andersonlj

You are most welcome......you will do fine tomorrow. Keep us informed on your progress.

Just curious as to if there are any calories in these oils. I know several years ago that Watkins used to offer these also but not sure if they do anymore.

I was more excited than nervous the day before and the day of my surgery. It seemed like it would never come and then when I got to the hospital I have to have this done and that done and more done and finally they took me to surgery. I will be thinking about you and your new life that begins tomorrow with your surgery. Here is to the "New You" who you will love even more than you love yourself today.

This is still about twice what you can have it done for in Mexico. I have no problem with having it in the US but I still could not have afforded $10,000....I think there are many of us that are in the same boat as far as the cost of the surgery.

I seem to recall on some of the posts on here that their doctors do take out the gallbladder when they do the sleeve. You can always ask as it never hurts. Since they are in there they might as well get it out with one surgery if you are worried.

Oh and I was told to stay away from using straws as they add more air to your stomach. I have thrown all of my straws away.

I also have some burping but I think it has more to do with the amount of fluid that I drink in one gulp and the amount of food that is on my spoon or fork. Maybe I'm nuts but it does seem that if I continue to take small amounts of fluid and food at a time I do much better.....plus I do not get that uncomfortable feeling when I have taken too much.

It all has to do with your age, the amount of weight that you have lost, your skin type, how fast you lose the weight and the amount of exercise that you do while losing the weight. No 2 people are alike. When I had my surgery the doctor told me that I would not have much excess skin after my weight loss as I did not have that much stretch marks and that my skin was good. Not sure what she meant by that but I hope that she was right.

I found that sometime my shake mix can get thick and I do not like that either so I just add a little more water and it thins out and makes it more enjoyable plus gives me more fluids.

Ok I know that I am fairly new to all this but what is NSV????? You guys are killing me. Oh and congrats on all of your successes.....

That's not a bad price for surgery here in the US.....but I still could not have afforded $17000. I could however afford the $5-6,000 that it cost me in Mexico and I feel that the surgery I received there was just as good. Guess it is a personal choice but I would have never been able to afford surgery here in the US.

Did the same before surgery and I put all the excess in a box and gave it to the local food pantry for those in need. I also stocked up on things that I would need immediately after surgery so that I did not have to go out shopping if I did not feel good as I live alone. Advanced planning is always good

4 weeks out and have had no problem so far. They told me that I might have problems with my gallbladder when I was on a liquid protein shake diet for 8 months but never did. I think that this can be a hit or miss thing with each person being different.

Kathy.....thanks for the questions. After I had my surgery in Mexico the doctor here in Iowa that did my lapband refused to follow my care any longer. This just shows that they do not really care about the patient but only the money that they missed out on by doing the surgery. When I returned I went to my family doctor and she checked me over and looking for signs of infection in my incisions. She did a very extensive blood panel to make sure that everhting was in order. I explained to her my diet and all of the supplements that I would be taking daily. I set up another appt to go in and see her for a followup in 3 months and before if any problems. If I would have had a serious problem I would have had to go to the ER and they would have had to call one of the gastric surgeons to come in and see me. They can not refuse to treat you in the hospital. I am in the process of looking for an internist to take over my care as I really do not see the need to continue to see the surgeon for my day to day care.

Just starting my 4th week tomorrow and I have bought some northern Beans, ham and frozen carrots and peas. I have mixed the beans with the ham that is sliced up into small pieces and added the carrots and peas. I ran it through the food processor a little and it is actually quite a bit of flavor compared to babyfood plus is has lots of Protein. Tomorrow I am going to take a skinless chicken breast and boil it in chicken broth. I am then going to chop it up. I am going to make some chicken salad and have a little on a few crackers. The rest of the chicken I am going to make some sort of casserole with some cooked tatertots and some green beans. At this point after all of the Protein shakes I am up for some experimentation with foods and my food processor. I have also bought some cottage cheese and going to cut up some pears into small pieces and try that out. I can hardly wait until Monday morning as that is my weighing day and the first day of more "REAL" food.

I'm so sorry to hear of your loss. I know what you mean about turning to your old friend food for some comfort. I think that many of us got into the shape we are or were in by consoling ourselves with food. I hope that you can make it through this. I would suggest exercise, talk to others as much as you can and also maybe taking out picture of your friend and remembering the good times that you had together. You can also be assured that she is in a better place and is at peace and not in any pain. Hopefully this will give you some comfort. You may also want to speak to your pastor or a counselor regarding your feelings. I have faith that you will work through this and again I am so sorry for the loss of your dear friend.

congratulations on your own weight loss. Each insurance is different in their criteria. I would check with your surgeon and their office could tell you more information as they deal with all insurance companies and usually know all of the answers to questions regarding you criteria to meet. best of luck

If you are having that much pain I would certainly seek the advice of my medical doctor or of the surgeon that did your surgery. I do not think that it is a leak but it could be some other problem that needs to be addressed.

I am 4 week out tomorrow and the first 2 weeks I had no problem and was having small stool.....like bunny turds. This past week and a half I have not been going much and had a bad time one day with constipation. I used some small bottles anema's and finally cleared everything. The stool that I had was very hard and my stomach was sore for several days after that as I had to strain so hard. I have been taking a stool softner everyday since and I have also purchased some fiber chewy gummy bears and I take 2 of those each and every morning. I am still not going to the bathroom that often but when I do I am going on my own without so much problem. I think once I start eating more fiber it will all come together more naturally.

What insurance do you have that paid for your surgery......Kaiser???

Thanks for post receipes. I am taking note and will try them when I reach a point that my stomach will tolerate more than just soft and pureed foods.

Hard to tell.....is the rash in areas where you had tape applied when you had your surgery. I know that I developed a rash from the bandaids and afte 4 weeks postop I still am itching around my incisions. I think that itching there is normal as they are healing. As for you rash if it is where the tape or bandaids were you could try some lotion. If it does not go away you might have an allergy to something.

Yes.....I am always thirsty after my exercise. You should take a water bottle with you and stop every so ofter and take a drink. That way you will not be as thirsty after your walk. It helps me.

I would tell them that I want just something light and order a bowl of soup. I do not feel that I need to explain my food choices to anyone and especially to a waiter or waitress. It is none of their business what I order or what I eat. If they continue to question my choices I would excuse myself and speak to the head person at the restuarant.

And since you are only a few days out from surgery I would not worry about getting your max protein. I do not think that I came close to getting all of the required protein during my first week post op for sure and maybe not even in my second week. Did everyone else get all their protein immediately post op.