Morsaille

Marvin the Mountie always gets his Brenda I am waiting.....

It gets a little easier after your first fill, for some people it gets a LOT easier. I hope you are one of those. I am still waiting for restriction and have been playing with the same five pounds for almost a month. The biggest thing has been the water. If I stay focused on getting enough, it is either too soon, or too late to take a bite. Vitamins have really helped with my cravings, I use a Centrum chewable. Some people like flintstones. I had my first fill with Dr. Neal in Olympia. He has fluoroscopy which can be important for a first fill. He charges $350, but later fills are less. I have been told this is a fair price for fluoro fills. If you hear of anything cheaper... His website is www.pacsurgical.com <- I think this is the right one. There is Dr. Chebli in Seattle, check out Obesity Help for info on him. I like him, but he does blind fills. My port is still too deep. There are many more, try the WA and OR local support pages.

Is it DaVinci that makes the peanut butter flavored syrup? SF blended mocha with Peanut syrup is the best thing ever.

I had a clot, a big one judging from the recovery time. While I had the IV it kept clogging. I am sure the painkiller (morphine?) didn't help because it burned so badly. When it was removed my whole forearm was swollen. In later days, the swelling subsided, but the vein was hard. As it healed the tenderness moved from my hand, to my wrist, to a place in my forearm. I don't remember when it finally cleared, but I was getting myself all worried about a possible stroke. More typos recently, maybe there is something there? It will probably be fine, but if you are anything like me... Enjoy your stress. :eek:

Kat, Since you are self-pay don't worry too much about it. On average, even a 40 pound weight loss cures sleep apnea in 90% of cases (or so I have read) since the apnea is generally a result of having extra weight and tissue obstructing your air flow. Long term, OSA (obstructive sleep apnea) puts a strain on your heart, but is just generally a nuisance for both you and your sleeping partner. I have the diagnosis, but HATED the mask. Glad the ins. covered it. I was collecting comorbidities for ins. but ended up self-pay. If you aren't needing to build a case for insurance, skip it. Why buy a mask and machine you'll probably only use for a year...max.

I don't have good restriction yet so my bites are much larger than a restricted bandster. I take moderately sized bites and swallow it in three or more separate parts. I don't expect this to work forever. Most veteran bandsters talk about using children's utensils or a shrimp fork and putting it down between bites. This may give you a little more time to find your "max fill line". Luck

I had "bubble-gut" too. It went down in less than a month. I remember thinking how weird it was that it was so solid. I would put my hand flat on it and it would not give. I am usually squishy, but looked moderately pregnant for more than 2 weeks. I carried my real pregnancy well and I am large enough that I was the only one who noticed. It felt like an NSV when I realized it was gone.

It's OK Boo, I had that too. Freshly post-op and for the first month. It was how the burps started. Hic-burp, hic-burp I couldn't burp like I felt I needed to unless it was preceeded by a hiccup. The doc (mine anyway) anchors the band into the diaphragm, this is done to reduce slippage events. Your body is adjusting to the new set-up. Not sure if we are rare, but I posted this question in January and got the same kind of responses. Good info, just not quite right for me. After you are healed, a hic is a "soft-sign" of fullness. But at least for me, the early ones were just my band and body making friends. They hurt a little at first, but got easier. PB's come later - the hiccups there are quite a bit different. Take care

6 weeks or until the scabs are gone. Short showers only until then. I was a little less than obedient. It enlarged one of my scars by dissolving one of my scabs, the scab fell off and deepened the wound. No biggie, just cosmetic. I am a long way from flashing my stomach to people who don't know about the band.

I use 1/3 of a protein shake on my shredded wheat (chocolate rocks!), but there are some GREAT ideas here scribbling notes... Since I have almost no restriction, I use SF metamucil (psyllium husk) on occasion. Lumps can be painful for tight bands, or so I have been told. The thickness of it gives me a sense of fullness too.

1. At lunch Time, Sit In Your Parked Car With Sunglasses On And Point A hair Dryer At Passing Cars. See If They Slow Down. 2. Page Yourself Over The Intercom. Don't Disguise Your Voice. 5. Put Decaf In The coffee Maker For 3 Weeks. Once Everyone Has Gotten Over Their Caffeine Addictions, Switch To Espresso. 6. In The Memo Field Of All Your Checks, Write "for Smuggling Diamonds". 7. Finish All Your Sentences With "in Accordance With The Prophecy." These are my favorite! wiping tears of laughter I am posting just for the subscription so I can show my DH later. THANK YOU PAULA for these. Did anyone see the one that went around for awhile "Things to do in an elevator"? The only ones I can remember are: 1) Stare at the person standing next to you, when it gets really awkward, smile and say "I have new socks on". 2) Draw a box on the floor with chalk and tell everyone getting on that "This is MY space" 3) Move your desk into the elevator and demand to know from passengers if they have an appointment. 4) Scream "We're all going to DIE!!" and clutch the walls in panic every time the doors close and until they reopen.

