MsButterKup23

I just read your post and I wanted to say sorry I wasn't here to respond. I too had a lot of fears before my surgery. I've had 4 surgeries counting Lap Band. I have a huge fear of anesthesia. My daughter was born 16 months ago via c-section so I wasn't really worried about the pain, I knew they had drugs for that. :mad: The first few days are the roughtest after any surgery. Each day you will get a little more of your energy back and feel less pain. Something that you need to know is after you reduce your calorie intake it is very common to experience depression. So don't be surprised if you are a little down or off for a week or two after surgery. It's important that you have support and please know we are here. If you need me PM me. I have the same name on AIM. Best of luck to you, YOU CAN DO THIS!!

Best of luck to you on your surgery. I'm sure you will do fine. Please keep us posted.

I too went through LSS. I gained about 15 lbs from the time I met my doctor until I had surgery. Getting banded is not the end of the world. You WILL be able to eat. Remember it's the cupcakes and stuff that got you overweight, that seems to help me when I feel deprived (which is rarely). Best of luck to you on your surgery!! You will do great!

YAY!!!! :clap2: :clap2: :clap2: :clap2:

I was almost 300, I was a cheeseburger away at 297. I agree you shouldn't be pushed into a surgery you don't want. Personally if something happened and I lost my band I would do gastric, but ONLY after the band failed, I wouldn't start out with gastric. It's a personal choice and your doctor should respect your wishes. If not, find someone else. With Lap Band it's a lot like pregnancy you do develop a relationship with the doctor and staff and it's important that you are able to be honest and comfortable.

Hi and welcome to the board. I sincerely think that being banded is a mental process you have to go through. I was a bored eater and addicted to food. Food controlled my life. I by no means am an expert on mental health or Lap Band, but you have to mourn food to some extent. You will learn to eat a different way and it takes time to understand when you are full and when a meal is over. It took me a couple months to figure that out. I am 6 months out and 70+lbs down. I can eat a bite of just about anything to satisfy a craving, but I know not to drink with bread or anything that will expand. Buffets are frustrating so I don't go to them. I did regret my decision to get banded the first week or two and again at about 2 months post-op. I have a history of depression. I do know that when you drastically cut back on calories it is very common to go through depression, so be prepared especially if you have a history of depression. This board is a wonderful resource. :mad: Best of luck to ya!

I know that Xenical causes people not to have control over their bowel movements. Basically it just comes out whenever you eat too much fat even if you aren't on the toilet. I don't think it's a good idea.

I too am lucky because I got to meet you in person twice. I wish you would reconsider, but if you must go I want to thank you for being the intelligent woman with such a wonderful sense of humor. ((((((HUGS)))))))

Hi and welcome to the board. I am 6 months post-op and lost 71lbs. I can tolerate a bite or two of just about anyting as long as I chew well. I've had 3 fills so I'm pretty well restricted. I can usually eat some bread, but I have to be careful and not drink anything for a COUPLE HOURS afterward otherwise it will expand and hurt. I too have a problem with red meat. I can eat taco meat fine, but steaks are really hard for me to eat.

Same problem with me. Hubby had constipation. (I feel like the lady on the TV that talks about her hubby's constipation).

From what I can understand the reason why they can't do this with an epidural is because it (the Lap Band incisions) is too high up and can cause breathing problems. Epidurals (for c-sections and childbirth) are administered lower in the back than what they would have to do in order to allow comfort during a Lap Band operation. I've had both a c-section and Lap Band. I also remember that they wouldn't let me out of bed for almost 18 hours after having my daughter because of the drugs used to numb me. This is not a logical thing to do if you are having surgery at a day surgery center.

Congrats!! Hope you get to feeling better soon.

Hi, Sorry you are having such a rough time. I hope it helps to know I went through the same stage. I am very much an emotional eater. I remember one day i had a really rough day and I couldn't eat the junk that made me feel better, or so I thought. You have to "mourn food" if you will. I simply look at the bad stuff as things that got me to 300lbs. It will get better I promise, when that scale starts going down and you can buy smaller clothes it so worth it. Total change in priorities. If you need me PM me. I'm here for ya!

I plan on someday having the same surgery. We want to have another baby first. I wish you the best of recovery, post pictures sometime

I Googled it and this is what I found: http://www.transweb.org/reference/articles/donation/excess_skin_donation.html

Welcome to the forum!! o2beslim, I too am in the Mesquite area.

I don't smoke, but I'm sure several of the people here do, so I can't answer your question on that. As far as the carbonated alcohol. I haven't had a beer in about a year because I have a young daughter, I used to drink Guinness Draft!! Talk about a meal in a pint! I can drink small amounts of soda, but I have to sip it over several hours and no gulping or you will hurt. For some reason chips and salsa go down well. I haven't tried flour tortillas but I read they weren't too band friendly and I prefer corn. I can eat a little refried Beans, but they tend to get stuck so I try not to eat much of them, same way with queso. I have found (and you maybe different) that I can have a bite or two of anything I want as long as I know when to stop. I usually either throw it away or give it to someone to keep me from eating it and getting sick. There is a lifestyle change involved. Not trying to preach I love beer too, but alcohol in general is full of empty calories and kinda defeats the purpose if consumed too often. Best of luck to ya!

I wanted to welcome you to the board. I don't know any information about the Houston area doctors, but I wanted to wish you the best of luck! Good for you not letting the insurance get ya down. You go Girl!

Welcome to the forum! I can't answer the insurance question, but I wish you the best of luck.

I hope you get to feeling better soon!!

Hi and welcome to the forum. I was banded back in August. I would be lying if I said it wasn't an adjustment that you have to get used to. It's a total change as far as food goes. I got my band because I was almost 300lbs and I have a 16 month old daughter that I want to be able to chase on the beach and not feel like I am going to die. If you have children you might relate to this. It's the only comparison I have found. You have life before kids and it's one way. When the baby comes home your whole world is torn upside down and things are just different. Your priorities change. While it's hard at first, you get used to your new life and how things are. It takes some people longer than others to adjust to the change, but when the weight starts coming off it's a HUGE motivation! Very few times do I miss my pre-band days. I avoid buffets like the plague. They are horrible and nothing but stress because I can't eat much. I do admit I enjoy an occasional soda. I let it fizz down a bit (usually for about 1/2 an hour) and sip it VERY slowly. You can't chug it because you WILL hurt. I usually get one soda every couple weeks when I want the bubbles. The only thing is it can cause you to throw up if you drink it too fast or give you the farts. I can pretty much eat a bite of anything I want. If I have a craving I eat 1-2 bites of whatever it is and either trash it or give it to someone else. I can eat a hamburger, but I have to take away the top bun, get it plain w/o lettuce and pickles and only eat 1/2 of it. You can still have what you crave, but with such limited capacity in your pouch you have to eat the healthy stuff 99% of the time. :Banane40: Best of luck to you!

I try not to weigh myself everyday, but it's addicting. I tend to fluctuate about 2lbs from day to day.

I got one shot of Depo back in like 1998. I got my shot at 9am, by 6pm I was crying my eyes out for no apparent reason. I had two moods during that time period either very mad or very emotional (crying). I also gained about 40lbs in the 3 months. My period went away for about 9 months and I felt like I was menopausal because I had no interest in sex. I had many of the symptoms women complain about with menopause. Personally I don't do the IUD because of the fear of abortive action. But like I said it is a personal thing. I have never heard of it causing a problem with the band, but I admit I haven't looked into it. Best of luck to ya!

I removed my post. I no longer recommend the surgeon we used.

I too am happy for you!!