cattoy71

Woot!

Thanks for the hint, just got back from the store with the dried aprictors...thanks again for your awesome post :thumbup:

I was banded on 10/13/08 and could feel the band in right after surgery due to the swelling. I completely forgot I had surgery after the pain went away about 1 week later.

I'm over 3 weeks out and still feel some restriction, but am still able to eat much less then before I was banded. Maybe it's because my doctor mentioned that many patients do not feel very hungry for up to several weeks just following surgery :rolleyes2:

I'm scheduled for my first fill on the 24th, but am not even sure if I need it at this point.

Hi Pegs!

I bought a belly bandit (post pregnancy compression belt) that came in sooooo handy about 1 week after my surgery. There's something about the binding compression that alleviates the port pain! You can get the same kind of compression from other post-surgical garments and maybe Spanx.< /p>

Hi Party,

It really sucks that you came here looking for support and was basically told that that band is not so great and you should consider taking it out. Not very helpful indeed!

I have a few recommendations, but remember I'm a fellow bandster and not a doctor:

Call your surgeon and see when they are hosting upcoming support groups. If your particular surgeon doesn't offer support groups, call your nearest bariatric surgery center and check into their support services.

You may also have found that there are forums here for complications and ones that offer mentors! If you look over some of the posts and find someone whose posts you really like, you can always try to send them a personal message asking for support...I can't imagine many people would turn you down!

Please try to keep in mind that this whole band thing is a process and everyone is going to have different feelings and reactions based on what they've been thro....I think most people have pretty good intentions, but you are right, this is a place for support!

Keep your head up and keep us posted as to how you are doing!

Hi Connie!

pb = productive burping.

It's when you eat too much or too fast and the last bites won't fit in the upper part of the banded stomach. Since it has no where to go, it has to come up. People say it they handle it anywhere from coughing up discreetly into their napkin to having to excuse themselves to the bathroom to more or less throw up.

I think sliming is more when you eat too fast and your throat kinda brings up what you tried to swallow but it also brings up alot of mucus and saliva....I heard that this is pretty unique to people who get the band and there is a lot more mucus then you might expect.

Granted, I have gotten all the info from my research and I am just 3 weeks post op so I have luckily not experienced this yet :biggrin:

Obviously I cannot relate to having 'small' girls - I was first in my school to wear a bra, and it was a necessity, rather than a 'grown up' activity!

Sagging and deflated though, I can relate to - when I lie down, the girls hide in my armpits!

~~~

:biggrin:

Omg tapshoes,

That is one of the funniest things I have read in a long time.......thanks for making my day!

Great job sailor!

Keep upi the good work girl :thumbup:

Hi large chested lovely ladies,

My fear is that my very large chest (38dddd/g) is going to go totally south as I continue to lose weight :tongue:

I am finally cleared to do most excercise, but will have to wait a little while longer for weight work.

What ideas do you have...I already wear minimizer bras everyday, and picked up a few compression garmets hoping that will help keep everything in place for a while :tongue:

Nordstrom has a great bra/lingerie fitting team too

Honestly, I'm a little worried about what are going to happen to my 38dddd(g) boobs when I begin to lose more weight....there's no way I want to electively have surgery again!

Hey Lisa,

I'm in bay area (san jose, ca), and was just banded 3 weeks ago.

My husband and I decided years ago that we didn't want children, and it can feel a little weird when everyone kinda expects you to have them.

I'm around if you ever want to chat

No problem Bert!

Don't hesitate to contact me if you need help finding your surgeon or help in figuring out what it all means

Omg Bridgette,

I totally know what you are talking about the cabin fever!!!!!

I felt like I wanted to pull my hair out and run screaming through my condo complex, lol.

I have had some difficulty sleeping since my surgery too.

My surgeon recommended that once my pain kinda went away, that I only take the pain med at night before I sleep, and that would help me sleep thro the night....it seemed to help, so maybe it will help you too :thumbup:

Gotcha Bert!

I used this research tool to help me make my decision:

Bariatric Surgeon Profile - John J. Feng, M.D.

I also checked with my doctor, and he really made me feel better after saying he has been doing band surgery since 1991....that's a pretty long time!

If you need any help with interpreting my surgeon's grid, let me know...you can do a similar search on that site for the surgeon you choose :thumbup:

Best,

Congrats to all of October 08 bansters!!!!!

Quick update on me.....banded 10/13/08 and I am now down 15 pounds that I will hopefully never have to lose again.

How else are the rest of you guys doing on your journey?

Hi sailorgirl,

Omg your diet sounded like mine post op:

lots of crystal light and / or Water

sugar free popsicles (yummy!!)

Skinny cow fudge pops

gross Bariatric Advantage shakes

yogurt

Jello pudding and Jello cups

tea

instant chicken soup/ instant grits/ instant polenta

I purposefully didn't weigh myself for the first few days I post surgery because I felt so bloated and gassy I thought for sure I couldn't have lost weight.....You're doing great with the program, and please continue on your course and add a little walking or moving around when you feel up to it....you will get there

I'm almost 3 weeks out and have lost a total of 15 pounds....some days I look like I gain a few and then I'm back down a little later....we're all so different, but it's a great feeling to know that you CAN lost weight......7 pounds in a week is amazing!!!

Btw, I was self pay too.

Yay snorkel, we were banded on the same day!!!

I've been battling the flu which is just nooo fun.

Are you finding you are having some difficulty getting to sleep at night?

I've never had in hospital surgery before and was a little surprised to find out that my particular surgeon has a strict no driving for 14 days post surgery policy.

I could not even imagine how some people drive themselves to and from outpatient surgery!

Please try to find some support if you go thro with this. You will be pretty uncomfortable and could feel pretty naseaus post surgery, and there is absolutely no way I could have driven myself home.

I used my insurance to get my surgery clearance with my crappy Primary Care Doctor. I financed the hospital fees thro Capital One Insurance (3.99%).

On top of the bloodword (there's a lot and insurance covered it all) and ekg which was done at my primary care doctor's office, I only had to do my psych clearance and I was able to get that done for no extra cost from the therapist I see on a regular basis.

The difference in cost, is most likely due to which hospital you have your surgery.....some cost $7200, mine happened to cost $9500 but I think it's because it's a smallish hospital in Redwood City and it's really pretty close to where I live.

Dr. Feng is pretty strict with the post-surgery driving....he requests you not drive your self around for a full 14 days so the sutures can heal really well.

Let me know if you have any other questions.....it was all pretty quick for me once I made up my mind. My initital with him was on 9/16/08 and my surgery was 10/13/08.

I was self pay and I can already tell that opting for the 5 year service was the best choice for me.

The care and service I get from both Dr. Feng and Shellie in San Mateo is far superior to that my crappy primary care physician :cursing:

I ended up paying the surgeron's fees upfront and getting awesome 3.99 APR financing for anesthesia and hospital fees...mine came to 17k total.

Good luck on your decision

I weigh myself at least once a day after I get up in the morning.

Sometimes I will do it later in the day, but dang it can sure fluctuate!

:smile2:

Omg I love my doctor so much!

I was going to interview at least 2 doctors, but decided that there was no one else to meet after meeting Dr. John Feng of Crystal Springs Surgical Center in San Mateo, CA.

My first meeting lasted over 2 hours and he explained soooo much to me in detail.

My husband totally got along with him after meeting at the hospital on the day of surgery and get this.......he calls back within a matter of hours. I know he's very busy these days as everyone seems to want to get banded or get other bariatric surgery before the holidays, but he actually calls to check in and see if you just want to chat.....seriously, who does that?! :tt1:

Last night I suddenly felt like I was coming down with the pukey feeling you get when you have the flu and I paged him worried that it might be too soon for me to throw up since I was banded only a few weeks ago. He called me back and talked me thro it, and altho I still feel sick, I'm not as worried about throwing up if it happens.

Anyone else have any great stories about Dr. Feng? Please feel free to share them here :tt1:

targa,

sorry I'm not filled yet so I can't talk from experience.

did you try searching the fill specific threads in the forum to see what others have posted in the past?

one thing for sure is that there seems to be waaaay too many sizes of bands so things seem to be totally variable.

I personally have a 10cc, and am not scheduled for a fill until the 24th of november, but at this point, I'm not even sure if I will need one then....I still seem pretty tight from my initial surgery.

ya, I'm curious as to why you would have it removed?

is it because you want it gone, or because of a complication?

I purchased a case of protica Protein bullets and had to throw them away because of the awful taste :biggrin:

Hopefully you can find some that are tolerable.

Congrats again Jorja, you are on your way!!

I was (ahem) supposed to do a 2 week pre-op liquid diet, but could only handle one week of the constant Protein shakes. I guess I did alright because I lost 5 pounds and my doctor said my liver was great looking and not-fatty (yay for a non fatty liver)!

So far I've lost a total of 14 pounds (includes that 5 pounds), and I've only been banded since the 13th of October!:biggrin:

Make sure to ask your doctor about actagall (to prevent gallstones) if you still have your gallbladder. Something like 30% of bandsters develop gallstones from the rapid weight loss, but you can decrease that likelihood to under 3% with the 2x day medication.