isaviolinist

Also, I had more than enough Lovenox (I had 4 doses left at the end of my injections). You can't procure injections without a script from your doctor thus he will provide you with everything you need (otherwise there is no way for you to get it). He may just mean that you'll need to fill the prescription yourself (i.e. he won't physically hand you the box of injections, you'll need to get it yourself from the pharmacy). Generally, there will be a pharmacy in the hospital which can fill this for you.

I had to inject myself once a day, for 7 days after surgery, with Lovenox. It wasn't creepy or difficult. Both of my parents are physicians so they showed me how to do it the first 3 days and then I did it myself for the remainder of the time. I also had the option of having a nurse come to my apartment (everyday if I wanted) to help me with that (and anything else I needed). Recovery was very easy so they only ended up coming once, right after I was discharged from the hospital (but they didn't give me the shot...my mom was still here so she did it). This service was also completely covered by insurance, so if you are concerned about injecting yourself you should ask about that to see if it is part of what your insurance pays for. If you ask the nurse in the hospital to show you what you need to do before you leave, you shouldn't have a problem doing it yourself (or if you REALLY don't want to, a friend or spouse can help you).

Hi - I just saw this Realize Band group. I was banded with the Realize C band on June 18th, 2009. I had my first fill a little over a week ago. I now have 5cc in my band. I'm going for my second fill on Aug. 25th. I have a little restriction now, but I'd like more. Almost 45 pounds down since I started my pre-op diet a little over 2 months ago, and not looking back! Excited to be healthy and thin! Good luck to everyone

My surgeon has said so far, no soda. I never heard him say I could have soda after I've had my band for awhile. I think I will just stay away from it. My father is a dentist and he said that even diet soda is unhealthy for your teeth (as well as the other unhealthy effects of soda on the body generally). I haven't had soda for over 2 months now, so I'll probably just stick to that.

I don't measure my food but I have been considering doing it because I am having trouble guessing how many ounces things are. I bought a food scale before my surgery so maybe I'll start using it...

Good luck with your surgery on Monday! Definitely a good idea to try and stick to the diet 100% starting now until Monday. The last thing you want is to wake up from surgery and then find out that you couldn't have it because your liver was too thick. You can do it! Good luck

Congrats on your surgery! My surgery was also June 18th: we are band buddies! I also had my first fill last week. So far so good (although I'm not sure if I have enough restriction yet). Anyways, keep up the good work!

Your surgery will be here before you know it! I remember feeling like the surgery was so far away and I'd never get a date, but in actuality it was just 2 months. Congrats on your appeal win, that is great! I didn't have to appeal my actual surgery, but one of my preop tests wasn't covered at all - my insurance said they didn't cover that particular test when it was related to obesity. I appealed it (because it was a 600 dollar test) but I didn't think the appeal would be accepted. Lo and behold, it was! I felt so good about it! Also, you can jump start your process by revamping your eating habits a little or beginning some exercise. This will give you that feeling of doing something productive that will contribute to your weight loss and health (and it won't just be a feeling lol; you WILL actually be doing something productive). It will also help prepare you for pre-op and post-op activities. If you can jump start your weight loss now, there were be less chance of any complications (like thick liver) at surgery. Try to cut your carbs and up your Protein now. You will probably lose weight even if you are not working out! And do as much research and preparation now, so when you are close to surgery you'll no what the plan is. Good luck!

This may be an obvious question, but what does your pre-op diet consist of and are you sticking to exactly the prescribed diet?

Here is a link from my blog to a cheese soup that I made when I was a few days post-op. Its pretty tasty: Violinist With A Band: Full Liquids

Good luck! I'm sure you will do great!

Good luck with your surgery! I am sure you will do great! Let us know how everything is when you feel up to it!

Everyone has already said really great things. I don't want to repeat them again, but I did just want to chime in with my added support of you! Although we all have unique stories and circumstances, I think most of us on here have gone through that time where we say "I just can't do it. I might as well just give up now. I'll just be fat and sad and that will be that". Most of us can relate! Its great when you do have a signifigant accomplishment later on down the road (whether its 10, 20, or 100 pounds) and can look back on that moment of despair and say, "wow, look at where I am now!". Its great to truly feel proud of a genuine accomplishment. Good luck and please post again so we know where you are at!

I agree with everything thats been said. Also, throwing up regularly can cause other complications (like slippage). So its really important that you go have a talk with your doctor. He may just need to take out .1 cc and it could be perfect restriction. But being too tight and throwing up all of the time is just as bad, if not worse, than not being tight enough. Go get checked out!! good luck!

Thanks for your reply. He told me at the fill that he saw that I had good restriction, but maybe it just wasn't enough. I guess if I still am not feeling any restriction at the end of next week, I will give a call. I'm supposed to have another fill in 6 weeks, but I don't want to wait so long for that, especially if I'm not feeling any restriction. I'll give an update when I find out whats going to happen!

I haven't had a hernia, so I can't really help, but good luck with your surgery and welcome to your new healthy life!!

Hey that is great! Do you by any chance know how many pounds you lost to equal those 8.25 inches? Im just curious. Anyways, congrats!!

The only time I really second guessed the band was right before surgery. I wasn't really second guessing the band itself, I was just SO nervous for surgery. Sometimes I get concerned about complications down the road (like slippage, or my band breaking or something), but I'm hoping its something I don't need to deal with anytime (or anytime in the near future).

I think I probably went around day 3 or 4. It definitely took a little while for me.

I am glad to hear you won't be giving up! You are so recently banded, no reason to even have thoughts remotely close to that right now. And things will get hard even when youre a year or two or three into your journey. But the great part about this is, its not a diet, its a lifestyle change. Life gets hard sometimes, but we can keep pressing through! I also have a scale addiction. Its hard to break (and I haven't been able to let mine go). But I just tell myself that if I'm going to weigh myself everyday I am not permitted to get mad at myself if I don't see a change in the scale everyday or even if the scale goes up sometimes (I weigh myself sometimes 4 times a day...so of course it will go up after I've eaten or have had something to drink!!). Keep your head up!

Yes it will loosen over time. However, its actually not the band itself thats loosening; its the swelling around your stomach that is going down, and eventually it will be the amount of fat on your stomach reducing. This is creating a wider opening between your pouch and lower stomach. This is actually why I am SO glad that I wasn't filled at surgery (my doctor doesn't do that). Your stomach is swollen and healing and everyone's stomach heals differently. For some, if there is a small amount of fill in their band, it will make the opening to the stomach much too small (and sometimes it will even close up completely). As your swelling on your stomach goes down, the band will progressively become looser. If you go in for an unfill right now, I am assuming it will hurt because the port has just been sewn into the fascia, and for most, at 11 days it is not ready to have pressure applied to it. Overtime, the band will also become looser because as you loose weight, fat will also get burned off of your stomach. So what was once a good fill level at 244 pounds, may not be tight enough at 210 pounds. However, in this case, its the swelling (primarily) that will go down and will make the band feel looser. Good luck!

Congrats and good luck!! Keep us updated on your progress!

You are SO early out of surgery! Don't be so hard on yourself! firstly, maybe you should lose the scale for awhile. Hide it or have someone else hide it from you. Secondly, 16.4 pounds is a great amount to lose! The time between surgery and your first fill are for healing, not necessarily weight loss. If you lose some weight in that time its a *bonus*. Many people actually gain some weight. Around the 2nd week after surgery, I stopped losing and the scale didn't budge for probably almost 2 weeks. Anyways, the point is, take it easy, keep your chin up, and cut yourself some slack. You are doing great and I'm sure you'll continue to be successful!

Dear LB Anon: Wow. You have a very complicated story. I have some similar experiences but from the other side - I was the child that was acting out, running away, etc. All I can say is it has taken many years for me (along with my family) to work through the issues. I had so many issues, and my family had so many issues, and we had so many issues with one another. It took a long time, hours of individual and family therapy, fighting, and all kinds of things. We are all doing well now, but it was hard work. For the emotional issues, you should try to find a counselor or psychologist that you trust. Also, does your husband know about your surgery? Is he supportive? Exercising is great for getting healthy. As far as weight loss right now, don't be overly focused on it. Just focus on healing. Also, it is great when people notice that you have lost weight, but remind yourself that you are doing this for your life and health. If they don't notice that you lost weight at school, its not a big deal because you know that you are getting healthy! Getting healthy and lifestyle change is the goal! Search these boards when you have questions - there is a lot of experience and knowledge here and ask many questions! If you are private about your surgery, this can be a great resource for you. Good luck!

I am so glad your fill went great! I also had my first fill on Tuesday and it was also very easy! Like you, I had worked myself to the point that I was almost CRYING! I was reading all these terrible stories about having to be stuck 5-6 times, and the doctor not being able to find the port. I was really terrified. We did the first fill under fluoro and it was SO easy. I didn't have anything to numb the area, but it sounds like it was the same experience as yours - a little prick and that was it! He put 5cc in my band. I'm on Clear liquids until tomorrow, then full, then mushies, then regular food. I'm excited to have some restriction!