MSnika3

I guess it is quite common. I had mine repaired, also. Didn't even know I had a HH until pre-op testing.

I was banded this morning. It was a breeze! Went in at 8:15 and was at home by noon. I haven't had to take pain meds yet. A little sore and some what I think is gas pain on the left shoulder and under the left rib. I have the realize band with no inflation. :smile:. My only other complaint is DRY mouth and sore throat!! I would love to hear from the other May 9th bandsters!! Hope everyone is doing well.

May 9th was my day also. I had my surgery at 1pm yesterday and was home by 6. Still feeling sore and bloated today. I have the Gas X strips that someone mentioned were really good. I've been taking those. I have only taken 2 doses of lortab. I'm weaning myself to just plain tylenol. I'm walking around some. I made the mistake of going to work today at my desk job but could only make it 1/2 way through. Don't want to overdo it. Colleen.

Oh my goodness! The two of you must be superheros! 2Btiny, I can't believe you had the energy to be fiddlefarting around the computer a few hours after surgery! Caminco, you went to work the next day? You two are definitely troopers! I laid around for three days too tired and achey to do anything other than pee! You go girls!:thumbdown:

Glad you are okay, Jayme. But what caused the pain? Did something get stuck or what? I'm asking because I started mushies yesterday. Last night I had no problems. Today, I think maybe I ate too fast and had a horrible feeling in my chest. Tried to wash it away with Water, didn't work. Tried twisting, turning, bouncing, bending, rolling, you name it. I didn't know what the heck was going on, but it did go away after about 30 minutes. Not sure what I did wrong, but I sure want to know so it doesn't happen again!

I'm going to have my band on Tuesday, May 20th and I am planning to return to work the following Tuesday...

Is this realistic?

I understand that everyone's healing process is different, but I'm just anxious to know about others and how long it took them to get back into the swing of things.

I have about a 20 minute drive to work, then a 15 minute walk from where I park- the reverse is a bit different - I have the 15 minute walk, but then the drive home is about 45 minutes.

I sit all day at a desk, so I can elevate my feet and take period walks if I need to. The best part is, they just put in a new gym and I have to walk past it to get anywhere! LOL

I'll be starting a new schedule when I return (8a-4p) so I can work out afterwards and still get home in time to cook everyone dinner!

Hi Yvonne,

Remember, your miles may vary. I had surgery on Friday May 9th, I felt well enough to return to work on the following Monday. I am a middle school teacher and this was our week of state testing. So, I didn't have to be up and about much. However, by mid-morning, I felt very under the weather. Tuesday I felt better. Wednesday I felt like hell. I was not necessarily in pain (other than nightly bouts with gas). But, I think I needed rest. It wasn't until Friday that I had completely bounced back. I wish you the best. Just take it easy.

Those recipes sound great. I'm adding to my weekend grocery list right now! Thanks, so much!

Dangit! That was so not what i was hoping to hear. But of course, it's what I needed to hear. I will take both suggestions. I'll wait the long, torturous 30 minutes. :biggrin: And I'll try adding more Protein. I guess i could sprinkle it in my Soup. Hadn't thought of that.

Thanks to both of you!

It will also depend on how much narcotics you took after surgery. They slow parastalsis down. Can take up to 24hrs after last take to get things going. I took a 1/2 dose of MOM on night of post-op day 2. That got my gas going and then I had like 6 watery stools from the CL diet. I'm now 5days post-op and only have bad gas.

Ooooo, I didn't know the narcotics had anything to do with it. No wonder I haven't been to the restroom. While I was having severe gas pains this week, I was taking a combination of antacid, gasx, and a gooood dose of painkillers EVERY night. Guess I may not get moving for a while. Perhaps I should make an appointment with Phillips.

Okay guys,

I am only 7 days post op and I've got so much information floating around my brain that I'm confusing myself.

Now, I understand that I shouldn't drink during meals, and a certain time period before and after. My question is...since I am on full liquids, does this rule still apply?

The reason I'm asking is that I have found myself becoming more ravenous as the days pass. I don't have a problem not drinking Water while I'm "drinking my meal", but since I have started to develop this constant hunger, I'd like to be able to sip on water when the stomach starts to growl. Often that is 10-15 minutes after a bowl of Soup, Protein Shake, or yogurt.

I'm assuming that if I'm getting hungry so quickly after a "meal", then the liquid is running through the band rather quickly. So does that mean that I'm not in danger of washing away my meal if I sip on water when I feel hungry? Or should I just dive face first into another bowl of soup?:confused2:

Everyone at work (my students included) think I'm getting over some stomach bug. I have them all thinking I am still feeling under the weather and don't have much of an appetite. I teach and school is almost over, so I won't be able to offer any suggestions past the liquid stage.

Mum,

Follow your heart, and pray. If God led you to it, he will lead you through it. Please believe that. Good luck to you in this lap band journey and especially with your marriage. I will keep you, your husband, and your boys in my prayers.

I'm sure others may have more to add, as I'm very new to this (Banded only 7 days ago). But, my menu currently consists of Slim-Fast Lo-Carb, sugar free Jello pudding, Yoplait Light Thick and Creamy Yogurt, Yogurt smoothies, Campbell's Cream of whatever Soups, Campbell's Soup at hand in the creamy Tomato, creamy chicken, and cream of broccoli. My best friend eats Cream of Potato soup and clam chowder, daily(both with all chunks smashed to oblivion). I'll post anything else I think of. Hope that helps.

I am having the same confusion. I was banded May 9th. "Hunger Pains" hit on Day 4. When my stomach growls, I eat something and it seems to churn worse. I don't know what's going on. I've been suffering from so much gas pain over the past three days that I don't know how to interpret anything going on inside, right now.

Are you on Clear Liquids or full liquids?

I was banded 5/9. I have been suffering from severe gas pains as well. I'm currently lying on my left side as suggested by many. I can actually feel the gas moving around. Right now, the worst pain is the pressure in my chest. I've heard of an old home remedy involving baking soda and Water. But I am afraid that would cause an explosion in my stomach. Has anyone ever heard of this working for those of us that are banded? Or do you think I would end up in the ER? Right now, I'd try anything that works but leaves my band in tact and functional. Don't worry, I'm not drinking any of grandma's concoctions until they've been given a thumbs up by my fellow bandsters.

My husband was banded 2/16/08 and thought he was having bad gas pains when in fact it was gastritis. He was in some very bad pain for almost a week, the doctor put him on Prilosec and Mylanta and it worked wonders for him. Almost instant relief and by the next day no pain at all. But he kept taking it for 2 weeks just to be safe...Hope this helps. Rena (follow directions on box & bottle when taking it)

Ooooo, I'm stopping for mylanta on my way home. I'll let you know if it works!Thanks!

Hi everyone,

I've read many posts about gas pains and I thoughtI was ready. Well, last night I was in so much pain, I had to call my mom, husband, and best friend to save me. I thought I was dying. I don't know if I have a combination of trapped gas and indigestion or just trapped gas. But, I have constant pain and pressure in my chest and sharp pains that travel throughout my abdomen. I have done some walking, it hasn't helped. I have been popping Prilosec and GasX strips like tic tacs, with little relief. I will try lying on my left when I get home. I'll keep you all updated. Just wanted to whine! If anyone discovers a magic potion, please share!

Thanks!

Hey y'all!

I'm from the Mississippi Gulf Coast!

I am being banded on May 9th. My surgeon is being proctored on the Realize band. I am excited to have something new. (New here/old in Switzerland). Any other May bandits getting the realize band?

My friend and I are being banded on May 9th with the Realize band. I can't wait to get my card after surgery so that I can build my virtual self on the Realize website. I was so disappointed that I couldn't play with it before surgery!

Hey KellyGirl,

Did I understand correctly... Are you and your best friend getting banded together? How Fun!? What a neat way to do it. You will have a great support team together! How Fun!

Hey Miss Meliss,

I'll answer that question. (There's no telling where KellyGirl is!) Yes, we are getting banded together. We are so excited. And you are right, we will definitely have a great support team with one another. So much so, that often times i forget to update my family on the latest!:sad: I just pray that everything continues to go as smoothly for both of us as it has already.

Thanks!

May 9th! I can't believe it!

As with any big insurance company, it depends on your policy. A previous poster said Anthem no longer covered it, but I just finished looking at my policy details and it is covered. It just depends on your policy. You can log onto the anthem website at Health Insurance and Medical Insurance from Anthem Blue Cross and Blue Shield (BCBS) and sign up for your account. You'll need your subscriber number handy to sign up. Once you're logged in, you can access all of your plan details, mine included coverage for the bariatrics and such. My plan also covers travel expenses! That's not to say that either of us will be approved, but your policy may cover it.

True....Anthem just approved me last week. Many others on here have recently been approved with Anthem, also. Check your specific policy. Good luck!

As with any big insurance company, it depends on your policy. A previous poster said Anthem no longer covered it, but I just finished looking at my policy details and it is covered. It just depends on your policy. You can log onto the anthem website at Health Insurance and Medical Insurance from Anthem Blue Cross and Blue Shield (BCBS) and sign up for your account. You'll need your subscriber number handy to sign up. Once you're logged in, you can access all of your plan details, mine included coverage for the bariatrics and such. My plan also covers travel expenses! That's not to say that either of us will be approved, but your policy may cover it.

True, true! I have Anthem and was approved just as any others on here have been. Check your specific policy.

Congratulations!

I, too, have Anthem BCBS. They are definitely fast. I got my approval in 24hrs. My surgery isnt scheduled until May 29, 2008. If it weren't for preparing my students for the end of the year state testing and all else, I would be on that table tomorrow!

Good luck to you! Happy losing!

Have you looked at getting a loan? There is plenty of companies that give out short term interest free loans for medical procedures and/or deductibles. I used a place but my wife has the info with her. Was easy to fill out and we had bad credit at the time and we still got approved. I paid $200 a month for 10 months for a $2000.00 loan.

Thanks. I may consider that depending on how much I get back with the IRS rebate check.

Well, I contacted the hospital and for bariatric surgery, patients are required to pay their deductible and/or out of pocket expense two day prior to surgery. Grrrrrr! Well, I'm going to go ahead and schedule the surgery for the latter part of May... if I don't drive anywhere between now and then, I should be able to save a couple thousand in gas! :biggrin: