CanadianGirl.ca

you are a very wise person...

Hi everyone. It's been a long time since I've posted and thought I'd just check in. Sounds like you folks are doing great! Things are going ok for me. I hit my first big goal on September 26th. I had wanted to be down 50 lbs by my friends wedding and I made it. :scared2: However, since then I have only lost 2 lbs and am so frustrated because I can't seem to keep them off- the scale keeps bouncing up and down by 2. It's kinda like I hit that goal and got stuck. I really need to step it up in the exercise department but am struggling. I guess I need to find something to inspire me again, kinda lost my "get up and go". What do u guys do to stay motivated? How is everyone else doing?

My hubby and I were scheduled for fills at noon on the 11th but are going to have to cancel because his work schedule changed. It's a very long drive from Sask. to not even see a doctor and to just get a nurse to do the fill. We are thinking of trying the nurse in Regina. Has anyone gone to her before? Has anyone talked to the docs about how they feel about getting fills done elsewhere? It sucks because we will have to pay but we are spending that much driving to Winnipeg anyway.

Hi everyone, especially those of you who are new. It's so nice to be able to meet all of you on here and it was great to get to meet some of you in person at Maples. Please do introduce yourselves if we all end up going for a fill on the same day again. My hubby and I would love to be able to get together with you if someone plans something but we live in Sk. so it would have to be scheduled for a day when we were coming for a fill/checkup for it to work for us. Things are going ok for me but I have to admit I'm a little frustrated right now that I haven't lost ANY weight since I had my fill and even before that. I have a lot of restriction in the morning so I have been waiting until closer to noon to eat. Then in the evenings that restriction is gone and I can eat pretty much anything that I want. I am hungry so I have been eating more than I normally would have that late in the day. I know it is so bad to eat before bed so I'm trying to avoid that. I guess I should be happy that I'm not gaining but it's driving me nuts that the scale hasn't gone down for three weeks in a row now and I've been way more active. I was reading some of the posts and have seen others struggling with this too. Any advice, anyone? Am I expecting too much too soon?

Hi everyone! I so much enjoyed talking with those of you who were at Maples on Saturday. Sorry I didn't get a chance to really visit with you, Moonbeam, as you went in right away to see the docs. I hope we run into each other again at our next fills. I thought that might have been you, Tammar, in the waiting room as we were leaving and now that I know it was I will look for you next time. The first fill was so much easier than I expected- I thought it would be so much more painful but it wasn't a big deal. I found out I had 2cc's in my band already and Dr. B. put in 1.5 so I'm now at 3.5. I am definately feeling some restriction now. Mornings are tough because I have trouble even getting liquids down- they go down but I can feel every little bit of it going and it's uncomfortable. I haven't tried anything solid first thing because of this and have just been doing the carnation breakfasts. By noon things are better and I haven't had any problems with eating then. I am being really careful to chew lots and to pick foods that I know go down ok but need to try more things in the fruits and veggie department. I find that I'm just getting Proteins in and then not eating veggies. How's everyone else doing in the protein/veggie department? My hubby is recovering well but had a really bad night last night. He has arthritis and the meds he takes are really hard on his stomach. He hadn't taken any since surgery but was in a lot of pain so thought he'd better take a pill. He was up all night with an upset stomach and he said he felt like he was having a heart attack from the chest pain. (He still is having gas pain from surgery as well) Does anyone else take arthrotec or any other meds? If so, how do you manage? I read on a thread some where that after having surgery a lot of people aren't able to take these types of meds because it damages your pouch. Has anyone else heard this?

Yes, I definately have that same pain! I was thinking maybe it was a sign of being full because it only seems to be there after I eat but that doesn't seem right somehow. My port is on that side so I don't know if that is why I have discomfort? I'm going to ask my surgeon when I go to see him on the 20th. Anybody else know what it could be?

Hi Nikki. I'm pretty new to this because I was only Banded at the beginning of May and have not even had a fill yet. I don't know how much different things will be after a fill but I have noticed that when I am full I get discomfort in my left side beside where my port is and that it feels like food isn't going down so well anymore. I have been very careful to measure my portions out until I have an idea of what a portion looks like. I think that will come in time when I get used to eating less. Definately exercise is a good thing! I have learned that there is no quick fix to losing weight- it has to be through diet and exercise. The band is a tool to help us but we still have to put some effort in if we want to see the weight coming off. I know it is so hard to get going with exercise but I think once you get used to doing it you might even enjoy it. I have gone through times too where I stopped exercising because life got too busy but I just get back to doing it as soon as I can. Which sometimes takes me awhile..LOL.

Hi Moonbeam! Sounds like we will all be there at the same time...hopefully we will get to meet you! My hubby is scheduled for surgery at 10 am so we have to be there at 8:30 or so. What time is your fill? I will be having my first one that day too. A little nervous about the needle thing but looking forward to having some restriction. I'm so hungry now and although I am trying to stick to the 3 meals a day plan I am often hungry in the evening and wanting to snack before bed. I am also starting to stray a bit from healthy choices and have been eating a lot of new things that maybe aren't the best. For the most part though I'm sticking to the rules and am frustrated because I have stopped losing even though I have added exercise. It doesn't sound like you felt much restriction after your first fill and that must be discouraging. How are you doing now? What are you finding works the best to help with the hunger?It sucks that everyone is so different and I'm hoping, like you, that I'm not one of those people that needs 8cc's in my band. That's a lot of trips from Regina!

My first fill is scheduled for June 20th. I don't have anything in my band right now and my surgeon said he only fills around 1cc at a time so I anticipate it's going to take awhile to get to the right amount. Looking forward to getting it done but a little worried about that needle in my tummy! I hate needles!!!

Hi everyone. Moonbeam, thanks for asking how we are making out. I'm three weeks post-op tomorrow and am feeling really good. I still have pain in my left side, especially after eating, but it is just discomfort not anything too bad. One of the things I am starting to struggle with is hunger. Now that I am eating soft solid food again it seems like I am wanting to eat more often and bigger portions. Of course my portions are far from big, but it just seems like so much compared to what I had been having cause it's actual food. It blows me away that less than a cup of food fills me up! I keep challenging myself to try new things and to eat more when it goes down ok because I'm nervous to try things. The only thing I've had trouble with is scrambled eggs. I thought that would be a great thing to have when I first started on solids but when one egg went down ok I decided to try two a couple of days later and up they came. Yuck! Eggs are no longer that appealing... I guess this hunger thing will be better after having a fill- my first one is scheduled for the 20th. How are you doing, Moonbeam? Did you have your first fill? How are you doing with getting enough Protein in? I'm struggling with that too because I'm not a milk drinker and am just starting to eat meats.

to post your ticker just copy it then go to quick links click that and go to edit signature and paste it there. not sure how to do pics. good luck.

The left side is definately more sore than the right. I woke up after surgery with pain left of my port incision and it took days for it to get better. I now feel uncomfortable sleeping on my left but not really pain and it's getting better every day.

I just got banded on May 12th and I can tell you a little about my experience. I was not in the least bit hungry for a couple of days after surgery. The first day or so it was a struggle for me to get in enough liquids, never mind food. (Make sure you drink lots because if you don't the constipation is awfull! I have also been putting Benefiber, which is flavourless, in my drinks to help with that.) When I did start to feel hunger it was weird. I felt almost nauseated because I was so hungry and once I had some broth or whatever it went away. I figured out that was the new feeling of hunger for me and I started eating something right away when I first felt it. Hot liquids were surprisingly satisfying and took away hunger. As I progressed to cream Soups, apple sauces, and puddings the old feeling of hunger returned. It takes very little for me to feel satisfied and my dietician reccommended that I have six small meals a day and that has been working well. A meal is maybe a cup of cream soup or a Carnation Breakfast. I feel now like I'm wanting more and am going to get adventurous and try some mushies today. Here's hoping it goes down! Don't worry about feeling hungry. I thought I would have a problem but it hasn't been the struggle I thought it would be. You will do great!

Thanks GonnaRide for telling me that u threw up too- I feel better now cause it sounds like it was way worse for you and your band is still ok so I think mine should be. (Sorry to hear how bad it was!) I'm feeling better each day and my stomach muscles aren't nearly as sore today as they have been.

Hi everyone! I made it!! I'm so glad to have the surgery over with. I was so nervous before I went in and the surgery before me was a patient with sleep apnea so they went a little longer than expected and I waited on pins and needles. When I woke up I had some pain in my left side and had the hugest fat lip. It must've been caught under the tube they put down your throat or something. It still is nasty looking, the skin is peeling now and I have a huge blister. I always have thrown up after going under and I warned everyone about this. They said they would give me meds to avoid this and they did. However, it just prolonged the agony and when I got back to our hotel room sure enough I threw up. I was worried at first that I might have wrecked my stitches or had my band slip but now after a couple of days I feel ok so I'm hoping no damage was done. Last night I had alot of tightness in my chest and it hurt to breath but I think it was the dreaded gas pain u guys were talking about. I feel better this am and actually felt hungry so I had a Carnation Breakfast shake. Glad to hear things are going well for you guys. Let us know how your first fill goes Moonbeam. Happy to hear u can eat now SK- Looking forward to that. After hearing about your food getting stuck I'm sure going to be sticking to liquids for quite awhile!

Hi everyone. I wanted to post on here earlier but have been feeling pretty tired from my pain meds and haven't felt much like going on the computer until today. I'm so glad to read that everyone's surgery went well on Tuesday. Mine did too, for the most part. When I woke up the first thing I noticed was pain in my left side (just discomfort) and my bottom lip hurt like heck. When I felt my lip it was huge! It must've been caught under the tube they put down your throat because I have never had such a bruised, fat lip. It still is swollen and now it really looks yucky cause the skin is peeling off and I have a blister on top of it. My kids think I got beat up! I think that if that is the worst thing I have to complain about though I'm pretty lucky. :tt1: I have always reacted to being put under by vomitting when I wake up and I was quite nervous about this because I thought vomitting after this surgery would be BAD. I informed everyone of this reation before I went in and they said not to worry they would give me medication to avoid this. As soon as I woke up I felt a lot of nausea so they gave me meds. I slept a lot after and the next thing I know they are getting me dressed and sitting me up in a chair with my husband there with me. It seemed like a minute later but my hubby said it was a good hour and they were saying I could leave and go back to our hotel to rest. It was not long after getting back to the hotel that the nausea kicked in again and this time I did vomit and it sure was painful. I'm now really hoping that I didn't wreck my stitches or have my band slip. The muscles in my tummy feel very sore, especially when I try to sit up or lay down, like u feel after you've had the flu and vomitted a lot. I don't know if that is just normal from the surgery or if it is from throwing up. I stayed at a hotel for one night and then did the dreaded six hour drive home on Wednesday. That was pretty tough! So yesterday I was exhausted and just rested all day. Last night I had a lot of chest pain and it hurt to take deep breaths. I also started burping a lot and passing gas and I feel a lot better this morning so I think the pain was just gas build up. I haven't had anything but a bit of chicken broth and some apple juice, besides Water, so I actually got brave this morning and had a Breakfast shake. My stomach was gurgling away when I woke up today and I think I was hungry cause since having the shake my tummy has stoppped talking to me. So overall the surgery experience was a good one and I can't wait for the recovery time to be over so I can get to work on losing some weight! Thanks to everyone who shared their surgery stories. It really helped me to hear that everyone else did ok before I went in. It's so nice to have you guys for support as we go through this together!!

Thank you so much for your suggestions!! That Soup sounds wonderful and I will be definately trying it and the peppermint tea tomorrow. Never thought of grilling the vegetables- I was so scared of cheating that I haven't put any variety into my diet. I thought the fat free chicken broth was walking on the wild side. LOL. Thanks for posting about your surgeries and how they went. I'm not as scared now after reading that yours went okay.:thumbdown: How are you doing SK since your "brain fart"? ( I got a little chuckle out of that!) Have you tried any mushies yet or are u still sticking to liquids? It sounded so painful and I hope you've recovered. Sounds like you are doing so good Moonbeam- how are things now that you are eating normal foods again?

Hi everyone. So glad to hear you are all doing well after surgery- mine is coming up fast now (May 12th) and I'm getting pretty nervous. I'm a week and a half into my pre-op diet and it's kicking my butt! If I never see another shake again it will be too soon! (By the way, if anyone else reads this and has to do the medi-trim shakes, the vanilla is disgusting.) I have to do three weeks of the pre-op and it seems like such a long time that I have to go yet. Does anyone have any suggestions about how to help get through the hunger? It seems to hit me around five o'clock and I get so miserable. Maybe because it is supper time for the rest of my family and it smells so good! It seems to pass by about seven. On the brighter side of things, I haven't cheated and I'm half way done!!:thumbup: How long was it before you guys went from liquids to mushies after surgery? I have to have some hope that I will eat real food again!!

Hi Cyndi! I'm scheduled for surgery on May 12th too! I'm pretty excited and nervous- how about you?

May 12th!!! :ohmy: