BringingSexyBackToTX

I don't have one at home...

I didn't need one. I was able to sleep (flat on my back) in my bed. Recovery was actually very easy. Don't sweat it - it might not be nearly as bad as you expect. At least that is how I found it to be (but then again, I'm only one week out). Good luck!

You only ate a cup of food a day? I was told 1/2 - 1 cup per meal.

Me too! I'm not on food yet but now I'm confused as to when I do get there... and I don't like what I'm hearing about this "Bandster hell"... I am pretty happy here in this non-hungry and losing phase.

And sorry... for example' date=' my surgery was 7/18 and my first fill is scheduled for August 13th.[/quote']

My first fill is also on August 13th. I was banded 07/17. Kind of nervous about it all...

I had a "lumpy port" as well as as tome went on it settled in so to speak! Hang in there!

About how long did it take to settle in? Do you remember...

If any one would like to get a Protein drink that has 24g in it and you only need to drink 2.5 oz I looked up what they gave me while I was in the hospital and it can be bought online. HEALTHY SHOT http://www.healthy-shot.com/healthy-shot_high_protein_drink.html heres a link they are fruit flavors

Thanks for this. Which flavor tastes better?

The Dermabond (super glue in place of stitches) on one of my incisions came off and I worried about it - but I sprayed a spray antibacterial spray on it that I got from the pharmacy and let it dry naturally. It actually healed overnight and looked MUCH better than my other incisions that still had the Dermabond on it (so much so that I can't even barely see the incision anymore) - so I took the Dermabond off the others (which were mostly healed/sealed at the time) and did the same and they are all healed/sealed and look great. Just a little bit of bruising remains around them but otherwise they are closed. Even the big port site looks good. **NOT recommending that people do this but I'm just telling you my experience and that letting them air dry (without Bandaids) has helped greatly. As always, talk to you Dr about it first.**

Totally normal. I felt like I had done 1000 sit ups after surgery' date=' but eventually that goes away. My port area was swollen for a while, and as I lost more weight, it became more pronounced. It sort of sticks out now, but not too bad. Eventually I may ask to revise to a low profile port.[/quote']

I think I did get the "low profile port" - or so that was the discussion. I can't actually SEE the port (I think I can feel it when I push around there but I don't like to because it is still tender and frankly it creeps me out) but I do see the lump which is more swollen than the rest of my belly. Last night I went out with friends and wore a Spanx camisole to hopefully conceal the lumpy belly. Hoping I won't have to do that for much longer...

That's normal.. Me too. My bmi was 32 low too my starting weight was 192 now I'm down to 168 feeling great 6 weeks post op... What was your bmi

Wow - down to 168 in 6 weeks? That's great! My BMI was anything from 30-32 depending on which tech measured my height and weight (interviewed two different surgeons before deciding on the one I chose) - which was frustrating. I'm one week out and I'm hoping for such results!

My Nashville surgeon is participating in a study with Duke University' date=' offering the plication along with Lap Band 1-band cannot slip 2- it makes a kind of like gastric sleeve.

It was voluntary for the 5 yr study kind of like getting a 2 for 1. Plus it speeds the weight loss[/quote']

Interesting. Thank you for the info.

Banded w/plication on 7-18-2013

Just curious (and pardon my WLS ignorance) but what does "banded with plication" mean? And why is that offered?

I am a week out and not only can feel my port but can see it if I lay down. Now' date=' this may be because I have a very flat tummy (trust me, I unfortunately make up for it in other areas lol) or maybe because I'm what they consider a lower BMI? Anyways, I am so looking forward to no more swell and bloat myself. Your not alone![/quote']

That kind of freaks me out - I don't want to be able to see it! I was thinking that it would be buried in the muscle so you can't see it.

Its actually not a hard lump but still a lump. Sometimes I think I can feel the port but its not in the swollen lump but more underneath it - if that makes sense. My BMI is ~30/31 and the doctor said that I might be able to feel it more due to this - but I guess that is something I just have to be fine with. I just hope that ALL the swelling and the lump goes away and soon. I wore my jeans last night out for a bit and they were tight from my belly still being swollen from surgery - even though I've lost weight since the surgery. Weird.

I was banded a week ago and all seems to be going well. My incisions are healing nicely and the bruising from surgery is going away. I do have tenderness around my port incision that sometimes smarts when I sit a certain way or move a certain way - other than feeling weird, its not too bad. Most of the swelling in my belly has gone away but I still have a swollen lump next to my port incision. Is that normal? And when does all the bloat and lumpiness go away? Thanks in advance.

