sailorChristy

I am so happy for you, and our perspectives are very much the same. High-five! Christy

I'm still here. I try to skim the boards every week or so. Still doing well and enjoying my band! How are YOU? Hugs, Christy

Howdy! I'll bet you are at goal, aren't you? (At least from your photo, it appears that you are!) I started at 265, now at 181, and heading down to 160 (any minute now - hee hee.) I haven't had any significant backslides, just slow steady progress. If I could make more time for exercise, I'd be in much better shape (literally and figuratively.) How are you? (Happy anniversary.) Christy

I can't believe it's been FOUR years now! Are there any other Banditos still here on LBT? I'm down 80 pounds from my pre-surgery highest weight. It's been slow, steady progress with stalls along the way but no major backslides. I'm still aiming for 150, but will settle for 160. I plan to look into getting a tummy tuck when I arrive at 175. I'm trying to get plugged back in here at LBT and would love to hear from you! Best wishes, Christy 265/185/160 - surgery May '09

I am back on the boards just in time to toss the equivalent of my hefty-sized DOG onto the pile. I've lost 65. :-) 55 John337 -105 SpideyMom -70 hdmdavid -75 less-of-me -58 Oliviasmommy -25 tulsarealtorGB -38 ruguay -35 Sarahbellzz -34 Jennifer75 -55 Sbush70 -48 bkmom -34 naynayto2 -40 Mamadot -54 Mamabully -41 On the Way to Thin -44 DON14 - 102 carriemc78- 61 Foxxy-21 Epresco303 - 53 cheri634 - 46 klp713-30 bevanfranks -51 sailorChristy - 65 Total:1185

Hello 4weightlosssake, Christian0728, Jessicastatzer, bblazer1991, EPRESC0303, MissChloe, AlaskaGirl77, and anyone else scheduled for the 26th Okay, kiddos. We're one week away from our b-day. How's everything feeling? Pre-op diet going okay? Any particular worrisome things on your mind that we can seek info and reassurance from those who were banded before us? I'll go first. I am so ready! For one thing, the 2-week pre-op is making me gag. I'm supposed to have 5-6 Medifast meals per day, and I've only been able to choke down 3-maybe-4 each day. On the bright side, I've lost 18# and have gone down 1 size in jeans already. One thing I'm worried about is quitting smoking today. My previous surgeon required 6 weeks smoke-free, and my new surgeon and his staff didn't mention it. I 'fessed up about the smoking on every form I filled out for them -- 3 forms (at least) asked about smoking. I've only been smoking 1/3-1/2 pack per day, and now I've quit completely -- cold turkey. There's no easier way to quit than the thought that your very life is literally at risk. So anyway, do we have any smokers among us? I hope all of my 5/26 band-buddies are :laugh: feeling great and feeling ready to go for it! Regards, Christy

Please post it when you get a chance!

2911 - Along with the pedialyte popsicles, try some Powerade zero for electrolytes and low-sodium v-8 for a major dose of potassium. My surgeon's guidelines did not include a water/liquids requirement for week 1, but he asks that we drink 48-64 oz per day thereafter. I know that it's very difficult to force oneself to eat and drink anything when all that gas is in there. Maybe when you get more fluids in, it will give you the energy to do more walking. Gas-x strips and walking practically saved my life. :blushing: I've read that a heating pad helps too. Keep us posted, dear. It *will* get better, and when it does you will be astonished at the progress that each new day brings. I'll pray that this starts SOON for you and will trust that it will.

Howdy, all ~ My steri-strips have yet to fall off, but it appears that everything is healing just fine. I'm having fewer and fewer sharp 'port pains,' which is quite a relief. Those really hurt! I'm on pureed foods 'til Monday, when I upgrade to 'soft foods.' (I'm still not totally clear on the difference -- heh heh.) I don't feel any 'fullness cues' at the base of my throat, but I don't have much of an appetite AT ALL. I'm experiencing physical hunger for the first time in, oh gosh, maybe 20 years? Earlier today, I thought I had a stomach ache and was about to hit the gas-x. I decided to eat some pureed Soup (progresso light - zesty chicken gumbo - YUM)... and it turns out that the feeling I had in my tummy was HUNGER. It was pretty hilarious. I'm eating about 1/2 C at each meal, and have been interested in no more than 3 meals per day. I'm tracking everything on The Daily Plate, and it's quite obvious that I'm eating way too much in fat calories, in the form of chicken salad and the like. I know that once my options open up a bit, I'll be able to stay within the limits my dietician recommends. I'm down 9# since surgery (plus 20# from the pre-op diet.) I know that the band is designed to support 1-2# loss per week, which is truly what I want... but I must say that I'm enjoying this initial 'whoosh' while it lasts. Oh, also - not walking or exercising like I should. That must change.

My steri-strips are still stuck firmly in place, and I wash with soap when I'm in the shower and air-dry. One thing that seems odd about my port incision is that it's a slightly raised line. I'm not sure if it's from dried blood or if the would itself has a raised "lip." Is anyone else's a little more distinct than the incisions that my recovery nurse delightfully referred to as "stab wounds?"

Hey, chicas! My pre-op "appointment" is at 2 weeks post-op. Since I live a few hours from my surgeon's office, he allows a "virtual" post-op visit. I'll e-mail photos of my incisions and any questions/concerns I have to the Nurse Practitioner, and I'll consult with the Dietician via e-mail as well. I'm scheduled to transition to soft foods for the following two weeks, and then my first fill will be at the 4 week mark.

marathonmommy, 2911plans, and the rest of the 5/28 gang ~ How are you feeling today? Is that dreadful gas all out of your system? Are you getting your mojo back? I too was unprepared for the misery of the first several days -- the severity of the gas pain, specifically. In the interest of being encouraging, my local bandsters didn't dwell on the gas and other pain-related aspects of the procedure. Even when a medical professional describes what to expect, it's impossible for them to truly quantify how badly you'll feel after surgery because everyone is different. The turning point for me was when I walked laps around the first floor of my house until I worked up my first big burp. After that, it took three days, but during that time I was pretty much constantly burping and gas-x-ing my way through it. Please let us know how you're doing, 'kay? :confused:

Hiya, 2911 ~ I am so sorry that you're hurting, sweetie. Are you taking the pain meds and/or OTC pain relievers that your surgeon prescribed/recommended as scheduled? There is definitely no shame in using the "tools" you've been given. If your body is on a similar healing schedule as mine, tomorrow will be the day that you smile more than you grimace. For today, try to find a good balance of walking and resting (more resting than walking, of course), and use a gas-x melty strip every so often. You've had more "work done" than the majority of us here (yay! - you marked one health issue off your list as "cured" before you even woke up!)... and it sounds like the hernia repair must be causing you some of the angst. Are you able to take a couple/few more days off from work to recover? Be kind to yourself, doll. I promise that it will get better... and in this case, better = "wow! I'm banded! This rocks!" :-) Christy

Congrats, all! Juniper, congrats on putting that dreadful-sounding gallbladder issue behind you. You're still part of our May family here. We'll all be eagerly awaiting your big day and celebrating with you again then. Take good care of yourself and heal, hon.

Congrats, 5/28 banditos! Welcome to the family. :cool: Hope you all have gotten rid of most of your gas pain by now. Marathon, the way it was explained to me -- and the way I experienced it -- was that the CO2 is within the abdominal cavity, where you can't eliminate it. Walking causes the gas to be absorbed (that's not the word the nurse used, but it was something like that)... by other body tissues and eliminated. I walked, shaking like a leaf, back and forth through the house when my first gas pain hit the day after surgery. I started burping a bit, and burped as much as I could all day. (It wasn't until the next day that the gas started to leave through 'other means.') Once the gas moved into my digestive tract, the Gas-X worked like magic. It took a few days, but thankfully the bloat and pain went away. PTL! 2911plans, I love your name and signature! All of you are sounding chipper and doing great! You'll be amazed at how much better you feel each day. Fondly, Christy

So glad to hear that my fellow 5/26ers are doing well. I've been amazed by the improvement I've experienced at my 3rd and 4th days post-op. I have no more serious gas issues, and I'm able to sleep on my side and *almost* on my tummy. I am able to take deep breaths and cough without suffering. I am finally starting to get a little of my appetite back, and I enjoyed eating something for the first time last night: pureed deli chicken salad with cherries and pecans. (OMG - YUM!) Doesn't it seem so surreal at times to think 'Wow - I have a band now!'

I prefer to use low-fat milk in my smoothies instead of yogurt, and I LOVE them. I use vanilla Protein powder, and then I add a banana and some low-sodium, sugar-free natural PB.... or sometimes I'll add frozen fruit (strawberry and kiwi is one of my favorite combinations.) Yummy! Enjoy.

I'm 4 days post-op and decided to visit the "confessional" (like on reality tv shows?) again. I'm not struggling or feeling desperate or hungry, but I had a wistful thought today and briefly mourned my ability to eat frosted strawberry pop tarts.... and cinnamon/sugar Auntie Anne pretzels with cream cheese dipping sauce.

Hi Cyndi ~ How'd it go with your first couple days back at work? Did you pack some portable foods and protein drinks? ~Christy~

Oh dear... It's my turn to visit the poo thread. My surgery was Tuesday, and I had two minor "events" -- yesterday morning and this morning. I was hoping that this would be the beginning of normal-ish life again, but I'm worried about something (as usual.) I'm having some soreness in my lower-left tummy, in front of my hip bone, more or less. I'm not sure if that's just muscle soreness from the surgery or if that's a sign of bowel obstruction. Is that completely ridiculous, or is it possible to have a serious problem like that if I've "gone" twice so far? Sorry/thanks, Christy

Well, the initial euphoria has worn off. :thumbup: My 2nd day post-op (yesterday) was not my favorite day ever. I've had no gas pain in my shoulder, but I was surprised at the sharpness of the gas pain in my tummy. I walked around the house until I started burping a bit. The nurse had told me that once I started burping, I would continue to feel better little by little until all the gas is gone. I sit here on Day 3 without radical discomfort, but still with a distended tummy. My incisions look fine. I have no real "incision pain." It's most just a general feeling of "Mike Tyson just went medieval on my tummy." :w00t: The coughing and deep breathing is more difficult than I expected because of the achy tummy feeling. I'm trying to get in as much Fluid as I can. I squeezed in three mini-meals yesterday. (My surgeon has us start mushies on day 2.) Two meals were yummy pureed progresso low-sodium chicken/rice Soup, and dinner was pureed cottage cheese. I really didn't eat much at all. I didn't have any trouble getting anything down yesterday, which was a relief. I bought an apple/melon Isopure yesterday and can't imagine how long it might take to sip that entire bottle!!! (Any hints?!) Breakfast today will be pureed cottage cheese and pureed salsa. I'm going to challenge myself to be brave and eat until I feel a fullness cue from my band and try to be finished within 30 minutes. So overall, I'm hanging in there... a little worried that I'm not getting enough Protein, food, and liquids in me, but confident that I'll make my way through this and make this new situation into my new way of life. I need to catch up on my reading here soon!

Hi, everyone! I'm home and I have a story to share. Be warned -- I am not known for my brevity. Also, there are narcotics involved here! After a quick shower and such, Mom and I headed over to JourneyLite this morning. It was only a 5-minute drive, and we arrived just before 8 AM for my 9:30 surgery. I was pleased with my pretty, cream-colored traction-sox. They were so much prettier than the typical 'institutional blue' color. Another bit of very good news was that the doctor's scale showed me at 245, meaning that I lost a little more than 20 pounds from my 2-week Medifast! (Also, I am not pregnant. Implying that someone would be willing to have sex with me? As if!!!!) Anyway, Chris, the nurse who prepared me, was brisk and efficient. She was not mean or rude, but not as warm and fuzzy as my new BFF, Lynn. While I was waiting for Chris in the combo preop/recovery room, the first patient of the day was wheeled in to recovery. The staff kept asking her to take a nice, deep breath. It was a little worrisome to overhear. I was afraid they were going to tube her again or something, and I was very much afraid I would have a similar problem with my pulse-ox number. And all the while, my bp/pulse-ox machine kept beeping, and I started crying because I thought it was because my vitals were not good. (Mind you, this is all before surgery - sigh.) Chris explained that the beeps were to remind the nurses to give near-constant attention to the vitals, and she reassured me that my vitals were perfect. In pre-op, I received a dose of Pepcid in my iv after pleading my case for the 100th time that I'm desperately afraid of vomiting when I wake up because I was (a little) nauseous after my thyroidectomy. I also received what my adorable nurse anesthetist, Jeff, called "A dose of sunshine." Chris said that after I got that one, I would feel like there is nothing I'd rather do today than have lap-band surgery! She was right. My surgeon, Dr. C., stopped by and I reminded him that I was signed up for (and paid for!) the single-incision surgery. He said that once he got in there, he would be able to tell if he would be able to manuever his instruments and access everything through a single incision. (To rush to the end of this particular aspect of the story, I didn't have the single-incision procedure. Bummer. It's not that it was a vanity thing. I just didn't want to have more than one incision to worry about healing properly.) [Y'all are probably picking up on the fact that I worry too much, especially about health things.] Right before they wheeled me back to the OR, my Mom was able to come in to see me. I knew that our time was short, so I asked if she would pray with me. We held hands and I prayed for peace for both of us, the mad skillz of the surgeon and staff, and blessings all around. (Thank God for answered prayers. :-))) Okay, so they wheeled me into the OR. I was a little woozy, and fortunately I was too woozy to object to the mask and the arms out to the sides thing, which I was desperately afraid of because I am seriously claustrophobic. [omg, what a sissy I am about just about everything!] After the second deep breath, Jeff started to describe a beautiful beach, the sound of the ocean, and me there in a size-6 bikini. One of the nurses chimed in, "Size 6? Why limit her? She might be there in a size 2!" With breath 4, Jeff asked if I could picture myself there, and I responded, just before conking out that, "Yes, and I can also see my ex-boyfriend there, admiring the view... if you know... what I mean." The last thing I remembered is everyone laughing.... and then two nurses (Lynn and another) were telling me that the surgery was over and I had done so great! (They told my Mom that I was the fastest they had seen someone go under and one of the fastest to go from asleep to 'ready to sit up and be release,' too.) I woke up feeling pretty darn good! No nausea (Lynn said they have very few patients who wake up nauseous or have later problems with vomiting!), and NO GAS PAIN. I had discomfort at level 3 where the port was placed. They immediately had me move to the chair, and I took some deep breaths and did some coughing. Everything I did was met with kudos and compliments, along with the assertion that I might end up being "their best patient of the entire week." I responded that I bet they say that to all their patients. :mad5: The 2-hour drive home was uneventful. I was having no problem at all sipping Water, so I sipped a lot because my mouth was (and still is) so uncomfortably dry. I took a 15 ml dose of Loritab elixir on the way home, as my main incision had bumped up to a 4-5 and I had some occassional twinges (gas, maybe?) below my right shoulder blade and between my left ovary and left hip. I wasn't able to sleep -- and still haven't -- because I am anxious and on some level I am too afraid to sleep. [Again, a 'me' issue.] I've been making sure I walk 15 minutes every 60-75 minutes. Before I took my latest dose of Loritab, my port site pain had edged up to a 7 - yowch! - so I preceded the Loritab with a single ibuprofen (per discharge instructions.) I was relieved that it went down very easily. I don't want to mischaracterize my pain of 7 as being misery-inducing. I've actually dealt with it objectively, thinking 'Whoa, there's that discomfort I was surprised I didn't have earlier. Gotta keep sipping, deep breathing, coughing, andf walking... even if it hurts. It'll feel better every day.' So while it's hurting, it's quite manageable. And the pain meds have brought it down to a 3-4 again. YMMV, of course. So that's my story. I'm on Clear liquids today, and I've had raspberry aquafina, plenty of ice water, chamomile tea, a SF popsicle, and I'll probably have some chicken broth with fresh dill later this evening. I am SO happy!! I feel so blessed!!!!! Thank you all so much for being here. :wub: Looking forward to continuing the adventure with you, Christy

Nighty-night. My Mom is snoring in the other bed, and my dog is snoozing on the floor between the two beds. I, on the other hand, am sitting in bed watching the Land of the Lost marathon on Sci-Fi. We're at the LaQuinta Inn near the surgery center just north on Cincinnati. I'm eager to get tomorrow over with, ya know? I'm feeling pretty jazzed right now, but I know that I'll be a total mess tomorrow morning. :-( My surgery is scheduled for 9:30 AM. I'll post when I get home. Best wishes to my 5/26 "homeys!"

Hi, SpecialK and friends, I'm not sure it qualifies as "fun," per se, but I'm spending this weekend counting down the finals days 'til I'm banded! The big event is Tues @ 9:30 AM. :-)

Welcome to the thread, dear sisters o' mine. Do you have any fun weekend plans for the 3-day weekend? I am going out of town to attend my favorite Uncle's wedding. It's his first marriage -- at age 60! There won't be a dry eye in the house among my many cousins and me. :thumbup: I'm prepared in every way except actuallly buying my pureed foods for the first two weeks (actually, day 2 through day 14.) I am also not at all prepared for the terrible dry mouth I'll have on Tuesday morning. I take medications that exacerbate that. I probably won't be able to speak! Where are all the other 5/26ers? C'mon aboard, peeps!