jen_1381

This sounds crazy, but anesthesia makes me sad! I've had quite a few surgeries, and seem to go through a little bout of depression for about 3-4 days after. I had been working with a fertility specialist and had gone through 3 surgeries with him, and told him that I feel weepy aftewards, and he said that was completely normal and that there are a lot of reasons for it - not only can the anesthesia have that affect on you, but also "coming down" from the stress and anxiety that surgery causes. Even though I didn't necessarily feel stressed, I knew emotions were running high before surgery and when it was all over, the relief can make you touchy.

When I was in the mushy stage, I was out shopping with my husband and he was "starving" so we decided to stop off at Shari's. I ordered their Loaded Potato Soup and ate about 6 bites and did not feel well. The next day I had gained almost a pound. Now, granted, a few bites of soup won't make you gain fat, but I think all of the sodium in it made me gain some Water weight. I told my husband that I didn't think we should go out again for a while. We finally went out two weeks ago, when I was almost done with the "soft" stage and I ordered their lean omlett. Ate about half and took the other half home for lunch. For me, restaurants are a tempting place I'm trying to avoid at all cost. Going once a month or so gives me a good opportunity to exercise my will power, and I love the socializing that goes along with it, but I thankfully now can recognize my "slippery slope" situations and can avoid them.

I've only had one fill so far (surgery May 18th) but he did 3 cc's and I have an 11 cc band. My surgeon said he goes fill by fill, no set amount schedule, and judges it by weight loss. He said he typically will do 3 for the first one and asked if I agreed (kind of surprised me - like I know the difference right now! It was a nice gesture though.)

I do liquid Vitamins. Mix them with a little fruit juice (actual fruit juice - like the Bolthouse Farms that doesn't have all of the additives) or you can drink them on their own but they don't taste the greatest. My nutritionist was adamatly against gummy vitamins. For one, the consistency she didn't care for (may not be able to chew them into an acceptable texture post-op). But what she disliked the most was the amount of sugar, calories, and carbs in most of the over-the-counter gummies. The ones that taste acceptable are usually coated with or made with sugar. I have seen a few brands that don't have a lot of sugar, but I'm trying hard to follow all of their advice so I switched to liquid. Again, this is just the theory of my nutritionist, and the surgeon agreed. I've heard from a lot of people that they take the gummy vits and they are just fine.

First thing, don't google yourself sick I have done that a time or two, and went from having a benign cyst to thinking I have 48 hours to live. Cysts on kidneys aren't that uncommon. There is a condition called polycystic kidney, but if it was just one cyst I wouldn't be alarmed. Most "simple" kidney cysts don't require any treatment and will typically go away on their own. They usually don't show any symptoms either. When you follow up with your doctor, I would just ask the size of the cyst and if there is any cause for concern or follow-up, either with him or a nephrologist. And as always, my disclaimer, you should always talk to your doctor before taking advice on the internet

You have done SO amazing!! Any tips or tricks to share besides the basic exercise and eating plan? About how many calories do you take in daily (if you don't mind me asking!)

I'm not a fan of energy drinks myself, but anything with carbonation should be considered "off limits". Like Ledavis, that was one thing my doctor was insistant upon, as well as my nutritionist.

Are they the only hospital in your area with experience in bariatric surgery? Maybe that's why she's thinking that. I don't see the logic in that though - if you break your arm, I don't see any reason why you would have to go back to a Bariatric Center. It has nothing to do with your band. They should give you a card stating what type of band you have and it's capacity - keep that on hand, and I think telling whatever hospital you go to would suffice. I would consider going to a Bariatric Center of Excellence if you have abdominal issues or swallowing issues, but beyond that I think you should be safe going anywhere.

To those first 40 pounds that I've lost - good riddance! I have about 45 more to join you, so make room!! I was ecstatic to step on the scale and see that I have finally hit 40 lbs lost! I'm almost out of the 200's and I feel fantastic. Well, besides every muscle in my body hurting, I feel fantastic! I don't really see the changes in myself, but sometimes I notice little things, like getting ready in the morning (wrapped in my towel), my collar bone has made its appearance again. My legs are definietly taking shape. My pair of work pants that I literally did a happy dance two weeks ago that they finally fit (bought them without trying them on, they're the low rise slim fit - not my normal style!) now hang off my hips and I'm tugging at them all day long. I still don't like hearing compliments. The only one I've graciously accepted is from my PCP, when she said that I was doing remarkable. I had lost 34 lbs since I have last seen her in early April. I work in the same office as her and she said that everyone around the clinic has noticed how amazing I look. I would just rather not hear compliments because I know I have so much work to do, I don't want to get excited yet. So on this note, I'm going to really behave myself today at my sisters BBQ....I even made five side dishes last night and never took a taste! (That included chocolate peanutbutter cookies!)

That really sucks...but it also gives you an opportunity to start living healthy. After you get the band, you have to make the choice to eat healthy every day if you want it to be effective. Think about it this way - if you start now, in 8 mos to a year when you do get the band, you'll be in such a good routine of eating good and exercising that the big diet changes that come after won't be such a shock. Try to put a positive spin on it, since it's required and you really don't have a choice if you want insurance to pay for it.

I was right where you were. I started my journey in March and things moved along quickly, but I was warned that setting the surgery date usually takes 3-6 weeks after seeing the surgeon. On May 7th I went in to see him, and after our discussion he said "Okay, how about next Friday?". I of course said yes, but as I left I was like - that's only 11 days!! Then the nerves hit since it was really happening. The feeling of - oh goodness it's really happening now - can be overwhelming. Embrace it! Less time to stress over it

When I started this process the psychologist said one of the most important things in this whole journey is to just do something every day. It could be only 5 minutes on the elliptical, or you could run 5 miles. It doesn't really matter just be active above and beyond your normal routine. I'm doing something 7 days a week. Most days I will jog 3-4 miles. If I don't want to go outside to jog I will hit the treadmill at home and run for 20 minutes (I run 1 minute, jog 1, repeat). Lately I've also added in some workouts with the Kinect. My husband thinks I'm over-doing it since I never give myself a day off, but it's working so it's hard to stop!

I'm scared to try Zumba! I'm so uncoordinated it's not even funny. To say I have two left feet is an understatement. I've heard you don't have to be a dancer to do it. What do you guys think?

Hey all, I just wanted to share, I finally got the nerve to try out the Kinect (it's my husbands set-up...I don't touch the thing ) and put on the UFC Trainer. I've always been interested in MMA and know that boxing is a huge calorie burner. I have to tell you all, I'm SO in love with this "game". And I say "game" because while you do keep score and earn points, it works you OVER. I'm sore from head to toe and I'm only on my second day doing it. There are workout sessions as well as little side pieces you can do, like hitting the heavy bag or speed bag. I'm not a gym girl....organized exercise kind of freaks me out...but I think before long I'll be an Octagon girl!! Anyone else try it?

I got my FitBit yesterday from Amazon, and oh my goodness I love this thing!! I think it was just the spark I needed to kick my exercise into high gear. For those of you that don't know what it is, it's this super high-tech pedometer, but it also keeps track of calories burned. You can use the website or the mobile app to track calories in. It also tracks your sleep; in the morning, I just enter what time I went to bed then what time I wake up and it shows me a graph of the quality sleep I got, how long it took me to fall asleep, and how many times I woke up during the night. I'm not sure *how* it tracks this stuff (kind of feel like "big brother" is watching!!) but so far it's been highly accurate. Anyone else use the FitBit?

I tried telling my husband it was a love story about a magician named Mike but he didn't buy it. I went with my sister-in-law. Best movie I've seen in a long time!

The hernia repair shouldn't set you back any longer than the lap band recovery. I did have some discomfort in my left shoulder up into my neck post-op (about a week out) and the doctor said initially that it could be air trapped around the hernia repair. When the pain persisted, and started again after a fill, he said it was due to vagal nerve irritation. It's hard to tell if one or the other is causing discomfort because they're so close to the same area.

As far as the ink going in skin being an issue for surgery, it shouldn't be at all. I have 7 tattoos and they didn't even ask about it. TXGirl has it right though, if you plan on putting in a place that can grow or shrink, plan on some changes. My aunt used to joke that when she was 18 she got a rose tattoo on her hip, and as she's gotten older it's turned into a whole rose bush!

Every program is different. Those mushies weren't on my menu - we were to puree everything that we would be eating on the regular diet, still sticking to the protein/veggie/fruit theory. I see his logic behind skipping it though. I think I am just overly cautious - I had one little "too full" incident where I had that one last bite even though I got my full signal. I was miserable for about 15 minutes with horrible indigestions. It made me a little gun-shy and now I'm slowly easing into each stage. Secondchance - I too never felt full. I ate fast and cleaned my plate, and never truly felt like I couldn't take another bite. I could eat an hour or two after a regular full meal, no problems. It's definitly a learning curve. Highland - First, congrats on your amazing weight loss! That's remarkable. Also, I wasn't suggesting she follow my advice, I was just putting it out there from my personal experience. Everything on the internet should be taken with a grain of salt. I consider what people say, but ultimately I always follow my doctor and nutritionists advice.

Yes, makes sense. I think I would have been too scared to start food then, but I am a little over-cautious. It never hurts to ask your surgeon. They are there to help you along the way and I know they would rather have you ask a question then just assume everything is okay. If you're worried because you're not feeling "full", I am almost 7 weeks out and have had 1 fill of 3 cc's and I still don't really ever feel "full". I get a signal that I should stop eating - a fullness/pressure in my chest, but I could still be hungry after I'm done. The feeling passes and my stomach growls

Didn't you do liquids after surgery for a period of time? I haven't come across one surgeon yet who lets you start right off with food. Most require at least 5 days of liquids to let your stomach heal. I personally had to do 2 weeks of full liquid, 2 weeks of mushies, 2 weeks of soft/moist, and I just started regular food a few days ago. Also - the lapband books - were they from your surgeon/dietician, or from another source?

This is when you get to exercise your will power. You don't need that food! So high calorie, high carb....think of how hard your coworkers will have to exercise to not gain weight from eating that garbage! But, if you stick to your healthy meal, you'll be golden. That's what I tell myself daily....the clinic I share office space with has been having fully catered meals all last week and all this week. pizza, Pasta, sandwiches....and I just think of how it would REALLY suck to blow my healthy eating plan by giving into a stupid craving. Side note though - you can't expect anyone to change their habits just because you have. My husband has tweaked his eating habits in support of me, but I would have never asked him to. He's not the one with a weight problem, I am. He didn't feed me food the past 8 years, I did it myself. I take full accountability so therefore I take full control now. Be strong!!

People are always very quick to tell everyone about the bad. When all is good, people are happy and complain less. Keep that in mind as you do your research. There are plenty of success stories. I'm living mine! A couple months ago I was 243 lbs. Today, just over 3 months later, I'm 204 and steadily headed down. I do recommend really getting your brain "in check" before surgery, because success with the band not only depends on the food you chose, but you have to exercise. Find something you're comfortable with. I, myself, HATE the gym. I do not want to go work out with skinny people. I do, though, LOVE jogging and doing workouts with the Kinect (I'm currently doing the UFC Trainer and it's kicking my butt!!). You have to find your active niche or else you may really struggle.

Just have to say that I LOVED Bared to You. I can't wait for the next Crossfire novel to come out. I also loved Fifty Shades. Another good one is "Love Unscripted" and the next one "Love Unrehearsed" is coming out soon. Reading has got me through many hunger spells! I get so wrapped up in the book I don't realize that 1) I haven't eaten, and 2) it's been six hours!!

I was surprised that I had a hiatial hernia - a pretty significant one - that they found during surgery. My surgeon said that about 50% of people have them and don't know it. I used to throw up a lot when I had migraines a few years ago, he said I probably caused it then. Explains the persistant heartburn Congrats on the hernia