MarcyLoo

Are you staying in the hospital or doign it as an outpatient? Mien was outpatient: I arrived at 6am, surgery began at 7:15 am and I left for home at 9:30 am. It was pretty quick and for me recovery has been easy. A huge CONGRATS!!! If you haven't yet, come join us in the March Bandsters (under this category...preop)!

I'm a HUGE advocate for antidepressants since they changed my life over 7 years ago. My best advice is to plan to stay on them before, during, and after surgery. If you notice symptoms worsening talk to your doctor ASAP about dosing adjustments, or even adding / changing meds. Also expect hormones to go wild as you lose weight...which can factor in. I think it's just best to be PREPARED. You'll do great!!!

I had people at work pull me aside...they actually called it an INTERVENTION. One was banded with only 40 pounds lost. One was banded with about the same then changed to bypass (without stellar results). I watch them both make poor eating choices. For me, i opted for the band in the end: 1. adjustable 2. not permanent (although I plan on it being for me) 3. No malabsorption of what I do eat (for me this is mentally healthiest---to learn how to properly eat) 4. fewer issues with malnutrition down the road 5. No dumping syndrome 6. Less invasive with shorter recovery time Just a note that with the band weight loss tends to be slower, but long-term compred to bypass they pretty much equal out (Australian15 yr studies). I think it's sfe to say for us that are banded, we tend to just realize it's not a race. It's a lifetime of change. Whaatever your decision, I just really encourage you to take your time in researching and really be sure. :-) There's no right or wrong as a whole, just what is right or wrong for YOU.

As far as I know the liver shrinking has to do with weight lost overall. High protein will spare your body from ridding itself of muscle, so fat will be lost instead. Low carbs are great, but it doesn't mean no carbs.

It's going to be a stressful day. My 7 yo cracked a molar and because it's a half day at school it means keeping my 6 yo home too so we can get to the dentist appt. They have new "marshmallow guns" and there's mini marshmallows flying thru the air all over the house, and lots of yelling and bickering. Now they're all excited cause one landed in mommy's underwear in the laundry pile. I have 2 parent teacher conferences this afternoon (and my kindergartner is having problems) and then I get ready for working all night and I only slept 5 hours last night, so no nap. I'll have to really watch for stress eating. Awinner, thinking of you today!!!!

Congrats to those newly banded and good luck to those going in soon! I had my week post op appt today...incisions are healing well. Doc says I'm well on track. according to their scales I'm down 3 pounds in the past week and 16 total (includes preop diet)...so I'm happy. Of course I didn't tell the doctor that I've been doing softs since 2 days post op (shame on me) and am on more solids now. I was really bust at lunch loading things into a delivery truck (my little side job, auction hunting and reselling) so ate some food my brother bought a little too fast and almost threw up. I have to remmeber to not do that darnit. I didn;t eat a lot, but too much too fast I think. anyway my first fill will be on april 13th. Yay!!! Oh and I tried to eat alight soft taco from taco Time today...a big no go. I ended up eating some of the lettuce & chicken inside and tossing the tortilla etc. The really cool thing about the experience is that I used to LOVE fast food...and this just didn't really taste good, especially compared to the foods I've been preparing for myself at home. A big smack in the face of "I can do this." and I was so glad I opted to eat only part, and toss most of it.

My surgeon also agrees the band is not only for people needing to lose under XX-amount. According to Australian studies, of course bypass patients lose FASTER but in 15-year studies ultimate weight loss between the two procedures is about the same. Part of my reason for chosing lap band vs bypass included acknowledging that this will be a lengthy process, and a lifelong one. I'm not in the big rush to lose the weight like many people who chose bypass (because it's faster) are. It's taken me almost 36 years to get this heavy...and I have time to get rid of it. Time to change my habits, time to lose at a healthy pace.

I had thought about the band, then "heard" you need a BMI under 40 for the band so considered bypass...but my surgeon (who I found via the seminar) ONLY does the band and his biggest patient had a MBI if 86!!! It varies doctor to doctor, but larger people DO qualify for the band. (my BMI was 53, now around 51-52). I know erosion has decreased because surgeons have started putting the bulky part of the band NOT under where the stomach is stitched to itself to secure the band. You very liekly can keep the band for a lifetime, as I understand it erosion is no longer common (but remains a risk) So, I can tell you why i opted for the band vs the bypass. It's such a personal decision. 1. Everyone i know with the bypass has horrible gas (maybe it's coincidence but that's what I've noticed). By bad I mean very smelly. 2. Because the bypass removes a portion of intestine, it leads to dumping syndrome with certain foods (sugars I think)...sudden diarrhea and vomiting. I can;t risk this with my job, where I cannot always get to a bathroom. I'm a labor & delivery nurse and cannot always step away from the patient's bedside (literally life or death situations) 3. Because of the missing intestines, it also leads to malabsorption. Not everything you put in your mouth is used by the body as fuel. It leads to weight loss, sure, but IMO it's not the healthiest choice for ME. I feel that I need to retrain my BRAIN to only eat what my body will use, and the band is a tool that will allow that. Every bite I take I have to account for. I can;t depend on it going thru my body unused. Sure I can have treats on occasion, but my daily habits need to be changed. 4. I plan to use the band for life, but it is reversible...and adjustable. I have people at work who REALLY discouraged the band, saying they both had/have it (one switched to bypass) and both only lost about 30 pounds. I guess all I have to say to that is...you gotta work it, and use it correctly. Their lack of "success" does not mean I will follow suit. In the end I went with what my heart told me was right for me. I hope that helps a bit?

Oh, it took me a couple months for the process, way shorter than I expected. I first called insurance to see if they covered it the tail end of December, Seminar on Jan 5th, and was declined by insurance once then approved 2-3 weeks later....so from the very end of December till surgery on march 15th. I was prepared to have to wait till summer.

Laura good luck today! I'll keep you in my prayers well, I ate Breakfast at 9am and am starting to get hungry...although I think it's more emotional than physical...am hoping to wait till 1pm for lunch. I'm trying to work towards only the 3 meals a day. Am trying to convince my 3yo son to take a walk with me....am going to have to just shove him out the door cause he says "me just wanna stay inside da house." I have my post op appt tomorrow. It'll be a busy day....get the other boys off to school at 8:20, then will drive into downtown Seattle with my 3 yo for an auction, then north for my post op appt at 1:15 while my hubby comes home early to get the kids off the bus (they have short days the next 3 days in school)--I guess it's good to stay busy Just out of cusiosity, what kind of scales do you all have at home? I had a health-o-meter digital, but I always had toruble turning it on and it'd occasionally blink "Lo" (battery?) even though it was fairly new...and it'd tell different weights in one session. So last night I sprang for a new one (on sale for like $24) -- a Taylor glass digital. It seems to be on track with the other but turns on more easily.

I'm 7 days post op and have dipped half a pound below my day of surgery wt, then back up 1-2 pounds above...remember daily variation happens too. I know my doc told me the 1st 2 weeks in particular ar enot meant to LOSE. Your body went thru major trauma and needs to heal. Oh and I was UP about 8 pounds this past week, likely from surgery IV fluids etc. Hang in there!!!

I wish I could walk my dogs! But they are 150 and 200 pounds'ish and truly only my hubby can handle them...they PULL! Walk tot he bus was cancelled, it started pouring...but I did walk the property a bit, threw some bread into the pond for the black goldfish my husband discovered is living there.

Rosie I gained about 8 pounds from surgery. They give you IV fluids, and the body tends to hold onto what it has as a way of responding to the traums of the surgery. I was banded the 15th and yesterday finally lost a half pound from my preop weight...and today am up 1.5 pounds from that. I actually am having some scale issues so plan to go buy a new one tonight. My doctor told me to not even worry about losing anything the first 2 weeks out...but I'm still hoping to. I'm almost back to normal, I worked Saturday night and had sore abdominal abs afterward (of all the nights to actually have to LIFT a patient...had an emergency situation and had no choice). I'm off pain meds now...even motrin. Please no one tell me how horrible I am, I know htis already but I already moved on to soft foods days ago I had soup get stuck once, and last night I was nibbling on ham and totally forgot to chew well. It came back up and now i understand what exactly "sliming" is. I've backed off since and have a huge focus on hot liquids. It's still a struggle. Sometimes it hurts to eat or drink, I'm belching a lot, and either I eat too quickly (then am overfull for awhile) or I eat foods that are soft enough to pass thru quickly and I get hungry after 2-3 hours. I can tell, though, that once I really learn how to use the band it's going to be a FANTASIC tool. I want bread so bad, but after the potato soup got stuck the other day I KNOW if I even try a bite of something doughy it'll get stuck and hurt. That pain is a big incentive. I'm managing soft meats ok (except tuna, go figure) and granola with nonfat milk or yogurt...and scrambled eggs with onion chunks. I have yet to try well cooked veggies. I haven't started exercising yet, Saturday night on my feet for 12 hours was enough LOL...but I'm planning to walk to the bus stop to get 2 of my 3 kids in a few minutes. Only half a mile total, but that's more that I did in my unbanded life. Sorry to be a horrible example. I also found a piece of chocolate today and ate some. The rest is headed to work with hubby tomorrow...I'm doing a LOT of that. And I felt like an idiot this morning. DH bought flavored carbonated lemonades last night and I set a mug out to get flat, then dumped it this morning not wanting the SUGAR...it was perfectly flat and ready to be drunk....I dumped it out then read the bottle. ZERO CALORIE. D'oh.

I had my surgery yesterday and am up 5 pounds today -- am assuming this is pretty normal and probably the body's way of reacting to "trauma" and IV fluids, meds, etc? I know it can't be from overeating ha ha. I didn't get upset when I saw the scale, for maybe the first time in my life, but I just wanted feedback. Was this anyone else's experience? Thanks everyone!

Laura, my surgery was just on Tuesday. I've had bronchitis for about 5 weeks. I was so worried surgery would be canceled that i took a dose of prescription cough syrup the morning of....shame on me!! Anyway the anesthesiologist had to suction my lungs during surgery and was sure tot ell me it was pretty bad. The biggest worry, I think, is coughing post op, I think it can cause slippage. o be sure to be honest with them....hugs and good luck! (by the way, I am a terrible patient)

I'm finding myself having a hard time deciding WHAT to eat....because I don't really want the crap I'm allowed -- I'd kill for Taco Time right now. But, I know I can get thru this. I think it's normal to feel anxiety. I had only told some people at work, Dh and my in-laws assumign my family would not be supportive....but told them a week before surgery and WOW they are all great! I'm glad I was open about it.

IMO doing it in your 20's is only going to make your overall health better. Now if you had only been overweight for 1-2 years with no other history, maybe....but that's not the case. *hugs*

Thanks!! I'm still new to all the lingo I'm so excited to see some clothing milestones myself...but I'll be thrilled if tomorrow (post op day 5) I'm back to my presurg weight

Congrats!!! (what is NSV?) What a wonderful feeling that must be!!

I had soup get stuck today and never want to experience that again...OUCH

I had my first stick today (soup)...OMGoodness it was almost as bad an a gallbladder attack, which is almost as bad as a heart attack so I hear! It took about 90 minutes to go away and I almost vomited, and ended up with the runs on top. Today is only day 4 postop for me, and I never ever want to get stuck again.

I take a chewable vitamin daily, but I also take zoloft. I'm just 4 days post op but I;ve been taking my zoloft & motrin just broken in half to be on the safe side but feel like I'd be fine with them whole. I did take a percocet last night that I broke into 3 chunks. other than that I have vicodin liquid for pain.

Yay I'm down to only 1.5 pounds over my preop weight! (jump for joy). I'm trying to really pay attention to the "am i really hungry" or "is this a craving" before I eat (calorie liquids & yogurt) vs drinking (no claorie liquids). I'm suprised that I'm really usually not hungry. although my stomach did growl last night. Although that may have been my gut vs my stomach...things are moving post op now (bathroom talk, sorry) I think I'll do a Protein shake for Breakfast, then I need to drive the kids to school because they have a science project to each take, then maybe hit the store. we live in the sticks, so I try to take advantage of town runs.

oops sorry double posted

Donna, you excited? The 29th will be here soon Elizabeth...spounds like all went well. sorry you're so sore. I also feel like it's not quite real, that the band is IN now. I keep feeling my port I can't stop belching today. I also had my first luck in the bathroom this morning (sorry for tmi). My belly is getting itchy, a sure sign of healing. I'm feeling better since I backed off to just liquids this morning and took the nausea medication. am still going to just lay low today and keep it to thin fluids. My mom is picking me and the 3 kids up later to go to my folks house (40 min drive) for St Patricks dinner, wher emy husband will meet us and drive us all back home. He works up the street from them. I may take some tomato soup with and yogurt. I'll see how I feel. I may just stick to chicken broth and tea. Is anyone else's belly swollen around the incisions? i look pregnant