The Icy One

Carolinagirl put it so well. There is some pretty bad Lap Band hate out there and the perpetrators of that hate are perfectly happy to embroider the inevitable complications that can and do occur and turn the concerns of potential bandsters from butterflies to bats. (I love that phrase and I am totally stealing it! ) Do your research. Listen to your doctor, your gut. Do what you know is right for you. Remember, exaggerated stories are everywhere. Let then caution you but not scare or deter you. Move forward boldly. This is for your future, your health and your life.

I second Melba Toast. I just discovered them today. Oh! Heaven! Crispy! Crunchy! Bread-y! No problem going down. Low in calories. I am so happy. Now when I want something crunchy and bread, I can grab some Melba Toast.

Nine days. Nine days? Even with the Christmas holiday? That's it. I officially hate you. LOL Nine days sure beats the five weeks I had to wait. It's not so bad, looking back on it, from here, now that I have my band and am living my new life. It was a nail biter, at the time, tho.

I was outpatient and live almost two hours from the surgery center. I just requested an extra bump of pain meds right before I left and my husband was as careful as he could to give me as smooth a ride as possible and it wasn't bad. I was happy to go home, right away, settle into my recliner and fully relax. I am glad that my insurance goes for immediate discharge as long as you are stable. I far prefer to recover in the comfort, quiet and privacy of my own home.

Merry Christmas!

Bother your doc. That is what he gets paid the very big bucks for! You need an anti nausea med. You should not be vomiting. My surgeon prescribed me a good one. He is adamant that his patients not vomit. I didn't need mine right after surgery but it is coming in handy now, when my gallbladder acts like an a*sshole and I feel sick. Never feel guilty about asking your doctor to give you the medical care and attention you need. That is what they are there for. If they are unwilling to step up, we have the power to go elsewhere.

I had a very specific post op food progression from my surgeon. First 48: Clear liquids. Day's 3-7: Full liquids. Days 8 through 30: mushies. My first aftercare appointment was on day 29 and my NP took pity on me (I was begging, by that point! LOL) and let me transition from mushies to real food (glory!!!!) two whole days early. Post op diets are important. They are very soft and mild so that your stomach can heal and your band can settle into place and get ready to perform it's function. You may feel up to eating regular foods sooner but your gut isn't. It is still tender and vulnerable and can be damaged if you put the wrong stuff in it, too soon. I almost went bananas on the post op diet. Three weeks of mushies nearly drove me around the bend! LOL But every time I was tempted to sneak a bite of something I shouldn't I would remind myself of what I was working toward and what I stood to lose if I didn't hold the line. The healing is only a month. It feels like an eternity for that month, then it is over. Hang in there.

Oh, Wendy. (((Hug))) My heart aches for you, Love. I admire your strength and your determination to get healthier, live a better life for yourself and perhaps future children. You can do this, you have it in you, you have already proven it. You go, girl. <3

My surgeon allows me to use ibuprofen. That stuff will knock down a fever and a headache very nicely. Give your surgeon's office a call and see if it is okay to use it. Some say it is okay, some don't. I don't see how it can hurt, on a once in a while basis. I hope you feel better, soon.

Squeee! Thank you so much. Now that I am out of the mushie stage, I am desperate for yummy, easy, no brainer stuff to eat. I am a lousy, with a capital L cook and these look like recipes even I can handle.

I'm glad that you're feeling better. Sometimes a good howl, a nice hot shower and a little something in the tummy is just what the doctor ordered.

Ahhh... Memories. We didn't have artificial trees, Mother always insisted on natural trees. When we were little, she would put the tree up on Christmas Eve and we would wake up on Christmas Day to a fully lit, decorated tree with the pile of gifts beneath. Pure old fashioned magic. <3 As we got older, we started putting the tee up earlier but it was always real, freshly cut. Merry Christmas, Cheryl and everyone who celebrates!

You are doing so great! Congratulations on all of your wonderful progress and the peace and happiness you are realizing in your life.

I was outpatient, but I took a tote bag with a few necessities, just in case something went awry and I ended up having to be transported to a hospital and staying overnight or longer. I believe in being prepared. I wore soft, oversized jammies, since it was November. and can be chilly that early in the morning, even in the Phoenix area. The bottoms have a roll down waistband so that they stayed out of the way of incisions and the top was big and covered me so I could freeboob it so I could skip my bra, for the ride home, after. I wore slip on slippers and no socks, since I didn't want to wrestle with them, right after surgery. In my tote, I had all of my paperwork, lip balm, my phone, it's charger, earbuds. I had a book, a clean pair of undies, a sample bottle of body wash, samples of shampoo, conditioner. I brought facial cleanser, moisturizer, eye cream, my hair brush, a comb, hair tie, a Ficcare, hand lotion, a nail file. I had my wallet, with my insurance card, ID, some cash, my debit card. My husband babysat my bag when it wasn't with me. I didn't need the stuff in my bag, except for my lip balm, which I was slathering on right up until they wheeled me into the OR. Boy, did my lips ever thank me, too! And my hand lotion, which I slathered on, in the ride home. Surgery dries you out! I also had a bottle of fancy drinking Water I had left in the car to come to room temp while I was having my operation and I sipped it on the ride home to rehydrate.

