Drasan

I started my pre-op diet this week. I have a projected surgery date the middle of December. It seems that the main goal of the diet the nutritionist put me on is to begin to establish habits of the way I am going to have to eat following surgery. I have to eat 6 times a day, each time must include protein and a varied amount of carbs, fats etc. depending on the time of day. She put me on a plan to cut back on my coffee intake. I drink a LOT of coffee. So, I'm getting weaned back gradually, mercifully. I can't have anything to drink 20 minutes prior to, during, or for 20 minutes after I eat. Ten days prior to surgery, I go on an all liquid diet which I'm NOT looking forward to. But .. I CAN and WILL do this. The doctor wants me to lose 5 lbs before surgery. The nutritionist told me the liquid diet will shrink my liver making it easier to get the band positioned on my stomach. I'm glad they have me practicing the diet now when I can screw up with less consequence. There are a lot of new habits to learn.

Best wishes to you JTSOBX. I'm hoping it all works out well for you. Have courage.

Apples, I can't find the thread you're talking about, The Before and After pics. There seem to be a few like that scattered about but I didn't see your post. Can you get me more information?

Does it matter if the surgeon puts the port on the right side or the left side? At an information session I attended, that surgeon said that he places the port on the right side of the body. My surgeon will be putting the port on my left side. His reasoning is if there is ever an emergency medical situation which requires a center cut, the tube is not at risk of being cut which would cause further complications. Any thoughts pros or cons?

I never cease to be impressed with the members of this community. Your personal experiences, success, struggle, suggestions and support are probably the most valuable resource I've found online or offline. This morning I did my bloodwork and scheduled my Upper GI. I'm moving forward, full speed ahead! Damn the torpedoes (the negative people standing in my way) Thank you so much!

Thank you everyone for your supportive responses. I'm moving forward. I'm scared, but I'm more scared not to.

I've been investigating band surgery for months now. I've attended information sessions and support groups and I've done a lot of research. I took my husband with me to a support group and cried all the way home when he told me he thinks we just need to exercise more and eat less (he is thin and always has been). Of course I need to eat less and exercise more, that's the story of my life. He is afraid for me, worried about the risks. Because of his reaction I stopped thinking about this surgery as a possibility to help me and I continued to be miserable. Long story made short. In spite of my husband's resistance, I kept an appointment for a consultation. The doctor said something to me that hit home in a BIG way. I'm going to share it. He told me that the average age for a woman to live is 80, with the weight I'm carrying, I can subtract about 13 years off that life expectancy making it 67. I'm 54 so that means I have a life expectancy left of about 13 years. I always wondered what I would do if a doctor told me I only had so long left to live. Well, now I know. The risks of carrying this weight and doing my yo-yo dieting are much greater; heart disease, diabetes, cancer and etc., than the risks and consequences of the surgery. If I can theoretically double the years I have left to live, it seems like a no-brainer. My decision is made and I am highly motivated. My doctor and I are shooting for a December surgery. I've already done much of the work and I'm confident I can make that date and make this work. I choose to live.

I am so happy to hear there are yams and asparagus in these recipes. I haven't had the surgery yet, I'm still investigating. One of the things I heard was that asparagus and sweet potatoes/yams would not be on my menu again. I'm glad to hear that some people can still eat these things!

I'm with you Sherry. I'm ready to win this battle and I know I can't do it alone, been there, done that. I need something to help me. I know there are no guarantees in life but I want to know the odds are good and the risks are low before I go under the knife, alter my body and affect my ability to take nurishment. I know the way I'm living now is hurting my health, so what is worse? This is not an easy decision and I really appreciate the insight and information from everyone on this forum.

