brynna

Count me in as a "whiner." I was banded on June 6th, returned to work on June 17th. By the 12th I was starting to worry whether or not I'd be able to go to work the following week. The pain was that bad - I couldn't stand up without the help of my son, had to have him help me get in and out of bed by lifting my legs over for me, and so on. I wasn't just tender - I hurt like hell, especially the port region. Finally on the 12th I called my doctor's office and asked about better pain relief. My doc doubled my dose of Lortab (Vicodin) as a response. The next day I was walking more easily. By the following Monday I was getting up and down without assistance and Tuesday morning I was able to return to work. At that point I was taking a very small amount of pain killer and I still have half of that bottle. I firmly believe that pain holds you back from recovery. If you're hurting that much then call your doctor about a change in your pain meds! Once your pain is reduced you'll become more active and subsequently heal better. Trust me, nobody will think that you're "whining." Each person is an individual when it comes to pain reception, so don't hold yourself to an impossibly high standard if you're hurting that much. One thing that I found helped was wearing an old, soft, stretchy bra 24/7. It added support PLUS it kept my breast off of my port incision. A sports bra would do just as well. There's my two cents worth, anyway. :tt2:

Nah, maybe my second or third post, but I didn't say much before. :ohmy: ETA: Okay, my fourth. *g* I was banded on June 6th and so far, so good. Haven't experienced any nausea. Unlike others here I was one of the unfortunate ones to experience a lot of post-surgical pain, brought to an end when I finally complained to my doctor and he doubled my Lortab. After that I recovered rapidly and took myself off of the pain meds. Bottom line - if it hurts a LOT after surgery talk to your doctor! The less pain you're in the faster you recover! Odds little tip: I wore a bra 24/7 for almost two weeks. It kept my breast off of my port and gave me additional support where it was needed. Get the softest bra you can find and keep it handy, just in case. My blood sugar is now about 98 fasting, 117 after meals. Before I had my diabetes under control with medication, with it hanging at about 120. Now I'm off of Avandia and monitoring my blood sugar closely. So far, my diabetes appears to be in remission already. Last visit to my doctor was a week ago, and I'd lost twenty pounds since my pre-surgery visit and subsequent diet. Today, for the first time in at least two years, I was able to bend over and clip my toenails. I still have a huge umbilical hernia (probably one of the reasons for the pain I was in) to deal with, but hopefully can get that fixed down the road. It was too low for my surgeon to fix at the same time I was banded. I have chronic lymphedema. My legs are very slowly shrinking, at times itching like crazy (I'm guessing due to the healing process). My two adult sons have been helping me put my shoes on, so I've asked them to help me monitor how my legs are doing. So far the verdict is that yes, they're getting smaller. I haven't been able to do housework in years. I'm hoping by the end of the summer - when my youngest goes back to college - that I can at least do *some* housework. My oldest and his wife live across the apartment complex in another building and he helped out until his brother got home. It would be nice to take some of the burden off of him in the fall. As soon as my distended belly (that damned hernia again) shrinks enough I hope to be driving again. I am really starting to miss being behind the wheel. That will also enable me to be able to shop for my own groceries again! Next Friday I can start on full solid foods, although I've already been sneaking some in, chewing thoroughly. I'm kinda going with how I'm feeling, and with there being no nausea or vomiting I figure I'm doing the right thing. Aldi's will have these little 5 oz steak filets on sale for $1.99 each starting the 29th, individually wrapped and perfect for fixing my own supper. I'm planning for my first *real* meal in weeks to be at least a portion of one of those filets, some green Beans NOT mushed up with my fork, and maybe a teeny potato to go with. Before I could easily eat two of those, a massive amount of baked beans and a large baked potato. Never mind the scrounging two hours later for chips, salsa, whatever I could get my hands on. I'm suspecting that's what this is about - small, reasonable portions. I hope I keep doing okay. I'm scared I'll get all emotional and start stuffing my face again. I know I'm in some sort of "honeymoon" phase and riding high on it. I don't and won't post often as I'm horribly busy, but please, keep me in your thoughts and I'll keep yours in mine. Brightest Blessings!

You know, I could have swore I posted in this thread, but it seems to have vanished since I got home from work! Odd... Maybe I offended the computer gods or something. :thumbup: Anyway, this time I'll just say "Hi" to y'all and leave it go at that. :eek: Brightest Blessings, Linda

I live in East Peoria, off of Springfield Road, so Morton, any evening, would work for me. Haven't introduced myself yet (at least I don't think I have) but will at some point. Suffice to say I'm scheduled for June 6th at Carle with Dr. Sid and I'm very nervous and excited.

Just saw Dr. Rohrscheib for the first time today. Very impressed with his overall bedside manner, his way of making sure I understood what the Lap Band procedure entails, what to expect, etc. Also equally impressed with his office personnel. My sister is in her fourth month of "needing a recent weight-loss effort lasting at least six months on her medical record" effort. She has BCBS of IL. I have Empire Blue and from what I gather we're at opposite ends of the spectrum where approval and Blue Cross/Blue Shield is concerned. I got the impression that Empire Blue is a lot easier than BCBS of IL so I'm hoping I got off lucky. Time will tell. :confused: I'm currently at 431, having actually started at 446 right before Thanksgiving 2007. Thought since Sis and I both have BCBS that I'd have to do the six month thing and started on Slim Fast, hence the weight loss. :tt1: Anyway, I don't post much, wander in and out as my soul dictates, but I figured introducing myself was in order. :frown: Take care and Blessed Be! :confused: