Jodi_620

I disagree with what the nurse said, it did not as she said "get worse until the first fill". Once I was able to get mushies, things got better then I was fine when I had solids. You are not completely there until you get the proper fill but it does get easier once you are off liquids.

Me too...three months later and still can't burp and at this point feel like I probably never will again. I hiccup a lot though. But my surgeon seemed to think it was related to my hernia repair, I did look it up and found that some people who have hiatal hernia repair do lose their ability to belch. Who knows, maybe the lap band has a similar affect. I am used to it now.

I have gotten stuck on dry chicken once or twice but for the most part I can eat all meats including steaks. I choose tender cuts of steak, I buy chicken breasts and grill them until just done (overcooking them just a little can cause problems). I have never gone wrong with chicken tenders, they are always very juicy and tender. I have not gotten stuck on fish once and I eat it a lot of that now. I do not like to add gravy, mayonnaise or other sauces because it adds fat and calories. If you choose the right cuts of meat, do not overcook it and take small bites/chew well, you might be just fine.

I am three months out and I still make a lot of noise. Mine is not my stomach growling but rather it is my digestive system making the noise. GasX helps but it does not stop all of the noises.

If it is anything like my process and your psychiatrist and nutritionist are in the same office, they will likely have you schedule you psych evaluation at your consult then your nutrionist appointment at your psych visit.

WooHoo!!! Great News!!! I remember how exciting it was to get that news!

WE are all behind you! Just avoid speaking with your mother until after you have recovered a bit from the surgery. You do not need the negativity right now. Once your mother sees that you have pulled through safely and especially when she sees the benefits of the surgery then she will hopefully come around...mine did.

The muscle you use to cough is the diaphragm so any strain from coughing would be from the diphragm-upwards (diaphragm, lungs, esophagus and throat). Since your stomach is below the diphragm there should not be any issues. If we can do abdominal exercises then there should be no reason that coughing would be an issue.

I can drink before. I had to wait an hour after eating while on both liquid and mushies but now that I am on solids I only have to wait 30 minutes.

Go to this older post for instructions: http://www.lapbandtalk.com/f18/how-do-i-add-ticker-70322/

What did your surgeon recommend? The post-op guidelines differ from doctor-to-doctor. I was on two weeks liquid followed by two weeks mushies and was instructed to eat/drink when I felt hungry. I was told around 800 calories per day. I had no appetite for the first week so I probably did not meet 800 calories, I was very hungry going into the second week but then again, I was not yet allowed as your are, things like grits, yogurt or cream soups at that point. So it is best to go by your surgeons instructions.

*****:tt1:***********:wink2:*************:smile:************:smile: ************* 2BHealthE!.........194...........79..............194............0 ahsem2bme..........244............244............225............0 aJoneen............223............223............213............0 Aphrodite1984......208............208............190............0 Ariel .............199............199............180............0 Bea1128............210.5..........210.5..........188............0 Caramia71..........208............208............195............0 DebinFl............181............181............168............0 georgiagirl........245............245............230............0 HarleyGirl.........188............188............175............0 HeatherA...........210.5..........210.5..........200............0 HeatherO...........155............155............140............0 Jazzyywan..........255............255............190............0 Jodi_620...........196............194............177............2 Leslie2Lose........220............220............205............0 LisaB..............205.5..........205.5..........180............0 livn4thm...........235............235............210............0 Long2bthin.........248............248............230............0 Luu2008............203............203............183............0 Mamanmidwife.......299............299............285............0 memom..............210............210............170............0 mominlv13..........299.8..........299.8..........275............0 nip50..............175............175............160............0 NurseNiki..........258............258............239............0 odamay.............242............242............225............0 SpecialK...........294............294............280............0 Tess...............304............304............280............0 Turler.............225............225............210............0 wowox7.............195............195............170............0 WyominGirl.........327............327............312............0

I had one and didn't know it either...absolutely no symptoms. A barium swallow is one of the pre-op requirements and it was with that procedure that I learned I had a hernia. The radiologist was able to determine that it was a slight hernia and told me right away that he didn't feel it would hinder my ability to get the band. I was told that you can't ignore a hiatal hernia especially with Lap Band because the hernia will slowly get worse. Your diaphragm holds your digestive organs down where they belong, with a large hernia (large tear in the diaphragm) the stomach and other organs can actually migrate up through the tear in your diaphragm and into the chest...with the Lap Band that could be a terrible mess. My guess is that if you have a very severe hernia you would probably know it (reflux and pain) and it probably could keep you from being a good candiate for the Lap Band. So, if you've had a barium swallow and nothing showed then you should be fine. If you haven't had one, getting one will ease your mind.

