MaidMarion

Oh Julie I have lots more to lose! About 125 lbs. I have not been on antibiotics since April 14th. Nose spray both over the counter and steroid type script kind have brought no relief. I have been back to my doctor and he can find no reason for the loss of taste. I am just thinking of that big chunk of cash going out possibly.....gotta not do that and just assume it will come back. I probably wouldn't worry about it but I actually know someone who lost his sense of taste and smell about 5 years ago. Oh you had a thigh lift? I hear those are painful! well not that any surgery is a piece of cake but I hear arms and legs are the worst. I won't need legs but man will I need arms done! Unless I want to save money on air flights.

I have been on this journey since March 5th. I finally have a surgery date of July 14th. Okay that is all well and good but now here is my question. I had a really horrible sinus infection the first two weeks in April and lost my ability to taste. I still have no sense of taste AT ALL! I have lost 35 lbs since this all started without dieting.......if you can't taste you start to lose all interest. Part of me wants to save myself all that money and not have the surgery. I fear though that my taste will come back at some point. I hate to anger my surgeon by postponing. Has anyone lost their sense of taste for over 2 months? I have lost it for about 5 days but never like this. If you were in my shoes and paying out of pocket for the entire surgery what would you do at this point? Hold off until July to make any decisions? Get it done in the hopes it will come back? Postpone and see how much comes off out of boredom that everything tastes like....nothing!? I keep thinking of how many times I wished and prayed to lose weight and get healthy.......oh be careful what you wish for. On the bright side I won't be able to taste protein shakes.:thumbup:

I went to my behavior modification class where they had 6 people who had had the surgery come talk to us and one of the women had that happen to her. Sorry I can't give you a better answer.....I admit I thought WOW!

Thanks stay tuned that makes me feel better about that shake I had!! My printer wasn't working and I meant to print all the protein information.

Paying for every bit out of pocket....17,000! I have the feeling that is what is going to freak me out more than anything but it is a much better investment than a new car. I know mine has all been broken out......I am trying not to think about how much for each thing though.

My surgeon says weight loss is initially quicker on gastric bypass but that lap band catches up in 2 to 4 years. He does say that any weight loss surgery has a long term success rate of only around 40 to 45% because so few people want to change their bad habits. He does both surgeries and has done gastric bypass for years but only suggests it for people with really horrible comorbidities who need that very fast weight loss. I think it is a tool and the work is up to you. I worked with a couple of people who had gastric bypass who ate the most horrible of diets lots of cheetos and candy.....let me tell you the bathroom was no place to be after they had been in it. It is attitudes like theirs that causes all that weight to creep back on people. Advantage lap band......get a fill and remember what the long term goal is.

Yesterday I was reading a thread about protein and ya'll were explaining high quality protein vs bad cow hide protein. Could someone list what is a good quality protein and which ones are the poor quality? I ask because I am drinking a shake right now that is calcium caseinate and I think that was the cow hide protein:eek:.....in which case the only good thing I can say is at least it was a freebie.

Gotta say if I were told to lose 10 this month I would go with Atkins. I did it a few years ago and dropped 17 in two weeks. It is water weight from giving up carbs but really quick!

Oh good idea on the eating out Legster. I wondered how I would handle it in general but soup would slip right through and I love soup so no one would think it horrible I wasn't eating what they are eating. Just can't imagine the whole PB thing in public. We need to come up with something else to call that because it is ruining peanut butter for me.

Leelee I am excited we have the same banding date! Have you asked your doctor about resistance bands?? My young girlfriend who is paralyzed uses them quite a bit.

Oh I am sure you aren't the only one! I think a lot of back pain after the surgery is just from the surgery. Those operating tables aren't the most comfortable things and here we are strapped down flat on our backs. It is horrible to feel sick to your stomach. I think I dread that the most and I have already told my doctor I get sick easily. I don't but I sure don't want to feel that feeling if I can help it. I am sure you will get to feeling better really soon. Everyone just has a different experience with surgery. Oh by the way the gas everyone talks about is the gas they extend your belly with during surgery so they can reach your stomach. It isn't like the gas we normally think of. It most likely will feel like a bit of chest pain and oddly enough shoulder pain later as the gas bubbles will rise to the highest point in your body. I have heard walking helps. Heard it just yesterday from someone who just had tubal ligation. Keep your chin up! You will bounce back but just think there will be less of you to bounce already!!

