Nykee

I coulndt have eaten on day four if I tried! I was able to have like 9 ounces of fluids. It would take like a half hour to drink 2 to 3 ounces of juice. My instructions were First week only Water, tea, clear broth, Jello, popcycles, juice, gatorade and pedyalite. NEVER ALLOWED carbinated drinks EVER AGAIN! Second and third week Add Protein shakes of 30 grams a day. Yogart and slightly thicker soup with NO chunks at all in anything. Fourth week Solids... start mushy and slow and see what you can tolerate. Chew thouroughly. DO not drink with your meals EVER If you have pain, like burps and gas and chest pain (pbing) STOP eating!! Go on liquids for 24 to 48 hours and try solids again.

HI MOM111 I also went to Dr. Ortiz at the Obesity Control Center 14 days ago. I love him, I cant say enough good things about him. He spent so much time in my room talking to me and not just about the lapband but just conversation.. HE TREATS YA SO WELL!!!!! And YES about the weightloss.. I was told to loose 40 to 60 pounds, and if i didnt I would NOT be able to have the surgery. They were very adamant, they said the doctor can ge in there and see if there is too much fat on the liver, its not safe and he will pull out. I had less than a month and a half to lose it too!!!!!!!!!! I paniced.. I thought it was impossible... BUT, THIS WAS MY ONLY CHANCE!! I had been waiting for this for too long! I had the money, I had the plane seats bought, I had my sister who lives in another state all ready to go with me.. HOW could I NOT lose it!!!! The whole time I was paniced. I felt desperate and affraid that I woulnt loose enough. Maybe they would get inside and my liver wasnt shrunk enough and they pulled out, and I still had to pay some fee's!!! BUT I did it. I lost 40 pounds in less than a month and a half! NOW.. I DID throw up my food a few times. I cheated and ate at Izzys one day, felt extremely scared and powerless and I just puked it out, then I did it again twice with chinese food. I DO NOT RECCOMEND THIS OF COURSE!! And I am sure it would have made only a slight difference, like 5 pounds maybe, I dunno. It was dum of me to do! HOW I REALLY LOST SO MUCH WAS: I ate low carb. During that time my 129 pound daughter lost 7 pounds by also eating low carb. Now My cousin has lost 12 pounds in 2 weeks doing a low carb diet. (she is now 156#) You CAN lose 15 pounds in three weeks if you low carb diet!! LOW meaning under 20 carbs a day! If you do not know much about Low carb dieting, you really do not have much time to figure it out, there are A LOT!!! of things that you can misunderstand or mess up with unless you know it well. BUT IT DOES WORK..and I did NO EXtRa excersize at all (I cant) PM me.. if you need advice.. I can give you a 3 week menu and list of foods you can eat and all that... and YOu can start right away. I promise if you follow it, you will loose AT LEAST 10 pounds!

HI I went to the Obesity Control Center and the day after my surgery, Dr. Ortiz came in and told me about how he was going in to do a 12 year old in a few minutes. He was beaming with some kind of joy that he was able to make a 12 year olds dream of not being Obese anymore come true. We talked about how some think its not right and HE thinks its a wonderful thing. He said some think all this pre counseling should be done, Ortiz said that kids dont want to be fat and thats the only 'problem' they have... I love Dr. Ortiz.. HE is Soooooooo nice. I cannot beleive how much personal attention I got from him. He is so happy and so friendly and caring and treats you so well, like your his friend... I am so used to being treated like crap... It was really really neat. La_madam, did you love him or what?

May I ask how you people pay for all these problems? Insurence? Or what? What types of these problems are considered emergency? How is it all handled? THANK YOU

I get little tiny burps alot since the band. They dont hurt at all. Sometimes they are tiny gurgles... This happens if I drink a dixie cup of grape juice (3 ounce cup with ice) I am assuming these are not PBing. The times when I felt my chest was being stampeded by horses and it felt like I had to belch/ heartburn but it wouldnt come and my chest hurt so bad and all that... (When I was still in the hospital trying to get down ice chips) I assume THOSE things were PBing.. Am I right?? THANK YOU

someone said: It used to burn like the dickens and spasm everytime I would sit up. me: Thats exactly what mine is doing. I was quite worried until I read everyones advice and experiences. THANK YOU!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!

HI.. Well I am scared to death of noodles..(I been reading what people say here...) LOL But once I am allowed to eat.. I will test out how the noodles and bread and such affects me.. My favorite food is noodles with butter and parmesen cheese. I never been a big bread fan, cept pizza crust.

I came out of anastesia panicing and screaming becasue my back was hurt, (I had three herniated discs and sciatica) "my back, my back" I cried uncontrollably before I really even knew or remembered what was going on. They gave me pain meds and I was fine within like 10 minutes, laying in the bed. Everyone was so nice, so compassionate, I was treated very well through it all. My 5 little inscissions didnt hurt at all, but I needed a lot of pain meds for my back and alot of insulin and I dont recal what was going on.. BUT I was extremely weak and sleepy and they told my sister I would be like that (so she wouldnt think I was just being a lazy baby) When all the other ladies were up and about drinking gatorade, I still couldt tolerate ice chips and puked everything up. I had to stay an extra two days, but spent most of it sleeping.... Then I was fine for a few days (the pain meds had infiltrated my IV into my arm and so they ooozed out into my system for a few days after) THEN and NOW two weeks later.......my left side STILL hurts right under my big inscision and I am told its where my port is and that its normal and it should go away. IT feels like a tearing sensation and it sucks BUT its NOTHING compared to my back. I see people comparing it to ceasarians... well I had three of those and on a scale.. My cesarians would be an 8 and the lapband pains and discomforts a 2. And my back surgeries a 10+ Its really easy, I also went shopping while I was in Tijuanna before I left.. (but I had tons of pain meds for my back to make it possible)

Well I had it PLANNED to eat all month long, but then I was told I HAD TO LOSE 40 to 60 pounds before I came or they wouldnt do the surgey. I had less than a month and a half to lose 40 pounds!!!! Well.. it was HELL.. All I wanted to do was eat yummy food. I lost the weight, and when I knew I had lost the weight and it would be OK even if I gained a few pounds back, I decided I could have a "last meal" I took my family to Chillis.. (it cost over 145$!!!) I had chicken fajitas with 5 big lime shrimp. I ate two of my daughters baby back ribs, I shared an onion Blossem with 4 others, I had three refills of strawberry lemonaid and I ate about 5 bites of my sons Molten chocolate cake dessert. YUM YUM. BUT.. then.. Once I was in Mexico at my pre-op she told me to go ahead and have dinner, just dont binge or it will slow the healing process..(I had thought I couldnt eat anything the night before surgery) So it was a nice surprise that I could have my second 'last meal' It was actually only like 2pm..... and me and my sister ate the resturant in the hotel, it was a buffett. So.. I had salad and pineapple (i had lost the weight on a low carb diet, i had soooooooo missed fruit!!!) and some yummy stuff... Then around 11pm... we got hungry again and ordered a pizza through room service. This is my third 'last meal' LOL I had two slices of hawiann pizza (mexico has the BEST pizza! its made with different sauce and different crust than i ever seen and it had fresh pineapple and cherries on it. I had a mile too (milk is my favorite food) The food I miss right now the most and wish I could have is pizza. From reading here it doesnt sound like we are gonna be able to handle pizza crust ever again! lol

4 to 6 ounces of Tomaote soup made with double the `water 2 to 3 times a day. 2 to 3 ounces of grape juice about 5 to 6 times a day. 2 to 3 ounces of milk (sometimes I put sugar fee chocolate syrup in it) 3 to 5 times a day. I ate 4 ounces of yogart twice, but just just really like it, rather have tomaote soup. I have started to use some grated parmasean cheese in the soup. I suck on about 2-6 sweet tarts (tiny ones) a day. I had some popcycles.. and would like to buy some more. I did eat some bites of salad and a few other things I should not have a few times and it was fine, but I read here that Just becasue I can tolerate it doesnt mean I should do it. So I quit doing it. I am on day 14.

I get little tiny burps alot since the band. They dont hurt at all. Sometimes they are tiny gurgles... This happens if I drink a dixie cup of grape juice (3 ounce cup with ice) I am assuming these are not PBing. The times when I felt my chest was being stampeded by horses and it felt like I had to belch/ heartburn but it wouldnt come and my chest hurt so bad and all that... (When I was still in the hospital trying to get down ice chips) I assume THOSE things were PBing.. Am I right??

Disease: A pathological condition of a part, organ, or system of an organism resulting from various causes, such as infection, genetic defect, or environmental stress, and characterized by an identifiable group of signs or symptoms. A condition or tendency, as of society, regarded as abnormal and harmful.

Thanks... Tara, So.. you DONT have the pain? Its NOT getting any better, but I dont know what MY doctor could possibiley do about it. Maybe antibiotics, just in case.?? I see him next week. I am surpose to bring him all the info on the lap band. I am sure it will go away.... I am not following the directions to a T.. I have tomatoe Soup every day, milk and grape juice.. My instructions were orange juice, broth and gatorade... Jello

No way.. I never felt as desperate in my life as I did the month before banding.

Wow Thats service! lol Thanks so much, I feel like its definately just port pain like you said. I like that there are others here who had doctor Ortiz...

WOW New Hope that blows my mind! How amazing are you!!! I was told to use to pedometer and take 1000 steps a day. I havnt bought one yet and have no idea how many steps i take normally in a day, I would assume no where near 1000. I have lumbar disc disease with sciatica. I get SSI for it. I need fusions for three herniated discs in my back, I cant have them until I loose 100 pounds because my neurosurgon says its too risky because of the scar tissue of my last TWO back surgeries (that failed) so, I dont move much. I use a motorized cart to shop and enjoy the zoo...ect. I just got my YMCA membership TODAY!! ME and my cousin got a scholorship and I only have to pay 13$ a month for me and 5 kids. ISNT that amazing. I really appreciate it. All I can really do right now is use the pool. The Water excersize classes are free! Maybe I will be able to ride a stationary bike, as long as I take enough pain pills to handle it.. I dont know yet, but I will try! I am taking all the kids to the ymca tomarrow (me and my cousin) to get member cards and check the place out and do what ever. Um... I hope they dont have a problem with me in my tank top and black knit capri's. (most places dont, I go swimming alot) I havnt had a swim suit in forever!

Definately miss gulping. Gulping juice and chocolate milk was my favorite thing to do... daily, all day. This sipping is not fun.... Even though I am not hungry, I still feel a desire to GULP and quench my "thirst" I averaged a gallon of milk and juice consumption a day. On Jan. 2nd I had to start a low carb diet and lose weight beofre my lapband on Feb. 14th... so I dropped the juice and milk at that time.. got some practice in NOT drinking so much.. Sometimes I fill my entire mouth with grape juice and then spit it out.. That way it kinda fullfills that craving to fill your mouth and taste buds with the sweetness I have been addicted to for a very long time. I guess I better start saving the money for my first fill ( I have to fly to Mexico and all that) I am on SSI and poor.. I am at 11 days and drink about 6 cups of fluids a day consisting of grape juice and milk and watered down tomatoe Soup. I have no bad effects from it. I think thats too much. I want them to make my band tight. I dont want to have a lot of fills!

I really like the first post. When I was told I had to loose 40 pounds before I came for my WLS, it was like all my excitement and anticipation fell to the floore. HOW could I loose 40 pounds in a month and a half? I was real mad. I was sad. I was sure it couldnt be done. They told me it was to shrink the liver to make the procedure safe, and the doctor will not do it if its not safe. I was a nervous wreck all month. Before I was sure I had secured that amount of weight loss, I thought for sure they would get inside me and then pull out and tell me "too bad, your liver is too fatty" and then charge me all htese fee's for the anastesia (spell?) and OH MY... I was almost sick with worry and dread. Well, I did it.. ... I had to... I been waiting for this for too long...(one of the worse months of my life!) Thank goodness for the magic of LOW CARB diets and the desperation of making my self puke every time I cheated!

My instructions were week one clear broth gatorade or pedyalite ( must have 1 and a half cups a day) juice, (must have one and a half cups a day) jell-0 popcycles Water Tea no caffein, NO carbinated drinks EVER again Only half a cup at a time of anything week two-three implement 30 grams of liquid Protein shakes a day. start childrens chewable Vitamins yogart (no peices of fruit) Week 4 Solid meals Eat protein first, then vegtable, fruit and carb last. Each meal should have a protein, green veggie, fruit and carb. No more protein shakes!! Chew at leaste 30 times NEVER drink while eating, wait one hour prior, one hour after a meal. Avoid Pbing

I havnt drank any Water since I came back (11 days banded) I drink grape juice, milk and Protein shakes (gross) and tomatoe Soup with water like every day from dixie cups. I also have the popcycles and some Jello and flinstone Vitamins and my pain pills and If I had to drink water, it would cut down on the yummy juice I can drink... Grape Juice is keeping me sane right now.. lol I assume later I will be able to impliment a water regime.... I know its important.

well add me at 41 pounds and I think that should do it!

I read some of Donali's links and I am crying. I am so scared. I hate to sound like a whiny freak but I feel like one of those people bad things happen to.. ya know... lol I was drinking tomatoe soup at day 8 and taking one bite of like cheese and a salad to see what would happen.. NO MORE! I swear, I wont touch a solid food until week 4!!!! I am gonna go do some research on band slippage and erosion now.

I am so affraid of erosion or slippage. This was the only 10,000$ I will ever have in my life. I am glad I cannot weigh myself daily, it would drive me insane! The only scale that will weigh me is in another town at my doctors office. I weighed last monday at 374. I will not weigh for another week or so. I wonder what it will be????

Wow.... You all are amazing! I cant wait to post my pics, it'll be a bit, I dont really look any different yet..LOL

Thanks, I need to get used to this Board.