citygirlnks

Hello all! Just checking in. It's been a busy semester but it's finally Fall Break!!! Today's the last day of class and I'll be off until Monday. My bf and I are planning on going on a fishing trip or a trip to Branson. I need to get away badly. I got my 3rd fill Monday! I can't believe I've had my 3rd fill already, the whole process has flown by so fast. I can tell I'm restricted and so I'm hopeful I'll start losing more than before. It's also nice to be eating smaller portions and getting full faster, finally! It won't be another four weeks until my next fill...so, I sure hope this restriction stays. Hope everyone is doing well!

Dr. Malley patients- I was banded July 31st and scheduled for my first fill Sept. 10th. I'm ready for some restriction already! Just curious how the fills are done (With or without and x-ray or flouro-what is that anyway?). I have a low profile port and actually, I'm not even sure how much liquid it's able to take and how much liquid is typically put in for the first fill. If any of the Malley patients can "fill" me in on how exactly fills are done that would be great!!!

IndioGirl55- Way to go on getting into your white linen pants!!! That must be so exciting. I have a whole drawer full of pants, skirts, shirts that I have kept hoping to fit into someday. Can you believe I did a total of 3 injections without any numbing or use of flouroscope?!!?!? The first two wasn't bad at all. The third was painful. The fourth stick was without any numbing but with the flouroscope and that went without any pain really. I wish the radio adjustable band was already approved here-that would make adjustments so much easier!!!

Only4me & Caolin-Thanks for the words of encouragement. It's hard to get over the social issues I have but I try my best! I really do! I had my 2nd fill on Monday. What a fiasco. I was ready for it. I was eating too much and hungry too often. He stuck me with the needle and it hurt, it hurt bad, to make matters worse, he moved the needle to stick my port and that hurt even more. I was sweating like crazy and breathing like I was giving birth or something. I had a couple sips of water after and everything seemed fine. Halfway home, aftter taking a few more sips of water on the road, the water came up...all of it. I should have turned around but I didn't, probably for fear of being stuck again with the needle. Well, 45 mins later I was home and I took a nap. I got up and tried to sip some water, again, it wanted out. Everything I tried to drink or eat it wanted out. So I called th nurse and she told me to come in as soon as I could the next morning. I got to the dr.'s office at 7:30am after a rough night of no water and no food..boooo! The nurse used the x-ray tv machine thing and took out .5 and I felt instantly better-no rock in the throat feeling when I took a sip of water. I'm going to request the dr use the x-ray machine thing next time. The nurse used it and didn't have to move the needle around at all, it was a breeze. *sigh* I'm so glad I can drink and eat now!

-------Beware...lots of emotional whining here------ Hi all, TGIF. Seriously. I had a terrible week. I'm in an engineering program and there's not very many females in my program. In my particular year there's only a handful of women and they're all thin, dainty and cute. My problem is when we have to do groupwork or lab work. I'm the one that's sitting there hoping someone will ask me to join or the one that has to frantically go around asking if I can join their group (a lot of times they have enough people) and sometimes I'm the one that has to ask my professor if I'm going to have to work alone that day. The embarrassing part is when he sticks me with someone. I hate "having to be in a group", I'd rather be wanted in a group. The sickening thing is they'll quickly ask if they have the same asnwer as me when homework is due but they'll be damned to spend 2.5 hrs of lab working with me. They'd rather spend their time playing grab ass with one of the thin girls. I've noticed the men in my program are asses. They flock to the thin and cutsey girls even if the girls are obnoxious, arrogant and dumb. It's so irritating. A lot of them get together and giggle and the guys hit on the girls and it just makes me ill. I just want to go to class and get shit done, I'm not expecting anyone to flirt with me. It's just irritating and uncomfortable to be in a group with people who are flirting with the thin girl while the fat girl sits there punching numbers and doing to work. I guess I've never really noticed how people at my school treat overweight people because previous courses have been mostly lecture where you go in and listen to lecture and leave. I hate being treated different. This semester (I have two design courses that each have lab sections) is going to be rough. I dread going to lab and I dread being around people for feart that they'll see me as the fat girl as opposed to a classmate. *sigh* Sorry I unloaded all of this on to you all. I just feel crappy and didn't know where to dump all of my sorrows except here where some people might hopefully understand where I am coming from. Maybe I just need to take a nap and sleep it off or something. Ugh, life is so hard. I hope everyone has had a better week!

