Clynn

Why are you waiting 2 hours after eating before drinking? 40 minutes to 1 hour is the recommended time. Also, I have not heard of the no drinking 30 minutes prior to eating thing. If you take a bottle of water and turn it upside down, it will empty quickly. That's how quick water is going through your empty stomach. I often drink right before eating to be sure I won't be miserable afterwards. At three meals a day, the time you are not drinking is half your waking day. This and your other post indicate to me you are dehydrating yourself. Try drinking some Gatorade G2, which has electrolytes and vitamins and is designed to help keep your hydrated. Cut way back on the time you're not allowing yourself to drink and sip sip sip constantly when you can drink. It may take a couple of days for things to settle back down.

When I was at the point you are I was more concerned with how I was feeling than what the scale said. So then, how do you feel? Do you feel sluggish, tired, and lacking energy? If so, take in some more calories and proteins. The scale reading will be chaotic and an unreliable indicator of how you're doing until you get back on solids. Now that I've been banded awhile I feel that my mind has adjusted as well. It's kind of difficult to explain but I'll give it a try. I just subconsciously go through life and a banded person. I don't need to count how many times I chew, I just chew and my mind is trained to know when it is enough. Foods like bread and pasta which cause problems are distasteful to me and hold no appeal anymore. Sometimes I look fondly on the memory of it being pleasurable, but it's kind of like looking at your childhood. I have fond memories of playing with toys, but I'm not going to start spending my free time playing with plastic dinosaurs and horses (curse your sudden but inevitable betrayal!). Right now my band's pretty loose so getting enough calories is not a problem, but when I have proper restriction it is something I have to watch out for. I don't count calories but if I start feeling down or sluggish I look back at what I've eaten over the last couple of days. Oftentimes I find I haven't eaten enough greens or protein, so I seek that out in my next meal and feel better. There's probably a better way to do that but I'm far too lazy.

Really? I think you're hearing from them more than you realize.

Can't really think of anything I wish I knew before, other than everything would be ok and I didn't have to spend so much time worrying. There's so much information out there from doctor's instructions and tips, to patients narratives about what happened to them, to support groups where everyone talks about their experiences openly. If you're willing to do the legwork you'll find what you're looking for. bTw, watching the commercials is NOT research. Just sayin' No regrets, other than I didn't do it sooner, but I guess that's one of those things that builds character.

Sounds like you may have pulled on a stitch. If there's no bruising or swelling around the area it'll probably heal by itself but you should still run that by OCC just to be sure.

You're probably still swollen or some other aspect of your anatomy gives you more restriction than your friends. You'll have to be more careful about what you eat but on the bright side, the band will be working harder for you. Put stuff in the blender until it is the consistency of milk rather than trying to chew it or mash it. You'll have an easier time of things and it's allowed under the post-op diet.

Different doctors have different post-op diet instructions. The author's doctor may have ok'd those recipes but you are right to default to your doctor's instructions.

You were banded scarcely a week ago. Don't pay attention to what the scale says just worry about healing. Be sure to work on getting enough protein and nutrients instead.

Just be gentle when washing the area. Shampoo and soap won't be spending much time hanging around.

I have a beagle mix and a black lab . . . and two kitties, and a bunny, and a fish. The beagle is the one who's getting her teeth cleaned. Check out MY babies-

I got a fill without floro. I was fine for a few days but then I just started getting tighter and tighter until I wasn't able to get solid food down. Not good. Went back and got the unfill. Before I'd even gotten up off the table I felt IMMENSELY better, though it was about three days before I felt 100% again. Just part of the gamble when getting a blind fill and why you need to be super aware of what's going on in there for a bit afterwards. Now I've got very little restriction and just trying to hold steady until I can get re-filled. I'd have gone in already but my little doggy needs her teeth cleaned, and no one knows what that's going to cost until they get in there. Pet health insurance is looking mighty good right now.

Remember Phen-phen? Or Vioxx? The fact that something requires a prescription indicates it is generally unsafe and a doctor needs to evaluate whether or not the benefits outweigh the risks. I guess the lesson here for potential bandsters is to let the surgeons know early on what medicines you're taking and keep them appraised if something changes. Hopefully third time's a charm Lynne!

Depends on which hotel you're staying at. I've seen some scummy pools.

You're not weird. I just spent four days surrounded by people wearing corsets. I've never worn one, but whenever I wear pants that are tight I notice I have more restriction. I would imagine a corset has the same effect. I'd suggest taking it easy once you've healed up or right after a fill until you get an idea how much it affects your restriction. Once you've found your new comfort level you should be good to go.

I think they want you to stay out of pools for a couple of weeks because they tend not to be particularly sterile and they want to keep the human soup and chlorine out of the wounds.

So long as you do your best and have no other major health problems to complicate things, you're probably fine. Are you sure you're getting enough protein? I know shakes suck but be sure you're getting enough nutrients, otherwise your metabolism will just shut down and you won't lose an ounce. Just keep going and do what you can. This is one of those things were the effort involved can count as much as the results.

No problem there. But why stop at soups? Meat pudding, meatcicles, meat-fast shakes, meat-lollies . . . ok I kid but the first sentence was serious. The last week of the post-op diet I ofter blended stews and chili until it was the consistency of milk and had no problems.

OMG I'd totally do that if he wouldn't have a needle in his hand at the time

The number of fills you will get depends on what type of band you get and how much you have to lose to begin with. People with the larger VG band will need more fills. People who have more weight to lose will need more fills. People who (like me) have very little willpower will need more fills. The list goes on. I'm looking forward to getting another fill hopefully next month. I'd get it tomorrow if I had the money available but such is life.

Flipped ports do happen but the are not particularly common. They are also not an emergency situation so you don't have to rush anywhere in order to get it fixed. Getting your port fixed or even replaced is an outpatient procedure that OCC is capable of doing and will probably do for free or at a reduced charge if it wasn't because of something you did. They won't even put you to sleep, though you may want to turn your head depending on how squeamish you are. If I ever need my port repaired, I want to bring this with me because it will be impossible for me to freak out if this is in the room at the same time, though they may have to sedate me a bit to stop me laughing. http://www.amazon.com/Palisades-Toys-Distr...6847&sr=8-5 Anywho, I do recommend going to OCC for at least your first fill as they can have a look and make sure everything is hunky-dory in there. I went back for my first fill, but have gone to local doctors for subsequent fills.

Bread is always a no-no for me for exactly that reason. Ground beef can also be tricky at times. A hamburger from McDonald's? I look at those commercials and think barf city. Over time you'll learn what foods to avoid but unfortunately, the best way to learn that is trial and error. For breakfast I usually eat a bar called Fiber One. It has lots of fiber and protein in it and I find it quite tasty.

This is the most common complaint I hear and let me assure you it is totally normal not to lose any weight until you've had one or two fills. Your band is empty and not able to do any work right now. Just take it easy, eat healthy, and don't stress about it.

Actually, I walked into the OR, and then out again. No wheeling required.

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Which one of us are you asking?