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Damn, a JP that's still in for a week is a long time for me! There's a surgeon that likes to tell nurses to affirmatively remove JP drains 48 hours post-op for laparoscopic procedures. If it's pressed against your vagus or phrenic nerve then that can cause unbeatable chest and shoulder pain. Your drain output being just a little amount of serous Fluid sounds about right. Have someone drive you to your surgeon's office tomorrow to get the drain removed. (As a nurse I'd cut the stitches myself, remove the drain, and tape sterile gauze over it. But definitely don't do that last part! You still need to be seen by a medical professional to make sure you're not having any other complications.) Get it done at the office Friday instead of Monday! There's no need for you to be in pain, especially when it makes it harder For you to breath and you still need to walk and use your incentive spirometer.

This is how I did it... I got all of my pre-op stuff done, got the surgeon's office to get me a script that says I'm having surgery on X date and gave work a copy. I called my director, only her voicemail picked up, then I called the clinical manager who does all scheduling. The clinical manager was chill, said he'll take me of the schedule for the next 4 weeks. When I was able to reach the director, she sounded annoyed. They only got slightly more than 1 week notice, and yes Texas is a no union "at will" state. I contacted HR and did the paperwork for short term disability. My procedure was also done at the facility I worked. Had no problems. Some supervisors are bullies. If for some reason you're fired and your insurance ends before your procedure, get an attorney. Sent from my SAMSUNG-SM-G925A using the BariatricPal App

The nurse case manager's job is two-fold, to advocate for the patient, and to coordinate your care. I was self-pay and had no case manager, but if I had one, she would have saved me all the headaches (and bodyaches) I went through trying to coordinate faxes between my doctors' offices and my work's short term disability program; this was not pleasant to do while I was still recovering post-op. Luckily the hospital where I had my procedure at has a Bariatric Coordinator that served as my advocate. I got regular phone calls checking up on how I was recovering and she offered to personally call my surgeon on his cell if I needed any antibiotics or additional pain medication. Another way to look at a nurse case manager is this, it's their job to be your coach, to monitor that you stay on track and continue to benefit (healthwise) from your surgery. The insurance company is investing money into you. A healthier you = less obesity-related medical costs down the road for them. If you end up not being compliant with the necessary WLS lifestyle changes, then the insurance company is at a financial lost from the cost of your procedure and then has more obesity-related expenses as you stay overweight. Definitely take advantage of having a nurse case manager if it's offered!

It's only been 2 months post-op and I didn't think there were any noticeable differences besides my scale numbers and some extra upper arm jiggliness, until I was looking at photos! Please share your lap band before and after pics, I find them very inspirational and motivating. [emoji4]

Thanks for the tips! Wish I knew this 2 weeks ago when I had Cobb salad get stuck while I was at Denny's. The trip to the restroom was no bueno [emoji20]

* I don't like the taste of plain water anymore, and it's hard enough as it is trying to get enough fluids in. I drink everything diet/artificially sweetened now so I can get more fluids in. * I can't tolerate very spicy food anymore, especially since I have to wait 30 minutes before I can drink anything! * Doing crunches hurts, I can feel my spine against the floor despite laying on a yoga mat. * My period is back, defeating my hormonal implant. [emoji20]

I had Nexplanon in place for 7 months prior to my surgery, and I was glad my menstruation had been very few and light, sometimes 2 months late yay! It's about 8 weeks post-op, and I've already had 3 cycles where each lasted more than a week. I originally got the Nexplanon because I hated getting my period (and too bad the Mirena IUD couldn't fit inside my uterus). Anyone on hormonal birth control, did your period ever disappear again?

Respond! It sounds like your sister is unapologetic and doesn't care about your personal feelings and legals rights. Did she reply by email? This is documentation you can forward to your State Board of Nursing, which I highly recommend you do. Family or not, you already gave her a chance to correct her behavior, yet the damage is already done with many staff members knowing. If you don't do this, she will continue believing she did nothing wrong. She must answer to the Board for her unprofessionalism and breach of law and ethics.

Vietnamese here so I'm biased, but homemade Phở broth made 24 hours in a crock pot with beef soup bones, white onion, ginger, star anise, fish sauce, hoisin sauce, and lime juice is amazeballs....

It's part genetics, part environment, part your metabolism is changing/adapting to weight loss, and part diet. My mother is anorexic and my father was never overweight, both had high cholesterol. That's my genetics right there. My cholesterol shot up when I started a stressful career several years ago and pre-op I was glad it went down. That's environment right there. Give your body some time to adjust because of your weight loss. Your body is saying "whoa! I'm getting less food so let's try to grab onto everything and store it in the liver!" You can even go completely vegan and your body will still make your own supply of cholesterol. Now here's the kicker, avoid processed food as much as possible (even though once in a while we need to treat ourselves or we go nuts). Businesses are allowed to claim 0 trans fat or 0 fat if per serving if the amount of fat is less than 0.5. Yep, that's right, they legally are allowed to claim that and put it on Nutrition Labels. That Krispy Kreme donut has 0.4 grams trans fat, I eat a fifth portion anyways and my coworker laughs. If the doc wants you back on statins then by all means take it. There's no point of going through all of your amazing weight loss just to have a heart attack! When your cholesterol levels are back under control, by then it's possible to go off meds and the level is maintanable. Good luck.

I've lost 25 pounds so far and my coworkers and friends treat me the same. Well, sometimes I get told they can see noticeable changes but I don't see a big difference yet. Pre-op when we go to a pool hall I used to order mixed drinks, now I just take my own Powerade Zero, Diet Fuze or bottle of water. The biggest difference is in dating. Every relationship I gain weight from eating out so much. My last relationship ended 1 month prior to surgery, and now my date keeps thinking I don't eat whatsoever. Not true, haha! I just order an appetizer or a small entrée and take leftovers home. At work if my coworkers ask if I want to order food with them, I do the same thing or give 90% of the meal away after I split my portion.

I do feel disappointed if my food does not taste well, as I get full quickly and I can't eat again for a very long time. I want to savor each bite and it must be flavorful, nutritious, and worth it!

The way I see it, these are people that generally dislike medical intervention and surgeries, or they resent that someone was able to achieve weight loss and they couldn't. America in general has gained weight to the point where normal weight has turned into skinny and overweight is now normal. Even American clothing sizes have changed to make people feel better about the size listed on the tag. Next time just smile and say, "Yeah! Surgery was so easy! I had keep regular appointments with my RD & MD to make sure I stuck to a new healthier lifestyle--including exercise, making smart food choices, keep a diary, take daily supplements--and will continue to make appointments until I'm dead or broke."

After a long nap I didn't feel the presence of the band anymore. He wouldn't say when I asked about the amount, only that he used sterile Water and my band was originally empty. I said, "sterile water or normal saline?" He said nothing because the nurse gave him NS. There was no flouroscopy, I drank water during and after the fill. Sent from my SAMSUNG-SM-G925A using the BariatricPal App

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After leaving the office I can constantly feel the band inside my chest. I'm six weeks post-op and just had my first fill today, and I also never had problems with keeping down food before. Is this a normal feeling and does it go away? It's not painful but being able to constantly sense it is distracting me, it feels like I'm being squeezed. Also, I'm told to only have liquids for 3 days. Each time I take a small sip of my Protein shake it makes the sensation feel heavier and I'm burping several times each time. Does it get better after 3 days or should my band be unfilled? I've lost 19 pounds since the band was put in with no fill.

I'm in my 6th week post-op and using Mederma ointment daily. It's showing some promising signs on my scars. Unfortunately I know one day my band port is going to show up like a prominent bottle cap on my abdomen. Sent from my SAMSUNG-SM-G925A using the BariatricPal App

Fluids fluids fluids. Drink fluids. Drink as much as possible without vomiting. Did I mention drinking fluids? The kidneys get rid of your body's waste through urine. Urine ideally should be a light yellow color to almost colorless. Dark tea colored or brown urine means your kidneys are concentrating urea output because you are dehydrated. Sounds like your urine also has sediments, which is not good. Do your kidneys and your whole body a favor, stay hydrated and keep on drinking. food shouldn't change the color of your urine, and unless you are taking very specific tuberculosis or prostate drugs, you won't see your urine change to red, orange, blue, or green color. You can also developed a UTI by not drinking and emptying your bladder frequently. I recommend downloading a Water reminder app for your phone and carry a bottle of water with you all day long.

I put all 8 packets of Quaker Weight Control Oatmeal in the blender to make it finer and also added some unflavored Protein powder. Sent from my SAMSUNG-SM-G925A using the BariatricPal App

I ended up going home instead of being admitted, but I would forgo the toothbrush, toothpaste, bodywash, cotton swabs, washrag, blanket, and socks because the hospital will supply it, unless you are particular about having certain things. The items I added were a heating pad, robe, lingerie, and the other 90% of the carryon luggage was filed with Hello Kitty plushes (to decorate my room), at least 1 was for splinting my abdomen. Before going home, don't forget to ask for lots of adhesive remover pads! If you try to remove sticky adhesive from your skin at home, it's very difficult and your skin will get raw.

Do you have heart issues and see a cardiologist? High blood pressure, high cholesterol, coronary artery disease? This could be the beginning of CHF, or congestive heart failure.

Given the relatively recent news that long term use of baby powder can cause cancer, http://money.cnn.com/2016/02/24/news/companies/cancer-johnson-and-johnson-talcum-powder forgo using the product.

@@PharmacistJen Many people diagnosed with depression, anxiety, and bipolar have all passed their psych eval. They just want to make sure you are highly functioning and coping well with your condition(s) and have realistic expectations of your WLS. I live alone too, and they were aware I have zero family support. But I had supportive friends who accompanied me on my surgery day and were there post-op to help me. My coworkers also checked up on me and wanted me back at work already! Try to relax (even though it's easier said than done), the vast majority of people pass.

@@Kendell Thatsme That's an interesting situation you're in. I know someone that's a cook and he hardly feels hungry during mealtimes because he has to sample the seasoning and flavors numerous times throughout cooking. As far as I know, restaurant food is calorie, salt, and fat dense and will not be good for you.

Definitely get in touch with your RD regarding calories. With exercise, your Fluid intake should be more than 64 oz. With cardio you lose fat, but you need weightlifting to build muscle to tone and shrink the skin. Also after exercise, plan a Protein rich meal so you don't lose lean muscle. Sent from my SAMSUNG-SM-G925A using the BariatricPal App