slikchik10

i too am in Redlands. I had my Options classes in Fontana...and they were night classes. They usually started @ 6 pm, so I had to really plan to commit my time on the night the class was held. Tis really helped me be serious about the commitment I was making to this decision.

Ok, I came home with a drain for week. I just showered with the bandage. After, I would put a clean bandage on after showering. I would clean around the area with alcohol, put on a clean gauze square. After my drain was removed, I did the same except my Dr. said I could begin using some Neosporan when it began to scab over. After a good scab formed, I switched to aloe...and I put this on all my incisions. They're healing great! Good luck.

Hey, had band removal, sleeve revision & hernia fixed on 5/20 by Dr. Chin out of the Redlands office. Loved it! I'm down 15 so far, and the after care has been awesome. I would also recommend getting involved with the support group out in Fontana at the weight management center. My stay at St. Bees was good and am up and around doing well. The Kaiser program is WAY better than I had with my banding experience. Education is the key and they help in all capacities with that. Good luck.

I'm a middle school teacher and my Dr. said 3 weeks. Now...I had a revision from a band and thought 2 weeks would be enough. I'd recoverd from the band surgery pretty quickly. Well....glad with this one I took the 3. Remember we expend a great deal of energy not just with our actions in the classroom, but also mentally. Take what your Dr. suggests. Plan to heal...think of yourself first. That's part of the process of our learning to maximize our sleeve. I love my kids...but I needed this for me. I had surgery on 5/20. Feel free to ask me anything. :-)

That is my crazy thing right now....all the twinges from my diaphragm muscle. Laughing....bending over (that's been a surprise), rolling over...etc. have all been showing up at different times with a painful twinge. Dr. said it would get better... :-)

Hey, just wanted to chime in on the loose stool issue for a sec. My first week I was having a bit of this and I got to thinking that all the "good" bacteria & stuff probably became unbalanced in my intestines & such. So, one of the things on my meal plan (which was liquids 2 wks) was yogurt. I had 4 oz. of chobani vanilla nonfat. Took me almost an hour to eat, but after that...no loose stools, gas, etc. don't know if this would help....but it worked for me.

Yeah, unfortunately it's normal. I was walking an 18 min. mile pre surgery....I'm back to that, but again, things for me have gone really well. Since you've had such a traumatic experience with things, cut yourself some slack. This healing/recovery is WAY different from band recovery. I was up in a week after my band. This time I had the removal, revision, & hiatal hernia repair (I got a 2-fer). I'm currently discovering all the things I didn't know our diaphragm muscle actually does, (oweee!). So, I just go with the signals. I worked in my classroom yesterday...today, walking will be my task. I try to set small goals each day. Week one only had 1 "biggie" a day. My first big goal was to wash my hair in the kitchen sink. That was all I could do so the rest of the day I sat & slept. Look at daily tasks...pick one as a goal and go from there. You're doing fine and it WILL get better. Just remember, your timeline isn't the same as everyone else's. Just go with it! :-)

I too had a revision (5/20). Although mine has gone very well...I have been off work for 3 weeks and in the last week I discovered that being out that long was good. I teach middle school and decided to pop in for the last day's awards ceremony. I was wiped from just doing that. Then yesterday I went to wrap up my classroom....again, wiped out from something so piddle. I even conked out both Sat & Sun by sleeping most of the day away. And today would be my back to work day but we're out now. I can't imagine the classroom right now, whew! I say all this because I have to remind myself I'm healing from major surgery even though it didn't cut me wide open. My 45 yr. old body needs time. I rest when I'm feeling bad and move when I'm doing well...listen to those signals. You & I both know why we did this....otherwise choosing the band in the first place wouldn't have happened (6yrs. ago for me). I want permanent change and I have to work on it a day at a time. You've mentioned you've been through a lot, but think how much you're gaining through these lessons....patience, listening to the body's signals, etc. All things we've not really done before this experience. Chin up...know there's a bunch of us out here trudging along with you and wishing you well. Good luck!

Love my sippy cups. I just enlarged the holes a tiny bit so I didn't have to suck on it like the toddlers they're designed for. Good luck!

I swear by CelebrateVitamins.com. Before my band was removed and revision done 5/20, I found a protein drink & multivitamin all in one! If I do that plus their drinkable multivitamin in the evening I get all the vites I'm supposed to get within the time frame my Dr. wants. My levels are great. Iron is my only prob...but this is a "prior to surgery" issue I'm working on. Check them out. I don't like the chewable a....textures bug me. :-)

Ok, here's a thought found on a shirt I just bought. Seems appropriate here... Sweat dries, blood clots, bones heal. Suck it up buttercup! We all have issues regarding various things but the point of the choice we made is to CHANGE! I'm 3 wks. out from a revision from a band. How bad did I NOT want to screw this up? A lot, so no cheats for me. Ya gotta want it bad enough to make it successful. Find a local support group and get involved, online is nice, but it doesn't take the place of human interaction. (My Dr. advice). So, decide...are ready for the change, seriously. IMHO

I have an Ice shaver that I would freeze different things into small, 8 oz. "hockey pucks" and drop them in. Shave away...instant chew texture but melting into a liquid. It worked fabulously for those 'I want to chew' moments. I had 2 wks. Liquids....best of luck!

For me...I was 6 yrs. w/my band and the removal & revision were all one operation. I teach and thought maybe 2 wks out, but my Dr. was firm on 3. Now...I discovered that he found a hiatal hernia in there and had to repair this also. I'm doing very well, but am discovering the recovery this time has been a bit slower so the 3 weeks has been good. Like having the flu, I felt up to things but discovered that my energy would get zapped. I think depending on the demands of your job (lifting, people interactions/demands, etc.) you could decide. Remember the important thing is to HEAL...so this revision will allow you the best success. Good luck!

Yeah for purée! Never thought I would enjoy it so much but after 2 wks. of liquids....well, y'all know. :-)

Glad to help. I've always had a touchy stomach so I knew I'd need something. Glad my Dr. was thinking ahead. Good luck.

Had my follow up w/Dr. today, down 11 lbs. Doing well...purée starts tomorrow according to my meal plan. Boy am I ready...lol. Otherwise, I too am a bit down in my energy level and not really interested in food. I figure moving to more substantial food will help this. Since mine is a revision from 6yrs. of lapband, this first stage of eating hasn't been too bad...been there, done this. So, glad to be on the journey to a better me. :-)

Mine too! My Dr. Said I can use a bit of Neosporan. It helps...couple of times a day, no itching. Things are healing nicely. :-)

Hey there! Banded in 2007 and just had it removed and revised to a sleeve 5/20. I feel GREAT! The post surgery is a bit different, but I am so greatful for the good things I learned from my band. For instance, the post surgery eating doesn't bother me as much. I'm WAY more committed so the liquids, puréed, etc. doesn't concern me much. I know small is good. I also know that I needed a tool and the bypass would not have been a consideration. So, I'm very pleased and hope to continue forward. I'm down 9 lbs. and it's just my first week. Best of luck.

Hey! Band removal, sleeve revision, & hiatal hernia repair 5/20. Home on Wed....so far doing really well. I think having gone through this post op eating with the band, it isn't so foreign. It ain't great, but in the long run it'll do. Actually had some Greek yogurt yesterday which helped substantially with the gas pains I'd been dealing with. Today I surprised myself and actually walked a mile...took a while, but I did it. Drain removal set for Tue...hope that helps the left shoulder pain I've had today. So, yeah...I'm doing pretty well.

Well, my Dr. unfilled my band a month prior to surgery. My reflux was gone after that, but I knew I still needed help...thus the revision to a sleeve. I'm doing well...having the band helped me better prepare for post surgery diet and I'm a bit of a type A so I'm pretty prepared for the recovery time. I surprised myself by accomplishing a 1 mile walk today....still not back up to pre-surgery pace and distance, but the length surprised me, surgery was only a week ago. Thanks for asking.

Hi all. I've just been sleeved on 5/20; that's the new part. The old part is the lapband I also had removed on 5/20. I haven't participated on either of the forums in quite a while, but I look forward to enjoying the journey with many of you. So far things are different, but not so different that I am nervous about being sleeved. I figure that taking it a day at a time is all I can do. So I make sure tomorrow is better than yesterday. Best of luck to us all. :-)

Hi all. I'm 6 days post op and was having terrible gas pains. Believe it or not, 4 oz. of Greek yougurt helped tremendously! I'm wondering if the good bacteria that aids digestion helped a bit in the new set up, thus...less gas produced. I know they pumped it in...but I was having the "gurgles" awfully bad and this helped. Just a thought.

Janine, thanks for the advice the other day. One of the interesting things that I found out about from my friend that I was visiting. She'd just had her tummy PS back in Dec. She's still got "muffin top." Her Dr. said that once he works on the 'girls' it will disappear some, but because that was not fat, just extra skin, he couldn't tighten it up completely until he saw how the upper procedure went. So, I think that unless I'm a young chick....with really elastic skin...I'm still gonna have a few moments of feeling fat. This is just due to sag in places though. I know my arms are pretty good....just saggy (not super saggy, but I know what's left is skin...not fat. I think that some of underneath is fat, but since we've stretched the skin....some of it's just plain skin. I hope this all makes sense. Anyway, doing better with the attitude. Thanks for all the support from the gang here. Can't believe we've all been together for a couple of years. Wow! Kyethra, good to see ya girl. I understand about your dilemma, but we're here for ya girl! Annette