DustyRider

I'm assuming you mean Birmingham in England? If you mean Birmingham in Alabama (USA), check out AWLS - Dr Lee Schmitt at St Vincent's East.

How long before the MD gave you your first fill? I had surgery on Nov 22, and will not get a fill until January 9. I have started regular food, mostly soft. I am finding that I am not satisfied with the 1/2 to 3/4 cup that they want me to eat. I don't think I can make it through another month without regaining everything that I have lost. I had lost 16 lbs, but have gained back 3. I'm just really frustrated right now.

Hope your pain is much improved today!

I was on Nov 22nd. Sent a request on fb

I was also banded on the 22nd. My pain is in getting out of recliner or bed. I am able to walk to the mailbox and back with no real pain, just slightly out of breath (as before). I passed my gas the 'natural' way and had a lot of burping yesterday. So far so good with my surgery, I feel like I'm ahead of the game in my healing and getting back to normal.

I was also banded on 11/22. The area where I believe my port to be (still swollen so hard to tell for sure) is the area that gives me the most pain. Like you, I only hurt when moving around, otherwise I am fine. I have 5 incisions. Did the hospital give you the breathing gadget to use to measure your deep breathing? I used mine the first day and all day yesterday and today I can feel a 100% improvement on how deep I can breathe without pain. I would say that you need to practice deep breathing as much as you can. If you're still in pain tomorrow, call the doctor office just to make sure.

I'm on my 3rd day with my band - still clear liquids for me. I did cheat a slight bit and make some butternut squash soup and strained it through some coffee filters to drink. Felt like I had my own little thanksgiving dinner here at home alone while my family is out celebrating with the extended family. It went down just fine and made me feel a lot better about missing out on the feast. I'm still too sore to ride all the way to the family gathering is why I'm at home alone. (Watching Dexter on showtime)

I was banded two days ago. Have been on clear liquids, and am slowly introducing a bit of other liquids today. I took some watermelon and apple juice and blended it for about 2 minutes. Poured through a strainer and let sit for about 10 minutes. Skimmed off all the 'thickness' that I could get out and am drinking it now. I found that it took MUCH less of this to help me hit full than just clear liquids.

I had my surgery yesterday and I have been burping a LOT. Usually when I move around or shift positions, a huge man burp will come out. I'm hoping that this continues instead of getting the blocked gas, I've had that before with my hysterectomy and it was bad.

Things went just fine, other than a delay in time. Evidently the first surgery of the day had some complications. But I came through it perfectly fine. Thanks all for your words of encouragement. I wrote out a detailed 'report' of sorts on my blog if you would like to read. Tricia

I'm pretty excited this morning and only a teeny bit nervous. Sort of feels like I'm standing on the edge of a high cliff contemplating jumping off to fly or sticking to the ground that I know so well. But let me tell you, I want to FLY! I just wanted to pop by here and tell those of you who are currently jumping through the insurance hoops to be strong. Stay on your path because you CAN make it, as frustrating as it may be at times. Find a Surgeon's office with a GREAT staff and they will help you along the way and make it so much easier for you. The staff at Dr Schmitt's office helped me SO much with getting all the paperwork and testing done. See y'all on the other side!

I am SO happy and excited! My surgeon's office ROCKS! First try with BCBS and it's done. Pre-op visit is Friday and surgery is next Tuesday Nov 22nd!!

Started my 1 week pre-op liquid diet this morning. I made a strawberry Protein Shake for Breakfast and it was like a treat. But here it is almost 3 hours later and my stomach is growling. I get it that the liquids will slide right through the digestive tract, but wasn't expecting to be hungry so quickly with the addition of Protein Powder to the shake. What do/did ya'll do to help with the hunger? Right now I'm sipping on some Gatorade zero, and I am pretty sure that drinking all this 'sweet' tasting stuff will get old quite quickly, and I'll need something a bit more savory or hearty.

Those aren't wrinkles - they are CHARACTER lines earned from living life!

Just finished mine last week. My GP had me seeing a nutritionist and she basically was working on me getting a good balance of food. Lowering the fat/fried, cut out sugar and processed foods. Replace all that with 'whole' foods. It was tough, because I am on the bubble of insurance requirements and if I lost over 15 lbs, no insurance pay! It's over now though, and she did teach me a lot of stuff that I certainly plan to use post op. Good luck!