crecia1975

It seems like you will have the gas pain forever, but it will go away. Give it a few more days and just keep doing what you have been doing.

I gained weight in the 6 months prior to surgery. It scared because I thought "If I can't control this now, how will I be able to control myself after I'm banded?" I reached an all time high of 285 lbs before my surgery on 10/12/10 and now I'm down 65 lbs. So the pre surgery weight gain did not doom me to failure, but it did put me farther away from my ultimate goal. Don't think of the 6 month wait as a bad thing. Think of it as time to get you mind together before you take the big plunge. It can also be a time to work on some things like slowing down your eating or taking smaller bites. The six months will pass before you know it and I'm actually glad I had that time to get some things in order. Good luck to you!

I gain about 3 lbs., but then it goes away.

Good advice!

It's normal to have swelling at the port site. I had some swelling for a few months. I was banded six months ago and that area is still tender sometimes. You should be careful and follow your doctor's orders for the post op diet. The stomach is still trying to heal. That's why they have us on liquids and then mushies. I didn't cheat on my liquids post op only because I was not hungry at all. I was on liquids for 2 weeks before and that was HORRIBLE. The 2 weeks after was ok for me. It was so weird because I thought I would be so hungry, but I wasn't. I could barely get all of my shakes in each day.

This is exactly what I do. I don't get out a cup when I eat and I am fine. You will be so surprised at how fast this will become a habit. My husband will forget sometimes and asks me what I want to drink with my meal. I just look at him like he's crazy and then he remembers

My eval was short and I didn't take any tests. I talked to the shrink for about 20 to 25 min. We just talked about family history stuff and what I thought I would gain from the surgery. She wanted to make sure I didn't have any unrealistic expectations. My shrink was very nice, to the point and she gave me her opinion right then and there. My husband jokes that I must have hidden my craziness when I went to the appointment.

I'm not an expert, but it sounds like you are getting in some great workout time. Doing this 5 days a week is awesome. You should be proud of yourself. If you thought of adding in anything else, maybe think about a little bit of weight training on a few of those days.

It sounds like you may be too tight if you are throwing up a lot. I agree with reverie in saying 1/2 cup isn't the magical amount. I can eat more then a 1/2 cup some days and sometimes I can just eat a very small amount. It can vary from day to day, but I'm still losing weight. You just have to make better food choices and talk to your doctor about all of it. That's what they are there for.

LOL!!! I know! I would say "oh these pants are just a little snug and I will just wear a longer shirt so it looks better". Whatever! I'm sure I looked like a hot mess!!

I was just like you after surgery. I was on a liquid diet for two weeks before and that was sooooo hard. The two weeks after was a breeze because I was never hungry. I had to force myself to get all of my shakes and Water in. I took sugar free Jello to work and never ate it because I didn't want it. I was on two weeks of mushies after that and I would get full on 1/2 cup of mushie food. It seemed so crazy to me and it took a few months for me to actually feel hungry. I still don't get hungry like I did before surgery, but I have some days I want more to eat. Don't worry and it will all work out. Don't think you have to feel exactly like all of the post op scenarios you read. Just listen to your doctor and your body and everything will fall into place. Good luck!!

That is awesome and I know exactly what you mean. I cringe when I think about a few things I was squeezing into before losing 60 lbs.

I'm not sure how alcohol affects healing, but I woulld leave it alone for now. You should stick to your post op diet. That time will pass very quickly and you will have plenty of time to drink wine in the later months. You also need to remember that alcohol has a lot of empty calories. I'm not saying to never drink again cuz lord knows I like to have some cocktails . Just be careful on how often and how much you drink. Drinking also makes me feel tight and swollen. Good Luck!!

I had to do liquids for 2 weeks before and 2 weeks after surgery. Mushies were for 2 weeks and then to solids. Every doctor is different, but you need to follow the plan he gave you. Don't worry about what the person next door is doing. Just follow his plan and you will be fine. If you have a question, be sure and call his office. They will tell you what you need to know. Good Luck!

Be sure to get some rest and get those fluids in. Make sure you walk to ward off those evil gas pains. I hope to hear from you soon.

Good Luck!!!!!!!!!!!!!!

What does your doctor say? Mine says no carbonated drinks ever again.

Good for you and good luck on your journey!

You need to sit down and think about what is best for YOU. What do you want to do? Don't think about the reactions of other people, good or bad. You have to look inside yourself and decide if this will help you in your journey. If you feel doubt or worry maybe you need to reevaluate your decision. I thought about getting surgery for about two or three years before I did it. I'm glad I waited, because my head wasn't in the right place 2 or 3 years ago. I used to care about what others would think. Then one day I just didn't care what anyone else was thinking. I knew this is what I had to do to get healthy and to be happy. You may think about it and decide that surgery is not right for you and that's fine as long as you are making this decision and not someone else.

You said it right Amanda! It's all about respect.

Sounds like you are on your way to a healthy new you. Good luck and I hope to see more posts from you. We are in the same neck of the woods....I live and work in Funky Town (Fort Worth)

I've heard people say that the band will not work if you have 100 lbs or more to lose. I think people shouldn't make that general sweeping statement. It may work for me, but not the next person. All WLS is different from person to person. I also have over 100 to lose. I've lost 54 so far and I need to lose about 100 more (according to the BMI charts). I think I would be good with losing about 70 more and I think I can do this with the band. I don't think my surgeon would have agreed to put in the band if he didn't think it would work for me. My insurance would have paid him more $$ if I had a bypass, but he isn't about the money. He is all about getting his patients their healthy life back and he thinks I can do that with a band. I don't have any statistics or anything like that. This is just my opinion and I hope this helps. Have a good day!!

You said exactly what I have been thinking for the past few months. I joined this site in April and I don't remember people being so mean and ugly. I don't know why we can't just agree to disagree and move on. I've seen some posts that weren't my cup of tea, but I just chose not to reply to those. I think some may be posting in the wrong area, but who cares? Skip that post and move on to another. I also came here for support and to hear the good, the bad, and the ugly in reference to the band. I know some have had bad experiences as well as good. I liked getting both sides before I went through with the surgery. It gave me a lot to think about. I wish everyone would not resort to the rude comments and name calling. That doesn't help anyone and I don't see the point in that. We all have the right to our own opinion. If you don't like what someone has to say, that's fine. It's just not necessary to put someone else down in order to state your case.

I would do what the other posters said: 1.) Talk to your surgeon 2.) Focus on what you are eating. I'm still trying to figure out why you would call yourself a failure after losing 130 lbs. That baffles me.....

They took my blood, got a chest X-ray and did an EKG. Those things didn't take long, but I also had to answer all of the questions for paperwork. After that, they gave me some books with good info for surgery day and post op. I would say I was there for about 45 min to an hour.