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Ok my baby novel... Long version - I was in labor all day Wednesday but I didn't know it (and neither did the OB office) because my labor was extremely atypical. I would have a mild cramp for maybe 5 minutes, then nothing for 40 minutes. Then an extremely painful cramp that immobilized me for 12 minutes, and nothing for an hour. Then a barely noticeable cramp for 40 seconds and nothing for 30 minutes. That started around 6am. Around 8 I had bloody show and (my money is on) lost my plug, or what was left of it. But there was way more blood than mucus, so I called the doctor's office. "You had an exam yesterday, it's just your body's reaction." TMI perhaps, but I've since learned it's a sign of labor - around 10 I had diarrhea, severely. VERY unusual for me. And during the next 2 hours I had 4 or 5 more bouts, as well as 3 or 4 solid BMs. SO I called the doctor's office and asked if Immodium was ok to take during pregnancy. I was told yes, but if I thought I might be in labor I shouldn't take it. I told them I didn't know if I was in labor or not. So I was told to not take it just in case, but that my signs didn't sound like labor. I layed on the couch for a few hours. The entire time I was laying down, no pain. But when I went to the bathroom the bleeding was a bit heavier, and I realized I hadn't felt any fetal movements for a while - maybe a handful of hours. Also when I first stood up, major cramps kicked in, but still very random. So I called the OB office and they told me "Doesn't mean anything, eat something and lay down and call back if you're still concerned." I was tired of getting non-answers from the OB so I called my insurance company. They sponsor a healthy pregnancy program that includes 24 hour access to labor & delivery nurses. I told her about the bleeding & lack of movement and she told me to go immediately to labor and delivery, that she would call them and tell them not to turn me away because I needed to be monitored to make sure all was well. We got to the hospital and in the time it took to get there no pain. They put me in a bed and hooked up the monitors, still no pain. Routine pelvic showed I was dilated to a 4 and 95% effaced, -2 (the day before at OB visit I was 3 and 90%, -2). They decided to monitor me for another hour. I asked if I could get up and walk, sure, fine... so DH and I started walking the hallways and no sooner did we get up and moving than contractions started to hit regularly every 4 - 5 minutes. We didn't even notice it at first. Hubby was timing them and eventually we saw a pattern. They let me walk for an hour. Got back to the room, pelvic showed I was 6 and 95%. So I asked if I was staying, or if they were letting me go, and they said that since I was so far dilated they would keep me and if my labor didn't progress they would induce me. Called the anesthesiologist, by the time he arrived I was 7.5 and 100%. Got my epidural, got my catheter, rested for an hour until it was time for another exam and at the exam I was 9 and 100% -- and my epidural had worn off my left half. Layed back down and my Water broke. Weird sensation. Kind of like having a water balloon between your legs that you don't feel, and suddenly it pops and water gushes out. Nothing like the "peed myself" feeling I had heard to expect. Knew what it was right away. They paged the doctor and got me set up in the stirrups. No doctor so I couldn't push. 10 minutes later I was 10/100% but still no doctor so I was allowed to "bear down" through the contractions (which I'm feeling 100% in half of my body -- that was weird) but I couldn't push. 15 minutes later the nurses told me I could push, so I did. Probably 10 contractions later she was engaged in the pelvis - still no doctor. At that point they started to get nervous and told me no more pushing. I had to lay with my legs together, pant through the contractions (keeps you from being able to push much) and just try and wait it out. But nature had other ideas, because the contractions alone were progressing her delivery and she was starting to crown. Nurses started freaking out about having to deliver the baby without a doctor. Each time I would have a contraction I could feel her head being pushed out. Doctor finally arrives, gets in place and tells me "next contraction - push as hard as you can." (For you guys having your first, during each contraction you do 3 sets of 10-count pushes, with barely enough time to grab your breath between each). So I pushed as hard as I could on the first contraction and her head popped out in like 2 seconds. The doctor kinda freaked and made me "try to ignore" the rest of the contraction - no pushing, bearing down, etc. Before the next contraction hit she told me, "When the next one comes, push as hard as you can. Make this the one." So it came and I pushed as hard as I could and apparently she shot out like a football. I heard "oh shit" and then "woah woah woah." I couldn't see a thing. Pushing too hard - eyes squeezed shut, ears popping, veins making a nice roadmap on my forehead I'm sure. (later was told my the doc she had to drop everything and try to catch the baby) and it suddenly felt like I was giving birth to a 10 foot bumpy worm... just kept coming and coming. Felt really weird. I'm guessing it was the afterbirth stuff. In her rush to catch the baby, the doctor failed to support/stretch/lubricate my perineum so I ended up with a level 3/borderline 4 tear. Took about 45 minutes to get me all stitched up. She told me I pushed too hard. I told her "you told me to push as hard as I can." She replied, "Yeah but first times moms never really push..." Apparently the specifics of how I tore made it impossible to numb, so despite 3 attempts at injections I felt every stitch. Didn't matter. Baby had swallowed a lot of amniotic Fluid & blood on her way out so they were suctioning her lungs for over 5 minutes. Until I heard that first cry I didn't feel a thing, too focused on the baby. Finally they got her taken care of, me sewn back together. Had excessive post partum bleeding so I had to go on... forget the name, something to help stop the bleeding. Other than that, it was easy going. LJM, Fairy -- you will become good friends with mesh underwear and adult diapers. And if you tear like I did, you will learn the fine art of what I call "crotch tacos" -- mesh underwear lined with cold pack pads topped with a layer of Tuck's topped with a layer of epifoam. So that's my long story, and here's the product of my... too campy to actually say "labor"... (the bow is compliments of the nursery... they stick them on the babies' heads with KY!)

I've had trouble, not necessarily with constipation, but with just not being regular at all and with being "uncomfortable". Talk about TMI, but we're all talking about it! I've tried benefiber in my coffee every single day and I'm still not my usual self. I am going to try this apricot thing starting tomorrow a.m.!

It's Friday - yahoo! So many posts since last I checked in.... Plain, an interesting pic; as for your inability to find the button, and your wife's need for good vibrations....TMI? Mac, I hope all is well; babygirl, the lineup for Plain's dope is long; vibrating mascara?? I poke myself in the eye enough, who wants to risk a rototiller effect on the eyeball? Coffee...I need more!

As far as the fill goes I have had 3 in the past 6 weeks... They won't do another one until they repair my port. Which we are waiting on the insurance for. I am really not hungry (just in my head I am) but when I log my food I notice that everything is high in carbs. Like I said I had no direction on what or what not to eat. I know protein first but what protein.. Had problems with the shakes and since the surgery severe problems with constipation. (sorry tmi) So now I am reading and deciding how to proceed

I've actually never heard of the terms but I can relate what I have experienced in the 16 months since I was banded. Burping sometimes helps the blockage pass. It kind of churns things up right at the band and gives it another chance to pass. When I have a resilient blockage my mouth produces saliva like a waterfall and my nose runs like a kid running down a steep hill for the first time. It amazes me; the volume. My nose runs and runs and runs and the saliva, oh my. My mouth is watering just thinking about it. Well, anyway, after about 5-10 minutes of being a bodily Fluid factory the discomfort of the blockage mounts and the body does the only thing it can. Uuurrrrrp! Mrrph! Pfftptp! Pftpt. (tmi?) I've noticed that in the act of expelling all that saliva and nasal drip, sometimes with very little accompanying food, that the blockage often works itself out, er, down. Sometimes not, too. I suspect the stomach cramping during the act of vomiting plays a key role. Oh, and I've never been able to spit anything up, into a napkin. Being a big burly guy, I either "go big or go home".

I don't know about y'all, but I was suffering from MAJOR constipation after my surgery on 9-22-08.....I mean like I had only 2 BM's in a month. When I went in for my first fill on 10-22, I told my surgeon about it and he recommended eating 4-5 dried apricots EVERY morning with my breakfast. I was skeptical at first since I had already tried Miralax and Milk of Magnesia to no avail. Let me tell you, the apricots have worked wonders for me....I am now going at least every other day....WOOHOOO!!! TMI, I know....but maybe this will help someone else who is suffering like I was.

Elizabeth ~ Your momma is gonna be JUST fine! The surgical team knows better than to mess around with a fellow nurse!! Kyla ~ no way could I handle a 5K right now (do you run or walk)...but this time next year I bet I can :biggrin: Froggi ~ I can't imagine a cavity would stop you from having surgery. I had a cavity when I had my gallbladder out a few years ago, was scheduled for a root canal 3 days after. Everything was fine. All ~ has anyone heard of "balloon ablation"? I'll spare you the TMI, but I'm having HORRIBLE and frequent periods. The OB/GYN put me on a pill yesterday (I'm fixed so it's just to try to regulate me) but it has so many side effects, several of which I've already had. Having a balloon ablation is an option they recommended over the pills. But if I can wait till next year, after I pay for my surgery, my out of pocket deductable will have been met :biggrin:

Oh my goodness Bea! That had to hurt... Not alot is TMI for me lol I hope you get to feeling better very soon. Mom its venting :biggrin: I do it alot. Sure makes you feel better though eh? Ok WTH did they do to the site?

Hi Everyone, I was banded on November 3rd and I came back from the Hospital last night. The surgery went well,thank God!!! When I first started the program,I weighed 285,the day of surgery,I weighed 261. I have so many questions,I don't know where to start lol. First of all,is it normal to have no appetite ,which I have none. I've been sipping on Water and off and on a Protein shake. I have very little energy. Is this all normal? My other concern is ,all this talk about possibly being constipated but my problem ,is the opposite. I have had runny,watery stools(sorry if this is tmi),is this normal as well? Thank you for any input. Where can I get so little weight trackers that everyone seems to have ?

Okay, if you are weird about medical stuff, don't look at the pics below. I just couldn't not send them though. Turler I thought you might be interested. As I've said, I've been feeling really bad and hurting quite a bit the last few weeks. Well tonight I found out why. Usually I pass very small, sand like stones or on the rare occassion tiny gravel; this stone was huge and the pics don't do it justice. It was so pointed and jagged I'm not sure how it passed. It actually got stuck. I know, TMI, but I'm horrified and I don't get freaked out easily. Anyway, look at your own risk. I certainly hope no one is upset and/or offended that I shared these. I'm always interested in weird medical stuff.

OMG at what this person says in her post...-PUKE- Now This IS Odd - "Good" Stool Smells??? (TMI Alert)

Hi! I am posting this hoping you won't be offended, and am only saying these things because you asked for opinions. I would absolutely wait to have a baby. Your profile says you are 30 years old. Waiting a year to a year and a half is not unthinkable, even though I KNOW it seems like it is. I don't know how much you weigh, but I do know that in order to be approved for weight loss surgery, people have to be pretty overweight. You AND you baby will be healthier if you wait. On a non-weight note, it might also be better to be a couple a bit longer as well. More time is NEVER a bad idea. It may suck to wait, but it can really help you out in the long run. Again, not knowing much about you, I can tell you I felt very similar to how you feel right now pre-band. I can only speak from my experience. I am now 32 years old. I will be 33 when I have my baby (I am 24 weeks pregnant). I got banded September, 2007. Before I got banded, I had been with my now-husband for 7 years and married for over a year. We had been planning for a baby for ALL that time. We wanted to wait until we had a house, degrees, teaching credentials, jobs, etc. In short, we waited for security...and got it. Before my surgery, my periods were sporadic. Knowing I wanted to get pregnant about a year after our marriage, I had been tracking my periods/ovulation for that entire time. I knew it would be difficult because my periods were hit and miss. Also, on a completely superficial note, I knew I was going to just look "fatter", not pregnant. I was also afraid of pregnancy complications due to weight. I am 5'6". My starting weight was 290 pounds. I was busting out of my size 26s. One of my biggest fears of being pregnant (another superficial one) was finding maternity clothes. Then I saw and ad on TV for the lap-band surgery. I researched it, and saw that doctors recommended waiting at least a year to get pregnant. Again, like you, I REALLY thought about it. I had been wanting a baby for SOOO long! But, I had to put my family first. I knew that waiting was only going to be beneficial. So, I put my own feelings aside and had the sugery. Last June, I weighed 204 pounds. I had lost 86 pounds in 9 months. And I had decided that I had waited long enough. I KNOW the doctors say to wait a year, but I made the conscious decision to not listen to them (not that I'm advocating that!). Since I lost all that weight, my periods had become regular for the first time in my life. I was able to chart my ovulation with great accuracy. We got pregnant on the first try. And (WARNING: TMI coming up!), we were trying for a boy, so we only had sex ONCE on the day of my ovulation. It wasn't all that likely that we were going to get pregnant. I am absolutely convinced that, had I not lost the weight, we would STILL be trying. I KNOW this is an incredibly long reply, but I just want to make sure you see the benefits of waiting. I KNOW how hard it is. I WAS THERE! And I'm telling you with all the certainty God gave me that you should wait. Good luck and let us know what you decide!

I have been dizzy too. I'm not sure why. I've gotten between 85-90 grams of protein in everyday since Thursday. It's odd though, when I go more than about 3-4 hours between protein, I get nauseous and weak feeling. My blood sugars are still not coming down yet, that's frustrating! I guess I expected to be feeling much better than I am by now; I still have very little energy! Ugh! Oh and TMI, I know, but I have this horrid smell coming from me! I'm wondering if I'm in ketosis, but I can't seem to bathe enough or brush my teeth enough and it doesn't want to go away... yuck! Sorry, but I can't handle odors well, specially when they're coming from me and I know I'm a clean person!

Personally, I like a tampon with a panty shield just in case there is any bleed through. TMI I know, but hey, I'll play!

Blech... Do you suppose they rinse off the tongs before putting them back in the kitchen drawer? Immediate POST OP Hygeine question (possible TMI) And here, the poor doc is trying to warn her but does she listen? so, please be honest with me about this

I won't fuss. I am having my 2nd fill the week before Thanksgiving. I could have scheduled it for the week after and still been able to eat everything. I decided that I needed to proceed as I plan to live, so I plan to not eat at the large family gathering where everyone will be watching to see what I eat. Instead, I will eat with my DH and son. That way, if something doesn't agree, I am at home with my own toilet. (I know, TMI)

I was told by my surgeon that I could have sex as soon as I was ready and comfortable...I made it about a week maybe a week and a half, it was a little uncomfortable in the area where my port is, but that's solved easily by a position change...lol (tmi I know). Just take it slow and comunicate Also the sqeeky wheel gets the grease....call call call...bug the crap out of them until you get the answers you want...make an appointment with the surgeon to talk to him/her...

The last sentence was TMI, but do keep us posted about the cortisol test and why you are taking it. I hear stress can increase cortisol. If your cortisol is too high, you might want to stay away from the political threads... even being a sideline observer raises my blood pressure so I had to unsubscribe to those threads.

I feel like the exception, I prefer a modestly endowed man. I have been with men who would put porn stars to shame, but it was like "woo hoo, look what I have" but they don't know what they are doing. My husband, like most men believes he's "small." I don't think so, I think he'd be considered average. As much as I would love to say he's the best i've ever been with (in some positions, i would say he has been), the one who was, was less endowed than hubby. However, at "that" moment he like, well, you know what cannons do in cartoons, how they like do the accordion like thing and then shoot forward a bit when they blow? that's what it felt like! That was an awesome feeling. omg, just realized this may be TMI, but we are in on off-topic thread.

hey slim...you can never give TMI...hehe...:tt2:when you had your p'bing episode...was it like i have heard...slimy? or just stuck...? did it hurt? or just uncomfy? it worries me a little that there wasn't really a warning leading up to it, just a hello, here i am kinda think, ya know?

Well there are many people who have thought that it was the yo yoing of weight that was the most unhealthy part anyway. Dieting and having weight go down and back up again and dieting and down and up and up and down is very bad for you. If you find a way not to do that and it works for you fine. Not everyone can. You can even read here where people have gained weight after the band so it's not a perfect solution either. Health and size is very individual also. One person can be 200 lbs and be much healthier than a person who is 125 lbs and have less body fat. You can't make blanket statements about fat. We have fat on our bodies for a reason. You are told that fat is unhealthy and that is why you're able to have the surgery performed and covered by insurance but most people are having it done for esthetic reasons and I was one of them so don't play that it's only to be healthier card that's a load of bs in my HO. Like I said I don't expect most people to agree with me as I'm stating a different point of view. I also became unhealthier after the surgery so that's a possibility too. High cholesterol, high blood pressure and my type 2 diabetes became much worse, acid reflux. I suppose I can include constipation and hemorrhoids if you don't consider that TMI but I'm sure it's all coincidental. Oprah is not going to tell people to have surgery when she herself does not have it. That would be crazy! Nanook:smile:

i have been off of caffeen for 8 months now, i don't drink any soda, there have been no changes at all in the last 3 week...(except drinking more). this also may be tmi, but when i need to pass gas...GOOD LORD...does that sent my head into overdrive!! OUCH..

Wow! Well take care and get some rest -- you probably are very relieved! Does your insurance pay for that? Sorry, it's not TMI, I can deal.

mgallagator, they repaired by band via surgery... my surgeon actually replaced my band, instead of just repositioning it, because he said there was a lot of scar tissue and my stomach had sort of "attached" to my band. (sorry if TMI... lol) Jenny

mango24, thanks for the quick reply. i have put miralax in my drinks but didn't result in any movement. when you use metamucil everyday, how often do you go? i usually go about every 4 or so days and then it's like concrete. i have used enemas the last couple of times but the only thing that shoved it through, painfully i might add, is milk of magnesia. sorry, it's tmi!