RestlessMonkey

PLEASE PLEASE don't self medicate w/antibiotics. In the first place, you should've taken all of them for whatever they were originally prescribed. In the second place, if you don't have strep, they won't help. If you DO and don't really take enough drugs, it will just go "underground" and move to another part of your body. It CAN come back to make you very very sick. Furthermore you are helping to create more super bugs (like MRSA...methicillin-resistant staph aureaus). PLEASE go to your doc. AND NSAIDS are drugs like aspirin and ibuprofen and aleve. They aren't usually in traditional OTC "Cough" medicines but are in some cold medicines. Ask your doctor what you can take. Hope I don't sound prissy but it is honestly bad to not take all your antibiotics, and/or to take some old ones on the chance that you do have strep.

Lip balm! Shoes that are easy off/on (sandals or some slip on type) loose comfy clothes a clean pair of undies and of course your ID, CC, cell phone (if you have someone to watch your stuff for you while you're in surgery) A pillow to brace your torso on the ride home. Be sure to wear/take your glasses as I'm sure you know, no contacts (not even the kind you can sleep in) no jewelry at all...

I think you meant me by this? If not, please accept my apologies! :biggrin: If so...post op the first 2 weeks was pretty awful, at least for me. I didn't even get Protein the 1st week By the 2nd week we were allowed Protein shakes, Water, broth, SF Jello and popsicles, clear unsweetened decaf beverages. Let me tell you that's not much to live on. It was tough but I realized I had to stick to it to allow the sutures holding my band in place a chance to heal. Once I could have mushies I went wild. I "gained" 10 pounds in the 4 weeks of mushies, soft, and then regular foods. Once I got my first fill (not much, still no restriction) the doc who was unfazed by my gain said he wanted me to QUIT snacking...eat whatever but no Snacks, and now 1 week into that I've lost 9 of my 10 pounds gained. I don't have restriction but I'm not having a hard time...I know I will have it! I love my band. Dearly! :biggrin: Just hang in there during the tough post op times. It isn't easy, I won't pretend. BUT it gets better and it feels so good to lose weight!

I'm sure if you do what your doctor says, you'll be fine! :biggrin:

Congrats on the 50! not so much on the slime LOL I'm anxious to hit my first 50, myself. I stalled out for a few weeks (moving to mushies and solids) but am back on track. I need to lose .8 to match my ticker (refuse to adjust it up! LOL) which I'm working on now, then on down the road! YAY! Do you feel me back here behind you? LOL :biggrin:

I was on a 3 week liver shrink diet that was more austere...2-3 EAS Carb Control AdvantEDGE shakes a day, 3 oz of lean fish chicken or turkey, and 1 cup of green veggies. And 64 oz (at least) of Water. THATS it. no condiments. no butter. No fruit. It's hard, but do it because it is important to make sure your liver can be moved out of the way so the band can be properly placed! :biggrin: AND post op I felt great....little to no pain, etc. Walk a lot! I took 2 doses of darvocet on day 2 but otherwise liquid tylenol (or distracting myself) did the trick. Did I say walk a lot? move around! I hope you both have smooth sailing and love your bands!

Honestly I slept on my stomach from night 2. First night I slept in bed on my side. I used a pillow to help brace my torso. night 2 was tummy time. I think it helped me heal quicker. Stretching out etc kept me from getting adhesions (scar tissue). It's not medical necessarily but it's logical. I've healed fine! :biggrin:

There is NO WAY you should go to work the next day. Period. Anesthesia takes up to 48 hours to clear your system. Could you work drunk or stoned? If the answer is NO, then you shouldn't work w/anesthesia still charging around in there. Good grief take a few days off!

you need to go to your surgeon. Why would they have to "reimplant" the band? Did you have it removed? If you didn't, it's still there.

Dr. Cavazos knows his stuff. I think you picked a good surgeon, good facility; you've done all you can to set yourself up for success! So trust him and do what he tells you to and you'll do great! Since I'm a little farther along, TIME-wise, than you...please feel free to email, post, PM any time. Good luck! I know you'll be as pleased as I am !

Hi! I had insurance and really have no clue how much it will cost bottom line but I believe Dr. C said, in the seminar, that self pay lap band is 15k and that covers everything including fills for a year. AND if you can get in to a seminar, I think by the end of the year is possible; he said turn around is 2-4 weeks. My first surgery was "delayed" by the psych consult that I had to have before my insurance would pay for it and it still happened fast...seminar 7/10, surgery 8/11. Most lap band surgeries are done on Mondays; there's a bariatric wing, and it's easy to navigate the hospital (important there, I'm a nursing student and some are like rat mazes LOL) Their web site is www.texasbariatric.com and the phone is 210 651-0303 You will need to attend a thurs evening seminar, I think, and then have a friday appt to meet Dr. C and confirm you want to proceed (that was the cattle call for me; don't know about out-of-towners). All surgery carries risks, but between me (not gullible) and my DH who's been an RN since 1985 and went to the seminar fairly set against it (Dr C spent 30 minutes AFTER the seminar answering my husband's additional questions!) we both came away impressed. He's a good guy. Post op? I recovered quickly, feel great, lost 41.4 pounds, and am never looking back! Please feel free to email jeffthurston55@gmail.com or PM me here if you have more questions! There are a few other patient's of Dr. C's here you can ask. Good luck, whichever you decide. We're blessed to have many skilled surgeons around here. I love my band and hope you do, too. In fact I'd decided to self pay (as I put it to my husband, I'm worth as much as a Kia, aren't I? LOL) and my ins. came through!

My surgeon is on the "austin" side of san antonio and I know he takes tricare standard, but don't know about tricare prime! And don't you have to pick a PCM from their list? That's the big reason we don't have tricare prime....so I guess I'm not much help sorry! But welcome!

Since you're self pay, if you have time, why don't you check out Dr. Sonny Cavazos at Texas Bariatric located at Northeast Baptist Hospital? He's a wonderful skilled surgeon. He's very approachable and knowledgable.

You don't have to snore or gasp to have apnea. Being tired during the day, able to fall asleep sitting up in a chair (for example), waking with a headache are all better indicators. It's worth it to get it checked!

I've always had enough or gone over on protein, vitamins and supplements per doc from day 1, plenty of water and sleep each day, exercise, and mine's still thinning.

You know it grows back, right? I'm losing mine a little so I can't help you except to reassure you it won't stay lost. Many swear by supplements but my surgeon says he thinks it's just the trauma of the surgery and it always grows back. I'm sorry you're so worried about it; wish I could help! And yes, as Meschultz says, it just thins some. My hairdresser can't even tell and she's a pro who's been doing my hair for years. It really isn't bad.

Hi to both of you! You are in that moment of time known around here as "Bandster Hell". You can't eat, you'll hurt your surgical sites, but you are HUNGRY. The operation has happened and you're thinking "wow, what now". It will pass! Hang in there! AND remember; how you conduct the rest of your journey is up to YOU. Many people find they can still eat just about any foods even after restriction, and many do just that! How you eat will be in your control, and your choice. You may do an "atkins" type low carb low fat diet, you may do a "WW" type or other calorie counting diet, or you may thrive by eating the same foods as your family, only WAY WAY less, opting to keep the junk to a minimum occasional treat. So you don't have to mourn your food. You can miss it a little but it's not gone for good. You won't eat it in the same quantity as before, but that's what you signed on for! Keep your spirits up. It's worth it, and you have more choice and control than you realize. It really isn't a DIET, so don't let yourself start feeling that way. You'll heal, and your choices will be almost endless. :w00t:

Your advocate should tell you. Call and ask monday if you want to be sure! Not everyone has to do it. I'm tricare and I didn't.

Hi and welcome! You'll need to ask your surgeon/Bariatric center to find out a rough idea of "when". It depends on many many factors, including your insurance, and the surgeon's schedule, and the availability of space in a OR, and so on! They should be able to give you a rough idea! :w00t:

If you are worried about it, call your doc and ask. It's impossible to say for sure online from pictures; we all heal a little differently, so call and ask. :w00t:

Welcome! I have had my band just 7 weeks and love it. Life has complications....and being fat as we get older carries a big bunch of risks. The statistics on lasting bad side effects with the band are low; lower than the statistics for lasting bad side effects if you did nothing and remained heavy (or got heavier) So Good to meet you!

Welcome to the world of bandsters! Sleep well but remember to get up and walk around frequently. It's good for all of you, actually; prevents clots, cuts down on gas and pain, makes you feel human. :tongue_smilie: Glad you're doing so good!

Honestly? MAYBE. I recovered from anesthesia wonderfully; after my friday morning surgery I felt on top of the world. I took 2 doses of darvocet on Saturday. That's it except for liquid tylenol. I slept fine; felt fine. No gas. No depression. Little to no pain. I am a student and took a simple math test Tuesday afternoon (after Friday surgery) and ... FAILED IT. Totally. I'm very smart. I'm very good at math and this was SIMPLE. Division and multiplication WITH a calculator. I was a bookkeeper 20+ years. This should've been a formality. My teacher (it was nursing school and drug calculations) told me, after quizzing me later (and me able to do many correctly IN MY HEAD that time!) that often anesthesia lingers....we aren't aware it's impacting our decisions etc. Made a believe out of me. So if you are THAT important, then no. If you aren't THAT important, then why? Either way, take a week if you can. You may not have my issues; you may have different anesthesia or a different reaction. You may be one of the unlucky ones in pain for 2 weeks. That's the thing; you won't know until you're there. At a minimum if you feel you MUST go back so soon (aren't you worth a week's down time?) put off important things until later in the week. As I said, it may not happen to you at all. But if you are such a key employee, and it does happen, well....

Call your surgeon's office on Monday and find out exactly what s/he wants you to do! EVERYONE is different. If he told you to do Atkins, then do it. Don't wait; they have a reason for putting us on diets and it isn't torture (LOL); your surgeon can tell you if it's ok if you delayed. Don't panic or go by what happened to someone else, except as a "warning" to do what YOUR doc tells you! Same w/liquids preop. I was given a special diet for the last day and 1/2 prior to surgery; many people are. That happened at the hospital when I was doing my preop testing. Most want you essentially empty (stomach and intestines and bowels) before surgery. Again, do what your doc tells you! If you're unsure call them and ask! That's why you pay them the big bucks! :tongue_smilie:

Welcome Mona! I'm taller than you by 3 inches but I way outweighed you! (still do!) I'm only 7 weeks postop but doing well. My first fill didn't give me any restriction yet but then I didn't expect it to, either, so it's all good. I'm working on eating like a bandster....No snacks (all surgeons are different but mine is adamant about it) no drinking 15 min before, during, after meals, chewing well, paying attention, stopping when I'm satisfied, etc. It's going pretty good. I have been happy to get the band and never had a blue moment or any doubts...(a brief bout of horror when I came to in recovery the 1st time and didn't have the band but that's all my fault for not following my doc's preop diet, and it's long past me now!) I hope you love yours too!