Katy Castro

My doctor told me to wait 2 weeks before taking a bath or swimming. But be sure to check with your doc before you dive in.

Congrats on your loss, that's awesome!! Getting back to the gym was the best part for me. I never knew I could love working out as much as I do!

Glad that helped!! And you're welcome.

I made a video of my first fill, if you'd like to see it. It was super quick and painless. Lap-Band Fill/Adjustment Good luck with your fill!

I would not recommend skipping ahead until you're told you can do so. So if you're on liquid, stick with liquid. This is all about healing now so you don't want to do anything that may cause problems. My full liquid phase included anything I could drink through a straw (without actually using a straw) so thinned out pudding and yogurts were good. And soup is always good but strain it if need be. To get you through, go with Protein shakes. If you use fruit with a vanilla Protein powder, it will mask a lot of the taste of the powder. My favorite is orange juice, banana, ice, and vanilla Protein powder. Drinking before and after you eat does not apply until you hit mushies/soft food phase. So get in as much as you can but make sure it's Water or Crystal Light. You don't want to be dehydrated at this point. If you're still hungry and you have given everything you're "approved" to eat at this phase a shot, call your doctor and see if they say it's OK for you to move on to the mushies phase. Good luck.

My bill was just over $36,000 from the hospital plus about $7,000 more from the surgeon and that does not include the anesthesiologist or any of the pre-op stuff. I also had to pay just over $3,000 to the hospital and surgeon prior to surgery. But I have no remaining out of pocket expenses and my fills are covered for the next year so I no longer have to deal with co-payments.

Awesome, congratulations!!!

My doc recommend waiting at least 6 weeks. Though that was a blanket recommendation and I don't drink. Also, consider that wine is empty calories and that you'll be a light weight post-op. Four glasses of wine may have you more drunk than you'd like to be.

At 2 days post-op I started turning onto my stomach and left (port side) while sleeping. By day 4 I was doing it intentionally as I'm most comfortable on my stomach or left side. Now 7 weeks post-op, it's a non-issue for me.

I weigh daily and measure weekly. On Sundays I take all of my measurements and then pictures, wearing the same outfit week after week. I'll keep wearing that outfit until it literally falls off of me! Tuesday is the only day I record my weight and use it to keep track of my progress. Both are quite satisfying for me at this point. In 3 weeks I've lost 7.8 inches off my waist alone and a total of 32.6 inches all over my body.

Sounds completely normal to me. Everyone starts to feel hungry at different times post-surgery. For me it took about 4 or 5 days. And I did the same as you, taking something in just so that I would be OK (and have a bit of energy) but I really focused on getting as much Water in as I could. Once I did become hungry I couldn't finish 4 oz of cream of wheat or much of a Protein shake. Now at 3 weeks out, I still can't finish 4 oz of chicken or egg salad. It's too much food!

Thank you! LOL I needed that, thank you!! :thumbup:

Hi Everyone! Well, I've been lurking quite awhile but I thought I'd finally step up and stay hello. I was banded on June 8, 2010 - just 3 weeks out! I've lost 29.9 lbs so far and I'm very motivated and excited. Anyway, thanks for reading! :thumbup: