Hi, this is my first post. Ok, so first, I have to admit that on day four I ate some puffed rice cereal. It went down ok, but now I'm really worried about erosion. I've also been cheating a little bit with split pea soup and I had a no-fat pudding tonight. But I've been having really bad gas pains in my shoulder all night? Is this related to eating too much? Does anyone know scientifically/anatomically how that's all happening? I also need someone else to tell me that even though I messed up once, since the food went down fine and I chewed it up really well, that I haven't messed everything up. Help!

OK...breathe..in then out. First off..this is me on my like second week, so totally not an expert, but heres my experience.

Erosion..shouldn't concern you, I think you might be mixing it up with band slippage, which could happen if you tried to pass something that wouldn't fit and kinda shoved the band down. I dont believe it would cause shoulder pains howver, basically, look at how much you are eating. If you are still eating little in comparison to what you did before, then youre probally ok

Shoulder Pain... The worst part of my surgery was my shoulder pains. The incisions..nuthin compared to it. I believe its a left over from anethesia. Mine hurt like crazy for like 5 or 6 days. OMG I wanted to shoot myself, it was like a cramp and a pulled muscle in one..ugh horrible

Cheater...cheater cheater pumpkin..no wait..pea eater!! Stop being so hard on yourself. No one learns to ride thier bike on the first day. The hardest part of a lap band is the life adjustment. Split pea soup huh?..I just pureed veggies in my chicken broth. Fat free pudding...ok so the reason for the liquid diet is that your stomache is swollen and the passage from the banded region to the not banded region is going to be narrow until the swelling receedes. Some doctors, like mine, said a week of Clear liquids, some say 2 or 3 days..basically they dont want you to block that hole. When I first ate my chicken broth it felt like a tortia chip that "went down teh wrong tube"..you know that awful buring feeling. I think youre still ok. Just be careful. Regardless of what you might think, you are not in this situation because you are perfect, learn from this anxiety and breathe! If youre keeping the food down, Id say you are fine, just try super hard to follow Docs orders as much as possible, goodness knows they hate to have to redo thier handiwork!! Im making light of this situation because I truely think youll survive this and learn from it. If you are majorlly concerned, call your doc! They are there to help you.

Just to remind you..mistakes happen, the best thing you can do is learn from them

Thanks for the support. I am trying to find a support group in my area because I was banded in Chicago but I live in St. Louis. I feel like the doctors know that people are fat because they have issues with food, so there is no way that they expect these same people to be able to stick to their instructions 100%. When I mess up, which hasn't been that much, I just think, tomorrow is another day and another chance to do better. I think that the guilt actually makes me so worked up that I end up making poorer food choices. My shoulder pain feels exactly like what you were describing, but I've had a heating pad on it for a few hours now and it seems to be getting a little better. If anyone else has input on how bad it is to cheat, I would love to hear it.

I've kinda felt that i was the only one cheating on here, so its nice to see Im not. Its just a hige adjustment!! I feel like I need to stand up and say "Hi my name is Tiffaney and I have an emotional relationship to food!". This has really put my entire life in prespective of how much I link with food.! ...The other day, I bought a Dr Pepper and let it go flat and had a lil bit of it..It felt like I was going to Food Prison!!!

Also for the shoulders, I liked Polar Ice on mine...my sympathy goes out to ya though they are awful

Hi Rosie,

Boy, you have just described me! I hate the liquid diet, and although the full liquids are somewhat better than clears, I still hate it.

I have been hungry since my first post op day, and I have never noticed that I was full after sipping quite a bit. I still am hungry, and have cheated with a very soft egg, one day, some Healthy Request noodle soup, with very few noodles in it, and one bite of a hot dog. Afterwards I feel guilty, but that doesn't help any. I then become afraid that I will have slippage, erosion, whatever, and feel more guilty. I told myself today that I would behave, but it is early yet.

Good luck to you. We are lucky that this group here understands, and is willing to help and support us!

OK now for some tough love. It is critical that you not cheat after surgery. The time after surgery is for healing from the procedure. Doctor's don't want solid food going into the stomach because that causes the stomach to move around. They want the sutures and stiches to set before introducing that motion. They also don't want food getting stuck or throwing up.

