cakegirl

I'm glad it's not a long wait for you! I hope the staph clears up quickly for you too.

IV fluids.

Hi Evelyn (my daughter's name is Evelyn! ) I'm getting that left breast pain on a deep breath too. Interesting that it might be the tubing!

Oh no ROTJob! How did you find out?

I've only had the band a week and have already enjoyed meals out socialising! I'm on liquids only, so when I went to a Chinese restaurant with my hubby and daughter, I just ordered a Soup off the appetiser menu and sipped it while enjoying the atmosphere, the company and the conversation - right through their appetisers and mains! I've been to a couple of cafes too, with my mum, friends and hubby, and either ordered a soup and did the same thing - sipped it with a teaspoon - or just had a cup of tea. It's about the company and convesation, not the quantity of food you eat.

I had to tell someone that I wasn't interesed in continually defending my decision, so could we just talk about something else.

Yeah, my guy tried one vein, hooked the IV up and the vein collapsed. So then he had to try another - on the same hand though. But that hand is pretty bruised up now!

I'm only recently banded, but I've found that if I've had something with dairy food in it for dinner, I cough all night. Which hurts.

My hubby did a roast dinner the other day, and I blended the veggies and a cup of water and a veggie stock cube to make a "soup". It was great!

NCGG, I've also got foot and knee problems. I've got arthritis in my feet, and I hurt a knee wrestling some years back and that required surgery. I am holding out hope that when I lose some weight, the feet won't hurt so much and I might be able to wear pretty shoes!

On the first day, I was on clear fluids. For the next 6 days, any fluids that will go through a straw - so drinks, shakes, soups, teas, etc. That's the phase I'm in now. After this, I go onto mashed potato or runnier texture - scrambled eggs, weetbix with milk, etc. That's for a week. Then I'm onto normal food.

Hi everyone, I'm Rebecca, and I'm from near Sydney Australia. I was banded on 15 August. Mostly things are good. I have been getting some random stabbing pains at the bottom of my left ribs, which is I assume the stomach? If this keeps up I'll have to go see my doctor again. I was worried about the port incision 2 days after the surgery - it looked like it was getting very red and swollen and I was afraid it was an infection. The surgeon put me on liquid antibiotics just in case, and the swelling and redness has gone and is just bruising now. Two of my incisions are fine. Two feel tender if I touch them or lie funny. And the port one still hurts a lot. Especially when I cough. After the surgery, I had the sorest throat. I had no voice either, and now my throat is really scratchy, like I can feel it being rough when I swallow. I assume this is some after effect of the anaesthesia/breathing tube etc. Whatever it is, it's making me cough, which is killing. But I'm down a LOT of kilos already, so I'm VERY happy about that. Oh, and to answer the original question at the beginning of the thread, I'm married and I have a beautiful 3yo daughter.

I had a 1-week optifast diet and then a liquid diet since getting the band on Monday. I weighed myself this morning and I'd lost 6.4kg since starting the pre-op diet. That's 14.08 pounds. I'm impressed!

I didn't sleep a wink the night before mine either! Good luck today!

I AM BANDED!!! Had it eone yesterday afternoon. They kept me in hospital overnight, and I'm home now. Well, at my next-door-neighbour's house. AND my husband got a new job while I was in hospital, so YAY!

Oh, and also, I'm a bit of a hippy and don't believe in processed foods, so this Optifast diet is absolutely killing me. I mean, there's not really any "food" in any of their products - it's like it's *only* made up of additives. It goes against everything I believe in and I hate my daughter seeing me eat powdered crap. So anyway, I'm not going to be part of the 'what Protein powder is best' conversation at all LOL But I do have a recipe for an all-natural home-made Protein shake, so if anyone's interested, let me know and I can post it.

I'm at the end of day 6 of my 7-day pre-op diet. I've lost 4kg (8.8 pounds) since Monday, which is freaky - I actually woke up this morning and felt the weight loss - my arm was hanging down from my shoulder differently or something! Strange! I'm at the lightest weight I've been since I was about 7 months pregnant with my daughter back in mid 2007. I shot past this weight with the pregnancy and never made it back down again! I even went "out for dinner" at an all-you-can-eat buffet tonight. I had no choice in the venue as it was a big get-together of a bunch of different families and we had to go wherever could cater for our large group and kids. I'm proud to say, I took my Optifast powdered Soup. I spent a lot of the time fussing over other people - showing them to our table, getting stuff for my little girl, etc. I got hot Water from the coffee machine, put it into a soup bowl and made my damn optifast soup, and got a plate and put a cupful of salad on it, which is my allowed vegetables for the day! I'm SOOO proud of myself that I didn't cheat! Tonight and tomorrow I'll be finishing up my last assignment for university. Monday morning, I'm taking my daughter to her swimming lesson as per normal, then meeting my mum for lunch (which we always do), but I won't be having lunch. I'll be leaving my daughter with her and then heading to hospital for my BAND!!! EEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEKKKKKKKKKKKKK!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!! Thanks to those of you who've been banded and come and checked in here - it's relieving my nervousness to hear your stories, and especially that you're able to post so soon after surgery. CarynW, I hope you get your replacement phone quickly!!! But yours is an important story - you've reminded me to get all the personal stuff off my phone *in case* someone gets their hands on it!

The nerve receptors that get the "full" message and signal the brain for you to feel full are at the top of the stomach. In some people, these receptors spread a long way down to the bottom of the stomach. (Those are the people who eat like birds.) And with other people, they're only right at the top. (That's those of us who never feel full - I know I can eat and eat until my stomach is distending and my SKIN hurts, but I'm still not feeling "satisfied.) When you have a lapband (I'm assured by my surgeon), it slows the food going down, so that it's in contact with those little receptors up the top for longer, so you do actually feel "full". I hope so, anyway! I'm getting banded on Monday!

You look so happy! You must be so proud of yourself!!!

Good luck tomorrow!

Maybe get some strategies for nonlifting for when your husband goes back to work? Of the top of my head, what about changing him on a bed or your sofa, so he can climb up and you can sit next to him to do it - no lifting onto a change table. Have picnic food on a rug on the floor or at a coffee table instead of in the high chair. I'd even be tempted to ditch the crib for his sleeps, unless that would be too disruptive. Maybe putting the mattress from the crib onto the floor in front of it? It might even start the transition to a bed for him?

I have similar "stats" to you, including the 3yo child. I was also told that the lapband would help with the PCOS. I think it'll be great if your insurance will cover it or some of it, but if it doesn't and you're able, it could well be something worth spending money on. You'd be investing in your own future, really - the future that has more kids, and a lighter, healthier you.

I'm on day 2 and I feel your pain! I've been filling up on sugarfree cordial today, and snacking on raw baby spinach leaves - just having one each time I pass the kitchen for something to "do"... I haven't got close to finishing the half a cup I put out for myself yet. It's all worth it in the end.

I had the mirena IUD and HATED it - basically every sideaffect listed, I got. I had headaches, weight retention, and a weird out-of-body feeling like my body was not actually my body. Also, it can contribute to ovarian cysts so isn't a good option for those with PCOS. I only know one person who used the nuvaring and she got pregnant the second month she was on it, and the nuvaring made it an ectopic pregnancy. I take the pill now, I'm on one of the ones that helps with PCOS symptoms (acne and facial hair). It's taking a looooong time to see those benefits though! I've been on it for 3 months. I haven't had any weight gain from it though.