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Sarah8807

LAP-BAND Patients

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Blog Entries posted by Sarah8807

  1. Ok so I was on the Obesity Help website earlier just reading through different blogs and it seems like there are A LOT of blogs on people having to get their lapbands removed because of erosion, slippage, etc...This really scared me...Some of these people were only two years out of surgery and their bands had already eroded (sp?)....One person on there (who has the sleeve) kept talking about what a lousy product lap band and realize band's are....I am not yet banded (surg date oct 5) and I know that these things do happen...but does anyone know of the rate at which this happens? When I asked my surgeon how long lapband will last he said it would outlast me! If that's the case why are so many people having to get their lapbands removed?...
     
     
  2. I will be one week post operation tomorrow!! The first few days were hard but nothing impossible. I stayed in the hospital 24 hours (for my insurance) and then went home the next morning. I did great in the hospital. I had some nausea right after surgery because I started moving around a little too quick. . They gave me something for the nausea and it made me sleep for about 2 hours and then after that I was great.
     
    No problems started until early the next morning after leaving the hospital. I started getting really sick. Trying to drink water and couldnt keep anything down. My surgeon leaves a little in the band (about 1cc) when he puts it in so I thought that it was that. So I went into the hospital at about 6 am to get checked out. They made me do the x ray/barrium (sp?) swallow. I could see were the fluid would sit on top of my band and then SLOWLY go into my stomach. The nurse didnt think it was the band but still did an unfil just in case. After that I was given some liquid loritab. And thats when I realized that the medication was defianetly making me sick! I quit taking the loritab and got some liquid tylenol. Much better
     
    Im still on a liquid diet. Pretty much all liquids. I've been eating soup, popsicles, yogurt, protein shakes, and jello. I'm somewhat satisfied. There are times though that I am defianetly still hungry. I've been trying to stay hydrated as I know that does help some with hunger. I really can't complain though. I've been on this liquid diet for about two weeks (one week prior to surgery to now) and Im down about 20lbs!!! I go to see my surgeon tomorrow so I am curious to see when I can go up to mushies! I am craving some cottage cheese.
     
    My biggest advice to anyone not banded yet and doing the pre-op diet is learn to LOVE IT! lol....Its hard....and you will be very hungry...but it's worth it!! Why are we all here???? To lose weight!!! Good luck to everyone
  3. Hello everyone ...So I'm just wondering what everyones post op diet looked like? I was told to do 2 weeks liquids after surgery...then mushies at 3 weeks...and then solids a week before my fill...so far I have stayed true to most of this. Im almost at week three and Im pretty much doing full foods now. I went to see my dad who lives about 3 hours from me and wasnt very prepared for my stay so ended up eating regular food. But I stuck to all protein. Like when they have speghetti with meatballs I had one (semi large) meatball. I also had some scrambled eggs...chicken breast...cottage cheese...and soups...today I had some shrimp and scallops for dinner and a peice of chicken breast from mcdonalds for lunch. Everything is going down good. (there is nothing in my band) and the only time I feel any restriction at all is on the morning. I hope I didnt ruin anything for myself my starting full foods early but I did and its actually seemed to help me with my weight loss.... I was stuck at a loss of about 20lbs for about a week and after coming back from my dads I thought for sure I gained weight but I was actually down a total of 24lbs now.
     
    Im able to sleep on my sides again and the pain is very minimal at this point. I am feeling MUCH better going into my 3rd week post op. Good luck everyone! And if anyone knows...Why does every surgeon have a different pre and post op diet regime??
  4. I am about one and a half months post op. So far Lapband has been great for me. I'm still down about 25lbs and I'm happy with that. But I've been stuck at the same weight for a while it seems. It seems like I will go down a lb and be there for a couple weeks then maybe go down another lb. So I'm hoping that the fill I get today will help speed things up a bit. I feel like I can still eat whatever I want to (but I try not to). I have 1.5 cc in my 10 cc band. The only time I feel stuck is in the mornings. So I usually try to eat something light like yogurt. I feel like my weight loss would accerlate more if I planned out my meals more and worked out more. So that's my plan. I am going to the store tonight and I am going to get some small tupperwear dishes that I can start putting all my things in. I notice that when I am prepared for hunger I dont make a foolish decision. I have started walking too. Right now I'm doing about a mile 3 times a week. And I could probably bump that up a bit. Looking forward to this fill and hope Im not too tight Very curious to see when I will be in the "green" zone.
  5. Ok so I had to post this because I was so excited!...Yesterday my fiance and I went shopping for a pair of jeans for me. Most of the things I was wearing before surgery look really baggy and weird and some of the things I saved before I gained weight are still too small. I started before surgery at about a size 24 jeans. And those were a little tight. So...we went to the store and I'm looking at all the jeans and I thought maybe Im about a size 22 or 20 now...(just fyi down 26lbs)....so that was the size I was looking for. But I ran across a pair of Old Navy Sweatheart jeans and they looked like somehting I could wear. So I looked at the tag and saw that they were a size 18! I though wow...I will try these on but they are probably too small....but they werent!!! I was so excited. I was stuck at 269 for about two weeks and now down to 267. Still have a ways to go, but hey im happy! Going in for a fill next week. A little over one month post op and very happy with the results so far! :D:D:D:D
  6. Today is one month post op for me! Everything is going pretty good. Im down (as of this morning) about 25lbs. I was at the same weight for about two weeks though and I think because of being back on a liquid diet for my fill I've lost a couple extra pounds ....The fill was....NOT bad at all. It was nothing really. The nurse started by putting 2 cc's in my band and the barium swollow drink was sitting in my throat for quite a while before going down. So she took some out and im at 1.5 cc's. Yesterday I did liquids all day. Still feeling kind of hungry. Today I had some chicken stew that I made last night and OMG...chew chew chew....I never had problems with chicken before my fill but earlier it felt like there was concrete stuck in my chest. I had to drink something to get it to go down. So im being very cautious of what I'm eating and trying to remember to chew chew chew and not drink with my meals. The not drinking with the meal is the hardest. Although the chicken did get a little stuck I still feel like maybe I need more in my band. Last night I was starving and today I'm ok....but not where I would like to be...I guess I am just getting use to the whole lapband thing. It's really hard to tell when im satisfied and/ or full. So...not sure if I should go get more in the band or just wait a few days to see where Im at. Everything otherwise as far as pain is great. Really cant feel anything anymore. My port was very easy to get to according to the nurse and band looked good on the x ray. Best of luck to everyone!!! Any advice on how you got to your green zone would be apprieciated! :-)
  7. Last night my fiance and I went out for my birthday dinner. I was a little nervous to see how me, alcohol, and my band would do...Also I havent drank anything in almost 2 years so I really had no tolerance to alcohol lol....The beggining of the night went well we had some drinks and everything seemed to be going good...Then we for some reason thought it would be a good idea to order some highly fattening appiteziers...After those were gone more drinks....I felt ok but major head ache when I left. Nothing really set in until I got home. As soon as I walked in the door I felt extremely ill....I tried my hardest not to get sick which made it even worse. I dont know if it was the alcohol or the crappy food choice that made me so ill but either way it was not worth it. I was down to 269 and today up to 271 so im not happy about that. Alcohol is wasted calories and then when you top it off with dip and many fried things it obviusly is not going to help with any weight loss. I am very excited for my fill next week and have been getting back on track today by having my protein shake for breakfast. Last night really made me realize that lapband wont do anything without your commitment to it...Feeling a little guilty...
     
     

  8. How was your first fill?

    · Sarah8807 · 10/27/2011 01:36

    I am very excited for my first fill! I'm 5'8 and started my journey at 293...I am now 269 (goal weight is 150) and 3 weeks post op today. I started my pre-op diet about 2 weeks before surgery and lost a lot of that weight in that time frame. I am now eating full foods. A lot of protein from meats, cottage cheese, string cheese, sugar free pudding, yogurt, veggies, soups, hummus, some lean cusine meals. I feel like I could keep eating but stop after my serving is done. I havent really been sitting down and eating 3 square meals a day. More like 3-5 mini meals. I've also been a lot more thirsty than normal...I had my first really uncomfortable feeling the other morning. I guess my band was a little tight because I ate some meat and OMG...I thought I was having a heart attack! I felt extreme pressure and so much of it in my chest. I immedietly stoped eating and was fine in about 5-10 minutes. I do feel tighter in the mornings so I am trying to just stick to my protein shake and coffee for breakfast...
     
    I am really anxious to see what this fill is going to bring. My surgeon says I should feel full longer and at times may not be hungry at all. I feel hungry a lot now so I hope it works out for me. I would love to hear about everyone else's first fills if you don't mind sharing?
  10. I was reading some of the forums online about flipped ports...It really freaked me out. Just wondering if anyone knows what the chances of this happening are? I have got up a little fast and sat down the wrong way a couple times since surgery and it really hurt around my port area (trying to be as careful as possible...) and Im sure Im ok...but It just made me wonder how easy or hard is it to flip your port?....
  11. I went to the surgeon today for my one week follow up. Everything is looking good. I had to have the fluid taken out of my band (about 1cc a day after surgery) so I really dont have any restriction that I can notice yet. I have been on a liquid and pureed diet for about two weeks now (one week prior to surgery to now) and was really excited because for some silly reason I really thought I was going to be told to move on to the "mushies" food stage....WRONG! lol I am on "pureed" foods for another week and a half!!! Ugh....Trying to stay positive. I am also trying to tell myself that I will not be on pureed foods FOREVER. ...So I was mainly doing soups with nothing in them such as tomato soup but got a little creative and was told as long as I puree my food to the consistancy of baby food i'm good! So I thought I'd share with you .....
     
    Today I made homemade chili...very simple and it's actually still really good when you blend it to the point of no return! I prefer homemade chili verses canned chili. It tastes A LOT better. I also put a little skim milk in when I blend it because my chili is pretty thick...I would be happy to share the recipe if you want it.
     
    Yesterday I made homemade butternut squash soup...Also another pretty easy recipe that is pretty satisfying...again, if you want the recipe just ask
     
    I also REALLY like Amy's Organic soups... My fav 3 are the split pea, lentil, spanish rice and red bean. All of the soups are delish but these three are still very good pureed. I buy these soups at Wal Mart, but I would think you can buy them at almost any groccery store...
     
    These are a few of the things that I really like (as much as you can like a pureed diet )...Please feel free to share your recipes or things that you like that are pureed!!
  12. I got banded early Wednesday morning and other than having to get an unfil everything has been good. Im not really in a lot of pain, only when I sit down or get up the wrong way. Last night I got really sick though and was throwing up everything, including water! It was horrible. I called the Weight Loss Surgical Center and they told me to come in. So I went in and then had to wait 2 hours for someone to come in and look at my band. I did the barium swollow thing and It showed that a lot of the fluids were just sitting at the top of my band and taking forever to go through. I guess by surgeon puts about 1cc in his bands during surgery to excellerate weight loss...the only problem is that my stomach is so swollen from the surgery that I defianetly can not tolerate anything in my band yet. I've been good since they took the 1cc out but im scared to go back to sleep. It seems like everytime I sleep my band gets tighter ...Im on clear liquids and have been drinking some warm green tea. I honestly cannot tell the difference between too much air in my stomach or the band being too tight. Im just hoping and praying that I heal faster and I dont have to go through another last night....The doctor said today that if this unfil doesnt work i will have to take steriods to shrink the swelling.....ugh...wish me luck!! lol

  13. Officially banded!!!!!

    · Sarah8807 · 10/06/2011 18:01

    Just got home from the hospital. Surgery was yesterday. It really has not been too bad. The next day (today) has been a little more painful. Mainly my port area. It doesnt hurt at all when I walk or when Im standing...But omg when I sit down its a sharp pain. I have the liquid pain meds which seem to be helping. I've lost 14lbs as of yesterday when I was weighed at the hospital. I stayed 24 hours and that was great. So far so good. Other than the port pain. I walked A LOT after surgery so I havent really had any of the dreaded gas pain

  14. Surgery is tomorrow!!!!

    · Sarah8807 · 10/04/2011 23:25

    wow...i cant believe that im going to be banded tomorrow (If everything goes smooth)!!!! I've lost about 10lbs so far on this pre-op diet and have been following it (almost) to a T. lol...Ok so I cheated a LITTLE yesterday. My fiance brought home all this Red Lobster stuff and I had a salad with vinigerette dressing and a little clam chowder...I know horrible....Im supposed to be having just clear liquids but wow Im really starving!!! I was about to pass out yesterday. Today ive had broth, sugar free tea, and some squah soup (with hardly any spices in it). I hope I havent ruined it for myself...lol...surely after losing 10lbs in a week ive shrunk my liver some!!
     
    Im curious to know what you all had to do for your pre-op diet? I've heard all sorts of things. Like just protein shakes, just clear liquids, other things like oatmeal...I wonder why it verys so much from surgeon to surgeon??
     
