*susan*

Wow, you poor thing! I am so sorry you had to go through all that. Hopefully everything will be better from here on out.

I had pretty extreme problems with being very dizzy and lightheaded for about a week after my surgery. If I wasn't careful, it would lead to vomiting as well. I had to be very careful when going to stand or move, and start off very slow. I am surprised the meds the doctor gave you for it are not more effective though, mine helped a great deal. Have you tried contacting your doctor, perhaps you need a stronger dose. Also, you mentioned you are doing broths and drinking water. It sounds like you need protein. Have you tried any of the protein shakes?

I suggest speaking with your nutritionist and doctor. They will be able to tell you what is best for you.

Hi Rachel! Actually, I don't believe you are pb'ing. It sounds like what you are describing is something I have been experiencing since my fill I had in January. For me, it is my official "stop" eating sign. It is terribly embarassing because I have no control over it and it is quite loud and obnoxious.

Hi and welcome! Wow, probably by this time tomorrow you will be an official bandster, congratulations! Make sure you take it easy afterwards and let everyone wait on you. Remember, this is considered major surgery and you need to rest and heal. Don't forget, the first six weeks or so are for healing, not dieting. You probably won't see significant weight loss until after you get your first couple of fills. Good luck tomorrow. As soon as you feel up to it, check in and let us know how everything went. We will be thinking about you!

Hi Quinn, and welcome to LBT! Glad you found us. I have to tell you, I honestly can say I do not think you will ever regret the decision to get the band. Every day I have it, I am so thankful for it. The recovery process is actually different for everyone. Have you had major surgery before? If so, you can kind of gage your recovery based on how you recovered from previous surgeries. Especially because everyone tends to react differently to anesthia. However, the first few days are the worst. I would say they more uncomfortable than anything. Plan on having gas X around for the gas pain. I also recommend a heating pad. It feels great both on your tummy and your port area. The first few nights I slept in the recliner because it was more comfortable than lieing down flat on the bed. After about day four, I started feeling definite improvement every day and felt completely back to myself after about 10 days. If you have any more questions, give us a holler. Oh, and don't forget to check out the stickies at the top of most of the forums. They are filled with tons of really useful information.

Honestly, I didn't find the port pain to be that bad. Your doctor will send you home with some pain meds that help a lot. I would describe the port area to be more uncomfortable rather than painful. The worst part is when you go from lieing down to sitting up.

Hi, I am not from Oregon, but I wanted to welcome you to LBT. Have you tried Inamed's website at Welcome to LAP-BAND.com and looked for a surgeon there?

Hi there and welcome to LBT! We are glad you found us. If you have any questions, please don't hesitate to ask.

I think that all of the reasons you stated are postive reasons for having the surgery. Many people find once they have this surgery, their health greatly improves and they are able to come off many of the medications they were on pre-band. I say don't go by what your family is saying. Talk to your lap band doctor. He/she will give you the right information and let you know if the surgery is for you.

It definitely sounds like she is depressed and may be very lonely as well. It sounds like she is still recovering from the loss of her husband. Maybe she misses the life she had with him and does not feel like she is a part of anything anymore. Perhaps she is jealous that you all still have your spouses and lives and she misses that part of her life and has not learned how to adjust to not having her husband anymore. It sounds like counseling or some type of support group is definitely in order for her.

I support him 100%. If I am in constant pain, have a lousy quality of life, and no chance for improvement, then it should be my option to end my life if that is my wish. Additionally, if I have reached the point that I am unable to make that decision, or clearly communicate my wishes, but had clearly communicated to my loved ones that I would not want to live that way, then they should be able to make that decision for me with the knowledge of how I would or would not want to live.

I am only a little over a year out, but personally, I believe when you go to these sites, what you do tend to hear is the horror stories. But, with any type of procedure, there are going to be ones that don't have great success. I think you don't hear from the successful ones as much because they are out living their lives and not on the boards as much anymore. I just don't worry about what may or may not happen with my band in the future. What is meant to be is meant to be.

Karen, best of luck with everything. Honestly, if for someone reason my band were not doing what I need it to do, or it had to come out, I believe I would go for the RNY too. Please keep us posted on your experience with it. I hope all goes well for you! In the end, we are all after the same goal, to live healthier, longer lives!

Hi Julie, and welcome back. It sounds like we started at about the same weight and are losing at about the same pace. We can do this. By this time next year we will both be a couple of hot beach babes!

Laurend, I have been following your posts towards getting the surgery and am so excited to see you finally have a date! That is awesome news, congratulations!

I hear ya! I now have all this lovely flabby skin hanging down from my arms that disgusts me. Not sure if there is exercise that can help it. But, I plan on having ps once I get to goal to get rid of any excess skin, lift the girls, etc.

I am just coming off of about a five week plateau, man, it is truly frustrating! I had just been eating 3 meals a day. I did some research and it said to help keep the metabolism going, try eating six small meals a day. So, I started that a week ago Monday and low and behold, when I got on the scale Sunday I finally broke the plateau and had lost 3.4 pounds!

Has anyone tried the Optisource Vitamins? They are specially formulated for people who have had bariatric surgery. I think they are geared more towards gastric bypass patients. However, I cannot take regular vitamins as I just can't get those huge things past my band. I have been taking flintstones chewables, but I really don't think I am getting what I need from them, so I thought I would try the Optisource. I just wanted to see if anyone else had any experience or thoughts on them. Thanks.

Hi Kim, I have found things like lobster and snowcrab go down great, yum! I was a diet coke addict too, I had it for breakfast, lunch, dinner and everything in between. I thought I would never be able to give it up. But, it was actually easier than I thought. And, a couple of months ago the hubby and I were travelling and stopped at a rest area. We were both thirsty, but all the machine had was sodas. So, he got one and we decided we would stop at the next exit to get me something. I decided to take a small sip of his diet coke and immediately spit it right back out. It tasted completely disgusting and the carbonation felt totally foreign and weird to me.

Sorry that happened, but it certainly gives you a quick lesson on why it is so important to take small bites, chew to mush and wait for a few minutes in between bites. My first pb was on corn, and I haven't ate it since, lol.

Thanks for the feedback guys. I may try some of the other ones you have suggested, because the Optisource really are quite expense at $24.00 a bottle. At first I though that wasn't bad for 120 pills until I got home and read that you are supposed to take four a day. So, I think I will finish these up and then maybe try the centrum or the Chewable Solotron.

Honestly, I think just about everyone experiences this at some point. Hopefully it won't last long for you, especially when you see how wonderful you are looking and how much better you are feeling! I only just went through this depression over my loss of food. I had my band a year ago, but for some reason went through a really rough period about a month ago where I was really depressed about things I couldn't eat and not being able to eat more. It hit me at the same time I hit a plateau, so I think I was upset because I was following all the rules and not losing, so I was feeling like I should just go ahead and eat what I want if I am not going to lose. But, alas, the things I wanted were bread and my band won't tolerate bread. Thanks to a wonderfully supportive hubby and family, and a great doctor, I was able to work through those feelings and am back on track now. Talking to your doctor may help. Also, do you attend a local support group? They really are wonderful.

Congratulations on getting approved! It sounds like you have a great attitude and will do great with the band.

First off, you are doing very well. While there are some people who lose quickly with the band, it is important to remember that the band is actually designed for us to lose a safe and healthy 1-2 pounds per week. Not all bands are the same size, so you should ask him what size yours is and how many cc's it holds. The other important thing to remember is that sometimes it takes as many as 2-3 fills before you begin feeling true and proper restriction. Additionally, for many people, including myself, their fills don't kick in until about 2 weeks after they actually get the fill.