chichigirl

I really have a difficult time with all of the 'statistics' being used for anything. They are not intended to be absolutes, they are just averages and who says you have to be average. I honestly believe it is entirely up to the individual, as much as we don't like to accept it, we are responsible for what size we are, because we are responsible for the diet we eat and the amount of exercise we do. With gastric bypass it's even got stats on those who have not lost or even regained weight. The surgery didn't come undone, but rather people chose to eat the wrong kind of foods in the wrong amounts and did not exercise. The band is simply a tool that aids us in weight loss, nothing more and nothing less. Don't allow statistics to rule your decision making. You know yourself better than anyone else and only you can answer the questions needed to know whether or not you will be successful and if so how much. Also looking at those numbers which determine obesity from morbid obesity, they are not absolutes either, they are simply guidelines intended to assist us in recognizing when we may be entering a danger or safety zone. I started off at 367 lbs and have lost 65 lbs, meaning I am still over 300 lbs, still morbidly obese, and I have multiple weight related problems, all of which have been greatly reduced by the relatively small amount of weight I have lost. For example I am no longer on insulin for my diabetes. That's huge for me. Please remember to put things in perspective and don't allow statistics or anything else distract you from what you want to do. I hope you decide what is best for you and follow through on that, for you truly and honestly know what's best for you. Good luck in making your decision and your journey. Cindy

You ever give a thought to maybe she didn't have her tonsils removed? Maybe she was banded? Only someone who has pretty seriously looked into WLS would really know about the pre or post op diet of liquid Protein. She doth protest too much. I mean, you said she's lost a ton of weight since her so called tonsillectomy, why would she consider going on a liquid diet if she believed it were only for people who were having or have had WLS? Think about it and pay really close attention to what she is eating, you could even ask her weight loss tips since you said she has already lost a great deal of weight. Turn the tables, sometimes the best defense is a good offense. Just a thought, but I'd be awfully curious about her bringing up the whole issue they way she has. Good luck. Cindy

Thanks for the information. I read everything I can get my hands on in my neverending search for motivation and insight. Cindy

Welcome new friend. So glad you enjoy the people here, they are really very compassionate, kind and supportive people with tons of knowledge and experience. If you have any questions, concerns or just need a hug, we are here for you. There is no such thing as a stupid question and it's always much easier for any of us to know we have a lot of people praying for us and wishing us well. I wish you the best with your surgery and a super speedy recovery. Keep us posted on how you are doing please. Cindy

Back in 2002 when I had my surgery done, I was on Medicare with a supplimental insurance, BCBS of Florida and they denied me initially, but quickly changed their minds when my co-morbidities where shown to them by my doctors office, after that they approved me and I never had any problem. Cindy

Although I had my surgery done several years ago, 2002, my doctor at the time recommended a Protein shake, but I really couldn't tolerate it, tasted way to yucky for me to deal with, they're much better now, thank goodness. My surgeon told me to eat an extremely low fat diet in order to reduce the fat around my liver. I ate a lot of Scramblers, or Eggbeaters, whichever you prefer, turkey bacon and lots of homemade vegetable beef Soup, made with a small amount of no visible fat beef. I also ate a lot of salads with no dressing, fruit and the occassional V-8, which I really enjoy. That's what I did and in three weeks, I dropped over thirty pounds! What a great way to start off my new life. It must have worked, because I had one of the easiest surgeries on record. No recovery time, back to work in two days, no pain meds at all, even in the hospital. It was amazing. Good luck to you and wishing you success on your surgery and recovery, along with your new journey! Cindy

Hi Wendy and welcome aboard! Always glad to have new friends around here, we thrive on it. Is my understanding correct that you have made the decision to get banded? If so do you have a surgery date? This is a great place for comfort, support and information, both good and bad, but always honest. At least that's what I have encountered. Great bunch of people here and sounds like fit right in. I'm so glad that you are making a committment to treat yourself right and lose the weight before your health takes a turn for the worse. That's no fun at all!!!! See ya round the boad! Cindy

Hi Bandman and welcome to the banded side. When you say you are having trouble breathing, how severe is it? Does postion help, like sitting up, laying down, etc? Shortness of breath can be a warning sign of real problems, but sometimes it's just that we are too heavy. Are you tking your pain medications as per the perscription? It's very important to keep that pain under control as much as possible. Could you be experiencing gas pain? Do you have anything to take for gas? I know, I'm asking more questions than answering yours, but there are a lot of reasons why you may be feeling this way. As for showering, what did they use to close you up, super glue, steristrips, stitches, staples? I really wouldn't be too concerned about infection, but do try to use an antibacterial soap to be on the safe side. One more question, where did you have your surgery done? Here in the US or in Mexico, just curious, no real reason for that question. Hope you feel better soon, remember to keep walking as much as possible as it will help in your recovery process. Also stay hydrated, lots of Water, but verrrrrrry slowly, no gulping. Take care and keep us posted as to how things are going. Feel better. Cindy

They don't taste the same as the regular Slim Fast to me, they seem to have that Protein after taste which I find with all of the Protein drinks. They aren't bad, but nothing to get excited about either, IMHO. Personally I prefer the Atkins Protein shakes for two reasons, to me that taste a little better and they have more Fiber, a really important ingredient when doing this high protein thing. The fiber also helps sustain you longer, not a bad bonus. Cindy

You really should head to the ER, the dry heaves can cause you to rip the stitches that were put in to hold your band in place and cause a slippage. Sounds to me like you may have tried too much too soon, the first few weeks, at least, the stoma will be swollen and some people even have difficulty getting Water down. Your main concern right now should be stopping the heaves and taking something for the gas. Do you have a friend or family member who can run to the nearest drug or even grocery store to pick up some Gas-X. Walking, although probably uncomfortable for you right now, is also an excellent way of moving the gas through the system. Other than taking the Gas-X you need to keep yourself well hydrated. Drops, that's right, drops of water over long periods of time will help with that and should help you avoid the heaves and the nausea. If I were you, I would make sure that I stayed on Clear Liquids for at least the first two weeks, that is usually what is recommended. After that slowly incorporate thicker liquids and as tolerated, mushies after the third or fourth week should be fine. These are just my suggestions from my own experience, I am not a doctor or nurse. I still recommend you head to the ER to make sure you have not hurt yourself from the heaves. In the meantime, water only until this calms down, but you must drink to keep yourself hydrated or you will end up in the ER whether you want to go or not. Not trying to scare you, just being honest. I am so sorry you are having such a difficult time of this and will pray that things calm down and that your recovery is swift and painless. Please keep us posted on how you are doing and please, if you need to talk privately, you can always PM me. Take care, please. Cindy

When I told my best friend about your post and what you said, he started laughing like crazy. He said 'You finally found your twin sister,' I remember when you said exactly the same thing. It's too funny and little like the twilight zone, do do do do, theme music, LOL! I don't think I could possibly be that much younger than you, I'm 49. I had a heart attack at 38 immediately followed by the bypass surgery. Wow, you had a 5X CABG? I hope you are feeling better now, how long ago did you go through that? I know exactly what you mean about the cardiac clearance too, they drove me nuts. I wish someone would tell these bonehead docs(no offense, but really) that stress is not exactly healthy for cardiac patients, but they sure put you through enough. I swear it's almost enough to make you have a heart attack, but it's all of our safety and their malpractice insurance. I think however the later is probably more important to them sometimes. Not all docs are bad, but in the last ten years I have met and dealt with more docs that were insensitive, crude and downright mean. Where do you live? I was just wondering what part of the world you are in. I live in Miami, FL and recently went through the whole Hurricane Wilma episode. No power for a solid week, what a pain. Could have been worse though, and sadly is for many of the people here. I personally didn't suffer any storm damage, so I count myself as extremely lucky on that count. Feel free to PM me if you have anything you want to talk about, but not necessarily post on the open boards. I will be more than happy to answer any questions you may have or lend an ear for venting or shoulder to cry on. Thanks for all of the encouragement about doing medical transcription. I was studying nursing when I had my heart attack and was never able to complete the second half of the program. Tore me apart as I really loved it. I figured, with the training I've already had and basic terminology experience and the fact that I can type b/w 65-70 wpm, this would be a good career option for me. Take care, Cindy

Hi Kelly, Sorry to hear you're feeling under the weather, but it's good that you have started the antibiotics. As for congestion after the surgery, it's not likely, though everyone is different, but because it is not a long surgery, only about an hour, the surgery itself doesn't usually promote chest congestion like a longer surgery might. If you are having a severe cough with this, I would contact the surgeon before hand. Coughing is not a good thing for a band, especially a new one. It can be very painful and might cause you to disrupt the stitching they do to put the band in place. That would be my only concern, along with a concern of a fever. Fever represents infection and that's not a good time for surgery. Sounds like you might just have a minor cold and will in all likelihood be just fine, but don't take any chances and contact your surgeon, just to be on the safe side. Even the nurse in his/her office should be able to answer your questions on Monday. It's always so exciting for me to hear from people just starting the process and getting ready for surgery. It's a special time in our lives when we make these life altering decisions and it helps remind me of my own excitement during that time. It helps keep my own dream alive, so thank you for posting. I hope you have a very successful surgery, speedy recovery and learn to love the new you!! Keep us posted on how you are doing please, you'll be in my prayers that everything works out perfectly for you. Cindy

Hi fellow night owl, boy do you sound an awful lot like me. I was banded over three years ago. I too was told to go on an all liquid diet, yucky liquid at that and I said exactly what you said, if I could loose the weight on my own, I wouldn't need the surgery. But as was explained to you earlier, it's an attempt to lower the fat around the liver. It seems if there is too much obstruction of fat from the liver, they cannot do the surgery laporoscopally. Trust me, you don't want them to get in there and then find out that they have to open you open for a major surgery. You've had open heart surgery, then you already know what a big deal that is. With the lap surgery, there's no comparison, believe me. I have also had a quadruple bypass, prior to banding, and I'll take the lap surgery any day. I went in on a Monday morning and home on Tuesday and never even needed pain meds. I lost over twenty pounds prior to surgery which was a great jump start to losing weight. After you have the surgery, at least for the first week or two, your stoma will be swollen and you won't even notice hunger. Until the swelling goes down it is imperitive that you not further irritate the stoma and stay on liquids only. I don't know if you have read any of the postings here and if you have for how long, but you can go into the support area and read about those who have these terrible problems when they first get home. It is usually caused by them attempting to eat too soon and keeping the stoma inflammed and swollen. I also used to smoke and have to give them up due to the heart attack at age 38. I was on disability for about five years, and finally went back to work, office work and have done that for the last four years, until I recently got laid off in March. I am now studying through an online course to do Medical Transcription, how's that for an eerie coincedence?? Kinda like we live parallel lives in the Twilight Zone:-] I was in nursing school, finishing up the first year of the two year RN program when I had my heart attack. I continued to do homestudy college courses towards a BSN while waiting to go back, when I developed endometrial cancer and needed a hysterectomy a year and half after my open heart surgery. The doctors told me after that there was no way I would ever be able to do nursing, which totally broke my heart and still hurts ten years later. But, you can't fight life you have to live with it. If it's any help at all you can probably get away with adding some fruit or even baby food to your liquid diet. The main thing you need to avoid pre surgery is anything with fat content. That's what my surgeon told me and it worked for me. Please feel free to PM me if you ever want to talk privately. This is a high stress time for you and your feelings of frustration are prefectly normal. But believe me, all of the discomfort of the dieting will be so worth it in the end. This band is the best thing that ever happened to me and I would do it again if I had to in a heartbeat!!! Afterwards, you may even realize that your anger isn't with the requirements, it's actually towards having to change your life and give up something you have found comforting for many years, food. I think you're ready to take that step, but only you know for sure. I wish you the best and remember, there is a ton of support here and we have all been through it. The level of relating, compassion and understanding here is unsurpassed by any other chat board, in my humble opinion. One more thing, as for you eating at night, if you are living a flip flop day, then eating at night is fine. If you don't get up until 2 or 3, then have your coffee and a protien drink for Breakfast, your lunch at around 8 and your dinner around 12 and if you then go to bed between 3 or 4 or later, it's no difference. The important thing is not to eat at least 3 to 4 hours before you go to bed according to the experts. Maybe this information will help you with that. I hope so. Good luck. I will keep you in my prayers that everything goes smoothly for you. Please keep us posted on your pending surgery and follow up with us afterwards to let us know how you are doing. Cindy

Just a little reminder, since your surgery, you have had more good days than bad ones, and that's really important. Before the band, most days were bad with a few good ones sprinkled in but few and far between. Just a simple thought, hope it helps, (((HUGS))). Cindy

I got a 46 and the description sounds like me to a tee. Thanks for putting it out there for us to use. These tests can be informative and are always fun, at least for me they are.:-] Thanks, Cindy

:banana :banana :banana GO KELLY GO KELLY GO KELLY!!!!!!!!! GREAT, SUPER, FANTASTIC, WONDERFUL, PHENOMENAL, OUT OF THIS WORLD!!!! CINDY

When I was married, my husband had 8 or 9 nieces and they all lived in the city projects, not a particularly safe area to go door to door according to their parents. So every years we would through a Halloween pary just for them, they were a crowd all by themselves, LOL. We would decorate the living room, dining room and kitchen area with all kinds of fun things like spider webs, rubber bat and spiders, snakes and bugs placed strategically amont the food items, even had plastic 'ice cubes' with platic bugs inside. We filled up a big punch bowl with a mixture of orange juice, orange soda and orange sherbert floating in it. There's a great magazine that comes out weekly, called Woman's World, it's inexpensive and will usually have great party ideas that are simple to make but that even the coolest kids will enjoy, like Peanut Butter and blood (strawberry jam) sandwiches cut into cute bat shapes with a cookie cutter. Bloody fingers, simply a lady finger cookie with one end snapped off and dipped into vanilla icing that's been dyed red with food coloring. We had lots of goodies for them to eat in the way of real food, plue of course a Halloween cake. But the grand finally was a big pinata that was done in a Halloween theme, it had streamers with pom poms on the end. Everyone would grab a streamer and at the count of three pull, causing all of the candy and toys to spill into the floor. The kids have a great time scramling to see who can get what, and there was plenty for even the slowest child there to get plenty. We put thin black fabric ober the lamp shades and covered the windows. Of course we had creep Halloween music. We would have contests for the best costume, the prettiest, the most colorful, etc, so that each child won something. They were just little nickle and dime toys and we made our own ribbons showing which costume they had won. We had a blast, the kids were fed and exhausted so much so afterwards, they were ready to go home and go to bed. Half of them fell asleep in the car on the way home. We did it for at least 6 or 7 years and even as the girls got older, they looked forward to it and always had a great time. Maybe you could do something on a smaller scale and have each of your children invite one or two of their friends for the party, that way it wouldn't drain you bank account or wear you out for a month. Hope some of these ideas spark your imagination. Be sure to get the Woman's World Magazine though, it's really got a ton of great ideas. Cindy

Loopy, even if you see a psychologist, they usually work inconjuction with a psychiatrist for the purpose of medication administration. That's been my experience here in Miami. So even if you see a psychologist they can still help you with the meds through their association with a psychiatrist or a medical doc. Cindy

Wishing both of you a very smooth surgery tomorrow and the speediest recoveries ever recorded!!! I love you guys and will be thinking about both of you and saying lots of prayers. Please pray for us here in Miami, Wilma is definately coming through and she'll be the strongest storm we've had since Andrew, not a good thing. He damned near wiped us off the map altogether. I went through that one and now we have to go through this one, I'm getting much too old for this garbage. (((HUGS))) To you both - and let me be the first one to welcome you both to the banded side:-] XOXOXO Cindy

Victoria, I really wouldn't worry at four months about stretching out your pouch unless you are really going wild with overeating and drinking lots of carbonated beverages. Just know these are the biggest culprits for pouch enlargement and try to avoid them as much as possible. I do not actually live in Coral Gables, that's were my doctor's office was when I had the surgery. I do live in Miami, actually the Doral area, which is West of Miami International Airport. The Holiday Inn in the Gables is like everything in the Gables, very nice and totally safe. Coral Gables is an old neighborhood and has always been a very exclusiive area, you have to have big money to live there. It's one of the prettiest areas in Miami. Have fun on your cruise but enjoy the dancing and other activities, not the food. You'll have a great trip and maybe drop a pound or two, talk about a bonus. We're still waiting on Wilma to hit, she's due in here later tonight, early tomorrow morning. I have lived here all of my life, but this one scares me to death. I'm getting too old for these things. Please say a prayer for all of us here, I'm afraid we're going to need it. Take care, let me know if you have any other questions. I don't know how much longer I will be online but if I don't answer, please just don't think I'm being mean or ignoring you, it'll be because we lost electricty. I will respond once we get back to normal - whatever that is!! Cindy

I know how you feel, I hate that goop they put in your hair, and after they took the wires off of my legs the first time, the tape had stuck so badly, I had a bruise there for over a week. Ouch!!! I was called to go back a second time as it seems I didn't stop breathing during the first test until it was almost time to wake me up. So with the second one they put me on the CPAP machine and throughout the night, they kept changing the masks to see which one worked the best. Then the stupid wires they originally put on quit working, so they had to start all over. I for the life of me don't know why they call it a sleep study if they don't let you sleep, lol. Bottom line, I do have minor sleep apnea, so now I get to wear this lovely gel mask on my face that scares my poor dog half to death. I have to hide my head under the covers or she cries and runs to the foot of the bed shaking. But I do have to say, it certainly has helped me sleep through the night and not wake up like I just went to bed. I have more energy and don't need to take a nap in the middle of the day anymore, so all in all I guess it was worth it. Cindy

When you get banded, a portion of the stomach is left at the top portion, this is called the pouch, there is a stoma where the band is that connects the top portion of the stomach to the lower portion. The pouch itself is relatively small to start off with, but because of the nature of the stomach muscle, if you overfill it either by eating too much or by drinking carbonated beverages, it will eventually cause the pouch to stretch. This is a fairly common phenomenon and after a period of time, I think there is some enlargement that occurs, but not usually enough to be significant. I was told my pouch was slighly enlarged, but after 4 years I am not surprised. I don't think it's anything to worry about, my doctor said it's pretty much a normal progression after a period of time. The danger is if it were to become too enlarged allowing me to consume too much food and thereby possibly causing the band to slip or slide down from it's original position. That would require surgical intervention to resolve the problem. Hope this answers your question. Please let me know if you'd like to know anything else. Cindy

Well, there are lots of us here with lots of information, just ask what you want to know and people will be sure to give you answers based on their experience. If you are nervous asking everything where everyone can see, please feel free to PM (Private Message) me and I will do my best to answer whatever I can. Everyone here is really nice and supportive. With this group, I doubt there's a question someone here couldn't answer. So what would you like to know, what are you concerns at this point? Cindy

Pretty normal reaction for someone about to go in for surgery and facing the unknown. The unknown is life with a band around your stomach, losing weight that you never thought you could or would, becoming the person you always knew you could be. Exciting and scary all at the same time. Don't worry about breaking the rules or eating something not on the diet. You will have times when you don't lose weight, but it isn't permanent. You don't have to be perfect for this to work and that's a good thing because none of us are perfect, we were never meant to be. You will learn a new way of life and enjoy something besides food and the food you do enjoy will be in a different way. You will learn to appreciate it's flavor, texture and nutrition it will supply for your body. You will learn to eat to live, not live to eat. All of us have our doubts and our demons, you are just like the rest of us. You owe it to yourself to have the best opportunity to live a long healthy life and to be able to do all that your heart desires without weight holding you back. You have an entire group of wonderful, compassionate and understanding people here. We will lift you up when you're down and fly with you when you are happy. No matter what, everyone here cares and all of us want what is best for each other, and that includes you. Think positive thoughts and dream of your fantasy's about what you can do once you lose weight. Indulge yourself in you dreams and forget the negative thoughts for now, there's always time for that later. Right now you are about to start on a marvelous journey with lots of friends here to help. (((HUGS))) Cindy

Congratulations!!! That's wonderful, I am so happy for you. Thanks for sharing!!! Cindy