Meredith2424

I have this same pain also!!! On the left, near my port, it's normal my surgeon said. However, just recently, it started on the right side. I see my dr on mon.

IDK, all I know is that I am following what my dietitian said to do to the letter, and before today, it was working out great. This is the same diet that I have been on for 4 weeks already. I think that #1 I didn't drink enough Water today and #2 I was really hungry and maybe I drank it way too fast? Cause now I feel soooo much better! Thanks. Laura~ I forgot, thank you so much for giving me that link. I knew that someone on this thread had the seroma problem! I think that might be the issue with me now. I have a lot of hardness around the port incision as well, so it does sound very similar.:frown: Can't sleep. Too long of a nap after work I think. CBL~ Meredith

Hey girls. Janet~ At least I hope you had fun! Laura~ I'm just so annoyed about this whole thing. I just want the incision to heal all of the way so I don't have to constantly worry about it. It is now an obsession. Today I showed one of my clients, fellow bandster, and RN my incision and where it was draining from. She said that she would probably let it air out as much as I can and lightly dress it when necessary. The question is....Neosporin or no Neosporin? Since i got home from work around 6, I have let it air out. Nothing has drained out. All I know is that I cannot wait to go to the Doc on Monday to see what is really going on now. Today I feel really FAT. Like loaf belly, muffin-top whatever you want to call it. Sick. I was "pooped" when I got home from work so I took a nap. Then when I woke up, I felt really hungry. Ravenous really. I drank 8 ounces of Boost and now I feel nauseous. Maybe I drank it too fast? I also had some iced tea before hand. I guess I'm just frustrated and I guess a little depressed or something. Sorry to be complaining so much, I just am missing out on a lot of things because I don't feel well (surprise party and bachelorette party). CBL, for sure. Hope everyone is having a great weekend! ~Meredith

Hi all. Janet~ I was kidding when I said "natural" color! I really mean getting rid of their grey! Whenever I'm done I say "Ok, back to your natural color!" It's fun. Don't worry about doing your own color, esp if your girl didn't do it the way you liked it. Just make sure you put it on your roots only and rarely pull it through. This will make sure that your hair stays in good shape. Laura~ Glad you are back! Also, glad to hear you had a good time with your sis and niece. Can't wait to hear more about it! Sorry that poor little Nelson has to have his teeth worked on. Eeek! Have a good time with your mom and dad. Linda~ Exactly!! My surgeon told me that it is common for people to experience this after when they have just the one incision. I want it to be over with though! I called the office today and told the nurse that it looked the same and no changes since I saw them on Monday. I go back this coming monday. She did say that if there were any problems then I should call the Dr on call but she thought that I would be okay until then. She also said there might be a seroma under there? Didn't someone on here have a seroma? I remember reading it a few months ago, but I cannot recall who it was. Well, work is exhausting me! I come home from working all day on my feet and sleep for several hours. My customers keep telling me that after surgery when your body is trying to heal it takes awhile to "get back to your old self". Going to take a shower and go back to sleep. TTYL.

Hey all! Julie~ WOW! I am so sorry that you have to go through all of this. I will be keeping you in my thoughts and prayers tomorrow. I'm sure you will do great, but I understand the nerves! Janet~ Ya, thanks, I got the tape!!! Apparently it works too well because when I took it off, it practically took half of my skin off with it! Well, tonight Andrew and I went to our friends house bc one of my gf's is visiting from Arizona. We grew up together and I really miss her, so it was wonderful to see her! There were seven of us there and everyone was hungry, so they ordered pizza. I stuck to my Boost and sf jello that I brought along with me and really was fine with it. I guess when you haven't had food in 4 weeks it starts to not matter. Right after surgery I told Andrew that he was not even allowed to bring pizza into the house, and tonight I was around a TON of it! It went much better than I had expected it to. My friends are so wonderful and are "careful" about food around me. They are so sweet. Anyhow, it will be 2 weeks post-op on friday and my incision is still draining! Sick. Everyone keeps telling me that it should start to be coming out more clear, but it's not. Still dark brownish, but coming out much slower than it was before. So, I'm not sure what to think about this. Any thoughts? Half of the incision is healing beautifully and the other half is a scab and draining. Hmmmm. I go back to the doc on Monday. I pray that it doesn't get infected. I let it air out at night time after my shower, and then i cover it for bed and change it in the am. Ok, well, I cannot believe that I am still awake and it is one am!!!! I have to work tomorrow, and I am BUSY!!!! I guess my peeps missed me and need their color bad! Have to get them back to their original color. Hehe! Ok, enough of me. Sorry. Good night everyone! ~Meredith

Does anyone have any advice about this drainage that I am experiencing? It is making me kinda nervous. I cannot stand the tape that I bought, so I must go to the drug store and buy another brand. Also, since I cut hair and start back to work on Thurs, I do not want any hair getting in there so I am hoping that there is a band aid like product that will cover the incision on all four sides so nothing gets in or out! Thanks! Meredith

Geez louise Julie!!! Hang in there and feel better! I went to the Dr today. I lost 3 more pounds, but one end of my incision is draining or oozing or whatever. It started happening last night after I finished my Wii Fit aerobics. I did it for a half an hour and really worked up a sweat! I thought that it was because I was working my butt off, but apparently this is very common in patients who get the band inserted using the bi-lateral method. He told me that it does not look infected at all, but if it begins to look like it at all I should call no matter what the time. I see him again next Monday. Until then I was told to rinse it when I shower and then apply neosporin and a gauze bandage a few times a day. It makes me so nervous, but hopefully all will be okay! Also, today was the first day I was really HUNGRY!!!!! I consumed 910 calories, instead of the 800. I had a terrible headache and felt it was necessary especially since my body is trying to heal. Nothing bad though. Just some Boost High Protein, sf yogurt, and a sugar free popsicle. No cheats. Okay, well I'm off to shower and tend to my "wound". Good night! ~Meredith

Oh duh! I was talking about the amount. My doctor told me the morning after surgery "800 calories only and exercise on Friday"! He is super strict! I'm following the rules, I don't want to get in trouble with him! I am going to go see his partner at 11:45 mon (today technically) morning so I will be able to ask all sorts of questions then. Also, I have to make an appointment to meet with the dietitian in 6 weeks from now just to make sure I'm doing everything properly. I just wanted to make sure that it was ok that I consumed 8 oz at a time. Thank you for helping me! ~Meredith

Ok, so it has been 9 days since my surgery and I am really feeling pretty good now. I go to my Dr. tomorrow for my post-op check up. I cannot wait to get these ratty looking pieces of tapes off! I was told DO NOT rip them off a million times. They really do look gross by now. Especially since I always wear black, and the little black fibers are sticking to the sticky! Here is what I need everyones opinion about today: I am following my pre-op diet, but only sticking to 800 calories or less. I've been STRICT. I mean following this to a "T" and measuring everything. Well, today I really really slept in, so I was super hungry when I woke up. I am usually measuring 4 oz of my Boost which equals 120 calories per time that I eat. However today, I drank the whole 8 oz., which fit with out any pain. Do you think this is okay for me to do as long as I stick to my under 800 calories plan? It is days like this when I am most thankful for all of you and your expertise! Thank you sooo much! JoAnn~ Way to go on your selections at the picnic! You must be so happy and proud! I now totally understand what you mean about watching everyone else eat a ton of food and thinking "wow"! I was like that yesterday as I watched my family eat. It's kinda gross, even though I know thats how I used to eat! ifyourstomachoffendsyou~ I was banded June 26th, so this will be an adventure for us to go through together! Great! Laura~ I hope you are having a wonderful time with your niece and sister! It sounds like you are already having a good time! Enjoy. Have a wonderful Sunday evening everyone. I will CBL this evening to see whats going on. Love all of you!!!!! ~Meredith

I just got banded on June 26th. I had to do the liquid diet for 2 weeks. It is true, it gets better after 3 days, but now I also have to do the diet for 3 weeks after now so that my band can heal. May I suggest this for you? Breakfast: Boost High Protein Lunch: Boost High Protein Snack: Light Yogurt Dinner: Boost High Protein Light Yogurt Snack: Boost High Protein This is from my dietitian at my surgeons office. A lot of the hunger that I experienced was "head hunger". You will for sure know the diff once you are banded. Also if you want something else to eat, I was allowed two 1/2c. servings of sugar free Jello and two 1c. servings of low sodium broth per day. Hang in there and good lucK! ~Meredith

Happy 4th of July!!!!!!! I am thankful for all of the men and women that continue to make this country free!!!! And a special thanks to one of my best friends in the world, Firefighter Josh Springer. He is a firefighter in Detroit and risks his life everyday to save others and their homes. This is especially dangerous in such a dangerous city. Thanks Josh!!!! Anyhow, glad to hear all of you are going to enjoy your weekends! Good luck with all of the food. I am still on strict liquids, so I won't even be tempted to touch anything since I don't want to screw my band up! However, my mom and grandmother have made various cold salads and my dad is grilling hamburgers, hotdogs, and lamb chops!!! Mmmmmm! But thats ok, I have a new transfer addiction! A Wii and the Wii Fit! I bought them both yesterday, expensive, but waaaay worth it! I set it up immediately and used it last night. Janet, you are right, I LOVE IT!!!! Anyhow, getting in the shower and heading over to mom and dads! Love you all! ~ Meredith

Moochie~ GF you need to listen to these girls! They know what they are talking about! Right now, I have this wonderful exciting feeling about being banded recently. I'm sure you had this sam feeling when you were banded too. Try to remember that and the reasons why you did it! Also, get that food OUT of your house!!!!! You do not need it and are only sabotaging yourself. This is about you! Good luck! I know that everyone here is wonderful and will help you immensely! Good luck! Linda~ Sounds like you've been throught the wringer! Good going on all of your successes and thank you for all of your support, love, and encouragement! Janet~ As always, you are completely fabulous! Good news!!!!! I'm down 20 lbs since I began!!!! YAY!!! Have a wonderful 4th of July weekend everyone! Love, Meredith

1 Day~ Happy bandiversary!!!!!

Janet~ I just called my Dr's office to make sure I can take Advil. I'm allowed. She said that the only reason why I couldn't take Advil before was because of the bleeding risks associated with surgery. I'm happy, because Advil is really the only thing that works for me! Julie~ I really think that you should take your DD to a dermatologist! From what it sounds like, she might have a skin condition that is fungal based. I have it, and if I don't keep it under wraps it can spread all over my body! Literally. It usually springs up when the weather get warm. My sis has it too! We get it on our necks and stomachs. It starts with one spot, but if we don't put meds on it right away, it could spread very rapidly. Just an idea? Feeling good today gals! Hardly any pain. Going to go to Meijers to get some more of those stretchy pants that I bought there last week and another sports bra with a zipper in the front. Maybe I'll hit up the resale shop right around the corner too? Have a wonderful rest of your afternoon! ~Meredith

Well GF's I really am feeling goooood now! :redface: Happy about that for sure! Thank you for all of your support, kindness, and love. This is fantastic that we are all on here sharing all of our stories. I ventured out on my own today. :biggrin: I went to the support group meeting, which was great, and then to the drug store to get some Advil. There is a PA that goes to the support group meetings and she has the band too. I showed her my incisions and she said the looked "fantastic". So, that was good news! It was good to get out and drive!!!! Yesterday I spent about four or five hours at my parents house and that is all I could handle. They have dogs, and my dad really hurt his back. Andrew came and picked me up and we went to his moms, let out her dogs, and sat outside for awhile. Let me tell you, Andrew is my Angel!!!! He vacuumed, re-cleaned the bathroom and the kitchen, dusted, and striped the bed for me all before I came home! I was amazed and happy to not worry about that stuff for awhile. So glad I have him! Plus, I had to sleep on the couch for the first two nights because our bed is too low to the ground for me to get into and out of easily. He slept on the loveseat beside me both nights. Everytime I woke up bc of pain or uncomfort, he was up and ready giving me my meds, and adjusting pillows, etc. Sorry to brag, but I just couldn't help myself! I had to give him his props!:wink5: Laura~ If your fam likes middle eastern food, that may be a good option for your sis. Lentil soup. I cannot wait to eat lentil soup! It is delicious and this place nearby makes the best lentil soup ever! Just an idea. You are going to have so much fun with your sis and her daughter! Girl time + Nelson! He will love all of the attention. Ok, well, off to bed, I had to get my fix of LBT! It's been awhile! Boy I am long winded, and apparently I like the sound of my own voice! LOL. TTYL~ Meredith

I'm here!!!!!! Everything went really well! I only have 2 small incisions. One is about an inch and a half and the other is about two inches. In the hospital they gave me liquid vicodin and morphine. The morphine only worked for about 20 minutes and that was it. Thank goodness for the vic! I couldn't sleep the entire night after surgery. Idk why, but that was torturous. In the am they took me for my swallow test and then took out my foley. That was a relief! The nurse even said that i was like a slug in the morning, but once i got that out, i wanted to leave asap! It's kinda been a slow go since i've been home. i'm tired and uncomfortable. should i be having about 800 cal? thats what the dr said right after surgery, but i forget to eat! thats about all for now. i'm going to take a nap! i finally ventured out, and now i'm at my parents. new change of scenery! Thank you everyone for everything!

Well Ladies...... next time I post, I will be an official member of your banded posse! I'm trying to get a bunch of stuff done tonite so I don't have to worry about doing it when I get home. I also put it off so I would have something tonite to do to keep myself from being so nervous! Linda- Thanks for you luck! I hope that everything goes well! I'm sure it will. Thanks again! Well, goodnight everyone! Surgery is tomorrow at one. I have to be at the hospital at ten-thirty. ~Meredith

Laura~ I really really love your story about Nelson and his adoption. What a wonderful way to meet your son! And, as I've told you before, his name! LOVE IT! My grandpa. Thanks for all of your support. I love all of your stories of success! FANTASTIC!!!! Congratulations to all of you! What wonderful role models I have. Once again, thanks to all of you. I am pooped today. I work with my sister every Tuesday at the barn. She is a Hippotherapist, which is an occupational therapist with a national theraputic horse back riding endorsement. She helps children and adults with disabilities. It is amazing! I love it! I help groom, tack, and lead the horses and patients. It is such a rewarding experience. Anyhow, just trying to get my mind off thinking about the pre-surgery nerves. Ok, thats all for now. Sorry I didn't comment on all of your individual posts, there are so many new ones since I checked in last! WOW, you girls have been busy on here! I will have to come back tomorrow and do some more reading and posting. Time for some broth! ~Meredith

CassieMe1~ Let me tell you GF, everyone here is so wonderful! If you ever need anything these ladies are the greatest! So genuine and honest. IDK what I would do without this thread? Ok everyone, I am over all of my disappointment crap that I had going. The fact of the matter is that I've lost 5 lbs. since I've been on my liquid pre-op, and like many of you have said, that is 5 lbs that I will never see again!!!! Thank goodness! So now it is 12 total thus far. I think that most of this is just nerves. I know that I am mentally prepared for the band, but really the only thing that I am worried about is the anesthesia. My dad did the cutest thing yesterday! I spent all day with him helping him get his boat in the water and cleaning it up and such. The BF helped too, his dad lives in AZ. Anyhow, we had such a good time. Then it was time to come home and "eat" dinner. My dad loves to BBQ and he made a HUGE slab of ribs (my fav) and mom made a greek salad and potato salad. I stayed out of the dining room and ate my yogurt. It didn't really bother me as much as I thought it would. Anyhow, after they were done eating, I was laying on the couch reading a mag. My dad came up to me, kissed me on the cheek and told me how proud he was of me for doing this and how difficult it must be! It was sooo nice! He did have his doubts, but now he is 100 percent behind me becuase he sees how important to me this is! What a wonderful moment that was. Something I will never forget. It is bringing tears to my eyes just typing it. Janet~ I think that all of you are so amazing! I also think it is so fantastic that all of you are defying the odds! 50 percent! HA! WTG on your "normal" BMI and your size 4's! You are awesome GF! Ok, well, just thought I would check in. Like I said, IDK what I would do without this thread? Oh, and Julie~~ NO PIE! Awesome! CBL~ Meredith

Laura~ Nelson is soooo cute! It sounds like the two of you had a great time! I find now that I am writing more on here than ever. It's nice to know that there are all of you out there that can identify 100 percent! Also, I will quit freaking out! Apparently my body is liking me fat and will give up on storing it soon! LOL JoAnn~ Glad you are getting a kick out of my olive mishap! Hehe! I feel better about it now, but boy oh boy was I upset. I know that I am the type that gets head hunger too. I didn't think that I was until I started this whole liquid business. But now, I totally get it!

Wow Linda! I really needed that! Thank you so much. I do have a really positive attitude about this, but I just need to get over my "instant gratification" problems. I will take your advice and try to not weigh myself until after the six weeks when I get my first fill. Who knows, I might be surprised by the results! I just need to remind myself constantly about what you said about not putting it on in a few weeks. I need to let go of my obsessive compulsive self and trust in my Nutritionist and my Surgeon, and mostly myself. Thanks for your understanding and your help. I'm just so excited and ready to get the show on the road! If you know what I mean!? Thanks again for all of your encouragement! I am so blessed to have all of the support on this thread!:biggrin:

Linda~ So happy that you are shrinking away! I was so surprised to see that dressbarn had such cute clothes too! I went there a few weeks ago just on a whim and I bought a few tops myself. They had the cutest dresses, but I haven't worn a dress in forever. Hopefully next year at this time I will be wearing them all of the time! Laura~ More storms! Love them. When I visited friends in Boca Raton a few years ago in the summer time they had some amazing storms. We sat out on the patio and watched them all night. They had a golf course behind their house and I was pretty cool. Hope you and Nels have a good time at the beach. I love to swim!!! But in a pool or lake. Not a big fan of the ocean Water for some reason. I think that I don't like it when it gets in my mouth! Ick! Well, I am pretty disgusted! I weighed myself today all excited to see some weight loss on the scale. I have been following my pre-op liquid diet plan to the "T". Still no cheats since the olives! My clothes do feel a bit bigger though and people at work are already telling me that my face is looking much thinner. However, when I got to my parents house today after work and weighed myself, I found that I was the EXACT SAME WEIGHT AS I WAS ON TUESDAY!!!!!! I am so mad. What is going on here? I'm getting between 800 and 1100 calories per day, and 45-60 grams of Protein. Why have I not lost? I've even been walking too! I'm frustrated now and am wondering if it is even possible for me to ever lose this? I keep hearing about all of these people who lost 10-20 pounds on the liquid diet before surgery! Mine is on Friday and it is not working for me yet! What is up with that? Can anyone help me figure this out? Ok, sorry, needed to vent. I just don't get it. CBL- We are having problems at home with our Internet connection. ~Meredith

:biggrin:Long~ YES YES YES!!!!!!! You are such an inspiration! What a wonderful feeling. Keep up the good work! One week from today, and I will be banded! Since my olive issue, I have had no other mishaps. I am doing pretty well. I actually feel really great. I have much more energy and I can tell that I am losing weight. I haven't gotten on the scale since Tuesday, so I'm not sure how much yet. I think that I am going to weigh tomorrow. Since I've been fat for awhile, when I moved 2 years ago I didn't even want a scale in the house. So, I go to my parents house to weigh. My mom has a "Biggest Loser" scale and it is very accurate. Anyhow, thats about it. We are getting some pretty bad storms here tonight. It's ok though, I like sleeping when there are thunderstorms! Have a good weekend all! CBL ~ Meredith

Meredith, Boost has a good flavor, but It is to help you maintain weight, not lose it. I had boost and when I told My Dr. I had them he told me to be careful and not to drink them everyday because they are to help you maintain. So just use good judgment on them. I use a powder Protein mix and throw it in the blender with frozen black cherries or other frozen fruit and sometimes add 1 tbs of SF pudding. Taste so good! The frozen fruit helps me to stay full longer. I wish you all the best! . Thanks. I'm just going by what the nutritionist at my surgeons office told me to do. There are different kinds of Boost though. There is one that is made specifically help people maintain their weight and then there are 2 other types. The type I am on is the High Protein kind. I am staying under 1000 calories a day, so it is just to provide me with the proper Vitamins and nutrients before surgery. The dietitian also told me that it is ok to replace a meal with one after surgery as well. They are 240 cal and provide 15 grams of protein. So I guess if you are careful with them and use them how they are supposed to be used they can be helpful. Thanks for your insight. Off to bed folks. Just thought I would check back in before bed to see if there is any new news. Oh..... PJ- Glad things are getting back to normal for you. Hang in there girl! ~Meredith

Ok peeps. Since my mishap with the olives I have done soooo much better. I hated the way the guilt made me feel! Mrs. Bubba, you are right, the guilt is what feels the worst. I went to the grocery store yesterday and bought more Boost High Protein, yogurt, and broth. Thank heavens I found Organic Mushroom Broth! It is just delicious! It's more expensive than other broths, but I don't care at all. To me it is so worth it. I am totally done with the whole cheating thing. No more for me! Especially after surgery! I WILL follow every single rule. I have vowed that to myself. Laura- The Boost is actually pretty good! I know that it seems like a lot of calories, but if you use it as a meal replacement it might be good for you. It has 240 cal and 15 gms of protein in an 8 oz bottle. I put it over ice for breakfast and lunch and blend it with a light yogurt for my dinners with some ice as well. Mrs. B, this might be a better option for you as well? To me, slim fast tastes metallic or something. I just cannot tell all of you how much I appreciate all of this help and support! I really don't know what I would do with out this site and especially this group. You have made this process much smoother than I could have ever imagined. I've also begun to adopt a new mind set about food. I have to look at it as nourishment only, not a source of enjoyment. Thats a total 180 from how I used to think, but thinking this way will make it just that much easier to get to my goal. I, however, was disappointed yesterday. For the first time since I started this pre-op diet I got on the scale. I only lost 3 lbs. Everyone has been telling me how much weight they lost when doing this diet and I feel like I haven't lost anything. BUT, most importantly, I feel soooo much better than I did a week ago, thats for sure! Well, thats about it. Once again, thank you to all of you! ~Meredith