tigger7614

Hey everyone! So, I stepped away from the boards (because I was discouraged at my progress and feeling like I wasn't doing as well as everyone else was doing) but now I am back. I had my band "installed" on 11/22 and since then have lost 33.2 lbs. I had one fill on 12/9 and don't really feel anything from it. I did ok over the holidays, only because I was sick and didn't fix myself a plate, but rather stole my hubby's fork for 4 bites of food. That's all I could get in before he finished!!!!! My doc told me that he wanted me on protein shakes for 8 weeks POST-OP (not including the 4 weeks PRE-OP). When I saw him last week because I was sick, he said he wanted me to continue the protein shakes. At that point I decided that the reason I am not losing weight is because I am not eating enough, so I decided to start eating real food. I had a protein shake for breakfast, ham & Turkey slices and cheese for lunch and chicken with beans and tomatoes for dinner. Well, I also had 2 pieces of bread. And a bite of a brownie. Well, fast forward to 6:00 a.m. the next day and I was having the most intense pain I have ever felt. I'm not a "let's go to the hospital" type of gal, but this was so bad I asked my hubby to take me to the ER. Before we all got ready, the pain had passed. So, I'm guessing I was stuck. Like debWS, I am put off from bread, probably forever. Being stuck is something I NEVER want to experience again....so if that means I have to stick with softer foods, chew til there mush, and take 45 minutes to eat, then I will.....I will try. I struggle a lot. No support from my surgeon or the office, I don't have a support group out here (other than you guys), I don't have any one I can talk to about the procedures (because the only ones that know about it are my parents and my hubby), and no one in my family is all that healthy (so me talking about protein shakes, low carb diets, healthy eating isn't very well received). My hubby actually said to me with the chicken dish "it's good, but it needs a side like rice or potatoes". REALLY????? I can't eat that stuff, why would I tempt myself. It was at that moment that I realized that this is about me and my will power. If I'm cooking dinner, I will make what I can eat. If they want to cook....well I can always have a protein shake Sorry for the vent. It's been too long. Thanks for "listening"! T

Let me start with congrats and good luck on your surgery My post op orders were so different than anyone else's on here...My surgeon recommended Protein shakes for a minimum of 3 weeks post op. I have an appt on 12/9 (almost 3 weeks after surgery) at which time he will tell me what to do next. I'm assuming one more week of Protein Shakes (so that will make 6 total, 2 pre-op 4 post op) then move to mushy food for 2 or 3 weeks. Anywho, he told me that along with 3 protein shakes per day, I could have a minimum of 32 ounces of clear Fluid (Water preferably, clear broth, tea, crystal light, propel, sugar free popsicles, sugar free jello). I don't care for the taste of the sugar free products, so I stuck with the water, tea, and low sodium clear broth. I don't think I had anything but water the day of my surgery. I may have had 1/2 of a Protein shake, but I doubt it. I just remember sleeping the whole day! Day 2 I was able to get down a protein shake and water, but I wasn't very hungry. I was extremely parched due to the surgery. I don't think I really drank anything until Day 3. I was feeling back to normal by Day 4. Just listen to your body and what your surgeon tells you. This forum has been a great source of info for me post surgery. Hang in there! It is different for everyone. I'm hoping it goes well for you and you have a quick recovery!

So jealous you can have veggies already!!!! We have the same surgery date, but I am on Protein Shakes for 3 more weeks....Yikes!!! I did sneak a bite of turkey (after I asked my surgeon if it would be ok) and it did cause BG for me too.....so, I don't know if it's a solid food thing or just how we all digest it now. Wishing you luck!

I'm not sure if this goes along with your "liquid diet" by my doc recommended sugar-free popsicles and sugar free Jello for my 1st week post op. But I could also eat Protein shakes immediately. He said I could have chicken broth too. That was a nice change of pace for me as I too was sick of Water (and Protein Shakes LOL). What about Propel water or the sugar free fruit flavored waters? Good Luck When did you have your surgery?

Thanks for all of the feedback everyone. I am pretty sick now and have a call into my PCP for some advice. I'm sure he's going to tell me it's just a virus and I need to ride it out. I am taking some of my Vitamins to combat the cough and congestion. It seems to be working a bit. When I do cough it's non-productive, so that's good! My fever fluctuates between 99.1 and 100.4. My surgeon wants me to call him if I get to 100.8 on 2 or more occurences....so not in the danger zone there! I do have one question: How do I know what slippage feels like? I've only had this thing for a week and I can't even feel anything except for the port if I lay on my left side? Thanks again for the feedback! It's nice to have a place to go when stuff like this comes up

I finally decided that, for myself at the minimum, I needed to document my journey!!!! So, here we go: Life moves fast. I blinked and here it is 2010. I don't know where the last 7 years have gone....it all moves so fast. Just as my decision to have WLS. I have always been completely against bariatric surgery. My mom has brought it up to me several times in the past few years, and each time I definitively shut her down the moment she brings it up. Something changed in me in September. I don't know what or why, but I started researching Lap Band. I called a couple of surgery centers and became increasingly more scared at the multitude of tests required before surgery. I met with one office to actually sit with someone and discuss the procedure, the testing, etc. I was completely at peace. I knew this was the right place for me. I went home and discussed what I had learned with my DH and my mom and both of them were supportive in my decision. The next day I called my insurance company to ask about that option and was told that my insurance didn't cover it. What was I going to do now? This was way more money than I had immediately available. I called my mom and she told me not to worry, we would work that out, just proceed with the consultation appointment to see if I even liked the doctor. So, I did. My consultation was on 10/14/2010. There were some things that stood out as weird, but I liked the doctor and the office staff, well they were less than to be desired, but they weren't the ones responsible for my care. We left on vacation for 2 weeks so I could sit with this and decided what I really wanted to do. Could I even afford it? How long would the recovery take? Could I be out of work for that long? What would my life be like? Would I tell my family or not? I had a lot of questions to contemplate. So many things during that vacation reaffirmed my decision to proceed with surgery. So, we scheduled for the week of Thanksgiving that way we wouldn't have to take a full week off, but only 3 days. I started my pre-op diet on 11/8 and it wasn't as bad as I thought. Two weeks of protein only, I could do it!! The day of my surgery I was down 12 pounds and couldn't be happier. Surgery day was scary! I had to be at the hospital at 0500. It was so early that no one was in the lobby or the admitting area Once we finally got checked in, things went pretty quick. I was taken to the outpatient surgery room and checked in there. They gave me a gown and the ugly booties and the hair net. I tried to put the gown on, but it was too big. I asked for a smaller one and for the first time, could actually see myself as a skinny person!!!! I changed gowns, put on the ridiculous booties and laid in the bed. The nurse was great. She was very talkative, calming and patient. I was very nervous as was my hubby. I don't like needles, so the IV was interesting, she did WONDERFUL!!!! After that, it seems like things just went into super speed. I met with the anesthesiologist, told him that I refused to throw up, so he needed to do something to make sure that didn't happen. He joked with me a bit then told me I would get some happy juice to relax me and they would take me to the OR. I also expressed my desire to go to my own bed 4 hours after surgery. He kept saying "we'll see" and I said "No, I don't think you understand. 4 hours pot op and I am outta here!!!!!" Again, he laughed at me and with that he was moved on to the next patient. My surgeon came in after that and was confused as to which patient was first, so he started talking to the other one first. The nurse came over to me and asked what was going on. She apparently was as clueless as I was....weird. Once the doctor talked to me, the nurse asked me if I had to use the restroom. I didn't so they gave me the happy juice and wheeled me to the OR. I didn't even get to say good-bye to my husband. Once in the OR, I only remember them asking me to move to the operating bed and then placing a huge mask on my face. I remember I couldn't breathe, I was panicking...... Then I woke up crying in the recovery room. I was so out of it, I remember trying to sit up, the nurses were holding me down. I asked them to hold my hands, they asked why and I said I didn't know. Coming out of the anesthesia was scary. I was so tired, yet scared because I didn't know where I was. I wasn't in pain except for when I tried to sit up (duh). At some point I was taken back to the outpatient area because I told them I didn't want a room, I wanted to go home. I remember looking at the clock for the first time at 10:30. One of the outpatient nurses asked me if I wanted some water and apparently I told her no, that I was sleeping. It wasn't until later (like Wednesday) that my husband told me I barked it at her, to which I claim no responsibility as I was under the influence of narcotics!!!! They kept waking me up every few minutes for temperature, blood pressure, water. I was so irritated. I just wanted to sleep. At 12:10 I had enough, so I asked for my clothes, got dressed and walked to the bathroom. Other than being really sleepy and a bit loopy, I was beginning to feel better. At 12:20, the anesthesiologist came in and