RestlessMonkey

You are safest and wisest to discuss this with your surgeon after the seminar on Tuesday. There seems to be a different liver shrink diet for every doctor. I'm sure your physician will be happy that you are "proactive" and want to get rolling on shrinking your unhealthy liver, so don't waste your money on a diet he may not approve. :confused: In the interim if you just want to be healthier for your own sake, generally a low fat, low carb diet is best to help shrink the liver.

If your weight is causing your high BP then losing will help it, but not all BP responds to weight loss. Time will tell, for you. And yes, (depends on insurance) usually BP that is NOT CONTROLLED by medication is a co-morbidity. If you just aren't taking meds, it doesn't count, again depending on ins. And 140/100 is high esp for your age but maybe it was just a fluke...BP can be like that, if you're retaining Water, stressed, etc. However if it's still high in Sept, take the meds; high BP can really do damage and there are so many meds out there, you don't have to take one with a dreadful side effect. Hopefully as you lose it will get lower. Exercise can help, too!

If you are thinking she'll be worried about you, tell her you've thoroughly researched it and have her go to a seminar with you! (You'll have time since you have to diet for 6 months, and they are free). Usually the seminar goes a LONG way to allaying everyone's fears.

Actually the length of time to go without liquid post meal varies widely...I've seen it anywhere from 15 (what my doc recommends) to 2 hours, and not all have that ban PRE-meal. You'll learn that each lap band doc has his/her own spin on things; so it's usually safest just to ask them what they want.

AAAAIIIIEEEE that's Restless Monkey running screaming from WASa. But, my check's in the mail, right? :tongue_smilie:

Citrical Petites...available at Walgreens and, I'm sure, your local grocer or pharmacy. They are small. They are swallow-able (is that a word? probably not) and they don't have to be chewed. AND yes, they are calcium citrate.

Welcome to LBT! I'm sure you're very excited; Good Luck! :tongue_smilie:

LOL Not with the band (or the sleeve) we don't! :tongue_smilie:

I think that to overcharge someone for something does NOT make that person appreciate it. BUT if you really REALLY think it does, you and Veronda could start sending me $100 a month for your LBT membership! :frown: LOL I'll email my address....checks or cash please! And WASa it's good we disagree occasionally, otherwise it would just be too clone-ish sci-fi odd. :tongue_smilie:

I have heard of people having too much fluid in their bands, and so they eat slider foods (foods that go down easily) and gain. In that case, for people who are too tight, a slight unfill is the correct treatment. BUT I have never heard of a medical facility withholding treatment (an adjustment) because you haven't lost. 1. I'd ask what their rationale is 2. I'd take in a sample diet 3. If they were still pizzy and I didn't agree with their reasoning I'd find another doc.

Do you want bypass? Then find a surgeon you like and get it done. Do you want the band to work? I don't know if it will work for you but I can tell you odds are it will NOT work if you don't keep up with fills. You still have to diet and exercise, but the fills help. Only you know the answers...

One of the big selling points of the band, at least to me, was that I would be able to eat normal food, just less of it. I don't really want something I can't get easily and locally at my neighborhood grocer...no special ordering, no Jenny Craig type stuff or only "Atkins" bars or WW bread. Been there, done that. And elcee, I agree with you totally when you say "I don't want to be different". We are totally sympatico there! I've been dieting, on a diet, or cheating on a diet most of my life! LOL Now I just want to be.

Call your prescribing doc and see if you can get a prescription for the drug that is NOT time released. You probably shouldn't take it on an empty stomach, either (just guessing here). I can swallow BIG pills fine, but again, during my post op phase when i was Clear liquids only (or liquids only) I just passed on the ones that would irritate my stomach.

No, I'm not more willing to "get rid of freebies" and I feel that you are unintentionally implying that those of us with insurance won't really value things as much. You are a pharmacist; do you REALLY think people who pay full price for a drug value it more than those who have insurance? And realize that most of us work our TUSHIES off in jobs for which one of the "benefits" IS insurance. So I disagree with you. Not many people would cheerfully pay for something that should be "free", either. Do you ever say "Gee I really want that. It's free over there but I want to pay for it anyway so I'll appreciate it more"? I doubt it. This isn't a personal attack and usually, as I say, if I disagree I just let things go, but I feel Greta almost had that money stolen from her in an end run around her "legal" insurance payment. I don't think that will make her appreciative, just bitter. I don't know her, of course. Nor do you. But I think your logic, while well intentioned, is flawed.

You might want to post this as it's own thread, rather than have it buried here. To start a thread: Click on "home" on the top left of the screen. Scroll down until you find the forum TOPIC that best fits your question (Ie Fills and complications) Click on that TOPIC. Then at the left will be an area that says "NEW THREAD" Click on that. It will let you post a title and start your own thread; makes it easier for people to see and respond to your question.

I LOVE my band. I feel like it's my partner in my lifelong war on obesity. I feel like FINALLY I have something in my body that's on MY side! :tongue_smilie: Logically, if there are people like me who feel that way, there will be people who HATE it. I grappled with the "do I want something foreign in my body" question before I got it; but we're not all of us equally self aware, frankly. I had years to mull over the band; that may have given me an "edge". I will say it must be absolutely horrid to have a band installed and wish it were gone. That must be miserable; and as judgmental as people can be about getting it, I'm sure they can be as bad about getting rid of it.

My Thiamine (B1) and D were both fine, but on the "low" side. Of course, I was taking a great multi, so that's probably why they weren't "low". Anyway they told me to supplement them and I have, it's NBD. B12 deficiency, I think, occurs more often in older people and in bypass patients. My doc recommends we take it but what a pain in the neck to sit and wait for the darn thing to dissolve...without swallowing! BORING! LOL I'm glad my levels are good.

Sounds to me like you need a fill. I don't know about you but it took me quite a few fills to finally find out what they meant by "restriction". Good luck!

many surgeon's offices have flyers or info on credit companies that will finance the band. However in these economic times I've heard that you need a good credit score to qualify (700 or above?) because the loan is essentially unsecured. Some people take out another mortgage. I WAS going to put mine on a low interest credit card but ins came through. I will say, since you'll be paying, SHOP AROUND. Prices (and what your price covers) varies widely. Some surgeons just cover surgery, some fills and follow up care for life. So be a prudent shopper; you may save yourself thousands that way. (Less expensive doesn't necessarily mean bad, either, at least not in this instance. You just have to do your homework) Good luck!

My nutritionist said just make sure pasta and rice are well cooked (no al dente on the pasta) because they both continue to absorb liquid. Since you already heard from your nutritionist, that's best...safest to follow the advice of the pro's YOU have picked to guide you through this. Once you've had your band a while etc. you'll modify to suit. :tongue_smilie:

I cheated on my preop diet the first time and while I still lost 15 pounds, I did NOT get the band; my liver was still too thick. The second time around it was oddly easy to stick to the diet. :tongue_smilie:

As I said, if you want one, get it! I don't. If there's time and I'm unconscious, they'll do x-rays, MRI, something before just cutting into me and if they need to "cut into the port" to save my life (ie no time for x-rays) then I do NOT want them fretting about the band. Save me first; I can always get another band. Personally I don't think it's worth the bother, but as I said, if you want one, buy it!

I think if it worries you, then sure, get one. However since my doc has told me I can take NSAIDS since I'm careful with them,(and frankly a dose or two in an emergent situation won't hurt ANYONE unless you're allergic) I personally don't think I need one.

I'm sorry, I did mine over a year ago with help from someone else and found the tutor afterward. If it doesn't tell you where to post it, then I don't know.

I can't eat and then go to bed, either. I need several hours before. YAY really helps me to not snack! And I never was a "get up at night and eat" person thank goodness or I'd probably have weighed 500+ instead of my 400+. I do Love me my restriction! :thumbup: