Di4AU

Well, my goodness! I'm in Alabama, too, and have been around here for some time. We have our own Alabama group, you know Alabama Local Lap-Band Support - Lap Band Surgery and Lap Band Discussion Forum and we have quite a few active folks there. I'm newly banded and doing great. Stick around this 50's group and you will learn so much from all these experienced bandsters. They are truly inspirational. Good luck to all of you!

The whole schedule is off, must have been looking at the wrong month or year! But, it is this Saturday, June 21. They are always the third Saturday of the month at 10:30 (10:00 for post-op patients). I don't know if it's in Bldg 46 this week or not. There will be signs.

That's fabulous! I had the same dizzy, lightheaded feeling a week or so after my surgery, so I checked my blood pressure, but it was the same as it was the day of surgery:thumbdown:. But, my vitamins didn't have iron, which I knew I should be taking, and after one Flinstones with iron, I was fine. Congratulations, and hope to join you soon .

Well, you know there is a risk with any surgery, whether it's lap-band or a hangnail. But, this "table" has to be safer than being on the table for a heart attack or stroke in an emergency situation, where nobody knows you or your history. And we know that's where we're headed, with just about 100% certainty. I look at my lap-band as insurance against that happening. I can tell you this, you have chosen the best group to oversee this process for you and they will make you feel comfortable and take wonderful care of you. I, too, had to go through the six month ordeal and by the time I had my surgery date, I was so excited. I was never nervous the day of surgery and here I am three weeks later and I feel wonderful and so happy I'm on my way to being healthier. As far as the liver, I didn't have to lose any weight beforehand, but in nutrition class we were asked to follow a low carb, low fat diet for a couple of weeks leading up to surgery to help shrink the liver. I lost some weight in those two weeks, so I would try and follow that diet. Or call and ask, they don't mind at all.

Shawna, I was wondering where you were. Glad you're keeping busy. I'm just the opposite, when I'm home, I could live without eating. It's at work where everyone is eating constantly that I have a problem. However, since Karen and I have done this, a few people we work with are dieting and I am super competetive so I've been doing well. Of course, I just started soft foods Thursday, so "eating" feels all new to me. My steri-strip "wounds" are looking pretty good, except the first once that I scratched so much. My incisions are all closed up except one. I finally felt my port this weekend after poking around, feels weird. I am dying to get in the swimming pool. I can understand not getting in a lake, or the ocean or a public pool, but there are no kids peeing in my pool. Once this last inicision closes up I don't understand why I can't get in to cool off. It is unbearably hot and I love working in the yard and hanging out by the pool, but I can't stand it for more than a few minutes at a time unless I'm wet! Guess I could play in the hose :-) Or pretend I didn't hear Veronica say "no pool for six weeks, not just no swimming". Is anyone going to support group this month (June 21)? I plan to go, finally as POST-surgery!

Congratulations! I know how excited you are and you will be so surprised how fast the time flies. I was banded two weeks ago today and it seems like only yesterday I went to my first seminar. Good luck!

Crystal, the booklet the doctor gave me shows it as a complete circle. Who knows really. Anyway, my doctor does both and he discussed it with me and gave me the option (went with Realize). His opinion was there wasn't much difference. He said: the band is wider, designed to prevent slippage, jury's still out, he's had very low instances (two, I think) of slippage with the Lap-Band anyway. Realize claims the round tubing is softer, less chance of food getting stuck, he says no actual evidence of that. The port is lower profile (I keep poking around and can't find mine), although it is bigger around and attaches differently. He did say he had much fewer complaints about port site pain. I never had any, other than when I bent over or turning over in bed the first few days. I only took Tylenol once I got home (same day). But, who knows, I may not have had any pain either way. Seems everyone is affected differently and some people are just big old babies :confused:.

When was the last time you saw your surgeon and did you tell him you're unable to eat? Sounds like you're overfilled. I would see him immediately. The vomiting could be contributing to the tooth problems as well as malnutrition. Everyone loses at a different pace, and true some people are kidding themselves by eating around the band, not exercising and aren't losing that well. Losing so fast you're malnurished isn't healthy either. PLEASE call your doctor.

When I got my staples out, Lisa said something about an ultrasound at the first fill. Pre-op, I lost 10 lbs and have lost 10.5 since surgery. I feel like I've lost so much more than that, I feel great. I'm back to a more "normal" weight for me. I had gained so much the last couple of years with menopause and was married last May and we've been eating all year like we did on our honeymoon! I've always been great at losing weight, that's never been a problem. Keeping it off is what I'm looking foward to.

When they take the staples out, it feels wonderful because it scratches that itch!!! And watch out for those steri-strips, they ate holes in my skin.

IS IT THURSDAY YET???? Tomorrow I start soft foods and I have to tell you, I am more than ready. You know it's bad when I look forward to my vitamins in the morning, cause they're nice and crunchy! I'm really not having hunger issues, my various liquids really fill me up, but I am so sick of sweet, I want salty! I may stay up until midnight to have my grits. Shawna, steri-strips didn't like me either, but when they started itching like mad it was too late to rip them off, they had already eaten holes in my skin. At first I thought I had a spider bite. Wendy, is it tomorrow you have your first fill? Please let us know how that goes. I keep poking around trying to feel my port and I can't feel it (although I do have the Realize Band so it is flatter). Hope everyone is doing well.

I love the chocolate. Blend it with skim milk and some ice and it's great. Doesn't at all tast like a "diet" drink.

Don't know about you guys, but you might be running a slight fever from the surgery and drinking protein shakes made with milk. The two did not agree with me!

You may not like the Isopure either. I bought the orange flavored Water and I like it, although it does taste a little chalky. And don't smell it , I drank it for two days before I got a whiff............Still drinking it, though. Best over ice. I blended the unflavored unjury in a Diet V8 splash and some ice and it was not bad. You've got to get those Proteins in!

They are great, but they are NOT calorie free. 40 gms protein per bottle however. They also have the powder, including clear which you can mix in with juice, etc.

Coughers and sneezers - hold a pillow on your stomach, it helps! As far as being afraid to eat, you'll get over that in about five days Seriously, you'll be amazed how good you feel in just a day or two.

I think our taste buds are in the Twilight Zone. The day after surgery, I tried some chicken broth and it made me sick and the thought of it still makes me sick. I'm loving the shakes. I had some wonton soup last night and it tasted so salty, I couldn't eat much of it. I'm sick of sweet, I want salty, but it's just not tasting right!

Jessica, the back pain is gas. That's the only place I had it (not in the shoulder like most). It really helped to have my husband rub my back and then walk, walk, walk. It really did the trick. One week out, I sill have gas, but not painful. Those crazy jungle noises go away after a day or two as well.

My doctor had no such restriction. In fact, I was comfortable sleeping on either side the night of my surgery. It hurt a little getting into position, however. I was sleeping on my stomach six days out. I do have the Realize Band and there is very little port pain, which may have something to do with that.

Surely, there is one in Pensacola, if you're closer that way. Seems I've also heard of people having surgery in Mobile. I would think they would do fills as a new patient.

Good, Jason. Hopefully, you're on your way. Well, after one dose of antibiotic the fever was gone, so I'm back to normal. I'm at work today and these staples are driving me nuts. I keep brushing up against my desk and they are itching like crazy. I'll be glad to get them out tomorrow!!

There you are! I was beginning to worry about our Miss Sunshine!!

I had my husband sign in on the Wii Fit last night and he did a bunch of exercises I'm not ready for just yet. He got quite a workout and is sore tonight (but he says he's doing them again tonight). I think it's really going to be a great motivator. It ticks me off when I step on it and it groans and when he steps on is it says "Great!". I called the doctor yesterday, Dr. Miles was on call and he told me to come in today so he could look at my incisions. He said they looked fine. Infections with these bands are just a mess, he says and the only indicator they have of infection, is the incisions. He said he really wasn't concerned, it's not unusual to run a low grade fever after surgery (I thought five days was extreme, however), so he put me on some antibiotics just in case. I go back Friday to get my staples out. Anyway, most of the soreness is gone so, I'm still doing great other than the fever. Good job on your first "test" Wendy!

Thanks everyone. I feel great, except I still have a fever. We're going to try and get in touch with the doctor today. This isn't right. Makes me feel kind of blah. However, starting Protein yesterday was fantastic! I had thought it might help with kicking whatever is causing this fever, but it's still here this a.m. Shawna, I had pre-ordered my WiiFit and it arrived the day before surgery. I played around with it a little Saturday (post-op). Tried out the step exercise and the hoola hoops (no, it didn't hurt!). It is going to be fun.

I was banded yesterday and home the same day. DH has had me so busy walking, sipping, breathing excercises, napping I haven't had time to check in. He's a great nurse! I did have a hernia that they took care of, so hurt a little bit more than normal. I had to have DH stop the car just leaving the hospital to throw up. It doesn't hurt at all, and all the gas came up, so I've had no gas pain. They should have everyone do this before going home :cool2: Feel pretty good today, just sore, more from throwing up I think. Thanks to you guys, I was never nervous, just excited and thought of you all day yesterday!!