JazzyJude

Hi Frank - Welcome and congrats. If you are having your surgery with OCC in TJ, here's a guideline we follow 21days post op. I am sure others will make other suggestions too. I had my surgery on Oct 8 and it's still fresh on my mind. The time will go real fast believe me. It was a tough first 7 days, but then that is expected after eating all the time previously before deciding to be banded. First seven days are liquids the consistency of water only, vegetable broth, beef broth, chicken broth, popsicles are fine and they don't need to be sugar free. Apple juice is good but mix with water to prevent diarrhea - like 1/2 and 1/2 not full concentrate. I would watch the sodium level in the broths as well. You can add herb and spices to give it a kick. I did plain for the first 4 days and then added tobasco sauce! Oh it was good. I drank protein wsater (Special K20), popsicles, jello with more water added to make it more watery. G2 - low calorie, low sugar Gatorade in little bottles is good too. At this stage, on day 4 you can have the drinkable yogurts. NO protein shakes during this time. SIP, SIP, SIP all your liquids and NO straw to prevent extra air. You will have some gas in you, so get plenty of Gas X Strips...this is a MUST! Walking is also a must but don't go overboard. Do short walks several times a day. This aid in getting the gas bubbles out of your system quickly. From day 8 to day 21 you are on 'creamy soups' stage. NO chunks, lumps, or bumps in your food and NO blenders to make it creamy. There is no calorie counting at this time either. Go to the fourms Recipe section and look at the Healthy Creamy Soups post and get some ideas. Or you can simply get those quick Campbell's canned soups. You can have fudgesicles and puddings. Also protein shakes are good at this creamy stage too as well as the drinkable yogurts. Don't forget your vitamins...either the liquid kind or the chewable Centrium kind. It's important to get your vitamins and minerals in daily.

GREAT Lori! Isn't your twin sister name Lisamarie? If so, get her to go with youse! Isn't this a great idea!?!?! I am starting to like it now (thanks Taz!!)...in fact, after today's effort, I am actually looking forward to tomorrow to beat my score today...so this is a good thing for me.

The gauze is for that 'just in case' you at the hotel and for some odd reason, your incision broke loose and you want to cover with a sterilize pad. Then contact OCC and go from there. ALSO, go to the Question section of this forum and look at julieburns' post on what to take to TJ. This is the list I went by and to tell you the truth, I hardly used anything other than a change of clothes for 2 days and my toiletries. I walked most of the time and just relaxed and watch alittle tv and slept the rest away. This was good healing time for me. Hope this helps you!

Hi Donna! Congrats with your decision to get banded ~ you won't regret this! I LOVE MY BAND! OK, hotel Lucerna is quite a place. They have a great pool to have fun in. They have either 2 or 3 restaurants that caters with Dr. Ortiz's patients. I had my hair highlighted and a pedicure, after my surgery, at a nearby salon, which is about 5 minutes walking from the hotel. Ask the guys at the front entrance of the hotel...they have been banded by Dr. Ortiz from what I understand and they know all kinds of places around to assist you. Right across the street from Lucerna is a little hole in the wall liquor store where I bought a few popsicles and what a delight that was! What I liked about the hotel is you can walk off the gas bubbles you have in you and still enjoy the site seeing, etc. Hope this helps alittle...

YES!!! During you surgery, they will gas up your stomach area for them to do the procedure. It doesn't just go away so it is vitally important for you to walk as soon as you can after your surgery. The nurses will get you going on this. I had taken short walks up and down the hallway several times during the day and night, including into the wee hours of the morning, when everyone was 'sawing logs'. I kept listening to others how they say their shoulders and tummy area hurts. Those are gas bubbles. Walking helps 'jiggle' them around and slowly you get rid of them. After my 'little' sleep, I hardly had any gas pains at all and was soooo glad! I immediately took 2 Gas X strips and put them on my tongue and those helps like a charm. I bought 3 boxes. TRUST me, you will be glad to use these. Don't over pack...you will NOT use half of the items. Do you have a list? If you wish, go to the Question section and look for julieburns' post on what to take to TJ. VERY good list...after that, if you still have questions, please post and ask away! That is what we are here for = supporting one another. Good luck sweetie!!

Welcome! I personally use the following, which are effortless in my daily routine: - Chewable Centrium Mulit-Vitamin, which is what OCC had suggested and it tastes good - TriVita's sublingual B12 with B6 and Folic Acid and the tiny tablets dissolves under your tongue in this GREAT Berry flavor (I purchased this on www.TriVita.com) - I started taking the Biotin to increase my metabolism and hair loss prevention - I also switch between the new Chewable Fiber Choice (for Weight Managment) in strawberry flavor or the Benefiber to put in my water, soups, protein shakes, cocoa, etc (hot or cold) for the fiber. Most drug stores or WalMart have these items. Remember, you don't want to overkill on the vitamins. When you are on solids and learning to choose quality food and drinks, you will be consuming more of the recommended nutrients daily. Hope this helps...

Salena - that is awesome! I am having my first fill at OCC on Sat, 11/22 but by then, you will be at the hotel Lucerna. I wish you luck and see you on the 'other' side, known as Bandland! Congrats! You will NOT be disappointed with your decision!

GREAT Shelby! I was TOTALLY surprised, again, with close to 2400 steps I did today. I walked down by the bay front at work and then walked around the little block around my home neighborhood area. I think I can actually see how I could possibly reach a 5000 step in one day by putting out more effort. Interesting enough also, I found that it really wasn't all that boring. As I started walking right after work and had things on my mind to process through. So it was cool...got to get my iPod set up soon! YIPPEE!!

Oh Julie! You didn't read Taz's tiny print down towards the bottom of his signature page? It says, ?"...for those of you who are in the medical field (drs, nurses, techs, post when you reached 20,000 steps". Guess you missed that, huh? Of Course, I am kidding...! I just couldn't pass this little joke...silly me! hahahaha...((HUGS!))

Hi Erin...are you taking liquid Tylenol? I am wondering if your body is not tolerating it. Another bandster had the same issue and she went for Naprison (sp?) instead, which has the same ingredietns but easier on the tummy. If you are not getting any liquids down, you should consult with your doctor and go forward from there. Hope this helps you.

Good Gracious! So sorry to hear of your story and how sad you had to go through all of this when it should have been your joyous adventure. I was banded at OCC on Oct 8 and I can sure vouch to what Misty said! They are one big huge teamwork of doctors, nurses, admin staff, drivers...all rolled lup in one! They interact with one another and it shows! They are very caring for your needs and take such good care of you during your stay there. I hope you get your money back and as soon as you do, come on back and talk to us - we are here to support you too. Take care and keep us posted!

Hi Justinthyme...what is your situation? when were you banded? who did your surgery?

Hi tnm - congrats on your decision to be banded - you will NOT regret this healthy choice! I had my surgery on Oct 8 and it's still fresh on my mind. The time will go real fast believe me. It was a tough first 7 days, but then that is expected after eating all the time previously before deciding to be banded. First seven days are liquids the consistency of water only, vegetable broth, beef broth, chicken broth, popsicles are fine and they don't need to be sugar free. Apple juice is good but mix with water to prevent diarrhea - like 1/2 and 1/2 not full concentrate. I would watch the sodium level in the broths as well. You can add herb and spices to give it a kick. I did plain for the first 4 days and then added tobasco sauce! Oh it was good. I drank protein wsater (Special K20), popsicles, jello with more water added to make it more watery. G2 - low calorie, low sugar Gatorade in little bottles is good too. At this stage, on day 4 you can have the drinkable yogurts. I like the Yoplait Smoothies...Strawberry Bananna the best because of the potassium...but all of their drinks are good. I've also had the Lucerne and Kroger's yogurts too. Not bad. NO protein shakes during this time. SIP, SIP, SIP all your liquids and NO straw to prevent extra air. You will have some gas in you, so get plenty of Gas X Strips...this is a MUST! Walking is a must but don't go haywire...do short walks several times a day. This aid in getting the gas bubbles out of your system quickly. For the rest of the days through 21 you are on 'creamy soups' stage. NO chunks, lumps, or bumps in your food and NO blenders to make it creamy. There is no calorie counting at this time either. Go to the fourms Recipe section and look at the Healthy Creamy Soups post and get some ideas. Or you can simply get those quick Campbell's canned soups. You can have fudgesicles and puddings too. Also protein shakes are good at this creamy stage too as well as the drinkable yogurts. Don't forget your vitamins...either the liquid kind or the chewable Centrium kind. It's important to get your vitamins and minerals in daily. Hope this helps!

Oh Denise - this is just fantastic! I am so proud of you!! AWESOME weight loss. And, no, it's not TMI on the panties because this morning I am thinking, "OMG...it's a little loser!"... The last time I wore 16s is when I was dating my hubby in 1987. This is one of my first goal to succeed. I hear of all of your successes and it's so great ~ I want to cry happy tears for you all! I want to have this recognition so bad. My tiny NSV yesterday was that my hubby told me that I have less 'ripples' on my legs and back! I just never thought of this and he said my boobs now stick further than my tummy! I just looked at him and just beamed! I BELIEVE in the band now...just this little tiny reward so far is making me WANT to go the extra mile. Aren't husbands GREAT! I can imagine your husband's face Denise...you KNOW he is proud of you! WTG!!!!!

Ute...YOU lood ONEDERFUL! I love your clothes on your...especially the black pant outfit! AWESOME job you are doing for yourself. I also noticed how glowy your face is too. Continue doing what you are doing and you WILL get that 'proud feeling' to boast about even more!

Hi Taz...don't worry about how little the participation is right now...we have a lot of browsers and some don't like to post. That's cool... I am surprise at how many steps I actually take around the 'work zone'...only 589 steps and that was bare minimal doing! I, too, am going to use my lunch hr to walk to the beach (I am only about 900 feet from it) and when I get home, to walk around the block a few times. Now, that I am curious to see how many steps that is. This is great. I want to do a race someday but don't know how just yet to post this fun adventure.

Hi G and WELCOME!!! WOW - you've done GREAT with your weight loss! CONGRATS! Would you care to share your experience thus far? We would love to hear it. Like you, I had browsed a few before registering and when I signed up in Sep I haven't stop talking since! Seriously, I've been yakking a storrm because I was a newbie and now newly banded since Oct 8, I can start my journey WITH the other new and old bandsters. So glad you came back! We ALL help each other out and suggest, give tips, etc...and RECIPES! LOL...I love to share them...yeah, but healthy ones! WELCOME my new friend!

My story is a little different... My hubby and I have been together for over 21 years, married since 1998. He LOVES me to no end. He knows of my ups and downs with dieting, and what I lost, I've gained back plus a few more pounds. The struggles have been hard and it ALMOST took over my life completely to the point of "I don't care" attitude, which is NOT me. It wasn't until this past July 2, when our son's wife and son went to TJ for their band surgery and then the next month, Aug 13, both son and wife's sister had their surgery. With everyone being so busy, we haven't caught up with each other "in person" until my husband came home from hunting with our son and grandson. I was shocked, to say the least, of how much weight both son and grandson had lost. Then son said he was going back to TJ next weekend for fill appointments and asked me if I would like to come along and check out the place and maybe get a tour. At that moment, hubby looked at me, SMILING, and said, "Go for it, if this is what you want, I will pay for it." As it turned out, he came along too and went with me during the tour and needless to say, I signed up that day. Even though I didn't expect this 'precious gift of health' from my hubby, he SAW the beginning RESULTS of what the band did for them. THIS is what 'sold' him to offer the surgery to me. I had done ALL of the diet plans, pills and whatnots...nothing worked. But when I saw these two guys coming through my front door...I was hooked! I BELIEVE in the band. I've lost 34 lbs since Oct 18 and I KNOW I wouldn't have lost without the tool of the band and and would probably gained more plus the holidays coming up. It's the best thing I could have done for myself...a new adventurous life ahead of me. Like everyone said...you need to research and browse through this forum for more info about the band. I am sure after both of you talk with Dr. Ortiz, who performed my surgery too, you will make a sound healthy decision. Sorry this is long but thought it was important...

Hi CW...this is a question all newly banded go through I've noticed, even myself. I was banded on Oct 8 and I've scheduled my first fill, 6 1/2 weeks out from surgery, on Nov 22. Right now though, I feel restricted. I just been on solids since last Wed and it's interesting to see that I am full between 1/4 to 1/2 cup of food right now. But some say, eventually the band will relax as you heal through the surgery and will need to get a fill to continue with the restrictions. I am hoping the other bandsters will give you some pointers here too, as I am learning valuable eating habits through them. Also, browse thru the Fill section and read up on that too. Dr Ortiz suggest the first fill to be between 6 - 8 weeks out from surgery. Depending on YOUR band and it's restriction, will determine how often you would need a fill. Get a fill as often as YOU need them and WHILE you are at the dr's office, stay to see how you feel...if you need an unfill, they will do it right then and there, no extra charge. IF you feel comfy with the nearby fill dr, then by all means, go to him. Aftercare is very important for you and your band. Hope this helps a little...

Hi Joy, Ok..then you were on clear liquids from 10/23 to 10/29 (yes, you count the day of your surgery). Now you are on creamy soups from 10/30 to Nov 12 and day 22 you are on solids! Cool! Of you browse thru the Recipe section, you can see the Hearty Creamy soup recipes people have posted. Try them. Also, you do have a list of other things to eat from Dr. Miranda, right? What are you having so far?

Well, let me get to the first 1000 steps first. I am not sure how my 'daily work steps' are going to be. As I sit behind a computer all day long! But I have a half hr lunch and then after work hrs (I get off at 3pm) is when I put forth my efforts. GREAT idea Taz for suggesting this. This is a GREAT start for the newly banded! You got me sooo jazz about doing this and I HATE walking! So, yes, this is a big deal for me but I love the idea of challenges that thrives me on. So, I don't know if I love ya or hate ya at the moment! LOL I just know that this is a mean to get up and go and it's for my health and so on. See you on the walk path!

Taz...are you saying you did over 10,000 steps in ONE day? AMAZING!!! That is AWESOME! OK, so I called ahead to Rite Aid and ask about the OMRON HJ 105 Pedometer and they had just ONE left - what luck! I got there after work and was very surpirsed and happy at how little it was and not so bulky! That's a plus for me and it had a 'smoothe' surface as not to feel roughness against my skin when wearing it on the waistband of my slacks. Secondly, I just ordered my WalkFit insoles I saw on TV infomercial for the 'comfort' of my feet! Third, I am having my daughter put some music in my new iPod so I won't be so bored walking today. SO, I am on the road to success! Again, thanks Taz for this challenge that is going to make a huge difference in my band life!

Hi Joy! Congrats on your surgery! Now when was your surgery and did you go to OCC? I was banded on Oct 8, so I may be able to help you out here. WELCOME to Bandland!

HUGS, HUGS, HUGS! Thanks for this info. I've a Rite-Aid by my house and will check into it1 Thanks for this challenge!

OMG! INEED this challenge Taz! I would like to try to at least do the 5000 mark daily starting off as I hate to walk. I want to get one of those pedometer you mentioned. WHERE did you buy your Omron? Also, I got to get me a iPod so I can listen to music while doing this challenge. THANKS TAZ for challenge me ~ it's so hard for me to NOT pick up one!