Bea1128

I'm sorry, I know it isn't funny, but I just had to laugh. First, people think we are lazy and that we eat too much. And now that you are doing something good for yourself and eating less, they think you have an eating disorder. Unbelievable!! I hope you find a happy medium; something you can tell them without making yourself feel weird. I know it's hard. I've told a few close friends at church and then Wednesday when those few were discussing how I was feeling, others overheard and were startled that I'd have surgery and not let everyone know. Not because they are nosy, just because they are caring and wanted to at least be praying for me. Now that it's over. I really don't care who knows. I've made my decision and I think it's the right one. It was definitely not the easy way out, and I better not ever hear anyone saying it is. Good luck.

Hey guys! Hope you don't mind me posting on this thread. I was banded on the 16th and am feeling a lot better today. The surgical pain was not bad for me, it was the gas pain. I finally started absorbing most of it about 48 hours after surgery. I have some gas today, but not bad. I took a few doses of my pain meds when I was having gas pains so bad, but Ibuprofen has taken care of my surgical pain. I too am so swollen. I almost had a heart attack when I saw myself in the mirror. I looked 9 months pregnant!! That's a lot better today. Still some swelling, but not that bad. I had a shower yesterday and that felt great. Took off all the bandaids. I've actually been sleeping pretty well. I felt really energized yesterday and cleaned the kitchen, then was wiped out for the rest of the afternoon. My energy comes and goes. I have to feel up to driving on Monday. My husband won't be able to help me next week. I'll just have to suck it up and do what I have to do! Good luck all! I hope you all feel much better today!

Hey all! I was banded early Wednesday morning. I feel a lot better today. Got rid of most of the gas. That was the worst part. My incisions only hurt minimally, but the gas made me think I was actually dying. I got to the surgical center at 6 a.m. Was prepped and wheeled into surgery by 7:30. My surgeon came out to talk to my husband at 8:05. I was up walking by 9 a.m. Had fluoro, drank some Water, dry heaved, and was being pushed out the door into our vehicle by 9:30 a.m. It was really weird. I had gas and bloating so bad that it would make me sick to my stomach and make me dry heave. I finally started absorbing most of it by last night. Slept really good and felt so much better this morning. I get to take a shower today and I know that will make me feel more human. I've also had some thinned Soup which tasted so good. Still feel like I could burp really good, but not causing any pain. I can get up now without it pulling too much on my port site. That's the sorest spot. Still really tired and napped today. I feel better so I get up and then my energy is zapped. I'm glad to hear everyone else is doing well. I'll post more later.

Don't beat yourself up this is hard. Also this kind of diet messes with your head. You have no sugar in your brain. Believe me I know because I've been the weepiest, craziest mess for the past two weeks. And I didn't have to do the liquid diet, I was on low-carb. I thought I would loose my mind. So give yourself a break. You are not eating anything, that messes with your normal body processes. You're not eating any Fiber so naturally all the extra Fluid has to go somewhere. I had diarrhea as well. It was so bad for the first few days that I also had rectal bleeding and pain (sorry, TMI, I know). So you had a salad and piece of chicken. That's not cheating, that's normal. Cheating is when you go to every drive-thru in town and order one of everything. Just think you only have 4 more days. Take it one day a time, one meal at a time. You're almost there! Hang in there. It will all be worth it!!! Good luck!

Hey Nurse! Same to ya sister! Good luck! See ya in Bandster Land!! :thumbup: I have to be at the hospital at 6 a.m. in the morning. I can't believe it's finally here!!! I'll check in again as soon as I can.

Hey Kaytie! I'm an old married woman with a couple of kids, but I like to have a cocktail from time to time myself. We get together with a group of friends about once a month or once every other month and we all like to have a few drinks. I've been pondering this very question for a year. I don't drink a lot anymore, but I didn't want to be banned for life. I'm a vodka drinker anyway and my favorite thing is to mix it with fizzy, flavored Water. I can't do that anymore so I've decided I could live with mixing it with diet juice. Ocean Spray has several diet juices that are made with Splenda. There are also several blends that are "light" which means no added sugar from what I can tell. The light has more carbs and calories than the diet, but I can't remember the numbers right now. The diet juice has 5 calories and 2 g carb per 8 oz serving. I would be willing to have those from time to time and it probably won't do too much damage to my weight loss. Anyway, I hope this helps. Good luck!

