ardelia

At my 2-week surgical follow-up with my surgeon, he cleared me to go back to the gym and begin lifting weights without restrictions. It was such a relief to go back!!!

I am in the minority in that I despise Fairlife shakes. There's a taste in there that I cannot identify and my brain won't let me swallow it. One tip I have is do NOT buy a ton of ANYTHING because you think you'll want it after surgery. I lived on bone broth with cayenne and fresh-squeezed lemon for my pre-op diet (2 weeks). I had several boxes of it left over after the surgery and the mere *thought* of it post-surgery truly made me gag. Luckily for me, my neighbors are big cooks and happily accepted my offer of the bone broth. The protein shake that I've loved for years is made by Click. They're coffee-flavored. I know that they used to have a decaf version, but I can't seem to find it on their site now. You can have it hot or cold, even blended with ice to make a shake. You can mix it with water or milk, but the slight saltiness of coconut water as the liquid is suberb. They offer a 3-pack sampler with free shipping. NO, I have nothing to do with the company - I'm just a fan.

My surgeon did robotic surgery for my RNY. I was disappointed that I didn't get to "meet" the robot. My surgeon does surgery with and without the robot. As long as the surgeon is comfortable using the robot, then I am fine with it. A simple Google search brings up risks and benefits of robot-assisted surgery and having read these (shorter hospital stay, smaller incisions, less chance of infection, etc.), I can't really see why people would prefer regular laparoscopic surgery.

I had no staples and I was sleeping on my side the very first night.

I can't seem to find the answer to my questions. Is your port visible? Can you feel it? Is there any kind of bump where the port is? Thank you for your help! :bored:

A moth! :rofl:

I also went with Phoenixville Hospital. The surgeon is fantastic and the nurses were just amazing! I am surprised that there are not more posts about Dr. Kaczmarski and Phoenixville Hospital. I heartily recommend both.

I have not been offered anything to numb the pain, but I agree with the above. You're gonna get a needle stick either way. Frankly, I don't even notice any kind of pain during fills. He has me bear down like I am going to have a BM, and maybe because of concentrating on that I don't notice the pain of the needle? Also, the needle is a very thin needle.

My surgeon told me I cannot have aspirin or caffeine, and both are in Excedrin. It is a shame because Excedrin was my headache medicine of choice. No biggie...I'll just use Tylenol. Also, I was told NEVER to use any kind of extended release product.

Since I have had my surgery (10Nov10) I have not lost a staggering amount of weight, but I have lost over 30 pounds so far in total. (I am very happy with my progress, having lost about 10 pounds since surgery.) Yesterday I was looking for something casual to wear to my sister's house and I found a pair of jeans that were really tight when I bought them. When I put them on, I looked like a total schlub because they were hanging off my body. They were so loose, in fact, that I was able to pull them down without undoing the zipper and button. I looked like a total slob, but I was a thinner version than before!! There goes another piece of clothing in the "do not wear" pile.

Thanks and the same to you! It really is weird, but I'll take looking like a thinner slob any day! Have a great trip to Hawaii.

Congratulations on your surgery date! I can only address the first question. I also have many piercings, most of which I cannot remove. I simply took out the ones that were no problem and told the intake nurse about all the other ones. They put tape on the ones that they could and left the others as-is. The "others" are on body parts that, um, are not routinely visible. I had no problems even though they told me beforehand that ALL piercings have to come out. Everything is negotiable, but be honest with them. If they have a problem during the surgery, they might freak having to deal with a surprise piercing.

I received my hospital bill today. It isn't really a bill, it says, but it is a schedule of the charges. It was over $33K. I surely hope that the insurance doesn't dick around with it!!! I cannot believe how much surgery and the associated costs are.

I am sick of everyone and everything associated with reality television. I hate all of you and NONE of you are special or talented people. Go play in traffic. I'd watch THAT.

I am shocked that you are permitted to take any kind of time-release pill (sustained release, etc.)!!! In no uncertain terms, I have been told NEVER to take any pills of this nature after my banding. It affects the absorption of the medication. You should talk to your pharmacist and doctor about this. It could be dangerous if you are getting more or less of the medication than you think you are getting.

I am on day 3 of the pre-op diet and doing pretty well. I can't stop peeing because of all the liquid, but I figure that I am burning calories walking back and forth so many times a day. Let me just say that my three favorite things right now are the sugar-free chocolate pudding, cream of wheat, and the NSA chicken broth. The time for my surgery is a mystery to me. I have to call the afternoon before to get my time slot. This is super exciting and I cannot wait to get on with it already!!

I went to see the nutritionist today and I mentioned one of my meds. She said that after I have been banded I can NEVER take any kind of medication that is extended or sustained release. Not that I have read every single thread here, but this was news to me. Has anyone here heard that as well??

Same thing here... I just found out on Friday that the HMO I have had for years will no longer be an option. The PPO that will be an option will NOT cover surgery with the surgeon I have been seeing. They only use Centers of Excellence. If I don't get surgery before the end of this year, I'll have to start over again. Of course, I don't even know if my employer's specific plan with the new PPO will even cover bariatric surgery. Ugh. :smile2:

A temporal association is not always causality. Talk to a physician.

At least you HAVE a date! Some of us would kill for a surgery date. Best of luck to you.

*sigh* I feel a little better about things after nearly a week, but I still do hope that he comes around eventually. If he did snap, then maybe things will get better, He still has to figure out what will happen with the business, so I know I will hear from him at least one more time. Let's just hope that things work out for us both. It sure is lonely, though. My phone has not rung in days. ((insert crying, pathetic emoticon here))

I realized after the poll had already posted that I did not include "other" or "none of the above" in it. :thumbup: Sorry about that! If someone knows how I can add it, I'd be happy to!!

If you read the product information of the LAP-BAND System, you will see that one of the contraindications is if you have alcohol or drug addiction. I don't know the OP, so I don't know whether there is an addiction issue; however, if there is, the physician must be told about it so that s/he can help the OP make the best decision. It really is critical that you tell your doctor everything. Omission of anything is not fair to YOURSELF. Don't you want the best possible outcome for YOU? I surely want the best possible outcome for you. :scared2:

Yep! And that is why I still look around here...if bupropion does not work in combination with the thyroid meds, this might end up being a great option for me. :thumbup:

You are too kind, thank you for the offer! I think that my e-mail address is in my profile, but if not, let me know. THANK YOU!!