bandgroupie

Hello fellow banditos! I did wanted to give you all an update after my 4/4 surgery. I was discharged Saturday around 9:00 a.m. and a group of the girls went shopping. While Calicat and I were shopping, I noticed that my port site had protruded - a great bit. It was scary looking. One of our banditos was a RN and she suspected it was a hematoma. Dr. Martinez (who I absolutely love!) came to the hotel the next morning and looked at my port site, my skin color, my hands, my eyes, my tongue. He said it was a hematoma and made arrangements for me to go back to the clinic that day (Sunday) to be wrapped and for an antibiotic. Nurse Sophia was there on her day off with her beautiful daughter. Sophia wrapped my stomach and filled the elastic wrap with gauze so I could safely fly home the next day. I was given Keflex which is the worse tasting antibiotic made. Bad thing is - we can't swallow pills so I had to crush and swallow. Y.U.C.K.! I was also given a prescription for additional Keflex and Sophia and her daughter drove us back to the hotel. We flew home yesterday and I had a comfortable-enough flight. The elastic band wrapping made it more comfortable and I believe did the trick because my port site looks so much better. I don't look 9 months pregnant on one half of my belly anymore. However, I do have a huge bruise which is scary to look at. I think now the bruising will change colors to brown and then eventually go away. I did go back to work today. Remember I was banded Friday around 2. p.m. I'm a paralegal so the heaviest thing I lift is a file (not too heavy, eh)? Managed the day with some white grape juice, a banana popcicle, and some chicken broth. I think I'm starting to like the chicken broth! No rush for me to start the next phase (drinkable yogurts). I'm not hungry and have to force myself to eat/drink. I'm still sore, especially when getting up and down out of a chair. I'm SO freakin excited about the upcoming weight loss that I cannot stop talking about it Ohhhh here's a funny. You all will just love this.....I arrived at work today and was called to the front desk to pick up "something." Got there and there was this H.U.G.E. basket of goodies delivered to me from my firm. How hilarious is that!!!!?? There were pretzels, candy bars, cheese, crackers, candy, ohmygawd did I just want to slap the office administrator who ordered it!?!?!?!? Heck yeah .. but I did imagine eating some of the pepper cheese for about 20 seconds. We're going to open the basket on April 24th!! but hopefully I will be full from some real food and won't care one bit about it! Toodles!

Her name is Carmilla or Carmaletia

NOTE: This was edited after the pain medication wore off. I read this after I got home and realized that I type like poopoo while on drugs MY BANDING EXPERIENCE: Using the computer at the OCC nurse's station. It's the day after surgry 7:13 a.m. and everyone is sleeping. Everyone except me. I waddled to the restroom and then came back and got dressed. Had my surgery yesterday about 2:00 p.m. I believe I was te 4th surgery. I have not had any pains of any type so far so I am crossing my fingers. Everything went just as I expected from reading the forum. Great experience. Have met some of the funniest, coolest and nicest people here. We laugh so much. Out of the 8 who had surgeries, I believe everyone is good. We had everyone walking last night around and around again. The doctors and nursing staff are great. Yes Dr. Ortiz is handsome, smooth and a little funny. But I had something funnier to say to him. My ankles are skinny so when he came in, I told him I came for the body to made my ankles:) Dr. Martinez is handsome as well! I remember going into the operating room, and asking for my favorite nurse Josefa, and was looking around the room for her and then I remember waking up looking at my husband's handsome yet concerned face. It was all over!!!!!! Works for me. Today we get to go back to the hotel and most of us are going to go shopping. We'll drink broth and shop. Our first night in Tijuana, several of us went to an authentic mexican seafood restaurant. The food was great but the atmosphere better. I have not had any reason to be scared of anything or anyone yet. Just looks like a big City to me, lots and lots of houses and stores. IThe palm trees remind of Florida. DAY1 Airport to clinic Meet with Nutritionist, Dr. Miranda who is a cutie Get blood drawn Get taken to hotel. Out to Dinner Day 2 Hotel to clinic Meet with cardiologist (had to blow out for 6 seconds so blow HARD and LONG) Met with dentist (just looks and tells you you're good candidate) Get called back to your room. You put on your gown and a paper thong Nurse came and put on those long stretchy hose. Not so bad. They give you two pills under your tongue. I took a small breathing treatment They hooked up IV and gave me three things in it. Pain, Nexium, etc. One small shot in belly, didn't hurt Then was given a cap for my hair and put in a wheelchair. Rolled back to O.R. where I got out of the chair and crawled up on the table. Met the anthesiologist and Sophia another kind nurse. I told her that her name was SSSSSexy, and repeated SSOOOPHHHIIIA sex-like ten times. I bet she got tired of it and that's why they put me to sleep. As I said next thing I know I woke up with my husband looking at me. I played a joke on him when he asked me if I knew who he was. I told him - yes you're my first husband. I thought he deserved that because he had been telling all of the girls his lame jokes! Dr. Ortiz came by and told us that I had two hernia(s) and he had only seen one like the second one just one other time in 5000 surgeries. Didn't know I had one henria let alone two! Thank you Dr. Ortiz. Everyone is still sleeping But I'm anxious to go back to the hotel, and then do some walking. I want to beat the gas pains before they get a chance to arrive. NO KIDDING, they are all wonderful. The Doctors sing. The nurses sing. The nurses hug and kiss you. I want to take Josefa home with me. My experience so far has been awesome. I'm returning for my fill in 6 to 8 weeks. And hopefully some of the friends I've met on this trip will return with me. They are great people. Going to walk a bit.

Good Luck Kimmie!!!!! Don't forget to write "home!"

and I'm double freakin excited for all of us!

Ok Ok, I read the postop diet and it does say you can have slimfast after the first week. Gosh this is a lot of information I do hope you get to feeling better very soon.

Are you supposed to have slim fast shakes one week after surgery? I'm a newbie and have no information. But I thought the first week was liquids .....clear broth, juices, etc. I think I need to go look at the post op diet I hope you start to feeling better!!!!!!!

Hi Kimmie

Hi, this is my first post after reading the forum for quite a while. I scheduled my surgery today. I arrive on April 3 and my surgery is scheduled for April 4. I'll return home on the 7th. Tickets are booked. Surgery is scheduled. I'm not nervous yet! Just give me a week or two before the nervousness sets in. Cannot wait to chat with you and the others arriving at or near the same time. Dawn