Day 5 and not going as well as I hoped

Banded Thurs

I was doing well until Sun.

Sunday I started with trouble drinking protein shakes

Slime afterwards

Monday into Tuesday my intake was down and I felt very full.

I iced belly a lot Monday night

Today was worse.

I was sent for barium swallow test today and band is open

I have been told I am very swollen around band.

I am on clears

I am icing on and off.

Hydrating but that is down the last two days

Liquid Tylenol on board

Milk of Magnesia for constipation

If this swelling does not subside I my be going be hospital........

I am sorry you are having such a bad time! As far as the constipation, I have the same problem since I was banded and I have found that a product like benefiber (goes into liquids) works best for me. Prune juice does the trick too

Have you tried warm liquids, maybe decaf tea or broth? May help. I though the Protein shakes were thick and they made me nauseous. I switched to slim-fast

Hi JWKJR.

It sounds like you have a normal reaction to your band, although your reaction is at the extreme end of normal. Not everyone gets this type of reaction. I was one who did and I continue to have to be careful with my band.

I was banded on 9/17/10 and have lost 43 lbs so far; my doctor has been pleased with my progress. However, when I was first banded I had a similar problem to you - I was very swollen but my stomach did not swell right away. A few days after my surgery I was not able to tolerate food I had been eating just a few days before. For instance, beginning a few days post op I could not get even drink Protein shakes that I had been able to drink the day before. The Protein shake got stuck and made me feel really sick; I had trouble breathing. I was put on a clear liquid diet for the next few days and then made my shakes thinner than directed when I progressed to full liquids. I eventually made my shakes at the recommended thickness but it took several days. By sticking to an easy to digest diet, I allowed my stomach to heal. I also slowed down when I would start solids based on my "issues". You need to give your insides some time to adjust to the band and to work out the swelling issues that results. The swellings eventually goes away. When it goes away is individually based as everyone heals at different rates. However, once you are prone to stomach swelling, you need to be careful each time you go for a band fill.

You have not yet had your first fill (when they put fluids in your band to make the pyloric opening smaller). What you will find is that you will need to adjust what you eat downwards after you get a fill. For instance, after you receive a fill you will need to go back to a liquid diet and soft diet in the days following the fill. I need to stick with a liquid diet for 1-2 days and a soft diet for another 1-2 days after I receive a fill. I then slowly add solid foods to make sure I tolerate them well. With this formula, you should do fine. This is a similar issue to the swelling you get with your surgery.

BTW, when I am on a liquid diet, one of the easiest and most nutritious things I get to go down is Chinese egg drop Soup. Even though it is thick, has drops of eggs in it and looks as if it will get stuck, it has never gotten stuck even when I was the tightest. I always have some on hand after I get a fill.

Good luck.

Maxi

Hi JWKJR.

It sounds like you have a normal reaction to your band, although your reaction is at the extreme end of normal. Not everyone gets this type of reaction. I was one who did and I continue to have to be careful with my band.

I was banded on 9/17/10 and have lost 43 lbs so far; my doctor has been pleased with my progress. However, when I was first banded I had a similar problem to you - I was very swollen but my stomach did not swell right away. A few days after my surgery I was not able to tolerate food I had been eating just a few days before. For instance, beginning a few days post op I could not get even drink Protein shakes that I had been able to drink the day before. The protein shake got stuck and made me feel really sick; I had trouble breathing. I was put on a clear liquid diet for the next few days and then made my shakes thinner than directed when I progressed to full liquids. I eventually made my shakes at the recommended thickness but it took several days. By sticking to an easy to digest diet, I allowed my stomach to heal. I also slowed down when I would start solids based on my "issues". You need to give your insides some time to adjust to the band and to work out the swelling issues that results. The swellings eventually goes away. When it goes away is individually based as everyone heals at different rates. However, once you are prone to stomach swelling, you need to be careful each time you go for a band fill.

You have not yet had your first fill (when they put fluids in your band to make the pyloric opening smaller). What you will find is that you will need to adjust what you eat downwards after you get a fill. For instance, after you receive a fill you will need to go back to a liquid diet and soft diet in the days following the fill. I need to stick with a liquid diet for 1-2 days and a soft diet for another 1-2 days after I receive a fill. I then slowly add solid foods to make sure I tolerate them well. With this formula, you should do fine. This is a similar issue to the swelling you get with your surgery.

BTW, when I am on a liquid diet, one of the easiest and most nutritious things I get to go down is Chinese egg drop soup. Even though it is thick, has drops of eggs in it and looks as if it will get stuck, it has never gotten stuck even when I was the tightest. I always have some on hand after I get a fill.

Good luck.

Maxi

Thank you

This kind of information is what drew me here

I am a little better today

I will try to remind myself to go slow