PRE-Operation Weight Loss Surgery Q&A

I hoping someone knows if it is okay to take Tylenol Cold, Halls and possibly a antibiotic pre-op? I just started my liquid diet and I am 2 wks pre-op. Has anyone been rescheduled because of a cold? Thanks for the help!

I am talking with this other girl on a military wives forum who is getting WLS, when I told her about what I'm having done, this was her response: "Im actually having the LapRNY on May 13th, my preop appt is on May 8th..im so excited but a little scared!! I didnt go with the lapband because of the high failure rate and problems with the band itself..i was told it can migrate in ur body and can cause all sorts of problems and its easier to cheat so i didnt want any of that..so where are you on ur journey through weightloss?" Is this true? Kinda worries me now....:wink_smile:

I was wondering what kind of pain medication most of you are sent home on, and a ball park figure on how much pain to expect. Ive had a C-Section and that wasn't too bad...any worse than that? kimberly

As soon as I had my consultation with the surgeon, I decided to do little things to get ready for the HUGE lifestyle change to come. So I decided to quit smoking (which I am successful--- so far!) quit caffiene and to go on slimfast, so that when I have to go on strict liquids, I would already be used to having a liquid meal twice a day. And I stopped with all the Snacks and sweets and fast food, and started on a very good quality organic whole foods vitamin! Did mention I did all of this at one time??? I just decided one day to do it so when I got up the next morning I started. No cigs, no soda, no tea, no reese cups, no Mickey D's, no Taco Bell, etc... Well if you w…

Hi All- I've been lurking on the boards reading and enjoying y'all's helpful posts. I have my evaluation for a lap band this monday and have a question I hope someone will have some insight on... About 30 years ago I went though about a 5 year fight with bulimia. I finally beat it, but now weight 240. One of the questions on my questionaire asks "have you ever vomited or used laxatives for weight control?" Do you suppose if I say yes I won't be able to get approved for a lap band? I want to be truthful, but I also don't want to jeopardize my chance for getting one.....any opinions? Thanks!

I need to know what you all think I should do. I have a surgery date of April 30. I had a panic attack about 6 weeks ago. I thought I was having a heart attack and made my DH race home to take me to the hospital. It was a full blown PA. I was in the ER for 10 hours with blood work and ekg's ect.. I had just had my stress test pre lap band, and it was all fine. Anyway... I had also had my 1st of 2 visits with the shrink for the psych eval. The hospital gave me some valium and sent me home. A few days after the PA, I took my psych exam (500+ questions) and the next week I had my 2nd psych eval. And he passed me. I did not tell him about the panic attack, for f…

I am so worried that the surgeon will get in there and not be able to complete the procedure because of my liver. I am 5'2", 203lbs. A couple years ago I had a Cat Scan that showed I had a fatty infiltrate in my liver. I've been following the pre-op diet pretty well but i'm still terrified. I don't know what I would do if I went through all this only to wake up and find out that he couldn't do it. Oh, by the way, my surgeon has never done this procedure before. He will have a proctor there. I am one of three patients he will be doing that day. And, to make matters worse, my LFT's (liver function tests) have been elevated in the past,too.

I know this is a dumb question but I think my love of food is getting the better of me. I feel like the more I read on, everyone seems to be on a diet with this band and eating so different than pre-band. I was kinda under the assumption that you could eat a lot of what you want, obviously not ice cream and fried foods, but eat sensibly but only you won't be able to eat the amounts you used to. I eat sensibly now, I just eat WAY too much of it and overdo my calories. With all the talk of protein shakes and whatnot, it scares my that I will permanetly be on this restrictive diet the REST OF MY LIFE! I know these are preband jitters, and I am panicking like some of you said…

:sad:Just wondering if anyone else has run into this. I have (had) a band date of 4/23 and as part of pre surgery tests they did a gallbladder ultrasound. Well, mine came back that I have gallstones and I have to have my gallbladder taken out before I can have the band put in. I have to wait 4-6 weeks after the gallbladder is removed before they will put the lap band in. I see the surgeon tomorrow about the gallbladder. His PA said the gallbladder surgery will be within the next two weeks (I'll have a definite date tomorrow) so my band surgery will be moved to mid to late May. I know this is for the best but it's just to frustrating. I just wanted to sit and cry when I fo…

I hope this isn't too much information, but I'd like to know if anyone else has been experiencing this... so here goes... I am on my pre-op diet now (tomorrow will be my 6th month) and I've been really trying to change my habits the last two months. However, within the last two weeks I keep getting these intense stomach cramps and diarrhea at night only. It's weird I know. I was "googling" it to see what it could be and some sites it stated this can happen from a larger in-take of Water and change in eating habits. I have almost quadrupled the amount of water I drink, but wanted to know if anyone else has experienced this. Ugh... I feel so bad at night 3-4/week. …

Hello! I am in Oklahoma and waiting on my referral to go thru, I have tricare prime ret. Anyways I am looking for someone else around here who has already been banded or waiting to go thru this process....a buddy of sorts!!! I will be (hopefully) using Dr. Warnock in Wichita Falls Texas, anyone else in Lawton,Ok?:wub:

Nectar Roadside Lemonade in a 12 oz glass of lemonade crystal light! it's yummie! just make sure to mix well!

How soon did it take you to lose your required weight loss of 5% for surgery.

I just had surgery and I know that I will probably have to get a fill, If so how much is the average cost of a fill??? Plz respond:bored:

I have been doing the 6 month diet plan and have lost 14 pounds this first month. I guess that is good, but still worry how insurance will react at the end of the 6 months. My biggest worry is after the 6 months, getting turned down. I am at a 46 bmi but do not have a many medical issues yet. I have sleep apnea (like that was a surprise) but my cholesteral and blood pressure are pretty good. I do have aching joiunts in my ankles and knees but that is about it. I know this sounds dumb, but I worry that I am not ill enough yet. When I turned my medical records for the past two years over to my surgeon they asked if that was it because I had one visit to the doctor an…

Help me! I started my clear liquid pre-surgery diet yesterday and I feel terrible. My head hurts, I'm exhausted and hungry, and the worst part- I can't stand the Protein shakes!:puke: Ok, so to lay it out clearly- I can't stand milk. Ever since I was two years old I have refused to drink anything with milk in it- this includes chocolate milk (tho milk chocolate is certainly ok). So, I bought a strawberries and cream Protein shake yesterday thinking, "Mmm Strawberries.." and BOOM! It smells like MILK! and worse - it TASTED like milk! So I bought one of those Atkin Protein shakes and that also tastes like milk. I'm not above holding my nose and downing the terrible stuf…

Tomorrow is the big day! I feel like I've been getting ready for this day for so long and its finally here, its hard to believe. I'm strangely calm considering. Unfortunately I've gotten my monthly friend at the worst possible time and I think my focus is on the pain I'm in (can't take any ibuprofen--the ONLY thing that works for me) and I can't really focus on being nervous. I'm also ravenously hungry, having only eaten jello, apple juice, and a vitamin water so far today. Yay for pre-op clear liquid diet. I don't even like jello, haha. Anyways, I'm very excited and can't wait for tomorrow!

I am scheduled for April 29th. Yeah!! Go on a liquid diet on the 15th, which is also the same day that my wife is having major back surgery. It's going to be some wild April.

Hi everyone, Has anyone here been required to do the Protein-Sparing Modified Fast diet by their nutritionist? This diet consists of the simply 9oz of meat per day, divided equally in 3 oz portions. One portion is consumed in each of 3 distinct meals. They are able to test whether you've been successful on this diet by checking for ketones in the urine. I have been on the diet since Monday and every single minute is a struggle. I am so damned hungry I want to cry. This is a very trying time for me. I am determined to do it, though. The sole purpose for this diet, though, is to prove to the office that a patient can follow instructions and has the willpower to sti…

I am going to my consult tomorrow morning and the psych eval in the afternoon, my surgeon recommends doing them both in the same day so things move faster. For the last few weeks I've been getting a lot of pressure from my friends and family except my wonderful hubby, to forget about surgery. Everyone love me and really don't believe that I'm 204lbs since I carry it all between my breasts and knees. I can dress to hide most of it. I'm so confused now. I almost cancelled my appointments b/c no one but hubby are supportive. Hubby wants me to do what makes me happy and healthy. He doesn't care about my weight, he chalks it up to me giving him 2 babies that were too bi…

I am new to the board -- I have my psych eval and consult this upcoming week -- but I went to my doctor's informational seminar and, this may sound dumb to some, but was it hard to give up carbonated beverages forever??? I am a die-hard Diet Coke addict. I drink it in the mornings, at night, all throughout the day. I don't have a lot of friends in this world, but something about drinking a Diet Coke always makes me feel better. Weird! I know! I am really excited about the band and I'm ready to kick my Diet Coke habit once and for all . . . After the seminar, I decided to quit even though who knows when my surgery will be. I wanted to stop drinking soda on MY term…

I take 2 psych meds and have for years because they work. But one is Cymbalta and only comes in capsule form. Can't be taken apart and obviously not chewed. I hate to ask the Doc for a substitute because it works so well for me. What would you do or what did you do? I am not banded yet but hope to be this year. I have a consult with the surgeon on 4-21.

i just completed my psyche eval, cardiology clearance and upper gi- all tha ti sleft is my nutritional visits. i am looking for advice suggestions etc to prepare me fo my lap band surgery estimate to be done in june. i am excited but a smidge nervous. any advice , ideas etc would be greatly appreciated

Hey all 1st. time on here. I was scheduled for my surgery on thursday the 27 and showed up at 7am got my I.V started, started getting excited then about 2hours later they come in and tell me the dr has a migraine so come back the next day for surgery. Well friday comes and same thing goes on but after about 3 hours they come in and tell me that they can't get a radiolagist(spelling??) to come in and work on Saturday even though they offered more money etc... so guess what? yep u guessed it put off for another 3 weeks. Feeling so upset. Bad thing is i had already been on liquid diet for about 2 weeks and a clear liquid for 3 days. So i guess all i can say is here i go …

I was told by my surgeon that I'm going to have to crush my meds for the first 6-8w post op. I take a nice variety of them- Metoprolol for tachycardia Singulair for asthma Nexium for reflux/asthma Topamax for migraines Wellbutrin XL for, well, sanity :shades_smile: Singulair, Topamax and Nexium are all available in granule form, and I have scripts written to switch over to those. I'm going to have to switch over to non-extended Wellbutrin (you can't crush extended release meds) and take it a couple times a day. Besides the current XL is an absolute horse pill... So, that leaves me with having to crush the Metoprolol, and Wellbutrin, as I assume any pain m…

:confused:I got my insurance approval in one day. I am awaiting my psych eval (4/7) and a cardiologist eval (I am 64), so I am about one month away from the surgery. I have a question. In the early part of the lst month before surgery, what did most of you do about eating. Did you have one last meal of each of your favorites or did you start changing your diet even before the doctor mandated light/liquid pre-op diet? I am thinking about one last Indian, Chinese, Mexican etc meal. Is this defeatist thinking? Thanks for your help.:thumbup:

I went to my Lapband seminar Friday afternoon and totally had my bubble busted!! I have been on this site for a few weeks now reading posts and taking in everyones experiences. I am 5'8" and a little over the 300 mark. The surgeon said with all of the excess weight I have to lose I would be a better gastric bypass candidate. Did anyone else have this happen? He has almost made me decide to go that way. Needing to lose 150+ pounds is a big deal in my life right now. I'm 36 and beginning to have the lower back, knee, feet aching almost daily. Is there anyone else who had that large of an amount to lose? Please someone send my your success story so my mind and heart …

I never thought that it would happen but my surgery is finally scheduled for April 10th. All I have to do is my nuclear stress test. Has anyone had that? Any last words of advice. I am nervous a little but it still doesn't seem real!!:cursing:

I recently found out I was given a 4 cc band. The fill nurse said the Dr. "gave me a tiny one". What does this mean. Is a 4 cc band not the norm? How do they determine which size band you get??

I hoping my band date will be the end of April. Dr. wants me on 1st stage of South Beach until my next consult. I can't even do one day! I think I'm telling myself that every day is my last meal. Fortunately I'm not gaining, and exercising 3-4 days a week, but every day I start on track and by the time the kids come home from school, something sends me to the pantry. Have others gone through this in the weeks before banding? I would like to get a running start before surgery HELP!

