gottobeme

No fill needed today...YAY! I do eat toasted bread now. There is a local bread called Natural Ovens made in Manitowoc WI. They have a carb conscious bread that I use. I also eat reduced fat triscuts, wheat thins and pretzels. I make sure I chew them well and have not had any problems with them.

Good Luck Marlene! I think the best thing you can do after removal is to continue to eat as healthy as possible. Whether you decide to have another band placed or go without it will help. I lost 70 lbs on my 6+ month pre op before I was banded and feel that was part of why I had such an easy recovery. I know an infection can happen no matter what and there was nothing you could have done to prevent it. If you have another one placed I hope your next recovery is smooth sailing!!!

I'm thinking I may not need a fill when I go in tomorrow, actually I'm hoping not to have one. I am losing weight, satisfied with smaller portions and not getting hungry for about 4 hours after I eat. I'm not sure if my portion size should be smaller but since I am losing weight my feeling is why mess with it? I'm afraid I may start having "stuck" episodes if I go tighter at this time. I'll let you all know what happens after my appointment. Teri

I'm doing good. Trying to only weigh myself once or twice a week. It's not about the number on the scale, it's about how I feel...at least for now!

BTW ... I am a little over 9 weeks out and have an appointment with the PA on Thursday (Friday will be 10 weeks). I'm not sure I will need a fill and have not yet had one.

There really is no "standard" of care for us. Doctors base things on their own research/results. It is good to ask questions and as helpful as this site can be there is no substitute for your doctors care and knowledge. Ask him to explain his reasoning behind his decisions. Most likely it is based on what has worked well in his practice. If you are concerned about the 3 month of fills included with the cost of your surgery explain that to him also.

You're done painting? Or it's no longer 112? Or you hit your next goal? It's Monday? Whatever it is WooHoo!

Keep a food diary if you aren't already. After a week or so take a look at it and see where you can/should modify things. Did the docs tell you your medicine or thyroid condition may affect your weight loss?

I'm sorry that I really don't have any good advice other than contact your doctor. I would think that your back pain is from sleeping sitting up. Are you able to elevate your head in bed with pillows and lay that way? I did that the first few days after surgery. I hope things get better for you soon!

I would recommend a second opinion because I was told stay away from things like advil. I also was on an ER medicine and had to switch prior to surgery. I know this is not what you want to hear, I would not have wanted to hear it if I were in your shoes. I worry that if your doctor is telling you it is okay and all of us are hearing/reading things to contradict his opinion that he may not really care about your health. I know there are some doctors out there who do this surgery for the money. Make sure you have one who really cares about your long term success and health! Best of luck to you!!!

Maybe it's just me and the fact that I use and IUD (sorry TMI) but you would think doctors and their support staff would think to tell people about these things!!! I mean jeez, they don't want people getting pregnant for a year or so afterwards so you would think this should be at the top of their list of things to discuss with potential patients!

I agree with Moya04. If you are still in enough pain to need the meds check with your doctor. I only took mine for 3-4 days post op.

ElizabethAnne I've been trying to think of different ways to explain your not eating to everyone and have a couple of thoughts for you. Since you have lost about 40 lbs since December you can honestly tell people that you are being very careful about what you eat right now - you could even mention being more concerned about your health after having your appendix rupture - talk about the hospital stay and things like that. None of them are lies and I would think should satisfy others curiosity. Keep water or a non calorie drink by you at all times, this may help you if you do want something to eat - since you should be waiting 30 min after you drink to eat (if you surgeon suggests this like mine). I was great to hear from all of you. I feel like the three of you have been here for me since I joined LBT and hope we all keep each other updated.

Just checking in to see where everyone is and how they are doing. I was scheduled for my first fill on 6/7 (banded 4/13) but rescheduled. I decided to fly to visit my family for my nephews graduation party and didn't think it would be a good idea to have my first fill right before everything. Now I have it rescheduled for 6/21. I have to admit I had a few things that I probably shouldn't have had but I did listen to my band - even if I did push it a little bit. I had a great time and did a few things I don't think I would have done last summer. Jumping in a bouncy house is fun and great exercise...just an FYI! My BMI is now under 30 and qualifies for Overweight - Yay! I had originally set my goal for 130 lbs and am now a little under 175. I'm not sure how I feel about having an "ultimate" goal right now. I am starting to feel like a specific weight or size shouldn't be my goal. My fear is that once I reach that goal I will start to put on weight. I have to keep the entire lifestyle change idea as my ultimate goal! How is everyone else doing? Who has had fills? How did they go? Anyone else eat any graduation cake?

Congratulations! I have been out of town without a computer and spotty data service on my droid. I am so glad that you are now banded! I had to chuckle when I read about your cat. One of ours likes to climb on us and that was something I watched out for too. Luckily he never jumps directly on our stomach.

Just healthy eating in general. The more you are used to smaller serving sizes and no snacking the easier it is after surgery

I'm still fairly new to this (still on soft foods) but I thought the foods you mentioned were not considered "band friendly". The most common foods I have seen people have trouble with are breads, rice and pasta. Did you ever have a nutritional consult?

Good Luck!

I saw in another post that you said you weren't exercising, just painting. My clinic would count that as exercising. Any movement that has you off the couch and moving. Give yourself a pat on the back for doing this! Especially in 112 degree weather! Remember, slow and steady wins the race!

Good Luck tomorrow! Drink as much water or zero calorie liquid as you can - to help curb the hunger. I know it's just not the same as something solid but it does help!

Are you on clear liquids or full liquids? I was allowed to have low fat cottage cheese (considered full liquid) by 5 days and that was a God send! I also did not thin out my yogurt - just made sure it did not have fruit chunks in it. I also tried a tomato bisque soup that was tasty. I don't normally like tomato soup but when you are limited to what you can eat it helps.

Welcome JJ! Good Luck on your journey.

I'm 7 weeks post op and still having some of the sleeping issues. They come and go. I'm not sure if it is surgery related or just life related, but at least you know you're not alone!

Not seeing that much of a difference in the mirror may be more of a mental thing. I have lost 94 lbs (70 on my 6 mo pre-op program) and even though I get lots of compliments it is still hard for me a lot of the times to see the difference that others see. Do you have any pics of yourself pre op? We recently had family pictures taken, when I compare them to the ones taken 2 years ago I can see a difference but again looking in the mirror it's still just me looking back - no matter the size!

For some reason I suddenly feel my sternum, poking down between my ribs. WTH???? I've never felt this before. I thought I might be feeling the band, but I think the band is deeper inside me so I'm assuming this is breastbone. But Why have I never felt it before?? I haven't lost that much weight. Some, but it's not like I'm skinny or anything... It may be your port you are feeling. Mine is placed right around that area and I have been able to feel it since surgery. I know my sleep cycles have also been mixed up a bit since surgery. Some nights it is hard for me to get to sleep and other nights (like last night) I was asleep by 6:30 pm!