RestlessMonkey

You know, I slept in my bed from day one and I know people think I was nuts (or in denial LOL) but I did take prescription med, I used a pillow to prop up my abdomen etc, and I have a bed with posts and that helped me pull myself up the next morning. (A person would work, too! LOL) You might want to try that tonight; the pillow helps kind of "protect" the surgical sites and it made it, at least for me, easy to fall asleep (and sleep WAY better than I would in a recliner or on a couch!) Good luck!

Sorry I didn't get the email note that you responded....I hope by now you're feeling way better. I think it's easy to forget that, once we have the band, we can still have digestion "issues" that aren't band related! Like catching a "bug" or eating something that disagrees with us. My NP at my surgeon's office game me a prescription for phenergan so I wouldn't have to worry if something came along; you might want to ask for something like that.

Confirm the time with your doctor...mine originally had us waiting an hour but has since revised it to 15 minutes. Do what your surgeon says, of course, but you might want to reconfirm. I think average (at least as posted here on LBT) is around 30 minutes post meal...but you need to do what your surgeon directs. Having said that I find 15 minutes hard...I'd die if I had to go one hour. I feel for you!

I asked the NP at my surgeon's office and she gave me a prescription for phenergan....told me to get it filled and have it on hand in case I get nauseated.

Mushies are foods that are soft and easy to digest like mashed potatoes, for example. So for mushies I had pureed foods. Aside from refried beans, I put stuff in my little 2 cup food processor and pureed the, well, you know, out of it. I don't like cottage cheese and couldn't imagine living on yogurt for another week, but things that are baby-food consistency are ok for most docs. OF COURSE.....check with what your doctor and nutritionist said and don't contradict their orders, regardless.

Good luck. Whether tricare approves you easily or not depends on how overweight you are. Good luck! :thumbup:

Hugs to you HeatherO! I know you must be worried! Could your nerves about it all be playing a part? I know I've read that when we're tense (the old fight/flight thing) it can cause tight bands to restrict further. Makes sense because blood is shunted away from things like "digestion" and into legs etc so you can RUN if necessary. You are normally calm and level headed (at least on here!) but have you tried just clearing your mind, doing deep breathing, centering yourself, not worrying about it? And can you stay on Clear Liquids for a while, calmly, drink something warm, relax, practice some guided imagery, and see what happens? It's possible you needed an unfill for your pregnancy but if you can make it until the weather improves and your normal doc can see you, you'll feel better about it, I'm guessing. Try thinning the slim fast with some Water. It won't taste good, but shouldn't be vile either. Once you "know" you ARE getting some nutrition in, maybe that will help too. If you've tried all that, or if you "know" it won't work, I guess you could try the ER. I've read that it's really dicey about whether or not they will be able to help you, at least not without a lock of ruckus.

Dumping syndrome is caused by the "rerouting" of the intestines so no, lap band patients don't have that. Otherwise I have no idea why you feel ill.

Yes. i gained 16. It came right back off.

It's a blood thinner, less likely to cause bruising than heparin, and a longer half life (I think) I'm sure it's just extra insurance to prevent clots; you may ask your prescribing doctor why s/he feels you need it. It' s not common, but not unheard of!

Each person is different, each doctor is different. You can't take what you read here as necessarily applicable to you. It depends on your insurance requirements and your doc and his/her experience, plus your medical history.

Personally I don't believe in lying like that, but it's up to you of course. If I didn't want to tell anyone about the band, I'd just tell a "little" of the truth....that I had elective (or abdominal) surgery but am now on the mend. That can also explain your post op diet, if that is necessary (if you lunch at work etc)

As you can see from the varied answers, ask your doc. Regardless of what s/he says, of course, you should NOT drive if you are taking narcotic pain killers! For me: I had surgery on Friday and drove to school that next Tuesday.

I agree..."we" can't tell you what "you" should do, except to say that what you should do is exactly what YOUR doctor tells you.

Just curious...has anyone tried, or know anyone who has, the enzyme DGL for treating GERD? I can't spell exactly what DGL stands for but it is licorice with something removed LOL Supposed to be very supportive to digestion, esophagus, etc. I don't have GERD but don't want it either. Anyone have success with it? It's "supposed" to be safer, long term, than the proton pump inhibitors they usually prescribe....

Here's another link that may help (it's not a thread on lap band talk, however) Compare Adjustable Gastric Bands - LAP-BAND vs. REALIZE Band

I agree with the other posters and want to reiterate something HeatherO said...."not interested in aftercare for a patient that did not have surgery in their clinic" This is true whether you went to a clinic in Mexico or the next state over...or the next COUNTY over. You obviously CAN find aftercare, sometimes at a price, if you have surgery remote from where you live, or move. Getting your records may help, but make sure you line it up before you go ahead with surgery that is "elsewhere"

I agree, stick to the preop diet. AND why won't you be able to have sushi again? If you mean those rolls with rice in them (not a sushi fan!) you may very well be able to eat them. How much restriction you have/need will be up to you. Right now I have 3 fills, 4.5 ccs in a 14 cc band, and I can eat rice fine. It isn't a "good" choice necessarily, but if I LOVED Sushi I could still have it occasionally. So don't assume you're giving up all the foods you love. How you look at food, how you eat, will change. What quantities you eat will change. But the odds are you will still be able to eat just about anything if you want to. You'll have more control over that part of it than you realize.

JMHO...the band won't help if you're "eating around it" so no matter how tight, until you nip that in the bud, it's not going to help you. Not that I know it all! LOL far from it. But if you are already admittedly eating around the band, what good will more saline in the plastic do you? You need to work on the gray matter between your ears! Once you get that under control, see where you're at.

I recovered quickly and was home the same day, but that was after I asked my surgeon to let me go. He keeps most patients overnight "just in case". He did require I have an upper GI done to make sure I could swallow and that it was going where it was supposed to. I wasn't sore for long at all. I only took my prescription drugs on day 2. I slept on my side the 1st night, on my stomach from night 2 on...no chairs or couches for me. I drove on day 4 (surgery on friday, had class on tues. afternoon...am a student) Restrictions were no lifting anything over 15 pounds for 2 weeks, and then the normal "band rules"...the post op diet, no carbonated beverages, etc. I have honestly had dental surgery that made me feel worse for a longer period.

Thank GOD they did not make me stay in recovery for 3 hours! I had to hang out in my "room" with my husband while they got everything together to give me another upper GI to make sure I could swallow, and then they sent me home. I was "alert" in recovery only about 30 minutes or so. AND I could look around. I'd have gone nuts! LOL

What size is your band? I have 4.5 ccs (mls) and no restriction to speak of but have a 14 cc band. You're saying you had 2 ccs put in in dec and then Jan they said your band was empty and put in 5? Where did that first 2 cc's go? What did the UK surgeon say? Depending on responsive and helpful he/she was when you went in for your fill, I'd call and ask if they thought I might have a leak. It wouldn't necessarily show up on an x-ray.

i don't make a point of drinking "before" a meal. What I do is STOP drinking (per my surgeon's instructions, and they are all different) at least 15 minutes before my meal. I don't drink during my meal (and I have to eat in 30 minutes or less) and then don't drink for 15 minutes post op. There is no "requirement" on liquid you should have before a meal, but many surgeons have rules on when to QUIT drinking before a meal. As to water for the day, mine says 64 ounces of water. You want to stay well hydrated. Now that I am so many months out, I use iced tea for part of that requirement, but for the first 3 months I just made sure I drank that much water, and any other liquid was just "bonus".

It isn't just the "fill", but the amount you are filled, and there are conflicting medical opinions on whether or not "aggressive" fills are dangerous or really good. My doctor is on the "no aggressive fills" side and I have had 3 fills, 4.5 cc's total, and only mild restriction occasionally. I am not HAPPY about it, but he was very patient to explain WHY to me, and from what I had read on line (other sites, Med journals etc) I believe he is setting me up for lifelong success, if I can just keep it together! However, like I said, there are surgeons who believe fills should be fast and big...lots of saline early on. So it will depend on your doc. If he is a slower type, hang in there. You might want him to give you his reasons....it helps me hang on! :confused:

This may sound like a silly question but do you have any loose skin? Depending on that; it's possible that some of your excess weight isn't FAT...but skin. Also if you exercise so much, you have muscle and it is more dense than fat. (people say muscle weighs more and that isn't true...a pound is a pound is a pound....but it takes less muscle to make a pound than fat) The caliper test will tell you about your muscles, and the other could actually be skin. Either way I think you've done amazingly well! :confused: