Melinco

I was banded 12/17/09, GB removed 5/27/10. I was expecting my GB recovery to be like my band recovery, but it was a breeze! The only problem was the first night when I went to bed after the GB surgery, the gas pain hit my right shoulder so hard I couldn't breathe! I needed help to get up to walk around, then I took some pain meds, then slept on the couch rather than in bed. I didn't need any of the assistance after my GB surgery like I did my band surgery, except for that one incident of gas pain. Good luck! Oh, be sure to ask your GB surgeon about the chances of developing pancreatitis after the surgery. I got it 3 weeks later due to some of the gall stones being in my common bile duct, was admitted to the hospital for 4 days, then had them removed using ERCP (a scope through my mouth & stomach into my common bile duct to remove the stones/sludge). I'd much rather have band surgery & GB surgery again than having pancreatitis! That sucked big hairy monkey balls!!

My Hubby eats what I eat, just more. I make pretty much the same stuff as I did before, but use healthier cooking styles (baking rather than frying, for example). Granted, he didn't eat the broth and pudding like I did right after the surgery, but now (7 months later), we eat the same stuff. His brother owns a pizza place. So if Hubby gets a pizza, I'll either have a chef's salad or a tostada and taco from the Mexican place next door. We don't have kids, but I'd be making them eat the same things as I prepare for dinner, unless of course they are eating baby food.

Vegetable lasagna - instead of making a lasagna with noodles, I use long thin strips of zucchini cooked a bit in extra virgin olive oil, or you could use eggplant. Saute shredded carrot, onion, bell peppers, finely chopped broccoli or cauliflower, mushrooms, fresh spinach, etc. in a bit of olive oil. Add your favorite spaghetti sauce. Mix ricotta cheese with egg and freshly shredded parmesan cheese. Layer the 1/2 the zucchini (or eggplant) in the bottom of a 9x13 inch pan, then spoon 1/2 the cheese mixture, then 1/2 the veggie mixture. Repeat. Top with slices of fresh mozarella cheese. Bake. If you want to add Protein to this yummy dish, cook up some turkey Italian sausage and add to the sauce. When I make this, I will freeze some in the little one cup ziploc bowls, and grab them to have for lunch. Another idea is to shred various fresh veggies, like above, and add them to your spaghetti sauce when you're having spaghetti. Or you can add them to a meatloaf. Good luck in your Quest to up your veggie eating!

You were banded in December 2009 and just now got your second fill? Damn, girl, why? I think I've had like 6 or 7 fills now. I'm glad this fill seems to be working for you. I'm just curious why you haven't had more.

It makes me wonder if your band was placed correctly? Did they do an x-ray to see where it was placed or if it has perhaps slipped from where it was originally placed? My doc said that a CT scan doesn't show you where it's placed, because of how the CT works - it shows slices of your body, not the whole picture. And a scope down the mouth may not indicate an incorrect placement. It might be worth asking him. Good luck!

She is definitely too tight! And that type of response, the vomiting and only eating about an egg-size portion, is definitely not normal! I've been banded 7.5 months and I don't PB, slime, etc. Makes me wonder how much her doctor really knows about the band if he thinks that is normal reaction to the band.

I've been having problems with my sweet tooth for the last couple of months. Finally, this weekend, I just put my foot down and said no more! I did get a fill on Monday that I scheduled two weeks ago, as I was able to eat more than I wanted to. But starting on Monday, I had to set a visible goal of no longer eating sweets, and to be accountable by posting daily on my blog whether I did or didn't eat a sweet. Today is day 3, and so far so good. It hasn't been easy, but I really want to lose 100 pounds from my highest weight by my one year anniversary and I'm just 23.6 pounds away as of this morning. I have 4.5 months to do it. As far as a set diet, I don't follow one other that just portion control. I can eat pretty much anything I want, just lots less than what I did before. And I do exercise about three times a week. It really helps. I love Water aerobics!

I have heard of a couple of surgeons doing the lap band procedure on teenagers. They are located in New York City and Denver CO. Not sure what the criteria are to get approved to do it as a teen. I'd suggest working with your primary care doctor. What do your parents think about this?

I'm down in Pueblo. Was banded 12/17/09. I dozed on and off quite a bit, if I recall correctly the first week or so after the surgery. I think part of it was the drugs, the other the surgery itself just taking it out of me.

Many ladies (I haven't seen the men do it) swap clothes or pass on clothes through the Sisterhood of Traveling Pants (or something like that) through the blogging community. Often times, someone will post on their blog what size clothes they have along with photos of the clothes, and people who read their blog will comment saying what itmes they want. The blogger then packs it up and ships it off. There is usually no charge for this. It's done with the assumption that the next person will pass along items as well. There is some cost involved with this, but, if you give as well as receive, it should all even out in the end.

I had my surgery done the Thursday before Christmas Eve, so I took off that Thursday through the following Wednesday, then our offices were closed for the holiday the 24th & 25th. Had we been opened on the 24th, I did feel well enough that I could have gone back. Depending on what, if any, pain medications you may still be on then, will also help determine when you can go back. My pain meds made me pretty loopy, preventing me from driving. But I don't think I would have been at a functioning capacity while on the pain meds. Once I was off them, I was much better mentally. I'd say a minimum of a week off if you don't have a strenuous job that requires lots of lifting. Good luck!

I wasn't given any special soap to use, just instructions to shower that morning and not to use any deoderant, lotions, powders, perfume, etc. I did shave my legs and underarms just because I knew it would be a couple of days before my next shower and I didn't want a jungle growing in those areas. I didn't do anything for my pubic area. I didn't get undressed in front of anyone. I was behind a curtain when I changed into the gown. I still had the gown on when they put me to sleep and it was on when I woke up. What they did in between those times I was oblivious to. I did ask my surgeon before the surgery what he was going to do with my girls since they were so big and floppy. He said he'd use tape on them to keep them up out of the way. I had a bad case of the giggles before going into surgery (and this was BEFORE I had any meds in me) and this just made me laugh even more! I figure if I wasn't going to be aware of what was going on during the surgery, I didn't care what happened. If I farted, oh well. If I peed, oh well. Luckily, I still don't know if any of that happened because they never told me. Life is bliss when some ignorance is involved! :0)

If you do a search, you will find lots of threads that list blogs. But here is mine below!

You are in bandster hell. It starts pretty much right after surgery and goes until your first few fills. Just because you are only a week or so out from surgery doesn't mean you won't or shouldn't get hungry. You will as you obviously are! But the thing to remember is to follow your doctor's plan of advancing through the stages of foods. Do call him and ask if it is okay to advance to the next stage, as some will allow you to do this. Mine did. However, if you are needing some additional Protein to make it through, I have a few suggestions other than using Protein powder (I couldn't stand that stuff!). Cottage cheese - no, not the plain old stuff. Uck. What I did was blend the cottage cheese (non-fat) in a blender with a bit of Hidden Valley Ranch seasoning mix. You can mix that up with some boiled cauliflower that you then mash, and add a bit of milk to thin it down until you get the consistency you need. You can also mix it with mashed potatoes if you can eat those. Non-fat powdered milk - this is perfect to mix into coffee, tea, your regular milk, shakes, Soups, etc. I make my own Protein Shakes without the powdered protein using the non-fat powdered milk, skim milk, ice, chocolate Carnation instant Breakfast mix, and Peanut Butter (you may not be able to eat this in the early stages). Just blend it in your blender till smooth. It is quite yummy. Instead of chocolate/pb, you can use the strawberry Carnation and frozen strawberries or bananas. If your doctor didn't give you a list of acceptable foods throughout the various stages, do a search on here, you'll be able to find a plethora of foods for each stage of the healing process. Good luck! You'll make it through, we all do!

On the advice of my doc when I had my gall bladder surgery in May, I took Aleve. It was for a short period of time (about two weeks), and he was okay with it (the doc who did my GB surgery also did my LB surgery). I would call your LB surgeon, tell him what is going on, and see if he would approve your taking ibuprofen for a short period of time until your ear infection has resolved itself. You are taking anti-biotics for the infection, right, so it will clear up? I hate ear infections! I have had more as an adult than I ever had as a child.

For the mashed potatoes (as you've gotten lots of advice on the eggs), there are a few things you can do to make them Protein packed. After you've mashed the peeled potatoes that you've boiled, instead of adding butter or margarine to them, add some cottage cheese that you have blended in either a blender or food processor until smooth. You can add a little bit (like 1/4 or 1/2 teaspoon) of dried Hidden Valley Ranch seasoning mix to add flavor. Also add a little bit of skim milk to thin the potatoes down. You can also grate some low fat cheddar cheese into the potatoes to add a bit more protein. Another idea is instead of making mashed potatoes is to make mashed cauliflower. Cut your cauliflower into chunks the same size as you would the potatoes. Boil them for about 12 minutes, or until they are tender. Drain well. In batches, puree them in your food processor. Again you can add the cottage cheese mixture as well as some cheese. You'll probably need to put the cauliflower back in your pan to warm back up as they tend to cool way down while processing them. Potatoes in and of themselves can be a healthy food as long as you're not adding lots of butter and full fat cream or milk. As long as you're not eating bowl after huge bowl of them, you should be fine during your healing stage.

I have to agree with Betsy. If we could succeed with dieting alone, we wouldn't need the band. The band is supposed to not only restrict the amount we eat, but also it is supposed to help us feel full longer. If you are getting hungry just two hours after a good Protein packed meal, then it is definitely time for a fill. When you go for your next appointment, I'd outline exactly what you've been doing, how much you've been working out, what you've been eating, when you've been eating, etc. Let him know that your loss hasn't been because the band was working, but that YOU were working and you need the HELP of the band. Good luck!

I'm sorry you've been having problems with your band. That has to suck. Can you go back in for another adjustment? In addition to eating less with restriction, have you been exercising? I must admit, that if I don't exercise, my weight loss stalls. I can't rely on my band alone any more to lose weight. Which is a good thing, but I must do my part. Perhaps you should go back to the basics. Very small portions, lots of water, exercise, and of course, adjustments to your band. You can do it!

I follow you! I didn't realize you were DonutDiva! lol

When in 2008 were you below the 40 BMI? If it were in the beginning of 2008 (such as January through June), it has now been 24 months (two years) since then, and I'd appeal their decision. If it were in the latter part of 2008 (July through December), you may just have to wait until it has been a total of 24 months since that lowest BMI. Good luck with it!

Hey Pearlgirl, If I've read everything correctly, you've gotten one fill so far. After my first fill, I felt a tiny bit of restriction, but not too much. I could still eat pretty much anything I wanted (although I didn't allow myself to try bread until a few months after surgery). I've had about 5-6 fills, am around 6-7 ccs, and I haven't had a "stuck" episode, or even PBd. I can definitely feel when I've had enough. Sometimes though, it isn't until about 10-15 minutes after I've quit eating, then I realize I probably shouldn't have had the last couple of bites. Getting the band and living with the band is a learning process. Each person's band and body will react differently. Some will feel restriction from the moment the band is placed in them, others will feel it after a certain amount of liquid has been added, and still others may never feel restriction. The important thing is to give yourself time to listen to your body, get your adjustments, and see how it goes. It's been almost 11 weeks since my last fill, and I'm going in Monday August 2 for my next fill. I'm averaging 1.58 pounds lost per week since my surgery on Dec. 17. In the beginning it was more than recently. I have about 134 pounds total to lose, and as you can see, I'm now on the down side of the hill. Good luck with your journey!

Hey all, Just wanted to let you know about an easy way to keep track of all the blogs you follow. It's Google Reader. You copy and paste all the blog addys that you follow into it, and it will tell you when one of your favorite bloggers have updated their blog. You can either read the new post from the reader or you can click on through to their blogs and read/comment from there. I do this and it keeps me posted when a new post is available, and it allows me to read them from my cell phone (a Samsung Exclaim). Also, if you want to track who comes to your blog (or how many), there are lots of counters out there. If you go to the very bottom of my blog, you'll see the one I use. You can customize it to fit your needs. Anyway, good luck blogging and have fun with it! And don't worry if you post things that aren't strictly WLS related. We are more than our lap bands, and so too should our blogs be more than just our WLS stories. Blog about yourself, your life, you! Best wishes, Mel (aka Miss Tori)

Anyway, what I meant to say was that I am buying some new clothes as I go down in sizes, but just a few necessary pieces. Like last Saturday, I bought one new pair of blue jeans, one pair of slacks for work, a skirt for work, and a pair of capris for work. I also bought two pairs of new shorts, but I'll be wearing them quite a bit, and they were on sale. I also go to Kmart a lot and get their casual shirts and work out clothes, which are cheap enough that if they soon get too big, I'm not out of a lot of money. Luckily, I can still wear my 2XL tops, but no longer can I wear the 3XL, as they are just way too loose and I'm swimming in them. I also really can't wear my old bras as my girls tend to end up near my knees as my old bras are also very loose. Just try to keep an eye out for very good sales and buy what you absolutely need. It will help you maintain a good look (especially if you work in a professional office like me and can only get away for so long with wearing very baggy slacks) while keeping your clothing expenses to a minimum as you lose weight.

At my highest of 294, I was wearing size 26W jeans (I'm 5'5 1/2" tall). My size 24W slacks that I wore for work (as I refused to buy larger work clothes at that time) were so tight, the seams were bulging. It didn't take too long before I had to go buy new jeans, and I was very pleasantly surprised that I could fit into size 20W - about three-four months post surgery. Last weekend, about two months later, I'm now into size 16W jeans/slacks/skirts. My blouses/shirts are a different story. I was wearing 3XL, some 2XLs, prior to surgery. I'm now sporting 1XL. I have gone from a 48I down to a 44G, and soon will be sporting 42F (or DDD). But I still have my muffin top, just smaller. After I went shopping last weekend, I posted the story on my blog celebrating the fact that I was down to a size 16W. I bought my clothes at the Dress Barn. Well, someone who works there and updates their facebook page found my blog post and linked it on their facebook. I'm not that thrilled about it (as I don't share my blog with my family or too many friends), but in another way, I was stoked by all the compliments I got from the comments. Check it out if you want at facebook.com/dressbarn. The blog is titled Sweet 16. Or you can click on my blog addy below.

Are you exercising? I am allowing myself some treats, including ice cream, but I make sure that I exercise to work off the extra calories. I am also denying myself my daily Sonic cups of ice or iced tea because I was finding myself also getting an ice cream cone when I'd go to get my cup of ice (which I would mix with crystal light and water). I don't have a good answer though because I do struggle with my sweet tooth. Sometimes I think you just have to take it an hour at a time (because even one day is hard to tackle all at once). Is there something you've been wanting to buy yourself but haven't allowed yourself to buy? Perhaps you can create you a little piggy bank that each time you skip the ice cream, you put the money you would have spent into the bank, and once you've saved up enough, buy what you were wanting, as long as it's not an ice cream! lol Good luck with it! I feel your pain.