laurenlee

april 1st no kidding

Banded April 1st. I told one friend very early on and since then decided not to tell anyone else. Only my husband knows. My 16 year old son does not. I told everyone I was having a hiatal hernia repair (true) and esophageal surgery (partly true). I complained about throat and stomach problems leading up to the surgery, talked about food (mostly pastas, breads and rice) coming back up (partly true). I've mentioned all the things I will have to deal with post op. I've said that I will have to watch what I eat, avoid foods that could swell in my throat (like starches) and eat slow. And, it worked.

(BANDED APRIL 1st) Hi there. I know that for me, when i arrived here in Lapbandville, it was because I have hit bottom. I am out of options. I've tried everything. Seems I can comply with a structured and strict weight loss program and i can lose weight. i can do it with a lot of willpower. but for me, this is the difference....i can't sustain that kind of will power for a lifetime. my dr instructs us to do a 2 week pre op and a 2 week post op liquid diet. if you don't lose from that alone, you aren't drinking the right stuff and you should question your dr. the band will help us to not overeat. the choices we make are still up to us. the psych profile we go through is to determine those who are capable of compliance. i am motivated by losing weight. the loss keeps me going. when i am to a certain point, i get too comfortable too early and cheat a little and the scale doesn't jump up right away. so i tend to cheat a little more. this will change here and now. IF i gain, and i might, i will not be too embarrased to go back to the dr. earlier rather than too late as in prior attempts. I will NOT wait until i lose it on my own to go back to the Dr. i will go in immediately and get a fill or counseling or go to a support group. Here is my mentality and you are welcome to make it your own if it works for you: There Is No Way This Is Going To Fail and There Is No Way I Am Going To Fail. NO WAY. If this fails, what would I do????? therefore, This Will Not Fail. The success rate of bands is very low due to compliance rather than the technology and purpose. I read a post where someone had surgery the day after me and had 2 bowls of ice cream and tried to eat cake.....!!! short of judging her all i could think of was "are you kidding me??" in my unprofessional opinion, she isn't in the right mindset to do this if she's eating ice cream within 72 hours of having weight loss surgery. for me, this is my last resort. I have no other options. this will work. period. i am strong enough to want it badly enough to work hard enough to do this and do this right. finally, i will have something to help me when i can't sustain unrealistic will power forever. the mind is an incredibly powerful tool. use that too. get ready for the best change of your life. and keep in touch!

Hi. like you said, normal is a relative term. just to let you know my experience: all liquid diet 2 weeks pre op and 2 weeks post op - first fill 4 weeks post op - no exceptions. i was banded april 1st. i stopped eating 3/17 and can have mushy foods starting 4/15. post op appointment yesterday couldn't have gone any better. incisions healing well, constipation relieved after 5 days, (Miralax is amazing albeit sluggish) first fill May 1st. i admit, of all the posts i've read, and we've all read a lot here, i've never read where you start on mushy foods immediately post op. my Dr. is most concerned with everything adhering and scar tissue forming and everything "sticking" before we start pushing food through the band. he even takes a part of the stomach and puts a stitch around the band just to be sure. he's done thousands and thousands of bands. so, i think you have the right to ask your dr. why his protocol is different. good luck

Day 7 post op and doing great. shoulder pain still a pain but other than that, no complaints. incision sites tender as to be expected but healing nicely. not much stomach pain even when i try to sit up or lay down. starting to feel true hunger now that swelling is starting to go down inside. this will be the hardest week. soft foods in 7 days. passover starts tonight. i'm not going to Sedar with my family tonight or tomorrow night. kinda lonely this year but for a good cause. must stay focused. must remember why we sacrifice. we've had our splurge (for about 40 years) and now it is our time to turn our lives around. 50 and fabulous here i come (eventually). walking as much as i can (weather turned cold yesterday). truly hungry but i don't care. i'm not blowing this for anything...

