I am new to the boards and just got my date today - August 17! I am so excited! My surgeon is Dr. Allan Geiss in Syosset, NY. Looking forward to talking to everyone.

I'm nervious, excited, and having just the slightest bit of concern about feeling the port. But overall I can't wait to get healthy!!

If your surgery is in August too, come on in!

:clap2::sun::Banane56::wave:

I pulled my steri strips off after a week.

Olivia...Yes I did have the pain in my chest when I would breath in. It was just gas. It'll go away eventually. I actually did feel better after walking. I'd get out of the house and walk a half mile down the road and back and feel MUCH better.

As to work. I had my surgery on a Thursday morning, got out of the hospital on Friday afternoon and was back to work at an office job on Monday. I was ready to go back to work and felt pretty good. Just had a little bit of soreness.

I'm 15 days post op and feeling completely human and feeling great. I'm happy with the choice I made and I'm starting to look at working out in a gym three days a week. Yay!

Welcome everyone new that's joined us.

Hi, My Sx Is 8-21-06 Only 3 Days Away! I'm Really Excited! I Can't Wait To Start My New Life With The Band.

Wow!! I Can't Wait. My Sx Is 8/28 In Melbourne, Fl. I Love This Aug Thread. This Site Is Like Having Your Own Nurse/patient Team To Ask Questions Or Get Answers To Questions I Never Even Thought Of. Thanks To Everyone!!

Just A Quick Thought. I Drink A Couple Glasses Of Wine A Night To Chill And Unwind After Work. Did Any Of You Drink Wine As A Liquid?? Either Before Or After???

I am on Day 14. Had some semi solid food today (ground up hamburger and some salad). To be honest, I could eat without any feeling of restriction. Is this normal? I was expecting it to feel so different. I heard so much about how I'd have to chew and chew and chew. But I didn't find that to be the case. I heard that I wouldn't be able to eat salad - it went down fine and tasted good. SO much better than those gross, gross, gross God-forsaken shakes !! I'm soooo OD'd on those that just the smell makes me nauseous.

I'm thinking of trying some diet coke, because Lord knows I'm really jonesing for that. I used to have 6 or 7 a day between diet coke and diet sprite. I have not tried any because I heard in all the support group meetings about what havoc it causes. But I feel like I'm cruising along. Then I get this feeling: hey, I'm trying to turn a new leaf here and create a new way of eating and drinking. I shouldn't have soda. But it is calorie free, and I certainly read much, much worse food items openly discussed on these boards as regular menu items for bandsters which shock me. They are so high calorie (like spare ribs). So what's a little diet sprite???

Am I in the right mindset here? I'd appreciate hearing from some of you who are very successful in losing weight with your band - what should I be eating at day 14 (for the next few days and weeks) if I want to be successful like you??? Please give it to me straight - I can take it!! What the "skinny" on doing great, yet maintaining your sanity and not feeling like a freak? At my OB-GYN appt on day 11, I was down 10 pounds from my surgery day weight. That's great, but as I transition to solid food, I want to keep losing the FLAB!!

Some other questions are: When will I start to feel restriction? And am I doing myself a disservice by having hamburger so early on here? The Protein shakes were grossing me out so bad, I haven't had a single one in 48 hours, so I went to the burger to get protein. Also, will I always be consious of my port? It kinda jumps out at me when I smooth over my stomach area. My husband calls it my "doorbell"!!

I'm so grateful for this band, and for this forum to learn, share, and blow off some steam! THANKS EACH AND EVERY ONE!

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Sweet Carolina, congrats for the weight loss. :clap2: You will not have restriction until you get a fill. You should not drink the sprite. It is the carbonation that is bad for the band. Did you get a diet list from your Dr? I was told not to eat salad for two months after surgery. I know every Dr is different thought. If hamburger is allowed by your Dr, then it is OK. :hungry: Please remember you are still healing, even though you feel better. So take it easy.

I got the band a week ago Thursday. When I first saw the surgeon in June, I stopped eating between meals and lost ten pounds. (I was really worried, because I was on vacation, and was afraid that I would gain weight, and my surgeon at the time (Dr. Santiago Horgan, in Chicago) won't do the surgery if you gain weight after the consultation. ) Then, Dr. Horgan left the hospital, and my new surgeon, Dr. Myers put me on two weeks of liquids before the surgery. I am just NOW eating mushy food, so I haven't had real food in almost a month! I'm down to 211 from an all-time high of 243. I am starting to feel a lot better, but my port still hurts.

I've been having Soup or pureed veggies (and I wonder why I am having gas!) for Breakfast and lunch, and I had a tiny baked potato and a little baby piece of salmon mashed together for dinner. I thought I was still hungry, and put another little tater in the microwave - by the time that it was done, I realized that I wasn't THAT hungry, and I wanted to save room for one of the gorgeous cupcakes that my daughter brought home. It was about the best thing that I ever tasted. ( And I only ate ONE - I didn't go and try to peel the frosting off a second one, or eat two or three, and keep looking at them. So I am happy.) But it was weird - I suddenly had this huge gurgling sound, and felt everything go through the band. I was really glad that I was home, because it was LOUD!:paranoid:paranoid:rolleyes

My poor husband, who is home all day, is bearing the brunt of my crabbiness, because by the time I get home from work, I am STARVING for that little tiny meal, and have obsessed all DAY about what I was going to eat when I got home. My first fill is supposed to be September 21. I have a hiatal hernia that Dr. Myers had to fit the band around, and there is a greater risk of slippage, so I am paranoid about eating too much too soon.

So anyway, I guess that there is no point to this story, but here I am. Can someone please post the link to the counter, and the other stuff to pretty up the page?

By the way, about the Sprite. I was a Diet Pepsi ADDICT. It was the first thing that I had in the morning, and I bet I drank an entire 2-liter bottle in a day. So I'm not having ANY, and the weird thing is, I'm not having the sugar cravings that I used to have, and I am doing okay without the caffeine. They told me that the carbonation can stretch out the stomach, so the lap band is useless - taking that risk is not worth it to me. (It did just occur to me that beer and champagne are also carbonated, but oh well.) I've told myself that sweets in moderation (like that single cupcake) are okay once in a while, but eating forbidden food or drinks is cheating, and I don't want to get back on that bandwagon - been there before!

I, like Sweet Caroline, had a bit of meat a couple of days ago (2 weeks post surgery). It was a small amount, very tender brisket and I chewed well. I don't think it caused a problem, but I'm not planning to eat meat or poultry again for the next two weeks. I'm wondering what the reason is -- is it just too hard to digest? What is the risk? Slippage?

Also, what is the story on caffeine? I haven't had any carbonated beverages, but I do drink coffee and tea. Is that a problem?

The most interesting thing I have experienced so far is that my cravings for sugar are much less than before surgery -- I'm wondering if that is the band or just my brain focusing differently. I'm interested to hear from other sugar/sweet addicts about their experience.

Speaking of cravings... I have been thinking none stop about fried pickles from Razzoo's.(They are to die for) I have also been wanting bacon. The thing is I have been a vegetarian for 18 years. What is up with that?

I just scheduled surgery for 8/31! Yikes, it is so soon. I have been researching it since Jan. but I didn't expect when I was scheduling to get a date so close. I'm nervous and excited and pretty much in shock!

Ortiz - 8/31/06

okay, so I start my 2 days clear liquids following my 12 days of full liquids and I just don't see how I'm going to do it! I'm already as hungry as I can ever remember being and I'm going to cut out even more??? I'm trying to keep busy to keep my mind off of it and I've found the "Stacker 2 Protein Water" and I like that (20 g per bottle if anyone wanted to know!) so that should help but I'm still very worried!

I can't believe that the big day is only 2 more days away!!!! YAY!!! Wish me luck everyone and keep posting! Reading this forum keeps me going, I don't know what I would have done these last 12 days w/o you guys! Thanks to all of you!!

Hi everyone - This is my first post. I am 6 days out now. My surgery was Monday and went fine. I was up and about in no time with minimal pain. I have been so excited to have this surgery and for whats to come after getting out of this liquid stage. I have been reading some of your post and this is a super site - I just found it yesterday.

I do have a question - I have been feeling episodes of cold sweats, hot flashes and bits of nausea. Did anyone else feel this after surgery? At first I thought it might be my pain medicine - but I discontinued that Thursday and that is about when these episodes started. I haven't thrown up or anything - thankfully. And I am following my diet just as I should - lots of Carnation instant breakfast and cream of chicken soup, etc... with dry milk powder or Unjury added in.

I do fell hungry every now and then - but just don't know if this is normal.

On the positive note - I have lost 8 lbs since my surgery on Monday.

Thanks so much for listening...and replying....

YEAH - August Banders!!!

Thanks so much.

Hello Everybody,

This is my first post, and I'm so thankful to have found this group. My surgery is next Wednesday (Aug. 23). I'm nervous and excited, and really want the surgery to be behind me. It seems as though I have read and reread all the info about the surgery for soooooo long-- I'm ready to put it into practice! I'm struggling with the pre-op diet. My doc has just prescribed a low carb diet for two weeks, so I know that's nothing compared to some who have to do the all liquid thing, but dang! it's still hard. Anyone else struggle with it?

Anyway, good luck to all whose surgeries are coming up. I'm anxious to see you on the other side!

Well i'm 10 days post op and having water ,protein shakes and a little broth my dr didnt even want me to have any broth but said i can once in awhile. I have all of a sudden the past 5 days been having alot of pain in my port area not sure why now i didnt have it at first . is their anything to relieve it or is this normal