The test I took was the fill in the dot questions, a bunch of yes/no questions like: "I love my mother, I have stolen before, I want to be I fireman, I like to torture small animals, I am a supermodel." I was asked to take my time and answer the questions honestly and apparently they can tell if you were dishonest. The second visit she went over the results and based only on this test was able to give a pretty accurate decription of my personality. It is supposed to help them to determine your personality type, weaknesses, and mental health to determine if you are a good candidate for the band. After reviewing the test, she verbally quizzed me on my knowledge of the surgery and how the band works to make sure I fully understood what I was getting into. We discussed my eating habits, my goals, my concerns etc. She gave me a really nice diary to keep track of my food and some brochures on stress and eating, types of foods to eat etc. She had me sign a promisary statement that if at any time after surgery, my surgeon feels that I need counseling to deal with my weight loss that I will seek it. The second visit took about an hour.

Yes, I was on Liquid Protein 2 weeks prior to surgery, another 2 weeks of liquid Protein after surgery then two weeks of puree. No they do not cancel surgery if you lose weight during this period, you will have already been approved for surgery at this stage. The reason for the 2 week pre-op diet is to shrink your liver. When we are overweight, we of course have fat all around our internal organs too. Your liver is in front of your stomach, so in order to place the band the surgeon has to move your liver out of the way. If the liver is fatty, it can be difficult--sometimes impossible to move without damaging it. Fortuantely, when we diet one of the first places for the fat to leave our bodies is from the liver. The reason for the 2 week liquid-2 week puree after surgery is for healing. In surgery, they place the band around the top portion of your stomach and stitch it in place. If we were to eat solid foods right after surgery, our stomachs would need to churn to break down the food. The motion of that churning could tear the stiches and cause the band to slip.

Welcome..wishing you all the best through your journey!

I'm in!!!.... NAME****START***GOAL**** LOST****CURRENT Jodi_620***196*****177*******0********196

I agree that your weight loss is good. I had my surgery just 10 days after you and we have lost the same amount. Can you get your fill moved up? I was in the same position between my second and third fill. It wasn't what I was eating I have had absolutely no carbs other than from natural sources (fresh fruits and veggies, milk and oatmeal) since surgery. I mainly eat lean meats and veggies and I was not losing. When I gained two pounds, I did not wait any longer, I moved my third fill up from September 10th to last week and finally knew without a doubt the meaning of restriction and the weight is coming off again. I had 1CC put in (I am not postivie but I think I have 4.22 CC's in my 10mm band).

You don't have any weight related health conditions? I have UHC and like most insurances they will not make any exceptions to the guidelines. You have to be 35-40 with co-morbities or 40+.

Besides eating, there should be no physcial limitations with the Lap Band once you are healed. You can run, jump, bend, exercise and lift just like anyone else. The only logical reason for removal is complications.

Patchelton is the one who turned me on to the Worldwide shakes just a couple of days ago. I bought a single serve can of vanilla, chocolate and strawberry and banana cream (they didn't have cookies and cream in single serve at my Vitamin Shoppe :cursing:). So far I have tried vanilla (quite good) and chocolate (not bad). I agree they are a great choice based on high protein, low sugar and taste. They just go down much easier for me than some of those other pre-mixed products.

Yay to all three of you!!! Best Wishes and let us all know how it went!

I sent you a friend request. I think what you are going through is probably nerves. The whole process can do that to you plus the anticipation and worries about the surgery and if you are like I was, the fear of failure. I gained weight but I got a case of what has recently been cleverly dubbed "The Last Supper Syndrome" Try to start small in preparing for your pre-op diet, cut back slowly on carbs especially potato, rice, bread, Pasta, sugar etc. Work on cutting these out completely. Try to eat Protein, veggies and fruit in that order and try not to eat between meals. I wouldn't worry over it too much but trying to slow down now will make the pre-op diet a little less difficult. Come here for support as much as possilbe, we are a great bunch of folks and we understand what you are going through. Just take it one day at a time and you will be in my thoughts and prayers.

Considering your closeness, your dad definitely needs to know. Be prepared to explain everything and answer all his questions so that he knows that you have researched this well. He may protest at first, my mom did too, but remember that he loves you and only has your best interest at heart. In the end he will hopefully see that it was a good decision my mom did.

Caltrate Pluse D Chewables are great (taste good too!) I was told no Slim Fast (too much sugar) I didn't like the Body Fortress powders. Just started using Worldwide Pure Protein with 35 G of protein and they are really good. No Juice plus, I just took plenty of multi-Vitamins. Yes, they should be chewable. I use Flintstones Vitamins (2 a day), and dispite what many believe they are not just for kids.