Has anyone had lapband with a condition called Essential Thrombocythemia? It is a disorder that causes production of too many platelets. I have ET but have been in remission 10 years. ???? anyone??? thanks aas

Hi, I am new to this cite. I am filling out my patient profile for my pre - authorization paperwork for the lap band surgery. I have a lot of medical problems. I am worried that if I list all of them I might not be approved for the surgery. Are they going to have problems with me taking medication for Depression or Bipolar Disorder? I am seeing a therapist for these problems. Will there be a problem with me not being able to walk very far without difficulty. I have so many medical problems that I can't work out right now. I have just changed my insurance so I can have this surgery and hope to be approved within the next 3 to 4 weeks for this surgery. I was told …

Ok I have faith that I am going to be receiving the "Call" any day now... So I have been proactively drinking 2 slim fast optima shakes and eating 1 meal a day.. Of course still drinking my Whylers lite and water.. This is my 3rd day and today I was kind of sad for no reason. I went to church and it was like pulling teeth for me to get into the service, but the best part of it is i realized what was going on because of all of the post that I have read. Now I have been waking up lately in the middle of the night not able to sleep because I can actually can see myself in my dreams so much smaller and healthier and actually lovin it. :tt1::tt1::tt1: One thing that reall…

I am not getting the band till Aug 9th but I am trying to stock up on all the stuff I will need before hand. The only thing I am having a hard time it the is the protein shake. I have been trying this one called Isopure and I can't drink it because of the really bad taste:eek: I would like to know what you guys have been doing and witch ones are the best overall and the best with the taste. Thank you.

I see a lot of people going to Mexico to have surgery. It looks like most have good experiences but I wonder how you are able to check the credentials of the doctors, nurses and medical facilities? I looked at one doctor's website and it didn't give much information about his training or that of his staffs. If someone dies during surgery or has life threatening complications I wonder how this is handled? Are they able to handle such emergencies? Is their training up-to-date compared with those in the US? How is it going over the border? Do you have to register with anyone in the US before going there so that someone knows you are there? The only reason I ask th…

:wink2:I had a sleep study done and I have sleep apnea, now I have to sleep with this machine that will be given to me next week which I must use every night for the next 5-6 wks before I can be scheduled for my surgery. I was also told that I will have to bring the machine to DR office so they can check to make sure I have been using it why ? Has anyone elese have to do this ?:smile:

OK, so I'm doing this protein-sparing modified fast diet, which is required by my nutritionist prior to surgery. This is not the pre-surgery diet, but a way to prove to them that I can follow a food plan. I am allowed only 9oz of meat daily. So, I was struggling through it, barely making it. Today, there was a presentation by the CEO of my company held at the local Marriott. I didn't know attendance was mandatory until this morning. I got there and they were serving a full Breakfast. I was so damned upset, watching 200 people eat while I drank Water. I am starving. Literally, STARVING. I couldn't handle this. Five hours later, I still feel like crying. …

Hello all, OK so I am so ashamed of myself. I have been on this pre-op diet which is full liquids for 10 days. I am on day seven and I cheated! I was feeling so sick tonight that I ate a sandwich and a piece of chocolate. So far I have lost 12 pds on this diet, which is so hard to do. I have been eating nothing but soups, crytal light, diet shakes, protien shakes. After I ate something, I didn't feel sick to my stomach anymore, but now I feel like what the hell did I just do? I guess this is what I was thinking, I have surgery on Monday the 31st. Which I wont do anymore food I will stick to the liquids until the surgery, then after the surgery my doctor puts me on a cl…

I got the call today that I will be banded on May 12th. Not sure what to expect but this could not be coming at a better time. Now if I can just get through this Boston trip I have to go on. I weight about 289 and I am 5'9. Has anyone flown on Air Tran that is around my size lately? Did the seat belt fit? I am so scared about that. My husband is great and has said we will just hold it in place if it doesn't fit. I do not want to ask for a extender. So for now all I can think about is am I too big for the plane?

I'm so excited. I found out on Friday that my insurance has approved the surgery. I go to see the doctor on April 15 and then we set the date. Now it seems very real and I'm feeling all kinds of emotions, but I know in the end that this will be a very good thing. My friends and family are firmly behind me, which helps a lot. This forum has been a great tool for me. I have learned so much. Ahhhhh...I'm so excited.

I'm being banded on April 4th and have been doing the preop liver shrinking diet for a little over a week. My problem is that I have no appetite anymore. My diet should be (in a 24 hour period) 2 high protein shakes, a light sandwich with 4 oz low fat meat, 1c salad, 1 small piece of fruit, 4 oz fat free/sf yogurt. I started out doing okay with that, but now I can hardly get in 2 of those items. Yesterday I had nothing but the yogurt and sandwich. Every time I went to drink a shake I couldn't bring myself to open the can. I don't know if it's aversion to the slimfast flavor or what. I don't miss food...and surprisingly, I sometimes simply forget to eat. I'm worried about …

Hi All I am new to this forum and I am in the process of waiting to see if my insurance will cover the lap band. Does anyone know how much it is if I self-pay?

I was thinking about this and have actually thought about this most of my like. Like hmmm what will i do once i loose the weight, where will i go to show off..lol.. etc.. If i could have my own way. I would throw a fashion party, and invite everyone that has ever called me fat in life, treated me bad, denied me a promotion, those that did not want to be my friend...(when i was younger), my x-boyfriends, and x husband..Oh not to forget my son's father...lol.. and i would do a Tyra Banks and walk down a runway in diffrent outfits i mean dressed to kill... prehaps im feeling this way because there is a ANTM marathon on now... but I want them all to C-ME-NOW (then) I can ju…

Just curious, because I am going by myself to Mexico. (My flight from Houston to Monterrey is going to be almost $450.) How was your experience and do you have any tips for me?

After a relatively painless series of doctor and specialist visits, my insurance company has approved my surgery. It only took me 6 weeks and a month of that was just getting to all my scheduled appointments. I am geting banded by Dr Hamn in Plano,TX on APRIL 7th!!! I am 5'4" at 328 lbs and have been considering this for a long time. I have a lot of friends who had the bypass and look great. I just think it's too severe for me and I hope I have made the right choice. It seems that I am quite a bit heavier than many of the people on this board, but I really feel good about my decision at this point. I am nervous, but excited!! I look forward to sharing my progress …

so I am scheduled for April 7th and just filled out the final approval paperwork where it lists 10 pages of potential complications. It kinda freaked me out... In the end how do you know this is the right thing to do? I am 5'6" and 300lb its logical to take this step but still freaked by surgery...

I have been exercising about every other day throughout my pre-op diet. I wanted ot give myself every opportunity to loose that 20 pounds my surgeon told me I needed to lose in 2 weeks. My surgery is Monday the 31st (woohoo!). Should I be concerned about straining myself at all by exercising the day before surgery? I usually walk 1-2 miles (on flat land) as my routine. Thanks for your input! :thumbup:

hi, after 5 months of various dr. appts. seminars, and an awful sleep apnea test, I was just approved. the insurance company only took 2 weeks. I thought for sure I would be rejected because I have a lower bmi. 35. I am 5'8 and weigh 240 but I have a huge family history of obeisity related issues. the only real health issue I had to keep me in the running for insurance approval was sleep apnea. (yeah) now I get to wait some more because my dr. is booked up until the middle of may.:scared2: now that I have my approval, I go back and forth between wanting to diet and get a head start on my weight loss, and wanting to eat until I cant eat anymore because I wont be able …

Ok.. you all are gonna think I'm nuts, but I just Got the APPROVAL from my insurance company for Surgery on April 16th, after waited 4 mo.. and It finally came. Now I'm in a frakin out!!! All of a sudden, I'm scared!!! I'm a very strong individual and I don't know where all this is coming from... I"m Excited and Scared a the same time... The Dr.'s Office left me a message on my cell phone, and I'm afraid to call them back!!!!! Why am all of a sudden having all these mixed emotions????? I feel like I need to take a xanax now... LOL Did anyone go though these different emotions at the same time, once they got their approval??? Or do I need mental help???? lol Please let me…

Hi everyone, I just want you to know that I have been reading all your posts for weeks now and if it weren't for the encouragement on this thread and Post Band, I don't think I would have been so pro active when I originally looked into the Lap Band in January. Thanks for all your posts and for your help in helping me make this decision. I am being banded on April 8 and although I am scared, I am also excited. I'll be reading and posting. Good luck and success to everyone! Alice