nikchap79

that's interesting because I had the exact same thing happen about 2 weeks ago. The doctor took about 10 minutes to find the port and kept the needle in as it jabbed and clipped off the port a few times. Very uncomfortable. And since then I've had bloating and stomach pain, quite a bit in mid to lower left side. I haven't felt like it was bad enough to go to the doctor yet, but when I got up this morning I felt like it might be time. I think when the port is hard to get to, that sounds like that is a "normal" process, maybe?

Thank you all for your kind words, it's nice to be able to discuss the pros and cons amongst people that understand the struggle with food. I'm not sure about you all, but I've been a bit hard on myself on a) letting myself get to this point with my weight and not sharing this process with a whole lot of friends and family, due to being afraid of what they might think. Silly, I know, but I do care what others think. But honestly, in the last week, I've decided it doesn't matter what they think, I am doing this for me and for my husband and kids. I want to be around to see them grow up and weight and health issues due to weight run strongly in my family..I'm not going to let it get me! Thankfully, the majority of my friends and family have given nothing great responses. I will certainly continue to post my progress, especially after my 1st fill!

Thank you for the advice! I appreciate it!

Hi there, I'm Nikki! 11/1 Pre Surgery Weight (pre clear liquid diet) - 256 lbs on bp meds 11/16 Surgery Date Weight - 243 lbs 11/19 3 days post surgery - 240 lbs (haven't seen this weight since before my 1st kid 6 years ago!) I had my surgery Wed (11/16). Surgery went great and although I'm still recovering, I'm about 75% back up to power. Pretty amazing. I've had a few discomforts, mainly in my neck and shoulders, which I believe is gas pains. But honestly, it's pretty much resided. The port site is a little tender yet, but all-in-all feeling pretty good. Even made a trip to the grocery to get a blender and non-clear liquids (yay!). Since going on the clear liquid diet 7 days before my surgery, I've lost 16 pounds. Not the best way, but I do already feel better without the extra poundage. I'm super excited and super nervous about my first fill. I travel for my job, so swinging the diet and appointments will be tricky, but I'm in this for the long run! So a little background, I'm from Southern Indiana, farm living. We were always taught to clean our plates.. lick them if you have to. Portion control has always been an issue for me. Growing up, I wasn't necessarily overweight, but "big-boned". Through high school, after getting into a long term relationship, I went from a size 8 to a size 20. After that relationship ended and I was in my early 20's, I dropped back to a size 8. The next upswing was after I was married and pregnant, I was back up to 230 lbs, heavier than ever. Second kiddo took me up to 260 lbs. Although, I've always cared about how I look and tried to maintain some self esteem, I was getting pretty low. Finally, the light bulb flicked on super bright when I miscarried due to super high blood pressure. I'm not sure if the miscarrage was due to my BP or the other way around, but in a bitter sweet way, it really kind of saved me. At that point, I knew my insurance covered the lap band surgery and started check out the options. That was a year ago. I'm looking forward to tracking the progress and getting read about others that are experiencing the same successess and trials that I am. Although I have God, my husband/kids, and awesome friends for support, it's always good to know you're not alone in this!

Hi! I'm 3 days post op and I've started experiencing the same issue. I've brushed my teeth several times and even bought a new tooth brush and tooth paste and it's still rough, especially on the inside of the my bottom teeth. I'm going to keep searching as to why, maybe talk to my dentist...not a fan of that feeling. Did you also have a really bad taste when waking up? More so than just normal morning breath? Glad to see you post..like to think I'm not going crazy! ~Nikki