hi all,

I am in the process of of getting the Lap Band - should be able to get it in September.

I am looking for any tips or advice you can give about the process. I would like to start purchasing food/supplies that I will need pre & post surgery. Does anyone have a list of things to get to stock a pantry in preparation of the surgery.... and any kitchen products that might be needed.

anyone be willing to share their favorite recipes/tips for after surgery?

How about the mushy/ soft food phase any tips/ recipes?

Lapband questions-

I sleep on my side, does it hurt.... or is it bad to sleep on the port?

What does it feel like when food gets stuck from a tight band or bread or something that has expanded. I suppose it would not feel like choking, as you can still breathe.... but what's it feel like? How do you best resolve it?

Alcohol & carbonation:

i was under the assumption that liquids would pass through the band opening easily & into the big stomach- why do they say it may stretch the pouch?

If I ate rice/pasta... and it swelled/got slimy so it did not go down in the pouch- how do you fix it? Do you drink water to loosen it up?

THANK YOU all for any responses

I am not sure if I can post my email in a posting.... but my username at Gmail dot com is my e-mail

Edited July 11, 20179 yr by Tat19808
Typo in subject line

Hi! I was banded on June 27. I'm still in my recovery period, so I'm going through it with you and everything is still pretty fresh for me.

1. STOCK UP ON PROTEIN SHAKES!!! You will be shocked by how quickly you go through them. My shake of choice was the Labrada Lean Body. It has 40g of protein. My activity level did not decrease during my pre-op, so I really needed that 40g.

2. Favorite post surgery recipe - I'm still in the mushy food phase, and I'm obsessed with this recipe. I can see myself eating this well after I get off of the Phase 2 diet. It's an Italian pudding. 1/2 cup of part-skim ricotta cheese, Splenda, ground cinnamon, and vanilla extract. Mix it together and you have a subtly sweet quick meal that has 25g of protein and only 1g of sugar. I got this one from the nutritionist in my bariatric program, so it is doctor-approved.

3. I had a problem sleeping comfortably for about a week and half after my surgery. Sleeping on the side was out of the question. I was in too much pain. I recommend getting a memory foam pillow to keep under your back.

4. I've had a few incidents where my food got trapped around my esophagus. It's not pleasant. You feel like you are going to throw up. I figured out to walk it off a bit and relax your body, and it will eventually pass.

I'm sorry I can't answer more of your questions, since I'm still finding these things out too. But stay in touch, we can learn together!

Trouvette,

THANK you for your response. I posted here and at Obesityhelp and the first responses were honest, but a bit discouraging. Reading other people's experiences have made me feel better.

Congratulations on having the surgery!

Do you just drink the protein shakes as is? I found it on a website called "the world according to eggface". Just take out all the spaces. Search for Girl Scout flavored protein shakes. Or google search "Girl Scout Cookie Combat Protein Shakes." - like I said, I'm trying to prepare myself.

You have not had a fill yet have you? Do you find yourself eating any less yet?

What else are you eating in this mushy phase?

That recipe sounds great! I love ricotta- actually made some myself in the past- easy and delicious. I read that cottage cheese in a blender is also very tasty.

Do you have any problems sitting/bending?

i had read that when food gets stuck, if you walk with your hands over your head it sometimes helps the food go down.

When you drink, if you take a drink, do you have to sip? What happens if you don't?

Kind of of a bummer about sleeping on the side- A memory foam pillow is a good idea!

hiw much time did you take off from work before you could go back?

Do you have any pain when walking? Exercising?

Thank you again!

Hey Tat! to answer your questions:

1. MMMMM Thin Mints! My favorite! And if it is sugar free, it should work. Just make sure it is thin and liquidy.

2. I'm definitely getting my appetite back. When I was on the pre-op, it got to the point that I had to force myself to drink enough protein shakes to get up to 600 calories a day. Right now, I can have a cup of food and not feel satisfied. But I'm still under 1000 calories a day. I go for my first adjustment at the end of the month, so I am sure that my appetite will change once it is done.

3. I'm eating a lot of tuna fish, soups, cottage cheese, and baby food right now. It's not the most diverse menu, but at least there are a few more flavor options than I had during pre-op.

4. No problems sitting or bending right now, but I did have difficulty the first week after surgery. I actually cried when I was trying to get in bed when I got home the day of my surgery because I was so sore. Sitting was bad for a while too, but strangely enough, the pain was in my back rather than my stomach. I think it was because I couldn't re-adjust my posture the way I normally could. You will be limited in what you can do for at least the first week. Make sure that you have good back support when you are sitting or lying down. Don't bend over for anything. If you must bend in any way, hold a pillow over your stomach so you have a bit of resistance over how far you can bend.

5. I will try that one the next time I get food stuck. I haven't heard of the hands over the head before.

6. Technically, I took a week off. In reality, I own my own business, so I had a laptop with me and was working while I was in the recovery room. You shouldn't go to work for a week. Your body is is still recovering, and if your boss were to see how difficult it was for you to move, I'm sure he/she would send you home anyway. That being said, if you must work, you should be able to work from home without a problem. I wrote a contract proposal in the week that I was recovering.

7. I'm still not clear for exercise because I'm still slightly sore. I still have bruises on my stomach, actually. But I can walk for miles. I found that I had difficulty standing up straight when I was walking because it felt like I was going to tear my stitches, but it was actually the swelling that made me feel that way. But it's not too bad. If you take a stroll around the block, you will start out hunched over and end your walk standing up straight. But I am sure that the nurses in the recovery room will have you walk with them, so you can figure out what is and is not comfortable.