CandiOPanda

I'm so glad I came onto the site to look into this. I thought I was doing something wrong This hair loss thing is NOT fun but I'd rather deal with this than the crap I would have to deal with if I was still 340lbs. Good thing I crochet too Time to become a hat wearer!

stopped coumadin 5 days prior. lovenox fdor a month

You are absolutely not alone! Went through the same thing! I've never been one to suffer from constipation. Benefiber and staying hydrated has worked wonders though!

I'm treated for depression anyways but right after surgery I was in a deep dark place. Everyone else was so happy for me...and I kept thinking....well...now what? Doing much better now though. It's a huge change and that' s never easy.

I los 20lbs preop

My surgeon required a 6 month pre op weight loss group. I didn't lose more than 5lbs during that. It was the 2 week CIB diet before surgery that made me drop 20lbs

Well first of all I'd like to say when preparing for this procedure no question is too weird. Getting banded is such a HUGE scary decision. It's funny because in all the topics that were discussed in my pre-op group I don't think anyone ever mentioned anything about the possibility of sustaining a blow to the abdomen or even injury. Hopefully there are other bandsters here that can answer your kick boxing question! If I had to hazard a guess I'd say it would probably take several severe blows to cause any damage with the band itself. My little 10lbs chihuahua/yorkie pounces on my belly all the time! I can feel my port quite well and for weeks after surgery kept grossing out my family by making them feel it too. I've never felt the tubing, The only time I've ever actually considered the tubing is when I had my first fill. :thumbup: It doesn't flap around When I woke up from surgery I expected to really feel the presence of the band. Nope. Take care and good luck!

I just had my very first slime/pb experience due to some chicken that put up a fight on the way down. That was one of the most disgusting things I have ever experienced. :rose: The pain was pretty awful, too. I guess this is just a cruel, extreme reminder to chew the hell out of everything. :crying: God that was just GROSS and AWFUL!

Anyone else out there post op experiencing and increase of depression and/or anxiety? I already had issues with the 2 before surgery and while most of the time post op I have been really optimistic and upbeat (mostly due to feeling so much better being 40lbs lighter) sometimes my mood just drops. I've had to increase my anxiety meds (doctor's orders). I know part of my anxiety is that I can no longer eat to soothe my stress. I just seem to be overcome by loneliness sometimes...I'm fairly certain this is just a personal issue but I wanted to check in and see if anyone else has had similar post op experience.:cool::eek:

Hello! I'm Candi from Boston, MA USA. 26 years old and overweight my entire life and thrilled to be finally taking control. I was just recently banded 12/27/07! I was so nervous about the surgery and yet so very relieved when the time finally came to just get it over with! It was so quick I thought surely I had woken before they finished or perhaps I was *gasp* unbandable! Though I am working with a great team of doctors and nutritionist I still have questions about everything...Which surprises me because I considered myself pretty well informed! I hope to meet some great people here to fill in those little gaps where I need extra support. I'm super friendly and love to chat so drop me a line! See you around the board! Candi O:panda::scared:

Let me preface this entry by mentioning since my surgery 12/27/07 I have not felt hungry. Not even a little. This is fairly amazing to me LOL! Today I started Stage 3 of the post-op diet given to me by my nutritionist which is diced Proteins and smooth foods. For today I'm following the SAMPLE meal plan as closely as I can just to get a feel for what I should be consuming and as a reference guide to fall back on should I become all frazzled with what counts as Protein, starch, dairy, etc... Breakfast: 2 scrambled eggs. 1/4 cup lightly pureed (still chunky!) canned peaches I didn't finish. Which is great but makes me worry about my protein intake. I have to read up more about how to supplement that. The info is some where in the Mountain O' Surgery/Diet Papers. I was actually allowed 1/2 cup of fruit. Uh...yeah...See you're supposed to make protein the priority since your body doesn't make protein on its own and looking at a half cup of peaches made me want to run and hide. So I cut it down to 1/4 cup and still ended up eating only less than an ounce. I finished nearly all my eggs but I can feel them rising in my throat (Blech) This is going to be quite a challenge. All in all I rate this morning a success! How freakin' awesome does it feel not to be able to finish a tiny plate of food that would have been considered a SNACK for me a month ago!!!:whoo::clap2:

Lets keep in touch Ash! I was banded 12/27 and I'm in the same boat, needing people to talk to. The last 2 weeks have been have been so hard because of the emotional need to eat so I know how you feel! If you are on myspace MySpace.com - www.myspace.com/243838745 <---thats me Or you can PM me here! :hug: -Candi O.

I have a few things floating around because they inundate you with info packets before and after surgery. I believe death rate with the lap band is less than .5% My advice, if you don't think you can do it on your own (even though with the band you are still very much doing it on your own) then you should definitely go with the band. I'm 26 years old and I have HBP, type II diabetes, high cholesterol, depression, anxiety, sleep apnea and suffered a pulmonary embolism in 2004. They say the PE wasn't triggered by the weight but it didn't help at all. Also keep in mind, considering it doesn't mean it has to happen. I was considering and considering for YEARS. The most important thing is that you are aware you're weight is a problem area and you are looking for solutions to live a healthier life.:clap2: Best of Luck! Candi O.

I am 12 days post-op and have not needed my CPAP machine since around 4 days out. Anyone else have similar experience? I was so dependent on that machine...I couldn't fall asleep without it. One morning I noticed I had drifted off before putting it on and slept sound. 3 weeks ago this would have been unheard of! I didn't expect relief of sleep apnea to happen so soon. Needless to say, I'm psyched!:whoo:

Good question! I should probably schedule a sleep study just to be sure my feeling is correct. Hate those sleep studies though! Pre-op I lost 20lbs and post-op I've lost 20lbs so far. I didn't notice really serious sleep apnea symptoms until I was well over 300lbs and now I'm almost below 300lbs. To be on the safe side (considering blood pressure and all) I think I will schedule a sleep study...however, I know my need for the CPAP is gone or at least very much decreased because I used to have an almost violent physical reaction to not sleeping with the mask. I would wake up gasping, had horrible headaches, always felt tired...etc. I am able to sleep 12 hours and not wake up once. No gasping, no struggle, no weird dreams, headaches, etc...! Breathing is so nice :eek:

The biggest and possibly hardest thing I've learned since surgery is to be patient with myself. I have a lot of issues with anxiety and depression and my panic increasing post op because I can't eat to "calm" myself. Just be very in touch with yourself and your health care providers and you'll be fine! Another positive thing....my gut is further away from the steering wheel in the car :eek: Everyone says you can see I've lost weight especially in my face. I had to wear a belt today and it went on the third notch from the end without being tight. I used to have to suck it in to get it on the first notch. It feels great! You're going to love it!:clap2:

The gut to steering wheel has been a good gauge for me too!

Thanks! I'm feeling much calmer about it now after all this great feedback.

I'm 10 days post op and still experiencing a lot of abdominal pain around the largest incision area which I take to be my port site? (am I wrong in that assumption?) Is this normal? I'm trying not to take my pain meds as I didn't need them for several days but now feel as though I've suffered kick to the stomach from a large animal. LOL someone pleeeease put my mind at ease....:help:

I see my surgeon for a follow-up on 1/11. I'll have so many questions for her I'll have to wheel in the list with a wheelbarrow!

*HUGS* Good luck!

26 here, 10 days post op. Overweight my whole life and literally tried everything. Had every co-morbidity, too. This isn't a cop-op, sweetie. It's a god send. I'm so excited about my experience with the lap band, good and bad. I had just about given up on myself.

Isn't it amazing? I never thought I'd start feeling thinner this soon! YAY!

I'm sorry you've had to go through such an ordeal! Glad to hear you'll be able to have it corrected. I'm wondering if you know the cause of your slip or is it just one of those things that just happened?

I am also 10 days out and having a lot of incision pain where the port is I'm glad to relieved to hear I'm not the only one. I wonder if this is common? I was starting to get really worried. I'm still burping a lot, too but the gas is not nearly as bad as it was 5 days ago, thank God. I thought I was going to explode!