Dave_NW

I've also heard women tend to have more restriction during their monthly cycle. Not sure if that is an issue here, but you may want to check your calendar and see if that could be a factor. Could also be as you've lost weight things have adjusted internally, and now your band is getting easier restriction than before. Anything that causes any sort of swelling or bloating inside could affect how your band works. Good luck! Dave

Shannon, I was banded two days before you. Read your blog, and can totally relate to your feelings right now. Advice: Get up and move! The gas dissipates better with movement, and I can't overstate the importance of movement to help you feel better. The bloating, nausea, and general malais will go away, but you need to get out of bed and walk. Sip as much Water as you can handle. Staying hydrated will make a huge difference in how you feel. You need to be proactive in your recovery. Hang in there. It gets better every day. Good luck! Dave

Followup to the unflavored mixed with beef broth I tried for dinner last night: Don't do it. It was nasty. The flavor was too intense, and no matter what I did to it to season/modify it, there was no way out. It went down the sink. Ended up drinking a Muscle Milk Light shake for dinner. 20g Protein, 10g carbs. I'm finding the flavor is consistent, and it's quickly turning into the only shake flavor I can drink. I was a real fan of unjury pre-op, but for some reason post-op, I'm not feeling it nearly as much. Anyone else finding their post-op taste buds are different? I'm also finding my love of coffee is subsiding, too. Used to drink several cups every morning. Now I drink maybe a half cup, and I'm done. Just not into it. Since I live near Seattle, home of Starbucks and Tullys and a zillion other coffee roasters, I may be run out of town! LOL! Dave

I was banded on Monday, and was having trouble laying flat on my back, and also on either side. Gravity wasn't my friend. I got a "bed wedge" pillow from a hospital supply store that works in two directions. If I want to sit upright in bed the back of it goes vertical against the headboard, but the front is sloped, and I can place a couple of regular pillows in front of it. To lay flat with my torso slightly elevated I flip it over, with the back of it laying flat on the mattress, and I can place a regular pillow on it for my head. This allows me to sit up or lay down for sleep, without stressing my incisions. (I had two hernias repaired during the banding process, and have 13 incision sites.) It's working very well. Dave

unjury makes an unflavored version. They also have a chicken Soup version that isn't half bad. Just watch the temperature. The liquid can't be above 130F or the proteim will clump up. Not a pretty mixture. I'm planning to mix the unflavored with some chicken or beef broth from Safeway for my dinner tonight. The broth has only 1g of Protein by itself, so adding the unflavored should help bring up the nutrition level. As for the chocolate question: It's best with milk, but will work with Water (coffee is hot water, after all.) Some people have mentioned adding SF pudding to it, to thicken it up some. I haven't tried that yet. Experiment and see what you come up with. Good luck! Dave

Get up and start moving. The pain you have from gas is due to the volume they pumped into you during surgery. The only way to dissipate it is to move around. Walking helps dramatically. Try using Gas-X strips too - I found that helped me. (I was just banded on Monday.) Each day gets easier, but you need to be proactive in your recovery. Sip all the Water you can tolerate. You need to stay hydrated. And if you feel the urge to pass gas, do it. You need to get it out of your system somehow. Coughing up the phlegm that accumulated in your lungs during surgery is vital. Get up and move. Really. I'm five days Post-Op, and I'm feeling remarkably good. Much better than I expected to. Good Luck! Dave

I was banded five days ago, and had a hiatal hernia and ventral hernia repaired at the same time. I'm in minimal pain, and my back is fine. I suspect you strained your back somehow, perhaps by trying to compensate after surgery to minimize pain in your stomach area. Using muscles you weren't used to using could easily do that. Hang in there. Dave

Glad to help. Post in a month and tell everyone how you're doing. I'll bet you'll have all kinds of good things to say. Dave

If you've done your research, then you know this is considered a relatively low-risk surgery. If you trust your Surgeon and the team, then let them be the professionals they are. They'll do right by you. And remember, for every "horror story" you hear about, there are thousands and thousands of "everything is fine" stories you never heard, because the person didn't post it somewhere. You're only hearing about the problems, which are very, very few compared to the number of surgeries being held every year. I was banded five days ago. The anticipation was the worst, because of the natural fear of the unknown. But in my case, surgery was over in a flash, it seemed, and I was waking up with zero pain. I was well tended by the hospital nursing staff, and they responded to my requests for more meds whenever I asked. They were great. Walking, staying hydrated, and passing gas are three issues not to be underrated. Getting out of bed and moving around does wonders to dissipate gas, and staying hydrated helps keep your stomach calm. Getting rid of the gas they pump into you will get rid of the majority of the pain. You're a mom of twins? You'll be fine! Have the surgery, and get on with the rest of your life. You'll be fine. Good luck! Dave

I'm in this group, too. Banded in Seattle on December 6th. I had both a hiatal hernia and a ventral hernia repaired at the same time, so I really got a working over. Ended up with 13 incision sites! Now that it's Post-op Day 5, I'm feeling pretty well. Pain is surprisingly low, and I'm having very little gas. Walking a lot helps, staying hydrated really helps, and I'm listening to my body - I don't force it to do something it doesn't want to do. Surgeon said my banding was a textbook surgery, so he was very pleased. I am too. Congratulations to everyone who has been banded, and to those coming up. Here's hoping life improves for us all! Dave

You need to give yourself time to recover from surgery, heal up, and get on a proper eating schdule. Expecting to lose weight in the first week or two after surgery will frustrate you, because your body is retaining fluids, and you are still getting adjusted to your new life. Relax, and be patient. The weight will come off. (I gained ten pounds of fluids in the hospital.) No sense getting yourself upset over something that you can't control. Remember, you didn't gain the weight overnight, so don't expect to lose it overnight. And your husband may be right - pounds lost doesn't always equal inches lost. Your body will realign to its new situation, even if less pounds are lost - things are still adjusting. Again, take time to let things happen on their own course. Most of all, take pictures of yourself now, so you can compare them to your future shape. That's where you'll see differences, regardless of what the scale says. Good luck! Dave

Congratulations on your banding approval! Do your research and get ready. The date will be here before you know it. Don't waste your time and energy trying to make sense of the possible issues that may or may not arise after you get banded. Remember that what you read in that forum are the posts of people who have a specific problem, or who have an ax to grind. Some people are alarmist and freak out for no reason, mainly because they haven't done their homework. For every post in that forum, there are THOUSANDS of lap band patients who have no trouble at all, and who don't post anywhere. Not to say some of those posts aren't valid, but you need to take it all into perspective. If you read similar websites about how dangerous driving your car is, you'd never get behind the wheel. Right? Focus on the positive, life-changing opportunity being banded will be for you. Plan ahead, and give yourself the best opportunity for it to be a successful experience in your life. Cross the "trouble" bridge only if and when it comes up. Good luck! Dave

If you want to be successful with the website, you'll need to see what other websites are already available about your area. Sites like CitiSearch seem to be cornering the market on general visitor info about various places. If you want to have a gimmick that would work, I'd suggest you do a site that highlights your area specifically from a weight loss point of view. Once you have the kinks worked out, then you can expand the site to include other areas. You can recruit others to provide info about their areas, and you could end up with a site that could be a must-see location for all things a weight loss traveler might want. Good luck! Dave

My Psych eval was easy. We talked for about 30 minutes about the banding process, and what it means. He didn't flinch at any of my answers. It was a breeze. Don't sweat it. Be honest, and make sure he/she knows you're ready for the next step. Piece of cake. Edit: I just saw the date of your post. How did the interview go? Dave

I was banded December 6th as well. It's now Day 4 and I'm doing surprisingly well. The journey continues. Good luck to everyone! Dave

I was banded on Monday. The pain was worst the next day, but then started to subside. I still feel sore, but it's tolerable, and is improving each day. I'm taking 5mg oxycodone every eight hours, as needed. I'm also on 7.5mg meloxicam once a day for inflammation. Those are the only meds I'm taking. If I feel especially gassy, Gas-X strips seem to help as well. (I will say that if you feel the urge to pass gas, do it - don't be polite. You need to expel the gas somehow.) Drink as much Water as you can tolerate. The sip-sip-sip mantra is real. When you feel the urge to cough, you need to do so. Your lungs have residual Fluid build up from the anesthetic, and you need to cough it out. I found holding a pillow tightly against my abdomen helped me get "under" the cough, and this morning I got rid of a huge glob of crud. I haven't coughed since. For me, walking made a huge difference to move the gas and dissipate the pain. I walked laps around the hospital hallways the two nights I was there, and I'm walking around inside my two-story house now that I'm home - including going up and down the stairs. It's working pretty well. In addition to getting the band, I also had a hiatal hernia and a ventral hernia repaired. So where most bandsters get 5 or 6 incisions, I have thirteen. Eek! So far, they're healing nicely. All in all I feel much better on day 4 than I expected I would. Hang in there, but get up and move. Your recovery is your responsibility. Good luck! Dave

I have Tricare Prime. Everyone says they're one of the easiest insurers to deal with. If you meet their requirements, approval is nearly automatic. For me, it was three business days between submission and approval. Pretty easy. Good luck! Dave

Yeah, that was the reason. I knew I'd have more than a simple banding would get. I was just surprised how many I ended up with. Well, that, and the number of people who came to my hospital room to count them. Dave

Well, I'm official! Surgery was Monday the 6th. It went well, and everyone kept saying how well I was doing. I ended up staying in the hospital two nights, because I had a hiatal hernia and a ventral hernia repaired while they were doing the band. I figured while they were under the hood they may as well do a tune up... Everything was by the book, and I'm glad to finally be on this side of the surgery room. I'm home now, and just getting started on my post-op recovery. All things considered, I feel pretty good, but my entire stomach area is a mess. A word of caution for anyone who will have the same hernia repairs I did: Counting the band, I have 13 incision sites. Guess my days as an underwear model are over... Hope other December bandsters are all doing well. The journey continues... Dave

Well, I'm about to climb into the car to drive to Seattle. My surgery is tomorrow morning, (lap band and two hernia repairs), and I have to be there at 5 AM. We're staying in a hotel close to the hospital tonight, so I can be there on time. (Note that I didn't say anything about getting a good night's sleep tonight. LOL!) I don't know if I'll have Internet access from the hospital, so I wanted to wish my fellow December bandsters a successful time till we meet again. I'll be back online in two days, after I get home. It's funny - I've waited so long for this day to get here, but now that it's here I can't believe it arrived so fast. See all of you very soon. Wish me luck! Dave

Bob, you've been my role model here since I first found this place. I am immensely proud of you and what you've accomplished in such a short time. I'm finally being banded the day after tomorrow, so am where you were a year ago. I hope I can report such an excellent journey as yours a year from now. I wish you nothing but continued success and a rapid, painless healing from this latest surgery. Good luck! As for the cigarettes, if I can offer my personal experience: I quit smoking eleven years ago after more than thirty years as a heavy-duty 2+ pack a day smoker. I had quit a hundred times before then, for varying amounts of time, from a few minutes to as long as seven months. But I always went back to them. I finally realized I had never felt like an ex-smoker, always that I was in-between packs. I always felt when I'd stopped smoking that I'd be smoking again at some point. And I always did. The turning point for me came the day I came to the thundering conclusion that I didn't have a smoking habit. I realized I was a nicotine addict. Just as bad (to me) as a heroin addict or being an alcoholic, and I was just as addicted. And just like that, I quit. I ddn't STOP smoking, I QUIT. And I haven't lit one since. I have absolutely zero desire, because I know, just like an alcoholic or a heroin addict, that I can't have just one cigarette, or I'll be back at it. Changing my frame of mind from thinking of myself as a smoker to accepting that I was a nicotine addict completely changed my entire attitude. No drug was going to control my life, and that was that. I've never looked back. Good luck with all of it! Dave

I think the text in the OP says what needs to be said. Tell your husband what you said in that second paragraph. Most important, you need to make him a partner, not the opposition in the journey. It may be he wants so much for you to succeed with your band that his comments were out of his mouth without being edited. If you give him a hug and a smile when you say it, the words won't sound nearly as snarky. I'm a guy, so belong to the clueless herd, but it seems to me that if he's having issues with your food, and you say he has controlling issues in other areas, you may need to be a bit more proactive about communication in your marriage. Just my two cents. Good luck! Dave

I did the same thing, and even posted about it here someplace. I wasn't all that "food aware" until I'd decided to go forward with surgery, and suddenly I was eating everything in sight. Everything I tasted was extraordinary, and it seemed I just couldn't get enough. I think my body was gearing up for saying goodbye to the binges and massive meals it was used to. After a few weeks it subsided, and now I'm at the point where I look at food quite objectively, and I think of it in terms of calories and grams of protein or carbs. Kind of "demystifies" things a bit, but it helps me to keep my eating under control. You'll come around. We went to dinner tonight to Olive Garden, to have a "farewell dinner" of sorts, since I'm having surgery in three days, and this is the next to the last night I'll be able to eat a "normal" meal. I figured to heck with the pre-op diet I've been on (high protein, low carb, Atkins-like.) Since I'm going on Clear Liquids the day after tomorrow, and being banded the day after that, followed by three weeks of liquid diet, this was my big chance! And what happened? I ate smart, instead. I ordered the "Mixed Grill," which is skewers of chicken or steak and grilled vegetables. Potatoes come on the side. I ate maybe a fourth of it, and put down my fork. I was full, felt satisfied, and I stopped eating. I now have tasty leftovers for tomorrow. But the point is that even though I was giving myself permission to cheat, I couldn't do it. I figure I MUST be ready for surgery... Dave

I was approved for surgery on October 20th, but the doctor and I couldn't get our schedules coordinated. We finally scheduled my surgery for this Monday, December 6th. I thought initially it was going to be forever, but I've used the time to try out and purchase Protein shakes, get the Vitamins and supplements I needed, try eating as if I already had a band, telling the people I wanted to know I'm having surgery, studing this Forum and others to learn all I can about how to live with a band, and generally getting myself psyched up for surgery. Now the date is three days from now, and I'm nervous but not scared. I've done my homework, and I'm ready for surgery. Use this time as a preparatory period. The more ready you are, the easier your transition to post-surgery life will be. Dave

My surgery is in three days, on December 6th. We're going to Glacier National Park in June, and then to New York City in September. I want to hike the park and walk city streets without being exhausted and having to sit down so often. I want to keep up with my friends, instead of lagging behind all the time whenever we go somewhere. I have the next six months to lose the first part, and all Summer to lose even more. I hope that by the time NYC rolls around I'll be able to comfortably fit in an airline coach seat. That would be a major treat. (Man, have I gotten simple, or what? LOL!) Buying clothes that fit right off the rack in a normal store, not from the fat guy places. And as I posted in a similar thread awhile ago, I want to be able to go on vacation and bring home a souvenir article of clothing that isn't a ballcap - till now, that's all that would fit me. Everything else is relative. Dave