Miss Nana- I am in Kansas and had my surgery in Overland Park. I was banded by Dr. Stephen Malley (his office is in Mission, KS). I just had my first fill at his office. So far I've had a wonderful experience with him and his staff. If you have any questions about him feel free to ask! Including me, there are several Malley patients on the board if you have additonal questions about him. At the seminar I remember people asking about what happens if you get the stomach flu or get food poisoning or something and throw up. The doctor said he'd likely prescribe something to stop the vomiting.

Hello & welcome to the site! There are many midwesterners here. Where are you in the midwest? I'm in Kansas and there are several well-known doctors here in my local area. I'm sure there are several in your area. As far as insurance, you can always call your insurance and ask for a list of bariatric doctors that are on your insurance plan and go from there to help narrow down doctors.

Enchiladas AND Steak? Mmmmm!!! :hungry: Salad...I steered clear of salad because it's sometimes hard to chew it enough down to puree/paste (gross thought). At 2 weeks post op I ate soft cooked veggies like steamed zuchinni or squash. And for tomatoes, I thought I heard to avoid them early on while healing because they are acidic or something. I could be wrong. Some foods that I ate that were on the ok list from my doctor were: -soft eggs -tuna -fish -cottage cheese -canned fruit -soft cooked veggies (avoid stringy veggies though) -chicken -cheese -yogurt Those are what my doctor recommended at 2 weeks post op. I'd check to see what your doctor recommends though. He should have given you some sort of info on what you can and can't eat during your stages of recovery.

You've had two fills and you were able to eat donuts?!?!? I just had my fill Monday and wayyyy too scared to try breads, but after reading your post the gears in my head (and stomach) are turning!!!!:hungry:

Wendell- Thanks for the post, that was very informative. juliegeraci & wanabthin- You don't know how relieved I am now that I've read your post. I had my first fill Monday and as of today, I don't really feel all that much of restriction. I guess I expected a ton of restriction and to be eating a cup of food, but that isn't the case. I'm glad to see what I'm experiencing is normal!!! I don't expect a whole bunch but I do expect to be normal at least!

want2beme- First, relax...relax...relax! I was banded 6 and a half weeks ago and I had my first fill Monday. From week 4-6 post-op, I would say I could eat everything and anything. As far as portions, I ate less than I did before surgery but eating a cup of food was hardly enough to satisfy my hunger. It's normal to regain your hunger a few weeks after surgery because now you're stomach isn't all swollen. But, it's too early to get a fill. The time in between your surgery and your first fill you just have to be strong and watch what you eat. I'm assuming you're in your soft solids stage, so, ty your best to stick with soft healthy foods. (I know, it's easier said than done!) I will be honest, I had my fill Monday. As of today, I don't really feel a huge restriction. I'm eating less, getting full faster but I kind of expected to have a much much tighter restriction. From past threads, it looks like most doctors restrict you slowly. So, from my experience, it's normal to feel frustrated and afraid of hunger but this whole thing is a process and it takes a lot of inner strength. I hope this helps. Good luck!

Everyone heals differently but your pain is normal. For me, it took a couple weeks to be able to cough and sneeze without hurting. I usually have a pillow handy to hold up against my stomach/chest area when I cough or sneeze, that bit of pressure helps a little. Getting out of bed is also a task the first couple weeks, if someone is around, I ask for a hand, otherwise, I kinda roll out slowly. Don't worry, it takes time to heal. Just have a pillow or folded up throw or something for your stomach area when you have to cough or sneeze. I am about 6 and a half weeks out and my port incision is finally healing up completely. If you have doubts, fears or concerns of your recovery, call your doctor and ask to see if what you're feeling is ok and see if there isn't something you can do or they can do to help you heal better! Good luck and congrats with getting your band!

Me too, the first few days I was too scared to eat actually. I was afraid of PBing, sliming, having the golf ball feeling, so I just had soups. Now, almost a week later, I'm beginning to test my band....and so far, no bad experiences yet. I kind of wished I had more restriction. I may call the doctor's office and ask about my restriction and see if this is normal that I'm not feeling that restricted.

Hi group! Just a little update... The big incision that was not wanting to heal is finally healing! The doctor prescribed a weeks worth of antibiotic just as a precaution but it seemed to have sped up the healing process. I had my very first fill Monday. He stuck me once, filled me with saline, sat me up and I took a sip of water and the water just sat there and didn't go down. So, I laid back down and he stuck me again and let some saline out and the water in my throat literally gurgled and went down! So, I sat up and took another sip of water and it went down fine. I was surprised that the whole process wasn't that painful. The thought of a needle going in my stomach area freaks me out though. As of today, I don't feel that much restriction really. I have been eating soups and soft stuff and today was my first day of normal food and although I eat less than before, it's still eat more than a cup or so of food. I guess I expected there to be a lot of restriction and my eating portions to be very small. Perhaps my fill hasn't really kicked in yet?

Mango24-Thanks for your update. I also have two incisions that had stitches sticking out the ends. The dotor said I could trim them down, the skin is just beginning to heal over them now. I was thinking about pulling them out awhile ago but was afriad of the whole thing unravelling or somthing! IdioGirl55-I was a little compelled to just go in to the doctor's office and have him look at it, or even take a picture and e-mail it to him. It's looking better today though luckily. The scab looks to be smaller even. I'm taking antibiotics, if it begins to look questionable again I think I'll just go in and have the doctor look at it. But I'm glad to see that I'm not the only one 6 weeks out that is still healing.

...I meant to post here but somehow my post made it's own thread-oopsy! I was banded 7/31/07 (I just barely made it into the July 07 Bandsters group!). I am having my first fill this upcoming Monday. I can't wait because I have noticed that I can eat a little more as each day passes. The thing that is a total bummer is that my port incision is still healing! Yep, it's been almost 6 weeks and half of the incision is still slowly trying to heal. I have called the dr's office over the past several weeks asking about it and the nurse has been telling me that it's normal and I shouldn't worry. She said it's due to a "spitting stitch"...I've never heard of that before but I looked it up online and I guess it's common. Over the Labor day weekend my scab fell off by accident and I freaked out by the sight of a open wound. It looked like a fish's mouth...gross. So anyway, I called again over the holiday weekend because I was worried about it and the nurse on call said to not worry...again. Today, the nurse talked to my doctor and he said although he was pretty sure there isn't an infection he's having me take some antibiotics just in case. So, I'm hoping with the antibiotics the incision will heal up by the time Monday comes around. Otherwise, I guess the doctor will be able to look at it when he gives me my fill. Is anyone else healing? My other incisions healed up within a week or two so I was curious how everyone else is doing.

I was banded 7/31/07 (I just barely made it into the July 07 Bandsters group!). I am having my first fill this upcoming Monday. I can't wait because I have noticed that I can eat a little more as each day passes. The thing that is a total bummer is that my port incision is still healing! Yep, it's been almost 6 weeks and half of the incision is still slowly trying to heal. I have called the dr's office over the past several weeks asking about it and the nurse has been telling me that it's normal and I shouldn't worry. She said it's due to a "spitting stitch"...I've never heard of that before but I looked it up online and I guess it's common. Over the Labor day weekend my scab fell off by accident and I freaked out by the sight of a open wound. It looked like a fish's mouth...gross. So anyway, I called again over the holiday weekend because I was worried about it and the nurse on call said to not worry...again. Today, the nurse talked to my doctor and he said although he was pretty sure there isn't an infection he's having me take some antibiotics just in case. So, I'm hoping with the antibiotics the incision will heal up by the time Monday comes around. Otherwise, I guess the doctor will be able to look at it when he gives me my fill. Is anyone else healing? My other incisions healed up within a week or two so I was curious how everyone else is doing.

Just curious...is there a reason why you're not following the diet from the dr that actually banded you? I also had briefly looked in Dr. Hoehn for surgery (but ended up going to a different dr), did you have a good experience with his office and him? I haven't met anyone who has been banded by him or the drs in his office.

That's too bad. I liked Darlene. She was always very funny, honest and very approachable with questions. I hope the new person will be just as good as Darlene has been!

Hi Tracy! I just noticed your new picture and you look awesome!!! Thanks for the info though. So, how did he go about doing the fill? Did he just feel for the port and stick ya with the needle? I'm just nervous about what to expect. So what happens now that you are at your fill capacity? I'm guessing you won't have to have fills anymore, right? What if you feel like you can eat more after a while though?

I'm surprised your doctor would give you literature that would say you could have a "pig out day". Dependant upon your doctor, he may say you have to go on a liquid diet prior to your surgery to help your liver shrink for the surgery. Some patients have to lose so many percent of their weight to even qualify for the surgery. So, if I were you I'd ask your doctor what you have to do to prepare for your surgery. For me, my doctor didn't order any special diets prior to surgery. Only that I have liquids 24 hours prior and nothing after midnight before surgery. I won't lie, I did go out and eat at my favorite restaurants before the procedure. Though, I knew I was having the surgery because I have weight to loose, by pigging out before surgery, that's just MORE weight I have to work off after surgery...and that thought kept me from eating everything in sight.

I was banded 4 weeks ago and since I started eating solids I have noticed I get fuller faster. I haven't had a fill but I can't eat hardly as much as I did before. For me, I feel a "full" feeling in my upper chest. When I start to get that full feeling I stop, I don't even bother taking more bites because the fullness feeling makes the thought of eating more unappetizing. I could take another bite but I don't even feel like it...it's a mental change I've had I think because before the band I'd just eat eat eat regardless of feeling full or not. When I say "full" I can only describe it like the feeling you get when you eat too much without the band, kind of a gorged feeling...like you don't want another bite of food. I hope that helps, it's kind of a hard thing to accurately describe.

Ashley- Congrats on getting banded! In my case, my port incision had issues healing compared to my other incisions. Turned out that the seristrips weren't falling off by itself so air wasn't getting to the incision to heal up. I called my dr. for fear of infection and he said to take the seristrips off and make sure it's clean and gets air. It looks to be healing better now. When I asked about how to tell when it's an infection, my dr. said if it starts to get red around the incision and spreads over time, if it is pussing and oozing green stuff and if you get a fever then call your dr. to have him look at it because those are some signs of infection. I hope this helps. Remember though, if you have any worries, don't hesitate to call your dr. and ask about it!

Dr. Malley patients- I was banded July 31st and scheduled for my first fill Sept. 10th. I'm ready for some restriction already! Just curious how the fills are done (With or without and x-ray or flouro-what is that anyway?). I have a low profile port and actually, I'm not even sure how much liquid it's able to take and how much liquid is typically put in for the first fill. If any of the Malley patients can "fill" me in on how exactly fills are done that would be great!!!

When the OR nurses came to wheel me to the OR, my eyes started to well up. I wasn't sad or scared. As they wheeled me away from my bf and my mom I just got emotional I guess. By the time I got into the OR I was crying. The nurses wiped my tears and said "everything is going to be ok" and next thing I know I was out. The anesthesiologist probably took one look at me and was like, "oh crap, we got a crybaby...let's put her down fast!"...I don't blame him!!! Oh, after surgery my mom and bf told me I kept asking them, the nurses and the doctor "did you guys do it (perform surgery) yet???", "is my liver ok? (I wasn't ordered to go on a pre-op diet and was afraid my liver was too fat for surgery because I was on a farewell to food tour for a couple weeks prior to my surgery date) and "did everything inside look normal? (I have never had surgery so I didn't know if my insides looked umm normal)".