Portal incision

[BBinLA]

Hi group,

I'm newly banded (10/11/05) and have been back at work for a couple of days. I didn't weigh as much as many of the bandsters but my medical problems were compounding and I didn't see a way to lose weight (the only thing that was successful in the past were diet pills and I've sworn them off as they make my heart race and frankly just aren't good for you). My weight climb has been steady and I had two reasons I did it now rather than 40 lbs from now. One, I didn't want the additional weight to have to lose and second, I am trying to beat the biological clock and have it done before menopause. Once you reach menopause, I'm told, your skin loses some of its elasticity and I don't want to have that happen so here I am, just at 200 lbs and just banded. I work as a flight attendant and even though they don't impose weight restrictions any longer, the truth is it's not a job that can be done easily if you're larger than average, I had to walk down the aisle slightly sideways and I took up more than my share of the jumpseat, not to mention the size of the workspace, I could barely turn around. Also, with the g-force at work I could barely squat down as my knees were giving out (one's been operated on already) and my joints ached so bad I couldn't sleep at night; so all of this coupled with my desire to be back to a normal weight (135) prompted me to go ahead with the surgery now rather than later.

I highly recommend the team in TJ and its facilities, with my flying priviledges I could have gone anywhere in the world for this procedure and I chose TJ, I did this mainly because of Dr. Ortiz's expertise in the field. The fact that he trains other Drs was of importance to me and that he's endorsed by Inamed Health spoke volumes to me when making my decision. Everyone; Dr. Ortiz,his mom, Dr. Martinez, Dr. Miranda, the nurses Carmelita & Jose, Rene, Junior and Farley, the drivers, were kind and professional and on top of their game.

I'm almost a week post op and am so sick of broth I can't tell you, I can't even watch tv for the food it shows. I don't ever want to have this band slip because the thought of going through the liquid diet part is more than I could bear a second time.

Now that I'm back at work, the portal incision was extremely sensitive for me and getting up from a reclined position caused what felt like burning in my abdomen area. It was extremely painful as this incision was placed just above my waistline as well. I remembered a girlfriend of mine had a pair of underwear with a very large elastic waistband that went just up under the bustline (supposed to slenderize the waist) I went out and bought 3 pairs of these panties for my post op first days and the results were amazing, the smoother side of the pants were on the outside and the ribbing would have rubbed my "glued spots" so I wear them inside out, the support has really minimized the pain.

I needed to go back to work just after my time in TJ and because the work is sooo physical with lifting my bags and manuvering carts and constant bending this has been a real godsend. I must say though that I constantly feel like I need to burp and can't, has anyone else experienced this? Coupled with the pressurizing of going up and down I'm sure that my post op experience is a bit different because of so much flying but maybe not.

Anyway, this site has been a great help and I lurk on some other bandster sites to hear their advice and experiences, so I just wanted to introduce myself and say hi to the other gals that were being banded this past week.

I'm sure I'll have questions and need help in the future, glad you all are here.

BBinLA

[maplewillow1]

Hi BB. This is Marilyn. I met you in the hospital waiting room. I thought of you when we flew out of Dallas. I too have had portal pain. But it gets better each day. I had a lot of trouble with the one way valve in my stomach. It seems like Ihave less gas build up in my lower stomach if I keep drinking liquids. If it gets completly empty that is when the bubbles start. It is a little uncomfortable to burp. I hope you continue to do well.

[JennaR]

Hi BB,

So glad to hear all went well. That's a good idea about the panties. I just leaned into a pillow and felt better.

How do you feel flying? Whenever I fly I can't eat or drink anything as I swear I am closed off completely! Maybe it is all in my head, but spit doesn't even go down well. I have always been an excellent flyer too (my preferred method of travel). Do you notice more of a strangulation type feeling when you reach certain altitudes? And can you feel it when they release cabin pressure. I swear I can, just wondering if I am nutty though.

[chickenfarmer]

BB,

I have been looking for someone close to my weight starting out. I am right at 200 also....with a goal of 135. I hope that you will post regularly. I am excited to hear how it goes for you. My surgery is Nov 2nd with Dr. Ortiz.

Dana

[JennaR]

Sure! Email me at sunsetsandstars@juno.com I would be happy to answer any questions.

HUGS!

[BBinLA]

Hi BB,

So glad to hear all went well.  That's a good idea about the panties.  I just leaned into a pillow and felt better. 

How do you feel flying?  Whenever I fly I can't eat or drink anything as I swear I am closed off completely!  Maybe it is all in my head, but spit doesn't even go down well.  I have always been an excellent flyer too (my preferred method of travel).  Do you notice more of a strangulation type feeling when you reach certain altitudes?  And can you feel it when they release cabin pressure.  I swear I can, just wondering if I am nutty though.

Thank goodness the average person gets to where they're going and doesn't fly all day. The first day back on the 6th day post-op, they gave me a trip that began in the afternoon in Houston, flew to Los Angeles, then waited two hours and flew entirely across the US to Newark at midnight, getting in at 6:00 am, rested that morning and afternoon, then flew Newark to Orlando that evening.....You just can't imagine having to bend over and pick something up on the floor, it smarts....

I'm so new with the band that I don't know what's normal and what's not. I had been feeling for hours that I needed to burp but nothing....then I leaned over to sign something on a counter top and the deepest loudest burp came out of nowhere! I about died, made a mental note to not assume that position when needing to burp, I think it was lurking in the secondary chamber....

The first week I felt like I ALWAYS needed to burp but nada (except for that "awkward" one, maybe one of ya'll knows what's happening with that.

When we fly, if you watch containers once the cabin is pressurized, we always open the yogurt away from us as there is pressure built up and it sprays you, this happens to the body too, when flying. When landing, open bottles of water implode and shrink as they decompress, we always have to adjust our seatbelts from when we landed to taking off again as we bloat terribly.

Once I get used to flying with the band maybe I can give more tips but right now I have NO idea what my stomach's doing and my goal each day is not to lose whatever I ingest....

I have lost 10 lbs, but who wouldn't on clear soups?

I'm trying to listen a lot closer to my body on when I'm full and even stopping before I feel full because I don't want to stretch my new pouch.

Went without the girdle panties today and my stitches are really painful this evening, I've learned my lesson, tomorrow they go back on.

That's it from me, going back to work tomorrow but will still have computer access.

BBinLA