adagray

I went to Nordstrom Rack today. Honestly, I kinda hate this store. Everything is so disorganized and they don't carry any plus size even though Nordstrom does. Kinda makes you wonder where the clothes come from because if they came from Nordstrom, wouldn't they have some plus size too? :thumbup: But, anyway, I happened to be doing some shopping nearby so thought I would stop in and look through their stuff to see if I could find some new black capri pants. The biggest size I could find there was 16 and they didn't have much. But, there was one pair of really nice looking black capris made by some designer I never heard of before. The tag said they were originally $139 :eek:, but marked down to $34. That's more like it! :tongue_smilie: Actually, a little more than I like to spend on transitional clothes, but I decided to try them on anyway. Wow! These turned out to be the most amazing pants for a WLS patient. They fit from right above the crotch down very nicely (not tight, but not loose). Higher up, they don't really fit me. I have to suck and tuck and squeeze to get the zipper up. :thumbup: But, they are made of this really high quality stretchy material that holds my stomach in like a girdle and is actually comfy at the same time. And, they are high-waisted so no muffin top either. When I got them home, I promptly pulled out all the smaller tops I unpacked recently that would go w/black capris and tried them all on w/my new 'girdle pants'. All of my tops cover the tight part so every outfit looked awesome. Its like I lost another 10 pounds today! :w00t:

It really depends on your surgeon and also how much you have to lose. If you are borderline to be approved (meaning not much to lose), you may not be required to lose anything before surgery. I was not required to lose anything before surgery (actually gained, not that I wanted to, but that was my MO). My advice is to just clarify what your own surgeon's requirements are and go from there. I was also not required to do any pre-op diet except to 'eat light' a few days before surgery and then only soup for lunch the day before and bowel prep the afternoon before. Every surgeon is different, though, so you gotta ask.

I would just do whatever your normal maintenance is as for shaving. They don't need you shaved like w/some other abdominal surgeries so you don't have to worry that they will shave you if you didn't come in shaved. For my c-sections, I shaved myself completely clean before each one because I knew that if I didn't do it, they would do it the morning of the surgery and I don't really want someone else doing it. I feel like I do a better job myself. The nurses are also grateful if you've done the work for them. LOL But, its not an issue for lapband surgery so, like I said, just do whatever you normally do. As for a catheter, I don't remember getting one, but I might have had one and just wouldn't know since I was completely out. When I awoke from surgery, I felt really nauseous. I told the recovery nurse and she put something in my IV that took the nausea away. Other than that, my time in recovery is all very hazy, but nothing to worry about.

I think it is probably an individual thing. I know I've tried to not use a straw in general. But, if I'm out and am served my drink w/a straw, I tend to forget and just start drinking out of the straw. So far, I haven't noticed any difference.

Oh so many possible culprits here... Generally speaking, I'm tighter when I travel. I think its because I'm not as good about getting all my water in and dehydration causes my band to feel tighter. But, rushing a meal or even just feeling stressed while eating can do it to me too. In any case, I wouldn't worry about it. Everyone gets stuck and sick once in awhile. Its part of the learning process.

I also was not required to be on a pre-op diet and no mention/scare was made about needing to shrink the liver. My surgery was also performed by a Center of Excellence. Honestly, I believe that if you go to a surgeon who has more experience w/laproscopic surgery, this should not be an issue.

This is off subject, but I just wanted to mention 'Stomaphyx' because this is a new procedure that can shrink the pouch back down after RNY (when it has been stretched out). I heard about it on 'The Doctors' TV show, but if you google it, you can find out a lot more info. I'm not recommending it or anything, but just wanted to make you aware of it since I had never heard of it before seeing it on 'The Doctors'.

I would recommend joining Weight Watchers. I know none of us wants to do that after having surgery, but it sounds like you need more structure around the foods you are eating and more guidance as far as how to deal w/emotional eating. Weight Watchers can help w/all of that. I have done WW a lot and although it was not the answer for me to keep the weight off, I learned a lot that helps me make better use of my band now. The difference w/doing WW w/the band, though, is you won't feel so hungry all the time. If you do, then go get an adjustment to your band as well. Best of luck to you!

Its all a learning process. Don't feel bad. Another thing that may have made you tighter is the alcohol. It dehydrates and my band tends to be tighter when I'm dehydrated. So, as much as possible drink cold water. The other poster that says warm/hot liquids can worsen the swelling is right. I got too tight after a fill and drank warm broth thinking it would help and it pretty much closed me entirely up for a few hours. My doctor told me afterwards to only drink cold liquids if I ever feel that tight again.

My experience has been that you just have to try on a bunch until you find one that fits right and does its job. I've already changed sizes twice, but both times it was the band size going down, not the cup. Are you sure you have really gone that much down in the cup? I would recommend playing around w/going up in the cup and down in the band to see if you can get a better fit. Your bra should be really snug underneath your boobs and come down low in the back (so as not to create 'back fat'). I don't recommend getting fitted unless you know the person doing the fitting is really experienced. I have gotten horrible fitting advice at Victoria Secret before, but the fitter looked like she was barely out of high school.

No real surprises here. I was very well informed from my doctor, my mom (also banded), and info on here. One thing my mom told me before getting banded is that there's no 'going off your diet' once you have the band. The band is always there whether you want it or not. Even though I understood this going in, that is the one thing that has taken some getting used to. I was always one that would be 'good' or 'bad' w/my 'diet' depending on how I felt about it in the moment. And, always found reasons to splurge or treat myself. Well, I just went to Hawaii for a week (typically would be a splurge time), but my band kept me from over-indulging. Of course, I'm delighted that I came back from the trip without gaining a bunch of weight (like I would have pre-band), but there were many moments while there when I was a little bummed that I could not splurge and eat as much as I want.

I was a Diet Coke addict, gave it up a couple weeks before surgery and haven't looked back. I also gave up artificial sweeteners. Really, its the best thing for you. Your body wants Water, just plain water. All those chemicals and artificial sweeteners deaden your tastebuds to the good taste of real food and make you crave more sugar and stronger tasting (highly processed) foods. My chronic high bp came down so fast after surgery. I've lost a lot more weight before and my bp never came down. Sometimes I wonder if there is any connection between all those chemicals in the Diet Coke and my high bp. I actually developed high bp around the same time that I started drinking a lot of Diet Coke. Anyway, there's no way I'll ever know if there is a connection unless someone does a real medical study on this. But, it does seem possible since high bp can be caused (or made worse) by inflamation in the body and our bodies do have an inflamation response to chemicals and highly processed foods.

I use the ones here: BODYCHOICE NUTRITION - Goji juice made from Goji berries, Hoodia Weight Loss, liquid Protein dietary supplements The taste doesn't really bother me. No, it is not something I savor and enjoy the taste of, but I don't dislike it either. For me, its just the fastest and lowest calorie way to get 25g of protein when you need to supplement. And, the packaging is very convenient (easy to travel with or keep a couple in your purse or gym bag). I don't use them daily because I love to eat! LOL But, I do use them when I know I'm not going to be able to eat right after an intense workout. Or, if I don't have time for Breakfast sometimes. Also, if I'm out and don't have time to get something for lunch, it will satiate my hunger for another hour or two until I can get home and get something healthy. Of course, they are also great right after a fill. My doctor only allows Clear liquids for 72 hours after a fill (so even regular protein powders are out), but she does allow the bullets. Also, I LOVE them for travel. Last time I went to Vegas, I got so tight I could barely eat. I was so glad I brought a bunch of protein shots with me. I hadn't anticipated getting so tight, but I had brought them just so that I wouldn't have to worry about my food choices adding up to enough protein. Oh, one other thing I would add is I prefer them at room temp (not refrigerated). When they are refrigerated, they seem thicker and the taste seems even more concentrated. Much much better at room temp.

For many of us, weightloss is not steady w/the band. The weight seems to come off in spurts. Don't freak out if you haven't lost weight for a week or two weeks or even a month. Just focus on what you can do to improve your weightloss, especially exercise and cutting out empty calories.

Please don't even wait for a doctor appointment. See if you can just stop in and have a nurse take it for you. Or, go to a store that has one of those automatic blood pressure machines. Its very likely that your blood pressure is too low. The same thing happened to me. I was on a strong dose of high bp medicine and just a few months after surgery, my blood pressure dropped WAY low. I have a bp monitor at home, but hadn't been checking it regularly. I figured it would take a long time (and a lot of weightloss) before my bp would drop. Then, I just started not feeling well, really tired, and then dizzy. So, I took it and it was 88/65. I stopped taking my med the next morning and my BP finally stabilized in the normal/healthy range. I made an appointment w/my doctor after the fact and she said I did the right thing. Then, she took me off my high cholesterol medicine too so she can retest later and see if I still need it. By the way, my surgeon said that a lot of times high bp resolves itself faster than you'd think after weightloss surgery because just eating less reduces inflamation in the body. I guess it makes sense... eating less means you are also eating a lot less salt and bad stuff. It just took me by surprise that my high BP resolved itself so quickly because I've been on meds for it for over 10 years and I've weighed A LOT less than I do now and it never went down before.

I have kids too (6 yr old son and 4 yr old daughter). I would say you will feel up to caring for them yourself in about 4-5 days after surgery. If you can get someone to help you a whole week, even better, but I know that can be difficult sometimes. At 3 years old, you can explain to her that you are having stomach surgery. I actually explained the whole lapband to my kids and how I was doing it to 'get healthy'. That might be a little much for a 3 yr old, though. You can explain to her that your tummy is gonna be sore for awhile and that you can't pick her up for a month so you need her to be a big girl for you. Practice now w/having her get in her own carseat (if she doesn't already) by putting a stepstool in the car to help her climb into it. I had to do this w/my son when he was just two because I was PG w/my second and not supposed to lift him. She's at a really good age because at 3 she will really be into the whole 'big girl' thing. When you get home, show her your bandages and tell her you have booboos and that she has to be careful when cuddling you and hugging you. Don't worry, you'll still be able to cuddle and hug. She WILL accidently poke you wrong at some point, but you will scream ouch and she will learn. Best of luck to you! Its the best decision I ever made. I have so much more energy for my kids now and along w/other lifestyle changes, I feel like I'm being a better role model for my kids as well.

I got so tight when I went to Vegas that I could barely eat. But, I figured it was because I wasn't drinking as much water as normal and I was drinking alcohol. So, I was probably a bit dehydrated and I know that makes my band tighter.

I'm so glad to have this information. I'm leaving for Hawaii in a week and never heard of the recommendation not to eat an hour before or during the flight. Anyway, I will skip the airplane meals. Not like its a big hardship! LOL I will bring some protein bullets w/me instead. The ones I have are 2.9 oz so I think I will be able to get through security with them (I'll check ahead just to make sure).

My instructions were just not to eat longer than 20 minutes and only 3 meals per day (no snacks). I'm so glad I wasn't given a low calorie count to try to adhere to. Especially during the beginning when you have no restriction. I don't understand why there is a need to go through 'bandster hell' at all. Why not just taper down your eating naturally as your band is tightened? Anyway, I know there are a ton of people on here who will say just do what your doctor says no matter what. But, I would seriously question a calorie count as low as 600-800 calories per day. I mean its one thing if you just have that level of restriction and that's all you want to honestly eat. But, to put that pressure on yourself seems silly.

I would recommend sipping ice Water as much as possible to get the swelling to go down. I'm at what I consider my sweet spot now and I can eat most foods as long as I chew them well enough. I definitely do not stick to soft foods. And, I don't do Protein shakes. I was overfilled at one point and could barely even get water down. I could only take the tiniest sip and then it would hurt and gurgle gurgle gurgle forever before it would go down. Let me warn you that warm/hot liquids will make the swelling WORSE! So, stick to sipping ice cold water for awhile and I bet your swelling will go down to a manageable level.

