Desdemona

This is great. I'm going to print it off and glue it to my forehead!

I don't think there is much for you to bring with you because you won't be there that long. Some people are same day but some are overnight. I was suppose to stay 1 night but needed to stay 2 because gas pain in my shoulder from anesthesia took longer to clear. The amount of weight you lose will truly depend on your pre-surg BMI, how active you are and what you drink or eat post-surg. I lost 35% of my excess BMI within the first 5 or 6 wks but I also followed a very strict post-surg. diet that my MD ordered. It was mostly clear broths, sugarless jello, sugarless frozen pops. I very gradually worked in very low carb protein drinks and then small amounts of protein and veggies. I have tried to stick to low carbs and watch calories but I fall off the wagon every once in a while. I'm a real couch potato and I know that I would have met goal a long time ago if I had been active. I have only recently begun to exercise. I went to a barriatric center in a large teaching hospital. They sent me through all types of testing and they also have very detailed barriatric manuals that contain detailed instructions and lists on how to prepare, what to buy for pre/post processses, what to eat and when to eat it, what to expect and do etc. I think all barriactic surgeons should provide written details. You or your insurance company are shelling out good money for this surgery and I hope patients let surgeons know that we expect good care. If your MD hasn't given this to you --- there are several good lap band guides that contains all these good tips on Amazon. Just search "lap band" and they'll come up. I have "Lap-Band for Life" by Ariel Langardere and it's very good but there are others that cost less and look good too. The best advise I can give you is -- do not abuse your band or take it for granted. If you don't find out how to take care of your band and change the way you eat -- you will be at very high risk of band complication and band loss. There are a lot of people that have run into problems and lost their band. Sometimes -- it just happens no matter what --- but usually it happens because either the MD wasn't good enough or we didn't do what we were suppose to do after we got the band. The band is a tool but you must do your part too or there will be problems. Best of luck.

Is HE obese too? Like a previous poster already said - there are risks to all operations. The risks get a lot worst if patients don't make the effort to find experienced surgeons. They get even worse if patients don't learn and follow all rules. It's also true that sometimes-- people can follow all the rules very well and still have problems. But --- if you read the studies --- you will find that the amount of life-threatening problem with the band are not even a small fraction of the life-threatening problems from obesity. Studies also show that WLS is the ONLY stastically significant WL method that works in the long run.

Ariel Ortiz and other leading developers of modern gastric banding strongly caution against using protein shakes or soups because the band is not designed to work with fluid, soft food or crispy (crackers, chips ect) foods. They will go right through without providing saitity at all or for long. A person will consume all those calories and then be hungry. My MD (at a teaching hosptial) also pointed that out. I do keep an Atkins drink with me in case I'm stuck someplace with no decent food choice but the bulk of protein should be from desne meats/fish. The denser chicken/salmon will stay in the pouch for many hours and is far better quality protein than any drink.

There are several good reasons why well-informed surgeons do ask people to lose some weight before banding. It's not only because the liver may be too fatty to place the band. Usually they can plance it even without liver shrinkage. Reducing fat from the liver before surgery gives the surgeon more room to get underneath the liver and move things around to place the band. The less fat on the liver -- the better the band fits into place around the stomach.

I don't think you are eating too much at all but it does sound like you are not getting enough protein. Why only 1 protein drink? You're body uses up protein within a few hrs so make sure it get it at least 3 times a day. Also --your body need protein to burn up fat.You don't say what is in the soup you are eating. If it's basially clear chicken or beef broth -- that is good but if it has a lot of carbs in it -- that will slow your weight loss. Carbs also fill you for a short time --but they also lead to hunger. I'm surprised that your surgeon didn't give you a very specific diet to follow that included types and amounts of food.

I have heard that Unjury tastes the best but you have to send for it. I am very happy with getting Atkins Royal Chocolate at Walmart. I prefer a protein drink that is already mixed because it's so easy and portable. I always keep 1 with me. The taste is OK but nothing to write home about. A nutritionist once told me that it isn't a good idea to buy protein drinks that taste GREAT because then they are too much like milk shakes and treats - and that can be dangerous. We can end up drinking too many calories with them. We also need get over viewing food as a treat rather than nutrition.

If you check Amazon again at http://www.amazon.co...duckduckgo-d-20 you will find 35 reviews of the book by lapband patients who give a lot of information about the book and explain why it helped them. You will also see that the 35 lapband reviewers gave the book consistenty high ratings. If you click right on the book (where it says "Look Inside This Book) you will be able to read the table of contents, the Introduction and sample pages and charts from several of the chapters. All of that together makes an excellent description of what's in the book. Best wishes.

Yes. You will get to the point that you can almost wrap your fingers around it. Some people lose so much fat around it that they have to have it reseated deeper or moved to another location. I never had it moved but I understand that it's a fast/easy surgery that often happens in MDs office.

stretch marks are celluar skin damage that can not be reversed but that doesn't mean that at least part of your skin won't come back. It all depends on your genes, how long you have been overweight, and the type of skin you have.

Try to keep away from processed lunch meat like bologna. Have Roast beef or sliced smoked turkey. Also, you don't have to just think "lunch meat anymore." You can either cook up a fresh whole chicken or buy a whole cooked chicken from the market and slice it up for your lunch or supper. It's much better tasting and healthier than lunch meat. If you like fish --- use salmon or sole or shrimp. You can make up your own meatballs and freeze them and take them out as you need them (do not buy meatballs ready made from the store because they are full of filler). If you are keeping your carbs pretty low -- you can use ham or sausages. As cool weather comes along --- take a nice thermos of thick stew or chili. Also --- make extra food for supper and take it the next day for lunch.

Yes. Eat proteins (eggs, shakes etc) and --- GOOD GOLLY - step AWAY from that sugar (apple sauce)!!! Sugar will make you hungry.

Is your MD THE Ariel Ortiz Lagardre? Even if he is not -- Ariel Ortiz Langrdre wrote an excellent book called "Lap-Band for Life." You can either get it from Amazon or order it at your local bookstore. It's an excellent and complete handbook written by 1 of the key developers of the lapband. It will explain what to eat -- how to eat and a whole lot more about the LP.

Some days are going to be harder than others but believe it or not -- after you get your band -- there are going to be a lot of days that you will walk straight past plates and bowls full of the foods you are craving now and they won't even look appetizing to you anymore. You'll wonder why on earth you'd want to eat that. And --- believe me---before the LB I NEVER met a carb that I didn't like!

Dear Gripe -- Yes. This sounds totally lousy. I remember I once felt totally stuck too. Everywhere I looked on all sides -- it was all going wrong. I felt like if I couldn't make something happen soon -- I'd go crazy. Then I thought ----- well----since I don't seem to have any control over anything else --- I may as well try to focus on something I DO have some control over. I decided to do something about my fat. I got the lapband and lost 82 lbs. It took me a while longer to get through the other stuff but eventually those other problems cleared up. And at least -- It was a LOT easier to bear because I felt a whole lot better (physically and emotionally) about me. People were so surprized with me and I was so pleased and surprized by me too. What a great feeling! Then I began to get the idea that if I could change that -- maybe I could actually change other things too. I DID!! So get your band done and at least enjoy your self-empowerment and the "new you" until you can also get to a better place in the enviornment too.