MrsShannonDennis

I have a good friend who is Naik's patient who just had it done 2 weeks ago....sure she would be interested also!

I would love to!!!! Keep me posted!

Thanks CECE...My best friend is very small and fit and has been pushing me!! I wouldnt be here without her! I am young and I know this is the time for me to make a change while I can! I wouldnt say Im "fit" yet but man I am on my way!!

I wear mine every day!!!!

Hey! I am an exercise freak!! I was aloud to start little walking day 4. I would walk slow on the treadmill or around the house. At 2 weeks I was given permission to fully exercise. I wasnt allowed to life more than 10 lbs. After 3 weeks I could lift anything. I am now 5 weeks and I work out HARDCORE 6 days a week. It makes a difference!! I have lost tons of inches even though the scale isnt moving. An example of my exercise: Mon, wed, fri I kick box, Hop Hop Abs or Tae Bo. I do it for at least an hour. Sometime I do it 2-3 times a day. They are intense work outs. Tue, thur, sat, I go walking for 2-6 miles a day and yoga or pilates. If youre at 3 1/2 week you need to get going! :cool2: Exercise makes all the difference. The only issues I have had are when I do too much incorporating my left side where my port is, it gets sore like a pulled muscle. My surgeon said Im not hurting anything. I need to build up the muscle. I was able to do sit up and everything at 2 weeks! Have fun!

Im in the same boat. I was banded June 16th, so I just passed 5 weeks. I dont feel like I even have this thing in me. I barely feel any restriction at all. I eat smaller amounts, but have a full appetite. I am hungry all the time! I do work out HARDCORE 6 days a week so I know I am burning a lot and my body is wanting fuel. My first fill is Aug 3rd. They would have done it at 5 weeks cause I NEED IT, but Im going on vacation and didnt wanna chance anything. This is for sure a horrible stage! But I also have heard this is not the time to worry about weight loss, just healing. I am fortunate enough to have lost 23 lbs during it. I have been at a stand still now for 2 1/2 weeks. Cant wait for a fill!! Hang in there and know there are others just like you going through the same "hell"!! We can do it!!

I do hard candies a lot! I love sugar free coffee candies and sugar-free werthers and jolly ranchers. They help fight cravings. I was told no gum, but the concern is only if its swallowed. Im very careful and havent swallowed a piece of gum since I was a kid. Just be careful! :cool2:

I was banded with an empty band and I dont have my 1st fill till Aug 3rd. The first week after surgery, liquids filled me up just fine. I had good restriction due to the swelling. At about 1.5-2 weeks, my appetite was getting larger and I wasnt staying full as long. Now at 5 weeks, I am so ready for a fill. I am always hungry!! Everyone heals differently!

Im currently almost 5 weeks post op still on mushies and yes it gets hard!! Be careful! You will get to a point where you are able to eat antyhing and your appeitite is back. It is really scary. Thats where I am now. I get so scared and Im so sick of soft food. I eat really anything right now, but still healthy. I dont get my first fill till Aug 3rd. Mushies will fill u up for awhile but be prepared for them to not be so filling after a couple weeks, once healing has gone down. Hang in there!

OH YA!! Im only 23 lbs down and none of my shoes fit!! I was not expecting that!

Even on liquids I was on 1200 cals. It was sooooo difficult to get that through liquids. I got some organic juice that was sugar free but high in cals. That helped. I prob. stuck more to 600-800 cals. My nutitionists was not happy

WOW! Ive been working out HARDCORE since week 2 when I got the go! I was just told not to lift for than 10 lbs then at 4 weeks I could lift whatever. I work out 5 days a week pretty intensely! I will tell you though, I get BAD pains in my port area from working out. It feels like a stretches muscle and hurts to take big breathes. My surgeon said its normal cause of the amount of exersize I am doing. She said I cant really do damage if I followed her instructions and I did. So the pain goes away afte ra few days once the muscles have relaxed. Working out has melted the inches away like crazy!

PS I mean PORT FLIPPING!! So Im 3 weeks post op and within the last day or so, I can REALLY feel my port. I was always able to feel it before, but now the "lump" feels bigger. Do you think this could be a flipped port or something else? I am sooooo worried about any isues occurign cause Im a cash patient and cant afford another surgery to fix anything. Can you share any of your port flipping stories and how you knew it was flipped? Did u have symptoms? Can you guys feel your port really bad?? Ive been excersizing pretty intensly at 2 weeks, but was told that was ok.

Its completely normal!! I had the same issues. I didnt leave the house for a week. It only took a week for most of it to stop. Im almost 4 weeks post op and rarely get gas pains anymore. Dont worry give it a week or so! Hang in there...just the perks of surgery :frown:

Thanks guys! I called my surgeon about it and he thinks it is just scar tissue. I have a fairly flat tummy and cant feel everything very well so I just worry! He said its prob nothing and he will check it when I come for a fill. I get so confused cause many people on here say they cant feel their port at all and oh man I ccan sure feel mine. Guess each person varies!

I am 3 weeks post op. I am sick of my shakes. I am now eating HIGH protein foods such as eggs, chicken, peanut butter, ect. My surgeon mentioned how I dont need as much protein anymore. What is your experience? When did you stop drinking them if at all?Are the foods Im eating enough protein? I would appreciate the input

I hear ya girl! I was on liquids for a total of 4 weeks (pre and post op) and the day I got the go to go on mushies, OH MAN I WAS IN HEAVEN! I havent had a fill yet so I have been able to eat pretty much anything. I just chew really well! Gotta love being off liquids!

Marmar- I hear ya! I am self pay and it freaks me out to think of having to have another surgery to fix something or whatever. I cant afford it! Im already freaking out about the 300$ fills. My surgery has been SOOOOOOO stinkin smooth! No complications and not too many side affects besides gas and that didnt last long. Im 3.5 weeks post op and feel like nothing even happened! Jus make sure you have a great surgeon with a great repuation! You will be fine!

Thanks! Ya I heard about those...ill have to try one. I get a LOT of protein from scrambled eggs with fat free cheese (30g) every morning and I eat a lot of chicken and other high protein foods...hope this is ok!

Your losing inches not weight...prob gaining muscle from working out. Ive gained three pounds but clothes are looser and I can tell Ive lost inches. Its common! Thats a good thing!!!

Hey! I have Blue Cross Blue Shield (Illinois) and they did not cover my surgery due to the fact that my company excluded it from their policy. I paid cash for surgery and I found out fills are going to be $300 afte the first 3 free ones. Does anyone know if insurance would cover just the fills since they are not surgery? Has anyone done this or heard of it? I was just curious cause I have amazing medical coverage and was bummed when they didnt cover surgery. I cant afford $300 a pop!

Thats what I figured, guess its worth a try. I do get 3 free ones and I have hoping those do the trick!!

You sound like me!! I was banded on June 16th and have not had a fill yet, though I know I need one cause there is like no restriction. I am able to eat most anything, but slow. I was 253 when I started my 2 weeks pre-op liquid diet. I only lost 8 lbs pre-op and lost 12 lbs within the first week and a half post op on liquids. When I started soft foods a week ago, I gained 3 back. I was told this is normal due to your body actually getting food. Most people dont lose after surgery much. I was told this "bandsters Hell " period is for healing not weight loss. After a fill or two, when we get restriction, the weight loss will be more consistant. Looks like youre doing good though! They say this is the worst period of time! Hang in there!

I have read a lot of you talk about drinking Slim Fast. Just be careful because they are FULL of sugar and carbs. My nutritionists HATES them and told us to stay far away from it. I remember when I was on Atkins being shocked by the nutrition facts on them! Just a heads up! Happy Banding!