I'm going to get banded on August 7, and we have a Lake Michigan vacation scheduled (and prepaid) for September 10-16. Will there be any problem with going in the (clean but not chlorinated) Lake Water?

Also, I'll be in week 5 after the banding then. What can I realistically plan to be eating? My written instructions say to eat only pureed foods from weeks 3 to 6, and I plan to comply -- but I see that a fair number of folks go faster than that.

Last: After the surgery, how fast do people get back to work? I left the hospital 48 hours after each c-section and started back to work part time in the second week... I was younger then...but this surgery I won't have a baby to deal with...

You'll probably be eating normal foods by week five, I was. Also, I think the average time off from work seems to be a week from surgery. As with anything though, everyone has a little different story so you'll have to see how you feel. Good luck with your surgery!

I don't think you'll have any problem going on your vacation and you can certainly go swimming. The incisions heal over in 1-2 weeks. I did 2 weeks of full fluids post-op followed by 2 weeks of a soft diet and then went to regular food on week 5. Talk to your dietician about your vacation plans and she can plan a week's worth of meals for you.