Sunday, February 20, 2011

I'm Banded! -Post-op Report-

I'm 9 days post-op and overall I'm not feeling too bad! The surgery went well. Dr. Bobby, of Lite Life Surgery, Palms Springs, CA was at the helm. He said there were no problems and he even fixed a small hiatal hernia that I had. That might have contributed to some of my acid problems and pain in the past, so I'm hoping that having it fixed helps in the future


My mom took the Greyhound over from Tucson and was there a couple days before and a couple days after my surgery. My boyfriend, James took the day of my surgery off. They were both there helping me out. It was great to have them there even though I felt like crap after surgery and I had no patience for anybody. On top of all that, my first nurse, Egle (she had a German (?) accent), freaked out because I didn't bring my diet instructions with me... you know, the one that only consists of diet of ice chips. I handled myself well in the situation. I think the pain and the drugs helped me to step up to the plate and not take her crap. She was  good nurse, but she had no bedside manner. My favorite nurse was Mercedes, the little Filipino lady who took me on my walks throughout the night. She was great. We had some nice little chats


I went home on the full liquids and was happy with that. Clear liquids pre-op suuuuuucked. I've mostly been eating yogurts, soups, and liquid breakfast. Don't tell, but I may have had some mashed potatoes too. I get to start purees tomorrow. Any suggestions for good pureed foods? 


Also, anybody else experience any left shoulder pain? I had some sharp pains in my left shoulder and I read that it's common because of air and some nerve that travels between the diaphragm and the shoulder that gets irritated by the port. It seems like it had subsided a little (knock on wood) so I hope it's gone altogether soon.


Currently, I'm regretting trying to lie on my stomach in bed last night. It didn't hurt, but within about one minute I began to fear how it would end up feeling. So, I turned over and OUCH! Whoops. My little port was not happy and it continued to hurt today. I hope it settles down, because the pain makes me feel a little uneasy.


Any words of advice or any food tips would be great at this point! Also, I'm looking for others who are quite new to the process to share the experience with. Just make yourself known if you're out there!

12 comments:

  1. Congrats on making it to the other side. Are you on solids yet? :)

    Hope things are going well thus far. Keep us updated!

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  2. The shoulder pain is normal. It will go away, but sometimes it lasts a while.

    My fav mushies: refried beans with a bit of cheese and sour cream, greek yogurt, cottage cheese, mashed potatoes, apple sauce.

    You did it! Yeah!

    I was banded last February and have lost 108.4 lbs. Come by http://amandakiska.blogspot.com

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  4. Welcome to the otherside! I'm glad to hear your surgery went well and you seem to be on a smooth road to recovery. Marvelous! :)

    I had mashed potatoes too during my post-op liquid. As long as you chew, chew, chew before swallowing TINY bites, it worked! I never had pureed thankfully. Target has the best protein shakes, in my opinion. They don't taste or smell (at all) like the normal protein shakes, so I hit those up instead of pureed.

    Looking forward to following your journey! ♥

    Nikki
    girlbanded.blogspot.com

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  5. Hey, Migwest Meg sent me over... I am a fellow Band Geek... I was banded March 23rd, 2010... I look forward to following your journey. *Maria*-DiZneDiVa:"This one time at BAND Camp..." Follow my journey at mybigfatbandgeeklife.blogpost.com

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  6. Hiya!! Midwest Meg sent me over!! I was banded Dec. 13th 2010 so I am right at the 3 month mark! Looking forward to getting to know you! Ask me any questions and I'll give you the best advice I have! I loved refried beans after surgery. With a little sour cream and cheddar. Mozzarella cheese although lower in fat has harder in the begining for me due the stringy-ness. I made some fabulous soups too. A black bean one and tomato basil. I really didn't have to puree that much..but I was very careful to chew!!

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  7. Hi there! Came over via Meg. I was banded 1/10/11, so I am about 2 months in and 30 pounds down. Welcome to blog land!!! I am excited to read about your journey!

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  8. Hi! New follower hear! Congrats on the banding. Try to be patient at the beginning, but it gets better!! :)

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  9. Thank you all for the support and ideas! I ate a good amount of beans in the puree stage too! I pureed chili beans and made like a chicken chili puree soup with beans, canned chicken, chili powder, cumin and then of course the sour cream and cheese on top! That was probably my favorite. I'm about to post more about the days since then, so take a look at the new post...

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  10. Hello there. Good to see someone blogging right around the time I started. I was banded March 4th. I am on mushies but the dietician said that I can't start trying things slowing and at mid-day or night time. I can't wait to ready more and hoping you look me up too. I would love any advise, since you are right ahead of me. Thanks again for the inspiration

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