Hi all. Got a question. For my so-called "mushies" stage, this is what my info reads:

"The Lap Band Pureed Soft Diet (Four Weeks)." Then it talks about the foods I can have. It says, "The following is a list of soft textured foods for you to try. Chew your foods to a mushy consistency."

So the title says puree, but the instructions say chew to mushy. Frankly, I've been just chewing until everything is mushy. I've been eating what's on my instruction list, chewing basically until liquid. Anyone else doing this, or are you actually blending things in a blender? It's a little late in the stage to be asking this - but frankly, I'm a little tired of it all. I thought I totally understood everything the nutritionist said, then I had the surgery, and I feel like I've have mommy brain ever since the surgery. Everything seems very unclear and foggy. I don't know if it's due to lack of food :faint: or what. My nutritionist has yet to call me back, and the nurse has already heard enough from me and doesn't seem that receptive to questions.

I guess why the instructions seem confusing is because with the list of food it will say beside certain foods to mash them (ex. bananas), and beside tuna and chicken salad to puree it, but it doesn't say puree or mash beside anything else.

I know some of your info is very specific, but just from what you've read on my info, what does it sound like to you? Just to eat soft food and chew really good, or actually blend the stuff?

Just your thoughts on this would be nice.

I was told that my food needed to be the consistency of pudding so if it isn't already like that, I needed to puree it first. But even pureed meats need to be chewed further so they are like pudding by the time you swallow them.

Yeah, I just had meat the other day for the first time - and I did puree it because it said to puree it. But everything else it just says soft foods like: canned veggies and fruits without peel, yogurt, that kind of thing. I guess every time my tummy has a twinge I think I've done something wrong to the band and I panick and post something here.

I know what you mean! I haven't had any negative incidents yet but tonight I was having my refried Beans concoction and I also had some soy chips which I chewed up until they were practically liquified. They have a high Protein content so I thought they would be good. At one point, I noticed that I could feel the last bite go through the band. It didn't hurt but I could feel it. I immediately stopped eating. I may have been eating too quickly so I got my one-minute timer out to remind me to use it the next time.

I've had a lot of "new" foods in the last couple of days and I'm trying to be careful. I think I'll go back to more shakes tomorrow for a day of "rest."

Keep up the good work!

Sounds to me like you can eat soft foods and just mush them up in your mouth. For me, at 2 weeks post-op, I can graduate to soft foods just like how your instructions read - to chew until mush. Man, I look forward to chewing. *sigh* I can't say I haven't chewed ANYTHING, but I've kept it to a minimum as much as possible to keep from having any problems. But to be able to actually EAT something...aaahhhh. Sounds too good to be true. LOL

Thanks you guys for responding. I have to say this LBT thing is good and bad. I like posting in the Nov thread because everyone seems to be wondering the same things at the same time, but I'm frankly scared to post a new thread anywhere else because of dismissive responses.

Everyone says follow doc's orders, but my orders seem to be so vague, and like I said when I phone the doc, the nurse who answers questions is very dismissive as well. She says I'll know when something is wrong - a fever, severe pain, vomitting, that sort of thing, and to stop reading the complications on this board. But then I read the complications thread and a lot of the people said they just felt something was wrong - no fever or severe pain.

My husband and mom read my info too and they agree that it's vague.

Like I said, it's probably too late now to worry about it since I would technically be past any puree stage and into the official soft food stage where I chew to mush anyway, but I thought I'd just ask. I think I'm going to do liquids for a few days just in case. I'm getting these weird little twingy feelings in my chest area (just beneath the boobs). Have you ever ate nachos and didn't chew enough and then they were sticking in your esophagus? That's the kind of feeling I'm having, except a bit lower down. I didn't get it eating nachos though, it's just the same feeling as that!

I'm just so petrified of screwing this up, but at the same time I'm still fighting my impulses and that "switch" that turns on and tells me to binge, BINGE NOW!! I guess I should call it a binge switch. No, I haven't actually binged - but the urge is definitely there.

Do you feel like your band experience is going well or are you terrified something is wrong with it like me?

See, you can tell when it's late and I'm tired - I'm rambling ALL over the place.

Linda - I think it's common to worry about something as life-changing as this. I don't think you should let it over-run your mind, though - that can be very stressful and I think I'd be wanting to eat a whole lot if I was thinking about it that much. I find that sometimes I have to just go find something else to do when I'm getting too obsessed on this board or researching or whatever. We're here for you, though - it is really nice to have people right around the same time as me for surgery to compare experiences. Don't overanalyze. I don't want to just come right out and say, "You'll be fine," because you never know...but that is what keeps coming to my mind. Just have faith in yourself, your body and the work your surgeon did. They wouldn't be able to tell a slip until your first fill (if they do it under flouro), anyway, and if you're not having a severe reaction to it, then there's no point checking before then. It's hard to relax when somebody tells you to...but I think that's what might help you the most. It could be pure NERVES that's causing your twinge feeling. I think focusing on something more enjoyable would help. Think of something you enjoy doing and can get lost in and go do that for awhile. Let your brain take a break.

I've said this before but it fits here: there is an over-representation of complications discussed on this board. It's not anyone's fault -- it's just the nature of a board like this. People who have never heard of a message board don't scour the internet to look for one because they had a normal day with the band but people do do that if something comes up that they don't understand. You can also tell by some of the questions that not everyone gets a good education about the band, so they come here to ask about things that many of us know are normal because of what we were told by our clinics.

I discussed this with the psychologist with whom I consulted before my surgery. She suggested that I quit reading the board but I've learned so much valuable information and I enjoy sharing with others who are going through the same experience. I've learned to ignore those posts that are negative in nature or perhaps reactionary. I don't want to be ignorant of problems but I don't have to read about them every day to be aware.

Your questions about food are perfectly appropriate! However, when there are so many people who were on soft foods while I was still on Clear Liquids and we were banded at the same time, I figure these stages must not be engraved in stone. I'm following my doctor's schedule, of course, and it may be overly-conservative but I don't mind because I don't want my food revisiting me. I think I'm going to need this extra time to correct my bad eating habits like wolfing down my food in big bites.

You said you chewed your food to mush. Well, mush is mush, whether you did it yourself or a machine did it. I'm sure the main reason we can't go straight to soft foods is because not everyone will be successful in chewing the food well enough at first. This doesn't sound like you! So I'm sure you're fine. :clap2:

Again, thank you both!

Steph, I know you're right - I just have to believe in myself and my doc. I mean, my doc is great. And I know that I need positive thoughts, not negative ones to help heal my body. You're right, you're right, you're right!

I think what's happened is I THOUGHT I was educated about the band, thought I knew what I was supposed to eat when and what and how, then I got on these boards and realized maybe I don't know all I'm supposed to. The more I read, the more confused I get.

I've been making my own soups with turkey,chicken,or ground turkey,squash,sweet potato,plantains(I'm from the caribbean),onions,garlic,oregano,adobo,green pepper,bouillon. I put it in the food processor in the beginning,now I mush it up in my mouth,the rest is kind of very soft anyway. I do eat the protein first and some of the starch after. I'm almost 3 weeks post -op.

It must be hard Linda to have a doctor's office who are not helpful when you need them the most. I don't often call my doctor's office but when I do, I don't feel that it's a problem to do so. Geez, you've paid them enough money, they should be welcoming you with open arms. Do they run a support group? The Nurse at my doctor's surgery has a band as well and she run's a monthly group... worth looking into it.

I made a plain Pasta dish last night... made it from vermicilli (very fine pasta). I semi mashed it and then chewed it as well as I could... slippery little buggars. It was my first pasta experience with the band. Had no problems with it. I have not attempted to eat anything else that wasn't mashed first. I'm so ready to eat normal food, especially when the family got together last night, some ordering Chinese and some ordering pizza. Neither of those is the healthiest food to eat but if it's only 1 cup or 1 piece, got to be heaps better than when I wasn't banded. Hopefully will get the go ahead on Tuesday to go to solid foods.