RestlessMonkey

Well I was banded, not banned! LOL :blushing:

I started my senior year working toward my BSN right after I got banded; in fact I had to miss 4 hours of skills' lab to get it. I was banded on Friday and back in class on the next Tuesday, so the time span is the same.

I had a really speedy recovery though; felt great, no nausea, little to no pain, etc. Not everyone is so lucky.

I figured I'd recover that fast because of prior surgery experience, and because I didn't have any clinical rotation until the NEXT week. However...unless you know how you'll do or can afford to miss more, I'd strongly suggest you wait.

If your nursing school is like mine was, you can only miss so much of the skills/clinical portion or you'll be failed; you don't want that kind of pressure. Recovery depends on many things; what if you aren't well enough to give good patient care? If I were you, frustrating though it may be, I'd wait until the holiday break, unless you are in a program with no clinical requirements.

No if you are congested they will postpone the surgery, because it is elective and it's more dangerous (anesthesia, oxygenation) when your gas exchange/lung function is impaired. Call your PCP and see if it's bacterial and if antibiotics can help, and call your surgeon tomorrow. And don't cheat on your diet! :blushing:

Not everyone has a liver shrink diet but it's not uncommon. Do what your doc says EXACTLY and you'll be fine. I didn't the first time, I did my own diet and had surgery but no band. While that is rare it can happen. So follow your docs diet and you'll breeze through!

Just finished a rib eye for dinner, well done. Have shrimp often (just with cocktail sauce, or fried) Don't like calamari.

Like others have said; we're all different. MY doc said "the goal is for you to be able to eat anything post band that you did pre-band, just less. Some have trouble with things like white bread or stringy red meat, but not all".

I went in figuring I'd still be able to have anything, and 1 year out, great restriction, I can.

My neighbor uses the Atkins Advantage shake. It has 15gm Protein, and 5gm of fiber. She gets her Protein and her fiber all in one shake. However, I didn't like the taste.

Adult females should get about 28g of fiber daily. That's the problem with supplements; you need to take a LOT for it to be helpful. (men need more)

I do like the Mission low carb flower tortillas (8 or 9 gm fiber in each, I think) and also Fiber One Cereal, if you eat cereal, is a good source. My nutrition prof suggested, if you just hated it, to mix it w/a cereal you like.

Of course, this is all way post op when we are losing and/or maintaining loss. During the pre= and post-op phases, check with your surgeon, don't self-medicate.

I can go out to eat! We go out a couple times a month. I just make sure that I choose foods I know won't give me trouble. If it's just my husband it's easy. If I'm with a group (and might get more talkative, if that's possible, and "forget") I just remind myself before hand to eat carefully. I also put my drink just out of reach so it won't be easy to forget, because I can NOT drink and eat. It hurts like the dickens!

I'm glad it's not a problem for me. From the very start I wanted the lap band to make me more normal, not less so, if that makes sense. I didn't want to be the one who can't eat and has to run vomit. God forbid.

I do have papaya enzyme on hand, too, but have never had to use it when out. And fortunately I usually can tell if I've swallowed too quickly without chewing well and can remind myself to SLOW DOWN AND CHEW!

Also, remembering that it's usually more about the company than the food helps me immensely.

What's your fill philosophy, are you aggressive or conservative, and why?

How many fills does it take on average for your patients to achieve the green zone and lose consistently without sheer willpower?

Who does your fills?

How long do you require your patients to wait between fills, and why?

What happens if I have an emergency; do you have an after hours number?

Once I reach the green zone, how freqently do I need to come in for a check up?

Have you ever had a patient die during or after the surgery? Why?

Would you recommend the lap band, or another type of surgery, to a loved one requiring WLS?

How often do you check my blood work?

How much of their excess weight do your patients lose on average?

Do you remove the gas you use during surgery before you close us up and if not, why not?

Do I have to stay in the hospital overnight? (or if you want to: Can I stay in the hospital overnight?)

Those are some that are good to know...not necessarily problems I've had with my doc (he's an angel straight from heaven LOL) but things I realize now I was lucky about...I thought I was well informed but there's a lot I didn't know.

I read several books but this one was my favorite:

Weight Loss Surgery with the Adjustable Gastric Band: Everything You Need to Know Before and After Surgery to Lose Weight Successfully (Paperback)

by Robert Sewell M.D. (Author), Linda Rohrbough (Author)

Available from Amazon.com and probably from your local new or used bookseller.

As to the liquid diet; I just did it. I didn't think it would be easy but I've been on so many diets, to know I had to do one (no matter how harsh) for a finite time, for a definite goal, helped me get through. My husband didn't eat real food in front of me nor did we cook at home and that helped immensely. Plus our kitchen was fairly cleaned out of any junk food, carbs, anything you could just open and eat (except Soup, and I didn't think I'd go for that LOL)

So prepare your environment...whatever areas you think might give you trouble, and keep your eye on the prize! :blushing:

Erykah; you really do have to chew food well or it does get stuck, unless you don't fill the band. For most of us, an unfilled band means a pricey piece of non-functioning plastic is just sitting there. All joking aside, that's a major consideration you'll need to address before banding. If your stomach is really sensitive (and you've joked twice now about vomiting) the band may not be for you. I don't mean to be a downer! But, while most of us have times where we do "PB", it isn't something to be considered a lifestyle. It is hard on you and the band, and not something most docs will allow to continue. In fact at my check ups they ALWAYS ask if I've vomited even once, and want to know the particulars, symptoms after, etc. So an optimistic attitude is grand and I heartily endorse it, but do realize that you will have to chew well or have little restriction.

davsil; good for you checking with your doc and doing as he says! And GREAT about the wonderful loss! The time will pass and you will be set for a great successful band experience!

I've lost 14 and 3/4 chihuahuas.

I think odd cycles are pretty common. I would guess (just a guess) it has to do partly with the surgery and trauma, and partly with the weight loss. I think estrogen is stored with fat and if a bunch is released quickly, it can mess up our timing. Your doc will be able to discuss it with you; maybe not "band" especially but rapid weight loss and/or surgery.

Depends on you and your band and stomach and if you're filled and so on. Truthfully. I could eat a pretty good amount.

I'll give you an example. Preband I could eat 2 Chick Fil A sandwiches, 1 large waffle fries, and then within about 30 min of dinner I'd have a Cookies and cream shake (wonder how I EVER got to 405? LOL)

Post op I could eat 1 chick fil a, a few fries, no shake.< /p>

Now that I'm restricted pretty well I can eat 1/3 - 1/2 of a chick fil a , up to about 3 fries, no shake. I don't have it much because I am trying to lose, but I had one about 3 months ago when a friend was visiting from out of town.

So the band helped some, getting it filled helped a lot.

Now I can eat about a cup (by volume, not weight) of food. Pre band I could probably eat 5 times that.

Immediately post op (well i should say week 6 before I was filled, that is, but once healed and off post op healing diet) I could eat between 2-3 cups.

That's kind of like asking, how will I know if I pinch my finger in the door. Trust me, you'll know. It hurts! Sometimes it hurts badly, almost like I'd think a heart attack would. Sometimes it's just discomfort. Don't worry, you'll know it if it happens to you. If you're in doubt, you probably weren't! :thumbup:

Ins covered mine but last year at the seminar price was 15K and that included 1 year of fills. Just realize you may need to stay overnight.

My doc generally requires it, self pay or not. He let me go early but there were extenuating circumstances. Generally he keeps you overnight. So don't rule that out, find a package that includes that if needed.

It doesn't get a LOT better but you make it! Keeping my eye on the goal helped me a lot. Plus, I was very firm with myself...no little voice whispering or whimpering. (that's the 2nd time. The first time I didn't get the band!) You'll make it and it will be so worth it!

Good grief! It sounds a little odd, but maybe it's the surgeon's way of getting people to focus and really think through if they want the surgery and why, PLUS...lets him know if you have any misinformation.

I say, just write from your heart and be honest! :thumbup:

Good luck! :thumbup: I'm excited for you! Do you have your bag packed, or will you be staying overnight?

Good luck! :thumbup: Try to relax, too....being nervous can make it worse! (great, huh?)

Many people find fills take a while to kick in. Run this by your surgeon; you may need a slight unfill.

The only other option I can think is that you had a stuck episode, are swollen, and keep re-agitating it. I'd definitely call my doc, but I'd do liquids for 36 hours or so and then try mushies. If you can tolerate them, do them a day or two then try soft foods.

I can tell you my take and maybe it will help a little.

In the past, I always felt like diets were almost a race...a track that I had to jog along, run along, regardless. Often going "off plan" meant doom and ruin and a regain.

When I "took" the lap band, I took it for life. Now I walk the path and if occasionally I stop and sit on a park bench, no one gives a rip. The pace is leisurely, the journey part of the trip. You walk along, sometimes at a fast clip, sometimes more slowly, you look around, you enjoy things, and sometimes you go to a scenic overlook and pause a bit. But you don't ever leave the path.

That's on the fly and I'm sure it's not perfect but I hope you get my gist. Leave the diet mentality and the guilt behind. You have the band. So you ate trail mix. Life goes on, the band is still there, you didn't decide "Oh too bad I've blown my diet might as well get pizza and ice cream tonight" and at taco bell you had what, 2 items? How much did you used to get?

Be kind to yourself, kind but firm. It's all different now, remember that. You have more control that you did, and at any time you can get back up off that bench, walk away from that scenic overlook, and continue down the path.

wrelcome and good luck. I LOVE my band and wouldn't trade it for anything!

Do what your doc says. You are WAY new to the band. Focus on getting the mechanics down, following your docs orders, getting to goal. Once you're well healed and cruising, see what your doc tells you. Once I was one year out mine told me I could begin adding carbonated bevs back in if they didn't cause me pain or discomfort, but I followed his advice and am doing really well with no other issues.

Right now you're still very "new" to the lifestyle. Give your body a chance to adapt. You have a long life ahead; going without diet sodas, sodas, and beer won't hurt you for a little while and you'll lose weight better if you don't indulge (esp in the ones w/empty calories)

Yes it is. The band is inert and won't prevent you from getting any immunizations or boosters.

Take the softener. You should have gone by now. If you wait, you don't want the alternative if you can't go naturally, trust me on this!