leatha_g

Yep. I bet you have some paperwork somewhere that lays out your diet for the next few weeks. So glad all is well and you are home and resting. Be sure to walk, walk, walk, drink, drink, drink and walk some more. Let us know how it's going for you!

Who said you can't take pills? I take 4 every night with my dinner. In some situations, if you become too restricted, you may have a problem with pills, but generally speaking, you should be able to take most per normal. I would be a bit afraid of very large pills, such as herbal supplements, etc. But, if you have no problem with the ones you take, you should not have to change your prescriptions. Again, on some occasions, you can become too restricted to swallow some capsules or tablets, so you may have to resort to crushing or breaking in half or opening the capsule, but this is not a requirement if you're not having any problems. Most importantly, you DO NOT want something like these medications sitting for long periods in your upper pouch due to irritation/possible erosion of the stomach lining. Immediately following your initial surgery - you may have to temporarily make some changes to your regimen, due to swelling of the esophagus and upper stomach.

Ya'll are so sweet. I'm in St Louis, but I know I have some at home waiting for me too! Tomorrow I'll get to see. Thank you Becky!!

Hmm.. sounds some of your folks may be kin to some of my folks... my story is so outrageous I could make millions on a book. Problem with that is that they'd say it was all fiction....

I have heard that there may be clinics put in place across the country like this. Are these in place already then?

I have systemic lupus and have met others banded who have it also. The band is not liquid silicone like that in breast plants. There should be no 'leakage', which is what caused those syndromes in past patients. This is not to say that something Can't happen, but so far, I'm a helluva lot better off WITH the band and lupus, than WITHOUT.

I have had several clots in both legs and one in my lung. I can tell you that there was never any red 'spot'. lol. There was definitely a red 'area' below where my 'superficial' clots was. The real dangerous clot in the major artery NEVER had any red spot, but it sure did swell to where I couldn't bend it enough to put my own shoe on. If you had a clot in one leg, you would notice severe 'unilateral' swelling - which means one-sided, not both. But, please, please, please let me warn you of sitting for hours on end at your computer/desk etc. You need to move far more often than every so many hours. You need to move at least every 20 minutes or so. Do not be sitting on your legs bent up under you. Do not be sitting straight up bent at the groin for hours on end. DO put your feet up if you are going to be lying on the couch. DO flex your feet as often as you think about it, if you are not going to be walking. Most likely, that initial recovery period is the most dangerous, but it is not by any means the 'only' time you can develop a clot. Those airplane rides back from Mexico? Probably your most vulnerable period. Flying + recent surgery?? Wow.... I've heard of some docs prescribing Lovenox for the first few days. Seems like even a chewable baby aspirin would be a helpful precaution, however, we're not hearing many/if any reports of blood clots after gastric banding at all. That's a good thing!

Thanks for the update, Penni. I hope your mom will continue to do well. I understand about the sister too . I have one I have to 'turn over' to God often. I understand the worry about your mom. I'm sure you can breathe a bit easier now. Merry Christmas!

You are not crazy, but I am wondering how much research you did before you were banded. The reason why? Because it is way common to see this reaction on most ALL message boards. Somehow, in all that everyone has learned, they miss all the posts about people suddenly beginning to heal and finding that they have no restriction and are HUNGRY. Hmm..... . Yes. It's very normal. The first 6 weeks is strictly for healing. Very very few docs put any saline in the band until at least 6 weeks post-op. In the meantime, the swelling goes down, the hunger returns and people ask 'is this normal?' or 'am I going to be the only one this doesn't work for?'. Hmm..... sound familiar? Any weight loss in the pre-fill stage is purely bonus. This time and all the liquid/mushy diet is meant solely for healing. So that your band can settle or anchor itself in scar tissue without having to churn or grind to digest hard foods. Now, once you get your first fill; even this may not give you lots of restriction. Sometimes, it' takes up to 3 or 4 fills to find that spot which allows you to lose the most weight. Also, the band is placed high up on the top end of the stomach, righ below your esophagus, so yes, your restriction is not really gonna be felt in your tummy at all, you may feel 'full' up into your esophagus. This is perfectly normal. You will never again feel that 'Thanksgiving' 'Tummy' full UNLESS you are eating soft foods 'around' the band. Everything will be much higher from here on out. Relax. Take a few deep breaths. Read some of the new post op posts and replies so that you'll know everything possible about what to expect. You're doing fine! Also, if I remember correctly, you have a very low BMI. If I am right about that, you can almost certainly NOT count on losing massive weight at a quick pace. Lower BMI's just will not have that kind of results with any weight loss. Be patient, walk, walk, walk, Water, water, water and Protein, protein, protein. All is well.

As long as you get up and walk, walk, walk and you have no prior clotting issues, you should be fine. This is not to say that some could NOT happen, it's just to say that it's not as likely with this surgery IF you do your part in helping to prevent them.

your port incision will be the one that hurts the most.

Babs, I'm really sorry things seem so tough all at once. Could your son go to a school closer to home? I'm with Zoe, some folks simply don't have the chemicals in their brains to fight the depression. If you were a diabetic, would you have a problem with insulin? All I know is if it were not for anti-depressants, I may not be alive today. I'm certain that if I were alive, I certainly would not be where I am today. The stigma attached to them is totally unwarranted. There is great strength in admitting and addressing our weakness. I really hope things turn around for you soon! Leatha

Good luck to you!! Please let us know how you are doing when you feel up to it!

YAY Pat!!! You sound like you're doing well! Welcome Home!!

Good post, Steve. I eat out quite alot and let me just tell you that I am not always 'good'. It's hard when those around you are having appetizers, then full course meals, THEN Desserts. I have gotten to where I do simply order an appetizer like crabcakes as my entree. Problem with this is that I lack vegetables alot. I'm trying to focus on bringing them back into my diet however, even it means drinking a V8 per day. I have some standby's, like the crabcakes, salmon cakes, etc that I order most all the time. Or sometimes, I'll share an entree with someone, just taking a bit of their meat, such as chicken marsala. It's been 18 months and I've just learned to try to focus on the visiting and enjoying of the people I'm with instead of gorging myself with food the whole time. I've also had to try to learn to keep my eyes on my own plate as watching others gorge can become rather disgusting after awhile. I also remember that if that were me, I'd certainly not appreciate someone telling me it was the wrong thing to do, so best I just focus on my own plate. lol. French Onion Soup is another decent thing to order. It has more Protein in it than we would think and it's definitely filling. Or, if you can still have salads, there are many great ones these days. Just remember some of the dressings UN-do any good that we've done weight-wise. Either way, you're right, it can be tough, but I have learned I'll be okay just playing with my food long enough to finish the meal and enjoy the reason I'm there. Good luck!

Penni, you're lookin marvelous! I love the new haircut too! Way to go!

The only sign that I have heard of from bandsters who've had erosion is simply not being able to get ANY restriction. This does NOT mean that new bandsters who have not yet reached a level of restriction have erosion, this means if a person has had restriction in the past and suddenly is unable to get any restriction whatsoever - normally they go for fills, get no restriction, go for another fill, get no restriction, so on and so on. There is no acute pain, no acute signs from what I can tell - only the inability to get restriction. This is because the band has migrated inside the stomach wall, so no matter how full you fill it, it is not constricting the outer stomach any longer. I am sure Donali or someone else who has first hand experience might be able to tell you something different, but this is what I have been told to date. Hope this helps..

I take 4 pills every night NOW. However, I have been restricted so tight that I was unable to swallow water, much less pills, so I had to ask the pharmacist for a liquid alternative. The taste was utterly horrid. Otherwise, if you can't swallow them, you can crush them and hide them in yogurt or pudding etc. However, if you have capsules, you need to make sure they are not time released and it's okay to open them. Otherwise, your pharmacist may be able to suggest an alternative.

I don't have that issue anymore, thank goodness, but it's true that your restriction will become much tighter. Do you think it might behoove you to put it off a week or so?

My left/mid abdomen port was rather uncomfortable for quite a long time when I was first banded. Especially if I tried to wear jeans or any type of clothing with a true waistband. Sitting for long hours made it hurt as well. Abdominal exercises were pretty much out of the picture then too. As I have lost weight, it has migrated more toward the center and is much more comfortable now. I really think the biggest part of the first year it was a headache, but it does get better, I promise!

lol. oh lordy... tell Greg howdy for all of us! Speaking of bodily functions.. I was having my eyebrows and such waxed yesterday and the poor lady doing it had to endure the loudest bunch of stomach noises ever. We both had a good laugh cause it just wouldn't stop. I had eaten Raisin Bran nearly 2 hrs earlier but boy, my tummy was having a party down there digesting it!

Here's wishing you a safe and uneventful surgery and a really speedy recovery! Please let us know how it went once you feel up to it!

xxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxx

Are you walking alot? Seriously, walking is the best thing to work out the soreness. Getting up and down as much as possible. Dressing made me feel 100% better, in addition to showering and putting on makeup etc. It always does. I hope you get to feeling better soon!

Great job! You look fabulous! Where's the 'before'??