Hello,

I had my band placed 6/30. When I saw my doctor that week I told him I was uncomfortable and before I knew it he was taking fluid out of my band.

So now I am starving. I only sleep 2 hours at a time at night (like a newborn!) because I have to constantly eat.

Any suggestions?

thanks so much

Are you still on liquid diet or you to the mushy food stage yet? I would try cream based Soups such as cream of broccoli. That may help to keep you fuller longer.

Good luck! That is odd that your surgeon was so quick to give you an unfill.

I didn't have any liquid in my band post op (many of us don't). It's tough but you follow the liquid diet and get through it. It's only for a few weeks; just hang in there.

How were you uncomfortable? Unable to swallow? Or was it pain or aches? So soon after surgery most of us felt different. Make sure you really explain how you feel and hopefully the doctor is listening. We have to be our own best advocate.

willowcat, under no circumstances should anyone eat ahead of her or his post op diet as given by each surgeon. Since OP is just over 1 week banded, it's possible that anything chewable is still on the "do not" list. IF a person is newly post op and really really REALLY struggling with the diet as given to them by his/her surgeon, then contact the doc and ask for direction. Eating ahead of a post op plan is a major cause of slips.

I know we're here to help; but we all should follow our docs pre- and post-op diets. Yes they vary, but then so do docs and their surgery "styles" and their client bases. We don't know enough to encourage someone to do something other than what the docs have said, especially at the early stages. :biggrin:

With your surgery just 8 days ago, I am assuming you are on an all-liquid diet and perhaps will be moving to mushy food very soon. This is the time when we all started getting pretty hungry and it is tough. But (if you are on liquids still) drink some extra broth, eat some SF Jello or SF pudding. If you're up to mushy stuff already, try low fat cottage cheese....it's quite high in Protein for a small serving and protein takes longer to digest so it keeps you full longer.

I only had .6cc in my band after surgery and that was left ater the doctor tested it before he placed it. I'd say most of us had negligible amounts of Fluid in our bands immediately post-op. It's bandster hell. As your stomach recovers from the insult of having that band put around it and most likely stitched into place, the swelling goes down and you do start to feel hungry and that is "bandster hell". It gets better. Just keep sticking the foods on your approved list, take in a little more .... and you will feel better and do fine!

Restless, I respect what you posted, but I don't agree that I was "encouraging" her to eat ahead of her doctor's post-op diet. More Protein closer to bedtime helps me sleep longer through the night. Pinkeetoe said, "Any suggestions?" I wasn't telling her to go out and eat a rack of lamb--or even to eat a cheese stick, that's just been my solution to waking up starving in the middle of the night. I guess with hindsight, it's always best to end any suggestion with the ultimate suggestion to consult with his/her doctor when in doubt. :smile2:

Agreed...or to say "once your post op diet allows it"

You are always supportive; sometimes though it's hard to read between the lines! :wink2: (I've been called to task on this type of thing too so I didn't mean to embarass you, if I did)

pinkee, maybe your doctor took out your fill, because you said you felt uncomfortable--many people who don't have any Fluid in their band at surgery still feel some restriction from the swelling brought on by the surgery. My post-op swelling restriction lasted about 2 weeks. Since you said you felt uncomfortable, your doctor might have been rethinking the fill he gave you during the operation? It sounds as if you've entered "bandster hell"--you're a bit of an early arriver what with it being a little more than just one week after surgery--but it's not at all uncommon to feel very, very hungry until your next fill. I wake up in the middle of the night so hungry that I have to eat a little something just to fall asleep. I've learned to try and make my last meal as close to bedtime as possible. And at that meal I try to eat more Protein than at other meals--protein takes longer to digest, has more calories for it's volume compared to most other foods, and keeps the night hunger away for at least 4 hours (for me anyway). I keep a low-fat cheese stick on my nightstand and eat it in my bed when I do wake up--even though I'm not a big fan of the cheese stick--it is a protein, it has less than 100 calories, it's easy to chew really well, AND it usually lasts me the rest of the night. Good luck with everything. This is just a little bump in the road.

The more restriction people have the less they tolerate eating before bedtime. When you have food in your pouch and you lay flat that's a great way to get major reflux. Just be careful as you get more restriction, that might not be a comfortable thing to do later.

Most docs suggest not eating anything for about 3 hours before bedtime.

I can't eat and then go to bed, either. I need several hours before. YAY really helps me to not snack!

And I never was a "get up at night and eat" person thank goodness or I'd probably have weighed 500+ instead of my 400+. I do Love me my restriction! :thumbup: