betsylulu2525

I had my surgery done by Dr. Pham at St Joseph's Hospital in Buffalo. I'd love to go to a support group, but Buffalo is 1 1/2 hours for me to drive which is a bit much every week. I go for my first fill next week on the 15th. I CAN'T WAIT!! It's always nice to meet people that are from your area. Other than the hernia, I haven't had too many problems so far. I've had some food get stuck, but that's because I didn't chew good enough and took to big of a bite. I'd love to hear some of your experiences you've had so far. How does you make sure you get your protein in everyday? I seem to be having some difficulty doing this. I know it's a combination of old habbits, as well as not knowing some foods that contain a lot of protein. I know the basics such as salmon, chicken, peanut butter and protein shakes...but what else? I'm sure there's a lot I'm missing that I'm aware of, it just seems like I should know more than I do and I'd love to learn as much as possible. I just joined a local gym yesterday and today is going to be my first day working out. I plan on avoiding too many excercises that will work my stomach because I still feel my hernia, but it's getting better without surgery. It's nice to see there are people on here from the WNY area!!! You all seem to be doing really well with your weight loss process so far, much better than I am

sorry I should have read that before I posted...apparently the word of the day is AREA lol

So I live in a tiny town in Western NY and was wondering if anyone else on this site was from the area. I had my surgery done on December 21, 2011 and have not had my first fill yet due to a hernia. I was wondering if there is anyone that has had the surgery that lives around the Olean area. I haven't been able to find any support groups in my area. If you are from the area, I would love to email you to find out how you are doing and where you live. I would really like to get some people together so we can discuss concerns, strengths, meal ideas and anything else that pertains to having lap band surgery.

I was wondering if anyone has ever experienced a hernia by the port site after surgery. I have been having shooting pains by my port for about 2 weeks now. I went to my surgeon yesterday and he said I have a small hernia which is why I am in so much pain. I am not quite sure what I did that caused it, but he said surgery would probably make it worse and it would heal on its own. So, if you have experienced this, how long did it take to heal. I've been in so much pain the past two days, I finally took a pain pill hoping it alleviate some of it. I was so excited to have my first fill on February 1st but now I have to wait until February 15th to see if I am feeling better. Any feedback at this point would be greatly appreciated!

Oh my gosh THANK YOU bullock512! I had no idea and that is a huge relief knowing that I'm not losing my mind. I'm so tired and all I want to do is cry.

I had surgery on December 22, 2011. Since the surgery, I have noticed that I'm becoming pretty critical of myself and the lack of progress for about 2 weeks. I've noticed that my emotions have been completely out of whack and I feel horrible about myself and the progress I've made so far. I was told this is not unusal for people that have had surgery because you are making changes associated with food and stopping years of bad habbits. Has anyone else experienced something similar? If so, what did you do to help the situation? I would appreciate anyone's input because at this point I'm ready to pull my hair out!

Try Bariatric Fusion. It's a protein shake made specifically for bariatric patients before and after surgery. I really like them. They don't taste like a protein shake. They taste like a milk shake. You can get it at www.bariatricfusion.com It's a little expensive but worth it because they taste good. The only thing I noticed is when you only use the 4-6 ounces of milk like it recommends, the shakes are a little too thick. So I add a little more milk. Hope this helps.

Smoking is really difficult to stop, especially when you enjoy it like I did. I was banded on December 22 and I'm still struggling with the whole smoking thing. After awhile it becomes a mental thing. Trying to stop something you've done for years is difficult...especially when your mind is telling you, you have to have one. It's all about will power and wanting to quit. You have more will power than you give yourself credit for. I wish you luck and hope you are successful.

Thanks for all of the information. I am so glad that I found this website to answer some questions I have as I go through this. To answer your question cutecamille, I am on the full diet right now. So I've been drinking protein shakes and eating creamy soups, yogurt, pudding, jello, juices and clear liquids. I'm finding myself getting hungrier now though. Good luck everyone

thanks for the input. I sleep on my stomach (which obviously I'm unable to do right now) and was wondering if eventually I'll be able to again. Or do I have to learn to sleep on my back? I'm not very good when it comes to sleeping in one position. I roll all night long and have accidently tried to roll over on my stomach a couple times already and woke up with a lot of pain. Wish you both luck!

I had my surgery on the 22nd of December. I have been really sore on my right side and was able to feel my port for the first time last night. My other incisions seem to be getting much better and aren't nearly as sore. How long should the area where my port is be sore? Thanks for your input

Why are your parents so against you getting surgery?

Wow Suzbuni, 28 lbs! That's great! Thanks for the positive words Rachael. I guess I will have to wait to see if adoption is an option for me if I'm unable to have a baby. I'll have to see. Good luck to the both of you

You had your surgery the same day I did. I almost made the same mistake that you did by not having my pain medicine filled but had my mother get it filled right before the pharmacy closed. I stayed overnight in the hospital, which I'm glad I did. I had to force myself to get up and walk around the floor I was on but it had to be done. How are you doing now? I'm doing better each day but still have pain in my chest and it hurts to cough and take a deep breath. I wish you luck

I am new to this website and from what I've been reading, am glad I found it. I am a 33 yr old single female with no children. About a year and a half ago, I decided that I wanted to make some drastic changes to my life because I was tired of being overweight which added to the pain I have with rheumatoid arthritis and the weight also caused sleep apnea as well as other health issues. I had my psych eval, had my first consult with my surgeon and was approved for lapband surgery through my insurance company in 2009. I planned on having the surgery over the summer in 2010, but began having other health issues that became more important than the lapband. In October of last year, I found out that I had a grapefruit sized mass on my left ovary. I was in a great deal of pain and it was removed along with my ovary and fallopian tube in December of last year. I found out at that time, I have endometriosis. Not even 6 months later, I started having familiar pains on my right side and it was confirmed that I had another mass on my right ovary. So in August of this year, I had that mass removed and thankfully the doctor was able to save my ovary. Unfortunately, all of my evaluations and referrals were no longer valid for the lapband procedure, so I had to start from scratch. Luckily it didn't take very long this time and I scheduled surgery ASAP. I had my lapband surgery on December 22 exactly 1 year and 1 day from my major surgery last year. I am at a point in my life that I don't have a lot of time left before I am unable to have children, especially knowing I have endometriosis. I have always wanted a baby and getting this surgery was very important to me so maybe I will have better luck finding my future husband. I know everyone says it doesn't matter what you look like, it's inside that matters. Then again it always seems to be the skinny people that say that. lol It's difficult to find someone, when you aren't happy with what you look like. I love who I am as a person, and now it's time for my appearance to match my personality! I am looking forward to what the future holds for me. So far, I have lost 22 lbs which I am very excited about. I'm still sore from surgery because it's only been 4 days. I've noticed that I have a hard time sleeping at night because I toss and turn a lot so I've needed some pain meds at night but that's it. I will have 5 scars under my chest when they are healed. They are just another story to add to my other scars I've accumulated over the past year. But these ones, will have so much more meaning to me because they will help me to become the person I know I am supposed to be. Not an obese woman hoping to find her prince charming and hoping she looked like someone else. Ok, so I am hoping that maybe some of my questions you can all help me with... How long before the feeling of an air bubble in your chest goes away? It's getting better, but still feels like horrible heart burn/gas...Is it normal to be REALLY hungry right after surgery? I eat something, feel a little better and have horrible hunger pains an hour later...How much should I lose within the first couple of months after? I appreciate you taking the time to read my forum and look forward to any responses you might have :-)