PhotoNut

Sure can - check this out: http://lapbandtalk.com/showthread.php?t=14814

Hey Kaybug, I agree, it matters not what you're losing at this point. Try to get away from the old diet mentalities. The fact is, you have your band in and the weight loss will happen and it will continue past the first 10 pounds. Isn't that great?! No more stressing over every pound. Just relax and let the time go by. Now, be prepared.. it is possible that you will gain a few pounds prior to your first fill. As the swelling goes down in your tummy, there is less restriction and hunger will return, so you'll gradually eat more. This is very common but doesnt always have to be true. If you watch your calories and stick to your post-op diet, no cheating with ice cream and stuff, then you won't gain. If you do though, it's no great loss because once you start getting fills you will lose that weight. This is definitely the time to be thinking about healing, not losing weight. They won't tighten you down yet because you aren't even eating solid foods yet, and youre still swollen. How would they be able to tell what you can truly eat? Some people find they don't even need a fill once they are on solid foods. *hugs* I was scared to death to put anything new into my mouth. I'm gradually getting over that but there are some things I choose to keep a healthy fear of - breads and pastas of any kind being at the top of my fear list. If you take small bites, and really concentrate on chewing until the food is almost nothing before you swallow, then you'll be ok. If you start to chew something and find it stringy or worrisome, spit it out. One more thing, I was so scared to get that first fill that I almost got upset in the Dr's office. But once it was done I felt silly. It was completely painless. Not even a sting. Hope I've helped some. I sure do remember being where you are now. Try to relax, you're doing fine.

Heyas Rene, this list was shared for people who come home with no instructions. You'd be surprised how many folks show up with no idea about what they should be eating. Scarey but true. My doctor gave me very clear guidelines as well and I follow those. Like you, I strongly advise everyone to follow doctor's orders above anything they read here, unless you suspect negligence of course. The puddings, icecream, sweetened tea, lemonade, etc, is off the list because they are loaded with sugar and fat so they are counter productive to your weight loss. Fat free and sugar free substitutes are fine. After the liquid phase of the diet, most liquid calories are taboo for obvious reasons. Far too many calories can just slip by the band, bypassing its inteded design to restrict quantity. I hope this helps. :hat:

*laughs* Dody, thats funny.. but no! LOL

Tilly's right, they use gas to inflate your stomach into a domed like ceiling which gives the surgeons room to introduce and manuever the necessary instruments for the surgery. However, I don't think they inflate the chest cavity. After surgery, the gas is let out through the laproscopic incisions but not all comes out. The remaining gas will rise against the diaphram and the pressure against the diaphram is what causes the pain. Often this pain is felt in the shoulder or neck. For me, it was just a band around my middle, just under my ribs. Typically, walking and moving around help the gas dissipate. There is a webcast video that show's a great deal of the surgery and at one point when the ports for the instruments are removed, the surgeons have to stick their fingers into the incisions to prevent the gas from leaking out. You can even hear the hissing from the gas that does manage to leak out. Here is that video, in case anyone's interested: http://www.brighamandwomens.org/surgerywebcast/default.asp

Thanks Kim, that's exactly what I was looking for. I'd heard the port repair wasn't really a biggie and I was just confirming that. I'm so glad everything's ok with you now. Hopefully you'll start losing again and get back on track. :hat:

Kim, did he do the port fix in the office? Would you mind sharing more about the procedure and stuff? Pweese?

I will walk a minimum of 1/2 mile every day. (Nope. Not feeling so well today.) I will drink 64 oz. of Water every day. (Yep, drinking a lot of water) I will write down every bite I put in my mouth - quantity, calories, Protein. (Yup, keeping up on this.) I will take on one achievable project in my house per day. (Haven't moved all day.) I will NOT sit on my arse all day doing nothing but fighting head hunger out of pure boredom! (I have sat on my arse, but haven't been bored. I don't have enough energy to be bored. hehe)

Love the paintings Penni! I'm sure your grandson will too. What a great way to get in your daily walk! I haven't see that show, but then I don't watch tv very often. I didn't walk today. I tell ya.. Dawg and I are just out of energy fighting this bug that's trying to get us. Ah well, tomorrow's another day, right? I've sat right here all day long, but I haven't been bored. Like yesterday, I think I'm just too tired to care about food, let alone having to get up to get some! hehe

Heyas, welcome to LBT! Your Dr that is retiring.. can't he refer you to someone? Every six months doesn't seem available enough to me. Hopefully he gives you a good fill this time. How many have you had, and what size band do you have?

That's the best way to live life, Dody. Don't waste a minute stressing over things you can't control. And, if you do decide to spend the money on the surgery, well.. it's a good investment. In fact, the best one you can make. Go out and do something entertaining tonight. Buy some new clothes for your trip - not too many though. You won't be able to wear them for long. *winks*

My nutirtionist told me that the post-op diet were guidelines not chiseled in stone. She said that you'll have better results if you stick to the diet, but you can always talk to your doctor if you just can't stand it. So, after two weeks of liquids, I was ready to chew the leg off the diningroom table. So, I asked my surgeon if it would be ok to move on and he said sure. That easy. So, call and ask if you haven't already. If he says no, then he must have a good reason and you should follow his instructions. No matter what anyone here says or what other people did when they were post-op. Noone knows your situation and what's best for you like your own doctor does. I'd hate for you to be wrongly advised and then end up with problem. Ok? :hat:

Mmmmm... steak. MmmmMMMmmMMmm!! Hydrocodone. I miss that stuff. *grins* Glad to hear youre doing ok Jonothan. Take it easy and don't over do it. And yes, heal. *hugs*

You could put yourself on a couple of weeks of the pre-op diet. *grins* Hey, I'd do it! LOL

Aww Dody, I'm sorry. Dang. Well, I'm a firm believer that all things happen for a reason. Try not to stress over it too much until you can talk to someone at Vanderbilt tomorrow. As my mom always says, "Oh what a difference a day makes." Everything will work out just as it's supposed to, you'll see. *big hugs*

Happy Birthday Maggie!

Kimber, I recently had a similar experience! I used to get so frustrated at not being able to find chains long enough to hang at a "normal" length on me. The other day I put on my necklace for the first time since I started this journey and the small medallion that hangs on it was so low it startled me. Great feeling isn't it?!

Hey Teasie, welcome to LBT. Restriction in the first few weeks comes from the swelling. Some people take several weeks before the swelling is down enough to feel no restriction. When I first came home from the hospital, it felt like a thimble of Water was a lot. Over the next few days I started drinking from a plastic medicine cup that comes on top of cough syrups and gradually progressed to being able to drink 1/2 cup of liquid at a time. By the time I could manage a whole cup, it was time to move on to mushies. A lot of people lose weight quickly during the pre-op diet and just after surgery. There is a large decrease in your caloric intake. It starts to level out about the time you need a fill. :hat:

Youre welcome, now get out and explore some of the other Forums. If you need any help, just PM me by clicking on my screen name and then selecting Send Private Message. :hat:

I second that vote and completely agree Jenna. Encouragement is priceless!

Paula.. I did notice that. Maybe they were lifts rather than reductions? Gads, everytime I see that scar up to the nipple and the stitches around it.. *shudders* I think I'll just roll mine up and tuck them into a nice size bra when this is over.

You know how when you stare at something for a long time, then look away you can still see it? I'm seeing bobies! LOL I'll tell you what, some of the after pictures looked bad. I'd be pissed if I came out with cockeyed boobs or ski jumps. Geesh. I've been looking forward to this but I don't want to look like most of the women in those pics! *rubs eyes* Make it stop! LOL

I've been banded a little over two months now and I have no regrets at all. I feel normal and that's what I wanted. I don't want to lose 100 pounds in 3 months. I don't want to have digestion and nutirition issues. I don't want my insides re-routed. What I do want is to learn how to eat healthily and make better choices for my life. I want a healthy weight loss rate so I don't look like death warmed over in 6 months. I want to be in control of my life. I'm not looking for a miracle cure to obesity. I'm not looking for a quick but temporaty fix. I've had plenty of those throughout my life. I'm looking for help so I can finally get this head of mine straightened out. I may not have the band someday to rely on, so I'm going to use this time to make some drastic changes in my thinking and action. With the bypass, you are stuck with whatever happens - for life. And stats show that within 3 years both bandsters and bypassers lose the same amount of weight. Couple that with all the things outlined in other posts in this thread and for me, it was a no brainer.

You found a great forum. There is so much information here that you'll be reading for days on end. Yup, some have problems with the band itself, slipping or erosion. They aren't really sure what causes these, but even the people who do everything right can experience this. Basically, its the luck of the draw really. Then, some have trouble making the right food choices and making themselves exercise and follow the bandster "rules". The thing I'm finding is, everyone is different and will experience different things. The expected average weight loss with the band is 1 to 2 pounds per week. Some will lose faster than others, some will not be able to tolerate the band. It is very hard to judge what will happen with you until you try it and see. The band is a silicone ring that has a baloon like center which is filled with saline to increase the restriction around the stomach. When the band is placed, it is empty and most people do not get their first fill until 6 weeks after surgery.. allowing time for swelling and tenderness to go down. Once the swelling has subsided and you are able to eat solid foods, your doctor will determine whether or not you need more restriction. If you do, salline is injected into the port, which then flows through the tubing and into the bladder of the band. These adjustments are done a small amount at a time to prevent getting too much restriction and preventing you from eating or drinking. The cost of these fills will vary depending on your doctor. My surgery included one year of free fills. Some people pay up to $200 for a fill, while others pay a lot less. I didn't have insurance so I had to pay for my surgery and pre-tests out of my own pocket. It ended up costing me $26,000. There were other options to go out of state or even out of the country to get the surgery done for a lot less, but I prefered to stay local so I could depend on the after care and a developing relationship with my doctor. I hope this answered your questions. I'm sure you'll have many questions that only you can answer. Such as.. is it worth it. As you can see by all who have posted on this thread, the answer would be a resounding YES! But then, there are some who have not lost the weight they hoped for and experienced problems. They would probably say NO. When it comes right down to it, only you can decide what you are willing to take a chance on. For me, it was my only option. No way was I going to get a more radical weight loss surgery, and no way was I going to live very long at the rate I was going. I thank God for the band and would get it again if I were to lose this one for any reason.

Looks like he's been hi-jacked.