SpideyMom

Congratulations, Deb! Have you tried unjury chicken soup? It is 90 calories, 0 fat, 0 carbs, and 21 g. Protein. It is actually not made with chicken, btw, in case you are vegetarian, but it tastes good! It has helped me get protein in when I can't do another shake. You can get it on their website, Unjury.com. Good luck!

Oh, why are all these so awful? Seems like a lot of us thought we'd be good and start a little early and now we sorta regret it. (*belch*) I guess anything for too long gets gross. I went home last night and had some broth and some sugar-free Jello and felt like a new woman! I haven't had a SlimFast in 24 hours and I am much better -- the symptoms I had are all subsiding. There really must be something in the SF that doesn't agree with me! Melissa, sorry to hear about your "sunburn"! My work is about to have it's monthly birthday party with a huge cake, and I'm dying. So, I'm eating sf jello and a cup of broth. mmmm.... However, the upside of all this, as many of you have also found, is that I am losing some weight! I've lost 4 pounds since last week. That helps me hang on! That and the fact that I'm not puking. :thumbdown:

I've heard that Optifast is pretty bad, too. Foxxy, I did the same thing as you, started drinking the Slim Fast early to taste the flavors and get used to it. It wasn't bad when I had one a day. But six a day with no other food??? :tt2: Oh, and I bought a lot of it when it was on sale at WalMart. :thumbup:

OMG, Foxxy, I am on the all SlimFast diet and I'm dying also! I finally got in touch with the surgeon's nurse and asked her what else I could do. It was then that she said I could have broth and sugarfree Jello. I didn't know ahead of time like you did. I've been drinking the cans and I really want to barf. I looked up side effects of Slim Fast, and from their own website, SLIM-FAST For Healthcare Professionals, it says: Some individuals may experience transient side effects as a result of weight loss including headache, constipation, loose stools, abdominal discomfort, and intense hunger. Uh, yeah, I've had all of the above, thank you. Not. She also told me I can substitute Unjury for the Slim Fast, which is exactly what I am going to do for the next two days. I know it sounds silly that I can't make it another two days, but when you're experiencing all of those side effects above plus nausea to the point of near vomiting, you really have to do something different!!! I was sick on the couch all day on Saturday.

Laya, you're so right about the addiction part -- most people don't understand that. And, unlike alcohol and drugs, we can't live without food!

Thanks, Karianne! These lists are very helpful.

Hi, Leeann! Welcome to the Mayo Banditos! I'm also insulin resistant and have been taking glucophage (diabetes med) for 8 1/2 years even though I'm not diabetic. It's time for me to stop that game. Good for you for taking charge of it early!!! I agree, it's worth it to pay more if you know you're getting higher quality! Good luck!

Great list! Thanks!

There are a couple stories from people who had surgery on May 1st. Look here: http://www.lapbandtalk.com/f18163/may-1st-banders-how-did-go-93324/

Hi, Sarah! I'm also being banded on the 7th! Glad to have you here as a Mayo Bandito -- it's a great group of people who can totally relate! I've had weight problems since age 8, so I know -- boy do I know -- how you felt about being the fat kid in school. That was awful. There are lots of threads going on the Mayo Banditos forum. Here's a link to all of them: May 09 Bandsters - Lap Band Surgery and Lap Band Discussion Forum

Yes, two have checked in so far and they are doing well! Go to the Surgery Stories thread to see their stories.

Congratulations, KLP, you skinny thing! I'm jealous that you got to go home the same day. I have to stay overnight. Keep us updated on your progress!

Gemini, don't look at it as "d day" -- it's your B DAY!!! Good luck at the doctor tomorrow.

Karianne, I'm sorry you've had so much misery for the last 4 years. I understand completely about missing out on so many family events and memories -- I have fibromyalgia, which is a chronic pain condition for which there is no cure at this time. It is progressive, as I can attest to how much pain I am in now as compared to when I was diagnosed in 2005. My reactions from loved ones has been mixed. Most of my friends have really been supportive, but one couple who I thought would really be supportive are quite the opposite -- questioning why I can't just exercise more, eat less, etc. In fact, they've pulled away and haven't been talking to me as much since I told them, which is sad. I've only told one family member so far, and she was so amazingly supportive, I was overwhelmed! I still need to tell my sister, but we keep playing telephone tag! I am worried about her reaction. I also felt like my dh questioned my decision after he had told me he supported me. Then I took him with me to the surgeon's visit, and he snapped back to being the supportive, caring man that I know and love. The important thing is -- this is YOUR decision. No one else knows the pain you live with -- from your disease and from missing out on family life. I can sympathize with you. Know that you have friends here who can relate and totally support you!

Welcome, everyone, to the Mayo Banditos! Glad to have you here! We've formed a group, and there are a lot more threads going on right now about all sorts of subjects that may be of interest to you as your dates rapidly approach... like mine (May 7th) !!! Here is the link: May 09 Bandsters - Lap Band Surgery and Lap Band Discussion Forum

Thanks, Shelley! I'm thankful I've made it this far... only 2 1/2 days to go on this awful diet. Making the shakes in the blender helps, but now the smell of the shakes is making me gag. And it's doing awful things to my digestive tract. Ugh. But, together we can get through this!! Thanks for everyone's support -- it is really helping me tremendously!!!

That's really cool! I want one of those cards also! (I also want to go to a Chinese buffet right about now....... lol)

Welcome, everyone!! Glad to have you here with the Mayo Banditos! I know we're all getting anxious as our surgeries approach... mine is in 4 days! Here is a link to the Mayo Banditos forum. I bookmarked it to make it easy to find all our threads: May 09 Bandsters - Lap Band Surgery and Lap Band Discussion Forum Cheers!:smile:

Great to hear from you, Doug. Glad it all went so well! :thumbdown: That's funny you told the nurses to stop their small talk and get down to business -- you really wanted that operation! Your story puts my mind at ease about the pain afterward. Thanks for coming on the board so quickly and letting us know how it went. Hope it all continues to go just as well!

Oh, thank you, everyone for your kind words of encouragement! :thumbdown: I did find that blending the SlimFast with ice, some milk, and a scoop of powders?utm_source=BariatricPal&utm_medium=Affiliate&utm_campaign=CommentLink" target="_ad" data-id="1" >unjury chocolate powder makes it taste better. Melissa, thank you for telling me that your doctor said this is the hardest part of the diet. That gives me hope in a weird kinda way. I'm going to the mall with my friend today, to get some walking in. That will help keep my mind off of things. Thanks again for the suggestions and support. You all are the greatest!!!

HELP! HELP! HELP! :wink::sad: I'm on day three of my pre-op diet and I feel like I'll never make it for another 4 1/2 days! My diet is 6 cans of SlimFast a day, nothing else but Water, and I'm about to vomit at the thought of drinking another SlimFast!!! I've reread this thread with all the encouraging words (including mine) to gather some strength, but I'm seriously feeling ill. I've been "cheating" by not drinking all 6 drinks, but then I'm starving and exhausted and headachey all day. Last night I had a cup of unjury chicken Soup, which helped because the texture is so different and I got something salty to taste. But do you think that's okay to do? Unjury actually has half the calories, zero fat, and twice the Protein than the Slim Fast can, so I figured it couldn't really hurt that it wasn't "Slim Fast" brand. (However, it did have twice the sodium as SF.) I used to think the SF drinks were okay, until I had to drink six a day!! Any suggestions or thoughts are greatly appreciated!!! TIA!

I felt like you, Hallelujah, ah, do I really want to do this?? But all of my wonderful family and friends whom I've told are all so supportive and being great cheerleaders, which is exactly why I chose to tell those particular people. I knew they'd be there for me! As far as the preop diet, I think most doctors put everyone on a diet of some sort or the other. Hallelujah's is the only doc that I have heard of who doesn't require one. I also carry most of my weight in my hips and thighs (classic pear), but I still have a preop diet. My surgeon told me he gives the same preop to all his patients -- one week of Slim Fast. (yuck)

You don't have to crush the BCPs. They are definitely small enough. I was really surprised at how big of a pill the doc said could be swallowed. Pretty much anything that is a gel capsule (the kind that can be separated) can be swallowed, he said, because it will slide down easily and dissolve easily. Anything smaller than an aspirin (approximately) should be fine, also. If it is the size of an aspirin or bigger, you should cut it into halves or quarters. He didn't think that many pills really had to be crushed per se. He thought cutting into pieces was sufficient, unless they were already small enough (like your BCPs). I personally think it will be easier to swallow the pills rather than crush and mix into applesauce, etc. Hope that helps!

My sister has a long history of eating disorders, and I haven't told her yet that I am going to be banded. She is always competitive, even when there is NO competition. Case in point -- my weight vs. hers. I have always been overweight. She's always been thin. But, sometimes when I have been able to lose weight, she tries to sabatoge my efforts because she's jealous (with no reason at all) and it has caused her eating disorders to get worse. So, I haven't told her about my surgery yet. But I want to because I love her. Has *anyone* out there had to deal with a situation like this? If so, how did your relative/friend react when you told them or they found out about your WLS? Were they jealous, supportive, did they try to sabatoge your diet? Did it trigger a relapse for them? Any suggestions for how to tell her? Any advice is appreciated. TIA! :thumbup:

Good luck to both of you! I know you must be terribly nervous! I get banded in a week, and I'm nervous already. I'm sure you will be fine, though. We will all be thinking of you, as you are the first Mayo Banditos to have surgery!! We hope you will come back and tell us how well it went. There is a thread started called "Surgery Stories.":smile: Jada, where are you in VA? I'm in No. VA.