Elisabethsew

Welcome, Ginger. Others have answered your questions so I'll just add my best wishes for a speedy recovery.

Friends are rare and when you find a true one, hold on tightly and nurture it. I have a "true" friend in every sense of the word. She's honest, supportive, tells me when she thinks I'm wrong, listens when I rant and rave, and is always there for me. I need my friendship with her and others. They make me a better person and I sure hope I add something to their worlds.

An RN and a lawyer... double threat! LOL.

Welcome and I'm glad everything went so well.

OUCH! That does look sore. It's good that you brought this to the NP's attention and that she'll be doing your fills from now on. I guess she had to try and defend the MD but there is no excuse for disregarding a patients knowledge base. I hope you feel better soon.

Yes, silk tape is the most expensive of the three but very few people react to it. Your store might also carry a hypoallergenic tape.

I'm glad to see the post-fill food diet is what my surgeon currently advises. Thank you for sharing that article.

I never mention that I'm an RN either but I would stop the "attemps" after a 3rd miss and ask for someone else. You have much better control than I do. If I tell the person where to stick and they ignore me, he/she and I would be having a discussion or he/she would be gone. Definitely mention it to the NP. I hope you're not too sore from that torture session.

I'm not as worldly as most of you but this is a fun and interesting thread. Most of my "interesting" experiences resulted from my work in the hospital. In the hospital I took care of: 1. Whitey Ford (baseball) 2. Raul Julia (actor, played Gomez in the Adams's Family movie... so sad that he died) 3. Mr. Carey (Mariah Carey's Dad and had some very interesting talks with her and her sister) 4. Billy Joel (he sang me a song and has a very nice new wife... the daughter is another story) 5. Mr. Walken (Christopher Walken's dad and he's as weird in real life as he is on the movie screen) 6. Robert Deniro (Said to call him Bobby and was a very nice person) 7. Tony Danza (EXACTLY the same as you see him on TV... a real person) I had a summer job as an assistent to Robin Gibb of the BeeGees and received a marriage proposal from an Italian man while vacationing in Ireland... go figure. That's about it for now. Keep on posting.

Some people do swell while others don't... another strange thing about the band. My surgeon explained that it can take up to 2 weeks for the restriction to "kick-in" on some people. That's not the case for me. If I get restriction, it's the same day as the fill. As for a post-op diet, mine directs you to do one day of full fluids, one day of soft foods and then back to solids.

Thank you so much, Deana. The stress of surgery on the body can interfere with your natural monthly cycle and it can take some women a few months to get back into the "routine" they experienced pre-surgery. I saw my surgeon and asked about BC pills and he does not require women to stop taking them however, the pulmonary consult MD does tell women to stop a month before surgery.

Wow, your weight loss is wonderful. Congratulations!

Unlike some of the posters here, I don't send or receive many private messages but someone recently sent me a PM asking why I didn't defend myself when someone made a comment that could have been interpreted in a negative way. I answered the person but continued to think about the question and decided to answer it more fully and openly here. As someone who has worked full-time as an RN in critical care for over 2 decades, I have seen my fair share of death and dying. I've also seen many people beat the odds and live. This past January, I became one of those people. On a night off from work, I awoke at 5 AM to use the bathroom. About 10 steps in the direction of the bathroom, I felt a pain in my right calf. "Oh, a charlie horse is threatening" was my first instinct. However, upon sitting down on the "throne," I noticed that I was breathing very fast, felt faint, was diaphoretic, and couldn't get in air. It was very much the same experience as being in deep Water and needing to take a breath. The only problem was, once I got to the surface, the breath would not go in. As an RN, I immediately knew my charlie horse was actually a deep vein thrombosis (DVT) that had broken loose from the vein in my leg and traveled to my lung. That DVT was now a pulmonary embolism (PE). I called for help and my sister came. I controlled my breathing, tried not to panic (my sister was doing enough of that), and instructed her to call an ambulance and bring back some water and 4 baby aspirin (I had taken one a day for years). Why the aspirin? I was not 100% sure I was not also experiencing a heart attack. The heart and lungs work as a unit and the effect of the PE caused my heart to beat wildly. I managed to slowly walk to the front door and sat in a chair waiting for the ambulance to arrive. At the hospital, dopplers of my legs revealed no blood clots (DVTs). My EKG was fine and my cardiac blood tests revealed no heart attack. I now knew with 100% certainty that "they" would discover the clots that were no longer in my legs had moved to my lungs. Since I'm the one usually reading the EKG's and dealing with emergencies, I was not happy being a patient but I was too sick to dwell on it. A ventilation/perfusion scan (V/Q), also called a lung scan, and a CT scan with contrast of my lungs revealed that I was unfortunate enough to have PE's in BOTH lungs. Over half of my right lung was non-functional and over one third of the left was non-functional. I asked for a clot busting drug. Unlike heparin and aspirin, etc., which can help to PREVENT clotting, only a clot busting drug (TPA, TNK, streptokinase) can help to dissolve a clot. I knew there was a risk that I might bleed out or suffer a stroke but the alternative was to live a life attached to oxygen. As an aside, clot busting drugs can be given for lung attacks (PEs), brain attacks (strokes), or heart attacks (MIs) but you HAVE to get them within 1-3 hours of the onset of symptoms so get to a hospital fast if you suspect any of the above. Over 2 hours, the TPA dripped into my veins as a team of specialists came in and out of the room to observe me. One of the MDs, prior to the infusion, told me to call my family as it was not likely I would survive. Clot busters "thin" your blood like crazy so I looked horrible as my gums began to bleed, blood puncture sites turned into huge bruises and my period came on. It was as if I went 10 rounds with Mike Tyson in the ring and lost miserabley. LOL About half-way into the TPA infusion, I felt it was a little easier to breathe and by the time the infusion was completed, I knew I was going to be OK. I was determined not to die on a toilet seat at home (hmmmmmmmm... now that would make an interesting read in the death notices, LOL) and I was determined not to die in a hospital either. I was moved to the ICU and spent a week there. After 9 days I went home on NO oxygen and given an "expected full recovery" prognosis. I was scheduled for lapband surgery in late January but that obviously had to be post poned. Rather than rest at home, I forced myself to keep pushing more each day and my lungs continued to improve. I went back to work in 2 weeks despite the advice of my MD to take 8 weeks off and it was hard but i did it. Each day I could breathe more easily and felt better and better. Last week, I had pulmonary function tests to evaluate my lungs, a repeat chest x-ray and a repeat V/Q scan. I am also nearly 5 months post-op from lapband surgery and down 50 pounds. The results show that my lung function is NORMAL at above the 95th percentile. In December, prior to the PEs, my lung function was at 80%. Genetic testing showed I am positive for a gene that predisposes a person to clotting (MTHFR2 gene) and I have a cardiac condition called ARVD that was diagnosed a few years ago. Because of this, I will have to stay on Coumadin and other meds but that's fine with me. LOL. Given the fact that I truly have a new life and survived when the odds were against me, does it make any sense for me to waste my energy trying to decide if an off-handed comment was indeed negative towards me let alone address the comment? NOPE! I have more important things to deal with. Obviously, I lived for a reason and I'm determined to make the best of it. Sometimes people are having a bad day and leash out without even realizing they are doing it. Sometimes people feel the need to transfer their "pain" to another person through a cruel comment in order to feel better. As someone who had one of those "life changing events" that "only happens to other people," I chalk it up to a lapse of kindness and good judgement and move forward. For now, I'm focusing on getting the fat off so I can take full advantage of my "second chance" and accomplish whatever is I am still here to do. I shall now step down from my soap box but not before turning into an RN and saying, Don't wait for symptoms of a stroke, PE, or heart attack to get better or go away. Unless contraindicated, take 4 baby aspirin or one adult aspirin (NOT enteric coated) as someone is calling the ambulance. The life you save TRULY might be your own or that of a loved one. Stepping down now... LOL.

Dody, you should be fine with the baby aspirin. I take one a day also as well as coumadin (my INR is 2.8 as of yesterday). My cardiologist consulted with the lapband surgeon to make sure the band would not interfere with the meds and I'm nearly 5 months out and doing fine. Because I have to take naprosen as well, I was started on Nexium as a precaution. If you have any problems, you might ask your MD to add an acid blocker as a band protector.

There are many causes of DVT/PE. Since the clot is in a vein (as opposed to an artery), the problem is in the venous system. I had genetic testing after the PEs and came back positive for MTHFR2 gene. This occurs in 12% of the population. 44% do not have the MTHFR gene and 44% have MTHFR1. They are carriers but are not predisposed to clotting problems. Some of the major causes include venous insufficiency, obesity, congestive heart failure, cancer, smoking, oral contraceptives, immobility, bone fractures, traumas, etc. What can help is losing weight, stopping smoking, not taking oral contraceptives after 35 years old if you smoke and are obese, elevating your legs, taking diuretics for congestive heart failure, not sitting for prolonged periods of time, flexing and extending your legs while your're sitting, etc. Meds that are helpful include aspirin, folate, and prescribed anticoagulants and platelet inhibitors such as doses of aspirin higher than 81 mg or Plavax. Great question!

You're going to do great in surgery and afterwards. I came off the coumadin 5 days before and had to give myself Lovinox injections until I could go back on Coumadin. I walked around until it was time to get ready for the OR and then jumped on the stretcher. Once you go into the OR, they place ankle booties on that inflate and deflate all during the surgery and post-op. I was out of the OR in 90 minutes, in recovery for 90 minutes and then walked from the hallway to my bed. Four hours later, I was up to pee and then they had me walk 2 laps in the hallway. Five hours later I was up getting myself washed, had the barium test, drank some fluids and went home. Go in with a positive attitude and you'll be fine.

Many of the cardiologists were I work are telling their patients to take a baby aspirin 30 minutes before taking a long car trip as well as a plane trip. The general rule is, get up and circulate your blood once an hour. When I take car trips, I was told to stop after an hour, walk around the car twice and then drive for another hour.

PB, productive burp is not what I experience. If I eat and don't chew thoroughly, the food gets "stuck" and I develop an intense pain in the upper center of my chest. Sometimes, I can relax enough that I can actually feel the food pass through the band out of the stoma and into my stomach... ahhhhhhhh... immediate relief. However, most times, the pain stays and gets worse. Drinking complicates the problem. I am forced to go to the bathroom and vomit. Because the food has not entered my stomach and is sitting above the band, there is no burning like when you have the flu and vomit. It's more of a reflux of the food that comes up easily. As for the warning signs... hiccups, instinctively trying to swallow more, nose running, etc.

Most insurance companies specify "medically supervised diet" and this can be done with your MD. All it requires is your MD documenting that you tried a sound weight loss program (weight watchers for example) and weekly weigh-ins with your MD. That should help with costs. My insurance does not cover nutritionists either. Call the insurance company and ask to speak with your CASE MANAGER. That is the person who will tell you everything you need to know.

I'm allergic to adhesive tape also. Go to your local pharmacy and ask for either paper tape or silk tape. Neither have adhesive.

I'm 46 and never heard of them either, Diva.

I have been around many dying patients but I don't run to the chart to see what their religion is. It simply doesn't matter. As an RN for over 2 decades, I can tell you that holding the hand of a dying patient transcends words. If a family member asks for a priest, rabbi, minister, etc., we put the call out to oblige their wishes. I am Catholic but that never comes into play when I am dealing with a dying patient and the family members. You do what the patient or family wants you to do. Simple things like lowering the lights, providing an extra pillow, closing the curtain for privacy, playing the patient's favorite music... that's what matters. The focus should never be on "what is your religion" but rather, "what can I do to help you?"

I was originally told I had a 4 cc band but was later told I had a 10 cc Vanguard Iname band. Thanks for mentioning that, I am going to have to edit that out.

When were you banded? It's hard not to gain when you feel no restriction. When I went for my first fill, I was up a pound and didn't get restriction until fill #3. Documenting what you're eating definitely helps. I'll keep my fingers crossed that Thursday's fill does the trick for you.

Thank you all so much. As for the "trouble" on the forum and not understanding what exactly is the problem, don't worry about it. Neenaugh, your observations are correct. For the most part, people here are diplomatic and caring. There are only a few people who are in "disagreement" at any given time but those threads often attract attention from other members of the community. It's similar to rubber-necking at an accident scene. Before you know it, this will all blow over so concentrate on the posts that are meaningful to you and don't comment on ones that are disconcerning or disturbing to you. We're all doing great at the losing game and I thinak you all for your kind comments.