Congrats! I know that must be exciting. I'm on Wednesday and now that it's here I feel hurried because I keep thinking of things I need to get done before I have surgery so I don't worry about it after. That's okay because it will keep me busy for the next couple of days! Good luck Thursday! I'll look forward to hearing about your experience.

Hey all you guys who are being banded this week. Good Luck!!! I go on Wednesday. I can't believe it is already here. I'm so ready to get it over with and start my new life! Make sure to check in and I'll do the same. See you in Bandster Land!

I'm so glad you are all doing so well and recovering nicely. Thanks for posting, it puts those of us behind you at ease. A week from now it will be over for me and I'll be on my way to recovery. Keep the info coming.

24 days?!? Gracious! You are my hero! I'm thinking about doing my last week on the liquid diet as it's actually a diet more suited to me, I think. I can have any kind of Soup, low sugar/fat free yogurt, Protein shakes, s/f f/f pudding, low fat cottage cheese, broth, sugar free popsicles, etc. The yogurt and pudding are what sound good right now. I told my DH this and he said "well, then you'll start to crave meat"! Probably true. I'm just worried about my fat intake. It's very hard to eat low carb and really low fat as well. I'm just so paranoid that my liver won't be the right size or something. Also, I'm not really loosing any weight. A lot of people loose a few pounds during this time. Of course, I'm not gaining either, but....I'm freakin out!

Oh No! How horrible. I'm so sorry that happened to you. I had a small scare regarding the hospital yesterday and thought I would actually have a stroke. The pre-op diet is messing with my mind too. It was just a misunderstanding and it was all worked out, no problem. Hopefully that will happen for you too! Good luck!

Nurse7263-I'm in Fort Worth. Dr. Adam Smith. I couldn't find the Tyson Buffalo Wings, but I did find some Tequila Lime that aren't cooked yet. Thought I'd throw those on the grill and try them. They're not breaded, just marinated. I'll let you know how they are. Had all my bloodwork today (12 viles!). I can't believe it's in a week! I've been waiting and waiting and now that it's here, I realize how much stuff I need to get done before the big day! Also in case yall like Crystal Light, I just tried the Cherry Pomegranate. It's delicious! I also like the Blueberry White Tea. It sounds weird, but it's good and something different. I also found a Soup by Progresso, chicken Enchilada that is carb conscious. I haven't tried it yet, but one serving only has 8 carbs. I'm just looking for some different options to get me through this last week. Kinda loosing my mind!! Have a great day!

I started journaling on the suggestion of my mother-in-law. She thought I might enjoy being able to look back and see how far I've come. So far I've enjoyed it. I think a year from now I'll appreciate it more. I think I'll be able to see that the frustration I feel now was all worth it.

I'm to be banded in a week. I've told my immediate family and a few close friends. I've just felt like it was a very personal decision and it was a hard decision to make. It's not easy. Nothing about this process so far has been easy. I don't think most people understand what an ordeal it is. This pre-op diet is about to kick my rear and I still have a week to go. My main concern is who to tell at church (I don't work and that's my network, so to speak). I just don't want to have to repeat myself over and over, nor do I want to keep explaining myself. I'm there several times a week and I know people will eventually notice. I think that after surgery I'll be so happy with it that I won't care who knows. Maybe give yourself some time to get it done and then make that decision. Maybe after she will be so impressed by how well you are doing that she will then become supportive. Maybe not. Some people will always feel that way probably because they don't understand the procedure or how it works. In the mean time, I agree with what others have said. If it comes up just be honest that because of her negative reaction to the procedure you'd rather not discuss it all with her. Isn't this the same girl who is a nursing student? I thought I remembered you from another post. If I'm wrong, never mind. But if she is a nursing student then she really needs to learn how to show compassion for someone even though she might not agree with their choices. Even though you might not reap the rewards, I guarantee that this girl will some day look back on this and realize she could have handled it differently. Even though you might not realize it, you are teaching her something right now. She just doesn't know it. Remember it's your decision and your life. You have to do what is right for you. Good luck!

Thanks for all of your responses. It helps just to know that someone else is out there and I'm not alone. A week ago I would have eaten a banana, but this close to surgery I'm paranoid. I'm afraid that anything I eat that's not on the list he will be able to look at my liver and tell. I know that's ridiculous, but I don't want my surgery cancelled because my liver is not shrunken enough or whatever. I'm a rule follower by nature. I'm kind of a freak about doing exactly what my surgeon has told me to do. You guys are right, we're almost there. We can do it!! If I can just get control of my emotions, I think I'll be okay. Good luck all! Keep in touch!

Thank goodness!! I thought it was just me. I know I can make it through this, but I'm not sure if my family will be able to stand me that long!! My DH has been so great. Today he just hugged me and asked if there was anything he could do for me. He asked if I wanted him to go get the hot tub going so I could soak. Sweet. Or maybe he just thought I'd be out of the house and not crabbing at him for an hour! LOL Anyway, good luck! Let's stay in touch and help each other through this.

I have to know if anyone else is experiencing any wierd side-effects from their pre-op diet. I started my pre-op diet two weeks ago (I started a week early because I thought I had to). It's just a low carb diet, I didn't think it would be a big deal. This has been the hardest week ever. I'm really not hungry, but I don't feel satisfied either. I just don't feel, right. I've been so irritated and well, bitchy for a few days now. I'm so weepy. Also, my T.O.M. was a week late. I know that might account for some of my moodiness, but it's not generally like this. It's been very painful and I've had headaches for days. I feel like my blood sugar is extremely low most of the time. Has anyone else felt like this after starting the diet? I feel like I'm going to go crazy if I don't have a cup of brown rice. I'm not missing the sodas or sugar, I just want a piece of bread! I know lots of people who do low-carb diets and don't feel weird. I've done low-carb before and don't remember feeling so edgy. Honestly, this was easier the first week than it is now. Just for background: My surgeon prescribed low-carb diet consists of meat and eggs, any veggie except peas, corn and potatoes. No alcohol, bread, Pasta, rice or fried foods. I can have sugar free Jello and popsicles and skim milk. I can have Protein shakes as long as they are less than 200 cal, at least 15 g of protein, and less than 10 g carbs. I've been pretty much eating all of these things. I eat 3 meals per day as suggested. I drink lots of Water. I can also have any sugar free drink as long as it's not carbonated. I also take a Vitamin everyday as well as a Calcium supplement. I hope those of you who are doing an all liquid diet don't hold this against me. I know an all liquid diet is extremely hard to do and I know I sound like a cry baby. I'm really not. I've been perfectly happy to do whatever it takes to get this done, but I really feel like I'm loosing it. I'm also getting really bad muscle cramps especially in my sides and stomach. I'm also not sleeping very well. I only have a week left and I will suck it up and do what I have to do, but I'm going crazy. Any suggestions or ideas? Thanks in advance for your help.

My pre-op diet is high protein, low carb. I have a kidney disorder and didn't want to eat an over abundance of animal protein as it is hard on my kidneys. So, I try to get in as much soy protein as possible. Instead of whey protein powder, I got a soy protein powder that I mix with lite, low carb soy milk. There are many very good meat alternatives if you look for them. One of my favorites is Melissa's soy chorizo which I find with the fresh veggies at my local store. I know most people cringe at the thought of soy anything. Especially since most people think tofu. It's not that bad and you get used to it. When I found out about my kidneys I bought several vegetarian cookbooks. There are many creative ways to eat soy protein. I never would have thought that I would eat it, much less like it. We've always been huge meat eaters. Don't get me wrong, I still love my animal protein, I just try to eat less of it than I used to. So anyway, if you are worried about your kidneys you might want to try it. It's still protein, but is easier on the kidneys. That's my two cents. Good luck!

Both of my evals were great. I absolutely loved the psychotherapist. She had actually been banded by my surgeon 18 months ago so she totally understood my struggles. She asked me about my family support. She told me about her experience with the band and before. She asked if there was anything I was worried about. I told her my worries. She gave me some pointers and that was that. She sent over the approval letter the next day. She was great. I really liked my nut as well. She was very helpful and nice. She told me all about the diet I would need to follow after being banded. She let me try some samples of Protein drinks and gave me samples of Vitamins, etc. She gave me my recommended protein intake. She told me where I could purchase the products she told me about. She gave me a list of foods and their nutritional content. She was just a wealth of info. Both of these ladies made me feel comfortable and very relaxed. All in all, it has been a very positive experience.

Hello all! I'm Brook from Texas. I've been married for 15 years and have two girls, 8 and 4. I've been a stay at home mom since my youngest was born, but I've been going to school as well. I've just applied to nursing school for the fall. We have two crazy, pain in the rear cats (Stunky and Lion) and one very large, but very sweet Great Pyrenees named Holly. My surgery date is April 16th! Good luck everyone!

Congrats Kara, I go on the 16th! Good luck ColoradoChick! Keep us posted. My surgery is in 11 days! I can't believe it! I'm so ready, but last night I had my first attack of "what the heck am I doing?". I was a little surprised by that reaction because I've felt so good about my choice. I still think it's the right choice for me, but I think it's finally sinking in that I am about to change my life forever! I'm ready and I have no doubt it will be the best thing I will ever do for myself. I can't wait! Good luck all April Avengers! I can't wait to hear how all of you are doing!

I've been keeping a food log for my own benefit to see what I've been eating over the last few days. I plugged in the numbers last night and was horrified by how much fat I was eating. That kind of scared me, so today I made a conscious effort to lower my fat intake. I did good today except for the treat I allowed myself, Starbucks!! :smile: I get fat free, no whip, and only 1/2 the syrup. Still had 29 grams of carbs. I couldn't believe it was that much. I would have guessed at least 10g less. Oh well, now I know. What an eye opener. B- coffee w/ sugar free creamer L- Thai shrimp soup with lime and cilantro S- Soy protein shake (1/2 skim, 1/2 water) D- Chinese steamed chicken w/ broccoli Slip-up - Cafe Mocha

LisaB411 - You are not alone. Like everyone else has said, it is a huge lifestyle adjustment, but one that I am so ready to make. I want to be free of the hold food has on me. I want to be able to say, "no thanks" for once in my life. I too have struggled with my choice. It's something that I have seriously thought about for the past year. I've tried to educate myself through reading books, this forum, speaking with those who have gone before us, and my docs. Yes, we have to understand that this is surgery and there are risks with every surgery, but they are small. You have to trust your doc. If you don't, find a new one. LapBand is all my surgeon does all day everyday. He is banded himself as is most of his staff. The psychotherapist I saw has also been banded by him, so I really feel I'm in good hands. I actually have nightmares about having a heart attack. It's a very real fear as I have a huge family history of heart disease and diabetes. I find it so ridiculous that I should be so afraid of something just because of my weight. I can do something about that. I want to be a better wife and mother. I feel so bad most of the time I don't want to do anything or go anywhere. I'm cranky a lot and my poor kids are suffering. I want to be the active mom. I'm tired of feeling intimidated by the other moms at my daughter's preschool because they are all thin and healthy looking. I've applied to nursing school and if I don't get this weight off I will never have the energy it requires to be a mom and nursing student. I feel, like the others, that the benefits far outweigh any risks that might be associated with this procedure. I consider this a gift to myself, the gift of life. I've lost 15 years of my life to this disease, I'm ready to break free. I hope you find the peace you need to get through the next couple of weeks. Good luck!

I had to see a nutritionist before I could set my surgery date. We talked a lot about what I could and couldn't eat after surgery. The kind of things I wanted to avoid. She let me sample several protein drinks for right after surgery to see which ones I liked. She told me how much protein I should eat on a daily basis after surgery. She gave me samples of vitamins. She gave me a list of things I might want to have on hand for right after surgery and where I could buy them. She was very helpful and I'm glad I had to see her.

I had a better day today. I think I'm finally adjusting to the low-carb diet. I felt satisfied and didn't really have those cravings. I also had a lot of energy today. It's been a while since I've felt this good. B - 2 eggs w/ 1 slice ham 1/4 c salsa L - Atkins shake D - 3 oz salmon w/ salad