gadgetlady

That's my experience too -- not pain. But what do you mean by "all it takes to go away is a little readjusting"? Readjusting the port (if so, how do you do this) or readjusting him ?

Yay! I hit 20 lbs down :-) I've not really been paying attention to diet as I'm only 4 weeks post op, but not being able to gorge myself at any meal (my usual "meal" is dinner -- breakfast/lunch is a protein shake and a little snack) has made a huge difference! YAY!

My first fill is due in 2 weeks, but I have restriction from the surgery still. I went out to a formal dinner w/ extended family and shared a meal with my mom. I am SOOOOO thrilled that I couldn't gorge myself! Everyone else left the table totally stuffed, as did I, but they all ate about four times as much as I did -- literally! I was trying to guess at how many calories I ate; I guessed 500, my uncle guessed 300, and my dad guessed 700. My dad is probably closest to the truth, but I said to him -- if I ate 700 you all ate about 3000 each!!!!! They all agreed. Pre-band, I would have participated in the 3000. So with a 700ish calorie dinner, I probably won't see a loss on the scale tomorrow -- but I certainly won't see a gain!!! I LOVE MY BAND :-)

I have a question. If these bands are made to be in our bodies presumably for life, how/why do they have expiration dates?

I was banded on 2/6 and I felt restriction as well from day 1. I liked it, too! I had trouble getting even jello down for the first 4-5 days. It started easing up after that, and I moved to mushies early (I was supposed to wait 2 weeks but I think I went there at 1.5 weeks). I'm supposed to be on mushies now but I moved to solids early <slapping myself on the wrist>. I still have some restriction and if I eat too fast or don't chew enough I get an awful pain in my chest, but there's not a lot of restriction. I'm looking forward to my first fill in 2 weeks.

Do you have the ability to protect yourself (i.e. do you own a gun)? Personally, I agree with the above posters to call the police and document everthing, but I would be nervous about doing any of it if I didn't have a gun in the house. It's a tough and scary situation.

I've read that some have had their periods cease for a few months after surgery; this question is for those of you who did NOT have that happen. I got my period right on schedule despite the surgery. I'm wondering if anyone has noticed any irregularities in their cycle AFTER the first month. The reason is dh and I use NFP (natural family planning) for birth control and if my cycle might be screwed up in future months, I need to know. Obviously, anything's possible, but I'm just trying to get a general idea of what others have gone through. Thank!

Actually, Dancer, if you do a search you'll find a whole other thread about how many women skip their periods for a few months after surgery. I was glad to see that didn't happen with me but I was wondering if there were risidual effects as well. I never understood why some women skipped their periods after surgery, because (from what I remember from pregnancy and starting my period up again even while breastfeeding) estrogen is stored up in fat stores. But I guess the trauma of surgery knocks some people off their cycle. Thanks for the input, Jenna & Jill. I had MAJOR cramps this cycle (thank God for anaprox!) but my bleeding seems about normal. Some slight weirdness and changes, but nothing too concerning. Jenna, I'm not opposed to condom, foam, diaphram etc. I just don't like them much I don't believe in the Pill, IUD, the patch, etc. because the are abortifacients. I definitely do NOT want to get pregnant at my current weight. So we will be very careful for this first year -- thank you!

I was banded on 2/6 and am having my first fill on 3/21. I am planning a vacation (cruise) on 3/26. Thoughts?

*bump* can anyone comment on how they felt after a first fill and whether it is wise or not to travel 5 days later?

Someone recommended to me NOT to wear a tampon because it would be difficult to get it out post-op (simply because of the reaching). I was glad I heard that advice. They put me in mesh undies (wouldn't let me wear my own) and offered me a pad but I wore my own. No need to be embarassed. If you figure a normal woman's cycle is every 28 days, lasting 5 days, roughly 1/5 of all women are on their period at any given point. They see it all the time. I did bring "adult baby wipes" (cottonelle) to the hosp. w/ me which made "cleanup" easier.

Thanks for posting this, Jill. I never got a chance to respond to my own other thread before it was closed (which I totally understand -- it was getting out of control). But what I did want to say to people is this (using the generic "you" here, not pointing fingers at anyone): How do you all get on IRL? Aren't there people you don't much care for or outright can't stand? Do you go out of your way to bait them, or do you just avoid them and ignore what they say? Hopefully it's the latter, not the former. Would you really go up to someone you didn't like IRL and tell them you don't like them and be critical of their demeanor, their grammer, their entire presence? I hope not! If there's someone you don't like on the boards, or someone says something you don't particularly agree with, can't you choose sometimes (preferably most times or at all times) to just ignore it? Personally, I believe everyone is being rather touchy lately, and things are getting out of control. Stop judging others, stop being critical of others, ignore the outlandish, freakish, or plain rude posts, and just be here to educate and support others! <stepping off my soapbox now>

OK, I've noticed an exodus of people from this board and to be quite frank, I don't understand it. I don't read every thread, and most threads that I do "read" I just skim, so perhaps I missed somewhere where everyone got into a huge fight and things were being lobbed across the room . . . I imagine it would open up a huge can of worms if whatever the big deal is is addressed again, so would someone please PM me and tell me what's going on? (as an aside, I have found some threads offensive but, then, I just don't read them. I have also disagreed with some things I have read but I generally just ignore them)

Well, OK then, here you go: Date Banded: 2/6/06 Country: USA Doctor: Quebbemann Erodoed: N -- not even filled yet LOL! If Eroded Date Removed: N/A

K@t -- it's us!!!! They're leaving because of us!!!! j/k (I hope) :phanvan

Sunta, surgery is a scary thing. You've probably been overthinking all of the potential complications, but I agree with DeLarla that you should trust your gut. You should try to get to a place of peace with your decision. I was a basket case until the day before surgery. That day, I was praying and God told me clear as a bell that He would have His hand on me during the procedure. After that, I was fine. But without that, I don't know what I would have done. The good news is there's so much going on the day OF surgery that you have little time to think. Good luck in your decision -- and God bless!

dawg, do you want recent bandings? I would think if someone hasn't been banded for, say, 6 months, erosion statistics are meaningless for that patient. LMK what you think a good time frame is.

I haven't had a fill yet (still in post-op recovery stage) but I do feel what I imagine is like post-fill restriction. Tonight, I want to binge -- AND I'M TOO FULL!!!! I really, really want to sit down with a tub of ice cream or pudding (emotionally) and I can't do it (physically). I didn't eat very much today -- maybe about 800 calories. I'm soooo happy! Looking forward to years and years of this feeling

Sticks definitely aren't mushies. Grass . . . hmmm.

I'm not trying to keep it to 800 -- that's just how much I get in in a day! 1 Protein shake w/ 30 grams of protein and then I just eat whatever is mushy. And I'm full too quickly to eat too much. I suspect as I loosen up the calories will go up.

Beth, my dr. tried to talk me into gastric bypass because the loss is quicker and thus more encouraging. Despite his recommendation, I chose the band because I feel bypass gives you an unhealthy loss (too quick) with the ensuing complications (malnutrition, etc.). I wanted a steady loss, a less invasive procedure, and I wanted to be able to use my stomach to digest my food and absorb Vitamins, rather than bypassing it. Most band patients don't start steady loss until after a fill (or a few fills) so they can get discouraged -- that's what my dr was trying to get me to avoid (I would imagine he gets a fair number of whining about "when am I going to start losing already!"). But I'd rather wait for the losses to start and do it a bit more healthfully than have a dramatic loss that's not as healthy. So I chose the band. If your dr recomments bypass, you may want to ask if the above reason is why.

Hi Janet! You guys are brave getting banded within 2 days of each other. I depended heavily on my dh to take care of me after surgery; I can't imagine if he had been recovering from something, too! I'm happily phasing into mushy foods over the next few days, learning to take teeny bites and chew a lot more. And I'm happily down 19.2 lbs. :-) Stay well -- happy recovery!

Add extra pillows on your bed. Do you have someone to help you up and down? My dh would grab me (gently) in a bear hug and lower me -- after 2 c-sections he was used to "the drill" and wouldn't let me use my muscles at all. When I had to go to the bathroom in the middle of the night, I would roll to my side, kick my legs over the side of the bed, and slide out. Not graceful, but it avoided using the stomach muscles too much. You can also buy a wedge pillow at a Linens N Things or Bed Bath & Beyond. They're $20-$30 and they'll make it a lot easier. It's best if you have help. Even my kids (little) got proficient in helping me open and close the recliner, pull me up, etc.

Ain't that the truth!!! Um . . . junk food choices??? It sure was a lot better for weight maintenance when people had to grow or kill what they ate LOL! That is a BEAUTIFUL story, Kare. You don't often hear things like that. The bottom line is that people need to be willing to change and see the error of their ways. My dh and I counseled a couple once who were getting a divorce. It was so heartbreaking because she had gotten beyond the point of willing to try because she had been crushed so many times, and yet the sheer fact that she was at the stage where she had moved out and was filing for divorce put him in a position of wanting to now, finally, change. She was too emotionally damaged to even try again. And of course, their 10yo daughter was caught in the middle :think Sometimes when we stick with something even though it's tough (um . . . does everything have a parallel with weight loss??? ) the rewards are greater than we imagined they could be.

I absolutely do agree that it is your decision to make, loopylou. I would never presume to know more about your marriage or your life than you. I appreciate that you did not take my words and make them into an argument, as has often happened recently on this board. My only goal was to encourage you (and others) to exhaust all options before venturing down a path that may seem right "in the moment" but may turn out to be more painful than originally imagined. For many, what seems right in the moment turns out to be right forever, and I understand that.