pennyt

A study was just released that showed that alcohol drinkers are less likely to have Rheumatoid Arthritis. Tell her your friends drink to help their health, unlike smokers, who smoke to kill themselves. Nahh, just ignore her. She'll never change her opinion, or admit that she has a vice.

Holly, I just had my surgery on May 21st with Dr. Clark. I really like him and Julie (the PA) as well as the entire staff on Southport Road. The hospital staff at St. Francis was really great, too.

When I did my seminar, they asked if anyone had Fed BC/BS, and said we pretty much get approved for showing up, especially if we have a BMI over 40. My approval came in after less than two weeks from when the doctor's office sent it off. It's been almost two weeks, and I keep checking the BC customer service site on-line, but so far it appears that the bills haven't been submitted yet. Dodgergirl, did you have surgery in-patient or out-patient? I heard that it makes a difference as to how much our plan pays for the actual band. Also, are you standard or basic coverage? I'm basic.

I get the fun of making recommendations to the Court for sentencing for criminal offenders, including drunk drivers. I want to put in a pre-sentence report that some of them deserve to be drawn and quartered, but I don't think the judge would be amused.

Well, my scale at home was definitely wrong. I've only lost 5 pounds since the surgery, but I'm happy with that. I definitely need a good (accurate) scale, although the motivation of thinking I'd lost 10 pounds was great! (Even though it was wrong).

I was glued together too, and I love how it healed, compared to past surgeries with staples or stitches. The physician's assistant told me this morning that I could use nail polish remover to get the rest of the glue residue off.

According to my scale, which probably isn't accurate, I've lost 10 pounds since my surgery on the 21st. I'll get my official loss since surgery when I go to my post-op appt tomorrow. 11 days after surgery.

My doctor said full liquids, and the list given by the nutritionist said that yogurt and cottage cheese are allowed, as are mashed potatoes and cream of wheat. I was surprised too, and asked them to make sure, and they said yes. I was also given mashed potatoes and scrambled eggs after surgery while still in the hospital. I'm eating very small amounts. I'm back to work today, and I was worn out by lunch time. I may just come in late on Wednesday.

I'm another May 21st. I hurt a bit for the first couple days, but the only pain right now is from the gas. It tends to come out more when I walk. I have a high pain tolerance, so I only used the lortab a few times. I have a herbal wrap thing that gets put into the microwave to heat up, and I've been laying that across my shoulders and on my tummy, and it seems to help move the gas around. Today was the first day I put real clothes on instead of sweatpants and a t-shirt. I was afraid the waistband of the pants would rub, but it didn't. I go back to work tomorrow. I bought several small serving-size containers of cottage cheese, yogurt, and prepared drinks for the week at work.

My favorite way to fix Tilapia (or Orange Roughy) is to mix one can of diced tomatoes with a tablespoon or two of olive oil. I then mix 3 tablespoons of Montreal Steak Seasoning in with the tomatoes. If I have time, I let it sit for an hour or so to blend the flavors. In the baking pan, I put a thin splat of the tomato mixture down for each piece of fish, put the fish on the tomato mix, then put more of the tomatoes on top of each piece of fish. Bake at 350 for about 10 minutes, until fish is flaky. I don't like the tomatoes myself, but my husband and kids love it. The fish is delicious.

My surgery was yesterday, May 21st. It was a long day, but I think it went well. I also posted this in Post-Op, but I wanted to share with all the other MayFlowers/Shrinko De Mayos. We were supposed to get there at 7 a.m. for a 10 a.m. surgery slot. DH was worried about being late, so we got there at 6:30 a.m. We checked in, and were taken to a small walled-in room where the nurse went over my vitals with me. I changed into the ultra-fashionable gown, opening to the back, as well as the socks with the tread design. Once I laid down on the gurney, they put the massaging things on my legs, and connected the air. A scopolamine patch was placed behind my ear for possible nausea. It's supposed to last three days. The IV of saline was started, and we waited. Julie, Dr. Clark's Physician's Asst, came in to check on not long before 9, and said that they were getting ready to do a bypass, and that I was next after that. She also gave me a goody bag. The goody bag had several items from On-Q, a pain moderating apparatus. I had it when I had my last intestinal surgery, and wondered if I would have it for this, since this was going to be laproscopic. She said no, it was just some goodies she wanted to give me. On-Q is an IV type set-up where thin lines are run on each side of an incision to deliver morphine right to the incision, instead of having the morphine affect the whole body. I really liked it how it worked, but I'm glad I didn't get it for this surgery, and I don't think I needed it at all. The items in the goody bag were a pedometer/FM radio combination and a set of pens, all embossed with "On-Q". The nurse gave me a shot of Heparin in the leg. That stuff burns going in! It's not unbearable, but it does sting. The IV was turned up pretty high to really pump in the saline, and I got up at about 9:30 to pee. The nurse said that they do this so that the patients will void their bladders, since they want empty bladders for surgery. After I got up, they turned the drip rate down. Dr. Wong, the anesthesiologist came in, introduced himself to me, and he told me what would happen once we got to the ER. I've been operated on before, so I wasn't worried about that part. I ended up getting wheeled into surgery at 10:52 a.m. Dr. Wong put a strap over my forehead that held monitors for my sleep rate, and my arm was stretched out to the side. An injection was made in the IV, and I could smell the taste (if that makes sense). He said that most people just comment that they can taste something in their mouths once they get that injection, but I could actually smell what it tasted like since the taste seemed to be right up at the top front of my mouth. The oxygen mask went on, I was instructed to take deep breaths, and the next thing I knew I was back in my little walled cubicle. I think I recall being in a recovery room, and getting my mouth swabbed, but I couldn't swear to anything that happened there. After I was more awake, but still groggy, I was taken down to radiology for the barium swallow so they could check the placement of the band. Once we got there, I sat up on the edge of the gurney, and sat there for a while because I was light-headed and felt nauseated. The nurse waved an alcohol swab under my nose to help with the nausea. I finally felt ready to go in for the swallow, and they handed me a large glass full of thin barium. I almost dropped the cup, but was able to warn them before hand, so they took it from me, and gave me another minute to stand there. I finally managed to get a few drinks down, and they decided that it would be better to by-pass the standing x-rays. They put the x-ray bed down, and I laid down on it. Then the meanie doctor made me roll over a couple times. I told him that I was going to moon him for revenge for making me roll, and he just laughed. The rolling was uncomfortable, but I managed. Everything looked good, and I even got to see the screen to see what the band looked like on an x-ray. I was then taken back to the cubicle, and could definitely feel every bump when we crossed the elevator threshold or any doorway thresholds. I didn't feel them on the way down. My throat was really dry, so I was able to have ice chips and a popsicle, and that really helped. I was also given a dose of the liquid lortab, and was really happy to have that popsicle as a chaser to get rid of the taste. I was given my choice of what I wanted to try to eat. Out of the cream-of-wheat, scrambled eggs, cottage cheese, cream of chicken Soup, mashed potatoes, and pudding, I chose the eggs and potatoes. No problem getting that down. I was finally let go at about 4:30. As I was getting into the wheelchair, I told DH that I thought he should drive home. The nurse looked startled for a minute, and then she realized I was joking! We're looking for a car for our daughter, and since we were in Indy where there are several car dealerships within a few miles of the hospital, we decided (I insisted) that we not waste the opportunity. DH stopped and got me a bottle of Fiji Water to sip on for the drive. He drove through several lots so we could see what was available. If we saw anything that looked like a possibility, he got the details from the salesman, but no test drives. We just wanted to see what kind of prices are being asked. Anyway, I slept most of the way home. We stopped to fill my prescriptions on the way home. I was given liquid lortab, Ursodiol (to prevent gall stones), and Protonix (for acid reflux). The pharmacy had to make the liquid lortab, so that took a little while. Not that I really noticed, because I was asleep in the car. Once I got home, I took another dose of lortab, and then rested a while. I went to bed at 11, and had to make a wedge to recline on using my pillows, since lying flat was not comfortable. I woke up at about 9:30 this morning. I'm still sore, coughing hurts even with a pillow against my abdomen, and it's a bit painful to take deep breaths. It's definitely bearable though. I am planning on wearing my binder for at least one week, since it feels good to have that support. Good luck to everyone else!

May 21st was a long day, but I think it went well. We were supposed to get there at 7 a.m. for a 10 a.m. surgery slot. DH was worried about being late, so we got there at 6:30 a.m. We checked in, and were taken to a small walled-in room where the nurse went over my vitals with me. I changed into the ultra-fashionable gown, opening to the back, as well as the socks with the tread design. Once I laid down on the gurney, they put the massaging things on my legs, and connected the air. A scopolamine patch was placed behind my ear for possible nausea. It's supposed to last three days. The IV of saline was started, and we waited. Julie, Dr. Clark's Physician's Asst, came in to check on not long before 9, and said that they were getting ready to do a bypass, and that I was next after that. She also gave me a goody bag. The goody bag had several items from On-Q, a pain moderating apparatus. I had it when I had my last intestinal surgery, and wondered if I would have it for this, since this was going to be laproscopic. She said no, it was just some goodies she wanted to give me. On-Q is an IV type set-up where thin lines are run on each side of an incision to deliver morphine right to the incision, instead of having the morphine affect the whole body. I really liked it how it worked, but I'm glad I didn't get it for this surgery, and I don't think I needed it at all. The items in the goody bag were a pedometer/FM radio combination and a set of pens, and a Water bottle, all embossed with "On-Q". The nurse gave me a shot of Heparin in the leg. That stuff burns going in! It's not unbearable, but it does sting. The IV was turned up pretty high to really pump in the saline, and I got up at about 9:30 to pee. The nurse said that they do this so that the patients will void their bladders, since they want empty bladders for surgery. After I got up, they turned the drip rate down. Dr. Wong, the anesthesiologist came in, introduced himself to me, and he told me what would happen once we got to the ER. I've been operated on before, so I wasn't worried about that part. I ended up getting wheeled into surgery at 10:52 a.m. Dr. Wong put a strap over my forehead that held monitors for my sleep rate, and my arm was stretched out to the side. An injection was made in the IV, and I could smell the taste (if that makes sense). He said that most people just comment that they can taste something in their mouths once they get that injection, but I felt that I could actually smell what it tasted like since the taste seemed to be right up at the top front of my mouth. The oxygen mask went on, I was instructed to take deep breaths, and the next thing I knew I was back in my little walled cubicle. I think I recall being in a recovery room, and getting my mouth swabbed, but I couldn't swear to anything that happened there. After I was more awake, but still groggy, I was taken down to radiology for the barium swallow so they could check the placement of the band. Once we got there, I sat up on the edge of the gurney, and sat there for a while because I was light-headed and felt nauseated. The nurse waved an alcohol swab under my nose to help with the nausea. I finally felt ready to go in for the swallow, and they handed me a large glass full of thin barium. I almost dropped the cup, but was able to warn them before hand, so they took it from me, and gave me another minute to stand there. I finally managed to get a few drinks down, and they decided that it would be better to by-pass the standing x-rays. They put the x-ray bed down, and I laid down on it. Then the meanie doctor made me roll over a couple times. I told him that I was going to moon him for revenge for making me roll, and he just laughed. The rolling was uncomfortable, but I managed. Everything looked good, and I even got to see the screen to see what the band looked like on an x-ray. I was then taken back to the cubicle, and could definitely feel every bump when we crossed the elevator threshold or any doorway thresholds. I didn't feel them on the way down. My throat was really dry, so I was able to have ice chips and a popsicle, and that really helped. I was also given a dose of the liquid lortab, and was really happy to have that popsicle as a chaser to get rid of the taste. I was given my choice of what I wanted to try to eat. Out of the cream-of-wheat, scrambled eggs, cottage cheese, cream of chicken Soup, mashed potatoes, and pudding, I chose the eggs and potatoes. No problem getting that down. I was allowed 2 medicine cups full of food. I was finally let go at about 4:30. As I was getting into the wheelchair, I told DH that I thought he should drive home. The nurse looked startled for a minute, and then she realized I was joking! We're looking for a car for our daughter, and since we were in Indy where there are several car dealerships within a few miles of the hospital, we decided (I insisted) that we not waste the opportunity. DH stopped and got me a bottle of Fiji water to sip on for the drive. He drove through several lots so we could see what was available. If we saw anything that looked like a possibility, he got the details from the salesman, but no test drives. We just wanted to see what kind of prices are being asked. I had no problems being in the car for that extra hour that we spent driving through the lots. Anyway, I slept most of the way home. We stopped to fill my prescriptions on the way home. I was given liquid lortab, Ursodiol (to prevent gall stones), and Protonix (for acid reflux). The pharmacy had to make the liquid lortab, so that took a little while. Not that I really noticed, because I was asleep in the car. Once I got home, I took another dose of lortab, and then rested a while. I went to bed at 11, and had to make a wedge to recline on using my pillows, since lying flat was not comfortable. I woke up at about 9:30 this morning. I'm still sore, coughing hurts even with a pillow against my abdomen, and it's a bit painful to take deep breaths. It's definitely bearable though. I am planning on wearing my binder for at least one week, since it feels good to have that support. Good luck to everyone else!

Would it be possible for a sticky thread to be created in the Post Op section so that people could put their day of surgery stories?

I was also concerned about scar tissue since I've had three abdominal surgeries, with the incision running from the pubic area up to just above my navel. It wasn't a problem with my Lap Band surgery, since most of the incisions are higher than that. I do have adhesions in the lower abdomen. Hopefully you'll be OK once they get in and see how everything is situated.

I was also concerned about scar tissue since I've had three abdominal surgeries, with the incision running from the pubic area up to just above my navel. It wasn't a problem with my lapband surgery, since most of the incisions are higher than that. The pain medicine they sent me home with was Lortab liquid.

The binder was put on as part of the lapband surgery. I've had them before for my last small intestine surgery, and wore it 2 weeks then, but it was a more involved operation. I've lost the 20 pounds during the pre-op diet, which I started early. I was told to do it for two weeks, but I started two weeks early, so the 20 pounds is from a month of pre-op.

My surgery was yesterday, May 21st. It was a long day, but I think it went well. We were supposed to get there at 7 a.m. for a 10 a.m. surgery slot. DH was worried about being late, so we got there at 6:30 a.m. We checked in, and were taken to a small walled-in room where the nurse went over my vitals with me. I changed into the ultra-fashionable gown, opening to the back, as well as the socks with the tread design. Once I laid down on the gurney, they put the massaging things on my legs, and connected the air. A scopolamine patch was placed behind my ear for possible nausea. It's supposed to last three days. The IV of saline was started, and we waited. Julie, Dr. Clark's Physician's Asst, came in to check on not long before 9, and said that they were getting ready to do a bypass, and that I was next after that. She also gave me a goody bag. The goody bag had several items from On-Q, a pain moderating apparatus. I had it when I had my last intestinal surgery, and wondered if I would have it for this, since this was going to be laproscopic. She said no, it was just some goodies she wanted to give me. On-Q is an IV type set-up where thin lines are run on each side of an incision to deliver morphine right to the incision, instead of having the morphine affect the whole body. I really liked it how it worked, but I'm glad I didn't get it for this surgery, and I don't think I needed it at all. The items in the goody bag were a pedometer/FM radio combination and a set of pens, all embossed with "On-Q". The nurse gave me a shot of Heparin in the leg. That stuff burns going in! It's not unbearable, but it does sting. The IV was turned up pretty high to really pump in the saline, and I got up at about 9:30 to pee. The nurse said that they do this so that the patients will void their bladders, since they want empty bladders for surgery. After I got up, they turned the drip rate down. Dr. Wong, the anesthesiologist came in, introduced himself to me, and he told me what would happen once we got to the ER. I've been operated on before, so I wasn't worried about that part. I ended up getting wheeled into surgery at 10:52 a.m. Dr. Wong put a strap over my forehead that held monitors for my sleep rate, and my arm was stretched out to the side. An injection was made in the IV, and I could smell the taste (if that makes sense). He said that most people just comment that they can taste something in their mouths once they get that injection, but I could actually smell what it tasted like since the taste seemed to be right up at the top front of my mouth. The oxygen mask went on, I was instructed to take deep breaths, and the next thing I knew I was back in my little walled cubicle. I think I recall being in a recovery room, and getting my mouth swabbed, but I couldn't swear to anything that happened there. After I was more awake, but still groggy, I was taken down to radiology for the barium swallow so they could check the placement of the band. Once we got there, I sat up on the edge of the gurney, and sat there for a while because I was light-headed and felt nauseated. The nurse waved an alcohol swab under my nose to help with the nausea. I finally felt ready to go in for the swallow, and they handed me a large glass full of thin barium. I almost dropped the cup, but was able to warn them before hand, so they took it from me, and gave me another minute to stand there. I finally managed to get a few drinks down, and they decided that it would be better to by-pass the standing x-rays. They put the x-ray bed down, and I laid down on it. Then the meanie doctor made me roll over a couple times. I told him that I was going to moon him for revenge for making me roll, and he just laughed. The rolling was uncomfortable, but I managed. Everything looked good, and I even got to see the screen to see what the band looked like on an x-ray. I was then taken back to the cubicle, and could definitely feel every bump when we crossed the elevator threshold or any doorway thresholds. I didn't feel them on the way down. My throat was really dry, so I was able to have ice chips and a popsicle, and that really helped. I was also given a dose of the liquid lortab, and was really happy to have that popsicle as a chaser to get rid of the taste. I was given my choice of what I wanted to try to eat. Out of the cream-of-wheat, scrambled eggs, cottage cheese, cream of chicken Soup, mashed potatoes, and pudding, I chose the eggs and potatoes. No problem getting that down. I was finally let go at about 4:30. As I was getting into the wheelchair, I told DH that I thought he should drive home. The nurse looked startled for a minute, and then she realized I was joking! We're looking for a car for our daughter, and since we were in Indy where there are several car dealerships within a few miles of the hospital, we decided (I insisted) that we not waste the opportunity. DH stopped and got me a bottle of Fiji Water to sip on for the drive. He drove through several lots so we could see what was available. If we saw anything that looked like a possibility, he got the details from the salesman, but no test drives. We just wanted to see what kind of prices are being asked. Anyway, I slept most of the way home. We stopped to fill my prescriptions on the way home. I was given liquid lortab, Ursodiol (for to prevent gall stones), and Protonix (for acid reflux). The pharmacy had to make the liquid lortab, so that took a little while. Not that I really noticed, because I was asleep in the car. Once I got home, I took another dose of lortab, and then rested a while. I went to bed at 11, and had to make a wedge to recline on using my pillows, since lying flat was not comfortable. I woke up at about 9:30 this morning. I'm still sore, coughing hurts even with a pillow against my abdomen, and it's a bit painful to take deep breaths. It's definitely bearable though. I am planning on wearing my binder for at least one week, since it feels good to have that support. Good luck to everyone else!

Heck, if someone was asking me if I should eat something, I'd probably take it to an extreme just to show the person how rediculous they are. I'd go up to her first thing in the morning, and say, "I know how concerned you are about my health, and I just wanted to thank you. I had ____ and _____ for breakfast. Is that acceptable to you?" I'd do the same thing every single time I put anything in my mouth. "Oh co-worker, I just had a drink of water. Is that acceptable to you?" "I'll call you tonight to tell you what I had for dinner, since I know you are so concerned about my health." Trust me, after a while, she'll get tired of it, and will never mention food to you again.

I'm on lortab, I'm allowed to misinterpret! I just read it wrong, and I'm blaming the meds.:rolleyes2:

I just posted my long-winded story of my surgery. I'm sore today, but it's not unbearable. I just feel like I've been in a boxing match, and they only hit the middle abdomen. The binder is helping. So far today, I've had a couple tablespoons of Soup, a Protein shake, and Water, as well as a popsicle that my darling son went to town to buy for me. This weekend is for taking it easy, although we do have two graduation parties we're supposed to go to. I'll just take my bottle of water, my Protein shakes, and not stay long. We're close friends with each family, so they'll all fawn over me to keep me comfortable. They just think the surgery had something to do with my hernia, not that it was a lapband.

I've never had problems with my gall bladder, but following my lapband surgery yesterday, I was given a prescription for 6 months of Ursodiol (generic for actigall). I guess this is to head off any gall bladder problems.

I love the office where I work. Most of us tease each other mercilessly! I know that I will get comments once I lose weight, and I'm looking forward to it. It helps that three of the guys are body builders, one of whom holds a weightlifing record.

I took my nail polish off my completely natural nails, and mentioned it to the nurse while she was doing my vitals before surgery. I told her that did it since I figured it would need to be done for the PulseOx. She thanked me, but said it wasn't essential. She said the meter could usually read through nail polish.

My surgeon asked me right before surgery if I had a preference, and I told him that I was leaving it up to him, as he is the expert. He then said he wanted to use the Realize band, due to less chance of erosion, low profile port, and the website, as well as other factors.

My post-op instructions say no lifting over 5 pounds for two weeks, and no driving for two weeks. I plan to have one of the other officers carry my files if I have a lot of cases in Court, so that I don't have to carry them. My daughter just got her license, so she'll be my chauffeur.