I would consider myself a 'heavy drinker' before surgery. I used to drink almost every night and could drink most of my friends 'under the table'. While its true that lapband doesn't change your plumbing at all (like gastric bypass), the alcohol will hit you harder. Basically, it hits me like I'm eating low cal (like on WW), BUT (and here's a big BUT) I often forget that I am eating low cal because different from WW, I am NOT hungry. So, I feel like I ate dinner, but I didn't, and whamo, I just got a little more 'tipsy' than I meant to. So, definitely be careful w/the alcohol! Also, as someone who really loves to drink, I did finally have to get real w/myself and accept that fact that alcohol is A LOT of empty calories. And, although I could still lose well for many months w/the alcohol, I finally hit a plateau and had to cut back dramatically to get the scale moving again. So, experiment w/it, but realize its definitely one of the first places to cut if you stop losing. For me, the things I have to work on the most is cutting back alcohol, sweets, and upping exercise to keep the scale moving. :->

You have planned well. A week is just about what you 'need' in my opinion, but you'll feel better w/the couple extra days that you have planned. I am a wimp when it comes to pain and I had my parents visit and I was cooking Christmas dinner exactly one week after my surgery. I was doing so well that my parents admitted that they would forget I was still recovering (even though my mom had lapband surgery herself one year earlier). I was a little more tired than normal, but pretty much operating at 95% after one week.

The weightloss has made me more 'bitchy' too. LOL Well, I honestly don't think it is bitchy, though, to speak your mind. My husband has gotten into the habit of being a little snappy (out of the blue). He does it in a passive aggressive way so he thinks he can get away with it. I used to bite my tongue so as not to make a scene in front of the children, etc. Sometimes I would talk to him later, but most of the time I'd just bury it and feel hurt. Now I've decided I'm just not gonna take any passive aggressive bullsh#t. I'm gonna confront him when he does that and if he wants to address the topic directly, then I'm happy to do that. As Dr. Phil says, you teach people how to treat you and so since I don't like his snappy passive aggressive comments, I'm calling him out on it. What does it have to do w/weight? Well, to me, I feel like there is some danger in any change that occurs in a relationship. One spouse losing a lot of weight is a bit of a threat or risk to the relationship. So, I want our relationship to be as strong as possible. I'm certain that bottling up my feelings and pushing them down is not gonna make our relationship stronger. So, I'm confronting this stuff now in hopes that it will make our relationship will be stronger. He may not love it right now, but I feel that in the long run it is better for both of us and our relationship. If he has a gripe w/me, he has to learn how to communicate it in an effective way (not by being snappy or passive aggressive). And, if he doesn't have a gripe w/me, then he shouldn't be spewing his negativity my way.

I was told to cut out all artificial sweeteners for one month after surgery because even though they don't have calories, they drive your hunger for more sugar and deaden your tastebuds to the more delicate tastes of natural foods. In particular, the dietician said that people who drink crystal light, don't lose as much weight. You wouldn't believe the gasps and distress in the room when we were given this news. And, yes, I was amongst those gasping. LOL I mean how was I gonna cut down my sugar AND not eat artificially sweetened things at the same time??? And, I've always been skeptical of this theory that artificial sweeteners drive your hunger for more sugar. But, guess what... after a month of cutting out the artificial sweeteners, I no longer have a sweet tooth. It really is amazing. So, even though my dietician only asked us to do this for one month, I haven't gone back to artificial sweeteners. If I want something sweet, I have the real thing and take the caloric hit for it. And, its not that big of a deal anymore because I don't crave or need sweets all the time.

If you have the larger of the two lapbands, I believe it holds 14cc (vs 10cc in the smaller). I do believe they've probably never filled one to capacity before. It seems the bands are designed to work at about 75% full. For example, I have 7cc in a 10cc band I feel good restriction. Most people I see on here w/a 10cc band, find their sweet spot someplace between 7 and 8. So, just adjust upwards for the 14cc band. As for being scammed by your doctor into having smaller fills than you should have, I really don't think it happens that often. I think most doctors really want you to get to your sweet spot as quickly AND safely as possible. And, it does take time because with every fill there is some swelling. Once you get too much swelling (to the point you can't swallow), its natural to not want any more fills.