Burgygirl

I have Multiple Sclerosis and my doctor briefly discussed it with me and he said there have been a couple of incidences where the pt. with an auto immune disorder doesn't heal as well and the possibility of rejecting the band. He said it would be my choice. I discussed it with my neurologist and he didn't think it was a big deal. He actually thought that the risk of being obese was greater than the possiblity of rejection. Personally I think it is more important to get my weight under control and increase my physical well being than not doing anything. I mean I don't want to be debilitated, need assistance and be in a position that it is difficult to assist me. Just my opinion though.

Thanks guys for all the good words! Baylee, I know how you feel about your puppy. I have 3 dogs and a cat (The cat is King:lol:). I hope everything turns out okay. It is great getting into a few smaller things I had in the back of my closet. Best thing though is when I flew to DC last week for work I didn't feel so self-conscious. It will feel even better when I can sit in the middle seat and not have to do contortions to keep from infringing onto the other people's seat. Keep up the good work guys and don't forget to eat your Protein and drink your Water.

Surgery @ 10 AM. Recovery room @ 12N but didn't get to my room until 4 PM because no beds were available. Rested most of the afternoon with alternating Lortab liquid and Morphine injectable. Roomate had visitors until 10 PM and her mother stayed with her all night (Mom had sleep apnea, forgot her machine and snored really loud:cursing:). Walked that evening a couple of times and in the morning. Had my barium swallow around 10 AM but didn't get discharge orders written until the afternoon. Doctor was in surgery all day. Biggest problem I had was I couldn't pee in the morning and had to be catheterized 4 weeks later and 25 pounds down I say it was all worth it. The first couple of days at home were rough with the gas and bloating but getting up walking was the best thing for it.

Adamsmom, I really admire you for standing up to that monster. When you testify don't be scared, the defense attorney will try and intimidate you and make you mix up your words. Just stick to the facts and you will be great. I have had to testify in a couple of cases and the attorney will act like your friend and then when he starts asking you questions he will turn into a real A**. I went to the Dr. today and have lost 25 pounds total (including pre-op) Best thing though he told me I could eat regular food but take it slow. I feel really lucky that I have restriction without a fill yet. The worst thing for me now is I have terrible heartburn:cursing: I am popping antacids like crazy. Have a great day and continued good luck with this journey

I am a Nurse Consultant for the Bar Code Office at the Department of Veterans Affairs. We coordinate all bar code applications (medication administration, lab collection blood administration) for all 172 VA hospitals nationwide. Best job I've ever had!:tongue2:

Nice to find this thread! I had my surgery done January 13, 2009 by Dr. Rivas at UT Southwestern. So far I have lost 20 pounds. Had to stay overnight (insurance thing) but that was okay. I go back for my first post op on the 9th so I am basically on liquids and very soft foods until then. I hope to get my first fill sometime soon after that.

Thanks for all the support and advice! I talked to my doctor late Wednesday and he said there is nothing really there on the left side (my port is on the right side of my abdomen) and since I can drink and have almost no pain it is probably no big deal. That was the advice I was looking for. I guess I was just looking for reassurance that a major thing had not occured!

I only use 1/2 of the New Whey bullet mixed with Crystal Lite in about 24-32 oz water otherwise it is just too much. Since I had to get 64 oz water, I bullet would do per day and give me 42 gms of protien. Play around with your proteins to see what you can tolerate. The thought of drinking the entire bullet made me nauseas also.

You might think about telling them. I bet they will be supportive. As far as the drinking I would stay away from the alcohol and any carbonated drinks. You could always be the designated driver:thumbup:. I'm not sure what your doctor has told you about what to eat but remember that your stomach is still healing so you don't want to press your luck. You can stick with some creamed Soups or something very soft and without spices. In a week your swelling in your abdomen should be down alot and who knows with the weight loss your dress may be more comfortable than before. Good Luck and have fun at the wedding. Just remember your WLS is there for you for life.

Only 2 weeks ago.

My port is on my right side so I don't think that was it. It is kind of near one of my incisions so I guess it could be that. My biggest concern is that one of the stiches holding my lower stomach up to keep the band in place gave way and I may be at risk for the band slipping. I guess I will just wait an hour or so longer for the nurse to get in the office and talk to them. We had an ice storm last night so everyone is late getting in.:cursing: The worst part is I am a nurse so I can come up with a zillion scenarios.

Last night, I was sitting on the couch and bent over at the waist to pick something up off the floor and felt a pop and then a pain in my abdomen. Specifically about 4 inches to the left of my belly button. This sensation was inside of me. I have already decided to call my doctor but may not get much success as Dallas has just had an ice storm. What could be in that location. I thought that maybe one of the sutures holding the bottom part of my stomach may have popped but I don't have a clue. I am 2 weeks post-op and have been doing great. Right now I don't have any pain, just a warm sensation there inside. Any advice or opinion is appreciated.

I am BCBS Federal standard option. I paid 200.00 for my hospital copay. For my clinic visits I pay the 15.00 co-pay. Compared to what alot of people have to pay and my improved health I consider it a bargain!:cursing:

Now this is really weird as I have started my TOM also. It is really good reading all the posts from you all. Just think tommorrow is our 2 week anniversary:thumbup:. I'm trying to talk myself into getting more excercise. I have been using the WII with the bowling and will probably go buy the WII Fit. I am not a gym type of person (yet) as I don't like people looking at me. I don't know if the Doctor put a little in my band or if it is just the constriction from swelling and just having something around the upper part of my stomach but I know I can't eat as much. I know this is off subject but I still can't figure out how the lady ate a hamburger and fries the day after surgery. I was barely tolerating clear liquids. Keep up all the great momentum!

Boy, not being able to walk is a tough one. That is the one thing that really helped with my gas and shoulder pain. I wonder if it would help if you would try touching your toes and moving around as much as you can while sitting down. Having a bum knee really makes it harder for things to get back to normal in the intestinal track. Hopefully your doctor can give you better advice. The best thing walking does is get your stomach and intestines working correctly again, that's one reason doctors push it so much (in addition to protecting against blood clots). Any movement that you can do should help. Hope things get better for you.

Here is the link to the chicken chili recipe. It looks really tasty so I will make it when I am up to that stage in eating. Chicken Chili Recipe : Recipezaar

14 lbs in 10 days is great.:scared2: I have also lost 14 pounds. It's kind of hard to figure as I gained about 8 from surgery (fluids) so I am not counting that as true weight lost. I am starting to try and do some light exercise and walked about 1 mile. Good information from you all. Thanks!

I mix half a bullet with water and then add a little crystal lite. I found that it is much better than trying to drink the thick, syurpy like stuff. Plus getting more fluids is a good thing! I didn't know about the body only being able to absorb about 20 gms of protein. Good information.:tt2:

It's not a shake but to get my protien grams in I have been GNC "bullets" They come in several flavors and have 42 gms of protein. I like to mix them with water and Crystal Lite and drink it that way. They are really good when getting sufficient protein is a challenge.:biggrin: Sorry the flavors are fruit punch, blue rasberry, grape, lemon-lime and orange.

Not fair :thumbup: I was banded on the 13 and the doctor wants me to stay on Clear Liquids and protien shakes until my first post-op visit. Problem is they called from the office and have to move my visit date up one more week to 2-9-09. I'm not sure I can stand liquids for the additional weeks. Oh well, I will do my best! I went to GNC and bought the Protein bullets (42 gms protein per 3.1 ounces). I'm not totally thrilled with the taste but it's worth the 42 grams of protein. Went back to work today and did well other than getting a little tired.

Yes, bring it up with the doctor. I think if you explain everything you have tried and been unsuccessful at it will help but most docs now are in favor of just about anything that can improve their patients health. Don't be shy, it won't hurt her feelings and she may have been wary about bringing it up with you! Good Luck:thumbup:

I had my surgery on the 13th. I also had the feeling of a giant gas bubble sitting in my chest. I couldn't even burp to relieve it. The GAs-X helped alot but only for a short period of time. The best thing I did was get up and walk around. Didn't even have to be fast. It was the best thing to get the insides moving normally again. Some people have more internal swelling than others. Take care and give it a couple more days. You might also try liquid Tylenol or Motrin instead of the prescribed pain medication. The narcotics will slow your intestinal movement down. Walking also helped me with the stomach growling and hunger pangs.

I had my surgery on the 13th also. All things went well and am today tolerating fluids (Shakes and clear liquids only). I still have a lump but it is keeping me honest:thumbup: the bloating has been a real pain though. They found I had a cyst on my liver and took care of that at the same time so I think my stomach movement was a little slower coming back. Yesterday I had trouble getting the shakes down so I listened to my body and only did clear liquids. Much better every day as the swelling goes down. Gas X was also a great recommendation. I go back to work on Tuesday.

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!