HeatherA

I'm only on a 1 week version of that diet, but I could have written your post... I can hardly wait for the full liquid stage. It's to the point that I am having trouble even making the shakes to drink right now. I have NO interest... the only upside is the weightloss.

The hospital told me ABSOLUTELY no gum from Mid-night the night before surgery. I was hoping to use it to take the edge off of the no liquid thing... but when I checked with my Dad (he's a doctor) and asked why he said it was because the gum produces excess saliva and it fills your stomach so it's just like drinking water and can really complicate surgery. The girl at the hospital told me they will cancel surgery if I chew any gum and it's an absolute no-no.

Oh you poor thing... I can't imagine how scared you must be. I will add you to my prayer list. I hope they find a surgeon quickly that can fix you right up and get you back on your feet quickly. {{{HUGS}}}

I'm being banded around 1:30 on Tuesday the 18th. I'm starting to get a little nervous. It's toughest because I'm trying to make sure everything is done for Christmas before surgery so that I can recuperate without guilt. :-)

The countdown is starting... I get banded on the 18th. I'm starting to get a bit nervous. I know I've come too far to turn back, but I am just praying this is the right course for my journey. Please pray for me.

I am not there yet... but I highly recommend Steve & Barry's ( Steve & Barry's ) if there is one near you. We have two about 30 minutes from us and they are great stores for buying low cost clothing. The most expensive item they sell is $20. I'm talking from baby to adult, men and women, winter coats to shoes. Sarah Jessica Parker, Amanda Bynes and Venus Williams all have clothing lines there that bear their name. The idea is to get stylish clothes to everyone at a price that is fair. They don't currently carry plus sizes, that I could find anyway, but I plan on doing most of my shopping there as I drop sizes. It will be so much easier than hitting the thrift stores and searching for nice pieces. Good luck!

I am on day 3 of my pre-op diet too. Mine is all liquid meal replacements with the exception of one small protein bar each day. Surprisingly today has not been as bad as the first two days. I am just anxious to be on the other side of this as healthy as can be and I know this is helping me get there... however, that said, I don't have to like it! LOL

My doctor makes us have 6 shots after we come home. We MUST have the prescription filled before leaving the hospital or they won't allow us to leave. I am not looking forward to the injections.

OMG... I want real food!!!! I'm on the end of day two of my pre-op Meal Replacement diet. I have 4 more days to get through before I get banded next Tuesday. I keep reading about people eating real food. My son just made some pizza bites, my daughter just talked about pizza delivery, commercials show pictures of edible items and OMG I want to EAT! It's really hard dealing with my head hunger and knowing that it will be 5 weeks before I can even start to try to eat real food. I would be so happy with just a bite of this, or a bite of that... but I promised myself that I would not cheat on myself during this stage and I'm praying that after banding I'll not even care about eating... but OMG I am so hungry! I want to eat... I want a burger, I want a banana, I want peanut butter... I just want anything I can get my hands on! I do not know how anyone survives on liquid diets... I need real food! AUGHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHH

I have a magic bullet, and a full size smoothie maker, but I liked this because I could take it with me and the bottles are convenient to drink out of so making a shake/smoothie and taking it with me is as simple as throwing it in a tote bag and going. I'd never do that with my magic bullet because it's noisy, it's heavy and I'd still have to have another cup to transfer the shake to.

I'm excited, getting nervous and already wishing it was over! I'm scheduled at 1:30 on the 18th. I am bummed that it's so late in the day because that's a long time to go without drinking and I have no chance of going home same day.

I love new toys!

I bet! The price of those things astounds me! I am a tat virgin but I plan to get my first one when I hit my weight goal :-) My daughter is counting the days until her 18th birthday because I told her I'd take her for her first as soon as the big day arrived. BTW... she liked your sleeves also :-)

I started my pre-op diet today. The boxes aren't branded so I'm not sure the official name of it, but it's similar to Optifast I think. I'm allowed 5-6 packages of powder (chocolate/vanilla shake/puddings, chicken noodle Soup, fruit flavored drinks and hot chocolate), 1 Nutrimed bar per day, SF popsicles, SF jell-o and crystal light type drinks. I only have to be on this for 6 days. I'm nearing bedtime of day 1 and I am hanging in there. Earlier today I thought I was going to die of starvation. I'm hungry now and have one packet left that I can have, but I'm not going to eat it because I usually don't eat this late at night. The packets aren't that awful... they're not great... and I can stomach them. I just wish I could eat one meal of normal food. Anyway, surgery day is the 18th and I'm determined that I'm going to do well and not cheat. Oh... and to make it a little more fun and palatable I picked up this cute little personal blender/drink bottle mixer called the shake 'N Take to make my drinks in and to use during my post op liquid/mushie stage. It's a cute little gadget and is small enough for me to take to work and make my drinks and smoothies. You can see it here: smoothie Maker - Best of The Sharper Image

Jes, those are some sweet sleeves you have there!

That's a good question... I'm sorta wondering the same thing. My INS changes from UHC to Cigna on January 1st and I'm hoping that I'll have no problems with follow-up care once the change happens. Of course it's my husband's company making the change so it's a bit different than your situation. Hopefully someone will chime in and share some info with us :-)

Differences between REALIZE and ALLERGAN bands Clinical outcomes (slip rate, erosion rate, weight loss, etc) are very similar between the two bands. The Allergan band is the original band (Allergan bought the Inamed band company which bought Bioenterics company - these are the old names of the same band) Surgically, there are subtle differences such as: The Allergan band comes in many sizes, REALIZE band is one size. Allergan has two port sizes; REALIZE is one port size. Allergan ports are stitched to the muscle fascia (the tough white stuff on the outside of the muscle); REALIZE port has neat technology that attaches itself to the muscle fascia and may have slightly less port pain the first few days after surgery. The REALIZE ports have a neat tool that places the port and secures it with a handheld instrument making it really easy on the surgeon. (Don't tell anyone but they could teach monkeys to do this stuff.) Allergan band tubing has little arrows printed on it pointing the surgeon to the tab end of the tubing which is a nice feature in the operating room. Allergan ports are smaller around (circumference) and taller - perhaps easier to palpate for fills. REALIZE ports are bigger around and less prominent. Think small stack of silver dollars versus taller stack of quarters to create the mental image. Allergan tubing is closer to the septum (the area that you aim for with the needle for adjustments/fills) and perhaps more susceptible to needle sticks requiring port replacement. REALIZE ports have the septum farther away from the tubing - the tubing is a little more protected. Both bands are now easier to unbuckle in the event a surgeon has to reposition the band. The REALIZE band comes with a neat instrument that helps to pass the band around the upper stomach. The Allergan AP bands have "pillows" in the inflatable portion of the inner balloon that prevents balloon-to-balloon contact. The REALIZE band does have balloon-to-balloon contact. Some people think that this contact may cause issues years later but long-term studies have not shown this to be the case.

Judi, I've not seen you on AIM so I'm going to ask you here... can you walk me through the day of surgery? For instance, what to bring to the hospital, where to go when I get to the hospital and what happens after I get to the hospital. I start my liquid diet tomorrow and I'm starting to get worried and ready to prepare for the big day. Thanks in advance!

Thanks Doc :-)

Hi Dr. Watkins, thanks for the generous offer. Is the support group here in Columbus?

I found out Thursday that I start my pre-op diet this Wednesday. I've been following a 1200-1500 cal. diet for the last 6 weeks and have lost nearly 10 "official" pounds. Since Thursday I have been eating almost like I used to. I have not said "no" to myself because I'm kinda freaking out about the pre-op liquid diet I am going to be starting. I know this... but I still feel powerless to stop and it's really odd when I'm sitting here knowing exactly what I'm doing and why I'm doing it... almost like looking through a window at someone. Our minds are such weird creatures. I know that once I start the pre-op liquid diet I'll be as good as I can be and I am almost looking forward to it at this point. I know that it's only 5 weeks until I can start eating regular food again... not a lifetime... I'm almost like a crack junkie... don't take away my foooooooooooooooooooooooooooooood.....

Everyone talks about the Protein powders and supplements they take but I was thinking it'd be interesting to have a thread where we all share our favorites and give a little testimonial as to why they are our favorites. It might be helpful for those just starting out the process as well as those at varying stages. Right now my favorite is the EAS Carb Control chocolate Fudge Protein Drink. I buy them in packs of 4 at Walmart for about $5. The are low in carbs, low in sugar and have 17gm of protein per shake. I find that they make the perfect Breakfast drink for me. If I'm still hungry I have been occasionally adding a Pure Protein snack bar with 20 gm of protein in it. Also found at Walmart for about $1.17 each. I am pre-band so this will change when I get to the liquid stage.

My official date is now 12/18 :-)

Hi Debbie, Thank you for your kind words! I mostly feel hideous so to be called cute is not something that happens often :-) It was definitely fun to read! I am 5'8" Let's hope this Spring I am looking good... it sure would be nice to buy a smaller size dress for Easter!

I went for my pre-op visit on Thursday and found out that I will be the 2nd AP band my surgeon has done. The first will happen a week before my surgery. He will be having a rep from Allergen (?) in the OR with both of us to make sure he primes it correctly. I am thrilled that I will be getting the AP band and I'm actually happy that the rep will be there to assure that things go as they should. I guess my doctor wasn't using these bands yet as they were finishing up their supply of VG bands.