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:

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.

Thanks for the tip! I may try this when the food police aren't looking, LOL!!

Goodnight all.

Dani-

Sorry, just reading here and I am curious about the deleted posts although I can guess their content. Educated people deleting posts?

I strikes me as odd that you ask what happens if you cheat, specifically "Why not CHEAT?"

When people chime in with information you say that you are only accepting technical information from medical personnel..Huh? Ask a doctor or three but this is a support group, not an online medical forum.

Then you say that you are looking to be 'scared into compliance', but when you get the info I read that you are not looking for any 'nagging and tuff love'.

How do we help without telling you that what you are doing is OK?

Because that is what I want to type.

I want to help, but what you confess to having done to yourself is not OK (in the medical opinion of 96% of the currently practicing bariatric surgeons).

Sending out only care and concern,

honestly, Brenda

Here's a good medical reason I was told by my doctor:

He had 2 patients who ate solid food shortly after surgery who busted stitches (the stitches holding the stomach and band together). One had to go in for surgery to fix the stitches, the other decided not to go in for surgery, and when she went back for her fill, she had what he called a "Pelican Pouch", where some of the stomach had slipped through while it was healing, and now was going to stay that way; basically her pouch was bigger than it should have been. In both cases, they caused themselves a decent amount of pain.

I believe that this is a case where everyone heals differently, different doctors have different experiences with how long that takes, and one *could* test the waters and be fine, but if you aren't 'fine' you could truly hurt yourself.

Hope this helps. Can you have yogurt n' stuff? I was allowed that on my liquid diet. And sugar free popsicles.

Well, it was my understanding that the stitches need time to heal. My doc ok'd me to soft foods earlier than he originally expected to. He told me to proceed with caution up to solid foods. They also listed fish and tender chicken as soft foods. They do clear liquid 24 hrs, then full liquid, then soft food (like what you could normally eat without teeth), then solids. Now that said, I was ok'd to soft foods early and told to progress with caution towards solids as I felt comfortable. I have had no pain other than port discomfort. Some people heal faster than others and some have more swelling than others. I would think the biggest issue is if that fry were to have caused a PB. I would think PBing or vomitting in the first several weeks would do more damage than progressing a little faster than the next person. Bottom line, do what your doc says, he knows what's best for you.

The stomach is a muscle. It's smooth muscle which is different than the muscle in your arms and legs, but it's a muscle just the same. The surgeon has secured your band TO the stomach by stitches and in many cases, has actually flapped a small portion of your stomach (muscle) around the band to help keep it secure.

Whenever we eat anything, the muscle contracts to help move the item downward towards the intestines. Now, it has a constriction to restrict it which makes it work a little harder. Liquids basically slide right through. Which is why we have to start at liquids first.

It takes the body approximately 6 weeks to heal from surgery, including the stitches that he placed around the stomach. So, the stiches aren't really "set" well until the body has fully healed. By eating more solid items before your doctor recommends, you're making the stomach contract more and putting those stitches at risk for popping out or not securing the band well, also putting you at risk for a slippage later.

Just because you CAN eat the things you are eating, doesn't mean you should. We have all been where you were, where you feel like you want to eat something more substantial than you're doctor has recommended. Stick it out to the best of your ability, it will be best in the long run for you and your band. You have everyone's sympathy with what you're going through even though they may have come down a little hard on you. Call it tough love. Consider this only a short stage in the whole journey. This too shall pass.

My doctor said "churning cannot tear your stitches".... the stomach churns even on liquids and that was a myth.

He did say that moving to solids too soon could cause you to throw up (he doesn't use the term PB - I've only heard it here) and that violent action of the stomach muscles could tear the stitches.

He said each person is different (helloooo - we all know this) and that some people can move to solids earlier. I was allowed solids three days post op. I never got sick or had any vomiting until this last fill.

I think that some of you all are "Band Nazi's" and are so full of your own opinions that if people don't do it your way then they are wrong. That attitude is shallow and unattractive. Some people and some doctors do things different and each of us can report our own experiences, our own opinions and maybe even tell someone what our doctor said but we are not here to judge a fellow bandster.

The best advice we can give is call your doctor tell him you're starving and can you move to the next level of food.... that's what I did and I also asked here... but I followed what my doctor said.

wow.

I see we have a lot of ppl who are perhaps a wee bit irritable right now?

C'mon folks...keep it in check!:rolleyes

Thank you Cashley and Yoda. I totally agree. We are not here to judge. And our stomachs churn when they growl too, hence my comment about risking a PB being more the reason. Bottom line listen to your doc, and don't judge others. This post and one other have really bothered me in their judgemental response that they have drawn.

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Hi Dani,

I to am on day 3 of the post op liquid diet. I am struggling, not because I'm hungry, but because I want to have different foods. My nutritionist gave a me a strict diet and I am only allowed to drink 3 things. Milk, natural fruit juice with no pulp, and a vegetable Soup...the same soup....

I understand ur having a hard time, and a slip here and there on the liquid phase isn't going to kill any one, however we should do our best to try and stick to what our doctors tell us. As much trouble as I'm having right now I am just hoping and praying I can make it 1 full week with out cheating. Good luck to you and I hope you don't feel to shaken.

I was allowed to progress to whole liquids 4 days post op and then soft foods at 10 days post op. My surgeon is one of the most experienced in Chicago and he is very well respected. I know that every doctor is different. I was told the post-op diet was to prevent vomiting not to stop the stomach from churning. I was told to avoid chicken and turkey as they were the most likely to cause a problem. I was told that ground beef was the best way to start. I was also told that adding mashed potato flakes to the chicken broth to thicken it and that helped with the hunger pain. ~Mandy

Thanks for the great information. I really do appreciate it!! :eek:

Dani, Someone posted a link to a great video of a live LB surgery from Women's and Brigham Hosptial in Boston. In it they state that their patients stay on clear liquids for less than a day, but that the main objective is to prevent vomiting or retching to prevent band slippage. We have been conditioned to treat doctors as Gods and their words as manna from heaven. By all means, follow their advice to the extent you feel it is healthy for you and the band. Having had the surgery on the same day and the same place as you, I know where you are and how you feel. I have a SF Instant Breakfast shake every morning, but have been having soups, clear and cream, since I got home. I even ate a little mac and cheese yesterday. So I guess you could say I'm doing the full liquids/mushie stage. Don't you dare feel guilty about being hungry! So many different docs can't all be right - or all wrong. Hope this helps.

Thanks Janet. I really can't wait to get together again...you and your daughter were so much fun down in Mexico. Julie and I are trying to get in contact with Rene to arrange the next fill date. We're shooting to arrive in Tijuana June 1st. Having the fill that Saturday. That should give us a couple good days to EAT and SHOP! I can't wait to have the chicken alfredo again...that was the best I've ever had and I'm Italian!

By the way, congrats on your loss so far!! TTYS

All~You know, I was just thinking, isn't it fascinating how many doctor opinions there are out there? You ask and you shall receive. I enjoy reading all the various feedback. I don't know what I'd do without all of you to communicate with. I really appreciate this website. Thanks to whomever had the brains to create this place to ask, vent, post, learn, etc.

People....keep the replies coming!! I'm learning a lot through your responses. I'm sure a lot of others are, as well. TY

This post is not intended to attack you or be snotty - I promise. Please read it in the tone of someone who wants you to succeed with your band:

You've asked the question Why not CHEAT?

I'll ask one in return: Are you looking for advise or permission?

If you want advise I think Leatha G answered that need perfectly - including your request for medical necessity. If you want permission, you can add mine to the others: Do what you want. Only remember that doing what you want is how you got fat in the first place. Even more importantly doing what you want right now may not only keep you fat but it may cause damage to your body.

Another aspect which has not been addressed is your mental and emotional state. I think you should consider this before giving in to what you want rather than what your doctor has suggested. You may be able to eat more solid food, but should you? You may be setting yourself up to rationalize all future aspects of your banded life by following your own diet vs. what your doctor has ordered. After all, if you can eat what you want right now why shouldn't you continue doing just that throughout your band journey?

For this band to succeed you need to be compliant with it's rules starting from your pre-op diet, following through with your post-op diet, and continuing with the right food choices. By breaking the rules this early in the game you may be setting a precedent which may mentally doom this lifestyle change to failure. You got this band for a reason. Try following the band rules for a while before you start breaking them. No one says you can't 'cheat' on your band diet, but for your body's sake, and yes, for your mental and emotional state, you should wait until you're completely healed from the surgery to go down that path.

If you're like virtually EVERYONE else here on LBT, you've been on every weight loss plan out there - from the crazy I'm sure these pills will work, to the thoughtful plan and count every calorie method. If you tried and failed at those diets it's because you cheated on them. I'm sure it's no surprise to discover that you can cheat on your band too.

And now, finally, to my advise (unsolicited though it may be): When you want to cheat on your band, try reminding yourself of your emotional state when you decided to have surgery to control your weight. If you're suffering now, just remember how you were suffering then. THEN make your choices.

You want to be scared? Consider failing at yet another diet - one which scarred your body and cost a great deal of money. If you fail at THIS diet where do you turn? RNY? A lifetime of obesity? Now THAT'S scary.

You want to succeed? Stop rationalizing and start following the rules. Give yourself a chance to succeed.