Kristine73

My hubs has stories about mushroom hunting, but he wasn't looking for the nutritional value, if you catch my drift, LOL! I'm a vegetarian, so I had mushrooms, olives and grape tomatoes on my pitta pizza. They can be made healthy. Personally, when I think of pizza, I think crispy crust. But, if you are just looking at pure nutritional values, mushrooms in lieu of crust is a great idea. My hubs prefers his drenched in cheese and peperoni. So, for us, the individual pizzas work and we each get what we want. I've had the portabella (sp) as 'hamburgers' before. Now, I think I'll have to try the pizza thing. As a vegetarian, I am always looking for new ways to try veggies. Thanks for the suggestion :smile2:

Woo-hoo! Good for you both! I know it's hard, but make sure Agnes relaxes today and gets some sleep tonight!

I was afraid of the same thing happening w/pizza. I LOVE pizza. I came across a 'pizza' reipe in one of my WLS cookbooks. Set oven to 375*. Use wheat pita as the crust. Top w/your favorite sauce and toppings. Bake for 12 - 15 mins. I did this last night, took small bites and chewed very slowly. Everything went down fine. For those of you who have trouble w/traditional pizza, you may want to try this. I've PB'd before and it was HORRIBLE. I feel for you.

OMG ... the first week I was almost on the verge of calling my surgeon and demanding he get the thing OUT! They had left Fluid in the band from when they primed it during surgery. One they got the saline out, I felt much better and started recovering .... physically and emotionally. Like the others have said, give it time. :eek:

For me, I crave the crunchy stuff. I am grocery shopping today and plan on picking up some soy nuts and 100 cal packs of snacks. The other day I sat down w/ a box of the hubs cereal telling myself I'd only munch until I felt full. Ha! I ate what was in the box and felt sick the rest of the day. I put myself back on the liquid diet for two days to give my pouch time to relax after I made that big ooops. I can stop at one packet, so I think having that stuff around will help me.

How do you calculate the 200% or more over ideal weight? (sorry might be stupid question but I really don't understand it) It's not a stupid question. Unfortunately, I couldn't begin to tell you how they figure it. Your PCM may be able to figure that out for you. As RestlessMonkey stated, a lot depends on what form of Tricare you have, Standard, Prime, etc. Also, the region you are in can make a difference. I have Tricare Prime and live in the South. I was worried my co-morbidities wouldn't be considered strong enough by Tricare. I have high blood pressure and my cholesterol is 201. My doctor considers 199 borderline high. I had my gallbladder removed a couple of yeas ago. My doctor told me that once that's removed, they consider any gallbladder issues "cured." So, I was worried. But, the referral to see the surgeon was approved the SAME day. I couldn't believe it. The patient advocate at the surgeons office told me that Tricare is one of the easiest to deal with, as they are straight forward in their requirements and don't play a lot of games like some other ins co's. The patient advocate also told me that Tricare doesn't require as mush pre-op crap as some other ins co's. I had to do a psych eval and have my PCM decale me healthy enough for surgery. They ordered some blood work and did and EKG. That was all. I was approved. The patiend advocate told me that the people in the surgeons office know how to word and code things for each ins co. One thing I'd recomend though, if you need a referral to see the surgeon, is have your PCM say that the reason for referral is "to evaluate (or diagnose) and treatment of morbid obisity." Someone on this board gave me that nugget of advice when I first started out, and I think it helped push the referral through. Good Luck

Hi I am scheduled for my first fill on 07/09. So, I can't offer any advice there. However, if your band 'feels weird' and you're concerned about, you should call your doctor's office and speak to someone about it. Hope you feel better soon

Let me add that I have the Lap-band. The port on the Realize band may not have titanium in it. If you have the Realize band, you may want to ask your surgeon.

However, there is a bit of titanium in the port. I asked the surgeon the same question about metal detectors as I fly once a year to visit my mom and grand mother. He said that when we fly, we should have our lap band card w/us just in case.

Hi, If you want tricare to pay for the initial consultation w/the surgeon, then yes, you'll need a referral from your PCM. Here is info for you, I suggest you print it out, read it. As you read it, highlight and/or make notes of the info that pertains to you. Also, highlight info that will help your PCM use the right info and language to get the referral. I did this and it really sped up my process. Also, ask your doc to put in some magic words in the reason for the referral request area that tricare likes to see for this type of referral: "to diagnose and treat morbid obisity." The links: tricare manual http://manuals.tricare.osd.mil/index.cfm?fuseaction=TMAManuals.PVCSGetFile&PluginVersion=5&ReferenceManual=TP02&ReferenceChange=66&Type=ASOF&Manual=TP02&FileName=C4S13_2.PDF metlife chart Met life ideal height weight tables references Good luck

Lexapro works for me. However, welbutrin and cymbalta make my so hungry and I just eat, eat, eat. People have different chemistry and metabolisms. So, different ad's effect people differently. Maybe you can ask your doctor for an ad in another class. I def speak w/your doctor, though

I guess time from beginning to surgery depends on whether you're self-pay or not. If you have ins, it depends on their guidelines. For me I went to my PCM armed with the info that my ins co requires. He put in a referral using the key words my ins 'likes' to see "To diagnose and treat obesity." I got the referral to the surgeon. I met w/his nurse practitioner. She evaluated me and liked that I had done my research on the band. She spoke w/the surgeon and the next day put in a request for the surgery with my ins o. I was approved w/in 48 hours. The surgeon ordered blood tests and I needed something from my PCM saying I was 'fit for surgery.' My PCM gave my a physical and ordered an EKG. All came back fine. I then met with the surgeon and signed all the paperwork. They called me a couple of days later with my pre-op date and my surgery date. Pre-op was more paperwork, another EKG and an urine test. I was told I should do the Protein shakes 2 weeks prior to surgery as everyone that is obese has a fatty liver. The more fat we get out of our liver the better the surgery will go and the faster we will reover. So I started the shakes 4 weeks prior to surgery. Every thing went great. Make sure you do your research, ask questions and follow the diet guidelines. The quicker you go to a low-fat diet, though, the better it will be for you. And DON'T think about doing what my surgon calls the 'farewell tour:' visiting all your favorite buffets and resteraunts in couple of weeks prior to surgery. Good luck

I would call. I'd be worried there might be a leak somewhere. Or, if not, that an overfill could do damage to the band itself.

These are the two books I ordered. They haven't arrived, yet. So, I can't tell you how the recipes are. 1) Eating Well After Weight Loss Surgery: Over 140 Delicious Low-Fat High-Protein Recipes to Enjoy in the Weeks, Months and Years After Surgery (Paperback) Amazon.com: Eating Well After Weight Loss Surgery: Over 140 Delicious Low-Fat High-Protein Recipes to Enjoy in the Weeks, Months and Years After Surgery: Patt Levine, Michele Bontmpo-Saray, William B. Inabnet, Meredith Urban-Skuros: Books 2) Recipes for Life After Weight-Loss Surgery: Delicious Dishes for Nourishing the New You (Healthy Living Cookbooks) (Paperback) Amazon.com: Recipes for Life After Weight-Loss Surgery: Delicious Dishes for Nourishing the New You (Healthy Living Cookbooks): Margaret Furtado, Lynette Schultz: Books

Yes, I've tried it. I ordered it from an online veg*n store. It was like a stuffed roast. My omnivore hubs loved it! So, I know it's good. I haven't tried making it myself, though. I'll have give it a try before the summer break ends.

Oh, a massage! I'm jealous! But, pre-op, you deserve it. The day before my surgery, and the morning of, I kept asking hubs if I was doing the right thing? Now I know, I did! Enjoy the massage

Odjii ... good luck! I started my process about a month before the semester ended. I had surgery 6/08. I have my post-op tomorrow and am wondering if I lost anything. I know between the pre-surgery Protein shake diet and 5 days post op, I's lost about 20 pounds. It's a great feeling. Welcome to the beginning of your journey :thumbup: I like the college student thread idea :thumbup:

Could be she is uneducated. When I mentioned I was a vegetarian, I got the deer in the head lights look. I've been doing at least one Protein shake a day, today I did two. I use soy milk, frozen fruit instead of ice, for added nutrition, and the soy Protein powder which has 25 grams of protein per scoop. Between the milk and the powder, that puts me at 31 grams, just for Breakfast. I do eat eggs and dairy yogurt. My surgeon wants us to have a goal for 75 grams of protein for the first few months. Then, keep it between 60 and 75 grams a day. I'm just worried about getting into a habit of eating the same things all the time and getting bored. When I'm hungry and bored, that's when grazing and trouble happens, LOL! I ordered to lap-band cookbooks and am sure that I can modify many recipes. I live in a small town where it's a 50 + mile drive to the nearest whole foods. So, I don't really have access to stuff like tempeh and a broad selection of veg*n items. I did buy some quinoa and am looking forward to trying it next week: 3 weeks post op. Thanks for the responses, the nutritionists seems to think that animal protein is the ONLY protein out there. My hubs, who is not a veg*n, always has some sort of animal protein around here. So, I guess I can always just appease the nutritionist and tell her that I do have animal protein in the house ... lol. I meet w/her thursday morning to discuss portion sizes, what I am eating and what I should be eating. My surgeon requires this as part of his post-op plan.

