dontgoggilme

i agree. the band is always on my mind. i feel like i talk about it constantly and cruise this site constantly, too. today i asked my husband if he's fed up with my band yet cuz i never shut up about it or something relating to it (how i'm feeling, what i'm eating or rather... not eating, etc.). i worry about my protein intake, water intake, every little feeling inside my body that isn't "normal". it's like an obsession!!!

this might seem like a silly question, but i am only one week out and still new with my band. the thought just occurred to me.... folks talk about all kinds of things effecting their bands... what about amusement park rides? is it the same as riding pre band or will i need to be careful about which ones i choose and how long it's been after i've eaten?

hey meg. thanks for the quick post. it DOES make me feel better to know i'm not the only one. it's not just me! i was worried soemthing must be terribly wrong but maybe it's all just part of the body's healing process. i sure hope so. =)

i'm exactly one week post op today and i'm still having bad chest pains. it's a dull pain constantly but when i breathe in deeply it's hurts worse. it's located right in the center of my chest (between my breasts) and i can also feel it in the center of my back in the same spot just on the opposite side of my body. i had an xray done today to make sure all is ok with the band placement but we prob won't have info back on that til monday at the earliest. i had a hernia repair at the time of surgery so i don't know if this is part of the issue or not. i've also experienced a few single hiccups here and there which are odd becuase hiccups usually come in groups, but these are just one every now and then. i don't seem to have any other gas pains so i don't know if it's still the gas that everyone talks about. my doc's nurse said it might be tubing rubbing on the diaphragm and that kinda freaks me out that the tubing could just be doing whatever it wants in there. has anyone else had this or is having this issue???

i got a packet of stuff from my doc, too, and it talked about signing up for the site. i signed up and it seems alright. i tried tracking food on there but the automatic look up thing doesn't seem to have a lot of variety of things in the "bank" of foods to choose from. so i decided not to use that. the weight tracking part was ok but my doc is linked to this site called remedymd.com that all the info from my doctor's appointments is automatically logged into online. like when i go to the doctor for a checkup/weigh in, my weight is automatically updated online. when i have an appt, it automatically puts it in my calendar online and etc. etc. it's pretty cool. so far i haven't really used the lapband journey site and i had no friends to add for cheers either so that was kinda depressing. i use thedailyplate.com for food and fitness logging and i seem to like that pretty good and then i use the remedymd.com site for mainly weight tracking as it's linked to my doctor as i said before.

ok.... so this evening i was talking to my husband about my choice to be banded and i was having a worried moment wondering if i made the right decision choosing the band and not the sleeve. i asked my husband what he thought and he kinda looked at me for a minute and then told me this: he said that he honestly couldn't say because he doesn't really get why i wanted the band in the first place. he says he doesn't get why i wanted it, why i thought/think i need it, and why anyone would. he said that he never thought to ask me why i wanted it because i just said that i did and he wanted and is being supportive of my wants and decisions. but that he doesn't get it. he finished with these words, "i really liked my bucket of cheese eating wife." (i LOVE cheese!!!) lol so i was just thinking and wondering... how do other folks spouses feel about the surgery or what do they think about it? my husband doens't think i needed it (still doesn't) and doesn't get it at all but all the while he is supportive of my decision to have it. i told him that i have a made a huge life change and will have a lot more life in me know (meaning i'll be healthier) and he said "you had a lotta life in you before". to that i wanted to say, "yeah... i had a lotta something... FAT!" but i refrained. so anyway... what do ya'll's spouses think and feel about your decision and your new life after?

i'm not a split pea soup fan, but my husband is and he's real into recipes and cooking. he's excited about that recipe so thanks for sharing! of course... he doesn't have to do the puree part at the end but oh well. he'll enjoy it!

when my friend had her lapband surgery in sept of 08, i told her she was crazy. i was adamant that i would never do something so drastic just to lose weight. of course, i was supportive but there was no way i would even consider it. a year later, after seeing her go from size 18/20 to size 8/10 and become healthy and etc. i started rethinking my original thoughts on how i felt about wls. then i started researching and then i made my decision. i wanted it, too. i didn't really go back and forth about wanting it all that much until the day of surgery. i had to wait about four hours from the time i got to the hospital til the time they took me into surgery and all that time to think had me second guessing myself. i started to wonder if i was making the right decision and freaking out that i might die on the table. i got over that and had the surgery. now i worry that i will have bad complications or that it won't work for me or i'll have to get a revision. i'm always bad about second guessing everything in life though from the kind of car i buy to the color of my hair. i'm trying to just remind myself that, like someone else said, almost everyone who has had it says they would do it again or that they wish they had done it sooner. that says a lot. and look at all the success folks have had with it. i try to remind myself of these things and keep myself in the mindset that i've done it now and all that's left is to see the weight come off. and it already is!

i,too, have been experiencing the "tired and weak" issues. it's been the past two days for me along with some stomach pains and chest pains and etc. i slept for extended amounts of time just felt worn out after not doing much at all. today has been a bit better though. granted i did get in more protein today than i have been so i wonder if that's part of it. i've also noticed that i'm freezing all the time, too.

ya'll don't feel bad! i am 7 days post op and around day three (i think it was day three) i broke down and ate some gerber baby food applesauce. that went so well that later (prolly day four) i had some gerber baby food bananas. then day five hit and things went downhill. i started feeling like poo and haven't cheated again. i felt bad for cheating but glad that i chose to do it with something semi decent (it was a fruit, not something like ice cream or something and by the time i swished it all around in my mouth for a bit it was pretty liquidy when i finally swallowed it). either way, i felt bad and then worried if i had jacked something up inside when i started feeling bad. i'm on the mend now and staying away from the mushies til my doc says it's ok. it's hard as hell though and i will admit i've chewed foods and spit them out. i did it with a bite of bread and butter, a bite of pizza, and a couple bites of fritos. gross i know but i needed to TASTE and CHEW. i've found that i crave real food (not sweets and treats) and i thought that it would be the opposite. i've thought about blending up some good canned soups and i'm going to ask my doc about that at my follow up on wednesday.

my band is still a baby (only one week old today) so i can't share any post banding hair loss experience of my own. however, i do know that a friend of mine started losing her hair pretty bad a few months after banding and the hair loss lasted for a while and then slowly started thickening up again. i figured it was from protein issues but i noticed someone here mentioned the anesthesia and i have the urge to think that might more be the issue. the reason i think that is because i know that after having both my kids (and receiving epidurals) i had horrible hair loss for months and i didn't have any other health issues then. who knows? i hope my hair doesn't start going. if it does, i'm doing the nioxin thing someone mentioned!

ok... right now i'm drinking the Bariatric Eating inspire dutch chocolate Protein shake. drinking as i type. here's my review of it.... it definitely doesn't taste "like chocolate cake batter" as they advertise that it does... but it's not bad. it tastes much much better than the slew of other Protein shakes i've tried (including the horrific bariatric advantage). it mixed well (no clumps really) and the best part about it (well, what i think is the best part about it) is that it's only 4oz. 4oz! that's half of what most other protein shakes are!!!! and in that four ounces you get 30 grams of protein, with only 126 calories and 2 carbs. for that, i can definitely down 4oz of a semi decent tasting protein shake! i will definitely be ordering more of this and i'll post again later once i taste the others i got. still to taste: unjury chocolate unjury unflavored bariatric eating pure unflavored

i just got my orders of protein in the mail today. i ordered the sample packets from bariatric eating that betsy mentioned and i also ordered some sample packets from unjury that someone else on this site had mentioned. so far, i've tried the chicken soup one from unjury. it was really good. :frown: you mix it with 8oz warm water and it tastes like chicken broth. it even has the little green things in it. kinda salty but i added a little pepper and it was fine. it mixes well, too. it has 21g of protein in it. i am about to try the inspire dutch chocolate from bariatric eating and i'll let you know how that tastes.

ready, you are so lucky! i was banded on 3/12 and it's been hell. just when i thought i was starting to do really good (around tuesday) i started feeling horrible and even had to go for an adominal xray today to make sure the band is still ok. you are so blessed to feel "normal". i wish i did!!!

well, the suppositories really did help some but i'm still having a lot of gas pains and stuff. it sucks. i'm still feeling hungry, too. and no, i'm not getting all my protein in and i know that's prolly part of the problem with me feeling so sluggish and etc. but i can't stomach the ones i've been using and so i've been doing carnation instant breakfast. it's only 15 grams of protein per 8oz shake which is hardly anything i know. some new shakes are supposed to be coming in tomorrow though and hopfeully those will be helpful and something i can stomach. i'm nervous about calling my doctor's office and asking if i can move onto other foods. i mean, i don't know why i'm nervous i just am. has anyone actually called thier doc and said "i need to know if i can move onto mushies. i can't handle these shakes anymore!!!!" and if you did, what was the outcome? i feel like i'd be doing better if i were getting more protein. this is soooo hard. i'm constantly debating if i've done the right thing and thinking of all the food i could be eating right now if i hadn't done this. i sure hope i get past this phase.and soon.

last night was pretty hard. i could hardly sleep from all the pains in my stomach. it sucked! i felt a little better this morning though especially after i used the bathroom. i called my doc's office and they told me to try mylicon infant drops. that there's something about it that works better than gas x strips and they aslo told me to try a laxative suppository because i might be "backed up". sigh! we will see!!!!

i gave in. bought a new scale today. a kinda fancy one,too. it's digital and remembers how much you weighed last time. it says i've lost six pounds since my pre op weigh date (that was four days before my surgery). i guess i'll take that. i mean, it means i've lost six pounds in a 9 days. :cursing:

oh and my friend also said the itching means our incisions are healing and of course, that's a good thing. so even though it's driving me nuts at least it means i'm healing. getting closer and closer to feeling somewhat normal again.

ok ya'll. i must say i am so glad to log back on here and see that i am not alone. we are not alone! lol i thought it was just me and i'm sure each of ya'll thought it was just you. but it's not and i know it's going to be ok. as soon as i made my post i went and called (and woke up, mind you) a good friend who is almost two years out with her band. i cried my eyes out and told her everything i was feeling. she consoled me and told me that her first week was hell, too. she reminded me how hard it was for her and how many times she almost went to the ER thinking she might be dying. she asked me if i'm getting in all my Protein and my Water and i told her no (because i'm not). she said that it's imperative that we get in all the protein we need and all the water we need. she said if i don't, i'll feel like crap (like i do) and i'll be starving and etc. she reminded me that my body is adjusting to all this and withdrawing from food. it's basically like i'm starving myself and my body if i don't get the protein, nutrients, and water that i need. she told me to get the 1oz medicine dose cups they sent me home from the hospital with and drink my two ounces of Protein shake every 15 minutes for a full hour (making a full 8oz protein shake).that i gotta do that at least three times a day. and then use my cups to sip 2oz of water every fifteen minutes all the rest of the time when i'm not doing the shakes. she said it's easier doing it with the mini cups although i thought it was harder. it's the only sure way to make sure we get the protein and water we need. she also told me that one flintstones Vitamin is not enough for what i need. i need to chew two. so i'm gonna start doing that,too. she consoled me some more and reminded me to walk walk walk and that it will get better.i will make it through like she did. and that doing my protein and water right is what makes it easier. then we got off the phone and i started drinking another shake and some cream of chicken Soup. then i got a call back from her. she asked me what kind of lid my water bottles i had been sipping from had. she asked if it was the sport lid that you suck from. i said yeah. she said that's a big NO NO.she said sipping/sucking from a sport lid is like drinking from a straw which we banders are NOT supposed to do. she said that that puts so much more air in our bellies which makes more gas. that's when i realized that i was feeling great the other day. day before yesterday. the gas was actually subsiding and i was doing good. then we went and bought more water (with the sports lids). that's when i slowly started going downhill again. when we got the sports lids bottles since htey didn't have the regular there at walmart. i will never again drink from a sports lid bottle. are any of ya'll doing this? right now i'm sipping my protein shake in medicine cups and i'm halfway through my 8oz serving. i feel so accomplished and like maybe i will finally make it through this. and to make things a little bit better.... i bought a new scale tonight and it says i've lost 6 pounds. yay!!!! i hope all of you get something positive outta my hell and that you hopefully come outta your own hells ya'll are in. this is hard but just think how great it'll feel to be thin!!!! i'm trying to stay positive and come outta my dark moment.

ok. i'm five days post op and i dunno if this is what folks call "bandster hell" but i am definitely IN HELL! i am miserable. i'm starving! starving. i'm so freaking hungry i dunno what to do. i cry i am so hungry. i'm hurting. i feel wierd pains like i need to burp but i can't. walking doesn't help. gas x doesn't help. well, maybe a little. i try to burp but i can't. my stomach - both around the incisions and the incisions themselves - are itching so bad i want to just scratch my skin off! i'm not supposed to have mushies for another week or so but i caved and had some banana babyfood. i thought it was safest and i made it real watery with my mouth before letting it go down. it satisfied me for a while but i'm starving again and i'm about to die. i'm calling my doc tomorrow to ask if i can please eat something! something semi real! semi satisfying. is any of this normal? am i the only one in this hell???? i feel like i'm going insane. like wondering if i made the wrong decision. will it always be this way??? i'm snapping at everyone like a mad hungry demon. i dunno what to do!!!!! :cursing:

well, i guess i'm an odd one out on the not weighing thing. i think i will probably go buy a new scale (if the old one hasn't turned up) after i go for my first post op appointment. then i know it will be a battle with myself not to weigh everyday. dlacny, i can't believe you are taking your scale on vacation with you!!!! that's wild! but hey.... if you need to know, then that's the way to go!!! heck, i might be feeling that way after i start weighing regularly. luvin, i totally feel you on being in a not so nice place. i'm there, too. being on liquids is horrible. i'm fussy, and cranky, and hungry, and still bloated and still gassy and it's just rotten. totally rotten. i'm ready to move on! last night i went off on my husband because he came home and made chili and the whole house smelled like it and i couldn't eat anything. and everytime he says "i haven't eaten all day..." i cut him a look and remind him that i haven't eaten in over a week! there's no way i'm giving his "since this morning" any sympathy. no way! lol i do want to know if i've lost anything but i'm terribly afraid i'll get on the scale at the doc's office and find out i'm stuck at the same 233 i was four days before my surgery. that would be so devastating!

so.... i'm four days out (banded on march 12) and the last time i weighed was on march 8 or 4 days BEFORE my surgery. we recently moved and the scale was lost in the move. my husband says he knows where it is but usually that means it's really lost. lol so i haven't bought another one yet and am not sure if i want to. i kinda like the idea of not focusing on what the scale says but rather on how i feel and how my clothes fit. i'm going to be weighed by my doc's office at my post op visit on march 24 (7 days from now). i have no clue how much i weigh right now or if i've lost anything since surgery. while i do wanna know if i'm losing i also don't really wanna get focused on a number. is anyone else not weighing except at the doctor? what are ya'll's thoughts on this?:scared2:

i was sent home with liquid lortab and while i thought it wouldn't do much for me, it really does do something. i've also tried taking the adult liquid tylenol but i can't hardly bear the taste of it. it's horrible. i'd almost rather take children's liquid than the adult kind. i'm still swollen even though it's been four days and my incisions are itching like crazy!!!! oh... and someone mentioned taking motrin. i'm sure if your surgeon told you ok, then he probably knows what he's talking about. but both my surgeon and my gi doctor told me that taking drugs like motrin, advil (ibuprofen in general) and steriod meds by mouth can cause band erosion and they told me not to use anything but tylenol or the lortab. they also told me that that's why i have two small ulcers in my stomach because for years all i've used is ibuprofen (motrin, advil) or aleve and those drugs are known for causing ulcers. i had no idea before my upper gi pre op test. now i'm being super cautious and even trying to cut back on giving my kids ibuprofen!

despite having the patch, i still felt way nauseated coming out of the general anesthesia and they had to give me two doses of phenergan on top of the patch and the zofran they had already given me. thankfully all that worked though and i haven't thrown up or even dry heaved once. hope i didn't just jinx myself. but i have some zofran tabs on hand in case i feel the slightest little throw up notion. thank goodness!

mine was $200. and i agree that $3000 does seem awful high. i'd definitely wanna know what my 3 grand was paying for!