Jenn1214

You can drink beer? My surgeon might actually murder me if I drink anything carbonated!

Hello, my name is Jenn and I'm a food addict. I'm not really sure how this unhealthy relationship with food started, but it has been a lifelong battle. I believe my parents overfed me as a baby because they were afraid I wasn't eating enough, and their fears soon passed on to me. Some of my earliest memories are of my pediatrician telling my parents I needed to lose weight and to buy me toys as a reward when I did. Of being scolded in front of others when I tried to eat something I shouldn't. Of hiding my eating from my family because I was so ashamed of what they would say if they saw me. My weight has been up and down all my iife. I would win the battle for a few years at the most, at the least a few months before the weight crept back on again. It was always the same: get gungho about a new diet, lose some weight, get sick of the diet and gain all the weight back plus more. Every failure made me feel less and less hopeful that I would ever succeed and win my family's approval. Every conversation with my father somehow went to my weight and every time I hung up the phone I felt worse than ever. I even had a coworker ask me once, "What happened to that diet you were on? You look heavier than when you first started." I felt defined by the numbers on the scale and on my jeans, not what was inside. Food was my main source of comfort, even though it always caused me so much pain and embarrassment. Any time I had any stress in my life, it was off to the fridge or the nearest fast food restaurant for 10 minutes of happiness and an entire day of shame and guilt. The bigger the problem, the more weight I gained. The death of my mother, my stepmother's suicide, my abusive relationship with my ex boyfriend, all reasons to eat and eat and eat. The more I ate, the worse I felt. The worse I felt, the more I ate. I was trapped in a vicious cycle I couldn't escape from. I didn't feel human anymore. I felt constantly empty, physically and emotionally. I just wanted to be invisible, and for the most part I got my wish. I had few friends, if any, and men wouldn't look twice at me. My fat was like a wall separating me from everyone else, and I guess subconsciously I wanted it that way. Besides the heavy emotional burden food put on me, I have physical problems stemming from my weight. My back hurts almost constantly, I can't stand for long periods because my knees and feet hurt, I have PCOS, acid reflux, and depression. Yet all that couldn't stop me from eating. My body was crying out for me to stop and I didn't listen. I met my fiance in August of 2009 and while it has been a very happy time for me, my weight has suffered because of it. He is obese too and we often fueled each other's bad eating habits. Meeting him made me realize that I want to be around to have a life with him and I knew I had to do something I hadn't done before. I decided to look into the Lap Band, and on March 14th I had the procedure. The physical recovery is coming along well but I know my emotional recovery will take much longer. I'm hoping that sharing my feelings here will help. Every day without my drug of choice is a struggle...but now I realize it's not only a struggle for my self esteem, but for my health and my life. Let the battle begin!

I was banded on the 14th so we're pretty close! I talked to the PA at my post op visit today and she said to wait until my first fill appointment in 4 weeks before drinking again to give my stomach the most time to heal. She made a good point of telling me that alcohol lowers your inhibitions so you're likely to eat more, not chew enough, make bad choices, etc. However she understands that the band is something I have to live with so if I enjoy a glass of wine once in a while it's not going to hurt me too much.

I'm newly banded, but these are my top three: 1. Let yourself heal after the procedure. 2. Stay hydrated. 3. Listen to your band!

Just had mine today. The PA weighed me, asked how I was doing on the liquid diet, checked my incisions, explained to me the next phase of the diet (soft foods for two weeks), and answered my questions. I also scheduled my first fill for 4 weeks from today. Pretty much what I expected.

For the past few days I have been noticing that right after I take a sip of water I get a lump in my throat. I notice it more in the evening. It passes fairly quickly and I don't have any nausea or vomiting with it. Should I be worried?

I'm still in the liquid phase, I was banded March 14th (I guess it would be helpful to know that, sorry!)

<br><br>Oh yeah I guess I forgot to mention that...he is getting the Lap Band this summer. We'll be band buddies :-)

I'm not even two weeks out from surgery, so I'm still on liquids. Problem is, I have my sister in law's bridal shower tomorrow and I have to go because I'm a bridesmaid. I wouldn't even care that much except it's at a restaurant. How should I handle this? I was thinking just order and ask them to bring it to me already wrapped so I can take it home for my fiance. I just feel weird explaining my situation to the waiter and in front of dozens of people I've never met before. What would you guys do?

My nutritionist recommended Medifast during the full liquid phase. The ready to drink ones aren't too terrible but the powdered ones are pretty gritty and disgusting! Is there a better one out there for long term use?

I said the same thing! The surgeon said he was going to have to make a tiny incision under my ribcage in addition to the belly button incision, but I don't know what the third one is for. I will have to ask at my follow up visit.

I'm not sure if I'm supposed to be able to feel my port or not. I had the SILS procedure so I have the big incision under my belly button, then two smaller incisions under my rib cage and on the left side of my belly. Where would the port be?

It doesn't sound like you did too much damage, but just to be on the safe side call your surgeon's office just to check. Don't beat yourself up, you're only human!

I know how you feel. The first week after my procedure I kept thinking "What did I do to myself? What a mistake! I want this thing out" I cried a few times because I was so miserable about not eating. I'm heading into the second week now and it's slowly getting easier. I've lost about 21 pounds so far and my back hurts less and my clothes fit better. This will all be worth it in the end!

Believe me, you are not alone! I am still in the full liquids phase of my postop diet and I will admit I have shed a few tears over not being able to eat. I have always known I was an emotional eater and a food addict but this really solidifies it! Every day that passes is a victory for me and one step closer to being able to eat again. Just take it one day at a time and it will be over soon. I'm right there with ya!

That sounds really excessive to me. My fiance has to do a 6 month program before his procedure as required by his insurance. I didn't have to do anything for mine, I just had to do tons of pretesting. Who is requiring twelve months? That's crazy.

Hello all! My name is Jenn and I just had my Lap Band placed on March 14, so I'm pretty new to this way of life. I was tired of my lifelong battle with weight and finally decided to take the plunge. Including the preop diet I've lost 20 pounds so far, so that at least is encouraging. It hasn't been all sunshine and butterflies so far (the shoulder pain is NOT a joke), but i think I'm starting to adjust physically. Mentally, not so much. I guess it doesn't help that I was laid off a couple weeks before the surgery and also newly engaged (wedding planning is stressful!). Normally to deal with these stressors I would go right to the fridge. Does anyone have any tips on how to deal with emotional eating after banding? Any other things that you discovered in your journey that you want to share with a newbie? I would appreciate any info that you can give me. Thanks!!

I was just banded on the 14th. The biggest thing for me was the shoulder pain, a common occurence after laparoscopy. It comes from the CO2 that the surgeon uses to insufflate the abdomen being trapped in the body. Walk as much as you can after surgery and do whatever deep breathing exercises they tell you to do and it will go away after a few days. Don't be afraid to ask for pain meds if it will help you get up and move around. I can finally sleep on my left and right side with no pain at all. I was very bruised on my lower abdomen from the Lovenox they gave me in the hospital which made it hard to get around at first, but that cleared up in a few days. This was all normal post op stuff, nothing horrible.

I had horrible shoulder pain too after my surgery on March 14th. I didn't take any painkillers but in hindsight I probably should have so I didn't have to suffer as much as I did. The only thing that helps me is walking and deep breathing. It's pretty much gone now but I will still get it if I drink fluids too fast, so I take it as my body's way of telling me to slow down. They definitely didn't warn me about this before my surgery! But you're not the only one. I hope you are feeling better!

I was on clear liquids for 2 days postop, then full liquids for two weeks. I'll be starting a soft foods phase for two weeks then it's on to solids. I guess every surgeon has their preferred diet.