So far so Good.. Had my surgery Yesterday morning 7:15, out of Recovery at 9:15, Out of the Cottage Hospital in Santa Barbara by 3:30..

Some shoulder pain, and my stomach is a bit sore.. Not bad at all.

I am so glad to get this done, now I have hope of losing weight and getting off my meds.:cool2:

I woke up this morning feeling great.. I weighed in at 259. That's -10 pounds off since postop Day 1 and -25 lbs since I got the OK for the LapBand.

Thanks to everyone who has sent along there comments and suggestions.

All pain and discomfort is no longer an issue... it has been a piece of cake so far. I still am waiting to be hungery... not that I miss that feeling.

I think my greatest concern will be getting enough Protein so I won't lose any more of my limited hair covering...

Everyone at the office commented on how great I look. My energy is back and things could not be better.

BeamerGuy Banded 5/22/08 284/269/259/184

Don't forget: protein, protein, protein! I drank whey Protein shakes made with organic skim milk three times a day for the first three weeks post-op. Make sure to get WHEY PROTEIN, not soy protein. Soy globs up and is completely gross. Whey protein is exactly what is used in the bariatric Protein powder. Two of the best ones on the market that are high protein/low fat/low cholesterol:

(1) Body Fortress Whey Protein Powder (chocolate): you can buy online from DrugStore.com or get it at Target and Walmart: Buy Body Fortress 100% Premium Whey Protein Powder, chocolate Online at drugstore.com

(2) Optimun Nutrition 100% Whey Protein (Double Rich Chocolate) - buy it online at GNC or from vitacost.com: Optimum Nutrition 100% Gold Standard Whey Protein Double Rich Chocolate -5.15 lbs - Vitacost

Feel free to send me a private message if you need additional info. Keep up the good work!

-Shannon

Another Geogia Peach!... I noticed that it's been over a little over a year for you to lose your 62 lbs. Have you had a number of fills? If so when did you have them? I am not sure when I should get my first. Any thoughts?

Thanks for your reply...

BeamerGuy

Most doctors won't give you the first fill until 8 weeks post-op in order to give your stomach time to heal and adjust. After that, you typically go back in every 6 to 8 weeks for adjustments until they get your restriction at a good level.

Unfortunately, I've struggled with restriction issues (or lack thereof) from day one. My long story short: my original surgeon was fantastic, but very, very conservative with fills. Rather than giving fills under fluoro, he blindsidedly gave fills in his office - which meant he was basically injecting whatever amount of saline he felt was appropriate at the time (which was typically .2 or .3 cc's per visit). The main thing to remember with the band is that everyone reacts differently, so while .2 or .3 cc's might be great for some, it isn't enough for others. By my fourth fill last October, I still had no restriction and all of the weight I had lost up to that point had been out of sheer willpower. This is apparently very common with the band and is often referred to as "bandster hell" (indicating the period of time it takes to get the band calibrated according to your individual needs). At that point, I was completely fed up and got tired of begging and justifying my reasons for wanting another fill. I decided to change doctors and have had three additional fills with my new doctor since. Thus, I've had seven fills so far and am just able to recognize that I actually have a band on.

Two Weeks down... Welcome to Mussyland! Thank God...

Everything is going well. Should see my doctor this time next week.

I have been sucking on Gummies and Ice Tea. SF Fudge Pops and SF puddings have been very helpful.

I still have not felt hungry... I tried mussing up strawberries before swallowing... I loved it.

I went on a Business trip for a few days.. Had to deal with being on the road. No real issues yet.. I wonder when the hard part starts..

My weight seems to holding for the time being.. I was hoping it would continue to drop on a daily basis... but that would be hoping for too much.

BeamerGuy:thumbup:

Beamer you Rock... So happy you are past the rough stuff and on to a brand new way of living .. It is so exciting ... Keep us posted .

hey beamer and azchick ya'll are doing great with your venture? mine is to start soon, i just finished a cardiac cath so,now i get my clearnce letter next week then i have surgery in 7 wks july 23

Baboom I will totally be thinking of you ..The time will go by fast and before you know it it will be done ..

Thanks for the support... Have you seen me Dance? I do Rock!

I just hope to be a bit lighter on the feet soon...

It looks like we got banded the same week... stay in touch!

BeamerGuy

Yo BaBoomer...

Good luck getting squared away for your July 23rd date.. You may want to start dieting to help getting use to a routine. It may help later. I would not sweat the drive home.. I was glad there was a cancellation and I only had to wait a couple of weeks.. It must really suck waiting more than a month... It will be worth the wait.

Best wishes...

BeamerGuy

Az, Thanks All Went Well For The Cath, Got My Letter Today

Beamer, I Start Curves 2 1/2 Months Ago And Going To Start Low Carb High Protein The 1st Of July And The Time Has Gone Fast Only 6 Weeks Judie

Great news and July 23rd will be here and gone before you know it ..

and we have dancers in our group how cool is that.. I will have to say I knew you when ...

A question when you started Curves again did you do all the machines. I do Curves and don't know if I can do the one for the side muscles ...The one that you rock from side to side.. So afraid of my port.

Az, I Wound Wait Untill I Was Compleatly Healed And Free Of Pain Before I Would Use Those Machines Or Try And If U Hurt Stop. I Know I Did Some After The Cath ,mostly Arms Three Days Later I Was Able To Do All

Wow! I was glad to read your post. I'm 5 days post banding and am sitting here feeling quite hungry and only ate two hours ago. My surgeon told me after the surgerty that he put 5cc in my band, I didn't get a chance to ask him why but the photos show a lot of space around the band. I'm guessing I'll have to do the willpower thing too, at least till they get the level right for me.

hey beamer ... how are things going now ? no recent posts from you and i love to hear your stories . ou sound like such a nice , fun person .

Sorry for being out of touch...

Just got back from a 3 week Cruise of Northern Europe... London, Olso, Berlin, Estonia, St Petersberg, Helsinki, Stockholm and Copenhagen...

And I lost another pound after eating and drinking like crazy... Lots of walking!

When I returned, I had my first fill... My Doctor added one CC to the 4.5cc he had put in the Band at the time of my operation.

I had some trouble while eating on Vacation.. with trial and occassional error I am finding out what seems to work and what doesn't.

I only had one "hurl" into a napkin and had to excuse myself.

My traveling companions were very understanding and supportive.

I can feel when things are "going south" and can generally wait things out until I can proceed with my meal. Number One Rule... go slow... Chew, chew then chew some more.

I was able to have cocktails, wine and beer... I just did not over do it.

While in Denmark I was able to visit with Family... I even ate Pickled Herring... God was it hard to take.. but what can I do, my cousin worked all day on the meal.

The real blessing is that I don't feel hungery... I have lost over 30 lbs since my first weigh-in...

It is been a little over 2 months since my surgery... so far, SO GOOD!

Even with the fill... I have not had a hard time with this Lapband... sometimes I forget I have even had the surgery.

I already feel better, I have more energy and I look a whole lot better.

My doctor feels I should be able to continue to lose weight.. up to about a pound a week on average. If this happens... that will be great!

I look forward to my next visit with my regular doctor and see what has happened with my other blood tests.. I really want to get off my meds and back to "Normal".

My only regret at this point is that I did not get this when I was much younger... Maybe then I would have not had Diabetes, or my Quintuple Heart Bypass, My Penile "Pump" Implant... Lots of Medications and Injections... or a life a hauling around a lot of unwantage tonnage!:smile:

Until next time...

BeamerGuy