TerriDoodle

Hi Ya'll - Yes, it's middle of the night again for me. Have a ferocious headache that seems worse when I lay down. Plus, I'm just not sleepy. I took three naps yesterday! Pain seems better today, especially the shoulder pain. Not much gas to complain about. Still haven't eaten anything worthwhile -- had an 8 oz protein shake yesterday and that is all. I'll try to do better today. I'm just not hungry. I am, however, drinking fluids constantly and urinating about every 20 minutes! All the IV fluids I trust. At the hospital I weighed 212. At home after surgery I weighed 219 and now I weigh 215 (39 hrs postop). Mazie,I'm amazed at your activity level! You really seem to be sailing through! Good girl! Sara - Yes I'm allowed to take showers. There is surgical tape covering my incisions then a bandage over that. I was told to just replace the bandages after a shower. I can't remember what they said about the tape though - just allowing it to fall of when it's ready or something like that.

My husband found some Isopure protein flavored water for me at Vitamin Shoppe (if you have those near you), but I think they're kinda gross. All I can take is just to put a splash of some in the plain water I drink all day so that's' not much protein!

JULLEE - you should refer your friend to the before & after thread on this forum!! Don't listen to people who don't know what the hell they are talking about.

Oh you MUST post your story and your before and after pics!!! We love good stories around here! PLEEEEEEEASE!!

I've been 30-40 # overweight most of my life. Now that I've hit menopause I'm 65# overweight. No diet has helped me to lose it. I had started to have issues with back, foot and hip pain. My cholesterol levels were creeping up. My insulin resistance was getting harder to control. Basically I was heading down a road I didn't like the looks of. I did the research and felt like the band was a good option for me. I feel confident I can be good at following the rules (I don't binge), I'm used to eating a low carb diet, and I'm willing to accept the restrictions. I am sick and tired of being fat and having no energy to do anything. I came to this board and read a million posts and got greatly encouraged by the stories. I knew I could be one of them, too. So here I am. I was banded yesterday!! Good luck with your decision. I know it's not an easy one.

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Thanks, ya'll....that's great to get me started! That Whey Gourmet PB chocolate sounds delish!! WASabubblebutt - you can make your own cheese crackers that probably taste better and a lot cheaper! Put a piece of parchment paper over a cookie sheet. Use whatever semi-hard cheese you like and cut into 1/2" cubes. Place them on the cookie sheet about 2" apart then put them in the oven until melted and bubbly. Drain off grease (there will be a lot) and let cool (and harden). Voila! Crackers!

PAMELA - what kind of meds did your doctor give you for pain at home? I've got hydrocodone and it's doing the trick! -- oh, AND I've got 2 refills!!

TRACY - You work in the HR department of a convent??? That seems a bit odd. Payroll, benefits, etc?....for a convent?? I thought the Lord took care of all that! LOL

Nah, I'm not in much paiin at all. All is well!

No the hiccups are not terribly painful because they are not real deep, hard ones...just gentle...but enough to wake me up! You do NOT want to wear jeans. I promise you that. Stretchy yoga pants or something with a comfy elastic waist and roomy seat would be ideal.

I was referred to BE.com and like the way that business operates! I need to place an order but would like your recommendations, too. What products do you like....especially the drinks (cause I'm going into full liquids now). thanks!

Yes, I had surgery at noon and was home by 9:00p. They had given me phenergan for nausea and that drug really knocks you out. I had trouble staying awake for more than 5 minutes! Otherwise I probably would have gone home earlier. Fills: When they place the band it does not have any restriction in it. You have to go in periodically to have them "fill" the band with saline a little at a time, and this is what provides the restriction. You'll see lots of posts about fills. Sometimes the fill is too much, you may have difficulty eating and then you have to go for a slight "unfill". Eventually you get your "sweet spot" and shouldn't have to go in nearly as often as in the 1st couple of years. Am I in a lot of pain? No. Right now I'd rate it a 3...going up as high as 5 or 6 if I have to cough. The closest thing I can describe it as is like when you've done 200 sit ups! But I am walking around fine, getting in and out of bed fine, in and out of a chair fine. My husband even went to work awhile ago because there's nothing he needs to do for me! I loaded the dishwasher and made some Jello, too!

Hi Pam, I was just banded yesterday, 24 hours ago to be exact. (And here I am at my laptop!) They gave me morphine directly after surgery and sent me home with hydrocodone with acetomenophin (I think that's same as vicodin). It is definitely enough to take care of the discomfort. As for the questions....I spent so much time on this board beforehand that I didn't need to ask questions! I was very well informed by the bandsters here. The things that seem to vary widely between doctors are: 1) pre-op and post-op diets 2) Pre-op testing 3) and whether fills are done under fluroscopy or not 4) how much is charged for fills 5) oh, and ask whether he stitches the band in place Best of luck to you as you make this decision. I know it's not an easy one to make. Everyone here is incredibly supportive and there's tons of info, so make yourself comfortable and stay awhile!

This morning I was thinking that I wish I COULD have stayed in the hospital last night. As it was I was fighting that phenergan (makes you WAY sleepy) so that I could stay awake long enough to get in a wheelchair and get home! It would have been so great just to turn off the lights and go to sleep!! They also made me stay until I got down 32 oz of Water and urinated. It took me FOREVER to urinate....3 tries at 20 minutes each...mostly because I kept falling asleep on the toilet!!! It's been 40 hours since I had any solid food -- but I am not TOO hungry. Oh, and these hiccups!! I get 2-3 hiccups after I eat Jello and when I get up from a sitting position. Yeeeoooowww! Hiccups hurt!

Speaking of weight...I weighed myself this morning to a new high 219! 7# overnight!! LOL I'll be glad when it drops off. I don't even know why I stepped on the dang thing...just like looking at a car wreck...just can't help it. Man, Tracy -- you are on a roll, girl! Jenn - I am glad you hear you are not bringing your SCALE with you! Your family would really think you'd gone crazy! LOL I can just see you with a suitcase in one hand and a scale in the other. :pound:

I was just banded yesterday and although my doc didn't have a strict pre-op diet, they did strongly encourage eating low-carb, low-fat. Well, i did fairly well but I did go through the "last meal syndrome" from time to time as well. I had about 30 days pre-op and about 4 of those were spent eating just about everything in sight. 10 of them were eating very strict low-carb and the rest were healthy foods with carbs <100 or so. Just stick around here and you'll be in good hands.

I tend to believe that if you have only just recently experienced this weight gain, but otherwise have been a normal weight your entire life, then this is probably not the answer for you. I believe the guideline is that you need to have been overweight (obese) for 5 years or more. You may benefit more from seeing a therapist for eating disorders first and see if you make any progress in that area. Just my opinion.

I was also doing some reading that came in my post-op literature that said dehydration will cause exhaustion....so that's another thing to try....increasing your fluid intake.

((((SARA))))))!!!! Poor baby! It does sound like you had a much harder time than me...I won't complain anymore! I'm 17 hours post op and feeling pretty gosh-darn human. (Do they say "gosh-darn" in England?) I'm glad you're feeling much better now. Thank God!

I am SO very glad to hear that!!!! Sometimes those tests are just not reliable, or we don't realize how 'overly precautious' they are when the slightest little blip shows up. yes, I'm posting this in the middle of my 1st post-op night. I slept a bajillion hours yesterday and so now I'm not all that tired. I am, however, loaded with hydrocodone so not sure how coherent this post will be! I was banded at about noon yesterday and got home at 9:00p. I'm not sure why I was in there so long except that I couldn't stay awake, nor could I pee -- I feel quite sure both of those things are required before they let you out! LOL I woke up from surgery feeling like I'd been in a major car wreck and my stomach felt like it had sure taken a beating. But they very soon gave me morphine (I think) and I went off into lala land. I honestly don't remember much (this is GOOD) and after I got home I posted, like a good LBT'er should, and went to bed for real FINALLY! I'm able to sleep on my right side and on my back, but nothing else. My low-profile port is placed in the upper center rather than on the side. I still haven't eaten anything except water and popcicles. I'm sure this is way TMI, but I was thinking about all of you yesterday! Now I'm off to see if there's any sign of Sara Mos....

I'm finally home. Can't keep my eyes open & going to bed. Harder than I thought it would be, but tomorrow will be better.

((((Gr8ful Gal))))) Please, please let us know what happens with your visit to the cardiologist. Try not to worry until they tell you it's time to worry. If there is a problem at least you are finding out about it now and that's the important thing. Take care of yourself. I'm off to bed too....but first I'm taking ShineOn's suggestion and getting a warm bubble bath! G'night!

When somebody asked in our seminar about pills, Dr. Spivak said something like "as a general rule, don't swallow anything that won't go through a straw"....so that 'fits' with your eraser analogy, Tracy. That 'visual' has helped me when I've been practicing my chewing, chewing, chewing.

(((((Tracy))))) Thanks so much for always being SO supportive and being our very best cheerleader! :cheer2: You are a doll.