yelorz

I can relate. I've had my lapband for going on one year now. I had a difficult time after surgery because the doctor fixed a hernia at the same time and put in one stitch too many, so I had to undergo a second surgery the same day. Needless to say, I was off work for one month. I was 272 when I decided to have lapband. In the month before the surgery, I got down to 250. After that I stuck with a low-carb diet and was really careful about not overeating and eating slowly and got down to 190. I was originally told that I would not be able to ever eat bread or drink carbonated beverages (sodas were not a problem since I don't like them anyhow) and, if it meant that I would be skinny, I didn't mind giving up bread. I was also told that I would only be able to eat small amounts of food or I would throw up. Well, once I reached 190, I decided to "test the waters" so to speak. I tried eating more and I was fine. Then I tried bread. I was fine. Then crescent rolls and pizza. Fine and fine - never felt sick, never threw up. Before I knew it, I was eating like I had before. I had one fill between the time of my surgery and the time I reached 190. Then I went back up to 230 and had another fill. I felt no restriction have either fill. I even had them x-ray me to make sure the band was in place. Everything looked fine. My doctor said "Well, if this doesn't work, we'll go back in and remove the band and do a gastric sleeve." OH REALLY? And who's going to pay for that???? Really pissed me off. So, once again, after a lifetime of dieting (I'm 62), I feel like the biggest failure in the world. All my friends know I had lapband and I can just imagine what they're thinking. How embarrassing. Oh well, I guess I was never meant to be thin. Anybody else out there have this same story?

I try to drink 1 or 2 of the Pure Protein shakes everyday. One shake has 35 grams of protein. You can get them from the Vitamin Shoppe or Amazon.com.

I took pain pills from Friday to Wednesday. I never had much pain in my shoulder, but I had a lot of pain in my stomach and chest area and also my abdomen (probably from gas). I can relate to the chest pain when taking a deep breath. Are you coughing any? It would hurt like h*** when I coughed - from my chest to my abdomen. It DOES get better. Trust me. If you only had your surgery on June 6, it's probably going to take a couple weeks before you start feeling better, but you WILL start feeling better. Good luck to you!

My surgery took place on May 11. I had lost 21 pounds during my pre-op diet and I was convinced I was going to be the best patient ever and had a very positive outlook. I had the surgery on a Friday and planned to be back at work on Tuesday or, at the latest, on Wednesday. Had the surgery and had a small hernia repaired at the same time. After surgery, had to drink barium so they could watch the liquid go through. It was not going through properly and the doctor said I would need to have another surgery to remove one stitch from the hernia repair. So back under anesthesia I went. Then more barium afterwards and more barium until I was nearly in tears. Finally, the doctor was satisfied and I got to go home. I was not ready for the pain I experienced. All I wanted was ice water and grape juice. Days 2 and 3 after surgery were pure hell as the barium kicked in and it had an extreme laxative effect on me. I couldn't move without having diarrhea. I will spare you all the gorey details. I live by myself with 3 dogs and 2 cats. It was horrible. For the first 7 days after surgery, I just prayed to die. It was probably a whole week before I was able to stand upright. By Week 2 I was so weak and I wasn't eating right because all I wanted was something cold and something quick to prepare. I slept most of the time. Went for my post-op appointment with the surgeon the middle of Week 2. I was horribly weak. He talked to me for a long time and was very sympathetic but said that I needed to start getting some calories in me. He told me I could eat almost anything I wanted but I really needed to get some nourishment to get my energy back. On the way home, I stopped at Boston Market and got an order of mashed potatoes and gravy. Week 3 I just worked on eating more and getting my energy back. Ate mostly yogurt, fudgesicles, eggs, shredded wheat cereal and tapioca pudding. By Week 4, I was feeling a lot better but still not ready to return to work just yet. I finally returned to work on June 11 - one month after my surgery. I'm happy to say that my energy is back and I'm getting back on track with my protein shakes and lots of nutritious low-carb food. I certainly wasn't prepared for all that was in store for me. Hopefully, a few months from now, I can say it was the best thing I ever did. But would I do it all over again? Probably not. However, I think I'm definitely the exception to the rule. Most people don't have as hard of a time. Good luck to all of you!

I had hernia repair also with my lap band surgery. After the surgery, Dr. Fox said that I would need to have a second surgery to remove one stitch from the hernia repair. So two surgeries in one day. Needless to say, for the first two weeks I wanted to die. I'm finally back to work after four weeks. Didn't expect anything like this. But I'm doing well now. May need to have my first fill next week. 31 pounds down so far, so I can't complain too much.

I'm 5'4" and my goal is 130. Although I think I'd like to get to 125 and then never go over 130. We'll see. My surgery is tomorrow. I've done very well on my pre-op diet though - I've lost 19 pounds as of yesterday.

Help! My surgery is scheduled for this Friday. When they did the endoscopy, they found a quite a large polyp on my duodenum. The doctor who did my endoscopy said that it would probably have to be removed by doing a second endoscopy. My endoscopy was done a week ago and I still can't get the doctor to call me back! What I desperately need to know is should I have the polyp removed before I have the lap band surgery? Is there anybody out there that can answer this question? Time is ticking as my lap band surgery is scheduled in four days.

Just an update. Finally got to talk to the doctor who did the endoscopy and he said that my biopsies look perfectly normal. He thought the polyp might be pre-cancerous but it wasn't. He also told me that it would probably be a good idea to schedule an endoscopy yearly from now on. He said that you don't have to worry about doing an endoscopy after you get banded because they have several different sizes of scopes that they can use. Whew! Surgery on Friday! Yah!!!!!!!

Try Spry sugarless gum or breath mints. You can get them at the Vitamin Shoppe or order online. I've also seen them at Whole Foods. They're sweetened with Zylitol. I keep some in my purse all the time.

Trust me - I've been trying to do that since last Friday! The doctor who did my endoscopy told me that I had a polyp and that it would probably need to be removed even if it wasn't cancerous. He said he'd call me in 3-4 days. He hasn't called me yet. When I call his office, they tell me he's in surgery. I can't get him to call me back. I also called the doctor's office who is going to do my lap band surgery. They haven't called me back yet either. Talk about frustrating!

Thank you so much for this information! Good to know! Now maybe I can have my surgery this Friday. Yah!!!

Welcome to the club!! Good luck to you tomorrow and we're going to get the weight off and keep it off this time! My surgery is May 11.

That's what I thought too! However, they never tell you if those people have kept up with their doctor's appointments or if they exercise, etc. So who knows! I've read more success stories than anything else.

Best of luck to you!!!!! My prayers are with you.

Are you getting all your Water in? That has helped me considerably! 64 oz. a day or 4 oz. every hour that you're awake.

Thanks! Good to know!

I have a question. I know bread is a no-no cause it has the potential for getting stuck, but what about crackers? Like Ritz, Wheat Thins, Triscuit, etc.? Does anybody know?

So sorry to hear that. I'll say a prayer for you that you'll be able to have it done on Friday. Once you get to the hospital, try to think pleasant thoughts and know that you have lots of people here to support you.

Today is day 10. I have 8 more days to go. I'm going to stop telling people that I'm having lap band surgery. They've been telling me that they know people who had it done and gained back the weight and someone else told me that they knew someone who had it done and it didn't turn out well at all. Arrrgggh. That's not what I want to hear right now as I'm starving to death.

I know. This pre-op diet is about ready to do me in, but I'll do it. It's just not any fun. I guess that's part of my problem - my thinking is that food and fun should go together.

Just want to clarify my previous post. I did not partake of the breakfast, ice cream or pizza - I faithfully stayed on my pre-op diet.

My surgery is May 11 also. I've been on my pre-op diet since April 28 and I've lost 13 pounds so far. I made it through Secretaries Week when they had a big Breakfast on Monday, ice cream sundaes on Thursday and pizza on Friday. We can do this! Let's roll!

I've been using the Unjury shakes. The chocolate tastes just like a Yoo-Hoo and there's no aftertaste. I love them! I guess if you want it thicker, you can add a little sugar-free jello pudding. The only place to get them is online though at www.unjury.com. They ship quickly and they're not overly expensive. 20 grams of protein per shake. You mix the powder will skim milk but it mixes very easily and there's no yucky stuff stuck to the bottom of the glass.

For the constipation problem, try drinking at least 64 oz. of water a day - not counting coffee, tea or Crystal Light. That has really been helping me stay regular. I drink 4 oz. of water every hour that I'm awake and it's not too hard.

My surgery is on a Friday and I'm hoping to be back at work on Tuesday. But then I have a desk job.