shortgal

Have you had any bloodwork drawn lately? Were you on meds before surgery and if so has your Dr. checked to see if the dosage is right or needs modification, now that you've lost weight? Have you seen an ENT ( ears , nose and throat specialist) for the chronic sinus infection?

Very impressive results! You must be so happy. Well worth what ever you went through, I imagine.

We live about 1/2 hour away from New Haven and we're about 1 1/2 to Foxwoods, I think. The casinos are actually about 45 minutes from our Rhode Island beach rental. I have only been there twice, never to gamble. Once to see a basketball game and once to see a concert... Sting! Can't even remember if it was Foxwoods or Mohegan Sun that I went to. LOL.

Well if there are any questions your Mom has that you can't answer for her, just ask here. Somebody here will give you an answer to give to her. You'll "poop", don;t worry. In the beginning when you're on liquids, you might be loose with diarrhea, later you might get some constipation from pain meds and then you might have movements less often. Less food in, less poop out! High Protein diets can make many people constipated and some of us add Fiber in our Water or drinks etc. Like benefiber. Tell your Mom whatever it is, you'll adjust. Many times family members are just afraid of the surgery, they worry something will go wrong.

I think you're on the right track now. I'm glad I referred you over to the NY banders group and suggested Dr. Fielding's group. I've read so many good things on the forum about him. And how lucky for you they have an office near you!

My kids go to Red Rock Casino all the time. Their friend works there. We had lunch there on our last visit. We usually stay with the kids now because they have enough room, but when they had a one bedrom we stayed in hotels. We stayed at Bellagio. I could watch those fountains all night long..... pulled a chair right up to the window... and the TV played the music. But that lakeview room was very pricey. We also stayed at another very nice hotel off the strip ( in Summerlin area) Can't remember the name, I think Marriott bought them out. And we stayed at Mandalay Bay once. Nice rooms but way down the end of the strip. Before they bought their house and had the one bR apt. they would look to get away for a night and they'd call around and check rates. Some hotels give a "Local's" rate, so they'd have a nice night out. Just so much to do there. I actually feel bad when they come to visit us, that we don't have exciting things to do here. I know that's not why they come to see us, but they do take vacation time off work, so I feel it's boring here for them. When they visit us in RI, it's easier. We go to the beach, we go to Newport and they can play a round of golf.

Some people get some swelling around the band after a fill. Were you on liquids for a couple days after the fill? also you might be tighter in the a.m. and loosen up as the day progresses. This could explain why you can eat sometimes and not other times of the day. Be sure to drink slowly, small sips at a time so they go down better. If it doesn't improve call the Dr.

Summerlin is my absolute favorite section of Vegas! Walking trails, nice housing. No matter where you live you'll have the daily grind /routine of work, but in Vegas you have the strip. Want to see a great show or go to a great restaurant it's very close. Kind of like NYC but totally different, too. so weekends can be exciting if that's what you want, or you can relax at home. My daughter rarely goes to the STRIP unless guests come to visit. But for special occasions or once in a while they get tickets to see a show. They got tickets for a x-mas gift for her brother and his fiancee to see the Beatles show, Love. They went over Thanksgiving while her brother was visiting. They had a great time. They also go on weekends to the more local casinos off the strip. They go bowling ( yes ,bowling alleys are in the casinos) and yes, you have to walk through the casino to get to the alley. that's our running joke... how do you get to someplace in Vegas? Through the casino! You can go into a lounge and sit with a drink and listen to a great band or pianist. They have valet parking and free parking at the casinos. Get a few friends to come visit you and rent a cabana for a day at one of the hotel pools and swim. Like I said expect family and friends to visit..... almost everyone ends up in Vegas for a vacation/convention at some point. They often go to Temecula for a weekend. And they have friends that moved to San Diego and they go see them once in awhile. It's only about four hours away. Once when we went to see them, we all drove to Palm Springs for a few days. also about four hours away. Your only young and single for a short time, what have you got to lose and if you hate it go back home. No disgrace in that! They have met lots of people from other places that settled into Vegas. There is usually a new person at the table every Thanksgiving when we visit, that maybe just couldn't get home for the holiday to be with family. All have been nice people we've enjoyed meeting. Usually they are co-workers of theirs or a friend's co-worker. Good luck making this big decision.

I worked in a bank many, many years ago, but I think we were always the first to know when a marriage was going down as one or the other spouse would come in and start closing bank accounts. A week later the other spouse would show up trying to close the same account, you should see how surprised they were to find out they were already closed! Get your ducks in a row!

