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10 days post op and i've got the same.

I typed my responses in all caps so you can see them, not because I'm yelling at you. 1) I know its surgery.. I've never had one! (But I have had 2 kids and labor was painful) but what should I expect? Is the pain manageable? Is it mainly from the gas, incisions, stomach pain? I'VE HAD TWO SINUS SURGERIES, INCLUDING A DEVIATED SEPTUM, AND TWO C-SECTIONS, ONE WITH A PAINFUL ,OPEN INCISION FOR NEARLY 6 MOS. FOR ME, PART OF THIS WAS WORSE. THE SURGERY PAIN ITSELF WAS COMPLETELY MANAGEABLE, BUT I HAD EXCRUCIATING PAIN (THINK STABBING ICE PICKS) IN MY SHOULDERS FOR A GOOD WEEK AFTERWARDS. I HAD AN ON-Q PAIN PUMP IN THE HOSPITAL, WHICH LET OUT A CONTINUAL DOSE OF PAIN MEDS TO MY INCISIONS. THE IV PAIN MEDS MADE ME NAUSEOUS. I FELT MUCH BETTER WITH THE liquid LORTAB. HOWEVER, WITH EVERY 24 HOURS THAT PASSED, I NOTICED A HUGE IMPROVEMENT IN HOW I FELT OVERALL. FIRST 24 ARE THE WORST. 2) When were you able to go back to a "normal" routine? I have kids that are active in lots of sports and dance etc.. will I be able to take them? I HAVE A SIMILAR SITUATION WITH MY OLDEST SON PLUS A 19-MONTH OLD SON. I HAD SURGERY ON A MONDAY AND MY HUSBAND TOOK THE YOUNGEST TO THE BABYSITTER'S BEFORE WORK FOR ME THAT WEEK. BY THURSDAY, I WAS ABLE TO TAKE MY OLDEST TO SCHOOL AND SOCCER TRAINING, AND WE TRAVELED TO GAMES SATURDAY AND SUNDAY. FOR ME, IF IT WEREN'T FOR MY SHOULDER PAIN, I WOULD HAVE BEEN OK ON WEDNESDAY. YOU ARE SUPPOSED TO BE OFF OF PAIN MEDS BEFORE DRIVING. I COULDN'T LIFT MY YOUNGEST UNTIL I WAS NINE DAYS POST OP, SO I TAUGHT HIM HOW TO CLIMB INTO HIS CAR SEAT ON HIS OWN. ALSO, WHEN I DRIVE OR RIDE IN A CAR, MY DOCTOR SAID I HAVE TO GET OUT AND WALK AROUND EVERY 30 MINUTES TO HELP PREVENT BLOOD CLOTS FOR THE FIRST THREE WEEKS. 3) I have read people have the "post surgery blues" are you or were you upset you had the surgery? In pain? Lost your best friend (food) feeling? I DON'T HAVE THE POST-SURGERY BLUES PER SE, BUT A COUPLE OF TIMES, IT HAS BEEN DIFFICULT NOT BEING ABLE TO EAT THE YUMMY SMELLING STUFF. FOR EXAMPLE, RIDING IN A CAR WITH A FRESH, HOT pizza OR GOING TO THE TACO SHOP AND PICKING UP dinner FOR THE FAMILY WHILE I ATE chicken broth. FOR ME, IT WAS EASIER TO RESIST THIS STUFF PRE-SURGERY BECAUSE i WAS SO EXCITED. POST SURGERY HAS BEEN A BIT HARDER, BUT STILL COMPLETELY DOABLE. THERE IS NO WAY I'M GOING TO EAT SOMETHING THAT MIGHT MAKE ME SICK RIGHT NOW. I'M ALREADY NAUSEOUS IN THE MORNINGS AND AT NIGHT (LIKE BEING PREGNANT) AND I DON'T WANT TO MAKE IT WORSE. 4) I was put on bed rest with my first child and on very strong meds that kept me to the bed.. so had a folley (so?) Catheter .. it was terrible, and had a terrible experience... so I hated it. Did you all have caths and how long were they kept in? (I know crazy fear..) I DIDN'T HAVE A CATHETER. HOPEFULLY, YOU WON'T EITHER! I DID HAVE A REALLY HARD TIME URINATING AFTER SURGERY THOUGH. I WOULD SIT THERE FOR 15 MINUTES SOMETIMES WAITING FOR IT TO COME OUT. 5) Now that you've lost weight, what are your friends like? Have they changed? I'M ONLY 14 DAYS POST OP, SO I HAVEN'T EXPERIENCED THIS YET. I ONLY TOLD A FEW PEOPLE BEFOREHAND, BUT THOSE THAT I DID TELL OR THAT I'VE TOLD POST OP HAVE BEEN VERY SUPPORTIVE.

Back in the 1960's, I saw an episode of Star Trek entitled "Let That Be Your Last Battlefield" in which Captain Kirk and the crew of the USS Enterprise come across two humanoids; Bele and Lokai, from the planet Cheron. Each of them is half black and half white, starkly separated down the middle of his body. The only difference is one is black on the right side and white on the left, while the other is exactly the opposite. When I saw the show, I thought of it as a satire of race relations in the USA, but today I thought about it and realized that it might be more fittingly mocking the Jewish/Muslim battle now taking place in the Middle-East. If either Bele or Lokai were to stand in front of a mirror, he would see the image of his most hated enemy. A mirror image of a man white on his left would be a man white on his right. That is so fitting of today's (and yesterday's and probably tomorrow's) senseless slaughter taking place in and around Israel, because the Israeli and Muslim enemies are mirror images of each other. Abraham (Genesis 16) had two son's, one by his wife's maid-servant Hagar and then one by his wife, Sarah. The two sons, Ishmael and Isaac, are generally considered to be the fathers of Islam and Judaism, so the fight between Jew and Muslim is basically a family feud. In the "Let That Be Your Last Battlefield" episode of Star Trek, when Bele and Lokai return to their home planet of Cheron, they find a scene not too unlike that of Lebanon. The whole planet is now lifeless except for the two of them who beam down to continue their fight to the finish. Must the Middle-East lead the rest of the world down the same path taken by Cheron? Some will blame the problem on the Israelis. "They are bullying the Palestinians and the Lebanese", they will say. Some will blame it on the Muslims. "Hamas and Hezbollah are terrorist groups" they will say. "Iran and Syria are terrorist states arming terrorist groups" they will tell you. Bele and Lokai also had their excuses. "I'm white on the right, can't you see the difference?" Yet the Jews and the Muslims are both using the same tactic. Kill civilians until they put enough pressure on their leaders or until they choose new leaders to get their side to stop. But what has the despicable killing of civilians actually done? It has hardened each side's populace. There are many fewer Jews now ready to make piece with their Muslim brothers than there was three weeks ago. You might remember that after 911, the Republicans and Democrats came together in the US Congress to give President BuSh anything he wanted. There was unity in the streets of the USA. People; Black, White, Hispanic, Democrat and Republican were then Americans first. Osama Bin Laden and Al-Quaida brought the political left and right of the USA together. Well Israel's killing of civilians in Lebanon has brought the Sunnis and Shiites of the Middle-East together as never before. Even the Christians of Lebanon are now united with both the Lebanese Sunnis and Shiites. And the Sunni counties that have been friends of the USA are now criticizing Israel (and the USA) as if those Sunni countries were Shiite. President BuSh claims to believe in the sanctity of human life. He has vetoed legislation that would (in his opinion) destroy human life that is smaller than this period. Yet, he and Condoleezza Rice have proposed a piece-plan that must have "a lasting piece" which is a code-phrase for "when Israel wins". The Israeli prime minister told Ms. Rice that he might need 10 days to two weeks to win. Are we willing to watch both Israeli and Lebanese babies die for the next two weeks? Are those children any less valuable that the embryos that BuSh wants to protect? Sunday, a building in Lebanon was blown up with about 60 casualties. About 30 to 40 children died. About 600 Lebanese civilians including about 300 children have been killed in less than these 3 weeks. There have been about 30 Israeli civilians killed. Ms. Rice and Mr. BuSh claim that terrorism must be stomped out in the Middle-East (and around the world), but is it not terrorism to launch missile strikes, to fire artillery and use F16's to bomb populated areas? Hezbollah is wrong. Hezbollah is a terrorist group, but that does not make Israel right, nor does it make Israel any less of a terrorist country. People and countries must be judged, not by their friendship with the USA, nor the "Good Guy" sign that they fly, but by their actions. Israel is killing 20 Muslims (and Christians) in Lebanon for each Israeli that dies in the Hezbollah missile attacks. Doesn't "an eye for an eye" have any meaning to the Israelis? The bible does not say "20 eyes for an eye". Both sides are wrong. Both sides must stop fighting now. The USA must insist that there be talks. The USA must drop the BS line that we don't talk to terrorists. Pretending that Hezbollah, Syria and Iran do not exist just keeps the killing of babies going on for a longer time. Can't we learn something from Bele and Lokai, and Star Trek, or must the Earth wind up like the planet Cheron?