looked in my bed (I was standing next to it) and said "are you the patient? Holy crap" I said yes and asked if something was wrong. He said no, just that I wasn't kidding about the 4 hours. He then asked my hubby if I threw up and I said no. He laughed and said "thank goodness, I was worried!!!!". I was DC'd at 12:30 exactly 4 hours post op and at home by 1:15. I slept for most of the day on Monday. Don't remember much of that afternoon/evening. I had trouble sleeping that first night because I am a side sleeper and both of my sides hurt. Port side hurt more than the other, but neither one was comfortable. I finally had to add a bunch of pillows to "sit up" in bed so I could sleep. Tuesday was better. I was in some pain and took 2 pain pills total. Doctor suggested I split them in half so I wouldn't get sick and it turns out that was just enough pain medication for me. So, I slept on and off for most of that day. I did feel like I wanted to get out of the house, so my mom took me to the store so DH could have a break. I think I walked around the store for about 45 minutes, and that was plenty. I came home and took my nap Later Tuesday night I had some random nausea. I'm not sure where it came from, so I took and anti-nausea pill and my last pain med and went to bed. Wednesday was great. DH had to go to work for a bit, so mom sat with me, just in case. I didn't need any pain meds or nausea meds. I even stayed up all day without a nap! I was feeling so good!!!!! I couldn't believe it. I was 2 days post op and had minimal pain. Was this just luck? I was so happy. Oooooo, then the shoulder pain started. I didn't know what was going on, but it was accompanied with chest pain. I broke down and called the doctor. This was the first time I had talked to him since the surgery. I told him what was going on and he said he thought it was the port tubing and I should be fine in a few days. WTH? So, I dealt with it, since it was almost bed time, I just decided I would ride it out and go to bed. Thursday (Thanksgiving) was good. I woke up feeling good, I had a bit of a cough, but it was only upon waking. I blamed it on the change of weather here. It got super cold at night and we left the window cracked. I had decided on Wednesday that I would stay home for Thanksgiving dinner because I didn't want to be tempted. My DH and the kids were gone for about 7 glorious hours!!! I caught up on TiVo, took a nap because I could, ate some more YUMMY protein shakes and checked out some Lap Band Discussion Boards. Everyone was happy! Friday was a lazy day. DH wasn't feeling well, and neither were the kids. So everyone just wanted to sit around and be lazy. I wanted to get stuff done, Christmas decorating, cleaning, preparing for the holidays. Alas, that didn't happen. We all just hung out around the house. Saturday we cleaned the garage. I think I over did it. We worked from 11:00 - 4:00 straightening up decorations, pulling out what we were going to put on the house, doing laundry, donating items to our local charity, etc. I mostly supervised, but I have a hard time not helping. I was sore on Saturday night and probably stayed up too late. I developed an insomnia feeling, not tired at midnight, but had been up since 0530. I finally forced myself to go to bed and had a great night's sleep! Sunday, I woke up with a sore throat, cough and stuffiness. It appears the cold has made it's way to my system. I don't like to be sick. I usually get really sick, especially since I can't take my supplements. So, I rested all day yesterday. DH finished the garage, prepared all of our Christmas decorations (he's waiting for me to feel better so we can put them up as a family like every year), then we went to dinner with my parents. This is the first time I have been out to dinner and out of the house since surgery. I was able to order a broth based soup (broth only) and could only get about 1/4 of it down. That was interesting. I've noticed that some days I can get my protein in, some days not so much. Today is one week post op and I am down 20 pounds since I started the pre-op diet. The highlight of this week (aside from the weight loss) is that I was able to get my wedding rings on for the first time in 5 years. I was elated. I decided to try them on last night before we left for dinner just to see where I was at as far as the weight loss. I didn't take measurements, I haven't changed clothing sizes yet, I can't see the difference in my body, just see numbers on a scale which doesn't mean a lot. I couldn't wear them for a long period of time because my fingers are still a bit pudgy. When I slipped the rings on, I felt the rush of excitement I haven't felt since my wedding day. I can't believe it's only been a week since surgery, that I feel this great (other than the icky cold) and I have lost what I have. I don't know why I waited so long to have this surgery, but I am not looking back. I will not regret the time wasted, I choose to focus on my future and the exciting adventures that await me! I'm lucky to have such a great support system. I couldn't have done any of this without them and for that I am forever thankful. I have made the decision that I am not going to tell anyone that I had the surgery. The only people that know are my DH (obviously), my mom, and my boss (because I needed the time off). That's it. I don't want to live up to anyone elses expectations or limitations. I don't want anyone saying "you shouldn't eat that" or "didn't you have bariatric surgery, what do you mean you only lost xx pounds" or "well, you only lost the weight because you had surgery. It's not like you did anything" or any of the other negative comments that come out of people's mouths. Here is to the skinny life ahead! I'm excited to be a loser

Yup, I think that's why I'm so scared and frustrated...I'm self pay too and honestly I can't even begin to imagine how I would come up with the money for the revision....

