RestlessMonkey

I've been told (and it's been my experience) that loose skin depends on many factors: your health, age, skin texture, skin health, how heavy you started, how LONG your skin has been stretched, etc etc. Working out tones the muscle UNDER the skin; it doesn't tighten skin. Skin is an organ and will shrink some on it's own, but depending, you may or may not have loose skin after losing 100 pounds. Thinking that losing "slowly" will impact that is fallacious; think of it this way. Imagine 2 balloons that have had air in them for 2 days. Let the air out of one really fast (symbolizing quick weight loss) let the air out of one really slow. (don't pop either LOL) at the end, they will both be stretched out. Just eat healthy, take your Vitamins, drink your Water, and do what you need to to keep your own overall health up. Once you've lost, give it a year, and then see what is still "saggy', and how much it bothers you. I always felt I'd rather have plastic surgery to remove extra skin, than open heart surgery because I'd been so fat I damaged my heart. Not everyone has extreme skin issues. Don't borrow trouble, just wait and see where YOU land.

I honestly think that, if you've maintained your weight and given it about a year to "firm up" on it's own, what's left will have to be surgically removed. Many factors impact saggy skin...age, skin type, skin moisture, skin health, personal health, how heavy you were (how much it was stretched) how LONG it was stretched, genetics, and so on. Think of blowing up a balloon...after a while, it stays stretched out even after you let the air out of it. Skin, although alive, is kind of like that. It can only recover so much.

I actually got out my phone book and called each doctor who said he/she did the lap band until I found one who accepted my insurance (Tricare Standard). I went to his seminar and was impressed; if I hadn't liked him I'd have started back with the C's and kept calling.

I was told I MUST NEVER have caffeine. I love iced tea (no sugar) and have read a lot of research about the pros (and cons) of caffeine so I asked why. I kept asking until finally I was told "because it is an appetite stimulant for some". Well poo! It doesn't have that effect on me. So I went without preop and post op for the first 3 weeks or so, but now am back to drinking my caffeinated tea. I do NOT recommend going against your doctor's advice just because of what is posted here. BUT I do recommend pinning down your doctor on exactly WHY you can't have caffeine. If it is a reason that you feel doesn't apply to you, you can make up your own mind about it. I will say I apparently am not "addicted" in that no tea/coffee doesn't mean I get headaches or am any meaner than usual LOL AND I do make sure that I get 64 oz of Water in each day, in addition to my tea (caffeine can be a mild diuretic .... it doesn't "count" as water) but otherwise, I'm fine. You need to make your own determination about whether it can fit in a healthy lifestyle for you, however!

I did! I put campbells split pea with ham (or bacon? whichever it is!) and 1 can of water into the food processor and diced the dickens out of it until it was creamy (I added the water gradually) then heated and ate. It was DELICIOUS! Kept me sane!

Do what your doctor tells you, not anecdotal info you read here. Every surgeon is different. You'll be safest and get the best results if you do what your doctor prescribes! :eek: Hang in there; it will get better.

Yes. Until you have restriction, the band is there but not really "working" yet. Be sure to follow your physician's orders for post op foods (It may get hard to do as you continue to heal) but follow the rules. It will get easier once you get restriction and the band starts to do it's part. :eek:

Why not ask your surgeon? Different people react differently. My surgeon seems to think most of his patients won't have much trouble but we're all different. Your surgeon should direct you.

My doc is 15K I'm in San Antonio TX includes 1 yr free fills. Just a note...if you go elsewhere to get the surgery, make sure you know what you're going to do for fills, and for emergencies etc. In other words, will you line up a local surgeon? (Not all of them will take patients who used other surgeons) Or is there a fill center near you? Or are you planning on flying back to "wherever" you get the surgery? Many pre-banders don't realize that getting the band is just the tip of the iceberg; follow up is what makes it work! :eek: Good luck to you whatever you decide!

I think it's good you clarified for others who might read and imitate you! :eek: I understand your problem; I couldn't take potassium (they are HUGE) and you don't take them on an empty stomach. The nutritionist made such a ruckus I just didn't take them at all during liquids, but you can't do that. You might want to make sure your surgeon knows about your meds, though, for post op. Seriously, your stomach will churn to digest even a little toast. If it's enough to "cushion" your tummy for your medication, it's enought to cause your stomach to move. You don't want that, so make sure he helps you figure out a plan for the first few weeks post op when you are on liquids only (assuming you are.!)

I agree with Slim! You probably didn't hurt yourself, but stop it! :eek: This band thing is a real head trip, so don't feel dumb or masochistic, just quit forcing yourself to eat. You are healing, feeling better, as Slim said swelling going down, and you're going to get hungry. Just stick to what your doctor tells you to do.

AND once you've had the surgery you can still eat carbs. You'll have to use your own good judgment to choose healthy options. So quit eating each meal like it's your last because it really really isn't! :eek:

Yes people have gained on the 6-month diet. Don't worry. If you could easily lose, and keep it off, on a traditional diet, you probably wouldn't be here in "lap band talk" land. :eek: Don't let her intimidate you!

Yes, it's normal. :eek:

Get direction from your doctor! That is the safest avenue. For example, I only used the shakes 1 week post op. Each doctor is different, each dietary requirement is different. Mine didn't use optifast.

Not everyone HAS a preop diet. Not every doc requires one and most likely different docs have different reasons. Mine was to shrink my liver. You know losing ANY weight improves your health and chances during and post surgery, so perhaps that's why. If/when your doctor gives you a diet, ask him or her what the goal is....that way you'll know what your situation is. In fact, when they tell you your schedule, ask them about preop if you want. Maybe you'll be one of the lucky ones who doesn't have anything except the normal diet 1 day before to kind of "clean you out!" (that's common for many surgeries!) :eek:

MJALWAYS that kind of thinking is what lead me to think I'd be ok to cheat a little on MY preop diet and for me it was disastrous. If you don't trust your surgeon to guide you, find a different surgeon (I learned this the hard way!) If you DO trust him/her, do what you're told to as best you can. I DID eat more than 2 pieces of toast but that would've really messed me up because of the carbs... I lost 15 pounds in 3 weeks and was ecstatic with that! But it wasn't the right 15 pounds, apparently. :eek: I'm sure you all will be ok, but don't think just because someone else didn't have a diet or ate like a wee piggy or whatever and got away with it that you can, too.

I think how long it takes to shrink your liver depends on how BIG your liver is to begin with...I was VERY VERY heavy to start (way more than many bandsters) so apparently it took a while for me. There are also blood work values etc that can indicate a fatty liver. So again...the best safest thing is to do exactly what your doctor says! I will cross my fingers for you, EXCITED! Just follow the plan from now on. It really is horrid to wake up and not have the band because you didn't follow the preop diet. I hope none of you ever know just how horrid. :eek:

Trinity are you exercising and eating like so many of us are told to....protein 1st, then veggies, then fruit, then breads/pastas/grains, and avoiding sugar and carbonated beverages?

I believe it's digestibility. I didn't get yogurt until week 3 but I do know that when we eat anything that isn't liquid our stomachs churn to digest it. So it's not just an issue of getting stuck, (depending on your band) but more an issue of keeping the stomach still so that the band (and the sutures holding it there unless you have a realize band) will heal into place. That's the BIG reason it's important to follow your doc's post op directions...not to "learn" not to eat, or to prevent PB'ing. With bands other than the new AP (I don't know about realize) the "restriction" issues were (and are) more important in the early days post op. The new AP bands don't have as much immediate post op restriction (and that's good, you heal better and are less likely to have problems later. But man you get hungry!:eek:) but you do still need to keep that stomach STILL so it can all heal well. You risk erosion and/or slippage if you don't.

Bridgette I know your pain. When I'm hungry I want food. When I want a shake I want one from Sonic. On the pre and post op diets I was just never happy! It will be over soon! One thing I did that saved my life (once I could have creamy mushie stuff) is I took a can of split pea w/ham soup and ran it through the food processor, then heated it with water. OMG that was filling and wonderful.

Often the HTN and DM resolve as you lose weight. That effect is frequently more rapid and pronounced in people who've had bypass surgery. However, give it time and as you lose, odds are good your issues will resolve too. Personally, because I had 5 weeks of preop liver-shrink diet and then 2-weeks post op of just liquids, during that time I didn't need my diuretic, for example. However once I moved back to solid, "real" foods, I do need it. The need will diminish however, over time and with weight loss.

Immediate stress like fighting with someone also causes a release of adrenalin (fight or flight response) and the adrenalin can nauseate you.

Call your surgeon!

As you can see, it varies by doctor, insurance, AND patient. I had to have: blood work psych eval upper GI ecg chest x-ray abdominal ultrasound I could have needed, but didn't: test for sleep apnea cardiac clearance....using whatever tests cardiac doc wanted (stress tests etc) Some docs even require a current pap smear/mammo for eligible females. The urinalysis, the day of surgery, was to make sure I wasn't pregnant.