simoneshirbet

I used to love drinking pepsi max, coke, lift and a bunch of other soft drinks (soda). My surgeon didnt tell me that I couldnt have it after the surgery. When I did eventually have a drink, it just sat at the top of my band and bubbled and fizzed and slowly came back up. It was so gross. I thought it was because I was still healing but I have since learned that soft drink can no longer be a part of my diet. And like others that have replied, I don't crave it anymore. I drink more water now than I did before, I may have a glass of juice if I need something sweet, and I feel so healthy just by eliminating that...and McDonalds. Also, soft drink has so much sugar and chemicals in it, I think ditching it all together is the better option.

I was banded in November. I often have the same feeling but it can come after just having a few small bites of something, whereas other times I might be able to eat much more than usual without any problems. I was tightened for the first time just before Christmas and I have less restriction now than I did before. Because before you get tightened you band is filled with air, when you get tightened they take the air out and put saline in. Its all very strange. Anyway, your doctor will have all of the answers for you when you go to see him next. Being tightened may actually help for you.

I was banded in November and tightened a week before Christmas. I was so worried about weighing myself because I really didn't think that my weightloss would be what I wanted. I was so surprised to find that I have lost around 7kgs since I was tightened. I still dont feel very much restriction so Ill be getting another .5ml fill in a couple of weeks. I have a total of 14kg (30lbs) lost and Im so excited about whats coming next. Please let me know how you are going. I would love to have more contacts who are going through the same process.

I was banded on 11/11/11 at 11:00am. Really weird. Im from Australia, 23 years old, starting weight was 302lbs, current weight is 282lbs and my goal weight is 154lbs. If I lose more that would be great but I am trying to be realistic. Im getting my band tightened on Dec 19th. Just before Christmas. Im so excited to be changing my life, its going to be amazing. I think it is a great idea to keep in contact with people who started the same time as you.

I am a 23 year old Australian women. My weight was 137kgs, it is currently 128kgs and I hope to get down to 65-70kgs. I had lapband surgery 8 days ago and I am wondering if this was the best decision. I thought about it for 3 years before I made the decision to go through with the surgery, and was so excited about the idea of some more help to assist me to become a healthier person. After the surgery, I was in so much pain I thought I was going to die. I dont think my pain was properly managed. I could not get up to walk until more than 6 hours after the operation, and 8 days later I still need help from my family to get out of bed. Three days ago my main wound started weeping a brown liquid. I wasn't too concerned because it didn't smell bad and wasn't red or sensitive. I went to my GP and he cleaned it, gave me some important information and sent me on my way. I called my surgeon just as a precaution and he talked down to me like I was a disobedient child. He told me that I went against his instructions even though he did not actually communicate any post-op advice or care. I am now on antibiotics and will be seeing my surgeon on Monday. I am worried that I will need more surgery, I am worried that it might be infected, I am worried that my lapband may need to come out, I am worried that I might need to take more time off work and I am just scared because I dont have any information. I know that this surgery is going to change my life. I am trying to be really positive but it is hard while I am in pain and unsure of my future. Hopefully the next time I log on here I will be able to say that I am just a paranoid hypochondriac. Talk then, Simone

OOhhhh. Thats awesome. I cant wait to buy I gorgeous overly priced bra. All I can wear at the moment are crappy sports bras or old lady bras. Its worth spending the money.

Hi Sue, I was going through the same thing. I think it is really important to try and figure out where the pain and discomfort are coming from. I felt sick from the surgery, I had pain in my abdomen, back, shoulders, chest and arms from the gas, I had a great amount of internal and external pain from my wounds and I felt sick because I was so hungry. Most of the time when I felt sick I just needed to have something substancial to fill me up. But because I was too scared of vomitting, I avoided eating which made it worse. It is important to know that everyone comes out of surgery with different experiences. Some people come out and are up walking around immediately and breeze through their recovery. Then there are others, like us, who take longer to adjust. If you are concerned at all, you should contact your doctor. It is important to get that peice of mind so that you dont worry yourself. Its always better to be safe than sorry. Goodluck with everything. Simone

To put all of your surgery/weight details on your profile; click on the little down arrow in the top right corner, then click on 'My Patient Profile'. I had my surgerry on the 11th November. I was expecting to go back to work a couple of days later but I had to take the rest of the week off. Im a disability support worker and I work weekon/week off, Im hoping that I will be ok to go back to work this Wednesday. My surgery was 9 days ago and I have only just been able to get out of bed without any assistance. I really think that everyone's post-op experience is different. I was in an extreme amount of pain; I was regretting the whole thing for about 24 hours. I felt a lot of stomach pain from the surgery, pain in my shoulders, chest and abdomen from the carbon dioxide, and I was sick from being so hungry. Most of the time I wasn't sure what was causing me pain. Please understand though, that most of the people I have spoken to had a better experiencxe than I did. Everyone is different. My trip home was about an hour. I didn't realise that the roads were so bumpy until I had my operation. It wasn't too bad; my sister was very good and tried to avoid the pot holes. For a 4 hour trip I would recommend breaking it up into four 1 hour lots, with 20 minute breaks. This will give your body time to relax. I find that you tense up quite alot while driving, which causes pain. Try and relax, and get a really soft pillow to sit on to try and absorb some of the jolting. Other than that, be happy about your decision. Know that when the surgery is done, and you begin to heal, you will be looking much healthier. Goodluck.

It's very important to have information. I had my surgery on the 11th November and I thought I knew what was involved but I had zero information. You need to know that it can be very painful; be prepared for that. Everyone I talked to made it seem like they were fine but I struggled so much. I know that everyone is different but if I had the informstion I probably wouldnt have be so scared when I woke up. Your shoulders, chest and abdomen may hurt from the gas, and your stomach will hurt from the operation. Keep on top of it. You need to get your body moving as soon as possible. I couldnt get up for over 6 hours but I was moving my arms and legs to get the circulation moving and get the gas out of me. You also need to make sure that you have plenty of recipes for being on the liquid diet. I am very picky so I am pretty much living off juices and smoothys. If you like Soup get as much Protein as possible. I am really feeling the lack of protein. You also need to keep a close eye on your wounds. Contact your surgeon if you have ANY doubts about how you are healing. Its always better to be safe than sorry in any situation. What may be a little bit of tenderness may turn out to be an infection oloike what I have. On top of all of that, just be happy about making a positive change in your life. All of these dramas will seem insignificant when you are looking healthy and gorgeous. At least that is what I keep telling myself. Goodluck.

11lbs is a great pre-op loss. I lost 16lbs. 3lbs the day after my surgery and I havent lost anymore since I have been able to go back on liquid diet. My band doesnt get tightened until 6 weeks post-op, is that different in America????

It is very important for you to talk to your doctor about this. While most medications are fine to be crushed, you'll find that some should not be crushed or cut, due to them needing to stay in tact until they reach a certain area of the body. I know that some people say its fine taking big pills while banded but I havent even had my band tightened yet and I can no longer take large pills.

Sorry guys, Im new to this. What does Non-scale Victory mean??? Is that like a clothes or measurement acheivement??

The gas pain did hurt a lot; mostly in the shoulders, chest and abdomen. The worst pain was under my main wound. I didn't realise how much you use your stomach muscles until I had the surgery. Everytime I coughed, sneezed, laughed or moved I was in agony. Unfortunately my sister and her kids were in my room when I came out of surgery, and now my four-year-old neice knows a bunch of new swear words. I was expecting to be up walking around within an hour after the surgery; I was shocked that I was not able to move. I did not receive any advice to walk around. Looking back, I know that I did not get the information I required to get through the recovery. I did not receive much information at all. Being on this website has really helped me to understand more about my surgery. I am very happy to have a good support network with information directly from people who know what I am going through.