Rebecca Cain Salpacka

Definite notice in my knees. im down 15 since surgery and about 13 prior to surgery, and just around the 20 lb mark, i remember saying to hubby..wow, my knees havent been hurting me nearly as much. I have a PCL tear in my right knee as well as osteoarthritis in both and a bakers cyst in the back of the right knee...i didnt expect to see a diff til about 50 lbs so i was glad when the decrease in pain started so soon.

Congrats! Such a beautiful Angel. Bless you and your family, and good luck on your Journey.

I dont know if its "normal" but its not all that uncommon. I know a friend of a friend, as well as my sis that both had bypass...both turned into very stuck up snobby you know whats. It was one of the key reasons i was so dead set against having weight loss surgery myself..i feared i would turn out the same way. However, with the LB it comes off slower so its not this sudden look in the mirror of "damn I look hotter than so and so" those with LB tend to have time to get use to the slow changes so in my opinion we are less likely to have the stuck up attitude. I told my husband I want to gain more confidence, but if i EVER come across as snobby or cocky, PLEASE say something, because i dont want to be that person.

The shoulder pain is from the gas...i know it sounds crazy, but thats what its from. The gas of course being from all the Co2 they fill ya up with during surgery to make room for them to manuver around. I read on here some people said it lasted 2 weeks...and I cried when i read it..mine was bad for about 5 days, and more bareable from days 6-8..then it was gone. Get up and walk. I live in a two bedroom apartment, about every 20-30 mins i would get up and go down our small hallway and back twice...and sit back down...it definitely helped.

i was told no more than 10 lbs, never said anything about bending, tho for the first two weeks i was careful not to, and now just 3 wks after surgery im back to the trainer...but she has kept the lifting and the core exercises to a minimum.

I have a "lump" under my port incision too, small tho, but two nurse friends have told me its most likely just scar tissue..and im not having any pain at all..so i hope they are right. I havent scheduled first fill yet...nutrtionist and doc both said to wait a week or two and see how im doing, if im still losing steadily, then hold off.

So i lost 13 lbs in the 7 weeks before surgery, and after surgery the first two weeks seemed very slow going...but now i have jumped another 5 lbs as of the 15th and verrry happy with my 13lbs sicne surgery. My eating and exervcise is starting out about the same as last week,but something tells me i will be sitting at the same weight come weigh in on tuesday...but thats ok...if it happens i wont let it discurage me...everything happens at the time and speed it should happen, right?

So i knew both of these things were possibilities when i decided to do surgery. The doc as well as tons of info i read about the lap-band make it seem like they dont happen alot nor are they big deals. However, in the last month or so, nearly everyday when i sign into the forums, I see a new person posting that one or the other has happened...leaving me to believe that both are inevitable. I really dont want to have to go through another surgery, even if it is something simple.

holy moly...22lbs in a month...64 lbs in 10 wks...thats awesome. i havent had my first fill yet, today is 3 wks since surgery. i was weighed 2 days before surgery but not on day of surgery...so i weigh-in on tuesdays...as of the 15th i was down 13lbs. i also lost 13 lbs in the 7 wks prior to surgery..so im happy with my loss. keep up the great work!

Sorry you are having so many issues since the band. Please know that I dont think its common for so many issues to arise...everyone is different. There are thousands of members on this site and in the couple of months I have been a member, I have only read of two other ppl having other medical issues coming up after the band. I point this out because i dont want you to regret your decision to have the band. I know it can be frustrating to get sick when you are doing what you are told to do in regards to your eating, but some things are out of our control. I will pray that the pancreas and gallbladder issues can be addressed without any major procedures or surgeries and that there will be no further medical issues arising. You are on a tough road right now and things have to get better for you, prayer, faith and positive attitude will help guide you to that happening. best of luck

sugar free fat free pudding was my big thing, would get the small box and put into 3 containers of 1/3 cup each...1/4 cup just wasnt enough sf ff popsicles...applesauce..grilled fish fillet is my big thing for dinner

actually my exercise was nil the first week post op..but last fri and this tuesday, i went to the gym, fri i did 10 mins on treadmill and then some 5lb weight exercises that the trainer has me doing...i did them on my own at my pace and will meet with her again in a week or two when incisions are all healed completely lol. Tuesday tho, i upped the treadmill to 20 mins (both days were with an incline) plus did the weights. I use a heart rate monitor with chest strap at the gym cuz its more accurate then machines plus u can see what u burn with the non machine exercises lol. Fri i burned 315 cal and tuesday 416 cal. Im only eating about 600-800 cals right now, i think i need to up it to 1000 but im so picky with some of my eating that its hard to that many calories with the few mushies and puree things i will eat lol. I start solids this coming tuesday and will be able to hit that easier...but i am still glad that im losing at all, anythiing is better than a gain lol.

It may be long, but its inspiring. You fought a good fight and it lead to a better healthier you! So happy that you were able to have the baby after being told you wouldnt be able to. I tried for 4 yrs before finally conceiving my son and i said the same thing just 3 months prior (im done, i dont even care anymore if i get pregnant) they say if u stress over it, it can effect you getting preg so dont stress and it will happen...im a firm believer lol. Way to go on the 80 pounds...i cant wait to reach that mark. my highest weight ever was 357, im down 21 lbs but only 3 of that has been since surgery 2 weeks ago. Its hard not to get discouraged when its not coming off in bigger chunks, but i know it will once i get a fill, and i know that the slower it comes off, the easier it is to KEEP it off. thanks again for sharing your story and good lukc with your continued success.

My withdrawals so to speak is from the social aspect...i never realized just how often friends would say "hey lets grab lunch or dinner" in the last 2 weeks tho they know i had surgery, they have forgotten a few times and asked me. Now yes i can go and have some Soup, which is what i did the one time i went..but that day, i realized how miserable i was because i couldnt ahve what a really wanted, while everyone at the tables around me, could. my friend only ordered soup, to be supportive, but it was still tough for me..so now when im asked to go out to eat, i turn it down...but once i can have solids, i will go, because im ok with not eating as much, its jsut hard to not have the stuff i actually want lol. I think we have all felt either the miss of the food or the socialization. Fortuantely the same friends i turned down, then came up with other ideas for going out. One even asked if i wanted to go for a walk at a nearby nature center...so that was very cool.

ty cazzy, i didnt know you could by the steristrips over the counter..i just may do that..thanks

Okay by heal i mean scab over so they arent gaping anymore. I was surprised my doc took my staples out just 5 days after surgery..hgowever 2 of the smaller ones were just scars by day 7, two others were scabbed over shortly after the steristrips fell off. HOwever the larger one (5 staples) wwhich is where the port is, is still gaping..its not real deep, but its not scabbing over or anything, and the steri strips were off 5 days after staples removed. i have two friends that are nurses..both looked at it and said its not infected, and they dont think it needs to be closed back up..but i have to keep using bandages so if anything comes out of it (its not draining or oozing but there is some wetness from the wound) it wont get on my clothes, then at night, i sleep in just a tshirt so nothing is on my waist ( the incision is right at my waist so my pants set right on it) and i let it "air out" but even that doesnt help it scab up. just curious how long some of you had to wait for things to start to clear up so to say

before getting a fill...there isnt much restriction at all, so its very easy to slip up. dont beat yourself up, u have the right attitude of getting back on track..good luck!

id like to think im pretty lucky..but there are times when he eats something i really want in front of me, and i know he isnt doing it to be mean, but i seriously wanna hurt him lol

im 11 days post op and i too have had a few emotional moments. most recently was over the weekend. hubby was trying sooo hard to come up with new ideas for me to eat while on mushies..i would tell him no i dont want that, or no i wont like that..and he would just keep shooting new ideas. totally nothing wrong with what he did, but i was crying and i snapped at him cuz "he just dont get it". of course he dont get it, hes not banded, but he sure was trying to "get it" and for that i am thankful...but i still was a mess. I have close friends as well as a sister who have had either LB or GB and both went through this as well...so it is very normal

I agree with elcee....wait til 21st. its not that the recovery is gonna be bad, but the energy level you have the first week or so..is verry low becuase of your diet..and u if u exhaust yourself further, it will slow down healing.

im still at mushies too, im getting tired of eggs and grilled fish (not together) seems like its all i eat, tho i know i eat a few other things lol. whatever i eat tho, i usually last about 4 hrs..but the last 2 or 3 days, i found myself hungery after about 3 hours but would force myself to hold out to 4 or sometimes 5 hrs before eating again...im pretty sure i will be doing my first fill shortly after starting solids..which i start this weekend.

wow,,they did lapband that young? perhaps had they had you wait til after you got through your adolescence years, your body would have been more prepared..and you wouldnt have had problems. I think that if they put the band back in place, if thats possible, and work with you to retrain yourself to follow the guidelines again, you will do better. your body was still growing and developing so even if you were following what they said..it likely wouldnt have the same results as an adult makgin the same choices. just my thought. Whatever you decide tho, i wish you the best..just make sure you get a couple of doctor opinions, if you at all have doubts about what this doc is saying.

i worried about the same thing, but ended up losing 6 lbs during the 1 week preop liquid diet...you will be fine.

I ate the potatoes and fish about 5pm and at 8 i was hungry and had 1 cup of pudding, and was good for the night. earlier in the day tho.. i had a 11 oz Protein drink, at 7 a.m and lunch i had just a fish fillet (3oz) at about 1230...so i am going anywhere from 3-5 hours without being hungry, so i guess im doing ok. my doc weighed me on may 1 and i was down 4.4 lbs from the 24th suregery was 26th....i weighed myself yesterday and was down anohter 1.4 lbs..but am trying to make srue i dont weigh more often than once a week lol...so im staying off of it til next thursday. in my mind..going by if im losing is what i would use to decide on a fill or not...she did not schedule me a fill she just said that as long as its 3 wks after surgery, and then went into if im eating the full patty and in email said if im no longer losing..lol

Im on mushies and purees and i know im eating mucccccccccch less than before my band... last night for dinneer i had a 3oz grilled tilapia filet, then had 1 cup mash potatoes with applesauce mixed in, but only ate about 2/3 of it. I felt satisfied, but not full...i felt good. but in my head i think its too much...is it? my doc told me that once i go on solids, if i am able to eat a whole burger patty, i should get a fill. to me that would mean 3 oz patty, so does that mean that if i can eat a 3 oz grilled fish fillet (mashed up really good or pureed, before starting solids) that i should need a fill? or is it just when i am eating that portion of things like pork, chicken, beef.....when i asked her this question..her response was .... when you are eating an amount that causes you to stop losing, then get a fill. well considering that i use to eat a 1lb patty plus bun and fixings and fries just two months ago...i would think that eating even as much as a 6oz patty without the bun and fixings, i would still lose ... so which do i go by how do you decide when you are ready for a fill?