Elisabethsew

The catheter was inserted in the OR after I was under anesthesia. I had no bowel prep and the IV was put in prior to going to the OR.

I don't do well with anesthesia. The first thing I remember (12 days ago) was the anesthesiologist calling my name and telling me the operation was over. I was still in the OR. I tried to swallow and my throat felt like the dessert. I felt myself being moved off the OR table and onto the stretcher. Ahhhhhhhhh... it felt like a bed of feathers. I was then moved to the recovery room (6:20 PM) and began having uncontrolled shaking and nausea (anesthesia side effects). I was given demerol and zofran IV with relief. At 8 PM I was brought to my room and walked from the hall into the room. I felt like I did 1000 sit-ups and asked for pain medication. The nausea returned and they gave me a stronger medication (phenergan) which sent me into a coma. LOL. At midnight, the RN came in to remove the foley and by 4 AM I was up to the bathroom and doing laps in the hallway. I did not need any meds after that. I went home the next morning and did fine.

The surgeon advised 2 weeks in my case.

I take Aleve twice a day... in the AM and in the PM (need a knee replaced) and have NO problems.

I am a die-hard Chris fan and think he performed well. Like others, I was not familiar with the song but it did showcase his voice and talent. I 100% disagree with Simon's assessment of Paris. She "nailed" the performance and got my vote for top performer of the night. Her personality is a bit too much but that does not detract from her talent. Elliot came the closest to "capuring" the spirit of Freddie Mercury and his voice is amazing. Bucky surprised me. I was expecting a disaster but he molded the song to his musical genre and really did give an entertaining performance. Kelly looked like a zombie. Was she the one who killed a man or was she the corpse? She gave a fair performance and will likely get a country recording contract but she won't be the next American Idol. Katherine's performance sounded like a screaming session. The key was too high for her to "hit" the high notes and she lacks charisma. While talented, I don't see her going all the way. Taylor needs to get his act together and go back to his original style. Last night was horrible and failed to show case his talent. Ace, poor Ace, he's got to go. Mandisa got voted off because she was talented but did not have the figure American's want in an Idol. Ace has little talent but has the "look" that America does want. What's with all the marriage proposals he's getting? LOL. Sorry, but Ace and Bucky are in the bottom 2 and need to go. The judges need to get with the program and Paula needs to be replaced. Actually, Paula is great for weight loss... her antics make me want to barf. Randy needs to learn some new phrases, "It was just OK for me, man." "Yo, you in the dawd house." As for Simon, it seems he rates the entire show based on the first performance. If it's a good one, he's upbeat, if it's poor, he's ticked off and miserable for the rest of the show. Still, he does give the most honest feedback even if his delivery leaves a bit to be desired.

It's so sad that MANY MD's unfairly judge obese patients and predetermine that ANY health complaint is a direct result of their weight. Earlier this year, I went to the hospital complaining of chest pain and shortness of breath. The cardiologist came in and wanted to know what statin (cholesterol lowering drug) I took. I replied I did not take any and he immediatley left and returned with my blood results stating, "Wow, you have a perfect lipid (Cholesterol, HDL, LDL, etc) profile." As an RN, I am embarrassed by how health care professionals falsely judge obese patients and am very glad to hear of your NSV and that you found a caring and non-judgmental MD.

You're funny, Carlene. :-) Do you have the gun loaded and ready?

Make sure you're getting in 60 grams of protein a day, take a multi-vitamin, take a B-complex vitamin, and an iron supplement. Many people are iron deficient and don't know it because they have a normal hemaglobin and hematocrit (H & H). You need a blood test for iron (Fe), ferritin Ferr), and total iron binding capacity (TIBC) to diagnose an iron deficiency. I hope that helps a little.

It's amazing to hear how varied the "fill" experiences can be. I see the surgeon for my first post-op visit on Friday and I guess I'll find out at that time when he'll do my first fill. Since I really don't have any restriction now, I am both dreading and looking forward to the first time. LOL.

Coughing and deep breathing are encouraged after surgery to keep the lungs clear so there's no need to worry about allergy symptoms.

Yes, you buy Medifast online. I keep it in the fridge and shake it up and drink it over ice with no after taste. You can also add skim milk to tone down the flavor.

Hi Bright, Do you still have your gallbladder? Is the pain ever centered on the right side or right back? Many people with gallbladder problems are intolerant to fats and dairy. An abdominal sonogram might give you some answers.

Welcome and congratulations on your decision to have the surgery.

Hi Shontel, I know EXACTLY how you feel. I was banded 12 days ago, came out of surgery 6:30 PM and was dressed to go home WITH a bra on 14 hours later. Make sure you wear a loose fitting bra and show the surgeon where your natural "bra line" is. Also, bring a soft pad or a sanitary pad that you cut up to place under the bra if you find the incision is too close to the bra line. You'll do great... don't worry.

I was told that the only time you have to worry about abdominal muscles is the first six weeks post-op. After that, exercising is fine. As for sucking your stomach in... I really can't see it would problem at all during the post-op phase but you might want to double check with the MD.

Hi Susan, For the preliminary sleep apnea evaluation, you fill out a questionnaire that asks if you smoke, if you snore, size of neck in inches, whether or not you fall asleep during the day, whether or not you are tired all the time, etc. These answers are added up to determine if a sleep study is needed. During a sleep study you go to a hospital or sleep center and they attach electrodes and watch you sleep for a night. People who have sleep apnea have periods of time (>20 seconds per episode) where they stop breathing. Often, this "jerks" the body into consciousness and results in what is called a poor sleep-wake pattern. Because sleep apnea people never get a "solid" few hours of sleep, they are frequently tired. During the period of apnea, oxygen saturation levels fall (they measure this by slipping a little sleeve over one finger. The treatment is a C-PAP mask which stands for continuous positive airway pressure. At bedtime, A mask is placed over the nose, mouth or both and the tubing is connected to a machine. A positive flow of air or air and oxygen is delivered to keep the airway open and oxygen saturation levels normal resulting is a good night's rest with no apnea. Is that too technical? I am an RN and sometimes go overboard. LOL. It's a routine part of a pulmonary consult and MD's use a positive sleep apnea evaluation as a co-morbidity for insurance purposes. Any good anesthesiologist will insist on an evalution for WLS.

How about, "I had a physical exam, got serious about becoming healthy and made life changes to accomplish it."

The change in your diet should do the trick. I am surprised that you were not started on protein shakes one day post-op as most surgeons want a minimum of 60 grams of protein a day for optimal healing. Also, make sure you're getting in enough fluids. After a day or two on the advanced diet I think you'll feel soooooooooooo much better.

It took me a long time to find a shake I could tolerate and the one that finally worked were the ready to drink (RTD) medifast shakes. They are 8 oz. each, 90 cals, and come in chocolate and vanilla. Delivery is next day or 2 day. Thankfully, they do allow you to buy individual shakes so you can do a taste test and determine if you want to purchase more. The reason the dieticians don't let you substitute something else for the shakes has to do with vitamin and mineral counts. I'm sure others will have suggestions for you as well.

I have not had a fill yet but the dietician did suggest a "trick" to curb my appetite. She advised "water loading" with 12-16 ounces of water about 10-15 minutes before a meal. I did this last night and actually felt full for the first time in a week.

Although I have only been a member for a week, I now consider myself totally informed about having lap banding in Mexico (MD's, hotels, length of stay, medications, flights, costs, etc.) soley from the posts I have read. The first few days I thought this site was a forum expressly for people who were banded in Mexico or were seeking to be banded there. Because people ARE looking for answers and places to have surgery, I would prefer advertisements be sent to the private message section or that people request that replies for this type of information be sent to them via a private message. Just my humble opinion...

Hi Eileen, I don't know about sesame dressings but you might want to check out the Walden Salad Dressings that are in the refrigerator section at the grocery store (not the unrefrigerated kind). I have had the thousand island, russian, ranch, raspberry vinegrette and honey mustard and they ALL taste wonderful... creamy and flavorful... reminded me of Marie's salad dressings but the Walden brand are fat free, calorie free, and carb free. I hope that helps. Maybe you could add ginger and sesame to a vinegrette base?

Cushing's syndrome/disease is a rather rare condition that is associated with high blood cortisol levels. You can find some information at this site http://endocrine.niddk.nih.gov/pubs/cushings/cushings.htm If someone suspects they have this condition, they should make an appointment to see their MD and be evaluated ASAP. Most obese people do not suffer from Cushing's syndrome.

I have not had my first fill yet but I checked the booklet that I was given pre-op. It states to have a full fluid diet the day of the fill and then progress to a soft diet for a day or two before going back to the pre-fill diet.

Hi Jen, I am 12 days post-op and doing well. The day after surgery I was sore and took pain medication for the first 2 days. By day 3, I only took a pain pill at night so I got a decent sleep. After day 5, I was even off tylenol. As soon as you are allowed to, get out of the hospital bed and WALK up and down the halls. It eases the suture pain and helps with any gas pains and allows full expansion of your lungs. Ask the hospital for a medicine cup. They hold one ounce so you can pour your tea or water or broth into the medicine cup and sip an ounce every 5 minutes. The hardest thing for me was not being able to sleep on my side for the first week. Some people do fine after a day or so but it took me @ 10 days. I slept in my bed every night but some people prefer a recliner chair so do what's most comfortable for you. It's normal to be anxious but I'm sure you'll do fine. If you have any specific questions, let me know. At post-op day 12 I am working, grocery shopping and trimmed shrubs! LOL.