hodegard

You look amazing! Great job!

Before having my surgery, I was always way too hot. It could be 20 below, and I'd be sweating up a storm. Since losing my weight, I can never get warm enough! To give you an example, I can barely write most of the time because my hands are so cold! I figured that it was just because I've lost weight so quickly (lost my layers of insulation!), and my body hasn't learned to regulate its temperature yet. But tonight, my husband was saying that it has nothing to do with regulating my body temp and since it's a matter of no longer having that insulation, I'll probably just have to learn to enjoy wearing sweaters when it's 110 degrees outside.

What about you? Are you experiencing this? If you've been banded for a while, did your body ever learn to get itself warm again?

1. Pick a t-shirt color, choose ONE of the below:

c. Purple

2. Statement on back of shirt, choose ONE of the below:

d. "Used to be FAT, but still a LOSER"

3. What color should the print be, choose ONE of the below:

b. White

4. Tell us what size you are requesting?

XL

5. What is the most you are willing to pay for the shirt including shipping and handling?

$20

I'm in Mill Creek. I had my surgery last November by a surgeon down in Shelton. I've lost 85 lbs, and my BMI has dropped from 50.7 to 36. I've had a wonderful experience, and if I had the choice to make all over again, I would do it again IN A HEARTBEAT!

I've read all the stuff about what to expect with getting a fill, as far as the general gist of what will happen, but from a patient's perspective, what should I expect? Does it hurt? How will I feel afterward? How long until I feel some restriction? (I know that one varies for everyone, but I guess I'd just like an idea of what to expect.)

Well, I guess it's obvious that it WOULD drop, of course, but it's just fun to see it actually happening!! This morning I checked my BMI on an online calculator, based on my surgery weight and then again based on today's weight. My BMI has dropped from 50.7 to 45.6 in six weeks!!

Okay, before I launch into my question/issue, let me clarify that I know that many people don't really feel any restriction until they've received one or more fills. I know that the first six weeks is about healing, not weight loss, and the weight that is lost during this time is a "bonus". But I'm beginning to wonder if I need to change my definition of "restriction"...

I guess, going into this, I thought that "restriction" was a feeling that told me that I was "full", and it was time to stop eating. I NEVER feel this, but if I am vigilant about Portion Control, I do know that when I stop, I'm no longer hungry, and I can go quite a while before I am hungry again. I've had people (who haven't had the surgery themselves) tell me that I need to go by when I feel satisfied, not when I feel full. But I guess I can't help but sit here thinking that if I were able to do that, I wouldn't have gotten overweight in the first place, and I wouldn't have needed to get the surgery! So far, I've been pretty good, but I've always been good at diets AT FIRST. Based on the fact that I feel nothing like what I originally expected "restriction" to feel like, I live in constant fear of overeating and stretching out my "new" stomach. I just don't feel my body giving me ANY signs that it's time to stop eating!

So, here's my question: For those of you who DO feel restriction, how would you define the feeling? Is it a "Boy, I'm getting full, better stop eating now" feeling, or is it simply a matter of recognizing that your hunger has been satisfied?

After being on all liquids for the last THREE WEEKS, I'm finally allowed to eat mushy foods. But the problem is that the only things that I can think of are sweet... yogurt, pudding, mashed banana, oatmeal. I'm not really a big fan of sweets, especially not as a meal. What were some other things that the rest of you ate during this stage? I will be at this stage for another three weeks, and I want lots of options!

I don't remember exactly how long it was, but mine came through pretty quickly as well. I have heard of others with UHC who have had to go through several hoops, and even appeals before they got their approval/decline. Mine was pretty straight-forward. My BMI had to be over 35 (which is was), and the surgeon had to write a letter stating what my BMI was and that he recommended surgery.

My dad bought me a scale for Christmas. He let me have it early, though, for obvious reasons! :medium-smiley-033 So, I stepped on the scale tonight for my two-week weigh-in, and...

I've lost 20 lbs!! Woo-hoo!!

That's great! Isn't it nice to have that part of the process behind you now?

I still plan on following the post-op diet recommended by my surgeon, but I was just thinking about how every surgeon seems to have a different recommendation. I ended up switching surgeons along the way, and the diet recommended by the original one is very different than the one that I ended up going with. I thought it would be interesting to hear what everyone else did post-op...

Here's my diet:

Week 1 - Week 3: liquid only

Week 4 - Week 6: Mushy foods, like pudding or yogurt

Week 7 - Week 9: Soft foods, like scrambled eggs

Week 10 - Week 12: Soft foods, like hard boiled eggs

Week 13 - Regular food

Originally posted by lefthander_1975

I am 3 days post op and so hungry I almost started crying because my stomach hurt so bad.

Caroline, hang in there. I remember feeling the EXACT same way during that first week. I remember thinking that the band couldn't possibly be working becuase I was STARVING ALL THE TIME. And it didn't help that my stomach was always grumbling LOUDLY to serve as another reminder that I was hungry! But now that I'm into my second week, I'm finding that I'm getting used to it. While I still don't feel the restriction, I am finding that a little bit of food lasts me for quite a while before I start getting hungry again, and the grumbling tummy isn't sounding off nearly as much. Hang in there!

I am 8 days post-op now, and I had my follow-up visit today. Everything looks good. I'm feeling great, back to normal, in fact. I'm still very hungry, and I'm having a tough time feeling full, but I'm hopeful that when I go in for my first fill (five weeks from now), I will start seeing a difference.

But here's the good news:

I've lost ten pounds already! Woo-hoo!

Wow! That's amazing! Way to go!

Hey! We're Bandster Twins! I got mine on the same day. Congrats on joining this journey!

...I can't believe how good I feel!! I still tire out pretty easily, but other than that, I'm feelin' pretty darn good! I ventured out of the house for the first time today and went to my MOPS meeting. It was fun to see everyone who knew that I was going to be having this done and having them shower me with hugs and asking how I was doing. Sounds selfish, I know, but with three small kids, the attention is rarely on me, and it feels good every now and then. Well, now I'm pooped from my busy morning, so I'm going to take it easy for the rest of the day; I completely understand the pitfalls of feeling good and doing too much too fast!

Congrats! I just got my band this week, and I'm so eager to start seeing results! Isn't it a great feeling when your goals suddenly seem that much more achievable?

Sue,

If this is normal, when will I start to feel some restriction? When will I stop feeling so hungry?

I know that most people require one or more fills before they really feel restricted, but this soon after surgery, shouldn't I feel SOMETHING?? I am getting no sensation of fulness, and I sit here with my stomach grumbling and feeling hungry ALL THE TIME. I don't get my first fill unitl I'm six weeks post-op, and I just don't know how I'm going to make it that long!! I'm already wanting to order a pizza... Is this normal?

Actually, I came home yesterday afternoon, but I was still pretty easily fatigued, so I didn't have a chance to post to you guys. (I did, however, make time to read the threads that I missed while I was gone! LOL) Anyway, I'm doing well.

We arrived at the hospital at 6am, got checked in... you know the drill. After a while, they gave me some "I don't care what you do to me medicine", and I don't remember much after that. I vaguely remember being moved to the surgical table in the OR, but I don't even remember being given the anesthesia to knock me out. The next thing I remember is waking up in my room afterward. My muscles are a lot more sore than I had thought that they would be, but the actual incisions aren't really bothering me much at all, just a bit tender. I even surprised the nurses by how infrequently I needed the morphine. I got home yesterday around 2pm. I could walk around (and I am encouraged to do so), but it was pretty uncomfortable still. This morning, however, I'm feeling a billion times better! I'm still a bit sore, but I was surprised by how much better I'm feeling already.

The kids are doing pretty well with it all. Grace obviously doesn't understand, and I'm really having to watch out for her. The boys understand, and they're being great. Jack was pretty funny, though, when I got home. The first thing he said to me was, "Hi, Mom! Can I see your holes?" So, I showed them to him, and he got the funniest look on his face! I think he just expected a few simple, clean little holes, not five "gashes".

Cory is staying home this week, and my mom is coming on Saturday. If the way that I feel today is any indication of how I'll be feeling by the time my mom leaves, then I'm not at all worried about how I'll handle things once I'm alone with the kiddos again!

Well, the only thing standing between me and my band now is a weekend! While I feel thoroughly prepared, and I'm not in the least bit anxious, it's like it is just now beginning to set in how close I am to having it done! Woo-hoo!!

That's so cool!! What a milestone in this journey, huh??

That's wonderful! I'm really happy for you. Whether you're talking about weight loss or anything else, isn't it a great feeling to set a goal and reach it??

A friend of mine said that they don't allow you to wear underwear during any kind of abdominal surgery. She said that it's because they don't want them getting in the way, which makes sense, I guess. Was that true for you? I'm due to start my period the day before or the day of my surgery, and now I'm all freaked out about it. I feel like such a goober... Here I am, having this surgery, and the only thing that worries me about it is potentially having my period... LOL