MarcyLoo

It looks like no matter what advice you are given, you will not be willing to follow any of it. I'm sorry you're having such a hard time. We all know this journey is not easy. We all struggle daily (am I wrong people?) but those of us who ARE willing to do what it takes (or at least willign to try) can get frustrated by those who are simply not willing to do so, then complain about it. I'm not trying to be mean, but it's clear you're not willing to accept any advice. I do wish you the best. And I do urge you to get an unfill (even a small amount) and to rid your house of the junk food...see a nutritionist and see your surgeon. Are you going to a support group? If not I also urge you to do that.

When was your last fill?

I've lost 8 pounds over the past 3 weeks since surgery, plus the 8 I gained from surgery itself. I was told to not expect ANY weight loss in the first 2-4 weeks.

Welcome Annabelle!! I'm Marcy. I was just banded on 3/15/11. I'm 5'2" and my highest wt was 297. Way back in 2005 the surgeon who removed my gallbladder recommended WLS to me because I had fatty liver and had bleeding complications during that surgery. I plan to send him a thank you note for the suggestion ... becuse even though it was over 5 years ago his suggestion took root in my head and ultimately I believe has led to a longer, healthier life for me. I've only been banded for about 3 weeks but I am so so so incredibly glad I went thru with it. I hope they started you on cpap?

I was supposed to be on full liquids for a week post op but started musies around 3 days becuse I am a very bad patient. I htink I even had some ham (which I did not chew well enough and it came back up)....but yes I did ok with soft foods. I would of course suggest doing what your doc recommends.

I'm about 3 weeks out and ready for a fill...and I can tell because my portion sizes are just a bit too large and I get hungry after about 2 hours.

26 days after surgery. The arrow points to a 5 1/2 year old galbladder scar. The dots are all above lap incisions/punctures. My port incision and the one to the left both had some healing issues (unusual for me).

12 of those 20 pounds were from my preop diet :-)

Hope that worked! Please remember mine are still pretty new...eventually they will fade a lot. My port is on my right side about 2" to the right and above the biggest incision. I put dots over my lap-scars and the arrow points to my gallbladder scar. Pam thanks for posting that link! I'll go peek too.

Hey there! I'm in Monroe/Snohomish (northeast of Seattle). I used Northwest Weight Loss Surgery in Everett and was so happy with them! I have a coworker who has tricare as her secondary and because her PRIMARY is refusing to cover a medication Tricare is also refusing, but if she drops her primary Tricare will. That's all I know about it though. Welcome!!

Mine are less than a month old but I will take a picture for you. The biggest is abotu 2 inches long. The end of that one and one of the smaller ones both had some trouble healing so look a littlle nasty and I still have some mild bruising from the heparin they gave me. One of the incisions in the picture is actually from my galbladder surgery 5 1/2 yrs ago, so you can see how that healed. be warned htough that even htough i am really fair, some of my incisions heal with keloids (more ocmmon in dark skin) so mine may be uglier than most... stand by it'll take me a litle while to take & upload a pic

My surgeon was fine with raw veggies. i almost lived on raw celery, carrots & cucumber slices in rice vinegar & sprinkled with splenda!

What is a retainer mad eof? Typically any metal needs to be removed for surgery because of the risk of arc'ing from the cautery machine. I'm sure you'd rather have it close up than have a burnt boobie. But if it's non-metal they will likely let you leave it in UNLESS they feel it's too close to the surgery sight (very likely) and may pose risk of infection. It'd only need to be out for a couple of hours or less.

I really need to do a better job of counting my Protein. I suspect I'm lacking. I know my goal per the nutritionist is 55-60, but I'm aiming for 60+. I've fallen in love with Greek Yogurt & liquid egg stuff (lower calories & colesterol). I still have a lot of my preop Protein powder and may need to add a shake a day. Do any of you know what average protein count is for 4 ounces of different meats..like beef, pork, salmon, white fishes, turkey, chicken?

Sara...looks like our starting weights and goals are right on with each other (my starting was 297 and goal is 150)...

Hi all! Doing ok here. My 2 incisions that have had trouble healing are doing much better. I'm still hungry often, and am so looking forward to my 1st fill next wednesday!! I'm retaining Water like carzy so am working on flusing that today and hoping to see the scale start moving again tomorrow. I'm starting to get a bit bored with my usual food options so need to start finding some new options. I'll have open faced corn tortillas with refried Beans, lettuce, and onion for lunch today. I have found I can do corn products but most flour breads/tortillas etc cause too much pain.

My surgeon told me there's no expiration. The band has been tested by a machine mimicing the force of eating for 8 straight years before it has issues (meaning for those 8 years it was under the constant force of eating whereas we eat only a few times a day so you can imagine how many years it should last with normal use)

Hello! I'm Marcy. I turn 36 next month. I have three little boys ages 7, 6, and 3 1/2. My husband and I have been married almost 9 years. We have 2 English Mastiffs, 3 cats, a guinea pig & a hamster and are looking at maybe adding a pig. I've been a registered nurse for 16 years and specialize in labor & delivery. Our family loves being outdoors, camping, and just playing. We live on 3 acres in the woods in the foothills of the Cascade mountains (we're leasing a home for 3 years but may end up buying). Hmm...I also love to read, cook/bake, and my goaal of losing weight is to improve my health, the health of our kids (thru example) and to honor God by treating my body like I know He would want me to.

You need to check with your doctor on what to eat post op (did they not give you instructions?) Each doctor differs, but most say liquids only (no chunks) for at least the first week.

I'm a labor & delivery nurse, and work two 12-hour shifts a week. I'm on my feet most of the time, do a lot of walking/bending/twisting, but any hevay "lifting" is mostly pushing hospital beds to the OR (not often). I had surgery on a Tuesday morning and was back to work Saturday at 6:30pm. I didn't actually take any time off, but scheduled work so that I had a few days after surgery. I did fine.

Sounds like your protein intake is fine. Are you doing at least 64 ounces of plain water a day? Eating more claories won't cause weight loss, as long as yoru protein is what you say it is your body should drop fat (instead of muscle) but you may also be adding muscle mass with the exercise. My surgeon's general rule of thumb is that if you go two weeks without losing, it's time for a FILL.

What about a salad from McD's with grilled chciken and light dressing? I did one once and only was able to eat about half. I love Taco Time tacos, and plan to order one in a bowl next time with no tortilla...and I know they have a light menu with a salad toto hat's like 200 cal? You could also run tot he grocery store. maybe some veggies and deli meat? My doc wants me to always have beef Jerky cubes on hand (I forget the brand but they are moister than some Starts with a J)

As a nurse, I was going to suggest you take it to their manager. No names need to be said, but she can use it as a lesson for the entire staff on that unit. The way they were talking is not beneficial to ANYONE. They need a swift proverbial kick in the arse. I'm so sorry this happened to you, and I do hope you can take it and use it to educate others. And know in your heart that WLS is not an easy out. To some it may seem drastic, and granted it is....but for those of us who chose it, it's a drastic measure that is needed for better health. People like those kronies obviously have no clue what a struggle this DISEASE (yes, disease) is. Stay strong, sister. (hugs)

I also have 3 incisions...4 are abotu half an inch and the biggest is near my port. That's pretty typical. They have to make the one near the port the biggest to secure the port to the abdominal muscles. The shorter ones are all from punctures for the laparoscopic tools. Tough day here...hormones makign me want to binge. PMS sucks.

My insurance and surgeon both required it. I saw a nurse practitioner for mine. It's not an exam to see if you're crazy, but rather to make sure you understand the whole scope of the surgery & aftercare, if there's any areas you need help with (liek for me, it was recommended I staay on my antidepressants until well after I meet my goal weight), to offer support in relationships, and to make absolutely sure you will be willing to do the entire program. If you go in and during the meeting say "my spouse is going to leve me if I don't do this so I have to" that would be an issue and they'd likely want to counsel you both before signing off. If you go in and tell them you just know the band will fix everything and you just plan to eat less and let the band do all the work, they will educate you. The meeting takes about an hour, is really very relaxed, and well worth it in many ways.