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Bandme1

LAP-BAND Patients
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Posts posted by Bandme1


  1. I would like to start my story from the beginning. I have PCOS and my husband and I had been trying to get pregnant for over 3 and a half years. My mom had RnY about 7 years ago and lost over 120 pounds and has kept it off for 7 years. She casually mentioned WLS to me over lunch one day and it got my little brain wheels spinning. Weight loss surgery… did I really want to do something THAT drastic? I decided against it and decided that I would have to do this on my own. I dieted, I exercised, I would lose a few pounds here and there, then I would fall off the wagon and get right back to my same ol’ fatty self. Each time, my self esteem took a *major* blow. At the time, in my mind, I was not only fat and unhappy, I was such a loser that I couldn’t even lose the weight. It seemed like I was stuck in this terrible vicious cycle. I didn’t want to go to the gym and work out because the gym was full of already fit people just getting more fit and I didn’t even know where to start when it comes to working out. Some of my friends recommended yoga but I was far too self-conscious to go wear some tight pants and roll around on the floor like a beached whale in front of a bunch of skinny hippies.

    I finally got to the point where I was so tired of the infertility, I was so tired of constantly feeling down on myself and feeling like I was somehow not as good as everyone else. I took the plunge and made the decision to get WLS. At first I was dead set on the Lap Band. I wouldn’t even read anything about the sleeve or RnY. I wanted as little intervention as possible. I just wanted something to help kick start the weight loss and then I could take it from there. I wanted to “cheat” as little as possible. (Yes, in my mind then, WLS was “cheating”)

    I stumbled across a post on the LapBand forums that was talking about the sleeve so I decided to find out what these shenanigans were all about. Then I kept finding more and more posts about people that were switching from the band to the sleeve. After spending hours and hours reading up on the sleeve, I decided that was the way I wanted to go. No weird port sticking out of my side like a weird alien, no frequent doctor appointments to get Fluid put in and out of it, none of that. I could have the surgery, recover, then move on with my life!

    I spent all my time researching the sleeve, reading up on it and looking at before and after pictures. I would get so jealous looking at the before and after pictures and imagining how I would look 120 pounds lighter… But it still didn’t seem real to me. I kept thinking “Yeah, that worked great for those people, but I don’t know if I’m ever destined to be skinny”.

    I made it through the process fairly quickly and I had a surgery date set within 6 months of my initial PCP referral. To be perfectly honest, I was scared out of my mind. I acted very confident on the outside because any sign of hesitation and they would have canceled or at the very least postponed my surgery. I had to act like I was totally ready for this. I had all the information, I had done all the research, I knew what I was in for. But I was scared $#!*less!! I lost just over 23 pounds pre-op on the Kaiser pre-op diet and I was READY… well… my body was ready. My mind was not. I was so scared and I just kept thinking “What in God’s name am I about to do to myself??” I watched YouTube videos of people’s recovery in the hospital and it didn’t help things. I was excited to make the life change but I think I was just so scared of having YET ANOTHER failure. What if this didn’t work? How would I even be able to live with myself if weight loss surgery didn’t work…

    I had my surgery and I think because I had the recovery process so hyped up in my mind, it was a breeze compared to what I was expecting. Yeah, I was sore and it hurt to even get up off the couch. But I’m a pretty big pansy and I didn’t even cry once. Lol. If that says anything. The first few weeks I stuck to my liquids and mushies and all that good stuff.

    So now on to the meat and potatoes of this post. Not a single day has gone by that I think to myself “I wish I hadn’t had this surgery.” It was by far the best thing I have ever done for myself. I’m 7 months out and have lost almost 70 pounds and that is with hardly any exercise. I started working out the last 2 weeks and the weight is just flying off even faster. I am starting yoga and pilates classes next week. Yes, me! Doing yoga… and I don’t even look like a beached whale! In fact, I even went out and bought myself some new yoga pants… from the clearance rack! Not from the Plus Size section.

    I have been doing the Paleo diet for the last month to help with my PCOS, and I highly recommend it to everyone. I have so much energy. I got some bloodwork done last week and all my lab results came back amazing. Cholesterol is perfect, blood pressure is perfect. Perfect perfect perfect. My hormones are starting to level out and get more normal. I am actually going to start running in the evenings with my husband. RUNNING! I have never, ever, EVER been a runner. I would get tired just watching other people run. Now, my husband and I can go run together.

    I feel like a completely different person and I am only halfway to my weight loss goal! My husband said to me the other day “You’re only halfway!? There’s gonna be nothing left of you, you’re already so tiny!” That made my day to hear that.

    So I guess the point of this novel that I’ve written is to those of you that are perusing the forums and trying to make a decision. I was there a year ago and I wanted so desperately to be on the other side and have my own success story. For me personally, it was the best thing I ever did for myself. You have to REALLY want it and you have to be willing to make the commitment, but if you put your mind to it and take the plunge and really take care of that new tiny little tummy, it CAN be you. Be your own success story. You are worth it.


  2. People who know nothing about Paleo seem to jump right to "It's unhealthy, you only eat raw meat." I've been eating Paleo for the last month (Sleeved in July 2011) and I have not eaten raw meat once... ick!

    The Paleo lifestyle in a nutshell is meat, veggies, fruit and nuts (portions in that order). No refined sugars, no grains, no legumes and nothing processed. Hardcore Paleo people say no dairy as well. *Note there is no mention about raw meat and nothing unhealthy about it. It's essentially how sleevers should be eating.

    I feel *fabulous*. I have so much more energy. In fact, I think anyone who has the sleeve or is considering getting the sleeve should eat completely Paleo for at least 30 days so they can see how great they feel. I did 30 days by the book and now I plan on adding back in some dairy. My husband and I eat mostly meat and veggies with some fruit and nuts added in. I love that it's not just some crash diet, it's a lifestyle. It is extremely healthy and I would highly encourage everyone to do some research, look up some recipes and try it for at least 30 days. It goes right along with the guidelines for the sleeve and how we SHOULD be eating post-op. (After recovery of course).

    If anyone has any questions or wants some great Paleo recipes, let me know. :)


  3. I take Metformin ER for about 1 year now. It is definitely regulating my period, but the painful cramps and heavy bleeding are still an issue though diminished. I'm not sure that I'd recommend it, as I still have issues with anemia. And as I haven't been sleeved yet, it's starting to bite me in the butt. The date might get pushed off if it isn't under control. :(

    You may want to ask your doctor about taking the extended release Metformin. From what I understand, VSG patients should never take anything extended release. Just a heads up :)


  4. Hello twenties!!

    I'm 25 and weigh 249. I am getting sleeved on the 21st of september. Considering our age, are there many issues with saggy skin and breast or hair loss? Are you guys happy with your decision or are there any regrets? I'm excited and scared at the same time. What about stretch marks, has anyone developed stretch marks due to the weightloss or saw an improvement in existing marks post surgery.

    I'm 24 and started at 243. I was sleeved on July 18 and I am down 40 pounds since starting my pre-op diet in May. So far, I am starting to notice that my skin gets like... wrinkly looking almost? I think it's because I'm losing pretty quickly and my skin hasn't had time to tighten up yet. I've read that it takes about a year for your skin to shrink to the point that it's going to stay at. So I'll give it more time. :)

    As far as the stretch marks, I don't think you can develop stretch marks from losing weight. Only from gaining because the skin is being stretched to accommodate the extra weight. So, no new stretch marks and I haven't seen an improvement in stretch marks. They are pretty much here to stay whether I'm skinny or fat. Losing weight won't get rid of stretch marks, it will just keep you from getting more. Unfortunately, there is no treatment that completely gets rid of stretch marks although there are creams and gels and laser treatments that can help reduce their appearance.

    I'm just happy to be on the road to being healthy. I am down 40 pounds and feel fabulous. I haven't regretted my decision to have the surgery. Not for a single second. Not even in the week after surgery. It is the best thing I have ever done for myself and I would do it again tomorrow if I had to. =) I was SO nervous going in to surgery. I was so scared and even though I had done all the research I still just felt so scared like it was going to be really painful. It was nothing like I was expecting. I was back to work in a week and the hardest part was being tired and getting worn out so easily.

    Overall, best decision ever. =)


  5. My second major goal was to weigh less than my darling husband. Wow, what an excellent day that was for me to yell at him with joy and dance around saying I finally did it… he’s finally the man of the house!! LOL :lol: I’m not really sure if most understand this, but in my world, I should never weigh more than him. I felt so unladylike and especially out doing him by more than 120 Lbs even. Granted he’s not a really big guy. We are about the same height but still… he IS a man. He SHOULD weigh more than me… and now he does. In fact we have a good 25 Lbs between us now. Oh happy happy joy joy!!

    I totally feel you on this one!! I can't wait to be the little petite wife standing next to my husband. :)


  6. Just after WLS the wife got me a new belt. She was sick of my old one with the stretched holes and it bent all up to wrap around my rotund belly. I started out in the third hole, just enough left to tuck under the belt buckle and touch the first belt loop on most pants. Yesterday I had to punch two more holes in it and found the LAST hole was comfortable.

    The belt now wraps half way around me and touches the MIDDLE BELT LOOP in my slacks in the BACK. Yes, my belt wraps 1 1/2 times around me. Wow! I NEVER thought I'd see the day.

    BTW: Size 36 slacks are getting baggy, maybe time for some 34s?

    What a great visual of how many inches you've lost. Awesome!


  7. I will take a few sips on occasion. I mainly stick to Poweraide Zero.

    I looooove Powerade Zero :) The blue is my favorite!

    Funny story unrelated to the topic posted: We were at a bbq and I knew I wouldn't be able to drink the soda, beer or cocktails that was there so I took a Powerade and poured it over ice in the clear plastic cups everyone else was drinking out of and several people asked "OOooooo.... what are you drinking? That looks good!!" Everyone thought I had a mixed drink. :) Made me feel like one of the crowd. lol. It's the little things...


  8. My wife always did not have to watch her weight, she is a tall sexy 180 lbs. and eat all day. As of late she have gained approx 10 lbs or so but it looks good on her.

    We are both in our late 50's. The thing is now I am at 189 lbs and still losing (thought I had stopped at 195) from 275 pre-op weight. Always she had the advantage

    because of her metabolism and I out weighted her for about 100 lbs., until now. I am within 10 lbs of he body weight and I feel she is getting a bit concern about her body

    now. I been trying to reassure the sexy lady she have nothing to worry about, but that's not working. For now she is going to the gym and mostly modifying her diet. Any suggestions what

    I can do to boost her confidence and relax her feelings about her weight or go along with her program (happy wife equals happy hubby).

    Continued thanks,

    Lash

    Aww, what a sweet husband. I would say keep the compliments flowing and maybe turn trips to the gym into mini-dates... something you can do together as a couple.


  9. I was just wondering which Protein shake you are drinking. That is a lot of Protein for one shake and I am very interested. Yes, I am Kaiser Richmond as well and my surgery is scheduled for August 29th. I have already ordered my unjury chicken and many other samples. I'll be damned if I am going to deprive my self of the much needed protein because someone thinks is isn't a good idea. I will stay away from the slider foods and watch my carb and fat intake, but I'm going to get as much protein as I can. Thank you for your post, you have backed up what I have been feeling since starting the program with Kaiser.

    I'm glad you feel that way too. I kinda felt like a sane person sitting in a room of crazy people. lol!! I started to question myself because I just kept thinking "Well... how am I supposed to heal if I don't have any protein in my system?". I asked Lizz about it and she cut me off mid-question and said "NO! PROTEIN! SHAKES! EVER!" lol. Jeeeeez.... okay!! They seem really defensive about it when people ask, they are probably tired of trying to defend their backwards ways. Other than the whole protein thing, I listen to everything they say, but in the back of my head I keep wondering what else they are telling me to do that is backwards and crazy. lol.

    For my shakes, I actually use 2 Champion Nutrition brand powders and I mix them. I use the “Pro-Score 100” and the “Pure whey Protein Stack” (fyi, Vitalady has samples of both of these on her website so you can try them and see if you like them). They are both chocolate and this mixture is the only shake I’ve found that I like. I actually look forward to my shake every morning =). They are even good with Water and don’t need milk. I tried each one separately and don't like them on their own, but together... they are good.

    I do the small scoop of each and recently I’ve started adding a small scoop of the Optimum Nutrition brand “Gold Standard Cake Batter” Protein powder to the mix as well. It makes it taste like chocolate cake. It adds a great flavor, extra protein and not much sugar =)


  10. The Kaiser Richmond program bans Protein shakes. They say that they are just "empty calories" and we should be eating our Protein, not drinking it. Then, not even 10 minutes later they are talking about how we shouldn't be counting calories or worried about calories, that we should just be focusing on getting in our fluids and Vitamins. Other Kaiser programs, even the one in Fremont, not too far away, are completely baffled by this reasoning. So am I!!

    When I explained this to my mom (who had RNY 6 years ago) she kept telling me that maybe I misunderstood them and that there is no way a doctor would be telling me not to have Protein Shakes. With the teensy tinsy amount of food that I'm eating, there is no way I can get 60-80g of protein in a day. When I went for my final nutrition consult before my surgery a month ago, they again stressed how much they do not want us drinking Protein Shakes of any kind.

    My protein shakes that I drink (yes, I drink them against doctor's orders. I'm such a rebel.) have 250 calories, 40g of protein and 3g of sugar. I can't think of any other food that has that much protein in such a small amount with so little sugar and calories. Even if they are "empty calories" it's only 250! And that is most of my protein for the day crammed into one little handy dandy 8 oz. portion. Out of all the research that I've done, I have yet to find a single other hospital that condones not drinking protein shakes, much less FORBIDS them.

    I just think the whole thing is so strange and I'd like to encourage my fellow Kaiser Richmond people to drink the shakes, even though Robin and Liz will swear up and down that shakes are the devil. I drink 1-2 of my shakes per day and I have so much more energy and feel SO much better than I did before when I wasn't drinking them. I feel bad for all the people that are actually listening to these women tell you to deprive your body of much-needed protein. I think it's terrible that they are telling people this and if I hadn't done my research I wouldn't know any better and would be listening to them.

    Does anyone else have a doctor or nutritionist that has banned protein shakes?


  11. Thanks for all the info, I found out my total oopc on line... I have one more question. How did you get from the information class to the orientation class ? Do you have to go back to the pcp and get referred to the orientation or do you sign up at the info class or what? How will it go?

    Yup, after the information class you go back to your pcp (I just e-mailed mine instead of going in for an appointment) and he sent the referral through to the bariatrics dept. They said it coudl take 2-3 weeks for the bariatrics dept. to call you. They called me within 6 days. :)


  12. What was your out of pocket costs for the VSG with Kaiser ?

    Also, if you are registered online through kp.org they have a link on there that lists all your benefits and tells you what your co-pay is for everything under the sun :)

    I personally only had to pay $15 for 2 of my visits (psych consult and initial surgeon consult) then had to pay $5 for the refill for my pain meds. Best $20 I ever spent :P


  13. Well, this thread got a bit crazy, even though I already posted an update.

    #1. I'm a He

    #2. I already did it, and had 0 problems, here is my status post re-iterated:

    ""I drank and had no problems... was drinking gin/tonics, screwdrivers and malibu/pineapples all night long - 2 nights a in a row.

    I did try a shot of Patron, but only did half at first to test it out and because I cant take the whole shot at once anyways (i dont think, didnt want to chance pain), and that did burn my stomach a bit, so I didnt do the other half. But mixed drinks were just fine... ""

    Well, "congratulations" on being able to down sugary alcoholic drinks "all night long" 2 weeks after surgery. Fabulous start to your new "healthier" life.


  14. Why are people so judgmental. Honestly a drink or two is not going to hurt a normal sleeve. Yes it is empty calories and could hinder weight loss. Yes abusing alcohol can cause liver problems. She will only live once. If she wants a drink knowing what might happen so be it. You made the decision not to. That was a healthier and better decision for you.

    Why do we need to judge others for their morals. This ganging up on someone and name calling really makes me sad.

    I don't think it's ganging up if everyone is saying that it's not healthy. The fact is, it's *not* healthy. I don't think you'll be able to find a doctor that would say drinking alcohol 2 weeks after a major surgery is healthy.

    You're right, there is no need for name calling, but it is not absurd to be appalled by the question. If I came in the forum and asked "Hey, what do you guys think, would it be okay if I eat a gallon of ice cream?" I would expect all the answers to be similar to the ones posted in this thread. The fact is, it's just downright unhealthy and it's a big risk to take so soon after a major surgery. You're right, we do only live once, so we need to take care of the bodies that we have, because we only get one. Yes, it is okay to drink on occasion and have a party, but the best way to do that *responsibly* would be to wait until more time has passed after such a major surgery.

    If you and gdc choose to abuse your new sleeve that you have been fortunate enough to have, that is indeed your decision, but you can't come into a support group (which is geared toward encouraging each other to be healthier) and expect praise and worship for abusing your sleeve.

    *steps down off soapbox*


  15. This just screams TRANSFER ADDICTION WAITING TO HAPPEN.

    I'm so whatever about all of it when people choose to make absurd decisions especially after going through such a traumatic surgery, and all of the changes that occur.

    Enjoy whatever you choose, and why even bother asking if you're clearly going to disregard not only medical advice, but other's experiences, don't b*tch about stalls and not being able to lose weight, or why your body is not recovering all that great, or you damage your liver by shoving alcohol in there too early.

    Amen!!!

    I got 85% of my stomach cut out so that I can make a life change to get healthy. Not so that 14 days after the surgery I could go pour harsh chemicals all over my brand new stapled up stomach. Wow. It's people like this that create this whole negative perception and all the negative comments for weight loss surgery. All the judgments and people saying "You'll just gain it right back" come from examples like this. If you aren't willing to make the life changes and make the sacrifices, don't have the surgery. Ugh!!


  16. Hi Guys,

    I was sleeved one week ago and pretty much since day 2 or 3 I have felt hungry. Now I know it could be reflux and I've tried taking meds with no change. I can easily drink 250ml of Soup (that's a cup) or a Protein shake, and then still be hungry an hour later. I never have that full feeling that so many people speak about. Today I triied gulping a few sips of Water and I had no problem with that either.

    I am really panicking that my sleeve has not worked.

    I think about food all the time, wondering what I will have for my next "meal" which is still liquids anyyway. I really have to keep myself in check all the time and I just really did not expect this one week out from surgery - I was expecting to not want much to eat at all and to struggle getting food in.

    I feel so disheartened that my sleeve may not have worked.

    I felt the same way. I am now 3 weeks out and once I started eating mushies, I was shocked at how fast I got full. I had to remind myself with every bite to go reeeeeeeally slow because one bite can take you from hungry to okay to super full!! lol. I felt the same way on liquids though. I was very disheartened because I kept drinking Soup, eating Jello, drinking Protein shakes... nothing seemed to keep me full. Well that's because the liquids were just flowing right through :) You will notice the difference once you get to food. When I was on full liquids, I ended up having some refried Beans, mixed in a lot of enchilada sauce and just dipped my fork in it (to be sure not to eat any of the skins from the beans). It was SOOOO good. I ate about 1/4 cup and was stuffed. I was so relieved!! lol.

    :)

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