Hello there, this is day 4 after my surgery in Mexicob(lapband). I feel surprisingly good. My incisions ITCH! I had my first protein shake today and feel fine. My surgery went very smooth, no complications. I had surgery on Tues. was up walking that evening. Next morning, had a shower and got dressed and stayed up most of the day taking little walks around the hospital. Had a good nights rest and was up at 6am ready to start the trip home. Driver picked me up and took me across the boarder to the airport in San Diego. Had to wait a few hrs before flight and was tired. Flight went fine, short wait at airport in Seattle then short flight home. Very tired once i got here, whole trip, 11hrs. But considering i had just had the surger, i felt  really good. Yesterday i felt even better, only took 1/2 a pain pill twice throughout the day. Today! I feel really good. Had my first protein shake and and no pain meds at all. I had to take my 2yr old to the dr. yesterday with a stomach virus. While i was there i weighed myself. I was dissapointed to find that i haven't lost any weight in the last 3 wks. I saw my primary care Dr. 3 wks ago and weighed. I had also started on the Atkins diet then. I expected i would have lost 5 or 10lbs. And then not having eaten anything since Monday night except clear liquids. But no, not an ounce. is this typical? I can't wait to see some results on the scale.

Hey!!! I'm 8 days pos-op and feeling FINE! And i'm down   NINE pounds!!!  Hooray for me.

4-16-08    As of yesterday I'm  2-wks post-op and down 19lbs! Yeay!!!  Last night was my first "mushie" meal. I had about 1/3 cup of thin refried beans with a bit of salsa, chs & sour cream. YUM! It was sooo good. Today for lunch i had about 2TBL spn of the same and about 1TBL of taco meat. All went down very well. I feel great! It was nice to have something other than protein shakes and cream of chkn soup. It was starting to get boring. I bought 2 tops and pants the wk i had surgery and one set arrived Monday. The top looks great but the pants were already too big. I ordered a size smaller than i thought i was. I really don't like ordering clothes on-line. Ya just never know how it's gonna fit. But since i live in a small town, that's my only alternative. It'll be interesting to see how the other top and pants fit when they finally get here. 
I still have some soreness across the top of my tummy, I hope this is normal. My incisions are all healing well. Around my port incision is where i'm still sore.  
I had some problems with constipation. But Milk of Magnesia and Plum Smart Juice took care of the problem. 
Come on next 19lbs!!!!

5-9-08   I have lost 26lbs so far, feeling good about that. I get my first fill on the 30th. Not in bandster hell yet, but i can eat more than a 1/2 a cup at a time. Still eating all fresh, whole foods and lots of protien. Trying to get all the water in is still hard. 
I have been riding the stationary bike for a wk now, i'm up to 12 min. LOL pathetic isn't it? But my life has been sooooo sedantary for the past cpl of yrs. My walking has improved tho. I can now keep up with my hubby when we go somewhere, and can actually talk to him at the same time. Everything is gettin easier to do. I'm feeling better everyday. 

I use Muscle Milk protien powder for my shakes and smoothies still and have some very tasty recipe's i make with it. I get it at the grocery store for about $11 for a large can. To me it's one of the best protien powders i have seen, and has a great taste too. And when blended into a smoothie, it doesn't separate as it melts. It's good to the last drop.  Ok, now for the recipe's:
Vanilla Muscle Milk Protien Powder Smoothie:
1- 11/2 scoops powder,   small banana,    tsp peanut butter,    tsp splenda,   1 cup skim milk,   ice. (instant coffee crystals optional).  Blend in blender until thick and smooth.

Chocolate Muscle Milk Protien Powder Smoothie:
1-11/2 scoops powder,   TBS peanut butter,   tsp splenda,   1 cup skim milk,   ice.   (instant coffee crystals optional). Blend in blender til thick and smooth. 

I love both of these so much and so do my kids. I was and ice cream junkie, but i don't miss it at all now that i have my smoothies.

Mango salsa/salad:
2 Mangos- chopped, 2 Avocado's - chopped, 2 slices onion- chopped, 1 med. tomato- chopped, 1/2 small jalepeno- minced, 1-2 TBS lemon juice, salt & pepper.
I like this as a side salad, or with cottage chs.
5-31-08                      2cc fil!!!
I had my first fill yesterday! It was great, no pain, she hit it on the first stick and i got 2cc's. Kitty (at NW Fill Mngt) said she would have given me 3cc's if i didn't have to travel over the mtn. to get home.  So i have been on liquids all day and tomorrow i move on to mushies, then soft food the day after. I'm staying positive that all will be well and i will feel some  restriction.   I have been hungry somewhat today, what with only having liquids, but it isn't too bad. I know tomorrow will be better. I'm looking forward to some thin refried beans.  And i'm being positive that this will kick start another round of decreased lbs. 
I went shopping at the outlet mall in Arlington yesterday after my fill and bought 2 pair of pants and a top, 2 sizes smaller then when i started. That feels great! I can't wait to see what the next 8wks brings.      

6-10-08
Ok, i can feel my fill. It feels good. I can no longer eat as much as i could before that's for sure. I am having a hard time stopping at my soft stop however. And am getting a little fuller than i should. I ate a small bowl of beef, onion, and mushroom soup for dinner around 5 or so hours ago. STILL FULL! Have drank a full glass of tea since. I'm not uncomfortable, just staying full. That's a good thing tho! I was really worried that i would need 2-3 fills before this would happen, but i'm so glad this one is kickin in. I almost had a PB last night. I was in the middle of chewing a bite of stewed roast beef, and i felt it! The last bite was having a hard time really going down. I immediately spit out what i was chewing, and thought i was gonna pb that last one that went down. WOW! That was weird. Not gonna do that again. Today while i was eating lunch, i had to stop 1/2 way thru and put my food away. While makeing lunch for everyone, i had 1 peice of deli turkey and a 1/2 slice of cheddar chs. Then for my lunch i had 1 slice of dbl fiber wheatbread toast w/ chs, and 1/2 a peice of deli turkey folded over to make a sandwich and 2/3 cup of Miso Soup. I got thru 1/2 of each and was DONE! Couldn't eat anymore. This is sooooo foreign to me. This must be restriction. Ye ha!!!  So far i'm down a total of 31 lbs since surgery. I'm so happy and tickled 'pink'! I love my BAND!!! 

7-10-08    I finally got my second fill today (3 cc). So now i have 5 cc's in my 10cc band. I sure do hope this will be a good one for me. I really need to feel some good restriction for a while. With the first fill, after about a 10 days, i felt some good restriction for about 3-4 days at the beginning of TOM, then nothing.  I did lose a few lbs, oh, maybe 4 or 5, i don't know for sure. but not as much as i would have liked. I would very much like to hit a totally of 50lbs by my b-day on 8-12. Although i think that might be a little too ambitious. lol. That would mean i would have to lose 15lbs in a mth.  Well, maybe 10 would be ok. But hey! I can dream can't i?              I haven't been able to exercise like i would like to. I was getting on a good walking regimen but then my old knee injury flared up and that aggrivated my bursitus in my hip. So i had to back way off the walking. It is feeling somewhat better. The Dr hooked my up with some physical therapy starting next Thurs. So that should help a lot. I'm looking forward to it.         I got a new pcp this wk. he seemes more interested in helping since i got the lapband. My other pcp was kinda freaked out when i told him i had gotten the surgery, saying he really couldn't help me much as he didn't know anything about it. Coward.   I had asked the old dr to do some labs to ck my vitamin and nut levels and he wouldn't.  The new pcp suggested it before i had a chance too, and ordered exray's of my hip just to make sure it wasn't something more then bursitus. I do believe i like the new dr. And he was more then willing to document any issues that arise as i lose weight that will help when i need to get plastic surgery. So i'm very encouraged with having a new dr and getting my second fill. I'm hopefull the weight loss will be better.

7/16/08        I posted this today on the boards and thought i should copy it here as well.
Hello my fellow lapbanders. I was banded on 4-1, as some of you already know and those newbies that are unsure of the process, i just wanted to put out there some of my observations. In the beginning, i lost 22lbs right off the jump go in the first few wks. I thought WOW! this is awesome!!! Since then i see this happen's to most ppl.  Then the honey moon post op period ends ;{........  The weight loss slows down and we wonder... what happened? why arn't i losing anymore? Did i do the right thing, will i fail at this? I see post like this alot. I too felt the same way. It seemed to go on for a good 4-6 wks. A pound here or there, up a pound or two, then down again. Seems like it was so hard to lose and after working sooooooo hard and exercising the weight loss was so stubburn. That's how i felt for about the first 10 wks post op.   Then came fill #1 5-30. Nothing. I didn't feel any different with a 2cc fill. Until a wk later when TOM came for a visit and WOW! So this is restriction?!!! I thought it was so great! Then about 4 days later, it was gone ;{..... Sadness again. Down a pound or two, up a pound or two. YO Yo  again for about a mth.  Then i got fill #2 of 3cc's on 7-9. Didn't notice much the first wk. except my food stayed with me longer. Then here in the last cpl of days I have been feeling like i have a perfect restriction for me. My portions are very small 1/4-3/4 cup of solid food per meal. And it stays with me without needing a snack during the day. So now i'm officially satisfied with 3 small meals per day. I must eat very slowly, small bites, pause between, and really watch for that soft stop, OR ELSE! Thank goodness i have been doing this and haven't gotten myself into trouble. I came close tho. lol. And so far since the fill on the 9th, i have lost 3lbs. for a total of 39lbs down. I couldn't be happier! I feel like i'm finally on the road to steady losing. I HOPE! But in my observations, this is what happens to most folks if i'm reading their post correctly. For the newbies reading this, do not give up hope. There is light at the end of the tunnel. It seems like it takes the body 2-3 mths to really get settled into the losing mode since going thru such a drastic measure as surgery. it isn't anything like dieting before surgery and the body has to adjust. But it does. This is the easiest weight loss experience i have ever had as far as not feeling deprived and starving. The band is an awesome tool once you get the rules down and it is filled enough to do it's job.   I must say, that Elena and i'm sure many others are the exception. I mention Elena, because i have watched her journey since preband. Elena has done a remarkable job with her band from day one, and her weight loss is fantastic. Kudo's to you Elena. But for the average bandster, these are my observations. I wanted to give the newbies a glimmer of the light that is at the end of the tunnel. We don't call that period "BANDSTER HELL" for nothing. But it does end and does get much better. Good luck to you all and God bless.

