nurselroy

Fortunately I wasn't, but this was a big concern for me too. I had some irregular bleeding that resulted in what was essentially a 6 week long period. I found out it was a fibroid causing the bleeding and the hormones my GYN gave me did not work to stop the bleeding. I was scared that I would still be bleeding at the time of surgery since there really was no way to tell if and when it would stop. But, for some reason it just stopped one day and my periods went back to normal (well heavy, but still like clockwork). Periods are just a very private thing for me and though I can talk about it with some friends, its totally different to have someone else possibly seeing it either in the OR or on the nursing unit (if you stay overnight). But, like Betsy said, they would understand (heck I'm a nurse and have had many a patient on her period and it made no difference to me)and most women experience them so you'll be fine.

I haven't had my first fill yet either, but I can definitely eat more than a cup. I've stayed on track though by journaling my food and keeping my calorie intake around 1000 as directed by the nutritionist (this is just for now though). I just eat a lot of low-calorie,healthy foods so I really don't get hungry (thank God!). I figured if I can't eat a whole lot, the little that I do eat needs to be nutritious, plus I'm scared as heck that I'll experience some hair loss like many have reported.

Jill thanks for the needle description (I am indeed a nurse) and a 22G doesn't sound too bad, considering they stuck an 18G IV in for surgery (ouch!).

Glad to hear your experience wasn't bad. I was banded on March 18 and am going for my first fill on May 5. I actually give myself a shot every week for one of my medications, but I am still a little nervous about this as I know the needle is much bigger than the one I use. Its great that your doc gave you a meal plan to follow to bring your weight loss up to 5-10 pounds a month. My doc only wants his patients to lose 2 pounds a week and honestly, I got the impression that he doesn't expect his lap band patients lose as much or do as well as his bypass patients.

Good luck!!

Wow, that is pretty far out. I'd go crazy. Is it possible to look for another surgeon or ask your current surgeon's office to notify you if they have any cancellations sooner than 9/1/10. Surgeries get cancelled all the time for various reasons, so there may be some chance there. Good luck!

CONGRATULATIONS!!! wAY TO GO!!!

I am petrified of failing! However, after reading Spartan's post, in particular the Jack Lemmon quote about the fear of failure destroying you, I realized I have let this fear convince me to avoid some things in life. I'm just taking things one day at a time right now, but I am definitely going to pay more attention to how my fear of failure is affecting my life overall.

Ok, I must admit that I actually considered the idea of self filling BEFORE I found out the process of filling and became more educated. I figured that I give myself shots all the time for a heath condition and I know how to use a Huber needle, so whats the big deal? Fortunately, I realized what a dangerous (and dumb) thing that would be to do and will not ever be doing that. I also had some flashbacks of some pretty wicked infections on some of my patients that occurred as a result of home doctoring. Hopefully, as others have said, this was just a hoax.

I was banded on March 18. I lost 10 pounds on the 1 week liquid pre-op diet and have lost 9 pounds post-op. I am no on soft foods, though I can't have beef unless pureed and chicken must be extremely soft and not dry. I've actually just been sticking to seafood for now just to be on the safe side. I just went back to work today and made the huge mistake of not eating all day and waiting until I got home. I just stuck to yogurt, tea, Water and a v8 for that 7.5 hours I was at work, so I was famished when I got home. I still made good choices for my dinner, but ate more than I should have, though the calorie total was under 500 calories. I can't really tell if I've gotten restriction because I'm focusing on stopping when i am no longer hungry when eating. Also, with having to eat so slow, I am more easily recognizing that feeling of satiety. I often ate when I wasn't even hungry before the band, but now that is not possible (well its possible but I can't do that anymore); I just love the taste of food! So now, I am really working on learning my body's cues about when its really hungry, thirsty, or just bored. This has been a learning experience in so many ways!

I was too scared of the potential consequences (i.e. my surgery being cancelled) to even think about cheating. However, I did somewhat cheat. I didn't take out the mushrooms or broccoli in my cream of mushroom or broccoli cheese soups or the tiny bits of fruit in my yogurt. That was the furthest I was willing to go though, lol. I only had a two week liquid diet and that was honestly one of the hardest things I've ever done. I had some really tough days, but you know what? Its all worth it in the end. Just keep thinking of why your doing this and what you want in the end. It may be motivating when you see some weight loss during the next two weeks as well. Good luck and I'm sure you'll do fine!

Congratulations and good luck with surgery Thursday!!!

I weigh several times a week, but I only record my weight for my own records once a week. The other times I weigh are for reasons that others have already mentioned, as a motivation or a reminder :-)