Northwest_Nance

I have seen a few stories -- don't know if it was on this forum or another, I just remember it scared the heck out of me before my surgery - of people having their surgery cancelled after the doctor started surgery and then got a look at their liver. Their livers were too fatty or too damaged (from alcohol, etc.) for the surgeon to feel that he could safely move it around. So it can happen and it is a real concern... but I think it's pretty rare. I was worried about my liver too, and I was relieved to wake up from surgery and find that they'd done the procedure! Detroit, I wish you had more support at home but you've got support here and if you want it more than anything, as you say -- you are going to be a success!!! Best of luck with your surgery tomorrow.

Nice to see such a nasty post here. And we're all here to support each other, huh? It might be possible to lose that much weight in that amount of time, why not go for it? In my opinion (and yes we all have one, and that's why we're here, to express our opinions and share our experiences, and respect other opinions, right?) it's not likely to happen in a healthy way but who's to say.... we're all different. My concern would be setting such a challenging goal for myself, I would tend to get pretty discouraged if I realized it wasn't going to happen. For me, I am trying to just see this as a new and healthier way to live, it's going to be for the rest of my life.... so if I can live with healthy choices, the right portion sizes, etc., the weight will come off at the right pace. Whatever happens.... good luck! It's a very exciting journey.

I'm so sorry that your mum has that attitude.... I get so mad when I hear of anyone having that attitude but if it was my own parents it would be even worse. It's a shame you can't confide in her and have her support but under the circumstances it sounds like you made the right decision to not tell her. It's really sad that your husband is not supportive, this is a challenging journey and it's made that much harder when we have to do it alone. It makes me really appreciate the support I have, and I hope that we here on this forum can be your support. I can hardly believe they are calling for Fern Britton to resign! That's outrageous! What a wonderful opportunity to educate people (like your mum!) about the lap band. It would be so good if her employer recognized that and chose to turn this into something positive and helpful for people. Sure it would have been nice if she'd been able to be honest about it to everyone in the first place but it's not easy living life in the spotlight and this was really her personal business.... besides, there are a lot of people on this forum who decide not to tell people, because they don't want everyone watching them to see if they lose weight, etc. So who can blame her for keeping it to herself?

I'm almost 4 weeks post-op. I work out on the Wii Fit too (love it!) and I do all the same exercises you mentioned.... I don't have much trouble, but I do have tenderness around my port area and pretty much have since about 5 days after surgery... it comes and goes, and the level of pain fluctuates, and sometimes I think it is worse when I wear certain clothes so maybe the waist band hits me in different places. I did find that I tried the running in place on the Wii and I had noticeable increase in port pain so I stopped doing that.

My doctor said to give it a couple of weeks and then "let pain be your guide". If it hurts, don't do it. I had no restrictions on lifting after surgery either, which surprised me. I started working out on the Wii Fit and the treadmill (walking at a fairly slow pace) 2 weeks after surgery. When I did the running in place on the Wii Fit I noticed my port area was more tender that night so I stopped doing that, but I've been able to do most of the other exercises.

My doctor told me that if I work with the band and stay on plan, it is completely feasible and realistic for me to lose 100 lbs. in a year, so 50 lbs. in 6 months seems equally feasible. I don't have anyone wanting to buy me lingerie from VS (right now I can't even IMAGINE wearing that stuff but I'm looking forward to the day when it is something I'd feel comfortable wearing) but I have already thought about our next office Christmas party, which is very fancy and high end..... it was hard to find an appropriate outfit this past Christmas, I think I'll have much more fun shopping for a new dress for the party this Christmas!

That is such a good question. I'm just starting on this latest weight loss journey.... although this time I know I'm going to be successful and I'm going to keep it off.... but I've never been able to see myself in a positive light. I zero in on my worst flaws, no matter how much weight I lose. This is probably one of our biggest stumbling blocks. It kind of says that we have bigger issues than the scale.

