BandedBrunette481

Congrats on all of your success!! I love my LapBand as well I just realized today that I am less than 10 pounds away from being halfway to my goal weight. I have my LapBand to thank for that! I hope one day I can be as successful as you have been with your maintenance!

All of my shoulder pain was from the gas they pump into your abdomen for the surgery (it helps them see inside better). They take as much back out as they can but some stays in there. The pain has something to do with the gas pushing on a nerve near your diaphragm and the nerve pain is felt in your shoulder. But I experienced this the second I woke up from surgery all the way until a week post op. It concerns me that your pain developed suddenly after 5 days. I would consult your doctor! I called mine a few days post op and the nurse I spoke to was very helpful. I'm sure your doctor or a nurse there can give you some better advice. Good luck!

Yay! Thanks

Here's a question. I just read your blog (love it!). I noticed in your post op pic you have a large bruise low on your abdomen, like I do. Anyone know what that from? It's not an incision. Just a big bruise. Thanks for reading! It's from my Lovenox injections that I had to give myself after surgery. I bruise very easily to begin with and I found out afterwards that I was doing all the things they recommend you don't do because it increases your chance of bruising! Like rubbing the injection site (to get rid of the burning feeling from the shot) and giving them in spots too close together. It took a long time for that bruise to fade and I still have a slight discoloration of my skin there that I can see in the right light...

Yay! I'm glad I found this thread because I just made an Instagram account focused specifically on my weight loss after my LapBand surgery. I know mine is a little different than the Sleeve but we all experience similar things after weight loss surgery right? Any motivation is good motivation My instagram is BlissfullyBanded if anyone wants to add me.

Ha!! Too funny! When I was in my pre-op liquid diet stage, I would beg my mom to just let me smell her food. It made me feel better for some weird reason haha. So my suggestion is smell away and pretend your protein shakes and other liquids are just as good as that

Maybe I missed it somewhere but it doesn't say what surgery you're having? I have a LapBand and I can eat spicy foods no problem! It sounds like other types of weight loss surgeries make your stomach more sensitive to certain foods. I haven't noticed any food intolerances that I didn't already have before surgery. I wish you the best of luck on your journey to weight loss surgery and beyond! If you want to read more about how my experience with the LapBand is going, I chronicled everything in my blog from early on in the process of getting approved to now. The link is below in my signature.

My doctor said I was fine to do ab workouts at my 6 week post op visit, but it hurt where my port is attached to my muscles. So just go slow and listen to your body! I'm a little over 3 months post op now and my port area is sore for days when I work out my abs still. My doctor said it would get better in time.

I haven't had any issues with my band, I love it actually, but I'm sorry you had a bad experience. My advice is to find a new doctor. Go to someone who specializes in weight loss surgery and can help you figure this out.

It could be any number of things....anemia, Thyroid problems, sleep apnea. In my opinion, it's worth getting the blood tests done to find out. Talk to your doctor again maybe?

Unfortunately, this is one of those things that's unique to each person. It depends on the doctor you go to and what insurance you have. I only had to do 2 weeks of a liquid only diet before surgery that included Protein shakes, Water, broth, sugar free popsicles, and sugar free Jello. Other people I know were allowed one small meal of protein and veggies in their diet. Some people only have to do a liquid diet a few days prior to surgery. My insurance company, Blue Cross Blue Shield, used to require a 3-6 month medically supervised diet before they would do surgery (it's even before the 2 week liquid diet), but they have since stopped making that common practice. Some insurance companies may still require it though. So you may not be dreaming about how fast it can go! I went to my first seminar about weight loss surgery in November of 2013 and I had my LapBand surgery in February of 2014! It can happen that fast, but not always. Depends on doctors appointments and such lining up just right. Best of luck to you!

Thanks for sharing your stories!! I thought of another one! I had a coworker tell me that I "looked like I lost 20 pounds over the weekend." She had JUST taken notice of my weight loss even though I see her daily....so I guess I didn't look any thinner the day before? Haha! Oh well

Isn't that great when your old clothes start fitting again? I also think it's great you got checked out at the gas station haha! Sometimes the ego boost is just really nice. I haven't been stuck on anything yet *knock on wood*, but I too experience band tightening when it's that time of the month. It's the weirdest thing. I've never had anyone explain why that happens really. Congrats on all your success so far!! Keep up the good work!

Haha!! Love it

I eat cereal from time to time! I really like Special K's Protein cereal. It has 10 grams of protein per serving and is only 120 calories for 3/4 cup. It tastes kind of like Wheaties, but sweeter Here's a link if you want to see what the box looks like: http://blissfullybanded.wordpress.com/2014/03/16/food-finds/wpid-20140316_121247-jpg/

These are the things I was glad to have post-op: - my heating pad for all the internal gas and incision pain - a variety of liquids to sip on (apple juice, broth, tea, Powerade Zero) - My pain meds - liquid Tylenol (for weaning off the pain meds) - My recliner (I couldn't sleep laying down flat for several weeks post-op, it put way too much pressure on my abdomen) - Pepto Bismol (for the intestinal gas and diarrhea) - Netflix (you can't do much so it gets boring sitting around haha) Best of luck to you!

I chose the LapBand and I haven't regretted it once! Ok, maybe right after surgery when I was in pain, I was thinking "what have I done!?" but that was brief and it only gets better the farther out from surgery you get!! Even some people who have complications or have had to have the band removed say they don't regret their decision. I know it's a lot to consider, but I wish you the best of luck!! If you want to read about my journey, I detailed pretty much everything since I got insurance approval to now on my blog. The link is in my signature. It helped me to read about other people's stories and successes when I was thinking about having surgery

So I've always had pretty bad cramps with my period, but I've always been able to keep them at bay with Ibuprofen in the past. But since NSAIDs are a lapband no no, I have no idea what to do anymore! I know they say getting on the pill can help with bad cramps, but I was on the pill for 7 years and I still had bad cramps, just a lighter flow. I've been off the pill for over a year now and I still have the bad cramps and light flow (which is nice, but kind of strange. When it hurts that bad you kind of expect a river or something haha). My periods are also short, about 3 days, but it's a rough 3 days. This is only my third period since being banded and I've been taking liquid Tylenol, using a heating pad, and hoping for the best. But Tylenol has never done anything to help my cramps now or in the past. When it got really bad, I would take some of my leftover Hycet (the pain meds they gave me after surgery) but I have since run out. So my question is, what do you take for cramps since being banded? And would it be worth talking to my gynecologist about getting a prescription for a stronger medication that isn't an NSAID? Thanks in advance for any advice you can give!

Thanks for all the input ladies! I'm going to talk to my GYN when I see her for my yearly in June about it and see what she says. I suspect she'll just give me prescription strength Tylenol, but we shall see!

So basically, I am just wondering what everyone's post op calorie intake is months after your surgery. What type of exercise do you guys do? Just wondering in general. Ths whole thing of me wanting surgery is like a huge thing with my friends. They dont want me to get it. They tell me I don't need it and that there are other and better options. What they don't know is that I've been trying this on my own with my mom for 2 weeks on monday, I see no changes in anything. I thought I would have seen at least some by now, and nothing. It's so frustrating and stressful. But yeah what is everyone's daily routine as well? You and I have basically the same starting weight and I heard the same things from lots of people. That I didn't need it and I could just do it on my own. I even had a coworker start crying and telling me not to do it when I was a week away from my surgery date. Everyone thinks they know what's best for our bodies and they don't. Only you know what's best for you. I decided to get the surgery because I wanted a long term solution to my life-long struggle. My medical problems were starting to get worse and even my doctor told me I was too young to have so many issues! So don't worry about what other people have to say. They are always going to have their opinions so just get used to letting the comments roll off you. As for your friends, I would encourage you to tell them that this is what you're doing and that you would appreciate their support, because that's what friends do. They support each other's decisions. You should know though that weight loss surgery isn't a quick fix. It's just a tool for you to use. It's still a lot of hard work on your part. You'll have to change your entire lifestyle, develop new eating and exercise habits, and stick to them. None of the weight loss surgeries work long term if you aren't committed to them. And it takes a while to reach your goal weight still. As far as my exercise routine goes, I try and do at least 30 minutes of physical activity 4 or 5 days a week. So I ride my bike, jog on the treadmill, use the elliptical machine, lift weights, swim laps, or even just go for a walk. Even walking is better than not doing anything at all. You just have to find something that works for you otherwise it's hard to stick to it. My other daily routines include drinking plenty of Water, eating mostly Protein, limiting my carb intake, and taking Vitamins. I typically eat about 1,200 calories a day. My body goes into "starvation mode" pretty quickly if I eat any less than 1,000 on a regular basis. If you want to check out my blog, I detailed exactly what having a LapBand has been like for me and you can read about more of the stuff I do. If you're looking for more insight. The link is below in my signature. Best of luck to you!

