BlairE

OMGosh Dert.... I just looked at the pic and I can't believe how much it is poking out. What did they end up doing to fix it?

OMGosh Dert.... I just looked at the pic and I can't believe how much it is poking out. What did they end up doing to fix it?

I use a straw which helps me take smaller sips......

I was banded Jan. 28th and I was so surprised how easy it initially went. Trust me when I say that walking really helped. As soon as I got settled back in my room I got up and walked and continued to do so every 30 min or so. The hardest day for me was actually days 3 & 4, I seemed to feel the incisions more and I got the post surgery blues.... so going back to work that soon might not be a good idea. You could always try and at least get in a half day. Good luck and let us know how it goes....

Why are you vomiting that much.... that is not normal as far as my doctor goes....

through texting with another bander I met on here we concluded that it was gas from eating the chips to fast. I sucked air as well. So I had my 12 yr old daughter hit me across the back numerous times, she essentially burped me...lol.... and boy did it feel better. Still a little pressure but def got some relief. Thanks for the input, I think I will feel better when I get my flouroscope (sp) done with my first fill. What this did do is scare me back on track again....

My friend had a similar problem so when she felt herself getting full she would take her napkin and mush it into her food and whatever else was available to make it not look enticing anymore......

O.K. so I was doing fine and had progressed to mushies and then my hubby brought home some hummus with sun dried tomatoes (my favorite) for Valentines day..... he was eating it with tostitoe chips and I just automatically grabbed some and starting eating it without even thinking about it. Had eaten a good handful when hubby actually asked what I was doing.... Oooops.... so I walked away no problem. That is until today.... I woke up with pressure under my sternum and going out my back. I could still eat my mush and drink liquids with no problem so I am hoping I just irritated my band and did not do any damage. Anyone with advice......

Wow..... I think I need to print out this page and make it my morning read as a reminder each day what "NOT" to do.... All I can say is YUCK!!!! It sounds awful but at least now I won't be so scared if (and probably when) it ever happens. I guess you just get to a point you are so comfortable that you forget you have a band. Thank you all so much for sharing your experiences, they are forever imbedded in my mind...lol.

I am finishing with day 4 as well and today just plain stunk.... I feel nauseous 24/7, burping like no tomorrow and can't sit for any period of time b/c of the pressure build up. I too feel like I can feel a knot under the skin on my right side and imagine its the band area...lol... but who knows. I drank my shake way too fast this morning and thought I was going to see it again for the rest of the day. I know I need to walk more but I am just plain tired (I have Fibromyalgia) anytime I feel a change I panic thinking somethings has gone wrong. LOL... tonight after I SLOWLY ate my yogurt all of a sudden I realize I don't feel half bad, I should have been relieved but nooooo I instantly think maybe the band has slipped or something. I think its hard dealing with something you can't see or feel except internally. Makes it harder mentally. We are a work in progress..... we have done the physical repair now its time for the hard part....doing the mental repair. If you want to talk I am usually on here late at night and we can compare who is the most miserable..... remember there are many others before us that have all been down this road and have made it and so are we.....

I am reading posts talking about when ppl get stuck and then they have the "slime".... can someone please explain what this is all about so I know what to expect...

Yes you are right ..... no one understands what it feels like to be in pain each and every day of your life knowing there is no relief in site. I have had Fibromyalgia for the past 12 yrs. and was just banded on the 28th. The Fibro is the main reason I got banded, the extra weight was making the pain so much worse. One thing that has REALLY helped me was cutting out all carbs before I got banded. I just ate Protein, fruit and veggies and "wow" what a difference it made in my pain and especially my energy level. Its not easy though, it took about 4 days and by the third day I had to go to bed for the day bc of the detox pain but once I was past that it was amazing how much better I felt. This actually is a good thing to do along with the band anyway since carbs are not good for any weightloss. I CANNOT STRESS ENOUGH HOW MUCH TAKING CARBS OUT OF MY DIET HAS HELPED.... the only carbs I get now is natural ones through fruit and veggies. I use to take Lyrica as well but ended up putting on more weight which defeated the purpose of taking the meds since more weight meant more pain. I do take an anti depressant though which helps with the anxiety....As far as exercise goes I have tried it all trying to see what works best with the least amnt. of pain.... the stationary bike at my gym works great. After a 10 min. warm up just riding casually I do 30 second intervals where I go really fast then slower for the next minute. This pumps up your heart rate really good and b/c you are sitting down its less stress on your back and legs. Start out slow and work your way up to at least 30 min. total. As hard as it is I try to keep mentally focused on not letting this disease define who I am, I was very depressed the first few years after being diagnosed but eventually realized that I need to take control or its going to win. Do I have bad days.... you bet yah... but part of the battle with this disease is mentally not allowing it to define who you are as a person. Hope some of this helps you..... we should keep exchanging posts to see what is working for each other.....take care

Its early Monday morning and I was banded on Friday morning ! Came home feeling fine for the most part but don't get me wrong there is pain in the area between your ribs and belly button. I feel like I have been kicked in the gut, did a million sit ups and add the pain you get when you have a really bad sunburn which makes the skin burn.... combine all 3 of these and thats what I am feeling.... fortunately its manageable... keep up with the pain meds and there timing and walk a lot. I started walking the halls within the first hour in my room and continued each and every hour. I think thats the reason I didn't get the gas pains. Now coming home was a bit harder mentally than I thought. The affects of anesthesia don't fully wear off for about 72 hours is what I was told so my judgement was way off. Its like my mind said.... O.k. now that your banded you don't need that stupid pre op diet and I started nibbling on everything, I was out of control for a bit and luckily didn't hurt the band or myself. It made me realize I still had a big battle in front of me. I wish they could also take out taste buds along with banding me.... if food didn't taste so dang good I would be in a lot better shape...So I sent my husband out and he got box after box of popsicles and every time I feel a need to snack I grab one. One thing thats made it harder is I detest soup broth... I have had it a bit but Yuck....can;t wait for the mush stage.... otherwise I have been sleeping a lot over the weekend but in the morning its back to reality with kids and school. Don't be scared about the surgery itself.... that was not a problem. It was handling it emotionally once I got home..... you have waited so long for this to happen and now that it has you find it hard to adjust, well at least I did for a day or so.... If you have anymore questions please feel free to ask..... Blair

So I have had better success today .... made my shake a little more hearty by adding a bit more protein. Basimah I am sorry you are going through the same thing but was happy to see I was not the only one...I think what happens is we are doing the liquid diet before hand in preparation for the surgery that once the surgery is over we lose site of the healing process and just want to eat.... I likes the suggestion Stateofzen gave with the flash cards, reading those words out loud should do a lot to keep me focused....I feel so much better knowing what symptoms to look for and am happy to say I don't have any of them at the moment. So glad I did not ruin this our of my own stupidity ..... again thanks for all the words of wisdom and support.... I know if I need a kick in the butt again where to come too....

thank you soooo much for snapping me back to reality .... Today is better, I think the effects of anesthesia left me with less self control yesterday. I didn't realize that I actually had sutures in and around my stomach....don't ask me how I thought it was secured in place, I guess i never thought about it... Some of you mentioned that I could make the sutures come apart.... how do I know if that's happened or not.... today had a protein shake instead and feel better.