1 week ago at this very moment I was home watching TV and safely banded. I don't remember much of anything else that evening, that's why they make anesthesia so good and narcotics. I took quite a journey this week. I was dealing with the obvious issues after surgery, but I also did a bit of "spirit surgery" if you will. When your incapacitated for a time you have no choice but to think, because you can't do much else. If my brain had a disclaimer it would read: Do not enter without parental supervision. Today was minimal pain, I took 1 pain pill all day. I had my coffee this morning. 40 of strawberry protein, that's 40 oz of liquid, not exactly sure how much protein. My Crystal Light Pink Lemonade and I drank an Energy Wild Strawberry Crystal Light and did not get my headache, which had become my 9pm uninvited guest every night. I finished it off with a small bowl of cream of chicken soup and it was fabulous. I am not restricted yet, but I was full and content. Fingers crossed. I thought about pain, I thought about food, I thought about fat, shopping, clothes and the extreme heat. I thought "What the hell have I done?", then thought "I wish I would have done this sooner." I thought about education, I thought about government, sex and relationships. I thought about death and sickness, then I thought about life. I thought about swimming, showering, scars and plastic surgery. Protein powder and chicken broth, religion and meditation, rain and storms, vacations and casino's, friends and lovers, marriage and divorce. I thought about stages of motherhood, I thought about my children, and your children, boys, girls, babies, and old people. I thought about pets and people, good vs. evil, guilt and shame, honesty and integrity and words with friends. You catch my drift, I shan't bore you with more words with different letters. I have gratitude for this forum, it actually helped calm my pain and craziness. You know what they say, "If you see CRAZY coming-cross the street!" We know most of us not only invite it in, but beg it to stay and set an extra place for dinner. My personal experience is just that, just as your experience is your own. When we bring these together we are an encyclopedia of knowledge, on this topic at least! I have learned that not only is everyone's experience different, it is also the same in many ways. Even though most of us have had the same "procedure", the doctors have given different instructions to you regarding your surgery, whether it's the road leading up to it or the weeks following the surgery. The important thing to remember is sort of what we should know already, just because someone else has been advised to eat or drink from a specific or nonspecific menu, doesn't mean it will produce the same result for you. Yes kids, that's why we always check with our Dr. before doing something different than their specific instructions. Now that's a disclaimer. I see my surgeon Thursday afternoon and because of you good people of the page, I have come to the conclusion that more than likely I will not receive a "first fill" as the lady indicated when she called to schedule the appointment. (you guys rock) After all, it will only have been 9 days since my surgery. I also had a large hernia repair, (Dr said large, not me-I prefer petite words) Why the heck stress my body more while I'm still in healing mode? Besides, I have only been somewhat hungry maybe twice all week. Not because I was sick, or nauseous I didn't have alot of those symptoms. Because I had already started my journey months before in January when I saw my Dr. for the first time. I never had that "last buffet" or felt like I had to eat "as much as I can-while I still can" frame of mind, I don't know why because I sure have done that before, several times as a matter of fact. Every time I committed myself to a new "diet", (yeah, yeah I know don't call it diet, it's a lifestyle change) I would give myself license to eat, I didn't do that this time, I thought about it, I had the choice and I chose NO. That's when I knew I always had the power, if I needed a bread twisty around my stomach to remind me then so be it! I will not be ashamed and start my journey with that burden, nor will I think about it as my cross to bear. I think of all these younger people getting to start over and it puts joy in my heart. Tomorrow is Independence Day and I couldn't have picked a better holiday to come next. This 4th of July will find me thinking about our troops both here and those not here, walking my dogs in the morning, going to a movie with the boys in the afternoon, deciding where to watch fireworks, and knowing that my Independence Day will be every day for the rest of my life. Onward and Upward my friends, Happy 4th of July and as always, Lo & Behold..... Velvet

I'm 6 weeks out. At four days post-op you are still a cocktail of drugs and anesthesia and gas so that is what you will be feeling right now. Once you start sipping anything stronger than clear liquids you will most definitely be able to"tell" when enough is enough, for me I felt that with clears too. I suppose every person's signal is different but for me that early out it was very painful pressure in the spot where the new stomach is. If I took too large a gulp I would feel that same pain but instead it would be in my esophagus. If you are worried that you will find a way to "cheat" the sleeve because there is no real dumping, don't worry, pain is a VERY good behavior modifier! And once you are on solids there is the risk of "sliming", a hideous experience I recently had with a food I have already eaten post-op.

Okay FIRSTLY my friend I want you to hear this. YOU DID NOT FAIL AT THE BAND. THE BAND FAILED YOU. YOU DID NOT FAIL AT DIETS. DIETS FAILED YOU. This is important because you are placing blame and guilt on yourself that you do not deserve. Secondly. I was also VERY hungry the first two weeks after my sleeve. It seems hit or miss, some people deal with hunger and some don't. My hubby and I both did. So did my friend who is almost 3 weeks post op right now. It's okay, it sucks but you WILL get through it. While you are in this liquids phase, you won't feel too much restriction unless you chug stuff which you probably won't :huh0: Once you get on soft foods you will start to feel it, and even more so on solid foods. If you eat a bite too many you will feel pressure in your chest, like a bad heartburn or just a major pressure in your sternum. It's very uncomfortable and once you have felt it a few times, you learn to stop eating before you get to that point. The nutritionists and nurses in our surgeon's office stress, you do not WANT to feel that... you want to stop eating before you feel it. You will experience it most in the first couple of weeks on solid foods when you are learning. I have only felt it once in the past month and a half when I accidentally ate too much turkey (it was only 2 oz! I can usually eat more than that.) That's the other thing is different foods will make you feel different, you can't always eat the same amount even if it seems similar. chicken and turkey, pretty similar, but it affected me differently. Also, 2 oz of chicken might fit comfortably today, and not tomorrow. So treat every meal like it's the first, and proceed carefully. Hang in there, the hunger gets better. Promise!

I was dehydrated by the end of my second week. I had to force myself to get more liquids. I felt better immediately. This may sound odd, and it is purely psychological, but I now buy the small 8 oz bottles of water. Trying to finish the small bottle is just not as daunting a task. When you have finished 8 in a day, you get your 64 oz. it works great for me.

So I am officially 2 weeks post-op today. Thought I'd share my experience for those interested. We'll start with the stats. I've lost 18 lbs since the surgery, and 64 lbs since I started this process 8 weeks ago tomorrow. The surgery apparently went very well, doctor said it was one of the smoothest he'd had. There was awful pain post-op that lasted about 5 hours. It really was bad, probably the worst pain I've ever experience. It quickly subsided after that, and I have really had a pretty easy time with it since. I went home the day after surgery, and began adding Protein shakes and Water on day 2 post-op. Things went well, and I was able to get my required 60 grams of protein and 64 oz of water almost right away. The afternoon of Day 8, for what seemed to be no reason, I started feeling very nauseated, and extremely tired. By Day 9, I could not stomach the thought of Protein Shakes of any sort (which I absolutely hate since surgery BTW). Day 9 consisted of me just basically just getting in my water, and even that was a struggle. By mid afternoon I was feeling so horrible, and I thought I was having the beginnings of a panic attack. I was sweaty, dizzy, and felt like I was going to pass out. I decided to take my blood pressure out of curiosity, and it was 98/45. I was obviously a bit freaked out, and called the doc. He speculated that it was most likely that I had lost so much weight so fast that I was probably over-medicated now for my high blood pressure. I was taking 10mg of Amlodopine and 100-25 of Losartan-HCTZ. He had me stop the Losartan completely, and take half of my Amlodopine starting the next morning. I felt better (but not great) on Day 10, but by Day 11, I was 100% back and feeling great again. I had started a tiny bit of applesauce on Day 9, tried yogurt, but could not stand the taste. Day 11, I added in cottage cheese, and Day 13 started with some roasted sweet potatoes. food has been absolutely no issue whatsoever. With the exception of the BP issue, nothing has made me nauseous, and while I have no sense of hunger, I also have no sense of feeling full. I actually find the process frustrating as I feel I am trying to sort out quantities, frequencies, etc by myself. And while it's going very smoothly, I have a lot of self-doubt about rather I'm "doing it right." My doctor does not give quantity guidelines as he feels it varies so much from person to person. He also does not give calorie guidelines as he doesn't care about calories as long as people are putting the "right" foods in their bodies (I know this is VERY different from most). I reached out to the BariatricPal community and asked to see what their doctors recommended in regards to quantity, which has been helpful. I saw that there were recommendations not to exceed 4 oz per meal, so I have been sticking with that, but I can definitely eat 4oz of cottage cheese with no problem at all. Never get a sense of fullness (again, I'm also never hungry), never feel back pain/pressure, or pain/pressure in my chest or any of the other symptoms I hear about. All in all, I consider myself very lucky. Things have gone as close to perfect as possible. Even the blood pressure issue, while unpleasant, is exactly what I was hoping to get from the surgery. And while the food re-introduction is stressful for me, it couldn't be going better. Just thought I would share my experience to-date for those who maybe going through the same thing, or about to be! EDIT: Oh yeah, and I forgot to mention, I'm only about 7 lbs away from not being morbidly obese for the first time since I can remember (probably at least 15 years). He's to being severely obese (for now)!

Was banded on May 23, 2012. My surgeon says he gives everyone their first fill at 4 weeks. I've been on regular food for almost 2 weeks and I'm still losing weight (2-4lb per week). My question is if I'm losing more weight than is recommended per week do I really need this fill?

4 weeks ago I suffered a slight slip in my band and had all my fill removed. That's a lap bands patients worst nightmare! So since 4 weeks ago I've managed to gain 7lbs! I'm depressed and just all around feel fat and bloated. Sounds ridiculous while I'm writing this but I know how hard I've worked over the last year going from 286lbs to 171lbs! Plus 7 more now... Loser! I do go back to the doc on Thursday in hopes my band corrected itself and get filled. If not ... Then I'm not sure what ... Anyone else go through anything like this? I'm completely deflated!

The most difficult for me was to realize that I really, TRULY could not eat that big plate of food anymore! I just could not imagine getting full on 1/2 cup of food. But guess what?? It really happens! I'm now 4 weeks out and the swelling has gone down so I can eat more, but I'm getting my first fill tomorrow. I think just adjusting to eating SOOOOO much less yet still feeling full and satisfied was the biggest change for me. I'd often take too much food thinking "this can't POSSIBLY fill me up" and I'd end up putting half of it back in the frig as leftovers! It's sure cut down on our bill when we eat out at a restaurant.....my wife and I now split meals and both come away feeling totally satisfied, not stuffed, and not as broke!!

That's a question that I believe many people have. I know I did before the band. What am I doing!!! Will I ever be normal again. Why ME? All the negative self talk comes out. I now am 3 weeks post surgery. Feel great, can eat more than I should but that is temporary till my first fill and am feeling that I made the right decision. Hope you start feeling better soon. Cheers

So I start my 3rd week post op this Thursday, we are leaving to go camping for the weekend on Friday. I know I can bring yogurts, cans of tuna and applesauce, etc. I can cook eggs also.. Any other easy ideas anyone can give me? I will bring my personal blender too lol, just need a few more ideas without it getting into too many ingredients or time spent on meals. My post op instructions had a few ideas but not many.. I really can't wait to cook for my family again, but I don't want to make big dinners just to have to puree them for myself. I think I will wait a couple more weeks then be able to make healthy high Protein meals for dinner.

I am 12 wks out & I eat, although I eat very differently than I used to. A great too is myfitnesspal.com - you can send friend requests & view other people's food diaries. It's a great tool for tracking your daily calories & Protein, as well as getting ideas of what others eat. Feel free to send me a friend request. My user name is Kayte819 on there as well. Here's a sample of my typical day: Breakfast: large iced coffee w/ a large amt of 2% milk & splenda. (I hate milk otherwise, but it's a good source of protein) A.m. snack: RTD Muscle milk light vanilla latte flavor Lunch: Ceasar salad w/ grilled chicken. Eat chicken first & a couple bites of salad Dinner: seared ahi tuna & sauteed spinach P.m. snack: chocolate power crunch bar I drink lots of Water or unsweetened iced tea. You will eat again! The 1st 5 weeks were really difficult for me, but hang in there....it gets better! And I've lost I've lost 51 lbs since 1/28/12,despite several long stalls & several poor food choices

I'm only 10 weeks out but here's a typical day for me: Breakfast- 1/4 cup of egg whites and a slice of cheddar cheese (not the american cheese slices) Snack- 4oz Breakstone Cottage cheese Lunch- Spinach stuffed shell (stuffed with ricotta cheese, cottage cheese, diced spinach, and spices) Dinner- 1/2 - 3/4 homemade hamburger patty with ketchup, french style green Beans, tiny bite of baked beans Evening snack- String cheese/Greek Yogurt with fresh fruit/Frozen yogurt/More egg whites

Thank you! I know I'm making the right decision and that I will be so glad I did, afterwards. It's just getting through these next two weeks and trying not to over think everything. I'm so glad you had a speedy recovery and are doing well. Good luck on your journey!

Thanks, Leatha! I calculated mine and at the bottom is says that I will lose 1 pound every 16.588 days. That is based on no less than 1200 calories a day. Once I get good restriction will I be eating a lot less than 1200 calories a day? Otherwise how will I be able to lose 1-2 lbs per week? Hmmm....sometimes I think the more I learn, the more confused I get!

Hello Everyone, Well I am now 19 days post op and feeling great. I started my journey and life change back on 11/15/09 with my pre op liquid diet. I had surgery on 12/1/09 and just went to pureed and mushy food diet on 12/16/09 after having stitches removed and getting ok from doctor. As of today I am 40 lbs lighter and I feel really great! I have stuck to doctors orders religiously and have not faultered. I am walking up to 2 miles several times a week and waiting for clearance to get back in the gym which should come mid Jan. My doctor is very strict and I can't have much right now even on pureed diet but I am good with that. I have 76 more lbs to go and I am knocking off and determined to not let anything stop me!!!

I think it is good to be nervous and to make sure you are committed to the decision. I spent years considering surgery and doing research and diets. I then spent a year preparing for my sleeve surgery, but still had a panic attack two weeks before my surgery. However, I had done everything I needed to do and I felt good about my decision and knew it what truly what I needed to do for myself. On the day of surgery, I was not nervous at all, but had a strong sense of peace and determination. I knew it would not be easy and that the surgery would likely be painful and cause discomfort, would force a change in my eating habits and will require a commitment to exercise to fully realize the benefits of the surgery. It is not a quick fix or easy decision, but a major surgery and lifelong commitment, so having some nerves is not only common, but good, because this is a major life changing thing. My advice is to work through your nerves by being as informed as prepared as possible for the surgery and recovery. I created a very ambitious "to do" list for myself before surgery that helped me a lot, especially during my recovery. I used that nervous energy to do productive things that ended up giving me more and more confidence about my decision. I'm one month out now, had a successful surgery and am grateful for also a very speedy recovery. I'm so glad I made this decision, but it took a lot of preparation for me to truly feel like I could succeed. Good luck to you!

Well, we don't know your doctor or his protocol so who knows? It will depend on how you answer questions about your eating habits and how much weight have you lost overall and lately? I'd say most docs fill around 4-6 weeks so you've got a 60% shot at a fill, IF, you need one? tmf

Hi Rosewood! I too had my surgery on Sept 12th. I am down 12.5 lbs. Your experiences sound very familiar to mine. Isn't it amazing how very little our bodies need these days. I am 78.5 lbs away from goal. My doctor told me that he expected between 5-15lbs the first week. I too am enjoying soups. this morning I ate cream of wheat very thinned out, with my DRs. permission of course. I am on thick liquids for two more weeks. I live in Vegas, so not to far from you. I will be celebrating my 38th bday on the 27th of this month. How exciting for us to have started this journey together! I will send you a pm with my email, so we can also keep in touch and support eachother that way! Good Luck! OBTech 89117