lin1970

Just an update. I've been more conscious of my band being tighter during and after fasting days. That first bite needs to be well chewed and eaten very slowly or my meal can be ruined easily. This green zone is tricky. I'm definitely there and I'm not too tight, but at times I am too tight for the type of eating I fall into. So the biggest change for me this month has been slowing down and chewing well. It works! I had pork not long ago doing that and I wasn't able to eat pork before. I can still eat a whole salad or many pieces of bread at a restaurant. I choose not to. I had a julienne salad last me two meals this week. One of the nice parts about being banded is that since I eat so much less, I can have "real" Salad Dressing, etc. In other words, my small meal is much more satisfying than a huge diet meal with sugar free or fat free crappy dressing. I love my band!!!

Hi all. Having lap band to RNY in the morning (9/29/2014). (-: It's been a long wait. I had my lap band in 2009 at 250 lbs. Stayed at around 220 for the next few years. Did Medifast and got down to 199 but gained it back plus some. I had the Fluid taken out of my band four months ago due to signs of erosion, acid reflux and in preparation of RNY. Gained almost 25 pounds in 4 months following the fluid being taken out. Ugh. So, going in tomorrow I should be about 251-252. If it's less (due to the 3 day pre-op diet) great, if not, that's okay too. I have no doubt I'll lose it. I've researched this like crazy. Read every book, success and failure story I could find. I really understand the life changes I need to make this time and can't wait to make them. Couch potato to 5k is my first one - 2015 Disney Princess Half Marathon is the second! Anyway, I look forward to giving some updates to how it goes. I don't post much but reading all of yours has been invaluable. I'm wishing us all good health and success!!!
Kathi

I just want to post that I am so glad to have ditched the habit of weighing every morning. I feel so much better and more confident. This week was very good with the food. I only had fried food once and it's getting easier to avoid it. I find it hard to believe that I'm enjoying celery sticks. Celery sticks with cream cheese, with hummus, wrapped with roast beef slices. Yum. It satisfies that crunch need that I have.
Most of all, I am actively and intensely working on the issues that contribute to my reaching for food for comfort. This is a critical part of my success over the last two weeks with food. I focus every day on this.
As for the 5:2, I feel healthier and don't seem to get as hungry after fasting days as I did the first week. I think my band has adjusted to lower volume. I can get stuck on solid meat easily if I'm not slow and careful. But I'm still able to eat big salads so I have to consciously slow down.
Looking forward to weighing in tomorrow but only because I feel so skinny and I'm eager to adjust my ticker! Lol. I went to the dmv this week for a new driver's license due to moving and registering to vote. I told them my real weight for the first time EVER. I didn't even care that I probably weighed less than the number I told them because I hadn't weighed in days. That's truly amazing.

There is the issue that chemical laxatives are not supposed to be taken every day because then your body 'forgets' how to move waste through the system on its own - then it becomes a vicious circle.
Also before you get too worried about not going every day remember that on pre and early post op diets there's very little of substance going into your body and by the time your body has extracted all the Protein, nutrients etc from it that it needs there's not a lot left to pass through. It only becomes an issue if you start to feel uncomfortable.

All my Proteins are in liquid and that's the only way it goes down. Even then I struggle...I bought a slow cooker and made pull chicken and it was def worth it. I prefer minced meats vs tough and rough ones.

Maybe try a braise? Slow cooking meats in liquid at a lower temp should make it easier to chew and digest.
Try this: saute some chicken breasts or thighs in a pan with cooking spray until browned on both sides. Then add 1/2 c white wine, and stir it so you dissolve all the brown bits at the bottom of the pan. Then pour in some low fat chicken stock until about halfway up the chicken. Add a bit of salt and pepper, chopped garlic, some herbs like thyme or rosemary. Cover and let simmer for 15 minutes. Turn the chicken over and let it braise another 15-30 minutes until you can pull it apart with a fork. Freezes fabulously, and you can shred it and put it in Soups too!
This stuff is great cold the next day in your lunch box!

2 Weeks post op and I'm 13 lbs down!! Feelen good!

pizza helped me get into this mess. So, the opposite must be true to help get me out of it. I take a deep smell or two of it and FORGET IT.

This sounds like a lawsuit. Time to take them to court...

You had your procedure August 18th? I know every doc has a different food plan, but it seems early to be eating solid food only 8 days after your surgery. My surgeon's plan doesn't let me even eat pureed food until 4 weeks out.

HI
THIS ACTUALLY MY FIRST POST. I ANSWERED A LOCAL MEETING POST. I'M IN A SUBURB OUTSIDE OF CHICAGO IL.
I'M DENISE. I HAD LAPBAND SURGERY IN 2008. IT DIDN'T WORK FOR ME. I LOST APPROX. 40 POUNDS AND REGAINED IT. I REACH MY SWEET SPOT FOR A MINUTE MAYBE THE 3RD MONTH, BUT THE DOCTOR HAD AN INEXPERIENCED TECH DO MY FILL AND IT WAS ALL DOWN HEEL FROM THERE. I DON'T REALLY KNOW WHAT HAPPENED. I DO KNOW THE DOCTOR FINALLY SAID THE TECH DIDN'T HIT MY PORT. AFTER THAT I STARTED HAVING BOUTS OF NO RESTRICTION & THE BAD ACID REFLUX DANCE. AT ONE POINT THE HEADBOARD OF MY BED WAS POSITIONED SO HIGH UP; WE SLID OFF THE BED. LOL! I STARTING BECOMING SO FRUSTRATED AND EATTING AROUND THE BAND.
FAST FORWARD TO 2014. THE DOCTOR DID AN UNFILL ON MY BAND 4/1/14 (HAPPY APRIL FOOLS DAY). I HAD SOME ESOPHICAL DAMAGE, BUT NOW I'M SCHEDULED TO HAVE THE BAND OUT AND RNY REVISION 8/27/14. OH HAPPY DAY. I AM BOTH EXCITED & NEVEROUS. NOT ONLY BECAUSE OF THE DANGER OF THE SURGERY, BUT BECAUSE THIS JUST HAS TO WORK. YOU KNOW? ALSO I WON'T KNOW UNTIL I WAKE UP IF HE WAS ABLE TO DO BOTH SURGERIES. WELL I'LL KEEP YOU POSTED. PRAY FOR ME!!!!!
DENISE

Just browsing through and saw your post about finding cancer.. So sorry to hear of this news i will keep you in my prayers and stay positive. This is such an awesome group here for support!!
"Just keep swimming"~DORY

Absolutely not. I don't enjoy the loose skin, but I love tying my shoes without being out of breath. Riding 12 miles on a bicycle, wearing normal clothes and the list goes on. So I won't wear a bikini, I'm lovin this.

glad to hear you are well. I have the vsg and at the time of that surgery had a hiatus hernia repaired. after goiong back to my surgeon and some tests and careful thought I am off to have a revision to RNY today. I am so over this reflux and not eating well because of vomiting etc. Do worry that constapation will still be an issue so anyone has experience please let me know.

pik - hope you get better. you shouldn't have to suffer like that

If it were in the Olympics, it would be shoe in for a Gold Medal.
If it were a Sports Car it would be a 1967 Chevrolet Corvette L88 Coupe.
If it were a Planet it would be Jupiter.
If it were a Talk Show Host it would Be Oprah.
If it were in the Guiness Book of World Records it would be on the Cover.
Okay you get what I'm saying here right? Before you think twice please understand that I've had a Lapband... I've had a VSG... and now that I've revised to the RNY Gastric Bypass I finally feel like I've made the best decision for myself. The only complication I had was a little more pain than others experience, but that's all. Other than that I am free from GERD, I am free from coughing all day and all night, and I am free from food. I guess I should have mentioned the last thing first. However, the GERD was the main reason for my revision.
It's doing for me everything that's promised! I'm losing weight and inches at a rate I can't even keep up. I feel tons full of energy and no I do not look sickly. I can only eat a very tiny bit or suffer a miserable time. I am still doing Protein Shakes to keep my Protein up and Soups, but for some reason I am not getting sick of them. I can literally forget to eat, all day long. I never ever EVER feel hunger. Not even mental hunger. My pouch hates anything not deemed healthy, seriously. I don't know how it knows but it does. It doesn't like anything too high in fat. It doesn't like sugar so I stay close to my 5g per serving maximum. But if it is high in protein and veggies, it is in Heaven. I do still have to do my part by getting my activity in and making sure I'm getting my supplements. As of last week though I have completely been taken off my High Blood Pressure Medications which I haven't ever been able to do since I turned 31 and was put on them. No, not even when I had the sleeve and I was a huge success with the sleeve...
So, if you're on the fence - get down and change your life forever.

I am so new to this and have no clue where to start. I am still learning the WLS lingo and trying to figure out how to navigate on here. If this posts it will be a small miracle!

I'm feeling ok. Somewhat embarrassed about it though I suppose (I haven't reached goal yet and this will be my 3rd weight loss surgery). But hey, everyone is walking their own road so I'm just trying to stay positive this might be my golden ticket.
Hope your pre op went well!

Hi I first had the sleeve and while I did loose weight was not enough for me, so went to the doctor and had the bypass done have lost another 20 kg since that bypass very happy and yes I would do it again

I had RNY I May of 2013. Weighed 300# on day of surgery. Was a mild diabetic, high cholesterol, blood pressure and knee and hip pains. Today, I am at 159, 9# from my goal with no diabetes, regular blood pressure and cholesterol and I can walk miles with no pain. I am 45 this year and I still believe it wasn't right for me up until last year even though I struggled my entire life. I haven't had sweets in over year, fried foods either. I don't miss them and probably could eat them in moderation, but why. You have to follow the doctors orders. But it was for me the best decision I have ever made. Good luck. My surgeon was very clear this is what I needed and I believe I owe him my life.

Actually, you couldn't be more right. As a scientist and WLS patient, I read all of the research. When my wife announced she wanted WLS (RNY) I tried to talk her out of it...until I went to a talk and learned about the metabolic benefits. Then I actually did my own homework and decided that I not only was an idiot for not supporting my wife (which I should have done from the beginning, but let's not talk about my own insecurities) but I needed to seriously consider it for myself (58 BMI at initial doctor visit, 32.4 today, 13.5 months post RNY).
I agree with your caveat that not everyone can read the research. Sometimes it is rewritten in a form digestible (pun intended) to non-healthcare providers/scientists, but generally it is not. I would recommend bringing a copy of any articles that you find interesting to your doctor visits. If your healthcare provider has not read it, give them a copy and ask them if they can explain it to you. They may ask for a little time to read it and get back to you, but if they are not willing, then maybe they are not the right doctor to be helping you through this life altering (in a good way, although not with out its challenges) decision.
Thanks for putting this rant out there!

update...was released from this hospital this evening. Probably would have been released sooner if not for a miscommunication between my surgeon and the hospital. To be honest, I think he flat out forgot to leave my discharge instructions. That's a downfall with these great surgeons. They get so busy, they don't remember everyone. I guess as long as he remembers what he's doing in the operating room, that's all that really matters to me.
Anyway, I started getting gas pain pretty bad. I didn't feel it too much until it moved down into my bowels and now just sits there. Walking a lot, but so far not much relief. The pain meds are keeping that pain manageable though. That's my mission tomorrow. To "break wind". Lol! Sorry if tmi, but they say that's a good sign that everything is moving along. Just took my first dose of the prescribed meds I filled for when I got home. For the first time I felt like I might not be able to keep it down. I managed though, thank goodness. Can't imagine what pain it would be to have to throw up in this condition.
So far, not a moment of regret. Just going to keep taking it day by day. Hoping sharing will help others. Time for a nap

I had my Laparoscopic RNY Gastric Bypass this morning at 7:30am and all I've been thinking since then is, how incredibly lucky and blessed that it all went so smoothly. I wish everyone's experience could be as great as mine has been. My insurance is great, had no issues getting approval. The surgery itself was straight forward. And, my recovery is going so well so far, even I am surprised. Pain is not bad. The worst pain has been in my back from lying down all day. So blessed. It should be so great for everyone. I went in for my consult weighing 229lbs, weight this morning was 217.5 thanks to 3 week pre-op diet (last week was liquids & veggies only). They only wanted me to lose 10lbs before surgery. Feeling no hunger whatsoever. Starting to feel a little gassy, but not horrible. I read on one of the threads someone recommended bringing a heating pad, which I did and it came in very handy. Chapstick is definitely a must. I've been sipping Water and it's settling well. I never got hooked up to IV pain meds, but they did give me morphine at first. Went to liquid lortab at 1pm and did well with it. Not needing full dose, so that's a good sign. No nausea so far, which is a huge relief because I don't tolerate nausea well at all. I'm a big baby about it. But, I do wonder if that's a good thing long term. Fear of nausea will definitely keep me on track diet wise. So, we will see. Just wanted to share my experience to show how well it can go. Everyone is different, but there is reason to be optimistic. :-). Good luck to all you pre-opers! Can't wait to read about your experiences as well.

I don't have all the answers, but one thing i know is today I am healthy, happy, learning everyday, fighting food monsters and doing things I never had the courage to even dream about

I don't know if this helps but when I was researching WLS I was deliberately trying to find people who had complications or otherwise bad experiences. I was impressed by the fact that ALL of those that I managed to find said they would still do it again. I hope everything turns out okay for you and it was all worth it in the end.