Burgygirl

I liked Dr. Rivas. He is good at answering my questions. I have had one fill since surgery and have lost 50 lbs so far. I haven't been as vigilant as I should be this last month but I am getting back on the wagon. The only complaint I had was it took until the afternoon to get my discharge orders written as he was in surgery most of the day. I didn't have any issues with insurance (BCBS-Federal) so I am luck in that department. Good Luck on your surgery!

Hi all! I got my band this past Tuesday (1-13-09) at UT Southwestern in Dallas by Dr. Rivas. All in all the surgery and recovery has gone as expected. Just some bloating and gas pains but otherwise I feel really good. I plan on going back to work next Tuesday. I lost about 10 pounds on the liquid diet in the 2 weeks before surgery but gained about 8 pounds of Water from the surgery. It is quickly going away though. I have been staying on the liquids with Protein shakes since surgery and then will advance to mushy food after my post op visit. I am excited about going down this path finally as I have struggled with my weight since childhood (and I'm 47 now). Thanks for all the great advice and camaradarie!

Sounds like the program at Presby is very similar. Pre-op (2 weeks before) I did protien shakes for 2 meals and 1 high protien, low fat "sensible" meal. Wasn't too bad and gets your body in the mindset of weight loss. Good Luck to you and your wife. I tried getting the hubby to do this with me but he is very skittish about anything surgical. To me it's no big deal.

Hi, I am also from Dallas and have BCBS Federal. They don't have a 6 month waiting period and don't require a psych eval. That being said, depending on what doctor you pick, they may require it. Sometimes I get to thinking it is a good idea since the changes are mental as well as physical (at least for me). What doctor are you going to? I used UT southwestern and have been really happy with them. Good Luck in your journey.

Hey if you want to ride, then ride. Tha't what is so great about motorcycling....the freedom to do what you love. Also when you are tempted to cheat go for a ride. The air will clear your head and get you focused on something else. Heck if you feel uncomfortable on the rocket, trade it in for a cruiser and you will fit right in. My husband has a Harley and I have a Burgman scooter. It's all good!

It may make you retain fluid (which will go away) and it may increase your appetite. Low dose steroids may not be too bad as they taper them off fairly rapidly. If you want you can google Prednisone and get alot of information.

It's all fluid from the operation. Don't get worried about it. Whenever someone has surgery on their abdominal organs, they swell and retain fluid (it can be alot). This may continue for 2-5 days after surgery. Then all of the sudden you are running to the bathroom every hour. This is just the way the body works. Right now it is important for you to drink lots of fluid (don't worry your body needs it to recover) and try to get in 60-80 grams of protein. It can be hard getting that much protien in but aim for it. Like the previous poster said...this is a time for healing, your weight loss will really start a month to 6 weeks after your procedure. Stick with the diet recommendations your surgeon gave you. Right now you are probably on liquids. All of this is to not stress your body out. Don't worry it will work out:thumbup:

Wow, lots of great progress. AmyMoe, Yikes that was an experience. Hope you are feeling better after it. I feel like my restriction is not quite as much as it was after the fill but I'm still going down slowly. For some reason I can't eat chicken. I have tried it every which way and chew, chew, chew but it just sits there like a lump. Fortunately no obstruction just discomfort. My kids laugh at me because when it happens I get up and jump up and down trying to dislodge it . So I stick with fish and ground meat. I am ready for some new pants but don't want to spend alot as I plan on continuing to go down. I may try a resale shop to see if they have anything there. Keep up the good work all and happy belated St. Paddy's day.:sneaky:

I grew up with veggie gardens, so this year I put in a raised bed (5 ft x 10 ft). I'm planting pole Beans, tomatoes, bell peppers, cucumbers and 1 cantelope plant. I may even throw in some strawberries just for fun. This rain should really help. We have wildflowers that should be coming up with the rain. I was thinking about planting some herbs but am not sure about which one. TQUAD- Good Luck. Patio tomatoes will do great in pots. Plus they do well in sun. Just make sure to keep them watered. Depending on what you plant you may not need that umbrella. Have fun with it.

I had a fill yesterday and have ramped up my excercise. I updated the spreadsheet! Looks like I have 3 more pounds to go. The fill has really helped me as I had started slipping a bit. Way to go everyone and keep the focus on.

My fill went well. I am just battling indigestion like I had immediately after surgery. My stomach is gurgling away but I am a little hesitant in case it aggravates the indigestion. The fill was a little weird for me. He numbed me up, had me lift my legs to make it easier to access the port, stuck the needle in and then had me sit up:eek:. Then while I was drinking Water slowly he inflated the balloon and asked me to tell him how constricted I was. At first I had water up to my throat feeling and then he slowly released it until I could feel the water pass. He played around with it until I felt comfortable with drinking water. On a different note, I went shopping after the fill to buy some pants as most of mine are falling off and I actually tried on a pair of 16's (not the plus size):laugh:. They didn't fit just yet but I could bet them on. I'm hoping with the fill I will be in regular sizes by April. That would be a great April fools present. Take care ladies

Had a fill (first one) today and have good restriction. Liquids for today and then regular food tommorrow. I was shocked that I had lost 2.5 pounds from my appointment 2 weeks ago. I still went ahead with a fill as I could eat pretty much anything and I found myself getting sloppy. I hope I don't get stuck when I start real foods tommorrow.

