DMJ 0340

I just got home from my two week post-op appointment (surgery was 5/6 so just shy of two weeks). First they were shocked at how much weight that I have lost since they last saw me in the office (less than a month ago, 30 pounds!). They were all ecstatic for me and one of the nurses (who is banded), remarked how jealous she was
Then, they took my blood pressure. It was low. They cut my dose in half!!! I have another appointment in two weeks, she said depending on how my BP is she might take me completely off of it! I can't even explain how happy I would be to get off of this medicine. I have been on it a few years. I'm only 28, it sucks to be on it this young. I went through 8 rounds of intense chemo 11 years ago. The most common long term problems deal with heart problems. I need to do my part to minimize the likelihood of heart problems. Cutting my dose in half is a GREAT start!!!
Coming home I got stuck on the highway (office is an hour away), in a lightning storm. Even when I was driving 9 miles an hour on the highway I had a huge smile on my face!! I use to dread going to the doctor. I usually gained weight, my BP was high, some type of problem came up.., But, after today I can't wait to go back in two weeks! I KNOW I'll weigh less than I did today and I HOPE that I can go off of BP medicine. Even if I can't, I know eventually I will!
Thanks for reading!

Sorry you have to jump through the hoops again, but it is worth it.

Hold a pillow across your belly to help support it when you cough. Don't suppress the cough especially if you feel there are secretions you don't want it to turn into pneumonia. Walk, take some deep breaths, drink plenty of Water, take pain meds as needed and support your belly as you cough. (that's the nurse in me coming out! )

Hi Lavada,
I am sure that's frustrating! The general healthy weight loss is 1-3 lbs a week - that's a general rule. The 3 things to exam when "stuck" are the following:
1- food plan (how many calories are you taking in each day - at what time of day and what are they made of, meaning % of protein/carb/fat
2- How much sleep are you getting each night
3- What are you doing for exercise and how many days a weeks and at what time are you doing it.
Accumulate this info and you may see your answer right away (like, I don't really know the exact number of calories I am eating or Exercise? Well I don't really have a plan or measure my exercise etc...)
If when you look at the info on these three items and you don't see a clear answer then feel free to PM me with the info and I will examine it and provide feedback - if you would like me to.
Hope in Your Future is Power in Your Present!
Lee

Fluid:
• Adequate Fluid intake is crucial to prevent dehydration.
• Drink at least 64 ounces (8 cups) of sugar-free, non-carbonated fluid
daily.
• Absolutely no carbonated beverages.
• Do not use a straw when drinking your fluids.
General Guidelines
The first band adjustment usually occurs approximately 6 weeks after your
surgery. Follow the guidelines below for best results.
1. DO NOT EAT AND DRINK AT THE SAME TIME ! ! Wait 30 minutes
after meals to begin drinking fluids. Stop drinking 30 minutes before
your planned meal.
2. For the first six weeks, use a Protein supplement (shakes, drinks, etc.)
along with your diet.
3. Eat only three meals daily once solids have been added to your diet.
4. Avoid foods that are difficult to digest: nuts, tough meat, celery, etc.
5. Avoid doughy or sticky foods: soft white bread, Peanut Butter, dried
fruits.
6. Chew all food to a pureed texture.
7. Eat slowly taking 20 to 30 minutes to eat your meal.
8. Sip only low calorie beverage between meals.
9. Take your Multivitamin every day.
10.Do not snack!
Weeks 1 – 2: Full liquids
• Consume liquids that are thin enough to drink through a straw,
but don’t use a straw! Drink the liquids in small sips.
• Include protein supplements (shakes, drinks, etc.) daily to make
sure you meet your protein requirements.
• Look for sugar-free alternatives to liquids since it is easy to
consume too many calories through liquids alone.
• Full liquids keep your stomach from working too hard by
decreasing pressure on the band. This will prevent any vomiting
in the immediate post-surgical period.
http://www.siumed.edu/surgery/bariatric/files/lapband_diet.pdf
Allot of people are also very HUNGRY just prior to getting their first fill, it's something to remember as your post op weeks progress. Because in MOST cases your still healing and Band restriction doesn't start until AFTER FILLS

Can you get up and stretch frequently during class? Can you recline a little in your chair? Will somebody drive you back to school? For me, sitting upright was painful for a few days and uncomfortable for weeks due to port placement. I didn't drive for about a week so I could recline in the passenger seat. Can you talk to your teachers about it and see if you could use a doctors note to excuse you from attending a full day for the first week back? You will need to move a lot in the beginning due to risk of emboli.
I think it's possible to return so soon, but you'll wish you took more time for recovery.

You guys r too funny!!!! My husband says I'm a trucker all of the time, it's so gross but so funny.... I took my toddler for a walk to other day and I couldn't hold it in and so she heard it and said mommy whats that sound, I told her it was a frog in the bush.... I was dying.... She made ribbit sounds the whole way home

I'm passing so much Gas I had to make sure that I did not crap in my pants:-) LOL Wow the little things that make LB (Lap Band) people happy. Lol I just might have to start selling gas. HAHAHAHA! I'm cracking myself up.

So today is my one year bandiversary! I thought I would Celebrate by writing a post on here. First off let me start by saying this has been the best year of my life! I had almost walked out of the surgery because I was scared and didn't want to go through with it, thank goodness I didn’t! As of today I am down 135 lbs and have went from a BMI of 58.2 down to a BMI of 38.4. I still have a long way to go, but wow what a journey! I thought I would share some highlights:

I was able to get a new job that I enjoy much more and make at least 25% more pay! Losing weight made me more confident and I am doing really well at my new job!


I am now wearing clothes that I haven’t worn since high school! Yes, I kept them hoping that someday they would fit again, and guess what some of them are starting to get big on me!


I love when I catch a glimpse in the mirror and wonder who that person is, because I don’t recognize myself! I also happened to be flipping through some pictures and of a wedding my wife and I recently attended and I saw a guy standing next to her and started getting jealous because she was standing so close to him, then I realized it was me..haha!


On the Disney cruise that my wife and I took to Celebrate the first 100lbs that I lost I was able to get on the waterslide and not feel ashamed or worried about getting stuck! I also was able to keep up easily on the excursions and do many things I never thought I would before, like mountain biking through the rainforest!


I only told my family and one close friend, and didn’t even tell them right away. I still don’t feel comfortable with people knowing that I had lapband surgery or how much weight I have lost. The reason I don’t tell people about the surgery is because I feel like people take away from all the hardwork that I have done. I have been working out twice a day now for over 8 months. I earned this weight loss, but all one has to do is look at a story like the new Jersey Govener and all the comments about it to see that people really seem to chastise you if you “take the easy way out” by having weight loss surgery. The only thing that I feel bad about in not disclosing the help that I have gotten from the lapband is that friends of mine who were also overweight may now think that I did this all on my own. I don’t share my weight loss because I am embarrassed by how much I weighed, that I let myself get so bad. I do plan that if someday I hit my goal of 200lbs lost, I will share that! I’m hoping that I’m able to do that by this time next year.

Thank you all for reading and being there when I’ve need support. If anyone would like help, or wants to talk about any issue, I feel like I have enough experience that I would be happy to share or help support someone else in their journey. I wanted to leave you with my favorite comment from a college buddy that I ran into recently, he hadn’t seen me in about 2 years. “Wow, you look great, did you Sh%t out another person?” Made my day!!

Hey, just getting a band doesn't mean that all your food demons suddenly disappear. i still love chocolate as much today as I ever did. Give me a choice between chocolate and real food and I'll take the chocolate anyday. The problem with the band is that it doesn't stop you from eating the type of foods that you eat in secret. They are sliders and they go down really easily.
There are a couple of things I think you need to do:-
Be honest with your Dr, hopefully he will refer you to someone that can help you.
Allow yourself your forbidden foods but in small quantities. foods that are forbidden are far more attractive and have so much more power over us than foods that are allowed.
try not to have foods in the house that you know you cannot stay away from- if you have to go out to buy them it makes it a lot harder
And don't be so tough on yourself, none of us are perfect.

I was banded on Thursday-had to stay overnight because I had felt so sick after surgery. Since being home the days have ebbed and flowed. I found hot broth made me feel good, I could only eat(drink) about 3/4 cup, very slowly but really got me through. I have also gone on a couple walks a day, that tires me but also moves the gas around! Hopefully this helps- it will get better!

I was banded on Thursday-had to stay overnight because I had felt so sick after surgery. Since being home the days have ebbed and flowed. I found hot broth made me feel good, I could only eat(drink) about 3/4 cup, very slowly but really got me through. I have also gone on a couple walks a day, that tires me but also moves the gas around! Hopefully this helps- it will get better!

chicken mince I use in mushy food, but chicken isn't really mushy. And I'm 2 weeks out from band replacement.
Right now the main thing you have to keep in mind is not to put pressure on your band while it's healing. You can have mushies but even though you CAN eat more, don't eat until you feel it 'kicking back'. Have half a cup, stop, and if you're still hungry in 30 mins then have another 1/2 cup. You're not trying to lose right now, you're healing.
There's a fair amount of swelling around your port which is why they don't usually fill you quite so soon after your surgery. Having said that my surgeon checked the Fluid in my band when I went to see him for something unrelated just a week after surgery and he put another 0.5cc in. But that means I'm at 2cc in a 10cc band so honestly it's not even touching the sides.
My next fill is in a week. THAT was supposed to be my first post-op appt and first fill date. 3 weeks post surgery.

That was a typo I lost 32lbs but yes yay! I am so happy and I think it was proof that I am serious about this.

Yesterday the scale read 299. The old me wanted to go Celebrate by eating something fatty and bad. How stupid. The new me went out to the driving range and hit a bucket of balls instead. Today I went on a long hike I would never been able to make 4 months ago. I only made it halfway to chimney rock but going to try again the end of the summer.