greytz

My doctor does tell me to eat the solid food of course to allow the band to work properly but she did not tell me not to drink protein. What she did say was to exchange the protein for the meal if I chose to drink it. I drink a protein shake in the mornings because I was never a breakfast person and I take a chewable vitamin. I also drink one or two depending on how busy I am that day of protein lemonades. They have 15 grams of protein and it is during the time of day I am drinking my liquids anyway so why not get the protein in during that time? It seems to be working for me. But as always, your surgeon has his/her own agenda for you and you should follow their plan.

I can only comment on my experience with the psych eval and it was very postitive. He asked about my support network of friends or family and about my personal feelings about obesity. He asked me to recite the exact moment I had the epiphany and made up my mind to go through with it. Basic stuff about how I felt about the process in general. He offered to see me when or if I ever felt the need for care.

Vickie, Congrats! You are on your way to a lifelong change. Keep us posted on your progression.

Welcome Liz and Good Luck! Congrats on taking that first step with or without your husband's support right now. Hopefully, he will see how good this will be for you. Can you get him to a seminar at all? It might help him if you could get him there. I am 51 and was banded on 06-17. I had my husband's full support and it has meant a lot to me. But I would have done it anyway whether he agreed to it or not. I am so glad I did it and I am on my way down the scale. I am excited for you!

Good Luck to you both and keep us posted!

I agree about stats. You can argue them all day on here and it seems as though everyone has a different take on them. I had never heard of gastric patients not losing weight after 2 yrs. That is new to me. I know several of them personally who have lost 100% of their weight and are still keeping it off after 5 years. I have also seen the same with band patients from here who have lost 100% of their weight. I am sure there are sleeve patients with the same results. Just like the others said, it is really up to you and how much you put into it unless you have unforseen complications which can happen with any WLS. It is difficult to make the decision. I have said many times, research and research again and try to make the choice you feel is right for you. I went to several seminars too. It helped a lot. I also contacted my potential surgeons office and checked on aftercare and to see how the support staff treated me. I can say I am extremely pleased with my choice and my aftercare. Good Luck and keep us posted.

MsTaylor, One thing is for sure. You can't go on living like that as you said. You need to do something and you definitely need help making the decision on what to do. If you feel that you can't get support from the doctor you have been using then it is time to find someone else who will help you. And, I do believe that you need to find someone who will help you psychologically as well. If the person you went to brushed you off then find someone else who will not. I know it is time consuming to do that and I don't say it lightly. I have had to do it many times in my life with doctors. I had cancer growing in my body and all the doctors kept telling me nothing was wrong. They even did a laporosopy and tons of testing and they kept telling me the pain was all in my head. It took me two years to find someone who would actually listen to me and subsequently that surgeon found my cancer. Within minutes I was at the hospital and in surgery. He saved my life. Hang in there and find a professional that will help you. They are out there.

I have heard a lot of good things about Mexico. I was fortunate and did not have to think about that route and I have great follow up care. You may want to go through some of the threads and find out what is being said about it. I would think the most important thing is to find good follow up care before you decide on the surgery. They say it is a lot cheaper there for self-pay.

It may be time to visit your PCP. This may not be band related and could be something else entirely.

Congrats to both of you! Good Luck on your new beginning and keep us posted!

Hi fallqueen, I am 51 yrs old and I was banded on 06-17. It has been a journey and it isn't easy but I wouldn't change it for anything. In my opinion you have to want it bad enough and be willing to change your way of life. For me, it wasn't difficult to adjust to foods. But in the beginning the first thing I did was clean out my pantry and take all of the no no foods to the food kitchen here in my city. Now, since I have been banded a few months, I have allowed some of the foods back in for my husband but to be honest I have found that I just don't miss them. I went through so much with the surgery, expense and effort that I don't have the desire to mess it up. Also, when I get on the scale it is a huge incentive to keep going. Good Luck and keep us posted.

I wouldn't think so. I know my surgeon told me not to do that right now but I am early in the game. You may want to check with your surgeon and make sure it is ok. The protein shakes are slider foods and you may show weight loss for a couple of days simply because it is liquid but my surgeon keeps putting in my head that the band is designed for solid food and I won't be successful if I use slider foods or liquids all the time.