July 19-08
I have had a stomach flu for the past 24hrs. Luckily no vomiting so far. Thank God for Phentagrin suppositories. I stayed in bed the last 24 hrs for the most part, exhausted. Feeling like i had been hit by a truck. I didn't dare eat much yesterday. I had 1/2 cup of 7 grain hot cereal for breakfast. Didn't feel bad when i first got up, but by 10am i had a terrible headache and it went down hill from there. When the tylenol didn't help the headache, i went back to bed and stayed there. For lunch i had a peice of wheat bread w/ a light smear of butter and 2 whole grain crackers w/ hummus. I almost got stuck, it sure did hurt for a minute. Drinking a few sips of tea helped a lot.  I had another peice of toast mid -afternoon, and another for dinner. I did drink a lot of water and crystal lite peach tea. At around 10pm i really started feeling like i could throw up, so i used a phentagrin suppository and that took care of that problem and i slept thru the night. This morning, the neausea is gone, but the diahrea is still there. I feel better then i did yesterday that's for sure. Coffee is setting fine. I did manage to hit my 40lbs lost this morning. I hope i can lose another 10lbs by Aug 12th, my b-day. Being sick yesterday really made my band tight. Today i will stick to toast and soft foods and not over do it again. Everytime my stomach would hurt real bad, all i could think about was that tiny little space from my band, and how would i ever throw up safely. That is the last thing i wanted to do. Scared me to death. Again, thank God for phentagrin suppositories. I don't EVER want to throw up. My daughter started with this flu and had it for 3 days. Lost of vomiting. Then my son got it but only threw up once. I don't want to go there. Hopefully, the worst is over. Hubby has to work today, so i can't stay in the bed again all day like i did yesterday. I'm so glad he was home yesterday to look after Ava. What a relief. My body is very sore this morning. I don't like to stay in bed for long periods of time, as i get real achey. Back really hurts today.

July 24, 08
Over the stomach flu and feeling so wonderful. Getting back into the swing of things as far as exercise goes. I walked on Tues & Wed. and last night started doing some lite weight liftin (16oz can's of beans, one in each hand) for 15 min at night while watchin tv. Tonight i added in 25 crunches. I do it at night after everyone has gone to bed, i don't want anyone watchin me exercise. And wouldn't ya know it, last night and tonight, hubby had to go to the bathroom, and caught me. Oh, at least he doesn't come in the room or say anything. I also went swimming today for the first time in about 20 yrs. Had a blast. it was the first time i have been swimming with my kids. My son thought it was terrific! I vowed to swim this summer, and i have done it. The neighbors are going out of town for a cpl of wks and said we could use the pool all we want. While they are gone, i will really take advantage of it and get some good exercise in the pool. I'm not in a swim suit yet, so shorts and tshirt will have to do. I hate getting out of the water and having my clothes cling to me, i might as well be naked.   I'm determined to get to a total of 50lbs by my b-day on the 12th of Aug. I have 9 lbs to go. I can do this. 
My knee and hip are feeling so wonderful since the PT fitted my shoes for heel lifts. They haven't hurt since. What a wonderful thing. I am experiencing some cramps in my feet tho. I think because i walked hard two days in a row. So i will walk everyother day until i get stronger. And continue to lift my cans of beans everynight. I should probably alternate what i'm doing everynight. But for this wk, i vowed to lift those cans everynight, so i will. Next wk, i will re-evaluate and maybe change it up. 
We are going to the in-laws lake house on Sat thru Tues or Wed. That should be nice and relaxing. A wonderful place to walk. We plan on doing some fishing and boating too. 
Been having tooth pain for the last few wks. Trying to get into the dentist, but nobody wants to take my medical coupon, although it covers dental. I will have to show up at 6:30am and stand in line and see if i can get one of the few appointments. Hopefully i can get in before going to the lake. If not, i have a huge new bottle of liquid Tylenol. Taking that crap so often makes blisters on my feet. If it's not one thing, it's another. Such is life 
I cannot wait til my one yr bandiversary and see the scale down at least 100lbs from where i started. My goal is 100lbs, but i think i can surpass that. I love my band! It's the best thing i ever did for myself.

7-26-08
First stuck/slime episode this am. Needed to PB but couldn't get it to come up. Hot coffee finally gave me some relief. That'll teach me to try to eat cheesy french toast so early in the morning. Won't be doin that again. Feel like crap now.

About Me
E Wenatchee, WA
Location
45.5
BMI
Surgery
04/01/2008
Surgery Date
Mar 27, 2008
Member Since

Friends 52

Latest Blog 11
11-26-08 Thanksgiving wk.
10-2-08
3rd fil yesterday 9/16/08
Cals back up and down 2 lbs. YAE!
SLOOOOOW Weight loss - 8-15-08
Plateau Buster 10 day Diet

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