So... I'm constantly reading around on the forums for support encouragement, inspiration and experiences. Lately I've come across so many angry and negative experiences and comments that I have to admit I actually lost some sleep. Hek... I even called the doc and was about to ask for another fill without weighing in to check results on my first fill. I know we are all individuals with different results. Even extremely varying results, but it seems a lot of posts blasting the lap-band don't really tell the full story. What did these people eat? Was there any other medical conditions? And if it truly did not work I don't believe it was the lapbands fault. Sometimes things are beyond our control. Sometimes things are written down in detail right under our nose and we choose to ignore them so we don't step out of our comfort zone. I have also read many post about people giving up on the band and getting gastric bypass. This is extremely shocking to me. My brother had gastric bypass 10 years ago after stepping on a freight scale that read 590 lbs. I have watched him go though hell, still over eat, need supplements for all vitamins and minerals (because with gb you only absorb
I had my surgery on December 23, 2011 in a Hospital and was discharged about 4 hours later. I had done a lot of research online and asked a lot of questions of the doctors and other post op patients. The things that surprised me the most were:
#1 - the SHOULDER PAIN! Oh that lovely shoulder pain, caused by the gas that fills your belly during surgery that puts pressure on the diaphram. It was unbearable at the time but went away after two days or so. Gas X meltaway strips were my best friend and still on standby.
#2 - instestinal cramps! Surgery in your digestive system can cause peristalsis to stop completely, it happened to me, I found out four days later when it started again and the stomach cramps were like a twisting knife, thankfully it only lasted til I got to the bathroom and about 20 minutes later.
But now I'm down 22 pounds and juicy as ever, "how you doin?"
Once again this blog represents my experiences and I hope it helps. Thanks to my family... Dr Sal.. And God!
This is my first blog so I hope I'm doing this right. My name is Sandra and I'm a married mom of two wonderful boys. I was banded on December 23, 2011 and lost 20 ppounds in the first two weeks. In the second two weeks not so much... I gained 1 pound. So, today was my first fill and it was a lot easier than I expected. The Doc asked me to lay on my back. He found my port and numbed me a bit then filled me up. He then had me sit up and sip water until I could feel it in my throat.then he removed some fluid from my band until the water moved down smoothly. I sat in the loby until I could comfortably drink a half bottle of water. Then I left for home. Awesome. I feel great. If this helps anyone else then my time is well worth it. Thanks to my family... Dr Sal... And thanks be to God.
So sue me... I'm human. I make mistakes... Lots of them. I love to eat not because I'm hungry or because I'm a super human crime fighter and I need extra sustanance but just because, well, food is yummy. I've known this all along but not so much as after I got banded. Two or three days after surgery I was walking through my kitchen on my way to the laundry room and found myself face to face with a plate full of my delicious lemon Garlic chicken smothered in olive oil. So what did I do in this period of clear liquid diet????? Naturally without thinking I picked up a half of boneless chicken breast and just "plopped" it in my mouth. Chewed it a couple of times... Calmly walked over to the trash and spit it all out. Then I brushed my teeth and rinsed with Listerine... Looked in the mirror and forgave myself. What else can I do? I'm human. We're all human. So when you haVe a whoopsie moment. Don't beat yourself up... Forgive yourself and start fresh. You deserve it. Thanks for reading. Thanks to my family... Thank God and Dr Sal.
I recently changed insurance coverages and since my new insurance does not allow out of network providers, I decided to leave my beloved surgeon and try a new doctor.
My new doctor is affiliated with the hospital at which I work and comes highly recommended.
... So i go in to my first visit with my new doc and as he is feeling around for my port... he says "your port is floating around in your abdomen... and it seems to be almost flipped"
HUBBA WHUH ?!!!!!?!!!!!
Furthermore, he told me that I was only full 3ccs not 5.7cc as my old doc had told me.
I had a feeling something was up, although I am in no pain and the doc says we dont really need to do anything as long as he can manage the port with his hands. I still had this weird discouraging feeling the last few months.
So i move on with my new doc who I have the utmost confidence in.
Everything happens for a reason and I will go with the flow.