December Bandsters

[adamsdee 0]

Hi! I had my banding done Monday 12/04/06. I have been a lurker until now and thought I would report my progress. I did not have a pre-op diet. My BMI was 36 and was told that I did not need it. I was on liquids for the first 48 hours after surgery and I am now on mushies for 4 weeks. Yesterday was extremely hard. I had a really bad headache and a lot of gas pains. I feel much better today. I am glad that the surgery is over with so I can move on. Good luck to everyone having surgery this week!

[StephC 0]

Hello and welcome Adamsdee - how exciting to hear you had your surgery. Are you back to work, up and around, laying around, getting ready for Christmas? Any of the above? Where did you have your surgery with a BMI of less then 40 or other health issues? I hope you don't just lurk but join in with us. Did you take anything for the headache?

Beversman - I'm going to check out that site - I got a $10 off coupon for barisaver.com from the support group. And I know what you mean about being fixated on food! Thats all I think about!

PeaCeJ - I know just how you are feeling - I went through this whole crazy period where I just felt like "what if I fail again!" But I've been coming on LBT and really feel encouraged and I do realize it doesn't work for everyone but I'm going to make it work for me.

I made Soup today - I had frozen some left over turkey, so I used that with some chicken stock, and I had 1 sweet potato left from Thanksgiving and 1 acorn squash - I chopped it all up and a couple carrots, and a can of beets - yeah I know BEETS?? but I was thinking they are full of Iron and I like 'em. OMGoodness! It was so good - almost sweet. I made a big pot so I could measure out 1/2 cup sizes to freeze for post op. I think its a pretty low cal Soup - I don't know what those vegies have but I would think it wouldn't be much for the whole pot. I got as creative as I could with the Protein shakes and was ready to move on!

Bandiva - I agree with you - as tempting as it sounds I think you are making the right choice. Keep strong! And btw - WTG - 9 pounds! Good job!:clap2:

[carol453 0]

Hello To all my lapband family out there. Today I am 5 days post op and other than not being able to eat much I really feel great. These are some things I have expirienced for my self. Please remember this is me I don't know if they will be the same for anyone else. My pain form the surgery was gas pain not at the surgery site, but it hurt in my left shoulder and neck and head for a day and a half. My appetite didn't return for a couple of days but I was very thirsty and had to learn not to gulp Water down even if I was. I am already learning most of my "hunger" was not hunger but my head talking to me. I am on solids already because I was hungry but like my Dr. told me I eat protien 4oz first after that there is not room for much else. I feel full and saited and don't want more. Last but not least I went back and read what I typed the day after my surgery and this is what I learned...... Don't let post op patients near a computer they can't spell at all LOL!!!! So far the journey has went well I have no regrets and am happy with my choice. Kaydotrn thanks for checking on me, Steph I am in your corner and you are going to be fine I support your choice and you are a strong woman for making a choice that is very difficult and sticking with it you go girl..! I love you all for the support I recieve from you you are great folks.

[bandiva 0]

Carol, I am glad you are doing well. You are the first person that I have 'known' both pre and post. BTW, I love your tag line, it is so true and it makes me think about it everytime I read it.

[StephC 0]

Hi Carol! So good to hear from you again!!! I'm so excited I couldn't sleep - I was up at 4:30 this morning making lists. LOL I did my nesting thing yesterday and actually the past week or two I've been doing things so it wouldn't drive me crazy when I got home. Like clean the mudroom, and the junk closet - for some reason these things didn't bother me for the past 6 months and now I just felt I had to get to them. I have cleaned my whole house like it hasn't been done in ages! I'm a terd! So today I got all the bills paid - and I'm going shopping, all the stuff I need post op and also try to finish up Christmas.

My baby - got her drivers license the other day - talk about timing! She can now be my gofer. Tonight is her Christmas dance, so while I'm shopping she is getting her hair done. Should be a busy day.

I had a friend invite me to lunch today but I cancelled. I thought I could order a salad but decided I'm going to try to do Clear Liquids today and tomorrow since I haven't been the best pre-opter so far. I know I wasn't horrible but I still felt I cheated and I'm amazed I lost anything. So this morning laying in bed wide awake at 4:00 I was thinking about my fatty liver! LOL I'm going to give it one last shot to shrink in these two days! I also felt a little sniffle coming on so I took some airborne - can you imagine catching a cold at this point! Would they even do the surgery?

Have a good day!

[Kaydotrn 1]

((Carol))) Glad you are feeling so well. Thanks for checking in and updating us on your experiece. I am getting really excited for my date! I hope tohave a similair experience to yours.

(((Steph))) obviously I am in a huggy mood today-hehe. I cannot believe you are Monday! 2 DAYS! I am so excited for you. Great idea to make Soup and freeze some. I hope it is yummy. I will try to steal that advice and do that this week. It is smart to have what you need all set instead of relying on others to run errands. I am trying to pick up things as I go along (broth, applesauce, Protein mixes) and I hope I have everything I need for the next few weeks. If you still have the nesting bug, I have a few closets I would love cleaned out!

I too need to get everything in order because I cannot sit in a messy house (inevitably the house is always messy and I am always picking it up) and I know we need to be able to rest and recouperate. I hope you get some sleep the next 2 nights and that the sniffles go away.

I went out to eat last night and have to go out to dinner again tonight. My DH and I both had birthdays this past week so we are celebrating with my parents tonight. I am amazed that I am not doing that whole "last supper" eating. I have been following my weight watchers program fine. Last night I probably had a few more points that usual, but I still felt well within my limits. Tonight may be a little tougher since where we are eating has great food, but today I will stick to my Protein shakes to prepare for tonight. My goal next week is to do Protein Shakes Breakfast and lunch and eat a small dinner. My doc does not have me on a pre-op diet, but I think this will help me transition to post op more easily.

Have a great day everyone, I will be popping in later.

[Nathalie 4]

Hi Ladies!

CAROL! Oh goodness girlie. You came through with flying colors, didn't you? Gas pains. I hope I don't have them. I am determined to stay in the hospital overnight after surgery just in case I have complications. Plus my STD kicks in on Friday if I have an overnight stay. I'm amazed your doc is letting you eat already. Mine has me on 4 weeks of liquids/soft foods. I expect to drop a small child post surgery.

Steph. 2 days. Can you stand it? By tomorrow you won't be sleeping! hahah And I'm 5 days. I'm not nervous now, but come Tuesday I'll be BUZZING. I need to get on the good foot and clean my house. My best gf is coming into town on Tuesday for a week to help me prepare and take care of my boy immediately after surgery. I need to clean the house before she gets here. lol nesting? No, it's a matter of survival at this point. ahhaha I also want to put up our tree this weekend.

KayDotRn - way to go controlling your points! I'm glad you're being sensible about your eating in spite of not having a pre-op diet. Have fun tonight at dinner. I love that you're planning ahead. I know lots of people binge eat prior to surgery and gain weight. My doctor said if I gain weight the surgery is off.

I'm disappointed that my weight isn't coming off as I had hoped with this pre-op diet. I think it's because I had lost 8 pounds prior to starting it. I have only lost 5 or 6 pounds on it so far. That's good, but I needed to lose 10 - 15 total. (really 12 - 17) If I don't make that goal I am going to be literally CRUSHED if they don't do the surgery. I would flip my shit.

I haven't eaten off my pre-op plan not once. Last night was *really* close though - I don't know what triggered it, but I almost succumbed a whopper w/cheese. I ended up eating an extra hot chocolate and some sf Jello. And 1 teaspoon of brown sugar splenda. Then I barricaded myself in the bedroom and double dog dared my fat ass to go back out to the kitchen. LOL I still don't know what caused those feelings of wanting to eat. Maybe contact w/my son's father. He makes me anxious.

I need to go and weigh right now. My ass better have dropped at least 1/2 a pound. Today I'm pounding Water, exercising, moving furniture, cleaning and making my junky house into a home of peace and love. ((laugh)) Tomorrow I do laundry. ACTUALLY I need to collect all of my dirty clothes and take them to the fluff and fold so someone else can do my laundry. I have a small, stackable washer/dryer and about 14 loads of clothes. It's a chore...

I'm sure I'll check in later. Stay strong ladies!

Hey, has anyone been over to the food forum? I read all 9 pages of this diet Soup thread. They were cracking me up. I think I may make some of that soup and puree it during my soft foods stage. I'd add Protein powder to it though.

Nathalie

[StephC 0]

Hi all! Well I did my last bit of shopping for my band - gasx, liquid tylenol, that kind of stuff, extra Soups - and as an added SPLURGE just for me I bought a new pair of jammies - the soft cuddy kind - it was a hard decision with Christmas just around the corner but then I thought heck most likely no one will even get me a pair I may as well buy my own and I need them now. I don't know if I'll be able to wear them for my overnight stay but I'll take them just in case - if nothing else they'll be great to re-coup in.

I had good news today - my other dd is in college out near Philly and she wasn't coming home until the 21st because after break she was headed to NYC to spend a few days with a group of friends - well she said she is coming home tuesday - which is cool since I'll be just getting home from surgery - and staying til Sunday when she'll meet up with her friends. If she doesn't leave when classes are over they charge her $15/day! So that will be nice having her home to do everything for me. She said at least the house will already be clean! LOL Between the 16 y/o and 20 y/o I'll be well taken care of - I just may milk it for all its worth! Nat - I'm glad you have someone coming to help you - its good to have good friends. And I'm so proud of you for not eating the whopper!!! You go girl! You are doing great!

Ok so my BIG idea about having just liquids today went out the window. While shopping we got starved - and went for chinese - yes I was feeling like the last supper - but then I cracked open the fortune cookie and its said you will soon achieve perfection - how funny is that?! Of course we always add "in bed" after the last word so it was even funnier. The good news is I did not over eat - I had a regular plateful without heaping it and alot of that was broccoli, but it wasn't on the pre-op and I hate that I have NO will power! Well I have a little because that was all I ate or drank all day - no shakes or anything - just Water and clear broth, Water and clear broth, water and clear broth until midnight tomorrow and then no water or clear broth. I hope all of you do better then I have. My doctor never gave me an ultimatium that I HAD to lose weight, or lose this much or else so I guess I felt like I had some leeway there.

Kay - Happy Birthday!!

[StephC 0]

btw - I got some Gummy flintstones today - WAY better then the centrum!

[nikki32 0]

:clap2: im being banded on 15th

whoo hoo !!!

im not sleeping that well not sure if excitement or fear or both.

[OfferRocker 0]

Hey Steph,

You're probably getting just as excited as I am with our approaching surgery. Good luck!!! I'm cleaning house and getting bills paid---trying to keep my mind occupied. Let me know how you do.

Donna

[OfferRocker 0]

Congratulations Mystique! I understand the not sleeping thing. I'm sure it''s little of both. Best of luck with your surgery. Mine is on the 11th---one more day of liquids and I'm there. Take care!

Donna

[Nathalie 4]

:xena_banana:

I blew it today. I was trucking right along this morning, then we ran out to meet one of my friends for coffee (i did great there even with my little one eating muffins and apple juice), after that I had to go to the hair dresser to see about the new cut I'm going to get, then we stopped at the market. After moving furniture this morning and only eating 1 bar, I was ravenous. Dummy me forgot my food and was already on the road (and late) before I remembered.

So when I got home instead of feeding ME first I got my little one his dinner (chicken nuggets and mac/cheese). I ended up eating 3 nuggets and 5 bites of mac/cheese. It's not the end of the world, but I feel like a failure. I even knew I was doing it as I was doing it. Part of that may be emotional sabatoge tied to talking to my son's father (asshole) about Christmas - he upset me earlier today.

Anyhow, I ate a sf Jello and still ate my nuts and chili. I still have a hot chocolate and Soup left. F it. I'll try again tomorrow.

I took some Fiber laxatives and a few cascara sagrada to get things moving tonight. I know that is SO unhealthy, but I didn't know what else to do. I feel like I want it out of me. I hope I don't wake up tomorrow 19 pounds heavier from the nuggets. (laugh)

Tonight I suck. But tomorrow I'm back on it.

That is my true confession.

Nat

[carol453 0]

Nat you are a riot. LOL I am so glad we have found each other on this site. What would I do without all of you. Steph you have keep me going most of the time you always seem to say what Ive been thinking. I have lost weight steadly since my surgery. I am some where around 250 Its hard to tell because I have to take Water pills because of my heart and sometimes i can have a 5-10 lb weight difference. I am surprized how long I go and am not hungry. But when I get hungry I need to eat or my stomach growles so bad you can hear it across the room!:xena_banana: I will say this is a learning process. Eating slow is the safest thing I can do and I've had to learn to put my fork down inbetween bites so I dont eat to fast. Well so far its been good so I am glad I've had it done. Thanks for all the help everyone:)

[thininde 0]

Hello - I am also 5 days out and not hungry at all. I'm not sure if it is gas pains or just adjusting to the amount of food I was eating before. I need to remember to eat each day. Never thought I would have that problem, that I need to remember to eat. I have lost about 7 lbs since my surgery on Wednesday, but I have no idea what is normal. Some days are better than others, but I have never been in pain, just discomfort, and the walking is the key to feeling better. I have been walking each day on my treadmill slowly and it has really helped me with the gas pains.

This website has been so helpful to me, thank you so much for all posting so much information. Whenever I have a question or need to just touch base with what I'vs just committed to, I log in.