I'm in Bandster Hell please advise me

[bobberts_mom]

Hello All Im 9 days out, and am so conflicted, I ate liquids fine for the first week, then started on mushies all went well, still cant tell what all these weird feelings are Hunger? Fullness? stuck food? Its so weird. heres my problem.....Mushies went so well I tried Tuna, that went great so I tried, hamburger, no problem, cooked veggies....etc you get the idea, asside from feeling as though I have a knot in my stomach ocasionaly I feel as though I can comfortably eat anything, last night a salad and chicken legs. and this is driving me crazy!
I have 2 to 4 weeks before a fill (I have a 10cc VG band) I'm seriously worried I won't have controll until then,as they say once you have taisted the wine......and......what if the first fill dosent do it:eek:
Any advice you can offre please do.:Cry:

[HeatherGurl]

I am not trying to be mean, but 9 days out and you are eating a hamburger??? Are you trying to hurt yourself?
I do not know your history and what not, but please stop what you are doing and follow the Dr.'s orders before you hurt yourself. Think about why you got the band and get back on track.
I seriously doubt it is ok with your Dr. for you to be eating all that stuff this soon.

[Neal R.]

I agree with Heather, This is a time for healing and like the old saying goes, just because you can, doesn't mean you should. At this point, you just need to deal with the hunger. Its hard and I won't lie to you and make it sound like its easy. You will be glad you did though. Most of us go through this stage and feeling of "What have I done and am I going to fail." It gets better, I promise. It may take several fills to get good restriction and when you do, you will loose. Hang in there, you can do this. :)

[ginabobina]

hi and welcome! What were your instructions on allowed foods and volume of food? I had 2 weeks of liquids post-op and I'm in the 2 week mushy stage now. Everything has to be pureed and moist - like chicken pureed with fat free gravy added for moistness. started at a couple teaspoons, working up and now at 1/2c. I know the instructions vary by doctor but from what i know, i would encourage you to be very careful about what you put in so you don't put too much stress on your new pouch. the less it is stretched, the less it will take to make you feel full. eat very very slowly too - so when you do feel fullness, you can stop before you get past full. for me my signal seems to be that my throat starts to feel a little tight.

hang in there and keep posting to let us know how you're doing!

[bobberts_mom]

I didnt eat a hamburger I ate a hamburger patty, the tuna was plain etc I know its all bad though I understand that, I just cant figure out the difrence between full and empty, it all feels so strange. I apreciate your good A** kicken though......

[Pamla]

Hello Bobberts_mom! Welcome to b2g. I can't think of a good way to explain the different food mmovments you are having, though I have found out that each of our doctors teach us differently, what to eat afterwards, and what is and is not appropriate. Just be gentle to your band, don't over exert the stomach, chew slowly and don't drink with your meals. The hardest part for me. I applaud you for the chicken legs, I had one bite sampling my children's dinner last Sunday and I promise you the band brought me to my knees! Never again! Keep the Doctors advice. Look around the b2g for food suggestions, recipes and recommendations. You will be glad you did!

[NotSoFunny]

Hello All Im 9 days out, and am so conflicted, I ate liquids fine for the first week, then started on mushies all went well, still cant tell what all these weird feelings are Hunger? Fullness? stuck food? Its so weird. heres my problem.....Mushies went so well I tried Tuna, that went great so I tried, hamburger, no problem, cooked veggies....etc you get the idea, asside from feeling as though I have a knot in my stomach ocasionaly I feel as though I can comfortably eat anything, last night a salad and chicken legs. and this is driving me crazy!
I have 2 to 4 weeks before a fill (I have a 10cc VG band) I'm seriously worried I won't have controll until then,as they say once you have taisted the wine......and......what if the first fill dosent do it:eek:
Any advice you can offre please do.:Cry:

First things off, calm down. You have a larger band like mine. It is going to take some time to fill it properly and get to the right restrictions. So you need to be patient.

Secondly, I agree. If you are on mushies, you need to stick to mushies. The fact that you have progressed just to "try it out" is absolutely a BAD thing. You can really hurt yourself. You are NOT healed and you can rip that band from its stiches and end up with a slipped band that might require more surgery. That is not something you want.

Go back to mushies, and follow your doc's required diet. Then once you are onto the solids diet you need to follow the bandster rules, even if you think you might not have restriction. Eraser sized bites. Fork down between bites. Eating for no more than 15-20 minutes. No drinking with your meal. Proteins first, and when those are done, if you have room still, then veggies.

The "knot" you feel could be that you are getting stuck. It could also very well be that you are pulling on those stiches that are holding your band in place. you are in dangerous territory here. Be very careful. and care for the band that you just went through so much trouble to have installed. then try to work with it. It WILL NOT do the work for you! You have to use it to help you to lose weight like a tool. A hammer doesn't nail things down all by itself. Its 75% our own strength that gets it done. The hammer just saves us from the pain of hitting the nail over and over with our bare hands.

Go back to mushies....slow it down....and do some more research about what stages certain foods should come in at.

[Shellster]

Hi Bobbert's mom.....all good advice above and I second it. Mushie foods really are that. Mushy foods...don't know what your doctor told you, but mine said soft foods that you can mush with a fork. Tuna...good....burger patty - bad! Try to keep it to stuff that is easily mashable with the fork like tuna salad...chicken salad....soft scrambled eggs (be careful with this - a lot of people have trouble with eggs), mashed/baked potatoe, green beans, soft veggies that have been cooked well and fruits that are mashable. Blend stuff up to make it more mushy. You can put just about anything in a magic bullet.

[bobberts_mom]

You are all right! I think I just convinced myself it was not going to be a problem...but truthfully it has, and I'm sick over it :sad:

Tonight I had a sensible mushie dinner LF Potato Garlic soup, had a sensible desert, SF popsicle and I'm satisfied! :sun_smiley:

I needed a A** Whoopin and I knew I'd get one here!

THANK YOU!

I hope Im not the only Idiot here....anyone elce screw up so soon?

[mizfish]

Good job with getting back on track! Funny Duddies was my life savior when I felt like i was hungry a few days out and just wanted to eat. Though I don't actually know what her voice sounds like, even today, when I thing about a bad decision, she is like and angel that sits on my shoulder saying "do you really want to explain that to the doc if you slip your band?????" Those were were not here exact words, but, they are what stick with me. I am ever so greatful for her and everyone else on this board! try to be good and follow your docs directions. this is definitely not the easy way out, you have to work your band or it will not work for you. Good luck, you are in my thoughts.:cheer2: (you can do it!)

[NotSoFunny]

hahahahaha mizfish...if you knew me in person, and spoke to my friends and family, they would laugh at the notion of me being the ANGEL in that situation. ha! I am usually the devil there. "come on, lets go do something wrong!"

But when it comes to the band...yeah. I am that really mean angel that will quickly knock you down and take away all your goodies. LOL but i do it with love. I would hate to see anyone slip their band, or pb so severely they swell and get dehydrated just because they tummy was growling.

I am glad you are back to mushies. And i would be honest with your doc and tell him what you did, so that he can tell you if you need to do mushies longer or go to liquids. I know that sounds bad, but you speaking about a pain when you eat is ever worse.

please take care.

[Goannabanda]

Hi Bobberts Mom, here's a bit more tough love for you. Hope it helps!

Now would be a good time to check in with your doctor and check what you should be drinking / eating, and stick with it!

Mushies at just a week out sounds a bit early - in my case it was 3 weeks liquids, and then 3 weeks mushies, and NO SOLIDS for at least 6 weeks post-op. It takes AT LEAST 6 weeks for scar tissue to form around the band's stitches to help hold it in place, and for your body to heal. Eating before this healing has had a chance to happen places you at serious risk of a slipped band, or worse. Even though you feel like you are hungry and can eat at this early stage, it doesn't mean that you should.

Whatever stage your doc says you should be at, be it liquids or mushies, it is really important for your wellbeing that you stick to the allowed texture of food. Ground meat and tuna were not classified as early-stage mushies by my dietician & doctor. I was told they were transition foods - for the later 10 days to week of mushies as you progress back to more solid foods.

If you are on liquids or mushies and are hungry, top up your allowed diet with protein and fibre - things like museli, wheatgerm, yoghurt, low fat sour cream etc blended into drinks or mushies. Adding protein, and trying to avoid sugary foods during these stages should help enourmously with managing hunger until you can eat a more normal diet again.

Good luck! You can do it!

[Natural-1]

Hi Bobberts Mom, I have the VG band as well so get ready for at least 3/4 fills before you feel a good deal of restriction. I won't offer any advice on the stages of food because you've gotten enough already but I will say allow yourself this time to heal, it's important to your band.

Try to stick to the band rules as much as you can but we've all been were you are and with the VG band, it's even harder. You've gone through to much to get the band not to start out right so start trying to change your way of thinking. This is going to help you in the long run, remember you must first change the mind before you can change the body!

Congratulations on being banded!

[kebsa]

Hey Funny, i love you analogy of the hammer as a tool vs the band- its a great way to explain it!

Bobberts Mom, I am glad you have gotten the A** kickin you were lookin for and were not upset by the concern that my fellow bandsters showed- I am even more glad that you are back on track! the first few weeks to even months can be tough as you initially have no restriction at all from the band and yet are on the very restricted diet- all this combined with wanting and expecting progress NOW! it can be a really tough time hence the phrase bandster hell but it does pass and will improve as you are allowed to have more solid food- don't be surporised though if you have a larger band that even with solids you battle with the same thoughts for a while too as it can take more than one fill to even start getting restriction. something that can lead to considerable frsutration. Good ole will power is still needed at times in the early days to protect your band until it has a chance to really get working for you