Shannon28

I had my surgery Monday and I wasn't too hungry at all until today. I was very bloated so I guess thats why. I know what you mean by the "empty" feeling. I didn't really feel like eating for the first two days but woke up extremely hungry and ready to eat today. Congrats on being banded and I wish you lots of luck!

I'm a stay at home mom so I can't help you with the job thing but I do have a 1 year old and 3 year old BOYS that are extremely rough. I'm not allowed to pick them (or anything over 10 pounds) up for a month. I'm only 3 days post op and I can tell you it is rough... at least for me. My 1 year old doesn't understand that I can't hold him and it's emotionally tearing me up. My mom is helping but there are times she doesn't catch him in time and he's trying to climb up on me. I'm not able to bend over to give them a bath or even change my 1 yr olds diaper so my mom has been doing all of that. The pain isn't terrible or anything but the port site is sore and feels really tight if I bend or twist. It has gotten a lot better since yesterday and hoping for even better tomorrow! I would take a week off and even more depending on how your pain is.

My doctor said I could sleep on my stomach as soon as I was comfortable enough with it. I had surgery on the 16th so I was trying to sleep on my back but I woke up this morning laying on my stomach. My port site was a little sore after that but it's fine now.

Thank You everyone! I'm definitely trying to get as close to 64oz as I can. I noticed if I rub my chest when I get that pain it helps out quite a bit, don't know if it's "actually" helping or if its in my head but whatever works lol

I've been taking tiny sips but I guess it could still be from being swollen. It's not as bad as yesterday but it's still annoying. It hurts sometimes without even drinking anything, it almost feels like a burp is trying to come up but gets stuck halfways.

I had my surgery on Monday April 16th. Yesterday I felt the worst because I was so bloated and the port site was extremely sore. Today I woke up so much better, actually was hungry, been getting in more fluids,etc. But I still have a nagging pain that comes and goes in the middle of my chest. It feels like a stuck burp. I noticed it's mostly after swallowing my liquids. It doesn't hurt right as I swallow but it hurts a few seconds after swallowing. Is this gas pain? It's not an unbearable pain, it's just annoying.

I had my surgery yesterday and I'm a little hungry. I have the clear liquids all this week and they won't let me have protein shakes until next week. The nurse told me there is a clear liquid protein drink at GNC but she couldn't remember the name so I think I may get the hubby to stop by there tomorrow to see if he can find it. Hang in there, this is pretty rough but will be rewarding. : )

Today is my second day too. My throat isn't sore but it is very dry and sounds scratchy. Should clear up soon though

Thank you everyone! I've been doing pretty good today with sipping, I make sure to take tiny sips and drink slowly. This is all very new and will take some time but I'm looking forward to the results.

Thank you! I'm really surprised how great it's going, I just hope I don't wake up in extreme pain tomorrow lol. My mouth is so dry I've been constantly drinking Water and gatorade. I'm going to have broth for dinner. YUM lol

It wasn't bad at all. I went in scared of the pain but after I woke up I was pleasantly surprised on how little pain I had. I haven't had any pain medicine yet and hoping not to even need it at all. I had my surgery at 7:30 this morning and they let me go a little after 11 am. Which I'm glad because I can rest better at home lol. I hope yours goes as smoothly as mine also and I wish you lots of luck and success!

Well, i'm finally banded and I have to say it's not near as painful as I thought it would be. I do have some gas pain but it comes and goes and is never too bad. I'm on clear liquids for a week but I have a question about how much you are supposed to drink in one sip. I'm scared of making too big of a sip so I've just been swallowing about a half of a teaspoon at a time. I know it doesn't sound like much but I am making sure Im getting a lot of fluids in. What is a "safe" amount to swallow at a time?

At mine they just took me back into a room and described what they were going to do, asked a little medical history, asked if I had any concerns,etc. Then they made me change into a gown and took me into the room for the x-rays. I stood on the table (that lays back) and they made me drink a very fizzy drink, kind of tasted like Alka-seltzer. They said to try to drink it fast in one gulp. After that they handed me a styrofoam cup full of the barium. They told me when to take sips while they watched it on the screen. After that cup they laid the table down and made me lay on my side and drink from another cup, then had me move around a little more. It lasted only about 5-8 minutes and wasn't bad at all. The barium is a little thick but wasn't near as bad tasting as I thought. I was told to drink plenty of fluids that day to get rid of the barium in me because it can get you a little constipated. But not really a bad appointment at all. I've never had to do that before so I was stressing out but once I actually went and did it it was nothing at all.

I'm on the same diet and I know it's so hard. I can't stand the taste of Protein Shakes so I've been having a very hard time with those. My surgery is on Monday so it's seems like this time has flown by pretty quick for me. The first few days were rough for me though and I hate to admit it but I did cheat on my diet some (being honest). I felt sooo bad for cheating and told myself I've got to stick to this if I want to succeed and since then I've done great with the diet. I lost 4 pounds just in the past two days alone. I drink A LOT of water to help with my hunger, I usually add lemon juice to change it up a little lol. I was told I could add fruit or nuts to my protein shakes and it helps a little. Just hang in there and try to stick to the diet because it's rewarding in the end. I wish you lots of luck and success!

My insurance told me that I wouldn't know anything for at least 30 days. But I called them 14 days later and I was already approved, they said I was approved 7 days after it was turned in. So I would just call them once a week or so to see if they have any updates. I know they say it takes a certain amount of days but if I didn't call I probably would have waited that full 30 days.

Congrats! Your long wait will be worth it

Paper work has been officially turned in finally! Now I have to wait to see if I get approved

Oh man, I really hope its not going to take that long. Sorry it took so long for you, thats ridiculous! When we were done with my psych evaluation she said she would start writing it up then. I don't really know who is at fault in my case, she may or may not have turned in the report by now but Im more angry at the weight management place for their lack in communication. And it only seems like they start doing what is needed only after being asked about it.

Thank you Elizabeth! I'm glad yours was processed quickly, hopefully when mine is submitted it won't be a very long wait. I've been told our insurance isn't as strict as most insurances but I still worry about not getting approved. I started everything back in September and was told I could probably have the surgery in October of 2011 but some financial things came up and I had to wait until January to proceed. I hate having to wait and not knowing if they are doing everything they are supposed to without being asked. They only called the psychologist to ask for her report AFTER we called them, so it makes me wonder how long they would have waited to get that. This has probably been the most stressful thing I have ever done and I can't wait to get it over with.

Thank you for your reply. It is extremely frustrating! I was trying to keep my cool about it but since for some reason they never answer their phone and for some reason are extremely slow about getting my papers out... I've lost my cool lol. And if they turned my papers in this week, and I add up the insurance approval wait (30 days)... then the 2 week pre-op diet, well it falls right on the same week as my wedding anniversary and my birthday lol. Thats going to be a super hard week for me if thats when they schedule it but I would never postpone it any longer. I'm trying not to stress too much about it but the wait is sooo hard right now.

I finished everything I needed to do on February 7th. I called my insurance company on the 15th to see if they got the papers and they told me they haven't received anything. I then called the weight management to see why they haven't turned in my papers and they said they were waiting on the psychologist to turn in her report. They then tried calling her but she left early that day. They said they would try again later but it would be at LEAST Monday (Feb. 20th) before they get to turn in the papers. Well, I tried to call them today and no one answered and no one called me back after leaving a message. They are extremely hard to get a hold of, and I feel like I'm being neglected. I had no idea it would take this long just to turn the papers into insurance. Am I just being impatient? Does it take that long to just turn them in? If I were just waiting on the insurance approval I would be okay with that wait BUT it hasn't even been turned in yet!

Thank you! That gives me a lot of hope! My BMI is pretty high (51.5) but I don't have any major health issues so far. I think I will give them a call tomorrow and see if they know anything yet. Congrats on getting approved, I hope your journey goes along smoothly!

I'm waiting for my approval also. I don't have diabetes or high blood pressure either so I do have that worry of not being approved. Our insurance isn't very strict on terms of having to be on a 6 month diet or anything like that but I do still worry. I finished everything I needed to do last week so I'm waiting on the insurance, they said it could take 4-6 weeks. To me, waiting is the hardest part. Good luck, I hope you get approved quickly!

1. I want to be able to play with my kids without feeling like I'm dying. 2. I would love to go on fun dates with my hubby where I can actually do active things instead of just watching a movie because there's no walking involved. 3. Going to the doctor for certain things and NOT being told thats it because of my weight would be nice... I swear I go in with a cold and I'm told it's because I'm overweight lol 4.My biggest goal is to live a long life with my wonderful family!

Thanks for the replies everyone! I was completely scared about having this done but hearing from everyones experiences makes me feel a whole lot better. I talked to them this morning over the phone when they called to remind me of my appointment and it is the barium drink. Although I'm not looking forward to swallowing the barium I do feel a lot less stressed about it. All of this is so new to me, I've never had to have any type of tests done other than the occasional blood test and the gross diabetes drink test lol. And to Meredith , thank you very much for telling me about drinking a lot of water, I will definitely do that.Thank you very much everyone and I hope to be able to answer some of these questions to others one day!