not2big42long

Thanks for answering Big Dog. I haven't seen your wife on here. She's been banded for a while now hasn't she? How is she doing? Does she meet with other Bandsters in your area? Nice to hear from someone in my neck of the woods. Take Care,

Standing behind everyone is usually my spot. Won't it be nice when the camera doesn't scare us all!!! Hawaii sounds great maybe this time next year???

Thanks Big Dog, It looks like it's some of the support groups are right in my neighborhood. Great web site!

Hi Jackie, I was banded on 3/24 and the surgery itself is a piece of cake. I had never had surgery before so I was very nervous about the postop pain. My surgeon uses a local anesthetic that lasts about 10-12 hours afterward(you could ask your surgeon if he does this also) so I had no pain at all until the middle of the night when I got up to go to the bathroom. The pain was a little sharp only where the port was placed. The first day after surgery I was uncomfortable but not unbearably so and I slept most of it anyway. The second day it was almost as if I hadn't had anything done. The port site hurts for a couple of weeks when you use your abdominal muscles but tylenol or ibuprofen took care of any discomfort. Don't be surprised if you have gas pains that go up into your shoulders, these are from the gas they use to insufflate your abdomen. I had a little bit of that but walking help significantly. Do a lot of walking afterwards. I started out walking for about 20 minutes a day. I found I wasn't that hungry for the first couple of weeks afterward. For the first time in my life I had to remind myself to eat. I just copied and pasted what I had told someone previously down below. I hope it helps. Congratulations on your decision to get banded and change your life forever!!!!! :banana :banana :banana :banana :banana Some things that have helped me through the first three and a half weeks: 1. Stock up on plenty of non-carbonated liquids. Bottles of Water help keep count of water intake. I am not a great water drinker so I usually add sugar-free Kool-aid or Crystal Light. Also it would have been nice to have more options available, I soon learned. Once you get to full liquids it gets easier, you can choose from things like V8 juice, Yogurt smoothies, Instant Breakfast (sugar-free of course), etc. I have just gotten into the habit of looking on the shelves for different options. When you find something that works don’t forget to let us know!!! 2. I also bought all the different kinds of mashed potatoes in a cup but found that instant potatoes tasted better – it’s all a matter of preference, yogurts, sugar-free puddings, tomato soup(one of my faves), actually any Soup works, I have found that blending them in the blender makes just about any of them go down well. Malt-O-Meal and Cream of wheat are also tasty warm meals. 3. Protein shakes were my salvation (and still are) when I just don’t get enough in. The Atkins and Slim fast ones have 20grams of protein, which help with getting the 60grams of protein in daily. I either drink these over ice or I mix them with ice in a blender to make a smoothy (almost like a milk shake) 4. There are also plenty of choices in the sugar free Popsicle aisle. There are fudgesicles, cremesicles, and just about any flavor Popsicle. These are great because you can actually chew them. 5. Don’t forget your chewable Vitamins, antacids (chewable or liquid), advil or tylenol (chewable or liquid – like Jennye said, try to get the adult strength or you end up drinking half the bottle), and something for gas (although I haven’t needed that yet). 6. Don’t be surprised at how much you can eat at different times of the day. I have yet to figure it out. Sometimes I feel like I can eat anything and others I can’t eat hardly anything without getting that “it’s all going to come back up” feeing. Take Care and Good Luck and let us know how it goes!!!

What a great idea Debra. I think I will choose a favorite pair of pants and do the same. It would be fun if all of us could get together and try are largest size on when we are down to where we are comfortable. It would make for a great photo. Take care, just the idea of that picture makes me smile :eek:

Carmen, I haven't had someone as close as my husband but one of my good friends was diagnosed with colon cancer that has spread. He is only 42. I am amazed at how well he is taking it and how upbeat he is about how he is going to beat it. He told me about a great web site that helped both he and his family to deal with cancer. The web site is www.choosehope.com. I took some time to read through it and it does seem to offer a lot of support for not only the patient but the caregiver, family and friends. One of the things that really stood out after reading your comment, "I mean sometimes I feel that if he's sick then why should I be healthy....when he's not.", was this advice listed under caretaker, "Take care of yourself and develop your own support system. Eat well, exercise, and treat yourself gently." I hope this helps. Take care of yourself and your family.

