lee_nyc

just wondered if there are any other people here who live in NYC? it'd be nice to meet some locals who have been through the process, or are about to (like me). although, i'm of course open to hearing from everyone--no matter where you live.

I've been reading through a lot of the posts in this forum and have gotten some useful info, but wanted to go ahead and post for myself. I'm about 10 lbs from reaching my goal after getting the lap band last May. I have quite a bit of extra skin in my stomach and breasts and would like to start looking in to reconstructive surgery. I'm wondering at what point I should start going for consults and looking to have this done. I read somewhere I should wait until my weight has been stable a year. I'm of course not that patient and would like to look at getting it done sooner. Also, I'm wondering if anyone has any good recommendations in NYC, preferably that sets up financing or payment plans. And also, if so, if you can give me an idea on the pricing. Thanks!

Well, I still have a couple weeks before I'm able to have any alcoholic beverages--but I'm already trying to give some thought to what my best drink options will be. I know, I'm going to do better with the lapband if I don't drink too much...and I don't plan to, but the reality is, I have a job that puts me in a lot of open bar situations. So I'd rather just have a game plan in place. So with that...what do you think my best options are. I've already thought about just mixing liquor (tequila, etc) with lime juice... or maybe mixing SF crystal light? Also i've heard bloody marys are probably a good option. Appreciate any suggestions, or what you've found to be low cal and tasty.

I'm wondering if someone who has already been banded can tell me how long before they were able to start being active and exercising? I usually do kickboxing weekly and signed up to do my third half-marathon...so i'm hoping it wont take too long before i'm back to being able to do more strenuous activity? Thanks in advance!

Hi eveyrone, I was just banded yesterday--yay! I was diagnosed with PCOS years ago and use metformin and the nuva ring to relieve symptoms--which are thankfully minimal. I have been told those of us with PCOS and the band will probably lose weight slower than those without PCOS. I'm just wondering if anyone can give info on if it did take them longer to lose weight and any other feedback you might have? Would also love to hear success stories...I'm so nervous that even with the band I'll struggle to take the weight off due to the pcos. Thanks!

Thanks for the update! Yeah, I'm a little over a month since being banded. I've lost 28lbs, but that includes my pre-op diet. I'm pretty happy with where I'm at. I go for my first fill next Wed, although I guess in all honesty, I've been losing consistently and have a hard time imagining eating less than I do and still seeming like a normal person, so I'm wondering if I even need a fill? I'll talk to my dr. more next week and see what she says. Hmm, definitely interesting you are hungry after only 2 hrs...that happens to me sometimes, but not usually. I guess it depends on what I eat...i try and get as much Protein as possible. But really my dr. has recommended at least 4 mini meals a day, not going more than 4 hrs without eating. Not sure what yours recommended? Also, mine only does the fill once a month, so it's interesting yours recommends every 2 wks. I guess you have to figure out what is best for you?

I know there are similar threads like this already posted, but as I'm starting on regular food again in 2 days, I'm looking for some in put on what my eating should be like. I'm curious to hear what your meals are like...what they often consist of, how often you eat them and portion size. Also, do you focus more on calorie count, sugar or Protein...if that makes sense. Thanks in advance!

Thanks for all the input everyone! It's really helpful!

yeah, i think leann is right about just making sure you're getting enough protein. my doc recommended 60-80g a day. i was banded 5/27 as well...i only had to do 2 days of liquids and then on to pureed foods...and now i'm on to soft solids, which i'm not totally sure what i'm eating is soft enough, but i'm trying. also, i had been told that the servings sizes might vary, depending on what i have. for example i did have a cup of chili earlier today...which I don't know, maybe that's too much. but it took me about an hour to eat it, so i went slow and it all went down fine. I am going to see my registered dietician and doctor again tomorrow, so i'm going to get more info on portion sizes.

yeah, not lifting for 4wks post-op sounds like a good rule!

Yeah, i'm 2 wks post-op today and kinda still feeling my way through what I can do. It still seems I can't do too much lifting without feeling it in my stomach, so I've mostly been walking. Have been able to do 2 miles one night and 3.5 a couple nights later at a pretty vigorous pace. Tonight I tried to implement running, but felt it in my stomach quite a bit, so I only did a few minutes and just walked the rest of the time. I'm sure you'll start to be able to do a little more each day.

my doctor had me only having 1-2oz the first two days, but after that, I have been able to have 'mini meals' which (for me) range from 2.5 to 6oz depending on how I'm feeling and what it is. it's interesting to hear how different doctors recommend different things.

Yeah, that's exactly what I did, left it in an extra week so I wouldn't have to deal with it during my surgery. However, the odd thing was my body didn't care it was still there and I got my period (albeit very light) the day of surgery anyway. Which is weird, b/c I've left it in an extra week before and it was fine. I guess between the new change in diet and all the stuff going on, my body didn't know what to do. Anyway, they had told me at my first appt that the doctor may have me take it out a couple weeks before, but when I spoke to her she said to just leave it. So yeah, check with them and see what they say.

yeah my doc did 5 incisions too. she explained there would be beforehand...but i never asked what they were for, i thought it was standard from what i had previously googled.

I think it depends on the doctor and the hospital...but I know at Columbia Presbyterian, it's non-negotiable. No matter how it's paid for, the psych eval was part of the process. Even though my insurance fully covered my surgery, I still had to pay the psych eval out of pocket. I guess I could've tried to find one in my network, but I decided to just go through the list that my doctor gave. I tried calling a few to see if they took insurance but most didn't, so I just picked the one closest to me and paid the $150. You might just talk to the local programs and see if they could include you in the list that they give people.

Nice to see all these updates. I am happy to say that the water/gas weight has dropped...plus 1lbs. I'm staying at a condo for a couple days now to finish recovering by a pool before going back to work on Thursday and don't plan to weigh for a couple days now, which i think is a good thing. I only had to do 2 days of liquid diet and now I'm on to pureed foods...I think my stomach is still so confused that I can barely tell if i'm hungry or full or what.

I just got banded on Friday and I'm currently weighing 4-5lbs more than when I went in for surgery. I mean I'd say obviously I haven't really gained weight... I know it's b/c I'm still bloated and still have the gas from the anesthesia in me...not to mention I have my period, but it's frustrating. I just wondered if this is normal...and if so, at what point did you start to see the scale reflect the right weight. Thanks!

Thanks for all the replies. Glad to hear it seems pretty normal. I am at least back down to the weight that I went in to the hospital with today...so two days after. And hopefully I'll just see it go down from here...but it does seem to make sense like Floridays says that the body is in defense mode right now trying to take care of itself, so I'll just try to be patient

Thanks for sharing! That's really great to hear! I agree, it has a lot to do with what you put in to it, so i'm going to put in all i can.

Glad I'm not alone. How long did it take for it to go away?

Good luck...hopefully it's just the switch up in hormones. My dr. let me leave my nuva ring in for my surgery yesterday...which I actually left in an extra week so I wouldn't have a period during the time of surgery/recovery, but I still got weird spotting. So my body is having it's own freakout.

Hi everyone I just got banded yesterday, the 27th. It all went smoothly and I'm of course sore but up and around and feeling overall ok today. I think the pain from the gas pockets in my check and shoulders is almost worse than the incision pain. I must have a lot of gas still holding in b/c today I weighed 5lbs more than yesterday...yikes! Hopefully that goes down soon. Anyway hope you're all doing well!