altopower

Hi Hairstylist - my doctor looked at my gallbladder scars and said he'd try to use them for the lapband op. It wouldn't have occurred to me to ask!

Those crushed pills are nasty tasting. My surgeon asked us to coordinate with our prescribing doctors and pharmacist to see what options were available. I brought two of my tiniest pills (Mirapex and Allegra) and the surgeon said okay to take, even one day post-op. The rest were switched to crushable or liquid. Check with your pharmacist first -- mine was able to ID which prescriptions had options and which presented problems. Don't wait until the last minute, and if you can, get an Rx for the liquid pain meds you'll want immediately after surgery. Better to have that on hand before you even go into the hospital if you can. Good luck!

It's really interesting how different the pre- and post-op diets are for different people. I had no limitations pre-op except to eat lightly the day before. I'd been doing Weight Watchers for 7 months and was already down almost 50 lbs, but I still wanted to be sure there were no problems. So the last few pre-op days (yikes, just last week!, I had a bottle of Boost or Ensure (not Protein shakes) for one meal because that's what I would be allowed per day post-op. I found I was not very hungry or interested in eating "the last pancake, the last ice cream," etc. Post op is different - I'm on 2 weeks of Clear liquids + the Ensure per day. No shakes, no full liquids. At least this side is easier because you don't really want to eat much at first.

I was also banded on 10/29/09. My tummy is still bloated and the port area is too tender for me to poke much. It's on the left, about 1/3 up from the belly button (tho it looks like the right when I look down on it - I'm directionally challenged). The surgeon said he was going to try and reuse my gallbladder scars if possible but I can't tell. I didn't get a card either.

I was banded last week (10/29/09) and the bitterness of crushed meds makes me gag. So I'm really happy to take Tums 750 twice a day (for calcium) and my Flintstones chewable vitamin twice a day. Both were recommended by my surgeon.

Wow, I'm jealous of you at the pureed stage, even with problems. I was banded on 10/29/09 and am on clear liquids only + 1 bottle of Ensure in 4-2oz portions for the first two weeks. I'll be ready for food that needs to be weighed instead of poured.

Congrats! I was banded yesterday (10/29/09) and am just now home sipping my 2-oz of Ensure and some grape Ocean Spray powdered drink mix (much tastier to me than Crystal Light). I'm taking a full 2-weeks off since I have it available to take and I want to see how easy I find it to get around with this new kinda sore tummy.

Daveh7373, I really respect you for making that decision to cancel surgery if you were not ready to do it. Many people DO lose their weight with diet, exercise, commitment, and lots of support. If you knew in advance that restricting eating this drastically was a problem, you definitely made the right decision. I don't consider you a failure at all! Hugs, Anne

My surgery is two weeks from today and the only liquid diet I've heard about from my surgeon is the 2 weeks AFTER the surgery. I know that there isn't one uniform plan that everyone follows, but what is the benefit for being on liquids before the op? Maybe it's something I should do for myself even if he didn't require me to? Tho I don't know that I could last weeks and weeks on clear liquids - the 2 weeks post-op now seems like forever. Advice?

My date is October 29, too, which seems far away but will be here before I know it. I'm feeling a little weird because my surgeon didn't put me on any kind of pre-op diet other than to eat lightly. I'm doing WW anyway, so I know it won't be excessive - and I have 2 weeks of clear liquid + Ensure (or Boost or some kind of similar thing) post-op. I've lost 36 lbs since April so that's a good start, but everything changes on October 29!

Tren, thanks for the update about your surgery and the tips for those of us who have it coming up. Expect pain and discomfort that won't last long. Walk. Take pain meds :tongue2: I'm Anne from New Haven and I'm being banded at Yale New Haven Hospital on Oct. 29. I'm nervous and excited and yeah, wondering if I'm making the right decision now that I have a date and it's real. But I know I am and that brings peace. I'm so glad to have found all of you!

I'm in much the same place - lost 110 lbs on WW, maintained it for 18 months, and then gained almost all of it back. My right knee is bone on bone and walking is very hard. My lapband is scheduled for 10/29 and the exercise worries me, too. Starting little with short slower walks will help build up the muscles and as the weight comes off, I know I can do more. Do you have access to a pool? Water aerobics or even just pool walking will help without pain. I've lost 35 lbs in the last 5 months on WW and I do feel better going into WLS. I have more discipline, have already eliminated a lot of "bad" food, and know that my knee already feels better having gotten rid of that much - more will be better and easier! Good luck. Let's stay in touch.

HI everyone. This is my first visit here but I know it won't be my last - my surgeon even recommended it to us in our education session last week. I'm lucky that my university has both a hospital and my insurance coverage and I knew from the beginning that it was one-stop-shopping for WLS. I got my referral in June, did my psych eval in July, the nutrition eval in 1 visit in August (which is what my insurance requires), the education session last week, and now my op is scheduled for 10/29/09. It could have been earlier but I had work commitments that I wanted to have behind me so I could really focus on my new life. I've been doing WW again since April and have lost 35 lbs and gotten a grip on listening to my body when eating - and trying to put into practice things I know I need to change for post-op. I'm weaning myself off of my beloved Diet Coke and already drink a ton of Water. But I'm nervous as well as excited. I want to be sure I really am prepared for post-op, so am looking forward to learning from all of you here. Anne