Bjornsyouruncle

I just got home from the hospital after surgery yesterday. It could have been done as an outpatient procedure, but my surgeon errs on the side of caution. I've been walking around a lot, and I'm more sore than anything else. I don't have any actual pain, but I did accept something last night to help me go to sleep (I really can't sleep in strange beds!). I feel surprisingly good for the day after surgery. I have the realize band implanted with 1cc of saline, but I won't get my first fill until mid-May which, at this particular moment, is so frustrating. I feel like I've done well on the pre-op diet and I've used a lot of willpower to stick to the plan, but I'm ready for some kind of help since I'm running out of willpower. I still have to go in for a 6 week appointment, but he doesn't want to adjust it until 3 months out. :ohmy:

I will keep you and your family in my prayers. So sorry that you are going through this, and I hope that you and your family will be alright. I cannot imagine how hard it is to go through something like this.

Congratulations on your loss this month 12 pounds is fantastic :smile: Second, I do think that when someone is clipping right along with the loss sometimes doctors are hesitant to add more because he doesn't want you to get overfilled and have problems.

That sounds like a long time, doesn't it? It was supposed to be 6 weeks, but I went in yesterday for my final preop appointment and the doctor said that they'd like to wait until 3 months to do a first fill. We're going to have to see about that. He thinks I'll have good restriction with just having the band placed and won't need it, but I have no idea what he's basing that decision on. I guess I'll have to see what I feel like post surgery and if I don't have restriction like he thinks I will, I may have to have a serious discussion with him. I can stand the 1 month preop diet, and I've been mentally preparing myself for 6 weeks of bandster hell, but 3 months of it just seems like too much.

Love your name, MrRiceGuy! I'm Filipino so growing up, we ate rice for every meal, even breakfast! Ha, but that could explain why I'm here now... darn you, carbs! Anyway, you'll make it back. You've taken the first steps.

I know there are a lot of them out there in the world but this one bothered me because the start of the series was questioning why there was a divide between the WLS youtubers and the non-WLS youtubers who are trying to lose weight. [ame=http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=aOEaGv3TTdk]This is the video[/ame] I am discussing. Without ranting I wanted to start a list of things that are "unnatural" but super awesome. 1. Weight loss surgery 2. Antibiotics 3. Basically every medical innovation since people figured out diseases aren't caused by small demons. 4. Air conditioning 5. The internet 6. Microwaves 7. The automobile 8. Movies (I love movies!) 9. Plastic (it really makes life easier) 10. Roller coasters I could go on, but it would get silly. Lots of things that don't occur in nature are fantastic and the idea that surgery is unnatural and so we shouldn't do it is willfully ignorant.

In December of 2007 I graduated from college and spent 2 months trying to find a job. I spent way too much time at home and regained 40 pounds I'd worked the past year losing. I felt soooo frumpy. I felt like my weight was masking my real personality. And, I forget how I came across it, I was looking at this blog online and this woman had monthly pictures posted following having a band put in. I think she'd had it 6 or 8 months and you could really tell a difference. I'd been thinking about surgery for a couple years now, but seeing her success was the thing that actually inspired me to make the phone call and start the process.

The yeast that causes yeast infections is Candida albicans (it also causes thrush). It is a normal microorganism that inhabits the human body. It feeds on sugar, so consuming a lot of sugar increases your chances of yeast overgrowth (ie: yeast infection). Another normal microorganism that inhabits the human body are a type of bacteria called lactobacillus, of which there are multiple species. These bacteria convert sugars into acid, which does 2 things to prevent yeast infections. 1. It competes with the Candida for the sugar in your body. If the lactobacillus gets it, that means the yeast doesn't have anything to eat. 2. It creates acid, which lowers the pH of the area the bacteria are inhabiting. As an acid producer, the bacteria has mechanisms for living in an acidic environment, the yeast does not. So the increased acidity kills off the yeast. You have to use plain, unsweetened yogurt since sugared yogurt would just feed the yeast and throw off the balance even farther. But introducing even a little yogurt with live cultures into your body will help keep the yeast in check and helps restore the good bacteria populations. If you don't like the idea of putting yogurt in your private parts, look into Probiotics, which often include lactobacillus species. You can take some of them orally and some of them you can get as vaginal suppositories. Edited to add: Applying vinegar directly is a bad idea since it is acidic enough (even at a 4% over the counter solution) to really irritate the delicate mucosal membranes of the vaginal tract.

flowers, I think it depends on the doctor. Mine said at the seminar that some people have been out as long as 6 weeks. It isn't just the physical recovery, there is a large mental adjustment as well. For people whose jobs prevent them from having easy access to food and drink (like mine!) they also have to figure out the mechanics of getting in their fluids and meals in during work hours.

You aren't required to tell them why you are having surgery. Just tell them that you're having a medical procedure done, and that you will need however many weeks of recovery time. I've told people I am close to at work, everyone else knows that I'm going to be out for a while but no specifics. If you're vague when people ask why you're going to be out then they tend to respect your privacy.

Generally if you've been hospitalized in the past 2 years, life insurance companies don't really like you...

How are you guys doing? Was there anything you wish someone had told you before surgery that you'd like to share with the group? Hope you're all recovering well! :thumbdown:

I like the ready to drink Atkins shakes. They're just easier to carry around than the ones you have to mix yourself. They taste pretty good, I was surprised.

I'm going into my forth and final week of my preop diet. And at this point I'm kind of used to it. I do get to eat one solid, low carb meal a day though, and that helps. I end up chewing a lot of gum, which makes up for the fact that I don't have much food to chew. I haven't cheated on it, and I'm pretty proud of that. I've been so, so tempted more than once but I've stuck it out.

The first couple days of the preop diet stink but you do eventually get used to it, I promise! I'm on week 3 of it and I barely notice it anymore.

Good luck to everyone who is getting surgery in the next few days!!

I will ask my surgeon when I meet with him next week if he takes patients banded elsewhere.

We could be foxy fireballs lol Or not I guess when it ends on the 7th, we can ask the guys. I know I've seen a couple posts about it.

Have you checked out the surgery experiences thread? Tons of people have shared their surgery day stories, it is really educational! You can find it here.

As far as attention from the opposite sex goes, when you lose weight you're a lot more confident and people notice you more. It may be as simple as that. The girl you met that you've stopped hanging out with, probably doesn't deserve that. If she likes you for you, then that's what she's into and not just because you weight less now. You're 75lbs or so from goal, which means you're still a little more padded than you want to be and she still likes you.

Day in the life menu?

Do we have a backup plan if the guys object to being foxes?

How neat to find another pathology person :cheated: I've only been grossing for a year but it never ceases to amaze me how high the rate of job satisfaction is in the field. I might be cross training in histology in the coming year, at the moment I don't get any farther than loading and maintaining the processors.

What caused the internal bleeding? Did they have to remove a hernia at the same time as surgery or did your liver crack or something?

Hey guys, I just wanted to throw it out there that there is a poll in the Feb. 2009 section of the forum that has more name options on it. You can find it here I think it might be better to go by that poll since it includes the names in this poll as well as a few others. But it is up to everyone, I guess.