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lifeisjustbeginning2011

LAP-BAND Patients
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Posts posted by lifeisjustbeginning2011

  2. Posted

    I use myfitnesspal.com and I love it. It had a huge database of foods to help you track. The thing I like about it is that I can print reports and I can notice patterns, like too much sodium and carbs. Very helpful. There are lots of free online programs to help. It is a pain, but now I'm used to it.

    Amy

    Feeling the same way as you guys, banded on the 14th, no fill until Sept. 1, and surgery/recovery have just completely broken my pre-op rhythm! My head isn't as clear and motivated (could be all that caffeine I can't have anymore!) and my body is struggling to get the strength it had before surgery back again. I have muscle cramps on my port side constantly, my first TOM since surgery was way more intense than they used to be, and I don't have a scale at home so I am not sure if I am losing at all right now. Bandster Hell is right! I have started with a therapist to try to deal with my eating issues, and my husband has changed his own lifestyle to be in sync with what I am doing, so its not like i dont have the support at home. I don't keep very good food logs, always been a problem for me, but I know I'm eating WAY less than I used to and exercising like I should. I'm just in a rut I guess. Anyone have any tips on how to make food logging less of a pain in the you-know-what? My five year old literally groans when I take out my little notebook for the hundreth time to record my Water, Protein, calories, Vitamins, blah blah blah. I can't stick to it because it feels so tedious. Thanks for any ideas, Rebecca

  3. Posted

    Hot dogs are on my "be extremely cautious" list. It says to take of the outside and go for the inside only, but it should be the low fat kind. In general they're really salty, which will probably bite ya in the butt later when you crave something sweet to balance it out. At least that's what it would do to me. Don't see anything wrong with just a bite or two, though.

    Amy

    Has anyone tried hotdogs? I'm making them for my kids' dinner tonight, and I would just love to cut one up into tiny pieces to eat.

  4. Posted

    I was self pay, and expected more than what my first surgeon was offering. He's well known in the area as being a top doctor. Heck, he TRAINS new docs on Lap Band.

    The final straw was when, a week before surgery, I went to pay. There was 1,000 added onto the fee (all inclusive total of 13,500) because I have sleep apnea and might have to stay overnight. Umm..no. I literally had just paid 5,000 in cash and 7500 on my credit card. I said no way, refund it all right now. I was PISSED. They refunded everything (minus the 100 initial consult fee) and I moved on. I found another center that offers even more services (a whole year of nutrition and doc visits for no charge) and it was only 12,500. I'm glad I did.

    You have go on your level of trust. If you doubt it, look elsewhere.

    Amy

    I really like my surgeon but there have been some changes in his office that are making me question if I should switch to another surgeon. Recently he changed his office. He moved to an already established practice to create his own. He's still affiliated with the same hospital, though.

    My last appointment was my fourth with him. At that point I had done all my pre-op requirements and I was ready for him to submit information to my insurance. When I got to the appointment he thought it was my second because in my file he only had my first appointment. notes He didn't have any notes from my other appointments. They managed to find some of them and some of my pre-op testing during the appointment, but when I left he said they were going to have to find some others.

    He said they would submit the paperwork to insurance but I'm wondering if they ever did or when they did because they didn't have it all. My appointment was two weeks ago. I've called his office last week and twice this week to see if they had all my paperwork and to see if it was submitted and no one called me back. Is this normal to not receive a call back? I'm nervous that if I have a problem after surgery that I won't be able to reach him. He told me to call this Friday to see if my insurance got back to them. I don't feel like it's wrong for me to call them.

    I should mention that he's the only surgeon in the practice. I'm near Philadelphia so there are other hospitals with bariatric centers. This hospital is the closest. I don't know what my options are at this point for switching. I don't want to wait another 5 months to get the lap band but it's probably better to prolong the surgery if it means better post-care. What would you do? Am I being unreasonable, impatient? Would you go ahead if you like the surgeon and hope the office gets it together?

  5. Posted

    you shouldn't have to deal with pain. call the doc's on call # and tell them you need liquid pain reliever. Calling in a script should be no problem. That's why they earn good money. Don't feel back about calling. You can also take liquid adult Tylenol.

    Thanks for the advice... I've been trying to tough it out a little but I'm in a pretty good amount of pain. The gas is killing me. Its just that my oxycodone is in pill form and really hurts to swallow... I cut them into fours but it still hurts. I'm not getting much of anything down right now... Even full liquids like Soup are hurting now. I'm contemplating going to the ER to get some liquid pain meds... But maybe I'll just wait til morning and have my dr call some in. I'll just keep on walking!

    Sorry to complain... I am very excited to get past this initial phase... Hopefully I won't have too much of this pain left :-) thanks for all y'all's support!

  6. Posted

    Aye. I PB'd and gagged up 2 chicken nuggets tonight. It was so scary. I ate too fast. Man, it happened quickly. Not even five minutes after I finished the second one, the dry heaving started, but really the whole thing was over in like 2 minutes. It was like choking. Not cool. I did drink some warm Water, but man. Eeeeeek. I can't imagine if that would have happened in public.

  7. Posted

    I sure hope it's fine...because as soon as my fat ass isn't fat anymore, that's one of the first things I'm going to do!!! :)

    Amy

    I was banded Dec 2008, and it just now came to me that I might not be able to ride a rollercoaster. How many of you have gone on one, did you have any troubles, if so what? Any info would help me determine if it is worth it.

    rowekins reacted to this

  8. Posted

    I'm still about the same, thanks for asking. I met with the surgeon yesterday and he just said to keep taking the medicine and I can have my fill next Wednesday (once finished with meds). I also got my lab results back from the primary care doc and things look surprisingly good. I posted what Vitamins she tested on my blog if you're interested. In another month or so, she'll do more labs to check the cholesterol, sugars & thyroid, just to make sure things are on the up and up. She basically said she'll test whatever I want her to - my main concern is losing weight in a healthy way, and not putting my body through hell in the process.

    Amy

    Amy, how's the infection doing? Hopefully antibiotics are killing it...

    Finally got the 4 pounds of water/bloating off me again, back at 172 pounds. I still feel almost no restriction. Haven't lost any weight since hitting 172, but I also know that 172 has always been a MAJOR plateau for me. I have always had trouble at this weight. But, I have lost some more fat around my middle, so maybe my body is morphing into a more efficient machine. I HOPE. I swear, I am under 1000 calories per day.

    Oh, and any of you who live in the Washington, DC, metropolitan area: I'm doing the 9-11 5K on September 10. Any band buddies want to join me?

  9. Posted

    Myfitnesspal.com

    many people on here use this site. You can make your food dairy public so that others can view it and join you as a friend. I like it a lot. It syncs to smartphones (I have an iPhone), so goes with me everywhere. You can print progress reports and your daily food choices to take to your nutritionist or doc. I'm a month post-op, and just beginning to really enjoy this. I log everything - even when I have a not-so-good day. Take a look. You're welcomed to send me a friend request if you'd like. My ID is listed under the ticker below.

    Amy

    Can anyone tell me a good website to be able to keep track of my food I'm eating that will count the calories?? I thought I could access one here, but am having a hard time finding it.

  10. Posted

    Of all places, I found these at TJ Maxx today. However, after doing an internet search, they're available at a lot of sites. Mine are raspberry, orange & strawberry. They are similar to Viactiv. I was looking for the fruit flavors, I'm not much of a chocolate person. If you can find these, go for it. I paid $7.99 for 75. I'll include a link for them on Amazon. They do qualify for the free shipping if you buy 25 of stuff. I'll have two of these in the morning and my liquid for dinner. I take thyroid medicine, so I have to wait 1-2 hours after I take that...so these will go in my purse!

    http://www.amazon.com/Nutrition-Now-Calcium-Fruit-chews/dp/B00014EDCQ/ref=sr_1_1?ie=UTF8&qid=1312340559&sr=8-1

  12. Posted

    Surgery was at 12 pm (surgery center), home by 5pm (includes a 30 minute drive). No walking after the surgery, except to the bathroom to put on my clothes. As soon as I was alert, I was outta there. They said "you heal better at home." Find out where your surgery will be and learn about their policies before you go :)

    Can you tell me how many hours you all stayed int he hospital? I am self pay and I really was hoping just a few hours. I am healthy and heal very well. I don't think I need to be there too long. please tell what you know/think. Thanks so much! LB 8/15/11! yah!

  13. Posted

    HOLY COW!!!!! You're a human dartboard!! Glad you're ok!

    Amy

    How about this for luck??

    I had my lap band placed June 27th. On July 19th I worked 5 am to 4 pm. Then, took my daughter to the hospital for induced labor (3 wks overdue). Got her there about 6 pm, she was nervous, we played games, they weren't giving her pitocin (labor inducing drug) til the morning. I stayed til about 11 pm, drove 40 min. home, cleaned up the kitchen, fell asleep exhausted about 1 am. My daughter called at 4am, 'Mom, almost time to start pitocin, I'm nervous'. Jumped outta bed, noticed some abdominal pain (frequent Constipation since band) washed face, brushed teeth, went to hospital.

    Things went as expected, labor progressed, as my daughter's pain increased, so did mine! Around noon, I took milk of mag, hoping it would help, instead pain turned horribly severe, I assumed impaction (I'm a nurse). I ignored and hid it, as my daughter was having her 1st child, she already has anxiety, and she was in increasing pain. This continued till July 20th around 2 am. She was dilating, 8 cm at this point, but baby wouldn't come down. They took her away for a c-section. Around 4 am, I got to see my 1st granddaughter! She's the love of my life.

    I tried to leave the hospital, but by now, as I walked out, I was sweating, doubled over in pain, feeling nauseous. I walked by the ER, thought, 'No one in waiting room,,can get a suppository and go home!'

    Mind you, I've not showered, sweaty from pain, 2 days without sleep...I go in and they put me on a cot (no pillow, no blanket), I fall asleep! I can barely function to answer questions (they gave me pain meds, I remember asking for a suppository)..they are running tests, I am still out of it. I dreamed that a handsome

    Doc told me he was admitting me for an emergency appendectomy. I finally woke around 11 am as they were wheeling me to the surgical floor,,I remember thinking, 'OMG! It wasn't a dream (My Surgeon really was terribly good-looking..lol)! Anyway, my family had no idea where I was,,I woke enough to call them, had my surgery around 6pm, so my appendix and my grandbaby have the same birthday...haha

    I'd love to see my H&P,,,disheveled, unwashed, barely coherent, possibly 'on something',,,lol

    So now I have 4 more laperscopic incisions to add to my 5 from lap band,,my belly looks like a peg board,,,but all is well! I was wondering if anyone else had an appendectomy after lap band?

    I dang sight better end up cute and skinny!!! lol

  16. Posted

    Setback. Out of the four incisions, the largest one (port site) is not healing correctly. I went to the doc last week and got on some antibiotics. Today I went to take off two bandaids and it literally ripped my skin off in two more places. :( It burns so bad. Tomorrow is one month post op. Hoping this gets better soon. :(

  18. Posted

    Yeah!! That's great! I think most of us went through the paranoia of eatng mushies and then on to solids, but I didn't have a problem. I think it is totally normal to feel scared and apprehensive about it. We want to do everything right to be successful. One thing I did was keep to three "meals" a day, and write down my start and end times of when I was eating. I had Water or gatorade in between. When I was on mushies, this was really important. When I ate mashed potatoes (and oh how good they were), I was hungry MUCH sooner than if I chose something lower in carbs. I didn't realize how true the "carbs make you more hungry" rule really was! At first, though, eat whatever the heck you want that's allowed. After a few days, you'll naturally start to see the patterns and you'll want to change to different foods. I pureed the heck out of some chicken, mixed it with some Tomato sauce, and thought I was in heaven. As I'm going through the process, I'm blogging about favorite foods and recipes at each stage and my feelings in general. The link is below if you wanna check it out.

    Best Wishes!

    Amy

    I'm day 5 and turned a corner. I just ate some very thinned cream of potato Soup. It was delicious. I'm doing so much better, I drove to the grocery store and went to the movies. Yesterday I was wondering what the heck I got myself into and today feels so much better.

    I was very nervous eating the soup, it was my first full liquid since surgery (I've been on clear liquids). I just stuck the spoon in the soup and licked it off. It took a while, but I got it down. Hopefully, eating will start to feel natural, I'm so scared to stretch my pouch!

  23. Posted

    The burps didn't hit until the second and third day for me. They were crazy for 2-3 days and then now it is back to normal. Dilaudid AND Lortab? You lucky girl. LOL I just had Lortab. The most comfortable position for me for the first few days was on my back with a memory foam pillow under my knees and a heating pad on my belly. Congrats on getting banded!!!

    Amy

    I finally made it!! I was banded this morning and made it back home around 2pm. I took the gas X stuff like someone mentioned but I have the WORST pain in the middle of my back. I couldnt lay on the stretcher, i wasnt comfortable in a chair and I attempted to sleep for a few hours but it literally feels like my spine is gonna pop out. My surgical sites arent hurting that bad, but this back stuff is killer! Nothing seems to be helping, the Dilaudid, Lortab..notta. I'm able to hold down liquids ok, and I think I remember gagging and stuff in the post op room..so maybe thats contributed to the soreness as well. Im going to try and lay back down and get rid of some of this pain... no gas or belching yet..so we will see!! Thanks guys for the prayers!

    Sherry

  24. Posted

    I know what you mean about the heat. I live in Phoenix. I did laps around my living room for 5-10 minutes at a time. After about a week of this, the dogs finally stopped following me around, thinking we were going somewhere. LOL. I felt really lightheaded, but I did work some Gatorade G2 (the low calorie version) into each day. I, too, never ever got close to the Fluid requirements. Most days I still don't. I try, though. :) It is getting better with time. Even now, 3 1/2 wks later, I'm still pretty tired, but not lightheaded anymore. I started with running a simple errand and came home and totally crashed. I would get to the store and literally not spend 10 minutes there because I was so tired. What a difference a few weeks make! I'm still fairly tired after being out for 3-4 hours, but I'm napping less and working up to more time "up and about." Glad to hear you're doing well. Keep up the pain meds for a few days, I always set my alarm clock to wake me up so I didn't miss a dose. I think I was on them for 3 days, then a dose of Tylenol, then nothing since. Best wishes!

    Amy

    2 days post op and I'm doing pretty well. Just had a bit of won ton Soup broth and I am tolerating some juice mixed with Water nicely. I will probably finish one Protein Shake for the day. My diet is supposed to consist of 4-5 shakes a day PLUS 48-64 ozs of clear calorie free liquid consumed no faster than 2 ozs an hour. Yeah... ya'll do the math, its just NOT possible! lol...

    My incision sites are still pretty tender and the gas pain has reached my shoulder but honestly... its tolerable. I'm taking my pain and anti nausea meds as prescribed and slipping off to sleep about an hour later until time to take more meds. Any major amount of walking will probably have to wait for another couple of days. I just don't trust the small amounts of fluids I have been consuming in this insane southern heat. 10 minutes outside hoofing it and I would be dehydrated and on the ground so I'm not gonna push it til I am able to get more liquids in. All in all so far so good. I hope everyone else who got banded on the 26th is doing as well or better. Every tick of the clock that goes by gets us one step closer to our goal. (((Hugs))) to ALL the July Bandits!!!:welldoneclap:

  25. Posted

    April,

    Does walking help at all? or make it worse?

    Amy

    Looks like we had the same surgeon, Serifa! Are you in Austin also?

    Guys, I am now 16 days post-op and I was feeling amazing until today :(

    I don't know if I overdid it cleaning or what, but I started have pain in my stomach similar to those like when I was just a few days post-op. AND I have been getting weird pain in my lower side. Gas maybe? Not sure what to do? Hoping that as time goes on I can finally be pain free!

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