Sherry, I've been researching band surgery for many months now. I've done most of the preliminary things and just need to make my decision now. I so understand your apprehension. Just when I think I've made the decision to go ahead, I read something that derails me and makes me second guess that decision. I hope you will forgive me for tagging a question onto your thread, it seems relevant to me. The information session I attended told us that 10% of band patients will need some repair in their lifetime. I read a post on another thread In Lap-Band Complications that stated something like this, "It's not a matter of if something will go wrong with your band, the question is when will it go wrong." I don't know what to believe. I'm with you Sherry, I am also a yoyo dieter, am I doing the right thing? Is it only a matter of time until the band will need repair?

I'm so glad to have found this forum. Thanks again for the responses! Catherine, I took a peek at your blog and video and I was surprised to recognize your site! I've visited it before and even pointed out some of the information to my husband as a "look, see!" I'm very encouraged now! I think I can do this. I too can't wrap my mind around the weight staying off once I lose it! But wow, I could certainly learn to live with that! Thanks bunches!

Shame on that surgeon! I think that sort of humiliation borders on abuse. I think they took total advantage of a person at a very vulnerable time. Were you made aware that you were going to be asked to do that before hand? I want to thank you for the headsup! It's always easier in hindsight or with foresight to think of what you wish you would have done or what you will do once armed with the information. If I'm asked to remove my clothing for pictures, I WILL refuse and if that is a deal breaker for my surgery, so be it. Thank you again for posting this information desperateinDE, I hope the rest of your experience has been better. May I ask the name of the facility and the surgeon which did this to you please? I see DE in your name and I'm in a bordering state. Thanks Thanks!

Thank you so much. Your posts are encouraging. My hope was that the band would be a working tool for the rest of my life. I was confused by the stats and felt very defeated. But what I'm hearing from all of you is encouraging. I've lost weight before using diets, but the weight always came back plus. I've identified my main problem and that is portion control. I've often said that I don't have a mechanism that tells me that I'm full before it's too late, then I feel uncomfortable from eating too much. It's like I don't have an off switch. From what I've read, it sounds like the band will help me with the over-eating issue. I was hoping it would work beyond the two year mark and from what your posts tell me, it does. Thank you again! I'm moving closer to making a decision. My BMI is 39, with 2 co-morbidities Insurance is a go Primary Caregiver has given the go ahead I attended an information seminar I think I'm on my way!

I'm going to comment at the risk of butting in, but hey, you asked, didn't you? Does your son know you are having this surgery? If not tell him and then ask him for his help. If he already knows, ask him to help take care of you, he obviously cares about you. Tell him that he can help take care of you by steering the company to his place which is only 2.5 hours away. And hey, his girlfriend can help him cook Thanksgiving dinner for the crowd. Now doesn't that sound fun! Good luck with your surgery and your out-of-town guests. Take good care of you.

I read a statistic that banded patients on an average, lose 55% of their excess body weight after 2 years. I've also read that gastric bypass patients have a window of opportunity to lose weight during an 18-24 month period. After that, the weight stops coming off. My question is this, can banded patients continue to lose weight after 2 years or does the weight loss stop like gastric bypass patients? I don't think I can go through surgery and accept a loss of 55% of my excess weight. Is there more hope than that? Thanks in advance if you can offer me some personal insight!

Thank you everybody for all the responses! This forum is awesome! I've been discussing this process with my husband for a few months now and he is totally supportive. He has seen me struggle with my weight for many, many years and knows how unhappy I am when I can't get it under control. I was a little more worried about breaking the news to my adult children and their spouses. I told them last night. They are tough critics and had a lot of questions which I was able to answer because I've been reading this forum. Thanks again for the responses. I'm beginning to think I really can do this and I'm getting excited. Gentle hugs to all!

Where does he practice, city, state ?

Hi, I'm new to this forum and I'm investigating band surgery. I've found a lot of answers to my questions by reading the posts but I still have a question about taking medications. I hope I haven't overlooked a thread which answers this, if so, my apologies for the repeat. I take oral medications, supplements, Vitamins in pill form. Some are pretty large pills, like the Calcium and Vitamin pills. Will I still be able to take these meds after I'm banded? Some of the meds are essential for my health and are not weight related. This is a great forum, I'm learning a lot. Thanks in advance!