AZA

That's great news! I still haven't cleared up my anemia. I'm just popping iron pills like there's no tomorrow. I am happy to report that I put a stop to my month long eating binge (aka last supper syndrome). I've started tracking my calories on Sparkpeople.com and I'm sticking to a reasonable 1400 calorie a day plan. I've lost 6 pounds this past week.

Just rated it excellent. :clap2:

Angela, I have to do a 10 day pre-op liquid diet on Optifast. I was supposed to start next week but now that my surgery is postponed I'm going to try plain old dieting (counting calories using sparkpeople) until I get my new surgery date. I've been binging the past few weeks...full-fledge last supper syndrome. Kind of sad now that I'm not even having surgery soon! I gained 4 pounds in 2 weeks. I'm so tired of yo-yo dieting but hopefully I'll get my new surgery date prior to falling off this new diet of mine.

Well I guess I can quit piggybacking on the October bandster thread because my November 1 surgery has been postponed. Good luck to all those being banded in the next few weeks!

I've tried Weight Watchers 4 times, all liquid diets 2 times, counting calories numerous times, giving up whole groups of trigger foods numerous times, PhenFen for a few months, and herbal fiber diet pills. I could lose but I could never maintain my weight loss.

If that's how they were treating pre-op patients, can you imagine how much worse it probably would have been after surgery? It sounds like you switched surgeons in the nick of time! Are you still getting your surgery in November?

Chris, is your doctor not running blood tests for you prior to surgery? It's better to be safe than sorry - I was told being anemic put me at increased risk for cardiac problems while under anasthesia. How much iron is in your prescription? I'm taking over-the-counter iron at 300 mg a day. My doctor never mentioned a prescription - he said the next step was getting it via a needle in the rear! Yikes...I never should have stopped taking my pills.

Well I received disappointing news today. My surgery has been postponed because my pre-op blood tests showed I have anemia. I've been anemic on and off for the past several years but never really got into finding out the cause of it. Now my surgeon refuses to operate because my hemoglobin levels are too low. On the positive side, he's referring me to a specialist to finally figure this out. I think I might have uterine fibroids because I have abnormally heavy periods. I hope to resolve this quickly and get my surgery soon!

You're not alone! I'm scared too - surgery is not without risk. But I know the risks of being morbidly obese are even greater.:phanvan

I have no idea if I have sleep apnea. I went for the test last year but couldn't fall asleep! Who can sleep with all those wires on you, cameras watching you and in an uncomfortable bed??? They finally sent me home around 5:00 am where I promptly fell asleep.:notagree

My doc prescribes: 10 days pre-op liquids 4 weeks liquids 4 weeks mushies then on to solids

Contrary to what seems to be fairly common on this board, my doctor does not require a pre-op upper GI. What does this test for anyway? Should I be worried? The only pre-op testing required was a CBC (blood) and pregnancy test. Do all lapbanders do a barium swallow prior to leaving the hospital. What does that test for? I'm not sure if this is part of my doctor's routine either. I know I should have asked these questions to my doctor during the consult but I'm just now thinking about them.

There's a before and after sticky thread right at the top of this page. It's very inspirational!

Glad to hear everything went well during your surgery KStar and willow5880.

What a great weight loss to start off your new banded life!

When I first discovered the band about 6 weeks ago I was thrilled and just knew that this was right for me. I finally had hope again that I could lose and keep this excess weight off. Because I'm self-pay, I was able to get a consult and surgery date very quickly. This past week, I've started having some fear about dying during surgery. I'm just questioning the risks of everything. Logically I know that it's safer than staying morbidely obese, but the fear is still there. I'm also terrifed of flying...that fear feels similar. Part of me is embarrassed that I've let myself get to this point and have to resort to surgery. Why can't I just do it. :phanvan But I know that 99% of dieters can't maitain their weight loss. It's not just me. Overall I'm confident in my decision...I'm just a little scared.

Ditto for me. I can expect no fill until at least 6 weeks post-op.

I'm pre-op as well and I have to do 10 days on Optifast and I can have fat-free broth, sugar-free jello, sugar-free popsicles, fruit juices, skim milk, coffee and tea. No carbonated liquids. My post-op diet is something else, much more strict than what I've seen here. It's a full 8 weeks long! It's one full month of the pre-op diet followed by another full month of mushies (cream soup, purreed meats, purreed veggies and fruits, yogurt, runny oatmeal and soft eggs. Seems twice as long as what other doctors are ordering. Oh well...hopefully I'll lose lots of weight and my band will be properly healed and less prone to slippage (at least that's what I'll tell myself as I'll probably nearly lose my mind by post-op week 5 LOL!).

Good luck KStar! We'll be looking forward to hearing from after surgery.:clap2:

Hi - another November bandster here! My surgery is scheduled for November 1st and I'm starting my 10 day optifast liquid diet on the 22nd.

Wow you're off to a great start!

Thanks for the input about driving myself home. I'll take the train instead so I can get up and walk around while travelling. I'm a single mom and I've only told 2 people about the surgery (I'm not telling anyone in my family) so I don't really want to bother someone to drive 6 hours to come out and get me.

In no particular order, here are a few things I look forward to: -Downhill skiing -shopping in the regular stores -not feeling breathless after going up the stairs -being active with my kids -being a positive role model for healthy eating for my daughters -living an active life -riding a bike -crossing my legs -not being embarrassed to go to the doctor -fitting on amusement park rides/patio furniture/restaurant booths -no longer being obsessed/addicted to food

Oh geez I've only managed to gain 3 pounds in the last few weeks! It's all this pre-op eating I'm doing. I'm starting my liquid diet on the 22nd so the pounds should start coming off by the end of the month.

Great to hear about everyone's successful banding! I have a question about how you all felt on day 2 because I plan on driving myself home from the hospital on post-op day 2 (I'll stay overnight at the hospital). I live 3 hours away. Is this a realistic plan or will I be in too much pain or grogginess?