NJHAZMAT

Sooooooo....... I went to the Doctor yesterday.............for my two week post op check up........and....... I LOST 20 lbs. 10 pounds a week. I feel great. No real downs, only ups. Some observations from the past two weeks. Wardrobe - For those who are starting their weight loss journey, I cannot stress the importance of an accessory you will need in the recent future. Belts! Yes belts. If you have a body type like mine, Scottish no ass syndrome, then a belt is a necessary evil. Why? Well the world around us is not as understanding as it once was. I was in Wal-Mart last week walking through the home goods section and almost lost my pants. Fortunately for me no one was around. Learn from my mistakes. I can only imagine what would have happened if this wardrobe malfunction happened in the toy isle. Bathrooms - When venturing out into the world, be sure to know where the closest bathroom is. I have become a public bathroom aficionado. Lowes, Home Depot and Wal-Mart surprisingly have clean bathrooms. Be aware that your public bathroom fears need to be put aside. Another important point. The safety paper seat covers are more of a pain than not. Particularly since it can get caught up in your pants and tell the world where you have been. Thank God for wives. chicken - This is the evil bird of the food world. So I went to soft food on Tuesday. Got some chicken, grilled it on the BBQ, then chopped it up and placed it in the crockpot to slow cook over the next 8 hours. My wife was so happy to see dinner ready when she came home even though I was at work. Called me to tell me how good it smelled in the house and how good it tasted. So i was looking forward to having some when I got home. Came home and started to eat. Chew, chew, and chew, so I thought. This evil bird created a food bolus that ultimately came back up with vengeance. Felt like a cat with a hairball. Not pretty. That's all I got for now, more to come. Enjoy your day!

Today is my 6th day post op. I feel great! Feel lighter; feel smaller, clothes are starting to fit loosly. This was the best decision of my life. Can't wait to start moving around outside. A little biking, a little hiking, and just some general outdoor fun. Now, I would like to discuss some disturbing dreams that I have been having since day 2 post op. I am not prone to nightmares, dreams are here and there. Sometimes I remember them sometimes I don't. My dreams have changed. I do not dream of being king, a pirate, the most attractive man in the world and I'm dating Jamie Leigh Curtis. (Don't tell my wife). No. I dream about FOOD! Yes food. Glorious food. Now I'm not saying I dream of rubbing cheeseburgers over my naked body on a stage with a dancing pole. I am, but I digress. I am dreaming of eating my favorite foods and then feeling guilty I did so. These dreams are so vivid I can taste the food, smell the food, and then I beat myself up saying things like....... "Hey! You’re not supposed to have that! Now you ruined the procedure!" ooooorrrrr "Hey Dumb@$$, what have you done? Now, how are you gonna lose all that weight idiot? You spent all this money! You got it WWWWWWWRRRRRRROOOOOOONNNNGGGG! Are these dreams normal or am I nuts? Do any of you have these dreams? Your thoughts. Talk amongst yourselves.

Brings to mind another quote " I maybe fat, but you're ugly and I could go on a diet". Good job!

So, last night I had my first cream Soup. Broccoli cheese, 1 cup, 320 cal., puréed it to get the lumps out and ate within 30 minutes. ( really it was 7 but who's counting) Anyway, had some discomfort before going to bed. No big deal. Woke up this am excited to have a skim plus Protein shake. Again, 8 oz of milk and 1 tbsp of Greek yogurt to thicken it up. Drank slowly, and was having discomfort through the day. So I said to myself, self, you may want to read over that material you got at the post op class. So I did. Only to find out that I was to work up to 4 oz for each of my meals. IN THE NAME OF CAPTAIN KIRK WHAT THE HELL HAVE I DONE? Have I just screwed this whole thing up? The discomfort goes away, but did I stretch out the pouch? Have I done damage to the band? HELP, .........RED ALERT..........RED ALERT.........RED ALERT! Shields up phasers on stun! Better nursing judgement says, no vomit, ok. Means no back up. So far so good. Am I over reacting? watch my Fluid intake? Call the MD on Monday. Never mind, we have to set the clocks forward this weekend. The stressor it all. Thoughts and comments.

Thanks for the kudos on the post. Gald to hear we all are suffering together! I wanted to fit some mother guilt in there ( mine is mediterranean basin guilt), but could not find a way to do it. Got another. BOWEL SOUNDS----- Now you all have shared your noisy displays, When did my stomach become the Pacific and it was mating season for the humpback whales? ( using the term "whale" loosly). I got enough problems with GreenPeace flying over my house, roping my ankles and bringing me back to sea, but come on. Reminds me of the plastic record inserts you would get from the National Geographics. can't wait for my wife to call back to me. If you can't laugh at this stuff then you wouldn't be human. That story is for another time. Thanks and more to come.

So I fell that its time to update my progress since my last entry. The pain is minimal from the ags and the incisions. dull stings and what feels like joint pain in the left shoulder. No I am not having a heart attack, no shortness of breath, sweating, difficulty breathing, etc.( for the medical folks out there). I was out and about most of the day. can I over do it? thoughts. So how do I get my 64oz of Fluid in a day? I'm taking in about about 48oz by bedtime. should I be taking bigger gulps? Should I be forcing fluids on a time schedule? What are your thoughts on the subject? Sooooooooo, this was not in the brochure. 1. Commercials. Have you all noticed that TV commercials and for that matter TV in general promotes the heck out of overeating? Dominos, pizza hut Popeye's chicken, KFC, those stupid BurgerKing pieces and the best of them all Mickey D. I wanna punch Little Ceasar in the head! I'm not hungry, but I feel compelled to eat. Same way I did when seeing someone smoke on TV, Bogey would light up, I would light up. Thank God that's over with. 12 yrs smoke free. I may go back to radio all day. 2. The bathroom. If you have small children ofr have a weak stomach stop reading from this point foward. This is not to insult, inflame or gross anyone out. Biology started to work yesterday. Intestines started peristalsis, and last evening the Last Train from Clarksville came in. For those with potty training toddlers, thats number two. Anyway, I know there were going to be changes, but no one told me about the new odors associated with this. First I offended myself, next the dogs scattered and hid in their crates, not to be seen again. My wife came to bed stating she was filing for divorce if I keep this up and finally, the smoke detector went off wanring the rest of the hosue hold there was danger ahead. I rely on you folks to give me a heads up on these matters. you are my pals, confidants and friends. Why did you leave this little piece of info out? I afraid to go out in public. I may get arrested for terroists acts. I'll let this one go, but in the future please let me be aware of what to expect next. I have a family to feed. 3. sleep. Overnight I became my grandparents and my father. I am a night person. Mornings suck and now I know why. It's cold dark and lonely at 4 in the morning. Now I know why the early bird special is at 430pm. Bedtime should be @ 8pm. I went to bed last night at 10pm. Up at 4am and I feel great, but why is this happening. Dont tell me next I should be exercising at this ungodly hour. Thanks for reading my rant. I feel much better now. will keep you updated with more observations and tips as I come by them. More to come

Sussex county, across the state from you. Know of some support groups here but non in your area. Chin up day 3 and feeling great!

I'm less than 24 hours post op. pain is bearable, it is new to feel full all the time, can be a little uncomfortable. Tylenol working for me. I FEEL LIKE A MILLION BUCKS! Would do this again at the drop of a hat.best thing I ever did for myself.

In NASCAR, a restrctor plate is placed in a carburetor to restrict the flow of air thus reducing the rate of fuel burn. This makes the race car go slower. In the lapband world, the band is a restrictor plate of sorts, in that it restricts the amount of food that can be eaten, thus making us lose weight. I choose to call it my restrictor plate. It sounds more manly. Tools tinkering etc. I feel it's apart of accepting my new way of life. How have you made your lapband acceptable in your life?

It is in and I'm doing better than expected! I would like to share my observations to this point as an RN. First shoudler pain from the gas is bearable for me. Would like it to go away. Body position is everything. Move around, find a spot that is comforable. right side usually, this brings the gas away from the left shoulder. Belly pain is tolerable. I rate mine as a 3, dull consistant ache. Feels like I ate Thanksgiving dinner and I overate. Ask your surgeon if he is able to perform the surgeryvia single incision. Dr Abkin was able to conduct this and I have three instead of 4 or 5 incisions. Of the three the port site is the most sore. ICE POPS ARE THE BOMB! They help with the scratchy throat associated with intubation. Tylenol extra strength Works well for me for pain management. I did get the pain script filled just in case. Move as much as possible. Dont over do it. move around at home. See how you do with stairs. Change from sitting upright to a relaxed position every now and then. It helps. Most imporant. Be happy when you go in. Have fun, your starting you new journey. Talk with the staff, enjoy the experience. The best for me was getting on the scale and finding out I lost a total of 11 lbs before the surgery without trying. Im already ahead of the game. Thats all for now. More to come!

Not long now for the Lapband to be put in. Surgery scheduled @ 0730, preop, 0630. For you NASCAR fans, Im gittin, my restrictor plate! boogity, Boogity, Boogity, Lets Go Racing Folks! More to come. will keep you posted!

- liquid diet started today- check! - Mag Citrate taken @ 1000- check! - Seatbelt installed to the toliet- check! - Gurgling has begun, dogs scared check! - What color boxers to wear to the surgicenter check! - Confidence at all time high check! - All the love and support from family- check! - Any points I have forgotten will be covered in this forum check! T-minus 20hrs,15mins til surgery. All systems GO!

Hello All, I wanted to know what chewable vitamins you would recommend on the market today. Go with the Bariatric Advantage or is there a comperable brand on the local store shelf. How do you keep track of your Water. Do I carry a "bottle" around or mark a chart or what? Does Mio help? Finally, what Protein powders does everybody use? Thanks for the info, NJHAZMAT

Hello All, The decision to be banded came to me after my father's death. Though not weight related, my father's death made me look at my own mortality. I have been heavy all my life. You know the story..... the stigma, the teasing, the heartache, Blah, Blah, Blah. I was able to lose 120 lbs when I was in my twenties. Felt great, ran 2 miles a day, worked out and quit smoking. Got married and life changed, Instant kids, school stuff, working second shift as a nurse, moving up the administrative ladder and quit smoking the second time. I have been smoke free since 2000. The weight however crept upon me. Over the past 12 years I gain at least 10 lbs a year. This slow methodical progression got me to where I am today. It SUCKS! Now at 43, I can't lose ten pounds in a month, I get frustrated with no results, I have tried it all, the Protein diet, the carb diet, the drink Water till you puck diet, or eat grapefruit diet. Looked at some of the advertised diets with prepackaged food. It looked like one thing to me -CAT FOOD. I need something besides my willpower to help me. I did my research and feel the Lapband is for me. My only Fear is addiction transference and excess skin. Any thoughts on that out there? I look forward to contributing to this group as I go into my Journey. Thanks NJHAZMAT