mountainmomma

Hey If I made you laugh thats a good thing!!!

well you sound like me. I made a point for the last 4 months since starting this journey, not to buy anything as far as clothes go. I have gone without cause I do have some smaller clothes that will get me thru the summer, as I get smaller it is going, then I will be walmart shopping for cheap stuff to hold me over.Shoes are a whole different story since I have major feet probs. due to the weight mind you. stress fractures etc so I have to have good shows, luckily there are outlets close by me.

What is fluro?

Like the others my port is directly behind the big incision. I did have some pain under my left bottom rib but that is not where the port is. I asked my Dr when I went in for my 2 week visit post op. he would not give me a fill due to the fact that it was not healed enough. it is tender and prob will be for a while. I have to really push to feel it but I also have a fatty belly.

As I am not that far out I can't say for myself my shoe is 10.5 w, so hopefully it will go down. Have a friend that lost 3 inches in Height, told me I had no idea how much fat was on his head! This is my buddy from High school that is 6 years out, told me all kinds of things to watch out for once the weight starts coming off, Like do not give your fat clothes to someone you know, they will be offended that you are now smaller then they are etc. Let your significant other still help even though you will not need it as much, they will feel like they are not needed anymore and also jealousy. Lots to think about there. enjoy smaller feet!:tongue:

OMG Nancy , I am so sorry! Prayers for you! All the more readson for you to get help. Ok so I have a friend here in Texas, she had the band and every time she got a fill she would end up in the ER to get it all taken back out because she was too restricted and could get nothing down at all! So she did end up having it taken out and getting a bypass, since then she has lost 150 lbs and is very happy. She is also 5'9" and a large frame so she is a big girl but 150 is alot! Good Luck to you in whatever you decide but you need to not be afraid as you have our support!

Well why did they unfill? My Dr told me he does not take any out. I told him a story about someone going on a cruise that had their cc's all taken out so she could eat and never got them put back in, he shook his head no and said "I don't take it out once it's in". You know we all go thru this. I have not had my first fill yet and those chips were in front of my face. So instead of eating the whole back I just took a few to get the taste, then I stopped. The other option is to just not buy the junk food, How much money can you save? Want that new car? or House downpaymant? So when you go to the store total up what you would have spent on junk food and take that money and put it away, you will have enough to do whatever you want! Now it's time to drink alot of water and get moving.walk the dog or just plug in your IPOD and go for a long walk, that 3 pounds will come back off.

Well ya got me! My hiccups did not start till I started on soft foods, I am starting my 4th week out today. I get them every time I eat or drink anything, the only thing that does not give them to me is my morning Coffee, go figure! I had a weird rolling sensation for the first week and a half up my chest like a burp but then nothing would happen. DR said is wass because I had a hernia and he fixed it and things were settling back down. However durning surgery they put alot of pressure on your diaphragm and that can cause hiccups. Good luck! Hope it gets better

yes the low carbs are the right ones! Woohoo good luck!

No the optimas have way too much sugar in them. I get my shakes at Sams club, if you do not have one maybe a costco would have them or a BJ's club.But you gotta stay away from the sugar all together or it will not come off. You may be able to find a powdered version at WalMart, but yea the optimas have way too much carbs and sugar. Good luck. You may have to check online and see if they have them anywhere local. They are just the regular slimfast that say Low Carb on the front. I can only find them in Choclate and the atkins I can only find in Vanilla, the Atkins are less calories but they are not as filling as the Slim fast.

Thanks! I am in the austin area, I would love to be out in the Hill country, But it's too far out to commute. I love San Marcos, But alas too far to commute. I am waiting to move back east eventually, Looking forward to real mountains.

I hear ya! Tomorrow is 3 weeks for me and I can start working into regular foods, like I said I was nothing but liquid the first 2 weeks, It was tough! But Dr's orders, I think the reason they do it is so the stitches on the band can heal and scar so the band does not slip, if you are trying to get foods down that are too much and you tummy has to process it you take the chance of the band slipping.Heck I was not even yogurt cottage cheese or anything like that till this week, I am not a big egg fan, i think it's the consistency, but it's great mixed up in Corned beef hash or grits.

That was one thing the nutritionist warned me about, he said if you go out to eat do not get a grilled chicken breast unless you know it will be soft, he said I would be better off eating a breaded chicken breast that is softer on the inside. Also with steak I have learned that the more rare it is the easier it is to chew, Filet mignon for example medrare still tastes great but is not dry and card boardy. Practically melts in your mouth and much easier to chew.Of course I will have to share a meal now.LOL My hubby will be saving money..

I have found that if I am feeling hungry and it's not time to eat or I am not ready to eat, I will drink some water or something and then I feel full for a little while. I have been a little nervous about getting a fill cause everyone I have talked to in person has said that they throw up, I can't stand that so I have been very careful about chewing anything even close to not soft enough. Eggs and all. I have also made myself eat very slow, just because I don't even want to push it. I have caught myself swallowing bigger pieces and I can feel it going down so then I wait to see if I get sick or not then I finish, Kinda weird cause most of my life I have practically inhaled my food.My Dr also told me not to take any meds that were not chewable,liquid or crushable.My throid med is very tiny so I do not worry about it getting stuck. Thank goodness for those chewable vitamins. I guess He did a pretty good job of telling me everything, of course I asked tons of questions too. we talked about everything that could happen . I mean all of it. I did not have blinders on. Kinda odd though My port is on the right side but closer to the middle sometimes I can feel it of I bend over, but ya gotta watch out for a hernia too. That is my big concern at the moment, as I tend to heal a little slow. I am excited though cause I want to loose 150 lbs.:thumbup:

Can't believe you are eating soft food so soon.

