Red
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Posts posted by Red
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My surgery is scheduled on a Friday and I was thinking of only taking a couple of days off. My job is a desk job and non-physical so I'm hoping I will be ok, but then when I read about the gas and discomfort I'm wondering if I should take at least a week off. Thoughts??
Like Jude, I didn't experience a lot of gas pain and no shoulder pain. But I honestly can say I had/have a lot of abdomen pain. I am not working right now, but I honestly don't think I could have gone back to work within 3 days like lots of people do, even to a desk job. I think our experiences, in terms of pain levels, is so unique to each individual, that it is really hard to make a suggestion. I am a week out as of yesterday, and today is the first day that I feel like the pain in my abdomen is starting to lessen.
Red
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Hi There Everyone
I have just had the surgury done here in Melbourne Australia, and after 1 week I am feelong so much better than before, I have dropped 10kg ( 22 pounds if thats right lol), but got a long way to go so hoping to drop another 50 to 60 kg (110 to 132 pounds).
I recently came on here looking for soups as I can only drink liquids at the moment. This is until next Tuesday and not sure of the next step from there as I am seeing my dietician.
Regards
Daniel
Welcome to the site, Daniel. I too was just banded. I have lost 7 lbs as of yesterday, which was end of week 1. It was not an easy week for me, but no regrets. Since I'm not currently employed, I had the luxury of being able to rest and let myself heal. But about mid way through the week, I had a muscle spasm develop under my right should blade. That happened because while resting in bed, I had propped myself up to be more comfortable. I turned my head to the left to look at my cat one morning, and wow, the pain was so severe and stayed that way for a few days. Gosh was I ever miserable and could not walk or move without pain shooting through my shoulder. That doubled with the pain of my surgery, and being on a thin liquids diet made for a rough time. But now I am doing much better and the diet is much easier now that I can have liquid yogurt and cream soup. I wish you (and me!) much success with the band!
Red
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Hello, i am new to this site and was wondering exactly how much does this lap band surgery cost? i am seriously thinking about doing this i am 5ft 7 inches tall 20 yr old and weigh 312 pounds. the highest weight i have ever weighed.
I would suggest going to the OCC site and filling out their contact form. A coordinator will call you, or email, and quote you a price. It varies. The coordinators are very nice and won't pressure you, just give you information. Here is the site:
https://www.obesitycontrolcenter.com/cgi-bi...?section=public
Red
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Hello, My name is Danielle I am 28 years old, and living in Arizona. I was just banded on July 24th, 2009 at the OCC. This is my first post here in the forum, so I thought I would introduce myself. I am struggling with my own head about how insanely hungry I am on the post op diet. It feels like the hunger pains of a growling stomach is harder to handle then any of the healing incisions. I just keep thinking "this is going to be worth it, I AM WORTH IT, I can do this." But as many of you know... IT IS SOOOOO HARD! and here I am on day 3 already complaining.
Does it get easier once the yogart and creamy soups are introduced?
Nice to meet everyone,
Danielle
Danielle,
Welcome to the forum. I was banded same week as you (21st) so I know exactly what you are going through. I was starving until today, day 7, when I added the liquid yogurt. Man did that ever make a huge difference. It takes away that hunger. At least it did for me. Remember, the paperwork says you can start the yogurt any time after day 3. I asked Dr. Miranda why they gave us a range of dates and here is what she said:
HI the range was offered usually because some patients get rid of the gases earlier than others, and some people get diarrhea and the yogurt helps, if you feel too bloated wait until day 8 for the yogurt, but some patients get rid of the gas quick and sometimes the yogurt (liquid of course) makes them feel actually better. So just play it by ear, do not force feed, and you will be fine as long as you are on pure liquids.
Dr. Miranda
So if you are starving, contact her, but I think she will ok you to start the liquid yogurt...
Red
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You know, when alcoholics go into rehab (my husband is a recovering alcoholic) and can't have the alcohol anymore, they go through a kind of mourning. Alcohol was their life, it was there best friend.
As I approached my surgery date, I found myself thinking thoughts like, this will be the last time I can eat my supersized McDonalds meal, this is the last time I am going to be able to put down a couple of hot dogs and half a big bag of chips. This is the last time I am going to be able to hog on a giant bowl of spaghetti. It was a mourning for the relationship I had with food and I know that it is going to take time to undo the 51 year relationship I had with my best friend in good times and bad times, my comforter....food.
But I have come to realize that I will not have to completely give up every food I ever loved, I am just going to be in control of the proportions that go in my mouth. It is going to be a win win situation and as the pounds come off, I believe that will be my motivation to keep working with my band. I just watched a good video of Dr. Ortiz discussing the band with a teen a couple of months ago, and he kind of puts it all into perspective:
Red
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I live in Tujunga which is just north of Glendale. We go through Yucaipa when we go to see my in-laws who live in Palm Springs. Years ago I used to help run a leadership camp for teens up in Pilgrim Pines in the mountains there. My husband and boys are going to stay in San Dieog while I go and have the surgery. I think I will go down on a Thursday night, have the pre-op and surgery on Friday and meet back with them in San Diego on Saturday rather than staying until Sunday. I'm glad to hear you were okay to drive right after, that is something I was wondering about.
Small world! Pilgrim Pines is up in Oak Glen, isn't it? I live about 5 minutes from there, up in the hills.
The morning after surgery, your nurse will come in and run a syringe of pain medication through your IV. I'm sure that is why I felt really good. But you will have discomfort after you wake up from surgery and after you get home, like a heavy pressure on your abdomen. Today my abdomen feels quite a bit better and it has only been 5 days. I can even sleep on either side, which I'm relieved about because some people say they can't. I toss and turn all night, so I need to be able to switch sides. I am struggling with the liquid diet because I am hungry, hungry, hungry. But I know eventually I will be able to include the yogurt, protein shakes and creamy soups and I will be much better. I'm grateful I'm not working right now, because I can rest a lot more than some folks who go back to work 3 days post op. That must be so difficult.
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cosmetic/plastic surgery is COMPLETELY different here in Ontario, Canada.
it's treated as an ethical issue, rather than a cosmetic.
VERY VERY different ..................... as are my opinions on it.
Yeah, you aren't kidding it is COMPLETELY different in Canada. I knew a Canadian that the government paid for her sex change operation (female to male...how enlightened), yet they stick cancer patients in a 12 month or more long line for a doctor appointment. Hmmm. Go figure.
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Hi Red:
You are absolutely right. It is like the classic, "nothing tastes as good as being thin feels" although you can replace the word "thin" with "healthy" and that works too! Yes, I am getting banded on 8/21 at the OCC. I just came to the decision to go to the OCC last week so I am still in the early stages of preparing.
I am a planner though so I am trying to do all my research so I know what to expect, as much as you can without knowing exactly how your own body will react. I feel very comfortable with my decision to get the surgery at the OCC as opposed to where I was going to go here. Everyone seems to have had such a psoitive experience with the procedure itself that I really don't have any reservations about that part at all.Thanks for your support and the information you have shared, I really appreciate it.
Rest your mind. Your experience at the OCC will be just as great as everyone elses. They will make you so comfortable. Being as you live here in So Cal, I would even suggest that you ask to have your preops and surgery the same day and then come home the day after surgery like I did. You will feel well enough to drive. I had about a 2 hour drive home and it was a breeze. I really didn't think it was neccessary to stay a third night. Some people flying in choose to stay because they want to shop. I didn't. Where is So Cal do you live?
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Thank you very much that was really good information. I'm excited for the potential results from getting the band and I know it is going to take work and effort but these side effects sound scary!
Melissa
Well, to me, being obese the rest of my life sounds even scarier! You know, so many people have the band now, and if they can do it Melissa, so can we. I think like anything, it is scary until you live it yourself and then you know what to expect. My first 5 days on the band have been no walk in the park. If I can get through the first 21 days of liquids, I can deal with the rest of it easily. When in doubt, go to the gallery on this forum and look at all the photos of people who have successfully lost the weight. It is inspirational! And they have all had to deal with all the things that seem scary to us. Are you getting banded soon?
Red
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Do any of you bandsters have suggestions to reduce the scars on your belly? Thanks!
I heard that Vitamin E oil works well so I emailed OCC to ask when I could begin applying it. Dr. Sol said I should wait 3 weeks. So I'm going to give that a try!
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Your right, so here I got an idea. No nudity, as they put it. Totally clothed
I guess if they want to fire me for exercising there is nothing I can do about that. I am just having fun. This time you guys are the only ones I am showing. No one at work will know unless they look it up and if they do, shame on them for being on your tube. HA!
YEAH STORMY! Way to get back up on that horse! You were wonderfully graceful and you should never apologize to anyone for having fun on your pole!
Red
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Hi! Sorry to sound so ignorant but I am new here. My surgery is scheduled for 8/21. I am reading posts to get more of an idea what to expect. Can you tell me what happens when food gets "stuck" as I've seen several posts about? Do you just feel like it will not go down? What do you do when that happens?
...and I forgot to mention that I was told PBing stands for "Productive Burping"!
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Hi! Sorry to sound so ignorant but I am new here. My surgery is scheduled for 8/21. I am reading posts to get more of an idea what to expect. Can you tell me what happens when food gets "stuck" as I've seen several posts about? Do you just feel like it will not go down? What do you do when that happens?
Hi there, I recently asked that same question and there was alot of good feedback. Here is the thread:
http://www.lapbandforum.com/index.php?show...81&hl=stuck
Good Luck!
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Way to go, Jazzy!!
Now that you see the "1", I have no doubt that it will inspire and motivate you and will make you even more determined to reach further goals. I can't wait to start losing weight. I'm still in the first days post surgery and my band and I are getting to know each other. I have no expectations that the scale will go down for a few weeks, but seeing the progress people like you and others on the forum make, gives me patience. Congrats on your achievement!Red
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So I ended up taking it down, putting it as private so now no one can see. I showed a friend at work, at first she was like, that is cool, you should be proud you can move like that now. Then I guess she talked to someone and then came to me and told me that it was dirty and I should be ashamed of myself and that I better get it off there. She told me that because of the type of work I do, that I am held to a higher standard and that I could get fired for what I do on my own time. She looked even a bit angry about it. Like she was mad I showed it to her in the first place. Basically I have been in tears ever since. She even said I was naked. Which I know I was not!! I should have never showed her. I feel very stupid, I know better, she has always done me like that. I dont know if it is the fact that I was excited about something and she just can't stand that or what. I hope she dont run and report me to my boss, all I need is to get in trouble. I guess I am not allowed to be a human being. She even told me that if I want to do things like that maybe I should consider a different line of work, maybe I should go do that for a living. I felt like a piece of trash. She is the second person who told me to take it off there so, I just decided that was best. I appreciate all the positive comments back that I got. I feel very bad right now. I am very embarrassed and I almost dont want to face anyone at work. I guess that is what I get for being proud of my body. All I can do is hope that I dont get into any trouble. I guess I knew I would regret it, I should have never showed anyone who I worked with, I have learned my lesson big time.
OMG, don't you let that B bring you down! If your boss comes to you (which I believe would be illegal) just show her this forum and all the prodding you got to post your video on YouTube. I can't believe how some people are. You didn't deserve that and I would bet she is just jealous. I don't know what you do for a living that would make her say you are held to a higher standard, but that is rediculous. Stormy, don't let these people take away your joy of life!!! You are better than them!
Red
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Don't forget about milk - it has protein in it which helps with hunger, as do the protein waters.
Dr. Miranda told me I can't have milk until the full liquids phase. I can use non-dairy creamer (powder) instead, she said. She said milk will give me diareah at this stage. Apparently that has not been your experience?
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I did scrambled eggs or omlets on days I ate at home. During the week I typically ate breakfast at work which consisted of a peanut butter sandwich with once slice of bread and a banana or a peanut butter roll-up on the low carb tortillas with a banana. I also had 16 ounces of milk on my way to work every morning so that I would not have to take calcium supplements and to get 16 grams of protein. Between the milk and the peanut butter I had half of my protein for the day ingested with breakfast alone.
Now that I am tighter the pb sandwich is a thing of the past, but if I am careful I can still to the pb roll-up. I also have to be careful with the banana as it doesn't get stuck, but it can plug things up for a while.
I love peanut butter. It just seems like it is a food that wouldn't go down well, but if you say it does, that will be one of the first things I try after Liquidville.
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Good luck to all of you upcoming August bandsters! You won't have a lick of trouble...you will be so happy after you have it done. I think the worst part of this whole thing is all the anxiety of "not knowing" for the weeks prior to surgery. I wanted to point out one thing that I believe helped me too. The day before surgery, a lot of people like to go have that "one last big meal" before they begin the 8 hour fast before surgery. I didn't give in to temptation, even though I couldn't get tacos out of my mind. I had brought some protein water, regular water and boullion with me and that is what I had the whole day before surgery. I really didn't experience a lot of gas and NO nasea at all, and I'm thinking it is because of that liquid diet the day before. I may be wrong about that but I don't have much gas now either and no shoulder pain (yet??). Also, I found that a heating pad on my abdomen really felt good that first night I was home. Kind of took the edge off.
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Thanks for taking the time to post. I'm being banded 2 weeks from now and I so appreciate all the information posted on the forum. If I recall correctly, you mentioned that you were going to surgery by yourself. If so, how did that go? I'm thinking about doing the same, but everyone seems so shocked when I tell them I might just go alone.
You know, I'm kind of glad I went alone. I didn't have to worry about anybody else that way. It was kind of relaxing. I just parked at the border and the OCC van was there just when they said they would be. They stop there as they come from picking people up at the airport, so most likely you will meet other people right away. I knew I wasn't going to venture out from the hotel because I didn't want to spend money and didn't want to really do that alone, but I had a nice hotel room and had my laptop and books to read. Once you get to the OCC for your surgery, everything goes so quickly that it is no big deal being alone. By then you are meeting everyone else having surgery that day and will be sharing the same experience. I actually enjoyed it, if that doesn't sound too weird. The next day I was up and feeling well, was taken back to my car and drove home. That was Tuesday. Wednesday I took it really easy and felt tired, but that is to be expected. Today, Thursday, I took a nice warm shower which helped me feel like a million bucks. I don't push myself. I have learned from reading this forum and follow the advice of the people that post who have been doing this awhile. Like they say, go with the flow. If I had to do it again, I would definetly go alone again. Does that help?
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Hi Everyone, I have only 6 more days of liquids to go until I can have solid food again...YAY!!! I am so excited. My wedding anniversary is only 11 days away and my husband was either thinking of going to Ruths Chris or the Melting Pot... does anyone think one of these will be better than the other? I am a little bit concerned because these foods are a bit hard to chew and I will only be on solids for 5 days, is this enough time to get used to eating again?
I'm only on day 2 of the liquid diet. How did you do? Today is better than yesterday. I got pretty hungry toward evening even though I had a lot of liquids throughout the day. I just don't want to feel hungry so today I am going to use a lot of Benefiber in my liquids. Hopefully that will curb the hunger. So far so good today.
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Very good info for the newies. One thing that caught my attention, though, was the low weight you are shooting for. I'm 5 foot 6 and after losing 72 pounds, I'm now about the weight you are now- just going in for your surgery!!! I can't imagine having major surgery at your weight. I feel so "normal". I wear a size 14, have curves in all the right places. The only reason I'm going to try to lose more (down to 160) is for a healthier BMI, but I feel fantastic! I wonder why Dr.Mairanda told me I should weigh 160 but you, at the same height, 130's?
Sabrina:)
Sabrina,
Most likely your fat percentage isn't as high as mine. Mine is 44.7%. I realize that 187 doesn't sound huge to you, but on me it looks, well, FAT. It really adds years to me and if you saw me naked, you would see what I mean. I have been 130 before, around age 40 and it was a size 8 for me and I looked and felt great. But if I only make it down to 138, like she wants me to be, then I can live with that. We all hold the weight differently. That is why we can't really compare to each other. For example, in your picture, your face is twice as thin as mine. Once I get further down the weight loss road, I will post some photos so you will be able to see what I mean. I think you look beautiful and I hope I will too one day!
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Thanks for posting that - really helpful. I'm being banded by Dr. Ortiz next Friday so it's nice to have an idea of what to expect. Any words of advice?
You know, I can't state it any better than just relax and let them take care of you. They have everything down to a science and you will be so happy you did it. I had my pre-ops (EKG, meet with nutritionist, have blood drawn) on Monday morning, then surgery on Tuesday, and drove home on Wednesday. If I had it to over again, I would have my pre-ops and surgery the same day, and then go home the next day. I really don't think that extra day after surgery is neccessary. The morning after surgery you will feel pretty good and able to travel.
Best of luck to you and don't worry. You will be in great hands!
Red
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FROM MY JOURNAL:
Monday, July 20, 2009
I got up at 5AM this morning and left the house at about 5:45. I made it down to the Border Parking place in a couple of hours and the OCC van picked me up around 9:15AM. We came straight to the OCC where I met with Dr. Miranda who went over what to eat and not eat after my surgery. She wants me to make sure I stay hydrated since it is so hot where I live. She took my height (5’5.5”…weird, I used to be 5’6.5”, so I guess I shrunk!), weight (187.5). My BMI is 30 and she wants me to get down to about 138 and BMI of 24. I can’t remember all the stats she took, but I asked for a copy of the printout which they will give me tomorrow. I can go in the pool after about a week, but can’t swim. Then I met Dr. Jimenez who did a breath test on me and an EKG. He says I did “beautifully” on the breath test and have strong lungs. He also said that I have a strong heart! All good news. (I guess that makes me fat, but not unhealthy). After that I had some blood drawn. For some reason they took it from the top of my left hand and now that spot is very swollen and painful. I think a vein must have broken. Never had that happen before. Then it was on to the Marriott where I just stayed in my room and watched TV, slept and read. I drank some liquids I had brought with me rather than go down to the restaurant to eat because I didn’t bring a lot of money with me.
Tuesday, July 21, 2009
Today is surgery day! Yeah! Nervous but mostly excited. I met the Marriott van downstairs a 7AM and there were 5 other people going to the OCC as well, Vanessa, Michelle, Annette, Stan and a gal from New York who’s name I didn’t get. All very nice people but none knew about the lapbandforum.com.
At the clinic, we were taken to our rooms, one at a time, and given our gowns to change into. They also put long pressure socks on your legs. The wonderful nurse, Carmen, put a catheter in my wrist to give me antibiotics, anti-nausea medication, antacid and a pill to make me sleepy. She is very sweet and asked me to teach her how to say certain things in English like, “please put the dress on” and “It has been a long day”. So friendly! The room is very, very nice and has a pleasant water fountain and a nice TV with spa music playing as you enter, so that was relaxing. Dr. Ortiz made his rounds to each patient’s room and chatted a little. I asked him why he uses the Johnson & Johnson band and he says that he switched to that as the original Alergan was upgraded (he didn’t know why they needed to) to compete with the Realize band, but the new upgraded band is not approved in Mexico yet, so he switched. He felt that Alergan made an error in their thinking, because he was their largest purchaser of the Lap Band but they didn’t listen to him.
Before I knew it, staff came with a wheel chair and took me to the operating room which was very clean and modern. Within minutes I was under anesthesia. Next I knew I was being wakened in my room and had my vitals taken. I’m doing well. When I first woke up, I felt a lot of pressure in my upper abdomen which was very uncomfortable, but they get you out of bed to walk the halls and that makes it feel better. The first popsicle they gave me really hit the spot and I also drank Capri juice, broth and water.
I have asked if I can go home tomorrow and likely I can, but they haven’t said yes or no yet. One really nice thing is that they have private rooms and each has a phone that you can make calls to the U.S. or Canada for no extra charge. I thought that was really nice. I’ve spoken to Dave several times already to ease his mind. I am still feeling discomfort, but I know this is to be expected. So far, so good!
Wednesday, July 22, 2009
Today I woke up around 5AM for some reason and went and walked a little. Carmen came in and gave me a pain medication through the catheter that she said lasts all day. She then removed the catheter. Dr. Sol (SP?) came in and gave me discharge instructions regarding when I could go back to swimming, riding my scooter and exercising that I asked him about. He told me I could shower, but wasn’t to touch the incisions (5 in all, 4 small and 1 larger where the port is) with my hands. I can’t swim for 3 weeks because there could be bacteria in the water that would infect the incisions. I am not supposed to ride the scooter for a few weeks, he says. I just need to allow my stomach time to heal. I then asked if I could go home today, rather than spend another night at the hotel and he said I could. I quickly called the receptionist and lucky for me, the OCC van was arriving in 10 minutes. I was already packed and ready to go, so off I went and was shuttled to my car at the border parking lot. I made it home before noon. I’m feeling pretty good. Some pressure and tenderness, but I keep drinking my liquids and walking and resting. I’m feeling great about my decision!
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I was banded yesterday and asked Dr. Ortiz why he uses the J&J Realize band now. He said that in his discussions with Allergan they told him they were going to make the new AP band to compete with the Realize band. He advised them, as their biggest client, that they didn't need to do that because the original band was fine. They did it anyway and the AP isn't approved in Mexico. So he figured if Allergan was going to just copy the Realize band, he may as go with the real thing. He says the differences are minimal but did say the port on the Realize band is wider. There are also other differences but truly, I don't think it really matters which one you get. Just trust him as your surgeon to make that decision. No matter which one you get, they both work the same. One isn't better than the other.
I also told him there is a lot of chatter on this subject on the forum as well as the shoulder pain issue. I told him he hadn't posted any videos on You Tube lately so he said he would post a video regarding the types of bands and the shoulder pain as well. Hope that helps!
Red
No No foods
in Gastric Band Support & Discussion
Posted
I am one week banded and I can take my pills. I have to because I have hypothyroidism. Dr. Sol said that as long as they aren't large pills, it is ok to take them. Ice cream is not a liquid per say. I think liquid yogurt would probably accomplish the same thing, but when in doubt, you can always call or email the OCC and they will give you the best advice.
Red