mgmagnolia

LOL Banded Girl!!! I so relate!!!

Hi Everyone, I know how scary this surgery is to all of you. This morning lying in pre-op I contemplated making a run for it and not getting it done. But I just want to let all of you know that it's not that bad. I'm sore but not too bad. When I went to post-op, the pain was about a 3 on a scale of 1-10 and 10 being the worst pain ever. They gave me some pain meds in my IV. I wasn't nauseated but thought it wouldn't take much so they gave me something for that in the IV too. I think that helped more than the pain meds really. Ice was a little tough because the cold hurt my belly. So I've stayed with warm or lukewarm things. I've even managed a walk to the neighbors and back. So keep your spirits up. So far the waiting for it to happen is worse than the actual surgery. I'm glad it's over and I know that you will be too. You can do this and it will be so worth it!

Boy when I started this thread I had no idea how many hits it would get! Good luck to everyone. We're definitely not alone in our new lives. It's great to have the support of one another. My big day is Monday the 27th. It got moved from the original date of the 20th because they were closed that day. Boy, was that ever a let down. It seems like the past 3 weeks have lasted forever! I can't believe that I'm almost ready to leave the pre-op side of things to the post-op side message board. I've been in this section for about a year. Happy skinny days ahead for everyone!!! Yah!!!!

Hi Everyone, I'm Maggie. I'm going to be banded on July 27. Even though I know it's not logical to worry, I still am. What if after I'm banded and I do everything the way I'm supposed to: follow the new diet, do the exercise and follow up at the doc's like I'm supposed to, and I don't lose weight? I guess what is making me think that is that I'm on the liquid pre-surgery diet right now. My doc told me that I would lose 20-30 pounds on it. Right now I'm holding at 12 pounds and I still have a week to go yet. I haven't lost anything this week at all. I have not cheated. I have done exactly as I am supposed to be doing. So I don't know what is wrong other than I need to exercise right now to get it moving. I know that realistically if I do what they tell me the weight will come off. I'm just worried that what if I'm the one oddball that doesn't? Just some pre-surgery jitters I'm sure, but I wondered if anyone else thought the same thing or is it just me?

They called me this past Monday and changed my date from July 20 to July 27. I know exactly how you feel! It is hard to be set back like this. Seems like one step forward two steps back. Stuck waiting until it happens and can't move forward until then. The liquid diet is getting on my nerves big time right now. When I first started it I was focused and counting the days down. This just really upset my mo jo. Well we'll both get through it somehow. It just doesn't seem like it right now...

Hi, I'm on Day 4 on the same diet. The first few days were awful. I experienced all the same things you did. It was awful! But today it seems like it's getting better. I told my friends that I've never gone through detox but it reminds me of what alcoholics and drug addicts go through when they are trying to get clean. Not as bad I'm sure but it is withdrawel. Anyway I hope that it is getting better for you too. They told me that I could have as much broth as I wanted. I have been heating it up in a coffee cup and having that with my "meals" and that seems to help a little.

I'm on Day 3 of the horrible liquid diet. It's a doable but no fun. My doc thinks I'll lose 20 pounds in 2 weeks on it. So far I've lost a few pounds but nothing major. I'm worried I won't lose the amount he expects. I hope so though

Maybe he's feeling threatened by you losing weight. Maybe he's afraid that once you've lost your weight that you'll lose interest in him and find a new guy. Or maybe he's someone who doesn't deal with change very well. Sounds to me like he's feeling insecure about it and worried more than he lets on.

Cammy, I'm on Day 2 of my pre-op liquid diet. It is hard believe me. I didn't think that I could do it either. But so far it's not been as bad as I thought it would be. I am hungry and you will be too. But we have to do it. The reason they make us do it is to shrink the liver. It lays over the stomach. The diet shrinks the fat out of it so that it is small enough for the doctor to be able to move it out of the way with his laproscopic tools and put the band around the stomach. If we don't do the diet then they have to use a regular open incision. The doctor has to have someone physically lift up the liver so that he can put the band on the stomach. When they explained that to me at the doctor's office it gave me the resolve not to cheat on my diet. I don't want my liver to have to handled anymore than it has to be. Good luck! I'm pulling for you! It's hard but you can do it!

