jeani81

Was banded on 5/24/12 and have been doing great but about a week ago I noticed the corner of my large incision had a funny bump and it was shiny so I figured it to be a stitch but last night I was itching around the incision and the whole top of a stitch popped up and now has a longer thread to it. It doesn't hurt and isn't infected. I was told once the inside part dissolves it should just pull off. I have an appointment in July to see the doctor because he is only at my office every two weeks. I watch to make sure there's no pain or redness. Has anyone else had this issue?

My doctor said to not eat red meat for 3 months post op due to the fact it is harder to break down. My doctor also said alot of people don't tolerate especially hamburger after having lap band.

I went out and bought a body pillow and propped myself up in bed.

Congrats on getting banded. It is a wonderful feeling to get started on your journey. Just keep in mind that it is day three that will get you, I felt good after surgery but day three really caused me to rethink my decision but now three weeks out I'm doing great.

I was always a big drinker at meals, so I just make sure that I drink alot through out the day and when it comes to meals I am not thirsty then. Also make sure what you are eating isn't dry and that will help. My surgeons rules are 15 minutes before you eat and no drinking for an hour after.

I have lost 31 lbs since my surgery 3 weeks ago and just by following the surgeons guidelines and eating right. I'm on soft food now and haven't gained anything back but I also exercise alot. I feel as I could do the same but at the sometime I want to get more restriction and take advantage of my band. I've read stories on here of people being six months out and still no fills because they are losing weight. It's your band and I'm pretty sure you can do it any way you want.

The gas pumped into you during surgery is completely different then the gas you normally get, so gas x does nothing for it. Getting up and moving around is the quickest way to disburse the gas.

4 weeks is what my doctor has me and I did not get a fill yet. The first one for me is about 6 weeks post op.

I had gotten my surgery may 24th and am doing great with it this far.

I was banded on 5/24/12 and have lost 30lbs since

Congrats. It's always wonderful to hit your goals

I was a preemie when I was born but shortly after I became overweight and was up until high school when I lost weight then got pregnant right after high school and my weight sky rocketed from there. With my daughter I gained 100 lbs and with each of my sons the weight just kept adding up. I could maintain my weight for a while but I have had extreme stress since my sons have gotten a little older due to them being bipolar, odd, and ADHD. My stress relief has been eating so just changing my mindset has been an emotional roller coaster along with the changes my body is undergoing. At least these are welcome changes.

Most insurance companies don't want to cover pre existing problems, and if they do then there is a waiting period. My insurance company has a year waiting period. Just wondering why you think it hasn't worked? I believe alot of people believed that it was a miracle cure but didn't realize that you have to change your eating habits and exercising and even without the band weight can be lost that way. I wish you luck.

I want to go shopping in the normal section of a store instead of paying $3 extra for larger sides.

This is normal. You just have to continue drinking water or even suck on a Popsicle. As for the breathing I was the same way, I had this little breathing thing that I got right after surgery and that helped me. If I was you I'd take deep breaths and hold them to the count of 5 and do it a couple times an hour and that feeling will go away.

Soft foods for me is applesauce, mashed potatoes, cooked vegetables, tuna pureed, scrambled eggs,cream of wheat and chicken that has been pureed.

I felt the same way about 3 days post op. I am now 16 days post op and I am embracing my choice and desire to not only be healthier but to look healthier. Most people who are overweight have a personal relationship with food and turn to it whenever there is stress. I myself am an emotional eater and was very depressed when I know I no longer have that security blanket to turn to. Now we just need to be positive and work through the issues we need to to develop a healthy relationship with food.

I too was shocked after surgery with how much pain I was in and it lasted for a good 5 days before I was able to just sit up on my own. One thing I can say that saved me especially at night was buying a body pillow and instead of trying to get a good position I could use that and lay on my side. You will wake up one morning and feel so much better. Until that time relax and just heal up.

I am in Smithsburg md and I do attend the meetings at Robinwood. Robinwood is more of an information type meeting. I want a more of talk to each other and figure out what works and just support each other. They do lap band discussions I was told every other meeting.

I love reading the inspirational stories, they do so much for me when I'm down.

Congrats on doing well. It seems like alot right now but it will be well worth it.

It is totally normal for your whole abdomen to be swollen especially where the port is. As for when you use your muscles it will be sore just because to get the lap band into your stomach they had to go through the muscle. I was banded on 5/24/12 and still have the aching from that. It will get back to normal eventually. All you really need to worry about is drainage, redness, smell or bleeding from that area. What you have described is normal.

I have a friend that was self pay and went to Mexico about 8 years ago and it almost cost her life. She ended up with infection so bad she was then hospitalized for 4 months. She had to have the band removed and could not get a new one put back in due to the damage the infection caused. She later had to have a gastric bypass and was fine with that because she got here and not in Mexico. That's a definate buyer beware. I wouldn't go there to save a little money because in the long run it could cost you alot more.

I was told to definantly not drink any carbonated drinks. The carbonation can cause the pouch to be stretched out and then it can cause you to gain weight and the band will not work the way it should.

I am getting ready to go on mushies in the next couple of days and was told by my doctor that mushies consist of cooked vegetables, applesauce, cottage cheese, ricotta cheese, tuna, ripe fruit that nudges easy, eggs, soups that aren't chunky. One thing I would definantly not do is to start pureeing food. My doctor told me not to even start it because you then think you can eat anything and that is not what this surgery is for, it is to teach you what is good for you and to work on portion size.