liannatx

Nerves are normal and I am sure most everyone gets a case of them the closer it gets. I was just banded last week, and yes, on me they did compression bandages on my legs and gave me a shot of anti-coagulant pre-op to prevent clots. After that you are wheeled into the surgery room and the anesthesiologist does his magic. I swear it is like one minute you are nervous and talking to the anesthesia guy and the next thing you know you are waking up in recovery! It really is a safe procedure and you will be fine. See you soon in bandland!

39 or 41. Question 9 I sleep on my side curled AND with my head on one arm! Cool little personality test.

Glad you are out and banded! I am also still having burps and gurgles, I feel for ya!

Crusty Pottiedoodle here! Gee, sounds like something in a toilet.

I am very close to McAllen and there is a doctor that is in Reynosa that my surgeon recommended for fills. I am so familiar with all the bordertowns around here... Matamoros, Progresso, Reynosa, that I think I will just make the 1 hour drive to Reynosa when fill time rolls around. However, if I feel nervous about that Dr. Sanchez goes to Reynosa periodically and said he could arrange a meeting for a fill. I really dont think the fill part is that big of a deal if done under flouroscopy. They had to do a "negative pressure" on me the day after my surgery, which entailed going to x-ray and swallowing barium and having a needle injected into my port to suck out some air. I had some excessive swelling. The doctor gives a tiny shot of deadener first and it was totally painless even while "fresh and raw" from surgery, lol. It was pretty intimidating and a little uncomfortable but in no way painful, so I have no fear of fills at all now (which will be a good thing). I am 6 days out now and sitting here sipping pureed, strained, and very thin cream of mushroom soup. I did come out of surgery HEAVIER by 2 pounds than I went in. I guess your body hangs on to those i.v. fluids for a while. But as of today I am down 4 lbs from my surgery day weight. 4 lbs in 5 days!!!!!!!! I am sure that is due to the liquid part.

I am in South Texas. VERY south, the tip o texas, lol. I am in the Valley about 30 minutes from Mexico. I was self pay so I ended up going to Monterrey. I was just banded on Oct. 27 so if I can help with any questions feel free to pm me!!!!

You have another prayer coming from Texas. I will be hoping that it was just a miscalculation on the last fill. By the way, you are doing excellent with 41 lbs already!!!!

Quick update! Since the warm broth I had after I woke up I have had major relief. I was pouring about 1-2 ounces of warm water in a cup and taking teeny tiny sips on it, drinking that over the course of about 30 minutes. I feel so much better having had a good solid 8oz of water go down. I only have a lingering tightness/pain feeling, not bad at all. I just took a sip of cool water and I can actually FEEL it go through!!!!!! I think I am finally on the rebound! I will be afraid to have anything but water or propel now, but man do I feel better. And FYI, I have not had a moments regret. This will still be the best thing I have ever done for myself!

I guess I justified the cost. I am driving my 5th new car. Where are those other 4 cars I payed for (and 2 used ones)? I barely got enough trade in on each one to get a decent down payment on the next one. I figure if I can blow $100,000 on cars in the last 20 years, I can pay this for the quality of the next 50 years of my LIFE!!!

Have a fantabulous birthday!!!!!!!

I went to Dr. Sanchez in Monterrey. I took a bus from McAllen to Monterrey, $36 round trip. I paid $7,999 for everything including pretests. Actually as the band gets more and more and common it will be EASIER to locate doctors for fills and adjustments. But I still figure the cost of needing approximatley 3 fills at some later date didnt justify spending an extra $7,000 to $8,000 to have it done in Texas, for me anyway.

Well, I tried a couple of sips of protien shake Monday morning and that triggered another bout of spitting up foam for 3 hours, and then I couldnt get a sip of anything to stay down all day. Having a horrid pain like air wants to come UP and cant. Pain was nonrelenting, and had no fluids all day so I went to e.r. last night around 10. I was in e.r. for 2 hours when someone finally came and took me to get stomach x-rays. I said "I am going to get x-rays and I havent seen or spoken to a dr. yet?". Got back in my waiting room and waited another hour. Doctor finally came in (looked about 28 with diamond studs in both ears and gelled spiky hair?) and did a brief talk and then said 'well, lets get some exrays'. Did he forget he already ordered them? Was he unaware I had already been here for 2 hours and already had x-rays taken? I sat there another hour with only one interuption, a nurse looking in to ask if anyone had been in yet and got vitals. Doctor finally came back in at 2:30. dr., "well the xrays dont show any obstructions or etc...." glitter, "I dont think there's anything like that wrong, I have been battling this swellling since surgery. I think I just need some anti-inflamatory medication and some fluids" dr., "I dont hear much gurgling in your bowels, which leads me to think this a reaction your body is having to the trauma of the surgery" (wtf? duh?) dr. , " You havent had a bowel movement in 4 days? I want to run a blah blah blah(?) scan on your bowels" glitter, "I am sure my bowels are not gurgling because I have had nothing to eat in 5 days, I am not even having hunger pangs to cause gurgling. I really dont want a blah blah(?) scan, I just want something to help relieve this pain and inflamation and I obviously cant take anything orally right now, which is why I am at the e.r." dr., "well, I really want to run a blah blah(?) scan on your bowels, you can refuse this test if you want to, but I won't proceed any further without it" glitter "so are you telling me that after sitting in here in pain for 4 hours over a swollen stoma that you are not going to give me anything unless I go through some basically pointless tests? Because we both know that the banding is causing this swelling. I really dont want the expense of further tests run." dr. "like i said, you can refuse the scan" So I did. I just got up and walked out. And now I am back home, tireder and more miserable than ever. The only good thing is that I slept from about 4 to 7 and woke up and was able to sip about 4 oz. of warm broth. I am really upset over my treatment at the e.r. Shouldn't the probable dehydration and/or elecrolyte balance at least have warranted an i.v.? Was I treated wrongly or am I just tired, pained, and overly sensitive right now?

WOW!!! I am so glad you posted these pictures. You are just gorgeous, how could you have a moments worth of doubt? I have to say these are wonderful before and after pictures that would inspire anyone!!! Stare at them for a long long time and get reinspired!!!

Too funny!!!! My husband threw my fishing pole in the water when I asked for fresh bait........on our 4th day of no nicotine. I am fighting the battle still. DH has been good and not had one for about 4 months, I am back to half a pack a day. I will have to try the straw thing. I just crave one on the drive home from work, that might help. Good luck with quitting, it is tough but can be done!!

What a great feeling! You must feel like a million bucks right about now. Hope you just keep kicking ass at this!!!!!! Hugs from another Texas girl!!!!

I am home!!!!! I am tired tired tired but I feel 100% better. If my stomach hadnt swollen like that I swear I would have been one ideal surgery patient. I had no gas pains, I have no pain anywhere, just barely sore. (except for that lingering tightness in my chest/stoma) I was up walking within 2 hours and just felt fine until that first ice chip. I am glad that part is over and that I am able to get liquids down now. I have to take it VERY slowly, but they are trickeling through now. I never thought chicken broth could taste so good!! Thanks for all the well wishes, this place is a godsend! ps. i need to change my ticker. i was 224.8 on preop scales. they squeezed me in a day early and i never even got my "last meal" which i planned to have with several margaritas!!!! i guess that was for the best.

okay, the last round of shots, meds, and stuff in my i.v. must be working. or else a little combo of that and nature have taken their course. i have been able to sip on a some propel, and have managed to keep down about 4 oz with NOTHING coming back up. i think if i can get that much more down by noon i will get to home. thanks for the prayers and thoughts, it all kicked in and helped!!!!!!

I am having some issues with the band. I was banded at 3:30 on thursday and still cant keep down so much as a sip of water. They took me to xray yesterday and did a barium swallow and I am one of the unfortunate ones who responded to this with excessive swelling, I am just swollen completely shut. I cant keep a sip of anything down, everything just comes back up foamy bile. And the pain on my sternum/stoma is unreal. Other than that I have had no problem with gas or soreness from actual surgery. I would feel great if this damn swelling would go down. I cant even go home until I can get a glass of water down. Please send prayers, good vibes, etc.... my way!

:banana:banana We leave first thing in the morning for Monterrey! Next time I visit here I will be banded! I am scared and nervous.....but most of all excited!!!! I am so happy that it is here and almost done, the waiting was doing me in. I need all the prayers and positive thoughts coming my way that I can get! Ya'll please send me some "uneventful banding and good easy recovery" vibes on Friday!!!!!!!

I am also a teacher in an elementary school. I went with the evasive "minor female surgery" thing. Most people just let it go at that. Only one lady, a former team teacher of mine (that always gets the scoop on any gossip) just seems to be going crazy that she doesnt know every detail of what I am having done. She approched me again today (friday is band-date) so I finally told her "I refuse to have a hysterectomy, so I am doing something less traumatic. I just really dont want to talk about it...it makes me nervous". All of which is the truth, lol. She finally seems satisfied, she was reassuring me that doctors are so good nowdays, and that she is sure everything will go fine, etc... Anyway, I figure that everyone will assume I am having some fibroids removed. (That is also a laproscopic procedure and is followed by a liquid stage) Anyway, it is YOUR body, and YOUR peace of mind. Lie if you need to. People will forget you had anything done in a week anyway. People generally inquire because it is the polite thing to do. Only those VERY close to you really care that much. And those are the ones who take my story at face value and drop it...because I am also usually very open, spill my guts type, they really do assume I dont want to talk about it, and they let it go at that. As for lunch, which is the only meal you really have to worry about, just say you are doing a version of Slim-fast. A shake for Breakfast, a shake for lunch thing.

Hmmmmm, that is pretty much how I feel when my blood sugar swings, (dizzy,weak like I could pass smooth out, hot flash and cold sweat at same time, shakey). Have you ever had problems with your blood sugar dropping before? If you have been limiting sweets and carbs pretty strictly lately, even the amount of sugar from a glass of wine and a few bites of cake can cause a spike and drop. Of course the pain you mention in your stomach make it seem band related, maybe too big of a meal or the wine, etc.... Please do keep us posted.

I am so excited for you!!!! Glad you got to go home and hope you feel better in the next few days. Will join you in bandland in a few days!

Bummer, just hang in there though. Next Tuesday will be here before you know it.

!!!!Congratulations!!!!

I confess I own a seam ripper! Makes it so easy to take off the size labels!