mini_me

call your doc and ask if you can eat for peter's sake... my doc moved me on to normal foods after two weeks. i was able to drink all i wanted, and i would stop eating after twenty minutes of mushies, but i never got full, and still have not backed up. today, for lunch, i ate a grilled hamburger patty...probably 4 oz cooked, and a spoon full of turnip greens. The i ate some sugar free pudding, and still could have eaten more. I have absolutely NO NO NO restriction. Sounds like you may be in the same boat with me. I am 3 weeks post op now. my doc let me eat at two weeks, he just reminded me to CHEW chew CHEW and STOP when I start to feel fullness/tightness/backing up/etc...but i really have not had any of that(except for once when I ate too fast, dern that first bite). good luck!! (gosh, gotta love wheetsin, but man, i would love to hate her...50 lbs in a month? who does that!!!! {winks at wheetsin!! Congrats sister!})

WELCOME...and the "100 lbs" overweight thing applies for insurance. The way my doc explained it is that the insurance has all these requirements, if you want insurance to cover, then you have to meet their guidelines. The FDA has their guidelines, but that does not make it illegal or immoral to deviate from those guidelines. My BMI was also 38, and my doc told me that i would have to sign a piece of paper telling me that this surgery was INTENDED for folks with a BMI of >40 or BMI>35 with comorbidities, and here are the risks. He explained that with my history, it would likely be about a year or two before my BMI reached 40, and he is not going to make me wait until i am that heavy before doing surgery. I signed the little sheet of paper, handed over a chunk of change, and he banded me.((definitley not that simple, but you get the point)) You are definitely a candidate for evaluation for surgery if you have at least 40 lbs to lose. I am a very healthy obese woman, and my doc did the surgery. He told me that he only believes i need to lose 50 lbs, although, I would like to lose about 65. Welcome again, this is a great community. And good luck to you!

hey cloe, i bumped one for you...it says post-op shopping list...it is things you will need before surgery, cuz you sure ain't gonna want to go to walmart after surgery... good luck

Campbells Beefy Mushroom Soup...best pot roast I had in weeks! (and all the solid parts settle at the bottom, so no uh-ohh's)

i did not tell many folks. only the necessary people at work. i set rules for those who know...they can only ask me about my weight on mondays, and if i dont look like i have lost weight, then don't ask. i am a pretty matter of fact kind of talker, so it was easy for me to tell those folks my expectations. I am proud to have the band also, but i do not want the band to define who i am. i do not want EVERY conversation to start with...so, hows the diet going? good luck

Kathy, Call Dr. Spivak's office and ask them if you can move on to solids. They let me move to solids this past tuesday. They just reiterated that it is very important that I chew well, eat slow, and stop as soon as I start to feel full. I am eating anything my family eats, just in limited portions. Good Luck!

my doc...24-48 hours liquid diet mushies for the next 4 weeks solids as tolerated after 4 weeks...HOWEVER... he released me to eat solids after two weeks. i was banded on march 13, and i do not think i had ANY swelling/restriction where the band was placed. I wasn't too hungry on day one or two, but by day three...i could have eaten a small cow. I would sneak myself(i do not know who i was trying to sneak by...?) a solid food about once a day, and make sure i chewed to a smurf-tacularly liquified consistency before i swallowed it. I finally broke down and asked the doc to move on to solids. they just reminded me to chew and pay attention to the feeling of fullness. I am staying very aware that i am still in the healing stage, and i am not eating 14 slices of pizza or nothing...although, with my minimal restriction, i BET i could eat that much! I am also mixing a single swallow of Water at the end of my meal, just to ensure i have sufficiently liquified whatever solid i have eaten. i haven't lost any significant weight, but I did not expect to until i get filled. good luck to you, and remember, every doc has their own preferences and opinions, just wanted to share my experience...

I self-payed $15k for surgery with Dr. Spivak in Texas.

Dr. P: Is this the only way slippage occurs with this method?

15 days post op and I went to the doctor(that was tuesday), I told them that I am hungry, and that I can guzzle water with no problem, and also that I can eat all the mushies i want with no backing up. They told me it was ok to move on to solids. They just reminded me to chew, and told me to listen to my fullness. So I ate pizza 2 weeks post op, no problems.

Hey Kathy!! How have you been?!! I am at the same place you are. I lost ten, and now it is creeping back. I scheduled my followup/fill for april 12 at the surgicenter. I had to go see the nurse at the office yesterday(tiny bit of infection in one of the small incisions), and she told me that i can incorporate solids, as long as i chew really well, and stop eating as soon as i feel the fullness. i felt the fullness for sure, but i am still pretty hungry. Today was better as far as hunger. Hang in there sister! I am confident that the good doc will fill us soon!!

LOL, LMAO, ROTF ......engrave the friggin hockey numbers, make tiny lil jersey shirts for them, store them on teams. Designate a goalie...hehehe

OK, you guys were in my bedroom again last night. Right in the middle of the tango, , when I stopped and said "Honey, did you know that rheumatoid arthritis is an immune deficiency?" He ignored me. I read that on a post on here last night. I always thought RA was a joint problem, like arthritis. Who'd a thunk it?

Hey Karen, They saw the LIPS:kiss2: TAT, and you are just lying to yourself when you say the didn't!!! :) I have all of ya'll beat. I pee'd myself during surgery, so they had to move my big stanky, urine soaked behind:tired :omg: !!! ((((I knew I should have gone potty before I left!!!))))

Just read the date of your post karen, guess i am a little late. i was being banded as you were waking up with port pain...lol....how did it work out?

i was banded 3/13, my port area is still a little tender, but the tissue around it is very soft and similar to all my other skin. the only tissue irregularity is directly adjacent to the incision, so i am certain it is scar tissue. i think you should give the doc a buzz just in case, that is why we paid him the big bucks right? his job is to see us through this procedure. Better safe than sorry, call the doc!! And you know Dr. Spivak's folks are so nice, that they will make you feel comfortable calling!

check into things, perhaps you will find a highly recommended surgeon who has openings in his schedule. My surgeon was very highly recommended, and I was still able to pick my surgery date. he was booked for a week after my consult, but i had no problem scheduling at my convenience beyond that week. LET THE INSURANCE PAY!! Save the money and buy yourself a skinny vacation for your first goal celebration!!! Good luck to you.

please, can we have a kiss the pig fund raiser(i'll be the pig) to pay for my .... oh nevermind, i am already banded...

I have heard of this before. I've read about it here on LBT. I bet if you keep bumping this, someone will notice and direct you to more information. Do not worry yourself just yet! Hang in there. I wish I had more information to give you.

WOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOO HOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOooooOOOOOoooOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOO!! Thank goodness. I will respect that my doc may have a different opinion, but I am so glad your doc says it is ok as long as i chew chew chew, which I do...probably way too much!! Better safe than sorry!

I am glad PhotoNut is here. I am glad Dr. Pleatman is here. I am glad GeezerSue is here. I am glad Delarla is here. I am glad Cashley is here. I am also glad that we do not share the exact same opinions on everything. Things would be a bit boring around here if we were all the same. Just for the record, PhotoNut has provided me with a great deal of information on this band I have in my belly. Thanks PNut! Just for the record, Dr. Pleatman has never made me feel, in reading his posts, that he would hope to one day have me become a GB patient. I have found most of his posts helpful and informative, to the extent that I was looking for information. ((noting that I would never solicit medical instruction, just thoughts/opinions/facts from the good doc)) Thanks Doc!! This is a great community!

hey chops...me and you are in the same boat. I was banded march 13th, and started mushies and found myself eating solids very carefully. I chew to the point of liquifying. Before surgery, the nurse at the doc's office told me that post op mushies can include about anything, as long as it goes in the blender first. My mind processed that as ... #1 making sure the food is in tiny particals. Well, I am doing that. Chops, let us know what your doc says!!

YOU JUST MADE ME FEEL SO GOOD!!! How many people can post about their own NSV's and make everyone else smile? I am smiling not only for you Jacqui, but your NSV's made me smile for me too. I know that despite my temporary feelings as a brand new bandster(2 weeks), in the end, I will get to enjoy the NSV's too. Thank you for keeping our spirits up!!!

you will definitly need help with the baby. Work? I took one week off, and that was just enough time off. I was really tired going back the first day back to work, but i am ALWAYS sleepy and tired anyway.

I have also been enjoying these little dandies for a few months now. The are delish!! And after neglecting my palate(spelling?) during diets, man these truly did trick me into thinking i was eating candy.