DawnH

I have 4 kids 12 (91 lbs), 10 (65 lbs.), 6 yr old twins (43 and 41 lbs). All my kids have always been on the skinnier side of things, were little babies and the twins were preemies so they started out tiny. I am just really careful about what Snacks we have in the house. I very RARELY buy Cookies. I do notice I buy more crackers for snack than I need too but I do balance it out with fruit, yogurt, string cheese, etc. My kids love the healthy foods too so I don't have to force them. What does your step-daughters doctor say? I think that you have every right to be concerned about that size because unfortunately other kids will give her a hard time as she gets older. I think maybe you can just do what you can by being careful with what you have in the house as far as snacks, juice, soda (for her at least), etc. It is probably hard if she goes back and forth between households. You can only do what you can. Hopefully for the daughters sake her mom will come around. Is her mom overweight? I have a friend who is obese and her son now is. When our kids were at their house they would constantly feed them. I would tell them, 'my kids JUST ate dinner' or 'they just had a snack 5 mins ago' but my friends mom would say, 'oh, they are just kids and they have babyfat'. Now my friends son is 10 and weighs over 100 lbs. That thought is okay when they are little but baby fat turns into kid fat when they get older than toddlers. Good luck!

I was really light-headed and dizzy when I first started my pre-op too (it was 2 protein shakes a day and one 300-400 cal meal). What I found worked for me was having my 'meal' at lunch time instead of waiting all the way till dinner. I was a huge grouch if I waited till dinner, lol. I would just sip my protein shake while I cooked dinner for the family and I was okay doing it that way. Good luck, it will get easier! I think it has really helped me with the post-op diet too (I am almost 4 weeks out and on soft foods). I still only eat around 800-900 calories a day but even with no restriction in my band yet, well 1 cc at surgery, I am not hungry after only eating small meals. Just remind yourself it is only for a short period of time and you will be getting banded before you know it. Good luck!

I was told not to put anything on the incisions while there is still dermabond on them. I only stuck with the ice which did help.

Mine itched like CRAZY!!!! I would itch everywhere all around them. I would put ice on them and that helped. It drove me insane!

Yeah, I usually stay around 800 calories.

I use myfitnesspal.com too and I go by there guidelines with the exception of lower carbs and higher Protein. I don't eat nearly the amount of carbs that they have for me to eat and I am not having a problem getting in my protein either. It is working for me so far but I don't have my first fill till Oct. 25th though so we shall see after that. I am still losing weight though but not as fast since I am in the mushy stage now and eating more normal food. I don't think I will follow any 'diet' but just make sure the protein goes in first As far as the bday cake goes.... my dr. told me I can't totally restrict myself from things like that so I still need to enjoy life's celebrations. Good luck! Dawn

Crystal light has a Wild Strawberry flavor that has caffeine in it

Since Aug 12th I have lost 25 lbs. 15 from the pre-op diet and 10 since being banded. I don't have any restriction yet because my surgeon likes to let the stomach heal before putting in a fill so my first fill isn't till Oct. 25th. It has been nice having it as a reminder of how much I went through to get to the point I am at now that I mentally don't want to sabatoge this whole process. So yes, I and enjoying having one even though at this point I am pretty much doing it without the band besides it being a reminder I have followed all my drs. instructions too and have not had any problems since being banded. Good luck!

Everyone is different as other people have said but the no lifting is a must for your abs to heal right. It isn't a matter if you feel like you can handle it or not you can't lift. I am just 3 weeks out and just this week I feel 100% normal, like I did before surgery. I was really tired and exhausted. I didn't realize I would be so sleepy for so long. I hope you can get at least 10 days off. Like DebHart said, just tell them you had a hernia repaired, it is all in the same region

That is awesome! Congratulations! I can't wait to get to that point!

The first few days were really hard for me especially cooking for my family and not being able to eat what they were eating. After that I just had to remind myself it was just for a very short time. After I was banded (Sept.12th) it was nice to be able to look forward to progressing towards more food so it felt like the restriction was being lifted, like there was a light at the end of the tunnel. Also I think that it got my stomach ready for eating smaller portions because even with my band only primed (with 1 cc in it from the surgery), I still don't get very hungry. Good luck! Like bromo said, keep your eye on the prize

Ain't that the truth. I have to honest with you when I thought about the surgery the first thing that came to my mind was "NO WAY". I quit smoking and I have to quit bad food the only thing I have left is soda. BUT now I am sort of getting annoyed that I am addicted to my soda. I have 2 cans a day but I can't picture not having it. I search for sales and I panic when I run low in the house or when the vending machine at work is sold out. ARRRRRGH I am fed up and thinking its the best thing to do is quit and it is not going to get in the way of me losing weight. Maybe I will switch over to seltzer first then of all the carbonation. I will miss it dearly. As far as coffee I have to risk the indegestion and have my 1 morning cup. Also how soon can you drink after eating? I am a sipper but I do like to sip a little bit while I eat. No drinking 15-30 mins before and after eating. I drink while I eat too pre-op and it is a hard thing I have to constantly remind myself of.

