Jacksonville, Florida

[JaxBandster 11]

Hi, all. I was wondering where is Lola . I been kind of concerned not hearing from her. Hey hats off Karen. Great job!!! If we keep this up we will have a nice size group for our meeting. Welcome Kim. We are thinking of starting our own group after Karen is banded & healed. Hi crazy 4 jags. We have close band dates. I was banded 09-27-07. See ladies we have so much in common. I have never started a group , but with everything we have in common it should roll. Jag has a hubby also that has something in commom too !!! Karen your date is near, wow. I got my fill 1 week ago. I get the slime thing going when I eat too fast. Seems you bend over and it comes out. I called Cywes, he says I am like a new baby learning to eat. I was scared, so nothing would go wrong with me. He is so sweet whenever I call, which has only been 2 x's. He said this was normal. Well talk to all of you soon !!!

Yeah I've been worried about Lola too. Maybe she just forgot about us!

Was this your first fill? How is it doing for you? Have you been losing? I keep reading stories about people who have had their bands for several months and aren't losing. I wonder if they aren't watching their carbs or something. I really hope I don't go through this and end up struggling to lose weight. I don't ming losing slow but I want SOME progress! My surgery is two weeks and two days away. I go for my pre-op tomorrow so that should be interesting. I get to see the famous liver pictures that Dr. Cywes loves to show his patients. LOL I am still nervous about what life will be like after I am banded but also eager to begin my journey.

When I see people on other topics on this site that are from Jax I refer them here. I hope more people join us. Just as long as we don't get too big right?

[lola41 0]

Hi everyone....just getting back on the computer and catching up today. Had my band Jan 14th (8 days ago) and doing pretty well. stayed overnight at memorial and was glad to get home in my own bed!

I was pretty nauseated the first several days and had to take phenergan, but doing much better now. went back to Dr. webb yesterday and incisions are healing well. i get my first fill on Feb 14th. :biggrin:

Still have some pain at port site but it is very manageable...just more uncomfortable when I move a certain way. I am going back to work tomorrow so that will be a test of endurance (I guess I am just tired from limited calorie intake.) I am on mushies now, and probably around 350 calories day. today i was really hungry in the evening, more so than when I was on liquids. I have found if i keep drinking througout the day like I should, it helps with the hunger. But when i get full, it seems to come on rather quickly. I have been BURPING like crazy....and I mean all day long. My kids think i am joking, I am trying to explain I just can't help it! i have never said excuse me so many times in one day before.....

What side of town in everyone in? I am in Mandarin. I would love to try and get together. Dr. Webbs office has a group called LWLSC (laprascopic weight loss surgery center) in Baymeadows and they have support groups as well....I have not yet been to one but plan on attending. they just separated out the bypass from the lap band patients and said that is working out much better.

Thanks so much for wondering about me, that was so sweet. What a great bunch of threads to come back to!

Hope everyone is doing well....

Take Care,

Lori

[Busy296 1]

I am so glad to see ya Lori, I will write back soon, I have to go to work !!!Hi Karen , Talk to yall later...

[JaxBandster 11]

Lori!!!!!!!!! Welcome Back!!!!!!!! <big hug!>

It sounds like you are doing really well!!! Thanks for all the feedback. I am still a bit anxious but armed to the gills with information and feel that I am ready to start my journey.

I had to laugh at the burping. Be glad that you can! I hear frequently that people have difficulty burping after banding. I hope I'm not one of them because I am a burpy kind of person LOLOL

I live down in Ponte Vedra near Nease High School. The southside of town is very convenient to me as is Orange Park.

I go for my pre-op today. Will let everyone know how it goes when I get back.

So glad to hear that you are back and on your way Lori!!!! Don't push yourself too hard.

[JaxBandster 11]

Just copying and pasting from my blog on ObesityHelp.

Just returned from my pre-op with Dr. Cywes. Wow!!!

First, I've lost another 4.5 lbs for a total of 12.5. Not bad considering we took a very impromptu trip up to NW Georgia this weekend to see snow and ended up staying overnight so I had to really improvise on the food choices.

We talked about a lot! There were two other women in the group with me. Hopefully I can rehash everything. We talked about the pre-op diet and why they require it (to shrink the liver). Dr. Cywes had pictures of a good liver and then a bad one. The difference was quite remarkable. The fatty liver was easily bruised and bled very easily. He said that one bad meal before surgery could cause the liver to swell again. He said that he has closed up three people because their liver was in such poor shape it would risk their life to operate.

Let's see what else. He uses steri-strips instead of sutures, staples or glue. The sutures are beneath the skin. He will repair my hiatal hernia which is going to cause me some additional discomfort especially in the shoulder region for about six to seven days after the surgery.

I will have to be on Clear Liquids two days before surgery and four days after before I begin transitioning to solids.

I also need to go to the pharmacy and pick up some surgical soap and lather my entire body up with it every day for three days prior to surgery in order to kill any bacteria on my skin. I also have to wash all our linens and use clean towels and also make sure all my clothes are clean. He is definitely serious about reducing the chances of infection.

He has only had one band erode into the stomach and that was his 13th surgery and an older type band. He has had three slips, one of which was the result of a motor vehicle accident. He has only had a few ports flip as well. He said if one does then they fix it right there in the office by making a small incision, going in and resuturing the port then closing you back up.

He uses liquid Lortab for post surgery pain and will give me phernergan for nausea. I was pleased to hear that they use a variety of medications during anesthesia to relieve nausea since I was extremely queazy after my gall bladder surgery.

I think that's about it. I am two weeks and two days from surgery. Next time I write will probably be the weekend before the surgery as I am sure I will be on an emotional rollercoaster especially consuming nothing but Clear Liquids for two days. The four days after surgery I will probably be fighting to get the liquids down as I'm not going to be very hungry from what I hear.

Right now I am just going to lose as much weight as I can before surgery so I get a good head start and so my liver is in the best shape possible. I sometimes still battle the urge to be bad and eat something that I shouldn't, but so far I have managed to fight that urge successfully. So far it has actually been pretty easy. I am very motivated right now and I have avoided putting myself in situations where I will be tempted easily. Dr. Cywes told us tonight that we will fail at times and I'm sure of that. The good thing is that the band won't let me fail too much. I feel very good about my chances of success with Dr. Cywes. He seems to know exactly what it takes to lose the weight and I have complete confidence in him.

Until next time!

[JaxBandster 11]

Hey Lori!

How are things progressing????????? Inquiring minds and all that

[crazy4jags 0]

Just copying and pasting from my blog on ObesityHelp.

Just returned from my pre-op with Dr. Cywes. Wow!!!

First, I've lost another 4.5 lbs for a total of 12.5. Not bad considering we took a very impromptu trip up to NW Georgia this weekend to see snow and ended up staying overnight so I had to really improvise on the food choices.

We talked about a lot! There were two other women in the group with me. Hopefully I can rehash everything. We talked about the pre-op diet and why they require it (to shrink the liver). Dr. Cywes had pictures of a good liver and then a bad one. The difference was quite remarkable. The fatty liver was easily bruised and bled very easily. He said that one bad meal before surgery could cause the liver to swell again. He said that he has closed up three people because their liver was in such poor shape it would risk their life to operate.

Let's see what else. He uses steri-strips instead of sutures, staples or glue. The sutures are beneath the skin. He will repair my hiatal hernia which is going to cause me some additional discomfort especially in the shoulder region for about six to seven days after the surgery.

I will have to be on Clear liquids two days before surgery and four days after before I begin transitioning to solids.

I also need to go to the pharmacy and pick up some surgical soap and lather my entire body up with it every day for three days prior to surgery in order to kill any bacteria on my skin. I also have to wash all our linens and use clean towels and also make sure all my clothes are clean. He is definitely serious about reducing the chances of infection.

He has only had one band erode into the stomach and that was his 13th surgery and an older type band. He has had three slips, one of which was the result of a motor vehicle accident. He has only had a few ports flip as well. He said if one does then they fix it right there in the office by making a small incision, going in and resuturing the port then closing you back up.

He uses liquid Lortab for post surgery pain and will give me phernergan for nausea. I was pleased to hear that they use a variety of medications during anesthesia to relieve nausea since I was extremely queazy after my gall bladder surgery.

I think that's about it. I am two weeks and two days from surgery. Next time I write will probably be the weekend before the surgery as I am sure I will be on an emotional rollercoaster especially consuming nothing but clear liquids for two days. The four days after surgery I will probably be fighting to get the liquids down as I'm not going to be very hungry from what I hear.

Right now I am just going to lose as much weight as I can before surgery so I get a good head start and so my liver is in the best shape possible. I sometimes still battle the urge to be bad and eat something that I shouldn't, but so far I have managed to fight that urge successfully. So far it has actually been pretty easy. I am very motivated right now and I have avoided putting myself in situations where I will be tempted easily. Dr. Cywes told us tonight that we will fail at times and I'm sure of that. The good thing is that the band won't let me fail too much. I feel very good about my chances of success with Dr. Cywes. He seems to know exactly what it takes to lose the weight and I have complete confidence in him.

