LilMonkey

I'm apparently having issues with getting my updates emailed to me as well. Shauna, eek! I hope that swelling goes down pronto for you. I know that can be mega discouraging so soon after surgery. I'll keep you in my thoughts and think happy thoughts your way for a speedy recovery. I had NO idea about the surgery fill. Now I think I'm going to call Becky. I don't feel restricted in the least!! I'm not losing weight. But, I am maintaining so I considered that a win for me. In other news, my hubbie is doing a lot better. He's still unable to really eat solids, but is feeling a lot better. So Yay!

Hey guys! How did the meeting go? I'm sure it was loads of fun. Just wanted to give you an update on my husband real quick so you weren't left wondering. He's doing better. Apparently he has some sort of infection so he's taking some antibiotics. Hopefully he'll be as good as new this time next week. In other news.. It's week 4! I haven't looked at my dietary sheet yet, but I believe we can pretty much eat whatever we want/feel comfortable with this week. Who feels ready for that? I think I'm going to start adding things back in slowly. First on the list, salad! Yum! Hope everyone has an awesome week!

That scale sounds neato! There are some websites that calculate the calories like that too, but I've always questioned them.. I might have to pick one of those up! I'm Erica and my husband is Ben. I must have missed when you originally asked for our names. Sorry about that! I've not been able to follow as closely with everything thats going on lately. I can't believe Dr. Debarros cheated and had a fill already! And I had no idea about Becky being his wife, that's pretty neat as well. Any way have a great weekend, you guys!

Hey guys! Sounds like everyones doing pretty awesome! With the exception of the icky port pain and sticky noodles. I didnt have a problem when I ate Pasta, but mine was whole wheat angel hair instead. Maybe it made a difference? I definitely hope you can eventually return to pasta as I know I would be lost without at least *some* pasta. :S I don't think my husband and I will be making the meeting this month. Sorry girls! He's actually not doing very well at the moment. Since sunday he's been getting progressively worse with harsh lower back pains/abdominal pains. We just spent the day back at the hospital trying to figure out whats wrong with him. They took some blood work and a CT scan of his tummy, so hopefully tomorrow we will know more. I'm pretty worried that theres something wrong with his band, but I'm trying to stay positive. I also feel bad because I get to eat food while he is back eating liquids (they cause him less pain) so cross your fingers for us! But with all this going on, I know he won't feel up to going out and I don't feel right leaving him home alone to fend for himself. But with any luck we'll be back to normal soon and maybe can make the next one. You girls have a blast for me!

Thanks Shauna! I feel a bit better about what I'm doing. I try not to compare us too much, since everyone heals differently.. But sometimes I just get totally insecure. Welcome newlife! Glad you decided to drop by! I've not heard of Dr. Blackstone. Are you pretty happy with them?

Eek, I might have to miss the Bandster lunch this time. Are they held monthly? My husband and I are doing just fine. I've still got some discomfort when sleeping too, but I really feel tons better than before. I developed a weird tingey pain right next to my belly button when I cough and such. It's even a bit numb in that area. But it's getting a lot better and Dr. Orris didn't seem too concerned. My husband went a day later than us ladies, and he's in a bit more pain and has some cramping and discomfort. We're hoping he gets to feeling better soon. We went back to work today and darned if I couldn't find a comfortable way to sit at my computer all day. I too was definitely missing my recliner. (Sorry for the delay, apparently I never posted this from hours ago. )

Alright, so now I'm starting to get concerned. Today I had the following: B: Oatmeal S: Yogurt L: Mashed Potatoes (little more than 1/2 cup) S: 1/2 c. beef stew D: 1 c. spaghetti (wheat Pasta & ground turkey & spaghetti sauce) It sounds like this is waaaay more food than you guys! Not to mention that it sounds like I shouldn't even be able to eat these foods yet. Do you guys think my band might of slipped or something? Mike said that we might be satisfied with 1/2 cup or maybe even more.. but it sounds like you guys are still having to be very careful and I feel like I'm able to eat relatively normally? Oh bother.

Welcome ShirleyBee! I would wholeheartedly recommend the WLIA for your after care. They've been really awesome to my husband and I. I absolutely hate going to the doctor because I always feel like no one cares and I'm just being shuffled along with the rest of the wallets-- I mean people.. This is just NOT so with the WLIA. Everyone is always very considerate and accommodating. I'm really glad we went with them as I feel like we purchased a whole package not just the band. There are a few others in the AZ area, so good luck in finding the one that fits you. :welldoneclap: Anyways, it's good to have you! We need all the AZ bandsters we can get. :success1:

Hey Kaylali and welcome! You are definitely right about the boys being more of a baby than the girls. :success1: My husband was very cranky the first week after surgery. It was awful! But we're both feeling much better this week (week 3). How's your PCP progress coming? Here's hoping everything you need progresses in a speedy way so you can be banded as soon as you want. :welldoneclap:

Hi All! I'm new to banding and just found this awesome site. I've been trolling all day and you all seem awesome. I have a question that I wanted to get some input on before I present it to my doctor. I've mentioned it, but since we haven't set a date for surgery just yet, it hasn't been fully addressed. I'm working with Dr. Orris over at WLIA and so far I'm pretty happy. My husband and I have decided to both be banded in an attempt for once and for all change in lifestyle. My problem is this: I'd like my husband and I to be banded at the same time. The reason for this is that we work together and I'm trying to keep it relatively hush hush at work. If we both take a week off at seperate times, it would obviously raise questions. Do you guys think this is a possibility? Assuming the Dr. would be able to schedule it and all. So I guess my main question is how bad is post op painwise and general yuckiness feeling wise. Thanks!

Hey guys! Just wanted to let you know that I'm doing fine! Sorry to concern you guys so. I didn't really feel like using my computer much lately. Sounds like you two are doing pretty well, which is awesome to hear! Virginia, I was present for your appt debacle on Thursday! I'm so glad they handled it well and didn't get pissy with you like most doctor's office receptionists tend to do. That's one of the things I love so much about the WLIA. It's not like a doctor's office, and everyone is very caring. Sorry, I didn't introduce myself to you.. I'm shy and didn't want to interrupt you guys. :welldoneclap: But it was my husband and I standing at the receptionists desk when you came in! heh. Anyhows. Sorry about your port troubles! I hope everything ends up healing well/better from here on out. Shauna, how did the ice cream go down? I've been tempted, but avoided it thus far. :success1: Hope everyone is doing well!

I was the one with longish brownish/reddish hair and bangs.. Glad to have you back! I was starting to get a little concerned. Yeah it's been a crazy week. My husband and I are both doing well. Gas pains come and go, and I hope they go for good soon. They did pretty much the same thing to me with the xray right after I woke up. I didn't have much of a problem staying awake, but I was in terrible pain so I whined the whole time. I was like.. They want me to lay on my side?! Are you kidding me!! hehe So far I just took the bandages off. Dr. Orris said the tape would come off on its own, so I'm just leaving it on for now. How do your incisions look without the tape? Everything seem sealed as it should? Our post-op is thursday. I simply cannot wait to get into mushies. Im soooooo sick of liquids. I doubt I'm getting my Protein either.. but I do try. I find sipping Protein shakes to be terrible terrible yuckiness, though. heh! Virginia, are you taking the pain meds and if/when you do does the port pain go away or dull down at all?

I think it's most often 6 weeks from surgery, but it could vary with your surgeon. I think they wait so long to give your stomach a chance to heal up nicely. This way the band has less chance of slipping. Once it's nice and healed they can do the fill and start with the restriction. Just look at it as an opportunity to practice chewing everything to death before you can really mess up your new pouch while restricted.

Hey tumonbug and welcome! I had a hard time with the breathing too. I'm a (n ex?) smoker, and I can tell you the pain when breathing deep went away by the 3rd or 4th day for me. Just keep doing your breathing excersizes (assuming you've been given that breathing thingy to do them with). I have a total fear of ripping my incisions. To the point where I actually hold my left side whenever I'm moving about. My port is on that side and therefore the pain is most prevelant on that side, so I think that's why I picked that side. But yeah.. I guess I'm trying to hold it all in. I haven't had a problem with any of the incisions though, so I think you'll be fine with the belly belt you're using. It sounds like you're doing awesomely after your banding. Congrats! It's a big step to get the surgery done, so you should be most proud!

I'm not onto mushies yet myself, but I wanted to wish you luck! I'm sure you're doing all you can and will see a boost in weight loss soon. It could be that you'll maintain until you get your first fill. But I wish you the best of luck and success!

Congrats! It's a great feeling to be over the hump with the surgery, isn't it? Best wishes on fast healing. You should feel pretty proud of yourself at this point for making it past the first hurdle!

I just got banded myself (on the 21st), but welcome aboard the band wagon! It's my understanding that after the surgery there is no restriction at all, so you will feel like you could eat normally. It's up to you to control your intake while waiting for your first fill. (Obviously this isnt much of an issue right after surgery) Once you do get filled though, you should start to feel restricted. Anyone who's been banded for longer want to add?

My surgeon told me that the port site would be the most painful incision. I had my surgery on the 21st too. Congrats to you! I find that when trying to sit up or lie down, the port site is where I am most bothered. It's pretty painful when I'm not on my pain meds at this point. However, I would say that if you have any concerns over the amount of pain you're experiencing to contact your surgeon's office and let them know. They should be able to confirm whether you should be feeling the level of pain you're feeling.

Julie, Congrats on the newly found disinterest/willpower. That absolutely rocks. You should feel mega proud of yourself! Kacee, I think they stitched mine internally and externally I have tape to seal the incisions. The tape is amazing stuff, it hasn't budged even tho I've been fairly active. I also showered and lightly washed my tummy and they didn't show any signs of being affected by that either. Of Course, I guess they wouldn't send us home with scotch tape to seal our wounds! LOL.

Hey Virginia, I bet I saw you at the hospital while we were both there! hehe. Are you doing alright? I've got a lot of pain at the port site too, but I think this is where it's going to hurt the most for now. I keep myself on the pain meds as much as possible so I don't have to deal with the pain. You've been dropping hints to your husband to get the band? I know my husband is being a big baby about his surgery. He's being a big ole cranky butt. But, its understandable I suppose. How've you been doing with head hunger? I've been craving whatever I see on tv. hehe. But it goes away fairly quickly and I haven't had a big issue with doing just liquids post-op. I hope SELaine comes back to check in soon, I'm starting to get concerned for her well being.

Curious about this one myself, anyone tried this?

FaithMD, Do you have any more information, or know where I can get more about that new AP band thats coming out next month? I believe that's the one I just got, but I can't find any info on it online..

Congrats on getting banded! I wish you well with your journey into banded weight-loss.

Laura, I *completely* understand where you are coming from with the quitting right when you're going through all the other things with this surgery. I actually feel the exact same way. My husband and I were told to quit at least 2 weeks before surgery. Well.. It didn't go that well, and I ended up smoking when I was following my eating plan properly, and cheating (!) with the food plan when I didn't smoke. I just could not do both at the same time. Im ashamed to say I smoked a few hours before going in for surgery. I'm 3 days post-op and haven't had a smoke yet, though I think its because I can't find them and I'm on pain meds. Who knows, maybe I'll end up quitting by accident. LOL. Anyways, don't feel too bad for not quitting. All smokers know in their hearts its best to quit. But I really think there is a time and place for everything. So don't beat yourself up for not doing it. Just take care of yourself and focus on your surgery and being successful with that. When you are ready, I would definitely recommend Wellbutrin or Chantrix as they can make quitting a lot easier mentally.

Yes, I stayed overnight, but I really didn't need to. I stayed because I'd already paid for it and their drugs were better than mine. Plus, my husband went in for his band the next day, so I gave him a little break to prepare for his own surgery. Right now, I'm on liquids. 1 oz every 10 minutes and not more than 6 oz an hour. I'm mostly drinking broth, watered down juice and Water. I have no plans on cheating now that I have the band, and I'm definitely an advocate of following your surgeron's orders. So far I'm doing well, haven't really been hungry yet, so we'll see. The only thing I'd see wrong with your coffee is caffeine and I've never really felt caffeine was all that bad. That's just me though.