Hi April Band buddies I am happy to report my experience having been banded yesterday. The punchline? It isn't so bad. I was admitted overnight in part because I also had a hernia repair done at the same time. So, remember, my experience is based on two procedures done simultaneously. I was walking around 1 hour post op. I did more walking last night and even more today. I wasn't discharged until 4pm. Walking felt good. I haven't passed gas yet or had a BM but taking colase liquid will help to get things moving by tomorrow. Walking gave me the sensation of things moving around. Admittedly, I've had many surgeries (mostly orthopedic which is so very different), this was my first laproscopic stomach procedure. The pain I felt yesterday and a bit more today can be best described as doing about 1 million sit ups! Of course the laproscopic sites are tender; mostly to the touch; that is to be expected. None are worse than others. Naturally, the port incision is the largest, but at this point, it doesn't feel any more tender than the others. I imagine it will take the longest to heal. When getting in and out of bed, rather than pulling up from my stomach muscles, I roll to one side and push up to stand. Once standing, the pain subsides. Once seated, the pain subsides. My experience with gas pains is minimal, having a small amount of radiating shoulder pain when taking a deep breath. Today's objective prior to being discharged was to drink 1 ounce of Water over a 5 minute period. A 4 ounce bowl of SF Jello should take us 20 minutes to eat. This is going to be almost entertaining. My body reminded me not to lie down for nearly 30 minutes after eating so the food has time to process prior to slipping through the band. I am not delusional thinking I've got this all figured out, believe me. It will take us awhile to figure it all out and to find our "sweet spot" but i can tell you in less than 36 hours post op, "I Think I Get It". I can feel a bit of what people talk about with testing just how much I can swallow prior to feeling my stomach. It's an awareness that I've never had before. No choking or gagging. Of course, these are all preliminary experiences based on liquids alone. I was able to take pills one at a time with ease. My band was not filled. My first post op appt is in 1 week. I went into this scared out of my mind until I told 1 person, a girlfriend who's first response was "Oh Man I Am So Jealous! I'd Do It In A Second!" Since then and especially now, there's an odd sense of relief. I am so confident I have done the right thing. For me, there are many psychological issues connected to this process. I walked out of that hospital today with the most content inner feeling of accomplishment, excitement and a sense of control that I've never felt before. There is no way this process, this procedure, this band is going to fail. There is No Way I am Going To Fail. Two small Oxycodone pills (without Tylenol) take the edge off the achiness and makes me sleepy. I was instructed not to lay flat last night but rather with my head elevated and with a post-op headache. I did not sleep well. Tonight I am free to lay flat and expect a restful night of sleep with an obscenely long and guilt free day of sleeping in tomorrow. I will post as often as everyone is interested in reading. I wish all pre-op patients a smooth process on their day and forever. knewme

Hi Guys --- wait until you hear this --- it's very cool to be so in touch with my stomach. i can actually feel my stomach. i keep picturing that 1 ounce pouch that sits above the band. it's an effective image. and i think i'm rewiring my brain. i mean, shouldn't i be starving? It's been 21 days since i've had a bite of food. how long could i sustain this? i'm not sure i want to start eating again. i kinda like this. i'm running on pure Protein. my nails are growing. symptoms: scope holes are healing perfectly. no reddened areas, typical tenderness. radiating left shoulder pains continue making it painful to take a deep breath which sucks because i should be oxygenating my lungs. and, as a swimmer, i like taking deep breaths and i'm pissed that it still hurts. i was constipated until this morning. if by day 3 nothing is moving and you're drinking enough and you're walking enough, take Miralax (I had to take it 4x) don't wait. there are times when i think i am hungry. i have something and i feel full. i can eat fast and not fill up. that is scary. but, i'm on all liquids after all. i ate 5 popsicles in an hour. that was bad behavior modification. in my defense, i walked nearly 3 miles that day and i really felt hungry that day. the following day was within daily limits. the behavior bothered me. it was a flag. an early flag. so i'll flag that thought. how to get this shoulder pain to go away so i can take a deep breath..... more later....

Well, the 3 miles was a true exception. I count 1 mile when we walked to the bridge and back and then two times i went to the bus stop and back which i know is 1 mile. today i walked to the bus stop and back twice. and if it makes you feel any better, i am starving today. although, by keeping a food log, i see that at 9pm i've only had 39 grams of protein. 30 grams short and i be that's why i'm hungry. so now i'm going to have more protein and yes, more water and try to stick it out. i'm starving. and bored. and starving.

Hi, I am scheduled for lapband surgery 4/1 and still have the opportunity to decide on the sleeve. As I am reading these posts, most sound like the sleeve procedure involves a 2nd surgery whether it be lapband or sleeve first. Would you please explain why this is?

i've just read through the comments and the one that stands out the most is from Josiebies where she and her doctor think if she could follow a 14 day all liquid diet why can't she sustain weight loss? i asked this question in a seminar, because it is a good question. the dr said "I couldn't have paid you to come here and ask that." the answer is.........(drumroll) we can't sustain this kind of astonishing willpower. we can lose weight. we've all done it. none of us has been able to keep it off. and that's the reason for the band. now onto your question - if you can't finde enough will power to do the liquid pre op could you do the diet? honestly, it's not a good sign. i think will power comes from determination motivation and desire to succeed. it's hard to sustain. but we all have it in us. i can't believe i've gone 12 days without a single bit of food. and i'm ok. sure i'm hungry now and then and i feel weird and i was light headed the other day. the caffeine and sugar withdrawal headaches are rough but part of the detox process. i think of this as a cleansing proceess. and my clean slate. the reintroduction to food will be gradual and i also think this will be helpful for me to start over with food. a new beginning. so, take on this challenge and accomplish this goal and take this time to get in the right mindset to do this and do this right. you've come this far. i'm sure you're willing to go a bit farther. i remember a 12 year old girl at a weight loss center who wouldn't cheat no matter what. if she could be that determined, so can us all. keep reading and try to get into the mindset and good luck.

the old realize band was redesigned because of kinks in the band when filled. the revision looks great until you see it fill. my dr uses air to demonstrate. the lapband has these little pillowed sections that prevent kinking. it looks engineeringly right. (I know that isn't a word, but, it works.) i'm going with that one. good luck.

what a great life long question you pose. something odd happened to me when i got my surgery date. i stopped eating. just like that. that day. at 2pm. it was as a switch went off in my head. psychologically, i suffer from the "i'm either ON a diet or i'm OFF a diet" syndrome. very bad mentality for those occasional slip ups. have enough of them and you're OFF more than you are on. currently, i am on day 12 pre op with surgery april 1st and i haven't had a single bite of food. the will power is astonishing. not sustainable which is why i'm having this done, but astonishing nonetheless. the gradual process of eating again will be taken seriously and with extreme caution. this might be the one chance i get to reintroduce myself to food in a whole new way. i think this is a process for a reason. i'm akming it mine! here's to doing it right. finally.

Hey Sissy I'm being banded this wednesday april 1st. i'm also having a hernia repair at the same time so i might be a bit behind on recovery but i'd be glad to keep in touch! april 1st - no kidding! good luck to you, too.

Hi Everyone Today is Day 12 of my All Liquid Pre-Op diet and I'm up one pound. I've seen posts here where people get worried and upset when this happens. I'm here to tell you it's OK. I'm ok with it. I was feeling very weak and lightheaded yesterday. I drank my last protein drink rather late (10pm) and finished off the night with 2 sugar free popsicles at midnight. So the fact that I was up 1 pound today doesn't alarm me. Go easy on yourself. The willpower we have found to do this is astonishing. Not sustainable (which is why I'm getting the band, but astonishing nonetheless). The little fluctuations can be frustrating and perplexing and unexplainable but not failure. I just wanted to let everyone know where my head is in case you go through whai I consider to be a normal fluctuation when you weigh yourself every day...and I know that isn't suggested but it's informative and often times encouraging). So keep up the good work and know this is just the beginning of something great.

i'm not name calling either. i know i am lying whether you called me that or not. i'm not talking about it because of my own personal embarrassment and discomfort level. it's not about who approves or who has an opinion. it's just very personal. and, yes, when i lose weight, sometimes it's all i can talk about with friends and family but the weight always comes back on. until now. and, btw, i really AM having hernia repair and my esophagus really is twisted. my hernia has been bad for a long time and i need to have it fixed anyway. it's like having a nose job while fixing a deviated septum. it's not like i wouldn't have the support of friends and family. i just don't want to be the center of attention and the center of discussion. with that said, i think we think people think about us way more than they actually do. i haven't had a single bite of food in 11 days and no one has noticed. not one person. hey monkey - no hard feelings on my side -

oh, and since i'm far too old to be caught up in a name calling event, didn't i read somewhere that you cheated on your pre op diet? one might think that's a form of lying, to yourself or others, but i'm not one to judge. look, i didn't post my "story" to be judged about my methods. but i guess i opened myself up to that. so be it. now that i think about it, i don't know why i posted it. maybe because i saw it somewhere else here. we all have our stories and histories. we all have our reasons. and we are all here for each other. so if you feel the need to remind me of your moral upbringing in case i forgot mine, thank you.

ok i get your point. i'm a liar. i'm horrified about my weight. i am always the heaviest person in the room. i hate talking about it and i hate being noticed one way or the other. it's my way of avoiding being embarrased. i've been lying to myself for decades that i can lose this weight and keep it off without help. so i'm a liar. but at least i'm honest about it.

I pulled into a parking space reserved for expectant mothers and hung my handicapped placcard on the mirror. when i came back, there was a note on my car that read "You aren't expecting You're just fat"

being banded April 1st. No kidding.

stephonee - i've read so many posts, too and it does sound like all doctors have different pre op plans. if you were only asked to do all liquids for 4 days, it might have to do with your height and weight. the reason for the all protein diet is to rid your liver of excess fatty cells so the lapband can be put in easily. if your liver is too fatty, the doctor cannot move it to get underneath it and it makes the surgery riskier and the results less than optimal. maybe your height and weight are on the lower side. my dr does it for precautions. he seems very cautious in every area. you might want to ask your doctor why he decided on only 4 days. maybe ask him what would it mean if you started the liquid diet earlier. i actually started a day earlier. i would consult with your doctor.

Hey, here are the liquid protein drinks: Met Rx is 51 grams of protein, 15 oz can, 240 cal. 1g fat 6g carbs . only tried te vanilla and it's good. drink it all at once and you fill up.. don't sip it throughout the day. atkins 11 ounces with 15g of protein, 9g of fat (they say is ok) 5g carbs then there are these nutritional supplements from Physician's Weight Loss Center www.pwlc.com - mix with water and its 12g protein mixed with 8oz water in all flavors, even hot chocolate and capachino - about $1.75 a serving - buy online in their diet store.....email me anytime with ??? good luck

I am on day #5 of my pre-op liquid protein diet. I am keeping a log of what I am drinking, grams of protein, fat, carbs and sugars. Yesterday, I had 198 grams of protein! i think what did it was the physician's weight loss center nuritional supplements that i sip throughout the day that total 36 grams of protein in 24oz. imagine if crystal light had 12 grams of protein in every 8oz. what happens when we consume too much protein?

I asked this same question. the answer is this: i have the will power to do anything for awhile. i can't sustain this kind of will power. but i can with the band. so if i'm determined enough but the will power starts to slip, we can physically assist with that. or so i hope. with all my heart.

ok, this is going to sound weird, and please don't hate me because these are thoughts I'VE had about myself, but i've got to get this out to those of you who know way more than me. i am here i'm doing extensive research about lap band surgery and this board has been incredibly enlightening. so thank you in advance for allowing me to indulge. i have read about the 2 week all liquid pre op diet and the 2 week post op all liquid diet (and i do realize it varies from dr. to dr.) and it sounds incredibly difficult to do -- pre op especially. so here is my question: how do you have the will power to do all liquid pre op and post op but not the will power to stay on a diet? more accurately -- how would I have the will power? and i do realize if you want something bad enough, you just do it. But, i'm telling you this: i want this bad yet i just can't seem to get past the liquid diet part of this process. and i'm surprised at the slow weight loss that is expected for such major sacrifices. please enlighten me.