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My tummy felt pretty bloated for several days after surgery - maybe 5 or 6 days then it started to dissipate. I didn't have pain with that though. I would suggest walking around a lot, getting up and down off the sofa as often as possible - wait on yourself hand and foot - don't let anyone else do it for you. Having to get up to get Water and stuff helped me a lot. If you are concerned, call your doctor and let them know what is going on. I can guarantee you they have seen this before and can give you some suggestions. Best wishes,

You can get iron on tape to hem your own pants at any fabric store. I think it is called Stitch Witchery and is super easy to use and comes in a roll. You just put a damp cloth on it and iron it down. It lasts through many many many warnings and dryings. Super easy and cheap!

I think HIPAA only applies to doctors offices and hospitals, not workplaces. Still, I agree that a supervisor at work has no right divulging private information.

I think I heard that it can be anemia or low potassium. Check google.

I'm sometimes shocked when I turn around in a dressing room and see my body in the mirror. I expect to turn around and see someone a lot bigger. When I'm not looking at myself I think of myself as bigger than I am. I still grab XL and size 16 when I actually fit into a M and size 10 pants. It's an adjustment for sure. I found it helped me a lot to take a photo on the 15th of every month. Now that I am down 85 pounds seeing the difference helps my brain adjust and sometimes elevates my mood when the scale hasn't changed.

I'm definitely goal-oriented and I hadn't really thought much of being 199 as a goal so it was kind of just another weigh in for me too. I promise to jump and break my scale when I do reach my final goal though!

I've lost 85 pounds without a fill and still don't need one.

Where are your fresh fruits and veggies? You didn't list a single one of either on your typical day menu. That's got to change.

You are going to be fine. It's normal to have a little panic before you have surgery but it will be ok. I don't eat chicken broth OR Jello. In fact, I eat healthy fresh fruit and veggies and grains. I occasionally have a frozen yogurt - but only as a treat really. I can eat everything I used to eat without any problem. I don't have any fill in my band and I hear some people have trouble with bread or dry chicken but not everyone does. I can guzzle Water no problem. I cannot feel the band. I can feel my port through my skin but I have also lost 85 pounds so it is a bit closer to the surface than when it was placed. I had minimal pain. I used the liquid prescription pain medication the day after surgery and then the next day I used Tylenol. I haven't needed any pain medication or had any band related pain since. The worst part of recovery, for me, was just remembering to be gentle with my incision sites. I felt great and needed to remind myself I had just had surgery! Also, I had a pretty substantial headache off and on the first few days but that was resolved by drinking a small amount of low sugar apple juice. Be prepared to wonder what on earth you have done to yourself on day 2 or 3 - it will be a fleeting thought and most of us have gone through that. I found that having a positive attitude made my recovery time so much better and faster! You are going to be ok. Read through some of the lap band success stories in the forum - there is a specific thread for them. Best wishes! Let us know how you are!

I completely agree with this. I never thought I'd be a runner but I am!

Yayyyyyyyyyy!!!!!!

All I had to do was a chest x-ray (because I had been a smoke and quit two year before my surgery), an EKG and a blood draw. I didn't have any serious comorbidities so that might be why I didn't have to do many tests. I didn't even have to do a psych consult.

Just in case anyone is interested... a great website: www.nomeatathlete.com (thanks CHI_Girl). I'm training for a triathlon and my body is holding on to weight. Six days a week, I'm running, biking, swimming and doing cross-fit style strength training and haven't lost a pound in about a month! I'm feeling stronger but kind of disappointed that the scale is the same. I keep telling myself that it is about getting fit, not losing weight. Some days it works, others it doesn't! I'm heading towards vegan and hoping I can work this properly so I can fuel myself well enough for all this training. Today is clean out the kitchen day to get rid of any non-vegan items. I don't have much but I need to get it done.

Hey, I can understand that it would be really disappointing to have gone through the surgery and not have it help you. I can go on the whole "band is a tool" thing but realistically - I think some of us expected more help from the band than it provides. Please don't think I am being rude by suggesting this but I think you should seek therapy for food issues. I say this because it has helped me tremendously. Even if you don't get to the root of your food issues, you might start to realize that you deserve a healthy life. You are worth the effort and overeating and not looking after yourself is harmful to you and you are, in fact, abusing yourself by not looking after yourself. Perhaps you can go to a Food Addicts Anonymous meeting (if you identify as a food addict). Check out www.foodaddictsanonymous.org for a meeting near you. They even do some online meetings and its free. I also suggest you try to expand your horizons when it comes to what foods you like and don't like. If you can't get the foods down that are healthy for you perhaps you need less Fluid in your band (or do you mean you can't get them down because you don't like them?). Pick a veggie you like and eat it often. Pick a fruit you like and buy enough to have one a day for a week. Baby steps are the way to go here. Bottom line - you could try to renew your commitment to yourself to get healthy. I think you can do it. Best wishes,

I take Centrum Silver Chewables because I have developed a Vitamin A deficiency due to not eating enough. This one has enough Vitamin A for me and it doesn't bug my tummy or have that yucky aftertaste.

I exercise hard and gulp water no problem!

You should follow your doctors orders. They are his/her rules for a reason. If you break the rules now, you set yourself up for more rule breaking later. Cheating on day two is not good. Get back on the wagon right now. You can do this! You deserve to have a successful experience! I'm rooting for you!

Sounds like a nerve issue. Perhaps get it checked out.

I was outpatient. Couldn't imagine having to spend the night in the hospital when I was ready to go after a couple of hours! It will be fine.

I've never had a fill and am doing well. It can be done!

I was eating Dr Pragers potato-crusted fish sticks which are gluten free. I found them to be really easy to have on those days where I needed something to cook without thinking about it too much. They are pretty healthy and easy. Now, I tend to eat more vegan than vegetarian with an occasional piece of fish but plan on eliminating fish altogether.

Are you lactose intolerant? The bloating takes a little while to go away - about ten days for me but I wasn't hungry. I just wonder if your Protein shakes are irritating your stomach a bit.

I think for me, I don't feel like a fraud, but I do not like the fuss people make over my weight loss. I think it is because I didn't realized just how embarrassed I was before to be carrying all that extra weight. I still have about 40 pounds to go so I am not totally there yet but it's almost like I just want to get there and have everyone only remember the new healthy me. Also, you have to know that one pound is not going to make a difference in the way you look. You look good whether you are at your lowest weight or a few pounds from it. Don't feel like a fraud. You worked hard for it. Whether it is 37 pounds or 38 is really immaterial. Good for you!

I'd guess it has about 300 calories, yes? That's not bad although I think 2 tablespoons of splenda seems like a lot of splenda! I think I'd switch to fat free greek yogurt, minimize the splenda and dump the evaporated milk. You could probably throw a scoop of Protein powder in there and double the Protein in it! Does the spinach make it green? I add some spinach in to stuff frequently but sometimes the color just turns me off!

Couldn't have said it better, Cindy!