Yesterday I went for my pre-op tests and nutrition class. The doc told me that he wants me to lose 20-30 pounds before the surgery on July 20th. I start the pre-op diet July 5. He thinks that I can do it but I don't know. That is 10 pounds a week for the next 3 weeks and I'm not on the liquid diet yet. I put myself on a 1200 calories diet for this week since I'll be starting the liquid pre-op diet on Sunday. I won't get to exercise today but I took a brisk walk on each of my 15 minute breaks today to at least do something. I'm hungry and tired and afraid that I'll fall off the wagon before it's all over with. The doc told me to step it up a notch. Seems like a mountain from this side that's for sure!

document EVERYTHING!!! Tell your doc to write down everything that you can think of. If you have back pain from the weight, your feet hurt, sleep apnea, anything at all. Do you get rashes from a hanging belly? Anything like that. The more you document the better off you are.

Jessica, That's great news! I know that we'll have to be there a few hours afterwards too. They'll have us up and walking. Maybe we can walk the halls together.

I have an umbilical hernia as well. I asked my surgeon about it. He told me that it won't be an issue for him because he will not be using my belly button for the laproscopic surgery. He's making his incisions above my waist. He told me that I needed to wait to have it repaired until I'd lost weight. He said if I had it done during the lapband surgery that the patch would not hold because of the weight loss. I don't know how your surgeon will do your surgery so don't take my word for it. You will need to talk to him about it. Make sure he knows about it. The more he knows about your health before he does the surgery the better prepared he will be.

Woo Hoo!!!! I'm so glad that we connected on here!!! Mine is in the morning too. I think my surgery might be before yours. I have to be there at 7:00 and the surgery is at 8:30. But we should be in the pre-op together. We can help keep each other from being nervous! I'm Maggie and I look forward to talking to you!

WOW! I had no idea that there were so many of us getting surgery around the same time! The eating like there's no tomorrow actually has a name. It's called "The Last Supper Syndrome". The nutritionist at the surgeon's office told me about it and asked me if I thought I was doing it. I'm like "do birds fly?" I'm with you all on that one! I'm kind of afraid to see what I'll look like thin too but I'm so excited about it too!!!! Just think, we will all be healthy and able to do so much physically again. That is more what I'm excited about than the thin part. But to be able to wear skinny clothes will be great too!

I'm excited about it too! I'm reading a really great book about what to expect from the surgery. It's called "Weight Loss Surgery With the Adjustable Gastric Band" by Dr. Robert Sewell and one of his patients Linda Rohrhough. It takes you through the surgery process itself. What to expect the day of, what to expect when you go home as well as the weeks following. It even gives a schedule of what you should be eating the first few weeks after being banded. It has some really helpful advice. You know how everyone says that we'll have to take tiny little bites and chew them thoroughly? He suggests using a baby spoon and only filling the front half of it with food to get used to eating tiny bites. I would never have thought of that.

I'm meeting the nutrition lady on June 29. We'll be going on our liquid diets about the same time it sounds like. Glad you got yours approved. I'm self-pay :thumbup: Good luck and keep me posted too!

I'm being banded July 20 too! We are definitely smokin' hot! I can't think of another name. Both of those are good!

Hi, I'm Maggie from Cincinnati. Dr. Trace Curry is doing my band on July 20th. I meet with his office on June 29 to do the pre-op tests and get the liquid diet supplies to use for the 2 weeks before the surgery. Anyone else getting ready for surgery in July? Are you nervous? I'm actually not. I feel really great about this decision and have no second thoughts. I'd love to hear from you!:blushing:

Hi Mike, I'm new like you and I am not banded yet either. I am just beginning the process of getting a surgeon so it will months before I get there. I know exactly what you are saying because I feel the same way. But these folks are right. I'm like you. I've been overweight all of my life and I have lost and gained and lost gained over and over. I have a whole wardrobe of clothes of different sizes to show for it. I've never experienced life as a fit and healthy person. I don't even care about the beauty side of it. I just want to be healthy and be able to physically do things that being overweight prevents me from doing now. Good luck and let me know what it's like! Mgmagnolia