hey girls, I have been seeing several posts from people who were banded late July, I was banded July 30th and some of you are having a tough time or just seem like you need someone to talk to. It seems like we are all going through the same thing so I am not sure if this will work but starting a thread for us to talk about how we feel, what we are doing and what worked for us. Right now, I am still in discomfort, it comes and go's throughout the day, I had a rough morning but just woke up from a nap and feeling better. I have alot of gas pain today and having a hard time getting down my liquids and protein. I am starting to get hungry today as well and already tired of soup and protein drinks. I feel like if I just had something more with substance It would be better but than again I dont want the pain that will come with it when I still have issues with liquids. I am trying to give it time cause I know it will be better in a week or 2 or maybe even a couple more days. I did take a walk up the block this morning and drank some broth but after that I felt bad and got alot of pressure and gas pain so Im still trying to figure out what the heck Im doing here!! Alright ladies ( and gentlemen) just thought it might help to start here....

LOL - thanks for the welcome! I'm not even close to "Small" Christie yet, but some day that will be me. :thumbup:

I have been intrigued by the electronic cigarettes, too. Would prefer no nicotine at all, but if this next attempt fails, I might just consider that.

Thanks, Txredgirl, for the reply about C25K! I'm intimidated by the thought of it, but it looks to be fairly reasonable on paper and I really want to give it a shot. My first "organized" event probably wouldn't be til next spring though.... by the time I'm ready, we're likely to have snow on the ground in Minnesota! In the meantime, I plan to start on my treadmill anyway, so as not to be bouncing up and down the neighborhood scaring the neighbors! :thumbup:

I've done the C25K program before and it does work and I know what you're talking about about snow on the ground come November, that's why I'm going to Texas for my first run. Last year we had over a foot just before Halloween, so I wasn't going to take any chances about planning to do one in CO before the spring. I'm hoping to do the Bolder Boulder 10K next Memorial Day though. The last time I did the C25K, I did the majority of it on the treadmill/elliptical and it works great. Good Luck and let me know when you start - maybe we can be online workout buddies.

Hey everyone. I was banded on July 23. So far I have lost 10 pounds. My doctor prescribed fluids only just for days 2 - 5, mushies, 6 - 10 and solid foods after day 10. Sounds like alot of people are instructed to be on liquids for quite a bit longer. I get my first fill on Sept. 14.

I had to give up the protein shake mix I got from the clinic. Just couldn't tolerate it. Too sweet. I've been drinking Myoplex and Atkins nutrition shakes instead. Doc said that was fine as long as I count the calories and get at least 30 grams of protein a day.

I too had terrible shoulder pain. It was the worst part of the surgery. Also had itchy incisions and left side pain when breathing deeply. Glad to say that will pass after a time. The best thing so far for me was when he took those nasty bandages off! I had to leave them on for two weeks and couldn't wait to get rid of them. My port incision is not totally healed yet but getting better.

So glad to find this forum. Love all the positive support and seeing all the weight lost so far!

OMG, Dawn...that made me laugh...Don't poke the bear...

It's day 11 for me...In my pureed stage...Def not as bad as the pure liquid stage, but I can't wait till Friday when I can have some overcooked mushy broccoli and maybe some mashed potatoes! Yum!

My scale is showing I am down 11 lbs from when I first went on the liquid diet (2 days pre op), but I figure a lot of that is just your standard Water weight and when I start adding real food back into the mix, some may come back. I was told not to worry about weight loss during this first phase...that that would come AFTER the first fill (couple weeks from now).

Have you guys allowed yourselves to get truly hungry? Holy crap that hurts! There's been a couple of times where I haven't been someplace where I could eat and man, my stomach just twists into horrid shapes!

Sweetbriar, how different are some dr. I just got back for my 2 wk check-up and I am only 8 lbs. down, but I have to get in 80 -100 gm of protein per day. I usually drinking at least one protein shake in my day. I do not mind the taste so I consider myself lucky.

Funny, I was banded on the 14th and just started experiencing this problem as well. I can actually feel the port through my skin. I emailed my surgeon and he said this was perfectly normal and the discomfort should go away in a few weeks. Basically, his response was, now that the swelling has gone down, I'm feeling the port now but its always been there. He also told me that its sewn to the abdominal wall...weird huh?

Tab1975 - I've been pureeing chunky soups...That's worked the best...There were a bunch of Soups I stayed away from while doing liquids because there was too much stuff in them...things like chicken enchilada Soup, chicken noodle soup...The end result is just a thicker, nicer liquid soup...Think of a fancy bisque soup vs a watery liquid soup...

I tried pureeing chili...didn't work so well. The flavors didn't blend well enough...

I had made a homemade veggie soup with cabbage, bellpepper, stewed tomatoes, onion, carrots & celery...I lightly pureed that so there were no large chunks...Tonight I BBQ'd chicken and put some of the chicken through the food processor and then added that to the soup. Worked out OK.

Then I've been doing malt o meal here and there...pudding...I've had no problems with either of those...

The 'puree' week has been easier on me than the liquid week. Even though I'm still mainly doing just soups, they are heartier and thus make me happier.

I can feel my port too! It's kinda creepy! I just hope that as we lose weight, you can't SEE it! That would be awful! Mine is right above my belly button.

I asked my husband if he wanted to feel it and the very though freaked him out. Hahaha!

I had my first post-op appointment today and have lost 8 pounds since surgery. Cannot complain at all about that!

My gas pain is history and the port pain is definitely muscular...the incision itself doesn't hurt. Today my surgeon showed me where my port actually was and I figured out that is exactly where my lingering pain is coming from. It's crazy to me how far away from the incision that it actually is, and how high up it is. It's literally just below my breast bone, near the top of my rib cage on the left side. Is that weird??

Next appointment is in 6 weeks for my first fill. I have the 11cc Realize Band, and their routine at the clinic is to start out with with 4-6 ccs, and then as long as that's not too tight, they increase 1 cc per month until my BMI is under 30. That sounds pretty aggressive, doesn't it?

Interestingly, they said that I should NOT go back to liquids after a fill, and that once I've progressed to "regular foods" (after 8 weeks) that I should never need to go back to an earlier stage. He suggested that once we find that sweet spot that I shouldn't ever need to eat anything that I can't stab with a fork.

I got my return to work slip with an August 30th date, too. Yay!

Welcome to the new folks!

I love this thread and this board.

QuilterLu,

You are absolutely right about how different the surgeons are. Glad you like the protein shakes! I'm getting mine in but not enjoying them too much. Don't want to lose any hair so I'll do it no matter what!!

Good luck on your journey.

Hey everyone. I was banded on July 23. So far I have lost 10 pounds. My doctor prescribed fluids only just for days 2 - 5, mushies, 6 - 10 and solid foods after day 10. Sounds like alot of people are instructed to be on liquids for quite a bit longer. I get my first fill on Sept. 14.

I had to give up the protein shake mix I got from the clinic. Just couldn't tolerate it. Too sweet. I've been drinking Myoplex and Atkins nutrition shakes instead. Doc said that was fine as long as I count the calories and get at least 30 grams of protein a day.

I too had terrible shoulder pain. It was the worst part of the surgery. Also had itchy incisions and left side pain when breathing deeply. Glad to say that will pass after a time. The best thing so far for me was when he took those nasty bandages off! I had to leave them on for two weeks and couldn't wait to get rid of them. My port incision is not totally healed yet but getting better.

So glad to find this forum. Love all the positive support and seeing all the weight lost so far!

Hi Sweetbriar,

Sounds like you're from Texas. I am too and had the same schedule to progress to regular food. My first fill is August 19th (I had my surgery July 30th). I hope that's not too soon. Concerning protein shakes, I found Nectar at bariatricpantry.com for cheaper than other places and it's really good. You can order a sample pack to try the flavors. Also the Alpine Punch RTD in Isopure is good - get it very cold. I was surprised to read your doc said 30 g of protein/day. Everyone I have seen or talked to say 60-70g per day. Check that out. BTW I'm just now feeling better about breathing deeply and still have some gas in the shoulder, too. Good luck!

Keep up the good work everyone!!!

Welcome to all the newbies! This is a great place to learn from & share your journey & of course get inspired.

I was 3 wks post-op as of Monday. I can feel my port. My port is also just below my bra line & rest on the rib cage on the right side. I went to visit my mother & step-father & I had them feel the port. As my mom was rubbing I told her"It's a girl" LOL! we decided to name it baby Suki. I have seen some after pics on this forum where you can see the port but the majority cant be seen. Each day has been a learning experience. Wishing everyone a beautiful day.

Hi Sweetbriar,

Sounds like you're from Texas. I am too and had the same schedule to progress to regular food. My first fill is August 19th (I had my surgery July 30th). I hope that's not too soon. Concerning protein shakes, I found Nectar at bariatricpantry.com for cheaper than other places and it's really good. You can order a sample pack to try the flavors. Also the Alpine Punch RTD in Isopure is good - get it very cold. I was surprised to read your doc said 30 g of protein/day. Everyone I have seen or talked to say 60-70g per day. Check that out. BTW I'm just now feeling better about breathing deeply and still have some gas in the shoulder, too. Good luck!

Thanks so much for the info about the shakes. These premixed shakes are expensive! I will give these a try.

Thanks again!

May I join in here? I was banded on July 27th. I have lost about 23 lbs since starting the pre-op diet two weeks out. So I'll take that. I am on regular food now except bread, beef and oatmeal. I have my first fill on Monday the 16th. I also go back to work that day as well. I am not feeling hungry often and thought I would miss food more than I do. I am a foodie to the core. The protein shake and soup diet pre-op about killed me. I craved texture. It is interesting how all docs are different. Mine is actually banded and I think that helps. He can empathize with his patients.

I feel lucky because I did not have tons of issues post-op with gas or taking a deep breath. I got sent home with a cool little thing to suck air through (spirometer, I think is what it is called) and it really helped. I walked and walked and walked. I think that helped with the gas.

I am nervous to have that fill since I am still losing and not really hungry between meals. Mostly I am eating to get in the protein I need.