motherbear

I've been overweight my whole life. I have done many different diets, lost the weight and put it back on. After year after year I finally decided this past winter of 2010 that I needed help. I was going to have the gastric by-pass. I researched info on the surgery and had to attend a seminar at Dartmouth Hitchcock. Prior to attending the seminar I made an appointment with my doctor and explained to her what I was going to do. She told me not to have the gastric by-pass and look into the Lap band surgery. It was a safer surgery. After she gave me a full detailed description of the surgery I found out that she had the surgery done earlier in the year. I finally walked out of my doctors office feeling really good to know she recommended something that she had experience herself. She gave me all the information I needed to get started.I had to first attend an open seminar at the Cheshire Medical Center, Keene, NH. The seminar was a full detailed meeting of the whole history and details of the Lap Band surgery. I was sure I wanted to go down this road and finally have an aid in the my weigh loss journey.  I left the meeting with all my paperwork filled out and had to wait for the program coordinator to call me for an appointment once she decided I may be a candiate for the surgery. Patiently waiting for that call...I finally got the call for an appointment to meet with the coordinator. Her visit was a review of my weight history and overview of me. Once she approved me I got my next visit with the nutritionist.  After the visit with her and her approval I saw the physocologist. That was a short appointment. She could tell I was determined and mindset. The next appointment was finally with the surgeon. He went in full detail of what was going to happen and scheduled the surgery. 3 weeks before surgery I was back to see the nutritionist who gave me my suppliy of the Optifast liquid diet. Two weeks before surgery I could only have 6 Optifast shakes a day and unlimited water. It wasn't bad...lost 15 pounds before surgery. Surgery day was here....surgery went good.... woke up from recovery with some pain and they gave me meds and back to sleep I went. 1 1/2 later I finally was up and feeling pretty good. Still a little dowsy through the evening from the anthesia. Had more pain meds. Next am up and off to the x-ray lab to drink some barium so they can take an xray to make sure the band was ok.Home by noon the day after surgery. Feeling pretty good. On 2nd day after surgery I started with excessive trips to the bathroom. This continued on until Sunday...4 days later. I called the doctor and they told me to go to the emergency room to make sure I didn't have an infection. Off to the hospital...1 hour away from home..ugh! Got to the hospital and they hooked up an IV to make sure I wasn't dehydrated. Ran all kinds of test and everything came back ok. They sent me home with immodium. Back to work the next day and made it through without any problems. So I may have had a touch of the flu and nothing related to the surgery. since surgery and pain meds usually constipate you. One week from surgery I was really drained and beat at work. Got home and bed early. Woke up Wednesday feeling just like my old self. Since then I have been doing great. Slowly working into solid foods until my first adjustment on October 13th. Feeling good, not losing weight, maintaining what I lost...ready for the next step with the adjustment to continue on losing.  (10/4/2010))