DONNA1959

sparkplug, i use to get the panic feeling because i choked once on a piece of steak and couldn't breathe and getting stuck has the same sensation. if i just relax and realize that i'm breathing, then it seems to help.

my belly doesn't touch the sides when i get out of the shower stall anymore. no more diabetes meds i found my belly button!

i was banded 7/12 and had my first fill 8/13. i'm just finishing my liquid diet so i'll see tomorrow how solids go down. the fill went well except that my dr's partner had to do it and he didn't tell me which band i had or how much he filled it. i definately won't be seeing him next time. i like to be well informed about what's going on. he also seemed a little frustrated while filling.........even called me a rookie , which of course i am. he had to fill and unfill a few times with me taking big gulps of water to make sure it all went down. i get my next fill in three weeks.

for those that aren't down to regular sizes yet, lane bryant has jeans based on body shape. they are given different "colors" . my body shape is a red. they also have petite.

amy, maybe this is tmi but i couldn't reach around the front because most of my weight is in my belly. so i lean forward and get to it that way from the back. hopefully when i lose the belly, i can do it the "normal" way. it works for me though and haven't had a uti in more years than i can remember.

i work in the health field too, in microbiology. the majority of urinary tract infections that i see are from a bacteria that is a normal stool flora. it's almost always from wiping back to front. yeast is also considered normal in stool. NEVER wipe back to front. being overweight it's harder but try to reach around and under. i actually had a callous on my wrist from putting weight on my hand while i wiped. since i've lost some, it's now going away. still can't quite reach it in the "normal" way but i'm getting closer!

good news: my doc told me check my sugar and if it's less than 130 not to take my meds. i haven't taken any since my surgery!:smile2: bad news: i've gained 3lbs since my surgery. i follow the low carb diet and don't have a fill yet. my doc wanted me to lose 6lbs by the time i see him in the next two weeks. any suggestions?:bolt:

i just went out and got a bunch of baby food. the meats are good if you salt and pepper it and the veggies need some butter and salt and pepper. they really weren't bad at all and it saved all that puree work.

i had alot of shoulder/neck pain for about a week after surgery. sounds strange but i think it's the gas everyone talks about. it should go away soon.

i weigh every day but i noticed that it goes up and down a little. as long as the general trend is down, i don't worry about a pound or two. i've only been banded for a week but i've been on this diet for almost a year now.

hi guys, just found your thread. i was banded on monday. i'm over most of my pain and getting by without being too hungry. i've lost 7 lbs since monday. i'm still on full liquids till tomorrow when i get to have soft food. i started walking my 20 minutes a day. my husband even joined in yesterday and both my son and husband have gone on diets. it's amazing. i take my dog walking with me and i think he's in worse shape than i am! i'm still off from work for another week so i'm enjoying sleeping in. my first goal is to get to 250. i was there for quite a while so i have alot of clothes that fit. the next one is 230 because that is where i met my husband. my birthday is the end of march and i would like to be under 200. i haven't been under 200 since i moved to florida over 20 yrs ago! anyway, i'm getting ahead of my self. one goal at a time.

so sorry to hear about your twin sister. it must be very hard. i'm glad your husband is coming home soon. i'm a stress eater too but i'm new so don't have any advice on that front.

i'm post op day 4. most of the gas pain is gone. it's funny how it skipped around from shoulder to elbow to neck from day to day. i'm on full liquids now. i have a protein shake and then eat baby food. it was much easier than doing the puree stuff. just add a little butter and salt and it tastes ok. i do get a tightness kind of like heartburn but without the burning sensation. i had a pretty large hiatal hernia that was fixed so i expected this. i'm not really hungry. i fill in with sugar free jello and popsicles if i want something. most of the pain is gone, just some at port site. i can even sleep awhile on my left side. so far, so good.

my doc says i have to crush all my pills.

my doc said diet soda and alcohol are fine in moderation. i make my soda flat by shaking it though because the bubble theory of stretching the pouch makes sense to me. i don't usually drink alcohol anyway but it is high in carbs and sugar so it's not something i would drink anyway.

i went in on the 12th too. so far, so good. see my entry in surgery day stories.

