itschoice

Your right when you say that "they seem to happen when we really need them." I am waiting with anticipation for Tuesday to get my first fill. Two weeks ago I went to the doctor and told him I was not ready for a fill yet because I had just started eating regular food 4 days earlier. Two days later all my restriction went away and I have only lost about 3 pounds in the last month. As soon as I started eating mushies the weight loss slowed down a lot. So getting into these pants on and knowing that I will soon lose more weight makes a world of difference. Thank you for your support.

If you feel you need to go to the ER then you should. But it does sound normal. I kind of felt worse then when I had my 3 c-sections. And the only thing the Lortab did for me was make me sleep. It took about an hour after I took it to just take the edge off the pain and it only lasted about 2 hours so the last hour I felt very bad. Basically I felt very bad for about 2 hours and felt bad for the next 2 hours. After a few days though, maybe about 4 or 5 I started to feel better. I promise, it will get better soon.

I had two types of gas. One type was in my body cavity and the other was in my stomach. At the time I could not tell the difference between the two but now that all the gas from my body cavity is gone I still get gas in my stomach. This gas has to go somewhere and its either up or down. Gas X helps with this kind of gas.

There are so many good soups that you can buy that do not come in a can. I would try those and they are so satisfying and filling. Now mind you, I really am not a soup eater but I never really went hungry or felt weak. You really need to try to stick with it. I read this post from a man that his band eroded into his stomach a few months ago. If that happened to me I would hate myself so much and would blame myself. His surgery and recover sounded so horrific. It took him weeks just to have all the tubes taken out of his body. You can do it. Be strong!!! You are doing this to live a better life and not to cause harm to yourself. The days will go by fast and then you can eat anything you want.

My recovery was a bit hard but it was well worth it. Once I was able to start to eat regular food I began eating like normal. Just a lot less. That is why I chose this WLS over the others because of thing like dumping syndrome that can happen with other types of WLS. I want to be able to eat what my family eats and still lose weight. However, I do follow the protein first, veggies second, and carbs last rule.

I never ate pureed meat. I did however make tuna the way I normally would (mayo, celantro, onion, seasoning, etc) and then stuck it in the food processor and added a dash of milk. It tasted just like it normally would and it did not get stuck. I took a bite before putting it in the food processor and got very stuck. I swelled up inside and it took about 2 more days of liquids before I could try eating again. You could do the same type of thing with the canned chicken. Good luck and yes, you will make it through.

Well I would be afraid of dehydration. You need to call your doc first thing in the morning. Now for your immediate problem of trying to get fluids in you I would use a medicine dropper. My band was very tight when it was closed. If I took a small sip of liquid it would hurt like crazy or come back up. I even tried measuring my liquids in a 3oz. Dixie cup and tried to drink it in many sips. However, I could take my medicine dropper full of liquid and that would not hurt or come back up. So what I did is I would fill the dropper with Water mixed with apple juice and have one dropper full every 15 minutes. I would set the timer in the kitchen and it made all the difference in the world. Give that a try tonight and if you can keep it down then take a dropper full every 10 minutes and then maybe every 5 minutes. After a few hours you will start to feel better. However, if your urine is brown or your skin wrinkles when you pinch it together and does not smooth out in a normal amount of time you may want to call the ER. Good luck and I hope you feel better.

I wish I had taken measurements but I don't have a measuring tape and never think to buy one when I am out shopping. However, I had a NSV today. I fit into a pair of pants that I have not fit into in years...I thought I would just share.

Its been about 8 years for me. I am at 200.4 this morning. I only lost about 3 pounds in the last month or so but I go for a fill on Tuesday and am hoping to get to onederland some time next week. All of you that have gotten there have done a great job. I soooooo hope to be joining you VERY soon.

Congratulations and I am glad all went well!!!! Here is to a speedy recovery.

I have been following your thread and am glad to hear that all went well. Good luck on you journey.

I had surgery 1/15/09 and will be getting my first fill on 4/21/09. I had complication so check my signature for details. I could have gotten a fill a week ago but had just been able to start eating regular food for about 4 days as of my last appointment so I told the doctor I was not ready and he agreed. About 2 days after my last appointment I suddenly became hungry and have been hungry ever since. However, I am okay with that and I know as soon as I get a fill all will be better.

Your okay. I was not told to do breathing exercises either. Every doc is different. Just remember that.

I feel for you. My kids just went through a round of the flu when I had my first surgery and then again with my third surgery. I have 3 boys ages 17, 7, and one just turned 5. I taught them to walk around carrying a kitchen pot. It makes clean up so much easier. They even sleep with one in the bed with them. It use to bother my husband but he eventually saw the practicality of it and now supports it. The day after my 3rd surgery where they closed my band again my little one started throwing up. I could not sleep in bed I was using the recliner but after a few days, maybe 5, I was going to go back to work so my husband slept with my little one on the sofa bed and I got the bed. This flu is something else. We took my son to the doc like 3 times before the throwing up finally stopped. I think it started on the 13 of this month and as of yesterday I had to take him back again because his ear started hurting. Just stay away and spray everything with Lysol. I have not gotten sick yet and hope it stays that way. I hope you stay healthy too.

Call ahead and ask the manager if you bring in your own soup could they serve it to you in one of their bowls. When my son was little he had surgery and could only eat Soups so I would take some in a baby food jar and they would take it back into the kitchen, heat it up, and bring it out in one of their bowls. Ask if you can drop it, the soup, off in the morning before you go with your friends. Sometimes its easier to tell a stranger that you will never see again than to tell people you have a relationship with that you will see again. Oh, and if you have your lapband card that would probably be even better.

I love it. Great analogy!!

I just wanted to say I am sorry for what you are going through. I hope it all works out. I am sure it will. I had some issues myself with swelling but it seems to have worked itself out. Keep us posted.

Moondust I wish I could tough it out like you. I bought a case and the gas pain they give me just is not worth any amount of money.

Where is your list of things you need to have ready at home when you get back?:cursing: I know, I know, I did the same thing and made my lists too. I just can't seem to finish all the Soups and stuff I bought and wonder how much money I spent that I could have saved:ohmy:

Moondust the Isopure gives me gas. I stopped drinking it for a day and the gas went away. Then I drank it again and the gas came back so I stopped drinking it. It made the gas very bad. I bought a bunch of it and don't know what to do with it. I look at it and burp. I thought it was just me...I wondered if this happened to anyone else...The chocolate drinks don't give me gas. Test it out and tell me what you think.

Pezo...ask your other questions in a new thread because I think that people are missing them. For me I did not eat Jello so I could not tell you how much. I drank broth and put it in a 3 oz dixie cup. I started with half a dixie cup every 15 minutes because I was very tight and over the next few days I added more. Oh, and I gained about 8 pounds after surgery. It came off fast though. It is swelling and the fluids. Good luck.

I worry about the same thing. I am going to Seattle in July and in the past (pre-band) on some flights I have swollen up and had to take off the rings on my hands. They started hurting my fingers and my fingers puffed up. I know that some say the cabin is pressurized but if the pressure is the same as when you are on the ground then peoples ears would not get plugged and/or pop. I guess I plan on staying on liquids and hope for the best.

Cold here in sunny southern California too. Your not alone. This morning I thought about putting gloves on.

I would make 2 Protein shakes, put them in coffee mugs with lids, and keep them in an ice chest with the frozen blocks of ice that are in plastic. I would sip on that between my breaks if I could. If you work retail I am sure they let you drink, don't they? Tell us how the work situation is and maybe we could come up with more ideas. Are you retail at a counter? Are you at a desk? Do you have pockets in your clothes that you could keep nuts or something in? You could eat a hand full five minutes before your break so that your stoma gets use to the idea of food going down and it may help you from getting stuck. Well good luck. Let us know how this works out.

Mine stuck out a lot. It made my belly button look sideways. It took weeks to go down. That side of my belly button stuck out like an inch farther than the other side. I thought it would never go down or I would have a big lump there. Then one day it was gone so it will be okay. I am glad you called your doc. Just do as they say and keep checking for pain or redness and check with your doc if it starts to bothers you.