Good luck! You have made the right decision for you , at this time, and that's all that matters! Make sure your hubs pampers you on the way there and back! :smile2: Hugs

If you're wondering what veg*n stands for, it incorporates both Vegetarians and Vegans. I am a vegetarian. I did it for my own reasons. I am NOT going to lecture anyone for eating meat. Your diet preferences are your own for your reasons, as are mine. Tough I don't mind discussing the reason why I chose to become a vegetarian, when people ask. The pre-op nutritionist did not think I'd be able to meet my Protein requirements w/out incorporating meat back into my diet. I have my post-op apt w/the nutritionists 6/25 and I am waiting for the "you must eat meat" lecture. So far, with Protein shakes and looking at labels, I've been doing good. But, today is only 15 day post-op. The nutritionist for my surgeon said they'd only had one other vegetarian come through their doors and and this person became very weak became very weak and unhealthy. So, I'm just curious, if there are veg*ns, how do you keep your protein levels up? And post-op surgery recipe suggestions? Thanks

:eek: Woo-hoo .... good for you! I can't wait to join in the 'no longer obese' club! Congratulations! :eek::cuss::rant::smile2:

A few suggestions; 1) use a heating pad on your back 2) Do not drink w/a straw, that induces more gas 3) when you walk, or are sitting down, try and move your arms around as much as possible. 4) Keep up w/your gas x hope you feel better soon

Hi Enote, I was banded 6/08. I was banded in Louisiana. It's nice to see another supportive spouse. Mine wasn't, at first. But the more research I did, the more supportive he began. As far as when anyone goes back to work ... it's different to everyone. Some people on here were back to work 3 days after the surgery. It took me about 10 days. I will say this, I had to go back to the surgeons office 5 days after surgery, I couldn't keep anything down and was dry heaving. My hubs drove me. My hubs is one of those that thinks stuff on docs counters are toys to be picked up, inspected, ect ... drives me nuts! Anyway, he saw the tummy model there w/the band on it. OMG, he embarrassed me soooo much. When the nurse practitioner came in, he started asking all kinds of questions, "Is this what it looks like, is it this pliable, how many cc's does it hold ... blah blah blah" He was asking stuff that I had either told him or that I had shown him on web pages. The nurse shot me a look that said, 'I thought you said you did your research and discussed w/your hubs.' I wanted a hole to open up in the floor and swallow me, right then and there! I wanted to say something on the other thread, but didn't want to get caught up dealing w/some who can't see beyond their own own narrow sighted opinions/experience/knowledge. I did however, applaud headhunter and wasa :smile2: Now, I am married to a sailor. So I have heard a lot of colorful stuff on our 16 years of marriage. One of the things he told me realy on in our marriage when I was upset about something goes like this: "Opinions are like assholes. We all have them and we think ours are the only ones that don't stink." Don't let some nay-sayers get to you or your wife. Sounds like she has some serious health problems that need to be addressed and you both are doing just that. Good luck

Hi, I have fibro, as well. I know it's hard w/the added weight. It's a catch 22, at least for me. Exercise hurts the whole body for days afterward .... but need to exercise to lose weight I started looking into the band about a year ago. I was banded 6/08. So far, I'd say it was well worth it. When I first brought the issue up w/my mom, I thought she'd be against it. But, she was very encouraging. Turns out one of her friends had one put in years ago, one of the first band-types on the market. He loves it. Only thing he hates about it is that he can not eat anything w/cinnamon in it. Good luck on your ventures :smile2:

A friend of my husbands went in for a simple, everyday abdominal hernia repair. It was a same day surgery. A week later he died. Turns out that the surgeon nicked his bowels and he died of a septic infection. This was about 3 years ago. Moral of the story, anyone who goes in for ANY type of surgery is at risk. For me, I looked at the health risks of obesity and NOT having the band surgery vs. having the band surgery and the benefits of getting to a healthy weight. I didn't want many people to know, either. I told two good friends and, of course, hubs knew. They 'story' for the surgery was hiatel hernia repair, which was done at the same time. Well, a friend of ours in her 50's died the same week of my surgery, she had surgery for a triple bypass and didn't make it. So, hubs was proud that at age 35, I had this done. When people asked him what my surgery was for, he told them I work w/people who are married to people he works with. Well, the real reason of my surgery was soon well known. I've gotten a lot of negative feedback from some of the people I work with. I was very irritated at first. But then I realized, screw them, it's about MY HEALTH! Not what "someone's cousins sisters brothers wife" said about a negative experience that was had. Good for you for taking your health into your own health Keep your chin up.