Shrinking Violets -- April 07 Bandsters

[Sara Mos 0]

Hi Amourette,

Thank you so much for sharing your experinces Ooo I wish I could have 6 weeks off afterwards, Im having the first 2 weeks in april off. Can I ask you another question: How long after you had the band in did you have your fills? Did you have an unfill because it was too uncomfortable, and does that mean that when you ate it was more difficult to eat food? On the surgery form I have it says I have my first fill after 6 weeks.

Thanks Amourette....I find this site so helpful now, its like a lifeline :eek:

[Jennifur 0]

Thanks Tracy Hey I had an idea, I was looking at the April 06's discussions and I noticed that they had set up an exercise goal for them all, I thought it was a really good idea, what do you think if we did the same for us, even if its on 30 min walking,swimming,workout 3 times a week, then reported back to you all that we did so many sessions, so that we help each other tone up? What do you think?

I'm no exercise fan to be honest, but once we have surgery our bodies are gonna change so much, and I feel like that we are all in it together here, and your my buddies now, what I'm kind of saying is I really do appriciate everyones support, I'm also pleased that theres another person (Adumont75) having surgery the same day as me.

Tomorrow I'm going out for the last 'dinner' out with my family and parents and brother, I explained I wont be able to go out for dinner now for some time, and its March next week, I have 4 weeks to really get serious before March 2nd.... Gosh folks, April will be here before you know it!

Have a lovely Saturday evening x

Speak soon

I am trying to figure this post thing out, i am new to all this but think it is fantastic. My banding is scheduled for 4/16 and I am so excited! Wish I had found this before now because it is very helpful. I am up for a challange, I need to pick up the exercise pace and need something to motivate me and this would do it. I have also set myself a goal of 15lbs by 4/16, but willing to take try to do the 25 by that date as well.

anyone else up for a challange? I like a little competition, keeps me going. lol

[Jennifur 0]

Hi. Can I join this group? I am scheduled for 4/16 and am so excited! I love this site, I have learned so much and so glad I joined.

Tracy - I am up to work with you to lose 25lbs by surgery date, my goal was 15-25 and would love to have someone else to kick my butt, I need it- my friends don't even pretent to eat healthy and i have 2 children who eat well, but they are kids and skinny ones too. lol

thanks bunches and Congrats to all the other April Banders! :clap2:

[amourette 5]

I was lucky to have 6 weeks off, but only because of my job and the fact that I fly international, it was just too risky, luckily I didn't get have to do ground work so I used this time to move house (ouch) and get rid of some jet-lag!

XX:D

[Kat817 19]

Hi everyone--I noticed a few of my fellow April '06 buddies had popped in, so thought I better get with the program!!! It has been an awesome year! Some of you have mentioned that you were upset it wasn't being done earlier, I think April is the perfect month! It is Spring, you can be getting outside, and still have time to trim down some before summer---excellent timing!

Let me see if I can answer some questions....

I guess the first one, is how you felt after surgery, the 1st 48hrs of what to be aware of,

I had my surgery in Mexico---I was an in patient, I stayed in the hospital for 2 days, flew home on the 3rd day. I was very nervous the morning of surgery--but it all went very smoothly, I remember the anesthesiest telling me "night-night Bonita" my mind tried for a fraction of a second to figure out Bonita---and I was gone! I woke up groggy, but it passed pretty quickly, they gave me pain meds in my IV. Within a matter of hours, I was up and walking. The pain meds gave me a headache, (always do) so I ask not to have any--and from then on they gave me liquid Tylenol if I needed it. I walked a lot in the hospital. It was an hour and a half back to the airport, followed by a 5 hour flight, then another 3 1/2 hours by car to get home on the 3rd day, and I did it with one dose of Tylenol. I was tired, but the most pain I had was from the shoulder belt rubbing one of my incisions.

and the 2nd is what support did you get in the first year from your hospital/Dr,

The surgeon I used offered a years follow up--but as I said above, it was not an easy trip! Prior to my surgery, their office helped me locate a US Dr. closer to me to do my fills/adjustments/follow up care. Now even he is 5 hours away! So he also had arrangements in place with a local oncologist (they are familiar with ports) and a general surgeon who were aware of what I was having done. I have seen the band Dr. in Colorado 4 times in this last almost year.

how many fills did you need to have in the first year,

I had my surgery on April 24th. I had my first fill on June 16th, of 1.25cc's (in a 4cc band), and that fill gave me minimal restriction, I had to eat slower, but knew I needed more. So on July 21st I had an additional .50cc.'s. He removed my entire first fill, it was all in place, nothing had evaporated or dissipated, or whatever happens sometimes...it was all there, so he refilled me to a total of 1.75cc.'s. I reached great restriction with that. I must take small bites, and chew really well. I eat small meals, and am full for hours. In fact I cannot say I have truly felt hunger since that last fill in July. I can tell now when my pouch is empty, but I do not feel hungry. It is so liberating! I do not eat anything and everything trying to fill up! I eat healthier foods, and less of them. I do make an effort just to eat until I am no longer feeling the empty feeling, and don't try to eat until I am "full"---I figure if I need more, I can always get it.

did you have a support group that you could attend

Again, both surgeons offices offer them---but it is not feasible for me. There is a new support group south of me but it is still a 3 1/2 hour drive, and being winter I have not attempted it. I know of 6 people locally who are banded, but they do not seem inclined to start one here...so I depend solely on my friends here at LBT, and on another board I pop into on occasion. I have made awesome friends--it is simply one more thing to be thankful to my band for! It has been a rough year for some of us---my DH has had a couple of very serious health issues, and they have been my rock---I could type away with tears running down my face, and know they would be praying for me, and sympathizing with me. You can expand your world and enrich your life with friends here, if you let yourself!

Now, I am 5'9" and began this weighing 289 pounds. I was morbidly obese. I am now 203 pounds, and not even obese anymore, but just overweight. I wore a size 22/24 pants, and a 28/30 top when I started, and now wear a size 14 pants, and an 18/20 tops. I most things I can now shop in the Misses dept. and not even set foot in the Plus sizes! I am 46, married, 3 kids, all married, or in serious relationships. I have 5 (actually only 4 but I count the soon to be step granddaughter) grandkids, one (2 yr old) of which I babysit for 5 days a week. I walk, or work out daily on an eliptical trainer---and I go to Curves 3 times a week. My DH and I also lift small free weights every other evening. I used to hate the thought of any kind of exercise, now actually enjoy the feeling it gives me! I am not fanatical about it---but have realized the benefit both physically and mentally I get from doing it! I probably began exercising steady about 4-5 months out from surgery.

I look forward to watching what wonders await you all in this coming year---hang on it is an awesome ride!!!

Kat

[JulieNYC 4]

I guess the first one, is how you felt after surgery, the 1st 48hrs of what to be aware of

I had a great surgery experience. Not everyone feels as good as I did after surgery, but many do, so it's something to hope for! My surgery was at 7 a.m. I remember being worried about whether the surgical gowns would fit me (they did -- with room to spare). I remember the anesthesiologist telling me I would probably wake up in the recovery room -- that they only woke up larger patients in the actual OR, since a larger patient might need to assist him or herself in being moved from the OR table to the transport table. I remember thinking it was odd that the anesthesiologist didn't think I was a "larger" patient (I'm not quite 5'2 but I started at 358).

I woke up in the recovery room and was immediately NAUSEATED. I remembered reading that if you tell them that, they'll give you a shot that will make it go away. I told them, they gave me the shot and it IMMEDIATELY took away the nausea. Ahh, relief. I wasn't in any real pain -- maybe a 3 on a scale of 1-10. I slept for about an hour, my Mom came in to bring me my glasses. They moved me up to a room and I immediately started walking around the ward, just as soon as they unhooked my bootie things that were squeezing my legs (to prevent blood clots from forming). I walked a lap every 20 minutes or so. At 2 p.m., I went to the bathroom (a pre-requisite to discharge) and asked to go home. At 2:30 I walked myself (wiht my Mom) to the exit, got in a cab and went home!

I lived (at the time) on the 4th floor of a bldg with no elevator. I walked up slowly, but was totally fine. I took one pain pill, but it made me nauseated, so I moved to liquid tylenol, which kept the pain at a 1-2, which was better to me than having no pain and having the nausea.

Day 1 post-op, I went for a walk, watched TV and slept. Day 2, I had some shoulder pain. I took some tylenol, put a heat patch on my shoulder and a heating pad on my stomach and took a nap. That afternoon, I felt so good and was so bored, that I went in to work for about 3 hours (desk job)!

Day 2 post-op, I went for another walk, watched TV, was overall tired. Didn't go to work.

Day 3 post-op, I felt fine. 70% normal. I went to work full-time, all day, on day 6. I didn't need any more time and wouldn't have taken it even if I could have -- I was bored. I will say, though, that it took me a full month to feel "like myself" again. I was fine for 10 hours or so at work, but I CRASHED hard every night. I probably slept 10-12 hours for that month post-op. Then I started to have my old stamina back.

what support did you get in the first year from your hospital/Dr

My surgeon had me come in 7 days post-op, then monthly for 12 months. I actually don't go monthly anymore at this juncture -- after about 6 months I started going every 6-8 weeks. My doctor's office is very supportive if I need them and I reach out to them, but they don't reach out to me unless I seek them first. I probably prefer it that way, but I remember being miffed that they didn't call to check on me in day 2-5. I felt like they should have called me after cutting on me. What if my Mom hadn't been there and I wasn't ok? I'm probably oversensitive.

how many fills did you need to have in the first year

My first fill was in week 7 (because the office was closed in week 6 when it's usually done by m,y practice). I am one of the few who gained weight during the pre-fill period. I found being pre-fill really hard. I'd just had surgery, yet wasn't losing weight! I knew -- logically -- that it was because I didn't have a fill yet, but I felt like a failure. I was soooo ready for that fill. Anyway, so I got my first fill on something like May 24th. I had 6.5 cc's in my VG band (it holds about 11) -- I'd had 4 cc's in there from surgery. Anyway, I was relieved that getting a fill was NO BIG DEAL at all. It hurt, for me, less than pulling an out-of-place eyebrow. I did liquids for 2 days and mushies for a day. Then DEVISTATION. I could still eat just as much as always. Bummer. So, I made an appt for my second fill the very next week (I'd read so much about what it was like to have restriction -- I wasn't going to wait months to get it). On May 31st they took me to 7.2 cc's. I did a day of liquids and a day of mushies. Crap. Still could eat ALMOST as much. (Keep in mind, I'm not advocating testing your band like I did -- the point is to see how little you can eat, not how much, but I was really in a bad place). Made a third appointment for the next week. So, ahhhh, June 7th came -- GLORY DAY! They took me to 10.0 and filled me while drinking Water (actually had the needle in while I drank and I told them when I could finally feel the Water backing up, which was at 10.5, so then they backed a little out). 10.0 has been my sweet spot. I've lost 150 lbs at 10.0 and haven't needed a fill since. Yea! So, I've had 3 fills, but all in the span of 2 weeks (3 consecutive Wednesdays), so I really consider it one fill. I'm so thankful that my surgeon's office listens to me and doesn't make me fight for fills.

did you have a support group that you could attend

Yes. My surgeon's office runs a monthly support group that I go to about every other month. I find LBT to be my best source of support though. First, because I need more than monthly support. Second, because my in-person group is a little odd. It's a very large group (about 40 people show up each time) and is very dominated by 2 or 3 patients. I don't find that so useful. I go, when I go, to support the new people. The 2 or 3 patients who dominate the group don't have the best band experiences and I want to make sure the new people know there are people like me who the band really works for.

Good luck to you all. I know you're going to do great.

[day3447 0]

Hi Everyone,

I went in for my visit w/ the surgeon today & scheduled for april 9th. I am afraid at this point only because it is "Elective" surgery. My starting weight was 226 and I am down to 213 on my own at this point. I am doing this because I am tired of the yo yo dieting and am very concerned over health issues that may arise from being overweight. The thinnest I have ever been is 110 @ age 10 so that gives you an idea of what I have struggled with my entire life.

[TerriDoodle 6]

I'm scheduled for April 4th and would love to have a group of friends to go through all this with.

I'm self-pay and only had my first consult with my surgeon this past Saturday. I was ready even before that!! I've been overweight since I was 10 also. I have lost and gained back weight 15 times in my life...each time gaining back more. I pray that the band will put an end to all of that and am grateful that I have the opportunity. I'm also grateful that Dr. Spivak is my surgeon -- he's one of the best and I like him a lot.

I'm looking forward to my active participation on LBT and to getting to know my fellow bandsters!

Here's to a new life -- starting in April 2007!!! :clap2: :clap2: :clap2:

[mdrai 3]

Hello April '07 Banders!~~

Looks like a great group here... please add me to the list, Tracy! OK, so I don't have an actual, official date yet, but I am cautiously optimistic that I'll be an April bander. I had my first consult w/the surgeon & first overview meeting w/the nutritionist last Thursday. Yesterday I scheduled all my tests: 3 radiology, 1 cardio, 1 gastro -- they're for this Thurs & Fri. Once those results are ready (I'm figuring a week?), then my packet will be ready to send to insurance! I'm probably being optimistic, but I figure a week or two for approval (my case manager said they try to do 24-hr turnaround, but I don't want to rely on that!), then hopefully scheduled for April -- even late April will do!

In the meantime, yesterday I began their I guess you'd call it "pre-pre diet": 70 g Protein, 30-50 g carbs, 15-30 g fat; at least 64 oz. water; NO bread, rice Pasta, potatoes, fruit (they add fruit back in after surgery); 2 multivitamins; replace 1 meal w/ a high-protein, low-carb shake; and no sodas, juices, caffeine, or carbonated beverages. It's not difficult, as I am an expert at Atkins (when I want to be ) & I don't drink sodas or caffeine anyway... the hardest part is counting & learning about the Protein & fat numbers, as I've never worked w/those before. But I think it's good, so I'll be in the groove & know what's what once I'm back on food post-band.

Once I'm scheduled, I'll have a 2-week pre-op liquid diet & a 2-week post-op diet.

That's it for now! I look forward to getting to know each of you as we continue on this journey!

[TerriDoodle 6]

My surgeon is not nearly so strict with the pre-op diet -- very, very loose guidelines. I wonder if that's good or bad?? He's very experienced, so that's not the issue?! His PA said basically, "Here's the pre-op diet guidelines but folks rarely abide by them..." LOL! Basically the same guidelines as you outline here, but no hard numbers like that. Weird, huh? 15-30g fat would be awfully hard for me to follow. So what do you eat?? Turkey breast, day and night, night and day? Yikes.

[mdrai 3]

LOL TerriDoodle!

It's been a whole whopping 1 day that I've actually tried -- and basically succeeded, I think -- to follow that food plan. How ever did you guess I ate turkey yesterday??

Counting the pro & fat is what is taking the most time & is the most eye-opening... usually when I'm lc'ing it, I don't worry my pretty little head w/those stats... so it is a bit more challenging. But I'm motivated and eager now, so I figure the more I do it & learn now, I'll just be that much more prepared on the other end... I'll know the numbers & what food = what & how to plan a "good" daily menu & the options (other than the turkey!).

[mdrai 3]

Me again...

Would someone please tell me how to link the tickerfactory thing to my sig? (I am such a computer dunderhead!) Thanks!

[Lap_dancer 8]

:clap2: :clap2: :clap2: :clap2:

WOO!!!!!!!!

Alright Tracy! This is fantastic news!

[Jennifur 0]

Hi all

I am getting so excited about my date (4/16) and as it seems so far away, it is just around the corner.

I just want to thank everyone here, this is such a great support system and all the questions answered has helped so much and I have learned so much more in the last couple of weeks.

Since I met my pre-surgery weight loss and have actually changed my eating habits, I decided this weekend that I was going to they gym 5 days a week and encouraged from challanges posted on LBT. so lets see if that makes a difference.

Anyway - GOOD LUCK and thanks to all

[MEW 0]

Hi Michelle....You need to copy and paste the ticker's URL into your signature line (its in the USER CP link at the top of this page). Hope this helps, as I am a computer illiterate most times

(I bought the book Computers for Dummies...but it was to advanced for me!! LOL)