If it isn't gas... (I HOPE it's gas) Get help for even stupid stuff. Want up from a chair, get a hand. Need out of bed? Holler for help. Walking was easy for me, but all the abdominal muscles were shredded until week 2. DO NOT BEND. This is a one way ticket to Painsville, population: you.

Yoda, The barium swallow shows the band placement. It is the best way to make sure stuff is going through your brand new band stoma. It is painless, just chalky. You drink and they take pictures, I even got a souvenir photo...

The port incision (at least mine) is about 2.5" long. It is the one that hurts. I barely noticed the others. It twinges if you shift or bend. A twinge isn't nearly as fun as it sounds. Putting pressure on it is a great help. We used a pillow between in missionary, I was OK on my knees or side after 7 days. Back to FULL activity a month later. winks

If you get a catheter, it stays for awhile after you are awake. It is not fun to remove, but doesn't hurt either. The nice thing about it is if you are uncomfortable, there are no painful trips to the restroom. Sitting down and standing up were the worst for me. Walking was the easiest position.

I think the coma statement was a joke to say it knocked her out/very sleepy. This is probably the most comfortable way to recover...unconsciously.

I am a Kuri gal and LOVED his new hospital. It is gorgeous and your husband can stay with you in your hospital room and after in the hotel which is quite nice and a block from a pharmacy and grocery. Kuri is wonderful and I can recommend him easily. Learn a little Spanish, with the new hospital they have a new staff. The staff is actively learning English, but try to meet them halfway, it's just nicer. Bring DVD's, unless you and your husband have a LOT to talk about you will get bored. PM me with ANY questions from either you or your husband (mine was nervous too). Or you can email morsaille at hotmail dot com.

An almost instant cure? Ginger! You can boil root slices for tea, or eat ginger chews (let them dissolve in your mouth, DON"T swallow chunks of candy!) What worked best for me was fresh ginger slices. I just kept them close all the time and when needed would tuck one into my cheek sucking on it when I felt brave. This works for morning sickness, travel sickness, or the stomach flu. You can find the fresh, tan, bumply root in grocery stores produce section. It can taste strong, but will grow on you when it works! No more nausea!

This is how I explained it to my husband: My band holds 4cc, I may never need that much, most people never need that much, some need more... It's like having a closet full of shoes in every size. You most likely will never need those 14's. But isn't it nice knowing they are there?

Forgot to add: Once you've had a fill you will be planning your next. Nerves are the worst part. I love my fills because they make it work. Who wants a $10K tumor?

Fills are no big deal. I had one that went badly and to tell the truth, it wasn't THAT bad... My fluoro fill didn't use lidocaine and it really didn't hurt much at all, easy. Number two was a blind fill with lidocaine. He stabbed me for nearly 35 minutes until we found the port. I stressed, but didn't feel the needle. They are expensive. I am busy saving for number three. Maybe that'll work for me, not much restriction yet. I wish I was like Nora.

I'm guessing dannygirl got this thread confused with the American Idol thread. It's OK, it happens. Welcome Still working on the icebreaker question for you Wheetsin.

I have seen threads on this topic before and the options that stuck with me (if you loathe the idea of sharing) are: 1) Tell people who find out you are having surgery (leave request?) that you are having a hiatal hernia repaired since docs frequently do this while they are there. 2) When people notice your weight loss say that you have been eating much less lately and exercising more. This is not a lie and will keep them from "watchdogging" your progress. 3) When people ask if you had anything done, ask them... "Why do you want to know?" <-- this one is just a little bit sassy and may scare away new acquaintances

I have never spoken to anyone who had the band, then chose not to use it. My surgeon told me in my pre-op consultation that he had a patient who never received a fill and lost about 130 pounds. Maybe it was the commitment the surgery represented, maybe just knowing it was there was enough. This is a-typical though. Bands are made to be filled. An empty band is an idle band. Use your tool!

WOW! Thank You so much for sharing. You are so brave to show so much. The education is invaluable and your results are amazing. Does it still hurt much? I wanna be like Jess when I get smaller...