    I will TRY to get on here tomorrow and let everyone know how surgery went...Hoping it's not horrible...I labored for 10 hours with my son (with no pain meds) so I feel like NOTHING can be that bad...lol
     
    Good luck to everyone pre and post op!!!
  15. Im really sick of all the negativity about lapband around me. I do have about a handful of people (immediate family and a few friends) that support me in this journey, but it seems like everyone I work with has something negative to say about lapband. Today someone told me that lapband is being sewed because people are choking and not able to breathe and then dying! wtf?? I have not heard ANYTHING like this. Then to top it off all of my coworkers comment on EVERYTHING i eat (or drink I should say since still on pre op diet). People have just been flat out rude about lapband to me. I don't get it. I would never sit and discourage someone from something they are working so hard towards. My friends and family say to just ignore them, which is what I try to do, but why would grown adults act this way? All of the people that are being so discouraging are overweight. So it makes me wonder if maybe they are just scared to do lapband themselves so they want to pick on the person that IS doing it?? I dont know...I know I need to just stop caring but it's annoying..............
     
    I do have some good news though. Im 4 days into my pre-op diet and im down 8lbs!!!! whoooot whoot!

  16. Hungry

    · Sarah8807 · 09/30/2011 02:25

    Im going on day 4 of my pre-op diet. Which consists of broth, sugar free jello, soup with nothing in it, and protein shakes. Im starving at times! I wrote a post earlier about things going good, which for the most part they are, but omg there are moments when I want to attack some food! lol. Any tips on trying to stay hunger free while on the pre-op diet?

  17. Feeling Great!

    · Sarah8807 · 09/29/2011 17:39

    I'm on day 3 of my pre-op diet. So far so good. The first two days were very hard but day three has gotten easier. You really learn a lot about yourself when all you can eat is protein shakes, tomatoe soup, chicken broth, and sugar free jello... I never realized how much mindless eating I did. Last night was really hard because I cooked dinner for my fiance and then ate some chicken broth. After dinner we were sitting watching TV and I just had the urge to get up and eat something. I thought about it for a minute and realized that I wasnt hungry...just bored. I guess that's how I've got to be this weight. Bordem, stress, and loving food a little too much
     
    I did all my measurments when I started my pre-op diet and will be posting those on my page soon. I think that measurments are more accurate than pounds lost and Im going to try not to become completely obsessed with the scale. I absolutely love my surgeon (Dr. Hitchcock in Overland Park KS). He's really made me feel comfortable going into this surgery. The first thing he said to me was, "You have to stop beating yourself up about being obese and realize that obesity is a desease. Just like any other desease, sometimes you need help. And there is nothing wrong with that".
     
    All of our lives we've been looked at different because we're overweight. People treat you different, clothes don't fit right, and sometimes you just feel uncomfortable in your own skin. I am so blessed and grateful that I am getting this surgery. I know its going to be hard and anyone that says this is the "easy way out" has lost their minds! I hope the best to everyone one here!! Whether your pre-op or post or just thinking about lapband. This is trruely a great place to start your journey and there are so many supportive people!!
     
    I am also thinking about making some youtube video blogs...if and when I do this I will put a link on here if anyone is interested in watching... Have a great day!!!!
  18. I am beyond words! Very excited and grateful that I am being approved for lapband and will be able to get my life back! I start my pre-op diet tomorrow which consists of...
     
    water
    protein shakes
    one healthy choice meal a day
     
    Then the day before surgery all clear liquids...I went and bought my protein shakes (which is acutally this morning stuff that the doctor suggested) healthy choice meals, (chicken broth and some sugar free jello if I really am needing something different). My surgeon said that most people try to do just the protein shakes for the pre-op but I can do one healthy choice meal a day too if I want...So I think I will for the first few days and then try to stick with just liquids the last days leading up to surgery.
     
     
    I'm super anxious and getting my EKG and bloodwork today was sureal...I just cant believe this is acutally going to happen after waiting for it for SO long. I hope everyone on here the best of luck whether pre-op or post op!
     
