dragonflylover

i appreciate everyone's feedback.. Patterba and Jachut... you guys made a lot of sense.. i will definitely be following the "no diet" way of life. i cannot and refuse to make myself feel like i am always on a diet till the day i die. i will follow the normal lap-band rules.. but as far as depriving myself.. that won't happen.. i'm not talkin big mac's.. i'm talking real food. nutritious food. and maybe a few bites of dessert now and then. thanks again everyone..

I also have a SIL..i was banded on 11/23 by NY bariatric group at Mercy hospital by Dr Holover. At first i was supposed to get a traditional 5 incision.. but on surgery table he decided he can do a single incision. I am a little unsure about the quick healing process and single incision.. i had A LOT more gas than the girl next to me who had 5 incisions. My incision is just above my belly button... and is currently infected.. i am assuming from all the friction from my pants.. who knows. I have no idea where my port is.. it could be just under the incision cause i feel a lump...however, i don't know if that is a puss pocket or the port.. guess i'll find out on dec 30th.. i think i will be getting a fill then.

Hey all, so i was banded on 11/23. i've been on mushy foods since..of course. I have these bouts of anxiety every now and then.. sometimes i feel like i am backed in a corner with the band. don't get me wrong. i know this was the best decision i could make. But sometimes i feel like i will have to eat this mushy forever... then i need to remind myself that it is temporary. my question is... for the most part, can you eat normal? minus a few obvious things. i am really looking forward to eating like a normal person..normal portions.. but i don't want to feel like i am on a diet the rest of my life.. thanks!!

OMG do i have gas... hahah. i burp 300 times a day after every meal. lol

I am living proof..amongst a trillion other people.. haha. i had my surgery on 11/23.. I woke up fine from anesthesia. of course i was drugged up on morphine.. but it wasn't bad AT ALL.. the recovery goes rather quick. anxiety is normal. your preparing your body for fight or flight. just take deep breaths and keep reminding yourself why you did it. feel free to ask any question and good luck on your journeys. i suggest asking your surgeon the statistics of complications. it's nice to hear zero...

Hello and welcome. I was banded on 11/23 so i feel your pains. did you have a lot of gas? the only thing i can think of is the gas is trapped in your stomach and maybe causing these pains.. did you have an upper GI before you left the hospital? they did that for me to make sure when i drink everything goes down ok. i constantly burp, if not i have the pains.. did you try gas x? the chewables work pretty well. i would call your surgeon if you keep getting pains and doesn't seem related to gas. I wish you the best of luck.

what a great feeling it is to have so much feedback. you guys are awesome... thanks! its been 6 days and as of right now i am feeling great.. i truly feel like i am on the road to recovery and a new me. it's wonderful to see so many of us share the same thoughts.. it's very comforting. for the first time in my life i am able to come to terms with my addiction and i actually tell people my weight.. that's huge. lol i wish everyone speedy recoveries, smooth surgeries, and happy researching... :Yawn:

so i had a conversation with my husband last night and came to the realization of a few things. I now cannot deny the fact that i was / am ADDICTED to food. Just like a person addicted to drugs. because i cannot eat foods that i want to right now, i can clearly see how much of my life revolved around food. it's really sad. I have been a little anxious about the band being inside me, because i can't reach in there to remove it and eat a bagel..hah i have a control issue.. i am very sensitive to changes in my body. last night my husband broke it down for me and made great sense.. he said the band is like your personal trainer that will never let you cheat without paying a price. and that makes a lot of sense. Being banded around the holidays made me realize that i lose focus on the real meaning behind the holiday because i am totally consumed with food. this band has shown me reality above all other weight loss programs. even weight watchers. i am looking forward to the month ahead of me..and where i can learn to eat like humans are supposed to. thanks for listening.. this is really huge for me.:Yawn: "looking forward to eating to live.. not living to eat for a change"

I was banded on 11/23.. i felt the same exact way. still do just a little. my surgeon gave me a fill on table.. and between that and swelling from surgery, my stomach felt really tight.. ohh lets not forget the gas making it worse. try walking, burping and everyday gets better from what i notice. just keep getting those fluids in no matter what. i also feel dehydrated..but i don't want to end up at the hospital again.... try some gas x strips.. i noticed i can eat more each day.. although i am afraid to overdo it. well i hope you feel better soon..

yea, sounds like gas pains in the shoulder. try rocking back and forth, have someone pat your back, or move your upper body around in bed. I was banded 11/23 and had some major gas pains. my theory is because i had a single incision. the gas gets trapped more. the girl next to me had traditional 5 incision and didn't have as much pain. who knows.. but i am now realizing that most of us go through the same feelings after surgery... and i feel like anesthesia plays a major role in it as well..it seemed to mess with my emotion because i also felt like "did i make the right decision?" in some ways i still feel that way.. but because i am dealing with my "head" cravings.. i am not hungry like i used to be, but i definitely miss some things right now. BUT, as i stepped on the scale and saw i was 10 lbs down... i felt great!!! but these emotional feelings i rarely read about on this forum.. or atleast i never caught a thread. all in all, i keep reminding myself of whats to come in the future... stay positive..

thank you for all your responses.. you all make a lot of sense. i do tend to over do things. so i have been resting in between doing things here and there. i managed to eat some stage 1 beef baby food. (i did have to add salt) but i feel better now that i ate that.. i have been sipping on water all day long. i am determined to get over this and start managing my band the proper way. i just sometimes cannot help getting down about the changes every now and then. but i'm working on it. 9 lbs down in 4 days helps keep my mind on the right track.. :thumbup:

so monday was my surgery. i am on 3 days and feeling the affects of not being able to eat. today i feel very weak. i tried doing some housework and just couldn't do much at all. i was able to get in some Protein shake this morning for Breakfast.. thank god. but my mouth is sooooo dry. i can tell i might be dehydrating. not good. its so hard for me to drink Water without gulping. i am very discouraged at this point. i am a quick healer.. and i feel like i should have been feeling better by now. my back is achy, my incision hurts, still so tired, and can't eat anything. i'm very gassy.. i keep burping like crazy. last night i decided i needed to get in my Vitamins.. so i chewed and chewed on gummy vitamins.. well that didn't sit well either. what will sit well??? when am i going to be able to enjoy eating food? i just want a little bit. i'm barely even hungry.. i just dont want to feel like i am depriving my body. someone please give me some advise.. thanks.

congrats. i was banded yesterday as well. i can;t say i feel as good as you do today.. i had to et before leaving hospital and i haver major tightness in my upper stomach. like i ate too much.. but it won't go away. i am hoing it passes soon.. it's very uncomfortable and making me axious.

so today is my clear liquid pre-op diet. i woke up obsessing about food. I can't say i am starving.. but i guess it's just the idea of NOT be able to eat anything. i bought some baby food today for after surgery.. and even that looks yummy.. hahah.. i'm nervous about tomorrow. i feel like i am losing focus on why i am doing this in the first place. well.. it's time for me to go prepare for tomorrow.

soooo i had my PCP clearance today for surgery, and i started getting nervous.. a little scared. which is weird cause this whole time i have been so excited and not scared at all... i guess now that i have 4 days...well 3 now.. to go, i am finally starting to get a reality check. wow. this is it huh? i have to keep reminding myself of why i am doing this.

no liquids. only the day before surgery.. yea, i was surprised and happy to find out we start on mushies right away. i was told the morning after surgery they give us cream of wheat. it is definitely true that every dr is different. i also found out my dr gives a fill at the time of surgery.. which not many dr's do.. my surgery is on 11/23 9 days!!!! can't wait!

I had my pre-surgical testing yesterday.. and also sat with the RN who is bariatric nurse coordinator. It took all day.. but VERY informative. we had a little group meeting prior to the actual testing part. The nurse went over EVERYTHING there is to know about what to expect. The hospital is beautiful and cozy. I found out that i will be starting on mushies right away.. so no liquid period.. woohoo. i get to have liquid mashed potatoe for thanksgiving. lol. I will also be staying overnight... but woken up every 2 hrs to walk and prevent blood clots...in addition to the heparin shot every 8 hrs or so.. jeez. better safe than sorry. huh?

I checked online everyday for about 2 weeks for approval. it kept saying pending. but i think it was because my surgeons office was waiting on a clearance report.. but once they have the report.. my insurance was approved the next day. depending on your insurance company and what they require.. usually it doesn't take too long. i did not have to do any pre-op diet. i just have to do all liquids the day before surgery. hang in there.. your approval will come. did check out the medical guidelines to bariatric surgery for your insurance policy? that helped me a lot.. i read the requirements and qualified.. good luck!

yes i did. they didn't see any issues with insurance not being approved. I'm just glad they were right.

thanks all, this is going to be an amazing journey. i am really soooooooo grateful for everyone's support!!!!

thank god!!! because my surgery is in 13 days. woohoo!! :tongue2: i'm so excited.. i just can't hide it!

wow! no way, i never heard of this. granted i'm not a pro. I'm having my surgery in 2 weeks and haven't heard of any other charges outside of what ins will pay. could it have to do with your insurance? maybe they do not cover a portion? this doesn't sound right to me though. i would definately research more. good luck!

Ok. so today i went to my final endorinology appt today.. The Dr went over my bloodwork. he said it was all perfect. Then 5 seconds later said i have a little hypothyroidism and he was giving me a prescription. He gave me a copy of my blood work results. My TSH, T3,T4 levels are all "within range". now i am REALLY confused. normal range is .4-4.5 mine is 1.91 could it be because my number is on the lower side of that range? but it's still considered normal. Dr told me the pill would help me lose weight and give me energy.. which is awesome ...but my results say something different. i dont want to screw up my system. i feel weird questioning the dr. cause he knows better than me. but does anyone know why he would give me meds for hypothyroidism is my results were normal??? thanks!

congrats to you.. and i am also being banded on 11/23.. woohoo. i can't wait.. exactly 2 weeks from today.

In 2 weeks is my surgery.. i can't wait!!!! a lot of people's reaction is.."right before thanksgiving!!?" yes.. i prefer it this way. i do not eat turkey anyway. i don't support the slaughter of turkey's.. but i will miss the sweet potatoe with marshmallows. not like i can't make it any other time of the year.