On my last visit to my Dr before the surgery, the nurse asked if I was getting the realize band or the regular one. I told her I had not heard of the realize band, so when the Dr came in the room I asked him about it and he said the only difference was the brand name, Johnson and Johnson make the realize band. He said they do go on a little different but nothing big, he said one of the newer Dr's in the practice only does the realize band, he does both but is more comfortable with the original. I told him to do what he was more comfortable with doing. I did not realize that there was any kind of difference and according to him there isn't. I did however get the newer version of the original where the pouch that is around the inside of the band now goes all the way around.

I would call your Dr anyway, Things could have changed since the last Upper GI, you just never know, better safe then sorry. Good luck.

Nervous is normal, It would be time for someone else to worry if you were not, It is a big change and it will be for the better, I did not have to do just liquids til the day before the surgery but to get in all the protein the Dr wanted me to do I had to do the shakes on top of Tuna, steak and Chicken and any other meat that was low fat and loaded with protein. It was hard to get in 70+ grams of protein and 30gms or less of carbs, I was straight liquid for 2 weeks post op and the shakes saved me along with soup. Be ready and make sure your family is ready you will be grouchy when you are liquids only. I promise it will get better once you get to the soft food stage. Tummy's are also very noisy, Not a painful noisy, just loud. Trust me when I say it will pass, Life is much better in the 3rd week out. Good Luck with the diet, Just think about me going thru the Holidays with none of the good stuff! Will power is an amazing thing!

HA!! Your Dr told you a story, I have a friend that is 6 years out from Bypass and he still has gas . Gingersnaps are a less expensive cure for the stinky. Basically when you chew up your food really good like they tell you to, it is being processed in you body, Thus whatever you eat is gonna be gassy, Make sure the Gingersnaps have real ginger in them. It only takes about 2 a day.

I did the low carb Hi protein slimfast and Atkins shakes. I did like no carbs at all. one slice of bread a day is it! I lost 20lbs in 2 weeks like that. Goodluck. Make sure they don't have sugar!!!

You also do not want to overstuff yourself and end up with a hernia, This is not good, I had one before I got the surgery. I was also forewarned about this. I just got the regular lap band and have not had a fill yet but I can tell a huge difference and I can feel in my chest when I have had enough. I can only eat half of what goes on my plate and I stop . I can feel the fullness already, I can't imagine yet what I will feel after a fill. Hope this gets better for you.:thumbup:

Keep in mind this $33k was for all of it, we are talk anesthesia and the hospital room and all that stuff, I had already met my deductible and out of pocket was all I had to pay and it was only $300 which was less then the 20% I would of had to pay had I not done all the rest. It would of been around $6k for me. According to the Dr the band itself is a very expensive piece , yes I live in Austin Texas and things have a tendency to be a little pricey here, But I was not going to go out of the country or state for that matter and My Ins had already approved it without a waiting period or anything, I just got Lucky all the way around, I am Not going to complain.:thumbup: FYI My Dr was awesome!!

Hang in there y'all! It does get better, I had my surgery on Dec 31st 2008 so just about 3 weeks and I was not bad at all! yes I had shoulder pain from the air but it went away after a few days and remember you are swollen inside from the surgery. The swelling takes a little time to go down so that you can get something in you. Hang in there! It will get better,soon as you get some soup , Carbs will help the weird feelings go away, tomato soup Low sodium is a lifesaver! I also had a weird feeling rolling up my sternum like i had to burp turns out that was things settling down from The Hyatal hernia that got fixed while I was under, This surgery saved me before I even got it! I was Very anemic and would never have known until pre op blood work. You will be so much happier later, just have to get thru the first week and a half.

Well that is a tough one, Thing is my Dr is the one that will do my fills and this was included with the cost of the surgery, However in a conversation with my Dr, someone local had the lap band surgery from someone that was not local, this person ended up with a problem that My dr had to fix in the ER and he did not get compensated at all for it. Things happen. I had to make a 2 year committment to my Dr to stay in this area so that he can keep up with my progress and do my fills etc. I will see him every 3 months after the next couple of visits and then when 2 years is up I will only have to go 1 time a year. Not a big deal, If I do leave the area I am in now he said that most of the bigger cities have Bariatric Dr's that can take care of emergencies etc. Of course if you research DRs before you have it done then that Dr may wonder why you are going elsewhere for the surgery. Just some thoughts. Sorry I can't help with the main questions. Keep digging for info, Call the clinics that are closer to you and ask them the questions you have listed here, they may be able to help you.

I agree with you guys too, unfortunatly I had less then a day so no time to make those kinds of phone calls to dig for that kind of information, Big companies have deadlines for insurance renewals at the end of the year and I was already panicky over all the other stuff that was going on, last thing I wanted was to go off on some poor phone bank person at the INS company. But yes you are correct in the fact that you have to dig deep, but if your Dr has a patient advocate they can help alot.