good morning! i had my lapband yesterday 7/12. i got to memorial hospital in jacksonville at 08:15 for a 10am surgery time. i really like that hospital. they have free parking and free valet parking too so you just pull up, get out and go in. the lobby has a babygrand piano that plays by itself. it's very relaxing. the food there for guests runs on the high side though. anyway, i was preregistered so i just checked in, got my arm band and went straight over to outpatient surgery. i had to give a urine sample for a pregnancy test. which i knew would be negative. my baby just had his own baby on 72. then had to wait in the lounge for about 15 minutes or so. i got called back to the back area and they told my family in 45 min they would be able to come back and see me. i had to get completely undressed and put on compression stockings. once i got into the bed, they gave me warm blankets and put on the leg compression machine. it was like a leg massage, very enjoyable. i also got a shot of heparin in my belly. my doc is very concerned about blood clots. in order to put in my iv, they first shot up my hand with lidocaine to numb it. only problem the lidocaine shot burns and since she got my iv in in just one poke i would have rather not even had the shot. they took some blood to check my potassium since i'm on blood pressure medicine and they ran the iv with an antibiotic and then my husband and son got to come back and visit. by then it was about 9:45. of course there was paperwork to sign and questions to be answered. the dr. cywes came by to talk and he had his new partner with him, dr. mcclure. he's a young guy and seems very nice. then the anesthesiologist came by. i got my little silver hat on and then it was off to the operating room around 10:15. once in the or, i got strapped in and had to take some deep breathes and then woke up in the recovery room. apparently, my oxygen sats were in the high 70's, which is low. they put on an oxygen mask, told me to take deep breathes and took a chest xray. i had a little trouble catching my breath but it finally settled down. they asked if i was in pain , i nodded yes and they gave me something in my iv. i got pain meds twice. when i finally fully woke up it was around 1:00. i was given ice water and then they got me up to walk around the recovery area twice. i was put in a recliner chair and taken to another room where my family could come back and see me. the doctore came by to see me again and also the bariatric lady from the hospital. i was given pictures of my surgery, instructions, prescription for loratab elixer and phenergan for nausea. i had a little gift bag. they brought a meal try of sugare free jello, chicken broth, and juice. i also got iv morphine, another antibiotic, and zantac. i got up to go pee and basically just waited to make sure everything was ok. we didn't get out of there till 7pm. we went and picked up my prescriptions and made the two hour trip home. i took one dose of the loratab and went to sleep in the recliner. this morning the air bubble pain has mostly gone away except for a little in my right shoulder. last night it was in the left side and much worth. i haven't had to take any more pain meds, just take it easy. the worst part right now is having to crush my meds and eat them with jello. it's gross. i have to wear my compression stockings through today and then i can take a shower tonight. my diet right now is still liquids for a few days but i'm making it fine. good luck to the rest of you!:grouphug:

yes, donna it is. i'm diabetic too and both dr.cywes and my primary doc have told me to monitor my sugar closely because they expect it to be going down pretty quickly. i don't know yet what my post diet is, he said he would let us know after the surgery. however, the prediet is 5-7 days of a strict low carb diet and then 2 days of liquids: diet drinks, clear broth, sugar free popsicles and sugar free jello. today is the first day of my liquid diet. i live out close to mayo. it's about a two hour drive southwest of jax.

i agree, the low carb diet is the easiest for me too. my doctor recommends a low carb diet after the banding also.

you are probably not in menapause due to your age so i would say no, it probably isn't normal. there could be alot of different reasons, including the weight loss, so i would check with your doctor.

i went with dr.cywes and am very happy. he is no longer with dr.baptista but has a new partner as of july 1. i don't know his name though. my surgery is monday and feel very confident it will go well. he said at the preop that he always fixes hiatal hernias if you have one. no more heartburn, it'll be great.

i went for my preop yesterday. i was really surprised that my diet consisted of what i have been eating, basically no carbs and just two days of clear fluids. monday's the day! i'm getting a little nervous but i have to work fri and sat so it will make my time go by faster. sunday we're having a bbq and my kids are all coming over. it's also a new baby party. i had a granddaughter on july 2nd. that was a surprise since they said it would be a boy. i had to return a lot of clothes but since i had all boys it's a pleasant suprise.

i hope this is in the right place. i haven't seen it addressed anywhere. i use to get a terrible rash under the belly roll. i finally found a treatment for it....blue star ointment. it burns really bad for a little bit but if you can put up with that, it's usually gone in a day or so. i found that using deodorant under the roll and under the breasts keeps me from getting the rash in the first place. hope this helps someone else.

i'm getting excited now. my preop is 7/7 and then surgery is one week from today!:thumbup: