MamaJava

I haven't had a reason to wear tights or pantyhose yet, but I do wear jeans everyday. I began wearing them 5 days post-op with no problems. Until then, I simply wore loose, soft pants with loose waistbands (sweat pants and such). I also wore a nightgown to bed instead of pajama pants.

Ummm...how are you failing if you've lost 119 pounds in a year??

If something is on your food list, then you can have it.

If it's not on your food list, then you cannot have it.

Everybody's personal instructions from their own doctors are different. If Cream of Wheat is on your list, then you can eat it.

I still have no idea what it means when you all speak of the "mushy" stage. Is that the same as my puree stage, or the same as my soft food stage?

At any rate, I was given the okay for pancakes for my soft food stage and they went down just fine! :wink2: They were amazingly yummy (just 1 big one and I was full) and then I tried a buckwheat one a couple days ago and that was even healthier and yummier!

Give it a try. Make sure it's total mush before you swallow. Eat slowly and enjoy every bite. It was heaven...but don't do this without talking to your own personal physician first.

I have a 6 month old baby and he was 5 months old & 16 pounds at the time of my surgery. I was told definitely do NOT lift him by bending over for the first 48 hours. I could lift him during that time if someone brought him to me without me having to strain my abdominal muscles. I had help for those first 48 hours. After that, I was cleared to lift him as needed, as long as it didn't hurt me.

I was fine with him after about 72 hours...I just made sure if I was alone, that I was very careful. If someone was with me, I always had them do lifting for me so I wasn't doing any more than I absolutely had to.

You might be retaining Water, and sodium might be in your liquids. I have lost 4 pounds since my surgery 12/31 and I just started solid foods today, and had a fill this past Wednesday. Give yourself a break. You are not supposed to worry about losing weight 4-6 weeks after the surgery, its a healing time. Your body is used to the liquid meals. Once you get the fill, then worry. Don't stress yourself out.

I understand...I'm not worried that I'm not dropping weight like crazy. I know this is not the time for that. I'm worried about the gaining! Not only gaining 4 pounds, but adding 3 inches (1 in neck, 1 in hips, 1 in waist).

If I had done this well in Weight Watchers, I would not be gaining. Anytime I kicked butt like this, the scale showed my success. I just don't understand the reasoning for gaining when my entire relationship with food has changed for the better...and so dramatically! I should not be gaining. There is absolutely no reason for it. Maybe a 1/4 pound or a 1/2 pound here and there...but not 2 pounds last week and then another 2 pounds this week.

Thanks for the support, everybody!

The thing is, I'm not upset at all that I've lost "only" 13 pounds. I know that's great! I'm upset because I should not be gaining. From everything I've learned, I should be steadily losing weight (I'm not worried about speed, here)..not gaining. I don't expect miracles...I only expect to be rewarded for what I'm doing...not punished.

I'll keep moving forward, but I'm calling the facility tomorrow to see if I can talk to somebody. I know we are all different and I don't expect to be dropping big numbers right now. I just expect to be seeing changes and I'm not.

I've also ADDED 3 inches. Hello?!? 1 in my neck, 1 in my waist and 1 in my hips.

I still don't get it. I don't even get NSV's right now to be happy about.

I'll just keep moving forward like I said before. I'm not a quitter, but I am easily discouraged and I get disappointed in my body very, very easily.

I wish I could say I'm doing as well as the rest of you...but I'm not. I'm upset & frustrated and beginning to realize my greatest fear: This band is NOT going to work for me! I just know it. I had the feeling before i ever got banded that i would be the ONE person who gets the band and FAILS MISERABLY. That's me.

I only lost 13 lbs. post-op. I was banded on 01/04. I'm following the rules, sticking to each and every order...and I'm GAINING WEIGHT. I work out, I get in all my fluids...I'M SO INCREDIBLY UPSET.

Now I've gained 4 pounds so I've only really lost 9. My Nutritionist said she did NOT want to see me gain weight before my first fill...which I won't have until 2/18. At this rate, everything will be packed back on before that day and I'll be frowned at. How is it possible for me to be gaining weight?!?! Pre-surgery I would take in an average of 3,500 calories per day, and now I'm down around 1,200. WTF?!?! How can I not lose weight like this? This is killing me. Absolutely killing me.

What is wrong with me? Why is my body STILL betraying me? I sob every day about this. My dumb luck. Something is completely wrong with me.

I wish I could say I'm doing as well as the rest of you...but I'm not. I'm upset & frustrated and beginning to realize my greatest fear: This band is NOT going to work for me! I just know it. I had the feeling before i ever got banded that i would be the ONE person who gets the band and FAILS MISERABLY. That's me.

I only lost 13 lbs. post-op. I was banded on 01/04. I'm following the rules, sticking to each and every order...and I'm GAINING WEIGHT. I work out, I get in all my fluids...I'M SO INCREDIBLY UPSET.

Now I've gained 4 pounds so I've only really lost 9. My Nutritionist said she did NOT want to see me gain weight before my first fill...which I won't have until 2/18. At this rate, everything will be packed back on before that day and I'll be frowned at. How is it possible for me to be gaining weight?!?! Pre-surgery I would take in an average of 3,500 calories per day, and now I'm down around 1,200. WTF?!?! How can I not lose weight like this? This is killing me. Absolutely killing me.

What is wrong with me? Why is my body STILL betraying me? I sob every day about this. My dumb luck. Something is completely wrong with me.

I gotta say, Lindypie...where on earth did you get banded?? Your doc kinda sounds like a quack. 3-5 baby spoonfuls is definitely not enough food for you. Before a fill, you still need 1/2 - 1 cup of food per meal! Also, making you wait 3 more months for a fill is the stupidest thing I've ever heard.

I would find another doc...NOW.

My insurance also made me stay overnight. I was SO glad I did! I had really bad chest pains from the gas forced in there during surgery. I was getting really scared so they took me down for an X-ray and said my stomach was the size of a football it was so huge. It hurt. BAD.

I also don't handle anesthesia very well at all. I am disoriented for a long time afterwards. It helped to have people take care of me. My hubby and the nurses would pound on my back for me (like burping a baby but harder) and that's finally what helped ease the chest pressure.

Other than the bed being horribly uncomfortable, it was a positive experience overall. I felt safe there, since I tend to worry about what might go wrong after getting sent home. I was double and triple checked before I was sent on my way the next day.

My surgeon is Dr. Schram! I adore him. He's quite literally the best of the best. I was banded 1/4 and don't get my first fill until 2/18. Grrrr. I want it sooner than that. I'm going to try to get in earlier so I'm gonna call them tomorrow.

PM me if you have any further questions about Schram or the facility (Forest Health Barix Clinic). I went to the Ypsi location...are you going there or to his facility in Holland?

Hey Woodsy! I also got banded by Dr. Schram the day after you did...Jan. 4th. I don't get my first fill until Feb. 18th. UGH. I also got the Realize because that's all he does...he doesn't do any other bands anymore.

I'm HUNGRY. I really think I'm gonna call Monday and see if I can get in earlier.

I like the Realize band website, but there are many problems with it. They only have certain foods listed in their food bank, and if your exact food is not listed in there, you have to fish around and search forever to find something similar?!? That's not very conducive to getting accurate information in the system for each one of us.

My friend Lisa was also banded by Schram on 11/20...she's had one fill and he only put 2.5 cc in her. She feels absolutely NO restriction. She's upset. She hasn't lost anymore weight since she was 2 weeks out.

I hope he listens to me when I tell him I need a very aggressive fill. This is so frustrating. I love Dr. Schram and I love the facility, but this band is making me mad.

I have some port site pain, but it's only when I bend over. The general post-surgical soreness is gone.

Oh...and I can feel my port. Low profile or not...I can definitely feel it when I lay on my back or if I press firmly on my port site.

I haven't had my 1st fill yet, and I've recently graduated to soft foods (anything you could eat if you didn't have teeth), so I'm pretty much back to normal. It's weird...I must have a little restriction because I sometimes can't eat more than 1/2 cup of food. Other days, I have to walk away around 1 1/2 cups because I KNOW I could eat more, but I know that I shouldn't. If I am away from home and if I'm not paying attention, then I could easily mess this all up. I swear I honestly forgot I was banded once and I just kept eating...I put away 2 cups and then I was miserable the rest of the night. I learned a lesson.

Normally, however, my body begins getting gassy (burping) around 1 cup of food, so that's my average. That's my signal that I need to walk away or just hurry up and throw away what's left on my plate.

My doc can't get me in before Feb. 18th for my first fill and we both agree it can't come soon enough! LOL I've explained my hunger and he agrees we have to get it under control. Like I said, other days I eat perfectly...and that's around 1 cup or a little less.

That's normal when you don't have restriction. But you have to be careful! I actually was eating some mashed potatoes and baked chicken the other day and was eating too fast (was chewing it up a lot so that wasn't the problem)...and it got stuck. Oh, that was misery for about 30 seconds until I finally sat with my hands above my head and I could literally feel it go through from the top to the bottom of my stomach...so the band is trying to do it's job, I just need that fill!!! I have learned to slow down. It's a HUGE learning process, all this band stuff. :smile:

For those who were asking...dysplasia and HPV has nothing to do with being overweight. :biggrin: Human Papilloma Virus is a sexually transmitted disease and it's not biased against obesity. It can affect anybody, fat or thin.

Back in 1997 while pregnant with my first baby, I was diagnosed with mild dysplasia, had the biopsy and LEEP procedure and all was well for 9 years with completely normal PAPs. After having my baby 6 months ago, I got another abnormal reading and I have to go back for biopsy again. This time it's even more severe dysplasia than before so I'm sure I'll need another LEEP. It recurs almost all the time. Some women get lucky and it never recurs. Just depends.

They are treating me with antibiotics for 10 days "just in case" it might be cellulitis. It's slowly getting a little bit better...and it's good that it hasn't gotten worse. I'm just supposed to keep an eye on it and go to the ER if it gets worse. I think it will be okay. Thank, everybody!

I'm not having a really hard time during the meal. I can go without drinking something while I eat. It's AFTER that gives me the hardest time. I usually give in and end up taking a few sips before my 30 minute wait time is up...but it doesn't make me feel hungrier, it makes me feel fuller. *shrug* I must be built differently.

Again, the wrong list got updated. I was deleted from the list....again. I'm still on the main list on page #1, though...so is that the official list? If it's not, please put me back on. The wrong list was copied again about 2 pages ago.

In addition to my previous post I wanted to state that my doctor does the Realize bands exclusively. He dumped the old bands and only does Realize. He doesn't do them just because they are new...he does them because he personally feels they are a better band overall.

I'm all healed and my incisions were all perfectly closed. In fact, 16 days out I had to pull off my last 2 strips cuz they were getting dirty and they looked bad.

Well, 3 days ago I noticed some redness below my port incision. I figured it was just irritated so I took 2 hot showers that day and kept my eye on it. Now, it's even more red and it's back to being sore again. It's also warm to the touch. The red patch runs directly from below my port incision down to the 5th incision on my lower right abdomen. It's kind of strange.

I don't have flu-like symptoms, no fever, no chills. I was so worried my body was rejecting this thing. I had my best friend who is a nurse look at it, and she said it appears to be a bit of cellulitis...which is not good, but I can have it treated. But how do you get cellulits AFTER something is all healed and looks beautiful? That's just bizarre to me.

I'm off to the doc today to have him look at it. PLEASE keep me in your thoughts and PLEASE send positive vibes my way that my body is not trying to reject this band & port. I couldn't bear it. I need this band to stay where it is. I haven't even had a fill yet and to have it removed due to rejection, well, that would send me over the edge after everything I went through to finally get this. :eek:

I have the REALIZE and I set myself up on the website just yesterday. The anchoring system is awesome and helps prevent port flips. The Realize is also the first band to cover more stomach surface area by making it wider (now other bands are doing the same thing) since that is believed to prevent PB's, prevent slipping, keep you feeling full longer, and offers greater restriction on average. It really is the best band out there at the moment. I'm sure another one will eventually take its place down the road...but right now we are all so lucky to have the greatest band technology. :eek:

My post-op doc recommended stages are:

1. full liquid

2. purees

3. soft foods

So...this "mushy" talk all over these boards is even more confusing to me...so I can't help you. If the mushy stage is supposed to be similar to my soft food stage, then my doc says that is anything you could chew if you didn't have teeth. If your mushy stage is equivalent to my puree stage, then that's anything you can throw in a blender and puree down to baby food consistency.

I don't know if that helps cuz I don't understand "mushies"...

Ok...so I'm having issues with Portion Control when I'm out of the house. I'm still mostly eating purees, but I'm also slowly easing my way into soft foods due to the fact that my stomach and bowels weren't too happy with my first few attempts at soft foods. That could be the issues I have with IBS...but I digress. LOL Also, I have NOT had my first fill yet. I also have very little restriction.

So when I eat out, I stick to the rules. But, I'm having a really hard time controlling my portions when I'm out away from home and I've definitely eaten over a cup of food on a couple of occasions. I try to visualize but I'm really bad at that, apparently. I'm hoping this will get easier once I have fills and restrictions, since my stomach won't be able to hold that much. Right now, it's tough and I'm still learning how to stop when I'm satisfied, and NOT when I feel full. The reason for this is that if I eat until I'm full, then I'm easily eating 2 cups of food. I can't be doing that!

How do some of you get your portions right when you're at restaurants? Do I have to carry a measuring cup in my purse to get this right? I would be willing to do that unless I can find an easier trick. Quite frankly, I'd rather not have to pull out a measuring cup in public. But if that's what it takes, then bring it on! LOL

I was told anything non-carbonated, and sugar free or diet drinks ONLY count toward Water intake. That would be Iced tea, Crystal Lite drinks, sugar free Koolaid, water...things like that. I don't know the rules for the Protein Drinks but I would ask your doctor.

It makes no difference if your surgeon is a "bad" one or not - many docs do NOT require any pre-op diet at all. My doc is a top one in the world for lap bands and he has found (in his experience with requiring them in the past) the pre-op diets to be virtually ineffective in shrinking the liver...so he doesn't require them either. Don't let that be any kind of red flag. I only had to be on Clear liquids for 24 hours before my surgery, take a couple Dulcolax and stop eating at midnight the night before. If your surgery is a whole 4-6 months away, why would you get instructions for that right now anyway? I wouldn't worry about it. Also, you will probably get a PAT (pre admission testing) day where they do all that bloodwork. Since you have a very long time, they probably just didn't tell you about it yet. I didn't learn about my PAT requirements until 3 weeks before my date when they called me and said I had to have a day of PAT 2 weeks before my surgery. That's when they scheduled it.

You are a long way away still. Don't worry about so much right now. It will probably all happen the way your surgeon sees best. It does not always signal a red flag, and it does not always mean you need to find a different location. That rationale seems kind of absurd to me.

Also, I'm surprised you didn't need that psych eval before your insurance approval? Mine would not approve me without it. So...sounds like your surgeon is ahead of the game and things are actually happening faster for you than for most people.