JazzyJude

I think you are taking the 'liquids' to the extreme girl... When I was on the 'clear liquids' and the 'creamy soups' stages, I didn't have a problem taking the chewable Mulit-Vitamin (Centrium Dr Miranda suggested) and as well the new chewable Fiber Choice - Strawberry for Weight Management (to curb hunger pangs) and either the chewable Benefiber tablets (Orange Creme) and/or the unflavored powder Benefiber. For the protein, I used the Whey liquid protein bullets (42grams) that are in a tube-like (got these at GNC store). They have (4) flavors orange, fruit punch, grape and blue raspberry. I don't drink the whole thing all at once because of the strength it gives. I sort of match a flavored drink, either Gatorade (orG2) or Crystal Light, with the liquid protein and drink half in the morning and the other half early afternoon. It works wonders and you don't have any dizziness or anything. Just a suggestion before you make too many scientific experiments with all kinds of stuff where you can do something simplier (smile)... Hope this helps ypu...

It's your gas issue. I've a previous injury plus I have an extra lower lumbar vertabrae and the gas inside me played havoc on me the first few days after surgery. BUT, I didn't have that much gas as I WALKED the whole night away after surgery and kept moving all the time. Just don't sit for long periods and when you do sit, try some arms lifts, alternately, reaching upwards towards the ceiling. I stretch upwards are high as I can for about 5 seconds and do the other side. Do this about 5 times and then relax. I do this every time I sit to prevent any aches/pains and it has worked for me. Using a heating pad may help too. Also, make sure you are taking in your water every day as this helps the kidneys AND prevent back aches/pains as well. Hope this helps...

Hi Jeni! WELCOME to this forum and congrats with your decision in having the band. DON'T WAIT and waste more time. When you get your financials in order, get the surgery as soon as you can. You will NOT regret this at all! Most of the people here were banded by Dr O or Dr Martinez at OCC, in TJ, as this forum is OCC's. The majority of the people go to TJ due to it's less than $8000 to have it done PLUS the credientials Dr O and his staff have. But regardless as to where you have it done, just don't waste any more precious time if you can. I've been banded last month and it is the BEST decision I ever made for myself. I am finding I am reaching these small goals of mine faster than I've ever dreamed of. Just this morning, I threw away a pair of pants because they're too big and I just realized I was pushing out my tummy to hold them up! WONDERFUL feeling really! At OCC, they come first class to me as far as patient care! The clinic is very clean and the staff is just wonderful! They cater to your needs at all times. Come to this forum for any quesitons or concerns you may have, we are one big family here.

Hi Lisa! Congrats on your decision ~ you will NOT regret this wonderful adventure! Like Mindy, don't hesitate to come on this forum for any questions or concerns you may have...we've all 'been there, done it'. We will be here to welcome you and good luck! WTG! ~ ((HUGS!))

That is awesome news Amber! I am so happy that you didn't have a leakage issue. YAY for OCC!!! Now, we will be watching for your new adventure going in full swing!

Hi Sarah, Like Kimmy in MD said, it's further south in TJ and not in the area around the hotel or the clinic. CottomwoodAZ said what I was going to say. I stayed at the hotel and the clinic at night time for safe keeping. During the day, my hubby and I walked across the street to get popsicles, which was by the "glorietta' where the cars goes around the middle. LOL...it is like playing "frogger" but they do definitely stop for you. It's amazing! No car crashes all the time we were there! Also, I walked down to the Solei Salon and had my hair and nails done, no issues at all. I also had my first fill there last weekend and we didn't see any violence at all.

EXCELLENT post Carrie...I am going to print this for my binder! Which website did you get this information from?

Hi Taz...I am very interesting in WHAT lits they have you? If you are impress, then I am sure we would be too. Is there a way to share any information you have?

GREAT post Cara Baby! I am soooo glad I only had a teaspoon or less of each items we had on our table. Just think, we all use to eat these foods in regular portions and MORE ~ YIKES!

AMAZING! I really thought I would have a difficult time during our Thanksgiving feast at my Mum's...but I didn't. It was a great day and my first fill I received 5 days prior to Thanksgiving day didn't let me down one bit. After the fill, I was on full liquids for 3 days, which I've lost 2 pounds, and started eating solids on Tuesday, 2 days before Thanksgiving. All is well... Thanksgiving day, our family started cooking from 6:30am on and the aroma was just sinfully wonderful! We cooked and baked all day with the turkey and sage bread dressing, creamy cucumbers, green beans, cranberry sauce, applesauce, cranberry chutney, yams, cheesy potatoes, relish dish (pickles and olives), homemade country white bread...and for dessert, pumpkin and chocolate cream pie. OH yes! AND, yes, I had a tiny bit of EVERYTHING to equal 3/4 cup of food and it was all on my small dessert plate and it was a delight for my eyes to 'see' a full plate ~ instead of having a regular dinner plate and with the 3/4 cup of food and with all the empty space around the food, I might have been tempted to grab more to make my plate look fuller. What was amazing was I was able to have everything that was on the table and I was very content and had no problems eating any of the foods, as I took small bites and chewed the heck out of everything! LOL I just wanted to share MY first fill I received really helped me and I am continuing to have the same restriction, which I am still continuing to discipline myself to no more than 3/4 cup of food per sitting ~ and yes, I DO use a measuring cup for all my meals. It's AWESOME! HAPPY HOLIDAYS TO ALL OF YOU!!

Shana-Lee ~ Congrats and WELCOME to Bandland! YOU DID IT! Your journey started on the right tract. Sip, sip, sip your drinks and WALK, WALK, WALK your gas bubbles out! Do several mini walks to jiggle your gas bubbles around and DO NOT sit for too long, otherwise the gas bubbles will ache like the dickens! Keep a journal of your daily food/drinks intake, your feelings, your goals, and exercises. This will help you with your success in your new lifestyle change. Remember to relax and rest for the first 3 weeks for you and the band to heal inside. Don't rush...take this opportunity to focus on your new life. Keep us posted on how you are doing! WTG!!

WELCOME to Bandland Tammie! You are off to a good running start! YAY! I just had my fill last week and I have a nice restriction to keep me going through the holidays. Hope yours will be too...just remember, every person's body is different and you may not feel the restriction at first. Give it some time, as I didn't feel the restriction until 4 days later. Keep the guideline of no more than 3/4 cup of food per sitting and 1200 calorie limit and you will do fine! Keep us posted on your journey and if you need anything, holler on here ~ we're here for you!

Lately, I've treated myself to either a fudgsicle or the 100 calorie Klondike ice cream sandwiches....yummy! I usually have these for my late night snack if I wanted to have one and add this to my daily count of calories.

LOL! I had mine on 3-4 weeks and when the redness was gone, I just scrubbed with those soft round nylons scrubby things and use shower gel and rubbed away. Then I alternately use Vitamin E and Maderma to keep it soft and minimized the scar lines...it is really working nicely for me.Oh...and, um, yeah, my hubby did the 'honor' to "lift and stuff" into my sport bra! ...too funny!

Are you walking? I mean taking several, mini walks? This will help with your gas bubbles. Also, sip liquids every chance you can get ~ protein water is your friend now. Don't chug-a-lug or swallow big...your throat will hurt. AND, don't sit for too long of a period of time either...which makes the gas bubbles just moan and groan a lot too.

WELCOME to Bandland Sweetie! Lisa is right...you hit it right on the nail about your new body. This also was my first thought and I knew I had to make the best of it. I started off with a journal to write down my day's even with food, thoughts and activities and I still do this daily! It helps me to keep on tract and to learn ahead of time of any issues can could happen if I do get off tract. I am a fanatic in organizing myself as much as possible. If I made a "boo boo", then dust yourself off, and go forward and continue with your journey. It's not easy at all and the pain/discomfort is part of your weight loss, but so far, the rewards are real nice for me and I am lpving this ride by band gives me! Now, I am hard and strict on myself with dicipline and committment and I keep on foing forward by focusing the reason why I got banded. You are on your way to a new adventure of your life - embrace it! Keep us posted ~ we are here for you and so proud of you! WTG!

EXCELLENT post Donna! I am printing this for my binder!

As someone once told me, "...you've just had major surgery. You need to heal, both you and your band. DO NOT do any strenuous activites until after 3 months post op." Rely on your family and freinds to assist with the work around you as you relax and rest during this time. Don't risk any damage or slippage to your band or port. Treat your band surgery like any other major surgery.

