amjcal

I personally was in a lot of pain, in fact the pain medication just took the edge off. It took a couple of days for me to feel the port after the swelling when down a little bit. Sting. I still have it once in a while. I personally think it is the nerves healing. Where my large incision is at is still completely numb, which is fine with me I can't feel the needle at all going in or out when the fills take place. I was out of work for 2 weeks, because I lift people for a living. Don't compare yourself to others, you will be discouraged. I agree a lot of people make the lapband sound so easy from the shakes to the surgery to post op and on. Umm ... not so much for me. I wish you the best of luck and hang in there it gets better!

I think you are fine, I was sleeping on my tummy by that point as well, although I used a body pillow to kind of give a little support and cushion so I would be directly putting pressure the painful area. Good Luck!

Head hunger to me is thinking I am hungry, but really my stomach feels full. For example, I am stopping and getting a snack at 7/11 for the kids, I think I am hungry because the kids are hungry and are eating. So should I right? When this happens I pause and say am I really hungry, and sometimes I am and sometimes I am not. This also applies to emotional eating, am I hungry because I just got laid off or am I hungry because I need to give my body nutrition. For me after the surgery there was a big difference when I was hungry and that is how I learned how to realize the difference. I think after surgery I wasn't actually hungry for a couple of weeks. Not to discourage you but here I am 3 months out and I fight with head hunger almost everyday. Because I eat when I am bored , to sleep, to stay awake, stressed, sad, happy anything that is the way I have always felt with my emotion. I have now have a band, a change of life for a healthier me, so I still fight it everyday. I wish the best of luck and i hope this helps you in way or another.

Ok I had terrible luck with first fill, only because I waited a total of 5 hours at the hospital and the doctor never showed up on 2 occasions. BLAH.. Anyways I do not feel the needle going in or any pain, because that area is still numb I am guess from the nerve ending have not grown back or never will. On to fill number 2 ... once again did not feel any pain, there was .5cc put in and afterward a small amount of bruising. I am thinking it is from the pressure of the port and the needle connecting. Well as the days go on the bruise is getting larger and darker in the middle turning purple. It was a simple briuse small at firsy like if you bumped your arm, now it looks like 2in by 2 in like someone punched me.. It has been 5 days since fill. Is this normal? Or has anyone had this? Just a little worried since it seems to be getting worse. Thanks.

Ok thanks ladies I appreciate it !!

A little here a little there,, that is how I am feeling with my eating.. I have had my first fill, not really any difference than before fill. I get in the scale and reads the same, so I am not gaining so I think it is okay to eat a snack here and there. I am not losing though either, but I feel once I have fill number 2 this week then I will not be so hungry. My surgery was July 1st and this has been the hardest week for me yet, I thought the other weeks were hard not so much.. I thought I had the emotional eating under control, and I did until this last week. Will I always struggle with the emotional eating? I am still under 1000 calories most days, but the choices are not the best or as good as they should be. Every day I am like 2morrow I will do shakes only, and then I wake up so hungry and forget I have even said that until the days goes on.. I am getting frustrated with myself, my self control this week is terrible and I am so disappointed in myself. For example I opened a package of Cheetos for my daughter and a pack of goldfish for my other daughter today and I took a bite from each bag like 2 -3 chips. Or a piece of cheese and sausage I feel terrible for this and tell myself you are not supposed to have snacks.. I need to eliminate the snacking. Drink water right? okay so I try that and still the hungry feeling is there, it is like I am obsessed with eating. I have never had this feeling before. At the beginning these foods did not look appealing to me, this week I feel like I am a wolf who has not eaten for weeks when I look at everything I can't have, and unfortunately give in. Does anyone have any pointers with getting the self control, back under control? I was also wondering if with the lap band, this is a stage and will l have this reoccurring stage several times? Any suggestions greatly appreciated.

Umm.. yes I never wait for 2 days either. My fills are .5 at a time so even though I feel restriction I m not feeling what I hear about. With each fill I can only still eat .5 cups or 5-6oz., I was wondering the same thing, I will def stick to it the next time and see if there are any results. Cheers to both of our success!

I was also banded July 1st. I also try to eat my protein first, sometimes I just eat protein. Like tonight for dinner I had meatballs while my family ate spaghetti and meatballs. I try to eat 6oz or 1/2 cup, I am kinda getting used to eyeballing how much I can eat, and I always use a saucer, I never use a full size plate. I have def have had a slip up here and there, but I try not to get down on myself, I am only human. I also think that different food I can eat more of. Like I can probably eat a cup of salad with 3 oz or so grilled chicken breast. I eat until I feel a little discomfort under my breast bone, then I stop. (which has been difficult). But one time eating too much was a bad experience. When I told the dr. this at my last fill, he told me this is how you know the band is working for you! It made me so happy. I think the hardest part for me is waiting an hour after I eat to drink, this drives me nutts!! Good luck if I can help you in any way let me know.

Thank you so much I feel a lot better knowing that I am not the only person with these feelings.. I have been on myfitnesspal for a while, in fact it was my last draw before lap band. I went and got a fill today Yeah!! My doctor makes me wait every 2 weeks. So my first fill was 2cc and today it was .5. OMG!! I drank 1/2 protein drink and that was all I could get down! I am so excited, and when I cooked the kids dinner I had no desire to eat! I did talk to the staff at the office today, she said it is not going to hurt anything to have a goldfish or two. They also told me that it was okay to eat 6x a day and not deprive myself that leads to binging and starving my body from what it needs. I was so relieved. Thank you so much for everyone's input I feel so much better. It is going to take some time to get through the emotional eating and when I look back at the last week, dad in hospital, husband left to go back to where was stationed at, school starting and several issues with my sister. That was a lot to talk in for one week. So I am super tired of the power taste of the protein shakes. So today I went GNC and bought "Lean Shake", it is so good fairly inexpensive and :25grams of protein, 170 calories, 24 vitamins, 2 grams of sugar! And tastes pretty good. Have a great week everyone and thanks again!!

Thank you.

I removed mine the day after they became itchy.

As soon as I feel a tiny bit of pressure around diaphragm area then I know it is time to stop. As soon as you feel the slightest of pressure get up from the table! Good Luck!

U think it is one of the hardest things to deal with... Like when I get done mowing the lawn or am at the beach that is all I want is Water. I am still unsuccessful with this. I hope it gets better with time..

I am so glad you are having exceptional results, that is what I am hoping for when I get my fill 2 morrow !! Best wishes!!

I have to wait for 6weeks to get my first fill, I even called and asked if I could get it on 5 weeks and they said no. So keep your chin upi you can do this! Try to think about something else or have a protein drink. I mixed Banana baby food, and 1 tablespoon of peanut butter to a shake , it makes you a lot fuller and has a different taste which is nice for a change! Best wishes!

I am 6 weeks out, and I feel nausea probably about 75% of the time. I feel very light headed, to the point I am a afraid to drive. I noticed it really bad and my legs started shaking while I was sitting outside pulling weeds. This might have nothing to do with my surgery, but it is getting a little worry some. I am also amm extremely tired, I could sleep all day. I am drinking 6-8 glasses a day. My food intake is between 600 and 1000 calories a day. Any advice is greatly appreciated, my PCP can not get me in until the 24th of August. So I am trying to Thanks.

I know the feeling , I had a similar situation, I was having R side pain. Doctor told me it was gas pains, After a week in the hospital because the pain was unbearable (morphine thru IV was not working), they find out I have a herniated disc in my back touching my spinal cord, pinching my nerve. I was furious, So I said something to the doctor and she basically changed the subject, I called my insurance company and they are doing an investigation on the practice. Just something I thought you might like to know that is an option.

i was only able to sip on a protein shake and it took all day. That means one protein shake a day. I could only eat about 5t of broth at a time or 3 teaspoons of Jello. Take your time you will work up to it!

I think it really depends on how you handle surgery. Me not so good, I feel like I have been ran over by a bus. I took all pain meds excet for one dose. I was really surprised on the pain level. Then again I really don't handle pain well. I was nervous about afterwards as well, mostly learning a new lifestyle. I think I was more nervous than excited. I am very happy with my decision, it makes me feel so good to actually see results. The port site will be sore for a while, in fact the 4 week was when I could finally wear jeans comfy. I think the after 2.5 weeks I was able to get out of bed with out pain. For some people it is a walk in the park for others it is a longer recovery process. Have you had any other surgeries before? I have had surgeries before and it was similar to gall bladder surgery. Maybe a little bit more painful because of the port. You know what "YOU ARE GOING TO DO GREAT" And you should be really proud of yourself for making the first steps to a healthy life! I wish you the best of luck!!

I squeezed into a 12/14 swimsuit today!! I was so excited!! Its an amazing feeling. High FIve !!

I didn't do to good on my pre op diet as far as weight loss goes, after the surgery the pounds started dropping. You will do fine! Just listen to your doctor. Have a very successful journey!

I can honestly say once my surgery was set my excitement went away. I was nervous very nervous about the lifestyle change. In fact I even woke up late for my surgery the morning of!! So I sped to the hospital trying to make it on time to my surgery, and got their in time for my surgery to not be canceled. As the pounds start to come off, I get more excited. This is serious, this is a life style change. Just like anything in life it is good to be excited, but it is also good to be serious. You will be amazed after you are banded, to me it was almost like brain surgery. I know you will do great! Good Luck and best wishes!!

I find it hard to find time to workout on a daily basis, which scares me that after I have the surgery I will not have any results. Has anyone not had a daily workout and lost weight? I know when I was my ideal weight in the past I loved to workout because it was not as hard as it is now. I feel if I have this tool and know it will work, then my workouts will be more successful than in the past. I guess when it comes down to it and now that I have got approved I am really hoping I can stay committed. I don't think the food will so much a problem as the working out. Any words of wisdom?? Thanks

I go for my first fill on 8/16 which I am realizing is right around the corner. I scheduled my fill, and it will be done under flouro ? Do you go NPO after midnight so nothing will be in the stomach? Or do you drink only liquids before or after. I want to be successful with my first fill, therefore if there is a way for me improve my results that of course is what I want to do! Thanks in advance for any tips!

I was def nervous as well, not nervous about the surgery, but about my life afterwards, Using food as an emotional crutch your entire life then giving that up over night was very hard for me, Yes, I was nauseated and nervous before surgery as well. I was more nervous after surgery though, I was so afraid I was going to screw something up. I am a month out and so happy I had the surgery. I am a nervous wreck about a lot of things, but in the end we waste a lot of mental energy. You will be fine, Preop testing is effortless. From one worrier to another, Take a deep breathe and relax. Talk about your feeling to the people you have told about the surgery, That is what really helped me, I talked out my worries and my feelings. I wish you the best luck,