demsvmejm

Someone told me the feeling of heaviness is the internal swelling. I'm 5 days post and every time I take a deep breath, it really hurts between the "twins" (mine aren't identical, one is a D the other DD!) I'm taking it slow to make sure I heal properly. I have to go back to work on Tues. Hope I can make it through the day without a nap! I'm very low on energy and i'm fighting off dehydration. I keep getting headaches and dizziness. I can't keep up with the liquids. Tomorrow I can go to full liquids and a few sips of a protein shake will do me good.

hey ms. M i'm so glad to hear from a Traverse neighbor! I just posted on the March 2007 forum. going okay for me. The darn port pulling under the skin hurts the worst, just some mild gas in the tummy that started today I start on full liquids on Sun. If I could just get comfortable while sleeping, I wouldn't have any complaints. Good Luck to you! let me know how your journey goes

well I did it! banded on 3/14 9:30 a.m. stayed overnight at hospital and got home yesterday around 2pm slept like crap last night. I'm not so much using my liquid meds the dr prescribed for pain, using them to get some sleep! I keep pulling my muscles in my port area. OUCH! that is by far the worst having some tightness between my breasts when I inhale really deep and it takes me 5 minutes to blow my nose! I don't think i've discovered what it feels like to be full with the band yet. I'm having no swollowing problems. I can eat a whole popcycle and around 1/2 c of broth in 10 mins, but not at the same time. Just don't want to over do it. But it doesn't feel like I have any restriction???? Gas pain in shoulder was terrible 1st night. It's been 4 days since my last solid food and now i'm getting abdominal gas. Hope all the new March bandsters are doing well. Hang in there everyone, the journey has just begun! yippee I go to full liquids on Sun.

I've said it many times on this board....Chantix is the miracle drug that helped me stop smoking. I don't even think about smoking any longer. I'm being totally serious, I NEVER think about it! I'm hoping the LB will do the same thing for me, help me to not over eat any longer.

Tammyj.....thanks it means a lot to know that the March 2007 bandsters have my back!

My Dr. said smoke free for 2 months prior, or NO band..... it's been 81 days smoke free for me! In 4 years my risk of having ANOTHER stroke will have declined to that of a non-smoker. okay, I'll get off my soapbox, sorry. if you do a search on "smoking" you will probably hear the same thing.

Thanks for listening to my pitty-party re: DH and his lack of motovation in helping me run this household. He's really not THAT bad, well, maybe he is. I'm PMSing and can get quite grumpy and sometimes can't keep my mouth shut! Surgery is Wed. 3/14 I keep thinking I'm not prepared enough for this huge step. I think I have everything on my list, all the protein, clear liquids, comfort items, groceries in the fridge, laundry is all washed. I keep thinking in 3 days things will be different, can I made the big transition? I know what I have to do to make this tool work, Im relying on the LB surgery to help me do this. Congratulations to all the banders in March that have had surgery...... Good luck to all of us ready to take that plunge yet this month!

I'm just gonna vent for bit...hope you don't mind. DH...can I change that to AH? for a**hole? He sits on the couch all weekend and either plays internet games or watch Sponge bob and jimmy neutron. I have no help with housework. I do Everything. Cook, laundry, appointments for kids, entertain & play w/ kids (it's either too hot or too cold for him to go outside) snowblow the driveway, mow the lawn.....everything! Did I mention I work 36 hours a week? I got mad yesterday which accomplished nothing. I need to talk to him, again about this today when i'm not so angry. I already know this is going to effect my recovery time from surgery. He's already annoyed that he will have to take the kids to the bus stop and the other to daycare for me next Thur/Fri. not to mention take a day off on Wed for surgery, and bring me home on Thur. My sister is helping by picking up the kids after school, but will immediately drop them off to me at 4pm. I will be expected to cook them dinner and do the normal stuff, baths, homework etc... Even the day after surgery. He does own his own business and it hasn't been very profitable the past month and money is a big issue. He's really stressed, I am too. We do have issues to work out but usually I just get a guilt trip about how I don't support him in his business and he wishes he never opened the shop and if he could be home every night before 8pm he would...blah blah blah. when he is home he sits on his a** and believes since he works so much he deserves some down time. but all the time? gotta get the kids bkfast, think i'll have a protein shake..love the muscle milk light to get pre-om protein. thanks for listening.

I had my final post-op consultation w/ dr on Fri and asked him this very same question. I'm 4'11". I was concerned on where he will be placing the port because i'm so short. I didn't want it hitting my waist band or be under my bra. He didn't seem concerned and said yes, I will know it's there but it shouldn't be an annoyance. I really hope he's right, there was someone on the forum that made the dr. move her port because it was in the way. Good luck!

Had my final pre-op appt w/ Dr. Featherstone today. Went over the procedure in detail, showed me the band (the one that holds 4cc) I was concerned about the placement of the port. I'm short (4'11") and was worried that it would be too close to my waist line or sitting right under my bra. He's only had to do fluro for fills on one patient because her port is a little tipped. I have to be on clear liquids 24 hours b4 surgery on 3/14. I know not to pig out this weekend, but I told my DH I'm going to eat the things I know I won't be able to have for a while, if at all: pasta, bread and steak. The Dr. really put me at ease today and gave my DH a better understanding of the whole procedure. I really feel confident I can do this!

