DeLarla

Band or no band, I don't think you are getting enough calories. Anything under at least 1200 sounds dangerous to me. I agree with the others that your body is in "starvation mode" and therefore metabolising your food very slowly. Meanwhile, if you don't get enough protein, your hair, nails, skin, etc., will begin to suffer. Try to get in a protein shake to add the calories & protein. I'm going the easy route for my shakes: 8oz milk, a pack of Carnation Instant Breakfast & protein powder.

I wouldn't dare eat a gummy bear right now, but what about in 6 months? I once voice my concerns over movie popcorn - life without movie popcorn may kill me, so another band friend said I could have gummy bears at the movies. I'm not even ready for mashed potatoes yet, but what am I going to munch on in 6 months at the movies? Junior Mints sound easy. I don't plan on keeping any goodies in the house, but if I go to Disneyland, a wedding, movies, or parties, I want to hang like the normal folks. Advice anyone?

Trust me, we couldn't afford private pay either. But my husband said "go for it and we'll worry about it later." So I got another credit card from my credit union. As far as my leaking, gosh, I've tried everything to stop it. I even layed down with a blow dryer on it for 1/2 hour hoping to dry the wound. Nothing is stopping it. It's actually gotten a little worse today. I wish I could take some more time off of work. I'm feeling kinda cruddy today. : (

I agree that the sugar & calories aren't worth it, however, when I start feeling well enough to go to the movies, I'm sure I'll grab a slurpie and some gummy bears. As long as I don't drink them all the time. I even water-down my Gatorade and fruit juices to try to save a few sugar calories.

I'm not even 2 weeks post op but I've enjoyed a couple things anyway. I had a huge family wedding this weekend, which meant I had tons of people in town. Everyone was drinking, so I slowly enjoyed a decaf with Bailys and even licked the whipped cream. Last night I had a shot of lemon liquor, which I sipped very slowly. I've been eating popsicles, too. I think my belly would tolerate a Slurpie if I took little sips and let the ice melt before swalling. I certainly won't drink like this all the time, but I don't want to miss out on special occasions - like a big, Italian wedding!

P.S. I'm under the impression that Dr. Lopez (and most likely Ortiz) gets special privileges that he extends to his patients. For example, his staff double-parks in front of the busy office complex with no problems, so the car is always waiting front and center for you. And when Nora walks you to each different office to get your blood work, x-rays, and to see the cardiologist, I barely had to wait and was taken before regular patients. I got the impression that band patients are treated as a priority. You are never left alone anywhere. There's always somebody to make you feel at ease.

Dr. Lopez did my surgery in TJ. But Dr. Lopez had patients in the hospital at the same time, and Dr. Ortiz asked how I was doing and answered the questions I forgot to ask Lopez. I was really fortunate because I feel I got the best of both worlds - two doctors! As far as going to TJ, it's not as frightening as I worried about myself. First, their driver picks you up from the airport. When he gets to the boarder, he goes into the "Commuter Lane" where he doesn't have to wait. He was not treated like a regular person crossing over, and he only spoke a few words in Spanish and then drove right through. The same driver took me back to the airport on my way home. There was a 2-3 hour wait at the border, but again, he went into a special lane with only one other truck waiting in front of us. We pulled over, the driver got out of the truck and opened the hood of the car for regular inspection. The American inspector asked to see my ID and asked if I purchased anything in TJ. I told him I had surgery there, and he simply said "have a nice day" and we crossed into San Diego with no questions. I was very concerned about being in TJ, so I decided to stay as short as possible. They allowed me 4 nights in either the hospital or hotel, but I simply stayed in the hospital for two nights and then went home. Everyone that stayed in the hotel said they felt completely safe, but I didn't take any chances. I had nothing to worry about because the hospital staff took very good care of me. You won't feel like galavanting through the streets of Tijuana, so you don't have anything to worry about.

One of these days I'll bit the bullet and get cable instead of dial up. I've given up on reading posts at home and trying to catch up from my work puter today, which is lickity-split! Darcy, far out. Far out a whole bunch, since it sounds as if your insurance is covering this? I have dual insurance (Blue Shield from my work and HPN from my husbands.) Both policies cover the much more dangerous "gastric bypass" but neither would cover the band. So I got a new credit card and will figure out how to pay it later! You've been there for me this whole time, so I hope I can be there for you afterwards. My biggest advice is to make sure you have a heating pad. My heating pad has been my best friend since my back and shoulder have been cramping really bad, which I've heard is normal. Now if I could just get my incision to stop leaking I'd feel like I was making progress.

One of my incisions has been leaking for 3 days. My doctors say it's normal - it's called "weeping." A clear orangish liquid seeps out of the wound. Mine was leaking like a faucet on and off for two days. Today it's slowed to a tiny drop. It's annoying, but they promise it will stop soon.

Whew, thanks, Alexandra. Ya know, I did add 3/4 can of Water to my Cambell's cream Soup and blended it till it was very watery. Today I'm going to try adding less water and blending a little less to keep it thicker. You are so very right (again) because I guess it all depends on what you try to eat or drink - this morning I wasn't able to finish my 8 oz Protein drink. I had about half but my belly is too full for the rest of it. Feeling much better today. Belly still rumbling badly, but not as painfully. Still having diareah. Oh, and my drainage stopped last night - then started again from the other end of the incision, only this is just a tiny little dribble compared to the faucet I couldn't stop yesterday.

I originally vowed that the one thing I refused to give up was my morning cup of decaf with 2 TBSP cream and 1 sugar. However, today was the first time I was allowed to have it, and it wasn't very good. I wasn't sure if my body would accept it. Maybe I made it too strong. I'm not even sure if I'll try it again tomorrow, but if I do, it will be much weaker. Meanwhile, I'm a bit concerned: today was my first "thick liquid" day. I made an 8oz Protein shake and drank half, but I could only have a few spoons of my blended cream of Soup at lunch. By dinner, I was pretty hungry, so I had half a can of blended soup. But I was still really hungry, and I was able to finish the can with no problem. And within an hour I drank 8 oz of juice cause I was still hungry. Should I have been able to take in so much? I put the entire can of soup in the blender with 3/4 cup Water. Do I need a fill at 6 days post op?

Thanks, but I don't need to ask my doctor after reading all this. I'm uncomfortable enough without have to use my stomach as a testing area! It makes sense that carbonation would be a no-no. I've been a Diet Pepsi junkie for 25 years. I finally got off Diet and started having one real Pepsi every other day. Then I tried to break that habit, so it's just as well that I don't have any. Although sometimes a little 7-up on an upset belly was nice. Thanks for all the info.

I figured you meant Pomeranians, but one can never be too sure. I can't believe I forgot to take a picture of my weeping wound. My weeping was much worse than yours. Mine was a steady stream. I went into the bathroom an hour ago and plastered 6 bandaids across it because the excitement wore off. You have more of a dimple compared to my mild indentation. I meat a wonderful new San Diego band girl when I was in the hospital. I'll tell Francesca to read these posts so she can join your San Diego group.

The first thing I see on this site is the giant fat pig in the top left corner. It's a picture of a huge pig with "LapBandTalk.com" inside it. Does anyone else see it? The artist did a little Picasso-type thing so it looks like a pig while really not looking like a pig, but all-in-all it's a big, fat pig as far as I'm concerned. Seriously, it's a big and roundy kind of oval with two pointy pig ears. Then that little white right-arrow on the bottom is one of its piggy toes. Did someone really mean do it on purpose? I feel like it's a subliminal message making fun of me. Kinda like the movie Carrie where she thought they were her friends but they were really laughing at here. I just can't believe that the pig-shape came out that way by accident or coincidence - it looks too planned. I've met nothing but great, loving people here, but who came up with the idea of a pig for a logo? Please love me past my analytical insanity.

What's a POM? A little white dog?

Thank you! I did quit poking, but I should have made a bigger effort at making it clear that "I think Dr. Lopez said it was fat." For those of you who know Dr. Lopez, he's very difficult to understand. He had to explain it a couple times, then transferred me to Dr. Carmen to translate. At this point, I'm not sure what is coming out of me, but I'm pretty tired of it and wish it would stop. Yesterday I stopped it with bandaids. Does everyone have the indented port incision? Donali, do you think it has something to do with this Fluid? *** slaps own hand ***

Donali, shhh... but I did kinda open the exit last night. By the time my doc called, the wound had dried. All it took was a little pokey-poke to get it started, so that's what I did, and it's been weeping ever since. My port incision is indented, also. Are you saying it will remain that way? I had the same thoughts last night, so I was kneeding all the rest of my belly towards the leak. But now I just have an indented wound. I'm leaving it alone as soon as it stops, but it's leaking pretty good now. Hmm, should I bind it up or spend the day changing gauze?

This is cracking me up. My entire weirdo family would take up a whole row at every AA meeting if they knew anything free was being offered. And when the "donation" basket passed by, my brother would remove the contents while thanking the collector with no guilt whatsoever. Bunch of freaks! I agree... this surgery might not have happened without this board. And I'd have given myself a full blown anxiety attack if you guys didn't get me through my leaking/weeping wound.

Did I read correctly? You were having caffeine-free, then switched back to regular, of which you consume 5 cups per day? Is that accurate? Regular tea has 55 milligrams of caffeine per cup. Five cups equals 275 milligrams of caffeine daily. You also said you keep the tea-bag in the cup, so you're getting even more caffeine. coffee has 125-185 milligrams (depending on strength.) So you're consuming the equivalent of 2 pretty strong cups of coffee daily. Addiction is weird. I used to be a coffee & Diet Pepsi addict. It got so out of control that I challenged myself to quit. I quit cold-turkey for about six months. But then I started again. However, once I started up again, my body wasn't able to tolerate the caffeine. Two cups of strong black coffee in one day is enough to raise my blood pressure from all the anxiety the caffeine gives me. I'm not familiar with the sweetener that you're hooked on, but I know that I was hooked on artificial sweeteners as well. During my Diet Pepsi days, I would rather go without than drink a regular sugar Pepsi, because I needed the chemical fix. However, a few months ago I was diagnosed with Sarcoid Disease (Sarkoidosis) which is an autoimmune disease. They found granuolas (or granola or some weird mass) on my lungs. It's one of those diseases that lay dormant, so maybe I'll never get sick again, but maybe it will come back with a vengeance. Nobody knows the exact cause of Sarcoidosis, but I recently read a study that said I could have gotten it from Aspartame (Equal.) As of that day, I decided to use plain old Sugar - tried and true since the beginning of time, and at 41 years old, I finally have an excuse to use the damn stuff guilt-free. However, Donali, I agree. The world is full of ridiculous hypocrisies. Is anyone familiar Alcoholics Anonymous or "AA"? Since AA began, they've given birth to the same meetings for other addictions: Narcotics Anonymous, Gamblers Anonymous, Overeaters Anonymous, etc. I've gone to many AA & OA meetings. During AA meetings, the "sober" alcoholics suck down packs of cigarettes while drinking pots of coffee and eating piles of candy and sugar goodies (replacing the sugar they crave from the alcohol.) Could you imagine if I sat in an Overeaters Anonymous meeting while drinking a bottle of tequila and snorting a plate of cocaine? Did I just babble all that without making a point?

Hi Darcy. Yes, I got some answers to my leaking. Donali has instant answers when I posted. Nobody from the clinic ever called me at work, but there was a message at home that they left at noon. Meanwhile, I had called my local doc, who said she'd help if the problem didn't resolve. But last night I finally talked to my doctor. Dr. Lopez is so nice, but it's really hard to understand him, however, he did say leakage is completely normal. I'm leaking as we speak. I could have stopped it again like I did yesterday by using tight bandages, but Dr. Lopez said this is fat that accumulates and drains.... let me get this right.... fat is leaking out of my body and I'm trying to stop it? NOT! So I leaked all Tuesday night, then it stopped. Then I leaked all Wednesday night and it stopped. But today I'm wearing snug slacks, so maybe that's putting pressure since I'm leaking again. I'm using clean gauze, which I'm changing every 10 min. Donali said she manually expressed the liquid with her hands. So last night I massaged my belly to help some come out. Kinda like milking a cow. This kind of thing usually completely grosses me out. But what is even grosser to me is knowing that the stuff wants to come out, and if I bandage myself and keep it in, it will have to get processed through my body, which will take longer. Please let me know if I have any of this wrong! Thanks for asking, Lis.

Donali, do you have Dr. Carmen's number handy? I only brought Nora's with me. I'm really bothered that they haven't contacted me yet. Thanks.

By the way, today is one week post-op and still grumbling, diareah, gas. About how long should I expect this?

I knew I could count on you. I just got off the phone with my doc. She said she'd help if Mexico doesn't call back. I'm very disappointed that the clinic promised 24 hour emergency service, yet I've left 3 messages since last night and nobody's called me back. I spoke with the nurse a few days ago because my port area was red and hot and inflammed. She said to call back if it got worse. The size of the area of inflamation has decreased, but it's still red. However, it's no worse. And I was manually expressing some of the stuff myself. My instinct told me it was just gross junk trying to get out. But the leak is causing that left part of the incision to stay moist and therefore not close. I read about weeping on the internet and they said seek med attention asap. But my liquid is clear/pink/orange, so for now I think I'm okay. It drained all last night into my white t-shirt. I have it all bandaged up now but want to take the bandages off to let it drain now that you've explained it... but I'm at work and wouldn't be able to type. Keep sending that "breathe breathe" stuff cuz I'm prone to anxiety attacks. Last night I thought I was going to feint over the drainage, but it's just panic. Thank you so much.

Donali, Anybody, help! My wound has been draining all night. Neither the coordinator or the nurse have returned my calls since last night. My friend who had gallbladder surgery said it's normal. He described the same kind of liquid. He said if it doesn't drain, it will be absorbed into the body. It's comiing from the far left side of my port incision, so at least it's not my port. It's thick like Karo syrup and just a little pink. The stains on my white shirt look a little yellow. It's not infected liquid. It's clear. Someone please respond. I've got it all bandaged up and I'm at work. Help please!

Hi Vera and Chris (genuinely excited to seee you!) Today was a wee better. I took a nice walk then a 2 hour nap, and I never, ever nap. I'm still in this morning's jammies. My friend gave me a heating pad yesterday. I don't put it on my incisions, but I lay with it to bring comfort to my back and shoulders, and it really helps a lot. Gas X does nothing for me. I've tried it. My other friend brought me some prescription cough medicine. I'm in good hands. I wish I had family to talk to, but they're all Fruit-Loops. All you guys know about my surgery, and I've told my closest friends, but I haven't even shared it with my own sister or brother. I'd tell my sister, but she's the mouth of Hollywood and she'd broadcast it to my entire paranoid family. Most of my family are those "that could kill you" folks. My grandmother wouldn't allow a wooden gun in the house because it could kill you. My mother won't drink out of plastic cups cause it could kill you. If they knew I went to TJ for surgery.......................h o l y s m o k e.