isit5yet

I brought: phone. IPad and charger lip balm and lotion!!!!!!!!! You'll want it. Comfy change of clothes and extra underwear. A sports bra to go home in a folder to put any paperwork in hair brush, cetaphil face wash, baby wipes, deodorant, toothbrush and paste, rubber bands and head band , panty liners. I have oily skin so I washed my face a few times and wanted my hair away from my face. You also feel much more human washing up... Your face and body with wipes and then deodorant even if it is a "bus station bath."

Had my band for 6 years and my revision was done in one surgery - 1.5 hours long

It's the phrenic nerve - the same nerve responsible for the left shoulder pain caused after surgery. When you're full (from food or the CO2 used during surgery to inflate your abdomen) it pressed on this nerves and causes the pain, sneezing, running nose, hiccups, deep breath, etc. I get all of them when I'm full. First I give a big sigh which is totally out of my control. Then it's sneezing, hiccups, and a running nose. All signs that if I take one more bite, I'm in for a bad time.

9/25 was my same surgery date. I added canned chicken to cream soups. Some other things I'm eating now: tuna salad, egg salad, mashed avocado on liquid egg whites, vegetarian refried beans, cream of wheat with skim milk and protein power, sugar free jello with protein powder, chicken salad (canned not just cooked), I've blended vegetable beef soup, mashed sweet potato, cottage cheese, pureed baked eggplant with marinara.

I just had my revision done on 9/25. I did a two week liquid diet and was in the hospital for two overnights. Surgery only took 1.5 hrs. My surgeon said there was minimal scar tissue and my liver had nicely shrunken so it made it go faster. I work from home and was able to start working again by the end of the week but only for a few hours. Last week I worked all week but had to take breaks and nap in the afternoon. Today is my first day back full time and so far I have a ton more energy. I even went back to my morning walks although only 2 miles today instead of my usual 3.

If you're preop appointment is during the weeks you're instructed to be on a preop diet, it might be an issue. The preop diet is design to reduce abdominal fat and shrink your liver to prep for surgery. I'm not sure what your preop diet is, but mine was sugar free jello, Popsicles, broth, and protein shakes. To gain 5 lbs on that is unimaginable. Every surgeon is different, but I have heard of cases when surgery is started and the liver is too fatty so the patient is closed up and surgery doesn't continue.

So I intentionally planned my surgery for 9/25 knowing Yom Kippur was 5 days later. I didn't fully fast. I had water and protein shakes but mostly due to my post-op diet. I forced myself to drink, as I had absolutely no hunger. One funny thing that happened is that I'm so off on day and time right now, I tried to take my daughter to Hebrew school today. Duh - no school today due to the holiday weekend.

I'm in the Boynton Beach area and just had my surgery on Monday.

HI There Glad to hear there is someone else is seeing Dr Vaughan. Do you go to the support group? When is it? The weight I have lost is without the surgery. I have been trying for over 16 years and came to realize I need the surgery to lose the remaining 200 pounds. I was once 497 pounds and hope to get to 155 with the surgery.

Hi @@ssflbelle! I live in Lake Worth too and see Dr. Vaughan. While he didn't do my surgery since I didn't here then, I go to him for fills and monitoring. I've found he and his staff to be fantastic! Looks like you've made great progress o far.

I haven't really worked with the surgeon. I had one fill under flouro which actually turned into a slight unfill due to reflux. I like the support group, and prefer the lap band specific one over the general group. As a band patient it's a little unnerving to sit in a support meeting with bypass and sleeve patients dropping in 2 months what has took me a year to lose.

Whoever created this thread might want to change the title. Kansas City is in MO, not MI.

I'm in Lake Worth but had surgery done three years ago when I lived in the midwest. I've gone to the Wellington support group meetings at Dr. Wizman's office.

Does anyone here attend the support group at Wellington Regional Medical Center? They have a general weight loss surgery group and one dedicated to banded patients. Just curious if anyone attends; I've just started and am new to the area. -_Carrie

We waited 2 weeks I think, but doubled up and used a condom on top of my BCP. The surgery screwed my PCOS body so much that I had my period when I wasn't supposed to and then for 2 weeks post-op! We got scared that the freak period could have gotten me off cycle, and we have a kiddo already. One and done!

I had to add Benefiber to my coffee in the morning to stop the constipation. Post-op constipation is normal since the pain meds cause it. After that, think of it this way.... we're not eating to excess, so there isn't much to expel. Try adding a little dairy too.. .solid dairy Proteins like babybel cheese, string cheese, cottage cheese, etc. ... not sliders like milk and yogurt. Funny thing is... when I used to get "stopped up" before the band, I'd just get McDonalds to solve that problem. Ha! Not anymore.

Really really really try to get past first 3-4 days of pure terrible. Push through it. I know when I started the 2 week pre-op diet I came home crying after work then realizing I was addicted to food. It was a miserable realization. After 3-4 days of lower carbs, getting the refined sugars out of your body and drinking a lot of water, you will feel better. It will then get easier. You'll even see some great side effects... more energy, sleeping better, better skin, etc. Some tricks I used was to brush my teeth after eating.. every time. Nothing tastes good after brush your teeth and using mouthwash. I also chewed a lot of sugar free gum for the same reason - nothing tastes good after chewing gum.

I'll say a few things about South Florida. I moved here about a year ago from Kansas City and was raised in St. Louis. My parents live in Boynton Beach, so we wanted to stay in Palm Beach County. Miami-Dade cost of living is very expensive, and you're really stuck with Miami as the metro area for jobs. The commute is horrible. Broward is more reasonable, but older and a little crowded for housing. Ft. Lauderdale would be the big job area with Miami about 40 mins away and Boca Raton 40 mins away. Lots of tech jobs in Boca and Hollywood, FL. Palm Beach County is the most affordable with Western Boynton Beach, Western Lake Worth, Boca Raton and Wellington being the best areas for housing prices and school. Boca is the priciest. Job-wise, PBC contains Boca (big tech) and West Palm Beach. Jupiter is 40mins north where the St. Louis Cards do spring training. Go Cards! Orlando is 2.5 hours away from PBC. Beaches in PBC are more family friendly and cleaner. Lots of old people and families. Less skanks and drunk dummies. One big gripe about S. Florida... not one alternative radio station between the three major markets (miami, ft. lauderdale, west palm). Seriously. It's terrible. Weather.... Today it's cooler here (Lake Worth) than it is in Orlando, KC, St. Louis, NYC, etc. The summers just don't see 100 degree weather. In the evening we actually cool off, where in KC/STL it would feel warmer and muggier at night than the day. During the summer it will rain briefly at around 4pm every day but then the breezes come in and it cools off. Winter, forget about it. Highs in the mid 70s..lows can get in the 50s. It's fabulous.

@GuyMontag: I checked out two offices in Palm Beach County, and preferred the Wellington Surgical Weight Reduction Center over a practice at JFK Regional. I moved here already having had the procedure, and some doctors won't touch a patient who had their surgery done at another location. Who knows why. I suspect they either see it as a liability issue or don't want to deal with patients when the big money has already been made by someone doing the surgery. The JFK practice was super rude when I called about going there for support groups, fills, check-ins, etc. The people at Wellington regional are super nice but will kick your rear if you're not staying on the program. I needed that Good luck if you decide to relocate!!

Ya I'm still going to go to both of them since I've only gone once to each. Give it another go and see if I prefer one over the other. I know this month there is just one next Monday.

Dr. Wizman is in Margate, and his office will do fills. I see him up in the Wellington office in Palm Beach County. Both him and his office coordinator are very nice.

You're not alone. Same boat here. I'm 2.5 years post-op, and in April I had a lot of regurgitation and had 1cc removed. Well, that settled the acid reflux but then I realized what I could now eat. And, I did. I just went in today to get a fill and get back on track with a forced 3 day liquid diet post fill.

Hey all.... is this thread still alive? I just moved to Boynton Beach from Kansas City about 6 months ago. I was banded on 2/17/2011 and am looking at going to Gold Coast Bariatric Surgery for my ongoing support and fills. I'm also thinking of attending a support meeting at JFK Regional in March. The move (a major life change) totall threw me off. Need to get back on track.

Hi all, I just moved to Boynton Beach from Kansas City, and while I have a surgeon picked out to help with my progress, I need to find a primary care doctor who is Lap-Band friendly. Do any of you have a recommendation for your primary care dr? I basically want to find someone who won't sneer at me as a Lap Band patient, and I know some PCPs are prejudiced (or just jerks). Thanks! Carrie

At parties I stick to high Protein items like if there is a chesse or meat tray. I also will offer to bring something and make sure it's something I can eat. For example, last night I brought a hummus layer dip and pretzel chips. Delish. At restaurants, I usually go for a salad with a protein in it. Right now my favorite is a salad with salmon usually with some type of vinaigrette. A local restaurant has a spinach salad with strawberries, walnuts, goat cheese and I add salmon, Love it. I've found that salad is my perfect food. Veggies, sometimes fruit and a protein. Perfection.