Kristine73

I was told no baths or swimming for 3 weeks. They basically scared me away from my friends pool and the idea of 'what my surgeon doesn't know won't hurt him' with a sneak swim. They told me that Water can enter the incision and cause an infection. This could cause the whole band to be removed. So, talk w/your doc before you take a soak. I agree w/the benedryl. You bay wan to get some of the benedryl ointment to rub where you have hives, taking care not to put any on the incision. Hope you feel better, soon!

Ok, yesterday, I noticed the head of a thread peeking out of the scar. It hurts to tug it. I bought some new skin today and have been putting it on the stitch. Has anyone else had this problem? How long did it take to resolve itself? Can I go swimming with this? Is this something I should call my doc about? I am so irked about it right now. I had plans to go swimming next weekend :frown: TIA for any advice/information

At first my hubs thought it was cheating and was against it. The more research I did, the more he understood, but still wasn't comfortable about the surgery. But he told me, he'd support me 100% in my decision. After surgery, he stayed home w/me for 3 days. When he went back to work, he found out that the sister of one of his co-workers when in for a tripple heart bi-pass at the age of 55. She made it through the surgery, but died the next day. That day, hubs came home, gave me a hug and said he finally understood why I wanted this and he will no longer made 'snide cheating' comments. I've lost 100 lbs twice, and gained it back, plus some every time. He know weight is a problem for me. I don't see how making a decision to make a permanent and healthy life change (the band is not a diet but a life change) is cheating. It's a commitment! No, you are not cheating! You are improving you life! ANd kudos to you for doing so! Though, I will say, I've ran into the cheating attitude from people at work. I just ignore them, though at first it just annoyed me. Now, I think it's jealously that promps the 'cheating' accusation. We had the guts to made a drastic decision the follow through w/it. Too many people let fear hold them back. Or, the have pre-conceived of weight loss surgery and rather than broaden their knowledge, they would rather remain iggonorant. Like my hubs says, ignorance is bliss. Again, you deserve kudos for looking out for your health and taking a possitive step towards a new you!

I'm vegetarian, which really sent the nutritionist at my surgeons office into a panic attack, at the post-op meeting, LOL. When I told her I was keeping a 'Protein journal' and that I plan I keeping the Protein drinks as part of my daily diet, she was relieved. I use the Soy EAS powder, when I get at walmart. It comes in chocolate and vanilla. I do a protein 'shake' every morning for Breakfast. I use vanilla soy milk, a tablespoon of flax seed (for thos needed omega3 and 6's) a scoop of he protein powder and in stead of ice I use frozen fruit. This morning i had banana bluberry. It was YUMMY. I buy my fruit frozen. For bananas, I peel them and depending on their size, I ut them in half. I slice them, throw a protion size (for me about 1/2 a large banana) in a freezer zip-lock and immediatly throw in freezer. I get about 36 grams of protein, just in my breakfast!

walmart has a variety of protein powders, ready-made drinks, protein bullets and Protein Bars. They even have soy Protein powder. You can also look on gnc's site and www.drdiet.com also, you can look at walgreens and cvs

RestlessMonkey is correct. If we are not taking in enough calories, our bodies tend to think it's starving and tries to store as many calories/fat as possible. It's a survival mechanism that goes back to our ancestors nomadic and feast/famine days. Does your surgeons office offer nutrition classes? Mine offers them, one a week, with a registered dietitian, for free. If not, you may way to seek out nutritionist and/or registered dietitian on your own. The more we work out, the more calories we burn. Our bodies need a certain amount to function. If you're burning off too many calories and your body has less calories than it needs, it's going to hold onto every single calorie, for survival sake. As RestlessMonkey said, try adding some calories. I know it seems counter intuitive, but you may actually NEED more calories in your everyday diet. Please note when I CAp someting, I'm not yelling, rather, I'm emphaisizing. Good luck

I am sorry you are having a difficult recovery. Mine was a difficult, as well. But, now I am glad I had the band surgery. My surgeon said if we diarrhea for 3 days, to use something like Imodium A-D. For gas, use a heating pad on your lower back and/or shoulder, depending on if you have pain in your shoulder. Don't use a straw. When you use a straw, you suck air into your stomach. If your gas isn't in your digestive track, but it's from the air introduced during surgery, heat and movement are the only things that will help. I felt like I had an elephant standing on my shoulder, it hurt that bad. I thought I was going to cry, sometimes. And, believe me, I am not a crier. Between the fibromyalgia and endometriosis, I have a high tolerance to pain. There were times I'd rather someone cut my arm off than move it, but I knew if I didn't move it, the gas wouldn't go away as fast. I would just hold my arms out to the side and do small circles. And I'd hald my arms out to my sides and slowly move my arms slowly towrs the front, until my plams were touching, then slowlt back out to the side ... NOT FAST! If you are vomiting or dry heaving, DO NOT BE AFRAID to call your surgeons office. On the weekend, they have answering services for a reason. The answering service will relay your messege to the surgeon and (s)he'll give you other direction and/or call in a prescription for nausia and/or pain. Also, my nurse told me to drink warm, not hot, fluids, as this helps relax the esophagus and this can help gas move, as well. Hope you feel better quickely

Mine is on the left. About 2 inches left of the belly button and at the same height as my belly button. Basically, right on my jean waist line :thumbup: I guess it's a good thing I wear a lot of skirts and dresses :drool:

I chose the lap-band. I like the construction better. The lap-band has little 'pillow's that the saline fills. The realize band doesn't have the pillows. I read that the pillows provide strength, stability and protects against the band twisting. Also, I liked the higher profile port. I've read where people go in for fills and their port can't be found! Oh no, I did not want to go through that. I went for my first fill, today. The NP had no problem finding my port. Only took her one shot and in less than a minute, I was done. Only con about the higher profile port is that I wonder if it will be visible when I lose 100 lbs. I guess if it does show, I'll deal w/it then. But, I'd rather not have to go get x-rays before fills of deal "Can't find your port today, come back in a month, we'll try then." Of course, many people who've had the realize band love it. So, I guess it's one of those "In the eye of the beholder" things. Also, the port of the lap-band in sewn into place, whereas the realize port clamps into place. Look each of them up, look at pics and specs. Some sites show animations. Absorb as much info as possible before you make your decision. Remember, it will be your band, in the end, only your opinion and the opinion of your surgeon counts. Good luck w/the studying/research

My hubs has stories about mushroom hunting, but he wasn't looking for the nutritional value, if you catch my drift, LOL! I'm a vegetarian, so I had mushrooms, olives and grape tomatoes on my pitta pizza. They can be made healthy. Personally, when I think of pizza, I think crispy crust. But, if you are just looking at pure nutritional values, mushrooms in lieu of crust is a great idea. My hubs prefers his drenched in cheese and peperoni. So, for us, the individual pizzas work and we each get what we want. I've had the portabella (sp) as 'hamburgers' before. Now, I think I'll have to try the pizza thing. As a vegetarian, I am always looking for new ways to try veggies. Thanks for the suggestion :smile2:

Woo-hoo! Good for you both! I know it's hard, but make sure Agnes relaxes today and gets some sleep tonight!

I was afraid of the same thing happening w/pizza. I LOVE pizza. I came across a 'pizza' reipe in one of my WLS cookbooks. Set oven to 375*. Use wheat pita as the crust. Top w/your favorite sauce and toppings. Bake for 12 - 15 mins. I did this last night, took small bites and chewed very slowly. Everything went down fine. For those of you who have trouble w/traditional pizza, you may want to try this. I've PB'd before and it was HORRIBLE. I feel for you.

Bariatric Advantage - Devrom (100 Count) Devrom (100 Count) I saw this product on bariaticadvantage.com I haven't tried it, but it may help. I've thought about ordering it, myself. But, I'm a chronic gum chewer, so that keeps my breath under control.

OMG ... the first week I was almost on the verge of calling my surgeon and demanding he get the thing OUT! They had left Fluid in the band from when they primed it during surgery. One they got the saline out, I felt much better and started recovering .... physically and emotionally. Like the others have said, give it time. :eek:

For me, I crave the crunchy stuff. I am grocery shopping today and plan on picking up some soy nuts and 100 cal packs of snacks. The other day I sat down w/ a box of the hubs cereal telling myself I'd only munch until I felt full. Ha! I ate what was in the box and felt sick the rest of the day. I put myself back on the liquid diet for two days to give my pouch time to relax after I made that big ooops. I can stop at one packet, so I think having that stuff around will help me.

How do you calculate the 200% or more over ideal weight? (sorry might be stupid question but I really don't understand it) It's not a stupid question. Unfortunately, I couldn't begin to tell you how they figure it. Your PCM may be able to figure that out for you. As RestlessMonkey stated, a lot depends on what form of Tricare you have, Standard, Prime, etc. Also, the region you are in can make a difference. I have Tricare Prime and live in the South. I was worried my co-morbidities wouldn't be considered strong enough by Tricare. I have high blood pressure and my cholesterol is 201. My doctor considers 199 borderline high. I had my gallbladder removed a couple of yeas ago. My doctor told me that once that's removed, they consider any gallbladder issues "cured." So, I was worried. But, the referral to see the surgeon was approved the SAME day. I couldn't believe it. The patient advocate at the surgeons office told me that Tricare is one of the easiest to deal with, as they are straight forward in their requirements and don't play a lot of games like some other ins co's. The patient advocate also told me that Tricare doesn't require as mush pre-op crap as some other ins co's. I had to do a psych eval and have my PCM decale me healthy enough for surgery. They ordered some blood work and did and EKG. That was all. I was approved. The patiend advocate told me that the people in the surgeons office know how to word and code things for each ins co. One thing I'd recomend though, if you need a referral to see the surgeon, is have your PCM say that the reason for referral is "to evaluate (or diagnose) and treatment of morbid obisity." Someone on this board gave me that nugget of advice when I first started out, and I think it helped push the referral through. Good Luck

Hi I am scheduled for my first fill on 07/09. So, I can't offer any advice there. However, if your band 'feels weird' and you're concerned about, you should call your doctor's office and speak to someone about it. Hope you feel better soon

Let me add that I have the Lap-band. The port on the Realize band may not have titanium in it. If you have the Realize band, you may want to ask your surgeon.

However, there is a bit of titanium in the port. I asked the surgeon the same question about metal detectors as I fly once a year to visit my mom and grand mother. He said that when we fly, we should have our lap band card w/us just in case.

Hi, If you want tricare to pay for the initial consultation w/the surgeon, then yes, you'll need a referral from your PCM. Here is info for you, I suggest you print it out, read it. As you read it, highlight and/or make notes of the info that pertains to you. Also, highlight info that will help your PCM use the right info and language to get the referral. I did this and it really sped up my process. Also, ask your doc to put in some magic words in the reason for the referral request area that tricare likes to see for this type of referral: "to diagnose and treat morbid obisity." The links: tricare manual http://manuals.tricare.osd.mil/index.cfm?fuseaction=TMAManuals.PVCSGetFile&PluginVersion=5&ReferenceManual=TP02&ReferenceChange=66&Type=ASOF&Manual=TP02&FileName=C4S13_2.PDF metlife chart Met life ideal height weight tables references Good luck

Lexapro works for me. However, welbutrin and cymbalta make my so hungry and I just eat, eat, eat. People have different chemistry and metabolisms. So, different ad's effect people differently. Maybe you can ask your doctor for an ad in another class. I def speak w/your doctor, though

I guess time from beginning to surgery depends on whether you're self-pay or not. If you have ins, it depends on their guidelines. For me I went to my PCM armed with the info that my ins co requires. He put in a referral using the key words my ins 'likes' to see "To diagnose and treat obesity." I got the referral to the surgeon. I met w/his nurse practitioner. She evaluated me and liked that I had done my research on the band. She spoke w/the surgeon and the next day put in a request for the surgery with my ins o. I was approved w/in 48 hours. The surgeon ordered blood tests and I needed something from my PCM saying I was 'fit for surgery.' My PCM gave my a physical and ordered an EKG. All came back fine. I then met with the surgeon and signed all the paperwork. They called me a couple of days later with my pre-op date and my surgery date. Pre-op was more paperwork, another EKG and an urine test. I was told I should do the Protein shakes 2 weeks prior to surgery as everyone that is obese has a fatty liver. The more fat we get out of our liver the better the surgery will go and the faster we will reover. So I started the shakes 4 weeks prior to surgery. Every thing went great. Make sure you do your research, ask questions and follow the diet guidelines. The quicker you go to a low-fat diet, though, the better it will be for you. And DON'T think about doing what my surgon calls the 'farewell tour:' visiting all your favorite buffets and resteraunts in couple of weeks prior to surgery. Good luck

I would call. I'd be worried there might be a leak somewhere. Or, if not, that an overfill could do damage to the band itself.

These are the two books I ordered. They haven't arrived, yet. So, I can't tell you how the recipes are. 1) Eating Well After Weight Loss Surgery: Over 140 Delicious Low-Fat High-Protein Recipes to Enjoy in the Weeks, Months and Years After Surgery (Paperback) Amazon.com: Eating Well After Weight Loss Surgery: Over 140 Delicious Low-Fat High-Protein Recipes to Enjoy in the Weeks, Months and Years After Surgery: Patt Levine, Michele Bontmpo-Saray, William B. Inabnet, Meredith Urban-Skuros: Books 2) Recipes for Life After Weight-Loss Surgery: Delicious Dishes for Nourishing the New You (Healthy Living Cookbooks) (Paperback) Amazon.com: Recipes for Life After Weight-Loss Surgery: Delicious Dishes for Nourishing the New You (Healthy Living Cookbooks): Margaret Furtado, Lynette Schultz: Books

Yes, I've tried it. I ordered it from an online veg*n store. It was like a stuffed roast. My omnivore hubs loved it! So, I know it's good. I haven't tried making it myself, though. I'll have give it a try before the summer break ends.