Physically I am feeling pretty good. Mentally I'm having a little bit of trouble! I'm really struggling with the "what the hell have I done to my self" feelings. I'm starving. liquids are playing havoc on my bathroom time. I want something solid to eat so badly. My post op requires 2 weeks of liquids. I went to full liquids today. I want to chew something. I think I'll get me some sugar free gum.

I have been able to feel my band since day one. I can feel it around my stomach. I hate that weird feeling I get every time I swallow. I noticed this afternoon that it was not as noticeable as today. I gave my self a little scare, I was griping at my son for not putting away the groceries correctly, forgot what I was doing reach down and grabbed my juice and started chugging it. It was a couple of swallows before I realized what I was doing. I guess the swelling is going down, because it passed on through with no restriction.

For dinner tonight I ran the lasagna my family had through the blender with broth. It was pretty good, it did have some bits but they were very small. It hasn't seemed to bother me. I made sure to drink lots of liquid with it. I'm so ready to start the mushy phase. I feel like I could, but I'm going to stick to the dr.'s direction, because everyone says it is so important.

My biggest question is.....am I going to be able to do this?????? I WANT FOOD!

Patty

PS. it is so sad because I'm sitting here contemplating licking the left over garlic bread....how sick is that????

We can do this Patty, hang in there! We just need to get through this few couple of weeks where it's the toughest and then move on to solid foods where we get some of those foods we love back, but in smaller portions. I'm on liquids for 10 days. I've been eating a lot of soup and am trying to do different varieties so I don't get bored. I have my post op on Friday, hoping I can move to mushies then. Remember why we did this. It's not for today, but for how healthy we will be tomorrow, in a month and next year. YOU CAN DO THIS!!!

Patty,

I can relate somewhat! I was banded 8/5 so I am 6 days post-op. I was so excited to get this procedure done and now I am feeling like as you say, "what the hell have I just done to myself"? And of course, "can I really do this?" has been haunting me since day one. I was supposed to be one week full liquids then mushies. I was so depressed on Sunday that when I talked to my BFF who had the surgery 2 years ago she told me to move forward to the mushies. That has helped but only slightly I must admit. I am supposed to drink a total of 32 oz of Protein shakes a day and I have yet to do that! Today I did 16 oz........after I had done 12 oz I was nauseaus and had to go to bed before I could go to work. (Finished the last 4 oz after work) Had 2 oz mashed potato casserole for dinner (almost 2 1/2 hours ago) and I am still so stuffed that I cannot even think about drinking the reamaining 16 oz. of Protein shake. I gagged on my children's chewable Vitamins this AM!

In a nutshell, that is where I am at. I am struggling with depression even though I am on an anti-depressent.

Okay...I've went on long enough. Let me know how your tomorrow goes!

Sarah

Well put Jenny.....we all need to support each other.

You're kidding, right?

Okay, I thought this was a joke, but apparently not.

Did your doctor tell you WHY you would be on liquids, or did s/he just leave you to your own devices?

The reason is because you want your stomach churning as little as possible right now so your stitches can heal and your band doesn't slip -- now or possibly not until later in the future.

Even liquefying solids will cause your stomach to churn much more than simply doing straight liquids because of the digestion process. Your stomach has to digest next to nothing on TRUE liquids, but there is a digestion process involved when you do what you did, which gets the stomach churning like a washing machine. That could slip your band!

Now, if you didn't know, that's one thing, and I blame your doctor. But if you did and just HAD to have that lasagna, then by all means, keep doing what you're doing. You may not slip it today or this week or even this month. Oftentimes people go many months before it happens, but it could be traced back to how you handled your post-op care.

This info also goes for those of you who are choosing to listen to your "BFFs" instead of your doctors.

Seriously, people, wth?

OK....so this is why I have never normally posted on a message board. Thought I was safe here but apparently not. I sincerely hope that lotusflower doesn't check back on the boards and read the above sarcastic remark. People, please remember that there is always a NICE way to get your point across. And if you can't do that then perhaps you should ZIP IT! Course words and smart-alecky remarks do not help people that are already struggling! Are Y-O-U serious???

If you check out this person's LBT profile you will see that this is not the first time the issue of hatefulness has come up.

Seckert08,

I am with you. Lets support Patty!!! I believe in sharing the good and bad of this surgery in an honest and sometimes humerous way. I don't want Patty to sabbotage her success. I licked the sour cream off a chip and it was almost orgasmic...lol. I am on liquids until 08/21/09 then I transition to mushy foods. I believe that I could eat more, but my doc's office strongly advised me to stick with the diet. I just had major surgery and my stomach has to heal without trying to digest "real food". Good luck ladies...remember that words last longer than the scares that unite us. Also, if we did not like/love food...this site would not exist...use it to help not to hurt. See ya time for broth!!!

Yes, y'all, support Patty. Do whatever you want. Liquify chickens for all I care. Slip your bands. No skin off my nose. :w00t:

But maybe SOMEBODY who is intelligent and cares about what they've done will read this and learn something. It's apparent that I'm talking to the peanut gallery here with some of you. You know SOOOO much, don't you? lol

Edited August 11, 200916 yr by BethFromVA

Beth,

All of us are here for a reason. Some of us like myself carry emotional weight as well as a matching big butt. I happen to like this peanut gallery as well as you! If I knew so much I would not be suffering with gas pain, crapping on myself, fighting the urge to hurl when I take my meds, or unable to care for my daughter. What we do or eat in our homes does not directly effect anyone on this site.

Sharing our failures and successes may help the next round of people to join the site in search of much needed support and good advice. When we read messages that aren't very positive it bothers those of us who believe that kindness in our actions or words almost always benefits those in need.

Since you are almost years out your experiences would be helpful to us new gals, but when they are negative we cannot hear all the good you have to say. I wish you all the best in your journey to healthiness.

Band, I was telling the OP WHY it's bad to puree lasagna -- how it can HURT her. Her peanut gallery crowd are the ones nodding and saying it's okay, and I'm saying why it's NOT.

Show me one person on this site that is not carrying emotional weight and I'll call that person a liar. Yes, we're all in the same boat, but it's apparent that either the OP didn't know WHY liquids are so necessary this soon after surgery OR she doesn't care.

What worries me is the latter -- AND those who agree with here -- and the damage they might do to others who stumble across this site for the same help you are here for. They read that, think, "Hey, I guess it's okay cuz THEY'RE doing it," with no voice of reason saying WHY it's not okay.

Now... if they are the type that would rather walk down the railroad tracks and not be shouted at saying, "Don't do that, there's a TRAIN coming!" because, hey, the person "shouting" sounds mean, then so be it. I won't waste my breath.

FYI, I was just looking over my doctors instructions. He has people on pureed foods after 24 hours. That includes veggies, fruits, and meats. He is a very well respected lapband Dr, so I trust him to move me forward as he sees fit. I know every doctor has their own set of rule. I'm just saying I would think that pureed lasagna would not slip your band 3 days post.

THAT's why we are the AUGUST BANDITS....banding together to protect our sisters! Again, I hope that LOTUSFLOWER is not intimmidated by the unnecessary negativity! Let us hear from you!

Eating "food" causes the stomach to churn. Period.

Google it if you doubt.

Surgeons have different post op diets. Why? Different surgeons have different educations, different skill levels, different clients, different experiences. IF your doc says "puree lasagna on day 3 with chicken broth, have for dinner" then you are good to do that. IF you are on a clear liquid diet, you had better NOT do that. Telling a person "oh well it was ok you did that" is dangerous if it isn't approved by the surgeon. It's like a spin of the roulette wheel, but your health is riding on the outcome, rather than your gaming chip.

We're most of us hungry (starved ravenous) post op. And many of us think cheating on a diet is almost a way of life (I know I felt that way) I think docs don't educate properly and really should call any post op diet a "Post op prescription for recovery" or some such, not a diet.

Eating before your surgeon (not your BFF's surgeon, or another poster's surgeon, or your ex-husband's current wife's surgeon) gives you the go ahead is dangerous.

Lotusflwr should tell her surgeon what she did and let him/her decide if it was OK or not. Maybe. May not be. It's not up to us. You'd tell your surgeon if you ran a high fever, had redness and swelling, had pain, wouldn't you? You need to tell you ate way ahead of when you were approved to.

Support is wonderful. I personally wouldn't want a friend to just shine me on. If I'm headed off a cliff, a good friend would say "HOLD IT THERE!" Not just wave and smile. Sometimes kindness is saying the hard stuff.

You may or may not like Beth's style, but her motivation was education, and her intent was as kind, or perhaps even more kind, than those of you who say "oh you'll be fine" Because you don't really KNOW that. It's just easier for you to take the path of least resistance and post what you think she'd want to hear, rather than the facts. Facts are...her doc needs to assess it.

Edited August 12, 200916 yr by RestlessMonkey