Chrisann

About one inch wide over my belly button. I thought it was going under my right breast. Oh well, time will tell if it will bother me. I am 5'8".

Big D-try the Gladiator at Smoothie King when you are off clear liquids. 300 calories, 0 fat, 0 cholestrol, 45g protein, 30ish carbs. I lived on one of these a day during my liquid pre surgical prep.

Thanks for the suggestions, cause the red blotches are spreading. My mom thinks maybe its the material of my clothes, so trying to find cotton pants to wear to work tomorrow since I have been wearing rayon and stuff like that.

You should call the doctor immediately. I was dry heaving after the surgery and wound up pulling muscles. I couldn't swallow or take deep breaths. Had to go back to the hospital for the esophogram and run tests to make sure I didn't dislodge the band.

Got it on the day of the surgery, which explained the last week of my liquid diet with me eating 25 green olives as the alternative to eating pretzels.

I am a 42DD too, and for underwire bras, nothing beats Maidenform. However, since I have been banded just 10 days, I was told by my doctor that I had to go with no underwire. I don't wear them, so, I went to KMart, and got really good support, non underwire, inexpensive bras, $7.99. Really, $7.99. Did I mention good support? They fit well and look great with a sweater. I was really surprised.

You need to stay positive. Ask them to support you and to not buy things that trigger you. When you feel yourself going towards the cheating side of the house, go out for a walk, just find something else to do. The feeling does pass if you occupy your mind with something else. Adjusting the eating has been the toughest, after all we didn't all get fat by eating right. But make small changes in your life. I heard that its takes a little time to find the sweet spot from the fills so hang in there. It will happen.

Carnation Instant Breakfast comes Sugar Free. The carbs are still a little high at 12grams, but its a good change when you can't get other protein drink choices down.

Wearing a non underwire bra when I go out. But inside, take it off. Put some powder under your breasts if the steri strips are still there.

My docs papers I received after the surgery said 2 8oz cups, a day are ok. So I have one caffinated tea in the morning, and occasionally a cup of coffee in the afternoon.

I found it a rough recovery. But never knew I was sensitive to the anesthesia, and never knew I had a hernia either.

Congratulations and Welcome aboard.

Don't even think about it. My parents were allowed in with me up until I had to walk to the OR, we were talking about lots of other things, including the pre opt weight loss, and before I knew it I was under. It was a truly painless experience. (ok before recovery, but you know what I mean)

Did your doctor give you some kind of plan? I would check with them first because everyones after care is so different here. The banding area has to heal and every surgeon has their own way to deal with it. Congrats on the banding, and welcome to our New Years Knockouts group!:clap2:

Try the gas x. I had the strips but found the chewables worked better. Walking for me didn't work, I walked around the block a total of 8 blocks and all I got was tired. Then Thursday night, 4 days after the surgery, the floodgates opened so to speak.

Good Luck everyone!!! Its going to be fine for all of you!!!

Yep got those unscented baby wipes too, and boy are they easing the burn.......:cry I really need to get to sleep :notagree already......

:)I got one for Christmas too!! I was going to save it for my mushy stage next week, as I have been on liquids and using the blender. But I think I will try that tasty drink above in it.

I decided not to get on the scale until my next doctor visit. I know the first month out from surgery is about healing, not losing. I want to stay psyched so I figure looking at the scale might aggravate me too much. But, don't forget, you are bloated from the surgery, between the gas and being swollen, so its not horrendous that you lost 2 pounds. When I saw the doctor 2 days after surgery because I had complications, I actually gained back 4 pounds because of the bloat. Then when I had another visit with my regular doctor to check out the stitches cause my surgery doc is on vacation, I was back down to surgery day weight.

Ok now in your hell. Nothing but liquid coming out. :sick Can't even call it diarrhea. This was my day up until 10 minutes ago: 2 cups tea, 4 cups Water, 1 Carnation Instant Breakfast with whole and skim milk mixed, 2 cups chicken boullion, 1 Slim Fast. In the past 20 minutes, trying to see if I can firm myself up: Vitamin Water grapefruit/cranberry, half the bottle, 10 ritz crackers I let melt in my mouth, 2 very thin slices of Velveeta cheese. I have nothing else in the house. I know the old diarrhea cure is Bananas, Rice, Applesauce and Toast. I don't have any of those here.:help:

Someone at my job commented to me yesterday, my first day back after the surgery, he said this: Make sure you don't become addicted to something else. A friend of my wife was a food addict, had a gastric bypass, and is now addicted to alcohol. Turned out she had an addictive personality that was not discovered in her psych profile. I was stunned, and realized that now, everyone will be full of advice, good, bad or weird, and I have to take it as it comes. As long as you are true to yourself and sticking to your goals, things will change if you want them to.

Thanks guys. I feel much better going to work at this point then sitting home. I am an HR administrator/Office Manager so I am sitting behind a desk most of the time. People understand I can't lift things. I am dressing kind of funky though. The pants I have without zippers and buttons and really large shirts, because my belly is still sore, and swollen. Not my usual somewhat corporate type stuff. Its weird going to the bathroom and looking at myself dressing so frumpy, but my boss is ok with it.

I remember being wheeled out of the operating room, my eyes weren't even open yet, but I felt the pain!! They put a warm towel around my head and I kept saying it hurts, it hurts. It was my middle back that hurt, not my front. In recovery, they wedged a pillow behind my back to relieve the pain a bit. I was wheeled in the same bed to my room, so never got up until I had to go to the bathroom and thats when I started dry heaving. Turns out I had a bad reaction to the anethesia. I was going to stay overnight, so at least I was getting intravenous fluids because with the heaving and nauseous feeling I couldn't get anything more than ice chips down.

I was banded 12/31/07 and was told 2 weeks of liquids, then 2 weeks of mushies, and received a booklet with directions for even past that. Its been like my bible. I am not feeling hunger, but I do sympathize with you. I felt hunger in the first few days of the pre surgical liquid phase and would have eaten the frozen meat in my freezer. So I tried ice pops and they did the trick.

I have to disagree, its not like I am a walking billboard about the surgery, but everyone is not blind. They all saw how fat I was getting and everyone had their diet suggestions. Even my overweight Dad had some for me. Then I had some complications due to the surgery, and everyone has been great. I think if people didn't know, then I would have spent half the day explaining what I did. I find it much better feeling the support I am getting for doing this; how people couldn't believe that I stuck to the liquid pre surgery; how I am sticking to the liquids now after surgery. Its such a good feeling. No one is being judgmental.