Pretty In Ink

My surgery was April 19th and I am also in the bandster hell. I get my first fill on May 30th. I feel a little bit of restriction, but not much. Still have some port incision pain. I actually have two stitches on it that my body keeps trying to kick out, so the healing has been interesting. Also, as my port heals to my muscle, the pain fluctuates which I guess is normal. Sometimes it just feels like it's pulling when I bend over. I lost 14 pounds pre-op, but have only lost 3 pounds post op. I'm not too discouraged. I know that these few weeks are for healing. My doctor has me on no more that 2 cups of food before my first fill, but I have been trying to keep it closer to 1 cup to prepare myself for the fill. I originally thought that going out to dinner and watching my family all chow down lots of good food would really bother me. However we went out to dinner and all I did was snack a little off of my husband's plate and I was just fine with it! I was actually pretty happy when we piled into the car and I was the only one that wasn't in misery from eating too much!

You can do this because you are amazing! Keep looking forward and grab onto the life you have always wanted. Good luck tomorrow. Keep us posted. ~~Be gentle with yourself~~

You did it girl! Congratulations! Just remember, slowly but surely. You can do this! I'm so happy for you! Keep us posted ~~Be gentle with yourself~~

I'm on day 6 after surgery and this is the first day where I've felt what I consider normal. I've still got quite a bit of gas (my kids think it's hilarious) but at least it's not up under my ribs like it was. I was able to quit my pain meds on day 3, and every morning I wake up the insicions hurt less and less. Not that they hurt real bad in the first place. I get frustrated because of the lifting restriction because I think I need to be up doing my normal stay-home-mommy things. For a couple of days I felt rather depressed. It was like ok I got through fear and chaos of surgery, now what? I had to take a step back and remember that these next few weeks are for healing and learning to adjust to a new lifestyle. Change that is good is also sometimes very challenging. I'm trying to adjust to a new realtionship with food. Afterall, if I had a good relationship with food I wouldn't be here in the first place. It's still hard for me as I sit with my family and watch them all enjoy a gooey pizza while I stare at my 1/4 cup of tomato soup. It's not that I'm really hungry, I would just really enjoy chowing down a piece of pizza! I just keep thinking that one of these days I'll be trading that slice of pizza in for a pair of skinny jeans!!! ~~Be gentle with yourself~~

You will do great! I'm 6 days post op and so glad I did this! You will be too. This surgery is pretty easy on you. Good luck and keep us posted! ~~Be gentle with yourself~~

I had my surgery on the 19th and I'm experiencing the same thing. It sounds like my tummy is having a party. I also lost quite a bit before surgery and now it has slowed down. I just keep reminding myself that this first 4-6 weeks is for healing and for my body to become adjusted to a new life. So many changes. But they are GOOD changes! ~~Be gentle with yourself~~

Surgery is tomorrow! I am scared, excited, and relieved that the day is finally here. I've been on the Optifast diet for 9 days now and I have lost 16 pounds! I didn't even believe it was possible to lose that much weight so fast. Makes me feel confident that my liver has shrunk. It's going to take every ounce of courage I have to walk into that hosipital tomorrow morning. It's the dream of snow skiing with my kids, wearing shorts in the summertime, and being able to be around for my grandkids someday that gives me strength and keeps me going. This group has been great and I'm so glad to share this journey we're all on Peace and Love ~~Be gentle with yourself~~

I had a Tramadol drip while I was in the hospital and Lortab (hydrocodone and acetaminophen) when I came home.

I'm 3 days post op and the same spots on my are slightly warm. Remember that your body is trying to heal those incisions which brings more blood cells to them. That can sometimes make them a little warmer. Same thing happens to me when I get tattoos. Did the Dr. give you some pain meds? If it hurts to take a deep breath maybe you need some pain relief. Also, are the incisions bright red? I'm no Dr, but you should be fine. If you're worried call your Dr first thing Monday and ask. Good luck!

You will do amazing! Good luck and keep us posted! ~~Be gentle with yourself~~

Yours will go just fine! When you wake up out of surgery you will be so happy you did it! I have had 3 kids by c-section and this was definately easier than that. I'm day 3 post op and am off of my pain meds! I'm still kind of tired and taking it easy though. You will do GREAT!

I'm doing pretty well. Just got home. I had to stay overnight because of my sleep apnea. The pain isn't too bad as far as the incisions go. The one that hurts the worst is where the port is. I do have quite a bit of air in my tummy and I feel really bloated. If I stand it goes under my ribs which hurts a little. Haven't had any pain meds since 4am. I can't believe I was so scared of this procedure. Very glad I did it!

Surgery is tomorrow! I am scared, excited, and relieved that the day is finally here. I've been on the Optifast diet for 9 days now and I have lost 16 pounds! I didn't even believe it was possible to lose that much weight so fast. Makes me feel confident that my liver has shrunk. It's going to take every ounce of courage I have to walk into that hosipital tomorrow morning. It's the dream of snow skiing with my kids, wearing shorts in the summertime, and being able to be around for my grandkids someday that gives me strength and keeps me going. This group has been great and I'm so glad to share this journey we're all on Peace and Love ~~Be gentle with yourself~~

I got my surgery date of April 19th! Being both scared and excited is really doing a number on me. I had to break down and cry. I didn't know you could have tears of happiness and fear at the same time! I start my pre-op liquid diet on April 10th. It's going to be interesting to see how I handle having to cook meals for my family without being able to eat them. I'm sure at some point I'm going to get crabby about it. It feels like I'm experiencing the death of food in some way. Especially because I have always used food for comfort. I suppose that sounds completely crazy to some people. It took a long time for me to be able to accept the lifestyle changes I am making. I really hope that next year at this time I can look back and smile remembering how scared I was and be thankful I made this decision to finally be healthy and free

I'm an emotional eater. I eat when I'm happy to Celebrate fun times and I eat when I'm sad to find comfort. Unfortunately I'm having a rotten day and I'm on my pre-op diet so I can't run to the fridge to grab something to make myself feel better. So I'm sitting here in tears trying to figure out what I can do to give myself some comfort. I thought about going for a walk outside, but the wind is blowing 50 mph so that's out. I realize that learning to comfort myself in other ways is part of the lifestyle change. But that doesn't mean it's easy. Fortunately as I type this I'm starting to feel a little better. This all makes me think of the people who have said to me that getting banded was the "easy" way out. This is definately not easy. But anything worth doing is going to be harder than you think. So what do the rest of you "emotional eaters" do to replace the satisfaction you once got from grabbing some chocolate or some chips from the cupboard? ~~Be gentle with yourself~~

So glad to hear things went well for you! Would love to hear how it went and how you're feeling now! My day is Thursday so I'm getting super nervous! ~~Be gentle with yourself~~

Good luck! Sending good vibes your way. Keep us posted!

I really wish I knew how to sew. I don't even know how to use a machine! It's always been a dream of mine to make a quilt. Maybe right now would be a good time to get a machine and learn!

Wow maybe I need to find myself a good therapist! The comedian on Youtube is a GREAT idea!! Afterall they do say laughter is the best medicine! I ended up doing some plus size yoga. It really helps with the blues. I also learned a long time ago that if you remove your socks and shoes and go stand outside in the grass and pretend you're a tree growing limbs and roots that it helps clear your mind. Sounds kind of weird, but it works pretty good ~~Be gentle with yourself~~

I can't wait to buy new clothes! I can't remember the last time it was actually fun to go and try them on without feeling awful about myself! ~~Be gentle with yourself~~

I get told a lot that I carry my weight well too. Unfortunately that doesn't mean I'm healthy. Hope things go well for you! Good luck!

Yes I sure do have tattoos. I have about 25 of them! It helps that my father-in-law is a tattoo artist. I'm waiting to get some weight off before I start putting more on certain parts of my body in hopes that there won't be so much of me to tattoo!