RestlessMonkey

Please make sure you have a capsule that CAN be opened...not all capsule meds can or should be opened, and not all pills can be split or crushed! Make sure you aren't doing yourself more harm than good! Having said that, unless you are SUPER restricted, you should be able to take a capsule. They are usually formulated to dissolve fairly quickly. If you're in doubt, of course, check with your doctor! I have always been able to take my pills including my potassium which is a big horse pill that always tends to give me problems, even preop! I've had a couple different foods almost get stuck, but the pills all go down easily. (and I take a bunch including a 6-pill multi Vitamin pack!)

I told everyone. People talk; that quit bothering me a LONG time ago.

Tell your surgeon!

Welcome and good luck!

What health problems?

I feel your pain! I honestly would've been scared to death if "normal" I had done such a thing. And I felt WONDERFUL! I was happy to have the band, not TOO hungry, not in pain (hadn't taken anything but tylenol for 2 days) etc...but since nothing like that has ever happened to me before, or since...I guess my teacher was right. It probably wouldn't happen to you...but if it did? Could be the impact lingers a bit in the math center or some such. Who knows? Good luck to you! I hope you LOVE your band, and have a great surgery and quick recovery!

Ok just wanted to tell you I was a bookkeeper for 20+ years and am pretty darn good at math. The Tuesday I went back to class? (I"m a nursing student now...) I badly failed a math test (for calculating drugs). I got every answer correct but didn't round properly (and I knew exactly what to do and how to do it) My teacher asked me to review everything the next week...I told her exactly what she'd told the class to do, and explained the rules of rounding to her...(how many tenths, etc). She said...then why didn't you DO that? I calculated everything to the correct place, then wrote the answer wrong on the answer line. Why did I do that? She said (and she's been a nurse forever) You were probably still a little confused that soon post op. Just warning you...as an accountant....you may think you're alert but be totally wrong. I've never failed a math quiz since then LOL and hadn't ever failed one before (100 was my average grade! LOL) but that one, well... So honestly take off. Go back early if you feel like it. I know it's tax season but you know doing it right the first time is WAY easier than trying to go back and fix it later!

Working that soon really depends on a lot of things...like what you do and how fast you recover. I think though honestly you should take the week. You'll feel better and do a better job. I had my surgery friday and had tues afternoon classes but I had that next day off and was really greatful for that! You'll be on liquids, recovering from surgery...and you will get tired way more easily than you're used to! You really need to take the week! If your job runs over the weekend you might be ready by Saturday...but take a week and go back early if you recover really fast!

You got some good advice. I will say that they most likely will NOT release you unless it is in to another's care; they won't let you drive and may or may not let you take a cab. Call to make sure. The afternoon of the surgery my husband was home with me....I enjoyed the attention but would've been fine alone. By the next day he was long gone to work when I got up etc. I slept in my bed the first night and got up fine BUT I took it very slowly, used a pillow to brace my torso (that is a great trick...use it!) and I have a 4-poster bed...that poster by my head got used for me to help position myself. To be honest though had I been alone, i could've rolled out of bed onto my knees (into a kneeling position) then gotten up that way. Hope that doesn't sound dramatic...just letting you know it's do-able. I was determined to sleep in my bed from the start. I agree to make sure you have your prescription on hand from the start, and have easy access to your Water. I wouldn't want to face an upstairs/downstairs thing, but same floor should be fine. Also please realize that the idea that you SHOULD rest is wrong, to a point. You did have major surgery and you aren't ready for a marathon; but you need to walk...getting up every hour and moving around a little is good. You also need to breathe deeply...if you feel bad take your pain meds, of course. I found I was good with tylenol and it didn't knock me out. The sooner you act like you're normal, the sooner it will be true. Walking does miracles for pain, gas, circulation, and healing. And by walking I don't mean to head to the track and do a few miles, I mean getting up and going for your own water, to your bathroom, around your apt., etc. I had an easy fast recovery. I know pain is different...but if you're at all like me (not bad for a 53 year old fat chick!) then being alone won't bother you at all. Enjoy watching some dvds or reading or whatever, enjoy the time to yourself!

I didn't even get Protein shakes for the first week! They helped a lot once I could have them! The fact is, odds are you're going to be hungry. I know I surely was! But stick with the doc's recommendations; you'll make it through, be proud of your accomplishment, and be set up to succeed! Good luck!

from the fda (who had to approve the use in the usa) When is it used? The system is used for weight loss in severely obese adults who have been obese for at least five years and for whom non-surgical weight loss methods have not been successful. They must be willing to make major changes in their eating habits and lifestyle. Patients must have a Body Mass Index (BMI) of at least 40, a BMI of at least 35 with one or more severe morbid (unhealthy) conditions, or be at least 100 pounds over their estimated ideal weight. At any rate, I hope the OP gets what s/he needs to lose weight and if that's lap band surgery, i hope it happens! And not a lawyer but if the situation arose, a 29 BMI and lap band surgery would sure help in a malpractice suit, if the surgeon were sueable. Just because some physicians do something and get away with it doesn't make it right or safe. I will say though I can understand how many overweight people (whether 'obese" or just "overweight"...and those are just labels) can be drawn to the band because it is a great tool. It should be available to anyone in whom it would be medically safe to implant it!

I guess it's moot about malpractice if you go to Mexico since you would not be able to sue them anyway. Most US surgeons, as far as I've researched, don't really want to do the surgery on people with lower BMI's. Even the LOW BMI forum/thread here has people with LOW BMI's of 34, 33, etc. Not that I don't think people with a BMI of 29 or 30 don't suffer; I'm sure they do. Just that even the band makers don't recommend it for people with that amount to lose.

Actually you're still in a healthy range with that BMI...considered overweight but not obese. And while I love my band, to be honest if I were in that range there's no way I'd go through surgery to lose it. Even though relatively problem free, surgery is a big deal. I think you're going to be hard pressed to find a doctor who will operate on you and with your BMI there could be a case made for malpractice if they DO operate on you. Good luck; I hope you find a solution to your weight problem, whatever it may be! I don't mean that in a judgmental way, either; we all grapple with our problems as best we can.

Camron57...I'm a big rule follower, especially after I ignored my doctor's preop diet, did my own, lost 15 pounds, but band wasn't placed because while I lost, my liver didn't lose. So I believe in what our doctors say. HOWEVER, with a caveat that we all have to do what works for us, waiting 1 1/2 hours post meal to drink seems excessively long. Have you asked your surgeon to confirm it? Mine used to say 1 hour but after reviewing current studies has dropped that to 15 minutes pre, nothing during (and eat in 30 minutes) and then 15 minutes after we eat. That makes it much easier to live with. Not saying to do what my doc says, ok? Just maybe ask your doc to review his stand or ask him if you can drink a little earlier. Good luck to you!

Your stomach and "innards" are most likely swollen from the trauma. It may not seem traumatic to you, but your stomach now has a band around it...your insides were moved in ways they are NOT used to. Give yourself a chance to heal! That's one reason you will be on liquids etc....swollen and healing! And when you start to feel better, hang in there with your doc's recommendations because if you eat too soon your stomach will churn to aid in digestion and you can mess up your band placement. (that last is just a PSA) Anyway no you'll be able to drink normally, probably fairly soon, as long as you go slow and don't irritate your stomach! It gets better!

Yes, it can, because of salt. Salt LOVES to be with Water. Adequate water intake means your body can flush excess salt because the salt will leave to follow the water (this is simplistic but true...I could retell it using words like anion and cation and cell membrane but why on such a pretty Saturday!) When you don't take in enough water to convince the salt to leave the body, it hangs around and can pull Fluid out of circulation and into tissues where it just hangs around with the salt and does no one any good. So water retention can be caused by various things but in an otherwise healthy individual, if you keep well hydrated you won't have as much edema. Of course water is IN a lot of things...it's in coffee, it's in celery, it's in meat. But it's easiest to just make sure you drink 6-8 oz glasses of plain water each day!

I'm sure your band isn't "too large" for you; surely you trust your surgeon to place what fits! I have 5.5 ccs in my 14 cc band and just since the last fill on 1/30 have I finally discovered that if I eat too much I get "stuck" etc. For me, making those dratted healthy choices and controlling what I eat is getting much easier because I am not hungry all the time. I have been so marvelously successful on diet after diet...losing up to as much as 45 pounds and then gaining back 65 over and over. Diets don't work for me; they don't work for many of us. SO I look at the band as a lifestyle change and try to choose healthy but don't feel like doggy poo when I choose something more "outside the range". A week ago I got a Whataburger Patty Melt (here for a limited time! LOL) and could only eat 1/4 of it. I was ecstatic! And I was full for 5 hours. I haven't had, nor even wanted, another patty melt, but I'm glad I got the one I did, and I'm glad it made me full for so long. THAT is restriction, for me. So I think yes you probably need another fill; everyone is different. No a foot long subway isn't a great choice; neither was my patty melt. But this is life and as long as we choose the right way more often than not, i think we'll be fine! Restriction makes it WAY easier to choose the right way, until you get too much...then you turn to sliders. Good luck; talk to your doc, and hang in there!

Good for you, banderoo! I'm happy for you! :tt2:

Which "complications"? I had a quick recovery and no issues, but it would help to know specifically what you are worried about.

The only reason I can think that small ones may SEEM to slip more often is because the large one (AP L holds 14 ccs) is fairly new, having only been out a year. There is an OLD style lap band (called the 9.75/10) that only held 4ccs and it too had more issues that have since been resolved. Perhaps she meant the older ones....or perhaps the numbers she was given were skewed as suggested. Your surgeon will usually pick what's right for you!

LOL TQuad64....no kidding. I planned to post: Yes I had a last meal. It got me: NO BAND! Don't do it if you possibly have the grit to pass it up....you'll be able to eat a cheeseburger again if you want one. Right now it's important that you do what your doc says when he says it, so that you'll get through the next weeks intact and in good shape and positioned to succeed!

If you're taking a prescription pain med, cut it back to 1/2 and see if that helps! Also you need to walk (prevent clots) and breathe deeply frequently to keep Fluid from collecting in your lungs ... even if you can only walk short distances, do so as often as you can. Also drink water; it will help flush your system. Were you a coffee, tea, or soda drinker prior to surgery? You may be missing caffeine, too....

I was banded in August and just after my 4th fill Jan 30th am finally feeling restriction. It takes a while!

It HURTS when I drink while I eat, with some foods. Obviously not with Soups LOL but with many solids. And I think that overfilling the pouch can stretch it (the stomach is stretchy material)...so whether it's too much food, or a combo of food and liquid, it is just logical to me that it would stretch if overfilled. Some things, i guess, don't really need tons of research! :sneaky: I do agree though that every doc is different. However if your surgeon tells you not to drink while eating, it's best that you don't. I personally have done things that "others" got away with (like cheating on the preop diet) and paid a bad price for it. We're all adults; we need to do what's right for us. I was just thinking of what my parents always told me "Just because so-and-so does it doesn't mean YOU get to. If so-and-so was going to jump off of a cliff, would you want to?" I guess lap band is the same; you can almost ALWAYS find someone who broke whatever rule and got away with it. We all have to decide what's right for us, and that decision shouldn't be based solely on a concensus posted on a Chat board.