PRE-Operation Weight Loss Surgery Q&A

I was banded 1/19. I am finding it hard to get in 80g of protein per day. Anyone else experiencing this? I try to eat protein food items first but I am not hungry and hate to make myself eat just to get in the protein. (Never thought I would see the day where I would have to make myself eat ). I am scared my hair may start falling out due to protein deficiency. At any rate, I feel as if I am going to have to start getting up in the middle of the night and eat. Seems like my day is scheduled around eating and drinking. Does anyone know of any very high protein food items out there besides fish? I cannot stand the taste of that protein powder stuff:help:

None of my five bandages have fallen off. Steri strips are underneath. I was told to leave everything alone and that it would fall off on its own after showers. (I was told no baths though.) Is this ok, to leave these on? I feel like I should be changing the bandages. It seems gross not to. I see the doc on Weds 4/4.

Date Posted: Today at 06:23 AM - Comments (0) Here is the way your BMI is calculated. I think it's pretty interesting myself. There are a few links at the bottom as well if you want some more reading. --------------- Calculating BMI --------------- Weight pounds ----------------------------- x 703 height (inches) x height (inches) Here's an excel forumula: =((pounds(inches*inches))*703) Here's my stats in the formulas: 270.5 ---------- x 703 = 32.9 76 x 76 =((270.5/(76*76))*703) Now something to bear in mind. BMI is based on 'averages' for a 'normal' human being. Muscle mass skews the calculations. Here's an example. I have a friend,…

I am currently looking into the band (again!) Before when I looked into it I didn't have kids, but now we've adopted 2 and are fostering 1. They are all 2 1/2 and under. How long will I need someone to help lift and carry them do you think? This is truly something I need to do. My hubby is a union plumber and they don't get paid time off, so he will only be able to take a couple days off. Thanks for any advice.

Im apparantly a band rookie..not yet banded but What the heck is a PB?

aaggghhhhh! My banding is tomorrow 9:15 am, the doc has had me on Clear liquids for two days, and everything is looking like food. Does it get better? I have tomorrow after surgery and wed, thurs to be on clear liquids still. I am so hungry, I never knew what hunger pains were until now. Any suggestions.... Pat

i have dermabond on my scars...and they look great...was banded on thurs...no red, starting to smooth down...but im not sure if its from me sweating but i have a slight odor....is this ok? i called the doc and she said as long as no red, or fluid just leave it,...any similar experiences,..also, anyone have trouble with a digital scale>? i wonder if i should get the old fashioned kind? seems like every time i get on it it says a different number..i seem to take the best of 3 heheee

I absolutely LOVE spicy food and it just occured to me last night that this may be a problem after surgery. Anybody got any advice? It certainly isn't more important than losing weight for me, but i would like to be prepared. Thanks!

Freaking out a bit here. All kinds of random thoughts are going through my mind! Did anyone else worry that they might die during the procedure? From anesthesia or something else? I am having a bit of edema in my legs. I think it's from my blood pressure medication but I'm afraid to mention it for fear they will not do the surgery. I know, I'm weird. At the nutrition seminar I went to, they said not to use straws. But I can't recall the reasoning. Anyone? I also heard that milk does not go down well at first. I love tomato Soup with just a touch of milk in it, then mostly Water. Do I need to worry about this? I didn't really have a pre-op diet. I didn't over…

I am 11 days post op and I had lite cream cheese on a few crackers.. I also had mashed potatoes w gravy. Is that going to do any harm to my band? I am walking 2 1/2 miles daily and drinking my water and everything else I m suppose to be going. I just couldnt stand the broth or jellos anymore.. :faint: I hope I'm not doing anything wrong . I've lost 10 lbs already since 3-21 (surgery date) bmi was 36.

Hi Everyone, My Surgeon said I might have a hiatal hernia...the GI guy wasn't certain...has anyone had one? what causes it? Surgeon said he'll repair it while he's in there. Also, has anyway had a BMI of 50+ and had the surgery and was successful...I seem to see much lower BMI's. Be well

I'm wondering how some of the bansters on here handle the no eating and drinking simultaneously. I just started on mushies this evening and I have to say, it feels very unnatural to not be able to drink anything while eating. I was told by my doctor that I need to wait 30 minutes after food before being able to drink anything. Do ALL successful bandsters adhere to this rule? I am finding this difficult and its just hour one of "real food."

I'm headed to the hospital to get banded.. eeek.. This is it.. Please keep me in your thoughts, I'll post as soon as I'm able.

OK...I am still waiting to get approval, but I am freaking out after reading some of the post op posts. I have an extremely LOW tolerance to pain. I basically have two levels...either I have pain, or I don't have pain. I am reading from others that they are on Darvocet for pain or just plain tyelonol. Is this really the case, because neither one of those will do a thing for any pain I might have from the surgery. What did everyone else take after surgery? Peace Out T~:hippie:

Well, it's day two. I feel better this morning than ever. Had a bit of a scare last night, went to bed at 10 and woke up at 12:30 feeling like I was going to puke. Which scared the hell out of me. I didn't, thankfully, but I was in pain at the port area. I took some liquid motrin, (nasty stuff) because I felt sore all over. Let out a nasty belch that hurt. I'm attributing it to drinking some Protein rich broth before laying down and going to bed. Is this a no-no? Should I not be eating before laying down? I don't like waking up like that. My goal today is to get more fluids in me. I'm noticing my urine is pretty concentrated. Do you count your Protei…

HI Folks, Day 11 post op - feel great - some gas pains still moving around but nothing serious - HOWEVER, the Protein drink has me confused. I was banded by Dr Kuri in Mexico - and have been following his food plan to the tee. I have not been drinking a Protein Drink?? I noticed some of the bandsters discussing Protein drinks are banded a long time. Does everyone need to drink a protein drink daily?? I am mainly drinking Soups and Water / tea right now. I start on soft food Tuesday THANKS IN ADVANCE!!!! :clap2: :clap2: :clap2: :clap2: :clap2:

Hi all I have had my 3rd fill for 2 weeks. I have "thrown up" 6 times. What is weird - i think this is really my first fill that has given me any restriction. I really don't think I'm to "full". I think the problem lies with my first 2 not giving me any restriction and have been able to eat anything and ate to much. So here I am with my 3rd fill (only 1.4cc) and having problems. some meals are very painfull and have a hard time staying down. If I take my time and eat small bites and chew my food - it doesn't give me any problems. Some of the problem food seems to be with chicken. I did eat "beef" 2 times and didn't have any problem. Usually, yogurt i…

Hi! Although I have been lurking for quite a few weeks this the first time I've posted. My best friend Jennifer and I have our consultation with Dr. Bertha in NJ on April 18th so we are trying to get all of the preliminary things taken care of and out of the way. Our problem is that Dr. Bertha's office can't schedule us until AFTER our consultation. I also tried to make appointments at Saint Clare's Hospital and they are losing their nutritionist so although they are trying to juggle appointments to fit us in it looks like we may not get in. We are so ready to get this done!!!! My questions are- - Does anyone know of any other Dr.s in NJ who do the psych evals a…

I am two day post op and my belly is huge. How long does it take the swelling to go down? Also I am trying to wean off the vicodin but I still feel very light headed. Is this the general anesthesia? How long does this take to wear off, typically? I feel a bit woozy and can't read very well, or for very long.

I heard liquid diets can cause your gallbladder to shut down...Is this true? I am scared! Gonna ask my doc on Thursday. I couldn't eat solids right now if I wanted to!

I'm still having shoulder/neck pain, had surgery on Monday the 19th. If I'm laying down in bed it doesn't hurt a bit. If I'm sitting in a chair, it's VERY painful like I pinched a nerve. Once it starts to hurt I can't get rid of the pain. Does this sound like it could be from the surgery or something entirely different???

Today I went to my Dr to have my consult and pre-op evaluation. My surgery date in Wednesday, April 4. The doctor said that there is no need to put me on a pre-op diet. I know that a lot of people here have to go on a liquid diet before surgery to shrink the liver or something like that:phanvan :cry . Does anybody knows why some doctors do and some don't?:welldoneclap:

It was a much better experience than I envisioned. I had great care and was kept very comfortable. Honestly, the worst part was drinking some really bad crap for the post-op G.I.! that stuff was HORRIBLE. Day 2 is worse than Day 1. I think it has something to do with that nifty little morphine pump... But I'm comparing this to a C-section and overall, it's not bad. Is it true that days 2, 3 and 4 are often the worst? I have a fair amount of pain from the port site. Normal? I am on vicodin. The tablets are kind of big; I cut them in half. I just took one not long ago and am worried it will hurt my stomach. Was I supposed to get liquid vicodin? I hope to hear fr…

I've eaten poached eggs before but never a soft boiled egg. I'm on my 11th day of post-op and have had runny mashed potato but I thought maybe I could try a soft boiled egg. Will that go down easy or is it a chew, chew, chew item??

I have no insurance so we are paying $17,000 cash up-front. What are/were everyone else's costs? Did your doc let you make payments? Just curious!:cry

I hope that this doesn't upset anyone, but I have been trying to get this question answered. I have not been heavy my whole life, I gained 130lbs during two pregnancies(100 w/ one and one year later 30 more with the other). All together I have been trying to get the weight off for five years with no luck. My question is, has anyone been in a similar situation and was it hard to get approval from primary? Any advise or info would be great. Beccs

Been home about an hour. Got to the hospital at 5am. rolled into surg at 8. home by 2. So far so good.. Pain is manageable thus far, liquids going down ok. Set Dh to get some popsicles as my throat is sore, worse thing was having my IV blow and having to have a second. Got some neat photos of my stomach and band and the barium swallows to bring home with me. Will post them at a later date.. Been up walking a bit.. trying to take a nap now then will walk some more. Rebecca banded today Dr. Spiegal:clap2:

I belong to a Congregational church and we have Communion once per month. Since I'm still in the post-op stage how can I eat the bread? Actually, even when I'm ready to eat "real food", can I have communion? The bread is broken up into pieces and then we dip it into grape juice. Thanks!

A very cool website, copy & paste the link below. http://www.wisegeek.com/what-does-200-calories-look-like.htm

:help: I'm from the UK and can't decide whether to go for the safer tried and tested lapband (MIDband) to be fitted by Dr Frering in Lyons or whether to take a chance and have the easyband fitted by Dr Favretti in Manchester (closer to home, easier for fills but twice the price but riskier as it depends on the availability of Dr Ashton in the event of an emergency). Any help or suggestions from experienced bandsters would be appreciated.

Have any of you been in so much pain that you feel like you are taking too much meds? I have to take the Lortab Elixir every 2-2.5 hours. Before the surgery, I would take Hydrocodone for migranes or back pain. So I do probably have a bit of resistance built up. Would it be normal to need a bit more than what is prescribed or I am just a wimp?

How long did it take you to get the results of your upper GI test? I had mine done on Wednesday, and I'd like to call the doctor's office today to have them send the results of the test to the surgeon's office.

Okay I know this is going to sound like a silly questions but........ In order to qualify for my insurance I have to have a BMI of 40 or above, without other conditions. That is where I am out now. I went to my PCP today, my BMI is 40.8, he is sending the letter of medical necessity to the surgeon. I go to the dietition on April 4th and the surgeon on April 10th. The dietition wants me to keep a diet journal for 3 days before I see her. My question is, what BMI number counts, the one when I visited my PCP or what ever it is when I visit the surgeon? I know that this must sound silly, but I would just hate to loose a few pounds, make my BMI go below 40 and have my i…

...or some crazy gas in my stomach that won't freaking go away and I'm dying here. It isn't the CO2, either. Oh yes, I have the rest of the day on clear liquids and then I start on full liquids. Any suggestions?

I am a single mother of 1, he is going to be 2 pretty soon :faint: and I am also hoping to get the lap band soon. Are there any other bandsters out there that got the band and has/had small children? How did it work for you? I do have family to help me but they work. Will I be able to still take care of him at home without any help?

I just recently switched my insurance was assigned to a different doctor. I called and made an appointment but the doctor can not see me until may 4th... ahh thats so long :cry. This appointment is for getting approved for the lap band surgery. Anyhow, is there anything I can ask for or something that might get me in sooner than may 4th?

I had my lapband surgery last wednesday and there were no problems during the surgery. I am on a soft/puree diet right now. I am always finding myself going to the bathroom with diarrhea since surgery. I am taking pepcid Ac everyday, twice a day but it is not working. What is the problem? How can I fix it? Thanks

I was banded Monday 3/19 and I am due to visit the Dr on Tuesday 4/3 to have the staples removed and all the other post-op stuff. I was just wondering if it is normal for the skin around my staples to be really red. Just one out of my 5 sites are really gross. It is the place that pulls the most and the biggest opening. I have been putting bandages and antibiotic cream on them. I know that my skin is prone to scar so I don't know if this is just part of the healing process or if they are getting infected. I wish my Dr didn't use staples, but there is nothing I can do now. It is one of those questions I didn't think to ask prior to surgery. Thanks Wendy

What is PB? Sorry new to this forum and can't figure out what everyone is talking about!!

So here I sit with only 16 hours till my surgery having a mild nervous breakdown......:think I read most of you had the same anxiety and come through with flying colors. Why is this not helping me? <sigh> Its really strange that I am having such anxiety over this. Its mild compared to the 14 other operations I have had. 10 on my hips, 3 c - sections, and an apendectomy. The only differnce with this one that I can truly think that may be causing the anxiety is that I opted for this. The others I didnt really have a choice. I am a big believer in what one carries with them in thought is what is produced in the Universe. I am trying so hard to correct my mind set.…

Can anyone tell me how do you get approved by doctor for getting banded? Is it hard? Do they give you a though time about it? Any info would be great thanks. Becca

:welldoneclap: My doctor just put in for me to have a lap band and I can't wait... someone tell me if it takes along time for this to happen. Donna

Surgery is at 5:30 am tomorrow. I hanging in there. It almost got put off a week, (seems the financing company didn't mail the check to the doc in time).. Thankfully I was able to get things worked out. I've been on Clear liquids today, needless to say I'm hungery. I have a few last minute questions. 1. I have a few laporoscopies before is the pain similar? or different. This is a higher up incision, so I'm thinking it isn't as bad. 2. Do any of you manage to take a "premarin" pill with the band. I have estrogen Patches I can use for the first few weeks, but I really don't like them as I react bad to adhesives. I keep looking a the pill, think…

Anyway my biggest concern for my journey was that I have chosen never, ever, to eat or drink anything using any type of sugar free substitutes. I hate it. YUCK! I feel even if I am a slow loser, I will be ok with my decision. When I met with the dietitian I shared my concerns, she said I do not see a problem, if I was to have the Gastric Bypass I would have to have sugar free for the rest of my life for "dumping". But not a concern with the lapband. Also I am a huge ice tea addict. Just ice tea from a tea bag, ice, and a squeeze of lemon. Since being home I have had regular popsicles, regular Jello, and broths. Then went to full liquids having regular fudgcicles, …

I know that most people can't tolerate breads. What about these other bread type items; French Toast pancakes Waffles Muffins Pastries English Muffins French fries Pita bread Flat bread Pie crust Stuffing Oh, one more thing, would baked Beans be considered a mushie?? Thanks!

I am a cancer survivor, there is a very good chance that i will develop another tumor within the next year which could require me to have additional surgery and treatments such as Chemo or Radiation. Am I crazy for having the band installed now? I know I can get a de-fill so I can eat more when I would need to during treatments but is cancer and the band a good mix? Anyone out there have the band and are fighting cancer? Dave

Hello All...I'm back Home. My Surgery (Lap-Band) went perfect. It was at 3:30pm yesterday. I was released from the Hospital at 12:00pm today. The only problem's I had were 1) Coming out of Surgery when the Anesthesia was wearing off, I guess I was pretty rowdy, I'm told I took a few Big swings at the Post Op Nurses (they were guys) I was complaining of Bad Pain, and was demanding some Ice! Then I guess it was when they tried to put the Oxygen Mask on me, I started playing Rocky! I then was given a Big Dose of Demerol and settleled down. I have no recalection of any of that. 2) When I came to in my room I had a Major Headache, I mean a {{{Throbber}}} I was given s…

I'm a week away from being banded. I have been reading around here quite a bit, but I wondered if this is unusual. I have no pre-op diet. They just told me to practice chewing food really good, give up caffeine, sip as much Water as possible, and eat less carbs / more Protein. I feel like I should be doing more to get ready for this. Also, post-op, I will be on Clear liquids for a very short time (about two days) and then go straight to mushies. Does this seem unusual? The place where I am being banded is very reputable. It's a "Bariatric Center of Excellence" for Blue Cross / Blue Shield. They do a lot of surgeries and they are quite aggressive about recovery, post-…

I tried to find this answer somehwere, but I could not. I just want to know if I will be able to smoke marijuana after surgery, or will it not help the healing process. Im sure I could a couple months after, but could I the next day after surgery? And no im not trying to be funny. I really wonder about this.

To Everyone Considering getting banded: I can't recommend this site strongly enough. I was just banded on Monday 3/26 - and i have found the entire process pretty amazing. Every step along the way has been almost familiar because of the information shared by the wonderful, courageous, warm, and generous people that post to this site. I spent a good deal of time reading the entries on this site for many weeks prior to my actual surgery, and I have to say it has really made the process so much easier and understandable. Thank You All for everything. :clap2: :kiss2: :clap2: