calicat

My port incision did the same thing. It was doing it right from the center - not on the sides. I put neosporin and a bandaid on it and went to my docter. I thought it was peeling open. Not only did he say it wasn't peeling - but he gave major props to Dr. Ortiz and his staff - he thought the incisions were normal. He just had me keep a big bandaid - Like the size of my palm on it for several days. When I noticed there was no discharge, I would take it off, usually at night. And again, a friend (bandgroupie) gave me good advice and that was to keep it on until it healed completely. Taking it off at night was probably irritating it against the sheets, pj's, etc. Be patient and just keep it covered. I kept mine on for a good 6-7 days. It healed just fine

I was banded 4/4, and lost 10 pounds to the dot the first week. For the next 5 weeks of post-op, I went up and down 2-3 pounds, always coming back to that same weight the first week post-op. It's okay. There are alot of other lucky ones on here that lose weight during that first 6 weeks. Dr. Miranda said not to expect any weight loss, anything that happens before your first fill is bonus. Did it get me down? Sure! Did I get down about it! Of course - seeing everyone else achieve results and not me was very frustrating. I kept thinking I was doing something wrong. And then a good friend (bandgroupie) reminded me that we're each different. Our bodies are different. And for me and her both...at least we weren't GAINING weight - which was always our weightloss story. So...look at it that way - if you can sustain your initial weight loss - good for you! You will see your results after you get a fill. Good Luck!

make sure you're not eating before you go to bed. your band restricts the food from going down - right? so when it's being held up in our new little pouch, it needs time to go down, otherwise, when you lay down to sleep at night, the majority of that food remains there. they say don't lay down to sleep 2 hours after eating, however, depending what i ate (steak usually) i make sure it's 3 hours. and i can't relate, but yes, i've heard morning tightness is very common and sometimes you might need to drink something warm to help loosen up the band. good luck!

Unless I've added wrong, you're not even a week out yet. You're still recovering from surgery and there could be many many reasons you aren't losing weight yet - one being swelling. Please be patient. I know it's hard when you come onto this forum and see so many success stories. Trust me, I'm envious and compare my stats more often then I should. I felt bad that I only lost weight the first week, and then zero pounds for the next five weeks. I felt like something was wrong. Nothing was wrong - that was just me - my body - my experience. You will lose weight on the band - just give it time. OCC tells us to not plan on losing a pound until after our first fill - anything before that is bonus. So please don't fret, be patient, your turn will come. Good luck!

I lost 15 pounds pre-op I lost 10 pounds post-op to first fill I lost 8 pounds since my first fill 12 days ago!

OMG - did you think I wouldn't read this???? My co-pilot was unsure, so I made a split second decision to follow the bottom arrow (never saw the top arrow). We were lead on a what felt like 5 mile drive up a hill - no exits, no turn offs, and a concrete center median. When we finally could turn around and come back into TJ...we followed signs to what we thought was in town, only to find out we were in the lines back to the border. We couldn't get out - had to merge 7 lanes to a carpool lane, and negotiated with other drivers - although most could care less about our crisis. Yes, a ceramic pig was bought. Thank god we had AC. And we gave the border patrol a good chuckle. Thank goodness we all got along, so the 1 hour 10 min detour wasn't so bad. It was time for the bandster to bond...LOL! Drive carefully and be cautious of where you park - that's my only advice, as the recent TJ driver gone wild...LOL!!! And I still think you should have kept the pig and made your hubby carry it on the plane. Think of all the smiles he would have gotten

I was told by OCC to take it easy the first 3 weeks - it's free game after that except for ab work. I'm at almost 8 weeks post-op and I've been bike riding 14 miles round trip to work and just dripping with sweat when I get home - so there is nothing to be scared of - sweat is fine. On the way home, 3 miles is all up hill and I'm just dying - sweating, breathing heavy, etc. You have to hydrate yourself of course, but that's common sense. I'm not fatigued, tired or feel deprived on having less food. I just have to wait a few minutes after I eat in case something gets stuck, or I need to burp, etc. I've left in a rush before and felt uncomfortable trying to breath to ride while I was trying to burp at the same time...LOL! Either way - get out there and exercise!!! It's good for us Just avoid doing direct ab work. Every exercise, including swimming, walking, biking, weights, uses our abs - but it's the direct ab exercises that you have to wait 3 months for. Hope this helps!!

I started my pre-op at 315 and was 300 on surgery date. I committed to the 2 shakes a day and lean cuisine at night, but I admit, I never bought a lean cuisine. I just used a salad plate and portion controlled my regular family dinner. We had salmon and chicken and healthy stuff anyways - so I opted to do that instead. i did however cheat the last week - had a pizza, big mac, costco hot dog, etc - but that counted as my dinner. So the shakes help - stick with them. I got hungry during the day so if I couldn't saute mushrooms at work, or forgot my cucumbers, I had a handful of goldfish crackers, put them in a bowl with a couple orange slices - and went back to my desk. I was fine with that. It's all about portion control. You're trying to detox your organs too. It's a great way to get ready for the post-op. Good luck and stick with it!! I did the Costco weight loss shakes - I got used to them after a couple days and if they are bone chilling cold - they aren't bad. I have to still use them now as I PB during my cycle and Dr. Romero suggested I just avoid eating for those few days. Whatever works

I don't drink coffee, but the doctors all told me I could right away post-op surgery and fill. Just no bubbles - no carbonated beverages. And I do have to admit - I snuck in a pop one time - bad. No way for the gas to escape. I could feel it get trapped - quite uncomfortable. I do know those who let it sit on the counter for a bit before drinking - I did that with Fanta orange and it was okay - but not worth all the effort. I am trying to find low sugar alternatives to drinking diet sodas. So far, G2 and diet snapple are it.

In one week post-first fill, I've lost 5 pounds. I don't eat as much, nor as often. I went to OCC for my first fill - and I'm glad I did. I was able to see that the band and port were both intact, my esophogus and pouch were fine - all the things I worry about! So I'm doing well, and actually down another 2 this morning! I should say though, I don't count my losses until they stay there for 2 days in a row. Weird I know, but I'm so used to going up and down, up and down - I've just set my rule of thumb to count the loss on the third day.

No Sodas - diet or otherwise!!! Water, protein drinks and even stay away from juices (too much sugar). I don't know what plan you picked for pre-op, but make sure you stick to the rules - and drinks LOTS of water! That's the key. Good luck.

YES! Stress definitely affects my band, just as it used to affect my eating habits! It's easier to relax when I'm full now, but it's still an effort every single day to chill out!!!

While I got my fill on Saturday, I told Dr. Romero about our get together idea in SD and he thought it sounded fun - but we need to coordinate any/all info thru maybe Lori - see if she can be our liason. Should we set a tenative weekend date to get the ball rolling?? February 09? March 09? April 09? Any suggestions? Find a holiday weekend?

I was on the 2nd floor from May 16th to 17th - and I didn't see any signs of construction. However, I could hear some hammering off and on until about 6pm. That's it!

Thank you Clynn - I knew I wasn't the only one who was getting the brush off. It's almost like a rehearsed speech she was giving me. I was very nice to her too!!! Anyways, I'm not desperate, and like you said, after my first fill - I have no problem trying out Arlington. I don't even know what a fill should feel like yet though!!! Less than 48 hours - I'll let you know!!

I had my surgery at OCC and the day before my surgery date, I was supposed to fast so they could do pre-op tests. Well, I finally arrived three hours later w/o a drop of water or food since midnight before - Claudia said go eat and do pre-ops the following morning. So I did - I ordered the yummiest bacon avocado cheeseburger and fries, with ice cold coke the night before my surgery. I was absolutely fine the next day. I wouldn't recommend what I did - I would eat light - nothing too heavy. It will help your recovery to be faster.

I met Dr. Martinez in the surgery room! He's quite handsome, and Dr. Ortiz's right hand man. He's very skilled as well. Good job on setting your date - that's the first step!!! If you need anything before then - all of us are here to help you out >

I just read on band2gether.net about a girl who went 7 1/2 months and 80 pounds lost before she went in for her first fill!!! That's definitely not common - but it can happen!! EveryBODY is different!!

I just met someone in my office yesterday who had a old version of the new lapband 20 years ago. She failed. She drank her calories and ate chocolate and sugar all day at work. She now is 3 weeks post-op from having a gastric bypass. You need to make a decision that is right for you - and no one knows you better than yourself. The lapband is a tool. But you can cheat past the lapband. It's a less invasive surgery, so therefore, considered safer than bypass. But bypass also can be a successful weight loss procedure. And again, you can cheat past that as well. Didn't Carny Wilson (can't remember her name) have bypass and gain it all back. The surgery itself is much more invasive. I bought Dr. Ortiz's book on lapband, and found it very helpful, informative, and helped me make the decision to have lapband. But as I refer to the person who came to my office yesterday, it's not successful for everyone. And if you do choose lapband...I can, along with several others in here, give great recommendations for Dr. Ortiz and the OCC. Good luck with your decision.

I know! Once you learn about the fluoro process - it's hard to imagine there are those who don't do it!! It's like a blind fill. The pharmacy in Arlington now uses fluoro, but they aren't licensed to use barium - so they just use to find hidden or sunken ports - weird huh!!! I love the idea of getting a fluoro fill. I'm getting my first one tomorrow at OCC. I'll let you know how it goes

I live here in Lacey, and have heard great things about the nurses who give the fills there, from lapband patients. However, I got my fill in Mexico, and as soon as I said that, I was lectured by the office staff about how they won't treat me if there is anything wrong, etc. I told her I knew that, but she kept going on and on. I decided to go back to OCC for my first fill, and I'll think about going there for my second, if not, I'm looking at Arlington - it would be another 2 hours north for you past Lacey. I heard there's a good Portland fill doctor though too - I'm not sure they use fluoro, but I've heard good things from Portland patients, and even a Lacey patient who is thinking of driving down there. Oddly enough, the few lapband patients I know here in town, don't use Dr. Neal. They want the cheaper, no fluoro fills.

Thank you so much for posting this!!! We too read all the "not so good first fill" posts lately and were starting to question ourselves if we were wasting our time and money to go back to OCC. But I'm a huge Dr. Ortiz fan and believe he knows best, and I need to trust him. So....our group is still on for going down tomorrow for our first fills!!! Yeah!!! Did you eat at the Cantina before or after your fill?? And thanks again for the positive post - it just goes to show - not everyone has the same experience! I'm sorry about the smelly rooms though too - I'll keep my nose out tomorrow for smells!!!

My birthday was 30 days post-op, and I wasn't not going to try steak. I went to the Keg (a nice steakhouse up here in the NW) and ordered my usual - a sirloin oscar. I cut small pieces (what I would have fed my 4 year old), and then butterflied it - cut it in half again (because it's so thick). I was done the same time as everyone else - and ate the whole thing!! It was absolutely yummy. Not one bite stuck or anything!! I get stuck once a day at at least one meal since I've been banded - and sometimes it's on "non-sticking" stuff. Please remember - EVERYONE is different! Try the steak and see how your band does with it. Don't give up something you enjoy just because someone else had a problem with that food. Mine does fine - but it doesn't do well with softer foods that no one else talks about trouble with - scrambled eggs of all things! Good Luck!

I live in Lacey. I'm married, but chose to go it solo - Hubby dropped me off at Sea-Tac and away I went. Out of 8 of us...4 were doing it by ourselves. And I woudl do it again in a heartbeat at OCC!! Is that where you're considering going? Feel free to email me or ask me anything...my surgery was 4/4/08. I wrote about my experience in patient testimonials (it's kinda long). You'll be fine by yourself if you do it at OCC - I can't speak for anywhere else though. And yes, for me, getting over going to TJ was the hardest part. But as I've said before, I would have flown to whatever remote part of the world Dr. Ortiz was working! And if you want family - come here to the forum often. We ALL know what you're going thru, and someone else, is going thru it just like you. Once you get your surgery date, announce it on here, and maybe you'll meet someone who has the same day, or day after. You can chit chat weeks before the surgery, go thru all your feelings together, and then you'll have someone there during your experience. Out of 8 of us - only 2 of us went online - the others did not use the forum at all. But we all made friends while we were there!

Confirm with one of the nurses, but I think you're to use neosporin on jelly on it - and then a bandaid over the top of it. I chose neosporin when mine did that.