DeAna N

I will be banded August 6th!!!!!

Well, here I go! Headed to the hospital in a few minutes! Very anxious and excited, hope all goes well!!

Woohoo I am on the other side. I am now day 5 post op and feeling pretty good. The first two were horrible but much better since then.

Good luck everybody I finish my last exam 18Jul I was too scared of disappointment to hope for a July surgery date I dont think my insurance will respond that fast so I think I will be a Aug bandster

Woo hoo way to go keep it up

why the scale plays mind tricks. our bodies change weight constantly and hard to make an accurate reading. drink a 20 oz soda and you gain. pee it out and you most likely lost. i went through that scale habit for alot of years. if i gained, my day was shot. if i lost, it was party time.
you are doing fabulous. just because the scale says you gained, did you? go by your clothes fitting looser and you feeling better.
YOU GOT this GF....only weigh once a week at same time. say sun morning at 9......

Good to hear.
Only 7 hours to go until my surgery!
I am too nervous and excited to sleep right now

I am right there with you on the viscous cycle. I hope you get approved! Fingers crossed. Toes too because I am cool like that and my toes are freaky.

Hi DeAna N, thanks for friendly welcome. I wish you all the best.

You are doing great nothing wrong with being cautious write down all your questions that way you will all of them answered when you leave the unknowing is always scary but ask him how much he puts in as a 1st fill and you have to drink before you leave if it feels too uncomfortable for Water you know it is too tight for food just listen to your body

October 27 happens to be my handsome husband's birthday!
Thanks for the warm welcome to everyone. I plan to be around these parts frequently. I haven't decided how many people I am going to share this with in real life. It isn't that I am ashamed of WLS, it is that I don't want to have to punch someone in the throat if they give me grief about it.
Also - I really, really, really hate when someone assumes that their way of losing weight is the right way and I get real twitchy when someone says "If I can do it, YOU can do it" when they are bemoaning WLS.

i have to say that your post made me laugh! lol sounds like you have a great attitude! i'm getting banded on july 2... very very excited about it!
best of luck!

wonderful post Ronnivee very helpful for those of us that are preaapring to get to where you are thank you and I am glad you are doing so well if you work outside the home would you tell me how many days you took off? I'm hoping to only use 5DYS? how did you feel by dys 5? Were you able to sit for a long period? I work at a desk job and the summer is the hardest time to take extended time off.

wonderful post Ronnivee very helpful for those of us that are preaapring to get to where you are thank you and I am glad you are doing so well if you work outside the home would you tell me how many days you took off? I'm hoping to only use 5DYS? how did you feel by dys 5? Were you able to sit for a long period? I work at a desk job and the summer is the hardest time to take extended time off.

Joyce sorry to hear your experience was so bad but sounds like you have someone now that is going to take good care of you if he was just in it for the money he would have just done the sleeve(more money) instead of try to work with what was already done sounds like a good DR. I applaud you on getting back on that horse it's very easy to get stuck feeling sorry for ourselves and stay right there. remember it took a awhile for the weight to creep up and sometimes you need to just let it slowly melt off. you will give your body time to adjust and possible prevent(or reduce) sagging skin so trust your DR but if you focus on your diet I'm use the 2 lb/week will go up. I haven't been banded yet I am hoping for Aug but this is some of the stuff my nutritionist was mentioning about weight loss Good Luck to you and God bless

Hello Everyone,
My name is Ronnivee and I am 43 years old. After several years of being on the fence about Lap-band surgery, I have finally done it! My surgery date was June 12th and went very well. I still have a bit of port pain (burning and pulling sensation around my port area when I transition positions), but according to my doctor this is normal and will subside in a few weeks.
Some of the things I learned and didn't expect:
1) Recovery time - I thought that since I only had to stay in the hospital 1 day, I would be fully recovered and life would resume to normal. I was very lucky, I didn't experience the horrible gas pains in the neck and shoulders that most people do. I had some discomfort in my stomach but it went away with mylanta gas and walking around. What bothered me most was the pain around my port area. It was not constant pain, but any transition that I made there was an intense burning and pulling - like something was going to rip. I was assured by my doctor that it was the muscle healing around the port.
2) Energy level - I feel like I am in limbo. Before surgery, my eating habits were HORRIBLE and usually ended up with me on the couch in a carb induced coma. Currently, I am still on low/no carb liquids which has certainly been a challenge itself. My brain is fully awake and ready to go, but my body is still recovering from surgery and I am tired. This is a very strange feeling for me.
3) Getting Hungry - pre-surgery, I was constantly eating. I never allowed my stomach to be hungry. Stuffing myself constantly was an everyday thing for me - so feeling hunger pangs is very odd. I'm learning to listen to my body and training myself to eat because I need to and not because I want to...
4) Buyers Remorse - around day 4 and 5 I didn't expect to feel so sorry for myself - sorry that I couldnt indulge in all the food that my family was eating. I got depressed that I couldn't just pick up the phone and order my normal take-out and binge myself into yet another carb-coma. I cursed myself for making this decision, thought about ways I could get this removed (only for 2 seconds) and thought to myself "Damn, what the heck did I do." a lot of self-talk, watching inspirational you-tube videos and journaling really helped me on these days. As they say, This too shall pass - and it did - at least for now...
Sorry I was so long winded, but I hope this helps those who were banded after me or those who are considering becoming banded. 2 weeks out and I would do it again... Especially since I am down 16lbs since surgery

LadyScorpio - I had my surgery 7/7/11 (almost a year). My first fill was at my 4 week check up. I have had between 5-7 adjustments (2 was a slight unfill) in that 1 year period. The plication helps but you will still need to have fill in the band. The stoma (the tiny stomach north of the band) is the part that sends the "full signal" to the brain. Good luck with everything.
Melinda in Florida
(Rainy Florida - thanks to TS Debby)

the LA times reported it as the clinics that are associated with 1-800-Get-thin clinics and ad campaigns are not reporting the risks so Allergan(lap-band) is no longer selling it to those clinics & the FDAwants to see how often these complications actually happen to make sure everyone is warning patients of all the risk its due to the 5 patients that died of the clinic that made national news I don't think the FDA will find any higher rate of complications then already published I feel those patients died due to carelessness of their surgeon( one had a lacerated liver and they sent her home)

That is insane to lie to people! The almighty $$ is more important than human life to these people. I have and allergan and will follow this, thanks for sharing!

Since you are eating so little is there enough nutrition going through your body to ensure you are relatively healthy? (are Vitamins required, I have heard of hair loss?)
I am 8 weeks post op and have no Hair loss. You get to eat enough that it is not an issue as long as you eat protien first.

· If you drink Water does that fill you up similar to food or does it pass through you? liquids pass right thru. Sometimes when I am hungry I drink Water first to ensure it is not thirst. It is weird but alot of times it is really thirst instead of hunger. But the liquids dont fill you up (they will the week after surgery). Carbinated soda causes some people issues but not me.
· Anyone have excess skin or have they found with continued exercise that this is not that big of a problem?
I am too early to tell about excess skin but this is a big problem for alot of people. You should search Lap Band Excess Skin on You Tube. There are a ton of videos of girls who are willing to show the issue. Some poeple are very lucky and have little and some have alot. I have only lost 25 lbs in 7 - 8 weeks but I can tell my arms are going to be an issue.
· Can you feel the band does it interfere with another aspect of your lives?
I cannot fill it at all. Sometimes I faintly fill my port if I am doing sit ups or activity but it is very subtle. I can feel my band if I eat a large bite or too many bites close together. The food has to push through and it is very uncomfortable. So I try to follow the rules. This didnt happen to me until third fill.
· Does the gas subside or is it a constant side effect?
I had gas pain for two days and it was tolerable. None since. I was told to always have gas ex with me but I havent used it since 1 week post. I dont drink many carbonated sodas which may help. I get gas if I eat gassy foods just like pre - band. Most people only deal with the gas for a short amount of time after surgery and it is typically not in the intestine but the gas they use to fill you up with in order to preform the surgery. That is why it hurts b/c it is hard to get out (body has to absorb it).
I read alot about this proceedure before I had it done. I fear the risks of slipping or port flips. However, it looks like most complications come from the old band they use to use (4cc) or patient non-complaince (breaking the rules over time and causing issues). I plan to follow rules closely to reduce risks. I had some doubt after the proceedure that I should have gotten the sleeve but I am still comforted that I can remove this and be totally normal whereas the others are perminant alternations to anatomy. That scares me more. The weight loss is slower with the band so you have to be a patient person. Especially in the first few months until they get you to the green zone. This is a discouraging time. However, it goes by pretty fast.
I hope that helps. Best wishes to you in your journey. This site can be helpful but sometimes it goes through periods of time where it is all negative and panic. Then a few weeks it will be alot of positive discussions. Read some of the forums about 100 plus losses and the successes too. Those are cool.
katy

Congrats. I was self pay also. You will do fine. I had alot of mixed emotions as the date got close and even as I ly on the pre opt table. I was thinking "just get up and leave, you can do this on your own!". But I am glad I didnt freak out. I am only 2 months post op but I am happy. I wish the best for you!

Hi everyone. I went to my seminar on Saturday June 23rd and have my surgery consult on July 6th.
I'm asking all the prayer warriors out there to keep me and all the other newbies in your prayers as we start this journey. I've actually been researching and considering this for a long time and now that I'm ready I'm very excited and also a little daunted by the whole process as each step brings me closer. Since my insurance doesn't cover the procedure and I am self pay, I don't have to jump through all the hoops the insurance companies seem to require, so hopefully once I pass the pre-op tests it won't take long to actually get a surgery date. This is a great site to get answers and supporty. Thanks all and God bless.

Good luck to you sounds like you have a smart doctor especially since you've been losing all this time(congrats on the 24lb down) your liver IS shrinking(smile) I'm not up to that point yet but my Dr has said I can have 2-3 Protein Shakes and one low carb/low fat meal total caloric intake 800-1200 daily I still have my mental eval and then I have to wait to se what insurance says so I am thinking I will have surgery early August.So keep me posted on how you are doing take care and God bless

hi all (lady, kah/bama etc)...doing well. just had my 2 week post op and all is well so far. incisions healing nicely and things are moving along great. still on mushies/soft foods.....told me wait a couple more weeks before trying chicken salad/tuna salad and if i did attempt, to mash it up well and be careful. stated healing is more important than eating........but refried beans/oatmeal/ff mashed potatoes/mashed to hell 1 scrambled egg is absolute HEAVEN to me. still doing my shakes to help w/the Protein. glad all is well with everyone

Bama, Kah, Melinda - glad to hear you all are doing well. Kah, I hope you enjoyed your vacation - it sounds like it!! Congrats, Bama - that is great!! Carolina, how are you doing? I have a question for the experienced ones - what is good or acceptable weight loss after an adjustment? I got my first one on the 5th and am down 8 lbs so far. Not sure if that is good, bad, or average. Don't really feel like getting bitched out by the doctor, so I want to have an idea ahead of time. Thanks - you guys have been really great!!! Only 1 more pound to go and I will have lost 50 lbs since I started this process in January, and 18 since surgery on May 7th - again, is that bad?