RandyC

I can't speak for the burping, but the hiccup(s) is a spasm of the diaphragm (sp?). Why is that relavant? Well I had my first post-op appt. with my surgeon today, and he mentioned that the band sits very near the diaphragm and can irritate it. That is why you can also have a side ache like WannaBSkinny mentioned (and like I have been having). All of these symptoms mentioned in this thread are all pretty normal and should ease with time. My shoulder finally stopped hurting and I don't recall having any hiccup(s) in the last day or two. We are all learning as we go, and am glad that this forum is here to share all of this info!!:smile2: Randy

Hi everyone, 10 days post-op and I am healing nicely. I am adjusting to what and how much to eat and am feeling great.....EXCEPT for the stupid ITCHING around my incisions. It is driving me crazy tryng not to scratch :biggrin:!!! I see my surgeon tomorrow for my post-op follow-up, and hopefully the last couple of steri strips will come off, and provide some itch relief. Anyway, I just needed to rant, and I hope everyone had a good Thanksgiving! Randy

Hi, I am 4 days post-op now, and moving from a clear liquid diet to a full liquid diet, and I am having some trouble understanding what my body is telling me. The biggest problem I have is trying to figure out if I am actually hungry, and I need to drink something, OR am I experiencing gas pain, and general surgery pain. There have been times now, when I decided I must be hungry, and go ahead and drink something. Which then makes me feel better. But then there have been a couple of times when I thought I was hungry, drank something, and it just sat there (I am guessing above the band) feeling like a ton of bricks. I am going to guess that over time, I will begin to understand it much more clearly, but as this is still band-new (pun intended) to me, I am finding the learning curve a little tricky. Anyone have any tips or hints?

Hello fellow bandsters, It is T minus 5 days and counting to my surgery date. I feel that i am mentally prepared for what is ahead of me, but have had the occasional nervous bouts about it as well. I suppose the nervousness just comes with the territory. I am half way through my 2-week pre-op diet and and after losing close to 10 pounds, a strange thought popped into my head. "Wow, 10 pounds, maybe I can do this without the band". But reason wins, and I realize that although I have lost pounds on diets before, they never seemed to stay away permanently. This just strengthens my resolve to succeeding with the band. Secondly, two things have really hit close to home that brings into sharp focus, my NEED to succeed with the band. 1) My brother-in-law recently had a scare with a possible heart-attack. In the end, it wasn't one, but it was pretty scary at the time. 2) I just found out a couple of days ago, that an acquaintance of mine suddenly died of a massive heart attack. Like me, he was overweight and diabetic, and I heard he had high blood-pressure as well. The scary thing is that he was younger than I am and when I saw him last, he looked pretty good. I am not ready for a cardiac event in my life, and want to live to see my grandkids graduate (even though I don't have any grandkids yet). Sometimes in life it takes something like this to really show you what is important. Living a happy and healthy, long life with those around you is the top of my list. Thanks for reading... Randy

I thought that I would make my first official post today. First off, my scheduled surgery date is Nov. 21, 2008. I am excited to begin my journey to a new me, but to be honest, I have always been comfortable with the old me, at least I have been comfortable with my weight and how I looked. However, I always knew that being obese just was not healthy for the long haul. So after many years of just being the "Big Guy", I decided to make the serious changes for a heathier me. Now after nearly a year of internet research and talking to people, I feel that I have made a great choice towards the new me. I am so looking forward to having more energy and stamina, and of all things, jumping higher (I love to play volleyball):smile2:. My long term goal is to lose 95 pounds. Anything over 70 would still be great though. I look forward to browsing the forums and gathering the wisdom from those who have gone before me, and to start participating in this great support structure. Randy

Thanks for the welcome everyone....:rolleyes2: I am working with Dr. Peter Billings @ Puget Sound Surgical Center. So far, it has been a very pleasant experience working with them, especially the patient coordinators. So, I have a few questions. 1) Have you expereinced the "Last Supper" feelings before the pre-op diet? 2) What have you done to stay motivated during the pre-op diet? 3) what kind of "Up's" and Down's" have you experienced leading up to the surgery. Thanks