cduval04

hey all I have a surgery date for aug 16th...I'm having it done at lahey clinic in burlington ma. I love the place and would put my life in their hands any day....but sometimes I just have to ask myself WHY? the NP said I didnt need a sleep study cuz I tested 0 on their stupid like 4 question OSA screen, which basicall asked if you wake up in middle of the night gasping for breath and if your neck circumfrence was >16inches and I don't snore (which I've only been told at sleepovers cuz I am single and have my own room and usually sleep with the door shut....I even asked for one b/c several of my other doctors mentioned it...and she said take it up with your primary..... first of all, I think they are a little narrow minded...I also think it should be a required test pre-op...wouldnt they want to spend a few thousand $ just to rule it out b4 they spend tens of thousands slicing you 9 ways to sunday and banding your stomach. according to wikipedia..."Regardless of type, the individual with sleep apnea is rarely aware of having difficulty breathing, even upon awakening" it also says "Even the loudest snoring does not mean that an individual has sleep apnea syndrome. The sign that is most suggestive of sleep apneas occurs when snoring stops." I also had major brain surgery 3 years ago and they put electrodes in my brain wired to battery packs in my chest (DBS) to control a movement disorder....and I also have a neurological history....its like no one even addresses central SA or mixed SA....it's like if ur fat...its OSA..no questions so I finally had my neurologist order a sleep study which I am going for tommorow....my insomnia has gotten REALLY out of control...I use my inhaler multiple times a day now (I was prescribed it 2 years ago for allergies and used it MAYBE 2x a month)....my metabolism has slowed to a absolute CRAWL (I have a gowear fit and the burn on it today was 200 100 cals LOWER than my BMR (how is that even possible)....and during the day I mine as well be a piece of furniture b/c I am useless for anything due to fatigue....I sit here now with a stiff neck...sore back...and my chest feels like a child is sitting on it..really tight....and yet all my doctors say I am the picture of health and are ready to cut me open in 6 weeks...... I have very bittersweet feelings about a dx of SA....I do not WANT to have it by any means...but if I do I can say that I will definitly be relieved that there is a REASON that I have developed all these health issues and gained 110lbs in the last 2 years....the last year or so has been sheer hell.... has anyone that "doesn't fit the typical SA profile" actually ended up testing pos.? does anyone out there actually have central and not obstructive? I would like to know what you think...despite having a 15 inch neck...I am 327lbs 5'10.5" and have a 54 inch waist so dont be fooled...I'm weird....my neck is small I only have one chin and my 7 inch wrists should be bigger at 330lbs lol

I am going for a consult on april 13th, and apparantly their average time to a sugery date is 3 months, if you have a BMI on the lower end of the spectrum and you dont smoke, are in better health, the surgeon said it would be possible to be on the table as early as 1 month after initial consultation...so good news for me....my BMI is 45...but I am 23 and no diabetes...no hypertension...REALLY good cholesterol...(surprisingly)...healthy heart..lungs etc... my question is I was reading all the literature and their Protein requirment for BOTH lapband and RNY patients is 60 grams...that is lower than every one else that I have read on this board...I read people saying they need to get 80, 90 even 100 grams a day after surgery...great for me...but should I ask about this?? I am going to an extremely well respected hospital (Lahey clinic) where people have traveled from accross the world to get treament and they gave me life saving brain surgery, which was an incredible success....they average about 400 WLS per year and have a 0% death rate. that said, based on reading these forums, 60grams seems a little low? did anyone else go home with a protein requirement of 60 grams. Is this a enough for someone who is banded? thanks? I was asking becuase 60 grams I could easily get from a variety of things, for instance, I could take 4-2mg soy/whey protein pills, drink one of those worldwide Protein shakes (23g) the only one I have found that I like, maybe put a scoop of unflavored powder in food or something, and get the rest from food. Does anyone else mix it up like this, rather than, "gulping" down their requirement, and then not having to think about it for the rest of the day?? thanks!

ok thanks anyway for the response....does anyone have any other good finds for the sensitive pallete to Protein?....is that tasteless powder any good? if so, are there brands that have more protein per serving than others/less calories?? thanks!

hi I am kind of bringing this thread back to life, I was persuing surgery last year and then got cold feet, partly because I had a 7 month wait for my initial consult, so there was too much time to think. But I have switched hospitals, now have a consultation date for 4/13 and surgery is in my near future, and protein is NOT my thing, but I am going to have to get used to it. 60grams a day is my post op amount, so if I can find a brand of these bullets or a way to prepare them that does not nasueate me, all I would need is one a day, and I could get the rest of my protein elsewhere. (there are these really good shakes, the only high Protein Shake I have found that I enjoy from worldwide protein they come in a 12oz can and they have 23 grams for 100cal can or 32 grams for 160 cal can), but if Kdub is still around, could u tell me if they sell they protein shots from costco at BJ's (I think they own each other?) and what is the brand? cuz u said syrupy sweet and that is the only thing that appeals to me, if I mix that with crystal lite or Vitamin water zero I think I might be able to deal..... also, ive read about unflavored Protein powder, could you recommend a brand? and can it be purchased at a store like GNC or walmart so I dont have to pay for shipping? I am sensitive to the taste of high concentrations of protein, yet ironically, I want to get the bulk of my protein down as quick and as tasteless as possible, so if you have any tips for that challenge, feel free to share! thanks

Betsy its really interesting that you pointed that out I actually copied and pasted that from the hospital web site, lahey clinic but I am sure it was just mis-wording on the part of whoever typed it, I know lahey is very well respected world-wide and they were willing to do brain surgery on me that had never been done before and they have given be a second chance at living a normal life, so I would put my life, stomach, or whatever it may be in their hands any day. You are correct about that statement though, I do beleive it is worded wrong, but I also don't beleive the surgeon himself is sitting at the computer typing that lol. Cocoabean, ditto on that, same goes with rare side effects. But my pounding headaches/migranes have been almost absent after 2 weeks on it. Good to hear about the diabetes thing, since I am not diabetic either. I think I might be in that small population too, although I dont know what the heck is going on with my thryoid, my TSH and T4 levels have been wacko all over the place the past 2 years even though I am on synthroid. I seem to have hyper-hypo phases......I swear to god I have hashimotos but I have had my antibodies tested twice and they were neg....I also likely have a pituitary tumor that is causing some hormone dysfunction....but I just cant wait for them to come up with a diagnosis and just watch myself BLOW up to over 400lbs....that is why I really want the band....b/c I do believe they will eventually find something....and if they do...all of us will be happy that I chose the band....its a really tough descision...and I guess I hadnt mentioned it on here before b/c you guys might think it is a weird reason for seeking a band....but if they are willing to band me (which costs a lot more than running tests to dx me) I have to go along with it...... I dont know, what would you do...just sit and wait for an abnormal test while you battle with hungry every day and watch the scale continue to go up....or do something if you were offered it...???

well that is pretty good news becuase I really tend not to eat when I am not hungry...except for occasional boredom...I dont eat emotionally...anger sadness all tend to take away my appetite...I went to weight loss camp when I was 17 was away from home for a month was so home sick I didnt eat for a week straight, they would put a plate of food in front of me and I just could not eat it...I lost 15 lbs that month haha....I dont think that was the intention...anyway...I tend to Celebrate with food...but not out of control...like when I make the deans list for the semester or get an A on a test I will treat myself to taekout or something, but I know I should treat myself to perfume or makeup or something, but its nothing huge, most of the time I dont eat if I am not hungry. the problem with me is two things. 1 is am am a total computer nerd so I will literally spend like 6 hours on the computer and just forget to eat and let myself get WAY past hungry and thats when i get in trouble....2 is my appetite is SO unpredictible i dunno whether its hormones or what but some days I wont be hungry at all or I will have a normal appetite like 2000 cals and then other days I feel like I could just eat the walls off my house I just eat and eat and eat and eat and eat....my body seems to do what it wants when it wants..... I guess I am just so scared becuae the feeling of NOT being hungry is like impossible to me....everything I have tried out there that people said will supress my appetite...(high Fiber....filling up on veggies....drinking buckets of water)....has done nothing. even other medications I have gone on that have nothing to do with weight loss (I was on wellbutrin for depressson and am now on topamax for migraines) where at least some weight loss/appetite supression is almost a guaranteed side effect-NOTHING with me...its like I CAN'T not be hungry....its like when my hungry spends a day in my house, nothing can get it out the door....and I really dont feel its psychologicial b/c like I said I can feel when I am not hungry and I dont normally eat just b/c something is there. did anyone else feel that way before getting banded? like, "not feeling hungry, no way not me, no way no how"

thanks for all the replies....can some of you share with me a few things about the process...first off... how did you all come to your descision of the band as opposed to other methods.....did you ever think about other methods like the Roux-en-Y or the Biliopancreatic diversion and did you go in with something in mind and your doctor recommended something else?....did you take your doctors advice or did you still want to do the band? did something change your mind? was it a really difficult descision for you b/c you hated the idea of the irreversability? (esp. those of you that are younger) how long did it take you to lose your weight? I know with the other methods you lose like 75% of your excess weight in the first 6 months, which is really tempting.....but I want to choose the right method for the right reasons...not for how fast it is going to come off...just that it IS going to come off.... and lastly....what was your time from your very first phone call, to when you got your first consult, and then how long from there till your actual procedure (assuming there were no insurance beefs)....the consult that I was supposed to go to where I got cold feet...I waited for over 7 months from when I booked the appt....I came on here and ppl said that was nuts...I dunno the guy must have been god or something :smile2: .....I was just wondering if now that I am at a different hospital....just how long some of you had to wait.....I was hoping to maybe be on the table by summer/fall....I dont think thats unreasonable considering I got experimental brain surgery done in 5 months from start to end....and it wasnt even approved by insurance these are just 3 general questions that I am wondering most about and I know all of your answers are going to be different but it would be nice to hear other peoples experiences. It is amazing how much knowledge you can gain on forums that goes unsaid elsewhere

Hi, I am not new here, but I dont post on the boards much b/c I have been kind of on the fence about the surgery, but now I am pretty sure of my decision, so you might be seeing more of me. Those of you from the chat room might recognize me, I have hung out there a little bit more. I am beginning the process of looking into getting banded I had a consult..but got cold feet and cancelled it and now I have swtiched hospitals and am back on the road..am going to an info session on the 22nd of March..then I can schedule a consult...but I have a pretty basic question that I just don't get.... from what I know, out of all the different weight loss surgeries, they work in two different ways....one is...calorie restriction, purely reducing the size of the stomach so you cannot consume as many calories without regurgitating or feeling sick..that is lap band...others...like Roux-en-Y have two methods...calorie restriction as well as creating a small degree of malabsorption by reducing the intestinal area that absorbs nutrients and calories, so it alters the way you actually absorb the calories. my question is, with the calorie restriction only methods like the band, this may sound stupid....but isn't that what we all have tried every time we have tried to lose weight at any time in our life, just reducing the amount of calories we eat? for those of us with altered metabolisms (i.e, hypothyroid), is a calorie restrictive only method like the band going to be effective? I am only asking becuase I am so young and I just dont like the permanancy of anything except the band, but if it is going to be a waste of my time, I am willing to rethink it. I am just confused on this, maybe someone can clear it up. I am a 23 yo female with a BMI of 45

thanks for the tip Kdbub, but I have never seen those Protein drinks (or anything like that) in any store in my area and now that these are 1/4 mile from my house, I would like to be able to enjoy them and I would just like to know if thats just the way these things smell, or if I got a rancid one?? I dont want to get sick off of it....I havent puked in since 1999..trying to set a record lol.. plus..I dont have costco in my area...it's BJ's

I have heard a lot of people say these taste good..one post on this forum described them as "syrupy and sweet"..I love sweet stuff..really sweet...you are talking to a person who drank 300mg of pure glucose for a glucoser tolerance test and liked it...it makes a lot of people throw up... so if I thought that I would totally drink it...but I bought one...saw it at my local CVS..they just started to carry it...put it in my fridge for no more than 48hrs opened it all excited to drink it and it smelled HORRID..I mean HORRID...the best way I can describe it is rotten meat in a tube..but even that doesnt do a justise...since the smell almost made me puke..and did not smell AT ALL sweet, nor did it smell like fresh citrus berry or any part of that name I chickened out and could not bring myself to drink it....I cant imagine if they smelled like this that they would be on the market for even a day... I know some of proticas products have been recalled by the FDA, but I checked the lot number on my cap and it did not match with any of them..it has an exp. date of 12/2010... is it possible that I could have gotten mine from an unknown recalled lot? or is it more likely that I spoiled it my leaving in in the fridge (unopened) for 48hrs (I wouldnt think this is true as protica boasts about the long shelf life of their products) has anyone had this experience with the protica profect 2.9oz 25gram Protein bullets?? please help..I was so excited to try this new find and was grossly dissapointed....