DebLPN

Julie~ Glad you're here! Congrats on your new band! Pleaseeeeeeeeeee read the forums on Preop/Postop Lapband Q & A,,it has a wealth of info. When I first found this site,,I think I sat here for hours, reading every forum,,looking through tons of posts.I have found that people here are willing to help you in anyway they can.My experiences wont be the same as yours,,we are all different. My surgery had about 3 days of moderate pain then I was able to move about the house with only minimal discomfort. I strictly followed my surgeons detailed plan for dietary intake. I cant stress the word STRICTLY enough. Perhaps it was an added incentive that I had shelled out almost $20, 000 for this band,,anytime I thihnk about eating 'off plan', I remind myself that if I had spent that much for a car,,I wouldnt put sugar in the gastank or try to dirve it 200 miles per hour or drive it into a ditch, so why would i try to sabatoge my health. Not saying that I am perfect, by no means, but stopping to THINK rather than give in to emotions helps me refocus. The most powerful thing I fight is the 'head hunger',,not the physical hunger,,becuase I rarely feel truely hungry if I eat on plan. Those old tapes in our head have to be erased and replaced with healthy, positve things. LIfe is full of choices. If we keep on doing the same old things,,we'll keep on getting the same old results. If nothing changes,,nothing changes. The more you read,,,the more you will understand how to avoid some of the pitfalls others have experienced. You'll find words of wisdom, comfort, tough love and humor. Glean from the site the things that YOU can use to help make YOUR journey a long lasting sucess!

Too bad dislexi was a 'drive by poster'. Perhaps if she had had the corage and courtesy to return to read the replies, she might have learned something. The world is full of information. As a mature adult, it is MY respondsibilty to learn all I can from informed sources before making my decisions. I come to this site,,as well as other sites,,to glean from it, using others experiences that might be helpful to me. My surgeon is the one I listen to when it comes to basics. I was given a package of detailed informatin about food, exercise and possible complications. THAT is what I follow. What I get here is moral support,,a place to vent frustratinos and share my experiences in my band journey to date. I believe that everyone who has had the band had it done in a sincere effort to help regain some control over their eating problems. Some people are willing to make changes in their lifestyles,,others are not. I can only 'walk the walk' MY surgeon has shown me is in MY best interest. Like any other support group,,,one tkaes with them what they can use,,and disregards teh rest. I look to the experienced folks who are being sucessful in their weight loss journies for support. I relate to the others who are struggling and try to encourage them and offer suggestions,,usually reminding them to do exactly what their own surgeon advised them to do in order to be sucessful. If one takes everything one reads on the internet as 'gospel',to me, that reflects a misunderstanding of what the information highway is all about. Best wishes to everyone here,, Deb banded 1/29/07 Dr Ken Cleveland-CMMC-Jackson, MS

I had my first fill Thursday,,and I can tell by the reduced amount that I'm able to eat/drink. My MD got on me for not exercising,,told me to get my bum to the gym and just sit there and watch if I didnt do aything else. He said , eventually,,I'd get up and exercise. I admitted to him i had been eating erratically adn eatins sweets,,he reminded me(in a very honest and point blanc way)that if had chosen the roux-n-y,,,i wouldnt be able to do that without bad repurcusions,,but the band ,,,i had to made healthy food choices. I appreciate his candor,,he doesnt pull any punches and talks to me like a peer. SOOOOOOOO,,,,,YES,,i can feel a defo change in hte amounts that it takes to fill me up. OH,,he reminded me that I should be eatting solids more,,not Proteins shakes for brekkie,,solids stay with you longer,,satisfy you more. After my fill,,which was totally painless,,i drank a cup of Water ok,,i asked him if i needed to start out with liquids or mushies agin,,he said no,,eat my usual diet,,just chew, chew chew. I was a self pay and my package covers my fills for the first year. Banded Jan 29th, 2007 Dr Ken Cleveland-CMMC-Jackson, MS

OHHHHHHHHHHHHH LORD HELP ME!!!!!!!!!!!!! Heck if I know what i'll be doing,,,i KNOW i'll give meds,and there are no tube feeders, everyone is ambulatory,,only treatments i'll do is if someone gets an abrasion or such. At least thats what they told me. Ruh Roh,,,,gullible is my middle name,,my stomach is rolling now,,,arghhhhhhhhhhhh

If i knew i wasnt gonna get randomly druyg tested i'd take a Xanax,,hahaha You're freakin me out here Ms WASaBubble Butt!!!! I heard that nurses eat their own young,,,now i feel like i'm gonna be walkin into a lions den! I better pack a string cheese stick and a pack of tuna,,i think i might be in for a bumpy ride!

LMAOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOO ohmysidesssssss hahahhahhah Welllllllll,,,,i'm working 3p-11p at a retirement village,,indep living apts/asstd living apts/nursing home,,and i'm in the assisted living area,,,SOOO,,maybe they will not bust my buns too hard the first night. Will they?? sobs I'm feeling the need to eat now,,hahahhaha

hahahahahaha,,,ya'll are so funny!!!!! When I was doing clinicals, I didnt eat or drink, but would go to the bathroom only to sit there with my head in my hands,,having my daily meltdown! lolol I think there is a breakroom with a microwave, fridge and the dreaded snack machines. I start my job tomorrow ,,woohoooooooooooooooooo SO,,I'll let ya'll know how it goes. I think its in my best interest to avoid carbs in the form of any breads. My "ravenous tapeworm eating' of late seems to have started (as I look back on the past weeks) when I allowed myslef to have bread. Grilled chicken wrap from McDonald's. That led to a piece of cornbread another day,,then the snowball picked up speed and ran right into a boag of Chex Mix,,arghhhhhh. Crappy simple carbs are like heroin to my body. Rambling right along,,I'm trying to be positive,,new job,,,fill on the 12th,,,life is better than it was pre-banding.

Ditto what everyone else has said. Being a self pay,,I started asking myself if it was really gonna be worth the $16,500,,,,it would be cheaper to make up my mind to lose it by myslef,,,RIGHTTTTTTTTTTTT,,,like THAT was gonna happen! That "fight or flight" panic is normal. The day before surgery,,I settled down and was very calm. It's been a little over 2 months since my surgery and I havent questioned my decision once. Banded 1/29/07 Dr Ken Cleveland-CMMC-Jackson, MS 331/298/150 no fill to date

Tracy~ I second what Julie said,,they give you strict guidlines for a reason,,dont let your emotions override your sensibilites. For some reason,,maybe 70's flashbacks,,lol,,I keep hearing this in my head: "Nurture strength and spirit to shield you in sudden misfortune. But do not distress yourself with imaginings. Many fears are born of fatigue and loneliness. Beyond a wholesome discipline, be gentle with yourself. You are a child of the universe, no less than the trees and stars; you have a right to be here. And whether or not it is clear to you, no doubt the universe is unfolding as it should. Therefore be at peace with God, whatever you conceive Him to be, and whatever your labors and aspirations, in the noisy confusion of life keep peace with your soul. With all it's sham and drudgery and broken dreams, it is still a beautiful world. Be careful. Strive to be happy. ~~ part of Desiderata Good luck on your journey,,,keep posting,,you're among friends here. Banded 1/29/07 Dr Ken Cleveland-CMMC-Jackson, MS 331/298/150 no fills to date

My physician gave me Phenergan pills, whick i cut into 1/4ths and that zapped out my nausea. I was worried too,,about the band getting "displaced". I was wretching after surgery, during my overnight stay and nothing seemed to help. I saw a great video online that showed the procedure,,and they pull a bit of the stomach up and suture it to the stomach above the band,,to help prevent it from slipping. I specifically asked my MD if he did that too,,he said yes. I'm 2 months out and have lost 31 pounds(maybe a little more,,as I stopped weighing because my crappy scales always give me an error or read me 8 poiunds off after I just weighed an hour before that,,grrrrrrr. I'd rahter just not know than to be constantly aggravated. Banded 1/29/07 Dr Ken Cleveland-CMMC-Jackson, MS 331/298/150 no fill to date

I rarely weighed myself,,,Denial aint a river in EGYPT!!!! I kept telling myself,,I AM NOT GOING TO GET ANY BIGGER!!!!!!!!!!!! Yeah,,right. My alltime high was 331,,my weight the day of surgery. Here I am 2 months and a few days later,,,31 pounds lighter and my clothes are alot looser. It was sooooooo great to see the 200's again! The scales I bought are crap,,no one can vary 8 pounds in an hour,,I got frustrated with them and just stopped weighing myself. I go to see my MD on April 12th,,I'll do the best I can each day(which hasnt' been so hot lately)and weigh when I see him. If I do what I KNOW I should be doing,,,I know the weight will slowly slough off. Banded 1/29/07 Dr Ken Cleveland-CMMC-Jackson, MS 331/298/150 no fill to date

whew,,,I'm glad I'm not alone in 'falling off the wagon'. I was banded Jan 29th 2007 and havent had a fill yet. THese past 3 weeks have been sheer hell,,I've eatten things I KNOW I shouldn't,,eatten too much,,it's like an alien takes over my body and goes wild. Each morning, I wake up determied to get back on track,,some days it works,,some days it doesnt. I start my new job Monday,,my first as a nurse. Any suggestions on things to take to eat that are quick and easy? I'll be workng 3p-11p, so almost all my eatting will be over by the time I get to work, but I know I need to eat something during my shift. I tend to beat myself up after going off my food plan,,thanks for all the great posts. Banded 1/29/07 Dr Ken Cleveland-CMMC-Jackson, MS 331/298/150 (my scales are crap, so I've stopped weighing til I go see my MD on 4/12/07)

I didnt want to put anything in my mouth for the first few days and had to FORCE myslef to drink liquids. And,,I dont care if i EVER taste chicken broth or beef broth again as long as i live,,hahahhahaha Seriouslyyyyyyyyyyyy,,,i survived on Crystal Lite with Beneprotein in it Maybe try some defac coffee,,unswet ice tea,,sugar free Jello, sugar free popsicles too. Those popsicles really hit the spot with me! All those things were on the list my physician/dietician gave me. Good luck,,hang in there,,this too shall pass!!!!!!!!!! Banded 1/29/07 Dr Ken Cleveland-CMMC-Jackson, MS 331/298/150 (i quit weighing til my next MD visit the 12th)

I"ve lost 33 pounds(as of last week, i've stopped weighing until i go in on the 12th for a doctors appt) and all I know is,,,I couldnt have lost it without my band,,,,I wont continue to lose if I dont do what I'm supposed to do,,and I have to remember that I didnt put on all this fat overnight so it's not going to come off overnight,,,this is a long journey and I want to make it the best trip of my life. Banded 1/29/07 Dr Ken Cleveland-CMMC-Jackson, MS 331/298/150

purplemonkey~ Thanks for letting me know about those scales,,I'll be watching for your posts to see how they work for you! Hmmmm maybe it IS the battery in mine that is wonky,,I'll change it and see. I dont mind paying a higher price for reliable scales,,and I've had these scales since before my surgery,,,so I dont think Wal-mart would look too kindly on me trying to bring them back. I emailed the Taylor company and voiced my displeasure adn they wrote back telling me how to calibrate them,,duh. I was getting a bit obsessive-compulsive about weighing,,so I've decided I'm not going to weigh until I go in for my next physician appt on the 12th. Banded 1/29/07 Dr Ken Cleveland_CMMC-Jackson, MS 331/298/150

I had my first pretzels today,,and I eat them veryyyyyyyyyy carefully. I'm beginning to think somethingis wrong with me,,as NO foods have caused me any prolbems(so far). I'm 2 months post op. My next visit it April 12th and i KNOW it's time for my first fill. And yes,,I too have a problem with grabbing a handful of anything "snacky" so I have to be really conscience about just how many I am supposed to eat. I bought a small bag and divied them up into small portions and out them into snack sized zip-lock bags. If I eat any carbs that day,,I skip the pretzels. I havnet weighed in a week and dont plan on weighing until I go back on teh 12th. I was getting kinda obsessive-compulsive about weighing and that's NOT good for me! "I aint perfect, but I'm trying" Banded 1/29/07 Dr Ken Cleveland-CMMC-Jackson, MS 331/298/150

I'm an LPN named Deb,,easy peasy!

WTGGGGGGGGGGG freeskye! Presurgery, I bought some weight scales at Wal-mart. The brand is Taylor and they are digitial. WELL,,,,,,,they dont weight me the same thing twice in a row. I dont mean different times of the day,,I mean,,5 mins apart,,and the difference can be ten pounds..arghhhhhhhhhhh Anyone bought any GOOD scales that are accurate? My six week post op visit,,my home scales weighed me 6 punds lighter than the physician's,,talk about a BIG LET DOWN! Ohwell,,,it all evens out in the end. Anyone have any sharp pains at their port site? I walked alot the past few days,,more activity than usual,,maybe thats it. The pains are thin and sharp and about a 4 on a pain scale of 0-10, 10 being horrific,,lol. I read somewhere about port flipping,,,my physician told me my port was below my largest incision, but now it feels more shallow and above the incision. Hmmm,,,maybe its my SKIN thats sagging,,lol.

Rockn4u~~~~~~ lolol,,,bless your heart!!! I take Centrum orange flavored chewables as well a chewable Caltrate 600-D plus minerals-cherry, orange and fruit flavors. Each morning I look froward to taking them,,lol,,weird, i know,,they're like my candy treat! Good luck in finding what works for YOUR taste buds! Banded 01/29/07 Dr Ken Cleveland-CMMC-Jackson, MS 331/298/150 no fills to date

Benbax~~~ I had the same problem as you. My physician said if I ever became constipated,,it meant I wasnt getting enough Water. I tried more water to no avail. Then i discovered Atkins Advantage CHokkie Protein drinks,,lol,,,one can and WHOOSHHHHHH. Funny how some things can set us off. This too shall pass,,,literally,,lol,,so ,,,drink lots of water,,maybe try adding some benefiber to it,,I was told to add it to everything i put in my mouth. For the first time in 20 years,,my IBS with constipation is gone! Good luck,,and erm...let me know how you come out! Banded 01/29/07 Dr Ken Cleveland-CMMC-Jackson, MS 331/298/150 no fill to date

GR8~~~ Thanks so much for that chart,,I've got receipts in a file,,but having it all on one sheet looks alot easier to transfer when it comes tax time. I was a self pay,,so i'm looking forward to being able to deduct my expenses from my taxable income next year! Banded 01/29/07 Dr Ken Cleveland-CMMC-Jackson, MS 331/298/150 no fill todate

Berry~ I'm of the same mindset as Spydr,,,I'm happy to let some of those old problem foods go. IF I fill myself with 1)Protein, 2)veggies, then I dont crave starches. My dietician said anything can be a mushie(anthing thats on my fool plan for life list)as long as I 'mushify' it in my Magic Bullet,,hahaha. I cleaned my pantry out before surgery,,and let me tell you,,it was awfully bare! I stocked up ONLY with the things listed on my dietician's list. For me,,outta sight,,outta mind. The times I HAVE overeatten,,its been with fruits, sugar free popsicles, protein and fresh amonds. Mashed potatoes are my worst food to control,,so I ntry not to include it in my food plan too often. That zero calorie butter spray is AWESOME!!!!!!!!! I remember those old days of Molly McButter,,gross,,that was SO GROSS!! I've also become a big label reader,,if something tempts me,,after reading the nutritinal label,,it's alot easier to realize if something isnt' good for me. For me,,,,losing weight isn't about the band as much as it is about my "HEAD". If nothing changes,,,nothing changes. Old habits had to change,,old crazy thinking had to change. I've wasted too many years being morbidly obese and miserable. I want to look forward to my new life with great expectation!!!!!! Banded 01/29/07 Dr Ken Cleveland-CMMC-Jackson, MS 331/298/150 no fill to date

juno~ This past week was rough for me as well. I can relate to the portions problem. I saw somewhere,,maybe on the food forum, to make meatloaf mixture, weight it, and put it in a muffin pan. It makes perfect sized portions and freezes well. That way,I just pull out one serving adn there's no worries that I might get too much. I've not worked since my surgery Jan 29th and sitting aroudn the house has been tough. I dont go out much and I've not gone to the grocery, soooooo I'm out of my protein drinks(I love Atkins Advantage). I usually drink one for brekkie and that fills me until lunch. If I get bored,,THAT'S when my head hunger kicks in and I have to talk to myself,,lol,,outloud,,and rationalize my feelings about being hungry. I talk myself out of any disaterous eating. I joined a gret gym,,but it's about 15 miles away,,so I've used that ecuse for not going. Luckily,,,I got a new job(they called me today!)and I KNOW that having a steady routine will help me keep on track. I dont go bak to my physician til April 14th,,,my first 6 week checkup he said I didnt need a fill. A week later,,,I started really getting hungry and restless. I've only lost 2 pounds since March 6th and I know it was due to my eating larger portions and not exercising. I've not had any nausea, pb'ing, slimeing,,nothing,,no matter what I eat. I almost wish I would,,maybe that negative reinforcement would remind me never to do it again! Hang in there,,,i guess this period is what they refer to as 'bandsters hell'. Keep posting,,there's so much experience to learn from on this site! Banded 01/29/07 Dr Ken Cleveland-CMMC-Jackson, MS 331/298/150 no fills to date

Our support group meets once a month. THe first time, I was just home from having my band,,,and this month,,i HOPE to be working,,,and I've applied for a 3p-11p job,,so I guess I'll miss it too. I DID go to a pre-op support meeting and there were about 25 people there,,all of whom had gastric bypass, They said there WERE some bandsters that come, but none showed up that night. I got alot of insight from the folks that were there tho. Thye also have an "Angel" network, made up of people who will call you and check up on you,,just to chat,,answer questions,,offer support, etc. They're people who have been banded/bypassed and are willing to chat. In my paperwork pre-op, it stated that I was required to attend , I think, at least 2, but I'm sure they'll understand my situation,,bbesides,,,I've got YA"LL!!!!!!!! Banded 1/29/07 Dr Ken Cleveland-CMMC-Jackson, MS 331/298/150 no fills to date

Perhaps its just a coinkydink,,but i TOO developed a rash under my upper left arm adn forearm,,a fine splotchy itchy rash, ALso,,its on my lower back. I got posion ivy 2 weeks ago, but this isnt the same. I'm trying everything before I break down and see a physican,,as i have NO insurance. I too wondered if the band caused a rash if it was being rejected, but cant find any info. I dont go back for a checkup for 19 days,,if it gets worse, i'll break down and see my GP. Thanks for ya'lls posts~ Banded 1/29/07 Dr Ken Cleveland-CMMC-Jackson, MS 331/298/150