RestlessMonkey

I swear I answered a post by you about being a triathlete and I guess you edited it out! LOL ANYWAY... Seriously if you haven't ever given a traditional diet a good try, then you should do that before ever considering surgery. Some (not many, but some) DO successfully lose weight AND KEEP IT OFF (that's the kicker!) with traditional methods. You may be one of those where a lifestyle change of eating more healthy foods and exercising does the trick for you. If so, then the band would be a waste of time and money for you. If you try a traditional approach and find, like many of us, that you don't lose well or that you lose but gain it all (plus some) back as soon as you let down your guard, the band will still be here and available to you. So diet first...give it a good shot. That's smart.

Well since I'm 54 and weighed in at 405 I obviously can't answer your questions based on personal experience. However I can tell you that if you are too fat you can NOT do those things...and that as I lose I have MORE energy, not less. I am not starving. I'm just taking in less calories than i need, so I am losing. Are athletes fat? Do they overeat? Or do they just eat what they need? Do they choose high energy healthy stuff or eat pizza and Cookies? I can't address your issues about fast food. I can just tell you why the band works for me. And honestly I don't think there's anything wrong with occasional fast food. It's just food, not satan. :thumbdown: There are good choices and choices that are not as good, but it's all just food. Only you know if you will work the band; I can just tell you why it works for me. You might speak to a surgeon or therapist about this. To me, I eat like a thin person. My BFF is my age, weighs in at about 120 (she's 5'5") and has never had a weight problem. Every once in a while she has a milk shake (or part of one) from, say Chick Fil A. Occasionally she eats part of a hamburger. Not daily, not monthly, but sometimes. There is no food that you can NEVER eat (except maybe carbonated beverages) You just have to choose healthy things most of the time. For me that's easier when I'm not hungry all the time. Who said there is a specific diet you must follow after surgery?

I don't know about you but I can tell you the point for me...before the lap band I had to eat a LOT to get full. I could (and did) successfully diet many many times but always got tired of counting/weighing, etc...and also was usually hungry much of the time (when can I eat again? Do I have enough calories left for the day? I'm HUNGRY now will that make me gain weight if I eat? etc etc) With the band...I have none of that. I am full on an amazingly small amount of food. I eat about 1/4 (or less) of what I used to eat. I don't wish I could eat more. I'm happy with less. I eat like a slender person. I don't weigh food I don't count calories or beans or chips. I don't worry "what if i get hungry". I love the band.

Come on. If you worked in surgery you KNOW you want an experienced surgeon to handle your case. If you want your gall bladder removed you get someone who's done it hundreds to thousands of times. If you need a hernia repair you don't get a neuro surgeon...you get someone who's repaired OODLES of hernias. And with the band it isn't just the surgery, it's the after care. Who will do your adjustments? When you have band specific problems will they give you a handbook on roux-en-Y and send you on your way? You decide what's best but if it were me there is NO WAY I'd let an inexperienced surgeon perform my surgery. Good grief they can't even get straight within the office what you're there for!

Call your doc on monday. You may need something with some electrolytes in it (because of the leg cramps)...let him know about your symptoms. Otherwise just hang in there! You are doing fine! :thumbdown:

I'm an arbitrary little monkey. ANY time I tell myself I CAN NOT have something (cake, a cookie, pizza, low fat cheese...) I want it BAD. I get obsessed with it However, with the band, I leave that "diet" mentality behind. so..me not ever having a burger (for example?) not likely. BUT me not having one today? Totally do-able. It's a mindset. Diet mindset (lord knows I've practiced it a LOT in my 54 years) sets me up for failure. In other words...I don't do what you do because SOMETIMES (rarely) I buy the "junk" and we have it. We'll have hot dogs and chips for supper every once in a while. I understand where you're at because I've been there. Usually in a diet when I get to that point, I'm just a few weeks from failure. I haven't ever gotten to that point with the band because I don't have that "forbidden" thing to give the rush.

Well, preop IS preop. Not a month ahead etc. Odds are that yes they will be done that week and why have you duplicate? They want the MOST current data. No reason to have you do it earlier because they will want it just a few days preop. Call and see if they are doing the tests while you are there (both an ecg and blood work) if so, then that IS your preop testing.

I can not believe they are going to do surgery on you and not have current blood work. The ecg...maybe or maybe not depending on your age, weight, symptoms, etc. But not blood work. Although I would need to know more about your situation (are you under the care of a PCP? Did you just have bloodwork done?) but initially I agree that the lack is troublesome.

Both are effective forms of weight loss. Bypass offers faster initial weight loss (with a greater risk of bad side effects, unfortunately) but 3 years out, average weight loss is comparable between the two. I suggest reading, (there are some great WLS books on Amazon, for example) attending a seminar (or two, or more!) and deciding what is right for you. I'm sure your sister loves you and because she is successful with bypass wants the same for you. But you are different people; you'll be living with your decision, not her. You should weigh her experience and words, but also weigh what you learn about both processes, and decide which one fits you best.

I love my band. It's been a great experience all the way through. You need to realize that often people post here when they have problems (you can only say "I'm happy so many ways and then it gets repetitive, you know!) and it's good there is a place to get advice etc. But realize a HUGE portion of "bandsters" don't post because they are out busily living healthier lives.

Caffeine is not a no-no for everyone. My doc asks us not to indulge; when I asked why I was told because it can stimulate the appetite. IT doesn't do that for me, so I have it. It does not erode the band. Just to clarify; your doc may or may not allow it but ask him or her WHY if you want it and it's banned. Trust your surgeon!

I struggled with this too. I got the band and expected it to help me feel full; until I got a good bit of restriction it didn't happen. As one poster says "losing weight can be done with just the band" well guess what you can lose without the band too. I didn't expect a quick fix but I did expect a help! Hang in there; once you get restriction it helps immensely. I was about to give up but now that I have 6 cc in my 14 cc band, I'm finally getting help from the band instead of just feeling like it was in there along for the ride! :thumbdown:

The point is to protect your band and allow yourself time to heal. Goodness...you can be doing damage and not know it but 6 months or a year (or whenever) will be on here posting you've slipped or have an erosion and wondering why on earth it happened to you! PLEASE...follow your doc's instructions. You got to where you are today by doing what you think is right; it's time to let your doc guide you for a while. Call tomorrow, say what you've been eating. He may tell you fine! He may want to do tests. Let the pro guide you through this. Stomachs churn to digest (and no we don't feel it, but it happens)...so you may be shaking things loose without ever knowing it.

Take some deep breaths. I CAN eat ANYTHING and I have fairly good restriction (I eat about 1 to 1 1/2 cups and stay full for up to 6 hours). I avoid carbonation because it could make my pouch swell etc (and honestly I can sip a soda or beer and then i burp for several minutes so it's not worth it) BUT I eat bread, I eat chicken. I eat popcorn. I even had a Peanut Butter sandwich for lunch the other day (1 piece bread and about 1 tablespoon of PB...and I was full. it was great) Please realize there is a way you will eat to reduce your weight and then a way you will eat to maintain it and live your life. Look at the thin people in your life. Do they NEVER have pizza? Do they NEVER eat a piece of birthday cake? Do they NEVER have Thai food? Chances are they indulge in all those things, but they don't do it as often or as much as you did. See my point? This is a tool and it is portion control, it isn't a punishment. It isn't food prison. I have even had fast food occasionally. But before where a huge burger and fries and a shake wouldn't quite fill me (shameful but true) now I eat 1/2 a burger, a few fries (there are always about half left in a small order) and I pass on the shake. I don't do that often because it isn't that healthy but I CAN do it if I want to. Just chill out and trust yourself. Information is good but you can analyze anything to death. Let the worry go if you can, believe you've done all you can to prepare for success, and then quit worrying. (and do NOT double your anxiety meds unless a doc says you can. Too much can be as bad as not enough, depending on the medication!) Instead of worrying about today, why not spend a little time giving yourself some positive reinforcement...think of what you'd like to do when you lose x amount of pounds, or what style of clothes you'd like to wear that you can't now, or what active lifestyle type thing (bike riding? tennis? shopping marathon? LOL) that you'd like to do as you lose. Focus on the good stuff.

I have to say, while I am a person who "tells" about my surgery, I would be 1. horrified if a neighbor actually CALLED me..and 2. Ticked like you are at unsolicited advice. I hate that. He's lucky you were so nice!

If you didn't bring it up, why did he? If you didn't tell him, what would posess him to just start in about lap band surgery?

Regarding a quick fix, let me point this out to you. Some people with heart disease can control it with exercise and diet. Some need medication. SOME...need a pacemaker. Would your family, if you needed a pacemaker, say to you" OH that's a quick fix" or just be glad you got it? See my point? I just told the people who love me. They've seen me struggle all my life, they know I am smart and strong and stubborn, and they are all glad. My husband was a little reluctant because he thought the band had complications similar to bypass, but because he respects me, he went to a seminar with me and realized he was misinformed. So my advice? Just tell them. If they know you they shouldn't think you are lazy or taking the easy way.

My surgeon is another who says we should be able to eat all foods. (except carbonated bevs, and I'm going to ask about that one next time I'm there). I get full on it faster and he doesn't want us snacking, but popcorn goes down fine! :cool2:

I agree. While money shouldn't be the only reason for choosing a surgeon, it is an important reason. There are doctors in the USA who do the surgery for under 10k. For my surgeon, an all inclusive package (including 1 year of fills) is 15K. There are organizations like "Care credit" who offer financing for medical procedures. Before you commit to 25K or so....shop around!

I guess it would depend on what drug is in the patch...

Hello and welcome! :drool:

it probably is an idiosyncratic reaction to the lorbtab. Dilated pupils can be a sign of lortab withdrawal but if you've only taken it a couple of days, that wouldn't apply...unless you're just sensitive to it! I think if those are your only symptoms, just get a good night's sleep and if still dilated tomorrow, call your doctor!

Actually opiods (like lortab) cause pinprick pupils, not dilated ones. They suppress the SNS and that is the system that causes dilation.

No eyedrops? No atropine? Any other meds? If you prefer you can PM me or email me jeffthurston55@gmail.com don't mean to be nosy but it SHOULD be a drug reaction, not to reglan or prevacid though

What drugs are you taking? Pain meds? anti-anxiety? anti-nausea?