Katybanddiva

So I spent like 13K on my lap band surgery and have been struggling to drop my pathetic 8lbs this last month. No alcohol, no bread, no Pasta, no soda, only sugar free sweets, no fun. And walking my tail off on the treadmill. My husband cut back to diet Jack and Coke and stopped eating quite as many Cookies in the evening and has already dropped like 15lbs in 2 weeks. Yes, this is why we hate men.

Had my surgery on June 11 and I have graduated to normal foods again and I have been oh so good to not eat crapola. It is challenging though because I feel like I am just dieting like everyone else who does not have a band. I eat my 4 oz of Protein, etc and will still be hungry and want more but I tell myself no and just walk away. I know a fill should help this right? Well my doc is out of town for the whole month and because I am taking a cruise mid next month, they told me that I need to just wait until when I return (early September) to get my first fill. Argh. I am really needing motivation so that I can continue being a good lap bander until then. It is tough since I am hardly losing at all though. Maybe I just picked a bad time to have this done. Doc on vacation and then me on vacation.....

Yes! I take it everyday and love it. I bought mine from the Vitamin Shoppe - not sure if they have it where you are or not. I will have to look at my bottle once I get home to find out what brand it is, but they do have chewable (or a lozenge as they call it) and it actually tastes good. I have very long hair, so mine has always shed, but it helps also with skin and nails and my nails have gotten crazy strong. Good luck!

Maybe this has been asked before and if so, I apologize in advance, but once you begin taking the bc pill all over again, will it normally make you pack on some weight? I have been on the pill for over 12 years and I had stopped taking it right before the surgery (mainly out of fear of being able to swallow it with being swollen right after surgery) and then waited until 2 days ago to start up a new pack again. So, basically, I only missed one month. Well, my weight loss was slow but steady. I have been eating right, i.e. more Protein than anything, keeping calories low, walking on my treadmill, no fills yet - but I am dieting like a normal person to keep the weight off. And then out of nowhere I gained like 3 lbs back. I am wondering if the pill has done this. I am told to stay on it for PCOS reasons. But I just hate to see hard work unraveled!

Yeah I wonder if some of the newer forms of oral BC pills might be better? I have not had kids yet either. I want to have them and that is actually one of the reasons I went forward with lapband all together. To be healthy enough to even get preggers. I did not know Mirena was an implanted type. Prolly not my cup of tea then. I know this has to be Water weight too right now, b/c my wedding ring is tight and two days ago it was lose. Oh the joys of being female.

They told me that the doc does all first fills and I could do it in early August, but then they were worried about filling it and then something getting stuck while on the cruise. I thought the same thing - can't someone else just do it while he is out? But they said not on the first one. So weird.

I have not even heard of Mirena, but I will ask my doc about it. I take Trinessa which is supposed to be a generic of the old skool Orthotricyclen. So I wonder if the older type pills have worse side effects. I know the PCOS is going to be a real pain in this journey and I have seriously bumped up my Protein. I have not had bread, or Pasta, or tortilla at all since like May. So frustrating being good! LOL

Howdy! I am new here and I am getting the lap band tomorrow morning - sooooo nervous!! My doctor is Dr. Spivak in Houston.

I paid my doctor in full for the surgery before ever having it. i.e. CASH PATIENT. Supposed to cover everything and unlimited fills for a year. So today in the mail, I get a bill from the hospital for almost 38K. WTH? It better be a screw up, b/c I am not supposed to be charged that. I hate dealing with hospital billing departments. grrr. All of this on a day where my scale is showing me up 2 lbs. I have been so good, have been tracking all of my calories, not doing anything bad - only the given mushy diet, have been walking on my treadmill, and drinking maybe more Water than needed. So the stupid hospital bill is hitting at the absolute wrong time. :smile: /end rant.

So I was banded on June 11 and I told myself that for the first month or so after that while I was on mushy/soft foods, I would avoid going out with my friends if possible. (My friends only tend to frequent bars and have bar food at these spots.) I have been very good so far. I go home and walk on the treadmill instead of going out. But it is sinking in that I feel like I am punishing myself. I miss going out with my friends already. But I am worried so much about if there will be anything decent to eat and since I do not want to drink at all right now, will I be fine just sitting around sipping Water while the others are throwing back beer and mixed drinks? A bunch of people are going "out" this weekend to watch the soccer game at you guessed it - a bar. I have not committed yet. I guess I just do not want to mess up my "good behavior". Has anyone else felt this way yet? :thumbup:

I totally feel you - I had my surgery on June 11 and tried to go back to work on the 16. I would up leaving halfway thru the day and found that I was running fever from overdoing it. I just needed more rest. So I worked half days until I could get back to a full day. The energy will come back. I am not sure if other posters do this, but I also take a B12 supplement. I buy it from the Vitamin Shoppe (they probably have them where you are) and it is a lozenge, so it just dissolves. It helps some. Good luck! :smile2:

See, for me, I was told nothing any larger than a birth control pill. So I went and talked to my allergy doc and other docs and got liquid or smaller forms of any meds I am currently taking. I was also told no advil or aleve - ever. Only tylenol. No fish oil capsules - too big, only liquid. Mostly, they told me for good measure, liquid or chewable is the way to go. I am new to this all, so I am following my docs rules. But I glad to hear that people do not in fact have problems with pills. I might need to take one eventually. LOL

Good morning... I had my surgery one week ago today and I still cannot officially figure out where my port is. Maybe that sounds weird, but the doc said he would place it a few inches under my bra band. But that incision does not seem to be "it". I have another incision to the left of my belly button that is still crazy sore and that is bigger and taking longer to heal. I am now thinking that is where the port is. But here is my question - why do you think a doctor might have a change of plans at the last minute and second, isn't right in the middle of my tummy an odd place to have something that might eventually slightly stick out? :thumbup: BTW, yes, I already did call and ask about it. The nurse just did not know what to tell me.

I was banded on June 11 and today is my first day back at work. I have a desk job and WOW, I am exhausted. I am eating items off of the mushy diet now and still limiting portions and have dropped some weight. I just never expected to be this tired sitting here. Is it too soon to want to start taking supplements? i.e. B12 lozenges? I do take a multi vitamin already already... Or should I just suck it up and expect my energy to return slowly? Any other tricks to get energy levels back?

Since we cannot really swallow pills anymore, what type of stool softeners are best? I am 5 days post surgery now and am starting to feel pain from this issue as well. Since I am on mushies, I am just trying to rely on getting in a bit of banana or apple sauce or something in the mornings. Not sure that is helping much, but I do know fiber is a good thing.