Papillon Princess

The surgery can throw your body off along with not taking your bc. I'm on seasonique (i have my TOM every 3 months) and I started 3 weeks early right after the surgery. But during the actual time I was supposed to have it, didn't at all. Yes, this is normal...your cycle may be a little irregular over the next few months even because of the hormonal changes as well. I was told to be extra careful about pregnancy during this time because bc may not be enough with the changes going on.

I felt an odd sensation as well and it does go away. I think right now it's due to the swelling and possibly still the gases. I'm 6 weeks post op tomorrow and don't feel any of that anymore. Give it another few days to a week and I'm sure you'll start feeling better.

Border collies (typically) will pick up things very quickly. Hounds are usually a bit stubborn and typically it makes them come off as being a bit slow. Papillon's are also very bright dogs! My little guy takes 10-15 minutes to consistently pick up any command and that's since the day I brought him home at 9.5 weeks old.

Dogs are definitely the best exercise buddies! They just love to be with you and don't care what time it is either.

I'm 4 weeks + 1 day post op and just had my first fill today. As far as the steri strips, they're supposed to fall off. My nurse had me keep putting them on for a month though, she said it will make the scar look "prettier" since the skin won't stretch as much if you keep it pulled together. I had 2 areas on each end that were still open like little circles. I think it's just due to the way the skin stretches and pulls back together. My scar isn't looking too bad so far though!

I just had my first fill tonight and dr said not liquids, just eat as you can tolerate.

Wow, that advice seems really odd...my dr has a contract that I had to sign stating I understood I was going through a gastric banding procedure and that if any hernia was found, I would authorize any hernia repair. I had a large hiatal hernia he found during the surgery and repaired. So that just seems crazy. Is he possibly really into the gastric bypass procedure and believes you may do better with it? I would personally go for a second opinion. (I'm 4 weeks and 1 day post op also...so this is still all fresh in my mind. Had my first fill today and dr said I'm looking great.)

Glad to see another rider on here! I'll be 4 wks post op tomorrow. I'm feeling pretty decent and hoping to take a short ride this coming weekend. Luckily it's been really hot, humid and rainy so hopefully they're ugly days you wouldn't ride anyways. I also had a hernia repair which dr said contributed to my needed healing time. So you may be out there sooner than you think. I prefer the spring and fall weather riding anyway. I put the bike away December-february.

Deleted - double post, oops!

You're fine, the yellow is actually where the skin is healing and closing up. If it was *****, swollen, or hot, then I'd be a little concerned. That looks a lot like mine did (I also worked in nursing for a few years, so I've seen a few incisions...). As the skin comes together, it's going to slowly bind and that's what is causing the yellowish part which is basically going to be the scab. To help with the healing and pulling apart, you may want to get some "butterfly" bandages or steri strips to keep the incision together.

This depends on your body shape and it's all about how you're built. My pant sizes have gone down from a 26 to a 22 over the first 20 lbs. My shirt has gone from a 26/28 to a 22/24. I think I'm ready for a 20 over the last 10-15 lbs I've lost though. I'm your height, 5'7 and now 237ish.

Hi Melissa, I will be 4 weeks post op tomorrow, I'm 23 y/o and also had a large hiatal hernia repair. I have 5 incisions with 4 of them being very small and 1 being about 3-4 inches. I totally know how you feel! I felt HORRIBLE for the first 2 weeks, felt pretty crappy during week 3 but around day 18 I woke up feeling pretty good! It WILL get better. I did not have a regretful day but I did have a few days I just wanted to sleep away. Get lots of rest and don't sit or lay for too long. Take little walks when possible and this will help. The weakness is normal after any type of major surgery and also the lack of calories and nutrients. I went back to work after 2 weeks and that 3rd week was very rough. I know it may seem like it'll never get better, but it does! I'm starting back to the gym tonight and have my first fill Wednesday. If you need anything, feel free to contact me on here. You'll get through this and it will be worth it.

I had 2 protein shakes a day and one small high protein meal. (4 oz of lean meat) It was alright after day 4, my body was finally getting used to it and I wasn't having such horrid cravings or hunger pains.

Yes they're in the baking section with the other extracts (where you find the vanilla flavoring) I'm not sure about the brand you're referring to but I think most extracts taste the same. I bought the raspberry lemonade crystal light and that's really yummy! (They gave that to me at the hospital so I got some after I came home too). I'm sure the cherry would be great in it for a little extra burst of flavor! Mmmm making me thirsty! But I just ate, still have another 45 minutes till liquids again haha.

Labs are amazing dogs! I grew up with labs (we bred labs, so I'm quite familiar with them). The yellow labs are gorgeous, but we always had chocolate labs. Did you have a lot of chewing problems with them when they were puppies? We sure did until they were all about 2 years old, then they finally stopped! Our girls all lived into their mid teens and were quite active and healthy until their last few months. I sure do miss them.

Yes they are the best and bring so much joy to my life! I have a papillon and he is what many consider a "therapy dog" ...he's not technically a therapy dog because we don't work with a medical professional. They call them "activity assistance dogs"...he is so wonderful at it too. He LOVES people (young and old), very intelligent and loves to do tricks so people enjoy that. I'm no longer in the medical field but enjoy visiting people who are sick and being able to bring a smile to their face with him. Yes I do have a papillon, they are the smartest dog I've EVER met! It's amazing how responsive they are and how fast they pick up commands. He's such a happy, outgoing little guy too. A beagle dachsund mix...yeah I wouldn't think that would be too bright of a dog. The doxie's are known to be pretty stubborn and beagles typically aren't too bright. Both follow their noses more than their ears. The beagles are typically very sweet and doxies can be sweet but have the independent streak. So I can just imagine what she's like! My parents have 2 golden retrievers...and unfortunately they're not like the normal golden - they're stubborn, crazy and don't like to do anything you ask them to do. But they're a BEAUTIFUL example of a golden and very sweet like the goldens. If you have any pix of the beagle/doxie, I'd love to see! I usually think the doxie mixes are very cute, I've considered getting one in the future but not sure if I want a stubborn natured dog. (I'm sure I could work with them, but after having a pap make life so easy, it might be pretty frustrating!)

Kitty, No problem, if you have questions, feel free to private message me as well if you'd like. Any advice on here should be run by your dr or NUT to find out what they would like you to do since everyone has different ideas on what works best. I've read a lot of people on here use sweet & low without a problem, my NUT said it was fine as long as we weren't using sugar. If you like any flavored teas, all of crystal light's teas are great! They have a peach tea, a red tea, etc and they're all very good. Full size blenders are just obnoxious unless you're having a margarita party! LoL I don't know how people use those or have room on their counters for them. I think BB&B would have more options for snow cone machines and if you get one of those 20% off coupons in the mail, even better! The chewable fiber really isn't that bad, it does stick in my teeth a little bit, but swishing with a little Water takes care of it. A person above recommended using the dissolvable fiber, I personally can't go that way! I'd rather chew it and get it done with. I don't take a calcium supplement, I'm on a bariatric Vitamin for lap band patients and my dr said if you take a high quality vitamin, you won't have to worry about additional supplements. He also does regular blood tests to make sure the levels are acceptable. Multi Vitamins this is heavily debated on here! A lot of people on here talk about taking kids chewables and adult gummies etc. If you compare the amount of nutrients with vitamins that are made for a bariatric patient, you will see that they are really lacking in some areas! My Dr is very against just using kids vitamins and the gummies but does not require that you buy vitamins from him. I go through bariatric choice for my vitamins, they have some great prices and lots of flavors and options. The dissolving Tylenol tabs should be fine! Just use the recommended amount of acetaminophen for adults on an adult package. I'm not sure of the strength difference, I just thought the liquid was slightly cheaper (had more per bottle than the package of dissolvable). I had read so much on here about people having issues with swallowing and recommending the liquid, but now I'm just using it to get rid of it. I can swallow pills just fine. The dr had me on 500 mg vicodin tabs and I'd just break them in half and I took them just fine. So if you can swallow pills after and you prefer pills, go for it! My Dr. let me go back to meds as regular the night of surgery (none were liquid or chewable, except my fiber). If you decide to just try swallowing the pills and they seem too big, break them in half or 4ths and you should be fine with 1 at a time.

Thank you for at least recognizing I meant that in a good way...reading things online, you can't always understand exactly how a person means it. Which may be why I came off the way I did and interpreted her post the way I did. Thanks for letting me know about the long haired shepards - I've never been around shepards and didn't even know there was a difference with long haired vs short haired. I definitely understand the dog being loved by you whether it's "valued" in the show ring, by top breeders or just an "oddball". Papillon's that are shown are usually chosen at 6-9 months because they can change drastically! It's about impossible to find a show prospect in a puppy. I personally didn't care whether my little guy was show quality, just as long as he was a good example of the breed (temperament & some physical qualities). There are major differences between a papillon & gsd for sure, paps are not as well known as the gsd's and I'd say it's probably easier to find a gsd, so price would most likely be lower. As far as pets just coming along...that's why we have 6 cats, we didn't go out and choose them, they chose us! So I wasn't judging you for having a coworker that just happened to have a dog that worked out perfectly for you. I think it's great that you were available to provide a loving home for her. We have a dog park here that I take all 3 of my dogs to and they love it! Let us know when you have pix, I'd love to see

Haha wow...that was not to be offensive. Glad you took it so well... First off, I did NOT say you were an irresponsible pet owner, I simply went off the information you stated. I have bred dogs, helped in shelters and training programs which is why I react the way I do. I assumed you were saying that you are just wanting someone to hand you a dog for free and not realizing that dogs truly aren't free. Some people don't think of the costs beyond buying the dog (I don't know you, so I took a moment to say my part and hoped that IF you were a dog lover, like myself, you would understand my concern with people making statements like that).

I am a new bandster but I think I can help I think it is absolutely reasonable to lose 25-30 lbs in the next 4 months. Start with a food journal and record exactly what you eat daily and focus on your Proteins and definitely go low carb. I am 3 weeks post op today and I've lost 21 lbs since my surgery (i lost 13 lbs during the pre op diet). I try to walk at least a half hour a day (I can't wait to get back to the gym and start to push myself more!) I eat about 1000 calories a day. Writing down everything will hold you accountable and will help a lot with making you realize what you are eating. You can expect to lose 1-2 lbs a week (2 lbs a week for 16 weeks is 32 lbs...so I think that is pretty reasonable to have a goal at 25 and hope to lose a little more if possible!). Breakfast - 2 scrambled eggs with shredded cheese lunch - Protein shake (At least 24g protein) 100-150 calories dinner - lean chicken breast, veggie burger (without the bun)...any lean meat about 4 oz. Add a veggie if you're still really hungry or cottage cheese. I add a little shredded cheese to each meat and LOVE a little side of cottage cheese. I'm not supposed to snack - unless it's Jello or SF popsicles...so I don't have too many choices on that. My dr doesn't allow milk or any drinks with more than 10 calories. I can drink crystal light all day if I want, but look at your drinks and make sure you're not just drinking your calories. Everyone's nut may do things a little different, so go through some ideas and see what works best for you. This is working well for me so I plan on sticking to it.

I'm sorry but cheap or free dogs are not something to look for. Dogs take a lot of money to care for and if you can't pay for the dog, you might want to reconsider getting one (things come up...annual vet visits are normal but anything can happen and I'm sure you'd want to be able to pay to keep your dog happy and healthy). With that said, if you're looking for a purebred shepard that is not the price a major breeder would charge - consider looking at AKC's website and you'll find rescue groups for purebred dogs. Search anywhere online and I'm sure you can find a shepard rescue group. Rescues will charge a fee based on the dog (the more adoptable, the higher the price...so a german shepard puppy in good health could go from $300-500), a young adult might be closer to $150-300 and a sickly dog or a senior dog is likely to be free or cheap. If you are serious about that breed, I highly recommend looking into the rescues that focus on the breed you like and I'm sure you can find one that really needs a good home. (Sorry if that seemed like a lecture...I'm a major advocate for responsible pet ownership and feel some people don't realize what a responsibility a dog is. If you have any questions or want help in finding more information, I'd be more than happy to try and help)

That's a great letter! I hit a lot of those points when telling my friends and family. Mine was pretty much just "shutup until I finish, then you can ask questions...no objections until I'm done educating you though!". I had a few looks like "OMG...you're going to do what?" and faces slowly started to change as I explained more about it and how it worked. By the end, they were congratulating me on taking this step and backing me up 110%! I think it's important that they truly understand how it works and don't assume it's such a terrible thing or the easy way out.

Hi Kitty, Glad I can help (I do tend to have quite an opinion and do tend to lean towards my dr being one of the best...so take my advice as you'd like to. I don't mean it in a bad way or mean that you're wrong and I'm right! Everyone is different in what works for them. A few things...you said you got creamsicles and fudgesicles – check with your nutritionist on when and if you’re allowed to have these (even though they’re SF) they’re not a clear liquid, you would need to be on full liquids. Creamsicles and fudgesicles are also quite a bit higher in calories than SF popsicles. (Just a thought…it’s still up to you though). As far as the syrups, walmart and bed bath & beyond have sugar free snow cone mixes that are good in the blenders. (If you want a snowcone machine, go for it! I personally love my magic bullet and I can use it for lots of other stuff too!) I LOVE iced tea as well! I drink mine with truvia and it is so good! The truvia is quite sweet, so generally you won’t need as much as if you were using actual sugar. It is a little pricy but when you see how much you’ll actually use, it’s not too bad. Also if you didn’t know, crystal light has some REALLY yummy iced tea flavors (the regular is 99% decaf and the decaf is 99.9% decaf – so not much difference, regular should be okay). I love the lemon decaf iced tea by crystal light, it’s so good! Any type of stevia should be okay to try, but I do love truvia so I haven’t tried any others at this time. J The chewable Fiber is pretty good (IMO) I buy fiber choice (I’ve had 2 flavors – the orange is very good and there is also one for weight management and it’s strawberry flavored) Both of them are good. Amazon has some great deals on fiber choice if you find one you like. I get my Vitamins through Bariatric Choice, they have great prices and quite a variety of items. The liquid Tylenol isn’t that bad, they don’t have an “adult” option, just get the children’s Tylenol and calculate the dose of acetaminophen that you’ll need. I think I take 4-6 tsp of the children’s Tylenol (double check on my math for that…I use a pre measured thing and figured it out the other day). The bubble gum isn’t too bad.

Loly, You mentioned you're drinking milkshakes...I'm not trying to give medical advice but I hope your dr told you that you probably shouldn't be drinking milkshakes. High calorie drinks get right past the band and defeat the purpose. The Protein in the milkshakes does not even come close to outweighing the calories. I personally am not allowed any milk products (aside from fat free cottage cheese and some cheese added to my meat). If you are allowed milk products, I still wouldn't suggest a milkshake. If you want something of that consistency, try using your Protein powder with skim milk and some ice cubes. This will give a similar consistency to a milkshake. I'm not trying to be rude with this, but hoping that you have as much success as possible! Try not to drink your calories away.