The Icy One

I try not to drink five or ten minutes before I eat... I sometimes forget. Duh! But I do my best. After, my surgeon likes us to wait a half hour. I don't really time it, I just wait a while then start slurping my Water, again. I stay satisfied a good four to five hours on average so it must be okay.

Erin, have you considered Plication? It is supposed to be effective and, if it doesn't work out for you, it is fully reversable. If, for some reason I lost my band and had the opportunity to revise, I would push to revise to a plication procedure. It may be something that could be good for you.

Pre op diet blows, doesn't it? I had to do three weeks. I wanted to take on my surgeon! Hang in there, Before you know it, it will be your surgery day and it will be done. Good luck!

I had five cc in my band when it was installed. I have had one adjustment, had 1/2 cc put in and I am pretty much in my green zone and happy as a clam. I kind of wish I had known about plication, before I had my surgery as it sounds intriguing. Ah well, I'm doing fine as is.

Banded November 21, 2013. Starting weight, 378. Current weight as of this morning, 329. Down 49 pounds, so far. Not stellar, Could be better, but I am not exercising as much as I should... Such a lazy slag, I am.

I don't have a very "noisy" belly but I belch like a frakking beer'd up sailor! I have never burped so much in all my life. I can feel when I need to let one rip, I bend at the waist to just the right angle and... yeah. Sooo ladylike and charming.

I talked to my surgeon about my Advil habit and he gave me the okay to take it. I take Advil PM when I can't sleep, I take Aleve now and again, for chronic hip and knee discomfort. I took liquid children's Motrin (with my surgeon's blessing) immediately after surgery to knock down my shoulder pain. My surgeon doesn't seem to be concerned with slipping or erosion with NSAID use. My band doesn't get tight or uncomfortable when I take them. Each person needs to talk to their own physician and follow their advice. I am not your surgeon, I am not dispensing medical advice. But I am wondering if the whole band complication/NSAID connection is not a real one?

Band slipping and erosion are not happening in high percentages. The chances of it happening are no higher if you are hevier when your band is placed. My surgeon assured me of this, before I had mine installed. I started at 378 pounds, I also went through True Results (in Scottsdale AZ) and my surgery was a breeze. In, out, wham, bam, thank you, ma'am. I recovered easily and four months later, I am 49 pounds down and couldn't be more tickled with my decision. I am not trying to "talk you into a band." I strongly believe that everyone needs to carefully research all of the options and make a decision based on which one is right for their body, health concerns and what they are willing to live with. The Lap Band was right for me. If the Lap Band is right for you, don't let being over 300 stop you from going forward. Do what is right for you, don't let other voices cloud your thinking.

We called food our friend. But with friends like that, who needs enemies? Only thing my old "friend" did for me was make me fat, tired, bloated, lethargic, stupid headed and miserable. If it had been a human, I'd have unfriended it and stopped calling, years ago. I unfriended food but sometimes it makes a new account under a new name and sneaks back in and stalks me. chips, crackers. Frakking sliders. Gah! They are my kryptonite. They are my food jail. I need to remember to channel Bandista.

What is the best things to eat in the mushie stage? Things with Protein. Soft eggs, I loved six minute eggs, scrambled eggs. One of my fave mush meals was a bit of grits or mashed potato and a six minute egg. Oh, yum! Some lo-fat refried beans and cheese. Yoghurt, cottage cheese, tuna broken up really small, oatmeal. Chili with cheese. Just kind of smush up the chili with a fork, and add some cheese and nom, nom, nom! Tomato Soup with cheese. Are you seeing a trend, here? I like cheese. And it is a good source of protein, if it is something you like and can have. Quick grits and cheese... Fruit cocktail and cottage cheese. Pretty much anything that is soft, fairly mild qualifies as mushie. Not too spicy, you need to eat foods that are gentle so that your stomach can heal and your band can settle into place and get ready to rock it's job. The mushie phase is tedious but if you are creative, it isn't too bad.

No, the fill, it's self is not painful. I received a bit of numbing creme and that was no problemo. The part that was very uncomfortable for me was that they couldn't find my port. They palpated and dug and poked and prodded and... Oh. My. Gosh! Two different people had a go at me and couldn't find that little sucker. They finally had to take me to X-Ray and we found my port with the X-Ray. My NP tried again. Fail, again. Seroma. Finally, they put me under the Fluoroscope and at last! They got it. My poor abdomen was sore for a week and I had bruises for a month! I looked as if I had been stomped on! But don't let my story scare you, most people don't have that rough a first adjustment. My NP assured me that I am a fairly unusual case, that most people they find the port and pop in and get out very quickly and easily. I seem to like to make it difficult on medical personnel. You should have seen what I did to the surgeon who tried (yes, I said tried) to find and remove my gallbladder.

Woo hoo! You're almost there! These last few days will fly by. I know that the last few days before my surgery went in a flash... I stayed busy with preparations and making lists, shopping, laundry and so forth and didn't let myself sit around and worry about it. The pre op diet blows, doesn't it? LOL I had to do three weeks and I wanted to eat the world by the end of it! My pre op diet was pretty liberal, as pre op diets go... I had two Protein shakes, I could blend in frozen fruit, if I wanted, and a lean and green meal in which I could nom on 6 to 8 ounces of lean protein and a pile of green veggies and salad. I could have low cal dressing, too. So, it wasn't exactly torture. But it was pretty tedious, especially after three long weeks. Anyway, you're almost there! And the pre op diet will so be worth it, I promise. Hang in there and good luck on Friday! I'll be thinking of you, when I am sitting in my stylist's chair, having my hair done. (Friday is salon day, for me. Need to get these roots done. )

I don't know if he had a monetary stake in this, but what studies show isn't stacking up with what your Dr. said (about sleeve's efficacy): http://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pubmed/20622654 What this study tells us is that the Sleeve, just like any WLS is a tool, not a magic bullet and that to be successful, long term the person with the Sleeve must work their program, every day, for the rest of their life. Just like a Lap Bandster or a By Passer or Switcher... Imagine that... It all comes down to choosing the right surgery for your own body, health concerns and lifestyle.

All WLS have huge potential for great benefits to obese persons. If they didn't, we wouldn't be lining up to lie down, let a surgeon cut us open and altar our insides in one way or another to help us lose our excess pounds. This is major! Lovely Lady, don't let a surgery center, a surgeon, any group or other individual make this decision for you. Only you know your body well enough to make this momentous decision for you. Only you live in your body, only you know how well you will be able to comply with whichever procedure you eventually decide to have done. Only you know if you will be happy with a band and the follow up aftercare it will require. Only you know if a sleeve might be more to your liking. Only you know if perhaps a bypass might suit your body, personality, lifestyle best. You have to research, weight all of the options against your health concerns, lifestyle, personality, what you are willing and not willing to do and live with and make your own decision then move forward, secure in the knowledge that you made the very best choice for yourself. Clear all of the voices from your head and just listen to one. Your own. It will never steer you wrong.

About the oily diarrhea, call your doc, they should be able to help you. There are OTC and even prescription meds that can help. You shouldn't have to suffer while you are suffering through a sucky pre-op diet! Okay, here is my take on Negative Nancys. Screw 'em. This is your chance. You are taking your health in your hands, you are taking strong, positive action to get healthy. How you do it is YOUR business. Last time I looked, it's your body. Last time I looked, it's your choice what you do with it, it's your choice how you treat it, what medical procedures you have done to it. No one else has any right to tell you yes from no and while they have every right to express their opinion, that opinion means exactly squat. All that matters is what you want, what you need and what you do for you. Remember that if/when anyone gives you any crap about what you are doing. Good luck with your surgery.

Hang in there, Emily! The pre-op diet sucks! Mine lasted three weeks and, while mine was pretty liberal, as pre op diets go, (two Protein shakes, with frozen fruit if I wanted, all the diet Jello I could slam, one lean and green meal including 6 to 8 oz. of lean protein and plenty of green veggies and salad a day so I was hardly suffering), I was about to go out of my mind! I was so happy to have my surgery, just to end that d*mned pre-op diet! LOL When you start dreaming of sandwiches and feeling as if you will go nuts, remember that the h*ll of your pre-op diet is only temporary and it is for the best of reasons. It is to prepare your body for your Lap Band surgery, to shrink your liver so that your surgeon can get in there and safely and effectively place your band around your stomach. If your liver is too large, trying to place your band would be too risky to your life and your surgeon will simply stop your procedure and close you up without giving you your Lap Band. So, keep that in mind and power through. That is what I told myself, every time I was tempted to cheat on my pre-op diet. I would look at some tasty morsel and ask myself if it was worth getting sewn up without my band and every time, the answer was an emphatic, "NO!!!"

Medicare should cover your Lap Band surgery. The psych eval is a piece of cake. Mine took about five minutes then I filled out a ten page multiple choice survey thing. That was it. Easy-peasy. Painless. They have you consult with a therapist to see that you have reasonable and realistic expectations for your surgery and that you are psychologically and emotionally healthy enough to withstand the surgery and recovery. If there are concerns, you may need some additional therapy but it shouldn't take long and it would only mean that you will be that much healthier and stronger and have a better outcome. Remember, the pre op tests are not done to torment you, but to be as certain as possible that you will have a successful surgery and a swift and smooth recovery and a happy, healthy life.

Congrats and good luck! I hope everything went well.

I have never had a problem drinking liquids, even early on. I was scared, at first but found pretty quickly that liquids pass right on through. I drink normally and freely. Liquids don't seem to collect in my stoma, I have never had them pool or come back up and I seriously doubt that they are stretching it in any way. Drink with confidence. You need the hydration.

B-52, I also have no problem with morning pills. I have one HUGE solid tablet that I knock into four pieces but I take them all at once with lots of Water and it doesn't give me any trouble. I think that it would hassle me if I tried to swallow it intact, tho. It's a huge, disc shaped tablet that I fear would form a lid like a manhole cover in my stoma. I have read that capsules even very large ones, aren't really a problem for most bandsters because they dissolve and break down so quickly at body temperature.

Every surgeon has their own method for recovering their patients. The purpose of the post op diet is to let your stomach heal from the trauma of the surgery and let the band settle solidly into place and get ready to rock it's job for the rest of your life. It is also a good time to learn your new methods of eating and drinking. My surgeon has his patients do the following: Days 1 - 3 Clear Liquids only Days 4 - 7 Full liquids Days 8 - 30 Mushies Mushies Mushies They were fun for about the first week and a half then I started getting really tired of them. I had my first aftercare four days before my "official" mushie phase was supposed to end and I begged my NP to let me phase into solids. She took pity on my plaintive whining and told me to go ahead, as long as I took it slow. LOL My first official "solid" meal was the most beautiful thing I had ever seen! Woo-hoo! Anywhoozle, if your surgeon says liquids and full liquids for four weeks, you do liquids and full liquids for four weeks. Follow your surgeon's orders to the letter. It's going to suck. But in the end, it's going to be worth it.

Honestly, I don't really know. I don't have a "tight" band. It is balanced, I have lovely satiety; I have a softly snug feeling in the morning that eases up after I have my morning gallon of hot coffee. But that is about it. I felt a little tight, I suppose right after my surgery, when I was very swollen, as I also had a hiatal hernia repair, but even then, it was just snug, not really tight-tight. Yeah. That was a lot of help, wasn't it?

Yup. My band isn't what I would describe as "tight" to begin with, I have it balanced, I don't really roll with restriction. But I do feel a little snug most mornings. I am not a morning eater, by nature; I like to have my coffee then, if I have a long, busy day ahead, I'll whirl up a Protein shake and slowly slurp that down after my coffee to carry me along until later in the day when I have the time or feel like eating something. Otherwise, I normally have my first solid meal somewhere in the neighborhood of eleven to noon-ish.

It is normal to have questions and doubts. I did a ton of reading and research into all forms of WLS before deciding on the Lap Band. I knew, after my extensive research that it was just right for me, my health concerns and lifestyle and once I made the decision, I felt very sure of my choice. I am well aware of the horror stories, the naysayers and the inflated failure rates. I took it all in and I allowed them to inform me but I did NOT allow them to scare or deter me. I am smart enough to sift the wheat from the chaff and I am smart enough to understand that many who are pissed at their bands are pissed because they were non compliant and brought the wrath of their bands down upon themselves and many of the "failures" belong in that category. Look, WLS is a huge decision and no one should ever have any surgery unless they are absolutely sure that it is what they want to do. If you know that this is what you want, don't let some mortified co worker stop you. You have to act in your own best interests! It's your health at stake, here. You are all that matters, no one else. Do what you want, what you need, what is right for you.

I buy the XRated from Hi Health. It's tasty, reasonably priced, yummy with almond milk. I have one of their member cards so I get BOGO 1/2 off when I go in to stock up. The powder is high in Protein, very low in sugar. It works for me.