blondiebandie

Kizzie, Thanks so much for the info - it is much appreciated. Tomorrow morning, I have an appointment with my fill dr. Hopefully, I'll learn what's going on with me!

Hello everyone - I need your help/guidance/suggestions/support - I know, I am not asking for much! Anyways...I was banded on May 2, 2008 and things were going just great...until about a month ago. That was when the port pain first began. Sometimes the pain wakes me up. There is no way I can lie on my left side; it just hurts too much. And now I always cry out when I cough, sneeze, or laugh. As the title of my post indicates, I do not have gallstones; I feel the pain under my left rib (my gallbladder, under my right rib, was removed over 10 years ago). I called my aftercare place where I get my fills and explained the pain to them. They suggested it was just gas and that it will get better. Let me tell you, this is NOT gas and to date, it has not gotten better. I have had gas before and I can clearly differentiate between the two. I am really getting scared because the pain is just not going away; does anyone have any ideas about what is going on with me? Thanks much, Teri

I am posting this with the thought that my experience may be helpful to folks....This morning I went in for my first fill (I was banded on May 2nd). I was pretty nervous at first, but everyone (True Results in Richardson) was so nice, I calmed down right away. After weighing in, a blood pressure test, and the nurse listening to my breathing and such, I signed some papers acknowledging that I essentially know what's going on.:party: Then, the nurse injected my tummy with a shot of lidocaine (she said she usually does that for us first-timers). She poked around on me a little, then found the port. The nurse inserted the needle in my port and added .8 cc of saline. Afterwards, I sipped water for 30 minutes to make sure it would go down. During that time, I visited with a "patient educator". She is a really kind lady who has been banded for several years now. For the first time in my life, I had someone with whom I could actually talk and ask questions -- nice. Anyways...I am now on full liquids for 2 days. After that, I move up to soft foods for another 2 days. Then, I start solids...I am pretty antsy about that, to be sure. Well, that is about it. Pretty uneventful. I'm a bit sore from the injection, but that is about all. I go back in 2 weeks to see if I need more/less fill. Good luck to all of you with your first fill - I hope y'all's go as smoothly as mine!

Timandi, Hi there! I am pretty new to this forum too but during the time I've been here, everyone has been very kind and supportive. I too have been getting very hungry between meals -- according to the nurse, that is a sure sign you need a fill. I understand that when we are filled to the right amount we won't be hungry between meals IF we make sure we're getting enough protein. Since breakfast is often made up of "bready" food we can no longer have, my patient educator suggested that I eat 2 large eggs or 3-4 Morningstar veggie sausage links for my first meal. She said that only by eating enough protein will we stay full for 4 hours --- until our next meal. Another suggestion was that I only eat food with a fork (food eaten with a spoon will slip easily through the band, defeating its purpose for being there in the first place). And we need to make sure that we're drinking lots of water (I flavor mine with Crystal Lite). Sometimes we feel we're hungry when we're actually just thirsty! Good luck with your journey with the band...we'll all be there right beside you!

Hey Enigma13!!! Dr. Felts was my surgeon too! When I went in for the fill, the nurse told me I had 5 cc already in the band (that was the first time I found out). She then proceeded to extract a certain amount of fluid with the syringe before pushing it back in with the extra 0.8 ccs. That may sound kind of creepy, but it was fine, really! Good luck with your fill. Please let me know how it goes!

Hi everyone! Yes, it is amazing how good I'm doing - at least I'm amazed! I didn't have any steri-strips, just glue. That's just about all gone now. My incisions are pretty small and appear to be healing really fast - woohoo! Here's a breakdown of my diet, now that I'm on "mushies": For breakfast, I have a protein shake, followed by a cup of applesauce (or something similar) so I can take some morning Rx. At lunch, I eat a container of FF yogurt and maybe a cup of FF pudding. And for supper, I have another protein shake and a cup of soup or mashed potatoes, something like that. And then, one last cup of applesauce for my evening Rx. Everything is just wonderful, except for the pain I'm still getting in my left shoulder...arghhhhhhhhh!!! OK, maybe just argh...but still! :thumbup:

Terri, Thanks for the kind words - they are much appreciated! Yeah for us indeed!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!! The 22nd will be here before you know it...good luck!!!

Hello everyone! I was banded on May 2nd. I am 46 years old and have struggled with my weight all my life. One of my FIRST memories (maybe I was 5 years old?) was a bunch of cheerleaders pointing at my tummy and snickering. And I have always felt that there are cheerleaders out there pointing and snickering at me. My weight has gone up and down...it went WAY up when my only child left for college 2 years ago. I started eating in an effort to make myself feel better and then I just kept on eating. Then, a few months ago, I noticed that my husband of 22+ years was becoming less and less "affectionate" and when I finally inquired, he said, "Well, you've never been this heavy before." As you can imagine, I was shocked and humiliated; I felt like I had married one of those cheerleaders, you know? I love him, but I would be a liar if I said things are just swell. As a matter of fact, this has been one of the most difficult things I've ever faced. I cannot even begin to tell you how alone I feel. But, I feel lots better now that I've found this forum. Y'all are a godsend.

Hi there! I was banded on May 2nd (a Friday) and returned to work on May 5th (the next Monday). Monday was a little rough; I sweat through my clothes a couple of times. But, after that, I've been fine. I am often quite tired in the evening, more so than usual. I haven't had the hiccups yet and after I read how horrible they've been for you, I hope to goodness I don't get them anytime soon!!! Good luck and take it easy...you're the only one of you you've got!

KelvinsMom, Thank you so much for the kind words and support. I REALLY appreciate it! Happy Mother's Day to you too!!!

I am sending this to y'all because I don't have anyone else to talk to. Last night, my son came home from college (yea!) Well, this morning, as part of my Mother's Day gift, he made me pancakes for breakfast (he doesn't know I've had the procedure). Although this was a truly touching and heartwarming present, I am not to start mushies until tomorrow. And, my mushies list doesn't contain anything about panckes. Although I only ate about 3/4 of one small pancake drenched in syrup so I could essentially slurp it down in TINY amounts, and I took a long time slurping), I am afraid I might've messed up something. As of right now, I feel fine (it's been over an hour now). Thanks for "listening".

I am sending this to y'all because I don't have anyone else to talk to. Last night, my son came home from college (yea!) Well, this morning, as part of my Mother's Day gift, he made me pancakes for breakfast (he doesn't know I've had the procedure). Although this was a truly touching and heartwarming present, I am not to start mushies until tomorrow. And, my mushies list doesn't contain anything about panckes. Although I only ate about 3/4 of one small pancake drenched in syrup so I could essentially slurp it down in TINY amounts, and I took a long time slurping), I am afraid I might've messed up something. As of right now, I feel fine (it's been over an hour now). Like I said, I'm posting this because I feel so alone and scared of what I did. Thanks for "listening".

Hello to Allison and tmfritts (Terri)! I am also a Teri (being a natural blonde, I think my folks kept the spelling of my name as simple as possible, hence only one R in my name hee hee). Thanks for checking in on me - I really appreciate it! Only my husband knows about my procedure, so it is nice to have someone to "talk" to. It is amazing how much better I feel day to day; after the first couple of days, I was really starting to question my making this decision. But now that I feel somewhat human again, I am convinced that this was the right move for me. Boy, it sure is strange...I am hardly eating ANYTHING but somehow I don't feel that I'm starving. My post-op appointment and my first fill are scheduled for June 9th. I wonder how THAT will go. Teri

Please add me - I was banded May 2nd!!!

This will be my first post (I hope I get it right). Please add me -- I was banded May 2nd! I have lost 10 pounds so far -- woohoo!!!