Another diet coke addict here. I was a regular at my local McDonalds for their 42 oz. EVERYDAY I had one. I had to quit cold turkey, I knew I wanted this more than the soda. I did get a 20 oz while I was on my pre-op and I drank about a quarter of it and threw it away. I couldn't believe I did that but it just didn't even taste worth it anymore. You can do it! You just have to make up your mind what you want . It is worth it, my dr said some people let their soda get flat and then drink it. Yuck!

I had to stay overnight too and it wasn't that big of a deal. It was really nice knowing there were dr.s and nurses there if I needed something. Honestly I didn't sleep a whole lot anyways because of the gas pains. I had to call the nurse in a couple times to help me get out of bed to walk around the nurses station to get the gases moving. The hospital beds with the rails are a lot easier to get out of than a recliner or bed at home. I notice you have kids too so it will give you a little rest before you go home and they want a lot of your attention. That is just my opinion Good luck!

One of my incisions is right under the band to my bra and my bra still sat above it and didn't irritate it. I have a short torso (I am 5 ft tall so everything is short, lol) and I was fine. My surgery was 3 weeks ago today and that top incision is the one the glue came off of first and it healed great. My port one is down by my belly button so it is just a small one, about a cm under my bra.

Like the above person said they should give you a checklist at your first appt of things that need to have done prior to getting a surgery date. Mine was super long and I just wanted to get them over and done with so I could get the surgery. My first appt was on May 31st and I hustled on getting things checked off and had surgery on Sept 12th, 3 weeks ago today ...... Here is my list, I know it seems long but I feel like I learned a lot about my body and my health. Good luck! sleep study (2 nights) EKG Pap smear Psych eval (3 appts mandatory) Upper GI Support group Lose 10 lbs. Attend 3 Healthy Weight classes Nutritionist Attend 2 bariatric surgery classes and pass the test at the end of classes Blood work Chest X-ray Start a food and exercise journal

I think that is totally normal. I was the same way, did really good up until a couple days before my surgery and then felt like I needed to get in all my favorites before. I didn't and stuck to the liquids but totally felt like it was a battle. After the surgery I sort of felt like there was a light at the end of the liquid diet tunnel, lol. You will feel a lot better if you stick to the guidelines but for sure don't beat yourself up for eating those potato chips. Just keep your eye on the prize . My surgeon said it is not going to kill you to indulge every once in a while. Good luck with your banding!

smkeller, I think you might need to find another hobby......

I only had gas pains 3 times that really bothered me and they were the first 24 hours post-op. They dr.s have to deflate your stomach too and maybe some just spend more time deflating it than others. I just walked the 3 times I had it and it worked it out. It wasn't any big deal for me but everyone is different. Good luck!

I started my period the day before my surgery. It was all fine. I was so embarrassed they had to do the catheter but they were all good and gave the standard nurse/dr answer that they see blood all the time. No big deal. Good luck!

There are co-pays with Standard and NOT with Prime.

I am in a different region than you, Tricare West, but when I went to my PCM they gave me a referral and I have no comorbidities but a BMI of 42. They did refer me only to the Naval medical center here in SD because they had openings at their bariatric clinic but she said they do refer out to civilian if there are no openings. I do have a friend that had to get referred out because of no openings at the medical center and she had no out of pocket expenses. All my appts I had to have at civilian drs. such as the sleep study and psych eval were all approved no problem. Good luck!

I had my gallbladder out 3 years ago and I think the getting in and out of bed pain was the same but I think the lap band was easier sooner EXCEPT for the port spot pain. I am still having pain where the port was and I was banded 2.5 weeks ago. Good luck!

I am glad to see you say it took you about 4 weeks to feel normal! I am 2.5 weeks out and I still have pain where my port is! I read about so many people that are walking miles a few days after surgery and it still hurts sometimes going over a speed bump in the car. It is REALLY encouraging to hear you say that about your own healing.

I know it is frustrating with all the tests, classes, labs, etc that you have to go through but really I think it is essential for the surgeon to know exactly what he is working with. I had a checklist of 24 things I had to do, it took months but I felt so much more informed about my health had I just gone in and had it done quickly. I learned in the sleep study that I have mild sleep apnea. The reason I had to do that is my dr. kept me in the recovery room the night I got out of surgery so I could be monitored more careful while still having the anesthesia in my system. Just one example.... I think the testing is important. That's just my opinion Good luck with whatever you choose!