So that being said, you haven't caused erosion. Erosion is when the lapband grows into the stomach or something like that. Slippage is caused when the band slips up or down from the intended place around the stomach. That can be caused by pouch packing (overeating), prolonged vomiting (caused by PBs or other reasons). You probably haven't done that since you only cheated once or twice and didn't have adverse results.

Bottom Line: Don't cheat anymore. Give your stomach a chance to heal.

Shoulder pain is normal. It is referral pain from the diaphram. Many suffer from this for several weeks, or months after surgery. For some of us it is our signal that we are full. A heating pad works wonders for me.

Sorry to be so hard or honest with you. Sometimes we tell people what they want to hear instead of what they need to hear.

Good luck on your journey.

Thanks Barbara, I need to hear that! I am greatful for all of your thoughts and advice.

DO NOT CHEW food is what my doctor said to me. I MUST only eat/drink stuff that can fit through a straw for 21 days. This is CRITICAL so that your band can heal. Seriously..... you do not want your band to slip so think of this as very serious business. I am 12 days post op and I am still on full liquid/mushy foods. Try Campbell's Soup at Hand (sip cup style) in Velvety Potato and Cream of Broccoli. They are both very tasty and filling.

Pleeeaase don't cheat again!! I know it is hard with the small of foods all around but it is not worth it for the band to slip. If that happens, you have to have surgery all over again!!!

Hang in there!! You will get to eat solid food soon enough.

I am post op day 5 and I have been preparing meals for my kids and wanting to eat everything I make. I am so scared because I have been taking just a pinch of this and an edge of of that all day. I had a tiny piece of chicken, very thin quarter sized and chewed it to liquid mush, I ate a green bean and I chewed a piece of popcorn and took it out! What is wrong with me? This is ridicuous! What will I be eating by day 10!

I am so scared that I am going to fail at this. I am reading all these posts explaining that they cant get a few ounces down. I can get it down and have been trying to make it last a half hour to an hour. I can assure you that I could down a full Carnation Breakfast drink in no time at all. I know, I would never really do that it just feels like a can. Why do I have this appetite this early? I'm hungry, confused and dissapointed in my lack of will power. Any advise? Thanks

Remember that the band does not restrict against liquids. So, you won't feel full until you start eating solid foods. The main goal right now is to not chew any food for atleast 21 days (my doctor's recommendation). You can have anything that will fit through a straw. Try some apple sauce, Protein shakes, Soups (Campbell soup in a sip cup style) and whatever else you need to feel satisfied. I am trying to drink healthy stuff to get the nutrients I need. I like the diet V8 berry juice, Propel flavored Water, suger free hot cocoa, apple juice, chicken broth, Velvety Potato Campbell Soup and Cream of Broccoli Campbell Soup. I have blended up spaghetti with extra sauce to make it softer and it was really good too. I was cooking macoroni & cheese for dinner and it looks so good so I blended it up with extra milk but it didn't taste very good. You just have to be creative with foods and try blending stuff to a mushy state and then eat it.

The most important thing right now is letting your band heal so please don't cheat with solid foods.

My post-op diet instructions list blended soup as OK. But I can't see much difference between a noodle that has been blended, and a noodle that has been chewed really good??? Has anyone else thought about this?

hey i no what u mean i had the same problem its very very hard u just have to be stronger i no its easier said then done what i did was chew the food for the jucie than spit it out it helped a little then started me full liquid diet a day earlier good luck

My post-op diet instructions list blended soup as OK. But I can't see much difference between a noodle that has been blended, and a noodle that has been chewed really good??? Has anyone else thought about this?

The difference is that a blender will not mistakenly swallow a noodle that was not chewed. It will mush every noodle to oblivion where your mouth might just miss one, and that is all it take to "hurt like heck" and may cause a slip. My post-op rules were anything that can pour through a funnel, so take anything you want to eat and blend it to the consistancy that it will flow, and there you go. But that was after a full week of Clear liquids.

Patti