I was instructed to lose 10 pounds in 7 days on 4 MediFast drinks a day and one Lean Cuisine. I really doubted I could lose that much weight in 7 days but my doctor assured me I could. Well, I started the diet a couple of days early (my doctor is known to postpone surgery if you don't lose the weight he instructs you to lose) and I struggled with it. At the end of 6 days I still had almost 3 pounds to lose. So, I changed my diet to three MediFast drinks a day and, instead of a Lean Cuisine, I made a low-carb dinner of chicken breast and green beans, for the last 2 nights. I ended up dropping almost 12 pounds instead of the required 10. I'm convinced giving up the Lean Cuisines and switching to low carb is what helped me.

I was told I could drive once I was off pain meds. I probably could have driven the day after surgery if I had to, but I'm glad I didn't have to. And I'm glad the driver behind me and next to me on the road wasn't one day out of surgery under general anesthesia!

It might depend on how tall you are. I am pretty short - 5'1" and I think I go down a size for every 20 pounds or so. Or at least, after 20 pounds I can start squeezing into the next size!

That's interesting, I hadn't heard of that. I had a one hour visit with the psychologist and she told me she thought I'd be an excellent candidate for surgery, I was approved, and that was that! Guess I got off easy. She and I really hit it off, she was a few years older than me and also got a lap band about 7 years ago. We had a very good chat for that hour. I think the 585 questions are probably a good idea, they really do have to screen out people who won't be able to deal with the lap band, might freak out, have unrealistic expectations, etc. I think those things are kind of fun to do but then I'm strange that way, lol.

Ooooh I hate reading that! My first fill is on Thursday and I'm nervous about whether it's going to hurt, I still feel pain in the port area sometimes and I cringe at the thought of anyone injecting me there.... even though I've been told over and over that it doesn't hurt. Now here you are to put the lie to that, lol! Seriously I'm sorry you had to go through that. And Mstrina, I will let you know how it goes, and you let me know how yours goes! I'll be thinking about you.

I really enjoyed reading this. I could relate to a lot of what you wrote, especially the part about being obsessed with the food and worrying that I wouldn't get enough, but not wanting others to see that I was too anxious about it. It sounds like you are doing great. I understand the fear that you won't keep feeling like this... I'm a little afraid to trust it as well. I was banded 3-1/2 weeks ago and I get my first fill on Thursday. We're on an exciting journey!

Honestly I hadn't even heard of a nausea factor until I read this post. I was banded 3-1/2 weeks ago. My surgeon gave me a prescription for anti-nausea medication in case I had a reaction to the anesthesia, but I have never had to take it. I don't know about potential nausea further on down the road, but I got the impression that when people throw up from eating too much for their pouch, they don't experience nausea as we know it, but as I haven't experienced that yet, I can't really speak to it.

Hi... just wondered if anyone here is planning to be at the NWWLS support group meeting in WA on Monday night? It will be my first meeting, not sure what to expect, but thought if anyone I'm getting to know from this forum will be there, it would be nice to say hi!

I'm going to share something here which up until now, I never would have shared with, or admitted to, anyone. My binges were always my deep dark secret, except, of course, for the evidence they left behind -- my big fat butt (and other body parts, ha!). And now that I've been banded, I'm even more ashamed to admit what I did lastnight. But I feel that I made a huge decision to change my life for the better, and coming out and talking about what I did is part of that change, being honest, admitting my transgressions, sharing, and hoping I learned something from it. It might be kinda long and I apologize for that, but I'm doing this mostly for me..... So anyway - my first fill is next week. I realize I might not feel any restriction after the first fill but then again, I might. I know someone who is enormously restricted after her first fill. I have very mild restriction from my empty band, but I only notice it if I really over-eat at a meal, and I've only done that a couple of times. By "over eating", I mean eating what used to be more or less a normal big meal for me. Except for those few meals, I've done VERY well since I began this whole process. I've lost 30 pounds since April 13th. Ten of that was on my own once I made up my mind I was ready for surgery, ten of it was on the pre-op diet and ten of it has been in the three weeks since I was banded. For the most part, I really haven't had any trouble sticking to healthy foods and small portions, although as the days pass since surgery, I am able to eat more and more, so pushing myself away from the table has been a little more challenging. Anyway.... after all these weeks and weeks of "being good", I started thinking about how I could have one last little mini-binge before getting my first fill (scheduled for Thursday). After all, I never got my "last supper" before surgery. Don't I "deserve" a Friday night mini-binge? Soooooo...... lastnight I made myself my favorite alcoholic beverage -- a White Russian. (and I do not make small drinks -- one home-made drink is probably the size of two in a bar). Then I made a second one. Then I started looking through the cabinets and refrigerator for what I could eat. Well, there wasn't much in the house that was binge-worthy because, after all, I've started this new life, right? I ended up having a couple of wheat crackers with a little bit of no-salt butter on them and little pieces of fat free cheese on them. Not too bad, right? Then I remembered I had bacon in the fridge. And low-fat Peanut Butter in the cabinet. And a loaf of low-carb bread I'd bought at the grocery store that day. I haven't had bread in a couple of months. Nor alcohol, for that matter. So, I microwaved some bacon and toasted that bread, and made myself a peanut butter and bacon sandwich. Yum!!! Curled up on the couch with my White Russian and my sandwich. Took a couple bites of the sandwich.... hmmmm, this doesn't really taste as good as I expected. And what's that.... I'm feeling full. Really full. (I think the milk in the White Russians contributed to the full feeling). WHAT AM I DOING??? What if I hurt my band? I can't do this. I can't. I got up and threw the sandwich away. I'd taken about 3 small bites of it. I loaded up the dishwasher and started it. I didn't want to wake up this morning and see the remnants of my little binge in the sink. Now, I'll tell you what. What I did lastnight never would have won the honor of being called a binge, pre-band. It would have been a snack.... just a warm up for the evening's binge to follow. But, it's the mindset that is at issue here. I still wanted that binge, and I gave it to myself, albeit a smaller one than I'm used to. And I guess on the positive side, I did recognize what I was doing, and I stopped in mid-bite. Hopefully, I learned something from it that will come to mind next time I get that urge. Because of course, I will get the urge. A habit and addiction I've given into for years, is not going to disappear by waving a magic wand, or a magic band. I guess this feels sort of like going to Confession. I need to share this so that it doesn't become something I'm hiding. I've hidden my eating problems for far too long. Oh and like a masochist I made myself get on the scale this morning. I knew I had to confront what my lttle binge had done. I was down half a pound. Maybe I escaped harm this time.... but these things can take a day or two to catch up with us we'll see what the scale says over the next couple of days. Thank you all for listening.... errr.... reading. I've been getting to know you all through your posts in the last few weeks and it's a wonderful place to come for support, questions, sharing, and.... confession!

Thank you all for the encouraging words and support -- you helped me focus on the positive aspects of my experience and those are some good things to carry with me. :incazzato:

I was banded on May 15th and I'm scheduled for my first fill this Thursday, June 12th - exactly 4 weeks from date of surgery. I have been going through the same thing, being hungry.... but I just really really want to lose weight so right now, until I get the fill that gets me to that "sweet spot", I am following the same 950-1100 calorie per day diet I was on before surgery, and it's not any harder than dieting ever was -- that is to say, no fun, hard to push myself away from the table, lol. I do find that if I really over-eat, I feel some restriction.... I can tell it's different from how I used to just feel full if I ate too much. I'm talking about feeling very over-stuffed on the kind of portions we are served in restaurants, whereas I usually didn't leave a restaurant feeling that stuffed. I don't feel full unless I over-eat like that though. I'm looking forward to feeling that full on smaller, healthier portions. I'm losing slowly.... I lost 10 pounds on my own before the pre-op diet, another 10 pounds on the pre-op diet, and another 10 since surgery. I can only say what everyone else says... hang in there! It will get better, for both of us!

Any intelligent person is going to give a lot of thought to the risks of going under anesthesia, and having any surgery. It's good that you are confronting the reality of surgery! Each of us has to weigh this as we make a decision whether to have the surgery. The odds of you coming through the surgery just fine are extremely high but nobody can give you a 100% guarantee. You just have to do all your research and make an informed decision. Also, research the effects of being morbidly obese and what that does to your heart and your other organs and your lifespan, and your quality of life and ability to be the best parent you can be, and weigh that out too.

Really good points, Mac. Obviously the fear comes from the fact that lap band surgery is elective. But... look at how many people get plastic surgery or liposuction.... totally elective surgery, and we have heard of some infamous deaths from that surgery... but the odds are extremely low and it doesn't keep people from doing it. And their lives weren't endangered by their loose skin or sagging faces, the way our lives are endangered by our excess weight. Women die in childbirth.... I don't know those odds but I'm sure they are very low too... doesn't keep people from getting pregnant. My father-in-law died from heart bypass surgery. We hear about people getting bypass surgery every day and we think of it as routine. Every surgery has its risks. Most surgery's risk is not as high as the risks from morbid obesity though. That's why they call it "morbid".

Every doctor is different. My doctor does only lap band surgery, he's been doing it for years, and he has done well over 1000 of them with a high success rate, very low band slippage rate (which he says is mostly from vomiting, which can easily be avoided) and many very, very happy patients. He has his patients on one week post-op of liquid diet and then one week of mushies, then on to regular food. I don't really like to see people posting scare tactics from other doctors.... let's everyone just follow the advice of their own doctor, ok? That being said, follow the advice of your doctor. And peanuts right after surgery is totally wrong by any doctor's advice!

Kimaly, I really think you'll be fine. I think you'll be surprised by how well you'll be doing. Lots of people go to Mexico for surgery and fly home and they all do really well. It is surgery, yes, but it isn't major invasive surgery, it's laporascopic surgery. You'll be a little uncomfortable but probably no more so than when you're having a bad period.

Yellow is one of the stages of bruises healing. Mine were dark purple and red before they turned yellow. If your skin just went from normal to yellow, I'd be curious about that, but it's still probably just part of bruising. Still, if you're concerned, I'd ask my doctor.

Everyone's experience is different. I had surgery at 1:00 p.m. and was walking out of there at 4:00. I decided not to have anyone stay with me the first night and I was fine. I was wide awake, and I stayed up until 11:00 p.m. watching TV. But, I was feeling so good that I didn't take any pain meds and I should have, because I woke up during the night feeling pretty uncomfortable. Pain meds work much better if you take them before the pain gets bad! I was up early the next day and felt mildly uncomfortable but not too bad. But by early afternoon it all caught up with me and I suddenly felt very sleepy. I took a 4-hour nap, woke up for an hour, fell asleep on the couch for a few hours, woke up for another hour or two, and went to bed, and slept for 10 hours! Three days after surgery I woke up and realized I felt absolutely wonderful. I think part of it was just the release of the anxiety and stress of researching weight loss surgery, making the decision, finding the money (I'm self pay), etc. etc. After that the only real issue has been pain around the port area, and that is getting better. I'm 55 years old and supposedly we take a little longer to recover when we get older, but again, I think everyone is different. You're going to feel great very soon and you'll be on your way in your exciting new journey!

I'm not sure why you feel sorry for me.... maybe I didn't express myself very well. I am SO EXCITED about this journey I'm on. I've lost 30 pounds since April 13th and life is good. Much better than any Pasta or bread I ever ate! I was just trying to respond to your question and express that you have to be ready, you have to want it. Just think about it carefully and figure out if you're ready and if you want it. If you are ready, and if you do want it.... it's worth it! But I wonder, if you only need to lose 50-60 pounds, whether you really need the band for that? Most people need to lose 100+ pounds. Not that I'd deny the benefits of the band to anyone, but is your BMI high enough to qualify for the surgery?