Irishbookworm

Well, I'm BANDED! Everything went really well. I had an overnight stay in the hospital, but, that's normal for my suegeon. I've hardly eaten ANYTHING the past 2 days, but, then, I'm not hungry either. I just keep sipping my water every 15 minutes. There's not a WHOLE lot of pain. I've only had to take pain meds for it twice, one yesterday and one today after I got home. So, now begins the rest of my life! It's going to tak some getting used to and getting used to feeling full will be a different sensation. It'll be a learning experience!

I go in for my surgery tomorrow! I'm so ready and I'm SO excited! I'm all packed and ready to go and I have all my post-op goodies all ready to go too. This time tomorrow, I'll be banded! Wish me luck, I need to try to go get some sleep!

So, day 13 of the liquid diet and so far, I'm down 18 pounds. You know what that means? SURGERY is tomorrow morning! I'm SO excited! I'm stocked up on everything I think I'm going to need. Protein shakes, SF jello, baby spoons, kids plates, Gas-X, 3 month supply of all my vitamins. I have my bag packed and ready to go and I can't wait! This time tomorrow, I'll be in the hospital, which sucks, but, I'll be banded! I'm excited! Poppyred: I was under the impression that we were no longer able to have carbonated beverages of any kind because the carbonation can stretch out your "pouch". That's what my doctor said though and all of them are different. I have heard a few people on here mention that they tried to just open a soda and let it go flat and then try it. Not sure how that would work out though!

I'm there too. I'm on day 10 and I am so tired of sweet stuff! I have this artificial sweetener taste in the back of my mouht that won't go away! Two things that so far have realy helped me are sugar free gum and bouillon. I didn't like the bouillon cubes and they were REALly high in sodium. I found this stuff at the grocery store in the soup aisle called "Better Than Bouillon". I picked up 4 of the 6 flavors and they've ALL been good. I have one serving a day because of the sodium, but, it's SO nice to have something other than sweet all the time! Good luck and hang in there! There is a method to this maddness!

Since you're already on day 2, you probably need something you can actually go buy somewhere. I tried the Bariatric Advantage too and it was SO gross I was glad I just bought the samples! YUCK, I am RIGHT there with you! OK, I REALLY like the Atkins Advantage RTD shakes. They come in a variety of flavors. Target and Walmart have a good variety and aren't too expensive. We found 12 packs at our Sam's club in chocolate and vanilla. Drink them cold and you can do it! If you have time to order something, I like the Matrix Syntrax Chocolate 5.0. unjury is pretty good too. Have you thought about going to the pharmacy where you're having surgery and seeing what they have? P.S. I tried the Bariatric Advantage Vitamins too and did NOT care for them either. I recommend ordering the sample pack now if you haven't already. Also, try Celebrate vitamins, that's where I got mine and they taste a LOT better!

I'm right there with ya! I'm on day 6 of the 14 day liquid diet as well. I started mine the day right before Thanksgiving. I skipped the family gathering this year to avoid temptation AND having to explain to everyone why I wasn't eating. I've lost 11 pounds so far and that's what's helping me to keep going, seeing the scale move. I'm also trying to keep myself as busy as possible so I don't think about it. I did a TON of laundry this past weekend! Oh, and sugarfree gum. I've found that it really helps when I want to eat something. I also have a variety of sugar free syrups from Da Vinci to give me some variety. So far so good! I need to go find a low sodium boullion that tastes good now. I need something other than sweets!!! Good luck everyone! The holidays are going to be rough for us initially, but, think of the end result and how much happier and healthier we'll be!!!

Hey Lisa! I am SO sorry that it's taken me SO long to get back to you! I ended up getting 3 month supplies of all of my vitamins from Celebrate Vitamins. I noticed they were a sponsor for the Walk From Obesity event that the weight loss institute held and checked them out. You can email them and ask for free samples and they'll send you quite a bit. It's worth it. They tasted SO much better!! How did your first fill go? I have my surgery scheduled for 12/9, so, I started my 2 week pre-op diet on the Wednesday RIGHT before Thanksgiving! UCK! Hope you had a great holiday. Also, there's a bandsters support group this Wednesday up at the May Center at De Paul. I am NOT going to miss this one! I'll scope it out and let you know how it goes! Take care and talk to you soon!

For me, there were 2 things that REALLY helped. One was cutting my carbs. My dietician recommended 165 carbs a day and 1500 calories. It was harder for me than I thought! The other thing that REALLY REALLY helped, was being able to SEE what I was eating. I joined a website called Sparkpeople.com and they have a nutrition and fitness log on there. You go in and plug in what you ate and it calculates everything for you. I track calories, carbs, fat and protein. It REALLY helped me make sure that I got in my required protein for the day. There's other stuff on there too, but, the most important thing, to me, was the nutrition tracker. You'd be amazed. Something you THINK is healthy may not be and you can break it down by the numbers. The ONLY thing you may need to watch is that it will calculaate what calories and carbs you should have a day, but, it may vary from what your dietician says (mine did, when I would log a new weight, I had to adjust the calories and carbs, but, SO wirth it!)

Don't quit Electralady! I'm on day 3 and it gets a little easier each day. Today I made some sugar free jello and put it in little dessert cups and ate it with my baby spoon. Not exactly a fantasy dessert, but, something different than protein shakes! Good luck! I'm jealous, your surgery is Monday! (P.S. if you can get to the store, try Progresso low sodium chicken broth. It's not bad and WAY better than Swanson!)

Keep us posted on the follow up mammo. That's sacary to think about especially in lieu of the new "recommendations" to not have one done til you're 50! Liquid diet is ROUGH, but, going well. I seem to be getting a LOT done around the house in order to take my mind of off the food thing. I would almost strangle someone right now for pizza though! GGRRRR. It's my 3rd day, I think it'll get better. I'm going to get some Unjury Chicken flavor over the weekend and I'll be OK. Crazy enough, in 3 days, I've lost 7 pounds already! YEEK! Is this normal? Is anyone else having weird, rapid weight loss?? OK, time to go do more laundry.....

Sorry to hear that about the muscle milk! I thought it was good, but, expensive! I'm liking the Atkins Advantage shakes too. Those may help get me through this! I WAS mixing 4 oz of skim milk with my shakes, but, I think it's adding too many carbs to the powder that I have. I may try something else. To me, they taste better with milk. I picked up some chicken broth tonight, the kind in the carton. I'm going to throw in some unflavored protein powder and see if that will suffice for my "Thanksgiving", ha ha. HAPPYME: I pretty much did that last weekend! My fiance and I went out for my birthday Friday Night, my sister and I had our own Thanksgiving with all the trimmings on Saturday and then on Sunday a group of friends of mine and I went to my favorite Greek restaurant for dinner for my birthday!

OK, I have some catching up to do! Today was day one of the liquid diet. My last meal was yesterday at work, we had Thanksgiving there. It was a GREAT way to get in my last meal since I won't have the ability to eat tomorrow. I'm actually staying home from the family thing tomorrow. I don't want to tempt myself or have to explain to everyone WHY I'm not eating! I'm all stocked up on protein powder and I've been using my immersion blender a LOT! I had bought the Muscle Milk Light ready to drink shakes, but, the price went up on them. I picked up some of the Atkins Advantage shakes though and they're pretty good. I'll be using them to take to work. So, day one down, 13 more to go. It's going to be a LONG 13 days and it seems like there are more food commercials on TV now than there EVER was before!!!!!! Good luck everyone! For December 9th bandsters, 2 weeks from now, we'll be banded!

There are 2 surgeons at the Weight Loss Institute I'm going to. The first time I went, I saw the surgeon that is NOT mine. He recommended a 4 week liquid diet of 4 shakes a day and one entree of less than 300 calories. When I saw MY surgeon the last time, we discussed the liquid diet. He wants me on 2 weeks liquid only. I asked him about the 4 shakes/one entree thing and he said that I COULD do it, but, it's less effective. I haven't come all this way to have a "less effective" diet......

