jingleboob

October 7th is my birthday!!! So it's a fantastic day and I know your banding will be perfect!!! I'll even blow out a candle just for you!!! (one of many hahahaha) Good luck!!!

My thing I won't give up isn't an all the time thing... Each summer when I go to the state fair I get a piece or two of maple sugar candy... Now that I'm banded I'm not going to stop- I love it more than chocolate!!! One piece a year won't hurt my "diet", and I look forward to that perfect fresh piece of maple deliciousness all year!!!

Not sure why... but the past 2 days I've been a gas machine. Still on liquids... 2nd week post op. I can start mushies on Friday. Only thing I can think of is I had strained cream of broccoli Soup, but it's an insane amount of gas- you can hear it going through my lower abdomen. And it comes out on it's own because it builds up so fast... and if I'm lucky I make it to the bathroom as I'm still experiencing the liquid in, liquid out joys and I have no desire for another accident of that kind. Is this something that's happened to others post op? Or should I bring it up with my Dr tomorrow at my post op appt? So embarassing!!! What a fun first day back at work!

I've seen the liquid adult tylenol in most drug stores and both supermarkets I go to... but it only comes in cherry flavor... ICK... didn't want to be gagging after surgery!!! I just went with the junior tylenol meltaways in grape... 6 of them is 960 mg which is fine for a 1000 mg dose.

No fever, can't smell anything as i'm completely stuffed up! Mom finally called and said it looks a little angry and to clean it, put bandaids on, and do it again at bedtime... if it's still oozy and green then I should call the doc first thing in the AM so he can call in an antibiotic as it shouldn't wait until Tuesday. Thanks for the feedback! I was a little freaked for a while!!!

looks a little icky. greenish puss from 2 of the 5 incisions... the others are perfect and barely visible. it's only one end of each that's a little open with the greenish puss (sorry- i hate that word). Mom's an RN and I can't get a hold of her to see if it can't wait to be addressed on Tuesday morning when I have my post op appointment. Attaching a pic, but it's not the greatest quality... Just want to not over or under react here!!! Thanks...

I was told the eventual goal is 3 meals per day with no Snacks. But also that everyone is a little different and if you feel you need a snack it should be healthy, choose fruits and veggies, or a yogurt or ounce of cheese. Although I'm still on post-op full liquids so I can't say what I'm doing yet!

You can do it! The first few days were the worst for me on pre-op liquids... the last couple of days I was completely OK with all liquids.

CHANTIX. Amazing. I smoked a pack a day, and after Chantix haven't smoked in nearly 4 years. It blocks the nicotine receptors in your brain so you don't crave it. The HABBIT stuff is what's hard... feeling like you want to smoke after you eat, or when you're in the car, or wherever you usually do. But you can deal with that if you're not fighting the cravings. You take it for 12 weeks, you smoke during the first week so you build the Chantix up in your system, then you stop smoking but keep taking the pill. It's amazing. I actually only took it for about a month because by then I wasn't even thinking about smoking anymore and I kept forgetting to take it! It did make me quite nauseous for about half an hour after taking it, but I was never sick. And I did have very vivid, odd, dreams. Not nightmares but it was kind of like everything was all "Tim Burton" and really intense. But i'd tried gum, patch, the nicotine inhaler... cold turkey. nothing worked like that. Hope whatever you do works for you!!! I LOVE not smoking... now that cigs in NY are $10/pack!!! No way I could afford $70 a week on cigs!!!

I'm 1 week post op and have 1 more week of full liquids and I am HUNGRY today. Yesterday too. Up until these past 2 days I wasn't hungry at all, having a hard time eating half a pudding cup. But today I am starving!!!! Hope the doc lets me try some mushies a few days early- I see him on Tuesday. OH TO CHEW SOMETHING WOULD BE MARVELOUS!!!!

Hug a pillow when you cough, or with one hand when you get up or down into a chair. gives you a little support where it hurts.

the shot glass is kind of fun for water! I like it. Still have not achieved 64oz of liquid, but getting close! I made instant pudding with skim milk and a couple scoops of unflavored Protein powder, so I'm getting 10g protein in 1/4 c pudding. So that's helping get the protein in. I just need to get more fluid! but it's been a week today and I feel pretty good. slept well last night, wasn't as sore and achy when i woke up... didn't even take tylenol yet today! Kids know I'm feeling better because they've been at each other's throats this morning and I'm getting to be the yelling bad guy again. FUN TIMES!!!

I was banded a week ago and I had a good amount of pain for several days, but nothing like I had with my gallbladder. I didn't need help getting up from a chair this time, or help getting dressed either. I was at the store the day after surgery although it wore me out. It's been the past 2 days that I've felt "good". I wasn't expecting to feel so well at this point based on my past surgeries. But everyone is different! I had a friend who went mountain biking 5 days after having her gallbladder out, and at that point after mine I was still unable to get out of a chair without help.

Hi guys! I was banded last friday... so tomorrow's a week! Today is the first day I feel pretty good. I was on hydrocodone until Tuesday afternoon, then decided to save my last dose or two just in case my first day back at work wears me out. So I'm on tylenol and yesterday I was miserable. Aside from surgery day, yesterday was the worst. But overnight it changed, I slept (although not comfortably yet), and I woke up and just sat up and got out of bed... no moments of thinking I would be stuck there! About to hop in the shower. My incisions look good, one is still draining a little but not too much. Have post op on Tuesday next week. Still having trouble getting enough liquids in during the day. And need to do more deep breathing because I started a little cough last night. Feeling hungry for the first time too... and have another week of liquids to suffer through!!! So far, so good!!! :thumbup:

in recovery it was terrible for me, but the next day I'm feeling pretty good. Feel like I overdid it at the gym with abs. very tired. But nothing like I thought it would be! YOu'll be great

Thanks for the well wishes everyone!! I was prepared for the worst and it hasn't been that bad! My gallbladder was so much worse and I was prepared for it to be like that. Got to the hospital yesterday at 9am, gowned, IV'd, signed everything, and got going. I don't remember much in the OR after moving onto the operating table. Recovery wasn't pleasant and I was sure when i came to that something had gone horribly wrong it hurt so much. Had 4 or 5 doses of morphine and something for the nausea, mouth and throat were sore and dry from the tube. Got up to my room, had more for pain and slept. Around 3 I went to x-ray for the swallow test, which made me feel sick to my stomach, but it was ok. Waited and waited for those results so I could have a drink!!! I was so thirsty... at 5:30 my doctor came in and said the test was good and I could drink and if it stayed down I could go home... so I was out of there by 630 last night! I read someone's surgery story and they described the pain later on as feeling like they had done 1,000 crunches... and that's a perfect comparison. That's how I felt last night and so far today. Sore, pain at times, but I can get up by myself. In recovery I was at a 10, but now it's between a 4-7 depending on when I had my pain meds. It's a lot easier than I had feared it would be! Mom took me to walmart to get a couple of things today and I insisted on putting a bra on, it took a while, but I didn't want to end up featured on Funny Pictures at WalMart ! I was exhausted and sore after an hour out and I think I shouldn't have done so much the day after. I'll relax more tonight and tomorrow. Last night I took too big of a sip of a Protein shake and it HURT. Instantly. Pain right into my shoulder. And it hurt for a while. So far today I've been ok with my sip sizes. I've had a pudding cup, a little Soup, Protein Shake, and a sugar free popsicle. So far so good! So amazed it's done! Good luck to everyone on their way, and thank you all again for your support! shannon

I'll write more tomorrow... But I am home, all went well. Very sore. But not as bad as having my gallbladder out!!! Even enjoyed some orange Jello and pudding!!! nite:thumbup::thumbup:

Thanks guys!!! I'll let you know how it goes tomorrow! I've had this screenname forever!! I got frustrated setting up my first AOL account with all my choices taken and typed it in as a joke... and it took... and here I am... jingleboob forever! (MY bff growing up called me jingleboob once when I tried on a horrible christmas sweater that had bells on it... needless to say at 12 I had D cups and the bells were VERY unfortunately spaced...)

My surgery is barely 24 hours away... I've got an early day today too!!! Normally I work from 4:30am-1pm... today I get to leave at 11:15!!!! OK, have to go to a client to film something for our website but it shouldn't take too long. The main thing is being out of the building and away from email or the intercom paging me... I can make it through the day!

yikes!! talk to your dr or nutritionist. I did ask my nutritionist about it and she said it was not protein and it doesnt happen to everyone, but some people after a significant weight loss will lose hair for a few weeks, but it does stop and grow back. she suggested taking biotin supplements and nioxin shampoo you can get from hair dresser!

and I am SOOOOO tired this week. I have been shaking my head to stay awake at work. So few calories. I don't feel dizzy or lightheaded, but I am exhausted. Is that usual?

I should have taken a couple days off BEFORE surgery. I'm as unproductive as possible at work. in 48 hours I will be getting my band... and nothing at work seems to be distracting me from that! I'd love to just sleep until Friday so when I wake up it's time to go!

All doctors seem to have different versions of their pre-op diet. I can tell you what mine wants from me... This week I'm on high Protein, low carb. So I have 3 Protein shakes a day- they said I could put greek yogurt in them to make more of a smoothie too, and I'm allowed a light dinner of lean white meat (chicken/fish- small piece no bigger than palm of hand) and a light salad... but no food night before surgery, just protein shakes. I can also have broth or sugarfree popsicles or sugarfree Jello. Honestly, it's not too bad. I am hungry and I've never looked more forward to salad in my life, but it's only really bad when I have to see other people eating- so when the fam eats I just go watch tv in the bedroom. And I can honestly say I haven't cheated once! 48 hours from now I will be in surgery!

I had mine out 4 years ago and I was not prepared for how much pain I had! I had talked to friends who had it done and one had hers out on a Tuesday and was mountain biking on Saturday. I woke up and thought for sure something had gone wrong in surgery because of the pain level, but nope... all went perfectly! It was 2 weeks out of work and over a month before I wasn't "in pain". My bellybutton was the worst... where they put everything in and out of. It hurt to have pants on, or bend, or breathe, or get up from a chair... Being banded on Friday and they tell me it's similar to the gallbladder so I'm a little nervous. But like others have said- some have virtually no pain from it, and then there's me. But the surgery pain was not as bad as the gallbladder attacks I had for months... I thought I was overdoing it with crunches at the gym for a few weeks until it got so bad I was literally woken from sleep and laid on the bathroom floor unable to move from the attack. Here's to hoping you're nothing like me!!!!

def something your pcp should know... it could affect medications or tests/procedures in the future...