PRE-Operation Weight Loss Surgery Q&A

i had my first fill on jan 4 .5cc in a 4cc band and i do feel some restriction but if i eat a little to much or a little to fast my stomach feels really tight like its going to burst. is that the band that i feel. it really scared me when it happened to me once because i dont want anything bad to happen so now i am really cautious of how much i eat. i usually stick to the recommended amount but sometimes i think i eat a little more because ill eat something and wait a few minutes and then if im still hungry ill eat some more and thats when i eat to much and feel to full. andrea

Hello everyone! I am scheduled to have surgery on January 17th and I am wondering if anyone has any advice for me on what to bring along with me that would help. I already know I'm going to bring Gas X strips but what else is helpful? Any advice would be appreciated. Thanks, Jeni

after the band was put on. Did you stay in bed and chill out? I have the option to seclude myself in my room while my mom takes care of the kiddos but I was wondering how bad I will feel. Well, since everyone is different, I want to know how YOU felt. LOL

Hi..I am just starting out and am in my first month of the six month diet. I got a call today to set me up for a sleep study. I did not put down that I snore because I was afraid I could not fall asleep for the study. But now thay order it anyways. Which I am ok with because it could help me get approved. I am just wondering if I can take something before I get there to help me? Like a pm or Something? Will it change the outcome or not?

I had my 1st fill on 1/4/08, and did the 2 days of liquids afterwards. I lost 2.5 lbs while on liquids. Then by Wed. of the next week, I was down another 1 lb. But by Friday am the scale said I'm up again 2 lbs. What is up with this? Does everyone weigh themselves daily? Ok, I must admit, last night was pizza night. I could eat three 4x4 pieces of pizza comfortably, and since I love pizza, I even managed to eat one more piece. Am I losing it? I would think after eating 2 pieces I would be full, but I wasn't. I have not experienced anything I am not able to eat, why is that? I wouldn't think after 1 week of my 1st fill I could eat that much. Can anyone tell me …

Hi, I was banded on 12/20, My incisions are healed and I can feel my port, it feels really large?? I thought it was supposed to be round, mine feels round in one spot and I can also feel a long hard structure under there, what is most un-nerving is the fact that I can feel it and I am very aware of its presence when I walk, like it is heavy in there?? I do not really know how to describe the feeling but it is wierd :paranoid I was wondering about other peoples experience with their ports. It sort of makes the muscle under there feel sore, also my bra elastic rests on it when I sit certian ways, will I eventually be able to ignore this sensation:(

I had the surgery on 9/4/2007 and so far I lost 24 lbs

Do anybody know of a good vitamin to get energy?

Hey guys, Just looking for reassurance. I have been having pains in my chest for a couple days, at first I chalked it up to just gas, but now it really feels like my stomach is cramping where I imagine that the band is. Is this okay?? I don't remember covering this anywhere in the pre-op class or stuff before the operation.

Weighed in today, gained back 4 of the initial 21 lost. Poop! Is this a "normal" thing to happen? I see the doc friday and so don't want a lecture!:eek:

My husband has always complained about my snoring but one night he keeped waking me up and he said I stopped breathing and it scared him. Before I got out of the military my doctor suggested that I might have it but I never botherd to get tested because it did not sound serious to me. But Now I have been noticing that no matter how early I go to sleep I still wake up at night and I fall asleeo at work or even while driving. I'm thinking about going to my doctor to get tested or should I wait and get tested with the lap band surgean? Can anyone with sleeo apens tell me if it sounds like I have it? Is it serious? Should I go see my Doctor now?:help::help::help:

Ok, so... over my port incision there is coming a "string" that looks an awful lot like fishing line.... I am guessing it is whatever they used to sew my port in place... but their is a little piece sticking out... do I cut it?????

Ok, so I'm a third shifter, I work 7pm-7am 3 days per week, so my sleep schedule isn't the greatest to begin with. BUT, prior to having surgery, I did have myself on a somewhat normal sleeping schedule. Now, it seems like ever since I had surgery, I just CANNOT sleep at night on my days off. It is driving me crazy!!! It is really interfering with my life on my days off, because I finally get tired at about 7am and end up sleeping half the day. Has anyone else experienced this? I already take something to help me sleep, and it hasn't worked since my surgery. ??????? I'm perplexed.

well folks, yesterday I joined the ranks! I feel good, still a little sore at port site and sleepy form not be able to get much sleep at the hospital and a little hungry, but other than that feeling ok and feel a quick recovery coming on..we'll see, I am soo looking forward to my new life

I have recently had another 1ml fill and have had 2 other 1ml fills previously. Just before I had the 1ml fill I could eat a fairly large amount (a 200gram steak, chips and salad for example) and although I have lost 70kg's my weight started to slowly creep back up which scared me. After the fill, I could still pretty much eat that much. How do I tell if my band has slipped? I have heard various experiences with band slippage and some say you can eat lots, or that you throw up. What are the symptoms that you know of that could be signs of band slippage? Anyone had their band slip and can share experiences? If your band has slipped, what do you have to do to get it f…

<p><p>today for lunch i tried something different for lunch. i had 2oz of white chicken in a can with water (valley fresh white chicken in water) it has 1g of fat,15g of protein and 70 calories and i added 1 tsp of light miracle whip(20 calories, 1.5 g of fat,) and put it on one slice of weight watchers rye bread (55 calories, 5 grams of protein, and 1 gram of fat) i like the weight watchers wheat bread better though. so all together there is 20 grams of protein and 145 calories and 3.5 grams of fat. after eating this i am full but if this isnt enough you could add some veg or fruit or something low calorie. i probably wont eat this everyday because i dont wan…

:faint:Help, I just had an ultrasound and it shows that I have gallstones and they need to be removed. However, I have been waiting and finally decided to self pay and have a date scheduled for Feb. 8th. I do not want to have two surgeries. My doc at Kaiser (so. cal) just feel like I should try weight watchers... I do not know what to do. I have been looking forward to the wls for sooo long. How long will I have to wait if I have the gallstone surgery first. I AM SOOO CONFUSED!!!!:help:

3 weeks and 1 day and it's back! Until the 3 week mark I was mostly satisfied and had to force myself to eat. Yesterday it started... I am starving! Not really... I've been eating 900-1000 cals a day and I up'd it yesterday to 1200 since the scale is not moving (just as an experiment) and the timing could not have been better... but what weird is I go from un-hungry to hungry in a heart beat and it's a true hunger PAIN... my stomach is growling and aching and telling me FEED ME! I'm still on mushies and nothing is satisfying me. I've been eating things like lower fat corned beef hash, pureed chicken salad made with ff mayo, pureed turkey w/ mashed potatoes... real Protein…

I am going for my consult in 2 weeks and am curious to find more information about the excess skin and port. Is there anyone who didn't need surgery to remove excess skin? I have about 100 pounds to lose and am worried that even if I lose it I'll still need surgery to remove the skin. And the port....how much restriction does that put on your daily living? Anything that you can't do that you could do before? My husband is a little freaked out about that. :eek: Thanks for any and all input! Carol

A friend of mine are both having the surgery and we both have little ones that are 21lbs. They say you can't lift anything more than 10lbs so the band won't slip. How do you refrain from doing so for 6 weeks and not pick up your baby? My son is 8 months old and can't walk yet or crawl. Any suggestions?:help:

Hey everyone, I am 6 days post-op and just wanted to know when I can stop covering the steristrips. They are itching like crazy, but there is no discharge and the wounds look great Thanks All.

I had my surgery on Monday and I think the gas pain is getting worse each day. The pain in my left shoulder is unbearable sometimes. If I take a deep breath, cough, hiccup or move in certain ways, I sometimes let out a yelp. I walk a ton and have tried a heating pad. Any other suggestions or am I going to just have to keep waiting for it to work it's way out???

:help:I am going for my consultation on the 21st and am so ready to do this! When I get banded, it is not filled at that time, correct? I am just getting used to it, I assume? My concern is being hungry, which I thought you didn't get w/ the band - or only after your fill? I am just concerned that when I go through this, I won't be able to stand being so hungry. That is my problem now, I get so shakey when I get hungry, that I just eat. What will change with the band?

My first appt w/ the surgeon is Jan 15th @ 3:30 and my psych eval is Jan 25th @ 11. After that I start my 10 day preop diet & I will be banded by mid Feb at the latest!! I cant believe it is really gonna happen. I still dont have support from my family so I will have to take a taxi to and from the hospital and find someone to pick up my daughter from school and bring her home to me but I will figure it out. I will not have to stay in the hospital overnight. Some of you were asking about the cost of my surgery & why it seems so high, the cost is around $16,000 and that includes all preop tests, the surgeon, the hospital, the anesthesiologist, and the first wh…

Hi there, I was banded yesterday at 3p.m. so, it has not even been 24 hours since my surgery. So far, i don't have any shoulder pain, but what is killing me is this awful burning sensation in the pit of my tummy whenever I take a breath in. Does anyone know what this is? Is it also gas? It is very painful - and a little on the left side like right below my sternum. Any insight? Thanks!

So-- is caffeine ok or not? I really enjoy coffee, but am willing to try and kick the habit if I must. What do you say?

I was changing my clothes an hour ago and I twisted my mid-section a little funny. Now it kills in my port area! How do you know if you've flipped your port? I would imagine I would feel something tear. Am I wrong? If the pain isn't gone by tomorrow morning I'll call my doctor, but it would be nice to know the signs of a flipped port tonight. Thanks in advance for your help!

