redmom

Hey China, Sorry I forgot my band date. It was Dec 12th. And Dec. bandsters is where I go first and always.

Please count me in! Here are my stats Highest 253 Pre-op 242 Surgery 233 Today 230 Goal 140 January goal 15lbs. Lets hope putting this in writing and you guys holding me accountable will give me a kick in the rear. First fill is scheduled for Jan 19th, so the first part of the month is totally willpower.

Okay, I've had 3 c-sections too. Each was followed by two days in the hospital with a morphine drip in my arm. I was sent home with a bottle of percocet pills. Sure things would hurt when I got out of bed or leaned over, but it never really mattered to me because there was a beautiful baby who needed me. Let me just say I'm a wimp. I don't want to feel any pain, ever. I was just banded on the 12th of December. I did spend one night in the hospital with IV pain meds. I then came home with the percocet again. The pain was different, but I think it was mostly because I was totally focused on me, me, me (for a change). My pain was all I was really concerned about, no newborn or hormones to distract me. Its not that bad. Its not pleasant, I didn't enjoy it, but you get through it. I did take a week off from work and the kids were still in school/daycare so I really took the time to recover. If you can arrange it, your should really try to have someone else around to watch the kids. Good Luck

Thanks you guys! It really helps to know I'm not the only one feeling like this sometimes. Its all a learning curve for me. I'm being much more careful about what I'm eating.

I was banded on the 12th, stayed home for a week to recover and then resumed my normal work and home life. Al of which coincided with Christmas and getting everything ready for the kids. My doctor had me on liquids for a week after surgery and then mushies, but his definition of mushies is very liberal. I thought I was doing great. Port site pain, mostly from picking up the todler, but that was about it. I have the realize band and have very little restriction at this point. Then yesterday I ate a salad with grilled chicken. So all yesterday afternoon I have horrible heartburn and pain. I even came home early to lay down. Finally in the evening I started chewing tums, which eventually got the pain to go away around 10pm. So today, I think I'm fine eating oatmeal, cottage cheese, stuff I know is good for the tummy. Then I went to the grocery store. I couldn't finish shopping, I had to go sit down while my husband finished with the groceries. I felt dizzy and a little sick to my stomach. I came home and immediately fell asleep for two hours. I woke up for a bit, then fell back asleep. I thought I was back to 'normal' after the surgery, but now I'm not so sure. Its almost been three weeks and today I was pretty out of it. Has anyone else experienced anything like this? I want to think that all the excitement of the last few weeks just caught up with me, but I don't know. Thanks.

Santa's bringing me a treadmill this Christmas. I've been doing some research about them, but I've never used one before. What qualities should I be looking for in a good treadmill? Some list a cupholder as a great design feature, but I have a hard time believing that is a make or break issue. Thanks for your input.

I felt the same way you do now. I was just banded on the 12th. But I figured all I really had to do was show up. The doctors and nurses were there to take care of me. I showed up at the hospital at the appointed time and didn't have to wait at all. I peed into a cup and changed into a hospital gown and got onto the gurney. I spoke with the nurses about my medical history, discussed my procedure with the doctors and next thing I know they're giving me the meds to knock me out. I had to stay in the hospital overnight, so I had round the clock nurses checking on me. You've gone through so much to get to this point, all the evaluations, required weight loss and doctor's appointments. Now all you have to do is try and relax and let the doctor do his stuff. You'll have to work afterwards. But for now just concentrate on your surgery and recovery. The rest will come. Good luck to you tomorrow!

Okay, I've got the treadmill and it's HUGE! I'm still getting used to it. It has ifit, which others have mentioned. They are these memory cards that have preprogrammed workouts. Can you tell me if you like using these workouts and how much the cards cost? Thanks so much.

Thanks for all of your information. The treadmill is being delivered today and I'll be walking this afternoon!

I've only tried the daily plate so far. I was amazed at the recipes they had! And I loved the pie chart breaking down my meals by protein fat and carbs.

Hi there. I was just banded on the 12th of December and I had the little ball of pain meds. I too was totally wigging out about pulling out the line at home. Turns out it really wasn't a big deal. At the end of surgery, you are supposed to receive a fanny pack with the ball of medicine inside. Then when they have you walk around the halls of the hospital, you don't have to carry the ball and hold on to the IV line at the same time. I never got my fanny pack, but balanced everything pretty well. When I got home and was wearing a bra, I just tucked it in under the strap, above my breast. Problem solved. (Clearly I'm not top heavy). I was planning to have my DH pull out the line, but I got curious and did it myself. It was only about 4 inches inside of me and I didn't feel a thing as it came out. Just creepy to watch. The hole from the point of entry closes up pretty quickly. The ball is actually like a strong balloon, as the medicine goes into your body, the ball deflates. Hope this helps and good luck to you!

Hi there. I had a hernia repair at the same time as my band was installed on 12/12. Didn't even know I needed it until after surgery. I guess I was lucky, I didn't have any gas pain. The only pain I felt/feel is on my side when I bend over or if I sit and lean forward at the same time. Just keep taking your pain meds, like the doctors say, stay ahead of the pain, don't let it just build up. Then walk or move around as much as possible.

I ate yogurt. I was really scared about anything more solid getting stuck. After that went okay, the next meal was scrambled eggs, again no problem. By this time I was craving something with flavor, so I dunked a cracker into pesto for a taste with garlic and I loved it! I only ate two crackers but the pesto was the best thing I had ever tasted.

Wow, that's amazing. I'm impressed with your ability to stay on target. I'm just starting my mushies and its hard to re-learn eating real food. Keep up the good work.

I thought that quote sounded familiar, but slightly different. I found it in the Signals catalog. There it says," Life is not a journey to the grave with the intention of arriving safely in a pretty & well preserved body, but rather to skid in broadside, totally worn out & proclaiming 'Wow What a Ride!'" So your dad's version has the addition of chocolate. So be it. I don't think he's being mean, just trying to encourage you to live your life to the fullest. Which is exactly what you are doing in getting banded and ensuring you have a great time with the rest of your life. By getting banded and getting healthy, you have accomplished one huge thing that could have been a "what if" at the end of the ride. Good for you.

Hi there. I was just banded on the 12th and until then I couldn't have told you what or where a hiatail hernia was. Now I know because it turns out I had one. They found out during surgery and repaired it. I had something called a paraesophagial hernia. Never heard of it before. So, maybe they can fix yours while they are inserting a band. Talk to the doc. Good Luck!

When does the pain in your side go away? That's my biggest complaint. I'm one week out and everything else is going well, I'm doing fine on mushies, drinking lots of water but my side really hurts if I lean forward while sitting down or pick up something too heavy, like my baby. I'm still taking pain meds for the side pain.

Thanks for the cucumber and hummus idea. It has rocked my world. I'm dying for anything healthy with flavor. A friend stopped by unexpectedly and I even whipped this out as an appetizer and she loved it!

Hi all. I'm recovering, but I still have a lot of soreness in my abdominal muscles. The Doctor did the surgery with only one incision and that doesn't bother me at all. Its the muscle on the side of my stomach that really hurts. It's probably because I picked up either a. too much laundry or b. my baby. I think if I can leave her on the floor more, I will recover more quickly. Either way, I'm back to work on Monday. Mushies are going down well and this weekend DH and I are going to buy a treadmill. I've lost all the weight from surgery, so now I'm at my pre-op weight. Good luck to everyone!

I'm with you on the burping issue. I was just banded on the 12th of Dec. and my DH says he hasn't heard such noise since his college fraternity days! I go back to work next week and certainly hope it calms down by then.

I know this may make me sound like a lush, but what is the point of this "no alcohol for one year after banding rule" ? I truly don't drink often, or to excess (much to my dismay) but I do occasionally like a glass of wine with diner (or 30 mins before, 1 hr after, I get that part) or to be able to have a cocktail. I understand the bad calories. But if I can factor that into my diet, why no alcohol?

I had coffee today. For me coffee, black, counts as a clear liquid. With milk its a full liquid. I couldn't drink much and it didn't taste good because I tried to add a protein powder to it, like they do at Starbucks. Theirs tastes much better.

Jachut, I've been reading your posts for several months now, and I've got to say your approach makes the most sense to me. I'm still on my post-op diet, but as soon as I'm cleared for real food again, I hope to never see another protein shake in my life. I've got three little girls that I'm hoping to teach how to maintain a healthy lifestyle. For us that means exercise regularly and eating the colors of the rainbow. We'll also be making Christmas cookies and enjoying them as a "sometimes treat". I'm hoping to teach them and myself, all things in moderation, not how to obsess about food. I can't justify buying them organic milk and hormone free chicken and then drinking a protein shake made of who knows what chemicals. Thanks for the common sense approach.