Elisabethsew

Welcome and good luck. I've got my fingers crossed for you.

Just a word of caution. Most sugar-free candies are sweetened with some form of mannitol. Look for "sol" at the end of the word. Mannitol, Sorbitol, etc. have a laxative effect. Also, you don't want to get into the habit of sucking on candy as it easily passes through the pouch to the stomach. The same goes for chocolate, ice-cream... all that good (bad) stuff.

Congratulations on your surgery and recovery. The FDA has approved a few different bands and they all do the same thing; restrict the flow of food into the stomach by creating a pouch above the stomach. This results in feeling full faster and with a smaller amount of food. The choice of what band to use is based on your anatomy and your surgeon's preference. I've got the same one as you do.

I doubt those symptoms are related to a band allergy. Being tired, feeling cold, and light-headedness are symptoms of hypothroidism. Your infection might be getting worse or you could also be anemic from not enough iron (very common in women). I would really urge you to see an MD and have bloodwork done to start ruling problems. Please keep us posted on what you discover and take care of yourself... hoping you'll soon be feeling better.

The purpose of the pre-op diet is to shrink fatty livers so low-fat is very important. Clear soups are lower in fat than creamed soups. One gram of fat has 9 calories. One gram of protein or a carb has 4 calories. One gram of alcohol has 7 calories. Try entering your food into FitDay - Free Weight Loss and Diet Journal or another site to help you keep track.

Make sure you check the requirements of your insurance carrier. Most want a BMI of 40 without a co-morbidity or a BMI of 35 with one or more co-morbidities.

You'll find different strokes for different folks applies here. I can't eat spaghetti at ALL but can tolerate salads just fine.

Even though you're having a lap procedure, it's still abdominal surgery. Most surgeons recommend no heavy lifting or strenuous exercise for 6 weeks post-op. I would check with your surgeon but bowling one week post-op seems unrrealistic.

I only had one consult with the dietician and was not weighed. She went with the records from the surgeon.

Welcome and congratulations on the surgery dates. You'll find a wealth of information here so read a lot and ask questions.

Congratulations and welcome! I hope your recovery is going well and look forward to your posts.

It is highly uncommon to have an allergic reaction to the band... especially after so many months. What are your symptoms and have you notifed your surgeon. By the way, your weight loss is great.

Welcome ladies and congratulations on your upcoming surgeries. It sounds like the process is moving along well. Don't worry too much about the pre-op diet. We all manage to get through it and it does result in a better intra-operative and post-op. course.

My surgeon decides on what size band to use based on 2 factors; (1) how much weight the patient needs to lose and (2) the anatomy of the patient which he sees on the OR table.

Shoulder pain is usually from the anesthesia and the surgery. Walk, walk, walk and drink water throughout the day. If you're hungry, call the surgeon's office and ask to speak with the PA or NP. They will usually give you one or two foods to take the edge off.

You're paying to be covered by this insurance company as of 3/1 so you're entitled to benefits. I would call them and ask for a written list of what they require to pay for the surgery. It's better to know before hand so you can check them off as they get done. Welcome and congratulations!

Call your insurance carrier and ask for the written requirements for them to pay for weight loss surgery. The band is an aid but it requires you to do your part. That means getting to the right level of restriction, not eating foods that are high fat and easily slip through the band (candy, chips, ice-cream, etc.), not drinking with meals, and beginning to exercise (even walking). Talk to your MD, go to informational sessions, read posts here, and ask lots of questions.

Welcome and congratulations on deciding to have the surgery. To make sure you do everyhthing the insurance carrier wants, call and ask them for a written list of their requirements. May you have continued smooth sailing....

Welcome! You should be assessed based on your maturity and not age. I know many people a lot older than you who have the emotional maturity of a 12 year old. At 18, you're an adult and have the right to make your own decisions. Find a supportive MD and move forward with your plans.

Welcome to the both of you and congratulations on your upcoming surgery. Read lots of posts and ask questions.

Congratulations! You'll find a wealth of info here so read a lot and ask questions.

Welcome! From reading your intro, it seems like you've well thought out the different aspects of deciding on a surgical approach to aid in weight loss. I take MANY Vitamins (including a huge calcium/magnesium capsule) as well as Rx medications and have no difficulty swallowing them ONE at a time with sips of Water inbetween and a glass of water at the end to make sure they all go down into my stomach. As far as food goes, I can eat nearly everything I could before but in smaller amounts and slower. The key to feeling full is the proper level of restriction AND not drinking WITH meals. I work full-time as an RN and am a full-time PhD student completing my dissertation. You'll need about 7-10 days recovery time and then life should be back to normal so I don't think your job would suffer. I would give a lot of thought to your relationship with your hubby. I've been where he is now and that life is merely existing. It takes so much energy to do the smallest task that you go from bed to chair and eat... a viscious cycle. Why not have a heart to heart with your hubby and entertain the idea of doing this as a couple. You could even just ask him to come to the informational meeting with you for support. Once he sees others and hears for himself how the surgery can add quality and quantity to his life, he might be open to it. Keep us posted.

And to write more than once about an ignore feature... I don't personally agree with that. While I'm quite sure it was not intended as such, it might come off as looking like encouragement to have everyone put a single person on ignore if a few disagree with him. One of the options people have on this forum is to report posts that they feel are inappropriate. Responses to those reports are commonly addressed in the thread. For that reason, it is sometimes necessary to remind members of their option to exercise the "ignore" button. Thank you for your comments.

And Elisabeth... not giving out details of schools and other personal information is the right thing to do. Many tend to give out wayyyy too much information on line. I'd like to see more people giving out less information. I don't have photos posted for a reason, I don't wanna. I respect people's right to privacy. However, this poster OFFERED information and presented him/herself as a medical student with a strong knowledge base in surgical sales tactics, etc. He/she also OFFERED an account of talking to several surgeons who felt the new band was substandard. When you put PRIVATE information out there and state "facts", it's natural for people to ask questions to confirm these "facts." It's suspect when a poster only responds to threads on the new band for the purpose of telling people not to get it. <!-- google_ad_section_end -->

As with anything new, intelligent people are eager to learn. Learning includes researching, listening to the pros and cons from all available sources, determining if the pros outweigh the cons, and making a decision. In assessing the content of this thread I find: 1. The majority of the participants are banded. 2. Many of the participants have the new band and were drawn to this thread for continued learning and support. 3. Those participants who have the new band are from different areas of the country. 4. The new bands were surgically applied via a host of different surgeons. 5. People with the new bands are not experiencing any adverse effects. 6. Regardless of the type of band, you're successful if you follow the post-op diet and instructions. Additionally, Isuzu/Redstarr... 1. Is not banded. 2. Has chosen not to respond to questions asking what medical school he/she attends, who his/her surgeon is, and when he/she is being banded. 3. Favors the newest available AP Inamed band and can find nothing positive about the new band. 4. Believes he/she is providing valuable/vital information because surgeons have no time to keep abreast of current research and rely on medical/surgical sales people. 5. Believes the new band is being used/promoted by surgeons because they get a $5,000.00 kick-back from J&J for each placement. 6. References research studies from both reliable and questionable sources. Objectively, those are the facts. The choice of what band to get involves independent research and discussions with your surgeon. Once banded, people come to forums such as this to share, ask questions, and feel supported for the purpose of being successful. While I do not have the new band (I'm an old bandster with an old band - lol), I am interested in hearing the experiences of those who have the new band and learning from them. This is a valuable thread and I would encourage the participants in it to use the "ignore" button if they desire to not read what one or more people post and continue to share their successes with ALL the bands.