giveyouthemoon

Okay....I have similar port issues. I get a sharp BURNING pain right next to my port, esp when I twist or roll over in bed. It's the only pain I have that remains. It is SHARP but lasts only for a few moments. It helps when I use my hand to put pressure on that spot when it happens. Normal? Or sufficiently weird to put in a call to the Dr? I have an appt. on 7/20 but should I wait that long? It looks great on the surface....could it just be the sutures being tugged on? Thoughts?

Ah who needs perfect?? It's boring anyway......:-) Be EASY on yourself! This world is a tough place, you don't need that voice in your head being hard on you too! {{{hugs}}} This will get easier....I promise.

Sweetie, here's the thing about counseling...yeah, it's a little strange to sit there and talk about yourself. But what I good therapist does is to give you tools to use when you get into a situation like "I'm so freaked I want to eat". A good therapist will help you ease into a situation and how to handle it once you are there. It sounds to me like you've got some deep seated intimacy issues that go beyond the size of your body. The body size was just a symptom. I can't encourage you ENOUGH to get some help! It takes a VERY strong person to put out their hand and ask for help. YOU are that strong person. You'll know when you are ready for dating. For now, hold your head high and be proud of yourself. Worry about how YOU feel and the rest will fall into line.

I think you are addressing this to me? If not, apologies for jumping in here. Yeah, I just got my band. It's really true what a lot of people here say, every day is different. I was in the hospital one night. Some people here didn't even get that and I don't know HOW they've managed. I really recommend the one night stay. I'm doing pretty good now. Pain is gone except for around my port and then only when I turn my trunk. I think that will be a while to get healed. I am VERY excited about my band. Things have gotten much better, I'm much more able to swallow more liquids now. I had a couple bad days where I could hardly eat anything but that has resolved itself. Feel free to PM me or email me if you have more questions!!

Did they give you that weird blue inhaling contraption to use? I had to use that thing at least once an hour for this very reason. Also, walking around helps SO much with the bloat and I was struggling to cough up crap with my sore incisions! Also, bear in mind that you get pumped full of liquid from the IV so you are also bloated from the fluids. Give it a couple days, use Gas X liberally (like, every time you eat anything) and keep walking once you get home and the bloat will go down in a few days. Congrats on your band!!!!!!!

Okay, so they pump a TON of liquids into you in the hospital so you will feel TERRIBLY bloated for a couple days as that liquid comes off. Also, WALK WALK WALK. It's awesome for the gas. The nurses said when you start burping that means "it's starting". I cannot recommend walking enough. I never had the shoulder pain, not one bit, because I walked so much. Gas X is essential. Use it A LOT. Use it more than the box recommends. Use it before you eat (you may also be taking in air when you sip) every time. It WILL get better! I promise! I'm a week out and it feels SO much better!

Is that what they call Vertical Gastrectemy? My doctors are really high on those, they do them a lot. Like a RNY but the tummy is like a straw instead of a pouch. Still lots of staples. Still scrambling the old insides.

Since the band is a much slower process of losing weight, I would say that the percentage of people who need their gallbladder out after bariatric surgery is HEAVILY weighted toward the bypass patients. Since their weight loss is SO fast and since the mal-absorptive process would say to me that the liver and gall bladder have to work extra hard. I would talk to your doctor again. Unless he can show you where tests reveal your gallbladder is having problems, I would have HUGE issues with them taking it out "just in case". It is your RIGHT to push back on your doctors to make sure you get the very best care. Your doctor should go in VERY conservative on this.

Those of us banded on the 23rd are now celebrating our one week bandiversery!!! Well, okay, so I feel way better in terms of pain. Have done the treadmill for a half hour twice this week. But dang if I'm not still SOOOO tight. It's really a terrible time getting enough liquids down! When it does loosen up a little I try to take maximum advantage and get all the Protein drinks down I can handle. Crazy. Also getting pretty severe reflux at night. It's woken me up in the middle of the night three nights in a row. Last night I moved to my couch where I can sleep kind of sitting up a little and that helped. But yucko. It's a tradeoff....if I backoff on drinking anything in the two hours before sleep, I wake up starving middle of the night and am so tight can hardly drink anything. If I prepare ahead for that and have something before going to bed I get wicked reflux. Sucks. I'm going with no eats before bed tonight to see how that goes. I have lost 12 pounds which is amazing but seems SO fast and a little scary. Also I still get VERY exhausted, sleeping a LOT. My incisions look pretty good, healing well. Hope to be good while back at work next week and maybe lose the rest of this tummy swelling. Still happy I have the band!

Gosh THANK YOU! I've been wondering FOREVER what NSV meant but was too embarrassed to ask! I won't share all the things I came up with in my head!!!!! lololololol!!!!!!

Congrats on your date! That's coming RIGHT up! Whoo hoo!! I didn't tell them at work, I just said I was having minor surgery..and if they pressed, I said "oh, it's girl stuff, you know...very private". No one needs to know!! I was on morphine in the hospital and on a very tiny dose of liquid Vicoden at home. I was on the Vicoden for several days, surgery on Thursday and my last dose on Tuesday. Then again, I'm a HUGE weenie about pain so I may not be the best to judge by. No, you cannot do without them. Managing pain is a HUGE part of healing. You won't heal well if you "tough it out". Use the stuff. But don't be afraid to use lower doses to get the right level for you. My first dose was WAY too high and I was hallucinating, but when I scaled it way back I was fine and able to function just fine. I took this week off from work and am glad I did. I'm SO exhausted! I'm worried about being at work next week and not getting my afternoon naps! Good luck!! Yay you!!

How did it go????? Report in when you have a chance. You are banded now!! yay!!!!

I gained five pounds right after my surgery then it just fell right back off after I came home. I agree with what Iluvharley's said, it's from the IV. They pump you full of Fluid with that. It will take care of itself in no time. Congrats!!!!!

Yay you!!! I was banded a week after you. You are amazing to me! You went back to work so fast!! I took this full week off and I'm SO exhausted! I worry how I'll do back at work being so gosh darn tired. Congrats on your success so far. I've lost 11 pounds since surgery and it kind of scares me to lose weight this fast! Yikes!

Yeah...I own the Jackass movie on DVD. I used to watch that show all the time and the movie still makes me LMAO. It is truly a guilty pleasure. I also am secretly addicted to Pimp My Ride. I love that show. They do some amazing things to those old junker cars!! I also used to be a big fan of "Saved by the Bell" -- yeah, I was WELL into adulthood when that show was on. Oh well, LOVED it. lol!!

I'm one week post op and boy am I still struggling. Okay, I've lost ten pounds and I'm grateful for that, but I'm still swollen and it makes it tough. So far, no I don't regret it. I'm just learning to deal with it.

I actually got rid of my scale several years ago (I beat the thing to bits, actually and held a funeral for it by the dumpster). I was fine being without a scale and judging by how my clothes fit.....but going into this process I thought maybe I should have one again. Big mistake, the thing is making me nuts. I'm obsessed with getting on it several times a day. Now, I'll report that one week post op the scale is my friend because it's going down down down...I know that can't last. scales are evil...EVIL I TELL YOU!!!

My band is pretty new and I'm finding I can't hardly do anything with my band in the morning. It is SO tight I can hardly get thin liquids down. I did some research here on this site and found this is a common problem. Today I followed one person's advice and waited an hour before trying to eat....and I sipped something warm which is supposed to help open up the band a little. It did help! I was at least able to take my blood pressure meds without extreme pain. I think being a lot tighter in the morning is common. Maybe save the more solid foods for later in the day? Drink liquids in the morning. Just my .02, your mileage may vary.

Mine's a Nordic Trak that I got at Sears (with warranty). I LOVE LOVE LOVE it. It's SO easy to just hop on and get some cardio in. Sears is a great place to go, they have a good selection and provide warranty. Looking in the classifieds is also a good idea. You can get good deals that way.

Hey Karin! Welcome. I've been down the WW route a few times myself. Also the Jenny Craig thang four or five times. It IS frustrating! Welcome to LBT!!

Hi! Welcome to LBT. You have a lot of good questions and so this really points out how important it is to do a LOT of research before going down this road. There are a LOT of differences between the band and gastric bypass and it's important to understand those differences so you can make an informed choice. Does your doctor have a support group? Mine does and I found a lot of great information by talking to folks who had already had the procedure done. I'll answer a couple of your questions to the best I can. Well, the band is made of solid silicone and that is a very inert object. There is silicone naturally occuring in your body. That being said, yes, it's a foreign object. I can tell the band is there because of the restriction I feel when I swallow. I can also feel the port under the skin on my middle tummy. But the foreign object part didn't bother me personally. People have pacemakers, plastic hip joints and knees so I figured this wasn't so bad. Also, bear in mind with gastric by pass, you'll have hundreds of titanium staples inside of you, so you'll still have a foreign object in your body, tho not as large as the band. Well...I haven't had my first fill yet....however, while in the hospital I got a shot of anti inflamatory meds into my tummy. I was told that size needle was similar to the one they'll use in my port. It's a very thin needle. Yeah, you'll feel it but it's not bad. Some doctors put some numbing cream on the spot. Overall, it's a much smaller needle than probably other injections you've gotten. It's really mind over matter I think. If you are scared of needles then the band may not be right for you. Again, good to do the research up front. Yes, this is true. Remember that number is an average. Many people lose all the weight they need with the band. It DOES take work. The band does not do all the work, it's simply a tool to help. You will stil have to eat right and exercise. You'd have to do this with any weight loss plan. Nothing comes easy. With hard work and extreme determination and MAJOR lifestyle changes you can lose all your excess weight.....just takes work. Yes. It is a HUGE lifestyle change and not to be undertaken lightly. You have to be ready to make some serious changes. This is a HUGE decision. With all due respect.....sodas are empty sugar calories and they aren't serving you well now. They are part of the problem and yeah....getting to where you want to go in terms of your weight would, in fact, involve letting sodas go. No sodas on either gastric bypass or the band. The carbonation is too hard on the stomach pouch. You have to ask yourself..if the sodas are too important to you and you can't give them up....then either the band or bypass aren't the right road for you. It's a legitimate choice and not one to be undertaken lightly. Lots. Will have to change how you eat, how fast you eat, what you eat. Will have to come face to face with your food demons. Will have to understand that how you eat now is not serving you and be ready to make a VERY HUGE change. You still have a lot of research to do and I wish you the best of luck in your journey!!

I've heard a few people mention they are tighter in the morning. Man am I noticing this is true. I can't hardly get my very tiny blood pressure pill down. I am able to VERY slowly get down a Protein Drink (much slower than in the afternoon). Do you all have any "tricks" to deal with this or is it just a fact of banding? I think someone once mentioned drinking a warm beverage to loosen up a little? True?

You ARE an angel. How wonderful for you to make that impact in her life. I went through this whole thing alone and when I was in the hospital I thought how nice it would have been to have a visitor. You'll never know the impact you made!!! Hugs to you!! And to the new bandster! Tell her we are all thinking about her!!!

Good idea Karen. No, it's not coated. I already cut the tab in half so I would think crushing wouldn't be a problem. Thanks for the tip!!

Okay so I finally got a chance to read the entire article. It's pretty good actually as they cover a couple people other than that Lisa Sohr. It's a shame she's the banded one in that article because she comes off sort of snotty. The other two people they profile had bypass and they have a lot of really great things to say. Whereas Lisa Sohr seems focused on how great she looks, the other two women were more about how it's changed their outlook on life. Big thing I took from it was a reminder to myself that losing weight will not solve all my problems. It is a change inside of me that will help me feel better but will not make my job less crappy and will not make my dating life any easier and it will not make all my other non-weight related problems any easier.