lifeisjustbeginning2011

I had a small (1-2cm) hernia repaired and it isn't the end of the world. I take my pain meds and make sure I'm hydrated, and I know it will get better. Spend less time worrying about the surgery itself, and focus your energy of getting things ready that will make your recovery more comfortable. The best you can do is have stuff ready (heating pad, etc) and just know that it will get better. It isn't fun, but I'm not crying and miserable, and I'm a HUGE pain wuss. Amy

You know what hit me today? Cravings. I feel a little bit hungry, but I started craving "sick food." You know, the grilled cheese sandwich or buttered toast your mom brought to you when you were sick? Wow....I'm going to miss that. Today I feel better than yesterday. Had gas issues last night and a little this morning, but I'm just making sure to always have some Pepto in my tummy to keep it calm. Getting in an out of bed and on and off the couch are difficult, but today I can do it without assistance. Just remember that everyone recovers at different rates. I haven't had any issues with nausea but my shoulders are pretty tender. But hey, considering I'm only 48 hours post-op, I think I'm lookin' pretty good.

I'm just over 48 hours post-op... water and ice chips sugar free popsicles gatorade g2 (watered down a lot) small amount of sugar free jello today I had a 4 oz chocolate protein shake and i'll have another this afternoon

Hahahah...this morning I fell asleep sitting on the toilet! I figured if I sat there for a while that something would happen. LOL. Whoopsie. I haven't missed a dose of my pain meds yet. Perhaps tomorrow I'll switch over to liquid Tylenol, but I have plenty of the liquid Lortab and I'm in no hurry to get off it. I'm doing a lot of sitting around, no chores or anything though. Just laps around the living room and making sure my meds are all up to date. My shoulders and neck are sore today, but nothing too horrible. Considering it hasn't even been 48 hrs since my surgery, I think things are going well. This morning I had a 4 oz Protein shake (I sipped small amounts of it over 20 minutes) and my tummy seems to be accepting of it. Hope you're feeling better quickly! Just remember - WE DID IT!! Amy

Awwwww I hated posting that picture, but I know people are curious. In another day I can take the gauze off and take a shower, so I'll see what lies beneath the gauze. LOL

I have the same problem. I mixed the pill powder with a few drops of fruit juice and then the tiniest amount of applesauce. The other thing is that 2 of my regular pills are be split, so I just spaced them out today. The nighttime sleepy meds are a killer though...the taste is just horrible. Buuutt you can always have a teenie tiny amount of applesauce to make it a bit less nasty.

I just used a medicine dropper to squirt water or juice in my mouth. It was hard for me to hold the glass, especially when flat in bed. Since fluid intake is so iimportant im really trying hard to grab constant sips. No gulping allowed anymore with the band.

I snapped a couple of photos if you want to check them out. I included a post op picture that shows the four incision locations (but it isn't gross, everything is covered). http://lifeisjustbeginning2011.blogspot.com/

My long winded post about yesterday's surgery! I arrived three hours before my scheduled time. Since I have a history of being a difficult stick, I came an hour earlier. That turned out to be a good idea because getting an IV started was a 45 minute process. Make sure to ask for Lidocain when you get your IV - much less painful I took off all my clothes and got a super fashionable hospital gown and a grown up diaper to wear. Apparently the diaper is standard because many people lose their bladders under anesthesia. I signed all of the consents, the nurse started an antibiotic drip and put some Pepcid in the IV. The only other needed stick was Heparin, which was in my tummy, but not too bad. I also got an anti-nausea patch behind my ear that will stay on for several days. I made it very clear that I did not want a sedative prior to surgery and that I wanted to be the one to move myself onto the OR table, etc. They honored that and in the OR I positioned myself on the table with a pillow under my back, nurse attached the sticky pads for my stats, the circulation cuffs on my leg were hooked up and then I was given some oxygen. There was music playing and the atmosphere was very relaxed (well, minus the gigantic light above me). The nurse was right next to me, and talking my ear telling me what was going on. She told me that the gas was starting and about 5 seconds later, I was out. I remember a tear running down my cheek at that moment, as it really hit me that this was happening. I awoke in recovery and asked for my dad. I pulled up my gown to make sure it wasn't a dream and that I really had the surgery. LOL I rested in recovery for a bit, changed clothes and went home with a pillow covering my belly. I don't remember much about recovery at all. Once home, I got into bed but never fell asleep. I did (and am still doing) many laps inside the house. My dogs think I'm going somewhere and keep following me. Ha!! All in all, it wasn't as bad as I thought. Yes, there is discomfort, but nothing worth crying over. I make sure never to miss a dose of the pain medications (having dad wake me up to take it). I'm spending most of my time in the recliner, but make sure to get up every 30-45 minutes or I get stuff. Walking walking walking is where its at. I took some pictures from yesterday that I'll post I'm so thankful to have the fellow post-oppers here. You guys are a great source of support! Amy

Just a note to let everyone know that yesterday's surgery went just fine. The doc did repair a 1-2 cm hernia, which i hear is very common. The surgery center staff was so helpful and friendly. I'm officially moving over to the July 2011 group in the post op section and I'll post some more information about my surgery. Best wishes to all that are coming up in July Amy

Found a nice way to hydrate. I put crushed ice and some gatorade in a cup and then every 15-30 minutes i cam just squeeze a dropperful into my mouth. This way i make sure i am not gulping and it doesnt spill.

Had a great surg experience. The staff was awesome and i felt at ease! I will post more later but wanted to thank you all for the nice words. My surg started a 12pm and I was out by 3pm and home at 3:30. Im eating ice chips like crazy because my mouth is super dry. No sore throat though. Look forward to hearing from the other 8 peeps from today! Amy

My final post...slept like crap last night and awoke way earlier than I needed to. Oh well. Cheers to new beginnings. See you guys on the other side!! Thinking of all of you that are going before me this morning. <<hugs>>

Nechama L - so glad to hear that things went well for you!! I promise to post as soon as I can tomorrow. Surgery is at 12PM. Amy

My surgery time is 12:00PM (YUCK!) but I arrive at 9:00. I have to get there an hour earlier than most people because of my history with difficult veins. I'll have to leave my place around 8:15 due to the lovely Phoenix traffic. I'm drinking Water like a madwoman - I don't want to be dehydrated at all (temps are over 110 degrees here). I'm going to squeeze that IV bag dry before I leave tomorrow! Best Wishes to everyone! Amy

you should brag - congratulations!!! I loved reading your story, I'm being banded tomorrow. Best wishes for the future!!

The Bariatric Advantage company just sent me a sample pack for free, specially designed for gastric band patients. There were like 6-7 samples. Very nice...can't wait to try them! Definitely give them a buzz and they'll hook you up! Celebrate also sent an excellent sample pack for free as well.

Any pre-oppers, we have a super awesome thread going in the pre-op area. That's where all of the good action is right now. If you haven't found us yet, here is the direct link. Shauna has a running list of everyone who is being banded by their surgery dates Pop over and check it out. http://www.lapbandtalk.com/topic/131097-any-july-2011-banders/

** IMPORTANT NOTE ABOUT ZOFRAN PRESCRIPTIONS ** I just went to pick up my meds in prep for tomorrow's surgery. My insurance rejected it because of the cost ($170) and because the primary use for it is for chemo patients. MAKE SURE if you will be prescribed Zofran that you have an alternate script in case it isn't covered or you will be out of luck! It is a mess of the pharmacy calling the doctor, etc etc. Apparently it is very common for this medication to be rejected by insurance companies. Try to get those scripts ahead of time. One less thing to do. I ended up with suppositories and hopefully that will be enough. On a lighter note, the experience of discussing the prescriptions in the drive thru with my dad as the driver in the car was interesting. The pharm was saying into the speaker, "INSERT ONE RECTALLY" and my dad was trying not to turn red. It was funny. I told him I might need his assistance with that. LOL. I think I can take care of that part, dad.

LMAO! Too funny! I just figured that the group would probably grow quite a bit in the next week or so with more newbies coming in, so we could bring 'em in a we phase out as we have our surgeries and change topics from pre to post op stuff. I plan to post there as soon as I can. I promise I won't write any horror stories! My surgery is at noon (YUCK!!!!) but I have to be there at 9AM. It would have been 10AM, but I have such a difficult history with blood draws and IV's (I've even had them IN MY FEET!!!) that I requested to come earlier so I don't play the "every nurse gets to try to start an IV on her" game. I've so done that before and I'll be nervous enough tomorrow. Luckily, they were accommodating and hopefully we can skip to the person that always gets the vein, rather than try 27 others first. I haven't had any real food in a week, and I'm going to be super bitchy!

After we have our surgeries, I made a place for us to go in the post-op area. Here is the direct link: http://www.lapbandtalk.com/topic/132493-july-2011-bandsters/ I'll still be checking back to cheer on those who still have surgeries coming up.

After we have our surgeries, I made a place for us to go in the post-op area. Here is the direct link: http://www.lapbandtalk.com/topic/132493-july-2011-bandsters/ I'll still be checking back to cheer on those who still have surgeries coming up.

Greetings to all! Here is a place for us to meet up after our surgeries for more specific post-op discussions. Hope to see everyone here!

Thinking of you, Nechama!! Our first brave soul!

Alrighty, folks. I made 7 flavors of sugar free Jello and I'm ready to rock and roll. My dad arrives later today and he'll stay with me for a few days following surgery. I picked up some Pyrex brand glass custard cups with lids, so those will be great as small bowls!! I found them at Walmart.