Btlbailey

Hi Everyone - How are you all doing ??? I am hanging in there, I took what was supposed to be a nice relaxing vacation day and when I went to get my coffee this morning a little old lady plowed into the side of my car, she wasnt looking when she backed out of her spot :cry Oh well wear are all fine. I felt worse for her. I can't wait to get my fill on the 24th, not that I am hungry, I am just anxious to see how this goes. My port area is a lot bigger than I though. When I wake up in the morning I still feel that hard area like I swallowed a baseball. Doc says it's fine - Support group tomorrow night, I want to take a poll on port location. I've been thinking of you all on this thread (pre & post) wondering how everyone is doing. I should post more but I have found myself very fatuigued. When I get home from work all I wanna do is crash. I have been taking my Vitamins and eating healthy etc... I think my body is just still trying to adjust nutritionally. I'll post more tomorrow after the meeting ... Feel good everyone !!!! Carol

<p><p><p>Hey There Karen ... How are ya doing .... Getting Excited ! I really can't beleive how great I feel and how the weight is really coming off ! It's actually working !!!! Woo Hoo !!! And yes I have given birth to a 9lb baby boy (I think that's close to 5K's in Aussie terms) so not complaining about the golfball but it does feel wierd ! I don't know why I notice it so much ... It's just a little bigger then I expected (Oh well I can live with it !) Hope all is well ... you hang in there. It's gonna be great !!!! What hospital are you having the surgery at ? C

How is everyone doing ? Sorry I haven't posted in a while, back to work last week trying to play catch-up. I'm 17 days post-op down 28 lbs (including the 10 pre-op). I feel really good ! Just alot of on and off fatigue. I'm looking forward to my fill. Right now I do not feel any restrictions ... I am doing all the right things regardless. I don't want to screw anything up in there, but I was expecting to feel fuller. Not having any pain but that port does feel strange. When I am lying down I can feel the hard area in my right tummy - kind'of like I'm giving birth to a golfball. Just so glad it is over ! I got myself in such a state pre-surgery, if it wasn't for you folks I would have had a much tougher time staying positive. Thank-You ! :clap2: Hang In There Everyone, It's Gonna Be Great ! :clap2:

I was a little freaked out because I was expecting the port to be just a tiny lump the size of a quarter however When I lie on my back there is an egg sized lump a couple of inches above the largest incision. Right of center a couple inches above belly button. I assume that is the port ???? I swear I did not feel in right after surgery (9/19) however maybe now that I am down 28 lbs it is surrounded by less belly fat. It is still pretty deep, somehow I was expecting it to be a much smaller area of hardness. Is everybody elses port area that large ?? It got me a little nervous at first - I thought it was an abscess or something ???

Thanks Skinnymom, Doc finally called me back and said it was the port ??? Which I thought would be right near the largest incision ... This hard area is up under my right ribcage and it feels more the size of an egg rather than the port (which I thought would be more like a quarter. I don't have a fever and don't feel ill but I swear that wasn't there immediately after surgery. I will keep an eye on it I suppose .... strange .. maybe it is the port. It just seems like an aweful lot of muscle around it for something that I thought was just under the surface ??? Carol

I have the same question. I was banded on 9/19, I woke up the morning and while laying on my back I felt a hard area on my right side a few inches above my port area. It simply feels like a hard area of muscle (not plastic) about the size of a golf ball maybe ?? But not protruding .... I feel fine, no nausea, no reflux or pain, but this wasn't there until I slept on my port side for the first time last night. I hope to God something didn't dislodge, I will be so upset !. HELP - ANY THOUGHTS !!!! Carol

Good Morning All. I would love to join this thread.... Well It's been 10 days. I feel great. Weight loss stalled a bit but I am not worried. Can't wait to get back to work tomorrow (I know, I must be nuts) I down 22 lbs including pre-surgery. I am on semi-solids ... a little concerned because I am not getting any full feeling I was expecting. I know I dont get my first fill for another month and I am not pushing it by any means - I was just expecting to feel some sort of fullness sensation even pre-fill. I hate to sounds negative because thus far this has been an amazing expoerience, I just want this to succeed !!!!! Best Of Luck All !!!!! Carol P.S. - I think I just answered my question by finding another thread on fills: How the Lap-Band actually works, fills and refills, I just have to be patient and keep doing the right things !

Hi Ann, One thing you want to do is take a deep breath and let go of some of that fear. I know it's hard, beleive me I was thinking of every little thing that could possibly go wrong. I had multiple MELTDOWNS and Thank God for my boyfriend, and my sister who is a nurse, they got me thru them. It's perfectly normal to go through this rollercoaster of emotions. I have had the same BP problem in the past. You will have a good sit down with your anestesiologist and they will be better prepared since your endo. As far as the weight coming off ... the pre-surgery diet was making me a little nuts, I felt like it wasn't coming off fast enough. My Dr. told me it wasn't a number of lbs he was looking for, but the shrinking of the liver that was important. 16 pounds is fantastic !!!! I think psychologically I was afraid to loose the weight because it is also my big protective WALL ... That sounds crazy I know. Every morning since surgery I get on the scale and expect it to start going back up but it's not - it's still going down. I have always just been so geared up for failure that I cant beleive it's working .... But I think for once, it finally is. We still have to do the work, but I am actually seeing results. And it's a great feeling. Don't be afraid, you will get to the point that your doc feels your ready and you will come through it just fine ! Talk to your doctor or your support people about your fears and I'm sure they can ease your mind. My post op visit is on Wednesdayas well, I will check in later that day. Please let us know how things go. Try and relax and don't be afraid, it's going to be great !!! All The Best, Carol

Hey Karen - Welcome new me !!! Karen I started on the pre-surgery a week early also for the exact same reason (I went on vacation) LOL. I had gone to a local support meeting and my surgeon said not to fall into that Last Hoorah syndrome, which I have to admit I did the week before starting the pre-op I wanted to eat a steak every night .... Well they didnt make us do straight Optifastm it was all the fruits and veggies I wanted FF veggie soups. and 3-5 protien shakes a day just no meats and no fats, carbs or starches. It wasnt too bad really and I lost 10 lbs pre-op so I guess I did allright, I am down 18lbs as of this morning. I just walked part way around a local lake so I am moving around and feeling great. New me - I think res was referring to the first couple of days after surgery. Because of the incisions, as small as they are, it's hard to rely on your ab muscles to pull you up out of bed so you sort of have to roll out of bed. Having the pillow around your belly makes it even easier. Your gonna be sore - no doubt. I use the pillow when I have to cough or sneeze also - it just cushions the stitches so you dont strain anything. The more I move the better I feel. Just trying not to overdue it ! I actually drove myself home from the hospital (dont tell my doc) because my mother was too short to see over the dashboard of my car (LOL) I would definitely suggest getting the lungs as strong as possible B4 surgery by either deep breathing or walking etc.. Something about the anesthesia that tightens up your respiritory after surgery, nothing painful, just a little tight. I will keep posting as the days progress. Remember all, nervous is perfectly normal. I was a basket case the last few weeks, but talking to people on the board that came through it with ease made all the difference and I can tell you from my experience, it was a lot easier than I ever expected. HANG IN THERE FOLKS - YOU WILL BE SO HAPPY IN THE LONG RUN :whoo:

Thanks res ! I was sooooo nervous goin in but I put it all in God's hands and it was a piece of cake (LOL) I know I have work to do, but now there is so much hope ahead ! I learned more on this board than any brochure or doc could have told me. I would encourage getting those lungs strong both before surgery and after (with the inspirator device they gave me) it makes it easier to breathe afterwards, when you have to keep any gunk from collecting in the lungs after anesthesia. I am not crazy about sleeping on my back but I'm sure I'll be easing back on to my side by next week. I just can't beleive how good I feel . I was thinking after surgery I'd be running around starving and I'm not hungry at all. Just a few bites (or sips) and I am full, it's wierd when I think about how I could woof down half a pizza and several beers no problem. I'm seriously just not hungry. I just want to keep up the good work and do the right things keep up my nutrition and I'm sure the rest will all come together !! Best Of Luck Everyone !!!! :whoo:

(3 days post op) I Made It !!!! Thank-You, for all the well wishes prior to surgery, I almost had to postpone as well. The night B4 my surgery I had a sinus infection/fever so they put me on a massive dose of Azithromyacin, Dr. told me to go right home to bed and keep my fingers crossed ?? I was good to go the next day. All went super and I feel great. Still a litte sore of course but all in all I'm doing quite well. Janet, many people tried to talk me into gastric as well and I said no and that was the end of it. Luckily my Dr. only asked why I didnt want to go that route, and I told him and he did not push it. I don't feel like I wil be on a constant diet, I am just learning to be satisfied with a smaller portion of the right foods. These opinions are probably coming from people who have no idea what it's all about anyway. So what if the weight comes off slower... it took me 20 years to put it on, I can be patient. Besides considering my struggles before, a couple pounds a week is just fine with me ! (Down 16 lbs since 3 weeks pre surgery !) You do what you feel comfortable with, don't let anyone intimidate you into doing something you don't feel right about. Second opinion sounds like a good idea ! Don't worry, you will get there and you'll be just fine. All The Best ! Carol

You Go Girl ! You will find the one that is right for you ! I was never asked to pay any kind of hospital fee either Thank God .... Cause it would have been hard to come up with. One of the women on another thread (the introduction page) posted this web site which I thought was pretty cool: (http://www.lapbandlifestyle.com/Pages/LapBandLifestyleRulesroad.shtml) Best Of Luck In Your Search .... Carol

Thanks for the reply ... it's comforting not to feel so alone. BTL not BLT (ha,ha that cracked me up !!!) Actually btlbailey is my nickname, it's short for Beetle Bailey Beetle Bailey - Wikipedia, the free encyclopedia - a cartoon from the 1950's. In my case my friends call me Beatle Bailey because I am a mad Beatles/Paul McCartney fan. I am from just outside of Boston, Massachusetts USA. That's funny you mentioned steak, my most favorite meal in the world. Yes I have all the confidence in the world with my surgeon although every one of his patients that I have spoken to winds up having their gall bladder taken out as well (what is up with that ???) I think it's not just the physical surgery that's is scaring me (although that is the big one) but I think I'm a little afraid of what is ahead. It's been a long time since I've been at a normal weight. I am 40 years old and now at 275lbs (124 kgs ?) and I know I cannot continue at this weight and not start running into health problems. Weeks ago I couldn't wait for the surgery date to get here and now I wish it wasn't coming so fast .. I am really starting to freak out. I even went to Church last Sunday and started crying during Mass (ridiculous I know) Well I know we are all going to be fine, I just need to keep telling myself all of the good things there are to look forward to. I'm glad I found this forum. I will definitely be needing support over the next 2 weeks. Best To All Of You - We deserve it !!!!

Hello Heather ... I just posted my first post, I am being banded on 9/19. I live in Medford, MA just outside of Boston. Grew up in the summertime in Kennebunk, ME. I was referred not only by my primary care doc but by 1/2 dozen people to my current surgeon. I also found a surgeon feedback site on him and found nothing but good things said. He has performed over 5,000 surgeries (gastric & lap band) and while I am very scared...I know I am in good hands. Here are a couple of links ... the hospital is a short ride from RTE 93 in Medford: Bariatric Surgeon Profile - Sheldon Randall, M.D.<br /> <br /> Hallmark Health: Bariatric Surgery Center of Excellence at Lawrence Memorial Hospital It sounded to me like your insurance doesn't cover this ??? Is that correct ??? I have no idea how much he charges, but if not him, I bet they could offer you some suggestions. Best Of Luck ! Carol

Hi Folks, So glad I found this forum ! I have less than 2 weeks to go and I am feeling very scared. I have one of the best surgeon's in the country. He has done more than 5,000 bariatric surgeries (both band and gastric) but I am still coming up with every bad thing I can think of in my mind ... I wish i could just let it go. I have no fear of the pain, I just do not like going under anesthesia. I have been overweight for the last 20 years and have lost and gained probably a couple hundred pounds in between. Now I am getting close to border-line diabetic, as well as mild sleep apnea, High BP, and knee pain. It's time ... I have to do something. All of my friends and family keep telling me how great things will be in the long run but I still can't get this fear out of my mind. I feel like I should get a grip. I am so glad to hear I'm not the only one feeling this way.