I'm on liquids for 14 days pre-op and then 7 days post op. My doctor's office told me to stay with liquid Protein the 13 days before surgery and then clear liquids the day before surgery. I've gotten protein shakes from Walmart, GNC and a place or two online. The doctor's nurse told me that the sugar free flavored syrups are fine to use, but, I cannot add fruit to them because it adds extra carbs. Here is the list that I have from my doctor's office (they said the most important thing was that the amount of carbs was half the amount of protein per shake) (also, every doctor's office is different and has different recommendations, but, this will hopefully point you in the right direction): MINIMUM OF FIVE A DAY OF THE FOLLOWING: -No sugar added Carnation instant breakfast made with double milk (double milk is 1 cup skim milk and 1/3 cup non-fat milk powder) -Low Carb Slim Fast Shakes -Atkins Advantage Shakes -Carb Solutions shakes -Isopure (not sole source for the day) -EAS Advantage -Optisource High Protein Drink For clear liquids: -Tea -coffee -Crystal Light -Flavored Waters, non-carbonated -Clear broth -Sugar free Jello -Sugar free popsicles

Thanks for the encouragement! I can't wait to see the scale steadily moving again! I've lost 65 pounds on my own, but, now, it's getting harder and harder. I'm so looking forward to starting life again once I've lost the weight! There's a LOT that I used to do that I REALLY want to do again! I can't wait!

I've had a few kidney surgeries and I also have a VP shunt (for water on my brain) and the shunt runs from my brain and drains into my stomach. I also had a feeding tube placed at one time. My bariatric surgeon said he needed me op-record from those surgeries so that he knew what to expect once they opened me up. You may want to see if you can get your op-record from the liver transplant so that you bariatric surgeon can at least get an idea if what your insides may look like. It was easy for me to get mine, I just had to call my neurologist's office and they printed me a copy and I picked it up. If you're worried about the liver transplant, I would at least get your op-record and give it to the bariatric surgeon. It may help put your mind at ease.

I'm about 5 days from starting my full liquid diet, but, I've been stocking up on protein so far. The Bariatric Advantage was kind of gross (didn't like their vitamins either). I tried the Matrix Syntrax 5.0 in chocolate and it's pretty good. I mix it with ice and a half cup of water and a half cup of skim milk. I also use the Sam's Club brand of vanilla protein powder. It's pretty good too. AND, there are two things that I think are going to be essesntial to me surviving the liquid diet. #1. is my immersion blender (Cuisinart with a stainless steel shaft). It goes through EVERYTHING with NO problem and it makes the shakes a little thicker and MUCH more palatable (the colder, the better) #2. Sugar Free flavored syrups, the kind you typically see to put in coffee. Sugar free, no carbs, no NOTHING and my doctor's office said they were OK to use. I've been using the Da Vinci Gourmet brand and they LITERALLY have 50 flavors (I'm waiting for the cookie dough flavor to come in...). For what it's worth, that's my two cents worth!

This one I would be on the fence with. I would say maybe meet with the local doctor first and see how you feel about him? Then again, even if you don't hit it off, the pros of him only being 10 minutes away would out weight (no pun intended, ha ha) the cons. Three hour drive is tough, especially with gas prices being what they are. And what if, God forbid, something happens? In an emergency would you rather your doctor be 10 minutes or 3 hours away? That and the support groups are wonderful! I missed my last one (last night) because I have a wicked head cold, but, I'll be at the next one, you bet! Don't just jump in to it. REALLY take your time in deciding. If it were me, I would investigate all the pros and cons and make an informed decision (although, chances are I would take the surgeon that was 10 minutes away). Good luck with whichever you decide!

I had me pre-op class last week and we were told that our doctor JUST recently decided that straws were OK. I think I may use one after the first couple of weeks. Personally, I think I'll sip more with a straw. Oh, and go with Lightning Mc Queen, that's a no-brainer :-)

Thanks Astramom! I'm SO excited! It's been a long fight and I am SO ready to get the band so I can start moving forward with the rest of my life and start LIVING again!

Ha ha, the sugar free syrups are something I kind of stumbled on and I asked my doctor's RN about if it was Ok to use them and she said that they were. I KNOW I will need more variety in my protein shakes than what's out there. These are syrups like what I always see to add to coffee for flavor. The sugar free ones are REALLY good and they have no carbs or ANYTHING. I think the only thing that they have is about 10 mg of sodium per tablespoon. I use caramel in with my vanilla shakes and my chocolate shakes. I also have chocolate that's really good for some of the shakes that I have that leave a weird aftertaste. Yesterday I ordered 3 more flavors: pineapple, lime and cookie dough (to get me through the holidays, ha ha). They're not TOO bad in price. I found the chocolate one at Walmart if anyone wants to try them. Here's the link to their website. They have something like 50 flavors (I just counted...) Anyway, if you're interested, here's their link and I'll let you know how that other 3 flavors I ordered turn out! DaVinci Gourmet Sugar Free Flavored Syrups

That is the first time that I've heard of anything like that. It seems a little crazy to me. Maybe the doctor just plays one on T.V., you know? Everything that I've heard from my doctor and his office so far, NOTHING like that. I've heard about the same that kiz said they've heard. Seems odd to me. Eat until there's pain and then stop? Yeah, I don't think so!

Illuminationlady: Congrats on 6 days smoke free! I promise it gets easier. I quit cold turkey 3 years ago and I've never regretted it. Each day is easier! Alilash: I was told my my doctor that we had to use a bariatric vitamin of some kind because we won't be getting as many nutrients from our food. I ordered a sample pack from Bariatric Advantage and gave them a try. I wasn't impressed. The best thing was the chocolate calcium chews. I did get free samples from Celebrate Bariatrics and they're REALLY good, and less expensive. I went with those. Multi-vitamin, iron + vit C, calcium + vit D and sublingual B-12. As for what I'm doing to get ready? I'm stocked up on protein powders, I bought a couple of sugar free flavored syrups online (haven't come yet, they're from DaVinci), and I have my immersion blender, all for protein shakes. Also, I have almost all of my first 3 months of vitamins ready to go. I still need my multi, but, I'm going to buy those this weekend when I get paid. I bought some infant spoons at Walmart last night. My niece is 8 months old, so, I was seeing what she had and went and bought my own, ha ha. I also have some small plates to eat off of and little bowls that hold 4 oz each. I'm thinking I'm about ready to go! Anything I'm missing?

Wednesday I went to the all day pre-op class that my doctor's office requires and then we had our surgeries scheduled! I FINALLY have my date! I can OFFICIALLY say that I will be a December Bandster! YAY! I am SO excited and I am THRILLED that this is FINALLY on it's way! I have to do a two week liquid diet before hand that starts the day before Thanksgiving though......

Hi Yvette! I'm just wrapping up with the Aetna program and just got my surgery date this past Wednesday. I had contacted them initially to make sure that the surgery was covered and they put me through to a case worker that deals specifically with bariatric cases. She kept in touch with me throughout the whole 90 day program and made sure things were moving along. I would say to call Aetna and see if you can talk to a case worker there to discuss everything. I met with the psychologist 3 times, the dietician and the doctor 4 times. The dietician will help you set up some basic goals for exercise. They'll also get you looking at how things will be for your eating habits after the band (mine did at least) With the first meeting, she set some nutrition goals and some walking goals and then we followed up afterwards. I will say this, you may want to make sure to keep a food journal or something to take with you. It may help once your paperwork is submitted for approval if they can see some of what you're doing (I'm on sparkpeople.com and I track everything there and then print it and take it with me). Hope this helps and good luck! Hopefully Aetna can get you set up with a case worker. They were really helpful in explaining everything.