starting a new thread for anyone who has or is considering surgery thru the Brigham/Falkner program.

~Mel

surgery 11/13/07 Dr Vernon

-35lbs

It 's workin' for ya ! I think that is great. Now you can get through your day w/o exhaustion.

Mine was on Boston Ave and my tech was a middle aged man with gray hair named Bob....excellent.

Unfortunately I get more sleep at my own home than at that test last night. I'm ready for a good night's sleep w/o wires and glue!

singing, I had my upper gi and psych eval at the brigham. I will most likely have surgery at the faulkner for the private room when and if I get a date..

Hi all! Hope evryones good! I just got back from a kick boxing class at the gym. First class in years!! It kicked my butt but felt good!! I'm getting frustrated because it just seems like the weight doesn't wanna come off!!! :-(

Hi all! Hope evryones good! I just got back from a kick boxing class at the gym. First class in years!! It kicked my butt but felt good!! I'm getting frustrated because it just seems like the weight doesn't wanna come off!!! :-(

Great job Heidi, I know how plateaus can be frustrating!!! :thumbup: Maybe you body just needs you to mix it up a little, just like the class. Keep up the good work!! Try to stay positive! Best of luck!! :crying:

Great job Heidi, I know how plateaus can be frustrating!!! :crying: Maybe you body just needs you to mix it up a little, just like the class. Keep up the good work!! Try to stay positive! Best of luck!!

Thanks!!! :thumbup:

Do you all think I should get an unfill before I go to Jamiaca? I'm not real tight now but i'm afraid {god help me} I may get sick while I'm there. I will be drinking.....what if I have to throw up?? I guess I'll have to act like a responsable adult right???? :tt2:

Thanks!!! :thumbup:

Do you all think I should get an unfill before I go to Jamiaca? I'm not real tight now but i'm afraid {god help me} I may get sick while I'm there. I will be drinking.....what if I have to throw up?? :crying: I guess I'll have to act like a responsable adult right???? :lol:

Heidi,

Focus on the rules and you'll be fine. Be sure that if you're drinking, you drink. No munching. No nibbling. Is it possible you're tight because of your cycle or stress? I find my band to be tremendously sensitive to both. No reason to act like a "responsible adult" on vacation. Heck, it's Jamaica. No one wants that.....especially if you don't have kids with you!

So to respond to everything posted prior---there are a few things I learned pre-op: don't admit to snoring or any other health issues for which you're not already medicated. Say you have a wonderful support system during the psych eval---never admitting that anyone in your family has either pysch issues or any kind of addiction. (THEY have no way of knowing!) Smile and just keep smiling. Appointments never run on time, so schedule extra, and most importantly, KEEP ALL OF YOUR RECEIPTS for the co-pays. I have received several bills from the Brigham for appointment for which I PAID. I have no proof, but I've never entered an appointment and NOT paid...Above all, attend support group meetings as these are people who have experienced most of what you will encounter. They will understand everything you're going through in a way that no one else can or will. Use this website as much as you can, too. People are tremendously helpful if you give them the chance to be.

It isn't easy and there are a lot of sacrifices. But in the end it is absolutely worth every sacrifice I've made. I'm about 14-15 months post-op and nearly 100 pounds down. I would have given my left leg to lose this much weight but now I don't have to make that sacrifice. :tt2: In the end, the pain, frustration and even vomiting are worth not having to shop at the Avenue or Lane Bryant ever again....... oh, the possibilities!!

luvs2~ I think my band may be sensitive to stress ect too. I haven't had a fill in over 2 months & I all of a sudden feel tighter. WEIRD!

Oh yeah, emailed Dr. V about my hairloss & she had Sari email me. I'm keeping track of my protein & Sari & I are going to meet on April 7th.

Did any of you get a notice of Dr. Vernon no longer doing fills on MONDAY's? So, does this been it's going to be even harder to get in there!?!?!?

everything that Luv said is spot on. do keep your receipts from your co-pays for a few months. I only had one issue and another time they never caught that I didnt pay.

the one thing I notice is when I am stressed or have my period I am usually not paying attention to my water intake and sometimes make poor food choices. Decreasing of water can make your feel tighter...If you think about it it makes sense bc of how our tissues and muscles respond to fluid. Keep up with the bottle water in Jamaica and I am sure you will do fine.

Ive been really permissive lately and paid for it with a gain over the past few weeks...what a slap in the face!!!!! I guess I DO have to work at this ALL the time. :confused:

Dr V switch her fill days bc of changes in the OR schedule, shes now doing Tuesdays, Fridays and some Wednesdays (I think....left the letter at home). I will see her Monday for a fill that I didnt think I needed a few weeks ago.

Hope to see everyone at the next meeting on Tuesday night!!!

In the end, the pain, frustration and even vomiting are worth not having to shop at the Avenue or Lane Bryant ever again....... oh, the possibilities!! :confused:

How often do people puke after being banded ? Is it a 'normal' post banding common occurrence?

Puking is different for everyone. The surgeons will tell you it should never happen. I realize now that I'm not vomiting as much as I thought I was---because I'm not really vomiting. I get nervous that something might feel funky and spit it back up, before it's had the chance to reach my stomach. I've had mornings where oatmeal comes right back at me, but evening when burritos--rice, tortilla, chicken and all---goes down without issue. I never know how my day or night is going to go.....I have never had the wretching vomiting that you'd get if you had the flu. However, I often regurgitate food that I know isn't going to go down or just feels wrong. I've had weeks when I do that several times a day and some weeks when it never happens. You never know....but again, the surgeons say that it shouldn't be happening. Has anyone ever talked with a surgeon who has been banded, though?? I'd be curious to see how different the ideas are.....

How often do people puke after being banded ? Is it a 'normal' post banding common occurrence?

I have never puked because of my band. I have not yet puked since getting it (KNOCK on WOOD).

Puking is different for everyone. The surgeons will tell you it should never happen. I realize now that I'm not vomiting as much as I thought I was---because I'm not really vomiting. I get nervous that something might feel funky and spit it back up, before it's had the chance to reach my stomach. I've had mornings where oatmeal comes right back at me, but evening when burritos--rice, tortilla, chicken and all---goes down without issue. I never know how my day or night is going to go.....I have never had the wretching vomiting that you'd get if you had the flu. However, I often regurgitate food that I know isn't going to go down or just feels wrong. I've had weeks when I do that several times a day and some weeks when it never happens. You never know....but again, the surgeons say that it shouldn't be happening. Has anyone ever talked with a surgeon who has been banded, though?? I'd be curious to see how different the ideas are.....

I have not experienced this either. I don't have much trouble w/ a lot of foods most do. Like, pasta & rice are easy for me because they're soft I guess. I don't eat bread hardly ever. For some reason Doritos can go down ruff if i eat then too fast but regular chips are fine (although I shouldn't eat them). :confused:

luvs2~back to what we were talking about before, Do you notice your tighter if dehydrated?? I do.

has anyone ever felt like getting the band was a mistake? I have for 3 days anyone else felt that, even for a minute?

Jay! It's so good to hear from you. I see you are having a tough time and I am hoping that it is something that is just a stage of the process everyone goes through.

As a pre band person, I want to ask what it is that is making you feel full of regrets? Do you think it is a tiredness from eating less causing a depression?

Jay...YOU HAVE LOST ALMOST 45 LBS!!! THAT IS A BIG DEAL, MY FRIEND AND YOU SHOULD BE PROUD OF THAT! (cummon, big smile, now) :thumbup: