tonya66

Tell them that your doctor has placed you on a special diet for 6 weeks. I told that to my co-workers, working out good so far.

Man, I'm jealous, my doctor won't let me have any meat of any kind during my mushy stage. But, in 2 more days, I move to real food!

Audrey - I'm so happy for you! See, your time has come! Hang in there! Also, when you sign up for insurance, see if they offer the payflex spending account. This is a medical spending account you can pay your out of pocket expenses with. It is pre-tax and saves you money. I took out $4,000 on mine and it only lowered my check about $50. Keep us posted on your progress!

It took me about 10 days to feel better, I went back to work at 2 weeks. I'm almost 4 weeks post op and I still have restriction, so I know I'm still swollen. Hang in there, it does get better.

I promise, it gets better. The first few weeks are "hell" for some - about my 10th day, I felt great!

Well, I hate to scare you, but 20 surgeries is not enough! I did a lot of research and the majority of the complications come from surgeons who has done less than 100 surgeries. Your health is important, if you are having 2nd thoughts about the surgeon, go with your gut instinct - time to find someone you feel comfortable with. The support of your surgeon is so important for success, and if he is not supporting you now, I worry about the post operation support. Good-Luck!

Are you drinking enough Water? Headaches is a sign of dehydration. It is very important to get your water in. Also, you might switch to the liquid tylenol. I too was told tylenol products, preferrable liquids.

Yep, your nuts. lol, just joking. I too feel the water go down. Especially if its ice cold.

did you have a catheder in? I had one in and after they removed, I had some difficulty. I think you should call the doc for sure! You need to be peeing a minimum of 3 x's per day right now. If your not, you could be dehydrated, or have some other complications.

Wow - your doing GREAT! If your getting bored, try some different recipes. I have the book, Eating well after WLS - google some low carb reipes. Eating healthy should not be boring. I have a wonderful low carb "mock coconut cream pie" that is out of this world, made out of speghetti squash. It taste more like a coconut custard pie. It is band friendly - or should be anyhow. Anyhow, you've done great, but I think it might be time to switch around your food choices. Check out the recipe section in this forum and see what you can find. There are lots of "sweet stuff" that doesn't mean bad stuff.

blownaway36 - i think we share the same banding date! I will be 4 weeks post op Thursday too! My doctor says the weighloss doesn't really begin until the fills begin. I went to a support meeting and one of the lapband patients asked about her gaining weight, he said that was normal, she hadn't had a fill yet.

:clap2: :clap2: :clap2: Yay! I certainly felt your frustration, as I was in more pain for quite a time too. I remember thinking, what the heck is wrong with me? Everyone else was recovering, exercising, going to the mall after 3 days? It took me 10 days! I guess the saying "everyone is different" is so true! I'm so glad your back!

Yes, please insist your doctor check the band out! They might need to do a EGD, to make sure the band is in the propper place! Keep a food journal of EVERTHING you put in your mouth, take it with you on your next dr. visit! I'm sorry for your frustration - but dont jump!

Girlfriend, I totally feel your excitement. The thought of broth made me sick after 2 weeks and 4 days on it. I finally got to move to mushies - full liquids a little over a week ago. And very happy now. I can deal with the soft foods, but the clear liquids had to go!

I also have several friends who used Dr. G, one had lap-band, went from 300 to 170, the other three had gastric bypass - and all are quite successful! The one thing I don't like - the office visits are almost always 2 hours long. But, he sits down and spends time with you, he makes sure all your questions are answered. I haven't had my first fill yet, so not sure what to expect. I go 3/1 to his assistant, Dr. Pond, who will go over my eating, my test, etc. Then if he feels I need a fill, he will notify the hospital (which is right next to their office) and they will call me to schedule a fill. All their fills are done flouro, which I prefer. I think Dr. Kirk will do the fills. Dr. Kirk has also opened up a practice to assist those who had WLS and gaining weight, not losing etc. So they have a lot of support.

Hi Johna, I'm happy with Dr. Gorospe. However, I do feel he caters a bit more to Gastric Bypass. The support meetings are mainly Gastric Bypass. However, he is one of the best in bariactric surgeries. He is asking me to be in his calendar for next year, so he is hoping to have more lapband patients I think. I think he is finally seeing how successful lapband patients can be and it is encouraging him to advertise more. My gastoral intestine doctor recommended Dr. G to me because I had some other issues that Dr. G would need to fix, like a very large hiatal hernia, and dr. G was one of the first to use the baloon method to fix the hernia, is is very good at it. Also his assistant in surgery, Dr. Kirk is absolutely wonderful. I've heard Dr. Fisher is wonderful too, he is out of Surgical & Associates. I suggest you go to the seminar with Dr. Gorospe & Dr. Fisher and decide which one you like the best. Ask questoins! Feel free to PM or email me anytime with any questions.

