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Me. I'm 10 days post op and having pain stabs that double me over. Today it's on my left side. I feel like I can't straighten up all the way.

Weight today 203! Total: 980 Fat:34 307 32% Carbs:52 191 20% Fiber:4 0 0% Protein:73 293 31% Alcohol:22 155 16% Activity - 30 mins on treadmill 3.1mph @ 2.5 incline - 200 cals recumbant bike - 10 mins - 50 cals Net calories 730

My surgery was for 10:30 but they said I could have apple juice in the morning. My surgery did not end up happening until like 3:00. There was an issue in the surgery before mine.

CONSISTENCY *If the food you are eating is keeping you full for 3 or less hours you must increase the consistency/thickness of your food. (Generally when you are on clear liquids and ready to move to full liquids, full liquid to mushy, etc) *If the food you are eating is keeping you full for 4 or more hours your food is at a good consistency/thickness. *As soon as you feel full (this may feel like discomfort in your chest) STOP EATING. If you ever feel like something is stuck STOP! Do not drink or eat. Typically, in 30 minutes the food will come up or go down. · Special note: If all you can eat is soft/mushy foods, you are too tight and need fluid out of the band. ADJUSTMENTS · You are ready for an adjustment when you are eating good solid nutritious food (the highest consistency) and it is no longer keeping you full for 4 hours and/or your portions are increasing, and/or you are not losing weight. DAILY ROUTINE · Upon waking drink 20 oz of water (anything 1 calorie or less, no caffeine, no carbonation). The first 8 oz may need to be hot clear liquid. This is also a good rule to apply when preparing your meals. (If you feel pressure/tightness, you need to loosen your band before you eat with hot clear liquids and deep breaths, then repeat water process) · Wait 10 minutes. No eating or drinking (let the fluid drain out of the pouch). When dining out, this would be when you are waiting on your food. At home this will be the time you take cutting meat, moistening meat, and getting it ready to eat) · Breakfast: Protein 1st (use fork and knife and cut up food well), Fruit 2nd (Sample breakfast: ½ cup low fat, low sugar yogurt, 2 T of almonds, ¼ piece of fruit w/ no skin OR 1 very soft, moist scrambled egg, 1 crisp piece of bacon, ¼ piece of fruit w/ no skin · Wait 1 ½ hours (no eating or drinking) · Drink 20 oz of water up until time for lunch. · Wait 10 minutes. No eating or drinking (let the fluid drain out of pouch) · Lunch: Protein 1st (use fork and knife and cut up your food well), vegetable 2nd, carbohydrate 3rd (sample lunch: ½ cup chili (beef or turkey and beans), 4 whole grain crackers OR 1/3 cup chicken salad, ½ seedless cucumber, 4 whole grain crackers OR 1-2 oz grilled chicken on 1 cup garden salad w/ low fat dressing, 4 whole grain crackers · Wait 1 ½ hours (no eating, drinking) · Drink 20 oz of water up until time for supper. · Wait 10 minutes. No eating or drinking (let fluid drain out of pouch) · Supper: Protein 1st (use a fork and knife and cut up food well), vegetable 2nd, carbohydrate 3rd (sample supper: ½ cup stew (beef and vegetable), 4 whole grain crackers OR 1-2 oz meatloaf, ¼ cup green beans, ¼ cup mashed potatoes OR 1-2 oz bake or grilled fish, 2-3 tops of broccoli (steamed and very tender), very small baked potato w/ no skin · Wait 1 ½ hours (no eating or drinking) · If you are getting hungry between meals, you are waiting for an adjustment and you feel you must eat a snack, it should be a protein snack. (low fat chunk cheese, T of peanut butter, nuts, turkey jerky) · Once you get close to your ideal body weight you may have to pay closer attention to your calories. You should not have more than 1200 calories a day. They also recommend when drinking right before your meal to drink/gulp to see if it moves smoothly. This will let you know if you are ready to eat yet. Also, my doctor's office does not recommend snacks.

I'm just in a really pissy mood today, dammit. Hell Week** started today, and I'm just ready to go off on anyone. Just gimme a reason. Emailed the dietician today to ask if I could lose some weight without it affecting whether or not the freakin' insurance will cover my procedure. She said they'd take the weight and measurements they recorded for me when I was in the office the other day, and turn those into the insurance company. They damn well better, because I am going to try to give a liquid diet a fighting chance here starting this weekend, just to see how difficult it is, and I intend to lose weight between now and the surgery date. I don't care WHAT anyone else says...when my surgeon tells me that I hafta be on a liquid diet for 10 days before my procedure, I'm gonna By God be on that liquid diet. The NOIVE of some people saying, "Just do what you want -- eat what you want -- but don't tell your doctor." Man, that just tears it. Holy Mother of God.....this is SURGERY, for God's sake. DO what the SURGEON says, not what you WANNA do. Nothing like breaking the freakin' rules before you're even banded. Makes me wonder what will happen to those people AFTER being banded if they can't follow the rules BEFOREhand. I woke up at 3:00am this morning, and couldn't get back to sleep. Hubby was tossing and turning -- am CONVINCED the dolt has sleep apnea, but does he belive me? NOOOOOOOoooooooo -- so instead of laying there feeling the bed shaking every few moments because he's thrashing around like he's threshing wheat, I just said, "Oh, what the Hell," and got my arse outta the bed. So, it's 3:45am and I've already had two cups of coffee, so I'm wide awake. I took the opportunity to search some message boards for a "routine" liquid diet menu that folks follow, but couldn't find one before I had to go to work. It's now 9:08pm and I'm just dead to the world right now, so I think I'll give everyone in my life a break and go to bed, falling asleep to the sound of everyone heaving a huge sigh of relief. Hey......I KNOW how I can be during Hell Week, and it ain't pretty. I pity the fool who gets in my way. This, too, shall pass. **Hell Week = the week before my period starts. All bets are off during that week. I am NOT my normal self, so don't expect anything normal outta me.

I start my two week pre-op diet, then surgery on 9/10. In bed tonight, legs really aching, tired, getting ready to put on the cpap. Sure am ready to move forward... Wish I had known I was so anemic! That caused the delay. But hopefully the time will fly by and the iron will do the trick. SO ready for this!

I was banded 4/12 too! Relax Follow what you were told to eat. After surgery your body panics and tries to hold on to fat stores at all cost, so the weight doesn't drop off immediately. Also, you probably gained 5-10 pounds of fluids in the hospital during the surgery. Keep doing what you were told and the weight WILL start coming off. (and in case your wondering, my ticker includes my pre-band weight loss, it's not all in the past 6 days!)

Not happy.....5'9" BMI now 22....Surgery date 06-01-99...Down from size 18 to size 4. Partial obstrucition and esophagus swollen. Will not call doctor back. They want to take fuild out. I am worried that I will gain weight. I am still not happy with my size. I know that I should be.

That's just great!! I just got out of the hospital for dehydration Saturday! I'm 19 days post op and am still trying to get in my liquids. Grrr. I just did the pinch test on my knuckle and yep it stayed. VICIOUS CIRCLE I TELL YA I also have the forehead ache. What are we to do is a very good question. Please feel better soon

I read this forum daily and nothing scares me more than being sick from eating something that is wrong for me!! I have not thrown up from overeating or eating too fast because I am aware this could happen, so I take every measure to make sure that doesn't happen!! I also don't eat things that I think will make me sick! I will be 10 weeks out on Monday and I have not had any sweets for fear of them making me sick. I have read horror stories of people being sick from them. I have not had Pasta, rice, bread or any "bad carb" since before my surgery. I also have not tried any fried foods as some get very sick from it!! Now, I could very easily be one of the lucky ones that don't get sick, but I really don't want to take that chance. So, this is what keeps me real! I only put Protein and a few fruits and veggies in my new tummy at this time! Kelly

I today is day 3(of 10) of my pre-op liver reduction diet. Day. 1 was a Valentines day "sweets" day at work. I managed just fine. Day 2 we came out to my in-laws in another town to spend the night. They are Italian and every single conversation is about food. It was a hard day, but again, I managed. I am laying in bed right now on the morning if day 3 and all I can smell is the damn bacon cooking downstairs! Come on people.... Really??? I can do this. I will do this.

Okay - didn't make it to the gym.....too much going on last night. I will say, last night was a beneficial meeting and I think we can progress form here. I plan on going to the gym tonight, ABSOLUTELY NO exceptions!!!! I stepped on the scale this morning and saw another drop so I was quite pleased by that. Menu today: Weight Wise Oatmeal snack a few pretzles TBSP hummus Lunch Slice of my Low Fat Meatloaf green beans Snack Low Carb yogurt a handfull of granola thrown in Dinner grilled talapia baby spinach WT - 163.8

I was banded on 2/22/10 and everything went great !! I have been through a total of 5 fills. My last fill was on last wednesday, and like always everything went fine !! On Friday I had dinner and really felt extremely full, that night I had really bad heartburn, but by morning it went away. What didn't go away was this full feeling in my chest and stomach. I feel like there is excessive amounts of gas blocked in me. I have had this discomfort since Friday and it will not go away. I have tried Mylanta, but this stomach pain(cramping,bloated,gasy feeling) will not go away. Any help out there ???

It sounds like you are describing cystic acne. That can be a symptom of PCOS. You really should go see an ob/gyn or an endocrinologist and have your hormones checked. Even if it is not PCOS, getting a blood work up is a good thing to see if anything else may be awry. PCOS is an endocrine disorder that affects 5-10% of women in their reproductive years. PCOS stands for poly-cystic ovarian syndrome. It is a not a disease as there is no known cause, but a syndrome (list of symptoms). There is a correlation between insulin resistance and PCOS as well as obesity, however; PCOS can develop in women at any age and weight. PCOS symptoms include weight gain, mainly in the abdomen, cystic acne along the jaw line and chin, absent or irregular menstrual cycles, male pattern hair (chin, chest, back, etc), male pattern baldness, inability to loose weight or looses very slowly no matter what the amount of food or exercise, infertility and miscarriage due to hormonal imbalances usually involving insulin resistance and too many androgens (male hormones) in the body. Many women with PCOS also suffer from depression and skin issues, like eczema, have elevated cholesterol and triglycerides. PCOS cannot be cured, but it can be managed with medications and life style changes. I have PCOS. I developed symptoms at age 16 but was not properly diagnosed until 24. I have been struggling with it and my eating forever. I just got banded on 11/29. I hope with weight loss, some of the symptoms will decrease. Oh, don't try popping cystic acne. They are so deep seated that you will only get minimal release, and it will only inflame them worse; or they won't pop at all without a razor to open it. They can also leave nasty scars. You can try hot cloths on them to relieve the pain and try an over the counter hydrocortisone cream to relieve the inflammation. You may want to consider a dermatologist to see what cleansers and medications that may work for your acne. Good luck.

In and out in about 10 minutes ask for fluro if they have it. Every fill I have ever got is under fluro one before one after then you leave knowing band is in place everything good, still in and out in 10 minutes unless you have questions for Surgeon. Cheri

Makes heaps of sense! I find the term "emotional eating" a very annoying overused excuse for people not taking responsibility for their own behaviours - which as you rightly point out means identifying learned eating patterns that are not helpful. Tying it up neatly to "I saw my dog get run over wehn I was 10 so I cant help but eat to squash my anger and misery" is just too easy. Admitting "this is a behaviour that I can control" is not so easy. But people dont seem to realise that controlling it by degree is an achievement too! We dont have to totally obliterate every bad eating behaviour, we just have to try to make enough difference to our intake and enough difference to our output to reach a new balance. Its not an all or nothing thing. How disappointing about the newborn analogy though. A bottle? Tsk tsk. What's wrong with a breast? Sorry, lifelong member of the milk mafia here.

Hi all, I am just sitting here playing with the clock and calendar and wondering what I'll be eating by my birthday, Thanksgiving, Christmas, etc. My surgery was 10-03-11, and since I'm still on liquids I feel like I am marking time to get to the next level. I walk, read, surf the net etc., but even though I know it's one day at a time, I wonder what everyone is doing to fill their days beside making shakes, pudding, and taking their vitamins. I guess going out to eat and being with friends on the wekend is out for a while. So in the meantime I will be doing _____________________. (Please fill in the blank and be nice.) THANKS!

Since surgery I am having a hard time regulating my body temp, I am either freezing cold or burning up. Mostly my face has been so hot! I thought it was related to the blood thinners I was on for the first 10 days post op, but thats been done with since Saturday. Just something to get used to

I eat about 2000 a day to maintain my 148lb - I'm 5ft 10 and run for 40 minutes to an hour most days. I eat carbs too! Bread, Pasta, rice.

This is exactly what I needed to read! I have been gaining and losing the same 3 pounds over the past 2 1/2 weeks. I will be six weeks post op Tuesday. I don't know if I am depressed or just having too much fun with an I dont care attitude, but I really screwed up this weekend. Had about 10 glasses of wine, a few tequila shots, a bloody mary, hotlinks, crunchy tacos.... Yeah, it was a fun filled weekend by the pool, but I lost control. I will be doing protein shakes this week to get back on track. Thanks for your post.

I just got good news today. My wife told me her latest labs say she no longer needs cholesterol meds! She shed her need for diabetes medicine even before getting out of the hospital after her Roux N Y surgery. I got the sleeve and I have kicked my diabetes medicine as well, the disease that had a great deal to do with my dad dying at the age of 46. I am on the edge of ridding myself of high-blood pressure meds. Another 10 pounds should do it. My resting heart rate is down 30 BPM, my heart is happy. I know WLS does not affect everyone the same but it sure is great that it can kick these bad boys out of your life.

Wow! That just seems a little extreme to me. Have you asked why they want you to wait so long between bites? I'm still on the liquid phase for a couple more days, but I'm mindful to take the full 20 minutes required to eat 1c of Soup. I use a teaspoon so that's the size of my bites. It's an adjustment to eat so little over a 20 minute period so I can imagine how frustrating it must be for you to only be able to take a bite every 10 minutes! Is this something he/she requires just during the healing process or is this how he expects you to always eat?

Hi my name is Cliff, i just had the lapband yesterday 01/27/11, boy what a experience. But any way i feel real bad cramp on my left side of my stomach, not really feeling like gas, just real bad cramps. bad enough to make you double up they hurt so bad..any ideals...? thanks cliff