Where Is The Connecticut Band Fam

[KBosco 0]

I am soooo Happy that I found a Ct. group!! CT.Man and Sharona...you guys sound like you're really great!!

CT. Man- I had my band done by Dr Ehrlich on 1/29. He's great. I noticed you're going in on tues. Best of luck to you (although you won't need it!!) Everone there is great and the surgery was one of the easiest I have had. The only issue was the gas pain. Be sure to get up and moving ASAP. It helps!:eek:

[CTman 0]

I am soooo Happy that I found a Ct. group!! CT.Man and Sharona...you guys sound like you're really great!!

CT. Man- I had my band done by Dr Ehrlich on 1/29. He's great. I noticed you're going in on tues. Best of luck to you (although you won't need it!!) Everone there is great and the surgery was one of the easiest I have had. The only issue was the gas pain. Be sure to get up and moving ASAP. It helps!:thumbup:

KBosco, welcome and thank you for your encouraging words, what great timing, this Optifast diet has been a struggle, now Im doing clear today and tomorrow. I think the antibiotics have made it more difficult too. I have to keep telling myself just one more day.

I met another band brother that just got abnded last week and he was up walking around with minimal discomfort. I hopemy post op experience is like that.

Thanks again for the good news, I'll keep you posted.

CTman

[KBosco 0]

Hey CTMAN! Thanks for the reply!! Tomorrow is the day!!!! Looks like you've been waiting a long time!!! I am SOOOO EXCITED for you!!! I was just at the doctors office today and got my 2nd fill. Danielle did it and she was great! Not to worry, friend...you will be fine! If no one told you, the World Wide Protein Shakes are cheaper at Trader Joes and be sure to stock up on sugar free popcicles. They help with the whole "keep your hands busy" thing! Keep me informed!!!

[Beachcomber3 0]

Good luck today CTman! I am excited for you. Let us know how you make out. Here's to an uneventful surgery and a speedy recovery!

[CTman 0]

Good morning KBosco & Beachcomber,

Today is the day and I will be arriving at the hospital at 9am scheduled for 10:15am. I'm bringing my laptop so hopefully I can get a signal to chat and post later. I must admit I'm just a little anxious but I'm ready. Have a great day CT band fam and I'll talk with you all later.

Blessings, CTman

[shortgal 5]

CTMan: The big day is here! Good Luck. I know you'll be fine and so excited when it's over. Just take one day at a time and follow the Dr's orders.

[KBosco 0]

Hey CTMAN!!! By now you're all done!!! I hope all went well for you today. You've been in my thoughts!!! Let us know how you're feeling!!!!

[shortgal 5]

Ct Man: Hello, where are you? Check in with us!

Hi KBosco: I was done by Dr. Ehrlich, too. I've had six fills and tomorrow will be my seventh! yikes, still waiting to get good restriction. think I'm finally close!

Beachcomber: How's it going? Looks by your ticker, you're doing great. I hope you're finally eating real food!

[KBosco 0]

Hi Shortgal! I'm new to this and haven't figured out the whole ticker thing yet. I was banded 1/29 and i just got my 2nd fill. I think they were aggressive because I am really having some issues with eating. I hate to say it, but I'm actually happy about it!! I am down 22lbs and it's only been 5 weeks! I wonder how CTMAN is doing. Good luck with your fill!!!!

[shortgal 5]

Sometimes the fill is tight for the first couple days due to swelling and then it relaxes a bit. Give it a few days and just follow the full liquids for two days and then soft for two days. When you get to regular food just go slow until you figure out what goes down. Getting food stuck hurts!

The last few days I really thought I needed a fill and of course because the appt is tomorrow, I'm feeling tighter tonight. It's like when your ear ache goes away right after you make the Dr's appt.

To get Ticker:

Click on anyone's ticker to get to the site. Create your ticker. bookmark the web page. Copy the actual ticker ( ignore the instructions that say copy and paste the long wordy part) and paste it on your signature on the forum. Go to the "Edit signature" on the upper right portion of the forum page. To update you ticker just go to the web page that you bookmarked and enter your password, update it and it will automatically change on the forum pages!

[CTman 0]

Hi Ct Band Fam,

Sorry I didn't get back to you all but I was answering my family's emails and calls late into the evening. I am so very thankful for all of your well wishes and concern, I am blessed to have all of you in my online life.

Well I arrived promptly at 9am, I went into the recovery room at about 9:30am, of course they were behind schedule sooo they played the stall game, introduced me to the anesthesia team, Dr Erhlick also came in and really helped me to calm down, and then took my glasses so it was a blurred walk to the OR, It also got colder at every turn. The OR was an ice box and Renae came up and reassurred me that everything should be completed in about 45mins. Gail started the IV and I woke u to someone saying Chris, you're in the OR and your okay as I began to calm down I was called a "freakazoid", I guess I was a little too disoriented for some of them. I woke with no pain. At 1:30pm I was finally taken to the RR and then to my room at 3:30. I walked about 5 laps around the unit after dinner and then 5 more before bed. The nurses were excellent. I did take pain meds twice due to gas pain but was able to take in fluids all night. I went to sleep around midnight. At 4am I woke and walked 5 more laps to get rid of the gas pain. went back to sleep, Ate breakfast and most of lunch ( Decaf tea, 2 equal, Jello, sugar free juice). Then my roomate left, I met with Renae again and she said I didnt look like I'd had surgery, I was discharged about 12:30 today.

I made a quick trip to GNC to pick up a few things, sipped apple melon Isopure with flavored no cal spring Water, took some liquid tylenol, napped and then sipped broth, relaxed on the couch and in my bed and drank more Protein Drink, decaf tea and called it a night.

Im looking for the gas to calm some, I have walked and taken some Gas x strips so we will see what tomorrow brings. The long and short of it is Im doing much better than I expected and I hope all of you that are waiting have even less to deal with. It'd official CTman id BANDED!!!!

[Beachcomber3 0]

CTman,

Welcome to bandlandia! I was also fortunate in not having much discomfort. Hope your recovery continues to go smoothly.

Tina

[Beachcomber3 0]

Shortgal,

I am eating mushies, getting tired of that stage too. Can't please me, I guess. I go back to the dr on the 26th. Hopefully, I will get a fill at that time. I am unrestricted and hungry. Supposed to keep my meals to 1/4 cup but am doing more like 1/2. Stocked up on some baby food to help get through the workday. Any mushie suggestions?

Tina

[osangriared 0]

CTman:

I'm glad everything went well for you...good luck on your journey, Dr Floch of the same practice did my surgery. What I found also helpful is the monthly meeting at St. Vincent's in Bridgeport...nice group..I've attended 2 so far and look forward to them.

[shortgal 5]

Shortgal,

I am eating mushies, getting tired of that stage too. Can't please me, I guess. I go back to the dr on the 26th. Hopefully, I will get a fill at that time. I am unrestricted and hungry. Supposed to keep my meals to 1/4 cup but am doing more like 1/2. Stocked up on some baby food to help get through the workday. Any mushie suggestions?

Tina

I still say that 1/4 cup amount is cruel and unusual punishment! Have you checked the food and receipe section for ideas for different stages?

I really don't remember what I ate. I know I did not do the pureed stage and jsut stayed on the full liquid stage longer because I cannot tolerate regular food blended up... gross.

I think I ate really soft meals, like meatloaf, and some lean cuisines like the macaroni and beef, or the salisbury steak, but maybe that was the stage after mushies that I ate those.?????? I remember having Tomato Soup and that butternut squash Soup in the box.Since I'm on full liquids today, I'll probably have that soup for dinner.< /p>

I swear by the Iospure clear drink to keep my Protein levels up and my hunger down and still use it. I'll drink a glass for b'fast sometimes. 1/2 bottle is only 80 calories but 20 gms of protein. Too much of it and I get sick of the taste but a glass over lots of ice, is no problem. Lots of flavors, too.

Each stage will get a little easier. Just had my seventh fill today, a very small one as I think I'm close to good restriction and don't want to be overfilled. The first five did almost nothing and the sixth one got me close to being right. Of course everyone is different and I've lost weight so that would make the band even looser along the way. Also depends on how much saline is put in at each fill.

I am loving my band. Last night, I had a salad with grilled steak and grilled shrimp and ate 1/2 of what I used to eat and it kept me pretty full. I had an apple later after dinner. Took me about 20 mins to eat it.

I eat anywhere from 800 to 1200 calories a day. I track my calories almost every day and my protein too to be sure I get enough. I eat few carbs, but last week I did have a grilled cheese sandwich on whole wheat bread. It was so good. I need the extra Fiber of the whole wheat!

After a fill, I am on full liquids ( today and tomorrow) and the first of those two days, I might have under 800 calories and generally no hunger.

Once you start getting fills, it will be so much better.

The only trouble I am having is lack of bowel movements and gas. Working on solutions to that. Experimenting with benefiber in my Water. No bad taste but not working well enough.

Packed up almost everything in my closet, it's all too big! Now I have almost nothing to wear! I've only bought a few things as I know I'll keep losing.

Hang in!