So sorry you've had to endure all this. I had the left shoulder pain right after surgery. The vagus nerve runs through that area all the way to our abdomen and is mostly likely annoyed by the band and abodominal swelling. I had the same pain after my surgery and had i not had a pet scan on my heart before surgery, I would have thought it was a heart attack, when it was combined with the gas pain in my chest. Since my most recent fill this past week, I must be getting close to good restriction because I had the same pain ( just milder). I generally get some swelling after a fill, so the shoulder pain (only in the left again) was more noticeable this time and as the fill swelling subsided, I only get that feeling when i burp or hiccup. I now look at it as a good signal of my restriction because it's really just a slight twinge now, nothing like right after surgery. I think I had more than average post op swelling because they fixed a hiatal hernia as well. Like the other poster until I found about the reason for the shoulder pain, I thought they had dropped me or something moving me after surgery. I worked in a primary care physician's office for eight years and he explained about the nerve to me, when I stopped in to say hello after the surgery. You can google "vagus nerve" or do a search on the forum as well. I hope you recover quickly.

My daughter moved to Vegas when she was about 22. We live in CT. She had friends there that she went to visit and of course Vegas is very exciting at that age, so she loved it. And announced she was mving there. We were not surprised by that. The friends all started going in different directions, some coming back to Ct. Just when her Dad and I thought she'd be coming back home, she met a guy. Once she started telling us about him, I knew she wasn't coming home and I knew they'd be married. Well they have been married for over 5 1/2 years! They got married here in CT. Kind of funny since Vegas is the wedding capital! She's started working as a dental assistant and is now the receptionist. He is a firefighter born and raised in Vegas. We visit once or twice a year and they visit about the same. We miss her but we know she's happy so that makes it easier. The summers suck weather wise (we never visit in summer) but the rest of the year is pretty nice. we can even sit on their patio when we visit for Thanksgiving. Renting might not be as expensive as previously. The declining real estate market really hit hard there, so rents are cheaper. Of course, I don't know what rents are where you live now to compare. Vegas is not a place my husband and I were drawn to but we have fun when we go. We dont always go to The Strip on every visit, but when we do, it's fun. I love, love, love the fountains at Bellagio! And the mountain views are just beautiful. When we retire, I would love to spend my winters in Vegas and my summers in Rhode Island, we have a beach rental house there. at one point they really needed substitue teachers, so that might be a temporary job option for you, while you settle in and look for something else. The one thing I will say is no city is the same when you're on vacation as when you have to go to work everyday. And if you move to Vegas make sure you have a guest room, you'll have a lot of visitors!

My opinion is see your doctor. Be honest with how often you get stuck and what foods you can eat and they will weigh you. Four months of this is unhealthy. If it were me, I would want an x-ray to confirm that all is well.

I was stalled on weight loss recently and actually gained a little over pound even though I knew I was not doing anything different, then all of a sudden I lost what I gained and since I posted Thurs have lost another pound. Who knows why these things happen? I had not been stalled previously, just slowly, steadily losing, so the stall came as a surprise and disappointment. Now I know it just happens and it's good to know that If I stick to the right things, it will go away. I'm thinking it will happen again and now I know better how to handle it. ( ok that should be, maybe I know better how to handle the disappointment) I had high hopes for my last fill, for a couple days it was perfect. Ate three small meals and felt full in between them. It was heaven! It's already diminishing to varying degrees but now I know I'm close. I'm thinking I'll only need .5 cc next fill! Marie: I hate when the Dr only bases a fill on weight loss and not hunger. But your weight loss is remarkable, hang on and continue to do what got you there, I'm sure he'll fill you soon. Wendy: If you're doing everything the same and know you're not adding extra food, the scale will move. It is so frustrating tho. When it was happening to me, I just couldn't figure it out. We put so much effort in and then the scale does nothing? The last time I lost thirty pounds it took me 10 months. With the band it took me slightly over three! What a difference.

the only position I could not do right after surgery was on my stomach. After about 10 days, I could sleep on my stomach, as well as either side. Sleeping on my left side was less comfortable for the first few days and the nurse told me there was some reason for that, like the liver or some organ. The long body type pillow was a help to me when I had traditional "open" gallbladder surgery many years ago. Wedging it right next to your side and then sort of roll into it. It elevates, molds better to the body than laying against the mattress. My port position is slightly right of the center of my midriff. Laying down flat my port is fairly easy to feel but doesn't protrude up ( yet). I don;t know if that will change as I lose more weight.

Grace: I have to respectfully disagree with this advice. I see you are past your goal and obviously further ahead in your weight loss journey, however advising people that are too tight that M and M's will go down when they are asking about how to get Protein in, doesn't seem helpful or healthy to me. It seems you advise weight loss through starvation. Would getting to goal by being anorexic or bulimic advisable? I don't think so. We should be having surgery and getting to our goal weight by eating as healthly as possible. didn't we all abuse our bodies enough with food before having surgery? Yes, sometimes this would include some days of all liquids if that is all our bodies can handle, but a steady regimen of that? You tell her to stay close to her Dr. but this person gets fills from a local nurse that "doesn't ask questions", she just plops down her $75 and gets a fill. I know you prefer to be VERY restricted and that's fine if that's your choice, but I think you know that's not what Dr's advise as it can lead to band slipping, not to mention sliming, getting stuck, PB's etc. so why advise people to get tight restriction? "months and months of sliming" just isn't right or normal to me. The band might not be "rocket science" but it is science.

I haven't fainted at a fill but I get that lightheaded feeling and I am very familiar with it because I have fainted often. It's just my body. I have fainted or nearly passed out on several flights, too. I have no fear of flying at all. Sometimes I faint if I've been sick but on the airplane I think it's the altitude or level of oxygen on the plane. It does not happen on every flight. I admit that some of my past episodes have been induced by fear, like blood being drawn or seeing lots of blood. I had some fear at the first fill, you know the unknown thing, but since then I am not afraid of the fill as I know what to expect. But when I sit up after the fill, I generally still have a light headed feeling. I actually thought that maybe the paint color in the exam room was causing the dizziness becasue it's really like a bright lime green. Now I know that it's probably the fill itself! Glad you posted! I guess you're not alone. Maybe we need a new thread... fainters unite! LOL!!!

Yeah, what he said! There are lots of good men out there and I got one and I'm keeping him. I plan to be the hottie walking next to him soon. He has been very supportive of the surgery... altho" i know he's so sick of the topic of weight loss, fills, questions of do I look older or younger now ( as skin sags), but what a good sport he's been. AND he cooks and he's much better at it than I am. I am one lucky lady!

Finding the happy medium of getting a restriction level that doesn't allow too much food in but being able to eat good healthy solid food can be tough. Sometimes adding a little tomato sauce to ground beef can help. Sometimes you just need to lose a little more weight and the band loosens a little. I find turkey meatloaf goes down well and is healthy. The lean cuisine dinners with chicken usually have a little sauce or gravy that helps get them down and the portion and calories are controlled. I can definitely tell the difference since my last fill. Before this fill, I could eat a whole apple, very slowly but it would go down. I just tried one again and I had to omit the skin and chewed even slower and had some burping and gurgling as it went down. I think I'm close to good restriction. Just let your espohagus rest a little after a PB or stuck event. Just noticed you were banded on my b'day and I was banded the day before you. We're both doing very well.

I don't live in your area so no advice on Dr's etc. But I am the same age and I'm so happy I had the surgery. I don't miss my old way of eating and in fact most of the time before banding I was eating healthy foods about 75% of the time but too much of them and the other 25% of the time would keep my weight from going down. The band has allowed me to eat smaller portions of healthy food more consistently and altho I have a few cravings now and then, I have 99% been able to resist them. I have lost 30 pounds and now weigh the lowest I have been in 20 years and went down at least two sizes. I am petite and I'm about 10 to 12 pounds away from shopping in the regular petite dept. How great is that? I walk easier, look better, my knee (had surgery for torn meniscus) is better and I have no more reflux. The Dr. fixed my hiatal hernia when he placed the band and that fixed the acid reflux. I was self pay and it was worth it. It is actually a relief to feel satisfied on less food, not a burden or bother at all. We have lots of openings in the band... LOL.... join us!

You're 31 years old, well past the age of consent and old enough to know what's best for you. There are a lot of reasons others judge us or disagree with our decision. Heck, most of us struggle with the decision to have WLS and it's our body. Many of us have friends, family, coworkers etc that don't understand. Is that a reason to stay fat? They will all be the same people that later will see how much healthier, happier and how much better you look. Whether they admit any of this to you is their problem. You can still go shopping with your sister to Lane Bryant for HER, but then you have to also go to the misses department in another store and shop for you! And you can tell your sister, you're sorry she can't be banded for whatever her reasons are and you will love/support her, no matter what her size or weight and she should love/support you no matter what your size or weight. I think your family will come around and support you after you're banded. just my opinion!

So glad you checked back in with us and brought us up to date. You're still recovering and defintely not completely your old self yet. It's a good thing, the communication, and now we have a much better understanding of the situation than just your first post. Men do worry about money and supporting their family and he's going through a bad time at work plus was worried about your surgery. That's a lot for any married couple to handle. you'll get a few months under your (banded) belt and a few more pounds down and things will start to look up again. Hang in there.

Most people on the forum have suggested having just liquids for the rest of the day. Small sips. If cold ones go down with difficulty, try warm ones. Then go slow tomorrow trying food. I find the first several bites of a meal are the most important ones. Tiny bites well chew and go slow between the first few bites. It's like I have to tell my pouch food is coming and then it accepts food a little better. Some women say they are tighter around their period and some people are tighter at different times of the day or after a high sodium meal, so you might want to see if any of those apply. Or did your last fill kick in late? I'm menopausal, so no period, can't relate. I stay away from sodium at much as possible and I've never been tighter in the morning vs. night. Maybe some thin Protein Drinks for the rest of the day?

Sorry, TMM42, my response was to the other reply Shelli, but I hope things get better for you. Just goes to show how much effect weight has on our lives, sometimes.

I'll be lurking online Monday, waiting to hear about your appt. Sending good, positive vibes your way.

That's great. This problem will most likely come up again. After a fill, for example. My Dr has us do two days of full liquids and two days of soft food and it can hard to avoid all social situations while we get fills and wait for restriction. so learning how to handle the situation can help you post op as well. I'm surprised how often other people don't even notice what I'm eating, while I thought it would be so obvious. Have a fun night!