I'm frustrated, I'm sick, I'm scared...and I'm not getting any help from my Dr. Office or my surgeon. I'm one week post op and I did fine for the first 5 days. No problems, no side effects (other than the usual shoulder pain, gas pain, not able to get a lot of Protein in) well yesterday I developed a really deep cough, a sore throat and stuffiness, the beginnings of a cold. I was coughing so violently that I called the surgeon to see if I needed to take something for my cough as I was afraid that the coughing would cause the band to slip. He said (and I'm quoting) "I think you are fine. There is a possibility that coughing could cause the band to slip, but I think you are ok.". Now, while I understand I'm probably overreacting, my concern is that I have had NO post op appt (it's not scheduled until 12/9, surgery date was 11/22), I have had no follow-up from the office regarding how the surgery was, how I am recovering etc. The office staff is rarely in the office and the message says that if I need to reach my doctor after hours or on the weekends I should call my surgeon directly. When they are in the office, they still tell me that I need to call the surgeon directly. When I call the surgeon he seems like he doesn't know what the heck is going on. So very different from my meeting with him. I'm so frustrated and feel like I am just not getting the care I need or deserve. I have never had a procedure like this before (obviously) and I am scared. There are so many things that are falling through the cracks with my case, I am just at a loss as to what I should do next. I'm so scared that I just called another surgeon's office to see if I could transfer my case there....and they said no. So, it looks as though I may be stuck with this doctor. Any suggestions on how I approach it and what I say to my surgeon?

I was banded on 11/22. I've been good so far...but today some of the glue they used over my incisions fell off. Now, my incision is stinging. Has anyone else had this? The pre-op RN told me that the glue would take 2 - 3 weeks to come off. I'm barely at 1... The incision site is NOT red, swelling, leaking, inflammed, no sign of an infection. It's just stinging. HELP!!!! Don't know if I should call my surgeon or if this is just something normal. TIA

I'm really glad I found this group. Much more supportive and friendly than some other boards I have seen!!!!! I'm on Protein shakes for 3 more weeks!!!!! Yay chocolate shakes t So, let me ask you all....Monday was my surgery day, I didn't eat much, just had some Water. Tuesday I felt better, drank 1 Protein shake total all day (in 4 servings) plus some water (maybe 16 oz), Wednesday I felt MUCH better, so I decided to do protein shake, chicken broth, tea and water, but I couldn't get any more protein down after I had the broth. Thursday my tummy hurt all day, kind of like what dizzy said about eating a full plate of Pasta, even though I didn't. Yesterday I stuck to just Protein Shakes and water. I got everything in I was supposed to and still felt extremely full. Here is my question: If we are supposed to stop eating when we are full, yet we are supposed to maintain hydration (I was told minimum 64 oz of Fluid per day), what do we do when our stomachs hurt? I don't want to stretch my pouch, or cause slippage. Any suggestions?

Hi there! Another new one here..... I was banded on Nov 22 and I am feeling AMAZINGLY well....kinda scary, I feel like I should be a little week still. I had my surgery at 7:30 a.m. and I was home in my own bed by 1:00 p.m. that day I was so proud of myself. I did sleep for the rest of surgery day, but each day I have slept a little less. By Wednesday I was up all day without napping or "resting". Now, I am not doing much, still on light duty as far as anything goes. DH doens't allow me to do anything except shower, getting my own Protein shakes & Water, and walking. He's been a great help So, that's it. I have lots of questions, but I am still navigating through this site to see if I can find the answers before I ask again! I am so looking forward to this journey!

I'm new here...but my surgery was 11/22. Officially, I'm back to work on Tuesday, but my "mommy" job starts on Monday (driving toddlers to school, caring for them when they get home and taking care of the house). My DH leaves for a business trip on Tuesday, so I sure hope everything is good!!! Good Luck