Jenn1214

I met my fiance after I posted a personal ad on Craigslist. I had to weed out a lot of pervs and creepers but I finally found my prince :-)

Many bandsters have hiatal hernias because obesity is a contributing factor. A hiatal hernia is when some of the stomach comes up through the space in the diaphragm that the esophagus goes through. Your surgeon will probably prescribe an upper GI series or an endoscopy to rule it out before surgery.

I had the same problem where I wouldn't have a BM for days and then it would be very soft. I wasn't worried because I wasn't eating solid food so I didn't expect to have a solid BM. Make sure you are drinking plenty of fluids so you don't dehydrate in case the diarrhea continues. Feel better!

I had an upper GI done to rule out a hiatal hernia before my surgery. I thought for sure I had one because I had heartburn every day and ate Tums like candy!

Talk to your doctor and see what they suggest. It definitely takes time for your body to adjust to the birth control so you may have to give it a few cycles. Like I said before, I've always felt crummy on oral contraceptives and had trouble losing weight. I have no problems losing weight with the Nuvaring. Definitely stay away from the shot, I've heard of women gaining 30 pounds or more on it!

I was pretty depressed after surgery too. I cried when I had to watch my fiance eat in front of me and all I could have were those frickin protein shakes! Once I got past liquids I was fine again.

Anesthesia really isn't as scary as people think. My fiance just had an endoscopy this morning and was worried about the anesthesia because he never had it before and he said it wasn't nearly as bad as he expected. Most people don't even remember falling asleep because it happens so quickly. The last thing I remember was being in the operating room and talking to the anesthesiologist about a cruise I just took in February. The next thing I know, I'm in recovery an hour later. Don't be scared! Good luck!

Talk to your surgeon. Most of them require you to be on a full liquid diet for a week or more to shrink the liver. This will make doing the procedure easier since the liver is right near the stomach. Definitely find out what the surgeon requires.

Make sure you drink plenty of water also. This will help things "move along"

No way. The "treatment effects" should be enough to scare anyone away! I heard it might be taken off the market anyway.

My surgeon told me it can last anywhere from 6-8 weeks. I'm 5 weeks out and still have it occasionally, but not all the time.

I think all bandsters go through a period of regret, thinking "Oh my god, I'm starving. I'll never be able to enjoy food again. What have I done to myself?" I know I did. It passes, I promise you. As for the weight gain, it's probably some fluid retention from the IV. My fiance told me I had "pudgy fingers" when I came home from the hospital and I couldn't get my engagement ring on. That went away after a couple days. Don't focus so much on weight loss right now, worry more about healing from the surgery. I was in pain from the gas and had a gigantic bruise from the blood thinners that reduced my mobility for almost a week. Everyone recovers differently, so don't sweat it if you're not up and doing yardwork 4 days post op. You'll feel better in time. Good luck!

How many pills are you taking at once? You may be suffering from pill esophagitis. As for the burning, I would call your doctor on that.

If my fiance did that to me, I would have told him to make his own damn chicken next time and in fact he can cook his own meals from now on!

Great topic! 1) Shop wherever I want for clothes 2) Wear heels without my feet blowing up like balloons 3) Stop hiding from cameras 4) Have more fun during, uh, "private time" with fiance 5) Being able to wear lingerie for said private time and not wanting to hide in the bathroom 6) Finally feeling comfortable in my own skin 7) Walking up stairs without breathing like a rhinoceros 8) Tie shoes without holding my breath 9) Cross my legs properly 10) Actually have a hairstyle that looks cute instead of one that hides my fat face 11) Do a boudoir photo shoot for fiance 12) Rock my wedding dress!

It was a while ago, so it's hard to remember everything. I saw the PA first who weighed me, took my history, and showed me a short video about the procedure. Then I met with the surgeon who told me how the procedure is done, how the band works, and what I can expect weight loss wise. After that I sat down with the surgical coordinator who gave me a list of pre testing that I had to do.

When I set the table for dinner I don't give myself a glass. It was hard not to drink with meals at first but I am so determined to succeed that I've never really had trouble remembering not to.

Congratulations on starting your journey! Personally what I would do is study the literature and write down any questions that occur to you. Sometimes when you're sitting with the doctor you forget what questions you wanted to ask because you're nervous. Bring the info with you if you think you need it.

Recovery from a hysterectomy is enough to deal with without the added strain of recovering from a tummy tuck. Plus you need to be close to your goal weight first. Definitely wait on this.

I tried Loestrin for a month or two but I felt like crap on it and it made my blood pressure go up so I stopped it. I've also tried Femcon and was on Seasonique for many years until my insurance didn't cover it anymore (it's pretty pricey). I have been on Nuvaring now for over a year and I love it! I don't have to remember to take a pill every day and I find the side effects are much less than taking an oral contraceptive. My gyno said that it's also one of the hormonal contraceptive methods that is less likely to cause weight gain. Pretty much all birth control can make you gain weight to some degree though. Depo Provera is probably the most notorious for this (it's an injection you get every three months). Have you ever used birth control before? You may notice some symptoms like nausea, breast tenderness, spotting between periods, etc. These usually go away after a few cycles. I never had any breakthrough bleeding on Nuvaring except after the surgery, due to a combination of powerful antibiotics and stress from the procedure. BC does usually help with cramps too...it does for me, anyway. If you never want to have children, you may decide to have a tubal ligation down the line. Most docs won't do it if you haven't had children before because they are afraid you might change your mind. Reversals of tubal ligations are rarely successful so you really have to be sure. I'm sure your doc probably told you this but you have to use backup birth control for at least a week if you start the pill on a day other than the first day of your period otherwise you could get pregnant. Hope this helps! Good luck!

Is your dad upset about the fact that you want to have the surgery or the fact that people are calling him up and giving him a hard time about it? Did you talk to him about it before mentioning it to your friends? If not maybe he felt hurt that he wasn't one of the first to know about your making such an important decision. Definitely talk to him and see exactly what's bugging him. Let us know how everything turns out!

Way to go! Hospital scrubs are so unforgiving it's ridiculous. You must be feeling pretty awesome right now!

I thought I burped a lot before the surgery but it's nothing compared to my burping now. I sound like a truck driver, and usually at inopportune moments! So embarrassing

If you think you have something stuck still, try drinking pineapple juice. I've heard it's great for getting the food to pass through. Stick with liquids or mushies for a few days to give your stomach a chance to recover from the stuck episode. Feel better!

I tried putting on a pair of slip on flats that were kinda snug 27 pounds ago and now they're falling off my feet? Anyone else lose weight in their feet?