As yes...the 'creamy soup' stage! I didn't mind this stage because of the selection of soups I can make on my own or collectively from ready made canned goods - here's 2 canned recipes I liked... Here's a fullfilling soup Cathy had me started on: 1 can Campbell's Cream of Potato plus one can of milk 1/2 can Campbell's Cheddar Cheese plus one can of milk Optional - Spices I've used are garlic, rosemary, and celery * I double the recipe, as you can have soups several times a day. Put all ingredients in a pot and mash the potatoes down a bit and warm it up. Serve in a drinking cup and enjoy! NOTE: If there are any 'chunky' bits of potatoes, then I am practicing my "chew, chew, chew" rule when I do go on solids. Another I like is tomato soup! I add to a can of Campbell's Tomato soup, basil, celery, and sometimes garlic. Then add to my bowl, a few drops of hot sauce for a 'kick'. Quite good!

OUCH Mona! I can only imagine! But I've been instilled in my brain from all of you bandsters to CHEW, CHEW, CHEW, I did just that at first bite of my Mum's homemade dressing! Oh yes! H-E-A-V-E-N-L-Y!! I only had about a teaspoon worth...but that is ok - I HAD SOME! Hope the rest of your meal went fine!!!

Hi Marcus, Hope you had a nice Thanksgiving...I sure did! I don't know what kind of postop diet you are on. The one from OCC is different than the one you seem to be on. Check with your doctor on your menu. AT OCC, you could go on protein shakes starting on day 8, the 'creamy soup stage, which you are on it for two weeks.

AWESOME post Amy! I am glad this forum helps you and it helps me too. I've said it a few times and I know I will say it again...thank you for your support! Amy, you are doing so wonderful. You are young and ambitious and you will go forward. You WILL have the fun you all so deserve and you WILL have the energy to do the things you want to do...believe and work the heck out of the band! WTG and keep us posted on your journey still...

Amanda ~ I was like that too! I finally came up with something that worked for me. I always seemed to be drinking out of small openings, like a water bottle. So, my thing to get started was to get a large, oversized mug and I would pour anthing liquid in it. If you drink fast...chances are, you will spill on yourself! This helped me tremendously at first and it wasn't until after the creamy soup stage, I 'graduated' to a regular mug and noticed I am drinking slower. ALSO, remember you may still have some gas in you, so make sure you breathe in through your nose and out the mouth. When drinking liquids, put your lips over the rim of the mug (or over the whole tip of the water bottle) and breathe in and out through your nose while drinking. This will eliminate extra air pockets in your system, which can create burping or hiccups. Eating on a small plate, such as a dessert plate helped me a lot. Also, when I started, I used a child's fork and spoon. Since then I 'graduated' to the regular dessert fork and a teaspoon and I am doing just fine. I arrange my plate to have the proteins all together, veggie, and then carbs. Hope this helps..

Thanks Shana-Lee! It's my pleasure! I thought I'd post my experiece as well because I was different from the others and you will too ~ there's no two person alike. And, I had no numbing stuff either. It was just a quick poke and that was it. It was really a good visit and I am not hesitatant to go for the next fill at all. For me, it was worth to SEE my band and watch the fluids go down smoothly...A PEACE OF MIND!

Here are a few tips to consider when you are bloated and stomach making noises after being banded. You will have some gas bubbles in your body region from the surgery. They can be such annoyance! The quicker you act on this, the less gas issues you may have... ~ take Gas X strips or Phazyme throughout the day (I took 2 strips at a time) ~ take SEVERAL, mini walks throughout the day (not just one long marathon one) to jiggle the gas bubbles around ~ DO NOT sit around for too long at a time, which can cause an awful ache ~ while you are sitting down, occasionally, raise one of your arms and stretch upward towards the celing for a few seconds and then switch to the other arm, to assist gas movement. You don't want to just sit completely and not move. ~ PROTEINS! This is the major key of all. While on the 'clear liquid' stage, you don't have too many choices to drink. Drinking protein water helps alot or have a protein bullet in a drink such as Crystal Lite or Gatorade, to help curb the gurgling, rumbling stomach noises. On day 4, start drinking those drinkable yogurts and you will start to feel a difference. During your 'creamy soups' stage, choose wisely on what soups you eat (I' had cream of potato and cream of cheddar cheese together with some spices - YUMMY!) and also tomato soup with grated soft mild cheese melted. Having a protein shake would help as well. During the 'solid' stage, there are a lot of small, quick and "to go" items to have, such as nuts, beef nuggets (like beef jerky only softer and small pieces), spoonful of peanut butter (YUM!), cottage cheese, etc, and the list goes on... Everyone's body is different and you will find your foods that would help with your situation...