They must have been pretty rough on you during tubing. My best friend had similar problems after her hysterectomy but she was out a lot longer. I would give it today and if it doesn't go down I would go camp out on my surgeon. It most likely is just injured from surgery but I can only imagine what that feels like. I hope that swelling starts to go down soon.

wow how horrible! I wish you could be that little angel on my shoulder all the time to remind me of this when I get banded. I would have been so scared....don't think I could have driven to work to be honest. I hope you get all healed up and never cross a kicking pork chop again!

How did I miss this thread?? Hi everyone in Springfield or near by! How about that weather last night? In Spfd it seemed like a lot to do about nothing. I finally set up my surgery date....7-14. Seems like such a long wait since I started in March but my schedule was full of dogs and people on vacation so I blocked out that week. Hope it is a luck one. You guys have all done so well! It makes me excited to read about people I could actually be seeing around town and not even know they used to have a weight problem:biggrin2:

More and more doctors are doing surgery on people your age. I know my doctor is part of a program that will operate on younger patients. You might have to look a bit harder

Yeah I was so wound up about my psych exam I am surprised she didn't check me in somewhere. She basically just talked to me and wanted to make sure someone else wasn't pushing me into this. She said in all the years she had only out and out turned someone down twice. Mostly it was to see how much counseling you might need afterwards because some people go into mourning about the loss of the food friend. She just said I would do fine. Mind you everyone here goes through an entire day of behavior modification so she gets to see you again for about 8 hours. Not bad and I actually learned that fat foods mimic endorphines, high carbs mimic seretonin, and protein mimics dopamine so if you are in pain you are more likely to eat fatty foods, depressed you want carbs, and if you need a brain boost eat protein. I didn't think I could learn a thing about food and why I eat it but I did!

Red blood or coffee ground looking blood? It would help to know if it is likely just the strain of vomiting ie red or ulcer type blood looks like coffee grounds. Of course either way I would call my surgeon just to be sure.

Oh you are so lucky! Congratulations. Mine will end up taking almost 5 months and I am self pay!! Of course the last month is my problem but my schedule wouldn't allow for a June banding. Good luck! You have lots of support here.

Good for you! That is freaking awesome.....am I allowed to say freaking??! LOL that is a great way to start summer too!!!

I would suggest a modified Atkins or a South Beach type diet. The low carbs will shrink your liver for surgery and I have found both of them good diets to keep you from being hungry. I have been on a horrible diet. Since March 6th I have lost almost 40 lbs.....now you want to know how??? I got a sinus infection the first of April and have lost all sense of taste. I get so excited and then bite into something and the most I can tell is salty and sweet but nothing beyond saying okay that was salty or that was sweet. I don't recommend it!! Good luck on your weigh in!! Are you going through the rest of the process at the same time or are you not being allowed to go to the next step until you lose the 25?

Dang I just erased my longer response. To the point yes you are correct jaria. My doctor explained it like this......adding liquid to a solid makes a slurry and the slurry will slip through the opening at a very fast rate so you will not feel full and you will be able to keep eating. I think the not drinking with meals will be really hard for me. That and no straws.

Congratulations Renea! Just think by next year you will be Thin Outsides!! It seems to take a bit longer sometimes than we want to wait but it is just a step at a time. I am all ready just got my 6 weeks to wait......Trying to decide if I should rob a bank to pay for mine

I had to have psych, an all day behavior modification seminar, nutrition, exercise, and then the day before surgery I will have blood work-up not sure what else then but nothing much. No x-rays, no endoscopy, no EKG I don't know if that is because I am lucky and have no co-morbidities or what.

congratulations! Thank you so much for taking the time to post. Not only did you have surgery but you accomplished so much on top of surgery! You are a regular wonder woman.....and you gave the people shopping in Target something to talk about. Glad things went so well. That is always the nicest stories to read....although personally I don't know if I could have dug so deep for that sample!

My doctor has me on Wellbutrin to help with cravings. It does seem to be helping but then it really isn't a diet pill.