Having surgery next month

One thing my doctor forgot to tell me is how long you are on a clear liquid diet and what comes after that. Any information appreciated. Thank you

Barbara, Congrats on getting a surgery date! I was on a full liquid diet for the first week, then I went to the puree stage. I tried the puree stage for about a week, talked to my support group, and was told to just skip that phase and go to the mechanical soft diet. I still eat the same foods that I'm suppossed to for the puree stage, but I just chew it well enough that it's "puree" b/4 I swallow. Each stage after the liquid is a month long. My stages are: liquid (1 week), puree, mechanical soft, soft, and then return to a fairly "regular" diet. Good luck to you and I pray for a quick recovery! Crystal

Hi there, I had my VBG w Dr. Harberg in Houston. Who are you going with? As far as the diet plan after surgery, it really is no big deal, you do not FEEL like eating much anyway, and you want to do the liquids so all can heal inside of you b4 you put FOOD in there! Keep me posted! Good luck Lisa V VBG Dr. Harberg Houston TX 290/194/135

I am 4 days post banding and doing just great. I did clear liquids for only two days, then went to full liquids, which i am supposed to be on for about 2 weeks. As a former surgical floor nurse, I know that it is important not to advance your diet until things get moving. I knew I was ready to advance to full liquids cuz I was passing gas and having BMs. If you eat too soon, you can wind up with major trapped gas problems, so watch for the signs it's ok to advance diet. After 2 weeks I'm supposed to advance to mushy foods (foods you could eat if you had no teeth). After 4 weeks, supposed to be able to go to regular solid foods, but stick with softer solids. From seeing the different posts on various web sites, it seems it varies from doctor to doctor. I'm just glad I don't have to live on protein shakes like some people I've heard of. After too many previous liquid protein diets, they totally gag me! Good luck on your surgery. Does your doctor have you do any kind of bowel prep or clear liquids to clean out your system before surgery?