aubrie

I too was scared because I didn't know what to expect. The doc felt around for my port, then had me half lay back in a reclining position. He injected the spot with a numbing agent. It was just a tiny sting. I hardly felt it at all. He then got the fill needle and once numb inserted it into the port. I didn't look. I didn't feel a thing. He put some fluid in, and then had me start drinking water slowly and steadily as he added more. When the water started to back up in my throat, I nodded and he very carefully backed off on the fill amount until the water went down. I rested for a moment and then he had me swallow again just to make sure. It went down fine so he removed the fill needle. I rested again. Then about 15 to 20 minutes later he had me drink water again before he let me go home. It was fine, but had there been a problem, he would have taken care of it right then and there. I did liquids for 24 hours, and it was done.

Welcome to bandland. I'm so proud of you! You did it. Sounds like you're doing great. You know... It's funny. I've had surgery many times and have always been able to recall waking up in the recovery room. Once I was even convinced I had been kidnapped and was in Canada. I demanded to know how I got to Canada. Drugs sure do wierd things!!!! But I have no recollection at all of waking up in recovery after LapBand surgery. I have no recollection of being taken back to my room or even getting into my bed. My husband said I was conscious and talked to him, but it was mumble and he didn't understand anything I said. I remember waking up many hours later and feeling fine. But I had been in my room for quite some time. It was really wierd. It's like a chunck of time is missing. I've never had that happen before. I went in to surgery at 8:00 am. Surgery was just under an hour. I didn't really "wake up" until 2:00. I wonder if that's normal.

I think they are more interested in your attitude toward weight loss. They don't want you to have unrealistic expectations, or be casual about it. Mine was about what I wanted out of it, my plans on how to do it, if I understood that this was a life style change, if I understood that the band wasn't going to do it all for me, that there was effort required on my part, if I had a support system in place, if I had any real bad food habits that identified deeper issues, etc. Just relax and be yourself. Tell the truth.

I've told very few people. It's none of thier business. I didn't even tell my parents or brothers and sister until 6 weeks later when I went home for Chiristmas. I wanted to have a significant loss to show that it works, and also to show that I was healthy and intact. My mother was frantic that I even brought it up months before. After seeing me, my family is all okay with it. They have been pretty supportive. Two in my family have diabetes, and I was headed that way, so they knew the potential for me to get it. I haven't told a soul at work. Water cooler gossip disgusts me. My two best girlfriends know, and a business associate in another town knows. That's it. My body and anything to do with it is private. THE END. Of course everyone wants to know how I'm losing. I just say diet and exercise and leave it at that.

Not all the time, but I've noticed that I'm tight at night on the days when I've had high stress. I guess when I tense up, it causes the band to do so as well. Anyway. I've found that a half glass of wine or a warm relaxing drink like peppermint tea makes me chill out enough to handle it. It works for me. It's worth a try.

How do you plan to get all the necessary protien needed for this? Make sure you have a nutrious plan in place to fight hunger. Protien staves off hunger.

I went on a tour of my facility. It was a wing on the 6th floor of a regular hospital, set aside just for bariatric surgeries. (Bypass and LapBand). I was quite impressed and it DEFINATELY put my mind at ease. The regular ER and hospital was just downstairs. It was amazing the lengths they went to to make the patients comfortable. All the wheelchairs, the doorways, the toilets, the gurneys, the beds and the showers were larger and wider for bariatric patients. It was marvelous. Each room was like a bedroom at home. Hardwood floors, rockers, sofa beds for the spouse, wallpaper, dimmer switches for the lights, armoirs for your clothes, and I even got slipper socks for my feet. I was totally relaxed when I checked in. What a difference it made!!

If I sit at a tilt I can now cross my legs. It's amazing. I can't wait to just drape my leg over without forcing it. I went shopping over the weekend. I went from a 24 pants to an 18!! I even looked at swimsuits. UGH!!! I found some that held in my tummy and kept my boobs in place, but they wanted $92 for a swimsuit!!! I go to water aerobics three times a week, and I'll use it, but I figure that at the rate I'm losing, it will be too big in two months and I will have wasted the money. I'm not paying that for a swimsuit!! I no longer grunt when I tie my shoes. I can comfortably shave my legs without contorting myself. I can shave my entire underarm. I didn't SQUEEZE into the movie theater seat yesterday. I'm loving it!

Wow. What a great analogy!

Depending on what I eat, I flip flop in and out of ketosis. I can always tell when it happens becuase my mouth feels yucky and I have a terrible metallic taste in my mouth. I change up my diet from day to day, and the carb days are the days my mouth feels normal. The high protien days, I notice it within two days. It's an interesting thing. I am so much more in tune with my body since being banded. I catch on to all the little nuances now, and am fascinated with this truly amazing piece of organic machinery!!!!

Mine were a little raised. I started putting straight vitamin E on them every day and within two weeks they were flat. They are still a bit on the pinkish purple color, but they are getting lighter. The vitamin E worked for me.

I have to agree with gkeyt above to some degree. Not everyone falls within the "normal" range anatomically. I was told for years that I only had one ovary and that I would have trouble getting pregnant. When the time came, I was pregnant within six weeks. I was puzzled. It wasn't until much later I discovered that I did indeed have two, but the other one was under my tilted uterus and hiding. Not the doctor's fault. Not my fault. It just was.... That being said, I also feel that the doctor did have an obligation to come to you IMMEDIATELY and explain to you what happened. That was unprofessional. Based on that alone, I would look for another surgeon. I would no longer trust this one. Not because of what happened so much as how it was handled afterward. I would definatley demand an investigation.

My surgeon said that he also recommended the bypass. I wasn't AT ALL comfortable with that. Ethically as well as risk wise. I just flat out told him no. He shrugged and said okay..... That was that.

I have one true "incision" for my port, and then just three puncture holes. They really aren't even what I would call an incision.

I was plugged up for a week after surgery. It was hell. diahhreah would have been a welcome situation. Unfortunately, I'm now 10 weeks out and still have a problem going to the bathroom. It was always easy for me. Now I strain, go 2 - 3 days without going (I used to go every day, sometimes twice). I have to say, that so far this is the one negative of being banded. I don't feel good when I'm irregular, and hard BMs just plain hurt.

I don't know about you all, but I go in and out of ketosis and when I'm in, my breath is horrendous! My husband doesn't even want to kiss me. I chew gum to freshen my breath.

I recently went five weeks (YES 5!!!) without any loss at all. I was ready to pull my hair out. I was getting depressed, but low and behold, over the last two days I've dropped 4 pounds. WHAM! And it was gone. It's amazing. I didn't do anything really different. It's so strange.

Yes, Call right away. YOu might have pulled some stitches....

I weigh every day. At my last visit my doctor fussed and me and told me to stop doing that immediately, that once a week was more than enough. I can't stop. I still do it every morning. If if goes up a couple pounds, I eat less that day and exercise harder. That way I feel like I am in control. I know my doctor is going to have a fit. I see him again today.

My initial knee jerk reaction to this????? God, I hope it wasn't some sick, demented person intent on a hate crime against fat people. There are so many wierdos out there that kill for the stupidest reasons.

I've discovered after a 30 pound loss, that my cute suit that I found at Wal-Mart doesn't fit anymore. It took forever to find that one. I dread starting to look again. I dug up one of my old suits that's closer to my current size, and all the elastic had lost it's stretch. My butt about fell out in water aerobics once it got wet. I like the ones that have wider elastic at the legs, so everything stays put and doesn't ride up, but they are so hard to find. I like the firm stretch too. It kind of holds the tummy in and you don't jiggle when you walk. Also hard to find. My boobs are sagging now so one with a bra would be nice. Are we just asking to much here???????

The only time I am allowed protien drinks is if I'm sick or after a fill for 24 hours. Other than that I'm required to eat regular food three times a day. I'm not allowed protien bars either. At any time. BUT..... I can put unflavored protien powder in my regular food. I put it in my oatmeal, my cream of wheat, any gravey or sauce I make, my soup, my applesauce, and refried beans. It's unflavored so I usually can't even tell it's there.

I'm having the same problem. I haven't lost in 4 weeks!! BUT..... I have been exercising like a crazy woman. I go to the gym 4 -5 times a week, and work out hard. My clothes and bras continue to get looser, so I have to assume that I'm losing inches instead of pounds, because I'm developing muscle. I haven't exercised in years, so my muscles were probably near atrophy!!!! LOL. But I feel so much better. I have so much more energy, I'm in good moods most of the time and I'm sleeping like a baby.

I didn't have a problem with my underwire bra going home. The pain meds were still working, so it wasn't an issue. It wasn't until several days later that it bothered me a little. I found an old underwire bra, snipped the edges and pulled the wires out. I knew I wouldn't be wearing that size of bra for very much longer anyway, so I didn't care. The "girls" are the first to go!! It worked great and served the purpose until I stopped itching.

I mixed one half cup skim milk, and one half cup low carb vanilla slim fast, added a capful of vanilla and some cinnamon and made my cream of wheat like that. I only put one ounce of cream of wheat. It was thin in consistancy and DELICIOUS. Even my husband wanted some.