jaclin

CarolWA, your doctor sounds fantastic! I didn't even think about it but I will share with my doctor at my next appointment so maybe it will help new bandsters!

This post is so timely! It is why I logged on this morning. I was banded 5/20/2010 and since I work at home, wearing stretchy clothes was not an issue. Last week I had to attend a business meeting for the week and wear business clothes all day and into dinner. The band is right at my waist. During the week I was too busy to really notice (it was uncomfortable at the end of the day and I'd try to adjust during the day) but since I have been back I have noticed more tenderness than before. I had a phenomenal recovery from surgery but now one of my sites is a little infected (handling with peroxide, not too bad) and the largest site is more tender to the touch. The whole experience last week was bad. In addition, I ate 3 meals a day. At home, I had been having 1-2 Protein drinks and 1-2 meals of soft food. My doctor said I could move to a regular diet because I was doing so well. The only problem I had was when I tried a salad and the cucumbers were too hard to digest no matter how long I chewed. Last week, I had 3 meals per day and tried to keep them small. But no matter what I ate, it seemed to be an huge amount and I felt like I was stretching my pouch. I know this is a long whiny post, but I am not sure if I have done one or two wrong things to affect my recovery. Wearing tight clothes across my abdomen for too long or eating too much food. And to top it off, I gained 2 pounds from sitting all day long for a week! Anybody had either of these problems????

I am so glad you created this post. I was concerned about feeling good so soon after surgery. I just had surgery 5/21/2010 and: Diabetes meds. In the middle of the pre-op diet, doctor suggested I stop taking them since I was on liquid diet. On the day of surgery, blood sugar was in low normal range and I was told not to take it anymore!!!! High BP- was still taking BP meds during pro-op diet. On surgery day, BP was really low, so I cut back from twice a day to once a day, and BP is still really. Going back to my PCP to check on this one. Extreme fatigue all the time. I never had any energy. Although I am not ready to run a marathon, I can make it up the stairs in my house without just huffing and puffing. And like others have said, the feeling of hopelessness about my weight. :thumbup::thumbup:

Hi Celialou, I agree with everything that Carol posted above. I am 56 and so wish that I had done this at your age. I had been relatively healthy all my life, just overweight. At 50 I became the stereotype--high blood pressure, pre-diabetic, arthritis... I had surgery last Thursday, 5/21/2010, and other than some slight discomfort that feels like having done sit-ups after a hiatus, I felt fine. I work from home on the phones and I was able to work the next day. I was given pain meds and used them maybe once a day for a couple of days to make sure I had no discomfort. I completely freaked out with 'what ifs' the day before and considered cancelling the surgery. I stayed up all night reading this forum and I am so glad I did! I have felt better in just this past 5 days that I have in a long time. I am not hungry (may be the honeymoon period), I don't have cravings, and I was taken off diabetes meds the week before surgery while doing the liquid diet. My daughter is 21 and is also going to have the surgery. I have been trying to get her to do this for since she was 16 but they wouldn't do surgery until she was 18. Then she went to college and gained another 50 pounds!! She is ready now and I am hopeful she will approach her adulthood not obsessed with food, fat and diets. Good luck to you and I'll keep you in my thoughts!

I feel the same as the two of you which is why I didn't tell anyone but my husband and my daughter (who is preppring for WLS too) about the band. I was banded last week 5/20/2010 and, when my neice came over,my daugher let it out of the bag! I was so pissed! She is 21 and any information about her practically requires a CIA clearance. I hadn't specifically and slowly instructed her to not say anything but I did not want to be constantly evaluated about my progress (or lack thereof), habits, etc. by people who do not understand. I had already elicited a vow of silence from my husband who is again someone who would make Silent Cal Coolidge seem chatty about his personal life but will inadvertly drop bombs about mine. So he was properly warned. Fortunately, my band was covered by insurance (except for the $3000 co-pay that DH is aware of) but I work and this is the only thing I have done just for myself in years. Last year he purchased a $7000 oriental rug cause he 'had always wanted one.' I don't like them but I was supportive so I don't think he'll have much to say about it. Sorry to ramble but your post hit a nerve. I don't think I'll be able to keep my niece quiet but if I don't bring it up, most folks won't have the nerve to say anything. I hope.

Well, I did it! First, I want to thank all the people on this forum who take the time to post and share their experiences. I was literally on the forum reading for inspiration all night. My arrival time was at 6:30 a.m. and surgery at 9:00 a.m. so I didn't bother to sleep since I figured I'd be sleeping on and off all day, which was true. The staff was wonderful and I literally do not remember anything from the time the nurse told me she was giving me something to relax me before surgery to waking me up back in the same location. I have had surgery before and didn't have a problem. The only issue I had was that I had a bit of difficulty waking up and it turns out because while my doctor was doing the surgery, he discovered I had a hiatal hernia that he decided to repair. Whoopee!!! He said if he hadn't I might have problems with reflux, etc. I had been having a few problems with indigestion and reflux but thought it was because I was old and fat . But after actually waking, everything went great!!! I had no problems at all. No nausea, no real pain to speak of. I just feel as though I had done situps for the first time in a while. But I did receive pain medicine just before discharge and took one dose about 5 hours later, around 6:00 p.m. This morning I am still a little stiff and sore, similar to yesterday, but again feel as though I have exercised for the first time in a while. No biggie. Again, the staff was so nice, caring and nurturing. The surgeon (Stephen Malley, New Hope Bariatrics, Overland Park Kansas), the anesthesiologist and the surgical nurse all came by before and after the surgery to talk with me. The surgeon's nurse called last night to see how I was doing as a courtesy. I continued my Clear liquids yesterday -broth, juice and a popsicle-and was fine. I have not experienced any hunger yet, had 1/2 cup broth and tea this morning. They advised me to get stuff for nausea and gas, but so far, no problems with either! I am so glad I went ahead and did this and again thank all of you who contribute to this forum. I had no idea how much it would help me at crunch time. I will be visiting here often during this journey. Sorry this was such a long post but I am so happy right now that I feel as good as I do.

Oh my gosh, I had the exact same feeling during the pre-op diet and, between that and being so hungry and fearful of the experience, I almost cancelled the surgery. I literally had to sit quietly for a while and mourn the end of my relationship with food and questioned whether this journey was really worth the loss. I was reading about the people with all the complications (nausea, vomiting, etc.) and thought to myself why would I give up the ecstatic feeling I had after eating for misery? Then, I thought about my hyperinsulinism, my high blood pressure, my painful knees, the numbness in my outer thigh, ...need I go on? So, I decided to look at that list instead, logged onto this forum literally all night before my surgery for inspiration, and I am glad to say I went through it and don't intend to go back.

Tomorrow is also my big day and, surprisingly, I have been tweaking too! I have been waiting to do this for almost 3 years and I am getting cold feet the day before. I almost called to cancel today! What is something goes wrong? What if I regret this? What if I REALLY miss eating? I have been on the liquid Protein, low fat diet for almost two weeks and I am starving. Today was my clear liquid diet and I am starving. What if I am always starving on the band?