So, last week I went to the required therapy appointment. The good news is, he says I seem like a good candidate! :-) But I have to go back in a couple weeks and he says before he will give teh Dr his ok, he wants me to have some more information on a few things. The first is, he wants me to know what foods and beverages I wont be able to eat and drink after the surgery. And the second is, he wants me to know what all the risks are. He also asked me why sometimes the lap band doesnt work for people, and I wasnt sure how to answer that. So I am hoping some of you can helpme come up with as much information on these topics as I can get, before I go back to see him. Thanks so much!

the band will help people if they help the band (and of course there are times when something goes wrong but it seems to be very rarely).

the band wont stop you from eating anything (the band will help us eat less (especially after the fills start). its up to us to change what type of foods we eat. some cant eat some things and then some can. i think it is up to the person.

as far as beverages, based on what my dr told me, no carbonation. you will find people who drink it and its not a problem. again, its up to the person.

personally, i am following the instructions gave to me by the dr/surgeon/nutritionist. it seems to be working. i am not perfect but i dont starve either.

not sure if this is the answer you wanted.

Well you should know what foods you can or cant eat after surgery. Your nutritionist should have given you this information. The band does not work if people do not follow their diet. But there are cases about 10% of people who do not lose weight from the band. The band helps about 10% with weight loss and the other 90 is up to you. If you do not follow the diet and return to your old habits you will not lose weight.

As far as the risk go your doctor should have explained that to you also. But the basics are blood clots, pneumonia, infection and yes even death which only happens in rare cases. I think that you should for your own knowledge should research these questions or ask your doctor. It is very important for you to know what you cant eat after surgery and definitely what the risks could be. Good luck.

I havent seen the nutritionist yet, I go on the 22nd, thats also when I see my Dr.So far I have gone to the seminar, the therapist, had tons of blood work done and had a physical by my Dr's assistant. I have most of my appts on the 22nd. I am just trying to get all my little required appts taken care of before the 22nd.

With my experience my band worked great the first year now I'm not losing any weight I lost 120 lbs that first year which is awesome but I'm sitting at 212 lbs and I want to be 160 and I'm not budging as of now. Its all about exercise and what goes into your mouth. I have recently started using my fitness pal app on my phone and its helping me to track my calories which I was not doing before. My band is tight and I have good restriction I'm just not losing any weight so sometime they band does not always work like you had hoped it would. I am so thankful for the 120lbs loss though. not complaining just wish I could be at my goal. Which may never happen.

food and drinks I can not eat/drink

NO SODA period can't have the carbonation

doughy breads

rice

tough steak

pretty much I can get anything else down.

Risks are:

the band could slip, erosion, the port could flip, I got a hernia near my port from the incision just being cut into and made that area weak. So more than one surgery I've had the initial lap band surgery another surgery to fix a large port and now I got to have surgery to fix the hernia so repeat surgery is possible. just google the lap band risks there are a lot of them but honestly there small risks and that should not deter you from a life changing experience.

I am recently banded... some of my tidbits to help you prepare for the Dr. and for your surgery are:

Beverages: Carbonation, I was also told to limit coffee/caffenine

Food: Bread (the 1st 6 months), Pork and Beef (also 1st 6 months), Corn and string veggies (st 1yr)

These are right off my paper from the dr. ... I am still working on integrating more food into my diet and such so I haven't really tried everything again but this is what I have.

Biggest thing I have been told as far as post health is to be consistent about follow-up with my dr., to limit meals to no more than 1 cup of food per sitting and to get in my 48-64 oz of Water and 60 grams of Protein.

Good luck and congrats on starting your journey... wishing you much success!

I think the therapist meant foods you should not eat as a regular "diet" after surgery. In general I am at restriction and can eat anything I want with the exception of raw baby carrots and cheap doughy breads. That being said I CHOOSE not to eat certain foods. I try to live by the 90/10 rule. Eat really healthy 90% of the time and enjoy other foods the remaining 10%. I very rarely eat Pasta, rice or potatos. I just don't miss them so not really a problem.

The band will NEVER EVER stop you from eating any food that dissolves in your mouth: candy, ice cream, crackers, Cookies, cake. Band will never stop you from drinking your calories.

No carbinated drinks.