MistyD65

I have to agree with Love on most of her points. I think there is a group of people who hear about the Band and jump on it as the next big weight-loss silver bullet. They don't do any research, don't take the time to look at the pros and cons, and what is really going to be required of them after the surgery. Some are lucky and end up choosing a surgeon who makes sure they understand that lifestyle changes must be made, even with the Band. Those folks either accept that and decide to go ahead, change their mind about surgery when they find out the work they are going to have to put in afterwards, or decide to go ahead and have the surgery but don't really intend to make changes. Others choose a surgeon who is happy to take their money, give them a little information, band them then leave them as "band orphans." This is a vast generalization, I know, but I've seen evidence of it. I understand where you are coming from too, Restless Monkey. I, myself, find it hard to imagine anyone approaching major and life-changing surgery without finding out as much as they can about it, and what life is going to be like afterwards. But some do. Yes, everyone is going to have their own experience, and each surgeon has his own idea about aftercare. But there are so many shared experiences that can be learned from. And yes, we are all grownups, but some of us are rule followers and some are not. And there are plenty of grownups who have the "I'm going to do what I want, the way I want to do it, and I don't care what anybody says." My wish is that everyone who choses Lap Band does so fully aware, accepting and willing to do everything that is required to make the tool work for them. I think that's the only way to really be successful with it.

I'm sorry Lora. I mis-read your initial post, and missed that you said you actually WENT to your doctor. I hope you can get some answers if you get in to see him again this week.

If you've been throwing up almost everything for 3 weeks, I think you should call your doctor again and INSIST that he see you, or at least do more than just brush off your concerns. Did he explain WHY he wasn't worried about it? Or offer any suggestions for eating without throwing up? How can he know if you haven't had slippage if he doesn't check you? Hope you are doing better soon!

Well, let me try this again. When I tried to post my last reply the site went offline...or something. I think people make up the Crystal Light then add the Isopure to it, but I haven't tried that myself. I taste tested the Icy Orange and Apple Melon Isopure, and they were ok, but I didn't buy any more of them. What I do buy and drink is Protein Blitz Fruit drinks by Designer whey. They are relatively new on the market - the only place I have been able to find them is Vitamin Shoppe. They come in Grape, Orange Mango, and Punch and I LOVE them! They taste like Kool-Aid to me. No clumps of protein or the chalky taste of the Isopure. They come in 20 oz plastic bottles and each bottle contains 30 g protein, 1 g sugars and 120 calories. If you can find them, I highly recommend them.

When I went in for my 10 day post-op appointment the nurse gave me a little packet from Allergan. In it was a "Patient's Guide to Living with the Lap-Band System" and a wallet-sized card titled "Lap-Band Medical Information". It has a place for your name and your surgeon's name and phone number and says, "This person has an Adjustable Gastric Band implanted around the stomach to assist in weight loss. Caution should be taken when prescribing potentially ulcerogenic medications or performing any gastric or abdominal procedure. Maximum fill volume is 10 cc." That information is repeated on the back in French, German, Spanish and Italian (I think). Perhaps this is what you have heard about. Maybe the other band systems have something similar. I'd be interested to know if there is something else out there, too.

I ran into the same thing the first week after being banded. My dr requires 3 weeks of "modified" full liquids, which is basically Clear Liquids plus Protein drinks. 2 ounces of a high-protein liquid every hour while awake and two ounces of any non-carbonated, non-caffeinated liquid every 15 minutes after the hour (not high-calorie and with or without protein). The goal is 48-64 oz of Fluid a day and 40-60 g of protein. I was doing fine till one week after surgery - staying towards the top end of the ranges for fluid and protein, but I had not counted calories at all. But by that 7th day I found I was really weak and shakey and even a little dizzy. And my stomach was growling so much it felt like it was trying to eat itself. So I sat down and figured out how many calories I had been getting each day; I was shocked to see it was only about 300. I called my doctor to see if this was normal and he said yes. So, I decided to find a Protein Drink with a few more calories and add that to my daily rations. Muscle Milk RTDs fit the bill...I got my calorie count up to 500, which is still low, but better than 300. My daily intake is something like this: 12 ounces of Labrada Lean Body shake, 12 ounces Muscle Milk shake, 8 ounces of Protein Blitz fruit drink, 8 ounces of beef or chicken broth for "supper" and at least 28 ounces of straight Water. Yes, I'm a bit hungry most of the time but it is bearable. As for having the strength to teach 1st grade..nope, wouldn't want to try it on so few calories (I used to teach elementary music - 35-55 children at a time...by myself). Have you asked your doctor for any recommendations on getting your calorie count up? How much longer do you have to be on this stage of the diet? I move to soft foods this week, thank goodness! I hope you can figure something out for this. I can sympathize with you.

I haven't tried the powder but I LOVE the Chocolate Malt and Strawberries 'n' Cream Ready to Drink shakes. The Cookies and Cream was too sweet though. GNC has the RTDs on sale too.

Excellent! Best of luck to you!

Hi Lauren! I'm in Houston too...well, Katy. Not sure what part of Houston you are in, but if you are in the Katy/Cypress area you are more than welcome to come to an informal meet-up this Sunday at 2 PM. If you are interested, just let me know and I'll give you the specifics! Welcome to the fun! Misty

Fillcentersusa.com is the website and here is the link to the info about the Houston location: www.fillcentersusa.com Hope that helps!

I use Dr. Ricardo Bonnor. His office is on Kingsland Road (Texas Endosurgery Associates), across from the Metro Park and Ride. He performs surgeries at Memorial Hermann Katy, Christus St. Catherine, and Memorial Hermann Memorial City, which is a Center of Excellence and where I had my Band put in. He believes in a team approach, and has a Nutritionist and Life Coach who schedule appointments in his office. The Life Coach also hosts a support group monthly. Dr. Bonnor is very personable and so far has really listened to my questions and concerns, and has been straightforward and honest, but caring. (Plus, he's easy on the eyes Important point, huh? lol) His office staff is great too. Hope this helps!

Great! 2 PM on Sunday it is! Having at least 3 people makes it seem a bit more like a "group". Shall I try to contact the others who had expressed an interest, but haven't been back in the thread in a while? I think there was a Katy-specific thread too, and maybe another about our area. I'll look in there as well.

Hmm, maybe Sunday at 2 pm would be better. So far it's only me, for certain, on Saturday and that won't be any fun!

Slimteacher, my surgery was the first time I had ever been under anesthesia, aside from some gas for a wisdom tooth extraction. I didn't have any ill effects from it at all. I pray the same for you!

Last Friday 283.8 Today 279.5 Yaaay! o/ I've left the 280s!!!

I was banded on 8/4 and am on modified full liquids for 3 weeks...basically Clear Liquids plus Protein shakes. On the Monday after my surgery my hunger came back - my stomach felt like it was eating itself lol. That's when I did a calorie count and realized I was only getting about 300 a day. I added a different Protein Drink with a few more calories and now I'm up to about 500 calories a day. Am I hungry? Yes. But I have embraced it. I know now that being hungry isn't the end of the world. I feel like I have gained some control and have gotten in touch with my body a bit more, which can only help once I add soft foods next Wednesday. I am determined to follow my surgeon's instructions and give my stomach plenty of time to heal before advancing to soft foods, even though, in my mind, I feel I could have added them at least a week ago. But I'm not the doctor. :wink2: So hang in there, do what your doctor tells you and you'll soon be out of "bandster hell"!

GasX isn't going to help this pain, I'm afraid, because it sounds like the gas used in the surgery to inflate your abdomen. I know it doesn't help your pain, but most of us went through this and it WILL get better. That was really the only bad pain I had post-surgery too. One thing I did try, a suggestion I had run across somewhere on this forum, is to get down on your hands and knees (yeah I know, not the easiest thing to do after surgery) and lower your head and shoulders to the floor as far as you can go. It did give me some relief. It seemed to move the gas bubble out of my left shoulder for a while. I kind of thought of the gas as a helium balloon that had gotten stuck up in a corner of a room, so turning the room upside down was a way to move it. :smile2: Other than that, just keep moving and know that it should be gone in a couple of days.

Hooray! I just got your email reply too! Glad things went well with your fill.

I had to change clothes before going out today because the pants I put on were FALLING OFF!! I thought I could get another wear or two out of them, but it just wasn't going to happen - not if I wanted to keep my dignity lol. I think I may keep that pair of pants as my BEFORE pair. Just had to share!:biggrin2:

I went to the FillCenters website to see what they are all about. I was impressed. It's good to know that there are places like that if I need them in the future. :smile2:

lol It's their big "Southwestern Open House" or something like that. Lots of food samples....and I haven't even started soft foods yet. :smile2: So I'll be staying away...too tempting!

Evenings and weekends work for me too. Shall we dive in and plan an initial meeting this Saturday or Sunday at 2 pm at the Starbucks on 290 at Spring-Cypress, in front of Best Buy?

Becky, I can't speak for everyone else, but mine includes the pre-op loss, which wasn't very much because I got approved and scheduled so quickly. 302 was what my surgeon recorded for me at my first appointment with him. The pre-op diet is just as much a part of this journey as the rest of it, so I'd think most people include that on their tickers. :smile2:

You may be drinking more water than you think. A "glass" is really a cup - 8 ounces. So if you are drinking big glasses of water you may be getting more than 8 ounces with each.

I'd make the trek up Fry Road from Katy if we could get a group willing to meet at that Starbucks!