Lunabeane

My surgeon didn't give me a choice...and I'm really glad that I stayed. I'm not overly attached to my bed...and I was really afraid of my dogs jumping on me. I was a fair amount of pain the first day and I'm glad that I had the pain pump.

I had my surgery at 1pm on a Friday and was released at 6pm the following Saturday.

I was going to say the same thing...you might be "grandfathered" in. Although that might be asking too much...as my insurance will cover my blood pressure medication one month and not cover it the next. The weighloss clinic where I go charges $249.00 a fill.

I'm feeling so much better now that I'm on the full liquid diet. If you would have asked me how I was feeling yesterday I would have been cranky...but today the gas really started to move (I know...gross!) and I feel like a different person. Obviously, I'm still having some pain in the belly but I can handle this kind of pain. I went to the doctors today and walked for an hour...a very slow moving hour. You'll feel better soon!

I can't take all of my pills together like I used to...although I'm only 6 days out. Tomato soup is considered a full liquid but I added a bit more water to mine.

OMG...Your story made me cry! What an inspiration you are. Thank you for sharing your story.

Nora...One of my favorite names BTW...you will be just fine. I was just like you on Thursday night. My surgery was on the 16th and I took a xanax the night before surgery. I was nervous about the pain, the diet, the fact that it might not work...EVERYTHING. Just like everyone else. You'll be uncomfortable...and you'll have pain but you'll also have pain medication and a strong support system. I started full liquids today after being on Clear Liquids for ten days. It was heavenly...but unlike some people I wasn't ready for full liquids until today. I was fine on the clear liquid diet...I was getting bored but i was ok. I wasn't hungry at all. The full liquid diet is absolutely crazy to me as I've been full for about 2 hours after having a Protein shake made with Protein powder, activa yogurt, a banana, and lactaid milk. I mean REALLY FULL! I was so excited to be on full liquids that I came home right away and pureed some campbells potatoe Soup and added some extra milk to it. I was able to eat 1/2 cup of soup and I was just fine...it was a heavenly taste! I also had a sugar free fudge pop! For dinner I decided on the Protein Shake to see what it would taste like. I've been full forever. As for the sagging skin, that's a huge concern for me as well. Although...I think it's a huge concern for all of us bariatric patients. On Thursday night my husband found me the livingroom sobbing. After trying to calm me down and listening to all of my crazy talk, he raised his right hand and promised to never allow my son to call another woman mommy if I died on the table, would love me even if I failed and didn't lose a pound, and that he would go to any length...including morgaging the house to ge me a tummy tuck! We ended up laughing together and he let me cry about all the scariness that I was going to face. I just know that you are going to be ok. However, I also know that I wasn't completely OK with the whole thing until I was out of surgery and on the pain pump. I needed to be in a room that wasnt surgical. However, each day is a new experience...sometimes it's better and sometimes it feels like a step backwards. You are taking an approach that will allow you to better control your eating...which will allow you to more effectively control your health. You should be proud of the decisions that you have made over the past several months. PS. I've lost 13 lbs and I'm only taking my pain meds to sleep at night! And let me tell you something, sister, I'm the biggest wussy girl in town!

I think it's great that you are taking your role in the process so seriously...unfortunately that's not the case for many. My psych evaluation was in some ways offensive and in others ways comical. At times I was pretty sure that I was being punk'ed. I would have loved to have talked openly with a well prepared psychologist...but what I got was a quack that was doing an interview on the phone while I filled out my own mental health evaluation. My insurance covered the visit without question...infact, they paid for 9 visits that I didn't even attend! On my way out the door he told me that he was charging me for 10 visits but didn't want to see me again and handed me a stack of business cards to distribute to my friends!

I take xanax for anxiety disorder and panic attacks. I made sure that the surgeon and anethesiologist knew about this. Both of them told me that it was OK for me to take the xanax the night before and the morning before surgery. Just be open and honest with your doctors...I was very concerned as well. I took a half of a one in the morning and made sure to tell them again on my arrival that I had taken it. They said that it was no problem. I went into the surgery and came out just fine!

I'm going into my sixth day and am still on pain meds. I've slowed down a bit (didn't take it until bedtime tonight ) but am going to ask the doctor for more pain medication at my post-op visit tomorrow. Has anyone experienced a doctor not wanting to give them more. He did give me a fair amount of roxicet and I never went over the dosage that was required, but I really feel like I'm going to need it for a few more days and I don't have that much left.

I'm so glad you posted about this. I was banded on the 16th as well and I've been going since the day after surgery non stop. I'm not having any cramping but i am having pressure...I know that doesn't explain a lot!

I can answer your question regarding fluids...but I dont' know anything about the cool tickers or photos. Clear fluids consist of, chicken, beef, vegetable bullion Jello Apple, grape, cranberry juice (cut with water) Crystal Light Gatorade Propel Tea and decaf coffee Water (how could I forget) And whatever clear fluids that you can think of....I think that's what was on my list Full liquids include everything that is a clear liquid plus, Creamed Soups pudding custard apple sauce skim milk all vegetable juices Some full liquid diets include: cooked refined cereals; farina, grits, oatmeal, cream of rice, cream of wheat (but mine doesn't!)

I have a friend that makes jokes like, "I'm not sure that we can be friends after you get skinny. I'll be the only fat girl in the office after you lose weight." And while that sounds rude and a little silly, it's also very real to her. It's become in some cases a "united front" against the skinnier, healthier, sexier woman in the work place. It's scary to feel that you are the only one. We've all felt that at some point in our lives, I'm sure. What I should say to her, but haven't, is that she is acting just like them...but I don't expect them to like me for who I am. I've just been banded so everything is up in the air at this point...but I hope that she will see that I've always been me. In my head I've always been a skinny girl...so that's the person that she's been friends with all along.

See, that's the kind of story that I want!!! Good for you! My port is to left and about 2 inches below my belly button.

My doctor wants his patients to consume 40-60 grams of protein a day but after six weeks it should be coming from solid foods and not protein drinks. Also, my doctor expects weightloss within the fist six months and stated that is when he sees the most significant weightloss.

Oh no! My son jumps and dances everywhere! I feel petrified when he's around. I think he's starting to get the hang of how scared I am of him...because he warns me when he's coming into the room.

I'm so sorry for your loss. This kind of information is important for anyone to have. Thank you for taking time out of your grieving to share this information with us. My thoughts are with you and your family.

No doubt...the gas pains are the worst. I'm not sure I have any incision pain at all...the gas pains in my stomach and in my left arm are crazy.

I'm 34 and have a very physical 7 year old son. I was absolutely petrified going into surgery. In fact, my surgeon and anesthesiologist ok'ed xanax before the surgery. My pain was never so bad that I regretted my decision...but I knew that it was time to leave the hopital. I was starting to feel claustrophic being hooked up to the IV's. The level of care and kindness that was provided made all the difference. I really feel good about the whole process today. I'm all snuggled down in my sons lego bed with the lap top on a Breakfast tray. My goal is to go for a walk tomorrow if the rain ever stops. Good luck to you!

Thanks so much for the information. It's similar to what my doctor provided as well but it didn't include the bathing part. Thanks! My doctor used internal stitches and then put the superglue over top.

Today I'm doing much better. I had to write my post in smaller posts because we are having terrible thunder storms and I was afraid that I would lose them. Which is why the post may have seemed to cut off as you were reading.

Well...I was banded on friday at approximately 1pm. I thought that I would give a run down of the days events for anyone that was interested. I've been trying to keep track of everything until I was able to sit for an extended period of time to type. Today is the first day that I was able to do that. On the day of surgery I showed up at 10:30am. I filled out the last minute paper work...and provided the copy of the living will to the receptionist. My husband and I waited in the waiting room for about an hour before we were called back. From the moment we arrived I was treated with respect and kindness from every person that I encountered at Magee Women's Hospital. I'm hyper critical of hospitals so this should say something. Anyway, I was asked to undress and put on the gown and booties. I brought a little carry-on piece of luggage so that my husband could store all of my stuff in there and not have to carry my big pink purse around. I met with the anesthesiologist, the NA, the surgeon, and the RN. The RN started my IV. The surgeon came in to ask if I had changed my mind or if I had any questions. A bit before 1pm the NA came in and started chatting with me and wheeled me into the hallway right outside of the OR. She gave me some medicine to calm me down and we talked about our kids and schools. She wheeled me into the OR and continued to talk to me in a very calm voice. She promised that she would take good care of me and that she was excited that I was going to have a new perspective on life in a couple of months. I woke up around 4pm in the recovery room. I woke up coughing which was very painful...but less painful than when I had my gallbladder out. The nurse immediately gave me some morphine to take the edge off before they got my pain button hooked up. The morphine took the edge off in a couple of minutes...although I would say on a scale from 1-10 I was at a 6-7. With some shallow and consistent breathing I was able to keep it together until they hooked up the pain pump with dilauded. The dilauded was wonderful and allowed me to sleep for a while but when the nurse came to check on me I was still coherent enough to communicate with her. I don't like being out of control, so the idea of having a medication that allowed me to still maintain control of my faculties was important. I spent a significant amount of time in the recovery room as there were no vacancies on the bariatric floor. I was not brought up to my private room until approximately 8pm. Now...some people would be upset about this, but my care was so wonderful in the recovery room that I wasn't upset at all. The check on me all the time and made sure that I was confortable. The nurse would come over and sit with me and made sure that I had everything that I needed. In addition...I heard her calling and yelling at the people to get me a room...so I knew that she was advocating for me. One thing that was concerning was that there was blood in my urine...I had thought that I had dealt with a quickly approaching UTI by getting on Cipro for three days but apparently it wasn't taken care of and when they put the cath in the blood was pretty heavy. That was very scary and my doctor was concerned. He made sure to have me tested and put me on two different types of antibiotics while still in recovery. I was brought to my room at approximately 8pm where I met my nurse and nurses aid. They were wonderful and worked so efficiently to get me hooked up and comfortable. They had to take blood and a MRSA swab and made sure that my antibiotics were taken care of. The also made sure that I was given some extra pain medication because I went about 15 minutes with interrupted pain meds. I was not permitted to have any liquids...but was provided with a drip that kept me hydrated. They came in through the night to take my vitals and to see if I needed anything. At approximately 4am I was asked to get up and walk the halls...and this was ridiculously hard for me...but I did it! And the nurse encouraged me the whole way. I never felt any nausea or weakness. I was being provided with nausea medication though...and while I was glad for it...I don't think I needed it. On Saturday I was presented with two more nurses and a nurses aid. Each of them were equally as wonderful as the previous days. I was woken up at 7am to prepare for the Upper GI. I was petrified of the Upper GI...but it went surprisingly well. Before the UGI I was given a prilosec and potassium pills to swallow...I was sick about it...but they went down just fine. I was only permitted to take them with 30cc's of Water. I was wheeled to radiology where I was asked to stand infront of the machine. The technician, who works specifically with bariatric patients, was wonderful and made the process quick and painless. I was asked to drink two different types of barium...a clear and a white. Both of the cups contained no more that 60cc's of barium. The whole process took less than 15 minutes and then I was on my way back to my room. When I got back to my room I was taken off of the pain button and transitioned to the Roxicet. The Roxicet changed my life! I'm not kidding...I felt like a totally different person. With the Roxicet came more walking. I was still hooked up to the glucose and potassium and antibiotics but I was able to walk far longer and further with the new pain killer. As I walked I started to feel better and things started to move. However, I still hadn't burped or passed gas or anything like that. They also took the cath out and I was asked to collect my urine to make sure that everything was voiding as it should. They were only worried about the urine...nothing else. At around noon on Saturday my surgeon came in and asked me how I was feeling. I told him that I was uncomfortable but OK. I also told him that I was afraid of going hom because of the dogs! He was so wonderful....the man actually sat with me and discussed the best strategy regarding where I should sleep and where the dogs should be during the day. Too cute. He again went over the importance of following the clear liquid diet for a week and then full liquid for two weeks. I met with the dietician after he left and the respiratory therapist for the second time after her. It's so important to do those deep breathing treatments...especially if you are a smoker or a recovering smoker. He told me to take it easy and that he would fill out my discharge papers...but if I didn't feel comfortable leaving then I should stay. My husband and son came to visit...and my son said that he missed me and that he wanted me home. He gave up his bed because his is lower to the ground. We decided that they were going to come back and get me around 6pm. We have a fairly large SUV so he borrowed my parents car to come get me as I'm really short! The nurse gave me a dose of Roxicet at 5:45pm and I was absolutely find for the 20 minute car ride home. I walked up the 15 steps to my house just fine...and decided that it was best for me to sit in a fairly rigid upright chair until today. Last night was a bit difficult for me. The gas really started to hurt last night and today...but today I started to really move things along with the gasx strips. They are wonderful. I also went to the bathroom for the first time today...number 2...and I feel like a relatively normal person today. I'm still uncomfortable...but it really is only discomfort and not pain. I have a follow up visit with my surgeon on Wednesday at 11:20am. They called and set that appointment up for me, which I thought was great. Thus far I've had the following to drink... Water 1/2 water and apple juice 1/2 water and peach mango juice chicken bullion beef buillion chicken broth with a dash of soy sauce green tea crystal light fruit punch crystal light two spoonfools of italian ice two sips of decaf coffee None of it was irritating or nauseating. So...that's my story! Today is much better than yesterday....

Oh no...I'm so sorry that you are feeling badly. I was banded this past Friday the 16th. And while I am uncomfortable...ok...pain...I have been able to swallow since day two. I was not offered anything on day 1. I've had water, watered down fruit juice, and chicken bullion. I would call your doctor and ask if your symptoms are acceptable. Feel better.

Mine is tomorrow as well!!! I got the call to be there at 10:30 for a scheduled surgery at 12:30pm. Good Luck!

I totally disagree. I think that it depends on the relationship that you have with your children and what you feel your child needs. Every adult is different...just like every child. If I didn't come home and wasn't available for him without explanation THEN he would be overwhelmed with anxiety. Knowledge of something gives you power over it. My son cannot be thrown into a situation that he is not knowledgeable about.