     
  19. I AM ON TOP OF THE WORLD RIGHT NOW!!! I got a call from the lady at the weight loss surgical center saying that I am officially approved for surgery through my insurance!!!! SOOOOOOOOOOO happy!!!! I've waited 9 LONG months for this!!! I'm meeting with my surgeon Monday to start doing lab work for surgery!!! Possibly surgery date Oct 5th!
  20. My paperwork was submitted yesterday to the insurance company. I called Aetna today and they said they had no record of my paperwork. So I called the lapband center Im going to and the girl thats working on my case said that she sends it through a different way and that most of the staff is not able to see it....I asked her if I should continue to check on the progress of the case and she said not to....that I should just let her handle it from here because we dont want to "rock the boat" too much...It seems like the insurance makes decisions however they want to on these surgeries...Like even if your meeting ALL the requirments that THEY set for you it seems like they can still find a way to deny it...I am trying not to think about it too much. I really hope I get approved and Im trying to stay positive...I just feel like insurance companies only think about the short term costs of surgery and not how beneficial and money saving it will be in the long run..
  22. Need some advice. I have been working on getting lapband with my surgical center and insurance for about 8 months now. I FINALLY have all the things done that I needed to do for insurance and am ready to send my paperwork off to the insurance company. The company that I am working with has been pretty good up until recently. When I call to check on my progress I feel like Im aggravating them... Yes, I may call everyday sometimes...but is that a bad thing to want to know how my progress is going? I really want lapband. Now that Im getting close enough to get an answer I feel like its taking FOREVER. The girl I spoke with yesterday told me she would call me today and we would go over all my informaiton that she is going to send to the insurance company before she sends it. Its almost 2:30 where Im at and still no phone call...I try to email sometimes and now I get absolutely no responce.... I feel like I would do their job better than they do it. Im frustrated and tired of calling her because everytime I do I feel like im being a hassle to her! I dont think I should have to feel like this...What do you think?
  23. I havent been on here for a while and thought I would post some things. I'm almost 2 months post op and down 28lbs as of this morning. I'm not seeing a huge scale change but I was also not putting in 100% effort either. The holidays were...well the holidays. lol. So yes I did induldge a bit. I was excited to know that there was a limit to what I could eat and ran into a couple times where I ate too fast or too much and it was extremley uncomfortable. I started off Monday back in the right direction. I'm eating a lot of protein and eating very little of anything else. I've been doing a lot of diced up meats and cheese, chicken, string cheese, squash, and other meats. My diet is not very exciting but when I stick to it, it seems to work. I got down to 31lbs lost before the holidays. I would like to be down atleast another 10 if not 20lbs by the new year.
     
    I am learning a lot about myself. I really love my lapband. I have had 2 fills already and I have another scheduled for next week. I have 4.1cc's in my 10cc band. Anyone that is reading this that does not have lapband yet just know that this is not the "easy" way out. ANY WLS takes effort. And yes, some may be a little easier at first than others but in the long run its up to us to keep the weight off. I cought myself a couple of times eating things that I use to eat and then I would ask myself, Why did you have surgery? Just because you have lapband doesnt mean your obesity is cured. I wish. But that's not how this works. If you put in the time and effort the weight will come off. If not, than there is really no point in having surgery. I feel very motivated right now and have been doing well sticking to my diet. I do have days though where I am not as motivated. The nice thing though lately is that the more fills I seem to get the more I cant just eat without thinking about chew chew chew. Or else I have extreme pain. So I love that my band holds me accountable.
     
    My doctor also would like to see me have less than 30grams of carbs a day....Has anyone else been asked to do this? If you are new to the whole counting calories thing that is like two string cheeses! So if anyone has any good ideas for high protein/low carb foods please LET ME KNOW :-)
     
    Have a great day!!!
  24. Just wondering if anyone is in or around Kansas City MO? Looking for someone to workout with and somone that is going through the same thing I am. I love this online community but I would really like to meet more people around me that have Lapband. I've always heard to surrond yourself with people that are on the same bus as you!
  25. Hey does anyone know if you are approved for lapband (which my insurance with aetna has the same requirments for lapband, RNY, and sleeve) and you change your mind before surgery and decide that you do want RNY, can you get RNY? In my insurance bulletin requiremtents it has all the same requirements for surgery for all three surgeries...so does this mean you can decide RNY with your surgeon if thats a better choice for you? I havent been banded yet but I am approved for lapband...meeting with surgeon tomorrow...
     
    I am still pretty sure (about 90%) that I want lapband...the only thing(s) that scare me are the erosion and slippage rate of lapband...I mean in this economy what happens if you lose your job and have no insurance and then god forbid something happens with your band and you need surgery?.....Sorry I dont mean to be Debbie downer...but I am realistic...
     
    Would apprieciate any and all feedback

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