Medikdave

It took me two days to write out what I wanted to say, but once I was satisfied, I copied it, pasted it into Facebook, and hit Post. I said "Screw it, I'm doing this for me." I know that seems harsh, but I'm the one making this journey, and anyone who knows me knows the battle I've had. At the end of the post, I advised that if anyone had a problem with what I was doing, they were welcome to "unfriend" me. If they wanted to leave a nasty comment, I would happily delete their comment, and delete them from my friend list myself. I know...ooooohhhh, so mean! I'm not a Facebook junkie, that's my wife's department. But, I knew there would be questions, and I figured I would be more annoyed by repeatedly answering their questions than I would be by them knowing the truth. You didn't do this so people would like you, at least you shouldn't have. You did this for YOU. So, revel in your victory. If they don't like it, well...let them eat cake!

Fair Warning, this is a long post. But, it's worth the read. The September before I had my band (band was in June 2013), my wife and I were...ya know ...when suddenly my head started pounding so hard that my 18 years of medical experience started screaming "Thar she blows!" (that's referring to a blood vessel, y'all). Needless to say, I was done for the night. I'm a seasoned firefighter, and I've NEVER been more scared than I was that night. EVER Afterwards, I was standing out on the back deck, stressed out, and....smoking a cigarette. I looked down at it, said out loud "You're a f**king idiot", and pitched it into the grass. That was the last one I had. I dumped the rest into the toilet. I thought about my wife, my two little boys, my two not so little daughters, and cried. My blood pressure was through the roof, and I knew why. The next day, I stopped by the fire station and had one of my buddies check my pressure. 186/106, 40 years old. By the end of the day, I was taking blood pressure medicine. I started looking for anything I could to help me quit, that wasn't the patch, or gum, or eCig. It never made sense to me to use nicotine to quit my nicotine addiction. I stumbled upon Allen Carr's Easy Way to Quit Smoking. http://www.allencarr.com I bought the audiobook and listened to it everywhere I drove. This guy was a 4+ pack a day smoker and quit cold. I won't dive into his methodology, but can tell you that between his book, and me keeping my family in my thoughts, it worked. The true test came one week later. If you know anything about firefighters, you know we are a tight knit brotherhood. One of my Fire Captains died in the line of duty. In picture #2, that's me on the left. I'm in the honor guard, and had to stand at attention next to his casket, while his 11 year old son, Nicolas, wailed. Easily one of the worst days of my life. I wanted a cigarette SO BAD. But, I decided that I can't willingly do that to my family. I had to be strong for myself and my family. I am now a non-smoker. 9 months later, I had lapband surgery so that I can take care of the other problem that will surely shorten my life. 2 months after I had the band, I stopped taking blood pressure medicine. I no longer need it. Sometimes it just takes a life changing experience to put a foot in your a$$. If my experience helps you or anyone else, then glory be. But, you have to take inventory of what or who is important to you, and YOU make a conscious decision. Don't quit because someone wants you to, do it for yourself, or it will never happen. I don't judge anyone for using Chantix, Nicorette, etc. But, I personally do not believe in them. Not anymore. Go buy Allen Carr's book. He recommends that you read through his book completely before putting down the cigarettes. I had already stopped. But, every time I felt a craving, I had the audio book on my phone, and I hit play. He got me through it. Good luck. Anyone who needs some encouragement or wants more info on how I got through it, you're welcome to PM me.

Not sure what my issue is yet, but I see my PCP tomorrow, so we'll discuss it. I just got banded 2 weeks ago, and I just started to eat soft solids. I've only had twice what I would call a vasovagal response, or maybe even near syncope. Both times, it happened when I swallowed too much food at once. As it passed into the upper pouch, I got dizzy and was semi-conscious for a few seocnds, meaning I didn't completely pass out, but couldn't recall anything during the "event" either. I checked my pressure immediately after the second one, and it was 122/70. So, it may have just stimulated the vagus nerve, causing my heartrate to drop, then recovered. There's no way to truly know without my HR being monitored during the event. It's likely that I'm almost ready to stop my BP medicine, which will be very nice. I'll find out more tomorrow, hopefully.

