CassCass

Congrats!!

My fiance and I are both being banded on August 7th! I'm really happy we get to do this together from the start. I think it will make things easier.

Thanks everyone!

I think one of my biggest problems is I've been living on fast food for so long that I have trouble thinking about what REAL food is out there. I work from 3p-11p and for the longest time I've just been stopping and grabbing something here and there.

We're cleaning out the fridge and pantry tonight and I'm going to go roam Walmart or Target for all the low-carb things I can find.

Thank you for all the suggestions! I know I have it better than the liquid dieters, I'm just being a brat right now. I'll get over it!

Yeah, I think most people who talk about having to lose weight before hand is for the liver-shrinkage issue. Not necessarily because they're too big!

My surgeon has done surgery on patients 500+ lbs. I'm not sure if there's a max weight or not.

Two things happened today!

We paid for our procedures. So it seems like the surgeries are REALLY going to happen now.

And we had to start our 2 week low-carb diet.

I can go days without eating meat. Just give me potatoes, bread, rice, and pasta! So this is a big adjustment to me. I can't have sugar. And I can't have fruit! Just meats, cheeses, and veggies - excluding corn, peas, and taters, of course.

Thus far, my co-worker sitting 5 feet away from me who knows about the surgery has taunted me by eating popcorn, a big bowl of fruit, and an ice cream sandwich. I want to throw things at her!

Not even 24 hours in and I'm already being a big 'ol baby!

Does anyone have any tips on things I can bring to work to eat for lunch and snack on? I have to eat at my desk and get about 5 minutes max to heat things up, so I'm at a loss on what to get, especially with fruits being out. What did you eat on the low-carb diet, if you were put on one?

Sorry, just had to whine there for a bit! :smile2:

I'd like to add taking showers to mine.

I really, really want to use my tub, but I'm so afraid of getting in and not being able to get out!!

I want a bubble bath, damnit! :smile2:

I had already put in for vacation time off in August long before we decided to have Lap-Band done. I was fortunate enough to be able to schedule the surgery on the first day of my vacation (the 7th) and won't be returning to work until the 18th.

Hello!

I'm self pay and it cost $15,000. That's for everything...the facility (it's outpatient), anesthesia, surgeon, all the pre-op evals, and unlimited fills for the first year.

I don't have to have one done prior to surgery, but I have had one done before, and I was put under anesthesia for it. It was a different type of anesthesia though that had me awake and alert a few moments after the procedure was done.

It wasn't bad at all. I think I had a bit of a sore throat afterwards, but nothing too bad.

I haven't had the surgery or even started my pre-op diet (I start on Thursday) and I'm sure some will disagree with me, but I don't think a handful of Cookies will ruin your chances for surgery!

As long as you get back on track now and do your absolute best, I think you'll be fine.

I think we're going with the unjury too. I ordered some samples and they arrived a couple of days later. I tried the chocolate with milk and other than the smell, it was pretty good! 20g of Protein in a scoop, I believe.

I also ordered the vanilla and the unflavored, but we haven't tried those yet.

Thank you for the invite!

I had no idea this section was here. (I've hardly ventured out of the Intro, Pre-Op, and Post-Op areas!)

I'm going nuts waiting for the 7th! I just want to go to sleep and wake up and have it be here.

Thanks guys.

One of my closest friends was banded almost a year ago. She's been preparing me for certain things to expect.

She told me that for her, it was difficult the first night to get on and off the toilet by herself.

I haven't had the guts to ask her yet, so I'm going to do it here....what about wiping your butt? Is it that difficult after surgery?

They say not to bend or twist. But don't most people bend and twist to clean themselves?:Banane03:

* Avoiding lawn chairs and other various plastic furniture.

* The snickers and gawks of people when we go out to dinner.< /p>

* Going into a regular-sized clothing store to by something for a friend and being sneered at.

* The way the car shifts to the left when I get in.

* People laughing at the way the car shifts.

* Wondering if my seatbelt will fit today.

* Having to ask for a table in restaurants because I can't fit in a booth, even though booths are much more comfy.

* Walking around the apartment complex and not being yelled and heckled at by the drunk college kids.

* Spending $40+ for a shirt from Lane Bryant

* Stuffing my size 3-4x upper body into a size 2x polo because the work shirts only go up to 2x.

*About a million other things.

Aw! I love the Baby Buddha bowls!

I think a gift card to a clothing store is a good idea too. I don't know what I'm going to do when my clothing doesn't fit anymore and I have go buy all new stuff!

You're a wonderful friend!