After I graduated to solids' date=' nothing major has changed as far as social gatherings, having friends over for meals, etc. The biggest change is that I eat WAY less, and much slower than I used to. I always have leftovers to box up. Nothing weird, nothing that affects my ability to be social and eat with a group of people.

You will learn quickly what your band can/can't handle, so I've never been stuck or PB'd in public. If I'm trying something new outside of my home, I take tiny bites and chew like crazy.

When I graduated to mushies, I remember taking my friend out for dinner at a cute little Indian restaurant for her birthday. I was able to eat an entree without rice (most dishes are pureed, or saucy) and gave the paneer to my friend - it was delicious.

You will still have the ability to socialize around food, and be adventurous with your palate, you will just learn to limit yourself and eat slowly, which is totally a good idea anyway.

As far as drinking while eating, I am allowed to drink up until I eat, then I don't until 30 min after eating. I learned quickly not to break that rule, because drinking while eating causes me a lot of discomfort. You will get used to these things and you won't feel sad or left out. If anything, it feels good to no longer be the first one finished eating.[/quote']

Thank you LapBandit2013 for this. What you describe is what I was hoping for - I hope to get to that place without much drama.

I have to disagree. A person with a very high BMI may lose tons of weight when their BMI is in the high 40s or into the 50s. But' date=' the same amount of calorie restriction may not have effect once they've shed a hundred or so pounds. As body weight drops, the number of calories required to maintain that weight also drops. I hear alarm bells when folks start asking about

Doesn't the FDA guidelines for lapband surgery start at a BMi of 40?? Or 35, if co-morbidity is present?

When we go out for lunch it is usually with several other people who have had WLS, so being a social gladfly is not an issue for us. My wife had the vertical sleeve and many of our friends have also had the lapband, as I did. As an aside, I am very impressed with the weight loss my wife was able to achieve with the vertical sleeve. It really controls her appetite. Before that she lost over a hundred pounds by dieting.[/quote']

My surgeon (who is in the major medical center in Houston and has been doing this for 20 years with many accolades) has a minimum BMI of 29. I believe the FDA (and some insurance companies) has now lowered it to 30.

I'd agree. I was banded at a higher bmi' date=' but my weight loss has been fairly steady all along. I am now bmi of 24 and am not in any way, shape, or form actively trying to lose weight, but it still comes off.

Even as I have settled into this lifestyle and am not nearly as strict about food or alcohol intake (i do love some mixed drinks myself , I still continue to lose at a decent pace. Heck, at this point I am the ones my friends point to when complaining about skinny people, which completely blows my mind.[/quote']

Thanks NWgirl for this update/input. It is actually good to hear that you lost all your weight and that you continue to lose the weight. That gives me hope to hear! And I love that now you are the "skinny one" in your group. That's got to be such a great turn of events given your hard work and journey - well deserved!

Yo-yo'd with weight? Makes sense with a dilated pouch...able to eat more per serving....that is my warning sign' date=' but instead of continuing I do my version of the 5 day pouch test to give it a chance to recover....

I'm surprised this person could tolerate and eat/drink beyond the pain....[/quote']

What is your "5 Day Pouch Test"?

Maybe a stupid question but if you have a BMI of 30 why did you get lap band surgery?

Not a stupid question: It is still "obese" and/or "morbidly obese" and unhealthy.

I'd suspect anyone who had a low BMI to begin with will have a hard time losing weight without putting some serious effort into it. And' date=' obsessing about what you can eat and get away with, to me at least, is a clear signal that you may be setting yourself up for failure.

Let the band do its job. Once you're in the green zone you won't be worrying about what you can eat. It should be a matter of eating healthy and getting the proper nutrients--not about having wine or cake.

Yes, you can cheat a bit in moderation... a glass of wine or a bite of cake isn't the end of the world, but it should be a rare treat for very special occasions. But, 99% of the time concentrate on what the dietitian recommended for meal plans.[/quote']

You misunderstood my question - it isn't about me having wine or cake nor was it about me obsessing about what I can get away with.

Regarding your statement about lower BMI having a hard time losing weight without putting some serious effort into it - not true according to my surgeon. He said that everyone will and can lose weight on the LapBand (or one of the other WLS) as long as you do the program of diet and exercise regardless of the amount to lose.

I'm 100% with Hazel on this. She covered it all.....

