Elisabethsew

I think it's sometimes difficult to get one's point of view across in this medium. Sometimes people "read" the meaning as different than it was intended. Once I see people attacking each other, I tend to not follow the thread anymore. What I would like to see is people asking for clarification before assuming and going on the defensive.

Go back on the prevacid for a week or two. I had the same thing after my last fill and it only lasted 2 weeks.

You're losing tons of weight. You're already victorious so don't waste anytime on MDs who are insensitive. Next time you make an appt. be SURE to request that you NOT be seen by this MD. Although, if you're even lighter, it might be a feather in your cap to see her again. LOL.

Miper, you admit to eating junk food, eating out a lot with the kids, and eating despite the "stuck" feeling. All of those things are what you're not supposed to do. Junk food goes down very easily, is packed with empty calories and doesn't keep you full. Start planning your meals, drink water, track your caloric intake and measure out your portions. I force myself to measure out a cup of cereal because I'm used to filling the bowl and that's nearly 2 cups. Eat until you're satisfied and not full. You CAN do it.

The amount of fills and fill amount is dependent on the person and his/her unique anatomy. I have 6.5 cc's as of fill #3 and that seems to be just right for me.

I believe every obese person has to hit a point where they say, That's it, I need to make changes for ME." One could liken this to an alcoholic hitting rock bottom. If someone WANTS to know how you're losing weight he/she will either ask directly or make not so subtle hints. So, unless asked, I don't offer.

Consult another surgeon, you definitely can lose weight with the band. Because it takes some people a few months to get restriction, the process can take longer initially. Also, you won't lose as fast as with Roux-n-y but it all balances out after a few years.

Your band is just fine but you definitely need more restriction. It took me until fill #3 to know what real restriction was. Like you, I felt nothing after the first fill. Call your surgeon and move your second fill appointment up.

Bands can be filled beyond the maximun advised. Find a surgeon and talk to him/her about a slight fill. Consult a nutritionist or join an organized program like Jenny Craig to help you get back in control.

I have to admit I'm not into piercing but congratulations on your GREAT progress and HAPPY ANNIVERSARY!

Did you just have a fill? If you can't get water down easily, the band is too tight.

Some surgeons require a fast for patients who weigh over 300 pounds and others request it of all patients. The purpose is to shrink the liver and most pre-op fasts range from 1-2 weeks requiring the patient to take in 40-60 grams of protein a day via protein shakes.

Ask your surgeon if he/she uses a bladder catheter. If none is used, you MIGHT be able to wear 100% cotton panties into the OR. If you're "regular" try and schedule the surgery a week or two after your period is due.

You might want to consider waiting until after you graduate. As you have already learned, nursing is a physically demanding profession and even if you get three people to help lift a patient, you're talking an average weight lift of 60+ pounds. Telemetry patients are usually a lot more ambulatory that med-surg or chronic cardiac patients. The problem is, you NEVER know when you'll be lifting or for how long or how often. Complete your education, enjoy the graduation celebrations and then have your surgery. It's not worth it to have the surgery, risk injury by lifting too much too soon, and having to face not graduating and having additional surgery. Congratulations on almost being an RN. We NEED you!!!

You don't hate your mum, you hate the situation your Mum's health status is playing you in. Is she on anti-depressants? If not, that's a good place to begin. As far as you're concerned, it sounds like you're overwhelmed and need to talk to someone. Is there a support group or a church group you could join? Would you consider seeing a therapist? Instead of picking fights with your boss, ask for an appointment to see him/her. Go in and apologize for your unprofessional behavior and explain the home situation you're in. I'm sure your boss will be more understanding and glad that you "came clean" with the cause of your outbursts.

On a supervised diet you follow a diet prescribed by your MD. This might be weight watchers, etc. The insurance company requires you to weigh in weekly or bi-weekly (regardless of the diet or program) with your MD. So, you stay home but visit the MD for a weigh-in and that's defined as "supervised" by insurance companies.

Shelly, it sounds to me like you might be suffering from esophageal spasms. There are anti-spasmotic drugs but they won't be prescribed until you have some testing done. The person to see now is a GI specialist for answers.

I am an RN and the restrictions I had were no heavy lifting for 6 weeks. Heavy lifting was defined as anything over 25 pounds. Although the lap approach to the surgery makes recovery a lot easier than an open approach, the fact remains healing will take 6 weeks. You might want to find out what clinical rotation you're doing in October. Maternity and pediatrics is a lot easier on a nurse's body than med-surg, oncology and critical care.

Welcome and congratulations on deciding to take action for a healthier and longer life. You'll find a lot of helpful information here so ask whatever questions you might have. My male friend was banded July 1 of last year at 385 pounds and weighs 180 pounds (6' 1") today.

I have never heard of a chocolate season. Then again, I never heard of fried ice-cream either. LOL.

To me, it looks like it might be a lawn fungus... crops up when we have very humid and hot summers. It could also be an insect problem. Go to Home Depot and buy a fertilizer with insecticide and also a fungicide application. Some places can diagnosis the problem from a soil sample for free.

Dody, If you read my response carefully, I said MOST not ALL people have the tests that were asked about. I most certainly would never speak for you. Thank you,

All the pre-op tests should be covered by your insurance and yes, most people do have to have all of those tests. I needed an endoscopy, pulmonary consult, pulmonary function tests, chest x-ray, cardiac consult, stress test, echo, thyroid function tests, nutrition consult, psych consult, medical clearance, etc. I don't have sleep apnea but had my surgery the same day as a male patient who had severe sleep apnea. His surgery was right before mine (I was the last case of the day) and we both spent the night in a telemetry unit (all lapband patients do) and we both left the next AM. A two day stay in an ICU seems excessive. Maybe your MD is mixing you up with a gastric bypass (Roux-n-y) procedure? Check out other surgeons in your area.

Keep an eye on your temperature. Do you have a regular MD who is near to your home? If so, it might be a good idea to make an appt. He/she might not know about lapband surgery but can certainly diagnose an infection. A wound culture and blood work to check your WBC would be a good idea. If the antibiotic doesn't lessen the soreness/heat/reddness, etc., get to an MD.

I would drop a nice note in their mailbox (anonymous if you prefer) pointing out the problems and then wait to see if there's an improvement over the nexts few days. If there is no change, my next action would be to call the police.