Hi -

I was banded on st the 20th. my pre op diet was 5 days from the 15th-20th.

I started my pre op at 304.5 lbs and lost 6lbs in the pre op.

Its now been one week since surgery and im down to 284.

which is 24lbs gone in 13 days!!!!

obviously thats very quick and will slow down a lot but its a great start. (my target weight is 200 as im a 6 foot male- which is 10 lbs over "ideal")

now for the problems

gas pain - my chest and stomach feel tight and sore - sometimes looking quite bloated. I am takeing some tums but not pain meds - which i think ill go back on.

yesterday was the first day i took of the dressing and put new ones on - the scars look small and clean - but when can i take dressings off for good? my dr said keep them dry for ten days (though i had a quick shower when the dressings were off) but when can i just forget about them and take off the dressings for good??

What can i do about the gas pains - is it common to still have them? - im a bit lathargic too - when did others feel "themselves" again?

next question is about food - im suposed to be on the liquid diet and then going to mushies next week - but it seems there is so much down to interpritation. Some of my Soups are so thick (though never lumpy) that they could be interpritated as mushies and also i have added apple sauce to my diet as i was going mad on just soups and shakes.

I was in a bad mood yesterday because of the lack off food and i dont want that to happen often. Any suggestions?

i cant call my baratric nurse till tomorow because of the Christmas period so i am just looking for a bit of encouragemnt and some answers etc .

thanks

T

Congrats on the surgery and the fantastic weight loss!

I had gas pains for about 10 days. I've heard gas-x strips help, but I didn't use them.

My surgeon defines "liquid" as anything that can be sucked through a straw. So thick soups were ok for me. That being said, check with your doctor as soon as you can.

I went back to work after 10 days. I can't say I felt like myself those first few days back...I did way too much, didn't eat enough, and ended up spending 2 days in bed. But by 20 days out, I was feeling pretty normal again. :tongue_smilie:

I can't answer your question about dressings. I didn't have any dressings when I left the hospital. They just told me to keep them clean and dry them off quickly after a shower.

I was banded on the 17th. Xmas day, so post-op Day 9, was the first day I felt 100%... and on Day 10 I very comfortably rode 15 miles on my bike.

I was told to remove my gauze dressings when I showered and not to put them on. The Steri-strips were removed in the doctors office on my first post-op visit about Day 6, except for one site where they left them on and I'll either take them off myself or wait for them to fall off.

Congrats on weight loss so far and best wishes on your continued success!!