RestlessMonkey

You'll need to get that info from the surgeon's office because each require different preop tests depending on patient, and also it depends on how busy/booked surgeon is etc. For me it was VERY short...one month total from seminar to surgery (the 1st time). For some, once approved, the wait can be much longer. So your answer is anywhere from 2 weeks (I had a 3 week preop diet) to 2 months or more, depending!

One prescriptions' worth of whatever your doc gave you won't make you an addict. My doctor gave me enough for 10 days. Lucky for me I only needed 2 doses on day 2 but I was glad they were there if I needed them. Pain is what you say it is. If you are in misery, take the drugs. I didn't hurt but believe me, if I had been in pain like you are, I'd have been taking those things round the clock.

And if someone tries to do something like this to you, just tell them "I am not going out there until I am decent" or whatever. Healthcare professionals HAVE seen it all. BUT we are also trained to be sensitive to our patients who are people, not dolls to be dragged naked and positioned as we see fit! LOL So if they do anything that bothers you, tell them.

I went thru 2 surgeries, preop tests (blood, upper GI, chest x-ray, ecg, abdominal ultrasound, and urinalysis ... to see if I was pregnant LOL....) and the ONLY time my clothes were off I was knocked out and in surgery. I did need to change into a gown at the hospital (done alone) and I did take off my bra for the upper GI and the x-ray (again, I was alone, and put my shirt back on w/out bra) Doc does look at my stomach now for fills. That's it. So you're good to go. There is really no reason for a surgeon to see you naked. Look at your stomach and navel, yes. S/he can do that by lifting your shirt up to your bra. But the rest of you? Nah.

I only paid deductible and copays, about 3k total BUT I would've paid in full if insurance hadn't. I figure I'm worth it.

Yes my ticker also has preop and I was on a severe diet for 5 1/2 weeks. Post op with the band (and after liquids were done) I haven't lost anything. I'm keeping my ticker because I HAVE lost the 41.4, and hopefully soon it will move down again, but for now I'm just holding. I also agree with the poster who said not to compare yourself to others. It's not a race or a competition and we each have to follow this path our way! I'd like to lose 100 pounds in 5 months, but not badly enough to get bypass or really starve myself, so I'll just keep on keeping on! :Dancing_sorry:

I agree to do what your doctor says! I'm a big fan of that. HOWEVER, if doing what he says makes you vomit, then try some clear liquids for a little while...a few hours, and see how you feel? Perhaps the potatoes weren't as mashed as you thought, or perhaps some spice in there irritated your stomach that soon post op. I believe doing a clear liquid (like the broth only from chicken noodle soup, for example) for a couple of days would give your stomach a chance to settle and reduce the swelling that surgery causes but I'm not a doc! If I were you I'd probably just cut back to clear liquids for 24 hours because it would seem logical to me, not because your doc is wrong.

Your best bet is to call and ask your doctor. Most say no alcohol for a certain period (for one thing it can impair healing)...so follow your doc's advice, like ckelly says! :Dancing_sorry:

My first fill wasn't really easy, but it wasn't bad either. My port had tilted and Dr. Cavazos had to search a little. It didn't really hurt....it was just odd...you don't normally feel anything moving around in that area! But I just thought about something else and it was done pretty fast. This 2nd fill, because he knew about my port being tilted, took about 2 seconds! So even when they are "BAD" they aren't bad! I have had things done to me by my hair stylist that hurt more! LOL

I think your statistics are pretty great...you weighed closer to 300 than 200 two years ago...you've lost and kept off weight and are firmly in the 180's! So give yourself some credit! I don't live in Midland and environs but doesn't your surgeon have a support group? If not, maybe using a site like "the daily plate" where you track your intake and exercise might give you a boost?

You need to call your doctor! Goodness you are in pain and can't really eat or drink! Odds are you can just get a little unfill but even if you need it all out, that's not doom you know. You can just start over re-training yourself to do the "stuff", chew chew chew, small bites, no liquids with meals, etc. If you don't call him you risk slippage and/or erosion, not to mention bad health! Catch it quick and the odds of needing your band removed etc are really slim. Ignore it and you can hurt yourself and end up losing the band! I know you're scared to regain; but hopefully he can just unfill you a little and let your stomach settle down, then refill you. Take care of yourself! :tongue2:

I had a strict 3 week diet. I didn't do what the doc said. I lost 15 pounds MY way...modified Atkins...but my liver was too fatty. I came to in recovery without the band. I did what the doctor said...to a T...for 2 1/2 more weeks, lost 17 more pounds, and got the band. My advice to you? Call your surgeon tomorrow, tell them what you ate, and see if they think it will impact your surgery? Odds are, if you stick to the plan for the rest of the time, you'll be ok. But your surgeon knows your blood work etc and should have a good grasp of what's needed for you to be successfully banded. I don't mean it to tell him like confession...we're human etc! But you REALLY don't want to go into surgery and come to without the band. I wish I'd realized it; we could've saved me a lot of anguish etc. So tell your surgeon and let him either allay your fears or bump you back a little. And normally Miss Lissa would be right that one day won't hurt, but because the diet is formulated to get a reaction going in your body that pulls glycogen and stored energy from your liver, when you "cheat" you short circuit that reaction/process. So it may or may not have been enough to mess you up. I truly hope not! And odds are she's right...but make sure.

You need to discuss this with your surgeon. You and he would be the ones to make that call. My knee jerk reaction would be to say no, unless you are on desk duty. But I'm not a doc or a police officer! It depends on many factors including how quickly your surgeon's patients usually recover.

I didn't post this but it's a good tutorial I bookmarked it should help you: http://www.lapbandtalk.com/f5/ticker-tutorial-pictures-41782/

You need to call your surgeon ASAP.

Good luck! Hopefully (surely!) it will be something minor like stress from adjusting post op or some such! But I'm glad you're going to the doc to make sure! It's hard to ever know what medical "things"are important and which ones aren't! :thumbdown: And I hope the additional protein will help energize you. Are you taking a B-12? My doc has ALL of us (gastric bypass or lap band) taking a sub-lingual B-12 each day; you can take it on an empty stomach etc. You might want to add that into the mix too.

Honestly when I quit smoking I QUIT having headaches, but that was years ago. My energy level skyrocketed as I lost that first chunk of weight, and while I was a little shakey a day or two post op, I felt great and quickly recovered. NOT bragging....just I think you maybe should call your doc rather than waiting. Are you diabetic, pre-diabetic, or do you have other endocrine issues? Did you give up caffeine right before surgery? Did you have headaches a lot in the past? Do you need glasses? Hopefully it's just an adjustment period for you; but your doc needs to know you are suffering and struggling. Good luck!

It is a term used for that balance of restriction/not restricted that means you can eat most anything you want but are satisfied with WAY less (1/2 cup to 1 cup) and stay full for a good amount of time, like up to 6 hours. You lose weight without suffereing hunger pains, but aren't PB'ing and vomiting slime etc. That is the "sweet" spot. My doctor calls it the green zone.

I just had a long talk w/my surgeon about this today. I'm up a little from my post op week 2 low. He told me that he feels he's setting me up for long term success...no GERD, no PB'ing, slime, no esophageal spasms, etc. He said in his experience that it's best to fill me SLOW (and the fees have been covered by cost of surgery so he's not milking it for money) at about 1.5 cc's every 4-6 weeks. He said it may take 6 months or more for me to start really feeling it but that I'll "slide" into it instead of being plunged and that while some do well with that (and he'd do that if I wanted), that slow and steady does the best for most patients. SO I'm going to trust him and not worry about it. I'm not losing, YET, and that's apparently ok. I will! If I'd been in a big rush, I'd have gotten bypass. I'll hang in there on his schedule.

I agree he should lay the way it works for him. I slept on my port side (sound like a ship LOL) my 1st night and stomach the second night . I didn't want adhesions and figured moving and stretching that way was a good way to make sure I didn't have them. The "idea" of mashing my stitches was worse than actually lying down. I did use a pillow to brace my torso night one. and yes it's common to have pain and/or tight feelings throughout the surgical area but they should resolve if he breathes deeply and/or takes pain meds. Walking will help, too.

Good luck!

Breanne, I think it's more a matter of what your insurance requires; you need to be overweight to get the band, but otherwise, while there ARE some issue that would stop you from getting the band if you are self pay (some immune deficiency diseases, for example) most CAN get banded successfully. Whether your insurance will cover it or not is a different matter; that depends on your coverage and the requirements!

Sorry no experience with Medifast. However your surgeon's office SHOULD have experience; call and ask them what they suggest! Good luck!

I know that's a pain! BUT if you needed the preop diet and didn't do it (because they didn't tell you) think how awful you'd feel to go through the surgery and NOT have the band? The time will go past and doing a preop diet for 3 weeks will help you drop some weight; you'll feel great and be so ready by Dec 8!

You need to do what your doctor tells you. If you are unsure and don't have another appt before your surgery date, call and ask. What's required depends very much on the doctor and the patient. Some people have no preop diet, some are on all liquids, some must eat 6 small meals a day, etc....and how LONG they diet can range from 1 day to 6 months. So call your doc and find the answer that's right for you! :thumbdown: