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Hello. I have been there, done that. My port area hurt really bad for about 3 weeks!!! It does get better. Hang in there. I was convinced that I had pulled a stitch or something. I found that putting gentle pressure on it helped with the pain. I kept my hand pressed on it when I walked for about two weeks. I looked like a pregnant woman walking around with my hand on my swollen belly! I also pressed on it when I did anything that caused me to really use my stomach muscles, like getting in and out of my car.

Hang in there, I had that pain for about 3 weeks. Did your doctor prescribe you anti inflamatorys? This will bring down the swelling.

From Before and After by Susan Maria Leach: Shrimp salad; 1/2 teaspoon olive oil, 1 lb med. shrimp, peeled and deveined, 1/4 cup light mayo, 1 tbsp lemon juice, 2 green onions (scallions) sliced, including green tops, 1 tsp Old Bay seasoning. Heat oil in skillet over med-high heat. Add shrimp and saute for 2-3 minutes until opaque. Transfer to small bowl and set aside. Blend the mayo, lemon juice, green onions and Old Bay Seasoning in food processor until smooth; add the shrimp and pulse until they are very finely chopped and mixture is well blended (or for mushies, puree down to a paste). Chill.

Yes. Now that you put it that way, I am going to force myself to drink those 3 shakes a day. I do force myself. But drinking 8 oz takes me 2 hours because I drink small sips not to overload my stomach or cause pain. So I guess I’ll just be drinking the shakes all day long. Very soon your swelling should go down enough that you can drink much more "efficiently". So long as it doesn't cause pain, you can start drinking in larger sips. Some of us could drink almost normally after a week. You won't stretch your pouch with liquids.

Hello everyone. I know I post a lot, but I love all the feedback and support I get. I'm feeling a dull, yet tender, stretchy pain on the upper left side of my body. I started feeling this maybe 2 weeks post-op. I assumed that it could be my insides moving around in the void where a big part of my stomach once was. But I want to be sure. Also, how easy is it to stretch out the sleeve? I've been drinking a lot of liquid at one time, and I'm scared about stretching it. I probably haven't really been drinking a lot (maybe 2-4 oz at a time), but it seems like a lot to me since I'm supposed to be taking small sips.

Yes. Now that you put it that way, I am going to force myself to drink those 3 shakes a day. I do force myself. But drinking 8 oz takes me 2 hours because I drink small sips not to overload my stomach or cause pain. So I guess I’ll just be drinking the shakes all day long.

Only pic I have, I am not a fan of the right one but oh well. I wasn't much of a pic person before but the left was last year at my daughter's communion and the right one was about 3 weeks ago. Thank u all for the kind words. hw - 444 ~ surgery date 11/23 ~ sw - 363 ~ cw 351

So I was banded in March had a fantastic start. Dropped 20 PDS in the first two weeks. Got my first fill May 1st and did pretty good (nobody mentioned it would hurt to get your first fill lol) well now the last 3 days I've been getting sick no vomit but salty saliva and sometimes the gut reaction but no vomit. I've chewed and chewed and I've drank and drank. Fluids perfectly fine...foods not so hot. Nothing taste good I would rather just drink fluids all day. Tmi moment approaching (I'm just starting my woman time) is KT possible my band is just oober tight from the fill and my woman time (noticed it got tight last month too) I'm not sure if I'm battling an illness or if its band related. Oh and in case your wondering I'm not prego lol. See above tmi lol

48 yrs old Surgery 9/4/12 SW 177 CW 123 GW 115 1mo out- total lost 18 lbs 3 mo out- total lost 34 lbs 5 mo out - total lost 54 lbs Remember, everyone loses at a different rate of speed, etc...

I m 9 weeks out today and it wasn't until 7 weeks out that I stopped taking my nausea meds almost daily. I still take them, along with my tummy cramping meds, here and there but the need is tapering off quickly now. I hate being nauseous so I feel your pain! No shame in taking meds for it!

Are you feeling less sore. It gets better everyday. The last thing I could do with no pain was sneeze. When are you able to have soft food? I was lucky because my Dr. let me have soft foods 3 days after sugery and then 2 days after that I was able to eat whatever I could tolerate. I probably went slower than that just to be cautious. Take it slow and just heal for now. Best of luck to you!

hello well it sound like ur doing really good. well i cant really tell any diffrence yet i havent weight my self but will try next week. i am so ready to work out but its only been 3 days till my surgery and my stomach doesnt seem to like anything cold so i am doing warm clear fluids. ugh wat i really want is some real food lol

On October 1, 2009, I met with Dr. Kuldeep Singh and Arlene Swantko - who were to become my Bariatric Surgeon and my Nutritionist as of that day. Dr. Singh is a fan of the liquid diet. He wants his patients to be on it for 2 weeks before and 2 weeks after surgery. He also made the suggestion that I try it. I looked at him as though he had 3 heads and responded "NOW???" Well, his answer was yes and his rationale was that I could sample some of the protein drinks before I HAD to drink them and that it's always a good idea to lose weight prior to having surgery. At this point I had no idea when I was having surgery, so the idea of the full liquid diet was extremely premature for this brain! I didn't see Dr. Singh again until January 2010. After being excited about collecting everything the doctor's office requested so that they could submit a clean package to the insurance company we realized that if we waited until January 1, 2010, then we wouldn't have to file an appeal and get into a big hassle because my husband's company had finally wised up and added the bariatric coverage to their insurance plan! YAY!!!! More waiting...and waiting...and waiting...it seemed that January 1st would never get here. It arrived, and along with it came a very nasty case of double pneumonia, pleurisy and a sinus infection that landed me in the hospital on New Years' Day 2010. Wow! I'd never had pneumonia before and this was nothing to mess with! I was in a lot of pain and I couldn't catch my breath. I was coughing like crazy and feeling as though someone was stabbing me in the side and back. Yet all I could think about was that this would delay my LapBand surgery and that even I got approved for the surgery I would have to wait to be cleared of this disgusting illness! The approval came on January 14, 2010. Just as I was starting to feel semi-human again and was making plans to have follow-up pulmonary, primary care and CT-Scan appointments. I wanted to do a happy dance! Problem was, I didn't feel well enough to do a happy dance! LOL So, I waited some more and even though I wasn't yet released from the pneumonia, I scheduled my surgery date for March 12, 2010. Surely that would be enough time! It was and I started the dreaded liquid diet on March 1. I decided that I was going to start on a Monday and didn't care that I was actually going to be on the diet for more than 2 weeks. Nothing really mattered anymore except that this was REAL! I was following the liquid diet perfectly, doing pretty well, losing weight and feeling a little bit better with each day. Until that fateful Wednesday night a week and a half into the diet. Looking back - WTF was I thinking??? I offered to make dinner for my husband while I was on the liquid diet - even though he had been perfectly supportive and wonderful with taking care of his own meal needs. Nope - I was going to make him a meat loaf! Was I kidding? Well - NO, I wasn't kidding, and he only wound up with about 2/3 of the meatloaf left because I couldn't help - one small piece with ketchup - ummmm - it was SO good...but not quite enough - one more small piece with mustard this time! Oh, YUMMMM...I hadn't had meatloaf in SO long! You get the picture! Before I knew it I had about 1/3 of a small loaf and was feeling full, bloated and disgusted with myself. The good news was - it was the only slip in the 2-1/2 week process. The better news was - it was a protein at least - it could have been a whole lot worse! So, I dealt with it, refused to feel guilty about it and went on with the liquid diet - finishing up the night before surgery with no more interruptions of the spirit or the brain! I'm 4 days post-op and I'm starting to get some of my strength back, starting to feel pretty good. SO - I look forward to the support and the friendships that I will develop here - those that have gone before are a wealth of knowledge and information that I intend to use to the fullest! Thanks for being here and I am viewing my future with hope and excitement for the first time in many years!

I've always preferred whole food based vitamins over chemically synthesized vitamins. They provide a lot of micronutrients, cofactors, enzymes, etc. that enhance absorption, bioavailability and who knows what else science hasn't even figured out yet. I take Garden of Life Vitamin Code for Women - 2 capsules/day. (Which is 1/2 the recommended dose). If you don't want to do capsules, Source of Life Gold is also really good and has liquid, chewable and tablet forms. I also take a B12 sublingual and a D3 5000 gel cap 3x week. My 6 month bloodwork was perfect.

So I went to my urgent care and with no X Ray or ct scan the doctor diagnosed it as Radiculopathy,.,some sort of nerve damage..in my back, he request that I take muscle relaxers and physical therapy I'm going to my PCP next week to get a second opinion. I don't know what happened during my surgery but this pain is unbearable

Hi! I was having the same problem. I would only be able to sleep 3-4 hours a night, and I did have some really weird dreams. I talked to my Surgeon and my regular physician, and said both sleeplessness and weird dreams are very common. They told me to take melatonin. I don't fall asleep in 20 minutes, but I sleep really hard now, and a full 8 hours. Maybe try it! I hope it works!

Going well all I can suggest is to walk a good amount an never let pain nausea/pain go above 3.

Even at a size 3 (I hit a size 3 today YAY), shapewear is nowhere near flattering or sexy. Maybe I'm not shopping in the right stores, but anything that sucks my stuff in, and makes me look like I'm stuffed inside a sausage casing isn't gonna be sexy LOL.

How long are people wearing the abdominal binders post op? I’m only 2 weeks but it feels like I’ll be depending on this thing forever! I’m a nurse and going back to work with this in a few weeks is not something I want to do lol

If you do want to purchase some, I did find these online. Personally, I was able to wipe my bum by going around via the "backside" v. the front - but I will admit it was a bit painful for the first week after surgery.

So much has happened since my post. I had my band removed on April 13th. All of the pain I was having is just GONE!!! The day before surgery, my surgeon called to tell me that I was going to hopefully have surgery the next day as long as insurance approved. So on the morning of surgery, I headed to the hospital and while enroute I got the call from the insurance company that I had hoped for. I was approved to have my band removed and the sleeve done! I was dumbfounded and speechless. As my insurance was notified just two days prior. I arrived at the hospital and spoke with my surgeon. She said as long as there was not a ton of damage from my band she would do both surgeries. But everything hinged on the fact that the band needed to not cause to many issues. I agreed with the surgeon and told her I would rather be safe than sorry! So I went into surgery not knowing what I was going to end up with when I woke up. When I woke up, my Mom told me that the surgeon was only able to remove my band. My band had left an extreme amount of swelling and she felt it would be safer to wait so that the stitches for my sleeve could be placed exactly where she wanted them to go. I have to admit I was disappointed by not waking up to my sleeved stomach, but I also know that the relief I felt from the band be gone was amazing! No more pain!!! The only pain I had was surgical pain. I went to the surgeon for a follow up this week. She said everything is looking good. I go back on May 3rd for another Upper GI to determine if the swelling has decreased enough for her to perform my sleeve. So here is hoping that all goes well on May 3rd. I am suppose to go to the Czech Republic and Scotland in June and I am hoping that surgery will be able to work around this trip. I know this sounds crazy, but I am torn between going over seas first and then doing my sleeve when I come home. Any thoughts? Nichole

I stopped really trying to diet in that I don't want to stay hungry. If I am hungry, I eat. I have now moved from about 3 meals a day to about 5 on average although they are still small, but I am still making sure that I am eating the good healthy stuff and avoiding the unhealthy stuff 95% of the time (of course this does not include my first week back in the US after Halloween, I am blocking that whole week from my memory . . . it didn't happen, it didn't happen, lol). However, if I had a cheesecake in my house (perhaps pumpkin or lemon or maybe even a mocha swirl) . . . there is no telling how much I would eat of it over the course of a week . . . maybe the whole darn thing. I am trying, trying, trying not to bring that stuff in the house, lol. My intake is definitely up, but I am down to 141 as of this morning which is quite a shock. I began this pregnancy somewhere around 155. I can't understand how I can go from a really restrictive diet with tons of exercise to a loose diet with extra calories . . . and 5 days a week of exercise to maybe 2 1/2 days (since I decided to take naps instead on the other days, lol) and still continue to lose weight. I feel like I have just been lucky for now . . . my metabolism must be really cranking since there is no other explanation for it. I am just hoping it doesn't all catch up with me at once during the last trimester.

Heya folks. I've been on Depo provera for six months. I neglected to get my last shot because of some of my concerns (side effects and wanting to conceive eventually). Last shot was due on 2/15/11, which I skipped so I can get off it. My question - I've been banded since March 2010, and my weight loss basically slowed and then stopped in the time I've been on Depo. I've still lost a lot of weight, but most all of it was in the months before I got on depo. Back history - I was on depo a few years ago, gained a little weight, but then, I was already fat. When I stopped it, my periods came back after about 3-4 monnts. I'm hoping this time around is the same because I want to start trying to conceive in about 2 years from now, and I know depo is long acting and I want to clear it from my body long before I start TTC. My age is also a concern (26 now, I was 19-20 during my first depo experience). Can anyone share their experiences with depo, both with how it relates to being banded/weight loss and in general (especially concerning periods/ovulation and TTC)? Thanks