Twilight

Cerrin, I do feel for you. This morning they were baking gingerbread men in the kitchen here. Christmas is definitely a tough time to be on liquids! When I picked it, I thought "oh how tough can it be?" Big words coming from a fatty! But I try to keep in mind that the reason I wanted to do it now rather than AFTER the season is that these ARE my bad foods and if I waited, I would have an EXTRA 10 pounds to take off. Who wants that? I'll be keeping you in my thoughts and trying to send you positive thoughts. Steph

That is how I feel when my blood sugar is low. If I don't get something sugary during one of those episodes I then get a headache, dizzy, and blurry vision. In the past that has always been a soda. Now I guess it will have to be some sort of fruit juice. It doesn't have to be a lot for me, but it does have to be something. If you feel that way again, you might try some juice. Good luck, Steph

Welcome to the other side MissSac!! Get your rest and keep up with the fluids! Let us know if we can be supportive! Steph

Jes, When I talked to my coordinator about the shoulder pain she suggested liquid ibuprofen. She said she didn't think it was swelling but that it could help IF that was the cause. Since the tylenol and codine didn't help, I assumed it was inflammation. Thankfully mine relieved itself before I took the meds. She did caution that it could be a little tough on your stomach. The only liquid I could find was childrens but it did have adult dosing on it. It might be worth a shot. Steph

Just a quick question. How long does it take for it to quit hurting to bend over? I have been banded for 11 days and I know it is going to hurt for awhile. I'm just wondering a ball park figure. 1 month, 6 months, a year? I can feel a lump at my port incision and I'm sure that is swelling and healing which is good. I know it will hurt until that happens. So, how long until you could bend over without thinking about it, and how long until you really couldn't tell it was there? I'm hoping soon it will quit hurting when my little angel kicks at me while I'm changing her diaper TIA, Steph

I am not losing the last few days but at least I haven't been gaining. That would be hard and I completely feel for you. My coordinator and nutritionist said that gaining during the healing process is completely normal. Your body is going through a lot right now. Your body is taking what happened in the last couple of weeks as trauma...it doesn't know the difference. It is going to do whatever it needs to in order to heal. It will slow down metabolism because of the caloric cut it has taken as well as start to rehydrate and even possibly retain Fluid. I'm assuming that this is the beginning of what they call bandster hell. My team told me that when the scale stops moving or starts gaining, it is time to increase activity. I am going to add an extra 30 minutes walking today to try to get the scale moving in the right direction. Maybe that will help you also. Good luck and let us know what helps. Maybe calling your center will give you more ideas. I know mine says that these are the times we need them and since we paid them all that money, it's their job to help us through them.

Good for you Chris! I'm in a very small town and there are no fitness centers available. They leave the school unlocked in the evenings for walking the halls and usually they have a winter adult ed class on weight lifting there. I will probably try to do both of those. I had a tread mill up until a couple of months ago but loaned it out and when I asked the lady the other day how she liked it she said, "Oh I love it, I don't know what I would do without it!" How do you ask for something back after that??? Until I feel I really need it, I'll let her keep it. I had it for three years before that and all it did was collect dust in my garage. At least it's getting used now. As for the gym, that's an awesome investment. I wish I could join you. Keep us updated on your progress and good luck with your hip. I'm sure as the weight goes and you get stronger, you'll find it doesn't bother you nearly as badly. Three cheers for your ambition! Steph

My pre-op isn't until Jan. 8th and that's when they will decide if I need a fill or not. I'm thinking about going to my pcp just to have her look at things. I guess I see the upside of not going back to the bariatric center till then since I live 6 hours away, but I sort of feel like someone should check everything before that. I don't know...paranoid I guess. I just worry. Oh, and mushies start Christmas eve! That means I can have a little good stuff for dinner! Merry Christmas to me! Steph

I made a recliner in the room a must for my hotel stay. Had to call 4 different hotels before I found one. There is NO WAY I could have slept in a bed the first 3 nights. Banded last Thursday and only slept in bed last night and the night before. I can't even imagine what I would have done without my recliner. *shudders* Steph

