proudmaryrn

Hi! I was banded on 3/5/08. You will have to give up carbonated beverages! I was a Pepsi person & this was a hard thing. Another thing I have found I cannot tolerate is any kind of white bread/rolls, etc. I can eat toasted wheat/whole grain breads. I can eat tortilla chips, oddly enough without problem. I have had a lot of problems with meats, unless they can be mashed up & still have problems, shrimp has been terrible. It is hard to eat fresh vegetables like cauliflower, carrots. They get stuck for me, no matter how long I chew them. It has been a new way of life for me. A lot of the stuff you loved before you had it, you can't eat anymore. In other ways, I feel so much better. I have lost 30 lbs. so far. Haven't lost as fast as I had hoped. I want to see it keep dropping off, instead it is lose a lb, one day, then the next, see it back. I have a lot more to go, so trying to keep optimistic. Good luck. proudmary

Hi! I was banded on 3/5/08. I had pretty bad, searing pain at the port incision site (the biggest site) for about 7 days. I stayed on my pain meds regularly. The doctor said it is coming from the area under the skin where they attached the port. I had the same kind of pain occasionally for several more weeks, but ibuprofen took care of it. Even now, if I overdo it, I will get the same kind of pain. Sometimes, I tend to lift too much & do too much heavy work (especially gardening). Your pain will subside after a while, so don't worry about it. proudmary

Hi, Kimberly. My name is Mary, BSN. I have been a nurse for 17 years. Started in a large town on Med/Surg, then moved to a very rural area of the state. The only opportunity was to become a Director of Nursing at one of the area's nursing homes. I did that for about l0 years for 2 different homes. What a drugery that was, including the lawsuits. I got divorced after 26 years of marriage & remarried 4 years ago. Since the remarriage, I am retired! It is pure heaven. When someone asks me, "do you miss nursing?", I say, "no", and I mean it. I advise younger people to go into the dietary field (Registered Dietician). I worked with a gal who does this, can mostly work from home, picks and chooses her jobs, consults & makes way more money than I did & has no liability!!!! You can see I am a little bitter, considering I was sued by a greedy family because I had malpractice insurance & the nursing home had no insurance. The lawsuit lasted 4 years!!!! Never again will I put myself out there. Got banded on March 5th, 2008. Have lost 26 lbs. to date. Private pay of $l5,000. Glad I did it, just wish I could lose faster! Wish I would exercise more! Mary

Keywestgirl, no you aren't the only one who has done this, I'm sure. What I would do though, is stop it now and follow your post-op instructions until you get to the point of being able to eat regular food. All of us who have had this surgery have food addiction in common. If I were you, I would get the stuff that I really like on the diet (I love the sugar-free jello & leave it out to room temp & the sugar-free popsicles). You can have as much of this as you want. Also, stop thinking about food all the time & occupy yourself with something else. I had my surgery on March 5, 2008. I have lost 26 lbs. so far w/one adjustment. I could do so much better if I would exercise more. That is my problem. I hate to exercise!!!! Remember: Eat to live NOT live to eat. Mary

Mandi, I know it is hard, but keep going - look to the future. On my pre-op diet, I could have the following choices: 4 slimfast shakes/day & unlimited Crystal Light or similar non-carb. drinks (might as well break yourself now of carbonated drinks) or 2 slimfasts & 2 salads/day w/low-fat dressing. The spray-type dressings are very good. I lost l0 lbs by my surgery! That is a great start. I had my surg. March 5, 2008 & I have already lost 26 lbs. & had l adjustment. Try not to think about food. Keep yourself busy (such as your housecleaning) & the time won't just drag by. You have to have a mindset of "eat to live not live to eat"! Mary

Hi. I had my band on March 5th. I took Gas-X strips. They told me to start taking them in the recovery room. I did that and I have had no gas pains. I got up and walked around some pretty frequently. The worst pain I had was at the port site (burning,searing pain), but after about 5 days and some good pain meds, it stopped.Try moving around more, drinking fluids and taking some gas meds.If you are constipated (I was), take some Metamucil-type pills. They worked for me. The TED hose drove me crazy! Good luck & this will all work out for you. You are just having a little rough patch! proudmaryRN

I was a self-pay. Paid $l4,900 for total (surg,surg center,appt.). I had this done in Texarkana, Tx. I believe this to be an average cost. I know the doctor had some kind of financial plan, I believe Capital One. Had my band on Mar. 5, 2008. Doing well, however, not easy to stick on all the liquid, soup diets. Looking forward to a first fill & move to real food. Good luck. I've lost 23 pounds so far, including pre-op dieting. proudmaryrn

Hi. Got banded 3/5/08. I am still having quite a bit of searing pain at the port site. I have to take the liquid lortab/pheneragan several times a day. I am not that sore anymore (except port site) & my sites are closed w/dissolvable stitches/steri-strips. I haven't had any problems w/sleeping or nausea. Have lost l8 lbs. since beginning of diet before banding until today. I am encouraged. started on creamy soups yesterday. Anything is good after clear liquids!