Until next time!

Karen - this sounds a lot like my pre-op with Dr. Cywes. Some people have a problem with his directness, but I really needed it. After he showed me the pictures of the fatty liver and that there was a chance of not being able to have the surgery was incentive enough for me to stay on track before surgery. Keep up the good work...it's SO worth it. My husband (who also had the surgery) and I were talking to a friend of ours who was asking what it's like living with the band and he described it as almost "effortless". Don't get me wrong - your food choices have to change as well as your mental state, but the band really does help you with those.

Stay well and best of luck to you!

Sue

[Busy296 1]

Where is everyone ?

[JaxBandster 11]

I'm here! Just been reading, reading, and more reading! And waiting for the 7th. I'm actually quite impressed with how NOT hungry I am. I guess there is something to this no carb thing. Right now I'm trying to focus on reading positive and informative posts as opposed to ones that are negative, i.e. I've been banded for months and have only lost X pounds. I figure that this is going to be my journey and it is up to me how successful it is going to be. I am pretty sure I know what it takes to be a success, I just have to do it. The lists help with information about how to deal with things and what to expect and that is what I am trying to focus on right now.

[petergriffin 0]

Hey everyone. I'm also in Jax. I went to Lap Weight Loss Center on Baymeadows. My whole experience has been great, no bumps in the road at all. Surgery set for Feb 5th. I've lost about 5 pounds since starting the pre-op diet last Tuesday. I actually ate a couple of chicken salads and (GASP) they didn't taste too bad. LOL. I'm pretty anxious about getting started on the band. I finally broke the news to my close friends who were very supportive.

Oh, and I'm having the band put in by Dr. Webb.

[JaxBandster 11]

Hi Peter!

I saw your pic on one of the other threads and sent you a Go Gators response!

Glad to hear that things are going smoothly for you! My surgery is two days after yours so you get to go first and tell me how it is!!! :tt1:

You are also the first DUDE on our fledgling Jax list. Congrats!!!!!!

What kind of pre-op diet do they have you on? I have been on low carb for two weeks and have lost about 14 lbs (judging by my scale). I am hoping to lose at least 20 by the time my band-date comes around. It's only about ten more days so I should be able to make it.

Which hospital does Dr. Webb use? I am going through Jax Weight Loss Center and Dr. Cywes and will be having mine done at the Same Day Surgery Center at the beaches. I wouldn't mind staying over night (I had outpatient surgery for my gallbladder and it was rough getting out of bed and walking) but it is also good to be able to get home and be in your own environment. We have an adjustable twin bed in one of our spare bedrooms so I am going to use that until I'm ready to lay flat and share a bed with the DH.

Good luck sticking to your pre-op!

[JaxBandster 11]

Questions for Dr. Cywes patients. Can any of you tell me what his policy on fills is? Does he follow a set schedule for every patient or does he adjust each patient according to their needs, hunger level, weight loss, etc.?

Just curious as to what to expect once I start getting fills.

Thanks!

[crazy4jags 0]

Karen - I'm a patient of Dr. Cywes and basically I have a follow up appointment with him every 4 weeks. I have had 3 appointments and got a fill at the first 2. The last appointment I felt like I had good restriction and a fill wasn't necessary. My husband skipped the fill at the 2nd appointment but got one at the 3rd (although he had to get a partial unfill because he was too tight).

We've both had pretty good weight loss (I had lost 17 lbs between visits 2 and 3) so it really depends on the results you have between appointments.

Hope this helps! Sue

[JaxBandster 11]

Hi Sue!

Thanks for the reply! That sounds like a good process to me. I have read a lot where some surgeons will only give you like .5 cc's at a time and only every two months, etc. While I know that this will not be a quick process, I still want to be able to reach my sweet spot as quickly and safely as possible. It sounds like Dr. Cywes is fairly aggressive which is fine with me!

[Busy296 1]

hey Karen,

I have had a fill everytime I went ,like every 4 weeks is what I choose. I go Friday which if he gives it to me will be my 5th. I think you have to be loosing well and show u are with the program. At least 1 or 2 lbs. a week. He has 0 tolerance for no weight loss. He is tough as you know. He wants you out of your old ways and in with the new. I myself have not had any problems with him filling me. I know someone that didn't get it. Because of no weight loss. So he knows whats up with you. Stay on the carb thing and move at least 15 minutes a day. It works , and he wrks with you....