kacee

You sound like you did GREAT!!! You are right on track! I think the majority of the gas was the first week. Believe us, WALKING is the best thing you can possibly do right now. Every time you get up out of bed or a chair, do a full lap around the house. I found that even as I was walking I could feel that air moving around inside me and trying to get out. A heating pad also helps. You get to the point where you really relish a good burp or fart! My family could hear me in the back of the house going "YEAH! That was a GOOD one!"

Check in with us on the flip side! We'll be thinking of you! (Oh this brings back memories!)

With the band you are not having to worry about stretching out your bypass pouch which totally negates the original procedure. I think that happens to many bypass people when they gain back...they have slowly stretched out their pouches. I don't think that's much of an issue with us because you can't stretch your pouch without doing damage to the band location and it would require surgical fixing. I think banders would be much more "aware" of their bands than bypass people would be of their guts long after the fact. I could be wrong....

You're gonna do pretty much nothing but lay around, WALK, and sip lquids for the first couple of days or so. I would suggest getting some Isopure clear drinks. You can have from from day one, because they fall into the "clear liquids" category. They will help with any possible nausea, feeling listless, etc. Here's a link to read about it.... index Have plenty of ALL kinds of liquids/mushies for your liquid stage....soups (not lumpy), shakes, pudding, yogurt, cottage cheese, all kinds of drinks. TAKE your pain meds when you get home (You'll probably have liquid vicodin which is like red cough medicine looking). Don't wait to get really uncomfortable to take your pain meds. They will probably give you plenty and it's there to use, not to sit around. There are no awards for being a "martyr."

Roo, I had it done three months ago. I have had surgery before on my abdomen (emergency appendectomy) so I was expecting something like that. NO SO!!! There is a HUGE difference with laproscopic surgery. It is very UN-invasive. I went to the hospital at 6:30 a.m. They checked me in and took me to my room where I just snoozed a little. They came in about an hour later and put me on the gurney and took me to the pre-op area. I was in there with two other people waiting to go in (one before and one after me). Here I was given my IV line. We were all very giddy and gabby in pre-op and talking to the nurses, ALL of whom had had their bands for several years. The anesthesiologist came in and gave me a little sedative (I was too excited...it didn't do much!). The surgeon stopped in and looked at my chart and said hi. Then they wheeled me into the OP room and I crawled on the table. They put the "leg squeezers" on me (those pump things that keep your circulation going...feels like someone is hugging your lower legs). Then they put the drugs in the IV line and the next thing I knew I was back in the pre-op area. My thoat was rough and I had a hard time speaking (hoarse). I was a little nauseated, but waved someone over to give me something. Snoozed a little and later they took me back to the room where I snoozed a while. Then they got me up and I did a "lap" around the nurse's station. I was SHOCKED that I felt VERY little pain in my mid-section. When you have major abdominal surgery you have this "purckered" tight feeling like they pulled you together with purse strings. This was completely different and not anywhere NEAR as uncomfortable. Most of my initial discomfort was topical. I had a tight feeling in my chest. That was the band. I went home about 9:00 pm, only because I couldn't pee and I had to pee before I was able to leave. I went home and slept. You'll be somewhat sore around your middle, but not bad (if you were like me). You may experience pain in your shoulder, back or neck after a while. That's the gas. They puff your stomach up with air when they do they band, so they can see and move around inside....that is what takes the longest to get rid of. You could have gas for about a week or so. Get Gas-X, heating pad, and above all WALK WALK WALK.

I tried to eat some scambled eggs the week I went on solids. They did fine. The TOAST I tried to eat with them got TOTALLY stuck and had to come back up. Eggs are not a problem. I now also use eggbeaters and they are wonderful. I can't tell the difference.

I said "low profile port please!".

I didn't go through my PCP for the band. I went straight to the band surgeon because I knew I was going to be self-pay. However, I did have to go to my PCP after a month out because my blood presure meds were way out of whack because of the weight loss so far. When she saw my weight she couldn't believe it. I've seen her twice since then and every time she sees my chart she is ALL SMILES.

It is always important to get your liquids in, but much moreso in those first weeks after surgery. Your body fluids, sugars, etc. are swinging back and forth and you have to really nurture yourself with protein and fluids constantly. Your body is in the process of trying to heal, which takes energy, and your resources are being depleted. Get in the habit of carrying a bottle of water with you everywhere you go. I have one permanently in my car, one by my couch, one by my bed and one by my computer...at all times.

To address the "emotional grieving"...I too thought long and hard about it, and was fearful I would wake up afterwards and go "OH no, I miss everything too much! I don't want to be this way! I miss my food!" You know....I actually have not missed anything at all. You think you are missing the food but you are NOT. You are missing the QUANITY of food. I thought I would miss being able to STUFF half a hamberger in my mouth....the emotional satisfaction one gets from CRAMMING food in their face (doesn't that sound AWFUL!). But I don't....not at ALL. I can HAVE that hamburger....just less of it and slower and it is NOT deprivation because my body shuts me off when it is time to quit. I don't feel deprived at all. This was an instantaneous feeling after the banding. I am three months out now and very comfortable with my eating habits, and they seem very natural to me now. It never really was a struggle (except for my time in Band Hell for about 3 weeks).

<p>My BMI was about 38.6. I am 5'3" and weighed 218. So I probably had about 78 pounds to lose if I wanted to get to 140. My lapband doc wanted me to 160, which I consider too high, but that would have put me needing to lose only 58 pounds. I have been overweight for 45 years and fought it as a child. I was able to keep it to a dull roar in high school, college, and for a few years after, but by the time I hit 30 those scales were really inching up. The last 20 years I have been obese, last 10 on BP med, high cholesterol, high triglycerides, and diabetes gallops in my family and my regular doc has been shaking her finger at me for about 5 years saying I am well on the way to diabetes if I don't cut back. In January of this year they upped my BP meds and I was diagnosed with obstructive sleep apnea. That was it. I am single, so I broached the subject with my Mom...I was SHOCKED when she said "I am surprised you haven't brought that up before now. When are you going to do it?" and after that it was fast track. I knew I wouldn't be qualified for insurance because of the weight program you must go through beforehand (and they probably would have denied me at my BMI anyway). I self-paid. I have ZERO regrets. I have dropped HALF of my weight in the first three months and am happy at the weight I am at now but will continue to goal. I have told anyone and everyone and the most negative comment I've gotten from anyone was "Are you sure you feel you need to do this?" (I took no offense at all) to which I said "Not yeah, but HELL yeah!!!" My enthusiasm overshadows anyone being negative about it. I think I bowl people over with my enthusiam because I light up, pump the air with my fist, say "YEAAAAAHHH BABY!!!!!" and all they can do is just go "Wow....that's great!"</p>

GAS! Mine was in my left shoulder, crawling up the back left side of my neck. Walking will give a LOT of relief. It gets that air moving around to where it can get out. Itching is totally normal. You are HEALING!

<p>Isopure drinks. They are actually pretty good, can be cut with Water if you like less flavor. Drink over ice. I haven't found one yet that was bad.Click on the word "index" below to go to the website.</p> <p> </p> <p>index</p>

My Tricor 145mg caplet is about as big a pill as I can take. I had these jagundo horse caps of fish oil from my gynecologist that I totally gave up on post-surgery. I do chewable vitamins because most vitamins are horse pills too, though you could probably bust em in half. I still take about 6 pills every morning and I'm a good pill taker anyway and tend to take them several at a time....haven't had any problems.

You will growl like a BEAST for about the first month. Then if you are anything like me, you will growl about 3 hours (I can almost set my watch by it) after a meal. When you are first banded the growling will be incredibly loud (as in...across the ROOM loud!) but it'll settle down to a dull roar after that. Now I just feel it more than hear it.

Also get your hands on some protein drinks. Having protein in your system will help with the nausea and fatigue. One I like is Isopure protein drink...this is premade and a clear liquid (not a powder) and it comes in about 8 flavors. It's a great way to get your protein down. You can drink it straight, or if it seems a little sweet I just cut it with water and drink it over ice. A bottle has about 42 gms of protein which is a HUGE amount. The body absorbs about 24 in one sitting, so you can drink half a bottle at a time (or stretch it waaaaayyyy out) and get a great protein fix. Some body builder type health stores carry it. GNC doesn't. You can buy it online too.

You probably don't need to wrap yourself. I didn't. Those wounds are closed up okay. I don't know if I would envelope myself in soap at this point, but water running down your front shouldn't be a biggie...the most it will do is get the steri-strips wet, and that didn't seem to inhibit their sticking ability at all. Trying to keep your midsection from getting wet would be a logistical nightmare that isn't worth it.

Mine did the same thing. I think it was about 10 days and one or two fell off and the others were hanging. I waited until it looked like the incisions were well closed up and then helped the dangley ones off.

I also live alone. I stayed at my Mom's the first two nights (surgery Wednesday, stayed Wednesday night and Thursday night), just in case anything went awry. She wasn't waiting on me or anything. I got up and got all my own stuff out of the kitchen, etc., but it was just nice to feel the security. The morning of the 3rd day I drove back to my place (34 miles away). I was antsy about the drive, but it turned out not to be bad...I had been concerned about the sitting part, but it was pretty much a non-issue. I was by myself the rest of the time and had NO problems at all.

Any drugstore

You are gonna do a LOT of burping and a lot of farting for the first couple of weeks. Don't hold back....Embrace it because every time some of that air rumbles out...above or below...that's one step closer to relief. (It got so whenever either happened my family could hear me somewhere in the house yelling "YEAH!!!!") And if you are in discomfort, TAKE your pain meds....the doctor didn't give em to you to decorate your bathroom shelf. They are there to give you big time relief so take advantage of it.

If you're not going to be telling anyone, you guys better sit down and get your "story" straight beforehand, whatever it is you choose to disclose to people after the fact. I'm sorry your mom feels like she can't say anything. I've seen a lot of folks who had some problems from it...i.e., a lie begets a lie, begets a lie......but it's a personal choice. I personally decided to tell anyone and everyone because I refuse to give anyone that power over me. "Love me or leave me....support me or get out of the way" I have yet to regret any of it. Is your mom reading the forum? She needs to so she can get prepared for surgery day and know what to expect and what to stock up with both food-wise and comfort-wise. Initially at least she's going to need to steer clear of things like bread and rice, and any meats that are dry. Other than that (and those things may come with time) she'll find she can probably eat pretty much anything she ate before...only less....and a LOT SLOWER. Sweetie, you are a real dollbaby for being proactive like you're doing and trying to get educated to help your mom. We'll be more than happy to answer any questions either of you guys have....at any time!

Make sure your fridges are stuffed with liquids and jellos and puddings and stuff for the first week or more. I spent my last weekend at the grocery store buying everything up....hahahaha I am now three months post-op and my fridge is STILL packed with drinks and puddings and stuff that I didn't get to while I was on liquids....

water weight

I have never PB'd more than just a few minutes after ingesting something that was going to kick back....do a lot of you just PB walking down the street? That is so foreign to me!