It seems like I have a ton more pain today than I have yet had. I was banded LAST Thursday and thought by now I'd be back on my feet. I have been working all week and I have been tired and a little tender but nothing I couldn't handle. I don't get enough Fluid and I know I'm not getting enough protien. Yesterday was so crazy that I had 2 yogurts, a cup of coffee, and 1 bottle of Water all day! I had to do the "activity sponsor" thing at school last night and so my day began at 7am going to work and I got home at 10:15pm. It was definitely not in my best interest! Obviously food is not the only thing I can't say no to. My port site seems to be swelling and is very tender to the touch. I took off work early and just took some codine to try to knock it (and me) out. I'm assuming that I just overdid last night. I was so crazy all night that there were times that I forgot and bent over to grab something or walked a little too fast. I really don't want to have to drive the 6 hours to my surgeon because I over did when I shouldn't have. I'm going to put my feet up, take a rest, and hope that all is mending when I wake. Word to the wise, take it easy.....don't be an idiot like me. Steph

Just want to wish you good luck. After such a long wait, I'm sure it seems a tad surreal. Steph

From what I understand, Pb is productive burp, meaning you produce more than noise (if you know what I mean). It is a nice way of saying humiliating yourself by uncontrollable yakking. if you search for it on the main board and read some of the horror stories it will make you understand what all the fear is of. I have visions of pb-ing while I'm in the middle of teaching my highschoolers. Lord help me. As far as sliming, it's when you're "stuck", meaning nothing can go down, and you produce a bunch of saliva to try to aid the process...but it doesn't sound very helpful...and all that happens is sliming. That's what my reading of it is. I plan to have a serious talk with my doc before he fills me the first time so I can have a better idea. The oldies can probably answer from experience. Steph

I'd never seen the hunger scale before I googled it....never heard of it until you said it. Very cool and a good way to put everything in perspective. Thanks, Steph

There is some nastyness going around here and I'm wondering. (and yes I do have a call into my team to see what they say) I know we are supposed to avoid vomiting. I know the damage it can cause. What do you do if you get this stomach bug. I was very nauseas last night. I heaved a couple of times (sorry... TMI I know) but never actually vomited. I had a saltine cracker to try to settle my stomach and it helped a little. Today I am very sore but not in pain. I hope I didn't cause any damage. Any suggestions from others' docs. Had I been severely ill I would have gone to emergency to stop the vomiting, but after a couple false starts I went to bed and today I feel better. I just want to be prepared in the future and know when to really start worrying. What have you all been told? Steph

My info says nothing heavier than 15 pounds for 3-4 weeks. I also have a 11 month old and a 3 year old. It has made it tough not to pick them up. I do have DH to do the lifting for me so if you can find someone I would do my best to follow orders. I remember when I had all my c-sections I was told nothing heavier than the baby for 6 weeks, so I can see the time limit your doc gave you. Did you ask him about your 3 mo old. My guess is he would give you better advice. My doc said that if I HAD to pick up my baby to make sure that I used my legs only and not to walk with her. Not a lot of help, but I am sympathetic and supportive, if it's any comfort.

Just an update -- I talked to my surgeon's nurse yesterday and she said it was not a problem to vomit. I didn't think she knew what she was talking about because that isn't what everything else I've been told or read said. She was hemmin and haahing so it didn't seem like she was using a voice of authority. She claimed that's what the PA told her, but I'm thinking I was fed a like there. So I called my coordinator and she told me to see my pcp and have the prescribe compozine suppositories (forgive the spelling but that's what it sounded like). I told her what the nurse said and that she said she was going from the PA's word and that I was a bit disconcerted that I was being given conflicting info and didn't know what to do. I made it very apparent that everyone should get on the same page and that I WAS NOT happy. So....don't puke! Do what ever you have to to get something just in case. That was the coordinator's main point. Like she said, it will be Christmas morning and you will need something. No one to get a script from, nowhere to fill it. I'll take her word and have my doc prescribe something for me. Thanks for all your help guys. I hope you learned something from all of this. I did. Steph

Only 7 more days guys!!! Isn't that exciting. Good luck

Thanks Fanny, I am going to talk to my pcp if I don't get a satisfactory answer from my surgeon's PA. I wasn't quite satisfied with what the nurse told me yesterday. I do NOT want to damage my band and I will do what I need to do. I'm sure my pcp will give me something if I need it. Nice to know what I'm talking about though so thanks for the info. Steph

Awesome loss Fanny!!! That's like NOT carrying a 3 month old around all day every day! Doesn't it feel great! Steph

I'm thinking that you will be able to sleep for most of the afternoon. After I woke up from my 5 hour nap in my hotel room, I was a little antsy though. I wish I would have had something to take my mind off of resting. I needed to move so that I could work out the gas bubbles that were forming and had nowhere to go. Making Cookies would have been alright I think. I guess you could look at it in the light of (now this is how I would think) it's the first time in a LONG time that Christmas cookies aren't going to seem very appetizing. Aversion therapy? Maybe it will end up being a good thing?? Try thinking positive. I'm sure whatever happens will be doable. Good luck. Steph

Good to hear you're feeling okay KingJes. The throat thing was tough. Warm tea helped me, but only after dr. okayed it. Keep moving every half hour or so and that should help the gas. Welcome to the band. Steph

I would never say "I'm full." I would eat and eat. Stop because I was tired of eating and 30 minutes later be snacking again. I may have been eating alright things.....but I never quit eating. For me, I believe I will have that "full" sensation and I won't be able to continue eating. I don't think I am actually addressing the issue of why I continued to eat. I imagine it's like that medicine they can give alcoholics that makes them sick if they drink.....but once the medicine is gone, the addiction is still there. We are not addressing it, just giving us a tool so that we stop. That's how I think of this process. Steph

I'm going to save my weigh ins for my dr's scale. Mine has always read 5-10 lbs less than theirs but never a consistant number so I can't just add 6 or something. I'm going to see if I can go into my clinic once a week and just weigh in. If I was going by my scale, this morning it said 197....but since last Thurs. doc said 206, I'm not buying. It's moving....that's all that matters right now. Great Loss so far Danna! Wow!

I posted this on my monthly board and have gotten one reply but thought maybe some of the "oldies" might have some experience here I called my surgery team yesterday and left a message about this pain in my shoulder. It is killing me and I don't know what to do. It is creeping up my neck but I know that is because I've been favoring my arm. The pain is very intense on the front side between my shoulder socket and rib cage (right above my armpit). It really kills me to use my left arm for anything. If I sit very still and don't move or if I lay in my recliner for about 10 mins the pain stops but comes back as soon as I start moving again. I was banded last Thursday. Yes, it feels very different from my gas pains, but is in the same place. My nurse called back and said the surgeon does not think it is in any way related to my surgery. Uhhhh...it started the day of....how can it not be? Well the lortab doesn't even phase the pain and so I guess there's no point in using that. They suggested i call my pcp but they can't get me in until next week. Does anyone have similar pain and what have you done or is this just wimpy Steph again? I'm not sure I'm buying that this is unrelated, but at this point, if I can just get some relief I will be happy! Suggestions? Steph

I did at first think it was like a crick in my neck....only in my shoulder. I don't know how to describe crick but it's like you sleep wrong and when you turn certain ways it hurts. That's the type of pain, but in my shoulder. I slept one night in my bed and since then I have been sleeping in my recliner since that is where it doesn't hurt. If I sit very still the pain goes away. I would go to the doc but they can't see me until Monday unless I go to the ER...and I'm not sure I'm up to that level of pain. I'll try the simethicone and see if that helps and I'll try some Bengay to see if that helps. I'm also going to try to founder on liquids for the next couple of hours and see if it's just that my stomach is empty. Thanks for the suggestions....I'll see what helps. Keep them coming guys....the magic cure is out there somewhere. Steph