make33

I was in the surgery waiting area with three other women and everyone was laughing and joking--but inside I was thinking, "If we don't get this show on the road, I'm going to bolt!!!" Next thing you know, it's 3 1/2 months later and I'm actually losing weight--something I've never been able to do or be successful at! You are going to LOVE yourself when you're all done, trust me... :tongue:

I was 60 in October when I was banded--and believe me, it was the best thing I have EVER done for my body!!! If you go through with it, you will find you have so-o-o much more energy and vitality. Things I used to blame on "old age" I now know were from "over weight!" You deserve every chance to have the most quality of life you can get, no matter what your age! And I DO think they have raised the limits--depends on the health each individual person. There is a link for older banded persons farther down the Home Page... Good luck to you, woman! :tongue:

I was bulimic for four years in the late 80's--just another one of my useless efforts to lose weight! I told the psychiatrist, who said she was sorry but she had to "write it down". If you are honest, I don't think it will stop your surgery...I somehow still got approved and now am joyously able to lose weight! Thank you, Lap Band! :frown:

There's nothing more demeaning than having to change your Ticker UPWARDS!! I wish I had a nickel for every time I've had to change mine back upward! Gr-r-r-r-r-r! :rolleyes2:

My surgeon told me (in discussing my acid reflux) that the Lap Band may make it worse--and if it did, his only alternative would be the gastric sleeve. Luckily, I've had NO acid reflux since getting my Band--but this sleeve doesn't seem like an option generally offered--all we hear about is gastric bypass and the Band. :rolleyes2: PS Great Avatar!! She looks just like you!!!

Ditto for me--the Unflavored is fine for sugar free/fat free puddings, the chicken Soup tastes good going down but leaves an aftertaste in your mouth, and I thought the chocolate was just okay. I wouldn't say Awesome!!! or Alright!! for any of the three I've tried. Sorry, said this before, my preference is whey Protein isolate powder, belgian chocolate flavor, from Amazon.com: Online Shopping for Electronics, Apparel, Computers, books, DVDs & more and I make sure I get free shipping. Now I think THAT is awesome! But every person is different and you just have to keep trying until you find the one that's right for you--maybe by buying samples if they are available or just a 1# container to begin with. There are a gazillion flavors at amazon.com -- good luck in finding your preference. You know our bodies are worth it! :rolleyes2:

I had surgery early morning and stayed overnight. Make sure you get up and walk, walk, walk! It may be tough with your IV, but I made sure I was up 10 minutes of every hour and I didn't have the gas pains everyone else describes. Also, if they give you juice to drink, make sure you dilute it 50-50 with water--I didn't and got very nauseous... The only negative issue I experienced was at night: I had my IV on my right and the hospital gave me an oxygen clip for my nose on the left--and then they velcroed leg massagers on my legs. Well, I was okay until I had to go to the bathroom--the IV was running well--(and I am a FREQUENT urinator anyway!)--the first time a Nice Nurse came in to unvelcroe my legs so I could go. The second time a Nasty Nurse answered the call and it was ten minutes until she came! When I told her I really had to go, she made that "Gotta go, gotta go, gotta go right now" joke and just laughed. Well, didn't she answer the call the third time--only this time she didn't bother showing up at all!!! So, after 15 minutes I painfully reached down and ripped the velcroe off my legs myself and just went. She never DID come in to check on me!! Regardless, I AM glad I stayed overnight so I could have professionals there just in case... :rolleyes2:

Today when I was researching where to get my next supply of unflavored whey Protein isolate (

Mustlose, I felt like you at first--that perhaps I would have to give up a lot of the foods I absolutely love--but I've found that many of my fears were for nothing! If you are slow and careful--chewing, chewing, chewing, you can eat many many things--I feared losing pizza, but now I have a slice now and then and you know what, it's no big deal--in fact, I don't really even want it much any more! The one thing I HAVE found that I can no longer do is cocktail sauce--it just burns the whole way down. But everyone is different and you WILL adjust, believe me--life is so-o-o good with the Band!

