JRT Mom

Just don't wear any!

Stephanie-my RN coordinator has me putting cocoa butter on my scars--she says that can help the scars look better. It's also supposedly good for stretch marks...heaven knows we have plenty of those!:frown:

I have 8! When I had my first follow-up visit I asked the surgeon why so many. He said he normally leaves 5. Two of them are extra because he had to reposition two instruments that were getting in the way of each other, and the other was an accidental burn! At least he was honest about it!

I don't know if I've popped a stitch, but I'm a bit over one month post op and one of my incisions near where the port is has a bit of suture material sticking out of it. I go in Tuesday for my first fill and I'll have them look at it....

I agree that the long term consequences of being morbidly obese far outweigh (no pun intended!) those of being banded. And being banded has actually removed one of my health problems the very first minute after being banded--the surgery made my horrible GERD go away! That was a pleasant side effect!

I am so sorry for your loss....sometime it hurts so bad when we lose pets you wonder if it is worth having them. But if you stop and remember all the love and happiness you got from them, you'll see that it is worth it! And I would get another one after a while. You'll never be able to replace Pedro, but another dog will help fill some of the emptiness left by his passing, and Lucy will love having another companion also.

My surgeon gave me liquid ibuprofen right after my surgery and it worked wonders. I guess it must be OK if you are only using it for occasional pain...

My surgeon said that 85% of people with sleep apnea get relief when they lose weight. I'm really hoping so....would love to come of my Bipap!

I guess I'm either tough or just lucky. When I woke up in recovery NOTHING hurt. I actually thought they had cancelled the surgery! I was up walking an hour after I got back to my room. No gas pain anywhere! I slept on my right side, my left side and my back and was comfortable. The next day when I got home I got the liquid lortab prescription filled just in case but never took a single dose of it. The only time I felt pain was if I was lying down and sat up I'd get a pain across my stomach of about a 6, but it would go away after about five seconds then I was fine. Two weeks later the only thing that hurts is when I bend over and the port pulls on my stomach, and that's just a minor pain that goes away when I straighten up. I hope it goes as easily for everyone here!

I have a chocolate whey powder that's actually drinkable when mixed with water. I get it at the grocery store--it's called "Pure Protein 100% natural whey protein powder. I also have the Isopure Vanilla protein powder but it's yucky. I also like the isopure drinks. Not only are you getting 40 grams of protein, but also 20 oz of liquid at the same time! I only drink 10 oz at a time also.

I will miss being warm while skiing in the winter when everyone else is freezing their ass off!

fluff-- The waiting is the scary part. You'll be in good hands and all will be well. Everyone of us goes through the scared part, and once it is over it's downhill from there! Dreams are funny, no? The day before I got banded I dreamed they did a bypass on me by mistake! Now THAT was scary. Good luck on Monday-we'll all be sending positive vibes that way!

Mine said 24 hrs after your last narcotic pain med. I came home on a Saturday, took no pain meds except ibuprofen, and drove on Monday without any trouble.

I participated in a Lipitor study at Virginia Tech and they did something called a Dexa scan--it's like your scan but they also scan your bones, and then superimpose the white light one with your skeletal one. I looked like a bag of fat with bones in it! Maybe after I've lost my weight I can get them to do another one for comparison!

I'd go for it in a New York minute! Have lots of pictures taken of yourself, and when you are a goddess next year go back to Vegas and have then taken again...what great "before and after" pix they'll be!!

If you want a cheap and chewable calcium, use Tums. I tried Viactiv, but when I chewed it it didn't dissolve in my mouth and I was afraid to swallow it. So y'all have used it and it's ok?

Here's the band forming a triangle shape: (I'm not sure which band it is--the video doesn't say....) [ame=http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=VvKvmCVDVDY]YouTube - Inflating a gastric band (Swedish)[/ame] I wasn't given a choice because my surgeon only uses the Allergan band...

never mind..nothing to see here...please keep moving....

This is a great thread! Right now I am totally consumed with my lap band life--it's all I think about. I'm looking forward to getting to the solid food stage and maybe can stop obsessing. But I know what you mean--everyone I meet wants to know about getting banded and life with a band. I think the band companies should pay us money with all the advertising we do for them! Manatee-can you find a new circle of friends that never knew you were heavy? Join a new club or something? Then you won't be "the fat guy who lost all the weight", you'll be the new guy who's so hot! (yes, I've seen your pictures.....:Angel_anim:)

It's a good thing you caught it! Clots are dangerous because if pieces break off of a clot in your leg in can end up in your lungs causing a pulmonary embolism, or in your brain, which causes strokes. Not trying to scare y'all, but this is why the docs are so cautious with the stockings, leg massagers and the anticoagulant shots. The odds are small for having a clot, but even one is too many!

Clear liquids for two weeks? That's rough! My doc says two weeks of just liquids (not clear) and it hasn't been that hard. I really haven't been too hungry yet, but I can feel what's coming because when I'm somewhere and can smell good food my stomach starts growling. But I get to start pureed food on Saturday and I'm already planning what I want to eat first! Bigjedda--Don't worry if you have no appetite at first--it'll get so you won't be hungry but at least you'll be able to tolerate drinking lots of liquid. I actually had to force myself to drink and "eat" the first four days after surgery.

Mine did--I only had to make a $35 copay with my visit.

Congrats! Getting a date is exciting and scary at the same time---you have a date knowing when your life is gonna change for the better, but you will start scaring yourself with a big round of "what if"....I always suggest to people to make two lists---one list put all the good things about life being thinner, and the other your fears about getting banded, and you'll see the plus side list will be waaaaay longer than the minus! And remember if you start worrying you have lots of support here on this website. Good luck!

I had my lap band surgery on June 13 and it went amazingly well. When I woke up in the PACU I thought for some reason they hadn't been able to place the band because nothing hurt! Anywhere! I started feeling around for bandages and the nurse saw me and asked what was wrong and laughed when I told her, and she confirmed that I had gotten a band. An hour later after I got to my room I asked to get up and pee, so the nurse unhooked me, and since I was up already I went ahead and started walking laps. Then I went back to bed and slept some. I had to go to Xray to get the swallowing test, and I wanted to walk back to my room. The assistant that was with me tried to say, "no, you have to ride in the wheelchair", but I told her I was supposed to be walking, so couldn't I walk now? So she agreed, and walked back with me. So until three in the morning I had the same routine--pee, walk and sleep about two hours. Here's the warning part--at three am I thought I had to fart so I cut loose--and it wasn't just gas!!:cursing: Omigod what a mess! In ALL the reading I've done about my surgery NO ONE has mentioned this!!! I don't remember sharting as being a possibility!! So forgive me for being crude, but I feel it's my civic duty to warn y'all!!!!

I got one of the Sunbeam "bullets" at Walmart for $25. Works like a charm but I wanted more of the larger cups. I called Sunbeam directly and they don't sell the cups separately! Bummer............