Hi, I really would like to be able to keep in touch with all of you waiting for

December surgery and as we progress on our way to success. Maybe start with Date of surgery, Where banded, Present weight and goal weight. Of course, add anything else that is helpful to others or if you need some words of encouragement hopefully someone here will step up and help us.

I will be banded 12/12/06

Banded in Wisconsin

Starting Weight 266

Goal 140

nathalie you make me laugh so much "im putting my jelly to bed" he he ...im doing this with the intention that i will be a really healthy looking weight where actually no one notices me for my weight its just not an issue ,i just look like a normal sized girl not skinny ..not fat and when i get there il know because i will feel good and then no matter what scales say il be at my ideal weight FOR ME :clap2:

i told everyone and there dog that i was doing this surgery as i felt like instead of taking easy route i was being a rebel defiant of peoples concerns ..to be honest im not sure where i was at or what i was thinking im just really glad i did it.

stacy...good luck for 28th honey and the emotional rollercoaster continues i was so weepy first two days but i feel grrrrreat and im so up for this challenge life begins for you at 39 !!!!!

beversman...you are doing amazing !! you will definately be a success look how you doing without aid of the band ,i just know you will be one of those you just glide through i will be thinking of you :girl_hug:

kathy good luck for tomorrow you sound in control !! we will be here for you when you return:)

evathenurse we banded on same day im glad you back and doing ok im still gassy as well but im not burping at all i just live with hot beanie bag flung over left shoulder

nathalie im not dry at all:confused: but i did want to ask

is it just my imagination or does the band feel really tight in the morning ??

i took period at the clinic after surgery and they sometimes hormones affect it Water retention etc any views ????

also im sure my tummy grumblings are now in at least six different languages none of which tell me wether im hungry :confused:

ok, I am officially banded!! 27hrs now!!

very very very painful. I am in Germany and they would not give me a morphene pump! they said this surgery is a B on the painscale and doesn't get one! So i was in pain all day long yesterday and making the nurses so mad. They couldn't understand me and I couldnt' understand them.

so now i am home, feeling a little better, but gas pains are terrible. I can't shower for 6 days!! yuck, and I am on liquids for 10 days.

I go back next tuesday to look at my incisions.

The only painful one is the port and it's not too bad the rest I can't even feel.

Just the horrid gas! i have been sipping Water and tea since yesterday. I woke up with a productive cough and keep coughing up a little blood. Hope thats ok.

Anyway, where are my other 18th girls?

SweetHot - hey honey!! I'm so glad you're ok. walk, walk, walk (for the gas pains) and you should call your Dr. about the blood you're coughing up. DONT freak out, but I haven't had my Dr. mention it to me... so you should ask a professional. njust to be sure

In my personal opinion, I believe it is due to the tube they put in while doing your surgery. That causes alot of irritation which could lead to bleeding. So... i wouldnt think it is anything major :-)

It does get better. I am one week postop today and I feel not 100% yet but soooooo much better. Mostly my prob now is fatigue. I had a doctor appt yesterday and complained about the fatigue and the NP said "don't I remember you had surgery less than a week ago"? Guess I need to learn patience. I'll be thinking about you.

hi ladies -

Nat - yes I was also very dry and kept feeling like I was catching a cold - which by now I think I would have caught - its been a week! I'm still blowing the boogers - and the cough - was it you who asked? well thats good, a cough clears the lungs of all the anthesia, and I also would think that the little bit of blood was just from the tube or being dry. I was soooooo dry mouthed after the surgery I never felt like I'd rehydrate again.

Sweethot - nice to hear from you hon! I never had a pump either, but they gave me shots of it in the iv whenever I asked. I'm not a pillpopper normally and I think I have a high pain tolerence because I only took liquid tylenol 2-3 times, I never fill the script from doc. I never have pain now - now I itch. All around my incisions - itchy itchy itchy - think I'm gonna call dr to see if I can put some hyrocoritizone...(sp? lol ) cream on or around them.

