Bandista

Hi there and congratulations! I'll be two weeks out on Tuesday and I'm really feeling like myself again. Well, my new self! Actually I'm feeling great. Hope you're able to get lots of rest and walking in -- I'm pretty sure that's the secret to success. Best wishes to you!

Hi Fnika, I think what you're experiencing is very common. The band has been installed but it's not adjusted yet to help dim that hunger. As for the protein shakes, I was banded Nov. 5 and I haven't been able to drink one since. Every one is different as far as how many fills are needed and sometimes it takes a while. This is a partnership with your medical professionals and they'll be working closely with you to get it just right. Be gentle with yourself and know that you're on your way. What's great is that you're tuning in and listening to your body. That's something I'm really working on -- knowing when/if I'm hungry and when I'm full, what is the old me just trying to go back for more and what is a real need for food. It's a process and we are all in this together. You'll get there!

So inspiring -- thanks for the blog! I did manage to get a friend to do my measurements prior to surgery and take a couple of photos; that will be good to have when I need a boost. You look terrific!

Oh, definitely! Love that feeling of the face getting more chiseled and collar bones, oh yes, collar bones! Congratulations -- you are doing beautifully.

Nice post!

Thanks!

This is great! You reached your goal in order to get your hips replaced and now you are through that, too -- two huge goals! I'm glad it's all sinking in and you're realizing what the people around you must already know -- you are amazing. I'm convinced that exercise is the secret to success. Now that you will be able to be a real walker it is all going to fall into place. Forget the numbers -- the scale is going to be whacky for a while after all the inflammation. Your body has been through so much. Now your focus is going to be mobility and building muscle. You'll be at that other goal before you know it. Very best wishes to you -- you are an inspiration!

Yep......my insurance company has one requirement only: BMI 40+ and no co-morbidities taken into consideration on appeal (some insurance companies will accept 35 with high BP, diabetes or sleep apnea but not mine). At my height I needed to weigh in at 250. Had been hovering in the 240s for a long time -- got up to 248 and got myself over the top by carrying hand weights in my pockets and wearing heavy clothes. Bought ankle weights for the purpose but gained enough not to need them. It was very stressful trying to be heavy enough but it all worked out. I did tell each person along the line (program coordinator, nutritionist, therapist who did the psych eval) that I was very concerned about not qualifying based on a few pounds but no one offered any suggestions. Then when I finally got through the hoops, weighed more than 250 for the insurance, the surgeon told me they would have let me have my purse on my shoulder, wearing a coat, whatever I needed to do. Easy for him to say -- I don't think the people under him had that kind of authority. Good luck to you! I may have gained 5-7 pounds for my surgery but I could not have paid out-of-pocket. And I am now down 20 pounds 12 days post-surgery (lost some on pre-op diet, losing steadily since band day).

I don't do artificial sweeteners -- prefer a little sugar over the chemicals. There is so little caloric intake following surgery that it doesn't matter if the real ones are a little higher -- just my opinion. I'm still having a Popsicle or two daily -- my treat!

In my research I found quite a few hospitals that no longer do LB and of course I worried that might indicate other procedures might somehow be more successful, etc. So I kept digging. I honestly think it's about the followup. My aftercare with the surgeon is at weeks 1, 4, 5, 6, 7, 9, 11, 14 and as-needed along the way. We all know who makes the medical decisions these days. The insurance companies. Hate to be such a cynic, but there you go. And there are surgeons who really do enjoy working with people and seeing them through to better health, etc., but the majority prefer their patients to be under anesthesia when they deal with them. A LB surgeon does a lot more hand-holding and cheerleading than most surgeons, that's for sure.

This was a big issue for me. I'm a private person and don't want to have it out there for whatever reason. Maybe I feel like I have been judged so much for being heavy and I don't want the judgement about how I am losing the weight. Or the monitoring. So I only told a handful of people and there are a couple I wish I hadn't included just as I'm not sure they can keep my secret. One big thing for me was my parents. They are elderly and live in a retirement facility the next town over. We see quite a bit of them or at least have a phone call each day. My mother has handed me every diet book for the last twenty+ years and I knew it wouldn't be good for me to have her involved in any way. She'd be anxious, for one thing, and then she'd want a lot of details, constant updates, etc. She is very obsessive and has never been happy with how I look. I'm adopted -- tall and larger than all the women in her family who are quite petite but "watch their weight" all the time. So I fussed over how to do this under the radar. It turned out I had a hernia, which they found when there. So my husband called that night and told my parents I had to have a hiatal hernia fixed. It is true, so I don't feel weird about it. A sin of omission. Then he went and out on FB that I had a hernia. I honestly wanted to kill him. FB? I flipped put. His rationale was that people would know I had been in the hospital and he needed to be able to say something. I'm an introvert, he's an extrovert. Well it worked out fine. The friends and neighbors who I didn't want in my inner circle now know I had surgery but not the LB part. In the future at dinner parties and so forth I will be having very little food. When asked about that or how I've dropped so much weight, I will say that ever since the hernia I can only have very small meals. That should quell further probing. No one needs to know why you have medical leave. You have the right to complete privacy. And you've earned the time off -- don't worry about that! Just be sure to take enough. It sounds like you may work for a school system. Don't go back too soon and then feel emotionally or physically drained later. This is a gift to yourself, the gift of health, and you want to start off this new chapter in your life with the right priorities. You are the priority! Get the slip from your doctor, take two weeks off and no one needs to know why. Surgery is surgery. You are not required to give details. You can use that time to walk like crazy every day and be really healthy when you go back! Good luck to you -- keep us posted!

For full liquid stage my doctor told me whatever it is should be pourable -- if you put it on a plate and hold the plate up, the "food" should slide right off. So if you blend foods, just be sure to get them liquid enough by adding broth, milk, etc. I was told not to worry about protein at this stage. Every one is different, however. Did your doctor indicate a particular protein goal for you? I have enjoyed yogurt, applesauce and boxed soups -- potato leek, butternut squash, etc. Pacific and Imagine are two brands we have in our regular grocery stores here, in the natural foods section. Scrambled egg was on my list and one of the first days I made egg drop soup. This weekend I'm making Indonesian a Squash Soup which is a blended soup the whole family loves. I use chicken stock so there's some protein there. Also I have a block of silken tofu I will do something with. Have been practicing letting a full minute pass between bites. Sure has slowed me down! Good luck to you and have fun!

My doctor ran labs a second time a week prior as a standard protocol. Good luck to you -- getting there! Congratulations on your date. I am ten days out and so happy with my new band.

Congratulations! I am full on so little now, not trying to stop myself from getting more to eat. So happy!

How about calling your doctor -- maybe you need a slight unfill if you've had several since May?

I can't wait to be able to get a nice coat -- in a woman's size. Have been wearing men's parkas for a while for sleeve length and belly room. Won't it be nice to have some winter-wear that fits!

My doctor indicated he often finds a hiatal hernia but they didn't perform any tests or procedures beforehand. Sure enough, there was a hiatal hernia. Glad to have that fixed as I think it was causing some difficulties, including some referred pain in my left chest/breast area. I don't think it changed my recovery in any way -- doing great here on day ten. Best wishes!

Yippee! Getting off BP meds is on my goal list as well. Congratulations!

Ninety pounds, wow! You are amazing. You'll be taking those new hips walking and be into whatever new clothes you have waiting before you know it. I really like this idea, too. Right now I am two days into in a smaller size jeans -- one size down from what I've been in for a long time. Have been thinking about getting the next pair lined up as incentive. This cinches it!

Happy Birthday! And what a great gift to yourself -- health and happiness! You look amazing. Congratulations on all the hard work that brought you to this place. So happy for you!

Over the past few months I noticed posts about people not liking the same shakes post-surgery as they had for pre-op, etc. Well, now that's me. I just don't seem to want one. My husband made them for me a few days running when I came home from the hospital and they ended up sitting in the fridge until we tossed them. I feel like I should start worrying about protein at some point but for now I'm just learning how to listen to my body. I'm on day ten -- full liquids and smooth foods going into mushy-ville.....not really hungry much at all and when I am I am satisfied with a small amount. I did find myself sort of going after cottage cheese one day.

I am down one jean size! Broke into the little stack of 16 Lee longs in my bottom drawer. I have been in 18 Lees for a long, long time. Yippee! They are a little snug but I'm wearing them anyway. Considering going out to find the next size down to have on-hand -- an incentive.....

11/15 Friday weigh-in: 231 Have a great weekend everyone!

Hi Ruth, thanks so much. The surgery went beautifully -- I am just finding your thread again as the website overhaul has me pretty lost. Getting into some kind of exercise program ahead of time really helped me, even though I had to talk myself into it each and every time. Since getting banded I look forward to it (who is this person?). Good luck with your process. I am feeling like this is the best thing I've done in I don't know how long. Best wishes!

Hi Annette, best wishes for a speedy recovery and relief!