Fill went very easy. Interesting but easy. He put the needle in, had me drink Water very slowly and I told him when it was going down or not. He said he put in 4 cc in a 10 cc band. liquids for 24 hours then regular food. I'm glad I did this as I was starting to get pretty sloppy with what I ate. Everything would go down with virtually no restriction. I know what you mean about Texas..sometimes you think everyone owns a gun:eek:. I'm just glad you are safe. Thanks all for the information.

Hi all! I got my band January 13th, 2009. I just saw this on Banded Bikers. My hubby has a 2008 HD Dyna Wide Glide. He has ridden bikes most of his 53 years. Last year he surprised me with my own Suzuki Burgman. I had taken the MSF class 2 years ago but never felt comfortable on a cruiser. I love the Burgman as it suits me for tooling around and getting back and forth to work. We live in North Texas (Red Oak) and have a group of close friends that we ride and get together with. Alot of different bikes. So far I have lost 30 pounds and go in for a fill this afternoon. Nice to find this group.

Well I called by doctor today for a fill and I go in at 12:45. I'm a little nervous but we'll see how it goes.

Thanks for the advice. The looks like the increased excercise did the trick. I got on the scale today and am down 2 pounds:thumbup:I was so pumped I went for a 30 minute bike ride and am trying to do 2-3 bursts of really hard pedaling to get my heart rate up. I think I will do it again this evening as the weather today is gorgeous (80 degrees and a slight breeze). I'm going to try and drag the husband out with me. Thanks for letting me in on this group. I have been following the advice for a few weeks. We all need someone to kick us in the butt sometimes!! Have a nice Sunday and a great week.

Sharons, I'm with ya on the bandsters hell thing. I was banded on January 13th and in 6 weeks I lost 30 pounds. I went for my 6 week check up and the doc said he didn't want to do a fill since I had lost so much already. It's been 2 weeks now and I have only lost 2 more pounds. I can eat about a cup to a cup and 1/2 per meal but I am really trying to watch the calories and keep it at 1000-1200 per day. I have ramped up my excercising and still nothing. I know I need to be religious about journaling (I haven't been). Any additional advice besides going in for a fill is welcome. I'm just frustrated after losing so quickly I guess I was hoping to keep it up. Thanks guys!

I am 8 weeks post op and on my follow up at 6 weeks I had already lost 30 pounds. My doctor didn't want to give me a fill but said to call back if I didn't continue with a loss. The past week or so I have had a lot of stomach rumblings and feeling of hunger. I am definitly eating so much better but I have only lost 2 pounds in the last 2 weeks. I'm probably going to call for a small fill as I don't often feel hardly any restriction. COngratulations on your loss and I hope it keeps up for you.

Adamsmom, my heart goes out to you. What your principal did, with good intentions, must have been devastating. I can't imagine going through something like that. I really admire you for pushing through and getting your ducks in a row to find another job. I am sure you will be successful in your job search. It is so hard to see our children (especially those with special needs) have to experience adversity. We are programmed to protect them. I wish you the best in getting him in the private school he needs. Keep him close and keep assuring him that the issues he is going through are temporary and junior high kiddos are vicious. I don't know why this age has become so tumultuous in recent years. Your stress level has got to be off the scale but you sound like a strong person and I'm sure you will overcome these temporary stressors. Prayers to you and your family that there will be a resolution to them.

I can relate.... I wasn't paying attention and took a bite of chicken, chewed a couple of times and swallowed :thumbup: OMG I thought I was going to die. Fortunately it went down in a couple of minutes but I was walking around the house, coughing, sliming and feeling pretty uncomfortable. That was a good wake up call for me Oh well, I guess we all have to learn sometime!

Well, I went to yhe doctor today and I had lost 1.6 pounds in the last 10 days giving me a total weight loss of 30.2 pounds! He told me no fill for now and he would see me in 6 weeks but if I found I was having trouble controlling what I am eating to call back and he would give me a fill. So far I am pretty happy. Cherbear- I went in and voted:thumbup: I loved your selection.

And remember your band feels tight due to swelling from the surgery. The swelling should start going away big time around the 3rd day. Getting up and walking will help also. Don't be afraid to take your pain meds as they will help you rest and allow your body to heal.

AdamsMom, I am so sorry to hear about all the stress you have been under. What a difficult situation. I'm glad for you though that you have kept your job. I'm sorry to hear your son is dealing with depression. It is so hard to watch our children go through that sort of thing. The stress you are having to deal with now can play havoc on you. Even with the band the emotional eating thing is hard to overcome. I will send prayers to you along with a hug. :eek:

I also couldn't choke do wn the protein bullets but found that they were not too bad if I diluted them with water and added a little Crystal Lite. It also helps get the water that we all need.

Thanks for posting this. I had surgery on 1/13 and after recovery always felt some restriction. I am now on regular foods and am able to eat about 1/2 to 3/4 cup of food. If I overeat I get some pain in my chest and it reminds me that I need to stop earlier. I go to the doctor on the 23rd and am debating about a fill. So far (as of last Thursday) I have lost 29 lbs so I am not sure I will do a fill. I think I will see what happens this week and if I don't loose any weight it may convince me to do a small fill. Any opinions or advice are appreciated.