Arthemise

Great, thanks for telling me I have unreasonable expectations of the people I pay to take care of my health. I'm out of here.

Sorry, I just don't agree, and I guess I'm in the minority on that. In my opinion, the pharmacist should have at least a little knowledge about the Lap-Band. I was not rude to the pharmacist and was willing to share my knowledge about it, but I'm not a medical professional; she is. I know it's my responsibility to take care of myself because no one can know my entire situation. But would you expect a pharmacist to know what medicines someone with a pacemaker should and shouldn't take? I would.

Do you have your LapBand card? It says the size of the band on there.

Mine was really fast. He looked at my incisions and asked how I felt. I said my port area was still sore, so he didn't do a fill. I think it took all of 5 minutes. So far my doctor hasn't said anything about my diet, but then I have been losing weight.

I would think that at least some preliminary knowledge about Lap-Band would be given to PCPs. I can see where they wouldn't know the details, but they should at least know how it works. A lot of people are getting the band nowadays. The first step, at least for me, was talking to me PCP about it. As for pharmacists, they very definitely need to know what medication a Lap-Band patient should be given. Just as they need to know about drug interactions, they need to know what will cause people problems (pain, vomiting, etc.). High dosages of NSAID could cause severe problems over time, and they should know that.

It amazes me how many health-care professionals know hardly anything about the Lap-Band. I had to educate my PCP about it, and then I had to tell the pharmacist about how we weren't supposed to swallow pills whole. She asked me if the Lap-Band was reversible -- uh, not really, unless you have another surgery. Is it just my podunk town?

On general principle, I don't like fake boobs. But I think I won't have much left after I lose my weight. I was a B when I was thin, and now at a D and after pregnancy (where I couldn't stand to wear a bra), they're very droopy. I guess I could consider it putting things back to normal, rather than an augmentation. I'll just have to see where I am after the weight loss and after my skin bounces back as much as it's going to. Not looking forward to another surgery, though I think I might need it.

I had my first fill last week (3.5 cc) but haven't felt it much. So far I've lost 34 pounds, including from the pre-op diet. Weight loss is up and down, but I'm trying to stick to the diet. Even on a bad day, it's only 1500 calories. In the old days, it would have been much worse, and I wouldn't have gone back on the diet the next day.

Good luck with your follow-up.

My doctor uses a cold spray, and I didn't even feel the needle go in. Good thing because a needle in the belly really creeps me out.

I had my first fill of 3.5 cc, and the doctor said 24 hours. He said I can transition to regular food if I want. The nurse recommended 48 hours since he's going to be out of town this week.

I got my first fill yesterday. I closed my eyes immediately because I did not want to see the needle. They sprayed my stomach, and I literally did not feel the needle go in. I could feel it digging around in the port, which is creepy, but my terror was for nothing. He gave me 3.3 cc. I felt a little something right after but haven't felt anything different since. I'm on liquids for a day or two. My belly near my port does ache a little, but I'm extremely sensitive to abdominal pain.

2 Flintstones and a calcium supplement. One of them is turning my pee slightly green/blue.