Exude

That's excellent Amy what you're doing! I went/am going through the same thing about self-esteem. I came to college with a weight loss of 20 lbs., then lost 60 lbs. right after that. For the next two years, all I did was gain it ALL back plus some to get to the heaviest weight I've ever been. This is despite doing the same things as I did when I lost all the weight in the first place. It sucked! I have a strong family history of diseases and heart problems and did not want to subject myself to the same thing. Especially since I was diagnosed with high blood pressure this summer. Again, it sucked! I can't wait for you to call yourself "sexy" and talk to all the cute guys at parties, haha. Your college experience will be ten-folds better if YOU feel better about yourself... not necessarily with the weight loss, but with how you feel about what you're doing. I applaud you for even thinking of nursing! It is such an excellent profession! Especially with what you're going through, you'll be a better nurse for having been a patient and knowing how difficult it is. If you love to care for people, want to have a great salary right out of college, have extremely solid job security, and the ability to move up... then nursing is perfect. I would love to talk to you further about this if you ever wanted to contact me on here, or on AIM or something (Obiwarz is im AIM). As for my band, things are going pretty good. I was banded on Monday (4 days ago) and am recovering. I'm on a liquid diet... but after reading some posts, I feel that I might have had more than I should've. For example, I've had applesauce, pudding, and foods with some substance to it (liquid, but had veryyy small chunks in it). I'm just a worry-wort by nature though anyway. I just don't want to risk slipping my band at all. As for my port site, there are steri-strips over it still and the skin is numb. Since that is where the muscle was really worked on, it is the place of most of my soreness. Each day is getting better though! Look forward to hearing from you and everyone else again!

I've been feeling the shoulder pain two days after post-op... which is weird since I thought it would be right after. The port pain I still have as well. Internal, not necessarily where the incision on the skin is. Do you guys get the hiccups/burps sometimes too? -Jason

I am excited for you Amy! I am curious, how old are you and your mother? That is amazing you guys are both getting the surgery within days of each other! My motivation was my family hx of diseases and it is why I needed the surgery. Do you have a similar situation? -Jason

Yeah, the straight cath really upset me. I could NOT piss for the life of me and was getting so mad. The nurse really encouraged that for me to get relief, that is what I had to do. About your "last supper syndrome," I had that as well. I reallly dedicated the week before to being very good to my liquid diet. TWO weeks is so difficult and I could not sustain a liquid diet for that long. I did have some of my favorite meals... pizza, chicken, chinese food, etc., but I was lucky and lost a ton of weight still. I lost about 23 lbs. from my last Doctor appointment (1.5 months length) until surgery day. So if you can lose weight and stick with at least a one week liquid diet, last supper syndrome is okay in my opinion! :girl_hug: -Jason

Howdy! I saw the 11 page March bandster's one and didn't post there... might as well contribute to the new one and be there from the beginning! I just got my surgery on Monday, March 5th. I am resting up as much as possible right now. My surgery went well for the most part. I had to get my hiatal hernia fixed so it took about 2.5 hours for my surgeon to finish everything. After, I was very nauseated for a long time. I had to recover with a lot of pain meds and then they took me to radiology to see the band placement. I was feeling nauseated already and then they gave me this disgusting liquid to ingest so they could visualize the placement. I actually threw it up right away... the nurse and doctor looked a little concerned. I then took barium for another x-ray which went down a ton easier. That night I just rested... in and out of sleep with all the pain meds I was taking. My biggest concern, which I didn't even think would be a problem... was that I could not pee! I stood up for 30 minutes just trying to go and I couldn't. The nurse did a bladderscan and I had 850 mL residual just sitting in my bladder. They ended up having to straight cath me (scary) but I felt so relieved. The next day I was sent home after I could pee on my own and liquids were going down okay. Now I have just been resting and trying to get by with all this gas built up in my belly. It is realllllly annoying. I am just staying positive and reading these boards constantly for feedback. Hope you guys are still on track with your surgeries! Good luck! -Jason

I just got banded yesterday! I hope within six days I can do more than sit around. I am on Spring Break and hope I can walk to classes and lift my heavy school bag starting next monday. -Jason

I'm banded!!!!!!!! And he fixed my hiatal hernia! I guess it took a little while, like 2.5 hours, but the placement is "perfect." I am realllllly sore right now taking dialudid and resting as much as possible. My diet currently consists of french onion Soup (drained) and crystal light. I'll post more later, just too sore to sit up right now. GOOD LUCK DENISE!!! -Jason

...are sitting in front of me. I'm on my 2 week liquid diet and am STARVING! Sigh, I don't know how you guys do it. Though I am staying strong... -Jason

Two-week liquid diet. I have been eating cream of wheat for Breakfast and some EAS Advantage (Carb Control) shakes through the day. Oh, and some pudding. - Jason

Whoaaaaaaa, can I eat pickles?!

I am a college boy, and I know there are some young bandsters here. When was YOUR last drink before your surgery?

Can I even eat a 0 calorie pickle?! Lol...

I'm from MN as well! I am getting my surgery done March 5th, 2007 at St. Joseph's hospital in St. Paul. It is part of the Healtheast system. Good to see fellow Minnesotans . -Jason

THANKS for all the posts everyone! I just got back and my doctor said he will REPAIR the hiatal hernia AND do the LAP-BAND. He was mostly worried about having the herniated area affecting the band placement. He will fix what he can and will do whatever it takes so I am happy. This is soooooo great. My excitement for the surgery has gone up 100% now. March 5th is the day!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!! Woohoo! - Jason

Today's the day I find out. I'll update everyone when I get back this evening. -Jason

I wonder if it would be beneficial to bring research stuff with. He isssss the surgeon though and is very experienced (like I said, he was one of the first to start bariatric surgery in the states). Might make me look bad.

Thanks guys. I'm going to fight hard to get the band. I really think that is what will work best for me. Post any more comments if you have some.

Interesting comment. Why did you have it removed? Please keep me informed terrriho about how your surgery went. I am very curious! I will definitely consider what my surgeon has to say. I am just scared because I am scheduled March 5th (I muuust do it that day, it is Spring Break and I will lack health insurance in May when school gets out so I cannot do it another time). What is everyone's experience with other surgeries? Someone mentioned other bariatric ones... I really know of the big 3, band, RNY, d-switch. Thanks guys.

Thing is, he is very experienced. He was one of the first three surgeons who have performed the surgery in the entire U.S. Everyone has recommended him as one of the best in Minnesota. He is at St. Joseph's hospital in the HealthEast system. I think the hardest thing about all this is I have my surgery scheduled March 5th. If I change surgeons, it would be pushed back further. This is the only time I can do it since I am in school. That is the first day of Spring Break and can use the entire week to recover. I just have to talk to him Tuesday. Any tips to mention, please feel free to recommend.

Hey everyone! I am excited to be a part of this community as I am very active in forums all over the net. I am a 23 year old college student at Winona State University, MN. I am in my 5th year, completing a BSN Nursing degree with a minor in Psychology. I will be graduating in May and will be working in a hospital in the Twin Cities. A little hx of me... I was a swimmer from kindergarten until 8th grade. When puberty hit during my 7th-8th grade years, I could not get over my large size and could not feel comfortable in a speedo. I quit swimming and joined football from 9th to 12th. During my junior year in high school, I was at my largest weight... 320 lbs (I am 6'2"). Because of this, my senior year I worked hard and hard with a Body for Life program my coach recommended to me. For the three years I worked hard with the BFL program (from senior year in high school to my second year in college), I lost 80 lbs.! I was at the happiest point in my entire life... 240 lbs., met a beautiful girl, changed my major to Nursing (I wassss computer science), and felt that I could conquer anything in this world! I even got a chest liposuction to make my chest tighter/form-fitting and I looked great! Things quickly turned around. Our bodies loooove homeostasis and so when I reached my low weight, my body did not want to stay there. I started gaining weight slowly but surely. It was a process that took another 2 years (to where I am at now), but I am now 321 lbs. again. During this weight gain period, I have done everything under the sun to stop the weight loss and reverse it. Instead, I only slowed the progression at times, but my body kept gaining and gaining. This summer I discussed with my family doctor about my options. He mentioned gastric bypass and I about jumped out of my seat. I left not ever thinking I would get surgery at such a young age to lose weight that I had already loss before. But because I have tried everything, I looked into what options I had. I did not want a "cure" or a "last resort", but something that would WORK for me... and also is not so drastic as to cut and re-shape my stomach (the bypass). Hence, I discovered the LAP-BAND. I have since done a lot of research on it and feel that this may be my best option to aid in my weight loss efforts. My family hx includes everything... heart disease, diabetes, atherosclerosis, hypertension, etc. etc. I already have hypertension (on Lisinopril when I was 22) and mild sleep apnea (dx 2 weeks ago and am using a C-PAP). My father is on a heart transplant waiting list and is in very poor health in his 50's. My relatives are all extremely obese with already five of them having a gastric bypass already, and unfortunately many more who could use that sort of surgery. I know I will have heart disease and will die at a young age if I do not fix my problem now. Being in the health care field, I have seen people in poor health and I know I want to do everything in my power to prevent being sick at an early age. When I talked above about how happy I was at 240 lbs., it was truly the best days of my life. I miss that time. My girlfriend and I have been struggling a great deal in our relationship because of my weight. My activity level is horrible, our intimacy is shallow, and I can't do many of the things I used to do with her. We had broken up once before, but I do not want to let it happen again. She is extremely supportive of me getting this surgery and hopes that my struggles and our struggles together will be solved. I hope this forum will be a great way to tell my story and document my journey through my weight loss. I've already got the wheels rolling and getting all the pre-op stuff out of the way. I am hoping to get my surgery scheduled in March, during my spring break. I would be sacrificing a free Washington D.C trip for this life-changing event. I will be doing my surgery at HealthEast (in St. Joseph's hospital in St. Paul) and am choosing to do it with Dr. Michael Schwartz. I hope to hear many responses from people who are understanding and can help me in any way through this process. Thank you everyone! I look forward to the future! -Jason

Thanks so much for the responses everybody! I feel a lot more welcomed here. I see most of the replies were from females, with the exception of I think one male. My Doctor was surprised that I actually came in because the majority are middle-aged women that come in. He then joked that it's either the woman that comes, or the boyfriend/husband that the woman makes go there. Serious and Chubbola... I am with you on concerns being a nurse and telling my patients how to be healthy, but to feel that I am unhealthy myself. I just don't feel right tellng my 275 lb. patient that he needs to lose weight to help with his disease, but here I am 320 lbs. and taking care of them. I am curious, what type of nurses are you/want to be? If all goes well with this, I may want to use my experience and be a gastric nurse of some type. I've always had a fascination for cardiac/ICU stuff, mostly because of my dad's health being on the transplant list. Hopefully, I will eventually become a professor and aid in turning around the nursing shortage. But who knows! Maybe after losing the weight again, I may have some other high aspirations (mountain climber maybe? :rolleyes) So is it recommended I do a journal on here to chart my progress? Does anyone read it or get anything out of it? What else can I do to chart and aid in my own progress? Does anyone have before/after pictures or know a site they could share that would give my family and friends better ideas on what to expect from me? I will start scouring the other forum pages and start my posts there soon. Figured these may be introductory questions . Thanks again everyone! -Jason