Thanks for the message Izzy and hello to all you crazy bandsters out there! Well, have I got a story to tell you all! Had my Lap Band surgery on Friday, January 2nd. Everything went well and I was released on Saturday, January 3rd. As I was recovering at my friend's house, I developed a RAGING case of the hiccoughs the day after surgery. That coupled with the fact that my stomach swelled up quite a bit, caused the opening between my stomach pouch and my lower stomach to be completely closed off. Sunday morning I started vomiting up anything I drank or swallowed. I came down with a nasty cold while in the hospital, so all that drainage didn't help. I knew something was wrong when the hiccougs wouldn't go away for about 5 + hours. I called the doctors and they told me that they thought I may have overdone it and to back off eating and let it pass. The hiccoughs did finally subside, but I was left with violent wretching vomiting for two days. I went back into the clinic on Monday, where they told me to back down to just small sips of liquid as I could tolerate it and that if things weren't better by Tuesday they would go in and take some of the saline out of the band.
Tuesday rolled around and I was in no better shape. After being under the x-ray machine for about 25 minutes and poke after poke after poke trying to get to the port, the doctor was successful and finally able to pull about 3 CC's off of the band. I felt immediate relief, but after an upper GI, the doctor and radiologist noticed that there was more stomach above the band than was there on Friday directly after surgery. Yes. I am part of that 10% that experiences Band Slippage. The doctor admitted me immediately and they went in Tuesday evening and repositioned the band and placed a few extra sutures around the back side of my stomach where the band went around to ensure that it would not slip up in that location again. I am not a dainty vomiter. When I hurl, I hurl HARD! That combined with the hiccoughs and two days of nonstop retching is what they believe caused this harrowing experience. It was dreadful and for an hour and a half before going under for the second surgery, I just sat on the bed in pre-anesthesia dry heaving living a nightmare!
My worst fear was that I was going to wake up and still feel nauseous; however, I woke up feeling right as rain. I was kept in the hospital for an extra day to ensure that everything was okay and that no more nausea returned. After a mid-day upper G.I., I was able to swallow normally and got to go home.
I have been recovering quite well. I am experiencing restriction and am learning how to eat and recognize my body queues now that I am on the road to recovery. It's AMAZING! I'm SO grateful for having had the procedure done. I am learning to have a new relationship with food, the way it tastes (my sense of taste and smell is heightened), and when my body tells me that I've had enough.
It's a bright new day out there, my fellow bandsters! The difficult road I walked was well worth it! I'm sure you all will find the same to be true when it's your turn!
In the meantime, feel free to ask me any questions you may have. Every day is something new for me! I'm also down about 45 lbs.!
And to answer your question, Izzy, I did lose about 25 lbs. on Medifast and have dropped another 20 - 25 lbs. post surgery. What I end up losing from week to week has yet to be determined, but I'm aiming to take the weight off slowly and safely, but off it will come!