ChicagoWinter

You look fantastic! Congratulations!!!! :wink:

Thanks CherieLynne! I can sympathize with you about your green bean getting stuck. Last week I took a bite of bread and swallowed too fast...it was stuck for hours! Sometimes I forget that I have a band and then WHAM! I get a nice reminder. :redface: It keeps me in check, though! *smile*

Congratulations on being banded! I'm glad to hear that the procedure went well for you. :redface: I did not have any immediate gas pain, either. The discomfort snuck up on me a few days later. I would make sure you are walking as much as possible so that you continue to feel well. As far as Protein, post-surgery I was drinking Special K Protein drinks. They have 10g of protein and 5g of Fiber in each one. The fiber is also helpful, as you want to get everything in your body moving again. *smile* I believe they come in chocolate, vanilla & strawberry and are 190 calories each. Good luck on your journey, you'll do great!

Congratulations!!!! Your surgery is about one month after mine. I am thrilled with my decision, and the support of people on this forum has been great. Good luck with your journey, you will do awesome!!! :redface:

Hi January bandsters! I have been on this forum for a few weeks, but somehow missed this area. :thumbup: It is great to "meet" others that got banded around the same time. I find it very helpful to read posts by people who are going through the same things I am...and around the same time! I look forward to getting to know you in the future. :wink2:

I also had my period on my surgery day. I wore a tampon and did not think to tell anyone about it. I did not realize this was against the rules! :thumbup:

I am in, also. This is great timing...it's nice to have even more extra motivation after just being banded. :biggrin:

When I got to the mushy stage, I made scrambled eggs at work in the microwave often. I would beat an egg with a little milk in a container in the morning and put it in the fridge at work. When ready, just put it in the microwave (30 seconds, stir and then 15 more seconds until done). It helped me get in my protein and varied what I ate throughout the day.

Hi everyone. Now that I have had my LAP-BAND® surgery I have run into a few negative people...some of which had WLS themselves. However, the people that have given me a hard time (whether in-person or on discussion boards) have had surgeries OTHER than LAP-BAND® (Gastric bypass, RNY, etc). Have any of you experienced this, also? Before I found Lap Band Talk I was on a different board and to be honest, it seemed very negative towards LAP-BAND® patients. Is this common? There seemed to be a lot of "my surgery is better than yours". I had assumed that most WLS patients would be suportive of each other...regardless of the method that worked for them. To be honest, it really made me start to second-guess my choice...even though I am thrilled that I got banded.

I find that Southwest's seats/seatbelts to be snugger than other airlines. Although I am embarassed to admit it, I needed to use a seatbelt extender (although barely) the last few times I flew with them (I am a size 22). I do have one HUGE tip for you, though. Since I am tall, I decided to sit in an Emergency Exit Row the last time I flew (extra leg room). However, when the flight attendant saw that I had a seatbelt extender she announced (loudly) "Ma'am, you cannot sit in an Emergency Exit Row with a seatbelt extender. Please choose a different seat." I was mortified. I do not blame the airline, though. Rules are rules...I just wish she would have told me quietly instead of shouting the message to half of the plane.

I am very excited for you!!! When I found out that my insurance approval came through I got tears in my eyes...I hadn't realized how much I wanted the surgery until that moment! Let us know how things go for you! You will do great!

I would love to talk with other Chicago bandsters. I am a few weeks post-op and am very interested in meeting other people that are post-op, too!

I would not be worried, what you are experiencing sounds normal for post-op. After I had surgery I had a lot of discomfort with gas and spent a lot of time looking up tips on the internet. I found the following things: -Walking (as everyone suggests, it does help) -Laying on your left side (even better if you are able to move your knees closer to your chest..aka the "fetal position". To be blunt I could not completely do this because of my weight, but I found that even moving my knees a little closer to my chest helped) -Kneeling and stretching your arms out on the ground in front of your body -Laying on your left side, then switching to your right and then left again (repeat) I hope this helps! I also tried Gas-X strips, but I did not seem to have as much luck as others did with them.

I had my surgery on a Friday and returned to work on Monday. Like you, I also have a desk job. As others have stated, I was definitely exhausted by the end of the day. However, I made it through the week and every day was a little better. My biggest problem was discomfort from gas. I tried to walk as much as I could on lunch breaks, but that is easier said than done in Chicago's January weather! That being said, though, I really think it depends on the person. I have a close friend who was banded a few years ago and she took a week off of work...and said that she thought she should have taken two. I didn't have much of a choice, as I did not have the vacation time. My best advice is to see how you are feeling and go from there. Good luck!!! :hurray:

When you are a few days post-op and get excited about passing gas...because it makes your shoulder feel better!

I am in Illinois, so I cannot answer the question about your specific facility. However, I would think that if you called & discussed this issue with them they would be willing to help you locate someone else. My surgeon also recommended someone for my psych consult and I did not think to check ahead of time....sure enough he was out of network and my insurance company did not cover the visit. I think that the facilities prefer to make the recommendation as the psychiatrist is familiar with pre-WLS consultations and knows what information the surgeon (and the insurance company) need. I'm sorry I could not be more helpful. Good luck!

Jax, I completely understand your hesitation...and I think it is both healthy AND appropriate to have your concerns. I also did a lot of soul searching before I decided to have the surgery. For me, I finally admitted to myself that although it is certainly possible to lose weight without surgical intervention...I *hadn't*...and for years I kept saying that I could. Although everyone is different, my issue is that I would eat when I wasn't hungry, basically because I was bored or because food just tastes good! The LAP-BAND® prevents me from doing this, or at least limits my snacking to a few bites. (Meaning, if I already had a meal I cannot snack on something when I am already full) My surgery was a little over three weeks ago, and luckily my surgeon filled the band a small amount when I had the procedure done. This has led me to experience "restriction" from the beginning. However, whether or not this is the case for everyone I can say that LAP-BAND® has done one huge thing for me...it points out when I am eating when I do not need to...and no one else but me needs to know. I hope this helps & wish you the best of luck, regardless of what you choose. :smile: