GonnaRide

Wow, congratulations! That's fabulous. Keep it up!

This is what mine look like right now: The big purplish one on the left is the one that got infected. Those two little bitty ones up on the very top are from my gallbaldder surgery in Feb. There's still some bruising obviously. But see how they're all swollen and red? They itch like crazy and I have no idea what's going on! All 5 of them look like that. My husband makes fun of the one on the bottom. He says it looks like the :/ face lol. ETA: this is 11 days post op, surgery was on 5/8

I've resorted to hydrocortisone cream, because mine are swollen all around the incisions and VERY itchy. It almost looks like I'm having some kind of an allergic reaction. *sigh* If it's not one thing, it's another lol!

I had super easy childbirths, so I guess this is my payback, lol! Hang in there Jennifer. I do totally relate to what you're going through. Mine's been less than easy, too. I'm still even taking meds pretty much around the clock for pain. Thankfully after 2 days of anti-nausea meds in the hospital that seems to be mostly over. I do still have moments, but I find it's more often if I haven't had anything in my stomach a while. So I try to keep something on-hand to sip. And if you get sick to death of chicken broth, try beef. It's been a nice change! I really would have broken down and cried already if I wasn't in so much pain. It's a very frustrating, scary feeling. My arms look like I've been in a war, and I lost. The brusing from failed IV attempts is almost as bad as my incisions. Hang in there, and try to stay hydrated as best you can. Remember, it's okay to cry! This is a big change, and you've just had major surgery! It's also possible to be depressed afterwards from the anesthesia and all the recovering your body is going through. Lean on those around you, and definitely post here whenever you need to. *hugs!* ETA: Something that I just remembered! I was having a really rough day a few days ago and my health insurance health nurse/coach called and totally made me feel better. I talked to her for 45 minutes and we went over everything that happened with my surgery. She had some ideas that I hadn't though of, and of course had some medical experience and insight to lend. So if that's something your health insurance offers, take advantage of it! It's usually a free phone call, and sometimes it's just nice to be able to vent to an educated outsider to get perspective again.

I've been keeping a food journal through the lapband.com site, and I have to say it's been an amazing tool. It breaks down the %'s of what I've had into Protein, carbs, fat so I can easily see at a glance where most of my calories are coming from. I was also able to look at it about 1:30pm today and realize I was *way* behind on what I needed to be eating/drinking. That definitely helped me make more protein-oriented choices for the rest of the day. I really think that keeping a food diary will be a key for me. I tend to forget to eat, and that can definitely lead to trouble!

Yay! I hope he was supportive and gave you a great big hug and told you it was all going to be okay. You totally did the right thing. :rolleyes2:

I don't know. I'm pretty sure it's the Allergan, but I don't know what size. That's something I was going to ask at my post-op visit next week.

You're welcome :scared2: It totally sucks, but at least yours was pretty mild from the sounds of it. I'm sooo glad to hear it's not continued. That's wonderful.

I echo what the other girls say. However, I'm going to throw in my .02, so take it for what it's worth. Tell your husband. Even if you preface it with something like "I've made this decision, and my mind is made up. I'm not asking for your approval or for you to try and talk me out of this. This is something I've thought long and hard about, and I need to do this for me. But I want to tell you what I'm doing, because it is surgery and I'm going to need your help, your unconditional love and support." He lives with you. He loves you (I would hope!) and is there for you. Even if he doesn't agree with you having it done, he should support you emotionally and physically. My doc's orders were not to lift anything heavier than a gallon of milk, which I think is pretty standard for after this procedure. At my house, that means a lot of times I have to get my husband to do it for me. I totally understand not wanting to deal with the negativity from outsiders, but I personally feel like you should tell your husband. I know my husband would be having a fit if I was having surgery for something and not telling him why, because he'd be worried sick. Yours is probably pretty worried, too. Kudos to you for making this decision on your own, regardless of what anyone else thinks. It's not an easy decision, and you're so strong to do this for you!

I know I could use some help with this, chicken broth is about to drive me crazy. The smell isn't even sitting so well with me anymore. I'm guessing I'm not alone here either. What are you eating? Please share any recipes you've tried that you're enjoying, too!

I will totally miss rice if it's something I won't be able to get down with the band.

I've had completely the opposite. I've had a lot of diarrhea, sometimes uncontrollable! I actually broke down and took some Kaopectate on Wednesday because we were out and I was having to stop at a bathroom every 20 minutes. I haven't a clue why, but there's my .02$ on #2! :grouphug:

I could have written any of these posts, I so understand. I only told my family, and my three closest friends. It's embarrassing for me to be overweight. I haven't always been. I was a size 6 when I got married. After my first child, I gained 100 lbs due to medical complications, and it's been a fight ever since. Not to mention an ex-husband who suddenly turned my weight issues post-baby into a way to mentally abuse me. Then he undermined everything I did to try and get healthy again. It was an abusive, physically and mentally, relationship and I was very young. What confidence I had in myself, he completely destroyed. After the separation and divorce, I was dealing with PTSD and severe depression, and the weight had been there so long at that point, it wasn't my focus. Just getting to the next day was my concern. I had a lot of therapy, a lot of anti-depressants, and made some life changes. Once I started being able to handle all of that, I started being more active. I started taking riding lessons with my daughter. I was so, so happy! There was something in my life I looked forward to every week! I started losing weight, being more active, bought a horse of my own and was down about 50 lbs. Without even "dieting." Then I injured my back (four tears in 3 discs in my lower back) in April 08, and started having gallbladder problems. The weight crept back on. I was (and still am) unable to walk for more than 15 minutes at a time because of the back pain. I was stuck in this vicious cycle of "exercise" "I can't because my back is killing me" "gain weight because I can't exercise" and round and round. After over a year of this, something had to give. My back isn't going to heal. I'm not a surgical candidate. I'm living on narcotics just to get through the day. If the lap band can help me lose weight, so there's less pressure on my back, hopefully that will relieve some of the pain and I can get back to my life. I'm also afraid I've put too much pressure on "the band" because I need it to be a huge, huge help to me. Mentally I'm completely ready, and had a farily decent lifestyle and eating habits. But once depression kicks in, I go downhill fast. And unless I can break this cycle, my back has no chance of less pain, and I'm going to balloon into a 500lb woman who has no desire to live. And that is SO not who I am inside. I still question whether or not I should have done this, and I'm a week post-op. I guess it being such a major, life-changing decision, we always second guess our judgement. I'm trying to take it just a day at the time, make good choices now and let tomorrow happen when it gets here. You all have been an inspiration to me, and I cannot thank you enough for being here and for pouring out your hearts and your thoughts to strangers on a forum. I sincerely appreciate all of you! :grouphug:

If you have a hard time getting pureed food down, definitely go back to liquids until you can speak with your Dr. Just like after a fill, it's recommended to go back to liquids then pureed until you can work back up to solids, you need to be easy on the band. If you're choking, or vomiting (what is it that people call it? Productive burping?) you need to go back, and put in a call to your doc. Not EVERY body recovers in the same way. Not EVERY body is ready to move on to more dense foods at the same time. Try the dr's orders, and if it's painful and not working for you, GO BACKWARDS until you can speak to him/her and let them know.

Ann, we spent most of Wednesday in the car and in various doctor's offices. It definitely wasn't easy. Learn from my mistake: bring your meds with you! And bring something that you can eat. I only thought we'd be gone a few hours. We left at 8am and ended up getting home at 4:30pm. It was a SUPER long day! Lotsabirds, Dr. John (Ted) Johnson from Carteret Surgical did my surgery. He did my gallbladder in Feb, too. I really don't feel that the complications were his fault. I think I'm just not recovering well for whatever reason. Best of luck to you next week!

Thanks so much guys. Ann, I feel like we're taking-the-hard-road buddies, lol! I've really been leaning on my dh, he's been fabulous. He had to go back to work yesterday and today, which have been hard on me. I actually sat down and cried to my 5-year-old because she and her little brother wouldn't behave yesterday. There was no crying from mama today so it was slightly better. I'm sure glad he's off for the weekend though.

Did he happen to give any reasoning? I've heard nothing but good things about the Unjury. I just can't tolerate the smell now :grouphug: Congrats on your approval and band date! Juniper, I'd definitely recommend the Profect. Even the regular vials are 25g which can be a huge boost. And if you have time to order the sampler packs, do that, for sure! Better to spend $20 and find out you don't like some of them than spend $60 or $80 on a full pack and hate all of them! Good luck! (PS- I thought the Cool Blue was the worst! Nothing even close to the Cool Blue Gatorade I love lol)

I just realized this time last week, I was out of surgery. I'm still in pain with you, but my road has been extremely bumpy. I do have to agree that the heating pad definitely helps. I'm still sleeping mostly propped up because I can't lay down without awful pain. I would never recommend going against your dr's advice, but if you don't feel up for pureed, I say don't. Call them and tell them, see if you can keep going with liquid for a few more days. Or you can always try a day of pureed, and if it doesn't go well, go back to liquids. I'm most definitely in the "listen to your body" camp!

I ordered one of each of the sampler packs, which I'm REALLY glad I did. The flavors I thought I'd like, I absolutely couldn't stand. But it was only 3 ozs, so I was able to get them down (granted, pre-surgery). When I placed the order, it took just a few days for the samplers to get here, but it took over a week for the "real" order to get here. They shipped one of the wrong flavor, and are fixing that. They shipped the right one out today and are sending a UPS label for me to ship the wrong one back to them. They totally remind me of a liquid sweet-tart. It's a little thick, but I've halved them with Water and it's much more smooth that way. Having had one this morning, I do notice I'm much less hungry today than I have been. I had that for Breakfast, sipped on some water through the morning, and just ate some egg drop soup halved with chicken stock over the last hour and am quite happy. I know I'm not getting in as much liquids as I should, so this really helps me to at least get in the Protein that I need. I'll probably have another one later this afternoon/early evening and between my soup, those and dinner, will have over 100g of protein in for the day. I went with the 50g protein vials instead of the 25g. It worked out to be cheaper per g that way, and my thinking is, once I'm on regular foods just one vial per day should be enough. I really do like them, and they are MUCH better cold than room temp. I would definitely recommend getting the trial packs to find out which flavors you like best. The four I ended up ordering were: Ruby Melon Twist, Cool Melon Splash, Passion Fruit, and Grapefruit Mango. They also list a 15% off code on the site to use on your order, so that definitely helps out. I'd rather spend a little more money on something that's easy for me to get down, than less money on something I don't really like, or have to take a lot of to get the same benefits. I hope this helps!

