NurseLydsss

If you are paying out of pocket, you are more then qualified ...I'm 5'2 and was 191lbs when I had my surgery.....but through insurance, it's a different story...they have lots of rules...

Immediately after surgery, beside the small little walks to try to get rid of the gas, do not try to progress so fast. For me, after my 3rd day post-op, I had this burst of energy so I drove, took my son to school, came home did some light house keeping and washed my hair....oh boy that was way too much for me to do....story short, I ended up in the ER with SOB. In the end, all turned out O.K....but lesson learned. Anyway, some people are lucky and have not experienced gas pain....but that pain was the worst for me; the heating pad was a savior...some say Gas-X worked for them, but that did nothing for me. What helped me pass gas was taking 10cc of Milk Of Mag with about 30cc of hot Water....oh boy that was heaven for me, but it all depends on the individual....not every potion works for everyone, and the small little frequent walks around the house helped a bit too. I did not experience any pain at the surgery sites, so I did not even use my liquid codeine...I still have the bottle sitting here staring at me lol.....oh and you will need to have some kind of stool softener harden stool is not fun to push out after surgery....but I think the heating pad will become your best friend at least for the first few days post-op.

I have never been stuck that bad yet....and I'm praying not to get stuck on those terms; but maybe for public places, you should bring soups or shakes for lunch until you get a hang of it at least. I do get scared to eat in public due to fear of getting stuck, so just in case; I usually bring a yogurt, soups or mushy food to work to make sure it does not happen....specially when no one at work knows about my band, I would not want to explain anything lol.....

I'm a charge nurse too and I went back to work after 18 days..... I am about 5 weeks post-op; I still don't really do any heavy lifting, I just ask my staff to re-position what ever is heavy I just tell them I needed them to do it due to recent surgery....and they understand. Special after I had a bad SOB experience after surgery...believed to be as a result of me doing too much too soon after surgery lol....so now, I am taking it easy.....

Hello everyone, I was just wondering, has anyone ever done a 30 day cleanse post-banding? I normally do a 30 day body cleanse once or twice a year.....and it's around that time for me to do one,.... but I'm wondering if it's a good idea because I am eating significantly less then usual, and unsure if that would effect me due to lack or decreased nutrients in my body. I am taking a multi-vitamin daily(the one for bandsters from unjury)... Another thing, those pills are so huge...has anyone had any problems swallowing gel caps? Though I think I should go for liquid for, but I just hate the taste of fish oil...lol.. P.S usually after I do a cleanse, I normally lose a significant amount of weight fast....would that be a plus or Neg. given the fact that I have a tool to help me with that?

Oh yes the recliner and heated blanket was excellent......

No you don't...well maybe for insurance purposes if you are trying to get insurance to pay for it....but if you self pay, you don't. I did my surgery with a BMI of 34, but I was self pay!!!

I too get the cravings to eat more after I'm full....but I don't give into the urge because I hate how uncomfortable I will feel afterwards.....that alone makes me just stick to the 1 cup rule. Also the risk of slippage and erosion scares me as well.....So make sure you are not stretching the pouch....to walk away takes a lot of will power...and that's not always easy!!!

I'm a nurse...Originally I took 2 wks...had a hernia repair and 3 days after surgery, started having shortness of breath....I was placed on bed rest n had to take an extra 4 days...so 18 days all together. I'm back to work tomorrow and still not a 100%, but will take it very slow. It all depends on luck when it comes to recovery.

You had yours Oct. 3, I had mine on Sept. 28, I went for my 2wks post-op visit today, and guess what...I lost 5lbs since surgery and I was excited, cause you r supposed to lose 1-2lbs a week. So if you lost 9lbs in 2 wks, that's a huge deal....remember it took us yrs to put on the weight, it will not come off over night.Be patient and calm, focus on healing n put in your mind that your goal is to lose 1 lb a week....I tell myself the minimum cause I don't want to get disappointed and can get extremely excited if I lose more. Once you start adding vigorous exercise to your routine, the pounds will just shed like crazy.....Don't worry and good luck!!!

I'm doing Ok thanks. Still on bed rest, taking it one day at a time, I extended my time off so I can make sure I am a 100% before going back to work. Had to travel to be around family to get some help. Other then that doing great, wounds are healing well, I'm pretty sure I lost a good amount from surgery, cause everyone is complaining how "FRAIL" I look lol...tho I'm sure I look anything but "frail".....But I will not know for sure until I head back home to weigh myself....I'm excited to see how much I lost lol....other then that, I am feeling much much better.....Thanks!!!

I guess all surgeons are different, because mine started me with 2.5cc from surgery, and right now i'm on the puree food, but I can not eat much....2-3 spoons, I feel full and will be full for the nxt 3-4hrs.....I have not weigh myself yet since surgery, but I am visitjng my mom (she has no clue about the band, just the hernia repair) and she's complaining my face looks long, i'm losing too much weight, she can see my clavical bones, and everything she made me i'm only getting small bites, and how soon I will be suferring from malnutrition...lol...my mom loves her kids to have plump (bless her heart). But I figure if she's complaining, I must of lost a good amount....we shall see when I go back home Nxt wknd!!!

I sure did..... Had surgery on Friday and even on that day I kept saying I only need to lose 50lbs, I should just walk out and try to do it on my own. But then I remembered, I started years ago by saying, oh I only need to lose 10lbs, then 20 and went up to I only need to lose 77lbs....and I did at one point managed to lose 42 out of that 77, but it crept up again. That's when I said, I need to go through with it, I need a little extra help...my lil girlfriend Cassie (my band) to keep me in check.... So having second thoughts is normal, but try to remember n keep in mind why you wanted this in the first place....possibly cause we are some of the individuals who need that extra "help"....re-visit how beneficial it will be to your health and self-esteem. Good luck with whatever you decide....it's all about you!!!

Oh I sure did this past Monday.....Had surgery on Friday with hernia repair.... I was fine after surgery, then 3 days later, after driving ( I drive a standard so it adds more pressure) my son to school, came home bathed, washed hair n did some light house keeping. I started having SOB....I had to take deep breaths in other to be well oxygenated. I called my surgeon n sent me right to the ER....After spending 12hrs in the ER...and ran lots of tests...no clots, they thought it could have been a Pulmonary Embolism....X-ray n CT scan came out clear.....so I was sent home on bed rest...as long as I rest i'm ok with the SOB, but if i do any kind of huge movement, it comes on again...even something as simple as brushing my teeth, I get SOB.....Surgeon said it happens at times, has to do with the repair and the diaphragm... If you are experiencing that, I would suggest go to the ER just to be sure it's not a PE, if all clear, rest yourself and take your time.... Good luck n keep us posted!!!

That was one of the reasons I decided to keep it a secret....only 1 person knows in my entire family (she's the only one who knows how to keep a secret)....not even my mom cause she broadcasts everything. Co-workers...forget it, I work in a retirement home, but it's as if I work in a news broadcasting station....nothing is a secret in that environment. I know the questions would be flowing left and right, I have a few co-workers who are always monitoring what the "bigger" staff are eating to go and gossip...So to them, I'm on vacay....and I plan on keeping it that way, I just can't be bothered. That is why I am so grateful for people on this site, because we understand each other....no judgments thus I can be open and honest about my journey; we can always turn to each other. This site is a safe haven.....

Do not worry about any of them.....this is the whole reason why I chose not to tell many, only 1 person in my family knows and that's the only person who will know, as she is a well educated health care professional who understands. Most people who claims this is the easy way out, I say are not educated...if not in general, but at least on the subject. You need to ask them what is so easy about having surgery? Surgery is not a light thing, there are lots of risks involved....and you need to tell them before they judge they need to do their research....the band is a medical tool, as any other medical tools needed by individuals to achieve a goal.... whether it's weight loss or a piece of equipment to keep the heart in check. Some are elective yes, but if that tool is able to improve someone's health just as a pace maker...then nothing is wrong with it. If they don't like your choice, that is their problem, let them stress over it while your health keeps improving, let them get to the point of having multiple health issues and need to be on many medications, they will be the same individuals turning to you asking questions on how to go through the process.....Keep your head up, don't let them annoy you...cause at the end of the day it is all about YOU.....when you struggling, it's not their issues, your health issues are not theirs ...so let them say you took the easy way out, but you took the smart way out, cause you will not have any health issues associated with being over weight..... KEEP THOSE NEGATIVE BEINGS FAR FROM YOU....they are the ones who will drag you down, stay positive!!!

Just a suggestion...I'm currently on full liquids, and the broths, sorry was not working for me. So i bought some meat (beef), spinach, and sweet potatoes....I seasoned the meat as usual, cooked it, then add my spinach and sweet potatoes with Water and a beef maggie cube, with other preferred seasoning...I let it boil to a consistency of a Protein shake. then I strained it, fed my son the potatoes and meat and all, and I drink the broth...it made me feel like I was drinking my original Soup....was very satisfying....1 cup of my so called "home made broth" was very filling, and it did not feel like I was drinking just fluids to survive, I enjoyed it. but I make sure I drink 2 Protein shakes per day each 30gm of protein, to ensure I get in my protein, along with my water... So find some kind of soup you enjoyed before, make it like you would except with less sodium or oil if you used that, then just drink the broth, cause the broths I purchased at the grocery store were not tasty.....

I took 2 wks off as vacation, not sick...(I'm a nurse and on my feet most of the day pushing and pulling medication carts).....I used my vacation time because I decided I did not want anyone at work to know....because most of them are broadcasters, you'd swear I work at a TV news network lol.....not because i'm ashamed...but don't care to hear others opinions that doesn't matter to me.... Yesterday while I was in the emerge, the triage nurse said to me "why did you get the band, you're not even that fat"....and those are the judgments I do not want to hear from anyone cause no one knows your struggles until they walk a day in your shoes. Nothing wrong with me taking actions before it gets out of control....as I've learned from this site, many when asked if they regret it, the most common answer is that they regretted not doing it sooner.... Now time off all depends on what kind of work you do of-course, personally, one myth I learned about the surgery is being able to return back to work the next day or a few days.....If you are one of the lucky ones who do not experience any pain, especially the gas pain (for me, gas pain was the worst), then that would be possible....but if you are one of the unlucky ones who experiences pain...you should take at least 1 week off....originally I was going to take a week off, then I said I better extend it just in case, i'm so glad I did.....

Good luck, hope all goes well...prayers your way!!!

Hello there, I too am a single mom of an eight yrs old boy...and believe me when I say you will need some help after surgery. If your mom can stay 1 week that will be of great help. I had my surgery on Friday... so i thought oh I can stay in over the weekend n will be able to resume reg. activities on Monday in terms of taking him to school, cook n so on...I woke up Monday n felt great n energized....so i made him Breakfast, packed his lunch n drove him to school.....after I got home, I did some light housekeeping n so on...shortly after I started experiencing SOB....long story short, went to emerge all was ok I just over did it. that was yesterday....so today, because my family does not live close by...I ended up not sending my son to school....n I have been telling him or over shadowing him, while he makes himself something to eat...and I had to have him do the laundry as well...I sat and basically directed him....and I must say, he did a great job for an 8yrs old...and he did not even complain....he have been very helpful n follows directions well. We managed. but it would have been great if family was around...and as for tomorrow, I might have to cab him to school for the rest of the week....I hope I'll be ok by nxt Monday... thank God I took 2wks off from work....oh, I also had a hernia repair, so that might have made my situation worst..... Good luck....but not easy being a single mom doing this without a support system....

thank you I appreciate it....but i'm ok as long as i'm resting...but it was scary...

Anyone experiencing shortness of breath? Had surgery on Friday, I was fine just had gas pain, and all of a sudden this morning, started having shortness of breath....Have to take deep breaths to breath..... I called my clinic and the nurse said to head to the emerge....on my way now......but anyone experienced this?

Oh that horrible gas pain....I don't wish my experience with it on my worst enemy....that's how bad it was for me. Gas x did not help me much, but the heating pad was great until i removed it...what worked for me was taking 10cc o milk of magnesia mixed with 30cc of hot Water...then I started passing gas in the rear end.....but the shoulder pain, heating pad was the only thing that gave me relief...I still have it now, just not as bad as the first 3 days.... but please after your surgery, don't over do it....I learned the hard way....cause I felt energized n good (minus the shoulder gas pain) and thought i can do a little, boy was I wrong....even this morning, brushing my teeth was a challenge....take it real slow specially if they say u had a hernia repair...... good luck on your journey, and I pray u r one of the lucky ones without the gas pain....not everyone gets it, and some not as bad...and funny thing is, I have a high tolerance for pain, but this HORRIBLE....

I feel better now that i'm resting....but if I walk too far, take the stairs, drive (i drive a standard)....I start experiencing SOB....So, from now on, i'm avoiding any major movements....but that left shoulder gas need to go away, it made matters worst...I'm so looking forward to the better days.....

12hrs later.....OMG what a scary thing. I ended up having a ct scan cause they thought I was having a pulmonary embolism.....OMG worst thing to be told...but it was neg, thank the lord, they also did an x-ray to make sure all was in place and that was fine too, ecg and blood work...but in the end, everything was fine. According to the ER MD, she thinks I over did it...because I drove today, did some light house keeping and bathe, washed my hair; I mean I felt great and had the energy, I did not want to just sit around the house all day and do nothing.... who would have thought such reg. activities would have caused this....Boy have I learned my lesson....I am taking it easy... When I called my surgeon, he said because of my hernia repair, it's possible to have SOB as long as i was not having chest pain or mid back pain....Dr. Coburn and his staff were so supportive, they kept calling me throughout to make sure all was well....Still feeling the SOB, but only on exertion....so I will be taking it easy....lesson for all of you newbies as well....and thank you guys for all your prayers and words of encouragement.