I was just banded on October 27th and I was asked to travel with work. Any advice? Should I? I am going to something that is sponsored by a pharmaceutical company and the meals are provided and I am really nervous...should I wait?

Thanks,

Elizabeth

Congratulations on getting your band! You're the best judge about how you feel. Listen to your body, if it hurts, stop. Will you be able to stay on your post-op diet? Liquids, mushies, etc. It's very, very important to follow your surgeon's rules so that band heals properly and you don't risk future problems. Once you're on solid foods, it will be easier. Talk w/ Leatha. I know she travels a lot and can probably give you some good advice. Best of luck to you!

I am however today a little discouraged. I was down a total of about 19-20 pounds and I came to work today ( I work at a hospital) and I weighed on the same scales and I am up about 2-3 pounds, or so it looked....any ideas?

How about joining our "weekly scale challenge"? That means picking one day a week to weigh and stay off of that stupid thing inbetween. Your weight will fluctuate and it can drive you crazy! Weighing once a week helps save your sanity!

Elizabeth, you might want to check out the "scale challenge" thread on this board. Between Water weight (regular and hormonal), constipation, and lord knows what else, weights can vary a lot just over 24 hours -- and that's not even taking the band into consideration. Try not to weigh yourself every day.

Another thing to keep in mind is that there is no way that those 19-20 pounds you lost in ONE WEEK were pounds of fat. Our bodies simply can't metabolize fat at that rate, even if we're eating next to nothing. I lost lots of weight during the first two weeks after banding -- but most of those pounds were water. I'm sure that's why my ankles and feet were the first things to slim down. As my body started to heal, even though I was burning fat, naturally some of the water came back, so my weight did not change and even went up a couple of times. For those of us who are focused on those scale numbers, this can be incredibly frustrating.

My advice is: chill out and don't be discouraged. These fluctuations are normal. Remember, during the time between your surgery and your first fill you should concentrate on healing your body, not weight loss. (Of course that's easy to say and hard to do.) Your fat cells are shrinking even though that scale might imply otherwise. Before you know it, no matter what the scale reads, your clothes are going to be looser, a sure sign that fat is going away -- forever.

Regarding travel, let your own comfort be your guide. Sitting in a tight airplane seat for hours might be more of a strain than figuring out how to get around the prepared meals. You can always just sip water or juice and tell anyone who asks that you aren't feeling well. Good luck!

I went back to traveling two weeks post-op, however, I took short trips so that I could carry lighter luggage. The eating thing can be tricky, but I stayed with Soups, eggs, things like meatloaf, mashed potatoes, tuna/chicken salad, crabcakes, Protein drinks. Try not to wear clothes that will bind across your port incision as the days can get long if you are uncomfortable and sore.

Like my doc said, do what pain allows. I would advise, however, that you find yourself some anti-embolism compression socks to fly in (I use the trouser socks every time I fly), just as a precaution. This close to surgery and flying can always be a dangerous combination that helps to cause clots in your legs or lungs. Better safe and unfashionable than sorry, from someone who's been there.

Have a great trip!

I weigh myself every day (because I'm scale-obsessed) but I only log my weight in once a month on my band anniversary. Tomorrow is official weigh-in day. You can't compare weight fluctuations from one day till the next. It takes a while for your body to adjust up or down. I even fluctuate from week to week, so I only trust my montly numbers.