tiggergramma

I have had my CPAP for 10 years and would have died without it. Literally. I fell asleep on the freeway and drove almost under the trailer of a tractor trailer. I had to stop driving until I could get in to a doctor to find out what the heck was wrong with me! Once I was diagnosed, and once they put that mask on me in the sleep study lab, I was the most grateful person on the planet! At any rate, all of the advice you've received is good stuff. And I am happy to see your response, that things are getting better. My one bit of advice is to try a very short cat nap in the afternoon, without the CPAP. Your apnea and/or snoring will wake you up, so it won't be very restful, but will allow you to close your eyes for a few minutes. Sit on the couch, lean back with your feet up, but don't lie down. You will feel rested and it should not interfere with your nighttime sleep schedule. Good luck!

I am doing ok with solids most of the time, but last night I apparently didn't chew enough and had a slight stuck episode again. I see the Dr. again on Tuesday and really don't know if I should hope for another small fill or not.

Oh my word! I thought I was feeling some restriction up until now, but I could eat faster than I should and I wasn't having to take tiny bites to get things down. I got a third fill on Tuesday, did fluids for 48 hours, then mushies for a day. Tonight I had roasted chicken and steamed broccoli and felt like I tried to kill myself! I ate about 1/2 cup at what I thought was a slow enough speed and chewed like crazy, but felt like it was all going to come right back up. It finally settled down after a few minutes, but I can see that I am finally going to really have to make the chewing and slowing down much more concentrated than I have up to now! Not sure if this is the green zone yet, but I think it is much closer now. Fingers crossed!

I can't imagine having any of the fluid taken out, at least not yet...in fact, I think I will need a little bit more at my next visit. Since the last one, things have relaxed a little bit again.

Does it feel close to the skin and hard? If so, that is probably your port. It is sewn into the muscle and will feel like a hard lump. You should be seeing your surgeon at 1 week post op, right? Be sure to ask him if that is where he placed it.

Those are the lessons I am trying to establish as habits now. They are becoming easier to follow, most days. I still have trouble with foods that really taste good, but I am learning that it is better to let a few bites go than to stuff them in!

yay! Congratulations!

I still have restriction, though not quite as much, but more importantly, I am not having so much head hunger! That is huge! I will go in again in 2 weeks and may need just a little bit of a fill then, but so far so good. I have lost another couple of pounds finally, after having been on a plateau for almost 2 months!

I was terrified before surgery, to the point they finally gave me Valium a few days before so I could sleep and function like an adult! I have no fear of anesthesia, I've had a few surgical procedures and have never had any issues with anesthetics, plus I have worked in medical fields all my life and am quite familiar with them. Today's anesthetics are exceptionally smooth, but I would certainly talk with your surgeon about your concerns and set up a meet with the anesthetist so they can talk to you about what they will use and how it should affect you. My fear was of failure. I was so afraid of taking this huge step and then not being able to succeed at it. Well, this board and others really helped with those fears. (along with the Valium! LOL) Good luck! You will do great!

I am doing Pilates and there is a LOT of ab work in it. My port hurts all the time because the muscle it is sewed into is being worked. It isn't unbearable, just very achy and noticeable. I think it is worth it to me to endure it because the workouts are so good and I am toning up. I also have a very high tolerance for discomfort, so your mileage may vary.

Wii has Zumba??? I have to go find that. I am thinking about starting in a Zumba class at the gym I go to, but if I can do it at home and practice...that will be great!

I have had 3 fills now and have felt restriction with each one for the first few days, then it is less. With this last fill, I seem to be having more restriction longer, so I am hopeful I may finally be coming into the green zone.

6 weeks before you are on solids??? Did they give you any reason they want you to wait so long? I was on solids at 1 week post op, the day I had my 1-week recheck after surgery he gave the go ahead for solids. I had been on mushies for 2 days at that point. I know every surgeon is different, but honestly, 6 weeks is a ridiculous amount of time to be on soft foods.

How post op are you? I lost weight immediately after surgery because of the liquid diet for the first several days. I had enough swelling from surgery that even after I started on the mushy stage, I was losing weight because my intake was limited. Once the swelling went down though...no more losing! I had my third fill 2 weeks ago and am finally losing again. I had surgery in September and have only lost 28 pounds. 23 of that was lost in the first month and a half, while I was healing from surgery. I guess what I am telling you is don't give up. Talk to your surgeon if you feel you should be losing and aren't.

Oh my! I got stuck last night and about scared myself silly! I was banded in Sept. and have thought I was learning how to eat correctly, etc. The fill I got last week has turned everything on its ear though. I have obviously not learned enough up til now because now I am finding out what all the more experienced folks have warned about the tiny bites and slowing waaay down really mean! I ate half a baked chicken thigh last night, pretty much without thinking, because halfway through the last bite I started hurting and pb'ing. I had to spit out what was in my mouth...and for a few minutes couldn't even swallow my own secretions! I know this is TMI, but for those of you new to this who haven't been stuck yet...I seriously don't recommend it! I'm going back on soft foods today to give it a rest, then back to square one with my eating lessons: tiny bites, go slow, chew until my jaw aches.

I'm not sure about the jellyfish...I couldn't let myself actually bring it up, but I was oh so close! I'll be interested in the answer too.

One of the main reasons I had the surgery is to get rid of the CPAP! LOL. Seriously though, my mask has changed my bite so much over the years, my mouth is horrible now. I am going to have to get braces to repair my bite. I have already noticed that I don't snore hardly at all, but have been afraid to try actually sleeping without the machine, at least until I see the sleep doctor next month. (Yay wls!)

We have BCBS Fed too and I had to go through a couple of things with them wanting more documentation from my surgeon's office. Fortunately, the insurance gal at his office is really good about making sure the insurance company gets every detail they ask for, so my paperwork finally made them happy and they covered it 100%. It may have just been a document that either didn't get sent initially, or they didn't see it in the pile or something. I'm sure your surgeon's office will help you clear it up. Good luck!

Thanks. I will see how I do over the weekend and hopefully won't need an unfill. Funny how much it can change! Now I feel like I might start losing again. I had been stuck for so long on this plateau, I've forgotten what that feels like.

I was banded Sept. 21 and have been at a plateau for almost 2 months now! I know it is because I am eating too fast and therefore too much, so am working on stopping that. I have good restriction at 5 cc, so it is my head that needs tightening up now!

I started using Biotene mouth rinse for dry mouth and that seems to be helping with my dry mouth and breath.

I have no experience with the sleeve, but read enough about it before being banded to know I did not want to go that route. Why does your doctor recommend it for you? It sounds as though you have pretty good control, being able to keep that much weight off for so long. With the band as a tool to help with portion control and your ability to control your food choices, you might do fine with the band. I would be asking your surgeon for the reasons he is recommending the sleeve for you and why he does not think the band will be as successful, then decide.

As above, everyone is different. My surgeon did not cut out carbonation, but I was never a soda drinker and only drink beer occasionally. I didn't drink any beer for about 3 months after surgery, just because I didn't want the calories, but I have had one or two in the past couple of months with no problem.

I had some really dry roast beef a week or so ago and had that feeling, so I figured it was stuck. I went to liquids and mushies for 24 hours until it felt better. There really is such a learning curve with this thing!

My billing finally seems to all be sorted; the mysterious $9,000 + has gone away, now they are trying to bill me for the amount of the discount they gave me for paying my co-pay up front! Just sent them a letter explaining why they will not be getting a check for that amount.