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So I got approved and startmy liquid diet next monday! I found that GNC has AMAZING deals(buy 2get 1 on largew tubs andbuy 3 get 1 on single packs) on protien so tomorrow I go shopping! So anxious to start my new journey!

I am scheduled for surgery on April 4. I had a required three month session, which included 2 small pre-op classes, 2 large group post-op sesssions, 2 with nutrionist, 1 psychologist, 2 registered nurse visits, pcp visit, 1 surgeon visit, bloodwork, and an ultra sound. All of my requirements have been met the end of Feb. I have surgery scheduled, but am waiting for the "go ahead" from insurance that can take 4-6 weeks. It was not bad at all. You really learn a lot from the sessions and I looked forward to them. I would not be as prepared today without them. Good luck to you!!

Ive posted this topic as it was a very valid point I had to consider prior to my get my band fitted , Get fitted in UK or abroad in Belgium as was the cheaper option. UK Price £7000 , Belgium £4,100 ( 4,500 Euros ) , obviously for belgium trip travel expenses and hotel expenses post op for a few days extra costs. Now I struggled with this for a while , what if this what if that , the clinic and consultant both been very highly rated , but finally I decided with the UK option and pay the extra , it included 1 year after care , as many consults , monthly dietician and free fills throughout the year to get me started. Still a little much but I finally decided nope Local is best. Now .. ok Im sure your thinking to yourself , we all think this , so I will leave my experience with you. 25th March , first band fitted , everything fine for two days , everyone great at hospital etc, surgeon consultant great , I was exstatic thats me on the way .... 26th March , get home ...... 27th March ... My wife picks up my meds I left hospital with , and says ( because I know tablets an issue , so had been breaking them down ) , these decoflanac tablets Nick it says you have not to break up , they must be taken whole, oh I said so thought well the pharmacy would not have gave me them if I m not supposed to take them I thought , pops one in .... oh no ... dear I choked ... choked again ... the damn pill had gotten stuck ... I wretched , and wretched and was violently sick all night .. oh a terrible state I was in , called my consultant next day , come straight in he says , Saturday straight in , and he checked me immediately. He felt perhaps the little fill to prime the band was problem , drained that , and that possible my stomach where pill had gotten stuck perhaps inflammed, but I tried to drink some water as he refused to leave it was until it was cleared fluid was staying down , and I wasnt being sick .. previously being sick immediately after drinking anything prior , it staying down 30 mins all appeared ok and we were both convinced it had sorted. So went home in car with wife , 30 mins later , up it all comes , I try to drink , up it comes again , I reassure my self its still possible inflamation thats causing the blockage and decide stay with it a couple of days .. by Monday I was readmitted by the Consultant as he was concerned my dehydrating in addition to the problems ... Mon 30th , readmitted , a series of x rays carried out , this horrible aniseed tasting stuff , Bariaum Meal whatever so he could track where fluid going , X ray showed above the band the pouch as if it had expanded 4/5 times its size , but the fluid I was drinking some was getting into lower part of my stomach. So still on the its inflamation of the stomach at the band , he then decided back to theatre to carry out an endoscope ( camera down the throat and into the stomach ) Tues 31st - Endoscope , goes down , he could see a little inflamation but the camera had passed thro the band , and he still couldnt understand as to why I couldnt drink anything or what I did drink immediately came back up , so he decided sorry NicK we have got to open you back up again , and look back in side and get to the bottom of this, yes I agreed as for me to be honest I am seriously thinking oh Ive had enough of this , rip the damn thing out of me, but consultant reassuring me to hang in there we would get to the bottom of it .. Weds 1st - Back to Theatre , opens me up , turns out part of my lower stomach , had managed to get back up through the band , twisted itself , he believes this had possibly happened due to my wretching so bad and being so violently sick all night initially when the tablet got stuck , so he straightened everything back up , done some extra stitch work to the band to stomach to ensure no further problems , apparently he said I had an extremely mobile stomach .. ie moves a lot ... but anyway by 5pm Im awake , Im sipping fluids .. and finally Im happy ..... Thursday 2nd - Im back home and everything fine. Now the moral of my story , my lasting thoughts ... Had I gone to Belgium and flew back 2 days later and this happend .. what would have I done ???? Would I have managed in agony to get back onto a plane , to go to Belgium ? Would I have had to wait ? Would I have had to go to A & E local hospital ? On the cheaper option ie Belgium at 4500 euros , would I have to pay for all the remedial surgery that was required in my instance , nearly another week in Hotel , well if Belgium it would have had to be in hospital still so definate charges there ... Think about it long and hard as to where you have it carried out , yes Im sure not everyones experience was not like mine , but I didnt think it would be mine either a few weeks ago . I had to share this , I didnt mean to go on either or make dramatic , of which the experience was for me , remember it is your health and make sure you cover all aspects of having it done good or bad. Finally , I do want to say and appreciate I was just unlucky, one of the statistics, The staff and care I recieved in UK was excellent. The consultant superb ... and finally well Im here and finally a bandster , so managed to get there in the end. apologies if gone on a little too long type as I talk LOL kind of .... Nick:thumbup:

I suggest saving one or two items that you wore all the time that are your largest sizes for sure. The fun of trying those on six months from now is well worth it! I have a pair (my largest size pants) of 24. I am currently in a 14 and those /4 literally fall off my body. It's always fun to do a fashion show for my family. They see me everyday and sometimes forget how sick I was. It's a good reminder to never get to that point again. Also keep a shirt or two for the same reason. I have always bought my shirts one size larger because my upper arms were really big and almost everything I bought the sleeves were too tight. Good luck with your pre op diet, you are lucky it is only 3 days. I was 2 weeks. I hope you have a safe surgery and very speedy recovery. Good luck on Monday! P.S. Try reading a good book this weekend, taking a nice hot bath and listening to music. It makes time go by and really relaxes you as you head into Monday.

I didn't see a February 2012 sub-folder in the "monthly" topics...I was approved Dec 13 and finally got a date yesterday of 2/22 !!. Boy was that a loooooong road. They are supposed to email my pre op diet instructions next week.

Well, you may have gathered from the topic title that my last appointment did not go well. I think you could call that an understatement. As many of you will have seen from my last posting I have been having huge problems with Water retention and water tablets not working. I decided to return to my old water tablets on the day of my appointment and did lose 9lbs of water in just over 3.5 hours. Hooray! So that helped alot but I was still carrying at least another 5lbs extra water. Soooo, I went and got weighed and then we had the talk...obviously I had not lost the 5% required and therefore they could not put me forward for surgery. (I had lost the weight but then had the problem with the water tablets and gained water weight!) I explained about the water tablets (that they insisted should be changed!) but it didn't help at all. The woman I was dealing with was just so unhelpful and unfeeling. I showed her my ankles (they were measuring over 16 inches and so full of water/oedema it was impossible to miss) She said and I quote " lots of people have water tablets and they all manage to lose the 5% required!" I was devastated. I asked to speak to someone else above her as I couldn't believe her attitude. The upshot is they are giving me another two weeks to reach the 5% goal. I hope I can do it but with all this water still hanging around I am seriously worried, as they still want me to use the other tablets!!!!! Are they mad, what part of, they are not working, don't they understand. Sometimes I really worry about the NHS and their not too bright staff. (that is not really fair as most people are just brilliant - I was just really 'lucky' and got the moron!) So here we go again, the milk diet for another two weeks (that will make a total of 8 weeks) and if by week one the water is just sitting there I am definitely going against their advice and using my old tablets! Sorry for going on, but I really needed to get that off my chest.

I had the same thing happen to me. I went and got the extra strength Cold FX 3 day treatment...and it seemed to help. I also let my surgeon know about 4 days before surgery and he said he was not too concerned as long as my cold wasn't just starting, and that my breathing was okay. The day of surgery, I reminded the surgeon & anesthesiologist about my cold, as I was still sniffly. But I was fine. I had a small cough after surgery, Im not sure if that was from my cold, or from the breathing tubes...but the cough really hurt the incisions...but it only lasted a couple of days.

Aww, thanks. I had 2 weeks of clear liquids BEFORE surgery as well. It was Harder before surgery. After surgery I had no appetite. In fact I am 3 months out and I still am NEVER hungry. In fact I have to force myself to eat. So weird compared to before. Guess I Still have a struggle with food, just a different kind of struggle now. :-)

I just tried today for first time have surgery in 3 weeks, tastes good has 27 grms of protein and 11 of carbs per 14oz. On sale in S cal Albertsons this week 4 for $10. Anyone else used pre or post op? doesnt taste chalky or anything:tt2:

My A1C came back high so my PCP had me wait 3 months before I could consider surgery.. But I did all I was told and finally surgery is Monday!! Good luck with everything

I'm worried that my a1c is going to delay my surgery... I've started checking my sugars in prep for the liquid diet, and they've been running pretty high. Now my a1c is being taken on Thursday, and I'm just terrified that this will mean another surgery delay. I know, I know, I can wait... But it doesn't mean I want to wait any more. My doc is self admittedly OCD, and wants everything to be perfect operating conditions, but the two week liquid diet pre and post will totally reduce sugars... /cry

I really ain't sure, my story is kind of confusing as I was going through the stages of surgery preparation in adolescence but once I turned 19, they've put me on the adult route (apparently it's quicker?)So now I don't know if I have started again or continuing but I've been told that this is the appointment I've been waiting for and then in 3 months I find out if I have been accepted/rejected. Thank you for your help, really helped. I have been nervous as to what it's about since I received the letter haha xx

Hi: I'm actually about 3 weeks from surgery, but I was wondering whether you were told to go to all liquids for the 2 weeks prior to surgery. Thanks Howard

I have read oodles of post here searching for the information that will set my mind at ease. I've been looking for the answer that "everything will be alright". That the my decision in going to Mexico to get a Surgery that will make my 19 years of obesity a thing of the past. My biggest dwelling point is whether am I picking the right Surgical team. I have looked up all the information I can find -which is not a great deal- about Dr. Osuna at Specialized Beriatrics. Does anyone have any experience with Dr Osuna? I will be sure to post a long and detailed account of my experience with her, because I want to be around for a long, Long time. Also because I want you to know that I made it ( : Please if you have any advice about her, her team, and any suggestions on how to settle down and let go of all the anxiety let me know. Thanks Surgery date: May 28, 2014 Specialized Beriatrics, Dr. Osuna Mi hospital Tijuana MX 43y/o 306lb s/w 298lb 1-1/2 weeks pre/op

Yes, we should keep in contact as soon as we are able to use our phones. One week from today wow!

I'm still pending insurance approval, but the doc's office called to give me a date because the insurance company needs a date to approve. April 16th! I had doubts about the operation up until I met with the surgeon just recently actually for the first time. Now I feel more positive about everything even though I still have just a general fear of surgery which I guess everyone has a little. Just that something will go wrong and I'm leaving behind my beautiful 14 mo old. Anyway..sorry to be morbid there for a second. Keep your fingers crossed for approval! I should probably know something early next week.

What can I have that will fill me up...the hunger pains are not comfortable :thumbup:...Any suggestions out there? I have been on liquids for 2 weeks and I am totally miserable!

Drink a ton of Water it MUST be over 8 cups I have like a gallon a day no exxageration on some days (just always have a big water bottle at my desk). Limit caffeine to two cups so you don't dehydrate. Your not eating any carbs I assume? It can be that too - my headache started around day 3 to 4, for two days, then went away now I am on day 7. I think because your body doesn't have anything to burn and its supposed to burn the fat.

In case any preops want to know what a 3-4 week post op diet might look like. Good chance to shop in advance. In 3 weeks I lost 17 pounds. The first 2 weeks is all liquid, but here is how my 3rd week started... · Liquid and soft foods only · Target 80-100gms of Protein (ProSLam and low cal protein shakes) · Target 900-1200 calories a day · Always eating protein first · Multivitamin complete (with iron) daily · Calcium chews (from Sams club) · No starch · Max of 6gms of sugar in whatever I eat/drink · Lots of sugar fee or no sugar added Jello products · coffee with no sugar added soymilk · Targeting 64 ounces of Water per day but more like 16 in reality · Crystal light popsicles I’m a little habitually hungry at night but generally pretty satisfied. Dessert is 90 calorie tapioca by Jello.

These lists are really helpful BUT...remember to follow the pre- and post-op diets your surgeon gives you. There are things on that list my surgeon did not want me to use or have at 3-4 weeks, and other things that he definitely wanted that seem dicey from above (ie the Water...he said water is first/imperative, and I could drink it easily. It was no trouble getting 64 oz down, esp since I was to have it and not any other beverages like crystal light, coffee, etc) SO this is a great "guideline" but newbies please do what your doc says; if you're in doubt get clarification from your doc. They know what works best for "their" clientele and for you. :crying:

Hello everyone! I am new to posting to the site but been following it for a few weeks now. I'm just starting the process, went to my first information session last Thursday and going to another one Tuesday as I'm trying to decide between two different clinics. I've been overweight my whole life but have tried to stay active. Now that I'm 40 that has gotten alot more difficult with alot of joint pain and just being tired all the time. I (so far) have been fortunate enough to not have developed many health issues, just sleep apnea. I completed a half marathon last year and had plans to do many more races as it was so enjoyable. Unfortunately I have gained more weight since then and it has gotten too uncomfortable to exercise for long at a time. That was what made me finally decide to move forward. All of you sharing your stories gave me a more realistic view of the surgery and made me feel like I could make it through this. Luckily, my insurance covers the surgery but I have to jump though some hoops. I have to follow a 3 month diet plan and join a gym for 3 months but not too bad. I still have to get my doc refer me and I see him next Friday. Here's hoping all goes well and in 4 or 5 months I am able to say "I'm a sleever!"

Hey ya'll - I'm doing some spring cleaning and came across the binder of information from the Kaiser Choices class I took pre-surgery. It contains info about gastric surgery in general (sleeve, bypass, and lapband), nutrition, psychological stuff, etc. It's a 3" binder chock full of all kinds of info. I'm almost a year out and don't need it anymore, so if you're contemplating surgery and don't have access to the educational classes, it's all yours. It's a big binder, so it might cost a bit to ship but if you're local (Long Beach/LA area), I'm down to meet you somewhere to give it to you. Let me know if you're interested!