JoiaRox

Hey y'all! Don't know if I've posted here or not - I'm a little over 2 weeks post-op, so yay for January 2010 Bandsters! I'm down 19 pounds (started pre-op diet on December 31, so I'm attributing all of my weight loss to 2010!), and I'm loving life! I suppose my stomach is just about done "healing" because I have been STARVING for the past two days...yay Bandster hell! But, thanks to the awesome computer software I use (FitDay) to track my calories, weight loss, activity levels, everything, etc...(lol!), I'm being accountable and NOT shoving anything into my mouth that I'm not fully informed about. I got my surgery done by calling 1-800-GET-SLIM (see their ads on this website, much?!) and haven't regretted a single minute. My initial consultation was done in November...followed by the pre-op work of an endoscopy, blood work and ultrasound...then a cardiac stress test by my PC doc, a psych and nutrition eval over the phone, and finally surgery exactly two months after my consult - January 7th! Mine went through insurance, so I'm glad I had a rapid turnaround of pre-op work, insurance submittal and insurance approval! I'm addicted to this website - I read, read, read and read some more. I also have my own blog and have "come out" about my surgery to anyone and everyone - including my students (I teach high school)! I've found the support to be tremendous (especially on my Facebook page!) and it's neat to have everyone continually ask how much weight I've lost, how I'm doing etc. Talk about motivation! Sounds like my doc was nicer than some of yours - I was on liquids week 1 and was able to progress to mushies week 2 - mashed potatoes never tasted so good! I've been on solid foods now for a couple of days, including some chips and salsa, but it's very clear to me now that my band has no liquid in it! As I said earlier, I've been absolutely starving for a couple of days, so I know my stomach is just about healed...no more swollen belly helping me with restriction! I get my first fill on 2-6-10 and am eager to see how that changes my diet! Head hunger? Screw it. I didn't go through this just to fail! My body *is* getting what it needs (complete with chocolate peanut butter fudge protein powder, yummy vitamins and calcium citrate chews from http://www.bariatriceating.com) and the hunger can shove it! :cursing:

I had my surgery on a Thursday and didn't go back to work the entire next week. If I had a desk job, I could have gone back Monday. Here's me: Thursday - surgery Friday - huddled up on the couch in and out of sleep all day Saturday/Sunday - cleaned my house from top to bottom, with lots of rest Monday - drove 100 miles each way to LAX to pick up my boyfriend...energy fine, pain minimal Tuesday thru Friday - fine on energy, pain minimal I returned to work the following Tuesday, as a teacher, and was exhausted by the end of the day...that's lots of walking, bending over to help students, meetings after school, etc. I don't know if I was tired from my body still recovering or just being back at work after being lazy for a week with my boyfriend! But, by day 2 of work I was fine, and I'm doing great now, a little over 2 weeks post-op! Good thing - I don't have another day off (after today) until Feb. 6th! Funny, that's also my first fill date!

My answer? No. I've been a HUGE Diet Coke drinker - and only fountain sodas, please. I spent at least $8 a day buying 44oz. Diet Cokes from various fast food restaurants in town and guzzling at least two of them before lunch. When I started my one week pre-op diet, Diet Coke was not on the list of "allowed" beverages. I don't know if it was the nerves of my upcoming surgery or what, but I went cold turkey on Diet Coke. Since my surgery a little over two weeks ago, I've bought 2 DC's...one was a small (I had 10 sips and felt sick) and the other was a large...that went flat and the ice melted before I remembered I had even bought it. I had NO caffeine withdrawals, thank god, and I've done a complete 180 now. I am no longer a Diet Coke whore, I'm a water whore - and loving the results I'm seeing on the scale and the change in my complexion from actually being hydrated for the first time in...YEARS! Just thought I'd throw my positive experience out there

Mine's a few inches underneath my right breast. I can feel it now (2 weeks post-op), but the big indicator was that my largest scar is there...the other three scars are all an inch or less long, while the scar by the port is almost three inches! My post-op doctor (not the same as my initial doctor) instantly knew where the port was by looking at the scar lengths.

I'm two weeks post op today and started smoking the day after my surgery...I only quit the day before :biggrin:. I agree - it's tough to give up all your vices at once! I found myself on my pre-op diet giving up my Diet Coke addiction, food addiction and smokes all at once...it was too much to bear! I *will* say that I smoke less than I used to (pack a day down to about half a pack), but it's something I haven't quite been able to give up yet. My wounds healed just fine, I'm losing weight, I feel healthy and great...and even my smoker's cough has diminished because I'm smoking less! While I don't advocate smoking, I just thought I'd give you my two cents!

I also HIGHLY recommend checking out bariatriceating.com. My Grandma had gastric bypass surgery a couple of years ago and lives for the products on this website. I got banded almost two weeks ago and she just sent me some of their products in the mail - I tried the Peanut Butter Fudge Protein shake this morning - OMG SO DELICIOUS! She also gave me some Calcium citrate chews and multi-Vitamin LapBand friendly chews...never had better tasting nutrition! Check it out - she also recommended their Protein Bars. I'm eager to buy my first supply of stuff after sampling what she sent me!

Congratulations on taking this step for your health and welfare! I had my consult on November 7, 2009...easy, quick discussion with the doctor there and a brief explanation of the process. On November 11, 2009 I went in for my endoscopy, blood work and ultrasound - all good! From there, I had a psych evaluation by phone and had a phone conference with their nutritionist to go over my pre- and post-op diet. I also had to do a cardiac stress test at my primary care physician because of how obese I am...that was done right before Thanksgiving. Finally, ALL of those documents were sent in to my insurance about mid-December, and I received a phone call on December 30, 2009 to schedule my surgery for January 7, 2010! My surgery was outpatient, so I was at the actual hospital from noon to 6:30pm. If you'd like to read more about my experience, feel free to click my blog below...I've tried to be pretty detailed in logging it all. Best of luck to you :biggrin: - I'm still stoked I did it!

Good to know - it sounded hokey to me, and I hadn't read anything about that in any research. Asked my PE teacher friend this morning, too, since she's been a health guru for 40 years...it was news to her too :biggrin: Guess I'll keep weighing myself, then! Besides, updating my little weight ticker down here only once a month at fills...that's boring!

My first question is - why would you not talk to your mother/family about your surgery? Are you ashamed that you've taken this wonderful step to take care of YOU?

I wouldn't worry about it either - my doc had me on a two week pre-op diet but, because of the quickness in which my surgery was scheduled, I only did one week. As was just mentioned, the pre-op diets vary GREATLY from doctor to doctor. I've read about 6 month diets, 2 weeks, 1 week, 1 month, 48 hours, nothing, and everything in between! I'm sure you'll be fine

I would talk about this with your doctor - ask if you can get more fills if desired. Although my first fill is scheduled for 2-6-10, I've been reading about people who get aggressive with their doctors - demand you get a fill in two weeks if you're not feeling the "restriction" and make sure that the doctor is helping the LapBand help YOU. If he's not, he's not doing his job. Ask your doctor what his fill schedule is and if it's flexible according to the patient's (you) desires/needs. If not? Maybe you need to find another doctor...easy to switch as long as they're still in your insurance's network.

That makes me sad :eek:. Do it! I'm surprised at peoples' recovery times they're posting...everyone IS different, but I've had more experience with people who recover very quickly. I had my surgery on a Thursday and could have returned to work on Monday, easily - and I'm a high school teacher/union politician who does long days with a lot of walking around. Although I did take a week off, it was more because my long distance boyfriend came in town and not because I needed to recover. Sure, being able to be lazy and waited on hand and foot by the amazing man in my life probably helped recovery...but if I had to be back at work on Monday, I would have been fine. On that Monday I drove the 100 miles to LAX to pick up my boyfriend, then back home...all good! Spent the week with him doing all sorts of hanging out and other things people do who live 2,400 miles from each other.... But, really - why postpone it?! DO IT! You'll keep finding excuses not to have the surgery - and you'll keep living the unhealthy lifestyle you've been living. How much more time do you want to take off of your life?

I am almost two weeks post-op. I bought the strips on my way home from the hospital and the box is gone. Although I did walk quite a bit and drank a lot of water, I had minimal gas pains...I only had the gas "release" going on during days 2 and 3 post-op, but I've been fine! I don't know whether to attribute the lack of gas pain to the strips, everything else I did...or I was just lucky. Either way, I used them.

I just had my post-op appointment last Thursday and my doctor told me not to weigh myself - ever. He said my weigh ins would be when I go get filled at his office once a month. The reason behind that? He said not knowing your weight when you're dieting like this causes your body to release a hormone called "cortisol" which actually burns fat. So, apparently, being anxious and kicking the weigh-a-holic mindset is actually helpful! Having said that? I weighed myself this morning. Oops! LOL!

I didn't have to walk...just got up to go potty . As soon as I said I was okay to go, they let me go. I was in at noon and out by 5:45pm!

I'm in Bakersfield, and was just banded on 1/4/10. It'd be neat to meet up with some of you to chat about life after the band! Feel free to private message me!

My thought? DON'T! I had surgery three days ago - and, to be honest, life hasn't been that painful! Everything was smooth as silk in the hospital, I've had no nausea, little pain (both gas and incision), and have been able to run errands and clean my house without problem...of course, I AM gentle and I make sure I'm taking naps and rest time to take care of myself! With only having lost 12 pounds so far, of a very long road ahead, I'd say this was the best decision of my life. The posts you see about gas and incision pain, horror stories, etc...of course, they're true. People use this site to ask question to people who have "been there" and to seek out advice. How many threads do you see, though, about the people who are doing GREAT, need no help, and are loving their lives? Not many...lol. Truth is, when we feel great, we don't often "need" to post about it. I've had two very dear friends of mine have this same surgery - I never heard them complain of this post-op stuff, all I've ever heard are the millions of positives they've gained from doing it. GO FOR IT! You'll only regret not doing it.

I think it depends on a lot of things - your original weight, how you carry it, what type of job you have, etc. Obviously, every one is different. Me? I started weighing 338lbs, but I carry it well...I had my surgery on Thursday and if I HAD to go back to work tomorrow (Monday), I would. Luckily, I had the sick days available, so I took this week off. If I were to go back to work tomorrow, I'd definitely be in some pain, but I'd be able to hack it. I've been running errands, cleaning my house, taking care of myself, etc. since the day after my surgery (Friday). I teach high school for a living and know that if I needed to lecture from my seat, or have the kids have an "educational video" day, that I could make that happen. I did decide to take the week off, though, because (a) I had the sick days to use, (:biggrin: I have a wonderful substitute teacher and © to allow my body to heal as completely as possible. If you don't have the days to use, take a good 3 days to yourself to heal. By 4th day pre-op, if you HAVE to go back, you have to. Just be gentle!

I'm three days post-op and have no restrictions on what I can eat, as long as it's liquid. While my staples are the Water (I have Biggest Loser Protein 2 Go packets to flavor it every now and then!), chicken and beef broth, and my Protein shakes...the absolute *treats* for me are: 1 - Fat Free chocolate Milk - I use it as a chaser after I take my antibiotics. The doctor told me to open the capsule and consume only the powder, but it's NASTY. Knowing I've got a swig (small one!) of FF Chocolate Milk to follow sure makes it easier going down. So what if I'm a kid?! 2 - FF/SF Fruit Popsicles - 25 calories each, this is my treat in the evening. Although, I highly recommend you take only half of the popsicle and put it in a BOWL, eat it with a spoon - SLOWLY. You'd be amazed at how much cold liquids can burn if you eat too fast :biggrin:. Made that mistake on day one! The way I see it? I'm recovering from surgery. If I can find a couple of treats that make this week a little more bearable, I'm all for it! And, since I make sure they're FF/SF...and I only consume a little bit anyway...of course I've been losing weight!

I was also banded on the 7th, but no one told me a certain amount to drink/eat. I am on a full liquid diet, but there was no guidance as to an amount. I'm sipping water or diet juice all day out of my sippy cup, eating broth or protein shakes for meals, and chasing my nasty antibiotics with fat-free chocolate milk!

I'm only 2 days post-op, and I am LOVING broth! I figured broth would get old quickly...but I'm surprised at how yummy I'm finding it to be . Sure makes this liquid diet easier! LOL

I'm feeling a million times better today than yesterday. Day 1 post-op was a lot of incision pain, minimal gas pain...I did get up and walk, got full on half a snack-sized popsicle, and got to the grocery store...so I guess I wasn't TOO bad. Today - Day 2 - I've been to the bank, post office, and just got back from a wonderful pedi/mani! I'm low on energy now, though, so I'm sipping some broth and ready to relax! My incision pain is at a 1 or 2 out of 10...gas pain is very minimal...I'm not gonna go run a marathon, but I'm definitely feeling better than yesterday!

I'm 2 days post-op right now and the gas pain has been bearable...maybe that means it's minimal? I've been talking long walks and using GasX strips, so I'm avoiding it as much as possible. I've been passing gas quite a bit out the back end (doesn't smell!), and burping little burps. All in all, the worst pain I've felt is in my shoulders. For me, it's been the right clavicle, as my port is on the right side of my stomach. Yesterday was a worse day for me - it was the day after surgery, anesthesia was wearing off, couldn't walk much, was in a abdominal pain (although I did venture out to the grocery store on my own)...today is a much better day. I've been to the bank and post office, and just got home from a VERY relaxing two hour deluxe spa pedicure and manicure! Gas pains vary from individual to individual, but my pain has been minimal...I'm guessing the walking, GasX and passing of gas have all contributed to the little pain I've been in. My worst pain has been incision pain, and even most of that's gone today (day 2).

I got banded on January 7th as well :w00t:. Congrats to both of us! :frown:

I also got banded yesterday, at about 2pm, and started feeling the gas pains in the later evening. Are you getting pains in your shoulders at all? I just finally started burping tonight, thank god, and that's helping relieve the gas pain. It's not too severe, but it's noticeable!