Dody

I was just banded on Tuesday and feel like I've been run over by a freight train. Has anyone else ever felt like this? Thanks for the input. I'm keeping up on protein and stitches are sore, but this isn't gas. This is just painful like I can out on the wrong end of a fight. God Bless, Dody

I was finally banded on Friday, July 18, by Dr. Willie Melvin at Vanderbilt Hospital in Nashville. I can't say enough good things about him or the staff. My stitches are definitely sore, but I feel like I've been run over by a freight train. I'm so sore from my shoulders to my waist (not gas). Has anyone else experienced this? I feel like I got the worse end of a fight I've never heard this mentioned on here and wonder if anyone else has ever had this happen. Truth is I feel like I've been run over by a freight train.....I expected lots of things but not this feeling. Aside from that I'm doing fine and glad I finally have my band. I'm keeping up on Protein and pain meds, but not hungry at all. I have the new low profile port and I saw it before surgery and what a huge difference in size and weight from the other ports. God Bless and Thanks For the Answers, Dody

I take ibuprofen (motrin) now for arthritis and was told by my surgeon no more after surgery. Does it bother you at all taking the Motrin? I hate thinking I have to give it up, but he said definitely I would along with carbonated beverages. Your answer is appreciated. Dody

I'm on my 5th day of doing the pre-op diet. Last night I wrote to a good friend on here and told them how dizzy I was. I am on Carnation Instant Breakfast (and I despise milk). It was getting to the point I couldn't keep it down. My daughter made me a cup of hot tea last night, and that is what I was missing...something hot in my tummy. I'm going today to GNC to get a Protein drink, as I'm not about to give up, but I can't handle milk based products. The headache that stayed for 3 days has finally gone and my stomach has quieted down. As my friend told me, you can do this, and I know she is right. It sucks that so many people don't have to have a pre-op diet and do fine, but my dr. requires one. I'm hanging in there and hoping afterward it will pay off with less gas and wanting to eat less. If you want to talk PM me...I'm right there with you and getting banded on the 18th. God Bless, Dody

I will be banded on July 18 and I'm on a pre-op diet for 7 days of Carnation Instant Breakfast, Vitamins, Water and decaffienated 0 calories beverages only. I am into the 4th day and very sick of Carnation Instant Breakfast. I have a lower BMI also.

I need to go out and get a new blender. I'm thinking of experimenting with this Carnation Instant Breakfast, as that is what the surgeon wants me on. I'm thinking it may taste better blended and maybe a little Peanut Butter. Yes, it is getting old just by the second day. I can have Water and I can have diet non-caffeine drinks to keep hydrated also, but I thought maybe Carnation Instant Breakfast might be OK because it really isn't a diet drink. I find it horrible though, so perhaps I need to do some experimenting with it. I will also look into making a trip to GNC. I think he merely wants to know you are committed to sticking to a diet (thank the Lord the whole thing afterward won't consist of this instant breakfast). I'm not really hungry....my problem is lack of exercised because of heart problems and arthritis. I know I have to do something to keep my strength up though. Thanks for the advice. I'm not even sure this is strictly about shrinking the liver although he wants this to happen, as the fact he wants to know I'm committed to following a diet. Perhaps it is partly both.

My surgeon is a stickler about strictly protein drinks (Carnation Instant Breakfast) for 7 days before surgery and water. He says if you can't do 7 days of this you aren't apt to do well with the surgery. I agree with him wholeheartedly, but the protein drinks are making me sick. I am convinced I can do 7 days of just water, and not get dehydrated rather than getting sick on these protein drinks, which is what is happening. I despise the taste of all of them. How safe do you think I would be in doing 7 days of water and vitamin supplements and not doing the diet drinks. The hunger is not bothering me...but the taste of the protein drinks is sickening. I definitely want to follow the rules, but they shouldn't include being sick to my stomach on these protein drinks. Anyone have any suggestions. I am not hungry...and am determined to get through the fasting phase. Thanks for the help, Dody

I had my gall bladder out 2 years ago and was up and around the next day. Last Friday I had knee surgery and I was up and around the next day. I'm having my banding done on July 18, and I'm hoping I'm up and around just as fast. This is a wonderful thing you are doing for yourself. You may need to pamper yourself for a couple days, but I bet you will feel better than expected. God Bless, Dody

Probably Ingrid needs citizenship American women already know about cry-baby Gordon. This one looks a lot like Brook did. Hope he does her better. Ingrid the dog was a cutie...bulldog (appropriate)? God Bless, Dody

I'm being banded at one of the top 10 hospitals in the US. The shrinkage of the liver and the liquid diet are very important to this hospital, as it also has a big affect on the gas you get afterwards. To each their own. I don't even weight 250, let along 300 lbs. I'm having this done for medical reasons and because of arthritis and serious heart problems. I have about 50 lbs. to lose, but shrinking the liver has nothing to do with what I weigh. It is a precaution against several things....one of them being the horrible gas pains, as they have done a study on it at Vanderbilt which is a teaching hospital. My dr. has done over 1000 bands, and I'm merely following his advice. I was merely stating how very different things are in different places. I hated to think of you having all that gas after surgery that might come with having eaten up till about 12 hrs. before surgery. Sorry if I offended anyone. I was merely concerned. Dody

Be still my heart. I missed the race on today, but saw last week when Smoke won and climbed the fence. Hard for me to believe that Tony wouldn't sign autos. He does lots of charity work for kids and loves them....hey maybe Gordo ticked him off big time. Just seeing Gordo's face ticks me off. He is engaged to someone named Ingrid...I had a dog named Ingrid :confused: Takie care 3 Loves. I had knee surgery Friday and getting banded on the 18th. Dody

You didn't have to go on liquids for 7 days to shrink your liver? Makes me wonder even moreso about those Mexican Doctors...and I've done a lot of worrying in the past about their tactics. I wish you the best of luck, but am so glad I stayed here in the states and didn't go to Mexico. They seem to have no qualms about pre-testing of any sort or dieting...just hand over the money and you are done. This isn't sour grapes...I just think it is dangerous. God Bless, Dody

I'm baffled by this one. I had knee surgery on Fri. and was at Walmart yesterday (in a riding cart of course). My memory is fine. I woke right up from the anesthesia, hungry, thirsty and having to go to the bathroom. I wouldn'd even concern myself with something that may not even happen to you. Maybe some people just react differently. If I feel this good after lap-banding I'll have it made. I'm not as sure it is the anesthesia as the pain pills and medication they give you.

I will be banded on the 18th and was told to even quit taking my aspirin a day a week before surgery. They wanted nothing in my system that would cause extensive bleeding during the operation.

This was my frist ever knee problem, and I know that down the road somewhere I will need knee replacement, but I want it with my own surgeon at home. If lap-banding is easier than the knee surgery (which was a pice of cake for me)....I awoke with I'm hungry, thirsty and have to go the bathroom (although not in that order) I'm going to be OK. This surgery did not bother me at all as I have no problems with a general anesthesia, and because I've had 5-way-bypass surgery (which I think is the worse surgery you could possibly have) I'm pretty pain tolerant, so I'm hoping all goes well. Strangely, I'm not nervous about the banding at all...the 18th can't get here quick enough. I do feel better knowing I have the forum to turn to if anything goes wrong though. This is one great source of info and friends. God Bless, Dody

That's basically what I needed to to Elizabeth was buy time. Considering the fact my knees had never, ever hurt before I hurt the right knee here in Tennessee, he thought that possibly the surgery might help me enough to get through. It was an injury that caused mine. If I haden't seen the MRI I would not have believed I had arthritis in my knee. It never, ever bothered me, so I think he was taking my word for the fact that arthritis or not, I'd never had any trouble before. Therefore, I think he was merely hoping to help me. I guess I'll know within a few days if that is true I'm definitely older than you Elizabeth (64) and have had 5-way-bypass surgery. My feeling is if you can survive that you can get through anything....Keep me in your thoughts please as the 18th is just around the corner. I didn't bounce back from the by-pass as all. Somewhere all my red blood cells got lost and it was 6-months before I was feeling anywhere close to normal. I was very anemic and required several blood transfusions. I've heard of others that did much better with their bypass than me, but I was a smoker at the time and had to quit that at the very same time....wow was I a grump :scared: but it's the best thing I have done for myself so far...and now the banding is the second. God Bless, Dody

That part about him not seeing the extent of the arhritis on the MRI bothered me too, but I want to be back home before I have oomplete knee replacement (which is obviously coming in the future). I really wanted to not postpone my band surgery again so we both opted for arthroscopy. He said he didn't realize the extent of the arthritis, but I like you question this. For now I will setle for relief for awhile, and am hoping I can get it. I will get the knee surgery done down the road. I'm sure the other knee has just as much arthritis, but I've never had trouble with my knees, and twisting this is what hurt it. If the dr. had his way he reocmmended total knee replacement, but I would never have been able to keep my banding date in about a week. Let's hope this works for now. I'm being spoiled by my kids and have to admit I'm enjoying it just a little :scared: God Bless, Dody

Today I had surgery on my right knee. To stay it isn't hurting would be a lie, but I'm up and around on it anyway. The dr. said the sooner I'm on it the better off I'll be. I hate pain meds so I'm only taking Tylenol, so probably a good part of the reason I'm hurting. I'm not sure he cured me though, as he said he found a lot of arthritis that may be giving me some of the problems. I'm keeping good thoughts though. I woke up immediately (as they were taking the tube out of my throat), hungry and thirsty and having to go to the bathroom. All 3 things were allowed. My daughter can't get over how well I wake up from a general anesthesia, so I hope everything goes as smoothly with the band. July 18 is the big day. This was just something I needed to get out of the way first. God Bless, Dody (I'm finally making headway)

You are entering a new and wonderful phase of your life. I wish you well with your journey. It has taken me nearly a year of jumping through all the hoops to finally get to a date. It is getting closer for me everyday. I will be banded on July 18th at Vanderbilt Hospital in Nashville, Tennessee. My surgeon is one of the most cheery and optomistic guys I've ever met. He thinks the band is the way to go and he performs all types of weight loss surgeries. He thinks the head games with RNY and DS are too tough to deal with knowing it is virtually (I said virtually) impossible to reverse. The lapband ....well you always have that option of having it removed in the back of your head, but heck who really wants to if it works as great as everyone says. I'm excited to begin my journey. I hope you fly through your tests with flying colors and are banded before you know it. I have no idea if you have a dr. in the US or are going to Mexico, but I wish you the best of luck. For me Mexico was never even a consideration, but that is why there are all options available to people. Best of Luck and God Bless, Dody

Dr. Cahn and Dr. Anderson do not do fills for ANYONE else but their own patients.

I traveled to Tennessee for my surgery because they won't even do surgery unless it is a center of excellence. I am lucky I have family here and they encouraged me to come here. I didn't want the surgery in the state I was from anyway. The dr's. there had only done about 50 lap bands between them. I was happy Medicare was recommending a center of excellence to be honest. A center of excellence means the dr. has done many, many lapbands. It basically has nothing to do with the hospital itself, but with the dr. My dr. here in Nashville has done over 1000 lapbands and therefore qualifies as a center of excellence. All my fills for 6 mo. are included. Leener, can you run a google check and find a center of excellence not too far from you to get your fills at. I've been working on my banding for about a yr. when Medicare threw this clunker into the works, but I have to admit at 64 I'm rather glad they did. I planned on coming to Tennessee anyway but to a dr. closer to Knoxville (Marysville) and he hasen't yet been accepted as a center of excellence and probably won't be, because he hasen't done over 1000 bands.I have found numerous things that were wrong with me that needed corrected before surgery that I believe I wouldn't have found anywhere else. I traveled a long way to get this surgery and am staying for the fills, which are included for a 6 mo. period. I wish you luck in finding a center of excellence near by. God Bless, Dody

I have no problem sharing...I would be traveling alone. Dody

I hope you are ready for a long journey. First comes the seminar, and than the dr. is going to have a huge list for you to complete (most likely, because you are in the states). I have been in the process of getting things done the better part of a yr. You need documentation of weight loss (how long depends on the lap band dr.), you need a sleep study and a psych eval, along with blood work, an EKG and various other things. Please, by all means, jump through the hoops. It is so worth it to find out if there are any other medical problems before getting banded. Enjoy the trip and don't get frustrated. God Bless, Dody

I thought you were serious about drinking slurpies after being banded My dr. says I can't have any carbonated soda unless I let it go flat first, and that sounds so unappealing. I have found a variety of other things I love (see above post) so I don't think I'll be missing sodas. I would never kill the messenger....I just thought you were drinking slurpees and was preparing my lecture against carbonation No need to now. God Bless, Dody

Are you joking about drinking "carbonated" slurpees? Gosh, I believe everything I read. I've never had a Slurpee in my life. Am I deprived or what? They just never appealed to me.