Went for my pre-op registration appt with the hospital today. Did a complete medical history, had blood drawn for potassium info (on HBP meds) talked to the anesthesiologist PA. When I got on the scale it said 192! I swear the Chantix to stop smoking has done this. When I went to my 1st appt with PCP to ask about the LB I weighed 203 in November. I haven't done anything different to my diet, Thanksgiving and Christamas I didn't care what I ate. and at least once a week I still chow on a few double cheesburgers from Mickey D's, Anyway, appointment with my LB surgon is Fri 3/9. getting really scared

I know my surgery is still two wks away but I'm so anxious and stressed. I won't know what time I have to be at the hospital on the 14th until after 2pm on the 13th! I have a daughter to get on the bus at 7:40 and my son to daycare, usually I drop him off around 8am. It is a 45 min drive to the hospital. DH will be driving. I have no idea what I'm going to do with my kids! I'm counting on the support of my sister, she's already picking up DD off the bus on 14th, 15th, 16th and son from daycare and taking care of them until my DH gets out of work.

I have found Muscle Milk Light at GNC ($34.99 for 1.65 lbs.) It ws on sale last week 20% off. Ebay sells it for around $28, some with no shipping. My local Rite Aid (drug store) sells the Muscle Milk regular but the cals and fat and carbs are really, really high. I asked if they can order the "light" She said they'd have to see.

I'll put in my two cents. My favorite, so far, is the Muscle Milk Light. (I've only tried the vanilla cream.) The Unjury vanilla is my 2nd favorite. HATE the Designer Whey brand, thought I was gonna vomit!

I looked at the Special K water last weekend. If I remember right, it has 24 grams of sugar. That turned me off right there! My nutritionist said low calories, low fat (under 6g) and low sugar (under 11g) for my protein drinks.

In just a few more weeks we'll all be talking about scars and post surgery stuff....can't wait! Oh, just an F.Y.I. don't purchase Designer Whey protein mix....UCK! LOVE the Muscle Milk Light!

I have to admit, I'm hoping to hit Olive Garden one more time for some pasta, a trip to the Stone Hearth Bread Co. for a warm loaf of honey wheat bread, and a huge bowl of saffron rice. These are the things I think I will probably not be able to eat after band. Can you tell I'm a carb lover?

Well, I'm finally a member of an "official" board: MARCH 2007 bandsters! Dr's office called yesterday, I had a choice of dates, March 7th or 14th. Even though I've been studying and getting all my pre-op testing done since November, next week seemed too soon! So the 14th it is! My DH, mom and sister know about the LB surgery. I asked my boss yesterday for 4 days off work to have surgery for female problems. He put his hands over his ears and yelled, LA LA LA, can't hear you! It's the office manager that will be asking all the questions. She is strongly against any WLS. I'm sticking to my story that I need to have a cyst removed from my ovary. My office co-workers know I've been watching what I've been eating and exercising, so that has set the stage for the weight loss to come! I suppose the reason I'm going to all this trouble to hide it from work is deep down inside, by having this surgery, I feel like a failure that I can't keep weight off and can't stop myself from eating two double cheesburgers and fries. Two weeks to go till surgery, still a bit anxious and nervous, but happy and hopefull also. Thanks for listening.

Just purchased Muscle Milk Light from GNC. I hesitated to purchase a big container and then hate it! The Vanilla Cream is good! Shook it up with some skim milk and now I'm getting my extra pre-band protein and it tastes good. I really liked the sample strawberry from unjury. I also just purchased a "sample" pack of 15 different protein mixes from bariatriceating.com. It also includes a drink shaker. It cost $26.00, I'm sure it will be worth it, then I'll know what I do and don't like. The Nectar fruit flavors sound good, any one tried these yet?

Since early elementary I've been considered chubby. Mom always shopped in the JCPenney catalog because they had "chubby" sized school uniform clothes. I remember why I started my first "diet" in 6th grade. I was so excited to wear my new dress to school and a boy asked me if I was pregnant! I cried all day long. I thought I looked wonderful and he basically said you look fat. Looking back, I was around 10-20 lbs overweight on and off throughout adolescence, but when your short it looks like more. (4'11" now) Kids are cruel. I always felt like "blubber" like in the Judy Blume book....(the women would know!)

Gosh I hope so! I would think in moderation and being fat free, it would be allowed. (My favorite is Vanilla Chai Spice!)

This has been my DH exact argument for the last 3 weeks. I have lost up to 35 lbs. on WW before, with proper diet and exercise, but always have put it back on, like we all have. (love those double cheeseburgers!) This is his point: If you "can;t" keep it off on WW because you make bad food choices and stop exercising, what is this magic bullet the LB provides? You still have to do the same things to keep the weight off....make good choices and exercise. He goes on to argue: The stats on LB weight loss after 3 years is only 50% of your excess weight at best. (50% of mine would be around 35-40 lbs.) He thinks I should just not have the surgery and go back to WW....in 3 years the results would be the same if I stuck to the program. I keep explaining to him that the LB will limit my intake, make me full with very little food. I've also wondered if he is right. I'm still going for it! I have a BMI of 39 and HBP and had a stroke 2 yrs ago. I'm psyched that I can do this for the long haul....we all can!

Janet Does your port bother you there, being so close to your waist line? I thought they would place them above waist and below bra line... Just courious

MCO I see your surgery is next Tuesday....GOOD LUCK YOU'LL DO GREAT. I'm still trying to get up the courage to call my surgeon and see if I'm medically cleared for the procedure since all my testa are finished...Maybe I'll call right now.

Gall Stones are very painful! My gall bladder was very inflamed and infected when it was removed 9 yrs ago. They say you can live without it, and you can. But they don't tell you what really happens without it, at least my surgeon didn't. If I remember correctly, the liver takes over to distribute/make bile to help food digestion. It is a re-accuring side effect that if I eat fast food, hamburgers, ground beef of any kind, the next day I will be in the bathroom at least 3-4 times within a an hour, and I better be very near one! Perhaps this is just my body and how it has reacted. It might not be the same for everyone else. Have it removed, before the real pain starts.