Welcome and congrats on your upcoming surgery!! You're taking control of your health in a big way so it's totally normal to feel nervous and excited and everything in-between. I questioned myself before and after surgery. So many people were telling me that I didn't need the band that I started to wonder if they were right. Could I do this on my own without a major surgery? Of course I can lose weight. I spent my whole life losing weight (and then gaining it back). And that was the thing that made me realize the surgery was right for me. I didn't want to keep that cycle going. I wanted to lose it and keep it off. I've been banded for 4 months or so now and let me just say it has been the best experience of my life. I don't question myself anymore. It's amazing to know that even when I have bad days or bad weeks, the band is there to keep me from slipping back into my old ways and gaining it all back. I still have to put in most of the work, but I know that if I fall, I won't fall all the way back to the bottom. It's like having a safety net! I've lost 30 pounds in 4 months. My weight loss stalled after surgery for a while (which is normal) and has been slow and steady. I typically lose 1-2 pounds a week. Some people lose a lot more at the beginning than I did though. It's different for everybody, so don't ever get discouraged if you don't feel like you're losing fast enough. My little mantra is "This is a marathon, not a sprint!" I wish you the best of luck in your journey! I documented every step of mine so far, so if you want to read more of my story feel free to check out my blog. The link is below.

I have about the same amount of Fluid in my band and I'm in the same boat. Everything goes down. I have never even had a stuck episode on a single thing. The 30 pounds I've lost so far have been all because of my own willpower and it's hard! I want the band to do some of the work for me and I don't think that's too much to ask. That's why I got it and that's what it's there for. To help control how much I can eat (while I make the right food choices of course). I'm scheduled for a fill next week and I'm definitely sure I need it. So I think you should absolutely keep getting fills. You've done amazing so far on your own but it's ok to want it to work better and help you more! I wish you the best of luck

Oh my gosh! I have the exact same craving right now!! We have a box of cherry pop tarts in our cupboard that are my family's go-to Breakfast when they are running late in the morning and I have been trying to resist them for over a week, I was thinking I would save some of my allotted calories for the day for half of one pop tart. Then I can stop thinking about it lol sometimes indulging just a little is the only thing that helps. But planning for it and staying within my calorie limit lets me do it in a responsible way! I will say this...if you're one of those people who can't stop at just a few bites, don't give in to your craving. Just stay away and say no! You don't want a pop tart to derail you. They aren't THAT good anyways haha

I was worried about the same thing!! But they were more focused on my hunger level and what/how much I was eating than how much weight I had lost. Just stress to them that you feel no restriction and could eat way more than you should be able to, you just don't because you're careful. I think you'll be able to get your fill

Congrats on your upcoming surgery!! You're taking charge of your health in a big way so Ii's totally normal to go through a full range of emotions right now. This process will for sure change your whole outlook on food, but I too had thoughts of a last meal! My surgery date was scheduled and then suddenly moved up and I had to go on my liquid diet the next day so I went out to The Cheesecake Factory and overindulged one last time. It was sort of a farewell to my old lifestyle and I don't think there's anything wrong with that Best of luck to you on your journey!!! You're going to do great. (If you want to read more about my journey, I detailed it in my blog from the beginning of all the insurance stuff and the link is in my signature.)