merrywait

How many ccs in your band before you got good restriction?

Got banded yesterday!:scared2: No gas pain, no swelling, no bloating! Only five small bandages. My stomach looks like it did before but with those five tiny Patches. No seepage, no bleeding! Up and rolling within hours. I can't feel a thing. Is it really in there?!?!? Hope everyone has as wonderful an experience as mine!!!

How were you closed up? If you had stitches or staples did they hurt coming out?

I am still on full liquids and am wondering what kind of eating plan/schedule everyone else was on in the first few weeks post op? Right now I am sipping Protein shakes and Water throughout the day with 1/2 cup for lunch and dinner. Wanted to know what everyone else did and how was your weight loss in those first few weeks?

Thanks guys. It is really great to here everyone's eating schedules. They vary so much. I am 6 days post-op with no nausea, vomiting, or regurgitation. My body seems to be telling me to step it up a bit from shakes and blended creamed soups but I am worried about damage to the band if I start mushies/solids too soon.

I was banded Monday and my doctor said to handle gas pain by: 1. Lay on back and massage the soft area just between the shoulder and the chest to dissipate the gas. 2. Do deep shoulder rolls. Slow and as big as possible. Good luck!

I had to spend a week in Las Vegas at a Conference the week before my surgery. I managed. I did what I needed to do and that often meant going to my room with a bottle of Water and a REALLY good book. What kept me on track was knowing that when my surgeon opened me up, he would be able to see if I was really serious about my commitment. Believe me, the first words out of my mouth post-op were, "how did my liver look?" I wanted to know the sacrifice paid off...and it did. You can do this! If you were not a super strong gal you would not have made it this far!

I am opn the lower end of the BMI also. My doc said I could get in the pool at ten days post-op. Begin light exercise, gentle biking, at one week, and deep abdominal, such as Pilate's and Yoga, at 4 weeks as well as regular cardio workouts. I was banded Monday and feel great! Surround yourself with positive folks and thoughts. We are only limited by our own beliefs. Rock and Roll girl, you got the goods! You made it this far for a reason:thumbup:

Congratulations!!! Hope your recovery is as easy as mine has been. Get plenty of rest and don't forget to sip,sip,sip that water!

Thanks everyone! It really has been such a great experience! Today, 2 days post-op, I have not taken any pain meds. It just feels like I pulled a muscle in my left side and that is totally manageable. And I have already lost the surgery weight gain plus 1 pound! And I got a shower!!!! Today I started full liquids and felt the restriction for the first time. It is heavenly to sit down to 1/2 cup of blended cream of chicken Soup and be so full afterwards. I can sleep on my side easily, have done from the first day home and was able to give my babies, 3 and 5 year olds, baths tonight. No doubt I had a superb surgeon but I think one's attitude is the real key. This is my choice and I welcomed the band into my body like a little, very expensive:laugh:internal personal trainer. Great luck to us all!!!:cursing:

Just a few quickies before the world changes.... How long till the gas/shoulder pain passes? When will i be able to lie down for sleeping again? When will i be able to bend over to pick things up again or give my girls a bath?

Thanks to both of you! I am very excited and nervous and right now, with lasagna in the oven....very hungry. But broth will do. HA..yes i sleep lying down except during boring lectures.

Last week I went to get my surgery date set. My surgeon's P.A. is the one I spoke to. She did EVERYTHING she could to try and get me to switch form the band to a G.B. I do not have diabetes, high blood pressure, or other co-morbidities. I have a BMI of 42. BTW, my surgeon is Blue Cross Bariatric Surgeon of Distinction She went on and on about what a hassle the band was and what would happen if I was on vacation and it got too tight or too lose. She said no one would touch it. She said we had better never move cause other surgeons won't do fills on patients that are not theirs. She mad it sound like I would never be able to travel again and that the band would become nothing but a hassle and a curse to me! Then she launched into the problems. She said 80% of all Lap Bands have problems. They get so tight they can't swallow their own spit, band erosion, reflux, esophagus dilation, having to get fills or unfills every few weeks, not losing any weight. Yet when i asked how many bands they had have to remove she said only one since they began doing them. Finally, she wrapped it up with the fact that, if I was lucky, I might lose 40 pounds of the 100 i need to lose.:smile: She said the only way for the band to work was to follow the diet without one goof-up and to exercise like a Trojan Warrior!!!! Why, why, why??? Please tell me it ain't so!!!!!

