Hi All~

I am new to this forum, even though I joined in April (I think), I just got my prerequisites done today, and I now have my surgery date in January. I think it is now time to find others who have been there-done that. I am a mom of three adult children, grandma to one beautiful girl and wife to an awesome husband. I am hoping to get to know some of you who are on the same journey I am on.

TeeL in New Mexico

Hi Teel.

I'm Maxi from NY. I have 2 kids currently in college (one is about to start graduate school in January) and a supportive husband. It sounds like you have a supportive and nice family. Congratulations on your grandchild! I will have to wait a few more years for that.

I had my band surgery on 9/17/10 so I have only been a bandster for the past 2 1/2 months. Bariatric doctor practices vary but I'll tell you what it was like for me both leading up to my band surgery and my post surgery experience.

My MD (I went to NYU) is a big proponent of reducing the fat in your liver before surgery so I was on a pre-op 10-day diet consisting of liquid Protein shakes and no solid meals during this period. Not every bariatric MD puts their lap band patients on this pre-op diet but many do. Although I was given a choice as to which Protein shake to use (providing it was not high in fat and sugar), I still found this to be a very challenging period for me. I complained constantly during this period of being either hungry and/or feeling sick/bloated. It was not easy to get through this period. Nonetheless, the results speak for themselves! I lost about 9 pounds in 10 days during this period and have kept this weight off! This is the most weight I have ever lost in so short a period of time. Awesome! In retrospect, this was a great way to jump start the band surgery and I would do it again in a heart beat, even with the negatives I cited.

On the day of my surgery, I was very nervous and excited. My being nervous was heightened because my surgery was seriously delayed causing me to wait almost the entire day before I was finished. I ended up being the 2nd to the last patient done that day and had my surgery many hours after it was originally scheduled! Waiting with nothing to do really gets on your nerves. I suggest bringing an ipod/itouch/ipad, knitting or book/magazine to read or do, even though they say to leave valuables behind. Just give them to your husband to hold and take home when you are about to go into surgery. The band surgery itself and the PACU (recovery room) experience went smoothly with no problems for me.

Post-op, my instructions were to keep on a liquid diet for 10 days. While in the hospital (I stayed overnight) I was on a clear liquid diet with no issues. I was discharged the next day and went home in the early afternoon. Like others, I suffered gas pains (in my belly and shoulder) but not enough to ruin my days. Walking was the best remedy for post-op gas pains and it abated after about 2 weeks. I was not told to keep to a clear liquid diet. In fact, I was told to make sure I ate enough protein each day and to have at least 2 Protein Shakes during this period. When I had the entire protein shake on my 2nd day after surgery, I began to feel sick (nauseous) and had trouble breathing starting about 1 hour after I ate the shake. It was discovered that I was very swollen from surgery and, therefore, the thicker liquids, like protein shakes, would take longer to go down and should be eaten slowly and in smaller quantities (the shake did go down eventually and I began to feel better, but this was MANY hours later). After this episode, I was more careful with the thickness of anything I put in my mouth. I think you should stay with a clear liquid diet for the 1st 3 days after your surgery and then slowing begin to introduce thicker liquids into your diet to see how it is tolerated.

After my post-op check up at day 10, I started mushy food and stayed on that for another 10 days without any issues. After the 10 day mushy period comes the real challenge of "real" food. This is when some people have weight loss plateaus. I still did not have my 1st fill when I began solid foods so you really have to be careful during this period. Even with the 1st fill, you may still overeat until you actually get to your "sweet spot". The real weight loss comes when you get sufficient fill in your band so that you can eat smaller portions without feeling hungry. It is an art that takes many visits to the doctor's office, usually.

I've had one fill (3cc in a 10cc lap band) but I don't feel I have found my "sweet spot" yet. I eat less than before but still think my portions are too big. My next fill is in about 10 days. I will ask for more fill.

I am currently 28 pounds down from my highest weight. I am fairly happy with my weight loss so far although many other LBT forum members have greater losses during the same time period. Some of my weight loss came with my pre-op diet but much of it came after my surgery. What you should know is that the lap band is NOT the fastest way to lose weight compared to other weight loss surgeries. Other weight loss surgeries, like RNY, have faster weight loss averages. However, lap band surgery has been proven to be the safest surgical way to lose weight and, eventually, we all get to the same place: at our ideal weight. Lap band surgery lets you lose about 0.5 to 2 pounds per week on average if you follow the guidelines set by your doctor's office. If you go by the experts, any faster weight loss is not healthy and can cause serious health issues, like gall bladder problems.

I am very happy with my lap band and would do it all over again if I had to. I think you are making the right decision. Best of luck with your band journey.

Maxi

Thank you Maxi! I have a sister in NY. :-) I have a 14 day pre surgery diet to do. My Dr. wants that fat off the liver. Then a 2 week clear, then mushy. it is 6 weeks to regular foods. I will start just after Christmas. I appreicate the details. It really helps. I am looking forward to this. Tee