ssdown

Hi Rachel, Keep making good choices. I wish the lap band had been available when I was your age. I was banded March 4, have mild restriction and love it! My first fill is April 9, which should be interesting. The surgery wasn't too bad, but I didn't have to chase around a four year old! See if you can get some help after your surgery with your little guy. I wasn't horribly sore, but sore enough. Every day that has passed, my surgical sites have become less and less tender. Do you know when you will be banded or are you just beginning? Keep us posted! SS

Hey Sanks! Why go to Belgium for your lap-band? Money? A lot of people here in the US go to Mexico to save money. Just curious! Good luck. SS

Yea! I live in Grants Pass and was banded in Medford on March 4! Best of luck with your banding experience. SS

I got banded on March 4 and love it! I am feeling almost completely recovered from the surgery and still have a little bit of restriction. I wish you luck on your journey! If you need any help, suggestions or encouragement, this is the place. SS

Hi Eli. and Lise! My surgeon doesn't place any saline in the band until the standard six weeks, but I have heard that there are some surgeons that do a fill during the surgery. I'm getting pretty hungry too, Lise and I think getting the fill sooner would be fine with me, bit I'm going to try and hang in there to give my band plenty of time to heal. Eli. Good luck! See you around the threads Lise! SS

Hi Erica, I am self-pay. It cost me $16,000 big ones:unsure:. Very hard on my savings account, but am hoping it's worth it. I was banded March 4 and still in the "mushie" stage. I go back to work after taking two weeks off. I'm glad that I took this much time off. I could have gone back sooner, but it would have been a literal "pain" since I have to lean and sometimes contort myself at work (dental hygienist). I do have insurance, but it doesn't cover any weight loss procedures. Good luck with your process. Just follow the instructions of your program leader and your time will come. :thumbs_up:SS

Me too! I could use a yummy change! SS

Hi Lynne731! I'm out about ten days (March 4) and basically have no pain! Every morning I wake up and feel better and less sore. I had pretty much the same post-op symptoms as you. I am still following the post-op diet and started getting hungry several days ago, Boo Hoo! I can't wait to start the fill process. Keep in touch! SS

Bibo07, I was going to say the exact thing as ConnieC. Walk, and get the Gas EX strips. I found them at Walmart.

Discuss your concern with your Surgeon. Maybe there are some blood tests to check for you. Good luck!

Lynn731 Good luck tomorrow! I had my surgery last week and am doing well. SS

Hi! I had my lap-band operation on March 4. I was pretty sore afterwards, but every day that has past, I've felt better and better. In less than a week I was walking around the neighborhood. I took pain medication for four evenings and now none at all. I think if someone cut my lung, I'd be pretty sore too. Hang in there. Make sure that you discuss your fears with your surgeon. SS

We all have our trials in life and it seems that you really have had your share with your lap band. Hang in there! You are worth the effort. Oh, yes, what is a "pm"?

mistymoon, Congratulations on staying steady with your food intake in a very tense time of your life. Best wishes for keeping your marriage together. It's hard being married. SS

Anniedub, Congratulations to you! I am two days ahead of you (March 4). I am doing well, but am starting to get hungry. I really enjoyed not being hungry at all for the first four to five days! How are you doing? Good luck. SS

Hey lize, How was your first day back at work? I got a bunch of personal stuff done today. Every day I feel better and better. I am glad that I don't have to work because it involves a lot of sitting and leaning (I am a dental hygienist) and some fast moving (taking x-rays). I am old enough to be your mother! I have a son your age. He's 31 as well! I'm 53. I have my first post-op appointment on Thursday. I don't have scales in my home, so it will be interesting to see if I've lost weight. I'll keep you and everyone posted. SS

I'm trying to figure this out! I feel so stupid! I DID IT!!!!!!!!!!!!! THANKS KAT 817, SUSAN 4794, AND EVERYONE ELSE! WHAT A PROCESS. MY NEXT CHALLENGE WILL BE TO UPDATE IT NEXT WEEK. WISH ME LUCK! SS

Hey Kat817 I tried your steps but got stuck with the code in in the edit sig. place and couldn't figure out what to do next. Now what?!?

Hi Lise, I felt a bit slow today, but I did get my taxes done, so I feel relieved! I was pretty sore today, how about you? I didn't take any meds for the pain because I don't like to feel weird during the day. I'll take a bit tonight again. My boss is very supportive and wonderful. I also have a little over two weeks of sick time that I can't use unless I'm sick for at least three days and have a MD's excuse. I rarely get sick, especially for three days, so I decided to take advantage and go for a long recuperation! I'm going to try a slow walk around the neighborhood tomorrow. After I sleep in, that is! By the way, you look pretty young. I think that I am old enough to be your mother! SS

If your doctor is not pro gastric, find one that is. Ask the people at your gastric office who they might recommend!

Me too! Help!

My goal is to "eat to live," not "live to eat." I love bread and eating it has gotten me into a lot of weight gain trouble. I am glad that it is difficult to eat bread and other foods with the lap band. This tool will help modify the quantity and types of food I eat. I have proven to myself over and over again throughout the years that I cannot control my urges for food. It's a bummer, but true.

If you have insurance, it may deny your request. My MD required no co-morbidity if you had a 40 BMI. Since my insurance didn't even cover the Lap Band, I coughed up the money and went for the surgery on 3/4/08 (Tuesday). I am very excited (but presently pretty sore!) about the process. Good luck

Hi Lise! Yes, I'm doing amazingly fine too! I am definitely sore where the port is attached, but it's feeling a bit better each day. It's only been two days, for heaven's sake! I am so exited about this process and being able to maintain my weight once its been lost. I've lost so much weight so many times, but have never been able to keep it off. I'm sleeping well enough, in between waking up and using the bathroom, that is! I took two weeks off of work for this and am very glad to have this special time to adjust before going back to the hustle of work. Your are brave to blog your progress. I decided to only tell a select few family and friends about the surgery. I just don't want everyone scrutinizing my progress, for me it's private and if you worked where I worked, you would understand! Just my boss knows, and she is very closed mouthed with all of the employees private lives. I may change my mind as time goes on about letting more people know about my lap-band surgery, we'll see! I'm going to check out your blog. Have a good evening. SS

Hey, just play the game to get your insurance benefits. I wouldn't go below the 40 BMI either. You don't want to give your insurance any reason to disqualify you. I was self-pay, and had to gain some weight to qualify with a 40 BMI. I just got banded yesterday and am doing fine. I know it's worth it already!