AZA

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?

As for the anemia...I'm so sorry to hear about those who's surgeries are being postponed. Actually, you've been scaring me. Anemia runs in my family, and I've been put on prescription Iron in the past. Sort of weaned myself off of them and on to over the counter Iron, just to make sure my numbers are good. So far, my Dr hasn't hollered at me. Hmmmm, maybe I should double up for a week or two. Whenever I get overly tired my mother, who is anemic and an RN, has a fit and tells me the over the counter isn't strong enough for me - double up for a week or two. I'll have to give this some thought, and check my last test. If the numbers were low, I'll do it. Because, while not getting enough iron is bad for you...getting TOO much is also bad.

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!

What's interesting for me is that I read all of your posts and you're all so excited...and I'm scared and excited, but scared first! I read that someone with anxiety disorder (I have that problem as well) asked for some relaxation medicine, and I'm thinking that might be a good option for me as well.

Any advise, thoughts or words of wisdom are always appreciated.

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

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.

I had to wait 6 wks, but that is so the band will heal/set good first. It's really worth the wait!

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

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.

I'm not banded yet so I'm wondering if feeling fullness feels the same after banding? I never feel full unless I've eaten massive amounts of food and then I just feel sort of sick and not able to eat another bite. Will this be the same after banding?

I'm worried that if I don't recognize the signs of fullness pre-band, how will I recognize them with the band?

I do realize I'll probably start PBing or something if miss the fullness signs - I just want to know that I'll recognize the warning signs before I ever get to that stage.

.......I am pre-op so I am wondering what others PRE-OP diet consists of.

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!).

okay the time has arrived for me to leave for the hospital. Surgery at 10:30am. I am so excited. I slept better then i thought i would last night. Hope all is well with everyone! I will talk to yall when i get home. BANDLAND HERE I COME!!!:clap2:

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.

Hello Everyone, just wanted to update everybody on my doctors visit on today. I weighed in originally at 389 lbs and than 379 2 weeks later. i'm so excisted that on today i weighed in at 368.3 lbs and the doctor was amazed and so was I 20lbs total.

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?

Sorry to be so blunt about this question but after reading about people dying following other types of WLS, I'm now wondering how many people have died as a direct result of lapband surgery. My surgery is coming up soon and I'm starting to have doubts about the risks involved.

Is there any data from other countries besides the US?

I think I've scared myself silly. I'm doing tons of research prior to getting my band on November 1 which lead me to reading the message boards at obesityhelp.com which lead me to their memorial listing.

I was saddened to learn of the passing of two young women from Toronto within the last 2 months who both died as a result of RNY surgery. I read their on-line journals and it's hearbreaking to read about their own fears similar to my own about the risks of WLS. They both seemed like such wonderful women and I can't help but question the risks of WLS.

Logically I know that the lapband carries less risk than RNY and I also know that I'm probably going to die of heart attack or something by the time I'm 40 if I keep going the way I am.

I have felt really confident about my decision to have surgery but now I'm starting to have fear. Does anyone have any words of advice?