karmaandkismet

Mostly likely what you are feeling is your port. Usually the biggest incision you have is the one where the port was inserted. And the port does feel somewhat hard and rounded.

I'm an RN too! I've been an OB nurse for 20 years. Somebody from the night shift told me that I was "melting". So far I've lost 27 pounds but I don't see the loss on myself. I'm wearing smaller clothes, but when I look in the mirror I still see "Jabba the Hut". I guess maybe it just takes some time to adjust mentally to everything as well. I am looking forward to the day when somebody calls me a "skinny b***h".

Jennifer, will you be at support group this month?

I was kind of wondering about that. I haven't been measuring food but have been doing an online log and counting calories, fat grams, etc. I try to be careful of how much I consume at one time. I have a great fear of stretching out the pouch above the band. I have only had one fill and that was 2 cc. While it has helped reduce the hunger some, I can still eat more than I was hoping. Like I said, I do try to make myself stop even if I'm not completely satisified and am finding out what foods keep me more full. I guess I thought that after the band I would eat about 1/4 cup total and be good to go and that's not the case.

Oh, all right.

Actually, I'm a nurse and work in OB. We do epidurals/spinals all the time with people who have "tramp stamps". I'll have to interrogate my surgeon when I go in for my weigh in this week. He would expect me to do something like that.

I was thinking about getting a tiny heart tattoo at the very site where they accessed the site yesterday so they would always know where to go. I can still see the pinprick from where they put in the lidocaine so maybe if I run to the tattoo place today or tomorrow (or at least mark it with a pen until I can get there) then I can have my little "x marks the spot" (I was actually thinking of a tiny peace sign)

Oh NO! So sorry you passed out! I bet that took them a bit by surprise. Do you know how much ssaline they gave you? I had my first fill yesterday. I'm ok with needles, but I don't like to be tickled! Before my surgery I made my doctor promise he would put my port right above my belly button because that is where I am least ticklish.

I am 3 weeks post op and haven't had my first fill yet. I've been a good girl and currently am on the mushie stage. I eat around 800 cals a day and at least 72g of protein a day. I've been walking about 4-5 times a week and have the ok to take my physical activity up a notch on Wednesday. Here's the thing. I'M ALWAYS HUNGRY. Like to to the point where I get hunger headaches. I know I haven't had a fill yet but isn't having the band wrapped around my stomach supposed be causing some kind of restriction. I could perhaps deal with the idea of the hunger but I'm not losing any weight either. I've lost 14 pounds total (this is including my 2 week pre-op diet). Only 4 of the pounds have been since having the band done. I'm trying to do everything right but when you're so hungry that people can hear your stomach growling and you've got a rip roaring headache from being hungry its hard not to turn into a raving demented beeyotch. Any words of wisdom?

I am wanting to try Zumba as well and feel a bit nervous about going into a class and shaking my ample bootie. I am about as coordinated as an aardvark and to top it all off there's a mirror at the front of the class so I can catch glimpses of just how fat and uncoordinated I am. However, I'm dedicated to my lapband mission and getting this weight off and I'm sure I've made a fool of myself for far less noble things.

Hey guys! So.. a couple spoonfuls of couscous in some tomato sauce with a sprinkle or two of mozarella cheese makes some yummy mushy food. Just saying.

Even after 7 days I still had some gas pain although it was in my side instead of my back. It has taken me 11 days to feel normal again, so don't despair. Hang in there!

What's happened that you needed to be rebanded?

I worked until 10p, the night before my surgery and it was actually a good distraction. Of course, I got to come home and take a colon cleansing laxative and sit on the toilet half the night, but I rested up when I got home from surgery the next day. The nurses and anesthesiologist will take good care of you. When you get there you will be busy signing papers and they will be getting your vital signs and starting your IV and doing this and that so you won't be having lots of "down time" to sit there and worry and think. Then before you know it, it will be "show time". You'll get wheeled into the OR and they'll put some monitors on your chest that make annoying noises (nothing to be worried about). They'll put blankets on you to help keep you warm and put a "seat belt" over your legs so your legs don't go flopping off the table while you're asleep. Then somebody will give you the "magic juice". Its a white substance they give you through your IV and you will be asleep before you can get an entire sentence out. Next thing you will know, you will be awake in recovery with a lap band to your name. Easy peasy. After you are sufficiently awake and your vital signs are good they will let you come home and you can rest in bed or on the couch and catch up on your favorite TV shows. I caught up on True Blood and Drop Dead Diva. And Flo came to visit me the next day so I sooooo sympathize. Bad Flo! Bad, bad Flo!

I'm a week and a day post op and Dr. G did my surgery. I think he and everybody in the office is great. I

Tomorrow I will be one week post surgery. I'm still having to take pain meds about once a day. I've been trying not to but it seems with housework, seeing after the kids, and just life in general that the pain just gets to me about mid afternoon and if I don't take something for the pain I turn in the cracken (is that how you spell it? You know, the beast from the sea in the Pirates of the Caribbean movies.) I guess this has me a bit down. I was expecting to be pain-free by now and back to my normal energy level self. I go back to work tomorrow and I'm really not sure I'm ready, but I know my boss is going to be seriously ticked off if I'm not back at work. She was seriously ticked off when I told her three weeks in advance that I was having the surgery and would be taking a week off. I am also having some hunger issues here and there and I know its probably another 3 weeks until a fill. Aren't I supposed to be all happy and thrilled? I don't regret having the procedure done. I guess I just expected to feel normal again and I don't. Plus my need for sleep has increased as well. Even when I don't take pain meds I'm finding myself dozing off and taking a nap. Anybody else suffer the post-band blues?

Ah, the curse of the nurse. Knowing too much for your own good. I'm sure everything will go fine. Believe me, My overactive brain was having the same "worst case scenerio" nurse discussions with myself. I was quite the chatty Cathy in the OR asking them questions until the Ditropan hit me. No complications. I do think they snuck in a straight cath on me because when I woke up I noticed that I didn't have to pee and I thought for sure I would have to pee after all the IV fluids. It will all be over before you know it and you'll be home taking pain meds and watching your favorite shows on tv. And then you can say "OMG! I'm on the other side!"

Thank God, I'm not the only one! I have two jobs, actually. I'm a nurse (that's not the job I'm worried about. ) And I'm also an apprentice dog groomer. THAT'S the one I'm worried about. Even though my doctor has given me a 10lb weight limit on lifting the dogs, it can be pretty quick paced and most days I work an 8 hour day without a break (I usually don't mind because its something I do really enjoy doing but it IS a physically demanding job). Not all dogs are agreeable to a bath and a blow dry. Go figure. I plan on taking my shakes with me to keep up with my protein intake and sip on them throughout the day. But if the pain starts kicking in and I pop a pain pill there's really no telling what kind of a "do" those dogs are going to end up with.

Way to go, Razz. Are you home now? I know you had to take quite a travel adventure to get this done.

Post op day 3. I'm allowed pudding cups and applesauce in addition to my shakes. I can actually eat a whole pudding cup (granted that's ALL I can eat at one time) but aren't the pouches only supposed to be able to hold about 2 oz at a time? The pudding cups are 4 oz. I've noticed that real hunger (as opposed to psychological hunger) feels different now. I suppose its because I'm still healing but sometimes I'll start getting a pain in my stomach and then I'll realize that I've got some gurgling going on as well and that I'm actually hungry. I'll be ready to progress to the stage where we introduce other foods. Mostly because I'm tired of all the sweet stuff (did I actually say that?) The shakes I drink are either chocolate or banana. Pudding is chocolate. I have applesauce. I'll be grateful for the taste of plain old meat.

I'm still working with getting the gas out of my system. Today (post op day 2) was a lot better than yesterday. One of the things I have found helpful with the gas is my heating pad. I have one of those heating pads that also has a vibrate option. It seems the vibrating helps break up the gas bubbles. If you have one of those kind of heating pads, make sure you try the vibrating option as well as the heat for your gas. I actually got done a whole shake today. It took several hours to get it down but its the first thing I've had besides crystal light and a banana popsicle. I got on the scale and much to my dismay, I've not lost any weight. I know its probably because I'm still bloated from surgery ( and then Aunt "Flo" decided to come visit as well) but it will be really disappointing if I go for my 1 week post op visit and I haven't lost any weight.

I had some second guessing myself. I had found out that one of the other nurses (I'm a nurse too) from work had had bariatric surgery so I went to talk to her, thinking she would give me insight on fills and life with the band, etc. It turns out that she had the sleeve done. That's when I started second guessing myself. I started thinking "Is the band no longer the best and most up to date way to go about this?" But the thing is I also know people who have bypass and some of those bypass people have gained some weight back over time. They can stretch their pouches out. We'll always have the option to tighten our pouches up. I'm sitting here 2 days post op and besides the gas and the soreness, I'm very confident with my decision. Hang in there and be true to yourself. Don't worry about what everybody else is doing.

to any of the July bandsters who have gone have had surgery already: my doctor said I could resume my pre-op diet today (day after surgery) but the shakes are making me nauseated. I can only tolerate a few sips of water at a time. Anybody else stay on clear liquids for a while after their banding?