gMommy

I am 10 days post op and the gas pains are still there. The worse ones are in my chest. The air travels from my stomach, up my esophagus and then stops. It doesn't result in a burp. The air just goes away. The pain only lasts for about 3-5 seconds, although it feels like 5 minutes. It happens several times an hour and anytime I stand up or sit up from a laying down position. I also still get some occasional gas bubbles in my shoulder or neck. Ouch! These ones can hurt for hours. When these happen I take some of the Lortab and it helps within about 30 minutes. I am out walking 2-4 hours every day. I heard lots of walking can help. I'm not able to jog or run yet because my port incision is still very tender. The impact of jogging makes my tummy bounce which causes me lots of pain. I talked to the surgery center and to my doctor. They said the pain I was having is from the gas and will eventually go away. But when?

I understand your frustration. This is the exact reason I came online this morning. I just weighed myself because i am 2 weeks post op today. I lost weight the first week and nothing this week. I was wondering if other people experienced this too. I'm eating 800-1000 cal/day and started exercising this week. The first week was so excited seeing the scale change. My first fill is supposed to be 2 months post op. I know it is a long journey and not to expect to lose it all super fast. Sigh...it will eventually come off. I'm glad this support group is here. All of you really help makes this easier. Thanks for being there.

I am almost 2 weeks post op. My energy level is better than it was before the surgery. I started going out window shopping at 5 days post op. I did get weak in the store and feel like I was going to pass out. But, i had been out for about 2 hours. The next day I went out again for about 4 hours. I felt better, but was tired when I was done. On the third day out I almost felt like myself again. All of that was on the liquid diet (300-600 calories/day). I was making sure I was getting in my protien shakes (90g protien) everyday. Now that I am on mushies, I still get most of my nutrition from the shakes. I did Zumba for the first time last night. I had plenty of energy to keep up with it. Good luck to you. You can do it!

I got my ticker at www.tickerfactory.com . It took about 2 minutes to customize it. At the end they give you some code (use the one for bulletin boards) that you can paste into your signature. To update your signature on this site, click on the button at the top that says "signed in as vucarre". From the drop down menu, select My Settings. On that page you will see the title "Your Options". Under that, click on the "Profile" tab. On the menu on the left you should see "Change Signature". Click on that. This is the page where you can add your signature, any info you want, and the code for your ticker. This is a character and a line limit. Good luck with the ticker! Congratuations on getting your hubby's blessing. My husband always supported me, but he kept having anxiety attacks that I will leave him once I get to my goal weight. His fears were really taking over. It has been a lot of work reassuring him that I am doing this for me, not so I could look for a replacement husband.

Woo Hoo!!!!! That is fantastic! You are an inspiration! Yesterday I had this overwhelming desire to participate in the Famous "Bay to Breakers" walk/run in San Francisco. They dress up in funny costumes and it is family friendly. I have a friend that is interested in exercising with me. I thought this might be right up our alley. I found the website for it. It turns out it is this Saturday. It is 15k, about 7.5 miles. OK, so we start training now for next year. I could never understand why people would do these walk/run a thons. I'd prefer to just donate my $25 and be done. Now, I get it. The energy of being around everyone else and the excitement of doing something for the greater good is so much more than just walking/running. I love you you got a whim to do something and you did it immediately instead of talking yourself out of it. Great job!

The surgery center called me this mornig to talk about insurance again. My surgery is scheduled for 4/28. They told me today that I was responsible for 20% of the cost, payable on surgery day. Say What? I talked to the surgery center a month ago to verify I only had my $15 copay. My mind started spinning. I didn't even know how much the 20% would be. Maybe $4k? By next week? My first thought was "I'm going to have to reschedule my surgery....no!!!!!!" to "how can I scrape up the money?", then "I'll figure out some way, I am not rescheduling this!". I asked her to call my insurance company again, because I knew the 20% was a mistake. She called back 10 minutes later and confirmed I only have to pay my $15 copay. Whew! I think this was just a "brake check" to make sure this was what I really wanted and I was willing to do anything to make it happen. Anybody else have a "brake check" before surgery?

Yes, it does! I can't believe tomorrow I will already be 2 weeks post op. I lost 8 pounds the first week. Then 4 days into the second week I found I was bouncing back and forth on one pound. I felt a little discouragement creep in, so I had to force myself not to get on the scale for a while. I know that I am going to hit plateaus. I just have to remind myself to grin and bear it. Becase I will come to the next drop before I know it.

Thanks for the encouragement. I'm glad to hear that I am not the only one with the chest pain w/o a burp. Although I had talked to the surgery center about this one, it is nice to hear from others that it is normal.

Hi Everyone, I have been struggling all day to stay awake at work. I have a desk job so I am usually sittng most of the day. I am on my second cup of coffe. I haven't really had an any in 2 weeks. I know if I eat Snacks I will be able to stay awake for aleast an hour. But, I don't want to do that. Has anybody tired those 5 hour energy drinks? I haven't. Will it help me stay awake?

Being dehydrated can lead to being sleepy? Hmm, that is a new one to me. I've had a hard time getting in as much Fluid as I normally drink. I used to just chug down Water. Now I have to do just a couple of sips at a time. I noticed in the past 4 days that I am able to take in bigger sips. But, I am so worried about stretching out my pouch, that I am still taking the sips one or two at a time. Has anybody stretched out their pouches from drinking too much, too fast?

I feel very lucky to have the insurance that I have. My doctor still requires patients to pay $3000 out of pocket for "follow up care." I'm not really sure what this care is or if it is really worth $3000. But, I really wanted this doctor because she is such an expert in her field. It was worth the peace of mind. I found out at my post-op appointment that I had a hiatal hernia. They found it during the operation. The fixed it while they were in there at no extra charge.

Yum! Thank you for all of the great suggestions. I have made strawberry shortcake with splenda and sugar free pound cake for my diabetic hubby. Maybe that is what I'll have too. Although, the banana "ice cream" sounds appealing.

Thanks. I'll have to get some mylanta. I didn't know if anti-gas medicine would help since this is surgical gas. But, I'm willing to try anything.

I can't wait to see the pictures. I am really interested in your outcome. How much did it cost, if you don't mind me asking? How do the tighten up the skin? The only way I knew about would leave a long scar the whole length of your arm on the inside. I wasn't too thrilled about that idea. If there is another way, I may want to try it out. Thank you SO much for sharing!

I think you have a unique opportunity to help other patients at your work. Do you attend a support group? Your story may be something that others have gone through. Everyone at one time or another has "life" happen to them. There are always rough times. We have to allow ourselves some flexibility during those times so we can process our emotions. It is perfectly OK and emotionally healthy to accept yourself during these rough spots without feelings of guilt or remorse. Love yourself for getting through this tough time. You will be in a much stonger position to pick up where you left off. Share your story with others when you can. You just may make a huge impact to someone's life. Lots of hugs to you!

GNC has a great return policy on their Protein powders. If you take it home and don't like it, you can bring it back for a full refund. I asked them to show me their top selling powders that had a low return rate. It was the AMP chocolate and vanilla flavors. I was advised that the fruit punch flavor was always returned. I really like both the chocolate and vanilla powders. They are pricey, but since I'm not really eating anything else, I could afford these. I signed up for their Gold card membership. I get 20% off during the first week of every month. For variety I add sugar free Toriani syrup. Recently I tried a sample of Mochachinno powder at costco. It was so yummy! It was only 100 calories for 2 tablespoons of the mix added to Water. I add 1 tablespoon to my chocolate Protein shake (only adds 50 calories). BIG YUM!!!!!

I am 6 days post-op. I have barely been eating anything since my surgery. My broth would get cold before I could finish even 2 oz of it. I haven't been too interested in food. I went out walking yesterday and finally started to want to eat. Unfortunately it took me a few hours to find some place "fast" where I could have soup. I really didn't want to go in a restaurant and pay $10+ for an ounce or two of soup. Safeway had soup. I skimmed off the broth of the chicken noodle soup into a small container for $2.99. It has been enough for 4+ meals. After about 5 half spoon fulls of soup I was full. But, it tasted so good! So, I made the BIG mistake of having two more half spoonfuls. Ouch! I hurt and felt lousy for a couple of hours. Lesson learned. I have lost 6 pounds since my surgery.

Hi Mavis, Thanks for the last couple of sentences. I try to relax and let go of the outside stresses. I'm learning I can't change other people or their fears. I totally agree with you. Everything works out exactly as it is supposed to. I had my surgery 6 days ago. I felt pretty good the first two days. The next 3 days I felt lousy. The gas pain has finally let up from my shoulder. But, gas keeps coming up from my tummy. Anytime I stand up, I have to brace myself for the bubble of pain that goes up the center of my chest. It is wierd, it doesn't result in a burp. It just suddenly goes away. I also found that I have a similar pain if I take more than 2 small sips in a row. I have to wait 3-5 minutes between sips. So, I am reminding myself that this is just the left over gas trying to get out. Instead of trying to avoid it, I need to be welcoming to it so it gets the heck out of my body! ha ha I read that a lot of people are done with the gas in about 2 weeks. So, I am half done. Yay! The Protein powder I like is GNC's AMP chocolate or vanilla. It is 20g whey protein per scoop. For variety I add sugar free Torani syrup. I mix it in a Magic Bullet. For the presurgery liquid diet, I tried one more variation...add 1 Tab Peanut Butter to the chocolate. It was pretty good. I am on Clear liquids right now, so the peanut butter will have to wait. I can mix the Protein Powder with nonfat milk. I also like the premade banana Muscle Milk. I go for my post-op appt. tomorrow. Hopefully I will be able to move to full liquids. As for the sutures, one itches a little, 3 don't bother me, and the port incision hurts and makes getting comfortable difficult. I know eventually, it won't hurt, but I don't know how long. Bending over and sitting up really aggrevate the port site. Weight loss. In Jan I was 228. I started attending OA. In Feb I had my first appt with Dr. Machado. My weight was down to 222. A week before surgery I was 218 (thanks to OA, still). Liquid preop diet got me down to 214. Day 1 post op 214, day 2 215, day 3 215, day 4 213, day 5 210, day 6 208. Dr. Machado's office hosts a once a month support group. There was one last night, but I wasn't feeling up to the 1 hour drive. I don't know of any other lap-band specific support groups. I attend an OA meeting once per week. That really helps me with the mind hunger, emotional/stress eating, extra eating due to free food or social food, and how to start to love and appreciate myself for the effort I am putting forth, even if I am not perfect in what I eat. Good luck with your surgery. Keep me posted. gMommy

My surgery day was yesterday, April 28th. I had to check into the surgery center at 8am. They called me back at 8:05. The immediately gave me an anti-nausea pill to take. I changed into the gown, hair net and socks with the grippy bottoms. They had me pee. I didn't have to do a pregnancy test since I had my tubes tied last year. Then climbed into the prewarmed bed (ahhhh). Answered all of the basic questions again: name, birthday, type of surgery I was getting. They took my blood pressure, oxygen level and temperature. My IV was started. I had regular fluids and an antibiotic. I'm allergic to Penicillin, so they gave me something from a different class. I closed my eyes and rested for about 15 minutes. My surgeon came into to say good morning. I am so happy with her. I felt complete confidence with her skills. This is what she does 100% of the time. Dr. Laura Machado, Sacramento Bariatric Associates. Had the hubby come into to give me a kiss and wish me luck. The anastesiolgist (sp.) came in to introduce himself. He told me how things would work. He would give me the 1st drug through my IV, that would knock me out in 30 seconds. They would put the tube down my throat and give me oxygen. Throughout the surgery, which would take one hour, he would give me a couple of more drugs as needed. This would include morphine to help with pain. He said once I was knocked out, the Doctor would give me a little injection in my stomach of Heparin, a blood thinner. At 9:15 they rolled me into the operating room. I saw two instrument technicians, the anastesiolgist, a nurse and my physician's assistant that works with Dr. Machado. She welcomed me by name. It felt good to see someone I already knew. I scooted onto the operating table. Within 30 seconds I was knocked out. I woke up in the recovery room at 11:30 where they were trying to get me to drink a cup of Water. I was so thirsty. My hubby was there. They were telling me that it was time for me to get up, go to the bathroom, get dressed and go home. I was so out of it. They helped me to the bathroom. I had to go pee so bad, I dropped on the toilet and started peeing before they had the door closed. Obviously, I was out of it, because the recovery room had about 6 other patients there, right outside the bathroom. The nurse thought it was funny, so did I. I got dressed, she helped me get my shoes on. She asked if I could walk out, but I said no, I would need a wheelchair. I was so out of it. I really felt they were rushing me out before I was ready. I had a pillow between me and the seatbelt on the way home. The gas pain in my shoulders was excruicating! I couldn't get in a deep breath it hurt so bad. i had a cup of ice with me. I was so grateful for those ice chips. I can't remember the last time I chewed ice, but it was perfect in that moment. I moaned all the way home. I raised my arms up and down to try to get the gas out. We got home at 1:30 (1 hour car ride). I took the liquid Lortab. Ewww...it was so sweet, some kind of tropical flavor. I tried to lay down in bed, but the gas got worse and made breathing even harder. I went back out to the living room and sat in a recliner. Much better! I kept working on the ice chips. I was hurting so bad. I got up and walked (paced) my living room and raised my arms up and down. I would do this for 5 minutes at a time, rest a couple of minutes, and do it again. At 2:30 I settled into the recliner for a nap. I was in and out of sleep until 4pm. By 4pm the gas pain was only in my left shoulder and much better. I could take a regular breath without hurting. The deep breath hurt under my collar bone. I got to spend some time talking to my best friend on the phone. Another friend brought over dinner for the rest of my family (very nice surprise) and stayed with me for several hours. It was great having some girl time to talk. It helped get my mind off of how I felt. Laughing didn't hurt, luckily. I thought I was going to have to sleep in the recliner all night. I tried, but decided at 3:30am to go to bed. By then the gas pain was a lot less. I was able to sleep and even roll back and forth. Funny, the gas pain went to my gums. I was able to sleep for 4 hours before I needed to get up to escape the gum/gais pain. 2 minutes after sitting up, the gum pain went away. I'd say the gas pain is 95% gone. My post-op instructions said to weigh myself everyday. They want to make sure I do not gain 2 pounds within 24 hours, or more than 5 pounds in a week. I guess it indicates there is some internal problem. Luckily I lost 2 pounds. My highest weight (non-pregnant) was 228, preop 214, today 212. I am so happy. This turned out better than I expected.

I am voluntarily doing a one week liquid diet pre-op because someone posted that it would be easier for the post-op liquid period. The first 3 days were OK until about 6pm. Then it sucked big time! I was just having 3-4 shakes a day and sugar free flavored waters. This week I decided to try the Soup in my work's cafeteria, but I only had the broth. Wow! What a difference. It was still a clear liquid, but it made me feel full longer and made me feel like I had eaten a meal. Also, eating it with a spoon instead of drinking it out of a cup made my mind think I was getting a meal. The really hard part? Having to cook dinner for my family. Ug! Last night I got creative. I made a mexican chicken soup. I took out all of the solids for the rest of my family to use for chicken nachos. Then I got to enjoy the yummy broth. That really helped. I found that 2-3 shakes a day are plenty for the 60-80g Protein. Switching out soup broth for one of the extra shakes actually brought my calories down for the day. So, I was able to make it through the day without "cheating" (eating solids). 7 days into the liquid, only yesterday and today were 100% liquid. But, now that I figured out something that works for me, I feel like I have a better chance of compliance post-op.