Iluvcarbs

Hi Ladies. I am finally going on birth control. It has been 2 months since my surgery. I could of started sooner, but was afraid they would make me nauseous or make me want to puke. I WANT MY SEX LIFE BACK! I hate condoms wont do them (I am married in a committed relationship). I have heard about the diaphragm, not sure what to think on that. I had always done the rhythm method in the past, but with the weight coming off, my fertility is probably going up. So my question to you ladies is WHAT BRAND of Birth control pills do you all use out there? Any brands you have tried that you seem to experience little to no side effects? Any other RELIABLE forms of birth control (besides abstinence) that don't rely on hormones? I would really like to hear from you all out there. My doctor gave me the ortho-tricyclen LO. Anyone on that brand?? How do you guys like it? Any feedback is greatly appreciated. Thanks. Happy Holidays to everyone!! :clap2: I out!

You got me hooked. Please let us know how your Upper GI goes. Good luck with everything.

Allison you had some great suggestions. Thanks for posting them.

I had the exact same concern as you did. I had dealt with bulimia. I imagined the doc doing the EGD and telling me "Nope can't do the surgery". It ended up being okay. He did find a small hernia, which was repaired. Be honest with your doctor. Sometimes what we keep from the doctors can come back to haunt us. Hang in there. It will be okay. One day at a time.

Has anyone been tanning post lap-band? I am curious does tanning (bed or spray) make your incisions stand out or hurt? I want to go tanning. Everyone knows tanned fat looks better than pale fat. I am losing weight but still not to goal quite yet. I am going on a vacation in March and want to have a nice glow. Any feedback is appreciated. :bounce:

Could have been a gall bladder attack. I was just talking about this with a friend of mine last night. She used to get them around her chest area, not the side or back like many describe. Glad you are feeling better.

Yea I just started sleeping on my left side without discomfort a few weeks ago. That was the hardest thing for me post-op was to sleep on my back. Twisting my body just hurt. I gets better with time. Hang in there.

I LOVE THAT SHOW! I think Garth is soo cute. His sister had the lapband done. There was an episode where she had to fly down to Houston to see Garth to get an unfill, because no one up in Ohio could do it for her. Her doc had told her to go to the ER, and they poked her 8 times trying to access her port!(she had bad aftercare) He did it in like 2 min. She said she felt soo much better. Immediate relief!:whoo:

Grace I agree with everyone 100%. You should be proud of yourself. Hang in there. You have listed all positives. You have accomplished a lot. Be proud!!:clap2:

Loridee, I am not sure. That is a great question though. I think any attempt in the assistance in weight loss will now be tax deductible. That is what I had heard. I will have to look into it myself. Thanks for bringing it up. Sorry I wasn't much help.

Benefiber is great! It dissolves into just about anything.

WOW! Mona I had no idea. I had not been on the board for awhile. I am so glad to hear you are doing better. Thank God you are okay! I will keep you and my bandster bothers and sisters in my prayers. Everyday I pray for my health. It is so precious. Take care and keep a positive attitude.

I agree with you 100% Wasa. My ultrasound showed a small gall stone. My doctor didn't feel it was anything serious. If I start to have symptoms then I will deal with. I had a hernia repair with my lap-band. And I got my period 2 days post-op. I could not imagine having anything else done. lol.

Thank you for all the responses. IUD's are not an option for me. I don't have children, and I know infertility is a risk with those, so I would rather just stay away. Plus having one foreign object in my body is enough to deal with for me. lol . I will try the birth control pills :rolleyes. I really don't want them, but I really don't want to be get pregnant (and only 2 months out, so I can't get pregnant). Thank you all again for sharing your experiences. I will ask my doctor about some of the brands you all mentioned. Thank you, Thank you. Take care everyone. HAPPY HOLIDAYS! :whoo:

My doctor told me if I ever need to take ibprofuen I would have to take Protonix, or some type of medicine to protect my stomach from ulcers. Tylenol Go tabs I can take. Those are chewable. Not sure if Tylenol is still making them. My local grocery store had them all on clearance.

I find that drinking water helps tremendously with losing weight. I don't know if any of you guys ever did Weight Watchers, but I noticed I would always lose more weight if I had drank the recommended amount of water. I have also cut out sugars and white breads, and pastas. I think that has helped me a lot too.

hatmama I am in Phoenix. It is a support group sponsored by the surgeons. That is one thing that attracted me to this surgeon was the post-op support. That night I went in with such buyers remorse and "woe is me attitude". After hearing everyone else's stories and struggles I felt like I was on top of the world. It made me realize how lucky I was. They also gave good tips for getting though the holidays. Hatmama if you are in Phoenix private message me and I will send you the info. We have another support group that is open to everyone.

I love handbags too! I know everyone and their mother has a Coach bag, but I love them. I also love Chanel Handbags. And if I am feeling really Chic, I might wear my MY Flat In London bag. I was so happy when I finally lost enough weight to wear my Coach purse that was a small hobo style. Before I could barely fit my arm into the strap. :whoo:

Hello. I want to start taking Cymbalta, but am a little scared it might upset my stomach. I have taken Lexapro, Zoloft, Paxil, Wellbutrin, and did fine. I know this drug is really new on the market. Has anyone on Cymbalta experienced any stomach discomfort, or other big side effects? Any feedback is appreciated. Thanks.

Dang girl! I got lucky. I just had to wear a little patch behind my ear for anti-nausea. :whoo:But I stayed at my mom's for 2 weeks after surgery. She did have to wipe my butt. Thank God for Moms!:clap2:

It is normal to feel scared. After surgery my panic attacks, anxiety, and depression kicked in. I was like WHAT HAVE I DONE!:faint:But I turned to religion, I turned to my self-help program, and therapy. I always tell everyone it is a very personal choice. When I do start to get kind anxious and worried, about long term issues, I think of what my surgeon said. "It's reversible". I take comfort in knowing all my organs are still in place down there, just not as surrounded with fat. But here I am 2 months out and 40 lbs down. Just be prepared for the changes. If you need help, ask for it. If you are having doubts, talk to your doctor. I had 2 pages of questions to ask my doctor, before I even considered setting up my surgery date. As for the cold feet it is inevitable. I did the same thing. When they were getting ready to wheel me in I was having 2nd thoughts. I even told the nurse that. She stopped the gurney right there and then. Then I kind of felt of embarrassed (felt like a chicken), so I was like just do it. Now I am glad I went through with it. This surgery has really made me take inventory of my life. I don't know if surgery causes everyone to have such a profound life change, but I am sure glad I did it. Hang in there. One day at a time. I don't know if you are religious, but the serenity prayer has really helped me. Good luck with your journey! P.S. I wish my doc would of given some meds to chill out while I waited. I definitely needed them. :omg:

Mona congrats! My advice to you is walk walk walk. Get that gas out girl! You will feel sooo much better. Keep positive, one day at a time.

OOOOOhhhhh................! Good to know. Thanks!:heh:

Okay guys don't laugh at me, but what's a DH? And Missmona you post was hilarious!:whoo:

My doctor had me on a sipping schedule after surgery. That gas they put in you makes you feel terrible. If you have the energy just walk too. That will help you to burp and get all that gas they put in you out. I hope you feel better. Just hang in there. One day at a time.