Yes, I did just have surgery last Friday, but crud I have been on liquids all of this time, and have only lost 2 pounds. I guess it wouldn't be so bad if I hadn't noticed the rest of the folks here seems to loose quicker? Not only that but, my absorbable sutures are itching like crazy! Not so down, and out in Hemet :cry

Just a bit of information for all the ones preparing for the band. I thought that since the band wouldnt allow me to eat more then the small amount your pouch would hold that my problem of being an overeater would be solved. HOWEVER, there are things that the band will allow to slip right on down. You would think that after going through the trouble and financial expense of having surgery that you would automatically stay away from such foods but unfortunately you will still be an overeater after the surgery and will sometimes want to look for such foods to feed that inner addiction. Well its these things I wish I had known before surgery. I would have still had the surge…

i just went to the nutrionist today and she said that i should be getting full on 1/2 a cup of food. ive been eating at least a cup if not more. i asked if i could have a protein shake each day just to get my protein in but she said by the time you add a few strawberries and milk it will be high in calories. i am still trying to get the diet down pack. they say protein first, then veg, starch, fruit. sometimes the protein doesnt fill me up that well. i went to the doctors today as well and she gave me an unexpected fill of .5 cc. i thought that i would be really full seeming how i got a fill today but i dont fell much difference. i am a little sore from the fill but cant …

I have been approved for the surgery after doing 6 months of dieting and doctoring (for insurance reasons). Know I have to make the final decision on if I am wanting to go through with the surgery. I am looking for people's input and if they have been glad they went through with it or not. :help:

Just something silly I've realized in the last 3-4 weeks.... I used to HATE being seated by the bathroom when eating out.. now, I cross my fingers in hopes I'll get the table closest to the ladies room! After 3 fills, and still relatively new to the band-life, I'm learning one thing for sure - NEVER STRAY TO FAR FROM THE BATHROOM! I haven't quite clued in to my body's "soft stop" messages.. "stop eating now". I'm pretty good at ignoring those subtle hints, and before long I'm mapping out the quickest route to the bathroom. So, even if my body changes are slow moving, at least I can say I've changed my seating preferences in restaurants.

I received my pre-op appointments today and after one year of preparing for this and I am terrified. I think I am terrified because I do not want to fail again. I read all of the threads about bandsters still fighting like mad to lose weight and even gaining weight after banding and it scares me. Some bandsters are even eating as much as they used to before the band--how is that possible??? I started this process at 234 lbs. and I am 205 lbs. now and I would be very satisfied at 160. Will I have a harder time losing because I don't have a lot of weight to lose? I guess my main question is------How does trying to lose weight with the lap band differ from trying to l…

I had epidural failure when I had my daughter by cesarean a couple years ago, and I felt some of the cutting before the anesthesiologist sedated me. I ended up with some PTSD symptoms (flashbacks, obsession and depression) and at that time I swore I would never have another surgery unless my life (or my baby's if I were to have another) depended on it. At this point, I am heavier than I ever have been and could easily be 400 pounds within a few years if I don't get a handle on things. I have prayed about it and worried about it and now come to some peace about the decision, and I am going to the initial seminar in a little over a week. Has anyone decided to do the l…

My seminar is coming up...I was surprised that before you even get an appt. with the surgeon that we must attend this. Ok, no biggie...so what is it? Information only? Do they weigh you/measure you? Take a health history? I'm wondering what they could talk about for an hour??

HI - I'm 5 days out from my operation - its happening 14th Jan. I've lost about 12 lbs (5.5 kg) in the first week and now i'm stagnant! i've become obsessed with weighing myself every day! I have had a few slip ups but never more than about 100 calories ( i know thats still bad) i just am so worried i'm not going to lose any more before the operation and i need to lose at least another 8lbs( 4 kg) I'm walking, being VERY active with my housework.. what am i doing wrong? so depressed about this.:eek:

I form awful keloid scars. I'm a little bit concerned about my laprascopic incisions when they heal. My cesarean scar looks awful, and even the tiniest scar looks terrible. Any suggestions for what I could do to minimize scarring? The OB who did my cesarean said she would do something special during suturing to help minimize keloids...but whatever it was didn't work. I'd like to hear from others who form keloids how they turned out and if you did anything special.

i was wondering why we sometimes dont lose even when our calorie intake is alot less than it used to be. i went from 2500 or so down to about 1000 calories a day. you would think that the weight would melt away. i am eating no fast food, hardly any bread or pasta, mostly fluids and protein. i am not getting enough fruits and veg in but i had a hard time with this before surgery because i would choose bad things over good things. i have definitely come a long way from what i used to eat. yes i cheat once in awhile but it shouldnt be enough to keep the weight from coming off. i am now 7 weeks and didnt lose for about 2 1/2 weeks and now i just lost about 3 pounds in the pas…

Ugh, questions about liquid diet --- I was supposed to start Tuesday, 12/15, and I didn't start until Friday, 12/28. On Thursday I had a lot of garbanzo beans and peanuts and raisins (chick peas in vinegar & lemon w/ some olive oil is like, my favorite thing), and even last night, after starting, I had some blue cheese (basically thinking "oh, it's melting in my mouth"), and nutella! The nutella was bad... because it is insanely high in fat and I had a lot of it... and I think the liquid diet is less about liquid and more about low fat/sugar. But I can't get the straight dope on it from my doc, and I was scheduled for surgery in October but I got an upper respirato…

Ok, so I am 9 days post-op and constantly tired, like laying around and even sleeping 10 hours a day...which is totally abnormal for me. I realize that it is from the lack of protein. I am trying to eat it, but I simply cannot consume so much in a day. All I can eat is 4-5 times a day, and like 1-2 ounces at a time. Yesterday, I bought the Gordan's Frozen Fish Fillet's, but all I could eat was 3/4 and that is the entire day. That is 17 g. of protein. I HATE SHAKES...HATE HATE HATE HATE HATE. Any other suggestions? Thanks-Tracey

Just wanted to let you know about something that me and my man already had that is really helpful with surgery recovery. My doctor recommended that I sleep at about a 35 degree angle. My man and I bought these sex cushions called the liberator. We have the large wedge and the small wedge. It is perfect to sleep on at night! I would recommend it to anyone both sex wise and lapband surgery wise.:eyebrows:

I had researched lap-band for a year and a half and had 2 consults before i decided to have the surgery. I knew early on that I wanted as few people as possible to know about it. Meaning, my husband, parents and maybe my sister. Well, my mother convinced me to tell my grandmother because she watches our son all the time, and she is going to want to know what is going on. I prefaced the conversation by telling her that she needed to promise to not tell anyone what I was about to tell her, she agreed, criticized my decision and so on. But she promised to not tell anyone. Well, now I am getting banded in 2 days, and I found out that my sister told her boyfriend and my g…

Im on my pre-op diet and I was supposed to start 2 weeks before surgery. I waited until day 11. Im finding Im having a hard time sticking to the diet. I ate more chicken yesterday than i should have. Any one else having trouble too?

Had my surgery on Dec 31st and I returned to work this morning. I work in an office and sit at my desk most of the day. I am feeling tired and weak. I will make it through the day. I think I will take a nap for lunch. I keep getting hot and cold. I am starting to feel hungry, but can only have 1/4 cup of cream soups, yogart, protein drinks. I can't wait until the mushy stage next week. Is it Friday yet? :faint:

As part of the final, final round of tests being conducted in preparation for my surgery date (13 Feb 08), a blood test was conducted. The test has shown me to suffer from hypothyroidism, which while I far from see it as the reason I weigh what I do, I understand it may have an impact. Does anyone else have any experience with hypothyroidism, and particularly its impacts on bariatric surgery? While I haven't been told that my surgery would be postponed, denied by insurance or whatever, I'm somewhat fearful of that possibility.

:confused:My husband and I have both decided to get the band done. My mother in law is also going to do it with us. We are scheduled to have the surgery on January 24th. My question is, I don't have but maybe 40-50 lbs to lose and my bmi is alot lower than my husbands and my mother in laws. Is this surgery still going to help me get where I need to be. I have been overweight most of my life and I have lost a tremendous amount of weight but always seem to get it back. With two back surgeries under my belt I don't move as much as I used to so it is very difficult for me to lose the weight. Do you think this will work for me?

I have touched my incisions and don't feel the port. Are you supposed to be able to feel it this soon? I hope it's there and hasn't gone anywhere.

This is an odd question. But has anyone had the flu/food poisonig, ect. that would cause stomach upset to really vomit from the true stomach? I asked my fill dr. last time, and he said if a lapbander truly vomits the stomach can come through the band, rupture/all sorts of bad things, I got really freaked out. Flu season approaching and all.Also I am doing a big trip to a foreign country and what if I accidentaly eat something bad, and need to vomit?? Tansey:sick

I see a lot of people that have lost a lot of weight since surgery. But is that weight you had to lose before surgery or was it from when you had surgery? How much have some of you had to lose before surgery?

On the Pre-op diet, I knew the difficult part for me would be the blood sugar. My physician said to keep a close watch on the blood sugars and adjust medicines accordingly. Day 1 - Sunday - at 3:15AM this morning, had an attack which equals to feeling like an earthquake is going on inside my body. Got up and ate peanut butter and drank a glass of 1% milk. Don't know my blood sugar reading because I wasn't physically able to take it. Went back to sleep. Day 2 - Monday - at 3:15PM mild attack at work, I just ate some Sugar-free pudding and I still feel shaky. bloodsugar = 102. Haven't taken any medication today. I got to make it to Wed Jan 16, 2008…