JoiaRox

You're awesome! I'm glad I met ya and am wishing you all sorts of luck! We have so much in common - right around the same age, I'm not married (do have a boyfriend), no kids, high school teachers...GO US! I'm excited for you to begin this journey!

Check my signature - it's there!

I got the Wii Fit Plus and Wii bundles for Christmas, after making it my #1 priority gift wish! When I first brought it home, I exceeded the weight limit...boo. I couldn't play Wii Fit Plus, but I *could* play Biggest Loser without the board. Now? I'm a little over 2 weeks post-op, have dropped 19 pounds and busted out the Wii Fit Plus again...it works! I was just a smidgeon over the 330 weight limit - it kicked me out the first time and wouldn't start up the Wii Fit Plus game (Biggest Loser wouldn't let me use the board either - but you can play that one without the board). I'm down to 319 now, though, so even with clothes...I work! Being able to use my new "toy" was definitely an initial motivator in my pre-op diet...and I'm glad I'm now banded and weigh a little less so I can use it!

I was told to stop BC prior to surgery (instructions were "stop now" at my consultation). So, I was off of it 2 months prior to surgery. At my one month follow-up/first fill, I'm going to ask if I can get back on it...I've got a boyfriend 2,400 miles away that I'm seeing again at the end of March!

I'm an avid fan of this website, and spend a LOT of time reading here (and posting on occasion). I'm a little over two weeks post-op and it just dawned on me...the last hour or so I've spent here today could have been spent exercising! Bye for now...I've got a Wii Fit Plus to turn on!

I had two tests for clearance. One was the EEG thing they're talking about (more jelly on the belly, feelin' around and watching my heart on a monitor) and the second was a stress test on a treadmill. Under 5 minutes of running/walking and they could easily see that I'm fine with activity - I'm just fat!

I use these awesome, incredibly yummy, 40 calorie lemon chews...check 'em out! Calcet Lemon Creamy Bites - single box

I blog - it's awesome! I, too, want to track my journey. Even though I started it less than a month ago, it's already entertaining to go back and read . You can check it out if you want - link's below!

I started my pre-op diet on 12/31 and was banded 1/7. I've lost 19 pounds so far...it's the liquid diets, the loss of a swollen belly, change in diet, etc. I've been losing about a pound a day, but I know that will change rapidly once my body gets used to all that. Average weight loss, long term, is 1-2 pounds a week for LapBand patients. I go for my first fill 2-6-10, but I know this amazing weight loss I've seen already won't continue!

Hey y'all! Don't know if I've posted here or not - I'm a little over 2 weeks post-op, so yay for January 2010 Bandsters! I'm down 19 pounds (started pre-op diet on December 31, so I'm attributing all of my weight loss to 2010!), and I'm loving life! I suppose my stomach is just about done "healing" because I have been STARVING for the past two days...yay Bandster hell! But, thanks to the awesome computer software I use (FitDay) to track my calories, weight loss, activity levels, everything, etc...(lol!), I'm being accountable and NOT shoving anything into my mouth that I'm not fully informed about. I got my surgery done by calling 1-800-GET-SLIM (see their ads on this website, much?!) and haven't regretted a single minute. My initial consultation was done in November...followed by the pre-op work of an endoscopy, blood work and ultrasound...then a cardiac stress test by my PC doc, a psych and nutrition eval over the phone, and finally surgery exactly two months after my consult - January 7th! Mine went through insurance, so I'm glad I had a rapid turnaround of pre-op work, insurance submittal and insurance approval! I'm addicted to this website - I read, read, read and read some more. I also have my own blog and have "come out" about my surgery to anyone and everyone - including my students (I teach high school)! I've found the support to be tremendous (especially on my Facebook page!) and it's neat to have everyone continually ask how much weight I've lost, how I'm doing etc. Talk about motivation! Sounds like my doc was nicer than some of yours - I was on liquids week 1 and was able to progress to mushies week 2 - mashed potatoes never tasted so good! I've been on solid foods now for a couple of days, including some chips and salsa, but it's very clear to me now that my band has no liquid in it! As I said earlier, I've been absolutely starving for a couple of days, so I know my stomach is just about healed...no more swollen belly helping me with restriction! I get my first fill on 2-6-10 and am eager to see how that changes my diet! Head hunger? Screw it. I didn't go through this just to fail! My body *is* getting what it needs (complete with chocolate peanut butter fudge protein powder, yummy vitamins and calcium citrate chews from http://www.bariatriceating.com) and the hunger can shove it! :cursing:

I had my surgery on a Thursday and didn't go back to work the entire next week. If I had a desk job, I could have gone back Monday. Here's me: Thursday - surgery Friday - huddled up on the couch in and out of sleep all day Saturday/Sunday - cleaned my house from top to bottom, with lots of rest Monday - drove 100 miles each way to LAX to pick up my boyfriend...energy fine, pain minimal Tuesday thru Friday - fine on energy, pain minimal I returned to work the following Tuesday, as a teacher, and was exhausted by the end of the day...that's lots of walking, bending over to help students, meetings after school, etc. I don't know if I was tired from my body still recovering or just being back at work after being lazy for a week with my boyfriend! But, by day 2 of work I was fine, and I'm doing great now, a little over 2 weeks post-op! Good thing - I don't have another day off (after today) until Feb. 6th! Funny, that's also my first fill date!

My answer? No. I've been a HUGE Diet Coke drinker - and only fountain sodas, please. I spent at least $8 a day buying 44oz. Diet Cokes from various fast food restaurants in town and guzzling at least two of them before lunch. When I started my one week pre-op diet, Diet Coke was not on the list of "allowed" beverages. I don't know if it was the nerves of my upcoming surgery or what, but I went cold turkey on Diet Coke. Since my surgery a little over two weeks ago, I've bought 2 DC's...one was a small (I had 10 sips and felt sick) and the other was a large...that went flat and the ice melted before I remembered I had even bought it. I had NO caffeine withdrawals, thank god, and I've done a complete 180 now. I am no longer a Diet Coke whore, I'm a water whore - and loving the results I'm seeing on the scale and the change in my complexion from actually being hydrated for the first time in...YEARS! Just thought I'd throw my positive experience out there

Mine's a few inches underneath my right breast. I can feel it now (2 weeks post-op), but the big indicator was that my largest scar is there...the other three scars are all an inch or less long, while the scar by the port is almost three inches! My post-op doctor (not the same as my initial doctor) instantly knew where the port was by looking at the scar lengths.

I'm two weeks post op today and started smoking the day after my surgery...I only quit the day before :biggrin:. I agree - it's tough to give up all your vices at once! I found myself on my pre-op diet giving up my Diet Coke addiction, food addiction and smokes all at once...it was too much to bear! I *will* say that I smoke less than I used to (pack a day down to about half a pack), but it's something I haven't quite been able to give up yet. My wounds healed just fine, I'm losing weight, I feel healthy and great...and even my smoker's cough has diminished because I'm smoking less! While I don't advocate smoking, I just thought I'd give you my two cents!

I also HIGHLY recommend checking out bariatriceating.com. My Grandma had gastric bypass surgery a couple of years ago and lives for the products on this website. I got banded almost two weeks ago and she just sent me some of their products in the mail - I tried the Peanut Butter Fudge Protein shake this morning - OMG SO DELICIOUS! She also gave me some Calcium citrate chews and multi-Vitamin LapBand friendly chews...never had better tasting nutrition! Check it out - she also recommended their Protein Bars. I'm eager to buy my first supply of stuff after sampling what she sent me!

Congratulations on taking this step for your health and welfare! I had my consult on November 7, 2009...easy, quick discussion with the doctor there and a brief explanation of the process. On November 11, 2009 I went in for my endoscopy, blood work and ultrasound - all good! From there, I had a psych evaluation by phone and had a phone conference with their nutritionist to go over my pre- and post-op diet. I also had to do a cardiac stress test at my primary care physician because of how obese I am...that was done right before Thanksgiving. Finally, ALL of those documents were sent in to my insurance about mid-December, and I received a phone call on December 30, 2009 to schedule my surgery for January 7, 2010! My surgery was outpatient, so I was at the actual hospital from noon to 6:30pm. If you'd like to read more about my experience, feel free to click my blog below...I've tried to be pretty detailed in logging it all. Best of luck to you :biggrin: - I'm still stoked I did it!

Good to know - it sounded hokey to me, and I hadn't read anything about that in any research. Asked my PE teacher friend this morning, too, since she's been a health guru for 40 years...it was news to her too :biggrin: Guess I'll keep weighing myself, then! Besides, updating my little weight ticker down here only once a month at fills...that's boring!

My first question is - why would you not talk to your mother/family about your surgery? Are you ashamed that you've taken this wonderful step to take care of YOU?

I wouldn't worry about it either - my doc had me on a two week pre-op diet but, because of the quickness in which my surgery was scheduled, I only did one week. As was just mentioned, the pre-op diets vary GREATLY from doctor to doctor. I've read about 6 month diets, 2 weeks, 1 week, 1 month, 48 hours, nothing, and everything in between! I'm sure you'll be fine

I would talk about this with your doctor - ask if you can get more fills if desired. Although my first fill is scheduled for 2-6-10, I've been reading about people who get aggressive with their doctors - demand you get a fill in two weeks if you're not feeling the "restriction" and make sure that the doctor is helping the LapBand help YOU. If he's not, he's not doing his job. Ask your doctor what his fill schedule is and if it's flexible according to the patient's (you) desires/needs. If not? Maybe you need to find another doctor...easy to switch as long as they're still in your insurance's network.

That makes me sad :eek:. Do it! I'm surprised at peoples' recovery times they're posting...everyone IS different, but I've had more experience with people who recover very quickly. I had my surgery on a Thursday and could have returned to work on Monday, easily - and I'm a high school teacher/union politician who does long days with a lot of walking around. Although I did take a week off, it was more because my long distance boyfriend came in town and not because I needed to recover. Sure, being able to be lazy and waited on hand and foot by the amazing man in my life probably helped recovery...but if I had to be back at work on Monday, I would have been fine. On that Monday I drove the 100 miles to LAX to pick up my boyfriend, then back home...all good! Spent the week with him doing all sorts of hanging out and other things people do who live 2,400 miles from each other.... But, really - why postpone it?! DO IT! You'll keep finding excuses not to have the surgery - and you'll keep living the unhealthy lifestyle you've been living. How much more time do you want to take off of your life?

I am almost two weeks post-op. I bought the strips on my way home from the hospital and the box is gone. Although I did walk quite a bit and drank a lot of water, I had minimal gas pains...I only had the gas "release" going on during days 2 and 3 post-op, but I've been fine! I don't know whether to attribute the lack of gas pain to the strips, everything else I did...or I was just lucky. Either way, I used them.

I just had my post-op appointment last Thursday and my doctor told me not to weigh myself - ever. He said my weigh ins would be when I go get filled at his office once a month. The reason behind that? He said not knowing your weight when you're dieting like this causes your body to release a hormone called "cortisol" which actually burns fat. So, apparently, being anxious and kicking the weigh-a-holic mindset is actually helpful! Having said that? I weighed myself this morning. Oops! LOL!

I didn't have to walk...just got up to go potty . As soon as I said I was okay to go, they let me go. I was in at noon and out by 5:45pm!