I truly laughed when I envisioned you putting dry Protein powder on your jello---oooououououououo! The protein would be added to the cold Water when you are MAKING the Jello from scratch! However, I'm not a jello person--so I make sugar free fat free jello instant pudding: Add 2 scoops unflavored whey protein isolate to 2 cups cold skim milk and mix. Add a small 3 oz. package of any flavor jello instant pudding (make sure it says sugar free/fat free), whip it up, and put it in small 1/2 cup containers in the frig. (Makes about four) I've read in these threads where people also put the unflavored protein in mashed potatoes, oatmeal, etc. but I've only ventured into the pudding. Good luck in your journey!

When I felt that "large lump" I was certain I had a hernia from working out too soon, so I stopped working out until I saw my surgeon three weeks later. He just laughed and said, "Silly! That's your port!!!" It's good you're going to see your surgeon--but I'm betting that's what it is! :eek:

Yep, Clara, it is absolutely normal! I waited five weeks to go to Curves, which is mainly aerobic (the weights aren't heavy) but it was eight weeks until I returned to the YMCA for weight training. After three sessions, I had this hard lump on my right hand side which was painful and felt like it was protruding, kyethra, and I was positive I had a hernia! Nope, when the surgeon checked it out he said "Silly! That's your port!" Needless to say, I've changed up my routine to eliminate the exercises that were killing my port (leg press) and reduced the weight on those that just agitate it (leg curls, leg extensions, bench press). My port is on the right hand side, though and is just off my port incision--don't know if that's worse than being on the left--probably they're both the same!! :rolleyes2:

Congratulations girl--glad to have you back here!! :rolleyes2:

ebonie, you've been banded since last July and never had a fill yet????? Did you get immediate restriction from the band, or is it a monetary issue?? I guess I didn't realize you could have the band put in and then not get an occasional fill as it loosens as you lose weight. (going for my 3rd fill next Friday). Just curious......

Well, I will admit: that is a FIRST that I've ever read--having to lose a certain amount of weight before they would approve surgery!! Will wonders never cease! Anyway, good luck next Wednesday--I'm keeping my fingers crossed for you! Your Mom is just afraid she will no longer have her "partner in crime", (eating that is!). You tell your Mom that SHE should consider joining you (or is she one of those lucky ducks whose metabolism wears off everything she eats?) I'm sure I'm her age and it was the greatest thing I've ever done for me in my life! Welcome...:rolleyes2:

Wow, I'm jealous of you!!! Thank you so much for the info! I'm still at the spot when I can't tell if the Band is controlling my eating or if it's me just putting so much less on my plate! Though I will say if I put too much on my plate (more than 1 cup) I start feeling queasy! Okay, so now I feel much happier, knowing that at some point I will have real restriction!! Whoopee!!! :rolleyes2::thumbup:

Our ports are actually sutured into muscle, so it seems to be easy to "pull" it! When I started back at the YMCA, after three times I was sure I had a hernia, a hard lump that really hurt. When the surgeon checked it, he just said "Silly--that's your port!!" Needless to say, I have drastically altered my workout routine so that it doesn't get pulled anymore! I really wouldn't worry-it should get better again-have your surgeon check it out when you get your first fill... :frown:

You are very wise in following your doctor's instructions--this pre-op diet is not forever! For the short amount of time we are asked to sacrifice, we should respect the requirements of our trusted surgeons. Nothing irritates me more than the pre-op patients who get on here and say "O-o-o-o-h, I wasn't able to follow my surgeon's rules and I ate everything in the world I wanted--now please, everyone forgive me" and I'm afraid I've voiced my opinion (wanted or unwanted) quite a few times. As I have said many, many times: the surgeon is our leader and we must follow his rules! (I'm getting off my soapbox now!) :smile:

I totally understand the disappointment--I was too last March when I learned that UPMC required six visits to a nutritionist. I was borderline on the BMI and I thought "What if I lose just enough weight to bring me below 40?" My advice to you is to look at this like the opportunity it is: You have a great chance to really study what your future will be like. You can prepare for the foods you will be able (and not able) to eat, dealing with the Band's rules, and all other aspects that will totally involve your new life. The insurance company is paying the bill, so I'm sorry to say they call the shots. So do what I did: make the very best of your time. Believe me, it WILL fly by and soon enough you'll be post-op! :smile:

I was in our local grocery store today (buying lots of yogurt and cottage cheese for protein--Beans only once a week from now on) and priced the bottled cherry juice. It was $5.29 for a quart bottle--so I must admit I held off from the purchase--because cherries are $3.99 a pound beginning tomorrow! Shortgal, do the radishes really work? I researched on the internet and one site said radishes (and celery of all things) are two of the foods I should avoid (but I really hadn't read that on other sites) if you really think they do, heck, they are a lot cheaper than the cherry juice (and less carbs :Dancing_biggrin: !!) I am on the third day of pills and I feel 95% better!! The podiatrist said it would take "three to four days" and he hit it dead on! Thanks everyone for your kind support--I love these threads!! :wink2:

I know what you mean about the food lasting for days!! My husband made a 2# meatloaf once that lasted us 5 days and we STILL threw some of it out!! We used to eat the whole 2 # in one setting, with maybe a slice left! Sometimes I'll get sick of a food before it's all been used--and I find that throwing food away is very very hard for me to do (leftover from my childhood?) but now I do it! I used to love pizza, but now if I get a small four-slice personal, I have it for four days! (Unless I eat a piece for lunch and then again dinner) Eating so little, I find I choose my food carefully, because I want to relish it--not just shove it in to fill up that big empty cavern called my former stomach!! :rolleyes2:

It IS totally unbelievable, isn't it?! The hilarious thing is I'm really still eating the same foods as I was before, but the portions are so-o-o much smaller! I used to use two instant maple oatmeal packets in the morning--and now I'm using 1/8 cup quick oats with 1/4 cup Water and I'm full!! My husband and I used to eat an entire box of Kraft macaroni and cheese as a SIDE DISH for our meals (with maybe 2 - 3 country ribs each) -- likewise with Tuna Helper-- we would eat the entire package for one meal, made with 3 cans of tuna and a package of peas!! And I would be the first one to declare that we weren't eating that unhealthily! The best part is that my husband is now eating much less too, so it's been good for him. But this portion control tool is absolutely fabulous!! :tongue:

Thanks for the hint about the radishes!! And I'm going to find cherry juice for sure! I'm definitely going to try those! About "red meat" though, I don't generally eat red meat--that's why I was baffled! oatmeal for Breakfast, 1/2 can of tuna for lunch generally (last week I had pinto Beans every day for lunch) and dinner was lentils, maybe a piece of chicken and one day I had a rib. Having it in my foot was bad enough--I simply cannot imagine it in my knees!! (My podiatrist did say it only attacks one area at a time, PTL!) I've got meds now--again thanks for all the support everyone--I'm going to try to hobble into work tomorrow...

Well, I'll be the first to admit that I don't drink enough Water to cleanse my system--I never have and I know that I've got to begin drinking plenty! Everything I've read says gout is caused by ingesting too many purine foods, i.e. legumes (beans), organ meats, broths & consummes, yeast, mushrooms, spinach, cauliflower, and also from drinking too much beer. (No, no not me! I drink no alcohol!) The kidneys deposit uric acid crystals around a joint and that's what causes the arthritic inflammation and pain instead of ridding the bloodstream of them. Don't really think it's WLS related--but some bodies (like mine) have a perpensity for it, I guess--and I really brought it on by eating too many legumes and not drinking enough fluids to flush my system. I sure learned my lesson!

Well, I've been banded over three months now and last Wednesday, my foot began to hurt and continued getting worse until I could barely walk on it (swollen and hot above the arch below the ankle)! I went to the podiatrist this morning and found out I have GOUT! In reading the causes and cures for gout, I find that "legumes" is one of the leading causes! Now I have to tell you, I have been eating a ton of Beans recently, lunch and dinner--you know, full of Protein, easy to chew--the easy way out! Well, all the beans I've cooked up (and lentils) are now in the freezer--they will just be an "occasional" meal for me! I know that I am predisposed to kidney issues (Grandmother and Father died from kidney failure, brother has had many stones)--but I never realized that my body wouldn't assimilate that kind of protein well, too! Anyone else have issues with gout since banding?? This is almost like a Catch 22 for me...