kacee

Dang Terri...every time you post I feel closer to you! I too will be wanting some PS work done and am thinking of surgeons. Wanda at Dr. Spivak's just had Dr. Heller (he's the surgeon who comes to the wellness meetings and talks about PS. He was there last Tuesday but I couldn't go. I think he'll be there again in October and I want to go. There is also a surgeon here in Clear Lake I have heard great things about...Dr. Todd Adam. One thing about him is that he has a surgical center so his work is done on the premises...no hospital bills. A co-worker had a tummy tuck, augmnetation and lipo and her cousin had a bunch of work done too. They LOVED him. My goal, the more I look at it, is to get a number of things done over the next two years.... Number one is a neck lift. I've been left with this horrible old lady turkey waddle. I have always hated those and no way am I gonna have one for very long! I also am getting a little "sunken" under the eyes (whatever it is that opposite of bags). I have some lines on both sides of my mouth that make me look perpetually mad. Those need attending to. I want lipo on my saddlebags so I can look symmetrical in my pants (I am shaped like a pear....the more weight I carried, actually the more symmertrical I was...now that I am losing, the widest point on my are my saddlebags). And I MAY opt for a TT depending on what I look like after another 10 pounds or so fall off. I had an emergency appendectomy at 16 and it left me with a long vertical scar on my mid-right side. Because of adhesions, my fat is disproportionate on my front. I have a bulge on the left side and the right side is flatter where the scar is. Doesn't bother me THAT much, but I am one who has always had a perfectly flat stomach, so tht may get addressed in the fuure. Actually considering my age I think I look pretty darned good and beauticians and cosmetologists have always marveled that my skin is MUCH younger than my years. Let's keep in touch about this surgeon business...

I think the way the band is positioned it must impact the amount of air taken into the stomach, or the amount of air the stomach can hold. I do a lot of burping...especially when I eat.

Oh the lovely noises your body is going to make! I would listen to my rumblings (you could hear them across the room!) and laugh! Thank goodness that settled down in about a month. I do growl when I need to put something in my stomach now, but it can only be felt by me and it doesn't resound across the room anymore!

Bandster Hell is the first 30 days after surgery, before you get your first fill, when you are on liquids and mushies. It's great at first because just post surgery you aren't really hungry because everything is still swollen and tender...but THEN you hit about the two week period and all hell breaks loose. The band isn't restricted yet (yes, it is NOT working yet) and you are STARVING and can still only have liquids and mushies. I actually did reasonably well during this period. I just kept eating cottage cheese and puddings and lots of jello and thing that gave me the feeling I was eating instead of drinking. You get really starved to CHEW something. Most everyone goes through a period where they feel they will chew their leg off.

There is a thread here somewhere "Was it worth it?"....all you have to do is thumb through that one to hear some rousing HUZZAHS! I went for my 4th fill last Thursday and my surgeon was there and stopped in. He saw my weight loss from last month (11 pounds) and he looked at me and wiggled his eyebrows and said, "It WORKS, doesn't it!" and I beamed back at him "You BET it does!"

Also, you'll only be eating Miso soup if you go out to dinner within the first 30 days after surgery. After that you'll be back to eating normally...the operative word here is "normally"....by that I mean...not like we've ever eaten in our past lives!

Thank you for those pearls, Doctor Jack! (Do you make house calls...HAR HAR!) We are all so profound here....I wish we could all follow all this great advice we come up with! (I'm serious!)...

You'll probably be able to eat 90% of the food you ate before...just a LOT slower and a LOT less.

Claramae...another thing to consider also. After I lost about 30 pounds I started having TERRIBLE mood swings (Zero to bitch in 5 second flat!). I've been in menopause 2 years now and I figured I was immune, but I think the hormones (or lack thereof) did a number on me as I lost the weight. Went to the doc and she put me on an estrogen patch and bumped up my Prozac (I've taken just 20 mg for 11 year and always felt just fine) to 40 mg. I noted a difference with the two within 48 hours. Just be aware that it could be several things contributing to this....

When you go on solids be very careful the first time you go to a restaurant. Eat something you KNOW will go down and not get stuck, until you really get the hang of what works and what doesn't. It's not fun to PB in a public restroom (though at least it's not accompanied by a hacking gag sound like vomiting, thank goodness).

It is not unusual for a fill to "set in" at the two week mark. You sound like you need a slight unfill. I was surprised to find out that a fill can have a delayed reaction like this...you may get a fill and everything seems fine and then you wake up about two weeks later and everything is stuck. No abnormal, but you do need to get in to see the doc for a sligh unfill probably.

WELCOME the burping! You should be doing a fair amount of farting too. You are getting rid of the air they pumped into you for the procedure. The more you do both, the less likely you will suffer those nasty gas pains (mainly in the shoulder and neck area). It should subside in about two weeks. BURPING IS A GOOD THING!

The pre-op "diet" is not to lose weight specifically, it is to take in the types of foods that help to shrink the liver size so the surgeon has easier access during the operation. Just do the best you can.

HELLO???? Take your PAIN meds! That's what they are there for! I lived on mine for a week after surgery. It HELPS!!! Don't suffer and don't try to be a martyr...there is no reward in it. Sounds like you are doing the right things. The more moving you do the more it will move around inside you and try to get out. You should be farting and burping up a storm.

Can you physically drink alcohol? Yep. Should you drink it? Well...... For social occasions why not? I find no difference with alcohol consumption before or after banding EXCEPT that since you are eating substantially LESS after banding you have less stuff to help absorb the alcohol....it may hit you harder.

Voodoo....HAHAHAHA!!! You ain't seen NOTHING yet kiddo! I remember when I hit my 5 pound mark I was SOOOOO happy! When I hit ONEDERLAND I cried too. It just gets better and better. People ask me how much I have lost so far and I say...oh...uh....38 pounds.... and it even baffles ME! I am seeing digits on my scale I haven't laid eyes on in over 20 years!!!!

If you cannot gt your protein in at this point, you need to do liquid protein. Liquid protein drinks and shakes. You HAVE to have that protein or you will rapidly feel like CRAP.

time for another opinion. Every doctor has their preference.

I had 5, but one was in my belly button and I never really could see it, so all you see is four. There were stitches below the skin and then the skin was glued and then steri-strips were placed on top. The incisions are really a NON-ISSUE. I've had major surgery on my abdomen several times and this is NOTHING like that. When you are REALLY cut open, afterwards you have this pulled-purse-string feeling, a tightness and a discomfort that goes down inside you. This is more like a topical injury, like you cut yourself. The outside is a little tender, but you don't get the feeling that someone's been digging around in your insides at all.

These are GREAT.... index I also use Dymatize ELITE Protein powder (in milk)...Mocha Cafe.

Your feeling restriction from swelling, most likely. The WORST thing in the world you can do is not drink. Every waking moment of the day you should have a bottle of something in your hand and sip sip sip. If you can get your hands on some clear protein drinks that would help. Pretty quickly you are going to start feeling lightheaded and nauseus if you don't get anough liquids down. That tight feeling and pain will subside. Seems to me mine went away after a few days.

Hey Bloo....how did surgery go? We're all in the same boat and we just moved over to give you a seat too! You know how they say "the grass is always greener on the other side of the hill (or fence)..." In our case it is completely TRUE. Welcome to Bandland! Keep us informed with your progress!

Can you mix it with something to give it a softer consistency? It really doesn't matter what because this is not the period of time you worry about calories...this is your healing phase. If you can get it a little looser I think it would be fine. Peanut butter is a little difficult to swallow normally, so I'd think it might give you a problem just after surgery...but who knows.

I find that if I don't weigh every day I can make more excuses about eating the wrong things. I weigh religiously every morning and watch the 10ths of a pound on my digial scale. Everyone is different, but NOT having a scale or being aware was what got me into this pickle to begin with.

I never had problems actually vomiting. You should talk to your doctor to see if there is something they can do to treat your sensitive stomach. It could have an underlying reason you experience this. Seems to me also that if you were able to pack on the weight with that sensitive stomach you shouldn't have a lot of trouble after banding.