"Nita

anyone? I just don't know if I should take the strips off if they don't start to come off soon or just leave them alone. I thought I remembered people talking about scabs and such at 7-10 days ..... I still have the strips but it looks a little wet under there, no sign of the strips coming off or of scabs.

I think it depends on how well you handle pain in the first place. I know people who seem to have no pain receptacles, LOL...break a leg and never need so much as a tylonol. I however am a bit more of a baby when it comes to things that hurt...... I am seven days out and luckily do not work outside of the house because I am just now feeling somewhat better. I was in quite a lot of pain for the past six days not constant but most of the time. I was taking pain meds up until today which also made me feel groggy and a little queasy so add that to the delay in feeling good. Now at day seven, I am not feeling like a million bucks but do feel able to get around and able to do things again. I am still having soreness and gas pains in my chest though. I swear I have worn a path in the carpet from walking around and around and around the downstairs of my houseday and night, LOL. Don't use me as a standard of how you will do. Just keep in mind that if you normally are down longer than average with illnesses or injuries, this will be no different. It is all about how well your body heals and how well you handle pain. While most people say they were fine in a few days, I have had people write me and say they were down for a week or two as well. I wouldn't schedule any billion dollar mergers or anything for a couple weeks just to be sure.

I got my band yesterday too but am not doing as well as Kerri. I hurt pretty darn bad. The gas pain is rough and is a stabbing sort of pain in my shoulder...this I expected. What i wasn't prepared for was how much my whole abdoman was going to hurt. I feel like I have been punched in the stomach a few hundred times. This feeling wasn't helped any by all of the vomiting and heaving I did after sugury. So I am taking meds, sipping Water and broth and trying to move around. I am nowhere near doing the block though. hats off to Kerri on that one. I am just circling the downstairs of my house. Well, my latest circle put me over here by the computer so I thought I would drop a quick line. Now I am going back to the couch with my heating pad and water. Nita

well three days out and I can say that it is getting better each day. I am still hurting pretty bad. My whole abdoman is still very very soar, like a thousand sit-ups (not that I have ever done a thousand sit-ups to know what it feels like...LOL) the inscisions are soar and itchy and my port burns. I am also still very swollen and distended. and the gas pains (while not as constant as they were) are still painful. I am walking around (alot) and constantly sipping Water (when I'm not peeing from drinking all the water, LOL) While my stomach is making all sorts of strange rumblings and noises, I do not feel hungry at all. So that helps with the liquid thing. And surprisingly, I have hardly any bruising. The bruises from the IV are much worse than the ones on my belly. One of my inscisions has bled a little but not bad so over-all I think I am healing pretty well. I am very excited about starting this new phase of my life!!!!! Nita

congratulations Keri. I got my band yesterday also!! I wish I were doing as well as you are. Keep up the good work. I personally am doing good to walk around the inside of my house because I hurt so bad. I must be more of a wimp than I had realized, LOL. I just can't imagine doing the whole block today!!!! Nita

Zoe, No insult taken but, Just to clarify, I personally do have a few co-morbidty factors including arthritis, reflux and uncontrolled asthma. My blood preasure is a little high too. I am hoping weight loss will help my overall health but I believe that being obese is not good for anyone's health regardless of if they have developed any official co-morbidity factors yet or not. In many countries there is no question as to whether this should be covered by insurance. so until we are caught up with the thinking that this surgury should be done before people become very ill with secondary problems, I don't think there is anything wrong with creative problem solving to meet whatever requirements are laid out. Obviously there isn't enough creativity in the world to get someone approved who is just trying to lose 10 or 20 cosmetic vanity pounds. I don't consider 90 pounds (instead of a required 100)( a hypothetical number) to be cosmetic, just pre-emptive. Because eventually that 38 or 39 BMI person is going to develop health problems as well. Nita

it isn't too hard to "make" some co-morbidity factors. temporarily of course. I would recomend (OK these suggestions may seem a little unethical but....)scheduling an appt. with your pcp for a yearly physical. Mention that you want the surgury and are giong to need to have a full blood panel including fasting glucose. (eat something very sugary and have a coke about thirty minutes before blood is drawn) tell doctor you fatsed as instructed...your bloodwork will show borderline diabetes more than likely. just don't actually take any meds they prescribe for this LOL!!!! strong coffee and brisk walking can get your blood pressure up a little. It doesn't hurt to fidget around a little and kick your legs while the cuff is on to keep it up. again don't take any medication they give you for this condition, LOL!!! Also have your PCP document your weight related joint pain and bachaches...how will he know if you have these things or not? You could also say that you have been very winded, out of breath, feeling fatique, too much weight to carry around getting to you, etc.... you should be able to get two or three co-morbidities. Have him write a letter to take to Dr. Spivak about your documented co-morbity factors and your all set. Your PCP will be happy to see that your problems resolved with weight loss and you will no longer need meds for them...

I have two weeks till my band is put in. I am on a low carb diet to shrink my liver (my surgeon's standard diet...nothing in particular wrong with my liver) We are already obligated to a cocktail party this weekend. I know I could just drink Water or diet soda, but...LOL I know that alcohol is empty calories and not ideal for weight loss....but will one or two low carb drinks (say rum & diet coke which is OK for low carb such as Adtkins) affect my liver in any negative way? I will call and ask my doctor if I have to. Was hoping to get input here though. Just hate to sound like a lush...LOL! Nita

June 15th here, ( Dr. Spivak in Houston) add me to the list of June bandsters! Nita

I have a date. June 15th.....can't wait!!! Nita

I can't be the only person who would rather pass up the chips and dip than the cocktails??? LOL

I have UHC. Our policy has a write in clause though saying they only cover half.the risky and very impatient part....I don't have approval yet. We have spoken to UHC as has my doctor's office and we all feel they are going to cover half. I should have already had approval but the claim was sent to the wrong dept. So, me being a very impatient...I want this done yesterday kinda girl, LOL....we withdrew the entire amount from our savings and set up my surgury date. They are expecting final word from UHC any day but the surgeon's coordinator spoke directly to the woman approving the claim and feels all is fine. Worse case scenario, we pay the entire amount and fight for re-embursment but hopefully we will only be paying half in two weeks

While this may be comparing apples to oranges (since I haven't even had my band yet) Several years ago, I had a large lump removed from my breast and had the same sort of numbness, tingling, stinging and eventually what felt like short volts of electricity. The shocks and stings I had were not in the exact area of the incision so I knew it wasn't that. My surgeon said it was nerves regenerating. This strange feeling lasted (off and on) for several months to a year before it completely stopped. So, while it is just a guess, I would think you could be having the same thing.

I am a stay-at-home mom of three and an artist. I do paintings (mostly acrylics) on canvas and wall murals. Since I don't have any special orders right now though, I have put my painting on the back burner to focus on getting my surgury and learning as much as possible about it. OK, truthfully, I have just become a little obssessed with getting this done and can't seem to rip myself away from the computer (between constantly checking my insurance site to see if my claim was approved yet, and reading every site and board I can find, LOL) and books on the subject so everything else has been pushed aside!!! LOL Nita

I've been there. My cousin had bypass a couple of years ago and lost a ton (Or two) of weight with little effort on her part. That is except for the constant dumping, vommiting (still to this day) several times daily, huge hair loss, and the fact that two and a half years out she has lost a couple teeth (dentist says from malnutrtion)....LOL, no effort at all.... She thinks I am basically copping out by taking what is in her opinion "the lesser of the choices" and in her opinion ,"being satisfied with midiocre weight loss rather than setting my goals on success". She went on to say that in her doctor's opinion, the band is geared for those who fear the changes true success will bring so they set themselves up for failure yet again by choices an unproven surgury. Yeah, hard to believe, huh? I am hoping she distorted what he said and that there is not a doctor out there telling people that. As you can imagine I was not thrilled by her very over the top remarks but I think it is just one of those things where people are so emotionally invested in the choice they make, they have a hard time believing it was not the ONLY choice! I know I am making the right choice though, so be confident that you know what is best for you and that you will be as succsesful (without all the complications) as anyone choosing a different WLS. Nita

HI, I have been reading about port posistions for some time and just read the thread about the bikini line port...anyway, my doctor said he is going to place my port between my rib cage right under the sternum. He said he would use the low-profile since I do not have as much body fat on this area. Does anyone else have theirs at this position and should I expect it to move or stay put if placed there? Nita

I guess a question I should have asked is if this is where he places all of his ports? I am very bottom heavy, from waist down. Of course the top is not skinny but no where near the bottom, I don't know if my shape has anything to do with this proposed placement or if it just his standard placement. For all the Dr, Spivak patients out there, is this where he placed your port as well. I have now read through all of the old posts I could find under the search feature for this topic. I didn't see anyone else who's port is positioned right in the middle up between the ribs just below the sternum. Nita

Hi, I am new to the site and just wanted to say hello. I am in the Houston, Texas area. I, like so many others, have been overweight most of my life. I diet all the time...although obviously not successfully...LOL. I am 34 yrs. old, 5'4", and 253# size 18-20. Like I said, obviously not successful with that dieting all the time. I did manage to lose 80 pounds with the help of too many pills to count ( none of wich were labled, so who knows what that doctor was giving me) about four years ago taking me from 298 down to 218. As far as I know 298 was my high weight but since I avoided scales like the plauge...it is quite possible I may have been higher than that. Unfortunatly though, despite my best efforts, I couldn't seem to lose any more and have been climbing back up over the last year or two. So, now at 253, I decided it is time to get the band before I am all the way back to 300! While of course, no woman would mind looking like a super model, LOL, I will be just thrilled at anything under 170. While the weight charts may say that my ideal weight is around 125, I am almost positive that my skeleton alone weighs that much!!! so I am shooting for just not having to shop at Lane Bryant or Fashion Bug Plus ever again!!!! I have been researching the band for a long time now and reading all your posts as well as a few other boards so I decided it was time to finally register and say hi. I went for my seminar with Dr. Spivak (in Houston) last week, had all of my required testing done and am currently waiting for my insurance approval and surgery date. I look forward to losing with ya'll ! "Nita