32 replies to this topic

[Jomal]

Hi All,

I was banded 6/2/12 & my surgeon's advice was week 1 liquid, week 2 mush.

I've had some fill taken out this week because of discomfort in my chest & over the past 2 days, have noticed my appetite has returned with a vengeance!

Had a family dinner tonight where I was able to eat 1 piece of roast pork, ½ a boiled potato, some lentil salad & cucumber. I chew chew chewed everything so much that it was mushy in my mouth but am now worried that I have started on solids too early….

I feel like I’m listening to my body – but maybe my body is listening to old habits?

Thoughts?

[Eoralin]

If you haven't youn't followed the directions given to you, what do you think?

Sorry to state the obvious : /

[Gato]

the main reason for staying away from solid foods is to reduce the chance of band slippage. Statistically, the best results came from people staying on liquids/mushies for six weeks, but surgeons tend to cut it back because people don't generally comply with staying off solid food for six weeks.

Were your instructions for one week of liquids and then two weeks of mushies, or one week of each (which seems very short).

Either way, you've gone onto solid food in less than two weeks, so you're increasing your chances of a slipped band requiring more surgery. Its a numbers game. It doesnt mean you will get a slipped band, it just increases your chances.

I doubt you can 'listen to your body' on this one, since bodies don't have much experience of having a lapband in evolutionary terms. Best to follow your surgeon's advice instead. And it might be worth checking whether its one week of mushies or two. Also whether after that time they suggest a gradual introduction of 'normal' food, or whether its ok to just go straight onto solid foods like you're choosing.

And yes you'll be hungry because you don't have much fill yet, but you've had surgery, so the idea is to satisfy the hunger with mushie food and soups etc.

[jacquij]

Hey Jomal,

I was banded on the same day as you. My surgeon has me on 3 weeks of liquids, then 1 week pureed food, 1 week miced food then 1 week of soft food before going back to normal food. I have no fill in my band, but i am not feeling hungry.

I would be terrified to try to eat normal food yet, going against dr's orders. I want the best result possible both in terms of healing and weight loss.

Rules are there for a reason, i went through all that physical and more so emotional turmoil making the decision then having the surgery, not going to take any chances.

Please follow your dr's instructions.

Jacqui x

[Jomal]

Thanks everyone. Such variance in instructions!

My surgeon's advice was week 1 liquid, week 2 mushy, week 3 solids. His notes say at the end of week 2 to start making the textures less mush & more solid - which made sense to me - to make the transistion gradual rather than instantaneous. But I am concerned I'd progressed too quickly - I think I will call the clinic tomorrow & get some advice.

Thanks again!

[buckets3eyedfish]

Jomal - 3 weeks before solids were your instructions - this would mean you are not to have solids until the 27th FEB and not last night !! I know it is hard but you need to look at the big picture and let your body heal. If you must have 'solid food' then blend it up to baby food consistency.

There should have been no reason for you to get any fill out if you had followed the 1 week liquid and 2 weeks mushy. All in good time my dear - you will soon be eating normal food again..

I might add that it is normal to have chest pain for a few weeks after and as for your hunger returning this is normal around the week 3-4 mark.


I strongly suggest that you go back to liquids for a day or so then stick to baby food consistency for the next few days and then try again. ON THE 27th !!.

[Jomal]

I've just checked my surgeon's notes & it says to do week 1 liquid (done) week 2 mush, with a progression at the end of the week to more solid food, & then by week 3, to be on solid's - so tomorrow is the start of week 3. He doesn't say to wait 3wks before starting solids. In fact in terms of week 2 he says (talking about weetbix) "By the end of the week you should be adding less milk & making it more like a solid meal".

The dr at the clinic said the chest pain was normal if there was too much fill for the post-op period. I had 4.5mls in a 10mls band, he took out .8mls & since then, the tightness at the back of my throat has stopped. I saw a dr yesterday who said given my interest in food has increased, I prob need some more fill, but I've got a lot of pain around the port so she didn't want to aggravate that.

Thanks buckets3eyedfish, appreciate the advice/support. I think I'm confusing myself with the fact so many different surgeons recommend different things!

[buckets3eyedfish]

seriously..... do you really think you should be starting solids on the start of week 3.. do yourself and your band a favour and wait till the end of week 3 - the 27th.. you have spent a lot of $$ and would hate for you to fark it all up because you could not wait !!

just my 2 cents worth

[*pj25*]

Wow, I am not liking the "tone" here to poor Jomal! If she wanted to be lectured I am sure she has parents for that! Jomal, I was STARVING right away, I didn't have any fill in my band until five weeks after. I tried creative things like blending pizza (so gross!) and was just desperate for a nice piece of chicken.
I myself did eat solids early but was extremely careful to chew them right down to mush and swallow a tiny bit. I wouldn't recommend but I did speak to my doctor and he was ok with what I was doing. I would advise you speak to yours also.
Until my band was filled to my sweet spot I was starving for the first few months of having the band.
Good luck!

