macleay

Congrats on being banded! Sorry your gas pains are bad--mine lasted about 2-3 weeks, but each day got better. I'm sure you'll feel better tomorrow and hopefully better every day after. Take care and let us know how you're doing.

It also took me about 3 weeks to feel totally normal again, but really, after the first week, I felt better every day. My port is located right under my largest incision. I've got 5 incisions, 4 of them very small, and one about 1-1/2 inches long--it's under there according to my doctor.

It took about 2 weeks for me to get rid of the gas. The shoulder pain didn't start until 5-6 days out, for some reason. Gas S strips didn't help me much, but I know they work for a lot of people.

Wasn't OCC fabulous? I was very happy with Dr Ortiz and his staff.

I had my eyes and eyebrows done and love it. My eyeliner was done the first time about 10 years ago and I had it redone about 2 years ago. At that time, she talked me into having my eyebrows done. I didn't want Bette Davis eyebrows, but she did a really subtle job--I'm extremely happy with both.

I live in Oregon--the cost was $100 per lid to retouch ($400 total). The eyebrow cost was about $250 I think.

She used a numbing agent with me as well. It's difficult to lay there while she does the eyes, but it doesn't really hurt, more like a pinch feeling over and over again.

I've heard lips are very painful. Lipliner not as painful as filling in the entire lip and worse at your TOM.

I was banded Jan 7, 2010. I felt pretty great until about Day 4, which is coincidentally when my pain meds ran out! At that point, I really didn't feel too bad, but it hurt to bend over, my incisions were tender, and then the left shoulder pain started about 5 days out, which I found really strange.

It got better and better. The worst during Day 6 through about Day 10-12 was the fatigue. If you can, give your body a break--after all, you DID just have surgery!

I'm three weeks out now and feel totally normal, except I'm still having intermittent shoulder pain, but nothing I can't handle. I'm on no pain medications and haven't been since Day 4, except for a couple of days of Advil because of the shoulder pain.

What I'm getting from all of these posts is that everyone is different--some recover more quickly than others and we all have different symptoms that bother us more. You are still way within the boundaries of "normal", so I wouldn't worry, unless you don't keep improving.

Yum! Did you have any problems with the heat from the enchilada sauce? I'm craving spicy, but I haven't gotten the guts to try anything hot yet. I don't know how common it really is to have stomach upset with spices

post-op, but I certainly can't do bland foods for life!

I also love spicy foods--the medium enchilada sauce didn't bother me at all, and my doc didn't tell me I couldn't spice foods up. I really love this Soup when I'm forced to eat nothing but cream soups!

I was banded Jan 7, 2010 by Dr Ortiz in Tijuana. Highly recommend him and his staff. Out of the four prior surguries I've had, this one was by far the best. I had very manageable soreness, really not painful at all except the dang gas!

PM me if you have any questions. I wouldn't hesitate to consider surgery in Mexico, many of the doctors there have been doing the surgery longer than the surgeons in the US.

chicken Tortilla Soup

1 can 98% fat free cream of chicken Soup

1 can cream of cheddar soup

5 oz enchilada sauce (probably should use mild but I used med)

1 can fat-free or 2% milk

Heat and eat!

This got me through my 2nd and 3rd week of my liquid diet--I was to only eat cream Soups, along with Protein drinks and drinkable yogurt. It's great--I just didn't eat the few little chicken chunks in the cream of chicken soup, but you could also strain it if you want.

Can anyone shed more light on this stitch-the-band-in-place idea?

None of my literature said anything about stitching the band in place. What would the band be stitched to? my stomach?

If that is the common procedure, THEN it would make sense to me not to eat solid foods. But I hate it when people tell me to just do something without explaining WHY.

My doctor says he puts a few small stiches in, which holds the band in place while the stomach heals and gives it a chance to build up scar tissue which will help hold the band in place.

Drinking only clear liquids for the first week, and then slowly adding other liquids allows this healing to occur. If you eat regular food, your stomach is moving as it digests the food and it interrupts the healing process.

My doctor has said that many people eat regular food immediately after surgery and have no problem, but they're not building a strong foundation and the damage usually isn't immediate, it's in six or more months when some have problems with band slippage.

That is my understanding of why.

Wow, you guys have the hardest pre-op diets!

I had to lose 12 pounds prior to surgery and was on two shakes and one lean cuisine a day, plus I could eat as much salad with green veggies (like cukes, and green onions) and salad spritz.

It was hard, but not nearly as hard as I'm finding the 3-week post-op liquid diet. That's where my doc is very strict--no mushies, just clear liquid, drinkable yogurt, Protein drinks, and cream Soups.

Hang in there--it won't be for long and then you'll be banded! Plus the longer you're on it, the more your stomach will get used to it.

I have a question for all post opp. what is your lever of hunger after surgery? From day one to week 1 o 2 ? I am on my 4 day of liquid diet and I am hungry now. Just wondering how the liquid diet after the surgery goes.

First of all, my doctor is pretty conservative for the 3-week liquid phase. I was allowed broth, diluted fruit juice, sugar free popsicles, Vitamin Water, Protein water and gatorade. At Day 7 (or Day 3 if I couldn't stand it any longer) I could add drinkable yogurt.

I was pretty hungry for 5 days until I started drinking liquid yogurt. That really helped. A few days after that, I was allowed to add Protein Drinks, followed by cream Soups. This is all I can eat for 21 days.

I'm now on Day 16 and really haven't been super hungry since the first few days. I find that protein helps--the protein drinks stick with me longer, and I'm also drinking Special K20 protein water, which also helps.

So based on my experience, you'll be feeling less hunger, especially if you can add more foods. From what I've read on this forum, lots of people are able to eat a lot more than I can, so hopefully, you'll feel less hunger than I did.

Sorry I wrote a book!

I've told everybody, but know know others who haven't. It is embarrassing to some people, I think. For me, it's just easier to tell them what's happening so that I don't have to figure out how to answer their questions once I lose all the weight!

I had the surgery 1-07-10. Within an hour, I was up walking around and was off pain medication within 3 days.

I've had two kids and let me tell you, the pain from this surgery was non-existent compared to childbirth. At least, that was my experience.

I had gas pain that was in my chest for about 1-1/2 weeks after the surgery, it hurt to bend over to tie my shoes for about a week, the port site is still sore (I'm about 2 weeks out now), and I was tired for less than a week.

It's surgery, so you should take it easy for a few days after, but I know people who have gone to work within 2-3 days.

I wasn't nervous at all--I've had several surgeries and this is the only one I wanted to do! lol

Good luck and try to think of the positive--it's natural to be nervous, but you'll be so happy when it's done!

Janelle, you beat me to it!

I did have my surgery with Dr. Ortiz, who was one of the doctors who developed the lapband. He actually wrote a book on it, which is available through Amazon.com--Lap Band for Life.

Saying you get what you pay for is true in many instances. When you're talking medical care outside of our country, though, it isn't always true. There are many reasons why medical care is less expensive in Mexico and other countries, and it is not because the quality of care isn't as good or better.

You will find good and bad doctors in Mexico and the US and stories about bad surgeries from both these countries and all other countries.

Do not discount Mexico as a viable option just because it's outside the United States. I went there because the cost was 2/3 less than what it would have cost me in the US and my insurance wouldn't pay here in the states. But now, having been through it there and knowing the number of these that Dr. Ortiz has done (more than any US surgeon that I'm aware of), I would probably choose to have him do the surgery even if I could have it done here in the US with insurance.

The only downside to me is the distance. But I live on the west coast, so I can be there in a few hours. And there are fill doctors in my city and state that will do fills for people who have had surgery in Mexico.

If you do your research, you can very safely have lapband surgery in Mexico. Feel free to PM me with any questions.

I agree with everything you said, Lisa. I also don't get how she can be a baker when she is constantly talking about how much she loves that food.

But what's worse to me is, I find the show boring. I tivo'd it for a couple of days and have now deleted it.

I completely understand your "want". I was ADDICTED to diet pop of any kind, my poison of choice was Diet Mountain Dew. I started my pre-op diet while on vacation in Daytona Beach on August 2, 2009. I am proud to say that I have not had a pop since. I did take a drink of my husbands Diet Coke and about spit it out! It was disgusting to me and as one of the other posters said, it was so sickening sweet and syrupy that I couldn't stand it. I am getting really tired though of Crystal light, but it's all worth it.

Have you tried the Special K20 Protein Water? It's a good alternative to Crystal Lite--I really like it, plus a serving has 5 grams of Protein.< /p>

I also had this following surgery. It hurt to cough and sneeze. It also hurt to bend over. It lasted maybe a week. I was banded Jan 7, 2010.

I think you should call your doctor to be sure, since this started well after surgery.

I was banded Jan 7, and experienced gas pain for about 9 days. The last couple of days have been much better.

I agree with the OP, the gas pain in a nuisance, but not so much pain to worry about.

My preop diet consisted of two Protein Shakes for Breakfast and lunch and a Lean Cuisine for dinner. I didn't start it until 1-1/2 weeks before surgery and lost 10 pounds. It was doable for me and it was nice to have the different Lean Cuisines to pick from--they even have some pizzas!

I haven't been banded yet, not until Jan 7, but a friend of mine has and she says that until your first fill, you may not feel much restriction, so you may start to gain. Your doctor will ask you about how much restriction you're feeling and will adjust the band accordingly. So hopefully, once you get your first fill, you won't be able to eat as much and you'll continue to lose.

Hi--I just registered and found this thread! I have my surgery Jan 7--Dr. Ortiz in Mexico will be my surgeon and I'm self-pay. I've been thinking about this for at least a year, found out my insurance wouldn't cover it, and began researching less expensive places. I'm so excited to find this group--I have lots of questions and know I'll find answers here. Here's to all of us January bandsters! Jill