PATCHELTON

Hopefully you didn't have your PBJ and milk together. That sounds like drinking with a meal. I am sure it tastes great, but unless it is on cereal or in cream of wheat, shouldn't you be waiting 45 minutes to drink it?

I had oodles of vacation time, plus short term disability, and when the surgeon said take 4 weeks, I took 4 weeks. Probably only needed 2, but I was pretty much off pain med by Sunday (surgery was previous Tues) and wanted to drive so I could go to my favorite park to walk. It is nice to take the time to get used to eating differently and you would likely just be ending the mushy stage, so if you have the time, take it. The last 2 weeks I ran errands, did stuff I would normally have to take off work to do anyway. My neighbor put the trash out for me (I have cats so I had to dump the litter once a week and put in new, so she did that for me so I wouldn't have to lift anything heavy). I went to the park to walk every day, and had my post op visit before I had to return to work.

My surgeon's office sent me paperwork with a check list of everything I had to do. Don't deal with the insurance unless you have to. Bariatric offices have oodles of experience and they will tell you what you need to do. As an example, I called my insurance (Blue Choice) while waiting for approval to see if they could tell me anything. The service rep told me I would probably be denied because I had used an out of network dietician and psych evaluator (I just did everything at my surgeons office-even had their dietician monitor my 6 month weight loss attempt that insurance required). He had me all upset. I called they surgeon's office, and they had been trying to get me to tell me I had been approved! Out of network means out of pocket (you pay the bill) and beyond that it shouldn't and didn't matter. I had no trouble getting approved (though it took them 4 weeks to do it). If you haven't already, besides coming here, I would go to the group support offered at the hospital where you are going to be done. You can learn a lot. People in all stages of the process, before and after surgery, come, and you could have some of the issues being discussed. I was banded 3/25/08, and I have been going to the group support since last summer. Read all you can. The Lapband Solution and The Lapband Companion are two good books, though there are lots out there. These are available on Amazon.com. Good luck to you on your journey.

I am not sure if you are pre or post op, but if post op I would suggest a fill. I am happy your house survived Ike. I live in Maryland, and we have been extremely fortunate so far this hurricane season. In a previous season we got a downgraded hurricane (tropical storm), and one of my co-workers lost the contents of the first floor of her house, plus clothes and stuff. My electric was out for two days making life interesting in an all electric home, but I was lucky compared to my co-worker. I hope you get your house back in order and you get back on track for your weight loss journey. Good luck.

To those with constipation problems, I had them before surgery, so I was taking softeners twice a day anyway. I continued that after surgery, and when that doesn't feel like enough, I take a senna laxative, like Senokote, as it is gentle, but does the trick. Gas X may help the gass pains. As for the itching, that is from the steri-strips. That bothered me more than anything. I got some anti-itch cream and rubbed it on (not directly on the incision, but all around it and as close as I dared). I actually get itchy welts from the bandages. They said to let them fall off, and when they had mostly done that I helped them the rest of the way. I started walking immediately after surgery. Stayed over my sisters for one day and walked around her yard. When I went home to my condo, I walked around the parking lot. They don't want you to drive while taking the pain med, but by 5 days out I didn't really need it so much, so I took an experimental drive, figuring if anything hurt I would turn around. Nothing did, so I drove to my favorite walking spot, a park with a 2 mile nature trail and walked there, stopping if I felt like it as there are benches all through the park just for that. Every now and then I get a pain that feels like gas, but on the whole I am doing really well. And, as stated already, if this doesn't resolve, call your doctor. No reason to feel miserable.

Sliming occurs usually when something is stuck in the opening between your band and the rest of your stomach, and for reasons I can't explain, you start to salivate excessively and it has no place to go but up and out. I have had sliming twice. Once I got a pill struck that I should have cut in half but didn't, and I slimed for a few minutes until the pill dissolved enough to go through. Also once I got some hamsteak stuck that I apparently didn't chew thoroughly. That took a couple hours to resolve. No nausea, but I knew stuff needed to come up, so I was in and out of the bathroom at work for about 2 hours. That and the nasty discomfort you feel in your chest from whatever is stuck. If you are gagging and spitting up a little bit, I am not sure that is really sliming. The excess saliva is quite a lot. If you gag and clear your throat, you may just need to clear your throat.

I do not have your condition, but my insurance said with a BMI 35-40 you had to have one or more co-morbidity (condition that is affected by weight--diabetes, high blood pressure, high cholesterol, sleep apnea, GERD, joint arthritis--I had all but diabetes). My BMI was 37-38 and I was approved. Your condition might be out of the ordinary, and you may need some support letters from your eye doctor/primary care doctor explaining how this is related to your weight. I certainly think that should work. You never know with insurance companies, but the more documentation you can get, the better. Good luck. BTW I have Blue Choice Insurance.

Congratulations on being approved. Good luck on your journey.

Congratulations on your decision. I am 63 and had surgery 3/25/08. I jumped in feet first to the process, and am exercising (mostly walking) and eating better. I never would have been able to do this just dieting. I just had follow up bloodwork and am now off 2 cholesterol drugs, one of my blood pressure drugs (the other may follow later) and my reflux medicine. My doctor will send me in a bit for a sleep study to see how the apnea is doing (gone I hope). I have gone from size 22W to Misses 12-14. I walk in a park near home and feed peanuts to the squirrels. I refer to them as my personal trainers. I also belong to Curves and do my resistance training there. I wish you all the success you have coming. Remember, the band is a tool, not a magic bullet. It helps with portion control. You still have to choose to eat healthy. If you do, and exercise, you will have an amazing journey.

Not much to add that hasn't already been said, but I agree. The problem is in his head. Don't let it drive you to making it a reality. I think counselling is an excellent idea. A disinterested party who can point out his faulty thinking (he won't believe it coming from you) may be just the thing he needs.

Congratulations! Your success is awesome! I was banded 3/25/08. I had lost 10 pounds on the 6 month diet required by insurance, and 25 more on the pre-op liquids. My start weight and current are below in my signature. I had one fill 6 weeks after surgery, but am apparently very sensitive to fills. I received 3ccs (I have a 14cc AP band) and the next day I met the surgeon for an unfill. He removed 1.5cc and two weeks later in his office another .5cc. The next visit he talked me out of a fill as I had lost 7 pounds between visits. This last visit I talked him into a small fill (I had lost another 5 pounds) because even though I had drastically changed my eating to healthier stuff, my portions were climbing. So he drew out what I had to see what was in there (2ccs--must have had a little from surgery) and he put that back with additional 1.5cc. So I have a total of 3.5ccs in a 14cc band, and believe me, if I eat just a little too much, I will feel it. Kukos to you for doing what you have with no fills. I am right there behind you. The surgeon said the band is helping a little but I am doing most of it, as are you. :rolleyes2:

Different bariatric centers have different approaches to post-op diet. In my case I was 2 weeks full liquids, then 2 weeks pureed (mushies). Mashed potatoes fell into the mushy stage for me. They told me instant mashed potatoes, and I would heat fat free gravy to put on it for a little more flavor. If you are on the same schedule, your liquids wouldn't end until tomorrow, so you may have progressed to mushies a little prematurely. Also as part of my dietician consult, I have 6 months followup with the dietician for the fee I paid. I would suggest calling the dietician for advice on what you can do. The sensation you describe sounds like the feeling restriction gives you. The food stages are to allow healing and for swelling to subside. It may well be that the potatoes (unless the cosistency is such that you practically can drink them) aren't going down as easily as you would like. I still have trouble recognizing satisfaction as the point to stop eating, but I do recognize when the pressure starts to build, so I know that is where I must stop (to push that invites PBs and sliming--productive burps, and excess production of saliva when food is stuck, that has no place to go but up and out--you are not nauseated, but you need to spit up--the amount of saliva can be impressive). Also, the soup is a liquid, and the mashed potatoes a pureed food. They really shouldn't be consumed together. Liquids stop 1/2 hour before eating (I am guessing the drinking rule applies here) and can start 45 minutes or more after eating. You didn't say what kind of soup you were having, so I wonder if you are consuming Protein first. If it is just a broth, your meal has little or no protein, another good reason to talk to the dietician. If you received different instructions, follow those. I would also call the surgeon's office to see what to do about the diarrhea. Good luck.

I was on the preop liquid diet for 3 weeks. It was supposed to be two, but I caught a cold and my surgery was bumped, but only a week, so it wasn't enough time to stop and restart, so I just stayed on it an extra week. They did let me have a small amount of lean protein up until 4 days before surgery. I used unbreaded chicken tenders and hard boiled eggs for this. I lost 25 pounds by surgery. My starting BMI was about 38, but I had just about every co-mordbidity except diabetes. My liver enzymes were elevated on my cholesterol tests, but the surgeon said it could be due to a fatty liver instead of meds. My liver looked pretty good in surgery, and my recent followup bloodword still had elevated enzymes, but my numbers were great (total 142, triglycerdes 53, HDL 65) so she stopped both my cholesterol meds and I recheck in 6 months. I was also able to stop one BP med and my reflux med. I may lose the other BP med later on. If you aren't on cholesterol medicine, you might want to ask the surgeon if he thinks it means you have a fatty liver. The preop diet will help that, and shrink your liver to make surgery easier. Good luck with your journey.

I get hiccups sometimes after eating, and burps too, small ones. I am not sure if I am eating too fast, or maybe not chewing enough. They subside after a short time, so I don't worry. With the hiccups, hold your ears like a little kid who doesn't want to listen, and swallow a few times. That should quiet them.

I have a quote that I like from one of my books (either Lapband Solution or Lapband Companion): "The band is not around your lips. It is around your stomach. It cannot keep food out of your mouth. Only you can do that." The band is a tool that allows you to exercise portion control. End of story. You are right, you still have to exercise, eat healthy, and eat differently. Easy just isn't part of the equation.

I am not certain you have no restriction since you can't get anything down, but my experience was somewhat similar so maybe this will help. I had my first fill (3ccs) at about 6 weeks post-op. I was okay in the office but by evening even Water was giving me indigestion. I was worse the next morning and called the office. I ended up meeting the surgeon at the hospital and having a 1.5cc unfill. I could feel the pressure relaxing as he drew out the Fluid. Two weeks later in the office I told him liquids and soft foods were okay, but I was having trouble with more solid stuff. He took out another .5cc. The next visit I had lost 7 lbs so he talked me out of a fill. This last time I had lost another 5 but I said even though I was eating healthier food, the quantity was going up and I was hungry after about 2 hours. He gave me 1.5cc. He found 2cc in my band (1cc from the fill and I guess 1cc was in there after surgery). I am still adjusting to this fill. If I eat too much or too fast I feel tight, but it did inhibit the quantity which is what I wanted. I am still working on small bites and chewing thoroughly. I don't know how closely this is to your experience, but I suspect you are too tight. You should let your surgeon's office know.

I had the same experience at work. I contemplated going to the ER, but decided to try and tough it out. I had eaten some ham steak followed by some salad. No nausea, but major chest discomfort (and I work in a Cardiologists' office too). The sliming started, and I spent about 2 hours back and forth to the bathroom to expell the slime. Never brought up the ham, and maybe one Romaine leaf, and some green slime. Eventually it did subside. If yours does not CALL YOUR SURGEON. People have needed help getting unstuck. If it passes on its own, I would suggest liquids for the rest of the day to give your pouch a rest. If in doubt, call the bariatric surgeon's office. They can advise you.

The Lapband Solution (mentioned above) and The Lapband Companion are both good picks. I got them from Amazon.com. I also have a cookbook called A Collection of Neighborhood Recipes (all WLS patients) available at livingafterwls.com.

I have a different insurance (Blue Choice) but my BMI was 37-38. With that under my plan you had to have 2 or more co-morbidities (diabetes, sleep apnea, high blood pressure, high cholesterol, reflux, joint arthritis--basically any ailment affected by excess weight). I had all of the above except diabetes. Check with your insurance again. I would definitely appeal the denial. My insurance paid for the surgery, a night in the hospital, but they don't pay for fills. Go figure. . .

I too, prefer Worldwide Protein shakes. Atkins was on my list from the dietician for a ready to drink, but it only has about 9 or 15g protein (I forget how much), and it is full of Vitamins, which is fine, but we are taking Vitamin supplements, so why drink more? Taste-wise WW shakes are better than Atkins. They are available at Trader Joe's (cheapest--$2.29 each for 35s and they have 21g version for $1.69), The Vitamin Shoppe (next cheapest--$2.79 but I bought a 12 pack for $27.99 which is about $2.33 each), and GNC (most expensive--$2.99 each). All three carry vanilla Cream and chocolate. The Vitamin Shoppe carries all the flavors (strawberry Cream, Cookies n' Cream, and banana Cream). I don't care for banana flavored stuff, but the Cookies n' Cream tastes like liquid Oreos, and the Strawberry is pretty good too. Calories 160-170, maybe 1g fat/0.5 sat fat, and 1g sugar, no added vitamins. It is a milk-based protein (in case you are lactose intolerant). I don't work for them (honest) but I have been drinking them since before surgery, and I still drink one just about every day. As for vitamins, Bariatricadvantage.com sells chewables and liquids just for surgery patients. I use Centrum Silver chewables (even though our dietician pooh-poohs them) and Twin Labs calcium citrate with Magnesium and D (after I started using I found it on the list of approved supplements for Brigham Womens Hospital Bariatric Program--someone here had a link and I clicked on it). Best price is online at vitacost.com, about $7.67 a bottle for 60 wafers (15 day supply). In stores it is anywhere from $13 to $18 for the same thing. There is a $4.99 s/h charge, for any size order, so I order 5 bottles on an auto ship plan for every 60 days. I am experimenting with the MVI, and right now can get down sizeable capsules so I take one with supplements for the eyes since mine are crap after 3 eye surgeries. If you have a lot of restriction chewables or liquids are better.

I had to do the 6 month diet attempt. It was required by my insurance. During that time I read everything I could find about the band, joined this web site and obesityhelp.com. By the time I had surgery I could almost perform it myself! (just kidding) My insurance paid the entire hospital bill, but for reasons unknown, they do not cover fills, after the 90 global period, where everything was covered under the surgery. So unless you have $10-15,000 sitting around doing nothing (you could send it to me--really :biggrin2:) you will have to jump through the required hoops. I also started going to support group long before surgery. A good place to learn the good, bad and maybe ugly.

See my post above about Worldwide Protein drinks. They are ready to drink and come in 21 and 35g protein. I drink one every day.

Try Worldwide Protein shakes (available at Trader Joe, Vitamin Shoppe, and GNC--Trader Joe cheapest, VS next cheapest and they carry all the flavors). It comes in 21g protein (only Trader Joe carries them in Van and Choc) and 35g protein (TJ carries Van and Choc, GNC also; Vitamin Shoppe carries Vanilla, chocolate, Cookies n' Cream-tastes like liquid Oreos, strawberry, and banana Cream). At Trader Joe the 35s are $2.29 each, 21s $1.69. At Vitamin Shoppe they are $2.79 but I bought a 12 pack for $27.99 which is about $2.33 each. GNC charges $2.99 so that is the last place I would buy it. I think the taste is better than many of the other drinks. The powders benefit from a packet of Splenda.

I have tried unflavored Unjury, and I put it into sugar/fat free Jello pudding to bump up the protein content. I would suggest pudding into food dishes rather than drinks.

I also weigh in the morning, after I pee, and ditch my clothes. Even a night shirt and panties make a difference. I weigh every day so I can adjust my eating if I bounce up some. At the surgeon's office it is usually late in the day, after having eaten breakfast and lunch, fully clothed with sneakers on. I am usually 7 pounds heavier in his office. I go by what I weigh at home when I tell someone how much weight I have lost.