Thanks for asking Meem. It's still really sore and red, and it's really hard underneath. But the redness is starting to go down some, so thankfully it's not getting any worse. I've only had 3 doses of the antibiotics (which smells like hair perming solution btw) so I think that's pretty good for just a day in. My surgery story: Because I wasn't able to do it before, here it is. I got to the hospital just before 11:30 am on Friday. I was scheduled for surgery at 1pm. I went straight back, did the pregnancy test, the nurse put me into a little cubicle room and did all the history stuff. I got into the fancy gown, didn't even get to keep my socks, and hopped into bed. The nurse came back in and started taking blood pressure, etc and then another nurse came over and said "The OR's calling for her." So we fought with getting an IV in, my family came in for a few minutes. Then after about 15 minutes or so, the anesthesiologist came in and talked to me and my surgeon showed up at the same time. So they went over everything. I did ask where my port was going to go, because I wanted to make sure it was high. He said about 2 inches below my rib cage which was exactly what I wanted to hear! They left and my family headed out to get lunch. About 10 minutes after that, the anesthesiologist nurse came in and gave me a shot of something in the IV. The next thing I remember is being in a regular room, and seeing my husband and kids in the peripheral of my fog. The nurses were telling me to move over to the bed. Someone said something about bleeding, my husband said "she's having her period" and everything went black again. I believe it was about 4pm then according to my husband. I woke up later in agonizing pain, my surgeon was standing over me, the nurses were doing something with the IV, and I was crying from the pain. Everything was really fuzzy and surreal for a while, I do remember them asking me if I was hurting. I guess they gave me something more for pain because I drifted back out. A few hours later, I woke up long enough for my husband to tell me he was going to take the kids home and get them dinner and put them to bed. It was around 7pm. They left and I went back to sleep. I don't really remember much until the next morning at 4am. I woke up and felt semi-human. The CNA came in and helped me to the bathroom. Then I took a walk down the hall and back, and went back to my room. I had a little bit to drink, vitamin water I think, and went straight back to sleep. After the shift-change, they woke me up again and brought breakfast, of chicken broth, grape juice and lemon-lime Gatorade. I got more pain meds by mouth, was able to get some liquids down and then went for a walk around the floor. I came back to my room and dozed some. My husband and children came over a few hours later. The on-call doc came in a while after that and looked me over. He said I looked good enough to go home. The nurse with him said "Well one out of three's not bad." I asked if the other 2 lap-band patients weren't going home, and he said no, they weren't doing as well and they'd be staying another night. So I was discharged, and got dressed, got everything together and headed home. We stopped to drop off the liquid oxycodone prescription at the pharmacy, and they didn't have any. The pharmacist called every pharmacy within an hour's drive and no one had it. The could order it, but because of the type of meds, they wouldn't have it till the end of the next week! We went back to the hospital to see if they had any suggestions and they were able to find a pharmacy who had it about an hour and a half away. So my husband took me home, I went to bed, and he went to go get the Rx filled. I don't know how long I slept, maybe an hour. I woke up and was instantly nauseous. I ran to the bathroom and threw up. It was the worst feeling! I was scared of ripping something, I was scared because I was alone, and I was scared to throw up! I threw up anyway, dry heaved a while and went to go call the dr's office answering service. The doc on call called back really quickly, and I told him what was going on. I then had to tell him to hold on because I started throwing up some more. I told him my husband had gone to fill the Rx and wasn't home. He said to call him and have him get me back to the hospital. He'd leave orders at admitting so they could send me straight up when I got there. I tried my husband's cell phone for half an hour, with no answer. I even tried mine too, because it was still in the car. No luck. Finally I went over to my neighbor's house, no answer there either. So I called 911. THEN! My husband called back. His ringer volume had been turned down. He was the opposite side of the hospital from where we live, so I just told him to meet me there. The ambulance came, took me in, and then literally dumped me in a wheelchair in the ER waiting room. The ER waiting room staff found my husband who was trying to get me admitted. They couldn't find the doc's orders. The admitting lady was slower than molasses in January. I still had my bracelets on from leaving earlier! After about half an hour - 45 minutes, they took me upstairs and put me in a room. They tried to get an IV in me, and couldn't. So that nurse went home. My husband and kids had been in the car pretty much all day, it was about 7pm by this point, and I told him just to get them dinner and take them home. So they left. A nurse came in about an hour later to try again for an IV. No luck. Nurse #3 came in and got it finally. The nurses didn't have the doctor's orders, so I was without any pain meds, without any nausea meds, nothing to drink, and just getting worse. About half an hour later, they gave me something for the nausea which knocked me out. I woke up at 9:30pm and asked if I could have something for pain yet. They gave me something in the IV, and I slept until early morning. They brought me breakfast, chicken broth, orange Gatorade and cranberry juice. I sipped some Gatorade and still was feeling nauseous. They gave me more meds and I slept off an on until early afternoon. My husband and children came in with roses for Mother's Day, and hung out while I slept. Just before lunch, the doc made me nothing-by-mouth and they came in and took everything away. Around 3:30 they took me down for the x-ray thing. Which was awful. The radiologist wanted me to lay on my stomach for one of them, and I flat out told him, no way! They improvised. I threw up more afterward, and they took me back upstairs. I got more meds for the nausea and was mostly asleep for the rest of the day. My husband went home around dinner time, which I really don't remember. I woke up between 8:30 and 9pm and realized I hadn't seen the doctor to find out the results of the test. I called a nurse, who came in and told me it was normal and that I could have liquids again. They brought me some ice chips and some Gatorade. I sat up until about 11pm and sipped on them and watched tv. I got another dose of pain meds and went to sleep. Monday morning, I was told my surgeon was there and making rounds, so I should see him shortly. My family came back in about 9, and still no doc. So I called to see if he was still in the hospital. Yep, but in surgery. He'd totally not come to see me! My husband went out and got a little testy with them, told them we hadn't even gotten the results of the test, my NPO orders hadn't been lifted when they were given, and we'd like to know what was going on. They said they'd get ahold of Dr Johnson between surgeries and would find out. They came over a little while later and said he'd reviewed everything and it looked good, and he'd be up around noon to discharge me. He came in at noon, just as my husband was showing back up with lunch for him and the kids. The doc said I looked okay, and the blood work and test and been okay and I could go home, just to take it easy. The nausea had seemed to pass, so I was ready to go home. They got the IV out, and discharged me and we went home. I got nauseous on the drive home, and did some dry-heaving but it wasn't nearly as bad as it had been Saturday. The pain is still pretty bad. I'm not sure if it's because of the surgery, or the infection, or both. But it's definitely not good yet. I'm still taking the pain meds every 4 hours pretty much around the clock. I'm really kicking myself that I did this electively, and I hope that this is worth it. Because right now, it sure doesn't seem like it. I can't get through the day without falling asleep in the middle of something. I get to the point I just can't stay awake and have to go take a nap. Walking is extremely painful, and I can't go from lying down to sitting up by myself, I have to have my husband pull me up. I can't sleep on either side yet, it feels like my stomach is going to rip open. I'm so, so glad that everyone has had a much easier surgery and recovery than this. It really has been pretty much awful.

CanadianGirl, I'm going to give you my .02 so please take it as just someone who's been puking after surgery too, and not as medical advice (lol!). After going home, I started violently throwing up. Really ferociously heaving and vomiting until bile started coming up. (Gross, I know, bear with me.) I even had to ask my doctor to hold on while I set the phone down and threw up more. Once I went back into the hospital, I threw up a time or two more before they did the radiation/x-ray swallow thing. My band was exactly where it belonged. I even threw up really badly again after the test in the x-ray room and they weren't concerned. It is horribly, horribly painful and still feels really achy, but apparently nothing moved. So it's probably that your band is okay, too. I would say though, if you're at all worried, have it checked. Better to be safe than sorry. *hugs* I hope your recovery gets easier!

unjury does have a 100% guarantee! I looked and just emailed them this morning to see about returning these 5 cans that I won't be able to use. Thank you for reminding me of that! I picked up some egg drop Soup the other day from a Chinese restaurant and then halved it with chicken broth. It was really good, and the egg gave me a little bit of texture and a Protein boost. I also strained a vegetable soup and that was quite good. My Profect vials showed up yesterday, finally. So I've had one of those this morning and have 50g of protein on board before 9am. Go me! They're one the pricey side, but it's definitely worth it to be able to get in so much protein in just 3.2 ozs. Especially at this stage where I can't drink much at once.

I also watched the video on youtube, and it made me feel better after watching it. I realized it really wasn't that invasive a surgery, it wasn't a bloody, horrific thing, and it really helped me relax about it. My 5-year old and 3-year old watched it too (after I was sure it wasn't going to scare them) and it helped ease their minds. They knew what was going to happen, and knew what to expect afterwards. (Mommy's going to be sore and have boo-boo's, no Mommy won't feel it when they do it, etc.) Try to think of it as educational, informed consent. Because really, how much more informed can you be? :crying: And remember, you won't feel or see or even remember any of it. So even with that knowledge, there's also a sense of "I know they did that to me, but I don't remember so it's okay." Don't stress it! Most everyone does great afterwards. And it's the next step to a healthier you! My first fill won't be until week 5. I think it's pretty normal to get an empty/mostly empty band. It's so our stomachs can get used to something being there and letting everything heal before they start putting in saline for restriction. Hang in there, we're all rooting for you!

Great suggestions, ladies! I love French Onion but I hadn't thought about getting it strained. I've suddenly become really sensitive to a lot of smells since surgery and my unjury turns my stomach instantly. I ordered a caseload of it too, so now I have no clue what to do with it all. I haven't been able to find anything I can hide it in successfully yet. :crying: Please feel free to share mushies/soft foods ideas as well. And even *gasp* some real food recipes when you get there!

The complications continue. My port incision is infected, and I've been put on a round of antibiotics. It's really red and inflamed looking, and VERY tender. It's sort of swollen and hard if you touch it. I've actually taken some pics in case anyone wanted to see what one looks like when it starts to go bad. If you're interested holler and I'll try to figure out how to post it.