So I was sleeved on May 2 and am down a solid 50 lbs. I feel so much better and have more energy but...I have not lost an ounce for almost 2 weeks. I have 30 more I want to drop and the scale is just not moving. I have tried upping my carbs and calories and lowering my carbs and calories but nothing seems to work. I do Zumba 3-5 times a week and swim a mile once or twice a week as well. I am fitting into my old size 12 pants, which is great but I want to be a loose 8. I was hoping to be able to wear my cheerleading outfit from high school for Halloween but at this rate...that's not happening. I am just feeling discouraged. I have tried to keep up a good attitude for the last few weeks but being stuck here at 170 is driving me nuts. Any one else have a nasty stall at 4 months out?? I will be 4 months tomorrow. Last month I did lose 10 pounds during the whole month...but still. Any advice,encouragement and "this is what happened to me" stories are very welcome. Thanks, Laura

I'm 7 days post op and still on liquids. My doc said next week I can start mushies or soft foods. I've lost 10 pounds and am so afraid it's all going to come back on when I enter the real food (mushed as it may be) stage because i cant exercise yet. I have "my fitnesspal" app on my iPad that helps me so much with cal, fat, carbs, calories burned, etc and I'm going to try to keep it around 800-1,000 cal/day. Is that too much? I'd love to hear other people's stories when they transisitioned from liquids to mushies...thanks

Update: The doc said everything was progressing just fine! The pain I am having is normal and should ease up over the next few weeks. Last night I used a heating pad on low and that seemed to help quite a bit. I weighed in 20 lbs down from my preop appt in mid Feb! I lost 4 lbs before my preop diet, 6lbs during the preop diet and 10 lbs since surgery 1 week ago. I also was approved to move on to soft foods. I'm thinking some refried beans thinned with a little salsa sounds good! Thanks to everyone for the advice and kind words, It is greatly appreciated!

Thanks for sharing crosswind. It is good to hear-I am only 6 days post op and I called my surgeon today to ask him if the damn sleeve worked because I am able to eat like 6 oz of fat free cream soup in like 10 minutes. He told me that once I graduate to solids, it will be different..the food makes you full very fast. Your posting also helped clarify for me...thank you!

I had my step daughters 18th last weekend and decided to do entree type things before the main. I gave your egg muffins a go with egg bacon and cheese. Took me all of 10 mins to make and they were an absolute HIT!!!! I didnt make enough, people wanted the recipe and were praising my fine cooking skills. Hehe I took it all in and told them it was from years of practise lol . I just wanted to thank you for the recipe they are quick easy and yummmmmy.

I have a 10 cc band - I was told the opening was about the size of a dime before I got any restriction.

The dreaded 3-5 week stall strikes again! There are tons of posts about it if you look back through the threads. Best thing to do is focus on hydration, Protein, and healing. Put the scale away for at least 10 days and you should have a little bit of a loss in a couple of weeks. Don't drive yourself crazy by weighing everyday. Good luck!!

It is killing me. If I were a betting person. I bet 8 out of 10 commercials on tv is about food. I didn't think about this much before my sleeve but now I want to to turn the tv off. No wonder just about everybody is overweight according to medical standards. I'm really not hungry until I see a commercial & then it's on.

It's Halloweenie! Since I'm still on liquids, I bought no candy for trick or treaters. I had one come up though my light wasn't on. Ignored. Then I had some middle schooler come up at 10:50pm. WTH! So anyway, I have one week left on liquids and it's REALLY getting old!!! I know my stomach is healing and all that but still - I wanna chew my damn shoe. It's funny b/c I'm craving a scrambled egg and I don't even eat eggs that often. Lulu told me that she has, for the most part, lost the desire for snacking. Please God, let that happen to me!!! Oh and I weighed yesterday and am down 16.5 pounds. :mad2:

I weighed 6 lbs heavier 3 days post op!!! I was still full of IV fluids. Let this first week be focused on rest and getting fluids so your body can recover from the surgery. The weight loss will happen. After 3 days I was able to get in enough fluids to stop retaining that Water and proceeded to drop about 10 lbs over the next 2 weeks. It wont happen overnight, but it will happen...

:seeya: Hi, welcome to LBT! And , btw, Thank You for your service!:patriot: I am a stomach sleeper. I started sleeping on my stomach again about 10 days or so after surgery. You will hear many different ideas here about taking pills. My surgeon told me of a patient that had to have a stuck pill removed surgically. That was all I needed to hear. I have not taken a pill whole in over 2 years. After all, what is the point in chewing our food well if we can take a pill the size of an asprin, or as some say, an M&M. I take all my vits. in chewable, sublingual, or gummie form. The best thing you can do is talk about this with all your docs. Best of luck to you on your journey.

Uh huh! Its not that she was tall, just that a size 16 back then would be like a 10 today. Australian sizes are different, I know. We run about 2 sizes behind you guys so your 14 is our 10. But in Australian sizes, last time I was this weight I was about 14 years old. I was a size 16 and now I'm a size 12. I've had 3 babies and the hips have spread a bit so sizes have sure gotten larger! I just googled her measurements 37-23-36 - weight 115-120, height 5ft 5 and a half. That's pretty small. Definitely not today's 16.

Redneck Man's pick up lines 1) Did you fart? cuz you blew me away. 2) Are yer parents retarded? cuz ya sure are special. 3) My Love fer you is like diarrhea . I can't hold it in. 4) Do you have a library card? cuz I'd like to sign you out. 5) Is there a mirror in yer pants? cuz I can see myself in em. 6) If you was a tree I were a Squirrel, I'd store my nuts in yer hole. 7) You might not be the best lookin girl here, but beauty's only a light switch away. 8) Man - "Fat Penguin!" Woman - "WHAT?" Man - "I just wanted to say something that would break the ice." 9) I know I'm not no Fred Flintstone, but I bet I can make yer bed-rock. 10) I can't find my puppy, can you help me find him? I think he went into this cheap motel room. 11) Yer eyes are as blue as window cleaner. 12) If yer gunna regret this in the mornin, we kin sleep til afternoon. and.... the best for last! 13) Yer face reminds me of a wrench, every time I think of it my nuts tighten up.

Hello Everyone!! I just had my 3rd fill today- for a total of 4.5cc in a 10 cc band. I can feel some really good restriction! Im a little surprised though. My last fills I just felt a little restriction that subsided by the end of the day. But I had my appt at 9:30 this AM and I can still feel it really good. So good in fact that all I have had is about 1/2 cup of soup all day and I'm not hungry at all! Im super excited since my weight loss has been really slow. But I was just wondering if anyone else has felt like this- after a few days is it possible that this restriction will "go away?" I really hope not, I feel like this might just be "the one!" YAY I LOVE MY BAND!:thumbup:

Hey guys n gals Im a week post op and i can drink a 400ml glass in about 10 - 15 mins . My doctor told me to sip slow and i was but it must not have been slow enough lool. The doc told me i should be able to drink about 250 ml in 30 mins but i can drink faster than that. The only thing is i burp allot doing that. I dunno if its the nerves or what but what do u guys think?

We've got 3 kids so like most people at this stage of life, stomach bugs have been a regular part of the last 10 years in this household. Someone is always puking. Thankfully, my kids seem to be growing out of this now, their immunity is becoming more adult like and they're not always bringing home these things, Eliza at 6 has had so much exposure through daycare, kinder, school, big brothers etc that she rarely gets sick. however my oldest son started with the temperatures, vomiting and diarhhoea the DAY I got home from being banded. I was in an absolute panic! I went straight down to the local doctors and got a script for an anti nausea medication and keep this to hand at all times. When the kids have been sick I've turned into the disinfectant freak, I do not touch ANYTHING without gloves, bleach the toilet and bathroom every time they use it, bleach in the laundry, all round the washing machine doors and buttons, spraying Glen 20 on every single surface, training myself not to touch my face and using that hand sanitiser a million times a day. It works, they've been sick 3 or 4 times over the last four years and I've not caught it. I'm about to finish my teaching degree and will be working next year, I'm really hoping that as an adult graduate, with kids myself, I have a strong enough immune system not to fall victim to the legendary horrible first year of illnesses!

the first 10 months of my lap band odyssey have been so easy. I had my fills, lost the weight, no problems or issues...... I did have gallbladder surgery the 1st of August and had a complete unfill. I had 5.5 CCs up to that point, and had to start over. I had 1 CC put in on September 17th to get me back to 5 CC. So I'm still not quite where I was. I was doing great. I went on a retreat weekend on Sept. 25 to the 28th. I did fine. I overate a little, and was uncomfortable, but no issues. Up to this point I had experienced a PB only twice in 10 months. Well, starting Monday the 30th (a week ago today) I have PBd 8 times!!! what is up with that? This long after my last fill? I'm supposed to go on Friday to get another one, but certainly don't need it now. why after all this time, am I having trouble with this now? I don't understand it? Why the delayed reaction? Comments?

Olwen - Please don't equate being tight with the ability to lose weight. I did this and was miserable for about 6-7 weeks. My doc's office really cautions people on their forum to try and leave the band a little looser rather than too tight. I was reading some recent statistics yesterday concerning the band and noticed that between year 2 to 3 with the band the average slippage rate goes to 10%. That is a huge concern to me. I have been tight and have been where I am now and still been able to loose weight effectively. Just because I can eat more comfortably doesn't mean I can eat more in volume. But I sure have more of a variety of foods I can tolerate. It's really important to be able to get your fluids in daily. That was also an issue when I was tight. It was difficult to drink 64 oz in a day. Now, no problem. I can't chug it, but I can take 3-4 medium size gulps with no issues. I am just really concerned with those who choose to keep their band tight. Because it is a really slippery slope in terms of taking chances with a slippage. Good luck to you in your journey!

Well I went yesterday for my ten day post op and I was down 6 pounds since surgery on Nov 10th. He took the steri strips off and the incision sites look very good. I started my vitamins last night and he said I could start light cardio but not weights yet. I can't tell you how amazed I am at my whole body feeling better. I have lost around 44 pounds and the swelling in my knee has went down and they only time it hurts is when I get up after sleeping or sitting for a while. But once I get moving is feels good. Before I lost some of my weight my knee was constantly aching and swelled, who would of thought losing a little weight would make such a big difference? LOL... I go back on December 16th for another appointment and by then I will be on solid foods. I do not know if they will do a fill on that date he left that open to see how I am feeling with my hunger. But I do have to be on regular foods for at least a week before they will do a fill. Hubby's surgery is scheduled for January 4th and he is doing fantastic on his pre op diet. He has lost over his 10% and is going to try to lose as much as he can so surgery will go better for him. Well sorry so long. Have a great day all. Char

Ok, my question is... I was banded on 10/24. By the 3rd day I was fine with drinking fluids. It's now been, 2.5 and I'm already eating. yes I know I'm not suppose to, but I stay so hungry! I'm, afraid I'll strech my stomach, is this possible? I'm not eating anywhere near wha i use to, but I'm already eating "soft foods". I'm afraid I'll gain weight before my 1st fill in 3 weeks. Anyone else have this problem?