NewStart95987

I'm 18 and 2 months Post Op... So far I LOVE it and I'm proud of myself for making this life changing decision so young!
P.s I am down 34 pounds

Was banded in June of last year adn immediately had regular cycles, something I have NEVER had. Found out I was pregnant end of August. I see a high risk specialist due to a history of blood clots who said they see many women who have had the band become pregnant quickly after surgery. I'm due any day now. She's my lap band baby, lol.

Got pregnant just months after getting banded. I thought I had the flu! lol, wrong!

Was banded in June of last year adn immediately had regular cycles, something I have NEVER had. Found out I was pregnant end of August. I see a high risk specialist due to a history of blood clots who said they see many women who have had the band become pregnant quickly after surgery. I'm due any day now. She's my lap band baby, lol.

Just a couple hours old! Katelyn is here and was just days away from her induction date but decided to come on her own. She was 6 lbs and 10 oz born at 5:03 a.m on Wednesday morning. She's 20 inches long and so tiny.
She was conceived just after having surgery last year in June. Planning on healing up from labor and getting my first fill sometime in the weeks to come. :-)

Just a couple hours old! Katelyn is here and was just days away from her induction date but decided to come on her own. She was 6 lbs and 10 oz born at 5:03 a.m on Wednesday morning. She's 20 inches long and so tiny.
She was conceived just after having surgery last year in June. Planning on healing up from labor and getting my first fill sometime in the weeks to come. :-)

Just a couple hours old! Katelyn is here and was just days away from her induction date but decided to come on her own. She was 6 lbs and 10 oz born at 5:03 a.m on Wednesday morning. She's 20 inches long and so tiny.
She was conceived just after having surgery last year in June. Planning on healing up from labor and getting my first fill sometime in the weeks to come. :-)

Just a couple hours old! Katelyn is here and was just days away from her induction date but decided to come on her own. She was 6 lbs and 10 oz born at 5:03 a.m on Wednesday morning. She's 20 inches long and so tiny.
She was conceived just after having surgery last year in June. Planning on healing up from labor and getting my first fill sometime in the weeks to come. :-)

Just a couple hours old! Katelyn is here and was just days away from her induction date but decided to come on her own. She was 6 lbs and 10 oz born at 5:03 a.m on Wednesday morning. She's 20 inches long and so tiny.
She was conceived just after having surgery last year in June. Planning on healing up from labor and getting my first fill sometime in the weeks to come. :-)

Another vote for Hernia! It's nothing major and if your like me (didn't know until after surgery that I had one) it was the cause of my acid reflux. I was eating tums like candy and I haven't touched a tums since it was fixed. Please take care of yourself and be careful, if you need a little help, ask don't over do it because your hiding it and cause yourself any extra pain. I needed help getting out of bed and off the toilet the first couple of days.
As for your friend, you need to heal and don't need to pull stitches by exercising
IF you have acid reflux this can be another part of the excuse for you needing the repair, to help prevent a lifetime of taking meds for it.
I was given liquid vicodin and a sleep aid. I was not allowed to drive! You better believe I was taking it every 4 hours like I was allowed. I don't think it really helped with the sleep or pain much but I didn't want to find out. I also had liquid Tylenol on hand but didn't take it.
Have a heating pad handy as I think it really helped with the gas they fill you with. Taking gas meds don't help since it's not in that track of your body but I walked a lot around the house and when I sat, I had the heating pad handy on my shoulders. You will look SUPER bloated.
Best of luck and congrats on taking this step! Welcome to the Band Family :-)

Another vote for Hernia! It's nothing major and if your like me (didn't know until after surgery that I had one) it was the cause of my acid reflux. I was eating tums like candy and I haven't touched a tums since it was fixed. Please take care of yourself and be careful, if you need a little help, ask don't over do it because your hiding it and cause yourself any extra pain. I needed help getting out of bed and off the toilet the first couple of days.
As for your friend, you need to heal and don't need to pull stitches by exercising
IF you have acid reflux this can be another part of the excuse for you needing the repair, to help prevent a lifetime of taking meds for it.
I was given liquid vicodin and a sleep aid. I was not allowed to drive! You better believe I was taking it every 4 hours like I was allowed. I don't think it really helped with the sleep or pain much but I didn't want to find out. I also had liquid Tylenol on hand but didn't take it.
Have a heating pad handy as I think it really helped with the gas they fill you with. Taking gas meds don't help since it's not in that track of your body but I walked a lot around the house and when I sat, I had the heating pad handy on my shoulders. You will look SUPER bloated.
Best of luck and congrats on taking this step! Welcome to the Band Family :-)

Another vote for Hernia! It's nothing major and if your like me (didn't know until after surgery that I had one) it was the cause of my acid reflux. I was eating tums like candy and I haven't touched a tums since it was fixed. Please take care of yourself and be careful, if you need a little help, ask don't over do it because your hiding it and cause yourself any extra pain. I needed help getting out of bed and off the toilet the first couple of days.
As for your friend, you need to heal and don't need to pull stitches by exercising
IF you have acid reflux this can be another part of the excuse for you needing the repair, to help prevent a lifetime of taking meds for it.
I was given liquid vicodin and a sleep aid. I was not allowed to drive! You better believe I was taking it every 4 hours like I was allowed. I don't think it really helped with the sleep or pain much but I didn't want to find out. I also had liquid Tylenol on hand but didn't take it.
Have a heating pad handy as I think it really helped with the gas they fill you with. Taking gas meds don't help since it's not in that track of your body but I walked a lot around the house and when I sat, I had the heating pad handy on my shoulders. You will look SUPER bloated.
Best of luck and congrats on taking this step! Welcome to the Band Family :-)

I had to share this because I thought it was pretty funny...
So I'm now down over 44 pounds and I haven't replaced any of my clothes yet. I'm holding out until 50 pounds then I'll pick up a couple things. Meanwhile, I'm very aware of how big my clothes are currently fitting me, including under garments.
Tonight I was in Walmart with my son, daughter, and her boyfriend. It was rather crowded and I was pushing a very full cart of food. As always, I had my cell phone in my pocket. I am wearing cotton pants with an elastic waist, however, apparently the elastic isn't helping because I realized halfway through the store my pants kept sliding down my hips with every step. So I take the cell phone out of my pocket to stop the pulling, and I think all is fine.
Well apparently my underwear are too big now, too. As I walked, I could feel them slipping down my hips. I kept putting my hands in my pockets trying to discreetly hike them back up, but eventually they'd slipped too low and it was a lost cause. I was stuck walking through Walmart with my undies nowhere near the parts they are meant to protect.
By the time I got to my car, the waist band of my underwear was literally under my bottom, hanging out around my thighs, only being kept on at all by the crotch of my pants!! The kids and I all had a good laugh!

I don't know if this is necessarily right but if I don't start gagging and if it doesn't come up on its own then I take a nice big swig of Water. It'll either force it down or force it up.

Congrats! I just found out today i'm pregnant! About 8 weeks! I had no clue! I was banded in July so i was wondering the same things! Best of luck

Best of luck and welcome! Load up on broth, take care of yourself, don't over do it while recovering and wear some comfy clothing. My surgeon found a hernia while operating and fixed it. When I went back to work, I had a bra with no under wire that saved my life! Please take it easy and enjoy your down time. Go through the forums and get familiar with others experiences, their advice certainly helped me and put my mind at ease about things.
If your having gas pain, invest in a heating pad if you don't have one. Having someone handy to run your shoulders will certainly help and walk your butt off!
Keep us posted :-)

I got pregnant 9 months after being banded (twice, miscarried one the first pregnancy), my clinic defilled me, I gave birth to my healthy baby boy. Right after I gave birth I flew straight to my surgeon he did a flouro made sure everything was fine then I had a fill and the baby weight just melted away. Good luck ladies with your babies. My band baby will be turning 4 next month.

SOooo... the recovery to surgery has been TOUGH and today I found out why it seems I have been sicker than most people have said they have been. I mean 4 weeks post op most people are excercising and feeling nearly back to normal right? Well I havnt. I have had constant nausea... feel so weak and so tired and have no energy at all, cant stomach much of anything and my gag reflex is super sensitive now.... so I went to see my surgeon today thinking maybe i had a slip.. They did an upper GI and said my band looks perfect. Said maybe its my gal bladder, then jokingly said "or maybe your pregnant."
Being that I have tried to get pregnant for the last 15 years and underwent fertility treatments for nearly 8 years off and on, and adopted my son, I start to obsess about the thoughts of being pregnant when someone says something like that. So to stop the insanity in my brain I take a test to prove its negative and get my brain back to reality. So today thats what I did... took 4 test actualy... because one after another they all said POSITIVE! I am in complete and total shock. Based on my cycle this puts be between 6 and 8 weeks pregnant.. which means i was pregnant before surgery! I know they tested me so how is this possible? Havnt been up to much "action" since surgery so pretty positive it was before... I never would have dreamed this is even possible. I gave up on that dream years ago after I adopted my son. But 4 test cant all be wrong can they???
So from what I read its of course not in my best interest to be pregnant now that Ive just been banded, but who am I to argue with a God who has performed a COMPLETE MIRACLE??? I of course have concerns and plan to talk to my surgeon and see my OBGYM ASAP, but figured it should wait till morning... Guess that explains why I have felt so sick.....
Anyways, anyone else heard of such craziness?????

My tummy sounds like it is FURIOUS sometimes. It's embarrassing when it sounds like it's noises coming from my rear when it's my tummy.

Were all put on FLINTSTONE Vitamins WITH CHOLINE. I have had substitutes, that say their equal. But NO Way !
look up the choline, and see what your getting. Almost 5 yrs. on them, and be on them for ever.
Their in the orange box. Get a coupon from the Website and try them.
When I am Hungry, I take 4 of them out and chew them. It takes away the Hunger too.

Get out the machete girl-you don't want the doctors to be distracted during the surgery!! LOL

My day:
I was at the hospital by 8:30am. Blood was drawn, urine collected, and I was taken to a room. The bed was comfy I was given a gown to put on which was HUGE (compared to "normal" hospital gowns). Not gonna lie - I totally loved that. My rear was not left hanging in the wind!
Let's see, what next? Ah yes. The nurse verified information with me, connected me to an IV, and put those air compressor things on my legs (they felt yummy!). I was also given a shot of heparin (it burns!) to prevent blood clots. My anesthesiologist was the first doctor to visit me. Very nice guy! He told me the plan and made sure to answer any questions. Then my doctor dropped by. He also answered my questions and lent a LOT of reassurance. Oh yeah... my dad was with me the entire day. I have a very supportive and loving dad
I was allowed to go to the bathroom (yay). Then, I was given a scrub cap (hope I was rockin' that style) and wheeled out to the OR. Next thing I know, a mask was put on my face and the anesthesiologist told me to take deep breaths. At this point it was just oxygen, he said. Then he connected another tube to it and said, "Okay, just breathe in and goodnight!"
"Goodnight?" I thought to myself. Then I was OUT.
So here's the embarrassing part for me. Next thing I know, I woke up CRYING my eyes/heart out. Did that happen to anyone? I was SOBBING
I'm pretty sure I freaked out the nurses. I heard one say, "Do you think she's in pain? I just gave her a dose of [some powerful pain med]." Then someone else, a guy, said, "No... I think it's just emotional crying. Listen to the intonation of her cries."

Well, he was right anyway. I woke up thinking "ARE YOU SERIOUS? DID I JUST DO THIS?"
Anyway. Fast forward a bit... I'm in the recovery room and sleeping like crazy. Everyone was kind to me. I kept hearing them ask me to open my eyes and say something. That I needed to get up and walk around. In my mind I was like, "Go awayyyyy, I want to sleep!" I never answered them. Apparently the pain meds REALLY knocked me out.
Two hours later, they finally MADE me get up and walk. I'm glad they did because it started to ease the painful gas trapped inside. I did a bit more of that, was given some medicine-cup fulls of liquids and, a few hours later, allowed to be discharged. Slept the whole way home (40 miles) thankfully!
And that was my day.... Any other people wake up crying their hearts out?
Yeah. I NEVER want to have surgery again

Hi there! I have a high BMI and am getting banded tomorrow morning. I didn't have a liquid diet, I had a goal. I was told to lose 20 lbs. They would THEN schedule surgery. I did this with a high Protein, low carb diet. It's very possible to do and I am a picky eater and did NOT want to live on salad. I ended up losing 23 lbs and was able to get my date. Guess what, I did VERY little exercise so adding that will speed up the process. Here's some foods I ate and some ideas:


cheese sliced from a chunk (This is usually lower in fat than the string cheese but the string cheese was an alternative to convenience)
* String Cheese
* Cottage cheese (I would add garlic salt and some pepper, you can add fruit but keep in mind that fruit can have a high sugar content, especially if it's not fresh and has been sitting in Syrup or juice
* Cream Cheese (I would smear some on a piece of lunch meat and wrap it up. Make lettuce wraps with lunch meat and cheese!) You can even have sour cream!

*eggs, I usually made an omelet with ham and cheese or had them scrambled.

Meat- for dinner if I wasn't into a salad I would do the following:

* Bake or BBQ chicken breast. My favorite was adding just a little virgin oil or spraying some Pam in a skillet and adding the breast with some Mrs. Dash. If your feeling crazy, I would mix a little mayo with some hot sauce and lightly spread that on, it was AWESOME! Stay away from BBQ sauce! Even ketchup was something I avoided all together.
* Bacon, Not the leanest but it was a treat and I enjoyed it with my eggs on occasion!
* Beef, I would make a roast in my crock pot and add carrots, onion, garlic and celery. It's great by itself.
* Ground beef, I would throw some in a skillet with garlic and drain the grease. You can also make a meatloaf and add veggies to it.
* Ground Turkey, Bariatriceating.com has an amazing recipe for turkey strognoff meatballs. I made them on Easter and they were a hit! You can also just throw this in a skillet and get creative as well. Make a lettuce taco, add Tomato, sour cream, onion!

drinks
*Crystal light became my best friend! You can even freeze some and make Popsicles. Refrain from using juice because of the carbs and sugar content. These come out more like ice cubes and are hard to bite BUT it keep the hand to mouth going and lasted longer so I felt like I had more going into my body.

*Protein Drinks were a big help and my Breakfast on the go! I use Hydro whey from GNC in chocolate. It's 30 grams of Protein, 2 carbs and no sugar. It tastes REALLY good in milk. I would even add some instant coffee crystals and it would taste just like a cold mocha! Let it sit in the fridge for a couple minutes to let the coffee crystals dissolve. You can buy some through GNC and if you don't like it, take it back for a FULL refund. Can't beat that!



Work

I work in an office with no break room or kitchen so the fridge and microwave was my friend. I also cut up summer sausage and would eat that with my cheese slices or my lunch meat wraps. An extra Protein Drink is essential for when you get a hunger kick. I always keep a variety of Crystal Light flavors in my desk. Raw Almonds or nuts would help with a crunch as well as Pork rinds. Yep, pork rinds! I didn't want to kill everything I had been doing because I wanted chips, I wanted the crunch! They sell plain, BBQ, spicy and a variety of other flavors! No carbs in pork rinds and they have protein. Not something that will fill you up but will satisfy your need for a crunch!


I DID NOT eat any of the Fiber bars, Protein Bars or anything like that. I was VERY strict with my carb intake and kept it a minimum! A lot of those still have a nice chunk of carbs. My Mom thought she was doing well with watching her intake until I pointed out the 20 something carbs per bar she was eating. I was having less than 20 carbs a day, let alone in one bar!

Everyone is different and it's all a matter of getting creative! If you throw in some exercise, you will be in GREAT shape. Don't get frustrated with the scale. I would hit a plateau and get so upset, only to drop a couple pounds more the next week. You can do it!
P.S. I was NEVER hungry and always allowed myself something to eat if I was. You do not have to starve. I am in fact glad things were done this way and I didn't have to deal with the liquid diet before. I will be on enough liquids after and since I'm working, even today, day before banding, I was afraid of being weak. Not the case and am glad things worked out the way they did!

Hi there! I have a high BMI and am getting banded tomorrow morning. I didn't have a liquid diet, I had a goal. I was told to lose 20 lbs. They would THEN schedule surgery. I did this with a high Protein, low carb diet. It's very possible to do and I am a picky eater and did NOT want to live on salad. I ended up losing 23 lbs and was able to get my date. Guess what, I did VERY little exercise so adding that will speed up the process. Here's some foods I ate and some ideas:


cheese sliced from a chunk (This is usually lower in fat than the string cheese but the string cheese was an alternative to convenience)
* String Cheese
* Cottage cheese (I would add garlic salt and some pepper, you can add fruit but keep in mind that fruit can have a high sugar content, especially if it's not fresh and has been sitting in Syrup or juice
* Cream Cheese (I would smear some on a piece of lunch meat and wrap it up. Make lettuce wraps with lunch meat and cheese!) You can even have sour cream!

*eggs, I usually made an omelet with ham and cheese or had them scrambled.

Meat- for dinner if I wasn't into a salad I would do the following:

* Bake or BBQ chicken breast. My favorite was adding just a little virgin oil or spraying some Pam in a skillet and adding the breast with some Mrs. Dash. If your feeling crazy, I would mix a little mayo with some hot sauce and lightly spread that on, it was AWESOME! Stay away from BBQ sauce! Even ketchup was something I avoided all together.
* Bacon, Not the leanest but it was a treat and I enjoyed it with my eggs on occasion!
* Beef, I would make a roast in my crock pot and add carrots, onion, garlic and celery. It's great by itself.
* Ground beef, I would throw some in a skillet with garlic and drain the grease. You can also make a meatloaf and add veggies to it.
* Ground Turkey, Bariatriceating.com has an amazing recipe for turkey strognoff meatballs. I made them on Easter and they were a hit! You can also just throw this in a skillet and get creative as well. Make a lettuce taco, add Tomato, sour cream, onion!

drinks
*Crystal light became my best friend! You can even freeze some and make Popsicles. Refrain from using juice because of the carbs and sugar content. These come out more like ice cubes and are hard to bite BUT it keep the hand to mouth going and lasted longer so I felt like I had more going into my body.

*Protein Drinks were a big help and my Breakfast on the go! I use Hydro whey from GNC in chocolate. It's 30 grams of Protein, 2 carbs and no sugar. It tastes REALLY good in milk. I would even add some instant coffee crystals and it would taste just like a cold mocha! Let it sit in the fridge for a couple minutes to let the coffee crystals dissolve. You can buy some through GNC and if you don't like it, take it back for a FULL refund. Can't beat that!



Work

I work in an office with no break room or kitchen so the fridge and microwave was my friend. I also cut up summer sausage and would eat that with my cheese slices or my lunch meat wraps. An extra Protein Drink is essential for when you get a hunger kick. I always keep a variety of Crystal Light flavors in my desk. Raw Almonds or nuts would help with a crunch as well as Pork rinds. Yep, pork rinds! I didn't want to kill everything I had been doing because I wanted chips, I wanted the crunch! They sell plain, BBQ, spicy and a variety of other flavors! No carbs in pork rinds and they have protein. Not something that will fill you up but will satisfy your need for a crunch!


I DID NOT eat any of the Fiber bars, Protein Bars or anything like that. I was VERY strict with my carb intake and kept it a minimum! A lot of those still have a nice chunk of carbs. My Mom thought she was doing well with watching her intake until I pointed out the 20 something carbs per bar she was eating. I was having less than 20 carbs a day, let alone in one bar!

Everyone is different and it's all a matter of getting creative! If you throw in some exercise, you will be in GREAT shape. Don't get frustrated with the scale. I would hit a plateau and get so upset, only to drop a couple pounds more the next week. You can do it!
P.S. I was NEVER hungry and always allowed myself something to eat if I was. You do not have to starve. I am in fact glad things were done this way and I didn't have to deal with the liquid diet before. I will be on enough liquids after and since I'm working, even today, day before banding, I was afraid of being weak. Not the case and am glad things worked out the way they did!

I was banded on Thursday, I'm 4 days out and am so glad I did it. I had so much anxiety before surgery that I was freaking myself out. It didn't matter what anyone said, I was a wreck! I was actually pretty calm while they were prepping me and was ready to get going. Before I knew it, my husband left my side, I was dizzy (meds started), had a short bed ride to the OR and moved over to another bed. I was out before I knew it and awoke to a mans voice. It was that quick! I won't lie, the gas pain has been the worst! BUT lots of walking, heating pad, massages and taking it easy helps. Day 3, I felt like a person again, had all my color back and was finally able to understand what I had been through and how happy I am going to be.

There isn't anything anyone can say to stop you from worrying or to take the anxiety away. Just know that so many others have been through it and know exactly how you feel. You're not the first or the last and it's normal to be anxious. Good luck! You'll do fine. Follow your drs. rules and read the forums which can offer a lot of insight and advice. Keep us updated :-)