Support groups are good - I only went once pre-op - last month - and there were a few banded but most are waiting to be banded. BC/BS local is highmark and they haven't approved the band here so they are all fighting it. I guess my doc is quite the advocate, the lady who had surgery with me said he fought it for 14 months - and used his own lawyers! Not sure thats norm or not but dang he's cute!!! -

(Steph <---- still crushing doc Marley)

Back to support groups - tonight is one and we are to bring a holiday dish (so I guess it kinda a Christmas party)

I'm making sf lime Jello, sf strawberry jello, with coolwhip FREE - I thought I would layer it in a clear glass bowl so it looks all christmassy and pretty. I can actually eat it too - its part of the liquids.

Nat you should go - don't worry about fat guy from work - LOL - you're too dang funny!!! I love ya! If he is there just say hey and tell him you'd really like to keep it quiet that you've had the surgery. He might lose the weight and come back as Erik on the biggest loser - omgoodness!!! Who'd have thought such a hunk was inside there?

Ok - so a small nsv - when I saw Charlie yesterday he said he can see the weight loss in my face - yippeeeee! Hubby always says I lose in my face first - scale it telling me 15lbs so far - but 8 of it was pre-op and btw did I tell you when I went to doc to look at my incisions (cuz my tape came off 3 days out) I was only down 5 lbs? Yeah I was like WTF - as Nat would say.. lol ... but it must do with the procedure, PA said they don't normally weigh until 2 weeks. I'm not changing my ticker until I get on the dr's scale.

mystique - I haven't said hi for a while - hi - sounds like you're doing good. I'm still using the heating pad for my shoulder - its getting better everyday.

kari - I was tired alot too - and then on Sunday - 6 days out I finally got over it.

Ok tv viewers - why is there nothing on tv interesting during the day? I don't even bother flipping through 400 channels anymore - and what about reading? Anyone read a book lately? I am a BIG reader - like a book a week or more - and I haven't been able to focus on reading since a month before surgery. Do you think its just the excitement of being banded? My only reading comes from LBT.

Love ya girls!

Hi, all! NG, Yes I'm still dry and things are still coming out of my nose. I'm trying to drink lots of water but I've never really developed a taste for it. The grape-flavored and lemon-flavored so far are the easiest to get down. Also, peach-flavored Crystal Lite.

Evathenurse, the tv has certainly been a big disappointment. Anyone know any good DVD's to rent?

My family is gathering here tonight for our Christmas meal. I'm considering the instant stuffed baked potato flakes for myself. They are really yummy.

As far as the foods I'll eat later on, WW is good, Nutri-System is ok, but the first year, before my band slipped, I pretty much ate 1/4 what I normally ate of regular foods. No fried foods, of course. When my husband and I ate out, I just asked for an extra plate. I didn't eat enough to order. You can also show your lapband card and eat from the child's menu. Restaurants will usually just take your word without having to show the card.

Wide Sargasso Sea by Jean Rhys is a great 189 page book if anyone is interested. The setting is in the West Indies: water is everywhere! streams, rivers, forests, beaches...very therapeutic. I felt like I was somewhere exotic instead of on the couch wrapped in an afghan. It's a good two-day read with the typical day-to-day interruptions.

hey dee - I never knew about the band card - does doc give it to you?

BTW - sorry about that last post.. didn't know I was going on like that! whew!

b-man - you said about the vit.E - are you talking cream or break open the pills and rub the oil on? I think I have both but not sure when to start using it.

Hey all, may I jump in here. I am due to be banded on the 27th ...next week and right now I'm trying to avoid getting sick. I am washing my hands about 1000 times a day it seems, as my son has a cold. I have been waiting for 8 months to be approved and now the sickies are comin. I just want this done and over so I can start out the new year on the right foot! Congrats to all you new bandsters and to the ones about to be banded. Be well all of you!

Mel

StephC, the dr. in MX gave me a laminated card which stated that I had had the lapband procedure. It was like an emergency card. It also mentioned that I could medically only consume 1/2 C food at any given time. I'm looking for the card in old, discarded billfolds and when I find it I'll post. It might come in handy for me again. I have found that the surgeon in MX had all his paperwork, pre-op and post-op, for the patient's info. much moreso than the doc here in the states.

Hi Surgery Sisters!

I swear to you I am insane. I have cried twice today and thrown a complete hissy fit.

I'm glad to hear that my productive coughs and nose blows are eliminating the rest of the anesthesia. They do taste kind of mediciney (gross, right?). I don't remember having this after my c-section, but if it's normal, I'm all for it. I have also coughed up blood stained mucous - I couldn't tell if it was from my throat or my lungs. I'm still dry, my nasal passages are still dry, my skin is dry and itchy. My face is flaking. Just ugh.

I am determined not to drink anything but Water or herbal tea. REAL water, not that sweetened fake mango-berry-black cherry bottled Gatorade water that I love so much. I am going to drink warm water in hopes of rehydrating my lil traumatized body.

My port site is the big cut, right? It's the only one that still hurts. I just took some of the liquid vicodin. I don't know how you all are managing without pain meds. Sweethot it totally sucks that the Germans didn't give you morphine for the pain. They were tripping.

Today was the day I could shower. Let me tell you something. I saw the face of God as I stepped into that warm streaming water! I used my favorite bath gel and soaped up really good. When I got out I patted myself dry and moisturized myself with my most favorite body butter. THEN I gave myself a facial. My skin is radiant! I swear I look better now than before the surgery. My friend is coming over for lunch and I didn't want to funk her out of here. LOL The bandages look really dingy and gross. I covered 2 of them with new bandaids, but the others are too big to cover.

So I took my measurements last night. I took them the day I started my pre-op and I took 'em last night. I have lost 1.5" from my thighs. And nearly 1" from my hips. Mind you I have enormous amounts of junk in my trunk, so I have a ways to go, but so far I am THRILLED! I also stepped on the scale this morning and i'm down to 279.5. I stood in my kitchen butt ass naked and coochie popped like a video hoe. ((laughing)) It's starting! IT'S STARTING! I'll get on my elliptical today for 30 minutes if it kills me!

I found out from my HR friend at work that my manager (the dummy) told people I was out on medical leave. WTF?!?!?!? That's when I threw the hissy fit. He had NO BUSINESS telling them that. Now I'm going to be fodder for office gossip. I swear when I get back if anyone asks why I was out, I'll look at them wide eyed and say, "What are you talking about?" The person he told is NOT my friend, and she has all but said "I hate you."

I made an appointment with the dermatologist on January 31. I'm kind of excited about it. I want him to clip off 2 moles and give me something to help eliminate the appearance of scars. I don't know if he will recommend dermablasting or laser therapy or what, but I'm down for it. I am also going to get something to thicken up my hair.

Do any of you take flaxseed oil? I am going to resume my flaxseed oil this week. I'm out and haven't been taking it. It's good for your skin - omega3's, baby!

Okay, I have found the MOTHERLODE of high Protein, low calorie, low fat recipes at bodyforlife.com All of those muscle heads are combining protein powders, cottage cheese, chicken breast, sodium free tomato sauce and other flavors to make the most delicious meals! They are low in calories (most of them are less than 450 calories or so) and high in protein (20+ grams per serving). I think that some of them can be pureed for the mushies stage. Others are just perfect for regular eating. I am also researching a recipe for salmon mousse. It just sounds divine right now for mushies.

Okay, that's enough. I can't believe it's nearly noon. I'm ready for a nap! And then I've got to run to Target.

Laterz!

Nathalie

Vitamin E Oil -- you can buy it in a bottle (just the liquid, no pills to pop open) at Walgreens (or any drug store like that).

It is usually in the cosmetics section.

But you want to be sure it is 40,000 I.U. or more. The 40,000 is the strength. (the kind I have is 56,000 I.U.)

Many lotions advertise that they contain Vit E, but it is usually in such small amounts that it won't really do much good if you are trying to vanquish scars. Get the good stuff. It works really well. :girl_hug:

BTW - sorry about that last post.. didn't know I was going on like that! whew!

b-man - you said about the vit.E - are you talking cream or break open the pills and rub the oil on? I think I have both but not sure when to start using it.

StephC - I quite enjoyed your last post. I like the long ones if they're broken into paragraphs. :girl_hug: Keep on writing, girlfriend!

As for the Vitamin E, I have the liquid form. It's 45,000 I.U. by Jason Organics. I got it for $10 from a health food store. Not GNC, but a real health food store.

http://www.jason-natural.com/products/pure_and_natural.php

It's thick and rich and healing. I have put it on cuts/scars before and it helps to heal them, but I didn't know if it was up to the job of healing surgical scars. I also put it on my laugh lines and it plumps them up.

HTH,

Nat

Hey everybody have not posted in a while my two little ones really keeps me busy. Steph how are you feeling? Are you having any port pain. I had a really bad sharp pain right where the port was last night.....it felt like something was ripping!!!! Not fun. I am not sure if I just moved wrong or what....or picking up my six month old....(she is only 12 pounds though_but anyway just a little sore today, but hope I didn't do someting real bad! I had such a tough night last night.....my baby Rose woke up like four times. I felt so bad for myself, and tired in the morning that I had popped a chocolate in my mouth before I even thought about it.....then I ate a waffle that I had made for my kids!!!! (I only ate 1/2)......but still....where is the protien!!!! I am also feeling bad because as soon as I started to eat mushies/solids my weight loss stalled. I am still at a ten pound loss. I am discouraged....am I going to have to stay on liquids my whole life to be at a healthy weight? I think that we truly do not understand how little food we really need in order to be thin and healthy. I am sad....I think I am a little depressed about it all....and reading the boards a lot of people are emotional after the surgery.........is it the drugs.....or what is going on? I am so tired all the time.....maybe I should just go back to the liquids for a few days to get more protien in ......I am already looking forward to my first fill....Jan 9th!!!!!!!

Beversman.....about your family and the easy way out......nothing about the band is easy.....remind them about that.....and would they like to see you sustain the weightloss????? My mother in law was like that.....well why can't you just diet now....and then I tell her I have lost over a hundred pounds twice and always manage to gain it back and I never want that to happen again. Remind them that does it really matter what you do as long as you get healthy???? Would they like to have you around for a long time living without pain, or diabetes or heart problems???? If they persist....just ignore....not worth the negativity....but man sure is annoying and a bummer.....but I bet once you start losing real good and see it stays off they will get more supportive!

Hope all the recent bandsters are doing well.....the gas problem is painful....but does resolve itself after about a week!

Hi Mel - welcome! I know what you mean about afraid of getting sick right before surgery - I took airborne - swear by that stuff but the dr told me now since I'm banded I can't take it anymore due to the fizzies - like alka seltzer. It won't hurt to take it pre-op its loaded with Vitamins.

Dee - you said "I have found that the surgeon in MX had all his paperwork, pre-op and post-op, for the patient's info. much moreso than the doc here in the states." Do you think its because the dr's in Mx probably aren't going to see any of their patients again? And I was curious about that - bc having it done here we go to the dr for pre-op visits, post-op and anything inbetween so what do you do once you leave Mexico? Do you get a dr up here who will see you? Just wondering.

I talked to Nate - the PA - he said I can rub E or hydrocort... cream on my itchy's if I want and I can pull the rest of the tape off since I had healed so well when they saw me on Thursday. AND this is the BIGGIE....

I CAN EAT CHRISTMAS DINNER!!!!

:hungry:WOOHHOOO!:clap2: YIPPEE!!!:cheer2:

Of course I have to puree it but still I'm excited! I have everyone at my house for Christmas Eve and its a buffet of everyones favorites - oyster stew, hot wings, taco ring, cheese tray - you get the picture - food - so I'm ok with that.. I figure I'll eat the oyster stew and I'll be happy with that but then on Christmas day its just hubby, and the girls and its important to me to make them the ham dinner we always have so I was a bit disappointed about not being able to eat that day - with them, ya know? but my dd - thats dear doctor - has a heart. I wasn't suppose to go to mushies until the 28th after my post op visit. How's everyone else handling the holidays? I'm thinking of you B-man - actually you won't really feel like eating at that point will you - I'm sorry hun, remind me when you're getting banded - is it 4 days????!!! Friday?

Nat- love you!!! you make me lmao! So when you get back to work and someone says medical leave whisper - ((lady stuff)) How long did you have to wait to shower? When I read sweethot had what 6 days? I was like omgoodness! I was able to shower 2 days later. Although if you saw me today at 12:31 pm in my jammies - STILL - you wouldn't know it.

Guess I'll go take a shower.

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