TinaM

AMEN!!! I was banded on December 15, 2009. A journey that started 18 months ago with me interviewing people, researching medical journal articles and many consultations with doctors. When I finally decided on MY doctor there was a 7 month process. Part of that process was several mandated Shared Medical Appointments that included people both pre and post op patients AND the patients are a mixture of banded/bypass. Those 90 minute sessions are the most valuable thing I could have done pre operatively(and still post -op). Real people talking with the physican with a nutrtionist and therapist in the room. There were about 15 - 20 patients total and everyone got a turn to speak and be heard. It gave me a real life look at situations I would encounter and how they will need to be handled differently in the future. I learned early on that many people considering the band did NOT have realistic expectations about the post op part. Thankfully my medical team does turn those away that aren't ready. I am thankful for the reserach I did on my own and the extended reserach provided by my 'bandteam'. I enjoy coming on LBT to chat with others but like most you I get very frustrated when someone isn't realistic. It is only a tool folks, that's it, if you don't have the ability to make changes in your life this will not do it for you.

Congrats on your weightloss! To answer your questions: #1: Im craving salt like no tomarrow, is this normal? To me EVERYTHING was too salty so I think its personal #2 Since it is December its very cold out and i noticed that when i go out side for walks i feel my little stomach cramping up, did you guys get that feeling too? I agree with the comment about gas and newnes after surgery - had similiar feelings #3 How easy is it to stretch out your little LAP-BAND® stomach? This shuld really be a questions for you medical team #4 Is drinking almond milk okay? For me almond and soy milk are on the approved liquid list but you really need to talk with your team or nutrionist. #5 When i went in for the surgery i was still getting over a cold, do you think me coughing would mess up the staples/stitches arround the band? No you are goo just coughing - you may want to hold a pillow over your tummy to lessen the jolting

LOVE your list

Darlean and others- Try pedialyte or the off brand version of it - yes I know its for children but the point is to keep you hydrated. I purchased a couple different flavors - apple and orange I think and drank one a day for days 3 - 7 post surgery. Also, just a note of caution on day 6 I had a bruise show up on my left calf, called the advice nurse for my PCP, she made an appt for me to come in just 20 mins from the phone call. Doc measured my calves the left was 2 cm bigger than the right so I was sent for an untrasound STAT - I was freaked out but happy they were moving so fast. In the end I didn't have a clot but please take your legs very seriously.

So I saw some other groups that had a spreadsheet going as much as 2 years after surgery to keep in touch and up with everyone's progress. The link below will take you to the spreadsheet - please fill free to add your handle and what stats you wish to share. No sign in required http://spreadsheets.google.com/ccc?k...KVzhDa0E&hl=en Good luck everyone! I'm walking about 90 minutes a day. I got the okay to get back on the treadmill last week. If you are hungry, up that protein - Isopure Clear as nasty as the aftertaste is, it fills you up for a long time. Lastly, document what goes in the mouth - EVERYTHING and if you are having problems call the nutritionist and make an appt to clear things up quickly. Cheers to 2010!:thumbup:

Under community/social groups/December 2009 I added this link to a spreadsheet where we can post strats and update when we want to. http://spreadsheets.google.com/ccc?key=0AjNypE3FM5sgdE1ZR0J6UV80YUpzRVlMUlRKVzhDa0E&hl=en no sign in required

Excited- I have only seen posts regarding dietn and being able to stand in line. I'm 12 days post op right now and I would say DO NOT GO. Aside from the stress on your body from surgery and change in diet, you are compounding the stress by keeping a secret. Also, if you plan on riding a number of rides - no dice you can't be jerked around your body is healing! Not even the tilt a whril! Would you really want to have wasted all the work you have done to this point?(not to mention money) Is it worth popping your port? Having complications and need additional surgery? Couldn't you just plan to go spring break instead? You'd be on regular food and healed by then. Sorry to be Debbie Downer here but I can't imagine doing anything that would possibly stand in the way of my success after 7 months of waiting to get banded.

You may want to check the support group for low BMI bandsters.

the seminar should cover everything, if you are just dying to have a question ask them wil they handle the insurance approval process you can also ask if you get to choose between the realize or lap band system

As you take this journery each of you will be required to have a psych consult. I would highly recommend that the two of you have at least a couple of sessions together as well as individually. It will help prepare you as individuals and as a couple for this change.

stay home - you don't need anything else to worry about while adjusting post op

Hi Ashley, I was banded on the 15th and have lost 7 pounds since surgery. However when I can home from the hospital I was up 4 pounds so I'm actualy down 11. I asked my doc and he said I was right on track and it would take a little time. He kept me on a liquid diet until day 10 post op. He explained once I was on 'real food' the weight would come off faster. Tina

Kim- My doc said as soon as I felt like having sex I could just no acrobatics in the bedroom.

from the web The adult human gallbladder stores about 50 millilitres (1.8 imp fl oz; 1.7 US fl oz) of bile, which is released when food containing fat enters the digestive tract, stimulating the secretion of cholecystokinin (CCK). The bile, produced in the liver, emulsifies fats in partly digested food. After being stored in the gallbladder, the bile becomes more concentrated than when it left the liver, increasing its potency and intensifying its effect on fats. Most digestion occurs in the duodenum. So when I was on many of my diet attempts pre-band I tried HMR a full liquid diet and lost weight super fast - so fast my gallbladder couldn't process the bile with all the fat in it fast enough. The liver stores ALOT of fat according to my MD. I ended up getting a gallbladder ultrasound and had some additional issues on top of the gb not processing bile correctly.

There are a few threads on this in the Ladies Room

I stayed in the hospital after the surgery for one night. The documents were quite clear that I had to have someone drive me home and I would not be released to a cab driver or car service

Before you go to much farther into your research I would strongly suggest talking with your medical team. Mine knew exactly what my insurance required prior to surgery for approval and what would be covered. If yours isn't savvy with your carrier or they do not use this practice contact your carrier and have them go over the coverage with you. I have learned that if you have an HMO you generally must go thru a 6 month preop plan under your medical team's watchful eye before approval. If you have a PPO that is reduced to 3 months on average. I have Aetna HMO and have spent $400 for the nutrtion ands psych visits as those aren't covered in my plan. I paid $50 a pay day and they were fine with it. As for the surgery itself, $200 to the hospital and about $500 in doc fees all paid over time.

So this morning I went for my post op visit as I am 9 days out. Everything went great and I'm doing well. The doc said I could move forward to mushies then real food as I felt I could handle it. SWEEEETTTT! I went straight home and made 3ozs of best of the egg with 1 laughing cow wedge all scrambled up. I had actually been dreaming about this for the last week. You would have thought I was having filet mignon. I'm just so excited I'm at this stage. Another bonus for me is that my taste buds have completely changed. I tried a SF vanilla pudding and after two tiny bites decided it was 'too sweet' for me. Oh please let that stick!!

I was banded 12/15/2009 and this is my story. I had my pre-op appointment on December 7th and was told to lose at least 5lbs by surgery. Another blow was the fact I felt like I was getting a sinus infection. As soon as the pre-op appt was over I went down to family medicine, saw my PCP and got a Z-pack nothing was going to stop me from having this surgery. December 14th, picked up my parents from the airport, took the dog to the pet sitter, down 5 lbs. Received a call from the surgical nurse that I had been moved up the following morning from 12:30 to 10:30, oh boy less time to be nervous and thirsty. Arrived at 8:30, signed in and got my beautiful wrist bracelets. About 9 nurse Ruth called me back and got me settled in the beautiful ‘here’s my butt’ gown and those sexy skid slippers. I was happy they were grey, last time I had surgery they were nasty tan! So she went through all of the medical stuff and went back to get my parents. So there we were me, my parents and 5 other patients and their families all waiting in preop divided by the little curtains. The nurses kept bringing me these warmed blankets it was just wonderful. Dr. Curtis the anestiologist actually called me the night before surgery to see if I had any questions and to go over her role, it was so nice so when she came up to me in preop it was like seeing an old friend. So, my old friend proceeded to attempt to find a vein. I must disclose here I have my mother’s veins and they tend to run and hide. Well, on the second try we had a good one, albeit right in the crook of my left wrist, I could live with it. Dr. Anwar’s surgical nurse AnnTina came over to me introduced herself and provided me this lovely cap for my hair and reviewed her role. And then he walked in the tall, slim, handsome man, I know as my surgeon Dr. Haroon Anwar. The nurses had been talking to me about how handsome he is, heck I already knew that! But all his handsomeness aside, he has this great gentle manner and he listens, you can tell he is listening to you and not rushing you. Plus he talked with my folks and completely put them at ease and said he’d step out and let them know how I am doing. While he was talking with them I got Heprin in my right arm. So, everyone left, I shooed the folks away, my mom was tearing up and I couldn’t handle it – oh wait that was me tearing up anyway, they left. Two – three minutes later we got the ‘GO’. It was a big green sticker that says ‘GO” and they put it on my file. Okay, this is it the clock read 10:42 whew I was finally getting nervous, we round the corner and the hallway has about 30 people in scrubs as I was wheeled down the hall I did my ‘queen’s wave’ and they all applauded me and someone said “Everyone is a VIP at Stanford Medcal Center”, indeed they are I guess. (I was told later it was a meeting) Next, Dr. Anwar’s assistant (can’t remember his name) came and grabbed the gurney and helped Dr. Curtis wheel me in to operating room 4. I remember seeing a board numbered 1 – 20 and I asked what room am I going to be in and they said Dr. Anwar has his own room #4. I like that he has own room. I get wheeled in and see the operating room and they are playing some darn good music let me tell you. I asked them whose selection was it and they said Dr. Anwar’s when I responded well he is the most important person the group chimed in "No, that’s you". Just cool. So I scooted over to the table. Dr. Curtis told me to breathe deeply. I woke up in recovery very thirsty and I had to pee like a Russian race horse on flat bed rock. So she came over with the bed pan – ahh no thank you but I tried ,nope, sorry – hello even with the curtains closed I know there are still 20 people in the room no dice. If you have the option to stay overnight please do, it is just 24 hours the kids, spouse and everyone else will survive without you there. Trust me, its nice having someone waiting on you hand and foot that can answer EVERY question you have. In my room by 2pm, lots of liquids every 15 mins refill the little medicine cup. I tried to go pee and again no dice, the nurse finally said she was calling the doctor to see about a catheter. I got back on that toilet, had my mom turn on the sink and I sat there over an hour before I finally relaxed enough to go. The floor doc came in to check on me though just to be sure. I got up that night at 9:30PM, 11:30PM, 2PM, 4AM and 6AM all by myself once I was disconnected from the fluids and walked the hallway for 20minutes each time. Thru the night I had 3 more Heprin shots, the leg massagers, 2 more shots in IV to reduce swelling, and liquid vicodin. By 6:30 AM I had the okay to head home and by 9AM I was on the couch. I can highly recommend Dr. Anwar with the Palo Alto Medical Foundation. Feel free to ask me questions.

my surgery was dec 15th and I was told as soon as I felt like driving I could (no meds in my system tho)

I was under strict guidelines about not picking up anything over 10 lbs for 2 weeks, then 15 lbs for 2 more. I'd err on the side of caution and call your doctors office, I'm sure there is an on call physician or answering service. But for now stop moving around so much. I was even told no running the vaccuum (back and forth motion).

sweet pete- try room temp or warm liquids - i had that problem and the nurse told me it could be that what I was drinking was too cold and irritating

hi voodoo- I was banded dec 15th and today is my 9th day. I have to say my energy picked up when I got to the full liquids on day 6. I got Traders Joes black been Soup (its pureed already) and added a scoop of unflavored Protein powder. It took an hour to get 5ozs down but it did wonders for me! Another thing that helped while on Clear Liquids is having two soups brought to me from my fav restaurant, I strained them and it was the best thing I have ever tasted. Right away I felt some normalcy. I have also been working on not napping, on Monday I had 2 short naps during the day, Tuesday just 1 and none on Wednesday and none so far today. I'm taking it easy and not overdoing it by any means but I'm staying awake:smile:

Hi There- I was banded just 3 days before you so here is my take on things. 1. Yes I still hold my stomach sometimes - I asked the doc today and he said it is from the muscles being pulled/pushed or streched during surgery. It goes away though, I'm already only doing it when I get up and down. 2. I was on Clear liquids for 6 days post surgery. The only thing that kept me going was Jello and Soup from my favorite restaurnt run thru a strainer. I had chicken chunk and french onion - both broth based and both strained. Finally once I had a bout 4 oz of soup the hungry subsided. 3. Day 7 I moved to full liquids and truly found out how much my tastebuds had changed - a vanilla yogurt lite and fit was now too sweet to eat and anything citrus(orange juice) gave me the hiccups and made me feel quesey. 4. Gas leaves as soon as you get it out - so use the gas x strips I was taking one every 3 hours or so and walking every chance I got even if it was just thru the house. The gas was gone for me by day 7. Good luck