I arrived for my banding surgery yesterday, 2/13/14 @ 2:30 p.m. in San Antonio, Texas, and was on the road back to Austin, Texas at 5:30 p.m....I was not nervous going into surgery - more like a kid in a candy store, I was so excited....I lost 7 pounds during 2 week low carb pre-op diet (I was hoping for more, but heck, I'll take it)....the procedure was pretty straight forward - preformed a pregnancy test, took my vitals, and started an IV...the surgeon came in and said are you ready and I said, "More than you know!" - the anesthesiologist came in and gave me something through the IV that made me dizzy, as he said it would. I was wheeled to the surgery room, moved to the operating table, then given the anesthesia that really burned as it went in, again as the doctor said it would....next thing I knew, I was waking up and had some serious gas pain at the top of my stomach, got some Gas-X strips, got up pretty quickly after fully waking, changed clothes, did some laps around the room and off I went....

A little sore today, and a little gas pain, but nothing unbearable - very doable, actually...and I am not taking any pain medication (I could, but choosing not to unless I am just extremely uncomfortable)...I have had VERY little gas pain, if any, in my left shoulder, not bad like some people have had...also slept pretty good last night - propped up with some pillows and woke up only 2 times...

I only have one concern, which I was surprised about yesterday and today.....I'm hungry....my understanding was that I wouldn't be hungry for like the first week after surgery and here I am hungry on the day of and day after so far...of course, I am still doing what I am supposed to do - only liquids, but thought it was odd...any one else have this issue when they got banded?

Overall, a great experience and I am ready for my new banded journey!!

Firs of all CONGRATS on having the surgery.....I think everyone is different....I really don't remember if I was hungry immediately surgery. Best of luck...I know that we all want to lose weight as quickly as possible, but as you travel on this journey, remember THE SCALES ARE NOT the ONLY measurement of success.

Yes you can be hungry. They tell you that but it is bull. Some people do not have hunger the first week but they are lucky. Some people never get relief from hunger with the band. Not saying you wont but it can happen. Just rest and keep yourself hydrated.

I agree with Cheryl. Lots of people who have not been banded tell us things they've heard that just don't hold water.

Congrats on being banded!!!! I was hungry every day after surgery and every other time I was on liquids. I took a lot of headache medicine until my body got used to the liquid diet.

Congratulations on your surgery! Many people are hungry on the post-op liquid diet so don't worry. It probably means you don't have a lot of inflammation. The band will do it's job of dimming your appetite when it is adjusted properly. You may find yourself feeling full from little food once you are eating again but then have a return of hunger prior to getting to the right fill. It's all normal. It's all a process and you are on your way. Liquids just go right through. Even now at three months I feel like a protein shake just makes me hungry. You are doing beautifully!

Congrats. Just had my last Friday and I'm still not hungry. Forcing myself to eat mushy foods. I have a lot of swelling as well bc they took biopsy of my liver. So that could be y I'm not hungry. But much success to you on your journey

Congratulations on your surgery. For me, when I felt hungry after surgery it was because I wasn't drinking enough protein shakes. Not getting enough protein. Be sure to get the right protein shakes.

Congrats on your surgery.

You are recovering very fast, that might be the reson why you are hungry.

I was not for weeks after WLS. I felt my stomach was empty...it made strange noises, but I was not hungry, maybe because my mind wasn't.

I have to admit that the only hunger I have ever experienced is that coming from my head.

Give yourself a few days. I was hungry the day of and after sx but it went away.

Thanks so much for the great advice! I realized today that it is quite possibly just head hunger, as I am adjusting to not needing to eat, which is odd for me mentally....I do believe the biggest struggle I will most likely have is what I am saying to myself, as my BF reminded me today that it is about my attitude that directly relates to my success....

Very thankful for the pep talk he gave me to set me straight!

Five days post op and a bit uncomfortable today...pretty strong pain on the left side of my abdomen - where my breath catches if I breathe too deep...assuming it's part of the healing process...I'm also working, so that could be part of it. Definitely not getting enough hydration because of drinking slowly and getting distracted with other things...need to work on it....also constipated, which adds discomfort...Very moody, which my family is not happy with...haven't pin pointed why I am acting this way...anyone else have these issues after banding?

I was very sore and bruised after surgery, which lead to poor sleep. I needed a week and a half to recover, but was back to work after a week (did it over spring break). Just needed a few extra days to get rest properly. I didn't wait until I was hungry while on the liquid diet. I had cream soups, cream of wheat etc at normal meal times and after a few days I was hungry. I kept up w the fluid intake and had Popsicles. Everyone is different. I also did protein shakes during recovery at normal meal times. think their is a shake called recover. I believe you can purchase from Amazon. My mom had it after her gastric bypass. My dietician says that specific shake was a great source of protein during recovery.

Me & my typos.... Sorry.

Me & my typos.... Sorry.

No worries on typos and thanks so much for the feedback. I will have to look up the shakes you are talking about. I have Premier Protein, which have 30g of protein - problem is that I haven't been able to finish a whole one at meal time -drink slowly and the thickness and flavor gets overwhelming as I slowly drink them. Thanks again!

Glad to hear everything went well with the surgery I didn't realize you were so close to me. My husband is stationed at Fort Hood so I live in Killeen. You'll have to let me know how it was going back to work so quickly since I've only taken 3 days off. Take care of yourself and good luck.