My first post-op appointment is in the morning, so I'll be asking at that time. I think that's a load of crap that it would have to be scraped off. The stomach (even the pouch) is moist tissue. It's not like its the same texture as your shoe tread.

Good. It was just one piece of doublemint. But, since I haven't vomited since I got the band, I don't know what it's like and I would really like to avoid it at all costs. My friend laughed at me. I was in a meeting, and all of a sudden said, "Sh*t...I just swallowed my gum." Then I just got up and walked out to get water. Lol.

Ok, I feel real silly posting this.... But, I'm 7 days post-op, and I'm SO glad that I haven't had any nausea or vomiting. Then, a few minutes ago, I accidentally swallowed my gum. Someone PLEASE tell me that chances are very slim that it's coming back up.

I agree with B-52, that what led you to this point was not your fault. Kidney stones are nothing to trifle with, ever. BUT, according to what your nurse told you, and based on the symptoms you are now having, you need to get yourself in to be checked out! As a bandster, I am a rookie. As a former ER/Trauma Nurse, and as a still certified Medic, I'm telling you that you don't want to err on the side of stubbornness. A test as simple as a barium swallow will allow the doctor to see if you've had a slip. Go in, get it checked. Don't sacrifice your health. Isn't your health the whole reason you went down this path? Please let us know how things turn out.

I'm one week post-op, and I'm hearing the same thing. I just figured it was the liquid trickling through the band into the lower half of my stomach. I've never heard so many bowel sounds without a stethoscope! LOL

I spent a long time anguishing over the decision to band or not to band. I kept hearing my Dad in the back of my head saying "Why are you taking the easy way out?", etc. After a lot of thought and prayer, I finally decided that I am doing this for me, and no one else. If I were to do this to please others, then I'd be destined to fail. Eventually, after I had my initial consultation, I started telling my family members. The only person who was concerned was my Mom, because she's the type of person that doesn't like anything that isn't natural or homeopathic. But, luckily, all of my family members were supportive, because they all knew how unhappy I've been. Even still, I was so self conscious. But, then I had one of those moments where I just said "F**k It!", and I spilled everything out on my Facebook page. The show of support from my firefighter buddies, friends, and family was amazing, and made me pretty emotional while reading it. I'm not usually one to post my life online like that, but I just needed some kind of affirmation. All rambling aside...the most important thing I learned while making my decision, is WHY and for WHO I was making that decision. I'm doing this for ME. That sounds selfish, except that I'm doing this for reasons like: I want to see my 2 little boys graduate, I want to hold future grandchildren in my arms, I want to grow old with my wife. Maybe it would help to explain to your daughter that the reasons for you wanting to improve your health include her, and aren't just selfish and vane reasons.

My doctor said 4 weeks for a private pool, 6 weeks for a public pool. I have internal sutures with surgical glue on the skin incisions. I don't know if the rules are different for incisions with external sutures.

I still have a dull ache in my left shoulder, but it's pretty mild. I'm only feeling pain in my port area if I move a certain way or if I touch it. I was able to move to "thick" liquids this morning, so that is going to be a welcome change. My stomach has been growling loud enough that my dogs were looking at me funny. lol Glad to see that you're doing well also!

An ENEMA? Maybe you should verify that the surgeon is working on the topside and not the bottom. lol

Yesterday's surgery went pretty well. I'm pleasantly surprised at how well I'm doing, especially after reading some of the horror stories that people have told about their surgery experiences. At this point, I just can't wait until after 5pm today, so I can take a shower. So far, I've got some mild pain in my left shoulder from gas, and some tenderness where the port is sewn to my abdominal muscle. I get to advance to thick liquids tomorrow, so hopefully things will only get better from here. Anyone else get banded yesterday?