Baba Wawa

I was banded 2 yrs ago yesterday at 60 yrs old. I couldn't stand or walk more than 5-10 minutes because of back and knee pain. I've lost 72 lbs, would like to lose another 30-40 in the next year. I can walk 2 miles, go up and down stairs and enjoy cooking again, since I can tolerate standing and prepping. My Meds are reduced...I just had a stress EKG and my heart is healthy! For the first time in my adult life, I maintained weight loss without dieting for a year, and even though I'm the same weight, my clothes are looser than last year and I lost another half inch from my waist. I was a 26/4X pre-op and am 16/18 pants, 18/1X tops... There have been ups and downs, but all in all, the minor inconveniences are far outweighed by the improvement in my quality of life...also, having had several major surgeries over the years, I know that all surgeries have a common risk of complications, don't always return you to your former level of function and they are painful to a certain extent. I did have to have my gallbladder removed last fall, but had symptoms most of my adult life. food isn't as important to me anymore, but I do enjoy preparing our families favorite dishes and my enjoyment comes from their appreciation of my cooking. We just spent the weekend at my son's lake house and my 20 yrold granddaughter made the trip over just because "Nini's cooking rocks"! Life is good!

I was banded 2 yrs ago today at 60 yrs old. I couldn't stand or walk more than 5-10 minutes because of back and knee pain. I've lost 72 lbs, would like to lose another 30-40 in the next year. I can walk 2 miles, go up and down stairs and enjoy cooking again, since I can tolerate standing and prepping. My Meds are reduced...I just had a stress EKG and my heart is healthy! For the first time in my adult life, I maintained weight loss without dieting for a year, and even though I'm the same weight, my clothes are looser than last year and I lost another half inch from my waist. I was a 26/4X pre-op and am 16/18 pants, 18/1X tops...it's worth it.

If you are getting "that feeling", and a half cup of food satisfies you, you don't need a fill. Many people go months without a fill. To avoid getting the feeling of being stuck, make sure you are cutting food into pea-sized bites, take one at a time and chew it 15-25 times. Eat your dense Protein first, so if you have to stop eating, your protein requirement has been met. Congrats on your weight loss success so far!

Losing a lot of weight can cause gallstones to form. http://win.niddk.nih.gov/publications/gallstones.htm#weightloss Weight-loss dieting increases the risk of developing gallstones. People who lose a large amount of weight quickly are at greater risk than those who lose weight at a slower pace. Rapid weight loss may also cause silent gallstones (painless gallstones) to become symptomatic. Studies have shown that people who lose more than 3 pounds per week may have a greater risk of developing gallstones than those who lose weight at slower rates. A very low-calorie diet (VLCD) allows a person who is obese to quickly lose a large amount of weight. VLCDs usually provide about 800 calories per day in food or liquid form, and are followed for 12 to 16 weeks under the supervision of a health care professional. Studies have shown that 10 to 25 percent of people on a VLCD developed gallstones. These gallstones were usually silent—they did not produce any symptoms. About one-third of the dieters who developed gallstones, however, did have symptoms and some of these required gallbladder surgery. Experts believe weight-loss dieting may cause a shift in the balance of bile salts and cholesterol in the gallbladder. The cholesterol level is increased and the amount of bile salts is decreased. Following a diet too low in fat or going for long periods without eating (skipping Breakfast, for example), a common practice among dieters, may also decrease gallbladder contractions. If the gallbladder does not contract often enough to empty out the bile, gallstones may form. A drug called ursodiol that helps dissolve cholesterol in the bile may help prevent gallstones from developing during rapid weight loss. While ursodiol is not approved by the U.S. Food and Drug Administration (FDA) to prevent gallstones, its “off-label” use (the practice of prescribing medications for periods of time or for conditions not FDA-approved) has been shown to be effective and safe. If rapid weight loss is highly likely, you should consider talking with your health care provider about using ursodiol.

I had pain just under the ribs on the right. It would last from a few minutes to several hours and nothing I did helped. I had an abdominal ultrasound and barium swallow and was scheduled for surgery the following monday morning. I had one large stone.

Call your doctor. I had gassy pains upper right abdomen last fall, it was my gallbladder.

Absolutely! It's elective surgery and all surgery carries risks, so it is normal to be anxious. I have had about 10 major surgeries and I was the most apprehensive about my banding, because I chose to do it. Try to think about how you are going to embrace your new lifestyle and your healthier body. This is the time to treat your body like a new baby, and your mind like an incorrigible teenager, lol. Best of luck to you!

Take it easy on yourself and don't drive when you drink more than one glass of wine. Banding doesn't affect the absorption of alcohol, as it does with DS and RNY, so you should be ok if you were ok pre-op drinking wine. Alcohol actually lowers blood glucose levels so you might feel more "tipsy" due to hypoglycemia after drinking. The only risk of drinking is that some people find they drink more post-op, since there are foods that bandsters cannot tolerate and it is sort of a "fill the void" guilty pleasure. Enjoy your glass of wine occasionally without guilt. If you have any questions it is a good thing to check in with your nutritionist to get questions answered. Good luck to you! MsM

You might want to get a sleep study...I did and was diagnosed with sleep apnea. Since I have been on cpap, I only get up once at the most. Was getting up 4-5 times per night. The sleep apnea raises your blood glucose, which causes your kidneys to be over-active. AM blood glucose levels are down over 30 pts too!

:confused:Hi everyone! I am new to the site and scheduled for surgery on May 28. I started my 14 day "liquid" diet today. I am allowed one meal of 300 calories, 50% protein, veggies make up the rest. I can have "free" foods like celery, peppers, etc and anything calorie free. The shakes are not too bad. I got permission to use skim milk instead of water so they are not so sickeningly sweet. My stomach is upset, though and hope it is not a sign of things to come.

Hi Everyone, I started my pre-op liquid diet today. I am scheduled for May 28, 2010 with Dr Hunter. Was the Bariatric Advantage a good choice for the diet or do you prefer the Bariatric Essentials?