RestlessMonkey

Ok...and Colyn92...why are you short winded? If you don't mind? swrktp...try blowing up balloons. That will help you! Make sure you keep your lungs clear...you are at increased risk for pneumonia post op (as I'm sure they've told you) so take care of yourself.

I think the big point of all of this is to do what YOUR doc tells you, not what you read here, or what your aunt edna's best friend did when SHE was banded, or whatever! LOL All docs are different, they have different styles, different experiences, and most often will choose the diet that THEY find works best on their clientele! PLUS...I believe there is a difference in how the realize and lap band are secured (not a doc). So as long as you are doing what your doc says and you have a good experienced doc who knows what s/he is doing, you will be fine! (another good case for choosing a surgeon with lots of experience).

I blended spaghetti with meat sauce, so yes, there was meat in there. It looked bad and tasted marvelous.

My doctor said "I use the lap band because it's been in the USA longest and it's what I'm familiar with. If that doesn't work for you, let me know". It worked for me.

If I may ask are you usually short winded or is it just now? And is it because you are sore? Usually, "tired" is a complaint, but not "short winded". (soon to be nurse here)

It's not restriction right now that will stop you; it is that you are healing and eating ahead of your post op diet can cause damage to your stomach where the band is healing into place. You may rip it totally loose or just set yourself up for trouble down the road. (six months or a year from now you'll have a slip and wonder "why me?" ) It's possible you're sufficiently healed to advance, maybe not though. You should probably call your surgeon Monday, tell him what you did and when, and see if you can advance, or if you need to keep with his program, and if he needs to test you for band movement. Until you are filled you won't have restriction.

Respectfully, I read posts like misslonglegs (well intentioned posts) and thought I could cheat too...because I was given a 3-week pre op diet. I thought....hmm, if others don't even HAVE a preop diet then why should I? WELL....as my signature says, even though I lost 15 pounds in that 3 weeks I did NOT shrink my liver and did NOT get the band. (LOL .... NOT!) I'd bet good money that the posters who posted they cheated meant well down to their toes, but I should have done what my doc says. If they told you shakes only, then do that. It's for a reason. You trust them to cut you open and place a semi-permanent artifical device around your stomach; trust them to tell you what to eat preop.

Please check with your docs! We're all different..but I asked if I could have some thinned refried beans (I live in S. Texas; they are a staple of life down here! LOL) and was told NO WAY! Just because it doesn't hurt you right now doesn't mean it isn't hurting you for down the road. It may be ok, it may not be. Ask your surgeon and be safe, that's all I'm saying!

Just don't cheat yourself any more...I say never go against doc's orders but if you mean 1 cookie and then 1 chip you'll probably be ok. Don't keep it up though; doc probably wants you in ketosis and the carbs alone in those products can prevent that (or almost!) It's hard but you can do it! (very important post op to NOT eat anything not on your list...because your band needs to heal and if you eat things ... even 1 chip or 1 cookie... your stomach churns) It is just a short time though in a long healthy life. just tell yourself you'll have a cookie later.

If you only want "positive"..ie permission to cheat, then that's not me. Check w/your surgeon on Monday; the point of restricting food is to allow your band to heal in place. Peristalsis causes the stomach to move so eating ANYTHING too soon can cause movement and jostle your band loose. And no, you won't feel it move, but it does. If not a problem now, you can cause improper placement and set yourself up for a slip or erosion later. Does that mean no one "cheats" and gets away with it? No. Is it smart or good to do? No. Can it hurt YOU even if someone else got away with it? Yes. Please understand we're all hungry and weak and so on; docs know this! But there's a reason you're on liquids. If you are in true agony call your surgeon on monday and see if you can advance.

Sometimes docs ask for tests to fulfill insurance requirements, and sometimes they just use their judgment (like me NOT needing a cardio clearance since my ecg was fine, although I was a 405 pound 5'5" 53 year old out of shape woman!) The preop upper GI thing isn't as common...but it is informative (swallow strength, hernias, etc). I also had to do a quick one post op before he'd let me go home.

I think you surely can (and should) ask her to keep quiet about you. However I think it is unfair to tell her she can't tell about herself. We're all different; she may need the love and support of everyone, she may not see it as "judgment and ogling" like you do. So your surgery is your business and she should keep quiet about it....and shame on her for "outing" you like she did. But by the same token, her surgery and journey are hers to tell if she wants to.

I had an ecg, blood work, upper GI, abdominal ultrasound, chest x-ray, all preop. Also a psych eval and nutrition consult. I did not have x-ray of abdomen and because ecg was normal didn't need a cardio consult...nor sleep consult because I sleep fine (no apnea). Those tests (or some configuration thereof) are fairly standard...some people even have to do a stress test. I didn't.

then call and ask again...best to know for sure! you won't be the first, or last, to forget the answer to something. Your doc would rather you ask than just chance it!

Check with your surgeon on this! 1. I believe it can be related to being too tight and 2. if that's not the case he can prescribe a drug to help you (very important you treat it; it can erode your esophagus and lead you to a world of problems and pain!)

What did your surgeon say? This is a good question to ask him/her.

Just be honest. They aren't trying to rule people out, they are hoping to clear you. Remember that. Some people are not suited to the band. For example, there was a poster a while back who literally flipped out once she had the band. She IMMEDIATELY wanted her doctor to "get this thing OUT of me". A good psych eval should've caught that and helped her either truly prepare, or realize without surgery that the band wasn't for her. It's there to help you. Tell the truth, you'll be ok.

Honestly, I'm 54 and not in the BEST shape but I would've freaked if I had to be out that long. I started my 3rd semester of nursing school as I finished my surgery (I had scheduled it for earlier but my liver was too thick) so I was in clinicals several days a week. I had about 9 days before my 1st clinical and I was fine. Three weeks would've been nice but not really necessary. Actually you may lift occasionally but you can get help moving patients etc..so I can't imagine they won't give you a green light if you want it!

Discuss this with your surgeon. I had a 3 week 15 pound restriction but my surgeon said many nurses go back after 1 week....perhaps they don't take sick time/EIB leave and therefore don't have to have a letter to go back to work?

The band, at 3 years out, has comparble weight loss rates and less complications.

Ask your surgeon, especially if it seems to be worsening. It may be nothing, it may be adhesions, or it may be an infection. Don't wait; call tomorrow! If it IS an infection, the sooner you treat it the better off you'll be.

I found this web site mostly to compare lap band to realize band...but it does have a little info about the 4cc band http://www.wlshelp.com/lap-band-vs-realize-band.html

Yes the 4cc band is the old style; still in use widely by surgeons in Mexico but not so much here in the USA!

Let me warn you that for MANY people the first fill doesn't do much. I honestly had zero restriction until my 4th fill. It's a process; you have to just hang in there.

You know your odds of complications during the surgery SKYROCKET if you smoke. Couple smoking with obesity and many surgeons will not perform an elective procedure because the risks are too high. Just hang in there; it will pass and you'll still be a non-smoker!