Bandista

Thanks so much for a great idea. I have started a journal and will sit right down and write myself a letter......wondering if you might like to write yourself a new letter, an acknowledgment of how far you've come, how you feel. Thanks again from some one still waiting to begin. Best wishes!

So inspiring to those of us getting closer to the big event -- thank you for all these examples of what to look forward to in the coming year or so!

Thanks so much for a great idea. I have started a journal and will sit right down and write myself a letter......wondering if you might like to write yourself a new letter, an acknowledgment of how far you've come, how you feel. Thanks again from some one still waiting to begin. Best wishes!

So inspiring to those of us getting closer to the big event -- thank you for all these examples of what to look forward to in the coming year or so!

Congratulations and thanks for all the great tips here. I am at the baby steps beginning of this huge project and it is so helpful to hear how the surgery has gone for others. Sending best wishes your way!

I inquired at the facility where I intend to get the procedure about why it is that some hospitals are moving away from Lapband. Answer was cost. They will be seeing me 11 times in the first year after surgery and that makes administrators and insurers bristle. Perhaps this is what is going on in Europe. Thank you for posing this -- like you I want to talk about all aspects of LB surgery. That's why we are here!

Thanks so very much for the info! You get so many conflicting information from the diet plan/surgeon/book. I am told to drink nothing but Clear Liquids, but I was also told to drink Protein Shakes. I have some and will be starting on those today:) The gas is getting better, and I have been sleeping with a body pillow which helps. Again thanks very much:)

I inquired at the facility where I intend to get the procedure about why it is that some hospitals are moving away from Lapband. Answer was cost. They will be seeing me 11 times in the first year after surgery and that makes administrators and insurers bristle. Perhaps this is what is going on in Europe. Thank you for posing this -- like you I want to talk about all aspects of LB surgery. That's why we are here!

Yes, Psych eval all done and Thank you.
I'm so excited. I'm praying that when the dr & I meet again, it's to set the date. Can't wait to get started.

OH my Labwalker, I thought it was ok to ask any question on this forum, he was asking a question and deserves answers without being told to get a life. I think you owe that person an apology.

Good thread. Just banded today and helps a lot.

Hi
I am 1 week post op, going onto my 2nd week liquid post op stage.
Typically in a day I will wake up and have some Water, my Vitamins that really tiny and easy to swallow.
Then at around 11am... I would have one or two small rusks (soft like crackers) that I chew until they are mushy in my mouth with light Philadelphia cheese or I might have a low fat yogurt instead (probably half). Also, sometimes for Breakfast I might have a few sips of a cup of tea and I am full. It really depends on how I feel.
For lunch, I will have a yogurt or a frozen yogurt or some thin Soup, it depends how hungry I feel and what I am in the mood for.
For dinner a thin Soup, and from the soup I can only probably eat 5/6 small spoon fulls, sometimes more...
Throughout the day I sip on Water and low fat fruit juices.
The first few weeks is recovery period and just learning to adapt to your band...

Three months post op and this is a typical daily menu for me:
When I wake up, I drink a glass of Water.
30 mns after that I have breakfast: either a small bowl of oatmeal, or a slice or two of dry cracker--like Melba toast--spread with a bit of butter and jam.
Mid-morning I drink my coffee and milk beverage (around 11 am).
lunch is always 50-100 grams of Protein, usually fish or chicken. I do not eat red meat since being banded, as I can't chew it enough to swallow it safely. With that I have a small salad usually endive with either some bits of avocado or some crumbled nuts mixed in.
I'll have a calcium-based snack in mid afternoon: a small (100 gr) plain yogurt, or a small bit of cheese.
dinner is the same as lunch, but with some cut up fruit (right now I'm doing watermelon or cantalope) instead of the salad. (No room for both in my little pouch.)
Here is the list of what I don't eat, by personal choice:
Pasta, any bread or breadlike item such as croissants or cake, rice, couscous (semolina), red meat, even hamburger, veal, pork
I sip on Water all day long. The hardest bandster rule for me is not drinking during a meal, because I'm really used to drinking when eating. (Plus I'm thirsty when I eat!)
I don't particularly use light or low-fat items, and I don't consume processed foods, Where I live it is very easy to live on whole, not genetically-modified foods so I'm lucky.
If there are any pre-ops reading this, don't let this scare you. I thought I'd really miss being able to eat "normal" (or huge) quantities of food, and that I'd feel really deprived having to follow my postop directives, but for me that is not at all the case. For that I am so grateful that I finally got the band, and stopped dieting the traditional way.

Hi ! We have been eating this way for so long and being hungry makes me eat even faster !!! It's hard to "teach an old dog new tricks" . I to have lost 20 and have 50 more to go which I WILL lose.. I just ate and am hungry also. When I feel this way I will sip on a cup of hot tea and it really helps. Or I'll have a sugar free Popsicle . Good luck on Monday I go Thursday ! Keep me posted and we CAN do this.

Hello all,
Well I'm on day 2. The surgery went very well. The Dr also corrected a hernia that I had no idea i had. I felt pretty good yesterday. The incision where the port is placed is swollen today. My dr said I can ice so that is helping a little. Ice has become my new best friend. I love chewing on ice. The cold feels good on my sore throat and it helps to keep me hydrated. As far as gas pain..both sides of my neck hurt. I'm not sure if that is normal. My upper back hurts but the dr said it would because of the hernia repair. Breathing is a little tough. That is also from the hernia. Im using a spirometer to help with that. I'm pretty sore all over. Legs, arms, neck, back and incisions. liquids are going well. I can't really have more than 3-4oz at a time but I feel very satisfied after that amount. With all this being said I am glad the surgery is over. The pain is manageable and completely worth it to me. Congrats to my fellow June bandsters and good luck to those with dates coming up!!
P.S. As for pain medicine I'm alternating taking Tylenol and Advil. I also have an anti nausea patch.

Welcome to "Bandland"... this time next week it well be even better... then this time next year you won't believe how fast the time went by and how the band changed your life !
Tom, Toronto
Banded July 6 06
Wt. Loss: 156 lbs

Good luck with whatever surgery you choose. The band was my only thought. You don't remove any body parts for good. It can be reversed if need be.
As far as Vitamins and minerals, all mine are chewables. They are available everywhere. Your doctor and or dietitian will tell which ones to buy. Bariatric Advantage has all the correct ones for every WLS and their prices aren't bad and they are a 3 month supply. They make a wonderful Protein Powder but very costly.
I follow or least try to follow my dietitian's recommendations for foods. My doctor has different thoughts on straws and what to eat after a fill that may be different from another person's doctor. Follow your doctor's advice not someone elses.
Good luck with your new journey, I love mine and know the band has helped me a real lot.

Congratulations and thanks for all the great tips here. I am at the baby steps beginning of this huge project and it is so helpful to hear how the surgery has gone for others. Sending best wishes your way!

Nothing hurts more than when a 'loved one' criticizes. I suspect since you haven't told your mother about your surgery, she's not very supportive. I would look to avoid her for a while as she seems to be toxic for you.
My sister is also heavy and she is getting pressure from some family members to do what I did and get the lapband. I've never pressured her and try to downplay my focus on eating per the band when I'm with her as it is very important to me that she make that decision herself.

I also am worried about when I start losing weight and people ask me how much I lost. I really don't want to tell people because then they're going to figure out how much I weighed before!

My first post -- just logged in, don't even have a photo yet. Great to find others with same issues around privacy. One of the things I hate about being heavy is how it's all there for others to see. I'm not sure, but I think I want my surgery to be between me, my husband and a few close friends. And you guys, whoever you are! I think I am going to enjoy the online community. Thanks so much! Oh, and whoever wrote about their husband with no filters, I had to laugh. Mine has already had a lecture and hourly reminders that I don't want any one to know about this. I suspect I'll end up being very proud and wanting to speak out but for now it's such a big decision and it feels quite tender.

Congratulations!!! I told a few and most of my close family only. No one's business as far as I am concerned. Someone recently asked me how much weight I lost and when I told her that was private, she almost sh*t herself with my answer. my MIL thought that was an awful thing to ask someone. my MIL doesn't know how much, only my husband and this site.
Good luck.

Well, I've made it 1.5 weeks with my band, and I'M IN LOVE WITH IT !!! It's everything I was hoping it would be. I would like to talk about my first couple of days though, in case someone is in my shoes and can find hope in it. I kept hearing that you could "have your surgery on Friday, and go back to work on Monday". Well I was skeptical, so I took Tuesday and Wednesday off as well. Friday after my surgery, I was numbed up pretty well, but then came SATURDAY. I got a little cocky and tried to eat Jello, then go outside to do my walking that I was encouraged to do. I felt like I had to burp, but couldn't, and it hurt so bad. Then came the nausea. I kept thinking, "No, no, no, no, no, I cannot throw up!!", but I did... and boy did I. Dry heaves, and it wouldn't stop. I was terrified I was messing my band up. I took my medication for nausea and it knocked me out for the entire day. Then came the gas the next day. Excruciating pain!!! It wasnt the surgical gas. It was the GI kind of gas, and it wouldnt move up or down. I have to admit, I had a few thoughts of, "Crap! What have I gotten myself into?". If anyone else is there right now, behold.... IT PASSES (and I mean that more ways than one) hahahaha. Come Monday morning, and some GasX, I was a new person!!! I had no desire to eat and felt like I could conquer the world. Now 1.5 weeks out, I have lost 16 pounds (counting my 1 week preop diet), and I can't believe I'm not hungry!!!! I am so excited about the future!!! Here's a good tip.... buy a pretty little appetizer plate (4 or 5 inches) and a good oyster fork to eat with. It's just so cute, and it makes it exciting to eat when I look at the new tiny portions, not depressed like you would think. Yes, I miss my old friend food, but the future looks bright!! I'll get over it!!

My first post -- just logged in, don't even have a photo yet. Great to find others with same issues around privacy. One of the things I hate about being heavy is how it's all there for others to see. I'm not sure, but I think I want my surgery to be between me, my husband and a few close friends. And you guys, whoever you are! I think I am going to enjoy the online community. Thanks so much! Oh, and whoever wrote about their husband with no filters, I had to laugh. Mine has already had a lecture and hourly reminders that I don't want any one to know about this. I suspect I'll end up being very proud and wanting to speak out but for now it's such a big decision and it feels quite tender.

Me, too, new. I will get a photo up and look forward to learning a lot from every one her. Thank you!