chichigirl

I haven't heard of someone actually bleeding from their surgical sites. That's definitely something I would call the doctor about pronto. You don't want an infection to start up and if it continues to bleed, then it's in all liklihood, not healing. Are you by any chance a diabetic? I know that sometimes interferes with the healing process. I know it does terrible things to my skin, but I have been able to heal okay from all of my surgeries. Hope you find out what's going on soon. Please call your doctor first thing Monday, and make sure you're not beginning to show signs of infection, like swelling, redness, heat, pain and a low grade temperature. If you are having any of these symptoms, you may want to call your doctor tomorrow. I know you'll only get his service, but someone should call you back. Good luck and keep us posted on how everything turns out. Cindy

Linda, that's so cool you thought to do that!! They'll be an inspiration to you and you can always pull them out to remind you why you're not eating like before your surgery. How's everything going for you? Your surgery is really soon isn't it? What about your daughter, are you both going in the same time? I have you both in my prayers, keep us updated. (((HUGS))) Cindy

That's awsome!!! You ate very well and very sensibly. You remembered to make sure that the chicken wasn't too dry and everything, you're amazing. I am so thrilled for you. Now that you have taken that initial step, it will become easier, especially since you have an idea of what having a band feels like now!! Keep up the great work!!! (((HUGS))) Cindy

I read some articles on that and they weren't very promising. It appears to be temporary at best, and sometimes doesn't last until the next day, according to what I read. In one of the articles a dermatologist stated that you could simply give yourself a deep tissue massage and it would provide the same effect. She also mentioned that if the person doing it isn't trained properly, it could actually cause harm to the muscle in the area being treated. Cindy

Congratulations!! It's so cool recognizing these NSV's, it's amazing what little things can make us soooo happy. I am glad for you, I don't think I can quite claim this NSV yet, but it gives me something to look forward to. WoooHooo!!!! Cindy

WTG Keri!!! What a fabulous job you've done, thanks for the inspiration!! I can't wait until you get that new avatar posted, you look gorgeous girl. Congratulations to all of you, what a great group of losers(in a good way)!! Cindy

Congratulations, you sound really great from just having surgery!!! Glad to know it's going well, with the exception of the port pain, but like you said that will pass and it will pretty quickly too. I wish you all the success in the world. Please keep us posted with inspirations of your weight loss and NSV's, and don't forget, if need be we are all here to support you. Cindy

Exercise is a great hunger buster. It helps promote endorphins, a natural chemical in the brain which helps you feel good. A good cardio workout is best, it doesn't have to be a long workout, just whatever you can tolerate right now. I also go to the before and after pictures thread here, they are verrrry inspirational. Good luck and be strong, it's getting closer to Monday with each passing minute. Cindy

This is a support group and I don't think it's restricted to people who have been banded. There are a couple of people here who have not had WLS at all, but still come here for their needed support. I certainly see no reason to lose someone just because of the type of surgery they are having. As a matter of fact, we try to be honest here and not push ourselves on anyone that the band is the only option that there is. It is recoginized that this is a very personal decision, and you have made yours. I would hate to see you go. You have participated in helping others here, even though you have not yet had your surgery. I don't see why that should stop, perhaps it will help educate us about the 'other' surgery, so we can all benefit from this understanding. I think you are a caring, honest and truthful person. I would not want to see you go, IMHO. I wish you all the luck in the world with your decision and will keep you in my prayers that all goes well for you. Cindy

Hey you, You have done wonderfully, 19 lbs, wow, that's great. I agree with the others about not stressing over it right now. Whether you realize it or not, you have already developed a good foothold in this journey. You have been posting and reading like crazy, and now that you have a couple of weeks under your belt being banded, you've already begun the transformation. Just go with the flow, you already know quite a few things that you won't eat, due to others also having problems with certain foods. Now is the time to learn what you can and want to eat. Your pouch is smaller than your old stomach, and as long as you eat solid foods and avoid drinking immediately after, it will begin to work for you. During this time, you will still have some restriction, but certainly not a lot and it will become less and less as the swelling continues to go down. But take this time to try foods that you would like to incoorporate into your new lifestyle, just try them in smaller portions. Eat a lot of fill food, like salads and lean meat. During this phase, try to avoid as many liquid calories as possible, let Water be your liquid of choice. That will help to eliminate calories that don't sustain you right now. You have lost weight in the past, simply try to follow what you did before to lose weight for the time being. It isn't going to be permanent, but it will buy you some time until you can start to get fills and the beloved restriction. Avoid the scales if at all possible. Don't give yourself another reason to beat yourself up or mess with your head and tell you that this isn't going to work either. It will work, I promise. I know you have it in you to be strong, but when you're running short on strength and determination, there are tons of people here willing to share some of their's with you, including me. Together we will all succeed!! (((HUGS))) Cindy

Hey, I just made it below 300 too!!!!! Isn't it a great feeling? I was at 299.5 but that didn't matter to me, it wasn't 300, whoohoo for us!! I hit that mark just last week and am already down to 297, so now I really feel like I'm out of the 300's for good!! Not a small SV at all, I know what you mean, when you say you felt like it would never happen, but it did! Dreams coming true, the band is a real dream maker! Keep up the good work. You are really on your way down now!! Cindy

That's unbelievable that you found that statement on Inamed's site of all places. The only adverse effects from having a sweet tooth are the same ones for those who are not banded. Foods high in sugar also tend to be high in fat and calories, not the best things to eat when trying to lose weight. I have found that I have a lot more control over my choice of what I eat since being banded, and that includes sweets. On the otherhand, people who have gastric bypass, really cannot tolerate sweets physically. It causes something called dumping syndrome, a fancy term for sudden, severe, diarrhea without warning. With the band, I like having the control and the reduction in desire for unhealthy food choices. I am a diabetic, so sugar is a real no no for me, but I do induldge in things with artificial sweetners, and that is what keeps my sweet tooth satisfied. Cindy

I don't even know of any doctors who would ask this question to begin with. Who told you that? Just sounds like someone who is trying to make excuses not to get banded to me, or someone who doesn't want you to get banded. If you took a poll on this site as to how many of us are sweets lovers, you'd probably darn near get a reply from every single member and there would only be a handful of members who really don't care for sweets(though why they don't is a curious attitude I must say). No way could that be true, IMHO. Cindy - With the biggest sweet tooth of all!

Well, I don't feel like I fit in with the turtles or the rabbits, but I do have a great suggestion as to who should head the rabbits as their leader: BECKYINTEXAS. That woman had lost over 100lbs in 6 months and I couldn't think of a nicer, kinder and more inspirational person than her for the rabbit sector. What do ya'll think? Cindy

I had never heard her story before, so thanks for listing her information. My heart breaks for her family, especially her son, he's still such a baby. My God what that poor woman went through, and she was so young. Really makes me stop and count my own blessings. Cindy

Go ahead and get the screaming, regretting and depression out of your system now. Then after you have the surgery, all of these issues will be resolved :-] Well, I guess it's really not that easy, but not every one has feelings of regret, I never did, even to this day. As for the depression, just realize it's not real and it's not permanent, it's simply a side effect of the anesthesia, nothing more. These things are temporary at best and if you are feeling overwhelmed, we're hear for you always. Take care and God Bless! Cindy

It's usually easier to start a new thread for each question or two that you have. Different people have experienced different things, and when you show a title of your question, those of us who have been through that, will be much more likely to answer. You're not limited to the number of threads you can post, and really, all of us hear want to help you with any of your concerns. If you don't feel like posting all of those threads, you can certainly PM me and ask away. I've been banded for over 3 years and I doubt if there is anything I haven't been through - minus real horror stories, thank God. What part of Florida are you from? I live in Miami, so maybe we're even neighbors. Lots of really special people here, non-judgemental, caring, compassionate, knowledgable and eagar to help everyone. Good luck, and remember, there is no such thing as a stupid question. Keep us posted. Cindy

Hi Amber, Glad the information helped you feel a little better. I kinda think that it's sort of like when some of the other's refer to a radiating pain to the shoulder except ours hits around the navel. I'd be interested in what your surgeon has to say about it, so please, let us know after you have seen him. The band is no where near the navel or the shoulder, put pain has a funny way of radiating. My best friend had a massive heart attack and never had so much as a chest pain, all of his pain was in his lower arms, between the wrist and elbow. Isn't that strange? When I had a heart attack, I some chest pressure, but the pain radiated into my neck and jaw. The body is a funny thing sometimes. Good luck with the doctor. Cindy

Happy Birthday Ray! Hope you are doing something special with the family to Celebrate it. I'll bet you look and feel much younger than at last year's birthday. You are doing great. Give Landry a big ole smooch from me, another dog lover. Cindy

It's not your imagination. If I get something stuck in the stoma, I can actually feel a pulling or tugging sensation much lower on my belly, down around the navel area. Once the food has passed through it goes away so I haven't been overly concerned with it myself. Is you pain constant or only when you've eaten something that might be going through the stoma a little slower? Anyway, for that you aren't crazy, some people have shoulder pain instead. It's strange how everyone experiences things differently. Hope you find out what it is and I hope it's really nothing to worry about. If it is constant and you are concerned, of course call your doctors office, you might even be able to ask the nurse about it. Good Luck, let me know what you find out. Cindy

I'm curious, are you following the lap band rules, lean meat, then veggies, then good carbs if you have room? This combination in this order has been really helpful for me, though I know every one is different. Things like that lean lunch meat, ham, turkey, roast beef, are all very low in fat and calories but I can only eat just a little of it and I feel full for hours after. Are you remembering to wait at least 30 minutes before drinking anything? If you are, maybe you could wait a little longer, just to allow that full feeling to last. Salads with everything but the kitchen sink, all kinds of raw veggies, can also be very filling for a long period of time, just becareful of the dressing you put on, the lower fat or fat free ones aren't bad and you can even put in an ounce or two of cheese or some hard boiled eggs. Try to get creative with mixing and matching and see if that doesn't help out. I hope some of this information will be useful to you. Good luck. Cindy

Margo, that's so great and is such a wonderful feeling. It's noticing these changes that are really cool. Best of Me - ROTFLMAO, and I hate to admit it, I also have the stain on my seatbelt. Cindy

Let's just say, you will not make the overfill mistake again, so you are now one of the wiser ones. Thanks for sharing, to let us all know and remember to listen to our bodies. Glad you are feeling better and moving forward, that's what is all about. Cindy

Welcome aboard John, glad to have you with us.

Congratulatulations! WTG, you are doing sooooooooo great. What a great accomplishment. Cindy