ParrotheadCathy

dbinnc, I'm actually glad I didn't know about this website until a while after I had my surgery. I would have thought the same thing as you .... that I can't eat anything. Luckily, I just forged ahead and found out that I can eat all that stuff, except for soft bread. But LOTS of people can eat soft bread. I can eat pizza, but I prefer the thin crust so maybe that's why I don't have any problems with it. DRY meats can be a problem, so re-evaluate your cooking process. Crock pot cooking, marinating, "mopping" with liquids when grilling, lo-cal sauces like mustards, etc. I found something interesting in the store, too .... Arnold's Bread makes a "bun" that is very thin, 100 calories, whole grain and I love the taste. Now, I have burgers instead of a piece of meat. As for your meds, the first week or two weeks, you will have swelling which will make you tighter than you will be later on. I don't take any meds on a regular basis anymore except for Calcium supplements and I can swallow those horsepills whole with no problem NOW but not at the very first. At first I was very aware of all the changes but now, 5-1/2 months later, it's no biggie. The thing is to NOT ASSUME anything. Try your favorite foods. Always remember to take bites about the size of a nickel and chew it well. Don't take big gulps of any liquids and you should be fine. REALLY. And, if you want to talk to me back channel, my email is parr0thd51@aol.com

Call your insurance company and ask them if they have a requirement that your BMI be a certain amount for a specifical period of time. Some do, some don't.

I subscribe to the South Beach daily emails....I get good recipes there mainly. However, today's email included these suggestiongs to control cheating. They are somewhat basic, but I think we all need reminding now and then! Skip the chip and cookie aisle at the grocery store and focus on the fresh foods around the perimeter. Empty your cupboards and refrigerator of all the unhealthy foods that trigger your cravings. When going out to eat, don't tease yourself by looking at the dessert menu. Instead, eat a serving of sugar-free Jell-O or a sugar-free Popsicle when you get home. Always carry a healthy snack with you, like a low-fat cheese stick or a handful of plain nuts. If someone gives you an indulgent present, like a box of chocolates or your favorite cookies, share it with your coworkers, give it to a neighbor or friend, or donate it to a local shelter.

I wish I knew where to post is on here, but someone compared chronic obesity to being forced to sit at a slot machine and put in quarter after quarter and never, ever hitting the jackpot even once. But we all did it and wished the whole time that we weren't. We dieted and regained many times, suffered the health complications and mental suffering. Restless Monkey's right -- ask the next naysayer why on earth they would criticize your choice when it has been the one thing to help you allay your years and years of suffering!?!?

YEAHHHHHHHH JASON!!!!! The waiting won't be so terrible, really .... I mean these 13 weeks have flown by in many ways. You've worked hard and you're finally ready for surgery. Three weeks more. We'll all be counting the days with you!!

It's amazing how just a tiny amount can make a difference! Good luck. Let us know how it goes.

My doc says that once you reach good restriction and aren't coming into the office so often you should make a point of coming once every six months. They will draw all the saline out of your band and verify that it's still the amount it's supposed to be and top off if necessary. Apparently, small amounts of fluid can "evaporate". I say make an appointment and just get checked.

It never hurts to ask you PCP if they personally know a bariatric surgeon with a good reputation. My PCP only knew one BUT he had his office check for complaints against anybody I was interested in.

There's another PPI. Been around a couple of years at least because I took it for a year as part of ulcer treatment. Aciphex. Talk to your doc. You can probably take something else along with a PPI for those couple of days, say Pepcid or Zantac until the PPI gets up to speed. IF your doc hasn't prescribed a PPI for you, then shame on him. Tell him you need DRUGS.

I keep a glass of ice water on my desk or near at hand when I'm not at work at all times. I've never "chugged" a glass of water in my life, but I would say that once past the immediate post-op period, I drink water the same way I always have.

As part of my pre-op testing, I was required to have a standard metabolic panel done ... which are the items you named ..... liver enzymes, thyroid levels, cholesterol, etc. I did not have my surgeon actually do any of the pre-op stuff because my surgery was not covered by my insurance and he was not a listed provider. I went back to my PCP and had everything either done by him or by doctors he referred me to who were covered by my insurance. But the test you had is actually VERY common. That you didn't get a call back with the results probably means that every thing was okay, but I would call and just ask for the results of the blood work. I saw my surgeon two weeks before surgery and on the day of surgery. That's it. As long as I have no problems, his physician's assistant and another doctor on his staff have taken care of me.

Karen, you're not a failure....you're still working at being able to plan. The tag sale situation....I will say that it was poor planning on your part. Invest in a small cooler. Keep some ready-to-drink Protein shakes on hand. Got to go out and don't know for certain what will be available to you? Stick an RTD in with a couple of bottles of Water. A healthy snack, such as low fat cheese. That junk food in the house? I know it's for your husband BUT he's gonna need to be supportive of you an not leave all those temptations there for you. My 20 year old granddaugher lives with me and she's 5'7" and weight 105 .... snack away, LOL. But I make her keep her Snacks in her room rather than in my kitchen where I have to look at them when I am at my weakest (when I'm hungry). Believe me, I've done what you did and, yeah, I regretted it but you have to put it behind you. If you eat something "bad", don't let it ruin your whole day. Jump back on the wagon and do right for the rest of the day. And, we're all here for you with ideas and SUPPORT.

WAAAAYYYY TO GO, BIG PAPA!!!!! Congratulations.

The obvious is to consider changing your PCP! You are not stuck with this one.

Many overweight people suffer GERD because of pressure on the valve at the connection between the esophagus and stomach. Try sleeping on your left side, with the head of your bed elevated a few inches. As you lose weight it SHOULD get better. Many people are on meds for reflux and there are some people on here who have continuing problems. I wouldn't worry about it not going away until I'd lost a fair amount of weight through your midriff.

And then there's spaghetti squash!! Cut it in half, cook cut side down in a baking dish with a little water. When cooked, take a fork and pull it through the squash "meat" lengthwise and you get a spaghetti-like result. Works fantastic with marinara sauce, etc. for those (like me) who have a problem with pasta!

TripletMomma.....watch those prepackaged meals ..... specifically, the sodium content. I am very sensitive to salt and can retain water in the blink of an eye. I cook with very little salt and almost never, ever add it to foods. There are a few things that I won't eat without salt but that's normal......grits, eggs, and potatoes (which I don't eat very often) is about it. But I remember going on Weight Watchers years ago and I ate a lot of Lean Cuisine and WW meals for lunch at work .... and was retaining a lot of fluid. Then I looked at the sodium content.

New to me! I've traveled quite a bit since my surgery and have another big trip planned for the first week of November (Parrot Head Convention kn Key West). I was told to just treat it as any other day. So far, so good. I haven't noticed any difference in my band that I could attribute to a change in barometric pressure ... but I haven't been in the eye of a hurricaine in like 20 years. I wonder if that would make a difference?

CC, I think pretty much everybody got nervous when it got close to their surgery dates. It is surgery, after all, and you are entitled to be a little nervous. You have my email address. If I can tell you anything at all about my experience (same surgeon, probably same surgical center, etc.), I'll be glad to share. Just remember that it's okay, normal, and common to be nervous as your date gets closer.

You people are leading me down the path, LOL. I get up at 5:00 AM and walk 4 miles almost every morning. So i'm reading in this sectio of LBT and somebody mentions "wogging". I laughed at the word but this morning, I "wogged".....It wasn't as bad as I thought. I mean, I've never run anywhere in my life. It didn't wind me or anything, so I suppose I'll "wog" farther each time tomorrow.

I want to add something else .... it's very easy to let illness get the best of you. I know, I've been there. I almost lost my leg a couple of years ago. And I couldn't get around very well and I was miserable and I sat on the couch and ate. All the way to 284 pounds, which was a new all-time high for me...and I never intend to see it again. We can prevail in spite of tough things happening to us. You, me and probably pretty much everybody else on LBT! So please don't worry about yyesterdayl just worry about today. Geez, tomorrow will be today too soon anyway. And if you want to talk, you can back-channel me at parr0thd51@aol.com That's a zero in my screen name rather than the letter "oh".

Well, I would say persist. Your doctor DID go ahead and do a fill. I'm sure he was frustrated with you since you hadn't been maintaining your band, etc. That 3ccs is working (not causing you any problems), so I would say have a conservative fill next time (maybe .5 or 1 cc) and see what happenes. When you go back the next time, if he's rude, TELL HIM YOU DON'T APPRECIATE IT, that you are trying and that you need his help rather than his ridicule. After all the first part of the Hippocratic oath is "do no harm" and I firmly believe that being rude, ridiculing, etc. does do harm.

You don't say how much saline is now in your band. It is not uncommon to feel a fair amount of restriction after a fill that puts you close to your sweet spot and then a few weeks later not feel as much. Obviously, if you are at like 4 or 5 ccs in a 10 cc band, that could be the case. If you have more, it could be something else. Talk to your doc but don't just assume something terrible has happened. I thought I was at my sweet spot twice before I actually was.

SRiggs, when was your last fill? My doctor stresses that after you reach your sweet spot it is important to come in occasionally and let them withdraw all the Fluid in your band and then top it off to your sweet spot. Apparently over time there is a small amount of evaporation. My eating plan isn't really different from Mango's ..... I have a Protein shake (20 grams of protein) for Breakfast because it's easiest for me. In a time crunch, I can drink it in the car. lunch and dinner .....3 oz of protein which looks to be about the same size as a deck of cards, to help you visualize that. A vegetable, raw or steamed. salad isn't a great choice unless it's spinach or other dark greens since regular lettuces have very little nutrition. If you are still hungry, a single serving of whole grain carb. Drink at least 64 oz. of Water (plain water, not tea or whatever) every day. Take a good Multivitamin each day. If you have that occassional hunger attack, snack on a little protein, like a boiled egg. Watch your blood sugars carefully. Once you drop a few more pounds, you may see a BIG difference that will reduce your insulin dependence so your dosing formula will become very important to you!

Before you start sweating details, pull out your insurance card and call the customer service number. They'll need your policy number. Ask them if they cover weight loss surgery, specifically lap band surgery, and what their requirements are ..... Mimimum BMI? Do they require that youre BMI be at that level for a specific period of time? Do they require a supervised weight loss before surgery? What bariatric surgeons are covered by your policy? Are there any specifica limitations on hospitals or outpatient surgery centers? Do they have any required pre-op testing beyond what a surgeon may require? Once you know those answers, you'll be in a position to know what you're truly facing. GOOD LUCK.