JaxBandster

You will have a good week between your fill and your trip, you should be fine. I haven't heard of many complications after the first fill as you usually don't get too much restriction from the first one. At least not for very long. As with anything else, all doctor's are different but most have you on Clear Liquids for at least a day or two, then full liquids for a day or two after that, then slowly add regular food back into your diet. The trick will be to go slow and chew chew chew!

Champ A week should be plenty. I could have returned to work after four or five days if I was employed

Which part? Clear? Full? The clear phase is pretty basic Water Propel (not Gatorade!) chicken or beef broth sugar free Jello sugar free popsicles Crystal Light coffee (black)/ Tea (if your doctor allows you can have caffeine) That's about it. Consult your doctor on the full liquid stage as this can vary between doctors. For example, mine discourages creamy Soups as they just go through the stoma.

I promise that it gets better and soon!!!! Keep sipping water and keep walking. It will help get the gas out of your system. You need to stay hydrated though so make sure you keep drinking water or something as long as it's clear. Your pain medication may be making you nauseous. Try taking liquid tylenol or taking anti-nausea medication while you are taking the pain meds. Hang in there, you will feel better soon!

RELAX!!!!!! :grouphug: Here is what happens. You switch tables from the gurney to the operating table in the operating room. They get you in the proper position, then the anesthesiologist begins to put feel good drugs in your IV. At this point you are concious but you pretty much don't care! LOL You are sooooo relaxed. When they are injecting the drugs you may feel coldness and/or a stinging sensation in your arm or hand (wherever the IV is). This is normal. Don't worry. Right after they give you the drugs in the IV, they will place an oxygen mask over your nose and mouth and have you breath deep. Then you wake up!!!!!! It is literally that easy. Don't worry about scopes, incisions or anything like that. You aren't aware of anything. I think for a lot of people the scary part is losing control, but it's really okay, it's really relaxing and it's really easy. You will be nervous and that's normal as well. I was nervous and I've done this several times. But don't freak out. You will be fine!!!!!

It's more than likely just swelling from the surgery at this point. I actually have a little bulge myself but it's not under my port incision but the smaller incision right above it. There is a bit of a knot there. My understanding is that you can have a little edema at the incision sites. I don't think you should be able to feel your port at this point. Most people can't feel theirs until they lose a lot of weight.

Congrats on becoming a bandster Megan!!! We knew you could do it!!! Rest up, keep walking, and write when you are feeling up to it!!!! We'll be here waiting to hear from you!

You will do great!!!! I also had laproscopic gall bladder surgery and was in a lot of pain when I woke up. It really hurt and I was no way ready to go home when they wanted me to that same evening. This was MUCH easier. While I was sore, I was in much less discomfort than the gall bladder surgery. I had no trouble getting dressed and riding home only a couple of hours after my surgery. So this will be a breeze and you will be back with us before you know it!!!!! Soooooooo...............just keep swimming!!! (and walking!) Hugs!

That was hysterical!!!!! I was sitting here on the couch with my husband and son and busted out laughing!!! Guess she is going to have to keep being nosey!

When something gets stuck in your stoma and food gets backed up, you will begin to salivate something akin to how you salivate before vomiting but this is much thicker. This will last until the food passes through or you bring it back up. That is my understanding of it but I haven't slimed yet so can't be much more precise. Maybe someone who has experienced it can describe it better.

Nicole, I lost 7 lbs post op and have been floating back and forth between the 6 and 7 pound mark for days now since I began adding real foods back into my diet. After being on liquids for so long, once you begin to add real food back into your diet you sort of plateau for a while. I have seen it repeatedly on these boards. The only thing I can suggest at this point is to add more exercise. The weight will start to come off again but much more slowly than before. You will get little plunges after you get your fills, but it will come off as long as you follow all the bandster rules. As far as people constantly asking you how much, I get that as well as I told everyone! I just tell them that the band isn't as fast as bypass and that I will lose much more gradually. They will eventuallly get tired of asking and will begin to only ask when they notice that you look a lot thinner! For the BM problem I have heard that Milk of Magnesia works wonders. Congrats on the NSV!! I just had to go out and get a smaller bathing suit too and it's sooooooo cute!!! Keep up the good work and have fun on your trip!!!

Wow, that's not a whole lot of time to wrap your head around the changes you are about to experience! Make sure that in the meantime you read a lot so you know what to expect. Try not to focus on the complication threads right now, as even though there may be a lot of them, it's only because most people only post when they are having difficulty, not when they are sailing right along and I can guarantee that they far out weigh the ones who have problems. Be aware that complications can occur and what the signs are, but don't dwell on them. Instead, concentrate on threads that explain how things went for people, their recovery after surgery, and their feelings. Learn what is normal and what is not. Get a list of things that you will need after surgery i.e. Gas-x strips, liquid tylenol, maybe a heating pad, a small pillow, etc. After surgery, know that you will need to walk a lot to help move the gas out of your body (both in the abdomen from CO2 gas and in the intestinal tract). Make sure you have plenty of Clear liquids on hand. You will also need those after surgery and possibly a few days before as well. The main thing to wrap your head around is that this is not a cake walk. You will still have to work hard to lose the weight. The band will help you but you have to work with it and feed it the right things. The pre and post op diets especially take a lot of will power. You may occasionally get the "what have I done" feeling but it will pass. Just keep your eye focused on the prize and remember all the reasons you are making this step in your life and you will do fine!

It is really preferably to not PB, or slime or anything else if you can avoid it. Unfortunately it does happen from time to time for a lot of people, but I have read others who said they never had an occurence. Right now you haven't had a fill so more than likely you won't have a problem unless you try to overeat. It is after you start getting fills that you become more prone to having something come back up on you or getting stuck.

Hey Austin In my signature below there is a link to my blog. It will take you through my entire journey and everything I felt, etc. It will give you an idea of what to expect. Good luck and welcome to the Double V's!

Fortunately on my mushie phase I can have chicken, turkey, or fish as long as it's not fried. The other night we went to Woody's BBQ and I had a chicken breast filet drenched in BBQ sauce, about 1/2 a sweet potato and some green beans (I can have overcooked veggies as well). Yesterday we went to Golden Corral Buffet and I had baked salmon, brussel sprouts and squash/zuchinni. So I've been eating a lot of protein and veggies. Not a whole heckuva lot in the way of carbs but that's the way my dr wants it.

I don't think I do but I better go check!!!! LOL

Wow that's cool! I hope mine is aggressive but not so much that's I'm choking at every turn! I can deal with moderate restriction I think.

I have a feeling there are going to be a lot of "who knew" moments in our journeys!!

Oh you poor thing!!! I hope you feel better! When you get up tomorrow just get back on track and you'll be fine!

Ms. Bee, if it helps to give you a guideline to go by, my doctor had me on no more than 30 gms of carbs a day excluding green leafy vegetables (yes there are carbs in veggies but I didn't have to count those). Hope that helps!

I have eight tattoos. Got my first one when I was sixteen, just got my latest one a few months ago on the back of my neck. I'm 48 years old. So watch out, they are addicting. The one rule I follow with my tattoos is I need to be able to cover them if I need to. No tattoos lower than my elbow or on my hands or feet. The only exception to this is the one on my ankle and they have become pretty acceptable anymore but if I need to I can wear pants to cover it. All the rest of mine can be covered with normal clothing. My tattoos are located on my lower stomach (got destroyed by pregnancy), my left butt cheek, two on my left ankle (one on the outside, one on the inside), right upper arm, left shoulder, right breast (entire circumference), and back of neck. The only other rule I have is no names. It's bad luck. Make sure it's something you are willing to live with for the rest of your life. Sort of like the band! LOL When I lose my weight I want to get a tramp stamp (very lower back) so when I'm riding my Harley and my shirt rides up you can see it :cursing: Have fun!!!

On day four I was still pretty tender. Give yourself a chance to heal. Don't worry, it gets better every day. I was banded on the 7th (in Jacksonville also) and am completely back to normal. The weakness will improve as you get more nutrition in your body, especially Protein. Good luck!

ROFL!!! I didn't even notice! How the heck did it get all the way up here??????? Important subject though.

That's great that you have such great restriction after a first fill. I know it's exciting! Be aware though that as you lose weight, you will lose fat and the band will get loose again. But that's why we got the band! You can always go back in and get more so you are back to where you need to be! Keep up the great work!

I really wish I could get a copy of the picture that my surgeon shows all of his patients pre-op. It is the liver of a woman who didn't follow a pre-op diet to shrink her liver. It was literally black from where he just touched it with the forceps and there were several small bleeding lacerations. All this just from gently touching it. He said that if he had tried to lift it to get where he needed to be that it would have literally torn in two! He closed her up and refused to the do the surgery. Needless to say, my liver was absolutely picture perfect. I wanted my band and I wanted a safe, complication free surgery.