Afterglow

Thanks so much! I'm going to ask my doctor for a prescription for Simethicone. I dont think I'm too tight. I havent even had a fill yet. I'm planning on scheduling one next month IF I can get a handle on the pb'ing. I still pb a couple of times a week, although it's not for hours and hours like it was a couple of months ago. Other than pb'ing, I have no discomfort at all, except for the gas. I can -- and do -- burp A LOT (also something I never did before being banded). That's very embarrassing too and I'm hoping it will eventually get better. Thanks again!!

I was banded last Thanksgiving week and have only one problem: terrible gas. I never had gas before being banded and I never had the gas shoulder pains others have right after surgery. But every day, shortly after lunchtime, my abdomen starts bloating and rumbling. I used to try to hold it in until I got home but, the past month or so, it's gotten so bad that I cant. So I go to the ladies room; the gas is so explosive that people on other floors have commented on it. I'm mortified (no one at work knows I'm banded). I use Gas-X but it doesnt work totally and I dont want to have to use it everyday for the rest of my life anyway. I'm eliminated dairy (which I was able to eat pre-banding) and all other foods known to cause gas. I dont drink carbonated beverages. But I still have large amounts of explosive gas every day. Does anyone else have this problem or have any suggestions?

Syntrax Essence Vanilla Flavor! No Sugar - No Fat - 90 calories per serving - Promina Whey Isolate - Lives up to its claim to be the best tasting Protein on the market. I drink it just for the taste. (Can too much protein be bad for me?) I order mine from drugstore.com, although you can probably buy it at health food stores. Go to www.drugstore.com if you want to read up on it. I dont like most other Protein drinks because they all seem to have an aftertaste -- even Ensure, which so many bandsters recommend. I understand that Syntrax makes another Protein Drink too, so, if you buy this, be sure to get the Essence.

I think there are a lot of posts on this forum about hair loss after banding. It's not the band; it's supposedly the anesthesic that causes the hair loss in many people. I'm going thru the same thing and I didnt have a lot of hair before, so I'm really having a tough time. BUt I keep reading that any hair lost will come back. I hope so!

I buy Syntrax Essence thru www.drugstore.com. I dont know if you can buy it in stores but I'd be surprised if you couldnt find it somewhere. You might try doing a google search to see if there's a Syntrax website. And I think Syntrax may make more than one variety, so be sure to get the Essence. I love the Vanilla flavor.

I've tried a lot of Protein drinks and, by far, the best-tasting is Syntrax Essence (Vanilla). Sometimes I mix it with a 50/50 ruby-red-grapefuit-and-Water mix but it tastes so good that I often just drink it with water. I have to be careful not to drink too much because I like the taste so much. I tried other Protein Drinks suggested here but I didnt like the aftertaste. Syntrax Essence has no aftertaste. And it smells as good as it tastes. You can check out the ingredients, etc at drugstore.com.

--Are you self pay, partial insurance covereage, or full/most insurance covered? SELF PAY --How long have you been banded? (in number of months) 2 --What is your AVERAGE weight loss since banding? (total weight loss divided by number of months banded) 8 LBS PER MONTH --Have you had any complications? NONE --Have you had your band removed? NO --What country was your band placed in? USA (HOUSTON TX) --What is your age? (I know...touchy. LOL But it does go along with the question.) 59 <!-- / message --><!-- sig -->

Roni, the SurgiCenter is great and is close to Dr Spivak's office. One neat thinig is that the SurgiCenter will pay for two nights' stay at a wonderful hotel that's about 1/4 mile away (all rooms are suites, with two TV's, a fridge and a microwave). I live only about 12 miles from there and the SurgerCenter paid for two nights' stay at the hotel for me -- the night before and the night after (since I didnt have a ride home the day of the surgery). You can get the directions from mapquest.

I was also banded by Dr Spivak. He uses (as do all lapband surgeons, I believe) general anesthesia. If your surgery is done at the SurgeryCenter, you'll get a prescription for a painkiller with codeine to get filled after you leave. I didnt realize the painkiller would have codeine and, since I threw up codeine years ago, I was too nervous to take the painkiller after I got it. (I didnt really need it anyway, though.)

Banded 11-21-05. Dr Spivak, Houston TX. No fills yet.

I'm newly banded (11-21-05) and my banding was done in Houston. What I know about erosion is only what I've read on these boards. But I wonder if maybe you might want to include the date of first fill in your survey too. Could something related to getting a fill before healing be a factor?

I may have registered at Inamed's website. I dont recall because I did so much researching on the internet at that time.

I didnt make any selection either but received the same pedometer described by others above. I was banded in late November and received the pedometer in late December or early January. What a nice surprise!

I've had quite a few surgeries over the past 12 years and never had a moment's discomfort. I truly could have walked out of the recovery room after my ovariohysterectomy and gone back to my office job. Same for sinus surgeries and carpal tunnel surgeries. So I sure wasnt expecting to have any discomfort after a simple banding. Wrong! I was fine the first day but the 2nd and 3rd days were killers; the 3rd day was worse than the 2nd. My port area hurt 24/7, especially when I tried to get in or out of bed. I whimpered so much my dog got stressed! I couldnt believe how much it hurt and I was even regretting having had the surgery. I couldnt imagine how people say they went back to work on the 3rd day. But we're all different. It was better on the 4th day and, by the 5th day, I was feeling fine (although still somewhat tired). About two weeks after banding I was sitting at my office desk and started getting sharp pains that didnt go away. I called the doctor the next day and learned that's normal. They were some kind of muscle spasms and finally did go away a day later. So today and tomorrow may be your worst days but you WILL feel better and you'll be as happy as I am about being banded. Good luck!

Thanks, DeLarla. I was banded on November 21, 2005 -- a little over two months ago. I'll call my doctor Monday so my restriction can be noted in my file. His office is only about 12 miles away, but, in Houston, that's an hour's drive.