Now that I'm 4 months out' date=' there isn't any eating situation that concerns me. If we go out to a restaurant, I order a meal, eat what I can, and either leave the rest or take it home. The ONLY reason you would have a stuck episode, is if you take too big a bite, and don't chew thoroughly. Taking small bites & chewing well isn't obvious to anyone you eat with. You are eating.....that's all they see. As Hazel said, if your social life involves drinking on a regular basis, you will have problems losing weight. There is not a lot of room for regular alcohol intake on any weight loss plan, because there aren't any nutrients and your body can only store it as fat. That, and drinking brings on loose eating for many; it does for me! If you DO drink, count the calories, and make sure you don't consistently blow your daily allowance. Maintenance is another story, but it doesn't mean that you can throw caution to the wind.

Relax, and take the time necessary to "reset" as Hazel mentions, and get re-aquainted with food, and what will ultimately be your new "normal".

Good luck![/quote']

Thank you for this. Very helpful. Looking forward to normalization and glad to hear that you have found it already at 4 months out. And you're right - no one will notice at social situations - its just eating and no one would really care. And I like the suggestion of just saying that I've already eaten and I'll just have a light bite or something.

Hello

I started at a BMI of 35 now I'm somewhere around 23 after a loss of 100 lbs.

When I first started the band' date=' I was very diligent with my rules which laid a strong foundation for how I eat today. I consider everything at this stage to be about 100% compliance. Not only are you healing, but you are also resetting your body. Don't mess with the formula to much. This should be your mentality until you reach that fill that puts you into the green zone. Before green you are apt to eat too much, gain weight etc so it's just not worth messing w/ your diet too much. Now with that being said, once you are in the green zone this is what life will be like with the band. You should notice a huge change in the quantity you can eat. Than you need to experiment with what foods you can/cannot eat to have a real understanding of what your tolerance is. From there, you can make better decisions in social settings that won't set you up for a stuck episode etc. But in reality, you can make choices around that understanding at that point. I can eat just about anything, but that doesnt mean I do daily or even frequently in general. Rather, I make allowances for myself. If I know Im going out and we'll be drinking or having bbq or even cake galore I eat small portions before and after to try to minimize my caloric intake. When I do have a drink, it's small drinks and no more than 2. Or I take bites of cake instead of whole pieces etc. It's almost like everything becomes finger foods. If you take the time now to establish good habits than this becomes 2nd nature in the future.

On a 2nd note...social awareness. Sometimes (espec. in the beginning) we are worried about what people will notice and how we will be perceived. I will say most of the anxiety is in your head. The beginning is touch because there really is no way to disguise eating liquids-mushies all day long. But once you are on solids there's many clever ways to get around the fact you are banded. In the scenario where you are with strangers it's easy just to say that you just ate but will join them for a lite bite. If these are friends you frequent regularly and do not wish to let them know you are banded, than my very first suggestion is to not center all your social activities around food. Why not coffee get togethers instead or engaging activities. But when you are eating together, take small portions and eat. They'll perceive you as eating. If they comment on your small portions just say yeah I'm trying to lose weight. Enough said.

Social life is defined by the individual. If you use to drink excessively before band, if you all you did was go out and eat w/ friends etc than realize to be successful those habits must change as well. (I'm being extreme but there are plenty of ppl on here who did and still do and they dont lose weight because of it).

Lastly, I dont think a low BMI makes it more difficult to lose weight as a previous poster suggested. None of us will lose if we make poor choices.[/quote']

Thank you for this. Congrats on your loss and continued success! I guess that is all that I was asking - does it "normalize" and just become a new way of life without obsessing. I'm fine with the "resetting" diet and 100% compliance post-op and I understand the purpose (both the physical healing and the mental adjustment) - I think the new hyper-focus post-op kind of had me worried if it was going to be like this forever or if it would gradual become more normal (just different than before but in a healthy way). I wasn't a daily drinker nor would I eat dessert every night at dinner - but I just didn't know if it was complete deprivation forever or with (great) moderation that life and social events could still be enjoyable. I like a glass or two of wine at dinner parties (which my surgeon said was ok once in a while but not every day - but to just count it as my daily calorie intake on my diet app and he warned that I might get buzzed faster now so to be alert about that) and I don't need a whole piece of cake or two - but would like to have a taste once in a while. The comparison to it now being a "finger food" kind of existence is perfect. I'm actually really happy with that. That's how the thin French women eat and stay thin (generally just three bites of anything) - no deprivation but definite moderation. Thank you again for all of the input so many of you all shared. I appreciate it.

Hello: I am newly Banded (as of last Wednesday - 07/17). This forum has been so informative for me and I'm very grateful for finding it. So far, I am surprised at how well my post-op has been going without much pain, misery, adjustment, etc. (honestly I expected it to be so awful after reading many posts on here). I go for my first fill on August 13th. I do have some soreness (especially in the belly and around the port incision), some gas (but not painful, just more irritating with an occasional sharp attention getter but nothing horrible) and my incisions are healing well. I'm on Week 1 of "thin liquids" then move on to Week 2 of "thick liquids" and then finally Week 3 of "Mushies". I'm not super hungry and notice that I do go hours without even thinking about being hungry. Today was the first day that I thought I was hungry and I am learning the hard way how much of a habit it is to drink while I eat - which is now a no-no for the foreseeable future. I have what my Dr. called, a "low BMI" (30-31 - depending on who measured my height at the office). I love to cook for friends and entertain - and so much of our social contact with friends is over meals. Now that it is really hitting me that this is how it is going to be from "now on "BUT... here's my big question: DOES IT (LIFE) GET BETTER? How are you all doing with your socializing? I mean, am I always going to live in fear of "throwing up" or "stopping up my stoma" or "basically freaking out about food? I don't want to be unsocial and I want to resume a fun/full life again with my friends. I am okay with eating less - I get that and I'm ready for that - but I guess I'm just now kind of freaking out after having the thought that this Band is going to monopolize my brain and joy from now on. Granted - I am still in the liquid phase which is probably making me seem a little negative tonight (first time since starting this WLS path a few months ago) but I just don't want to be the social leper at parties and such because I am obsessing about this darn Band. DOES IT GET BETTER? DOES IT GET NORMAL? if I'm out - can I have a bite of cake at a birthday party and not obsess about it? Can I go on dates and have wine and a dinner without it being obvious or an issue that I've been Banded. Sorry if this sounds overreacting... any advice from those that have been at this a while would be grateful. Thanks!

I've not hit my goal yet but I'm hoping to be there by Christmas.

So far' date=' I've lost 222 pounds over the last 18 months.

Just remember, everyone loses at their own pace. It doesn't matter how fast or slow you get there, all that matters is that you're losing.[/quote']

WOW! Congrats on both of you - that is amazing!

Hi Everyone.

Currently I am 4.5 weeks out. I am supposed to be on soft food but my doc told me that I can move up to regular food as needed. The problem I am running into right now is hunger. My swelling from surgery is down and I am ALWAYS hungry. ALWAYS. Now I know why this is. My band has no fills yet' date=' and unfortunately I wont be able to get a fill for a while because my stitches opened and aren't healing quickly by any means.

Because i'm so hungry I am eating more than my 1,000 -1,200 cal limit. I always eat only 1 cup or less, dont drink when I eat, wait 30 min or longer. I dont want to eat alot at one time because of the band risk.

When talking to my nurse she suggested Protein drinks, nope no help at all. Other than that she said I have to deal with it the best I can

So my question for you is what foods keep you full the longest.

So far grits seem to keep me the fullest longest. I have eaten grilled chicken breast, tuna, , several Beans (refried, baked, pinto, ect). so that I can get in my Protein and they simply arent helping. I eat them at noon and i'm hungry by 2.

I know once I get filled that the hunger will be controlled better but I dont want to be in misery until then.

**Also, this is not head hunger. I have already battled that monster and most of the time can tell the difference. The hunger I feel is usually stomach growling and isn't going away after time, or even after a distraction.[/quote']

My Dr has us on "No bread, Pasta, rice, potatoes, carrots, corn, bananas or beans" indefinitely. Those cause you to gain weight and the Beans make you bloat/gassy - which is the opposite of what we are here for. I am just assuming that I am off those things from now on - which I'm ok with. This is also very much in line with the Paleo diet plan - and I know that works.

Has anyone experienced bulging veins in the legs after surgery? Seems my bulging veins on both legs keep getting bigger. Don't know if possibly it's because I've lost so much weight that their appearance is more noticeable? But they worry me. They're dark and achy sometimes. I'm worried about blood clots' date=' but without a regular primary care doctor and insurance, can I find a dr that will actually help? Anybody else experienced anything similar?[/quote']

Yes - like she said. I'd go get this checked out at the ER ASAP! Let the professionals evaluate you - don't wait. You don't want to mess around with this.