I love that title...Thanks Demmemoon!

March 2007 Bandsters! We have finally been banded!!!:confused:

We thought we'd never have this surgery behind us and here we are at the start of April and some of us are already at or close to the 1 month mark. Now, we are moving on to fills, real food, exercise, and watching those pounds melt away! I am looking forward to hearing about everyone's experiences. Keep posting!

Never again,

Have you been walking alot? The walking has been helping with my gas pains. I am hungry all the time by the way.

Ok, so my recovery thus far has been relatively painless, but I have to say, those shooting shoulder pains are very bad. I've been lucky to have no loose stool or anything incredibly unpleasant except for said shoulder pains. A small piece of the surgical incision glue came off this morning and it kind of freaked me out, but I'm sure it's nothing to worry about. Only other thing is trying to differe between hunger and gas pains is difficult. I'm down 13ish pounds since pre-op, so I'm pretty optimistic!

Oh, and HI everybody!!!!!!!

try milk of magnesia or gas x to help with the gas pains. You'll be fine soon.

Congratulations on the weight loss!! that's awesome!

Ok. today @ 2:45 was my post op appointment and 1st fill. I walked in, & they weighed me. I was kind of dreading this because 1. It's that 'special' time of the month 2. I've been hungry 3. this weekend, though I still didn't eat volume wise what I normally do, ate things I shouldn't have, like bread and brownies 4. last but not least, I weigh about 4 lbs heavier in the afternoon than I do in the a.m. water retention I guess.

Much to my delight I have maintained myself at 318.. I was 331.5 on the day of surgery, which means I weighed even more than that before surgery and lost some before because of the hellacious pre-op 'all food is evil so you must drink your meals' diet. So I lost around 20 lbs and have kept it off without gaining any before my fill. From what I've been reading on the forums, some people gain before their 1st fill so HOOfreakinRAH for me!:clap2:

They had a "basket 'o Needles sitting on the desk.. boy that cheered me up and fast.:faint: Todd was like... well look honey.. they aren't THAT big...

Dr. Morton thought my incisions sites looked great and where healing V well. They also thought my matching tie dyed undies/sports bra and socks were a hoot, I informed them that of course, I wore them for this ever so special of occasions. At this point, they had me laying down on the table in my colorful skivies and it occurred to me that this bragging on my homemade undies was a clever ploy for them to distract me from the bee sting of a numbing shot they administered to the incision on my sternum. I think Todd's fingers may still be tingling...:rolleyes but I have to admit.. it was like a baby bee sting and not one of those big A$$ scary bees....

So.. after this he sticks in the saline needle and all I feel is pressure, I was like.. wow, that's kind of weird, he then informed me that he was going to help me SIT UP with said needle protruding from my sternum. uh....:guess

He gave me his hand and helped me sit up.. I didn't pass out or anything! In fact at this point, I didn't feel a thing but I guess my eyes were still bugged out like a fly in a frog pit cause he commented on my expression..

It was kind of weird to look down and see a needle sticking out of me but, it didn't hurt:)

They then gave me a cup holding 9 ounces of water and asked me to sip on it. Apparently the band I have holds 4 thingies of saline (cc's maybe?) and while I sat there drank water and burped profusely he put in 2.2 thingies of fluid. He seemed pretty happy with how it was sounding and he pulled out the needle and slapped on a bandaid. I was like... 'THAT's IT?" As I predicted, I felt silly for being to worked up over this. It all took about 10 minutes from weigh in/strip down to fill up.

I was grinning like a cat in the fish market on the way up front because my stomach had been growling like crazy when I got there and all the sudden.. I was FULL. HOLY CRAP>>>> I went from ravenous beast to pleasantly just ate full.... on 9 ounces of water. NICE. I scheduled my next appointment for 3 weeks from now to weigh in and see if I need more fluid in my band. I am on liquids until wednesday afternoon then I can switch to soft stuff like cottage cheese/apple sauce then gradually at my own pace, work up to real food again.

I am ever so slightly sore now where my port is and he said I might bruise a little. I got a protein drink and some veggie juice for supper and right now I'm full as a tick.

Thanks for all the details Synicalchick. I wondered how that worked..sitting up with a needle sticking out your side certainly explains it. I was told my surgeon fills pretty aggressively with about 5cc in a 10cc band. Then he has you drink some water and backs off until the water flows through easily. Most of his patients end up with about 4cc at the first fill. My first fill is scheduled next Monday so I really appreciate your post.

synicalchick - you are hysterical!! But thanks for describing the procedure. I haven't had a fill yet and your description of the event really helped me!

