AmandaGW

HOLY MOLY! Way to go! I am only 1 month post-op, but beginning to notice subtle differences in how I feel, and how my clothes are fitting. This is so motivating. Thank you so much for posting.

Again, every doctor is different, but mine sounds a lot like yours. I was on soft meats and veggies that early, and did just fine. Like you, I was so scared to do the wrong things or over do it. Part of it is being mindful when you are eating. I am better now, but starting out I almost couldn't even sit with my family. I kept forgetting that I need to chew slowly and wait in between bites and I found myself eating like my old self a few times. That is the hardest part for me...paying attention to eating. Anyway, DO NOT BEAT YOURSELF UP! Like Elffie said, falling off the bus would have been going for a big greasy meal. You made good decisions on what you ate. And trust me, it gets better.

I am about a month out, and I still have some pain at the port site. When I was a week out, was when the port site hurt the worst. I think what you are feeling is normal...even the anxiety about it, because like me (probably), you have been reading all the port horror stories on here...I had stop visiting this site for a little while to regain some reality. Anyway, I think, like stated above, the mass you are feeling is the port itself. I remember it being the same way. That incision site was redder, more tender, and bigger than all the others, and that scared me as well. I have one child under 3 and she can play pretty hard with me, and even though she has grazed the spot on occasion (since week one) and I pick her up and carry her a lot, my port seems to be fine. Although I will say, I did A TON of house work yesterday, and could feel some strain at the site. I talked to a woman who had the surgery 4 years ago, and she says her port still gets tender from time to time (coughing, sneezing, when she is sick or does a hard workout etc.). Good luck to you, I would still call your surgeon, but I think you are fine.

Hi! My post-op nurse told me that during surgery, they give you muscle relaxers, when those wear off it causes extreme pain...sometimes. It didn't happen with me, but I expected to feel like I had been hit by a bus the next day. She told me that feeling could last up to 5 days. It would feel like I was having extreme cramping, and that it may not happen all over. This may be what is going on, but I would still call in, just in case. Good luck to you.

I had many "WHAT DID I JUST DO?!?!" moments. I think what you are feeling is so normal...I cried a lot after surgery, as well. My theory is that you are tired of protein shakes, probably still a little uncomfortable, and worried you will never get that food high again. That is exactly what I felt for at least a week after surgery. Now, I am a month out, and on full solids and I can see that it is the best thing I have ever done for myself. You will get through this part. It isn't easy, but it can be done.

I have never seen that statistic, but I know many bandsters who have lost all the weight, and kept it off. If that statistic is true, it is due to user error. It is just important to keep in mind that the band is not a miracle, or a cure all. It is a weight loss TOOL. You still have to make healthy choices and exercise. I think many people forget that. I have not had the band for very long (almost 3 weeks), but I started the process about 6 weeks ago. So far, I have lost 30 pounds (18 of which were on the pre-op diet). It is up to me, not the band, to be successful at this process. And it is a process. I am still struggling with mental hunger (I'm not literally hungry...there are just triggers out there that make me think I need to eat). I just sit down, have a glass of water and think about myself at the beach next summer! Best of luck to you. I know I made the right choice for me. I hope all goes well with you.

Everybody is different. Try to put the fear away and make healthy choices, and watch your portions. You should be fine. Even if you do gain a little, you are making better decisions for yourself, you will be healthier. Eventually the weight will start coming off. Try not to worry about it, because your body needs the regular, healthy food.

I think I should have made my goal a little harder. I am losing like a banshee! I am not bragging about, I am terrified of losing this fast. I feel like I am losing too fast. I have already hit my Halloween goal! Is this okay? I am kind of freaking out.

Hello! My surgery was two weeks ago yesterday. This morning, I am having some issues. I am having a lot of a bubbly feeling in my stomach, tightness in my chest, and I feel like my back needs to pop. I had a protein bar for breakfast. This was actually the first meal that I was truly mindful of chewing well and waiting the minute between bites. I'm feeling very uncomfortable. Is it being stuck, or over-full, or is it just gassy residual from the actual procedure? Any help would be appreciated. Thanks in advance!

I tend to say really crazy things on the initial anasthesia they give you, the stuff that makes you dizzy. I have problems with uterine fibroid tumors, last summer I had some removed and my husband told me that as they wheeled me into the OR, I yelled out...at the top of my lungs..."I'M A WHOO GIRL! WHERE'S MY HAT?!?!?!" If any of you watch "How I Met Your Mother," you will get that reference. I had lap-band surgery 3 weeks ago (almost) and I told my surgeon, "NEXT ENDEAVOR, LASIK!" I'm glad I don't have surgery often, I would sound like an idiot all the time.

I am almost at 3 weeks since surgery. Right now we have no restriction, and we are healing and getting our appetite back. But, it is up to us to put the restriction on what we eat. I am so paranoid about the band slipping, so I am measuring everything. If we eat too much, there is a chance that something could go wrong, especially since we are really not all the way healed up yet. I am also doing a lot of soul searching during this time. I am trying to figure out what causes me to think I am hungry...I joined a face-to-face support group and since I went to my first meeting, I have been doing a lot of thinking about how much and what I am eating. I think it is also VERY important to remember the band as a tool to help you lose the weight, it is not a miracle or cure all. Ultimately, I am doing all the work to lose the weight, not the band. It just helps me with portion control and feeling full. Good luck in all your journeys.

I am thinking I just have a stomach issue and not a band issue. I went for a walk on my lunch break, and I feel a lot better. I am guessing that I will still have some gas problems off and on for awhile. I really think that is what was going on.

Thank you for your reply. My surgeon and my nutritionist both told me to start solids (steak, chicken, fish, etc.) yesterday. My nutritionist actually told me I could have the soft protein bars this past weekend and I have been eating them since Monday. I have had the concern that it is too early to start solids, but both of them were adamant that I could begin them yesterday.

This just goes to show that everybody's surgeon and support staff are different! I have been drinking iced tea since two days after my surgery, coffee since a week after surgery. Yesterday was the two week point. In fact, my nutritionist encouraged coffee (or some hot tea) in the morning to loosen up the muscles near the band and the stomach. I have also been told that the "no drinking through a straw" thing is a myth, and I have been comfortably drinking through a straw since day one. Every one is different, everyone has different instructions, I guess. Good luck, and I bet you would be okay with a small coffee right now.

I think, just like everything else with the band, it is different for everyone. My nutritionist that I see at my surgeon's office told me that I could have diet Coke, but not until 6 weeks after surgery. And even then, she told me some people can tolerate it, some people can't. Sometimes I get very frustrated on this site, because everyone is different. Some people tolerate stuff other people cannot. This site is not the end all, be all of the lap band. Try it, if it doesn't work for you, don't drink it anymore. As far as the sneezing, I have never heard that. I figure, the people who make the band know that we are human and that we are going to do things like sneeze, and make the band (and surgeons insert the band) accordingly.

So, will our first official weigh-in be tomorrow?

I love, love, love, crockpot meals! This sounds like a good one, do you mind posting a recipe?

I know this is going to sounds weird, but they also give you muscle relaxers during surgery, and sometimes as those wear off and your muscles wake up, it will cause extreme muscle pain. In fact, my nurse told me, "Tomorrow, you are going to feel like you were hit by a bus." I was like, "Thanks...good to know!" Just make sure you get up and walk around or stand as much as you can, that is the only thing that helped me, well, that and gas-x. The itchiness may also be caused by the anesthesia wearing off...always gets me.

Hello! I was banded on Sept. 2nd, and I had a follow up a couple of days ago. I actually asked my doctor about this, because my daughter and I like to sing, loudly, in the car. I can't even get through a verse. It is actually even better after a couple of days. He explained that, since the band is actually under the breast plate, it puts pressure on the diaphram (SP?) and that is why it is so uncomfortable to take deep breaths. Anyway, I hope it gets better for you. Good luck!

Hello all! I was banded on Sept. 2 (one week ago tomorrow). I am feeling okay overall, lots of gas pain, but otherwise no problems. I just can't tell where my port is! I feel like I am stupid for asking this, and maybe I should have asked before I left after surgery, but I was so loopy! There are sensitive places where I think the port may be, but I am just not sure. After reading several posts on here about port problems, I am beginning to obsess about this, I am worried that I am going to do something to mess it up. How do you know where your port is? Thanks for answering my stupid question!! Also, where do I get a fancy ticker?!?! Super excited about this decision and where it will lead. I lost 18 pounds on pre-op diet and 5 since the surgery. I am over the moon about that. Thanks for all the help, in advance.

Thanks for all the replies! I found it, the longest incision, the most painful incision, and what I thought was just swelling is actually the port. I'm not going to lie, I'm a little freaked out by that!! Thanks for your help all!

This is too funny! I teach 11th grade English, and I was banded a week ago today. I have been very upfront with my kids and fellow faculty, because I am very comfortable with this school...they are like family and everyone is super supportive and happy for me. But, I kind of had to tell the kids because at first I only told them I was going to be out for a procedure...you can only imagine what they thought of. Before I knew it I was going in for a boob job, or "having the surgery that makes you not have babies anymore!" I had to squash the rumor mill that is the high school hallway! This job never ceases to amaze me. I always come home with funny stories! Congrats "Miss Mad Skinny!"

My insurance didn't cover it either, but my mom told me it was an investment! Sometimes parents can rock so hard!! Anyway, I also teach high school and I chose to do my surgery the Thursday before a 3 day weekend. I was back to work yesterday (my surgery was Sept. 2). It was a tough day, but I my kids were really awesome about it, today we are watching a movie to give myself one more day to prepare. So I technically missed 2 days of work, but had a 4 days after to recoup. Also, healing time is different for everyone. I let my principal know what was going on, and told him if there were complications, I would call in. Everyone has been SO supportive about it all. Anyway, good luck to you!

I watched this too! I was banded on Sept. 2, so I am a newbie and I am still having trouble sleeping, so I got really into this news story. My take on it is this, yes-it did eliminate the woman's craving for bad foods, and she wasn't eating all the time, but she only lost 5 pounds in 3 months time. It just proved that NO surgery is a "miracle." We all still have to watch what we eat and exercise. The woman featured in this story was, as far as I could tell, inactive! She was making better food choices, but no surgery is a cure all. Some of the other people they featured battled (and still do battle) with their food addiction, and lost weight. Overall, I thought this was a very interesting story. I had a hard enough time deciding on the Lap Band, I think brain surgery is out of the question for me. Well, so was Lap Band 2 years ago!!

Hello all...I have not had my surgery yet (it is Thursday!), but I had some surgery last summer. I had difficulty swallowing because of the intubation (SP?). That could be a reason for the swallowing irritation. Good luck to everyone! I will join you this week!