Can ANYONE tell me why it takes the stomach so long to heal? Why you HAVE to be on liquids for the first couple of weeks (other than to lose weight). I would like a REALLY DETAILED explanation and I can't find one. HELP PLEASE??!!?

:hungry:

Um ///////deeleeted

Post deleted.

I shouldn't have called you all judgmental. It just bothers me when I see this kind of "mean mommy" backlash toward others who aren't perfect bandsters. And I think it's a little offensive to suggest that someone who eats A french fry and a piece of chicken was banded for the wrong reasons and needs to rethink her goals.

Well i am a mean mommy type. I guess it just goes with my personality and my job. I call a spade a spade. If i see you doing something "wrong" i'm gonna call you on it. I'm all about tough love.

I realise different doctors say different things. What your doctor says and what my doctor says doesn't matter. What Dani's doctor wants her to do is what matters because thats the doctor that she has to deal with.

Dani i'm sorry, but there is nothing we can say that will "scare" you into doing something. Either you want to do it or you don't. I know its hard, trust me, i was ready on day 3 to call my doctor and have her remove the band because i was so hungry and felt like i didn't have what it takes. I had to dig down deep and decide what was important, its not easy, nothing in life worth having is ever easy.

:focus:

Yes......not to sound like a bitch....but if you're not here to relate to my question and you're just going to make me feel bad, then I really would prefer you'd find another thread. I posed this question because I've been searching for a week for a better explanation and I can't find one. I REALLY appreciate your responses StrawartS. I can totally relate and I appreciate your forthright response. I haven't been able to find anyone who would go there. My nutritionist hasn't, my doctor hasn't. The only response I get is, "don't do it". I want to know WHY???

OOps......judgemental and realistic aren't synonyms.......The body REALLY has to heal. The band is literally stiched into your stomach. It has to heal before you make it churn to digest food. That is the reason your doctor might have you on liquids or mushies, it is less churning.

Oh, the hassles of non-verbal communication. I need a tongue-in-cheek smiley. Alex, are you listening?

I assume that someone will take her doctor's advice over mine...because mine is worth about next to nothing. If you read my original post, maybe you can see that the last line isn't intended to suggest disobeying your doctor's advice. It's just there as a joke. See? Tongue? Cheek? Anybody?

Dani i'm sorry, but there is nothing we can say that will "scare" you into doing something. Either you want to do it or you don't.

Thanks....I do appreciate the responses. However, I think that if a knowledgable person (such as a medical provider) could explain to me what exactly is happening down there, it would help. I am the type of person that needs to know the why before I can learn how to do.

:focus:

Yes......not to sound like a bitch....but if you're not here to relate to my question and you're just going to make me feel bad, then I really would prefer you'd find another thread. I posed this question because I've been searching for a week for a better explanation and I can't find one. I REALLY appreciate your responses StrawartS. I can totally relate and I appreciate your forthright response. I haven't been able to find anyone who would go there. My nutritionist hasn't, my doctor hasn't. The only response I get is, "don't do it". I want to know WHY???

you've been told why. The stitches, the slippage, stretching your pouch, etc. Those reasons aren't good enough for you i guess so what else should be said? If you would like we could lie and say your stomach will explode, is that scary enough? I get the feeling no matter what we say, what you really want to hear is that its ok to go against your doctors orders and cheat.

Thanks....I do appreciate the responses. However, I think that if a knowledgable person (such as a medical provider) could explain to me what exactly is happening down there, it would help. I am the type of person that needs to know the why before I can learn how to do.

well there isn't many medical providers on this board. Maybe you will get lucky and the one of the two or three doctors that do frequent this board will be able to give you somethin more indepth.

Hey, Danielle, check this out:

http://video.google.com/videoplay?docid=3190472028990485080&q=lap+band

It's a video of how the band is placed. It shows how the top and bottom parts of your stomach are stitched around the band.

I feel like we may be misunderstanding Danielle's question. She has the medical info, but the next step is determining if that information is really enough to inspire such a fear of solid foods. For me, it was not. I knew how my body felt, I saw how tough those stitches looked, and I didn't buy the argument that my band would slip or a stitch would break.

I think it's ok to weigh the information and come to a different conclusion than what is espoused here. I felt, and still do, that the strict post-op instructions were of the "worst case scenario" variety. I think there's room on here for both viewpoints.

With your scenario ALL surgeons and dieticians are wrong?

I think it's ok to weigh the information and come to a different conclusion than what is espoused here. I felt, and still do, that the strict post-op instructions were of the "worst case scenario" variety. I think there's room on here for both viewpoints.

absolutely! Like you said there are doctors with alot of different opinions on how long the post-op liquid diet should last as well as other band related rules. What we have to decide is...is it worth it or is it not worth it? For you, you decided eating solids was worth it, i decided not. I decided that eating one cookie here some ice cream there etc was worth it, though its not recommended. Others on here, would not find it so worth while. We are just all bandsters here. None of us are probably poster children of the perfect bandster. However our imperfections are between ourselfs and our doctors.

I wasnt going to post to this, but I cant help myself. I only had to be on liquids for 1 week, mushy for a week then regular. My Dr said if I felt ready in week 2 for regular I could give it a try and see how I go. Every Dr is different and I think it is imperative that we listen to our OWN Drs orders....with that being said....I still think this is a support board for lap banders new and old. OP obviously needs some support as she is struggling through the liquid phase that I so clearly remember like it was yesterday. I felt the same as her and I did a couple of the same wrong things but I was not game enough to post about it for this very reason.

Dani, I think you should follow your Drs orders because quite frankly you will slip your band if the stomach has to do too much work before the stitches have healed. Plain and simple...you will lose your band before you really even had it. However, I know how hard it is, trust me I struggled so badly and mine was only for a week or 2. You can take from what all the other posters have said and use it the best way you can, we cant stop you nor can we condone it...but just know are here to support you no matter what happens. We have all been there and done that some of us just take a little longer adjusting.

Hugs

Dani, a little tip (some disagree with this behavior so you may want to ask your doctor) but when i was on liquids, i would chew up solids and then spit them out, just to the taste in my mouth. It helped me alot. But as i said, there is some different opinions on that.

With your scenario ALL surgeons and dieticians are wrong?

I don't believe anyone stated that. I don't need a devil's advocate. Opinions and judments I can do without, also. I've read enough of that on this site to last a while. I posed a question. It had nothing to do with whether or not you all vote that I stay on liquids or bust a band. Please people, give it a rest. I have a Mother already........blessed to say.

Thank you for the few who provided positive support and stories that relate to what I'm going through.

I know I'm really grouchy right now but I haven't eaten in 7-8 hours and I'm taking in approximately 400-600 calories right now. Way under what I'm used to. I've posted other threads asking for suggestions and didn't get very far.....only a couple posts in a week's time. I have been eating very healthy and I've had more energy than I did before the surgery, despite the caloric restriction. I'm not here to push the limit. I asked a question...I was honest that I've messed up...and I was hoping, at the very least, to learn a little more about the procedure itself and what our bodies go through. I'm not creating a 'let's try and bust our band' club. It's a plus to get a few personal responses that relate to my experience. However, nagging and tuff love don't work for me. Please switch threads if you're going to make this a negative experience.