[Jomal]

Thanks pj25! I was wondering if I was imagining the tone or not!! Had actually decided not to respond because I was getting upset & am sure everyone had good intentions to give answers/advice to my question.

I'm taking confidence from the fact the surgeon who did my procedure was Prof O'Brien who was one the lapband's originators & has been involved in its design from 1991 - his notes are clear, you can start solids from week 3. So far I haven't had any PB's & I'm chewing everything to a mush state.

I guess if you don't want to hear people's opinions, you shouldn't ask for them!

[buckets3eyedfish]

sorry you were getting upset at the 'tone' Jomal... I would have thought you would prefer to hear the truth as opposed to powder puffing it...


chin up love - i am sure no damage has been done - just take it nice and slow

[Shiraz]

This is making for very interesting reading. All surgeons seem to have different views rather glad mines 2 weeks liquid 2 weeks mushy Mmmmmm vitamised pizza ? Didn't we do this to loose weight .

[Kiwivic]

Hiya Jomal,

You must have been reading my mind as you've asked the question I wanted to. I think we were banded by the same person (prof O'Brien?) and I have been given the same guidelines as you. Amazing how the recommendations vary so widely aye?. I put a call into the office on fri just to check if I was drinking too much (im still in week one) and they were so helpful. I'm sure they'll sort you out with this curly ? as well, but from the guidelines the prof gave me, sounds like your following his advice to the letter?

Have confidence that they are learning new stuff about how the band behaves all the time and he is at the top of his field here. he was saying that one of the reasons they have revised the not drinking with meals rule was that they initially thought fluid would just push food through more easily, but they now know this isn't the case. So perhaps this faster transition is another new development?

Cheers to all

Vic

[Junior]

Jomal, on 19 February 2012 - 08:00 PM, said:

Thanks pj25! I was wondering if I was imagining the tone or not!! Had actually decided not to respond because I was getting upset & am sure everyone had good intentions to give answers/advice to my question.

I'm taking confidence from the fact the surgeon who did my procedure was Prof O'Brien who was one the lapband's originators & has been involved in its design from 1991 - his notes are clear, you can start solids from week 3. So far I haven't had any PB's & I'm chewing everything to a mush state.

I guess if you don't want to hear people's opinions, you shouldn't ask for them!

That's interesting - because I was banded by Stewart Skinner from the same clinic and my instructions were liquids for 1 week, mushies for 2 weeks, then solid food.

BTW I also thought the tone here was a bit... well... unnecessary.

[*Elly*]

Hi Jomal

You have copped a bit of a beating! My surgeon's instructions were exactly the same as yours. I was banded by Mr Stephen Blamey who works in the same clinic as Professor O'Brien. I just took it easy when transferring to solids, making sure that what I ate was chewed well and kept the volume down.

Like you, I was starving too!

[Gato]

buckets3eyedfish, on 19 February 2012 - 05:49 PM, said:

Jomal - 3 weeks before solids were your instructions - this would mean you are not to have solids until the 27th FEB and not last night !!

Buckets, I think you did what I did when I first read the post and read it as 1 week of liquids and then 2 of weeks mushies - but that's not what was written here and not what the surgeon's instructions say. Its one week of each apparently. So solids could be started on 21st Feb (next Tuesday) as she was banded on the 6th Feb. So she's started solids early, but not as early as you (and I) first calculated.

Mind you, Im still surprised its such a short time before solids!

[Jomal]

Thanks everyone for your input. I think these posts really highlight the differences in surgeon's advice & perhaps the downside of getting too many opinions?

Thanks all.

[buckets3eyedfish]

Can you guys let me know where you can get a computer that gives you the sound of somebodies 'tone' as they type..

As Gato made me aware of the way it read (and yes my fault I should learn to read ) was one week liquid and 2 mushie..and not the more accepted 7-14 liquid and 14 mush.

Like I said in an earlier post I do apologise to Jomal.. so no need to harp on about this 'tone' or 'beating' we all know I f*cked up and could not read correctly. Having said that even if I had read it right, I still would have said that you are starting solids too early

have a great day

[*Elly*]

There is no need for a special "tone" sound/button...as you just did it again!

People ask for advice, not to be preached at.

[jacquij]

Jomal,

I hope my post did not come across as harsh, you were worried that you had started solids too early. All I really meant was that you should just stick to your dr's rules. If you have done that, then you should not have to worry.

So many dr's have different rules, don't worry about any other 'rules' but your own.

I don't think anyone here meant to be 'bashing', just worried for you, and unfortunately there is no 'tone' on a comp screen so things can be taken the wrong way.

It is a stressfull time for all of us newly post-op people, and I know that we all want to do the right thing.

Jacqui x