Being nervous is perfectly normal. Having my band installed with my third surgery and even tho I was totally ready, rock steady in my decision and had not one single doubt and no fear of surgery, in general, on a sub conscious level, I was still nervous! LOL The surgery, it's self is a piece of cake. You are taken to the pre op area, where you are settled on a bed, a nurse will go over your history, ask you some questions, confirm your op, and so on. You will change into a gown, an oh-so-cute hair cover and some booties then they will start an IV, you will most likely see your surgeon who will pop in for a quick hi and make sure you are ready to go. You will meet your anesthesiologist, he or she will go over your procedure, your history, explain what they will do, answer any questions you have. Your nurse will start running in pre op meds that are ordered, usually an antibiotic, a little something to relax you, that sort of thing. As they take you into the OR, they usually begin the early anesthetic so you may begin feeling a little loopy, don't worry about it. It will be cold in the OR, that is a good thing. You will move from your bed to the operating table and they will settle you in place. Everyone should be very friendly, reassuring but they will be moving swiftly. Once you are settled, your anesthesiologist will put you out. And the next thing you know, you will be in the recovery room. It will be a blink! That fast! Seriously. When you wake up. take deep breaths, in through your nose, blow them out through your mouth, deep and slow, try to control them, really move the air in and out. It is good for your lungs to do so, if you can. Practice, in the weeks before your surgery. (I was taught to do that before my first surgery, back in 1998.) Once you are well awake, you will be offered a little Water or ice chips. accept! You will need the hydration and it's good for you. Sip, sip, sip! As much as they will allow you. You may be given a little lung exerciser and shown how to use it. I was. Didn't really need it, but I humored them. You will be given pain medication, as needed. After a little while, you will be encouraged to get up and walk. If you are outpatient, your nurse will help you to the bathroom so that you can dress and rest a bit then take off and go home. I was outpatient. I checked in at my surgery center at 5:45 in the morning, and was out of there just before nine. I was home, chilling in my recliner (including my nearly two hour drive home) before lunch time. Post op pain from a Lap Band procedure really isn't that bad. I had a lap chole (unsuccessful, long story) in March and the discomfort level for a Lap Band is about the same. There wasn't really pain, pain, more discomfort. I never needed the prescription pain med my surgeon prescribed for me. I had it on hand, didn't take any. I had some shoulder pain from my hiatal hernia repair that I took a little liquid Motrin for. My surgeon gave me the okay for that. And I used a heating pad to knock down the discomfort as well. My incisions were a little ouchy but nothing I couldn't handle, as long as I didn't try to disco duck all over the place. LOL My port site would remind me of it's presence, if I moved wrong, when I bent over and straightened back up. I learned, in the early weeks to support my tummy to keep that from hurting. Now, a month out I don't have to worry about it, any longer. I got lucky with the gas. My surgeon did a good job pushing the gas out after my surgery, I had little if any gas pain. If you do have any, walking, a heat pad, moving around, gentle bending and stretching help move the gas on out. After my surgery in March I had mad gas pain and walking, bending and stretching made a huge difference! Expect to feel pretty tired for the first three days or so. I felt like dog meat. All I wanted to do was sleep. I was kind of jazzed up on the first day, day two kicked my *ss, day three I was beat. I slept a lot, got up and walked, had my liquids, slept a lot. Walked... You get the idea. By day four, I was on full liquids and beginning to feel human, again. It got better and better from then, on out. You've got this. It really isn't bad, at all. Just enjoy the process. It's an experience. You have to live it, so do it to the fullest.

Doo iiitt! From a former smoker (Quit Day, May Day, 1994) it'll be the best thing you can do for yourself! Yes, it's hard. D*mned hard! I won't lie. It SUCKS. But here's the thing... The first three or four days are the toughest. That is your "nicotine detox" and once you are past that, the rest is behavior modification, learning to live your new normal and just shaking off the after effects and letting your body heal. That all takes time. You will have some unpleasant weeks. You will have cravings, but you can lump them in with dealing with your food cravings and battle them together. You will be b*tchy, again, be b*tchy for both, at the same time. Two for one. You will have the physical stuff to deal with, the coughing out the gunk (super yukky, but once it's over, you will feel soooo much better, trust me) and so on but when that resolves, suddenly, you will discover the wonder of, OMG! I can breathe! I can smell things! I can taste things! Its kind of amazing. Totally worth it. When I quit, One thing I did to help me get through my rough patch, to keep myself busy and to give me incentive not to "dirty up" my surroundings was to do a total detail of my home. I washed all of the clothes, bedding, curtains, towels... Everything. Fresh and clean. Loads and loads. I scrubbed down my walls until they were clean and fresh. (I probably could have painted, but scrubbing was cheaper!) I cleaned the broadloom and the ceilings. Washed my windows. I aired out my home and erased all traces of my former habit from my life. I had my husband have our car thoroughly detailed so that it was fresh and clean, too. Once I decided to stop smoking, I decided that I was a non smoker and that was it. In the early days, If I got a craving, I reminded myself that I wasn't craving cigarettes because I am a non smoker. That doing that would kill me. That it is disgusting and I don't do that. I am now one of those completely obnoxious non smokers. I quit a long time ago and I have never slipped, and I am damned proud of that. Through some of my most stressful times. Darkest, most sorrow filled days, I have never, once been tempted to pick it back up. And so glad, as there is enough in life that can kill us, I am determined not to add one more thing to the pile! LOL Look, I'm not trying to brag or lecture, here. I'm just trying to share what I've been through, what worked for me and how I succeeded in quitting a habit that I honestly thought, for a while was going to haunt me for my entire life. You can quit smoking, you need to want it. Just like you want this band. If you want both, you can do both! You have the strength, the will, the guts to do it! I know you do. It isn't easy but the rewards are so gold.

I'm confused at that order. I was told to just do Clear Liquids for two days, not worry about Protein intake. I had hot tea, Water, Crystal Light, (brought up to room temp, of course) broth from canned soup, sugar free Popsicles. It was only for two days, missing out on protein for two days isn't a big dealio. I did six to eight ounces at a time, sipping very slowly. I had a hiatal hernia repair so I had a lot of inflammation, I was pretty tight, had nearly zero apatite and needed to go slow. Maybe you can start your protein when you transition to full liquids? Trying to force so. much. protein this soon, when you are on clear liquids, fresh out of the OR seems a bit extreme, to me.

My ride home post surgery was almost two hours. Happily, hubbie did his best to avoid the worst bumps and nasty spots on the road and we have a fairly comfy car so the ride home wasn't bad, at all. A requested extra bump of pain med before I left the surgical center helped, as well.

Try gentle stretches, roll your torso to one side and the other (gently, slowly, carefully, stopping if it hurts, of course) bending slowly foreword and back a bit... These moves may help to dislodge and move the gas on out. I had surgery in March, and had some mad gas discomfort and these moves helped me move it out. I was lucky when I had my band placed last month... My surgeon did a good job de-gassing me. I had almost no discomfort from gas.

Yay, you!

I didn't know that about the hernia repair until it was explained to me but it makes sense... The additional inflammation and swelling kind of acts as a "fill" for a longer time, keeping some of us in "green" longer than some others. It's weird, but it is working for me, right now so I am sure as h*ll not going to argue with it! I need to go hang out on the food and cooking (cooking... *shudder*) board and get ideas. I need simple, yummy, healthy options that work for someone who can't cook and are budget friendly, too. I think it is time to buy a new slow cooker... Even I can dump stuff into a slow cooker... Maybe I can make stuff I can eat and that hubs and the son unit will like, too. Isn't there a Crock Pot thread over there?

Holy progress, Batman! You are looking fantastic.

I just remind myself of the rules and the consequences if I don't follow them. It is nice, after three weeks of mushies to finally be on real food, again. LOL You can do this. Remember, you didn't get your band to continue in your old patterns. You got it to help you establish healthy new ones. Believe me, I grok that old, bad way of thinking and doing. That is why I am sitting here with a band on my gut. And why I am hide bound determined to be a highly compliant, successful bandster. I have to get this right.

Sometimes it feels good to just get it out, doesn't it? Walk, walk, walk to move the gas. I got lucky with this surgery, I had little if any gas discomfort. But a surgery I had in March? Yikes! Walking helped. Big time! LOL broth from canned soup tastes so much better than straight up thin, nasty canned chicken broth. A heating pad for your shoulder can make you so much more comfortable. Hot tea with or without a little sweeter is comforting. I second brushing your teeth. Being on liquids made my mouth and teeth feel and taste funky and brushing often and using a good rinse really helped. The first few days to week are the roughest. This too shall pass. And more quickly than you can imagine. Hang in there! You're doing fine and it only gets better every day.

First "real" bandster din-din. Three ounces of diced tender chicken, 1/4 cup sweet potato and 1/3 cup cut green Beans. Didn't have enough room for the green beans. And they were a bit too "fibery", too. The chicken was sooo yummy, tho. I am so happy to leave behind mushies, at last. [ATTACH]38858[/ATTACH]