Hi Lil, Way to go, you made it past the first triple digit!!! :Bunny :Bunny :Bunny :Bunny I was banded only 6 days before you and have lost the same. It's amazing to me also the difference I feel in my clothes. I have clothes ranging in sizes from 16 to 22. I think the 22's are just about out of here. :eek: I have kept the smaller clothes hoping that some day I would get back into them and the larger pants knowing that if I lost I would probably need them for my "fat days". This time I am not going to keep a range of sizes. They will be gone as soon as they are too big. Hopefully there won't be a need for them ever again. Take Care and Keep up the good work!!!

WooHoo!!!:banana :banana :banana :banana :banana Good Luck Melissa, let us know how it all goes!!

Hi All, I just got back from Disneyland where I walked what felt like 40 miles a day. And I have lost nothing??? I assume that I didn't lose any weight because I did tend to eat higher fat foods(not much else available at Disneyland) but not in large quantities. Is this all part of the course? Why would I be able to eat a small bowl of frozen yogurt without a problem one day and then a couple days later take a couple bites and not be able to eat any more?? At three and a half weeks, is this still an adjustment phase or is this normal? The other thing that was strange while I was on vacation was that now that I am eating more soft solids, I find I am having a hard time figuring what it is I can eat easily. It seems to change daily. I've read that mornings are often when most are a little tighter but what I find is that the first couple of bites need to be slow or I get that tight feeling and I either can't eat anymore or have to drink something and let those first couple of bites pass before I can eat anymore, no matter what time it is. One afternoon I was starving and decided I would just eat a couple bites of my daughters hot dog instead of buying something I wouldn't be able to eat all of and found out what PB-ing is all about. Wow, how uncomfortably strange. I wasn't sick to my stomach, my stomach just said Nope aint gonna keep that in here and up it came. I ate it on an empty stomach and just assumed there would be room for it and it would be OK - WRONG. I have to admit there were times I wished I could just eat what I wanted when I wanted but the band reminded me constantly of why it was there. Don't get me wrong, I am still loving my band. It helped me to say NO when I really wanted to say yes several times in Disneyland. The hotdog incident was quite an eye opener. I really don't want to go there again. It was a little disappointing not to have lost anymore weight but I lost so much the first week I guess it's too much to ask for to lose a whole lot more this first month. Sorry to ramble on....I must have missed you guys and your words of wisdom!!:eek:

Hi Trixie, I am from the Seattle area. I pass by your town when heading out to the beach. It's nice to hear from someone in my neck of the woods. Lap bands have blossomed in our state and there are several places to get both the lap band and fills done now. How have you done with your lap band? Let us know how your appointment goes with the new doc. Take Care

Good Luck Melissa and welcome to Bandlania:D :eek:

Hi Sunnyone, Congratulations on you and your daughters decision to change your life in a positive way. I also have one out of four children that acquired my genes and has a slow metabolism. The rest of my kids are at normal or under weight. I find it very frustrating to try to explain to my 13 year old daughter (my youngest) why we can all eat the same and she and I are the ones that have to worry about gaining weight. I would allow her to have this surgery should she need it in the future and support her decision to take charge of this part of her life before it escalates out of control. This is a decision that you will never regret and YES I would do it again in a second. For the first time in my life I have control over food rather than it having control over me. I look at some of the problems a little differently. I see the being to too tight/too lose as a road to finding the "sweet spot", that place where you can eat enough to maintain a healthy diet and still lose weight. PB-ing I see as the bands way to let you know when you are eating too much, or even to let you know maybe there is something going on that needs to be looked at. A monitor of sorts. Other problems are risks that can happen when you have the band. Any procedure comes with them. And like Alexandra said, "The problems we have are TINY compared to those bypass patients can face." I am only 3 1/2 weeks into my band and have yet to have any major problems. No nausea, PB-ing, etc. So far it has been smooth, actually a piece of cake. There are several success stories on the net and in advertisements. Try thebandsters.com it has quite a few success stories and a lot of info. It's good to hear that you are not just jumping into this with your eyes shut. It's still surgery and should be investigated well to see if it truly is a good choice for you and your daughter. Read through this and other forums and ask all the questions you need to to get to the point where you are sure this is right for you. Ask your doctor if there are any support groups in your area. Maybe talking to real live people will help. Take care, and let us know how you both do!!!

Hi Julie, Most surgeons will do it if your BMI is between 35-40 and you have one or more of the co-morbities here is a chart from thebandsters.com(according to their chart your BMI is between 36-38): BMI Health risk based solely on BMI Risk adjusted for presence of associated health-risk factors Should surgery be considered? Match numbers of questions with numbers after BMI for answers: 1. Health risk based solely on BMI 2. Risk adjusted for presence of associated health-risk factors 3. Should surgery be considered? BMI is < 25, 1. Minimal 2. Low 3. No 25 < 27 1. Low 2. Moderate 3. No 27 < 30 1. Moderate 2. High 3. No 30 < 35 1. High 2. Very High 3. No 35 < 40 1. Very High 2. Extremely High 3. Yes with associated risk factors > 40 1. Extremely High 2. Extremely High 3. Yes Co-Morbid Diseases(risk factors) *sleep apnea *Gallstones *Hypertension and pulmonary dysfunction *Heart and coronary artery disease *Diabetes *Back pain and pain in weight carrying joints There is a lot of information on this website, check it out!! My thought on liposuction is the same as Alexandra's, it should be done after weight loss to take care of the areas resistant to the weight loss like saddle bags, tummy bulge, buttock excess, etc. Make sure to do your research, the internet and support groups have tons of info. Hope this helps!!

Congratulations on your decision to get banded and change your life forever!!!!! Some things that have helped me through the first three and a half weeks (got banded on 3/24) - a lot of these have been mentioned already but I have been keeping a list of what works for me and copied it to here: 1. Plenty of non-carbonated liquids. Bottles of Water help keep count of water intake. I am not a great water drinker so I usually add sugar-free Kool-aid or Crystal Light (Walmart is cheapest). I soon learned it's nice to have lots of options available. Have an assortment of broth also. You can boil the broth and add a beaten egg and make egg drop soup. This is tasty, healthy, easy going down, and filling. Once you get to full liquids it gets easier, you can choose from things like V8 juice, Yogurt smoothies, Instant Breakfast (sugar-free of course), etc. I have just gotten into the habit of looking on the shelves for different options. When you find something that works don’t forget to let us know!!! 2. I also bought all the different kinds of mashed potatoes in a cup but found that regular boxed instant mashed potatoes tasted better – it’s all a matter of preference, yogurts (non-fat), sugar-free puddings, tomato soup(one of my faves), actually any soup works, I have found that blending them in the blender makes just about any of them go down well. Malt-O-Meal and Cream of wheat are also tasty warm meals. 3. Protein shakes were my salvation (and still are) when I just don’t get enough protein in. The Atkins and Slim fast ones have 20grams of protein, which help with getting the 60grams of protein in daily. I either drink these over ice or I mix them with ice in a blender to make a smoothy (almost like a milk shake) 4. There are also plenty of choices in the sugar free Popsicle aisle. There are fudgesicles, cremesicles, and just about any flavor Popsicle. These are great because you can actually chew them. 5. Don’t forget your chewable Vitamins, antacids (chewable or liquid), advil or tylenol (chewable or liquid – like Jennye said, try to get the adult strength or you end up drinking half the bottle), and something for gas (although I haven’t needed that yet). 6. Don’t be surprised at how much you can eat at different times of the day. I have yet to figure it out. Sometimes I feel like I can eat anything and others I can’t eat hardly anything without getting that “it’s all going to come back up” feeing. Hope all this helps, it's a little late (I just got back from Disneyland). Good Luck!! :eek:

Hi Chanell, Wow a mom of 6, I thought 4 was a lot!! Here are some great web sites(besides this one) that will be a wealth of information for you: http://www.lap-band.com/ http://health.groups.yahoo.com/group/SmartBandsters/ http://www.myagb.homestead.com/links.html http://www.thebandsters.com/ http://health.groups.yahoo.com/group/PNW_Bandsters http://obesityhelp.com And here are some questions you might want to ask your surgeon after you have chosen one: ·What types of obesity surgery procedures have you performed? ·How many of each weight loss procedure have you performed? ·Can this surgery be performed using minimally invasive techniques? ·Can I be considered a candidate for surgery even though I have one or more associated health conditions related to my obesity? ·Which weight loss procedure is best for me? Why? What are the risks involved? ·How long will I be in surgery? ·What is the length of my anticipated hospital stay? ·How long will it be before I can return to pre-surgery levels of activity? ·How will my eating habits change? ·Do you have information about obesity surgery costs and payment options? ·What is the typical excess weight loss and improvement of associated health conditions for your other patients? ·Do you have patients who are willing to share their experiences, both positive and negative? ·What information can you give me to help family and friends better understand this surgery? ·What type of long-term, after-care services (such as support groups and counseling) can you provide for me? ·What do you expect from me if I decide to choose a surgical solution? But if you read through all the things that have been asked and reported here at this web site, you will probably learn enough to get you going. Good Luck

Your on your way Is your port site on the left? I know the only site of mine that hurt was where they put the port. Glad to hear you are doing so well. Just remember what Alexandra said Take It Easy!!! I felt so well I just went back to my old routine, and then started feeling rundown, take it easy even if your body thinks it's doing fine. Congratulations, it's going to be fun to hear how we all do over the next few months.:Bunny :Bunny :Bunny

Hi Texasbelle, I felt great right after also. And then began to get a little weak(I also thought it was strange) but I think it is just your body adjusting to the reduced amount of food you are eating. I am now 2 weeks out and am just now starting to feel like my energy is coming back. I went back to work after a week (my job is a on your feet and moving type job also), and I could feel a difference in my stamina about half way through the day. I find that I need a little more rest right now. So follow Debra's advice and just take this time to heal. Slow down a little and rest when ever you can. Once your past this part you will have plenty of time to work harder!! Congrats on your Band!:banana

Way to go Girls :D This accomplishment will be something you will NEVER regret. Wow, losing weight and quitting the smokes. You guys are next to super human. Keep up the good work. :banana :banana :banana

Congratulations Gretat and Melissa,:banana I have been banded for 2 weeks today!!! I remember being very excited and scared at the same time. The surgery is a piece of cake, the only part that was uncomfortable was the site they put the port in which is still a little tender but gets better everyday. Did your surgeon want you to do a liquid diet before hand? Mine didn't but I went ahead and did it for the last three days pre-op. My thought was that it would prepare me for afterwards. Learning to listen to my "new" stomach has been interesting. Have lots of Jello, broth, protien drinks(the Adkins one has 20 grams of protien), crystal light, and liquid pain relievers available. Also don't forget your chewable Vitamins. I unfortunately have caught an aweful cold and thought that maybe the cold medicine in gel cap form would just slide right down. I was wrong and found out what stuck means. So for now I am only doing liquid meds. Hope all goes well and let all of us know what happens. Take Care:)

Hi MSKS, Here are some questions I found online and asked my surgeon on the first appointment: 1. What types of obesity surgery procedures have you performed? 2. How many of each weight loss procedure have you performed? 3. Do you perform this surgery using minimally invasive techniques? (laparoscopic) 4. Can I be considered a candidate for surgery even though I have one or more associated health conditions related to my obesity? 5. Which weight loss procedure is best for me? Why? What are the risks involved? 6. How long will I be in surgery? 7. What is the length of my anticipated hospital stay? 8. How long will it be before I can return to pre-surgery levels of activity? 9. How will my eating habits change? 10. Do you have information about obesity surgery costs and payment options? 11. What is the typical excess weight loss and improvement of associated health conditions for your other patients? 12. Do you have patients who are willing to share their experiences, both positive and negative? 13. What information can you give me to help family and friends better understand this surgery? 14. What type of long-term, after-care services (such as support groups and counseling) can you provide for me? 15. What do you expect from me if I decide to choose a surgical solution? Then you could ask him about the testing that needs to be done before the band. My surgeon requested an EKG, CBC(blood test), Psych eval, and a visit with a nutritionist but they all are a little different. If your surgeon has not done the usual required 50 cases, it might be that he has just started doing them. That doesn't necessarily mean he won't do a good job(from what I've seen, what is really necessary for the surgeon is that he/she be a good laparoscopic surgeon), you may instead ask him how long he has been doing laparoscopic surgery. Hope all this helps. Take Care and Good Luck,

Woo hoo!!! I just got back from my post-op visit and I am down a total of 17.6 lbs.:banana I had lost only 5 lbs. pre-op:( 12.6 pounds seems like a lot to lose in a week, it makes me wonder if some of this will creep back on when I can eat solids again. Any thoughts?

Way to go!!! We started out at the same weight, I hope I follow your curve, Ha Ha. Keep up the good work. I can't wait to find out what the sweet spot is.

Thanks for all your thoughts!!! This learning to eat differently has been a little more difficult than I thought it would be. I haven't really been hungry yet but I'm not sure when exactly I'm full. I just feel a lot of pressure and then I quit. Is that what it feels like? The only incision that is bothering me is the one that they put the port in, which makes sense. Can you always feel the port or am I just aware of it because it's still a little sore? Did anyone else get heparin injections post-op. They said they were for DVT's. Everything seems to be going OK. 5 days post-op and feeling pretty good. Thanks again for all your thoughts!!

Thanks for all your comments and warnings. As a newbie it is reassuring and comforting. My port is on the right about waist band level. The discomfort has gotten better. I did find out that the restriction I am feeling is indeed swelling and my doctor said it can get worse through the third week, then should begin to subside. Thanks Again :Bunny

Thanks for the site, It's always great to see the changes in people!!!