jen_1381

It's usually normal. Sometimes the band can irritate your vagal nerve and cause pain. I had that post op for about two weeks, and it came back with my fill for 3 days. Also - I had air pain post op for two weeks or so. It's not abnormal to retain the air for a while.

I use this tea called Smooth Move. Drink it halfway through the day every few days if needed and I'm good to go...literally....that evening. It taste good and works even better. I accredit it to my decrease in food intake as well as the high protein.

My husband has been completely supportive, but he doesn't really understand how my world of eating has changed. I'm eating to live, not living to eat anymore. He sees that I don't eat the same stuff, but the other day asked me to grab the Oreo's from the cupboard while I was in the kitchen for him. My response was: you're putting temptation in my hands, so no, if you want them get them yourself. He instantly appologized, he didn't even think that it would be hard for me. I'm trying very hard to be strong - but really, putting them in my hands and NOT having one would be torture. Sometimes I just have to *kindly* point out that I'm really trying here, and ask him to just think a little more before he talks. I don't want him to feel like he has to eat in the other room, because I do really enjoy the few meals we get to spend together, but don't ask me to make you Pasta, scoop some ice cream, etc. It's like asking a recovering alcoholic to grab you a beer. He was very receptive. I suggest maybe just explaining that you're on a learning curve, your life has changed when it comes to food, and the temptation is strong to not eat according to plan when you see them chowing down pizza in front of you. At the same time, this was a choice you made and need to prepare yourself for a lifetime of tempting situations.

I've had high blood pressure for 13 years - since I was 15 years old. I've done a battery of tests looking for the cause, because it was REALLY high at one point (around 180/110 at rest). I've been on a few different types of meds and it's still not under the greatest control (I run about 130/90 any given day). That being said, I've had quite a few surgeries and I just make sure they know ahead of time and it's no problem. They have medication they can give you during surgery to control your BP. I highly recommend following up on it though, high BP can be very dangerous over time.

I had success with pita bread last night. I swore off regular bread, but got some super healthy artichoke hummus and didn't have anything to dip with it. I took a half of pita bread, cut it into very small pieces, and ate about a third of what I cut up before I got the full signal. It was fantastic, but not a habit I intend to keep - I was afraid the whole time of getting stuck so I chewed until it wasn't good

Change is scary to everyone, husbands especially! Their instant thought is - my wife is going to get skinny and hot, and find someone better than me. My husband didn't have the ideal reaction but he was supportive through it all. I just sat him down and explained that although he loves me no matter what size I am (I was 243 lbs), I am the one who has to live in my body. I explained that I'm uncomfortable in my own skin, and that I'm holding myself back from experiencing life because I feel I'm too big to do a lot of things. I assured him that I didn't want to get down too low - I set my goal at 160 and I will see how I feel then. I'm tall, and built lean, so I think anything below 140 may be too slim for me (my sister is built the same, and is about 145 and she looks too skinny to me). We sat down and made goals along with my weight loss. When I get to 190 lbs, we'll go sky diving (the weight limit for women is 200 lbs). When I get to my goal, he promised me a completely new wardrobe. We're going to Vegas in September and I promised him that if I was at 185 I would go on the scary rides. I made him part of my journey...by setting goals and rewards for us together, he felt more involved and less like this was my decision and so be it.

"Fixing" things can be addicting. Once you get one thing in check, you find something else that could be better/different. My mom has this issue, and when I was doing the psych eval pre-op, the therapist picked up that I had a problem with self-esteem and body image. She warned that when I get to goal I may really struggle with realizing how I look, and also encouraged me to come back when I'm near my goal just to check in. Being unhappy with your appearance is a huge struggle, and it doesn't stop just because you're not overweight anymore. It's a mental thing. I bet what you see in the mirror is FAR different than what others see.

I feel ya there - I have to remind myself every morning that I step on the scale that losing 0.6 lbs it better than gaining 0.6 lbs. I still don't see any change in my body like others do. Maybe after I make it to half of my goal I will feel differently but right know I'm still at the bottom of the steep hill!!

Oh and Jim - GREAT job on the weight loss!! You're rocking at this! I bet 47 lbs in 10 weeks feels amazing!!

I would definitely check with your surgeon since each is different, but I'm taking a liquid multi, liquid Vit D and liquid Vit B12. I opted for the liquid so I could start it sooner, I was vitamin deficient before surgery and needed the extra.

I wasn't prepared to have any part of my stomach removed. Every persons situation is different; I won't be having children, I had about 80 lbs to lose and no certain timeline to lose it in, and I needed to be back to work ASAP so opted for the less invasive Lap Band. My surgeon favored the sleeve, especially since my insurance would cover all three (band, sleeve, bypass). He didn't think I was a candidate for bypass since my BMI was just barely above qualifying. I just explained my reasons to him and he honored that. I felt ready for the "bandster" lifestyle though. I was, and am, completely committed to my new way of living. My surgeon had reservations with the band because he said the last 10 patients he saw, 2 were doing exceptional, 5 were right on track, and 3 were not losing at all. It all comes down to patients choice on whether they follow the rules or not. I use his optimism as encouragement. I want to prove that I can be successful with the band, and so far I'm going above and beyond the typical expectations. My surgeon considers "success" if you can lose 1 lb every 7-10 days, and I'm averaging 6 lbs a week, BUT, I'm working my butt off (literally) to get there. Maybe sit down and weigh out the pro's and con's of each. Making a list always helps me Good luck which ever route you chose!

I got my first fill at 4 weeks. Every surgeon seems to have their own routine. If you're doubting the timing, ask your doctor. I'm sure he has logic behind it. Maybe he just does a small fill? My first fill was 3 cc's. I go in every four weeks for another fill until I hit the ellusive Green Zone. My surgeon prefers to fill the first few months regardless of progress - I expressed at my first fill that I was scared he may not do it because I was steadily losing weight, but the loss was all diet-controlled; I still felt hungry between meals but didn't indulge.

I think people on this forum may be the only ones excited to be "overweight". By that, I mean, my BMI has put me in the "obese" category for so long - I'm just over 1 point from being "overweight". I'm so happy right now, I set a goal to be at 205.0 by my next fill on July 16th and today I was 205.2. So close! Plus, I still have 12 days until my fill. I hit a plateau last week for about 6 days, and I started feeling those old feelings of "I'm never going to hit my goal, I'm just going to gain it all back, why can't I do this" but my husband just kept reassuring me that people hit plateaus and just be patient. About 4 days ago I started losing again. I've been in a good rhythm and have been losing 1/2 lb - 1 lb a day. How? I'm logging every single morsel I put in my mouth. I'm focused on protein first, then veggies and fruit. I'm drinking 80-120 ml of water a day. I'm taking all of my vitamins in the morning and making sure I get enough sleep. Most importantly, I'm exercising every day. I wear my FitBit and strive to hit my 10,000 steps and 15 flights of stairs a day. I either jog 2-4 miles outside, hit the treadmill and elliptical at home, or do the UFC Trainer with Kinect. My dream is to start some sort of kickboxing/MMA class when I get to my goal weight. I knew that lap band surgery would be a journey, a long one, and I wouldn't expect results too fast, but I've been pleasently suprised by the way my body is responding. I'm 6 weeks out and have lost 38 lbs. It feels SO good to be headed in the right direction. I'm going on vacation to Vegas in September and would love to be down to 180 lbs by then. Just have to keep up the hard work.

I had a reduction a few weeks after I turned 18 (I'm 28 now). It was one of the best things I ever did for myself. I went from a DD to a full C. I had been a DD for about 3 years and had bad upper back and neck pain. I do not regret my decision at all, even though I did experience a lot of changes afterwards (numbness still in spots, loss of sensation as well as my scars not healing very well). One thing that I have noticed though is now that I'm losing weight, my boobs seemed to take the first loss. My bras are too big now, which is crazy because I used to worry about bras being too small! I don't mind, it's keeping me porportionate - but my husband did say "Remember - I didn't sign up for that!!" He was kidding of course, but he noticed the shrinking!

I did the same thing Saturday - went on a 4 mile jog and at the end, realized that I left it on my dresser when I was changing! I really wanted credit for all of those steps!!

I'm only down 15% since surgery May 18th, but I'm so grateful I'm down instead of up 15%!! After a week long plateau I finally broke through yesterday.

Paleo (and please, correct me if I'm wrong, my chiropractor advised me on this!) is basically the "caveman" diet. You eat foods that come from the ground, trees, or animal...basically anything that was available to the cavemen and women before Safeway existed I like the philosophy because everything you eat would be more "pure"....not altered by chemicals. I've thought about trying it strictly, but have just been doing protein/fruit/veggies with each meal and it's working great so far.

I wish I had info for you, but I myself am interested in a low profile port once I reach my goal weight. I still have about 50 lbs to lose and my port already protrudes. Granted, it was nice when I had my fill, easy to locate, but I really don't want it to be more visible than it is now.

I've done Insanity and I loved it! Okay...I hated it. Well - I hated it right up until the minute I would start, seriously dislike it during, then afterwards I LOVED it. The way you feel after doing a workout is amazing. I found it to be fun, and Sean T is easy on the eyes I haven't done it since I've been banded, but I did it last year. I'm going to start it again soon.

I'm right there with you, Toddy. I've had so many laparoscopic and laparotomy surgeries, my stomach looks like a road map of scars! When my surgeon was explaining the 5 incisions for lap band, he asked if I would be okay with scars on my abdomen. I laughed, and assured him that this stomach will never be bikini-ready!

I'm a right sided sleeper, and my surgeon only puts them on the right side, so I've slept on mine since day 1. Mine is on the right side about an inch below my ribs. I would wake up sore for the first week or so. I'm 5 1/2 weeks out, and am doing full abdominal exercises with no pain. My port does stick out though...once I get closer to goal I might check into a port revision (I've heard they have a lower profile one?) because I'm still about 50 lbs from goal and I can see the port now. I'm the only one that notices it though

I also get a little "miffed" when I hear how much better I look. I didn't think I was that bad before!

I love that you also feel that you eat to live, not live to eat anymore. I am the same exact way. I started out just telling myself - I only need food for fuel for my body. If it's not lean protein, veggies, or fruiy my body doesn't need it. I've told myself this a thousand times. When I'm grocery shopping or browsing the fridge for dinner, I only look for those three categories. But just two months ago, a hamburger and fries was AMAZING. Now it doesn't even sound appealing. I kind of feel sorry for people I see eating garbage food because they have to work SO hard to burn it off. Life is so refreshing now. I wake up every day excited and fall asleep satisfied, knowing my day was successful.

I am in love with my FitBit! I got it last night and immediately put it on. I wore it today at work and realized how much work I have to do!! Getting in 10,000 steps a day is no easy task when you're stuck at a desk most of the day. What type of work do you do that you get the opportunity to travel to Japan?

Also - as far as diet aftewards - they will start you out in the recovery area drinking liquids but you need to be alert first. With the throat/body being relaxed you run the possibility of choking and aspirating. They usually suggest soft foods for the rest of the day, or at least a few hours after.