twiggysmiff

I am scheduled to have my surgery on Wednesday and I've put myself on a pre-op diet of full liquids. My surgeon's requirement is that we do a low carb, high protein diet until the day before and then clear liquids 1 day pre op and then nothing the day of surgery. Since Wednesday, I've been slowly replacing my meals with a protein shake, mainly to practice for after surgery. By this weekend, I was totally on full liquids and SF/FF pudding. Amazingly, I've been taking in right about 1000 calories or so each day and not really hungry thanks to the Body Fortress Whey Protein powder shakes. Today, though, I woke up and my stomach was so nauseous that I couldn't eat. I was packing my lunch of cottage cheese and Simply Fruit strawberry spread and was gagging the whole time. I ended up only eating SF jello for lunch and now I've got a migraine from HELL! (I get them quite often). Could it be the diet? Should I eat "real" food to make it go away, since technically I'm allowed?

Well, I just found out 2 weeks ago that I am pregnant. I will be 6 weeks tomorrow and am scheduled for my first ultrasound on Wednesday. Here's the thing...I only had my surgery in January, so its only been about 4 months. We weren't trying either. I have to admit, we weren't preventing it even though they warned us of improved fertility as I lost weight. I really thought we were safe because my weight was not the only thing standing in the way. My husband has his own issues and I also have endometriosis which has scarred me in addition to the PCOS issues. We were told it wouldn't be possible by ourselves at all! I called my surgeon's office a week ago and haven't heard back. I plan on calling again tomorrow. Please don't lecture me about not doing birth control and how its too soon after surgery. The fact is that the baby is in there now and what's done is done. What should I know about being a pregnant bandster? Any advice? What about morning sickness, etc? What are the risks of being pregnant this soon?

Yes, I had hoped to wait until I had lost more before getting PG. I have a 6 year old and was overweight when I had her. It was not fun and that's the part that I don't want to repeat, but I can't help that now. This will probably be our last baby, so I plan on enjoying it as much as I can.

Wow! We are practically the same! LOL I had my surgery 1/14 and I am 6 weeks pg today. My due date should be Jan 19. I have my ultrasound tomorrow to confirm, but I know when I ovulated. I realized the signs and took a test and it was positive and then I felt my ovary explode and then I just sat back to wait and see once I realized the timing ended up being perfect. As for twins, lets hope that this is where our similarities end! LOL I already have a 6 year old and I don't think I could handle 2 at once! During my last pregnancy, I actually lost weight and I wasn't even banded. OB said that the baby used my stores first and its not uncommon. We will absolutely stay in touch!

I had my second fill yesterday. I had absolutely no restriction after the last one 4 weeks ago. I could have gone back in 2 weeks instead of waiting 4 weeks, but life got in the way. I've spent a lot of time in the hospital because my dad was having a lung biopsy and was diagnosed with Stage 4 renal cell carcinoma. I had a bit too much going on to worry about a fill during that time. I was making bad food choices and eating on the run most of the time. Since then, I've been under stress at work with after school meetings that made me have to reschedule my appts over and over. I finally was able to make it to the surgeon yesterday and was scared to get on the scale. I was surprised when I was down half a pound. Granted, I'm frustrated it was only half a pound, but I'm glad I didn't go up. It was my fault and all the stress that kept me from losing more. The Nurse prac said that she would give me a "whopper" of a fill and I think she put in 2.5, but I forgot to ask. I still only feel a little restriction, so I'll probably go back again in 2 weeks for another. I now have 4 ccs in a 10 cc band. I'm glad that I'm back on the band wagon! :thumbup:

I don't have an answer, but I have to say that I hate the fact that your doctor is basically blaming you. Isn't it the doctor or his staff who decides how much fluid to put in? If they put too much in, what choice is there to take it out. My first idea is to give your doctor a lecture! Tell him that its his office that is routinely putting in too much fluid and causing problems and perhaps he needs to train his staff better instead of blaming the patient for these problems.....

It never hurts to ask. My doctor will allow fills 4 weeks after surgery. Each doctor has their own guidelines though. Good luck!

I can TOTALLY relate to this and I had a massive panic attack during my first sleep study. The little nasal pieces they put under your nose bothered me and I had a hard time with it. The second sleep study, my doctor gave me 2 Ambien to take. I didn't know a thing!!! LOL I was able to get used to the mask on my face and it did help me sleep, but it caused blood pressure issues and swelling, so I had to stop it. As for you telling your doctor...you're now saying "I must have led you to believe I was hiding it", but I went back to the OP and you said, "My doctor requires it, but I plan on keeping it a secret and not using it." That sounds like you're not telling your doctor.....Which is the truth?

Sew a tennis ball into the back of your pj's so when you roll on your back, you'll roll back on your side immediately. :biggrin:

Be careful. Most CPAP machines have a card in it that you take to the doctor's office and they can read the data from it (length of time used, how many nights you used it, how much pressure it used, etc). The doctor may ask you to bring in this card to be sure that you used it. For what its worth, I have sleep apnea and can't use the CPAP machine. I am claustrophobic and I did manage to get past that and sleep with the machine. What happened next was bizarre. When I use the machine, I had a problem with severely high blood pressure and my ankles and legs swelled to the point of pain and I couldn't wear shoes. The doctors could not tell me why, but now, the machine is gathering dust on the floor next to my bed. Good luck to you!

Well, I had my first fill on Thursday afternoon and 2 days later, I can feel NO DIFFERENCE. I had 1.5 ccs in a 10cc band. I had gone from January 14 to beginning of March with great restriction from just the band and lost 25 pounds. I lost restriction, started eating more and gained back a few pounds. I know that most people get several fills before they get restriction, but I was hoping since I had restriction and lost it, it wouldn't take much to get it back. Here are my questions...once you lose restriction, how many fills does it take to get it back again? Do you usually feel the restriction right after the fill or does it take a while to "kick in"? I've tried doing a search for old posts, I get hundreds of seemingly random posts that have nothing to do with my search! Thanks for your help!

I know what restriction feels like because the band by itself was tight. It wasn't surgery swelling, etc that was causing it. I know that most people need several fills to get to their first real restriction point. I expected that for myself, but was surprised when I actually got real restriction from the band. Since I have had restriction since day 1, I was hoping it wouldn't take much to get it back again. My analogy would be the difference between buying pants that were 6 sizes too big and getting it altered vs buying pants that are just a bit roomy and cinching the waist. My band should just be roomy now and should need the cinching of a little Fluid. Oh well....We'll see what happens when I go back in another week! :thumbup:

I can go back to the doctor again in 2 weeks for another fill, so that is what I'm planning on doing. I'm allowing them to decide who much fill to put in because, after all, they are the experts and that's why they get paid the big bucks, right?? LOL

My doctor's office will only let you come back for a fill every 2 weeks. I just had my 1st on Thursday and I'm not feeling any restriction. I may call and go back in.....

I was one of the lucky ones who had restriction from day one. Over the past couple of weeks, I've noticed I've been able to eat more and more and now I'm almost back to my old habits. I would have gone in sooner, but I was really sick with bronchitis and then TOM appeared. I went in today and I've still lost weight and they were very pleased with my progress. I told them about my lost restriction and she filled me with 1.5 ccs. She numbed the site first with lidocaine and then put the needle in. She tried to draw out fluid to see if there was any residual from before surgery when they tested it. There wasn't anything in it. I had to drink a little water as she filled it and it went down fine. I'm on mushies until tomorrow, but so far, so good! I guess I didn't really have to feel as nervous as I was. :smile2: Now, let the weight come off! LOL

Congratulations! I can't wait until I can post the very same thing, but it will be a while for me! I'm still a 26!

It was OK with my surgeon, but you should check with YOUR surgeon.....

I'm a side/stomach sleeper and have had no problems. I first slept on my stomach at 3 days post op and been fine ever since!!

ME!!! One of the first things that I remember my doctor saying to me when I was waking up from surgery was that he put on a 10cc band and it was pretty "snug". He said the same thing to my husband and mom, so I was hopeful that meant restriction. Apparently, it did. I've not been hungry, I've only been able to eat very little bits of food and have been losing steadily. I had a slight stall at around 20 pounds lost, but then it started moving again. I had my surgery on 1/14. I was 282 then and I weighed this morning and I'm 257. I've lost 25 lbs in 8 1/2 weeks with NO FILLS. I've lost a total of 39 since the beginning of the pre-op 6 month diet thing. I've not had food get stuck, I've not had problems with food at all (there was one piece of chicken that I was afraid was going to get stuck and then it was OK). I'm only just now thinking of getting a fill because I'm able to eat more than I was at first, but still less than I used to. They told me I shouldn't be able to eat more than a Lean Cuisine entree and I'm able to eat a bit more than that. Some days I can eat more than others. I also get hungry at 3 hours instead of 5 hours so I'm having 3 meals and a small snack. Then again, if I'm doing this and not starving and I'm still losing, I should be OK. If its not broke, don't fix it! LOL I'm still holding out on the fill until the scale stops! I don't think anything is wrong. I'm just counting my lucky stars that I've not gone through the HELL that others have! :scared2:

The problem with using juice to control sugar is that it is quickly used up by the body. It may make your blood sugar increase and do it quickly, but won't sustain it for long. You need to add a snack that has Protein and fat in it. It is the protein and fat that keeps your blood sugar high. When I was pregnant, I had gestational diabetes and I was told that if I dropped too low while I was on insulin, to drink a regular soda or OJ to bring it up quick and then follow up with a snack like Peanut Butter and crackers to keep it up until meal time. You may want to do this right before bed so you don't wake up with low blood sugars. You may want to invest in a glucometer at home so you can test yourself. Many companies are even offering free glucometers through their sites. Good luck!! (PS...doesn't the acid in the OJ hurt your stomach if you are chugging it???)

I am in the middle of the first illness I have had since surgery. I'm battling a sinus infection, ear infection, strep and on top of it, I have a stomach virus that resulted in vomiting and dry heaves. I went to my regular doctor and he promptly gave me a script for phenergan to make me stop vomiting because of the band (it's working so far!!) and some antibiotics for the infections. Here's my question...I am finding that I have to eat regularly (a small something every 2 hours or so) or my stomach will start rumbling and painfully telling me that it is hungry. It also gives me burning heartburn pains when it is empty. Any one else experience this with an illness? Either its the stomach virus making my stomach irritable or I've developed GERD and it's just coincidental. Any thoughts??

I'm not sure about blood test, but I remember when I was signing up for life insurance coverage, they did a cheek swab to test for nicotine. They had to confirm I was a non-smoker because of reduced rates. There ARE ways they can check to be sure you aren't smoking. My surgery group was one that said you had to quit for at least a month before and a month after or they wouldn't do the surgery. They were concerned about the ulcers on the stomach. Of course, their preference is that you never start back again.

It's also all of the hydration from the IV they give you. You get a lot of water weight too.

Yes, they have flavorings, but they are not free (at least not around here). It's a minimal charge of $2-3 though. They have TONS of flavors. They can even add the flavoring to OTC liquids like cough syrups, etc.

I am scheduled to have my band placed in 1 week. I have been and still am really excited about starting my new life and most especially seeing the results after using my new tool. However, now that I'm close enough to be counting down days, arranging for a substitute for my classroom, shopping for items I'll need pre and post surgery, I'm finding my nerves becoming more and more active. I have random moments of "what the hell am I about to do to myself" and have visions of getting the band and freaking out and wanting to claw it out. I really do know that I want this and I know I'm ready to do what it takes to work with the band. Anyone else go through this before their surgery? I guess I'm afraid that my history of panic attacks will rear its ugly head at the hospital before surgery. I'm worrying about little things, like will the IV or leg wraps for blood clots trigger my claustrophobia, etc. Am I normal or is this a bad omen?