Jodi_620

Did you doctor tell you what kind of diet he/she wants you to follow? As you see from Patchelton's response, some allow carbs and some are very lenient and allow 2 Protein shakes and one meal per day or just require one or two days dieting prior to surgery. You should follow the diet your doctor wants. Mine wanted me on liquid protein-very low carb pre-op. I was allowed Protein Shakes, chicken/beef broth, sugar free Jello, sugar free popsicles, low carb yogurt smoothies, low carb milk, crystal light. I am glad that I followed this diet. Carbs are my enemy and this diet got me off the roller-coaster of carb cravings. Now that I am post-op I don't have to watch my carbs so much but I still have not allowed myself starches or sugars because I don't want to go back to the hell of carb cravings.

You lost 22 pounds is a month or so?...that is fantastic! You don't want to interfere with healing and have slippage by getting a fill too soon. Many people gain weight at this stage so don't get too frustrated, you are doing great. :sad_smile:

I have made it through the liquid pre-op and liquid post-op and only have 2 1/2 more days on the mushies. :w00t: I completely understand your feeling of being overwhelmed and frustrated. The liquid pre-op diet was very hard. I had days where I was just a bear and others where I just wanted to cry. The first 2-3 days are the hardest. Just take it one day at a time, remind yourself that this is just temporary, it will get better and it will be sooo worth it. Take in Protein as soon as you feel hungry and drink plenty of Water. Come here for support when you need it. With the band in, the post-op diet is much easier. And when you finally make it through to solids again you will be so proud of yourself for sticking with it. I must admit though, after nearly six weeks I can't wait until Friday so that I can actually chew on something. :sad_smile:

Hi Patti and welcome from a former PA girl! :biggrin2: This is a great place for information and support. Good luck!

Yeah that's it! It was worrysome to me too but I had decided to wait until this week when I see my surgeon but it has since gone away..I hope for the same with you!

I was banded May 30th so far I have lost 22 pounds. My period came about a week or two post-op and ovulation signs tell me that I am already back on a 28-day cycle!!

I think it may just be part of the healing process. I am 25 days out now and I experienced what I think you are describing around the same time. It wasn't really a pain but an uncomfortable feeling. I had port pain and incision pain the first couple weeks then this sensation came on suddenly after about two weeks and lasted about a week. The pressure/pulling was sort of in my midsection just below my rib cage, is that where yours is? Give it a little time, this week was the first week that I really felt great.

I was planning to be a self-pay but I lucked out at the last minute when my insurance changed and I received coverage. I guess is depends on your surgeon. Even with self-pay I would have had to have the blood work/EKG/physician release, upper GI, psych evaluation and two nutrionist classes. The sleep study was optional and visit with the personal trainer was optional.

Alcohol has a high number of calories and it breaks down vitamins in your system. An occasional glass of wine or other non-carbonated alcoholic beverage though is not considered harmful to weight loss but drinking more regularly will sabotage your weight loss and could deplete the nutrients in your body. You should be careful when you drink too because now that you have the lap band the alcohol could affect you differently than before. But dispite all of this you really should check with your doctor on how soon you can start drinking.

You should check your BMI, to do so go here: Calculate your BMI - Standard BMI Calculator Yes, if your BMI is a little lower and you are going to pay out of pocket you may not have any problem finding a doctor who is willing to do the surgery but if you are using insurance you will have to be within the guidelines of your particular insurance policy. Typically the guidelines are either 1.) A BMI above 40 OR 2.) A BMI of 35 to 40 with co-morbities (heart disease, diabetes, high blood pressure, high cholesterol, sleep apnea etc.)

Most require it to document your efforts at losing weight and to see that the person is willing and able to make the changes that will help them be successful at losing weight.

prefectforme, The scars are minimal but not non-existant. The smaller inscisions (4 or 5) may be almost invisible. The larger port incision may leave a more noticible scar. To all, Here is a link to a thread on scars with some photos. http://www.lapbandtalk.com/f17/scar-stages-share-yours-6117/

Isn't that just the sweetest thing??? My sister gave me a refrigerator magnet with that picuture on it...I just love it. Glad you enjoy it :biggrin2:

OK, that's cool...I'm not a big fan of negativity myself; especially here where everyone is coming for much needed support. :smile:

To those who answered without getting their panties in a bunch...thanks for the explanation. :smile: My post was meant to be more of a lighthearted inquiry about the whole process, nothing more.

Yeah I don't get it either. What, is it a popularity contest or something? Is there some benefit to singling out certain people to be your chosen friend vs accepting everyone equally? Seems to me we should be a community of friends supporting each other... Of course this is coming from another friendless person :smile:

Mine gave me "Ondansetron". Little tiny cherry flavored tablets that you dissolve on your tongue...they were a lifesaver!

That is wonderful GramaLisa! The whole situation sounds better all around...good luck and let us know how the seminar goes!

It fills you up quickly because you have a smaller stomach (pouch). Yes, the food passes through the stoma but slowly and as you get fills the stoma is narrower so it passes through more slowly and you feel full longer eat less and lose more weight.

If you only lost 13lbs in more than a year and a half then there is something wrong...I know that we can't compare weight loss but I lost that much on my pre-op diet before the band was even placed. There is either a problem with your band (have you had it checked for proper placement, leakage or any other problems? have you had proper fills?) Maybe an underlying problem with your metabolism (medications, thyroid etc) or perhaps you are not doing your part to make it work (what and how much are you eating? are you exercising enough?) If you are not receiving enough support from your current doctor try to find another one and try to look at why the band is not working for you. This is a support thread, if you provide the right information we can try to help you. But jumping on here and bashing the band with little information to back it up is not very constructive.

I've lost an automobile tire...still have three more tires and a spare to go :rolleyes2:

There really is no way to say how much weight you will lose. Our bodies work differently, and a big factor is how committed you are in watching what you eat and exercising. And how fast your surgeon will want you to lose. Many doctors will say they only want you to lose 1-2 lbs per week. I have read that 2-3 lbs a week for the first year is very possible before weight loss slows down a bit.

Your situation is very different from mine, it seems unusual to me to have the Psych eval and Nutrition Education over the phone. Are you clear on what you should eat before and after surgery, how you should eat, complications and what you need to do to heal after surgery? If your surgeon is not educating you then maybe he/she is not the best choice. The band is a tool and is only going to work if you are educated on how to make it work for you. And if you are not well educated on how to care for yourself post-op it could cause some serious issues. But as far as timing, it doesn't seem to be taking any longer than it does for most people, you are actually moving along faster than many. It can take time to get insurance approval (the insurance companies are not usually in a big rush to approve an expensive surgery). Depending on your insurance it could take weeks to get approval answers--that is, once all of their required information is received. If your insurance requires a copy of a sleep study then Julian should have already set up a sleep study for you...so yes, you should call and ask about that. The longer it takes for them to get their information the longer it will take to get approval and surgery. Just make sure you feel comfortable with your surgeon, not only will he be operating on you but he will be the one to maintain your weight loss now and into the future.

Yes, I had hiatal hernia repair with lap band surgery. Many people have minimal problems with it, mainly more shoulder pain for longer period of time was the only concern that I was given. Hopefully you will be part of the fortunate majority. Unfortunately I had more recovery problems with it than what I was told, I had breathing problems where I could not walk or talk for too long without becoming breathless (hiatal hernia is on your diaphragm which is the muscle you use to breath). This lasted for about five days. I also had very painful episodes where I would feel in my stomach,the urge to belch but the belch would not come up and I would instead get a severe pain up my esophogus into my chest. . This lasted about 5-6 days. This is called Gas Bloat and happens to about 40% of patients; 19 days later, I still am physically unable to belch but now I just feel the sensation in my stomach like I am going to burp followed by slight pressure; no pain. I think that I needed to throw up one time but I was unable to, just a gaggy feelign with a creeping feeling in my esophagus but nothing came up. I am wondering if this Gas Bloat will cause problems when I get to solid foods. Most bandsters have PB ing to let them know when they didn't eat right...if I can't belch or throw up what will happen? From what I have been able to find on it is that it usually improves "over time" and is rarely long-term.

That is true for many "Low Fat" and "Fat Free" food items. When they take out the fat, they often add sugar or high fructose corn syrup to make up for the loss in flavor. But with milk, the difference is very minimal-less than 1G difference.... Carbs in 1/2 Cup servings: Whole 11.3 G 2% 11.7 G 1% 11.7 G Skim 11.9G