I've been reading the book Weight loss surgery for Dummies - it discusses this very issue. Some find themselves, and some feel "different", they don't have that safe feeling any longer. Counseling might be something you would want to do. There might be some deeper issues that you want to address. On the positive side, think about what you have done, look in the mirror at yourself, see the beautiful person you are. Be proud! Maybe try on some of your former fat clothes, see the difference! Take some time out for you, reward yourself with a spa treatment, you deserve it! Go have a professional picture done of yourself, and see how beautiful you are, and how far you have come. As far as editing your picture, I think you go up to the tab that says Quick Links, go down to Edit profile, and then edit your avatar.

Oh I agree, phen fen was a wonder brain drug!

I think you would know if you had a problem - the tight feeling in the chest etc. I've avoided gum all together for that very reason, I'm afraid of swallowing it accidently.

Joanne - a suggestion for you, can you do water aerobics? I've heard it is wonderful for people with joint problems? Usually the local Y has a class. Just thought I would throw out that suggestion for you. Your doing great! Hang in there!

By the way, your BMI is 44.3, you would qualify for the band or Gastric Bypass, providing you pass the pre-surgery test. My friend who weighed 300 lbs, 5'11" had the gastric bypass, she is down to 170lbs and holding, she loves her weight. She also struggles with the head hunger, binging etc. Surgery doesn't fix this, no matter what type of surgery you have. Whatever you decide, I wish you the best!

Okay - I have to jump in here. I had a very large hiatal hernia - it was a rare kind, the kind that grows, I forget the medical term they called it, I had stage 4 of esophogitus, the next stage was Barrets Esophogus, which can lead to cancer. I also had my stomach lodged into my ribs. My doctor repaird my hernia, stretched my esopogus, pulled my stomach out of my ribs, and put the band on. This is the first time in YEARS I have absolutely 100% no heartburn, I am feeling great! I'm anxious to see how long this will last, I hope it last forever! I will say if you have a hernia, IT MUST BE REPAIRD if your getting the band. The band won't work with the hernia, so if it is not repaired, then I can see going another route, but an experience surgeon should be able to repair it and put the band on at the same time.

me too! I decided when I got banded, no more junk food - ever. Losing weight taste so much better! However, I do feel a treat here & there would be okay. But for me, I am chosing not too, I cannot handle it hear & there, I go all the way, so for me I must give it up. My friend can eat a burger, however, she only eats 1/2 of it, she was banded 3 years ago. So as time goes on, you might be able to enjoy it every now and then. But I would wait awhile before you tried it. Good-luck and grats on your banding!

I'm loving the new tool. I do have a few concerns, I'm not eating much, I'm struggling to get my protein in, and working hard on drinking enough water - its tough! I just cannot eat more without getting sick! This morning, I made an 8 oz protein shake, could only drink 1/2 - I was about to vomit even thinking about drinking more - protein taken in about 10! My menu yesterday - Bfast 1 fried egg with cheese - ate about 3/4 lunch 1/2 cup of cottage cheese dinner 1/2 cup of refried beans (these seem to work best for me) Exercise needs to pick up for me. I've been slacking on my walking. My goals for the rest of the week 1) Focus on getting my water in 2) Increase my walking - make it a priority 3) Work on my protein! PS - another NSV - good-bye to my size 18's forever, they are just too big now, and hello to my comfortable 16's! I am wearing a pair of 16 jeans today that look darn good on me, I feel very slim & sexy in them. I haven't worn them in a while - probably 2 years? DH also can't keep his hands off me either, he keeps telling me how good I look. I love the new me! My kids keep telling us "get a room" LOL.

Normal for the first month is very small loss or none. Anything lost is a bonus. The first 6 weeks is about healing. I have lost quite a bit, but please note, I'm including my pre-op diet as well. Everyone is different with the weight loss. Sometimes your body takes 2 or 3 months to get used to the new eating your doing, and suddenly - the pounds come off. Also, sometimes slow and steady will win the race! 14 pounds lost forever, congratulations!