whimsy

My desire for lapband surgery began in the fall of 2006. I'd struggled with being fat for over 10 years and had many health problems including: PCOS, diabetes, hypertension, arthritis, sleep apnea and depression. By doing my research and speaking with my doctors, I'd learned that it was the PCOS that caused my massive weight gain of 100 pounds in a year. It was also PCOS that made it damn near impossible for me to lose weight. My desire to be healthy and to be able to have children further cemented my resolve to have lapband surgery. I'd done the research and knew all the risks involved. These risks were nothing compared to the ticking timebomb of a heart attack that I'd surely have if I stayed at the weight I was. We went to a seminar and shortly after I was already done with my surgeon consult, nutrition class and psych evaluation. My family doctor and cardiologist were both on board and had written my letters of support for the surgery. Now the only road block was our insurance company. Blue Cross/Blue Shield of California had a BMI restriction in their policy. My BMI had to be 49 or less in order for them to approve coverage. Well, needless to say, my BMI was over 49. I struggled to lose the 15 pounds necessary to qualify for the surgery. If it was easy for me to lose weight, I wouldn't have been trying to get the surgery in the first damn place. After almost a year, I'd just about given up. Thankfully, my husband checked the insurance policy again and discovered that they had amended the restriction. So, in November of 2007 we called our insurance company (whose named changed to Anthem Blue Cross/Blue Shield) and they confirmed the restriction had been lifted. We then contacted our surgeon to get the ball rolling for approval. We explained to them that the policy had changed and we should now meet approval for coverage. They stated they would submit the paperwork right away. But...instead of listening to what we told them, they simply reviewed the printed policy they had in their office and sent us a letter stating the BMI requirement. So, we had to call them and reiterate the amendment in the policy. Due to their lack of attention, this set us back two weeks. Finally, they submitted the paperwork as they had originally promised and we got our approval. My surgery was scheduled for March 3rd, 2008. In preparation, I had to spend 4 hours at the hospital for various exams: Upper GI, barium swallow, chest x-ray, blood tests, etc. The week before was spent gathering everything I would need post-surgery. We also cleaned out our fridge and cabinets, tossing out most everything that would not be allowed on my menu. My pre-op consult was on February 28th, only a few days before the surgery. He asked if I had questions. I really didn't. We had done so much research that I felt fully prepared. The truth is that for the two weeks prior to the surgery, I was crying every other hour. I was so worried that something would go wrong. I was envisioning the worst - that I would die during surgery. My concerns revolved around leaving my husband and parents behind. My father has emphysema and COPD and my mother is not as strong as she used to be. I wanted this surgery so that I could be more help to my loved ones - not leave them behind. My hugs lasted longer. Late at night, tears would roll down my cheeks as my husband slept. I made a point to tell my friends how important they are to me. I tried to make sure everyone knew how much I loved them. I had a wonderful time saying good-bye to the foods that I loved. T-Bone steaks are one of my first loves. I was also a Coca-Cola addict. Being asian, jasmine rice was a staple at every dinner...this is probably one of the most difficult habits to break. Luckily, I'd become tired of food, so saying good-bye wasn't difficult. Ultimately, I knew that this was what I needed to do in order to take control of my life and my health. As scary as it was, I was ready.

Kat! Bless you, bless you, BLESS YOU for your descriptive explanations. As "juvenile" as some might view them, they are perfect for those of us that need to "see" to understand the "why". I'm currently in my full liquids phase and will be for the next 5 weeks. Knowing the reasons for my doctor's conservative instructions will help to keep me on track. Thank you for being so creative and helpful! I'm tempted to kidnap you and put you in my back pocket!

Some really great responses here. Tons of motivation and inspiration in your wise words! A few years ago I was diagnosed with several health conditions at once and I felt incredibly overwhelmed. I didn't know how I was going to tackle each one so I could be healthy and live longer. The best advice I heard was echoed in many of the sentiments here - mini-goals. Celebrate every step you take toward a lighter and healthier you. The idea of having to lose over 100 pounds seems so daunting but when you break it up into little bits, it seems so much more attainable. I guess you can think of it this way - there's a huge bowl of salad in front of you. Do you eat it all in one bite? No, you take small bites (and chew, chew, chew!). Eventually, you are satisfied with what you've accomplished - even if you didn't eat the entire salad. :thumbup:

I absolutely agree 110%! I've eaten these sausages since I was a child and I prefer them to "regular" sausages. I love the taste and the nutritional value is just an added bonus. I'm anxious to get to regular foods (5 weeks!) just so I can have a yummy meal of these sausauges! I won't bore ya'll with what I ate today because I'm still on my full liquids phase and mainly doing broth or creamed Soups. I'll be back when I'm able to get my grub on!

I will try my best to help. I am really bad with explaining these things. :thumbup: The yardstick is a ticker. You can visit this website to create your own: Trying To Conceive Ticker Once you have the code, copy it and paste it in the "edit signature" function: http://www.lapbandtalk.com/profile.php?do=editsignature As far as your picture beneath your name and where you are from, you'll need to go into your control panel and "edit avatar": http://www.lapbandtalk.com/profile.php?do=editavatar There you can adjust the avatar with the URL of the image you would like to use. Hope this helps a little!

Sometimes you feel like a nut. Sometimes you get some in your eye. This thread gave me some much needed giggles. Thank you. :thumbup:

Oh! Is that the On-Q Pump? ( Ask Your Surgeon About Using ON-Q PainBuster to Reduce Your Pain After Surgery. ) Mine annoyed me to no end. We finally removed it yesterday. I'm so glad it's gone. I totally understand your frustration as it seemed to get in the way. However, I did notice a BIG difference in pain after it was gone, so I ended up missing it...but only a little. :thumbup:

Congratulations, hon! That is great news! You are on your way!

I love unjury - vanilla and chocolate are great. I wish I had tried the Wal-Mart versions, though. Saving money is always great! Once I run out, I'll probably give them a try. I also recommend flavor drops to add variety to your shakes. I use capella drops ( Flavor Drops - Gourmet coffee and Tea Flavorings, Flavor Your Coffee Anytime, Anywhere! ) with my vanilla for a nice change of pace. They do not have any fats, calories or sweeteners and come in a variety of flavors. I added the strawberries & cream to my vanilla unjury and it tasted like my childhood favorite, Nestle's strawberry milk. Yum! Just a suggestion for you when you start your Protein shakes. Like others have said, make sure to follow your doctor's instructions. They will have requirements for your shakes and it's best to stick to them. Good luck to you, hon!

Thanks! I made it today to get my mind off of snacking. I honestly don't know how to copy it with a Mac. Hopefully someone can help you there. I certainly don't mind anyone saving it to their own host and using it, though. Anyone have any tips for Carol on using the image with a Mac?

Ok, that is an excellent reward and I will probably steal it sooner or later. Keep us posted when you hit your first mini-goal so we can Celebrate it with you!

Welcome Andre! I have to say that your post brought a tear to my eye. Thank you for being so candid with us...and with yourself. After doing your research on the lapband, you will more than likely find that it is something that will positively impact your life. This forum has been a wonderful source of information and encouragement for me. I was banded on Monday and I have no doubt that I was ready for anything because of the information I found here. Good luck to you, hon. Please keep us posted.

Well, five days out of surgery and feeling pretty good. I'm sore and I'm still sitting up when I sleep but I don't hurt as much as I did initially. It doesn't seem like my hunger has fully returned yet - I'm still sipping my Water or decaf iced green tea all day. Every hour, I have 2 oz of a full liquid - which has been my unjury Protein shakes, brother, cream of wheater, oatmeal, pudding, Jello, yogurt, etc. I'll be on full liquids for the next 5 weeks, so I'm sure I'll be feeling the hunger sooner or later. I've been weighing myself daily, even though I know I shouldn't even worry about weight loss right now. I know the next month is all about healing as opposed to losing weight. However, I was pleased to see 10 pounds lost since surgery. So far, so good. I love having all of you other March Bandsters to compare notes with and share experiences with. It is making this journey so much easier for me. I'm grateful to have such a friendly and encouraging sounding board. :biggrin2:

I appreciate your response and I would have done a search but I'm looking for mainly March bandsters, though. Not just anyone here at LB Talk. The reason being is that I am a bit more familiar with them than the others. :tea:

Hunger hasn't been a big issue for me but then again, I was told to have 2oz of liquid every hour. I am to have 3 main meals but also to have some form of liquid - mainly to ensure I get my Protein in. I'm sure my hunger will kick in sooner or later, so tips to offset that would be appreciated. :tongue:

I'm so glad you are doing well, Michelle. I hope you continue to feel little to no discomfort, nausea or pain. :crying:

I guess I'll just take your questions in the order they were asked... I was wondering if you guys are still on pain meds? I take my prescription pain medicine as needed - which is about twice a day. what are you guys drinking and how much Decaf Iced Green Tea with Splenda, Kellog's Protein Water, Water - I sip those through out the day to stay hydrated. I'm supposed to be taking in 200 calories per day and having 2oz of Fluid per hour other than the water/tea I mentioned above. So, every hour I have 2oz of: chicken brother, Jello, grape juice or apple juice. Are you all hungry yet? I have moments when I get a pang of hunger but I don't really feel hungry. I think it's more psychological then anything else. My stomach keeps growling but my Bariatric nurse said that is because the enzymes in my tummy are trying to figure out what the heck is going on. Do you have bandages over your incisions? We were told to remove my band-aids yesterday. (Surgery was on Monday). I still have tape over my incisions - we were told that these would dissolve/fall off on their own. When are you guys allowed to shower? I was told that I could shower the very next day if I wanted to. The water can not be aimed directly at my wounds, I must be very careful and I must pat them dry. How do you guys sleep? I sleep sitting up with a few pillows behind my back and head for support. Do you know when we can sleep on our side? I'm a side sleeper and when I had my gall bladder out, it was probably a good month or two before I felt comfortable enough to do it. I would say ask your surgeon and do what feels comfortable to you. Don't push it.

Aww, I love the unjury products. If your partner doesn't like them, maybe myself or someone else here can take them off your hands? I'd hate for them to go to waste or for you to lose money on them, hon. My doctor asked that I try to take in about 200 calories a day while I'm on Clear liquids. Depending on how I feel, I may be on full liquids tomorrow. It'll be interesting to see how I tolerate thicker liquids. :thumbup: It sounds like us Thirders are doing well for the most part. I'm glad to hear it! Keep the updates coming!

Congrats to you, hon! I'm still a bit sore, too, so you aren't alone. :biggrin2: Many of us 3/3 banders can be found in a couple threads in the March forum :shades_smile: Here: http://www.lapbandtalk.com/f114/calling-all-march-3rd-bandsters-54327/ and here: http://www.lapbandtalk.com/f114/march-3rd-anyone-else-51706/

I'm glad you are feeling better, Terri. I've been in some pain today but nothing I couldn't handle. I think my biggest problem is trying to get my liquids in. I feel so full/bloated that I don't have any desire to sip my Water at times. I force myself to have some sips now and then, though.

Yay! Congratulations! That is wonderful news. :biggrin2:

I've been sipping ice Water all day long. Every hour I try to have 2 oz of juice (grape or apple) or some broth. I have popcicles and sugar-free Jello in the fridge but I haven't eaten any yet. I think I'll be having some tomorrow, though.

Good to know you guys are doing well! I'm feeling pretty good, too. My stomach keeps growling but I don't *feel* hungry. I'm on Clear liquids until Wednesday and depending on how I feel, I can start full liquids on Thursday or Friday. I'll be on full liquids for six weeks before I graduate to "regular" food. I hope I can hang in there! My left side is what hurts the most, too. The other incisions aren't giving me any problems. My throat is very sore, though - more than likely from the breathing tube. I still have my On-Q apparatus attached. I guess it is some type of antibiotics and pain relief medicine. Once it is empty, we're supposed to remove it. That should be loads of fun. I started keeping my food diary today. Since I'm diabetic, I'm also taking note of my glucose levels in the morning and evening. I'm determined to wait until Monday before I weigh myself again - although I have that itch. I know I'm actually a bit heavier today from all the fluids but I still want to peek. I'm so impatient. :biggrin:

Thanks for the well wishes and positive thoughts, folks! I'm home and feeling a little uncomfortable but otherwise I'm in great spirits. I won't sit at the computer for too long but I wanted to touch base and check in on our other bandsters. And yes, they wanted to keep me overnight but I wasn't having it. My surgeon (Dr. Hamn is AMAZING btw) sat down with me and made sure I was fine, reminded me I would get the "better drugs" if I stayed overnight and then turned me loose. :drool:

Don't worry about the TMI - I think we've all had that fear at one time or another. Let me tell you about a product that I've used when I've had a similar problem. It's called Kondremul Lubricant Laxative. It's a liquid and doesn't taste too horrible. I bought mine from CVS (Link here: CVS Online Pharmacy Store ) It's gentle on your tummy and it also softens the stool. Just thought I'd throw that out there for ya. :drool: I ordered mine from the website but I would love it if they could be ordered locally!