JennEdge

What are you taking for the sinus infection? I was told that the only decongestants I can take are things like Musinex or Robitussin. Nothing that has DM in the title. The way it was explained to me is that your sinus' will drain down your throat and the thick mucus can plug things up making it difficult to get things down. The DM type medicines will only make that mucus seem thicker as it's trying to dry it all up...so that could have something to do with you not being able to get anything but fluids down.

So I had my first fill last week and I've been making sure to eat everything VERY slowly. I notice that I feel quite full with just a little food...is this what everyone means by restriction? I'm not sure what it's supposed to feel like, so I'm not sure if I'm feeling it (does that make sense?).

I definitely had this feeling my first week out from surgery. I was a self-pay patient so I was sitting there asking myself why on Earth I would PAY for someone to do this to me! It does get better though. I just yesterday got permission to go back to eating - UNRESTRICTED. Everything up until now has been full liquid or mushy. I'm able to eat bread - in small amounts, and I'm able to have oatmeal and stuff. I feel much better about my decision now that the hard part is over with. It's a scary process, but my mother just keep telling me to remember the big picture. It will get better.

Thanks for answering everyone! I was told that it would take anywhere from 3-6 fills to get to my "sweet" spot. They said that before I get there I would start to notice that I was a little more hungry toward the end of the 4 weeks inbetween fills. Right now I'm able to eat three meals a day with a protien shake thrown somewhere in between and it seems to satisfy me for the day. The hard part is this - I'm having to learn the difference between "head" hunger and "body" hunger. Sometimes it's hard to tell the difference. I'll be walking past the fridge thinking about how I'm hungry, then I have to ask myself if I really do "feel" hungry...it's just frustrating, and it's hard breaking old habits.

I had my band done with the True Results/Fort Worth Lap Band center with Dr. Smith. I drove to the surgery center in Hurst to get my surgery done. All in all my experiences with them have been quite pleasant and they are incredibly nice! Because I'm local I didn't need to stay in a hotel, but I imagine this is so you're close by just in case anything should happen. The only test that I had to take was a blood test just to check my cell counts and make sure I was okay to have surgery. Oh yeah...and a pregnancy test when I was called back into the pre-op area (which I thought was hilarious). I was overall very pleased with my experience there and my follow up care has been good as well. I had my first fill just last week and was scared to death - and as it turns out I was scared for no reason. The doctor that did the fill, Dr. Slicho, was the nicest guy you ever want to meet.

I was banded on 2/24 and I was the same way before surgery. I have a horrible fear of needles and just knowing that I was going to have an IV was bad enough. When I was laying there being preped for surgery I was so nervous that I was literally shaking in the bed and my entire body was stiff as a board. If you ask me, it's normal to be scared. I barely slept the night before my surgery, and of course I had the last minute thoughts of "am I doing the right thing". Post-op was a bit rough, but I started feeling normal again around day 6. I'm sure you did just fine! Let us know how you did...

I agree, the first six weeks are just for healing up. I lost 20 pounds prior to surgery, and when I went in for my first fill last week I saw that two of them had come back. Once you start healing you start feeling hungry again - and that's normal. Once I had my first fill I felt a little odd about eating, but I've lost those two pounds back off and I'm working toward losing more. I'm not entirely sure what it means to feel "resticted" by your band...I do however eat very slowly and feel full wth much less.

My doctor also said it's very normal not to lose much weight after surgery. I went for my first fill last week and told her that I was upset because I was hungry ALL THE TIME!!! She said until I get my fills to that "sweet spot" I will probably start to feel more hungry toward the end of the month before my next fill. I've already dropped about 4 pounds since my first fill - but before that I didn't lose anything for almost a month. The key for me is to eat SLOWLY. If I watch television or play around on the internet when I'm eating I tend to put the fork down and take a lot of time eating. The other day I ate two scrambled eggs with a "smidge" of melted cheese on them for Breakfast. Because I was playing around and taking my time eating - it took me about 20 minutes or more to finish eating. What was great about this was that I felt FULL after I was done. I hope it continues like this!

I too received my first fill this last Friday. It was strange because I COULD feel the saline going through the tube into the band...maybe it has something to do with the saline being a different temperature from the rest of my body. I was scared to death at first - but it was virtually painless. I did notice that I felt some bubbles in my chest afterward...maybe just the saline settling. I go for my second fill on April 16th - four weeks apart. The doctor held the needle in place and they had me take a sip of barium out of a straw so they could take another image to see that it went through the band. All-in-all the whole process took maybe 5 minutes - if that. I was then told to go out into the outer room and drink some water. As long as it went down with no problems I could go. I'm just today at the point where I can have mushies again, so I'm not sure if I feel any restriction or not. I guess I'll find out tomorrow when I get to be on an unrestricted diet again.

I've also noticed this. I was getting out of the shower the other day and noticed this huge bruise - about the size of a softball - on my tummy. I don't remember being hit hard enough to do anything like that. I've been making sure I get all my protien and taking the recommended Vitamins and stuff too. It's a mystery to me...

My doctors office requires nothing but liquids the day of the fill (broth, etc.), then the next day is full liquids, the day after that is mushies, and then on the 4th day you can resume a regular diet. Almost like post-op diet plans but in days rather than weeks.

I was banded on February 24th and to date I've managed to lose about 24-25 pounds. It fell off at first because of the liquid diet and then not being hungry after surgery. However, that being said, my appetite has returned and now it feels as though the 1/2 cup-1 cup limit just isn't satisfying. I've got an appointment for my first fill in four days and I'm excited - but scared. My port site is still tender and the thought of having a needle jabbed in there is freaking me out! I am looking forward to seeing my scale go down again though because nothing has changed in the last week. I also made the mistake of taking a bit of my kids sandwich the other day - I just didn't think about it when I was doing it. I felt the bread go through the band - and it hurt like hell! I was sure I my chest was going to explode for a moment. Thank God it managed to make it's way through...chalk that one up to a learning experience that I'll definitely remember next time.

I was told that the left side pain was largely due to the fact that this is where my port was sewn in. I had my first post-op appointment yesterday and the doctor pointed out exactly where my port was and it made since because that was where the majority of my existing pain was. If you're having pain all over your abdomen it could be from gas. I was told to use GasX to help, but it did nothing for me. Walking helped tremendously. They told me yesterday to go ahead and start using Milk of Magnesia to start getting myself "regular" again - and I'll tell you this much - it was like a miracle cure! I haven't had any gas pains since Wednesday (and that was bad) and I've been able to start eating more because the bloating feeling isn't there anymore.

Have you had your 1 week post-op appointment yet? Maybe contacting your doctor might be a good choice if you're having such a hard time. I was nauseated for a few days and didn't want to eat anything - but it turns out that when I did eat some of the nausea went away. Even if it's just drinking broth or a similiar liquid to get some nourishment into your body. I also had a hard time with the protien drinks because drinking them slow would make me want to throw up. I had my first post-op appointment yesterday and told them this. They said that because it's liquid I should be able to drink them fairly quickly because they should go right through the band. This way I can get them down quickly before I have time to think about throwing them back up. I would definitely try to get at least liquids (like the broth) down though, it might help your nausea.

I'm 7 days post-op right now and the gas is crazy. It can't be because I'm eating too much - I barely ate at all today because of the bloating sensation. I seem to get gas just by drinking water or on an empty stomach. GasX is a joke for me - but it is true, walking does make things a bit better. I'm hoping that if this gas issue never completely goes away that it will at least settle down to something that happens every now and then rather than all day every day. I go for my first post-op appointment with my surgeon tomorrow so I'll definitely be talking to him about this.

I understand about being overly sensitive - my fourth and fifth day post-op I would walk around the house waiting for the gas pains to ease up and I would just bust into tears. It's understandable...if it makes you feel any better I was banded last Thursday and the majority of my sensitivity is on my left side as well...sometimes when I roll over in bed I swear I can actually feel the port in my side.

Wow...today I'm 6 days post-op and for the first time since surgery I feel pretty darn good. I would have to say that day 4 and 5 were the worst. The gas pain was unreal and it seemed like there was no way I could avoid it. When I woke up this morning the difference was remarkable. I was even able to eat some Cream of Wheat without feeling like I was going to gag. I'm hoping that this is a great sign that I'm on my way to feeling normal again. For the first 5 days I was sitting here, in pain, thinking, "please God, just take it out of me and I'll never complain again." Now...I'm glad that I made it through those days and I look forward to the days to come.

It's going to depend on your doctor. Mine surgery was actually faster than some shopping trips! I was at the surgery center at 6am and I was in my car being driven home at 9am. Sounds strange, but I was there for probably a little over 3 hours and that was it. Some people I have read here say that they spend the night - but I didn't need to, I did fine at home.

I was you last Wednesday night. I was banded last Thursday and I did not entirely stick to the liquid diet. I incorporated eggs into my liquids so I could have something to actually eat. However, when the surgery was over my surgeon made the comment that I must have really did quite well on my diet because my liver looked great! Did I admit that I had cheated...no (shame on me I know). After surgery I found it hard to actually eat the clear liquids that I was allowed - I just wasn't hungry at all! You'll do fine tomorrow I'm sure - good luck!!

I was banded the day after you (Thursday) and the majority of my discomfort now is on my left side as well. I go for my first post-op appointment this Thursday, but I'm pretty sure that's where they put my port because it's more tender than anywhere else. Also, when I sleep, if I move the wrong way it feels like I can actually feel my stitches pull and I'm immediately awake to move. Bending over to the floor is also still a bit of a chore to do because I can feel that pulling. It should get better soon I hope - cause right now I can't imagine them sticking a needle into this spot to fill.

So I was wheeled into surgery just after 7am and I woke up in recovery just after 8am. By 9am I was in the car coming home. The post-op pain that I've got right now is really better than I was afraid it could have been and I'm doing really well considering I've only been home a few hours. Definitely glad that I didn't let my nerves get the best of me. From what I've seen so far this recovery isn't going to be that bad at all.

I too am having bad issues with gas pain - 3 days post-op. I'm glad to see that you guys say it does go away. I wasn't expecting the majority of my pain to be from gas...

A lot of doctors will provide you with different options that they accept for self-pay. The doctor that I went to in Fort Worth, Texas gave me a list of 10 different loan companies that specialized in surgical loans for this type of procedure. It might be worth checking out. I don't have insurance so I saved up what I could, used a considerable portion of my tax return, and then searched for a small loan to finish the amount off. I'm now 3 days post-op and I'm glad that I decided to make this investment in my health and future. All hope isn't lost...just look around and see if you can find a different option. Another perk...as a self-pay patient the tax write off for medical costs should be quite nice next tax year.

Good luck on your surgery on the 10th! You'll do great! I'm 3 days post-op right now and the majority of the discomfort I'm experiencing is from gas. I wonder if this is what babies feel like when they get gas pains. The discomfort from the surgery itself is actually pretty minimal right now - and I was able to eat Cream of Wheat today! Yea!

I would definitely do whatever she suggests. I'm three days post-op right now and the majority of the pain I'm dealing with right now is gas...the incisions themselves seem to be feeling pretty good and look like they are healing really quickly. The gas though...I wasn't expecting that...