Jenfs5

congratulations. I am almost there myself and I cant wait, I need to lose one more pound.

Jen, sorry about your ordeal. Sounds very unpleasant, but I am glad they found out what it was sooner rather than later. I just wanted to give you a word of advice regarding the medication Reglan, since you are going on vacation. Please be careful if you are doing any driving or "operating heavy machinery"...LOL. No but seriously I used to take Reglan for my "reflux". It would make me increadibly sleepy. I even fell asleep at the dinner table on a cruise once becaue I took it before I went to dinner. Maybe you will already know if or how it affects you, but I just wanted to offer a word of caution. Oh and have a great vacation :thumbup:

IF you are really concerned about it and have not had your surgery yet, one thing you can do that may help is to wash your entire abdomen with a special antibiotic cleanser. It is called Hibicleanse (I think I spelled that right). You can get it at the pharmacy, it is on the shelf but you may want to ask them where it is. This is hospital grade stuff so It is pretty strong, and it will stain your washcloth pink...LOL. I am a MRSA carrier in my nose and I used the Hibicleanse and then had ointment for my nose prior to surgery.

You are soooo close Blackhole. You will definately get there. I too hit a plateau when I first started eating real food. And then I hit another one and I finally broke this last one. I was bouncing back and forth from 200.5 to 202 for about 2 weeks before I finally got it to move under 200. On my last plateau before this one I lost 5 pounds in one week and then nothing for 3 weeks. So it just takes time, effort and lots of patience..LOL. As I have never been a fast loser I know that I will definately need to be very patient, but dang it can be so frustrating when you hit those plateaus.... Know what I mean?

Well guys I finally did it. Yesterday the scale finally said 199.5 and today it said 199.0. YAY. I am so excited about I am finally in Onderland. How are you guys doing?

My port definately moves around. For example when I am lying down it is under and slightly to my right of my port incision. But when I am standing it moves all the way up to just under my rib cage. At first I did not know what I was feeling when I was walking (with my hand, not actually moving around inside my abdomen). IF I put my hand over it It moves back and forth as I am walking. I just thought maybe it was some of the tubing that connects the band to the port because it was not where he went in for my fills. So I ran into my doc at the hospital one day and asked him about it. He felt on it and then told me to come into the office the next day. So I went in and when I was laying down he said that it was my port. But then he had me stand up and felt on it and sent me to have a CT scan just to be sure. And sure enough it is just my port. He said that it may have moved some but it also has to do with the way the muscles are when lying down versus standing up. He did mention that as I lose more weight I may want to have it moved because it may stick out when I am standing. But I will worry about that if it happens... But you should see your doc just to be sure everything is OK

I might have a leak in mine too, but mine is not a vanguard band. At my last fill the doc said that I did not have the amt of saline in there that he had put and that if at the next fill it has gone down again then I would have to do the dye test to see if there is a leak. But I am not worried about it until I know if there is a leak.

When you first start the solid foods it is kind of hard to keep it minimal since you have no or very little saline in your band. I know that I just tried hard to eat smaller protions and watch what I was eating. And then after I got my first fill I felt very hungry. So I went back early for the 2nd fill. After that one it did get better. Sometimes I think I still eat too much at one time, but I also know that I am not at my sweet spot yet either. So just rmemeber that it does take a while and often multiple fills to get to where you are really restricted in the amt of food you can eat. Hope that helps.

Hi guys. I got my post card today for the meeting on July 11th. I am not sure if I will be able to make it for this one though. We have someone off at work and I may not be able to punch out for 2 hours to go. I tried to get a part timer to cover the 2nd half of my shift but he cant do it. So now I am trying to get a day shift person to trade with me. Lets hope it works so I can attend. I really want to go this time since we are supposed to be talking about food and different recipes. Well anyway, how is everyone doing? I have finally gotten my scale to move this week. I am sooo close to being in Onederland I can practically taste it. And if I had Dr Zarif's scale to get on I think I am there already...my scale is usually 2-3 pounds heavier than his. But I will really be happy when I see it on MY scale... Keep in touch..........

Yeah me too Steph. But I am not even going to worry about it until after my next appointment. We will see then if I still have 4.5 cc's in my band then everything is fine. He keeps asking me when I went to the waterpark and rode waterslides did I bump it (port area) or anything. I keep telling him no because I dont remember bumping it on anything. The only thing I can think that may have jarred it or anything is one day when I fainted. And no that was not band related so dont worry...LOL. Did involve Dr Zarif though. I had him cut out two boils and when I had to remove the packing I passed out. Was kind of funny in retrospect...LOL

My doctor and I discussed it, but that is also because I have an autoimmune thing that makes me prone to clotting. I do have a history of DVT and my rheumatologist wanted me to be on lovenox for a week post op. But in the end I did not get the filter, nor did I have to do a week of lovenox. I just had 3 shots while I was in the hospital. Of course I never quit taking my aspirin either though, even prior to surgery. I have never heard of the requirement of being over a certain age or BMI to get a filter though and 10 days on Lovenox seems awfully long for this procedure, but I guess that is why I am not the doctor. There are so many different opinions on pre and post op dieting that I guess it stands to reason that there will be diff opinions by the surgeons on this matter too...LOL. Good Luck either way you chose.

I think I got mine at Target. But I did not take them, they were horrible...LOL. Now I take Citrical petites (also can be found at target).

Well I went for my fill today. I was supposed to have had 3.5 cc's in my band from my last 2 fills, but there was only 2.5 cc's in it. So he filled me up to 4.5 cc's. He said if when I go back in 6 weeks it is less than that I may have a leak and we will have to do a "leak" test. That is where they put contrast into the band while under flouroscopy and watch it for any leaks. why me??? LOL. It was really weird b/c after he did my fill and i had to drink my Water it made this really funny noise as it was going thru the band. I asked him is that always going to do that? So then I took another drink and it did it again. I told him that if it kept doing this it was going to be awfully embarassing...LOL. But by the time I got up and moved around and got to work it had stopped making that weird sound. It sounded like a cross between a burp and a clogged sink gurgling. I was kind of bummed because I had not lost any weight since I had been in to see him to get my cat scan. Oh well at least I did not gain either. IT was exactly the same, kinda weird especially since it measures you in .2 lb increments. Keep in touch guys!

TwinkieMama I am with you. I do burp sometimes, but for me it is mostly the other end. Can anyone who experienced this please tell me it will go away???? :smile: Or is there something I can do or avoid eating to make it go away. It can be rather embarrassing and uncomfortable too.

Hi guys. Steph sorry you did not get a reminder postcard. I dont think I got mine until the Friday before the meeting. I think it is because Kim is not in the office in the summer. Lucky her, I guess she stays home with the kids in the summer. She was not at the support meeting and I dont think she has been at any of the recent intrest meetings either. I too ate mostly "broth" from canned Soups instead of just chicken or vegetable broth. I still have 2 of the 3 containers of broth I had bought in my cabinet...LOL. Oh and congrats on your fast weight loss. I have always been a slow loser in the past and it looks like even with the band I am still just plodding along. Oh well as long as it goes down and stays down I will be happy. Blackhole, glad to hear that you have dropped that weight so fast. And you are soooo lucky that you are not having gas pain. I think it took me at least 4 days before I really felt better from the gas. Good luck on that liquid diet. The 2 weeks will be over before you know it. Keep us posted.

Well I am sorry to say that I missed you both at the support group meeting... maybe you can make it to the next one. Blackhole: I am glad to hear things went well for you. I dont want to say "I told you so" but well Dr Zarif is great...LOL. You actually had your surgery on my 3 month bandiversary. As for the weighing more when I came home than when I went in I dont think so. But I did weigh the same on Sat after I had come home as the day I went in on Thursday. After that is when it started dropping. But I have read on here that many people do come home heavier and it is prob from the fluids and swelling. Just give it a few days and I am sure you will start to drop. Keep us posted on your progress. I go in for a fill on Wed (22nd) and boy do I need it. My scale has not moved in over a week...that part can be frustrating but oh well I will just keep plugging along.

Sorry this is a little gross but... What about gas at the other end? I seem to be very gassy most of the time. In fact after I eat and then I stand up to go back to work it kinda feels like my lower stomach is full of bricks from the gas pressure. Anyone got any suggestions on what I can do to not have this or how long it lasted for some of you? I have tried taking a gas X pill just before I eat and it does not seem to do anything... so I would love any suggestions.

Welcome Blakhole Steph is right AGH was great... and no I am not just saying that because I work there...LOL. Every room is a private room there which as a patient I definately loved. And Dr Zarif is great. I think he has just the best bedside manner. He even is great if I just walk up to him at any time in the hospital and have a question for him. If he sees me sometimes he will stop and say hi and ask how things are going. I personally dont know many doctors who will do that. As for pain control, well they just kept giving me pain meds when I asked for them while I was in the hospital and then for home I just took what Dr zarif prescribed for me. Unfortunately since I am allergic to codeine he could not give me a liquid and I had to cut these big horse pills up into a bunch of pieces. So since that part was a big pain I did not end up taking many pain meds. I really did not need them that much anyway. The most pain was from the gas pressure and that goes away on its own after while. If you have any questions feel free to ask. And if you are nervous dont forget to come to the support group meeting on Tuesday the 14th, that is just 2 days before your surgery so you may find it to be very helpful.

I dont actually count how many times I chew my food. But I do chew it a lot. Especially if it is something that is kinda dry. But then again I was always a food chewer even before surgery. I would chew ice cream and applesauce even...LOL. My grandmother always said I was crazy to chew those things.

Well I just had to have a cat scan the other day. Let me explain. I have had this pretty large feeling lump in my upper abdomen. I notice it because if I put my hand on it when I walk I can feel it moving. I have had it for a while and I keep forgetting to ask my dr what it is. I was thinking maybe it was the tubing going down to the port. So I saw my surgeon at work (I work at the hospital) the other day and it was on my mind and I had him feel it. Well at first he thought it was my rib...LOL But we were just standing in the hall in the hospital so he told me to come in to the office so he could examine it better. So I went in and while I was laying down he said he thought it was just my port, but when I stand up it seems to move way up my abdomen. But he wanted a cat scan to confirm that nothing was wrong. Well everything is fine but I guess my muscles either move or contract or relax or something so that my port seems to be about 6 inches higher when I am standing than when I am laying down. So to make a long story short everything is fine even though it feels HUGE when I am standing up but not so big when I lay down. But you should still check with you Doc to make sure yours is ok too if it feels strange to you.

LOL, I am sure that you will be fine starting the full liquid protein a few hours early. I started a few days early and then started eating scrambled eggs early too. I am not promoting it though. IF you can stick to the liquid as long as possible it will really jump start your weight loss.

Hey it is no problem with the questions. I am glad I can help. I know before I made my decision to go thru with this it helped me to talk to a couple of people that had already done it. I have been very open with people about my having surgery and if by doing that I can help someone else then I am very glad to do it. Maybe what he meant by making your band real tight meant that he put some saline in when he put the band in. IF you read on here there are some people that have it in from the beginning. I know that with my band he did not put anything in when he did the surgery. But who knows you will get the correct answer if you ask him at your appointment I guess. Yeah I tried that fuzzy navel stuff...YUCK...LOL Good luck with finding a shake you like though, but you will probably be off them soon anyway.

Ha Ha I am far from a pro...LOL. But sure you can ask me questions. I will say up fron that I have not been a model patient though. As for the beach this weekend. I know that we are not supposed to go swimming until he clears you after your first follow up. Now me on the other hand, did I listen to that...NO. I went to an indoor water part 8 days after surgery. I climbed all the stairs and rode all the waterslides. I did not get in a pool of water though because I did not want to push my luck too far. I also covered all my incision sites with waterproof bandaides. Well lo and behold I had a really bad reaction to the adhesives and had these HUGE red itchy welts on my stomach for about 2-3 weeks after that. I guess I got what I deserved for not following orders. I was also not very good at making my protein shakes with water. I did a lot of soup broths and then just said the heck with it and made my shakes with lactaid milk. I guess that is why I did not see a huge drop while on the liquid phase. I think all the stitches we had are internal and they should dissolve on their own. I say this because I had 2 incision sites that had stitches poking out of them. Dr Zarif said my body was rejecting them, but they just fell off with the scabs eventually. As far as fills, I have only had 2. Firts of all I have a huge needle phobia. And yes for me the first one hurt like hell and I did not get numbed first. I think it hurt because of going thru scar tissue. The second fill was much better than the first, it did not hurt much at all. I asked to be numbed before the 2nd time but he said the lidocaine hurts more than the fill and did it without it. Now for what I usually eat in a day...hmm. Since I have only had 2 fills I do not have much restriction yet. I have not come across anything that I cant eat yet. I try to eat protein the most but it does not always happen that way. Breakfast for me depends on if I am going to the gym in the morning or not. If I do go to the gym I try to eat something small before I go like turkey sausage or sometimes a little bit of cereal. Then after the gym and while I drive to work I usually eat a fruit, yogurt and granola mixed up. But if I dont go to the gym I uaually eat a bigger breakfast like scrambled eggs with turkey sausage and toast or sometimes a bowl of cereal and turkey sausage. For lunch I have been eating a turkey and mozzarella cheese sandwitch on arnold thin rounds I think the bread is called. It is a little denser and not quite as soft as regular bread. And I usually have some fruit and a yogurt with it. sometimes I have a salad or some chicken instead of the sandwitch . For dinner I usually eat chicken or some other type of meat if I have it and a veggie, usually green beans with almonds and sometimes a yogurt or some almonds. I tend to eat the same things a lot so I have been trying to find different things to eat so I dont get tired of the same old stuff. I hope this helps...I feel like I have typed a book...LOL. Have you gotten a post card yet for this months support group meeting? Oh and what type of protein shake are you using? I used to drink Nectar brand chocolate truffle and mix it with lactaid milk and a half a bannana. I absolutely loved it when I was pre and post op. but not after getting my fills I cant stand it...LOL. So for after my fills I have just been using a pre-packaged shake. I think it is adkins chocolate shake and it is not too bad.

I was at last months meeting too...LOL. See we have already met and did not know it. I work at AGH and there are a couple of us that have already had the surgery and still more that are planning to get it. If you just keep working at it the weight will keep coming off. Sometimes it can be frustrating because it is not always as fast as we want it to be, but it does happen. I too am pretty young (33) with multiple health problems. That is one of the major reasons I decided to have the surgery. I was on the low end of the BMI scale to get it and I kept getting soooo tired of everyone saying either "you are not fat" or "you are not big enough to get surgery". Well obviously I was or I would not have qualified for it to begin with. I felt this was the only way I was going to be able to get it off and KEEP it off. And I wanted to conquer this while I am still young and before it got even further out of hand and I just got bigger and bigger... Know what I mean?

Thanks for posting this, it seems to have given me a jump start again.