Hi all , I am newly banded and new to this site. I was reading some of the posts and decided to join in and tell my story. I am 50 years old with RA ( diagnosed 7 years ago) . I was having some major back pain recently and when I got it checked out I found out that my l-4 l-5 and I think l-6 discs were pretty much shot and bulging. that was when I decided to check on the lap band. the only way to fix my spine is surgery and I want to avoid that , so the doctor said that every pound of weight I lose is like 4 pounds of pressure off my spine. luckily my insurance covered the surgery with a documented diet for six months. I got the lap band on August 23. I have been overweight all my life but reached my heaviest this time. as my name suggests I LOVE BREAD !!! well that's in the past , from what I'm reading I cant eat bread anymore.. this is my first day of full liquids and I am so bloated I can only do clear lol. I have soreness at the port site and minor tenderness at the other incision sites. so any advice? how do you all get the graphs under your messages that show your goals? . I am back to work today for four hours I a bit sore but I think I can do it . I am excited to start my journey and cant wait to hear all of your suggestions

Hello bread addict and welcome to bandland.

As for your incision pain, try ice packs to alleviate the pain. Since you were recently banded, you can still continue pain meds to keep you mobile if the pain becomes increasingly uncomfortable. It takes on average of 2-3 weeks for the port/incision pain to subside once the underlying tissues fully heal and the abdominal muscles are no longer irritated by the sutures.

I too have lower back issues. 3 disc herniations as a matter of fact. I can testify that wl has helped with the symptoms tremendously and i would assume it would help even more w/ bugling opposed to herniated disks. I too require surgery and am trying to postpone it. The wl allows that to be a possibility, however, I require steroid injections approximately every 2-3 months to keep acute pain under control.

Bread- who doesn't love it. I'm actually fond of specialty breads like pumpernickle, broule's, tea breads etcetc. (suddenly I'm hungry). I am near 4 years banded and although bread is not a staple food for me any longer, I can occasionally indulge in it. There are tricks (ie eating thinner slices, eating only single slices, alternating bites with foods that are no problem etc) to prevent sticks but I would encourage you to practice your foundation rules before learning how to incorporate the trickier foods. But alas, one day you can wrap those lips around some bread again...(don't be surprised if you lose your taste for it << that's a good thing lol)

The graphs you see are called tickers. If you click on your name (top right corner) a menu box appears. Click My tickers and edit it there.

Good luck

Congratulations on your banding! I can tell you first hand that weight loss will take care of the L4&5 problem. I too had a bad L4&5 was sent to a surgeon and knew at 421 pounds surgery was out of the question. When I started losing weight the pain went away, and ultimately I was finished with PT and on to working out at a gym. Today my low back pain is just a distant memory THANK GOD! I am sure you too will find the same relief. Blessings and best wishes to you for success in your losses.

Hi Bread addict, how are you? I have not had any wls yet, but I am browsing the site and taking in as much information as i can. Congrats on the step forward into a healthier lifestyle for yourself.

Wow, you had surgery on friday and back at work today. Good for you.

What made you choose the lap band?

Hello bread addict and welcome to bandland.

As for your incision pain, try ice packs to alleviate the pain. Since you were recently banded, you can still continue pain meds to keep you mobile if the pain becomes increasingly uncomfortable. It takes on average of 2-3 weeks for the port/incision pain to subside once the underlying tissues fully heal and the abdominal muscles are no longer irritated by the sutures.

I too have lower back issues. 3 disc herniations as a matter of fact. I can testify that wl has helped with the symptoms tremendously and i would assume it would help even more w/ bugling opposed to herniated disks. I too require surgery and am trying to postpone it. The wl allows that to be a possibility, however, I require steroid injections approximately every 2-3 months to keep acute pain under control.

Bread- who doesn't love it. I'm actually fond of specialty breads like pumpernickle, broule's, tea breads etcetc. (suddenly I'm hungry). I am near 4 years banded and although bread is not a staple food for me any longer, I can occasionally indulge in it. There are tricks (ie eating thinner slices, eating only single slices, alternating bites with foods that are no problem etc) to prevent sticks but I would encourage you to practice your foundation rules before learning how to incorporate the trickier foods. But alas, one day you can wrap those lips around some bread again...(don't be surprised if you lose your taste for it << that's a good thing lol)

The graphs you see are called tickers. If you click on your name (top right corner) a menu box appears. Click My tickers and edit it there.

Good luck

thank you so much, I did the spine shots but they didn't work for me. I'm going to check on the tickers tonight thanks again

Congratulations on your banding! I can tell you first hand that weight loss will take care of the L4&5 problem. I too had a bad L4&5 was sent to a surgeon and knew at 421 pounds surgery was out of the question. When I started losing weight the pain went away, and ultimately I was finished with PT and on to working out at a gym. Today my low back pain is just a distant memory THANK GOD! I am sure you too will find the same relief. Blessings and best wishes to you for success in your losses.

I hope and pray that it will relieve my pain as well, I do not want back surgery at all and don't want to live a life of painpills either, I hopeful now , thanks for the feedback

Hi Bread addict, how are you? I have not had any wls yet, but I am browsing the site and taking in as much information as i can. Congrats on the step forward into a healthier lifestyle for yourself.

Wow, you had surgery on friday and back at work today. Good for you.

What made you choose the lap band?

hi and thank you, what are wls? I went back to work because it was a new job and I wasn't supposed to ask for time off until I'm off probation and I told her that ppl had said they were good in a couple of days. my job is a lot of walking and sitting and standing so I thought it would be good for me too It was painful but I got through it, I chose the lap band because its reversible ( if I have complications) and it seemed less evasive than by pass or the sleeve. what are you having done? or have had done?

hi and thank you, what are wls? I went back to work because it was a new job and I wasn't supposed to ask for time off until I'm off probation and I told her that ppl had said they were good in a couple of days. my job is a lot of walking and sitting and standing so I thought it would be good for me too It was painful but I got through it, I chose the lap band because its reversible ( if I have complications) and it seemed less evasive than by pass or the sleeve. what are you having done? or have had done?

Hi Bread addict,

WLS= weight loss surgery. i havent had any yet. I am still in the beginning stages of meeting with the doctor and so forth. I am still considering which one might be best for me. My job is a sitting job mostly, so i might not have any real concerns when it comes to going back to work. I am glad you are doing so much better.

Hi Bread addict,

WLS= weight loss surgery. i havent had any yet. I am still in the beginning stages of meeting with the doctor and so forth. I am still considering which one might be best for me. My job is a sitting job mostly, so i might not have any real concerns when it comes to going back to work. I am glad you are doing so much better.

If it helps, my doctor said if your job is no real physical as it sounds yours is not that I could return to work in one week. I am self employed, I'm a wholesale baker, I arranged for a month off. I have to say it was nice!

If it helps, my doctor said if your job is no real physical as it sounds yours is not that I could return to work in one week. I am self employed, I'm a wholesale baker, I arranged for a month off. I have to say it was nice!

Ok that makes sense.

How long was the approval process for you?