lynnt1215

Terri - please let me know how back to work went. I go back Wednesday. 3 weeks after surgery. my day is only 8 hours, god bless you with a 10 hr work day. I am glad I had the ability to take the time off. even though i have a desk job, most of the time i am up and down all day. I have issues still with sitting for anything longer than 30-45 minutes at a time. place of my incisions seems to be the irritant for that. They were so happy to hear i am coming back to work they told me to wear sweat pants if I would feel better. and the office dress is casual dress, but not sweats. Harley & Terri - What type of things are you taking for lunch? We have a full cafeteria avaialble but little is low fat. looks like it could be lots of low fat cottage cheese, Soups and yogurt from home, at least for the mushie stage!

great pictures everyone. I only have one from last October and have yet to be able to size it right to post! I put some of my work clothes on for my weekend away and was so pleased that I could zipper up the pants without sucking in or laying o the bed....Back to work on Wednesday so i have to get back to my closet and see what looks best, want to go back and look "good" I have had to buy sonme new shirts, already. my ones from before surgery are already hanging at the shoulders and are flowing very looses around mt belly and hips. yippee...... A positive attitude and body changes are the best reward over the scale, even hough we are all so conscious of the weight loss :purplebananna:

Harley, a little gas now and then, same here, not that it is too pianful. Fenton - no new gadgets! for you 10% weight loss. WTG!!! I am heading back to work on Wednesday, 3 weeks post surgery. I am ure it is going to be a tiring day. Just getting up with the alarm at 6am is gonna kill me. Since on mushies I have added unflavored unjury to many soups to get in my protein. cottage cheese, yogurt and protein shakes and puddings. Have to figure out what i will take to lunch for work.. Happy with my first 10# weight loss since surgery. No scale in the house I know it would get me so discouraged For all of us, keeping up the good work for a very succeesful April weight loss!

update: Post op was Friday, 4/4, lost 10# since surgery on 3/19, total weight loss since first of the year is 25#. What meeting is Tuesday night. Maybe hitting a support meeting will do me some good. I am not feeling any restriction, at least it doesn't feel that I am Dr. Wynn pushed me up to mushies since I have been hungry on liquids. I find I can still get in 8oz of liquid in about 15-20 minutes and feel no restriction or difference than before. I am following the diet as suggested though. CAlled the office and was told the liquid will just flow through.. so hoping to feel a difference when i really get to the mushies this week I go back to work WEdnesday, 3 weeks after surgery. I could have stayed out longer, Dr. Wynn said whenever I felt like going back she was ok with. I can feel my port from the outside, and still feel a bit of pulling internally to the lower left of the port. Look forward to more info and updates from everyone, and some news on upcoming support groups

so sorry to hear about your grandmother. I sympathize with you and the additonal struggle it puts on your weight loss. A fill already when banded 3/24... seems soon. Good luck, keep moving forward and ll the best

Congratulations to al the abndsters and their wight loss. I am down 10 # since surgery, 3/19, and a total of 25# from first of the year. I was hoping for a larger weight loss at post op, but am still happy. My DR was pleased and said to some back in a month. I am up to a few weeks of mushies and then 2 weeks of soft solids! Heading back to work this Wednesday. UGH!!!!. Not sure if I'll get a fill when I go back 5.9, she is very conservative with fills. So will have to weight ans see what she says then. Just got back from a great weekend, dancing, walking, and just plain fun.., my bf even called me "skinny"... he is a sweetie!

Did great at my post op visit, down almost another 10 # now at 223.5 yippee!!!!!!! Going away for the weekend, so packing up my protein powders... happy traveler.. Be back Sunday, catch up with everyone then Happy Weekend Lynn :smile:

Just got back from my post-op appt, lost just under ten pounds since surgery on 3/19.. I am very happy. I was trying on clothes for my weekend away and my pants are loose and shirts are so much more comfortable yippee!!!!!!!! Dr. moved mer up to mushies for a few weeks then soft solids, next appt 5/9 so unless I am extremely hungry there will be no fill until then. I am ok with that, just want the clothes to fit better and the weight to go down. Everyone have a great weekend, talk with you all on Sunday. Lynn :smile:

i decided the weight is not the whole change. I have seen a great change in how things are fitting. No "muffin tops" over the tops of my bra, looseness in several of my clothes, especially around the hips. I have shirts that I would pull and tug on to stretch enough to feel comfortable and now, bang they fall over my hips.....I am only 16 days post op, still on liquids and go to DR tomorrow so will have my weight loss to record. All in all I just feel I made the best choice for me..and looking forward to a healthier, happier lifestyle

Annie - I totally agree, my DR is insistant that first 4 weeks are rest and walking, maybe the eliptical, nothing else. I am not even bowling, maybe I'll get back for the last week.. I also have an exercixe ball that I sit on while at the computer. easy and you don;t even know you are using your muscles. But as for busting my butt, no way. still feel lots of pulling at port site and internally from hernia repair. and no lifting of anything over 10# And what the heck is a body bug???

Delaware - how are you doing? Did surgery go well on tuesday? Please let all of us know. HopeInApril - are you recoverying ok? You are just over a week post op. AMC - Congrats on your surgery date. Maybe you will get lucky and get an earlier date if anyone else cancels out. You never kow. I do need to say , check on your arrival time for the surgery day. I was told 10am and they called me at 9am asking me where I was, I had even double checked with Misty the day before! Good luck to all of us in our journey..

doesn't benefiber also come with a calcium plus product? I think that is a plus.. Sorry to hear about irregularity for everyone. I am lucky enough not to have issues, but once I begin to introduce additional foods it may hit me. So all this info is stored away for futrue use if needed.

KERRI - I think the new band you have is the REALIZE band. I was to have that instead of the one that almost everyone has. but my DR was just being proctored in the placement of the band and the supervising DR was not in that ay. Wish I had the prefilled 3cc band. I am soooooo hungry, nothing seems to satisfy the growling stomach. My post op is on Friday and realy don't think a fill will be done at that time. Exercise includes lots of walking and that is all. No clearance from the DR to exercise until 4 weeks post op.

I thought I was in withdrawal yesterday, not access to this thread. So glad it is back for all of us. :wink_smile: EVE, so sorry to hear about your troubles, hope everything goes well with the look see...keep us updated.. Feeling more hungry every day. I am 15 days post op.. have appt Friday for visit. Do you think I may get a fill this early? Seems no matter how much I drink and I am getting all my protein in. My stomach keeps growling back at me!!! Looks like I am heading out of town this weekend... Gonna visit my BF. Haven't been able to spend much time with him lately. Can't wait! :confused:

CONGRATULATIONS to all of us MARCH BANDSTERS We made it. Now we move forward to a better life and a healthier lifestyle. SpecialK Great job with the list.. thanx This site has and will be a great tool for all of us. Nice to be able to share experiences, recipes, ask questions and make new friends. Here we go, moving forward.. :thumbup:

Hello Alicia. I was lucky and once I knew my final appt dates I called Chrias and scheduled myy surgery with Dr. Wynn. I had my preop appt and surgery scheduled within 3 weeks of the call. I had a bit of an isue with pulomonology, but cleared that up. My insurance is BCBS DE and they approved a 23 hour stay post surgery in thebhospital. I ended up staying a bit longer, Dr would not let me leave until I peed for them. I spoke with a friend that works for BCBS and she said I should not get a bill from the hospital for the stay, since it was DR. ordered due to "lack of peeing" lol I am sure things will move quickly for you after you manke that call HopeInApril and I attended the Life Skills classes together in Feb. Good luck and feel free to ack anyone questions or about concerns, we are all open to answer and help

blue, gas pains held on for me for about 7-10 days. heating pad on shoulder helps great, as well as gas-X strips..

I know from past history, an increase in iron in your system is a "great" way to get constipated. Hope your DR says a lower iron is ok. I know I am getting little fibre in my diet these past few weeks, due to the liquid diet. but keeping track of all my intakes and seem to be doing well with the protein, water quantities, watching carbs and fats. I do find that my unjury chocolate and other "chocolate" protein drinks due cause a bit more regularity for me. But sometimes I feel like I am living in the bathroom... At times I wish I was a bit constipated.....

I was hungry this past weekend. so went and bought some cream of wheat. It is ok on full liquids with my DR. Thought I would hate it, but it was not all thet bad. Of course I added some slpenda brown sugar blend for flavor. I figure it will be my safety food when huger strikes.. now to pooping, not an issue for me... but I can feel for all of you who have the issue. must be my IBS keeping me cleaned out lol. Still no word on my weight loss. I have no scale here at home and if i did would be on it several times a day. Will weigh in Friday at post op. Once back to work I have access to a scale and I weighed myself the day before surgery so have that baseline to work with. Yesterday I did lots of walking, went shopping with my daughter at a super-WalMart. Gosh that place is huge. Made sure to have my water with me. I find when out for a few hours the water really helps me feel better.

I have no isues with pooping. Omly 12 days post-op and going the same as before surgery. I have IBS and was told that it wouls not change ith the surgery. The surgery did help immensely with the acid reflux though.. I have taken no nexium since the day of surgery. not to sound crude, but now my BM's are so much more stinky than before. possible because of the concentration of protein in my system? Lynn

Teri, being support buddies would be great. i am on AOL as lynnt1215. I still have another week before going back to work.. then depending on what DR says at posp-op apt I will go back to work 4/7 or try to get the DR to push it to 4/14. I have so much sick time saved up at work I was unable to acrew any more. So i am not upset to use it!!!!!

thankfully no nausea and vomitting for me. I am 12 days post-op. All i have now is the lingering feeling of always being hungry. I have water with me 24/7 and am getting all my protein in. Follow up appt is 4/4, but if this feeling keeps up may need to call DR. Any suggestions on why i feel like this. MAybe I need to move to musshies already, not stay at the full liquid phase for the total 4 weeks my DR recommends???

to be totally honest,, my strips had a little helpful hand to come off. they kept getting caught on the underside of my shirt and pulled, so i stood in the shower under warm water and nudged them along. all was healed though so no concerns, you can also use nail polish remover, as long as you have no open areas on your incisions. Today I am hungry, feel like i have not eaten in 24 hours. have had all my liquid and protein i am supposed to.. maybe I'll get a fill at post op, 4/4, if this feeling continues? but the gas is crazy. and trying to be lady like to relieve it is tough. so glad i am home by myself and no one to turn their nose up at me for getting comfortable!!!!!

Good luck on Tuesday. Dr. Wynn is great. I have my post op appt on 4/4. can't wait to see the weight loss. The 48 hour preop liquid is not too bad. I am in day 12 of full liquid and beginning too feel hungry. Just remember after surgery, drink water, walk, drink water, walk... it is a good way to remedy the shoulder gas pain. Also a heating pad and Gas-X strips. another good post site is the master thread for march 2008 :thumbup:

Hi HopeInApril I know how you feel about not bouncing back like you thought you would. I still have at least 1 more week of of work and am so glad to have that. Don't you do some of your work from home? I find sitting at a desk right now for any prolonged period of time gets to be uncomfortable. Don't think I would make it through a day at work being at a desk all day. My steri-strips finally fell off. all sites seem to be heled. Port site still really sensitive, other 4 sites only hurt if they are pushed on too hard. remember walk and water...