isaviolinist

I did a 3 week pre-op diet haha. I am jealous of those who are only doing a couple days:P Anyways, just wanted to wish good luck to all of those who are having the surgery in the next few days/weeks!

I got a referral (but to be honest, I'm not sure if my insurance actually required it...I didn't have ay problems getting insurance approval) from my primary doctor, and it was basically a hand-written note on his prescription pad saying "Suggest bariatric consultation" or something similar. Not sure if that helps...

I did my pre-op diet for 3 weeks (my surgery was postponed for one week from the original date and I ended up doing a 3 instead of 2 week diet). Anyways, I lost 20 pounds.

I agree. By the way, did you already go to the free information seminar? That is the pretty standard first step for banding (I'm sure there are exceptions but more or less, that is the first thing you do). Generally the hospital or surgeon's office will register you for the seminar and then you can go from there. At the seminar, they go over pretty much everything involved with getting a band, including the need to stop smoking and insurance policies as far as the required 6 month supervised diet (it is only required by some insurances...did you check to see if your insurance requires it?) as well as all of the pre-op testing you'll need. At the seminar you often also get a chance to schedule an initial consultation appointment with the surgeon (although its not always the case). And you are correct about discussing your plan with the surgeon first. When I went in for my initial consultation, we talked about all the options including bypass. I wasn't considering bypass, but if I was and I hadn't met with my surgeon prior to all of the pre-op testing, I wouldn't have known that I am actually NOT a candidate for gastric bypass because of complications with a previous surgery. If I had been aiming for bypass, however, I would have been pretty upset if I went through all of the pre-op testing and then met with surgeon just to find out I was not even eligible to begin with! Sounds like its time to research some different docs.

I don't specifically about drinking something cold, but I know a lot of people have pretty bad gas pain for a few days post-op (but it subsides). For me, I didn't have any shoulder pain (which seems common) but I had REALLY bad pain in my neck (all the way around the whole thing). It was to the point that when I was laying down it felt like I was going to choke. I was concerned about it but it actually went away after 1 day. The gas pain should subside soon. Congrats on your recent surgery!

My surgeon said that I cannot swim (or take baths for that matter) until at least 6 weeks after surgery. The chemicals in pool water can irritate the incisions (which may not be fully healed even if they look okay). He said I could walk on the treadmill at my follow up, one week after my surgery.

I didn't take anything on my pre-op diet. The pre-op diet isn't hard if you don't cheat. Once you discontinue eating carbs after 3-4 days your body stops physically craving them. I think the pre-op diet is really hard for people who cheat and do eat carbs. The more carbs you eat, the more your body craves them. Good luck!

I was banded on June 18th. I guess its been a little over a week and a half since my surgery and in that time I have lost about 9.5 pounds. I also lost 20 pounds on my pre-op diet so altogether almost 30 pounds. The preop diet is great for motivation (because the pounds just start coming off). I have been sticking to post-op very strictly. And I know this time is for healing but I'm recording my intake (calories, fat, carbs, protein). I need to get in more Proteins (only drinking 1-2 shakes a day), but I have been keeping my carbs under 40 a day and calories between 600-800 a day. Good Luck!

Dear Party, Congrats on starting your process for your band! I had a great experience at Temple. I didn't have Meilahn (although I know he is supposed to be excellent), my surgeon was Dr. Soriano who is SO wonderful (I actually brought him a gift at my follow up after my surgery LOL). All of the staff are great. Are you doing the 6 month diet? I didn't have to do it, but I'm sure it is helpful in getting ready for surgery! If you have any specific questions about anything (doctors, the hospital, anything) then let me know. Overall, I had a great experience at Temple and I love my doctor!

I was just wondering, are the protein shakes from Costco whey protein?

Congrats! That is wonderful:) I was also concerned about complications. I had a VERY botched gall bladder surgery 8 or so years ago. I was in the hospital for almost 2 weeks. It was my only experience with surgery, and I was so pleasantly surprised when this surgery, especially recovery, went so well. Remember to sip (as opposed to gulping or drinking fast) and walk walk walk! Good luck!

Hi Loreli, Congrats on taking the first few steps and scheduling a seminar! This website is a great resource. There are so many people on here with great experience (both good and bad) to share. In my experience, the pre-op diet was to shrink my liver for surgery (the liver sits right on top of where they place the band and the need to lift it, and keep it lifted during surgery), to help jump start my weight loss (which it did, I lost 20 pounds preop) and also get me prepared for life after surgery (which it really did...those few days post op of Clear liquids only was not very hard for me). My pre-op diet was supposed to be 2 weeks before surgery. My surgery got postponed and it ended up being 3 weeks. But after the first 4 or 5 days I was used to it and was not obsessing about food that much. An extra week wasn't a big deal and I ended up losing more weight in that last week (and of course, further shrinking the liver). However, the pre-op diets vary by surgeon. Some on here didn't have to do a pre-op diet and some people had a pre-op diet which consisted of low carb meals, etc. My pre-op diet was all liquids (slim-fast, broth, sugar free fat free Jello, crystal light, sugar free applesauce, etc.). When I met with the nutritionist (probably 4-5 weeks before surgery) they outlined some small goals to start working on before the preop diet. It included eating smaller portions, cutting back on sweets, chewing very well etc. I think it never hurts, and is generally helpful, to start changing your eating and lifestyle before you start the pre-op diet. Plus you'll jump start your weightloss which was really encouraging when I did it (it got me through the difficulty of not eating everything that I wanted to). I am almost 7 days post op. The 2nd day post-op I walked 6-7 blocks. I was up and moving the same day. My surgery was at 730am. My surgeon said that if I wanted to go home in the evening that day I could, but if I wanted to stay overnight for one night I also could. I chose to stay overnight. I personally felt more comfortable having IV fluids (I was so dehydrated), IV pain meds and nurses to help if needed. For the first five days post-op I was taking a pain killer just before I went to bed (for me, sleeping and sitting up in the morning are the most painful parts...and even they are not too bad). Last night I didnt take any meds before bed and I was fine. The most irritated part is the incision where the port is. That is the only place that I have discomfort. And its not the incision itself, its the port pulling on my fascia when I move in a particular way. I'm looking forward to that going away. As far as going back to work, I really didn't schedule anything until July 3rd. However, I know many people go back a week later. I think it just depends on your situation and how you feel. Hope this was helpful and good luck!

I also use the cookbook: Eating Well After Weight Loss Surgery. I like it because in the notes to the side of the recipe it specifies how each food is adaptable for all 3 WLS (as far as portion, etc.), and it also specifies how you can adapt the recipe to each stage of eating after surgery.

Im also a vegetarian (although I do eat fish sometimes). Basically I have a lap band cookbook and I have a bunch of recipes that I like. For the ones that call for meats, I just substitute tofu (and there are so many different kinds of tofu...you can vary it a little). Im only about a week postop so Im not eating eggs or firm tofu but I plan to just cook all the different recipes incorporating a meat substitute. Plus 1-2 protein shakes a day. Should be fine, and varying the recipes will keep it interesting!

I have to agree with RestlessMonkey. I'm sure there are some people who can 'just relax' and be fine, but if your physician gives you a pre-operative instruction, what is the justification for not following it? Coming from a family of physicians, I have learned that in most cases relating to a surgical procedure it is pretty much unacceptable to "just relax" based on the premise that "you'll be fine". Follow the instructions given by your medical provider. Afterall, they did spend 10+ years in school learning the ins and outs of surgery. They're not handing out photocopies of pre-op diets because they think its fun to use the copy machine.

I was just banded a few days ago but I have found since the day of surgery I have been freezing all the time. I used to live in Vermont (the most northern part). In the night in the winter the temperature used to get to -40 F. I always kept the window open and snuggled under the blanket. Now, when the air conditioning is on, it doesnt matter how many blankets I have, Im freezing.

Dear Belkys, Congrats on your decision to get healthy! One thing you can do to get informed, esp. if your surgeon or hospital doesn't offer it, is go to an information seminar on lapbanding and weight loss surgery. Any hospital in your area that performs lapband surgery will have this and it is free. You can just call them up and say you'd like to attend the free lapband intro seminar. And they can register you. This will at least give you some ideas about what you are getting yourself into. :blushing: You might want to see if there are also any support group meetings in your area. Pre-banded and post-banded attend and they usually are also free. You can ask when you go to the hospital for the seminar. This website is also a great resource. Good luck!

To the OP: Glad to hear you're going to try the soup. If you want, you can look at my blog: Violinist With A Band. I put the soup recipe up on there, with detailed instructions (although its very easy), plus nutrition facts. Let me know how you like it!

I love unjury. You can buy it online on their website: UNJURY Medical Quality Whey Protein Isolate. Great Tasting Whey Protein Supplements for Everyday Health! High Protein and High Quality.

I have the Realize-C band and my band is completely empty. My first fill will be in about 5 and a half weeks (6 weeks from surgery). Although it is empty, I am having a little bit of restriction already (I ate 8-9 oz. of broth yesterday too fast and it really took awhile for that tight, full feeling in my belly and chest to go away).

Thanks for all of the replies! There are some threads on here that SERIOUSLY bash Realize band. I know I'm only 4 days post-op but Ive had no trouble with it so far, and very minimal pain (Ive only had to take pain medication before bed, and I'm thinking I'll be able to stop doing that within the next couple of days). There are a few folks in particular that really are rude and harsh about the Realize band. At first read, it kind of made me depressed and I was thinking, "Did I make a wrong choice?" But when someone is that stubborn and appears to have such a strong inclination or bias towards one thing vs. another thing, I have to wonder about their motivations. Anyways, glad to hear many people are feeling good with their Realize bands! As for sleeping: I am also not a back sleeper. I have been rotating between sleeping on my back and my right side (I can't sleep on the left because it is close to my port incision, and I definitely won't try sleeping on my stomach yet).

I'm 4 days post op and have not cheated on my diet. Its really important to me to let me stomach heal. I don't want to create any complications. I just started full liquids today and have been taking it very slow. I had about 6 ounces of a chocolate Protein shake (with a teaspoon of organic Peanut Butter mixed in). In between just sips of Water all day and Im going to have a little bit of a strained cheese Soup tonite (I make it with sodium free broth, fat free milk, tuna (but you have to strain the tuna pieces, its more for taste), and low fat shredded cheese, plus a pinch of salt and pepper to taste). When I can move on to mushy food Ill probably add some very well steamed, really mushy broccoli and puree it after its done cooking. Eventually Id also like to add a little more spicyness but not yet. What kind of Protein Shake are you using? Do you like it? I use

I know that everyone is different and desires different levels of pre-op/post-op care, but I would have walked out of the office the first time I was treated that way. Many physicians and staff feel that they are above their patients and can treat everyone disrespectfully (in their minds they think, "why not? I am still getting business"). Between myself and my fiancee, we have 25 or so doctor's in the family (and he pretty much grew up in the hospital with his parents), and as a result, neither of us tolerate any kind of disrespect or incompetency. Doctor's are just people, not superhuman gods. As far as this surgery specifically, I plan to have a working relationship with my surgeon and his staff. I am not the easiest patient and pre-op, he and his staff probably fielded one call and one email a day from me with all kinds of questions. I expect my follow-up care to be equally comprehensive. No one ever treated me rudely, or ignored my calls. My surgeon even gave me his cell phone number. If I were you I'd find another doctor ASAP.

I originally had a 2 week, liquid only pre-op diet which turned into 3 weeks because my surgery was postponed for a week (its a long story; you can read about it on my blog if you want: Violinist With A Band). I have to say, it boggles my mind that all surgeons don't require a 2 week preop diet. Firstly, I lost 20 pounds on the preop diet. Secondly, at surgery, my liver had shrunk quite a bit leaving much less risk for complications or even closing me up without having the band placed. And thirdly, and possibly most importantly, I was SO much more prepared for post-op because of the pre-op diet. And I follow my post-op instructions to a T. I read stories on here of people who didn't have a pre op diet or who cheated immensely their preop diet, and then 5 days after surgery they are stuffing chips and burgers and ice cream through their band (Im not saying this is the case with all of those who don't do pre-op, but I have read a lot of stories that go like that). If they had gotten used to being on liquids 2-3 weeks prior to surgery, there is a greater chance that those people would be able to cope with the liquids after surgery (and postop liquids, depending on the surgeon, can last anywhere between 2-3 weeks...). I think all pre-bandsters should do themselves a favor and get used to things before you're forced to get used to them after surgery. Just my two cents.

I have a Realize C band and there is nothing in it (surgery was 4 days ago).