JaxBandster

It may take a little time before depressions rears it's ugly head after stopping meds. I went off mine once for an extended period of time and was fine. But a year or two later I could tell I needed them again and got back on them. She is most definitely depressed and at this point I would recommend getting back on them at least until she gets through the rough spots of the banding journey. Counseling would help as well to get to the bottom of her issues if any.

I have to agree with Shortgal and Anne. Stopping your medication suddenly is not good. In addition, the combination of anesthesia and post-op pain medication can also make you depressed even if you don't have a history of depression! So yeah, you are just getting pounded from all sides. Add to the fact that you have been house bound and I can imagine that you are feeling pretty down. If you can, I would try to get back on your meds. You have a lot of challenges ahead of you and you need to be in a good head space to be successful. Good luck!

You know what? I know you are eager and really want to get this done. But there is a voice inside you telling you that something isn't quite right here. I would trust that voice. Have you researched this surgeon? How many bands has he done? Ask around on the boards and see who else has used him? Even if you are slightly overweight you can have a fatty liver. If you liver is enlarged it raises the risk of complication significantly. I am right on the threshold for BMI required and I am still having to shrink my liver. My surgeon had pictures showing the difference between a properly prepared liver and one from a surgery where the patient didn't follow pre-op instructions. The difference was remarkable. It was so bad, he closed her up and wouldn't do the operation. So yes, I would be asking a lot of questions and finding out why he doesn't feel shrinking the liver is neccessary. Good luck!

The fee for my surgery is $14,500 which includes a year of follow up visits, doesn't matter how many. He also gives his cell phone number to all of his patients and they can call him at anytime and he will answer. He also will not touch a patient who was banded in Mexico. He says they are too high risk.

You know how when you fall asleep at night and you wake up the next morning and it seems like you had just fallen asleep? It's just like that. Even the groggy feeling of waking up is the same. Believe me, you are VERY relaxed! 1st adjustments are done usually from 4 to 6 weeks depending on the physician. My doctor does it at 4 weeks. During that time you are on Clear liquids, then full liquids and then slowly make your way to what are called mushies or blended/soft foods before completing the transition to real food. You are also usually on a pre-op diet where you lose weight as well so it is entirely possibly to lose that much. I have only been on my pre-op diet for a week and a half and have lost 12.5 lbs. So yes, you lose a lot of weight before your first fill.

My understanding is that you don't feel the band around your stomach. You can sometimes feel the port beneath your skin but you have to really feel for it. As far as recovery, it varies per person. My surgeon told me that he had actually had people go back to work the same day and they have told me that I will be okay to ride my motorcycle 3-4 days after surgery. (Since then they have determined they will fix my hiatal hernia which will extend my recovery for about a week). It appears that you should be able to get around pretty well after a couple of days as long as everything goes well. Good luck!

Congratulations from one Karen to another!!!!!!!!!!! I hope I feel as calm as you do before my surgery! I am exactly two weeks to the day away from mine. You are going to do great. Welcome to the other side!!!!

My surgeon actually showed us pictures. There was a marked difference between a liver that was normal size and one where the patient didn't follow her pre-op diet. He actually had to close her up after he got in there because every time he even touched her liver it would bleed and bruise terribly!!!! It wasn't a pretty picture. So, if you want to have your surgery go smoothly, make sure you follow your physicians advice to the letter! I am fortunate in that my surgeon only requires me to be on a low carb/high Protein diet for several weeks prior to surgery and then be on Clear Liquids for two days prior. He says it is easier to make the transition to liquids if you have already gone through carb withdrawal ahead of time. The low carb diet hasn't been too hard to follow and I have already lost 12.5 pounds in a week and a half. I can deal with that!

Well Tami if your philosophy is accurate then I am on the right path. I figure that if I can throw myself into this and do everything I'm supposed to do then by the time I get restriction half the battle will have been won. So far I am on track. I've been on my pre-op low carb diet for 1-1/2 weeks and have lost 12.5 lbs. My surgery goal is 20 lbs. If I can lose more that will be great. I have begun to exercise. I expect, between my pre-op preparation and my post op diet that I should lose at least 30 lbs right away. Then I will really have to work like I did pre-op while waiting for my first fill (4 weeks after surgery). I know it will be difficult and a learning process, but I am determined and highly motivated. Thanks for the reaffirmation!

Congratulations on reaching your sweet spot! I haven't started my journey just yet (2 weeks and counting) but I can't wait to reach that point where my hunger doesn't control me. Good luck!!!

Hi Katie! Did your doctor give you any suggestions about Protein drinks? I am using Atkin Advantage (make sure it's low carb) and EAS. Whichever Protein Drinks you get, make sure they aren't high in carbs or you could be sabotaging your weight loss. Otherwise, just follow your doctor's instructions to the letter. Don't get ahead of your prescribed diet and try to eat solids too fast. Eat as much protein as you can get your hands on (preferable in food), it will help your hunger. Good luck! I'm not far behind you!

In the meantime, try to keep your diet low in fat. For some reason it aggravates the situation. If the pain gets so bad that you are getting sick, don't hesitate to go to the hospital. If one of the stones blocks the duct, it can be fatal! Any particular reason why you are having to wait until after the 1st?

There was a war news correspondent in Iraq last year who developed a clot and died because of riding too long in the armoured vehicle he was in. Otherwise he was in perfect health. Blood clots develop for a variety of reasons but I've never heard of one developing from going on a diet. It is usually prolonged inactivity or some other reason.

My surgeon only requires a low carb diet before surgery (about a month) then a clear liquid diet two days prior to surgery. I went for my pre-op today and he showed us pictures of a nice healthy liver and one from a patient that he closed up. You could see bruising and lacerations on the liver from where he just touched it with the forceps. It was bleeding and black in areas from the bruising. He said that if he had tried to lift the liver to get to the stomach it would have torn and the patient could have died so he closed her up. He also said that if you do the pre-op diet and shrink your liver, and then go out and have one last mega meal that the liver will swell right back up. So no last hurrah for me :frown: So do yourself and your surgeon a favor and whatever pre-op diet he has you on, stick to it so you improve your chances for a successful and risk free surgery.

Hi Diva I was just at my surgeon's today and asked him about port infections. He confirmed that they are typically acquired after a fill. He says that they use every sterilization available, but that sometimes you can still get infected. He is so concious about bacteria on the skin that he has us shower every day for three days before surgery with a special surgical soap and tells us to wash our sheets on the day we begin showering and using fresh towels after every shower. He wants our skin to be completely free of any bacteria before surgery. Unfortunately, things aren't quite so optimal in the doctor's office. They do everything they can to keep things sterile but I guess things happen anyway. Just make sure your doctor goes above and beyond in keeping the area and his hands clean and sterile when getting fills.

Just copying and pasting from my blog on ObesityHelp. Just returned from my pre-op with Dr. Cywes. Wow!!! First, I've lost another 4.5 lbs for a total of 12.5. Not bad considering we took a very impromptu trip up to NW Georgia this weekend to see snow and ended up staying overnight so I had to really improvise on the food choices. We talked about a lot! There were two other women in the group with me. Hopefully I can rehash everything. We talked about the pre-op diet and why they require it (to shrink the liver). Dr. Cywes had pictures of a good liver and then a bad one. The difference was quite remarkable. The fatty liver was easily bruised and bled very easily. He said that one bad meal before surgery could cause the liver to swell again. He said that he has closed up three people because their liver was in such poor shape it would risk their life to operate. Let's see what else. He uses steri-strips instead of sutures, staples or glue. The sutures are beneath the skin. He will repair my hiatal hernia which is going to cause me some additional discomfort especially in the shoulder region for about six to seven days after the surgery. I will have to be on Clear Liquids two days before surgery and four days after before I begin transitioning to solids. I also need to go to the pharmacy and pick up some surgical soap and lather my entire body up with it every day for three days prior to surgery in order to kill any bacteria on my skin. I also have to wash all our linens and use clean towels and also make sure all my clothes are clean. He is definitely serious about reducing the chances of infection. He has only had one band erode into the stomach and that was his 13th surgery and an older type band. He has had three slips, one of which was the result of a motor vehicle accident. He has only had a few ports flip as well. He said if one does then they fix it right there in the office by making a small incision, going in and resuturing the port then closing you back up. He uses liquid Lortab for post surgery pain and will give me phernergan for nausea. I was pleased to hear that they use a variety of medications during anesthesia to relieve nausea since I was extremely queazy after my gall bladder surgery. I think that's about it. I am two weeks and two days from surgery. Next time I write will probably be the weekend before the surgery as I am sure I will be on an emotional rollercoaster especially consuming nothing but clear liquids for two days. The four days after surgery I will probably be fighting to get the liquids down as I'm not going to be very hungry from what I hear. Right now I am just going to lose as much weight as I can before surgery so I get a good head start and so my liver is in the best shape possible. I sometimes still battle the urge to be bad and eat something that I shouldn't, but so far I have managed to fight that urge successfully. So far it has actually been pretty easy. I am very motivated right now and I have avoided putting myself in situations where I will be tempted easily. Dr. Cywes told us tonight that we will fail at times and I'm sure of that. The good thing is that the band won't let me fail too much. I feel very good about my chances of success with Dr. Cywes. He seems to know exactly what it takes to lose the weight and I have complete confidence in him. Until next time!

Lori!!!!!!!!! Welcome Back!!!!!!!! <big hug!> It sounds like you are doing really well!!! Thanks for all the feedback. I am still a bit anxious but armed to the gills with information and feel that I am ready to start my journey. I had to laugh at the burping. Be glad that you can! I hear frequently that people have difficulty burping after banding. I hope I'm not one of them because I am a burpy kind of person LOLOL I live down in Ponte Vedra near Nease High School. The southside of town is very convenient to me as is Orange Park. I go for my pre-op today. Will let everyone know how it goes when I get back. So glad to hear that you are back and on your way Lori!!!! Don't push yourself too hard.

I hear that this is not unusual so you are definitely not alone. What does your diet consist of right now. Are you consuming a lot of carbs? (you shouldn't be) Are you eating your protein first then your veggies? Good job on the exercise! Keep it up! Just keep making good food choices.

Could it be possible that it is close to that time of the month and you are experiencing some swelling that could in turn make you feel tighter? That's the only thing I can think of.

What kind of diet does the doctor have you on? I would restrict carbs as much as possible (pay VERY close attention to labels and try to keep them around 30 gms per day) and excercise everyday for 30 minutes. If if it is just a brisk walk. The lbs should fall off. Good luck!

Mine was definitely right beneath the sternum and radiated around the left side. I would still have your doctor check just to make sure. Good luck!

Audie that definitely sounds like gallstones! Yes, the pain is unbelievable and right where you said it was. Ask your doctor to have an ultrasound done on your gall bladder. You may have to have another operation :biggrin: I'm really surprised the ER doc didn't check for this.

The red was okay but all that upper and lower casing made my head hurt!!!!!!! LOL Glad to hear that you are on your way!

Yeah I've been worried about Lola too. Maybe she just forgot about us! Was this your first fill? How is it doing for you? Have you been losing? I keep reading stories about people who have had their bands for several months and aren't losing. I wonder if they aren't watching their carbs or something. I really hope I don't go through this and end up struggling to lose weight. I don't ming losing slow but I want SOME progress! My surgery is two weeks and two days away. I go for my pre-op tomorrow so that should be interesting. I get to see the famous liver pictures that Dr. Cywes loves to show his patients. LOL I am still nervous about what life will be like after I am banded but also eager to begin my journey. When I see people on other topics on this site that are from Jax I refer them here. I hope more people join us. Just as long as we don't get too big right?

LOL BC powders have been around since the time of Moses! It's just that people hardly use it anymore since the advent of pills, capsules and the like. My best friend uses them religiously since they are powdered they act really fast. I would definitely always check with your doctor first though. Good luck