July 28 but we still don't know the time.

OH! Thanks so much to you all! I am very serious about what I am about to take my family and myself through. I know I am going to have to commit and work and I am OK with that. I just want to know that I will succeed if I do my fair part. I do feel very strongly that this is the absolute best choice for me but after my "talk" by the PA. I was feeling rocked. Looking at your tickers, you are outstanding examples of success:thumbup: with the LB. I hope to soon be one too. Thanks for propping:smile2: me up!

I am looking for folk at a similar place in the process and with similar stats to buddy up with and compare notes. I am in NC 45 yo. 5" 1' BMI 41.5 224 lbs. Surgery in mid-late June I want to regain my ability to go kayaking, camping, and to feel sexy again!! I want to be good roll model for my girls, 3 and 5 yo. I make fairly healthy food choice, but I seem to have a super human appetite. I seem to be able to eat twice as much as other folks w/o feeling full at all. Here's to making friends and not going it alone. :biggrin:

HI JJ, Joy and Renee! I'm so excited to find some folks with similar goals and challenges. I get the impression from all the literature that, folks with lower (realativly :eek:)BMIs, often have slower progress but end up getting closer to their ideal weight. My surgeon said the same thing, "folks with higher BMIs tend to lose more pounds but those with lower BMIs get closer to their ideal." Of course I would love to weigh 122 but i think a more reasonable goal might be 150! Congrats on the new job JJ! Sounds exciting and challenging. I am an assistant principal in eastern NC. I generally work 11 hours a day and there is a lot of food always being brought to school. Between the exhaustion and the temptation, I have a lot to overcome. Currently I am using Lipton instant green tea as a crutch! It gives me a boost and isn't quite so bad for me. I have:eek: my psych eval tomorrow! After that my date will be set. The doc is thinking mid-late June. I'm so glad to meet you all!!!!!!!!!!!

Just reading Sunnysandy's great thread. My doctor did not go to that extreme but there seemed to be a desire to get all patients to do the GB. six of us who had been deemed good candidates for WL surgery were chatting while we waited for the doc to come in and talk about next steps. We all learned that the doc had indicated that GB would be his preference. When asked during the meeting why he thought LB was not as good as GB he could not give any concrete reasons for preferring one over the other. why are they doing this?

Hi Spartan~ I looked at your profile. Have you had either surgery?

I have had my first visit with my surgeon and am just starting down this new path! I am so encouraged by what I am hearing here. My doctor, as I understand many doctors have, tried to convince me that a GB would be better:w00t:. His chief point was that I would not lose as much weight with a LB. But here I see so many folks losing way more than 50% of the excess weight! It is so hopeful!

Thanks all! My doc did not give any reason but the the GB was the "gold standard" He actually said it was recommended only for folks who are diabetic and/or have a BMI of 45+. I am not diabetic, or pre-diabetic and my BMI is 41. No co-morbidities. At the discussion following the visit all the patients, 6 of us, found the doc had said GB was better for us all. We ranged from BMI of 55-40, diabetic, all clear, arthritis, and ages 33-60.

These are great questions! I am new too. No surgery yet. I was wondering if you might get more responses from a gruop of folks who have already had their surgery? Just a thought! good luck!

I'm new too! From NC. had 1st doctor visit and have scheduled my nutrition and psych. after that I will have my 2nd Dr. visit. At that time they will schedule my surgery. I am an assistant principal. Been married for almost 7 years to my DH. We have 2 girls, 3 and 5. One dog, 2 cats, 2 birds, 1 fish, no sleep and no sanity. But a lot of love! I am 5' 2" 224lbs. 41.5 BMI very excited!

Ah where to begin... :eek:watching my husband folding my underware :crying:not being able to run after my daughter's art work when it blew into the street :glare:rolling into the water to get out of a kayak because I couldn't get up to the dock or lift myself :mad:people's looks when i eat anything at all