Keep up the good work and let us know how you do after this fill. Congratulations!!!

I do walk 2 or 3 miles a day, but maybe that's not enough? :phanvan

Does or did anyone have trouble getting in 1300 or 1400 calories right off the bat? I'm having a heck of a time.

Oh, one more question, do you have to follow the not drinking 30min before meals and 1hr after when you're on mushies?

I had full liquids for 2 days and then 4 weeks of mushies which includes fish, well cooked veggies and soft fruits.

Next monday I get to start back to real food.

aaargghhh......

i want your doctor! i don't get mushies until week 5 (although cottage cheese and hummus have been my saving foods!) liquids suck!

"Thanks for all the details Synicalchick. I wondered how that worked..sitting up with a needle sticking out your side certainly explains it."

Actually, my port is dead center under my sternum. I know some port sites are to the side. Not sure what the benefits are to the different positions. Is yours on the side??

T

Coming up on two weeks this coming Thursday since I was banded, and yay, going onto soft food already! I doubt I need a fill yet because I still feel like I've had a full course meal just drinking Soup LOL. No pain at all, and my steri strips have fallen off and there is very little bruising around the incision sites now.

I've been doing lots of walking, and some light exercises, but no tummy crunches or anything like that until I check with the doc this week. I guess I will have my official weigh in then too

mine is on my left side

Hiya guys/gals! I just started my pre-op today and I concur with whoever said LIQUIDS SUCK! LOL

Sygnalchic: YOU ARE FRIGGEN HILLARIOUS! I'm hoping you are still as full as a tick! and I gotta get me some of those tie dyed skivies!

I can't wait to join everyone in band land!

Tracy - keep us posted on progress. And let us know when you go in for your surgery. Congratulations!!

This is good to know. Now I know that when I go back I have to wear the good undies and not the "but this is the last clean thing and you should be grateful I bothered to wear undies at all undies". And I guess it won't be one of my thong days either. This is laundry date for me and the washer and dryer. And yes I have had enough of those days... Thats how I ended up flashing the EKG tech when I went in for pre op stuff.

I think my incisions look good. There are only two that I can really easily see anymore. The other day someone asked me how I was doing after my surgery and I said great and I pulled up my shirt so they could see my cool incisions and how small they were, and then I demonstrated how far away from my waist my jeans will go. Later it occured to me that maybe people dont want to see my incisions (or my flabby belly). I also have some scars from the blisters I got around the incisions due to my allergic reaction to the tape. Those look a lot worse than my incisions. I'm using my mederma on them.

Today I had my anual gyno exam. Fun stuff, huh. I was supposed to have it a few months ago but the Doc canceled and I had to reschedule. So I guess it was a semi official weight. In my clothes, but with no shoes, I weighed 261 so that is what I put on the ticker. Naked on my scale at home last nightI was 260 and my scale at home usually seems reliable as long as I keep the board on it (I have to have a little board on it to stabalize it because I BROKE it by stepping on it a few months ago. It cracked the plastic around it. And that scale is supposed to support up to fourty pounds heavier than I was). And the gynecologist nurse practitioner asked how the band worked so I got to tell her about it-- I like to spread the word.

Also my blood pressure was ok today and I have lately been taking a lower dose of my blood pressure medication because my doctor said I could try that after the surgery. We have a blood pressure thing at home, I should monitor it with that.

As far as getting calories in, I don't worry about it (or try not to). I sort of keep track in my head right now, but I'm not getting anywhere near 1000 calories most days and the past few days I haven't even looked at 500. So I'm losing weight at a pretty fast rate right now. But the nutritionist didn't tell me to eat a daily minimum, just to eat 1400 a day or less. And I imagine I will eat more when I get to solids in about a week.

Glad to hear that the March bandsters are doing well!

My port was placed on my right side between ribs and waist line. (I'm 4'11" and there isn't much room) I have a problem bending all the way over to tie my right shoe. No pain but I can definately feel my port, like I'm squishing it into my gut.

I've lost 12 lbs since surgery, but I've stayed the same for almost 2 weeks. How can that be possible? I'm barely eating 600 calories a day.

I know the whole thing should be healing not losing weight, but my gosh, on any normal day pre-band, I'd eat 2 bowls of cereal for bkfst, coffee with creamer, 2 double cheeseburgers and a bag of white chedder popcorn for lunch and eat while I was cooking dinner.

It's kinda frustrating.

I haven't started back up my exercise routine yet.

Maybe that's my problem.