If you really like the guy and feel like the relationship could lead somewhere serious and you want it to, then I think straight up is the best way. It could only lead to problems down the road if you don't tell him now. If the relationship does go somewhere and you wait too long to tell him, he may wonder what else you haven't told him and then the mistrust sets in and that is irreversable. The damage will be done. If he is really into you and really wants you body and soul, he won't care. The pic of you in your avatar you look fabulous. He shouldn't care. If he does then, there is a problem with him and you don't need that anyway. I think the restaurant idea is the perfect way to tell him

I was diagnosed with a rare fallopian tube cancer when I was 25. I had just been engaged and was looking forward to having children, family the works. I felt like it was the end of my world. They went in and did a total hysterectomy. I went on to be married and it was a total disaster. Even though my husband said it didn't matter to him, it really did. I went through chemo and years of hormone therapy ups and downs. Now, at 51, I have a boatload of other problems. Of course, the medical profession says it is all releated but I don't think anyone really knows for sure. Back in the day, they did not know what to do with someone my age going through hormone therapy. It was a very long road for me as well. I am still here and doing the best I can to enjoy life as much as possible. My mother had ovarian cancer 15 years ago. The surgeon looked us straight in the eye and told us and her that she was in stage 4 and had six months to live. She went on chemo. She is now 75 and active and happy. She beat the odds and so did I. My sister in law who at the time was 36 was diagnosed with breast cancer two years ago. She had a double mastectomy and chemo. She is making it and is such a beautiful person inside and out. She had reconstruction and is very happy with the results. My mother in law has had ovarian cancer twice the last time 8 years ago. She had chemo also both times. She is doing very well at age 69. Cancer is a horrible disease and you and your Mom are so right for not being around negative people. It makes such a difference to stay positive and believe you are going to beat it. I think I can say for myself, my Mom, My mother in law and my sister in law that it is an extremely important ingredient in the path to recovery. We are living proof of that. Good Luck to you and your Mom. You are in my prayers.

Stacy, Good Luck to you and have a great time at Disney!

Diana, Wow how awful for you. I am sure you will have pain for awhile and the important thing for you know I would think would be just to allow the healing to take place and do what you can to make yourself feel better. Your band is in there and will be ready for you when you are able to begin your nutrition and exercise. Best of Luck to you and keep the faith. I am so glad your husband has been supportive and helpful. I am sure it makes the world of difference in your recovery.

It is so hard sometimes to get motivated and I am sure after awhile it is even more difficult. I got a little down a couple of weeks ago and I re-attended one of the seminars my surgeon gave and answered questions and talked to the people who were considering the band. It really made me feel good to help them and helped me remember why I am doing this and how I felt when I first began my journey. Also, have you talked to your surgeon or staff lately? Even though you feel that you don't need a fill, maybe they can help you with nutrition or exercise plans to help you get jump started again. Good Luck.

Yes. That time frame is normal. It is to help give your body time to heal and adjust. I was banded on 06-17 and did not have my first fill until 08-04. Good Luck and keep us posted.

Good Luck and keep us posted. The time goes so fast and just keep sticking to the food plan they gave you.

I kind of had the same situation. I had my first fill on 08-04 and sometimes I feel like that. I have to be very careful right now because of it. I made another appointment with my surgeon for 08-25 just to be sure I don't have a leak or something. You may want to check with them. I kept thinking I would tighten up but I haven't really. I am kind of unsure at this point and that is why I made the appointment.

I personally chose the band because I absolutely did not want my stomach cut in any way! Again, a personal choice but I had not been able to lose weight for a long, long time and others on here have heard me tell it but I will try to give the short version. I was on oral steroids for two years for a skin condition and I have thyroid disease, an irreparable heart condition, etc. The weight came on like gangbusters. My odds of success for losing weight were very minimal. I was finally able to get off of the steroids and once I did, I went for the band. I feel that I have personally had enormus success so far. I don't regret a single minute of it. I think all surgeons who perform one or the other type of surgery are going to be negative about the one they don't perform and won't make money on. Ultimately, you have to decide. They are going to try to sway you. You will want to do the research. Good Luck and keep us posted.

Dr. Tiffany Jessee is great too! She is in St. Pete and even though I am a little further away, I still go to her. I was banded by her on 06-17 and her support and her staff support has been tremendous.

Blood work, psych eval, chest x-ray, EKG, letter from PCP and I had to get special clearance from my heart doctor due to a heart condition. I also had to have a heart doctor on standby during my surgery. If you have any special conditions, you may have to do something like that and get an extra clearance.

Definitely talk to your surgeon and see what they suggest. Are you using straws to drink? That will cause burping also. I burp if I eat or drink to fast.

You are doing the right things. You just have to wait it out and walk, walk, walk. Also, be sure to use your breathing machine with deep breaths to help with pain and prevent other illness.