Any July 2011 Bandsters?

[kychick1294 0]

So I went to my final appointment today. I had to meet with the surgeon, do my pre-op paperwork, attend this Bari-Bootcamp program that we have ( they just tell you what to expect with pre-op, post-op and the diet) and then I had a nutrition class to attend. I was there from 9am until 6pm, and had to be at work at 11:30p..so needless to say 8am cant get here fast enough. I just wanted to share some feelings I had about my visit today. I was the only one in my sessions that was getting the lap-band done. I am a nurse and have spent tons of time researching both the band and the bypass. I chose my band because of the long term success rates, and the fact that I know I am an overeater..I dont graze, and I really didnt like all of the cutting and malabsorption with the bypass. I have never second guessed myself until today?? I dont know if it was because I was around everyone who was getting the bypass, or what? I saw men and women that were much smaller than me and all of them had chosen the bypass..I just kept thinking to myself "Wow, Im bigger than some of these people here and they are choosing the bypass". I know people have their own reasons for choosing which particular procedure they have, but I just felt really weird today. The staff was nice, and the people were all wishing me well and were talking about how successful they had been...but when I mentioned I was getting the band they were like "Oh, I had the bypass done"..I'm sure I'm just being paranoid or reading into so much..but I felt as if they didnt think my results would be as good as theirs. Dont get me wrong, I know I probably wont lose as much as them, or nearly as fast as them..but I am confident I am going to do well...so why am I having these feelings? Maybe its just pre-op nerves, or my food addiction trying to talk me out of it lol! As I type this I can only imagine how stupid I must sound lol..Anyway, I guess Im just looking to see if anyone else ever doubted themselves?? I have lost a total of 27 pounds on the 3 month low carb pre-op diet..and I have made the commitment to follow through with this, so I think I'll be fine. The closer my surgery date gets (July 29th) the crazier I become???

[MustangMama 2]

In my Nutrition class last week there were 9 of us... 6 were having the lapband (2 who were so heavy they weren't even able to walk anymore) ...2 the sleeve...and only 1 was doing the bypass. (I hope this makes you feel better) Don't sweat it! They all made the decision they are comfortable with... so have you. Don't let this mess with your head. You have the prize in sight... you just have to reach for it.

So I went to my final appointment today. I had to meet with the surgeon, do my pre-op paperwork, attend this Bari-Bootcamp program that we have ( they just tell you what to expect with pre-op, post-op and the diet) and then I had a nutrition class to attend. I was there from 9am until 6pm, and had to be at work at 11:30p..so needless to say 8am cant get here fast enough. I just wanted to share some feelings I had about my visit today. I was the only one in my sessions that was getting the lap-band done. I am a nurse and have spent tons of time researching both the band and the bypass. I chose my band because of the long term success rates, and the fact that I know I am an overeater..I dont graze, and I really didnt like all of the cutting and malabsorption with the bypass. I have never second guessed myself until today?? I dont know if it was because I was around everyone who was getting the bypass, or what? I saw men and women that were much smaller than me and all of them had chosen the bypass..I just kept thinking to myself "Wow, Im bigger than some of these people here and they are choosing the bypass". I know people have their own reasons for choosing which particular procedure they have, but I just felt really weird today. The staff was nice, and the people were all wishing me well and were talking about how successful they had been...but when I mentioned I was getting the band they were like "Oh, I had the bypass done"..I'm sure I'm just being paranoid or reading into so much..but I felt as if they didnt think my results would be as good as theirs. Dont get me wrong, I know I probably wont lose as much as them, or nearly as fast as them..but I am confident I am going to do well...so why am I having these feelings? Maybe its just pre-op nerves, or my food addiction trying to talk me out of it lol! As I type this I can only imagine how stupid I must sound lol..Anyway, I guess Im just looking to see if anyone else ever doubted themselves?? I have lost a total of 27 pounds on the 3 month low carb pre-op diet..and I have made the commitment to follow through with this, so I think I'll be fine. The closer my surgery date gets (July 29th) the crazier I become???

[lifeisjustbeginning2011 11]

I'll tell you a little story here. When I was researching surgeons, I asked to attend their support groups so I knew what type of support they offered.

I went to a support group one evening and there were two rooms: one for Lap Band patients and one for the other surgeries. The Lap Band "group" was one person (and a psychologist). The other group had 20 people, easily. I sat in both groups for a little bit. And I'd be lying if I said that I didn't go home questioning myself over and over. But you know what? I made the decision with all of the facts. I knew what was important to me. I talked to patients that had both procedures. In the end, I was the only one that could make the choice. People fail with the Lap Band. People fail with bypass. People fail with the sleeve. Your dedication is what makes you succeed. YOU are the driver. But in the end, it's your choice of which road to take.

I think that the feelings you're having are totally normal. If you really think about it, any major decision that we make in our lives involves some amount of second guessing. I believe it is human nature.

Hang in there. You've got a bunch of cheerleaders (well, overweight ones, LOL) here for you. WE CAN DO THIS!!!

Amy

So I went to my final appointment today. I had to meet with the surgeon, do my pre-op paperwork, attend this Bari-Bootcamp program that we have ( they just tell you what to expect with pre-op, post-op and the diet) and then I had a nutrition class to attend. I was there from 9am until 6pm, and had to be at work at 11:30p..so needless to say 8am cant get here fast enough. I just wanted to share some feelings I had about my visit today. I was the only one in my sessions that was getting the lap-band done. I am a nurse and have spent tons of time researching both the band and the bypass. I chose my band because of the long term success rates, and the fact that I know I am an overeater..I dont graze, and I really didnt like all of the cutting and malabsorption with the bypass. I have never second guessed myself until today?? I dont know if it was because I was around everyone who was getting the bypass, or what? I saw men and women that were much smaller than me and all of them had chosen the bypass..I just kept thinking to myself "Wow, Im bigger than some of these people here and they are choosing the bypass". I know people have their own reasons for choosing which particular procedure they have, but I just felt really weird today. The staff was nice, and the people were all wishing me well and were talking about how successful they had been...but when I mentioned I was getting the band they were like "Oh, I had the bypass done"..I'm sure I'm just being paranoid or reading into so much..but I felt as if they didnt think my results would be as good as theirs. Dont get me wrong, I know I probably wont lose as much as them, or nearly as fast as them..but I am confident I am going to do well...so why am I having these feelings? Maybe its just pre-op nerves, or my food addiction trying to talk me out of it lol! As I type this I can only imagine how stupid I must sound lol..Anyway, I guess Im just looking to see if anyone else ever doubted themselves?? I have lost a total of 27 pounds on the 3 month low carb pre-op diet..and I have made the commitment to follow through with this, so I think I'll be fine. The closer my surgery date gets (July 29th) the crazier I become???

[kychick1294 0]

I'll tell you a little story here. When I was researching surgeons, I asked to attend their support groups so I knew what type of support they offered.

I went to a support group one evening and there were two rooms: one for Lap Band patients and one for the other surgeries. The Lap Band "group" was one person (and a psychologist). The other group had 20 people, easily. I sat in both groups for a little bit. And I'd be lying if I said that I didn't go home questioning myself over and over. But you know what? I made the decision with all of the facts. I knew what was important to me. I talked to patients that had both procedures. In the end, I was the only one that could make the choice. People fail with the Lap Band. People fail with bypass. People fail with the sleeve. Your dedication is what makes you succeed. YOU are the driver. But in the end, it's your choice of which road to take.

I think that the feelings you're having are totally normal. If you really think about it, any major decision that we make in our lives involves some amount of second guessing. I believe it is human nature.

Hang in there. You've got a bunch of cheerleaders (well, overweight ones, LOL) here for you. WE CAN DO THIS!!!

Amy

Thanks so much Amy!! Yea I am guessing its my nerves setting in. I think work is trying to drain me of everything I have before my actual surgery, so I think the stress on top of lack of sleep/exhaustion is getting the best of me. I have to work the next 6 days before surgery so I am actually looking forward to a few days off!! Thanks for all of your alls support...this website has helped me tremendously and I am so thankful to have others going through the same thing as me!

[Tammy Shannon 16]

All I can say is "what a difference a week makes!" I'm one week post-op and almost back to the normal me. Still slightly sore at the port and also on my left side near my waist. Only notice it when I move too fast in the wrong direction. Assuming my muscles are just still sore.

The first couple of days I was always feeling stuffed and having a hard time getting all the full liquids down a day I should be having. Each day has gotten a little better. Still not starving/hungry which is a pleasant change from my pre-band mindset. Have lost about .75 to 1 pound a day since my surgery, so I feel like my band and I are working together and we are going to do this.

I also have hypothyroidism, so weight loss has ALWAYS been an issue for me. I will not let that be an excuse.

For all those on the pre-op diet, hang in there. It will really help you on the post-op side. For today's banders, congratulations and best of luck. Remember, you will probably feel like a mack truck hit you in the stomach the first 48 hours or so, but hang in there, IT DOES GET BETTER!

Tammy

Highest/Banded/Current/Goal

249/219/213/125

PS I only lost 6 pounds on the two-week pre-op Protein shake diet, the majority of the weight loss came from lifestyle changes I made prior to reaching the pre-op stage.

[karmaandkismet 0]

I had some second guessing myself. I had found out that one of the other nurses (I'm a nurse too) from work had had bariatric surgery so I went to talk to her, thinking she would give me insight on fills and life with the band, etc. It turns out that she had the sleeve done. That's when I started second guessing myself. I started thinking "Is the band no longer the best and most up to date way to go about this?" But the thing is I also know people who have bypass and some of those bypass people have gained some weight back over time. They can stretch their pouches out. We'll always have the option to tighten our pouches up. I'm sitting here 2 days post op and besides the gas and the soreness, I'm very confident with my decision. Hang in there and be true to yourself. Don't worry about what everybody else is doing.

So I went to my final appointment today. I had to meet with the surgeon, do my pre-op paperwork, attend this Bari-Bootcamp program that we have ( they just tell you what to expect with pre-op, post-op and the diet) and then I had a nutrition class to attend. I was there from 9am until 6pm, and had to be at work at 11:30p..so needless to say 8am cant get here fast enough. I just wanted to share some feelings I had about my visit today. I was the only one in my sessions that was getting the lap-band done. I am a nurse and have spent tons of time researching both the band and the bypass. I chose my band because of the long term success rates, and the fact that I know I am an overeater..I dont graze, and I really didnt like all of the cutting and malabsorption with the bypass. I have never second guessed myself until today?? I dont know if it was because I was around everyone who was getting the bypass, or what? I saw men and women that were much smaller than me and all of them had chosen the bypass..I just kept thinking to myself "Wow, Im bigger than some of these people here and they are choosing the bypass". I know people have their own reasons for choosing which particular procedure they have, but I just felt really weird today. The staff was nice, and the people were all wishing me well and were talking about how successful they had been...but when I mentioned I was getting the band they were like "Oh, I had the bypass done"..I'm sure I'm just being paranoid or reading into so much..but I felt as if they didnt think my results would be as good as theirs. Dont get me wrong, I know I probably wont lose as much as them, or nearly as fast as them..but I am confident I am going to do well...so why am I having these feelings? Maybe its just pre-op nerves, or my food addiction trying to talk me out of it lol! As I type this I can only imagine how stupid I must sound lol..Anyway, I guess Im just looking to see if anyone else ever doubted themselves?? I have lost a total of 27 pounds on the 3 month low carb pre-op diet..and I have made the commitment to follow through with this, so I think I'll be fine. The closer my surgery date gets (July 29th) the crazier I become???

[Missy East 3]

So, tomorrow is it for me!! I don't know if I'm crazy or what but there isn't one ounce of scared or nervous for me, it's all excitement!! I've had one bout of anxiety and that was Sunday morning, but I'm pretty sure it was because I was at my sisters house (Who had Gastric Bypass last Wednesday) and seeing how much pain she was in. Obviously GB is more invasive but I'm thinking I can do this! I GOT THIS!! I have many tattoos and I had a Cesarian when my daughter was born ... how much worse could it be?! I don't think it'll be worse -- or so that's what I"ll keep telling myself.

I still have the fear of my doctor looking inside of me and seeing something wrong that he can't perform the procedure but I guess that's normal? I don't know. But one thing I do know is that I could REALLY go for a nice, juicy hamburger right about now! lol

BTW -- If anyone has Facebook, I don't mind adding Banded friends. www.facebook.com/kimberly.pacino. Hugs and Happy Thursday!!

[cat lady 10]

So I went to my final appointment today. I had to meet with the surgeon, do my pre-op paperwork, attend this Bari-Bootcamp program that we have ( they just tell you what to expect with pre-op, post-op and the diet) and then I had a nutrition class to attend. I was there from 9am until 6pm, and had to be at work at 11:30p..so needless to say 8am cant get here fast enough. I just wanted to share some feelings I had about my visit today. I was the only one in my sessions that was getting the lap-band done. I am a nurse and have spent tons of time researching both the band and the bypass. I chose my band because of the long term success rates, and the fact that I know I am an overeater..I dont graze, and I really didnt like all of the cutting and malabsorption with the bypass. I have never second guessed myself until today?? I dont know if it was because I was around everyone who was getting the bypass, or what? I saw men and women that were much smaller than me and all of them had chosen the bypass..I just kept thinking to myself "Wow, Im bigger than some of these people here and they are choosing the bypass". I know people have their own reasons for choosing which particular procedure they have, but I just felt really weird today. The staff was nice, and the people were all wishing me well and were talking about how successful they had been...but when I mentioned I was getting the band they were like "Oh, I had the bypass done"..I'm sure I'm just being paranoid or reading into so much..but I felt as if they didnt think my results would be as good as theirs. Dont get me wrong, I know I probably wont lose as much as them, or nearly as fast as them..but I am confident I am going to do well...so why am I having these feelings? Maybe its just pre-op nerves, or my food addiction trying to talk me out of it lol! As I type this I can only imagine how stupid I must sound lol..Anyway, I guess Im just looking to see if anyone else ever doubted themselves?? I have lost a total of 27 pounds on the 3 month low carb pre-op diet..and I have made the commitment to follow through with this, so I think I'll be fine. The closer my surgery date gets (July 29th) the crazier I become???

Hi: my surgery is the 25th and I also have second guessed the band. Now though......I'm in it all the way. I am excited and anxious too. I know this is the right decision for me. And just knowing that it is reversible.....God forbid I need it......it can be reversed. Try to think positive about your final decision and know it is the right one for YOU. Good Luck on the 29th.......CAT

[razzcatt 2]

Getting on the plane in just a few short hours. Surgery is at 7:30am tomorrow! At the beginning of the month it felt so sloooow, and now it suddenly is here. Yikes! I still have a bit of a cough and hope that won't be a issue in moving forward with the surgery. Of course, the last thing I want to do is cough after I have the band either.

[karmaandkismet 0]

I'm still working with getting the gas out of my system. Today (post op day 2) was a lot better than yesterday. One of the things I have found helpful with the gas is my heating pad. I have one of those heating pads that also has a vibrate option. It seems the vibrating helps break up the gas bubbles. If you have one of those kind of heating pads, make sure you try the vibrating option as well as the heat for your gas.

I actually got done a whole shake today. It took several hours to get it down but its the first thing I've had besides crystal light and a banana popsicle. I got on the scale and much to my dismay, I've not lost any weight. I know its probably because I'm still bloated from surgery ( and then Aunt "Flo" decided to come visit as well) but it will be really disappointing if I go for my 1 week post op visit and I haven't lost any weight.

[Missy East 3]

Getting on the plane in just a few short hours. Surgery is at 7:30am tomorrow! At the beginning of the month it felt so sloooow, and now it suddenly is here. Yikes! I still have a bit of a cough and hope that won't be a issue in moving forward with the surgery. Of course, the last thing I want to do is cough after I have the band either.

I'll be there with you in spirit, Razz, I'm going in at 7:30am too! Talk to you soon. Hugs!

[mellzie74 0]

Hello everyone! I just had my lapband inserted on July 20th and so far Im doing really well! Im not feeling hungry at all, Im still a little swollen and am not taking any pain meds because its not really that unbearably painful

Im having having trouble with the bowels though :/ But will be getting some laxatives to help things along as I think this pain iis worse! So make sure before you have your surgery, your bowels have opened, otherwise it will only get worse after surgery, especially since its so hard to 'push' when you are a bit sore from the operation. So far Im felling very positive and am looking forward to a new lease on life

[karmaandkismet 0]

Post op day 3. I'm allowed pudding cups and applesauce in addition to my shakes. I can actually eat a whole pudding cup (granted that's ALL I can eat at one time) but aren't the pouches only supposed to be able to hold about 2 oz at a time? The pudding cups are 4 oz.

I've noticed that real hunger (as opposed to psychological hunger) feels different now. I suppose its because I'm still healing but sometimes I'll start getting a pain in my stomach and then I'll realize that I've got some gurgling going on as well and that I'm actually hungry.

I'll be ready to progress to the stage where we introduce other foods. Mostly because I'm tired of all the sweet stuff (did I actually say that?) The shakes I drink are either chocolate or banana. Pudding is chocolate. I have applesauce. I'll be grateful for the taste of plain old meat.< /p>

[lifeisjustbeginning2011 11]

I know what you mean. I was so tired of sweets, too! I wanted a different taste so one day I stuck my finger in the BBQ Sauce and licked it off. What can I say - I was desperate for a change of taste! LOL

Amy

Post op day 3. I'm allowed pudding cups and applesauce in addition to my shakes. I can actually eat a whole pudding cup (granted that's ALL I can eat at one time) but aren't the pouches only supposed to be able to hold about 2 oz at a time? The pudding cups are 4 oz.

I've noticed that real hunger (as opposed to psychological hunger) feels different now. I suppose its because I'm still healing but sometimes I'll start getting a pain in my stomach and then I'll realize that I've got some gurgling going on as well and that I'm actually hungry.

I'll be ready to progress to the stage where we introduce other foods. Mostly because I'm tired of all the sweet stuff (did I actually say that?) The shakes I drink are either chocolate or banana. Pudding is chocolate. I have applesauce. I'll be grateful for the taste of plain old meat.< /p>

[Carmen16 0]

my surgery was on the 20th also I feel a little pain but is more from the gas it get worse when I drink something! just keping you guys update.