Buttsy84

Anya, I am glad you are still losing. You sound like you are doing A LOT better than I am. I gained backed about 5 pounds while starting mushies/solids. No movement now. I have started using MyFitnessPal.com to track my daily food and exercise. It helps to keep me accountable. I have not done much exercising though. I have knee issues and I was hoping I could lose a little more weight before I started. BF and I are going walking here in a few for a couple miles since it is so nice out. To be completely honest, I have been eating way more than I should.I really need to do better. I think I have been doing really good with my water though. While at work, I have a 32oz mug that I fill with ice water and I commit to having that gone by the time I leave. I try to drink an additional 2 20oz bottles of water before bed. 72oz for the day... not bad. Anyway, good luck on your work outs. Glad to see you are doing well. Will definitely check back in after the fill! Rachel

Hi Anya. Just checking in to see how you've been doing so far. I have my first fill next Tuesday. I am really looking forward to it. I feel like I have been able to eat so much before I get any sense of being full. I am not counting on this first fill to do much as I have heard most people start feeling restriction right around the 3rd to 4th fill. Have you had any difficulties with anything? Hope all is well.

Rachel

Hi Anya. Work is going fine for me. As I said before, I am feeling like I never had the surgery. I have no pain, no discomfort, and my appetite is just about the same as it was before. I have not had any trouble eating anything. My post-op appt was originally scheduled for the Thursday the week after also, but the nurses bumped me up to that Tuesday instead. She had mentioned something about it being better to remove the staples about a week out rather than letting them stay in longer. You will have to let me know how that goes for you. Good luck tomorrow.

Hi Anya. How was your weekend? Did you get a lot of snow where you are? I felt so much better this weekend, like I never had the surgery at all. Hope your first day back to work was good! Talk to you later.

Hi Anya,

Eating is going okay.. I find it's still hard to get a variety. I wasn't prepared/stocked up on anything because I wasn't sure what our guidelines would be. I think tonight I am going to make some egg drop soup and some tuna noodle casserole for the next few days. I did try pasta like they said I could.. went down just fine. Wednesday and yesterday were really exhausting for me while at work. Today is much better so far. When is your post op appt? I don't know if I will make it to any support groups or not. I work in KC but I live in Saint Joseph, so it's about an hour drive for me just to get to downtown KC. I am NOT excited about any of this snow business! Ugh! I can't believe I have been banded for almost 2 weeks already. Crazy.. Still going back to work on Monday? Talk to you later.

Rachel

Anya,

Glad to hear that you are doing good! I returned to work today.. I am EXHAUSTED. I am going home and going straight to bed I think. I am still feeling weak/funny with the whole sugar thing. It will take some time I figure out I think. I went out to lunch today with my co-workers. I had a bowl of potato soup and a baked potato (brought back 3/4 of each!). Called the nurses today too.. they said to follow the paperwork and that they were going to have to talk to Dr. Hitchcock about his food stage info! HaHa. SO next week I am on to soft-solids and meats(or whatever I can handle). I am excited. So your husband won't return until next January? OMG. He will be so happy to see you! He probably won't recognize you! My boyfriend wasn't so supportive. His ex had gastric and left him 4 months later. So he thinks Im going to get skinny and leave him. He'll get over it though! How much have you lost so far from the pre-op? Do you plan on going back to work next Monday?

Rachel

Anya,

I actually took two more days off. So I am supposed to go back tomorrow. I am hyopglycemic, so I am having a hard time keeping my sugar level stable. Everybody at work knows about the surgery and they are excited for me. I had my post-op today. It is confusing though, because what Dr. Hitchcock says is different than any paperwork, as far as how soon we can eat certain things. The paperwork says on Day 4, start pureed and mushies.. He assumed I was waiting until his okay (which was today). No solid food until 1 month post-op.. So just in time for Easter for me! I was actually more nervous about the staples coming out than I was about the surgery! Go figure... I didn't feel a thing. the nurse (not sure which one) and my boyfriend were laughing at me. Apple juice was my favorite too. The day after was the worst for me. Do you feel any shoulder pain or gas pains yet? I'm glad everything went good for you! Rachel

Anya,

I hope everything went great today. How do you feel? What did you think of Dr. Hitchcock and the staff at Menorah? Good luck with everything. Let me know how it all went for you! Rachel

Anya,

My insurance covered 100%. I only had to pay my outpatient co-pay. I think on the last 3-4 days of the pre-op, I was coming home and having my "dinner" at about 4 or 5. I was in bed by 6 usually just so I wouldn't think about being hungry. Today is my 5th day so I am on to mushies. I am so glad that they allow us to go back to real foods so soon also. I hear about all of these other people having to do 2-3 weeks of straight liquids. I would die! I don't know how you are going to do Sunday night, but I couldn't sleep at all! I was so excited. Good luck on Monday. I'll be thinking about you!

Rachel

He actually told me something completely different than the instructions. Nikki or Rachel (can't remember which one) told me to just follow the instructions. So for the day of surgery, it was just clear liquids. Day 1-4 was broth, jello, tomato juice, milk, cofee.. I think on the second full day he said to add protein shakes back in. Day 5-14 will be mushies/pureed..anything through a straw basically. I think after that 14 days, you can start introducing soft foods first, and then solids. To be honest it was hard to even think about drinking anything the day of and the next 2 days after that. So tomorrow I get to start mushies. Yogurts, puddings, creamy soups, pureed foods. I am supposed to go back to work on Monday. I sit at a desk all day, so hopefully over the weekend I will feel even better. How is your pre-op going? Are you self-pay or did you have insurance? Rachel

Hi Anya. I went to Menorah. My surgery was scheduled for 730am and I think I left the hospital at 11:30am. That first day was a piece of cake. A little soreness but the pain meds took care of that. The 2nd day was the worst by far. This is when the shoulder pain kicked in and the gas started. Everything is so much more swollen on this day too. Just remember to rest as much as you can. Walking around, as much as you may not want to, really helps with the gas. The third day was MUCH better. Today is my fourth full day. I slept better last night, the incisions do not hurt as much anymore, and I feel a little more active. I think on the third day I started getting my hungry growls! Just follow the instructions they give you and call the nurses at the office if you have any questions at all. They are wonderful as well. Just remember, once you get past the first 2-3 days, you'll feel great. You have 2 more days left!!! My name is Rachel by the way. Talk to you later!

Hi AnyaK. I was looking for other people who had used Dr. Hitchcock. I was banded by Dr. Hitchcock on Monday March 16th. Looks like you are a week behind me. Don't worry about ANYTHING! He was great. He came in before, asked if I had any questions. He wheeled me to the OR. After recovery, he came to check in again. He was awesome. I have my post op with him on the 24th. If you have any questions, or want a band-buddy, feel free to contact me! Good luck!