I've told family and co-workers, all of who are 100% supportive.

I made the decision to tell one friend, because she struggles with her weight too.

Her response? "I really hope you know what you're getting yourself into and have done the research. Every person I know who has had the surgery is miserable now or has had serious complications."

Like I would just wake up one day and make the decision to have my body cut open and a foreign object put inside! SHEESH!

Then, when I made the mistake of telling her I was drinking a Diet Dr. Pepper, she responded with "You know, you better enjoy them now, because after surgery, your stomach will blow up if you have one."

UGH!

I haven't told anyone else because of her reaction.

I have my moments.

I know as it gets closer, I'll start to worry more.

My main worry is something happening during or afterwards that requires a hospital stay or further surgery. We're going to be self pay and that's only through a loan, so we have nothing left if something else arises.

I think being scared is absolutely normal. It means you're taking the risks seriously.

Is it the Upper GI?

I know several here have mentioned having to do that.

I'm so sorry other people are going through or went through the same thing.

(But it does make me feel better knowing it's not just me!)

I hope I'm not the only one who does this.

First it was my blood pressure when I met with the surgeon. Got through that one ok.

Now I'm imagining all sorts of other reasons. For example, a few weeks ago I developed a pretty bad infection on my leg. I went through tons of antibiotics until it was healed and my doctor gave me the go-ahead with the surgery. My WBC was elevated a bit prior to the antibiotics (11.5) and it hasn't been tested since.

For some reason, I am now convinced that when they do my labs a few days before surgery, my WBC count will still be elevated and they'll cancel it! (I don't even know if that would be a reason for canceling it!) I also keep poking and prodding the area on my leg that was infected, convinced it's back!

Everyone tells me to stop worrying. I tend to do this when I'm really excited about something...I think of the absolute worse case scenario and then let it eat at me.

I know once I calm myself over the WBC thing, I'll move on to something else.

Does anyone else do this? How did you deal with your anxiety?

I really don't want to be worried for 23 more days! :thumbup:

I have the option of doing a low-carb diet for 2 weeks prior to the surgery, or a liquid diet 1 week prior, to shrink my liver.

I chose the low-carb!

My dietitian calculated my needed Protein by multiplying my goal weight by .37.

So I need about 55g a day.

I've been "obese" since I was about 8. I've never known what it was like to be "thin" or even normal for my age group. I was still active though, did all the sports, was in colorguard in high school, took dance, etc.

So my weight never really bothered me back then. A couple of years ago I realized how big I was getting but my boyfriend (now fiance) loved me, my family did too, and I had friends, so I pushed it to the back of my mind.

We had talked about having Lap-Band done for a few months, but I was always afraid to do that, thinking it was too drastic.

On May 30th, of this year, we went car shopping and on the way home, got pulled over for not wearing our seatbelts. The sad truth is, in my old car, the seatbelts didn't fit us anymore.

Having to explain that to the police officer when he asked why and then being looked down at while he said quite hatefully "Well that's why they make extenders for people like you", and us both getting tickets, hurt worse than a slap to the face would have. You could see the disgust on that cop's face.

I ended up getting a new car the next day with seat belts that DO fit. And we decided we were having the surgery, no matter what it took.

It was one of the most humiliating moments of my life and even just thinking about it now tears me up.

CassCass ~ Wish my date was Aug 7th! Have you gone to any of the Tuesday support sessions at the office? I would love to chat with you more about your feeling on the Dr. office and staff. Also about the pre-op diet that they put you on.

They got us in FAST. I think it was because we were self-pay. I called a couple of weeks ago just to ask questions and hung up 30 minutes later with all my appointments and a surgery date.

I'll keep my fingers crossed that you get your date soon! :cursing:

Have you done the pre-op education meeting yet? They give you packets and a sample of your anti-nausea meds and all sorts of info there. It was really helpful.

For the pre-op diet you have two choices. The first is a 2 week, low-carb diet. No breads, Pasta, fried stuff, fruit, etc. Lots of meat. OR, you can do the 1 week liquid diet. We chose the low-carb because we figured we'd get enough of liquids afterwards!

All of that is explained in detail at the pre-op edu meeting and in the packet they give you.

I haven't gone to the support group meetings. I have to work Tuesday nights. I AM going to try to make the first one after my surgery, which I think is August 12th? I'll be off all that week.

Please feel free to message me if there's anything else you'd like to know or if you want to talk more in detail!

Hi there!

I'm from Ft. Worth and am being banded by Dr. Ferrera's associate, Dr. Smith on August 7th! My fiance is being banded that day as well.