mjm2009

I am glad to read this. I am just over 3 months, and have lost a total (including preop diet) of 43 lbs. I feel that I have been doing it all "myself" by dieting and making good food choices, etc., not by the band helping me. I have been stuck a couple of times, but only when I make a big mistake do I feel the food going through the band. I will be looking forward to my next fill! Congratulations!

My RN says 10,000 steps a day is the goal.

My heating pad became my BFF. And a nice warm shower felt great, too. The shoulder pain gradually goes away.

I TOTALLY get it! A couple of days before I got into mushies, I obsessed about food. I would get up in the middle of the night and look up recipes on the internet, and would watch Food Network endlessly. Finally, I had to have a talk with myself, as I was getting a little crazy. My first mushy food was scrambled eggs, soft, with ketchup. It was heaven. I also loved egg salad and really smashed up tuna salad. I swear, food never had tasted so good!

I was, and am, scared to get too full, so I eat maybe 1/4 cup of whatever it is and stop. (I was banded 3/12 and started mushies today -- was on "full liquid" for 5 days.) Then, about 3 hours later, I will get hungry again and I do the same thing. This is VERY different from my historical eating pattern of 1-2 oversized meals a day. My doctor never said how much to eat, I just am thinking it is better to get the protein, etc., into me in small batches rather than try to cram it all in 3 times a day! Hope that helps.

My surgery was on the 12th (4 days ago) and I am still sore at the end of the day. I wake up in the morning feeling pretty good, perhaps the Vicodin I take before bed, but by late afternoon, I have the worst pain in my rib area and in my shoulder. However, I can get up and move around with no problem today, and I am sure that every day it will continue to get better. I have to say that this was much more painful than I had expected. I am glad that I took 11 days off work.

I have been on clear liquids since my surgery (Friday) and I'm going on "full liquids" tomorrow. I can't tell you how excited I am to eat the Cream of Wheat I can have tomorrow! And even the protein shakes I was so sick of last week are sounding fabulous. Cream soup? Oh, yes, that will be awesome!

Mine was pictures. I guess I have some sort of "reverse anorexia" where I see myself as thinner in the mirror than I actually am so I never realized how obese I am. But then I saw myself in photos from a work picnic, and it was horrible. OMG, just horrible. I started looking into the surgery and just had it done last Friday. I can't wait to be one of the normal people in the picture.

My surgery was done on Friday, March 12 by Dr. Richard Symmonds at Scott & White Hospital in Temple, TX. I will say the process leading up to the surgery was quite frustrating. I got everything done that S&W Bariatric requested (the usual psych, etc.), but it seemed to drag on forever. Back in mid-February, I finally got the call with my date. I started my pre-op diet on February 26, and lost about 14 lbs. I was scheduled for surgery at 9:20am, so I had to check in at 8:00am. My husband drove me and was prepared for what was sure to be a long day. Check in was very efficient, we went to the day surgery area, and were given a number so DH could see what my progress was on the screen (like at the airport). Within 5 minutes of checking in, we were sent upstairs to the pre-op area. I got into the attractive gown (which was not made for a larger person, fyi), and got into the bed, with DH in the chair next to me. I was visited by several nurses, all of them doing something different. One for IV, one for the leg circulation things, a couple of anesthesiologists, etc., and finally, my surgeon and a resident who would be working with him. After this, it all went pretty fast. DH went downstairs to wait, I was wheeled into surgery where I was met with my all male crew! I somehow found this hilarious (giddy from nerves, I guess). The last thing I remember was laughing about the inflatable mattress they used to move me from the stretcher to the operating bed...then...nothing. The next thing I knew, I was in the post-op room with many other moaning people. I had a nice nurse next to me who was asking questions and giving me pain meds. I kept falling back asleep. At 1:00pm, they put me in a wheelchair and took me to radiology to drink some liquid and take several views of my band. This was rough as I could not stand up very well, but we got it done. After this, they wheeled me to recovery and put me in a recliner. DH met me in here. Again, I could not stay awake. The nurses kept coming into check on me, and I would be out of it. Finally I said "honey, I could sleep in this chair all day, but let's get out of here". We got me dressed, Dr. Symmonds came in to check on me, and I was wheeled to the car for the drive home. Of course, I slept the whole way home (20 minutes or so), and upon getting home, I fell asleep in the recliner. Only to wake up at 3:00am in extreme pain. It was hell. I walked to the bathroom in tears, and my stomach was so sore I couldn't even sit down. Finally had a realization that it was gas, as my midsection was so bloated. I tried to take the vicodin and got very nauseous, so there went that idea. Then I went for the GasX, and started to feel better. Between walking around and taking GasX and drinking Water, I was feeling a lot better within an hour or so. Today is Monday and I am about 60%. The gas is going away, but my port area is still very sore. I am not hungry yet, but I miss food (of course). I am so excited to get this journey started. Good luck to all of you who leading up to your surgery dates!

Hi there, I have Tricare Prime also, and I am not staying overnight. My surgery is Friday 3/12.

Thank you so much for posting the information on Tricare. I am in Texas and have Tricare Prime through Humana. It all seems so vague as so the process, so I really appreciate your step by step info! Good luck on your journey. I am waiting for my referral to come back and it looks like (according to my nurse) I will be having the surgery at Fort Hood, Darnall Army Medical Center. I guess this is where they are sending the Tricare people in this area. My nurse had Lap Band surgery in May there, and had great things to say, so I am pumped and very impatient!