JaxBandster

I'm so sorry that this happened. I can't even imagine being called the morning of surgery and being told that it wasn't going to happen. I don't blame you for going out and taking your frustration out with food. I would have done the same thing probably. Fortunately your new date is not too far off and you will have plenty of time to get back on track and make sure your liver is prepped well. That AND you will still be a Double V! Good Luck!

Are you staying overnight or same day outpatient? If you are same day, you really don't need to bring a lot as they will have you busy from the moment you walk in the door. The more important thing is what to wear. Make it something very loose, preferably something that just sort of slips over your head or buttons in front loosely. Slip on shoes are preferable as you really aren't going to want to tie anything. I brought chapstick for my lips and I used it once. Maybe a brush to brush your hair afterward (not that you are going to really care what you look like). If you are going to stay overnight I'm not sure you are going to need to much more than that with the exception of a toothbrush and toothpaste, Gas-x strips (these really helped me even very early on as you have gas but it's hard to burp due to the swelling). You may want to bring a small pillow to hold against your stomach when you are getting in and out of bed. If the hosptial will let you bring your own jammies make sure they are nice and soft and loose. I slept a good portion of the first 24 hours so things like an MP3 player, magazines and such were of little use to me during that time. They will be used more on days 2,3 and 4. At home the two things I used the most were the Gas-x strips and liquid tylenol once I stopped taking the hard drugs. You get to a point where the prescription is just too much for the symptoms you are having and tylenol is more than enough to take care of the soreness.

I only WISH I could have that many carbs in a week!!!!!!!!!! My post-op diet only allows for 30 a day, not including veggies. But, I definitely lose weight. I would absolutely increase the protein though! Good luck!

Congratulations Angie!!!!!!! Sounds like everything went really well for you! Rest up, drink your fluids and keep walking!

I couldn't drink them as they contained too many carbs. I am restricted to 30 gms a day.

I don't know that I really have a mushie stage! Right now I'm on Protein shakes 3x a day for my meals with all the Clear Liquids I want in between. Saturday I can start having things like scrambled eggs, egg salad, tuna salad, soft canned vegetables, unprocessed cheese and very moist meats. So sort of a mushie stage I guess. My doctor discourages things like Soups and yogurt as they just slide through the band

I agree with Faith. I was self-pay and from first appt to surgery was less than a month. I didn't even have time for a good last meal before I was on my pre-op diet to shrink my liver. I didn't get very much time to wrap my head around all the changes although I did research and think about getting the lap band six months prior deciding to go through with it. Still, five days post-op I'm still wondering if I did the right thing (even though I am 24 lbs down as of today). I know in the long run that I will be happy that I did it, but that doesn't cross your mind when you have to go through the McDonald's drive thru on the way home to get your teenager something to eat because you are in a hurry and you have to sit there and smell it when you have only had Clear Liquids for a week. This is a very long and slow process. You definitely want to make sure that your head is in the right place. I understand your frustration and wanting to get it now. But sometimes it's better to take things slow, especially with such a life changing procedure.

I was 252 the day of my surgery. Today (five days post-op) I am 246. So right now I am averaging just over a pound a day. Of course, I won't be starting on mushies until Saturday and I understand that you will slow down and even gain once you reach that point, so I am grateful for anything I can lose until that point!

I think as long as your chicken is really moist (maybe marinade it?) and you reallly chew well that you should be okay. As far as hair goes, make sure you take really good vitamins (I take Bariatric Advantage Chewables which I specifically made for bariatric patients and loaded with vitamins) as well as making sure you get as much protein as possible. There may be some initial hair loss but from what I hear it does come back. Keeping your nutrients up will help prevent or at least lessen that. I lost a significant amount of hair about six years ago when I was on treatment for Hep C. It literally was coming out in fistfulls in the shower. Today my hair is as thick as always. So just make sure your getting all your vitamins and nutrients and you should be good to go! :scared2:

Good Luck Staci!!!!!! Hope the train ride is nice and relaxing! You will do great! Write when you get back and let us know how you are doing!

Wow Q!! And I thought I was doing good!!! :scared2: Congratulations on your band and continued rapid healing!!!!!!!!!!!

Crystal, As with any life changing decision there are going to be pluses and minuses. But I can pretty much guarantee you that the pluses will definitely outweigh the minuses and that a year from now, if you follow your doctor's instructions, get your fills, and follow the bandster way of eating that you will succeed and any of the minuses will be a minor sacrifice for your over all health, well-being, self-image and confidence. Try not to over think this. You will make yourself crazy! :scared2:

I can't imagine going through two surgeries so close together! You are really a trooper! I can imagine that the discomfort correlates to that as well :smile2: Right now I am on Protein shakes 3x a day plus all the Clear liquids I want. Saturday I get to move onto mushies and I can't wait!!!! Just to taste some normal food again will be wonderful! On the plus side I am down 22.5 lbs so far so it's working and yes we are doing it!!!!!!!! Right now my only complaints are persistant burping, a hoarse throat and some soreness in my tummy and left shoulder. Not bad though. Glad to hear you are on the mend!!!

Actually Kitten, 26 lbs is not water! Maybe a few lbs of it, maybe even five but not 26! LOL Face it darlin, you are losing fat! Congratulations!

Hey! I was banded on the 7th and I am having the same burping problem. It sort of hurts doesn't it? Not terrible but uncomfortable. I have been taking Gas-x strips and they help a little but it's really getting annoying. Can't help you on the sugar thing, I can't have anything with real sugar in it right now. I'm planning to ask about the burping at my post op appt on Thursday. Hopefully I can give you some insight then.

Good luck to both of you!!! 26 pages? Dang!

OMG -37??????? That's terrible!!!!!! I tell you what, if I weren't still a bit sore today I would have been out today! Maybe I will give it a shot tomorrow. So your daughter likes to ride huh? Looks like you are going to have to have a suitable bike so she can tag along with daddy! My bike has a resemblance of a back seat and foot pegs but it wouldn't be very comfortable for very long. Very much like a sport bike set up. I sure hope it warms up for all you guys up north. That is just brutal!

My surgeon had everything outlined on a piece of paper and depending on whether you were in the hospital or surgery center. $5,500 surgeon fee $8,800 surgery center fee $250 anesthesiologist $100 weight loss counselor $150 nutritionist Sounds like yours should have been clearer

If he has the means to have an operating room in his practice with all the surgical participants (anesthesiologist, etc.) then I'm sure it's fine. He wouldn't be allowed to perform this kind of surgery at his office if he didn't have the proper provisions there in the event of an emergency. He can't operate and do anesthesia at the same time. So if he has been doing this for a while I'm sure he's fine. I had my surgery done in a surgical center and the entire center took up the 2nd floor of a very small office building. The actual surgery side was only half of that. So you don't need a big hospital to do this sort of thing. Just the right equipment, space, personnel and licensing. If your doctor is board certified I'm pretty certain you are fine, but always ask about anything that concerns you.

Same thing here. I have known I have had one for years and have had two scopes to monitor it to make sure that there were no problems with it but my gastro opted to treat it with medication rather than operate to repair it. Heaven forbid I forget to take that medication. I could never just take OTC, the only thing that worked was Aciphex which is $180 a month! My lap band surgeon also repaired my hiatal hernia during surgery (I have pix and everything! LOL) and according to him it was huge! Last night I moved from our third bedroom where I had been recovering post-op (there is an adjustable bed in there) and slept in our bed for the first time since surgery. I have had to sleep on a foam wedge for years as well due to the horrible GERD (even with medication sometimes). Last night I decided to try sleeping without the wedge and slept like a rock. No waking up with acid in my throat. It was awesome! I hear that big hernias can sometimes come back over time but I sure hope mine doesn't. I'm very pleased! The only additional side effect it caused was some soreness in my left shoulder/neck area and that was worse last night. Not bad, just felt like a muscle strain. It has something to do with the proximity of the esophagus to the diagphragm and the tendons that are attached to the shoulder/neck area. (Ask your doctor LOL) Also, don't fret about the scope. It sounds worse than it is. You don't remember a thing. One second you are falling asleep and the next you are waking up. It's a breeze.

I was banded on 2/7/08. Have had absolutely no complications, surgery and recovery have been a breeze. However, today I am suddenly getting hoarse. I am presuming that this is from the tube they use on you during surgery but I expected to feel after effects from that sooner after surgery rather than three days afterward. I have no soreness and my throat feels completely normal otherwise. Anyone experienced this?

Did wonderfully Amanda! No complications whatsoever, went smooth as silk. Right now just going through the poor me clear liquid diet phase. Will be glad to start getting some actual nutrition tomorrow. My tummy is still tender mostly on the left (port) side and I can feel the swelling when I run my hand over it but every day it gets better and better. All in all I can't really complain being just three days post op. How are you doing????????

Soup this soon after surgery???? OMG I'm so jealous!!!!!!!!! :eek: You are probably right about the swelling, just imagine, that is what restriction will feel like! :thumbup: Seriously though, keeping with the clear liquids until you can get them down easy is probably the best plan. Good luck at work tomorrow and don't push yourself!

Rhapsody You are very welcome and thank you for the compliment! I know it helped me by reading other people's experiences so I am glad I can contribute. The show you are talking about is called Big Medicine and I record it religiously!!! I find it fascinating to follow other people's journeys and everything that goes into it from the physician's perspective. My surgeon actually shows his patients pictures of the liver of a patient he closed up because she hadn't followed her pre-op diet thinking it didn't matter. Well it did. You should have seen her liver. Like you, he said that if he had lifted it, it would have torn in two! That's all it took for me. I followed the pre-op diet religiously if not better than they wanted! The only real requirement was less than 30 gms a day excluding green leafy vegetables, i.e. no corn, peas or other starchy veggies. I counted everything. Judging from my liver pics and the accolades from my surgeon I must have done a good job. I just can't believe how eager I am to get back to that low carb diet right now!!!!!!!!!!