tiggergramma

I had surgery the end of September and my port area was painful for about the first 4 weeks, to varying degrees, and now is painful after Pilates. The port is sewn into an abdominal muscle and that muscle is going to be painful until it is completely healed, which can take several weeks. For me, it was a good reminder that my stomach probably wasn't completely healed yet either, so I tended to be more careful all around and follow the surgeon's orders better than I might have otherwise.

My band always feels tighter for the first hour or so after I exercise, then goes back to normal, whatever that happens to be at the time.

I went to the treadmill at 4 weeks, then started Pilates training at 6. My port still gets sore periodically whether I am working at the gym or not. I kind of went with when I got a fill I was healed enough for exercise.

I should mention, I do juicing to help shrink my pouch and before and after fills.

After watching Fat, Sick, and Nearly Dead last month, I tried juicing. I can do it for 3 days at a time, if I add protein to at least 1 juice and supplement with yogurt or cooked veg at night. If you are going to try it, I recommend getting a good juicer. We had a cheap one that you had to cut things up so small to use it, the wasted time wasn't worth it. Now we have one from Sharper Image and you can put big chunks of stuff in. My daughter has a Breville and it is great as well. I like to do beets, carrots, apples, and ginger in the morning to get going, then do kind of a V-8 in the afternoon and lots of greens and beets and carrots in the evening. The juices aren't always pretty to look at, and some of the tastes are ... well, interesting, but it is an easy way to get lots of nutrients without all the fiber.

I had been through 3 other surgeries over the years, so the anesthetic/surgery part of this did not worry me. I also had a friend who was really worried about the surgery, but loved our surgeon, so I was very comfortable with the idea of the actual procedure. What I freaked out about was the possibility of failure after going through this whole thing...I was so out of my mind, I had to ask for Valium for the last couple of days before the surgery, just so I could sleep! Does your surgeon have a support group through his office? If so, ask if you can talk to some of his people about your panic. It will help to understand how they feel about your surgeon and the procedure itself. My surgeon actually has 3 or 4 patients who work for him, so I could call and talk to them when I needed to. You'll do great!

Don't feel guilty because you are suffering. Do go to the ER and find out what is going on, get treated for your dehydration and see if they can do anything either fluoroscopically or with CT to see why you have so much swelling. And, when you feel better and your doctor is back, go after his partner hammer and tongs. Your surgeon should have left someone to cover his patients while he is away, and if that someone is not his partner, who is it?

At 228 I still have to shop in the Big Girl section (Women's or Plus), so I don't know what it is going to feel like to shop in "Normal" departments. I've been at this damned plateau for a month, so I am feeling like I may NEVER know...sigh...

I went to the Photos tab and was able to browse for the photo I wanted from there, then I could import that photo into a post. Is that what you are looking for?

If anyone can tell me how to import a photo, I would appreciate it!

I don't have pictures, but will take one for you to see what the scars look like 3 months out. They are much smaller than immediately post surgery already, so I don't think they are going to be noticeable after a year or so. I know my tubal scars were pretty much gone after about 2 years. The key is to make sure your surgeon is using skin glue instead of sutures for the skin layer when he closes. Generally they do, but it doesn't hurt to ask before surgery.

I don't know what your experience has been, but I don't know why you are associating tightness with pain or discomfort. There isn't anything uncomfortable about the tightness I feel, and as I stated before, I find it reassuring to have the restriction I went through the surgery to get! The only discomfort I get now is when the muscle the port is sewn into gets angry about the pilates I'm doing, and even THAT is a good pain!

I actually find it quite reassuring, especially now that I have experienced the difference between not having any restriction and then having some again after a fill.

My scale is very consistent and somehow weighs me exactly the same as my surgeon's scale and 2 pounds lighter than the scale at the gym. Although that 2 pounds could be the clothes and shoes.

My doctor never restricted my coffee. I don't mix my protein into it, but I have a friend who does every morning...she says it is like a mocha.

I agree, but I always include BBB in any complaint, just so there is something on record if anyone else is looking at a company through them. The State Attorney General has been pretty good any time I've had a problem with a company anywhere in the US. Depending on where this goes, I will probably involve the State Insurance Commissioner as well.

Yep, I've already begun the process...in the meantime, the insurance company is still waiting for detailed information from the center before processing the claim. I have returned the latest request for payment with a request that they pay attention to the insurance company if they intend to make a dime on any of the procedure at all.

I was only 3 days out of surgery when I got a billing from the surgical center for 48k, of which they claimed 9k was my responsibility because my insurance wasn't covering it. First of all, there was no way the insurance had even SEEN that claim in 3 days, and second, when I went through their numbers, that 9k was just a number tossed in and didn't correspond to anything! I talked to my surgeon and he said he had no idea why they do that, but they try to intimidate patients into paying what they know is the amount above what the insurance agreements are! Douchebaggery, IMO. At any rate, my insurance company has been waiting for information from the surgical center in order to process the claim for almost 3 months now, so nothing has been paid yet. The whole thing is hugely stressful, but I'm just going to let my insurance company duke it out with them. Since what you got was an EOB, I would call your insurance person and see what you can work out as far as an appeal, then contact the hospital and see what they will do for you as a self-pay. Good luck!

Wow. That would have left me cold. I really felt like I was losing my mind by the time I saw the one I did. I was very anxious about failing this and he knew what questions to ask to make me understand where my anxiety was coming from. That helped.

I went to a hypnotist several years ago and she gave me a tape to listen to while sleeping. It did help some, but not enough at the time. I may dig it out and try it again.

The counselor I met with was well-informed on the surgery and just wanted to make sure that I understood what would be involved and that it is completely reversible if I couldn't live with it. Good luck!

My understanding is that slower weight loss is the key to successfully shrinking the skin, so 2 pounds/week or so, along with exercise, should help keep you young folks tony. Now, for us older folks...I just have my fingers crossed and am learning Pilates!

I is smart, I is beautiful, and I is loved! *The Help I went through an agonizing divorce after putting up with the bastard cheating on me with my cousin for 2 years. Was I hiding inside this fat woman? Hell yes. I also have several very ugly issues with my mother (how stereotypical is THAT?) and probably hid that hurt in the pizza and Pasta as well. However! I found a man who loves me for me, regardless of the hurt and the hate and the fat...it finally occurred to me that he has created a safe zone in my life and I will be just fine if I lose the sad girl who weighed 110 pounds! So, when I talked to a friend who had the surgery, and saw how successful she was losing, I felt like I had been given a gift...here was something I could do for myself and get back to living life the way I want to live it, not the way that sad, pathetic waif thought was okay. I was killing myself with food. I chose life and I intend to make it happy and healthy for a very long time to come!