Hi, I really would like to be able to keep in touch with all of you waiting for

December surgery and as we progress on our way to success. Maybe start with Date of surgery, Where banded, Present weight and goal weight. Of course, add anything else that is helpful to others or if you need some words of encouragement hopefully someone here will step up and help us.

I will be banded 12/12/06

Banded in Wisconsin

Starting Weight 266

Goal 140

Hey Gang!! I'm finally going to be rid of all the holiday visiting relatives and looking forward to getting more involved in the board!

I was banded on the 15th and have been mostly eating liquids, although xmas day and a few other meals have been more mushies when dining w/the extended family who doesn't know about my surgery. So far so good...only 1 bad experience w/a too big piece of chicken I didn't chew well enough! Thought I was going to be in the bathroom w/my first PB experience....but luckily it went down finally!!!

I feel the same frustration as some of you others w/the scale not moving as much as I THINK it should be! But....I'm trying to have faith that it will eventually move as this is a PROCESS, not an Instant Cure!

I hope you all have a Very Happy and Skinnier New Year!!

I'm back! It's been a while but I'm happy to say I'm doing well! Thanks for the message beversman! So far I've lost 10 lbs, maybe even more by now! Anywho, just wanted to check in!

~SLNP

Audree..

Surgeons are surgeons..lapbands are lapbands..humans are humans..doesn't matter where we live. The only thing I will add is that in the USA surgeons are paranoid about being sued by their patients so they may be more cautious.

However I saw US site and I am going to include that here..but I wanted to share this because it suggests that the US prescribed after band diet is very much the same as the UK one..

"Let us go back to the beginning. Immediately after surgery you will feel restriction. The surgeon usually doesn’t put any Fluid in your band during the surgery. The restriction you feel is the swelling of your stomach and it’s adjustment to the band that has suddenly been wrapped around it. You won’t get your first fill until 4-6 weeks after surgery.

You will be on Clear Liquids and they will fill you up quickly for the first few days. Then they will stop filling you up you will begin to feel hungry. About this time you will be allowed to eat mushy foods like mashed potatoes, creamy Soups, etc. You will find that you eat just a few bites and you are full. This is great! Who knew a ¼ can of soup would be enough? This is going to be a piece of cake.

It isn’t going to last. Shortly this won’t satisfy and you will be moving on to solid food. That feeling of restriction comes back. A slice of turkey and you are stuffed!

This doesn’t last either. At about 4 weeks, sometimes earlier, you will start to feel hunger again. You feel like you are eating everything. Your weight loss has slowed or stopped. You start to freak out. “Where is my restriction?!” you cry."

OK so that is the exact eating programme I am on...so UK or USA doesn't make any difference.

By the way, I'm a journalist so one of the things I do is a massive amount of research on anything..and medical research is a particular interest of mine. I read and read and then make up my mind..but you start to see consistencies and that guides you.

Before I left hospital I was given an implant registration document...an implant card to carry around in case anything happens to me to inform doctors what I have had..what I can eat etc...and I was given a needle to carry around in case I need an emergency unfill. Did you all get that?

At least with the guides we know what to do when things go wrong and not to panic and in particular I think our families need to know. I've given a copy of the information to my daughter because otherwise they wont know we might have problems and if so what to do when that occurs. I think it's so remote frankly but they do need to know. I chew and chew my food and I read at least 10 chews up to 24 with meat...so I do that.

The site for you to also look at is:

http://www.lapbandlifestyle.com/Pages/LapBandLifestyleRulesroad.shtml

The other thing I do is go down the boards and look at those who had their bandings in June/July to see how they went..what problems they had etc etc. Interesting reading.

Karen

Well I think that doctor got to be ignorant, because how would you take a person never been to any type of medical school and expect them to provide fills in the port of the band:paranoid got to be studpied.

INAMED are clinicians that are trained to provide the service to patients, we (U.S.) deals with authorized clinicians that injects the saline into the self sealing access port. We are not stupied enough to do it to ourselves and we know we have not been trained. So your doctor need to be careful of a lawsuit because he is neglecting his patients.

If the only thing you got to do is to see who is having trouble out of their lapband, I have one quote "Misery Loves Company"

Hi All! It sounds like everyone is doing fine!

KarenAR - I will say ok, I may have interpted your posts wrong - and drop it at that. I go in to my ddr tomorrow and will ask him about the needle thing, just to hear his opinion.

B-man - we all went up about 5 lbs that first week of surgery - You'll go weigh youself one day and go OMGoodness I'm down 5 lbs. You are doing great!

Kay - the soup sounded great! My fav while on the liquid was homemade potato soup and I blended it so it was thick and good. I wouldn't worry much about the calories if you added it up throughout the day I'm sure its still under 1000. I didn't think of the bean soup until a couple days before mushies and wish I had earlier. Beans are full of Protein and mushed up in soup makes it thicker, it stayed with me longer then the brothy type soups. The LF yogurt smoothies also stuck with me a little longer. The Protein shakes gagged me by then. I still have a drawer in my fridge full and I don't even want to look at it, those and sf Jello - the last couple days the only way I could eat the sf jello was with Free Cool whip - it has 15 calories per serving - so that "dessert" was only 25 calories - and do you know there is FF half & half? It makes the creamy soups good. BTW - 28 pounds - woohoo - gold star for Kay! thats wonderful! No wonder b-i-l was commenting on your good looks.

Jannmack - welcome! How are you doing since the band? Feeling good?

Is everyone back to work since the holidays? I wonder if Nat got sent out of town. She had said about spending Christmas with her baby boy, I don't know if she had other family coming in or if she was going somewhere. But she does travel with her job - right?

NAT - shout out for NAT!!!

StephC I don't think or feel you was judging her, KarenAR is mad because she you called her out on those ridiculous lies she is telling I had a couple of doctors read her post and they drowned themself in laugher. Why would an emergency room not have proper medical eqiupment??????? I understand some things but a NEEDLE

Banded Dec 18th 2006, had a pre op diet ( YUck all those nasty shakes I tried). Working towards my Post op 2 week diet. YAY all is well, except for my stiches are dissolving too soon and my incisions are opening, they told me to wash them with peroxide 3x a day and only put a little piece of gauze over it to stop things from falling in it, aka, dust and dirt if i'm out side... Did this happen to any one else?

But other than that all is well and i'm progressing well.

Welcome Dieselangel, there are several of us here with Dec 18 band dates. You're weight loss looks like it is going great. My starting weight is very close to yours but 170 is only my initial goal as I'm a shorty. Anyway, sorry to hear about your stitches. Sounds like they let you know how to take care of it and all. Good luck on your journey and WELCOME!!!:biggrin1::biggrin1:

welcome dieselangel- I am also an 18th bandster!

guess what!!! I finally have some good news about my band!

Other than the fact that i am feeling great! I get starving but get full really quickly. Loving mushie stage.

I emailed my dr. to find out if the fill are done under fluoro.

and they are and they are free!!!! There were included in my price of $5000.

I'm so happy right now, i thought for sure with these mideval times dr's they would sit me in a dungeon and use a huge rusty needle for my fills.

This is my best news yet! maybe i'll get a good fill my first or second time this way.

Guess what! I get my first fill on Jan 29th!!!!!!!!!!!!!! Unless something goes on between now and then! I feel good and I am ready to lose some weight! I am hungry and I havent lost any more weight in like 6-7 days! ANyone else know when they will get the first fill! ? Jill

around the 18th of january i should get mine!

I get mine on feb 6th my doc makes me wait 7 wks

I am also a 18th of dec bandster

welcome all

I was Banded December 26, I am doing great, hope the best for the rest of the gang. weighed 241 at the dr. last visit. So we will see what I weigh the 3rd. Hopefully get my ticker established at that point..Hopefully December Bandsters we will lose at least 500 lbs all together by a certain date. want to try?

Reply soon lets get a goal

tonijo

Scorpio - the needle they gave Karen (in my understanding) was for emergency unfills. It was given to her because there is a chance that an emergency room will not have the needle they need on hand... if she needs an unfill done immediately.

Come on everyone. I love ya. Lets keep things positive here :-)

This is our December home.

Denise -- Welcome! I am so glad to hear you are doing well. It doesnt necessarily get worse. You just feel swollen and stiff. Which is to be expected. No matter how bad you feel. Keep getting up and walking! It will make it all pass much more quickly.

SassyladyNplano -- YEAH!! You're back! glad to see you are doing well. Missed you!

My first fill is January 17th! Seems really soon, but my doctor says I am healing extremely quick. He thinks I will be more than ready in 3 weeks. WOW.

I wish my fills were that soon I will be envying u guys in Jan.

oh yeah the 500 lb challenge seems awesome

Welcom DeiselAngel! I was also banded on Dec 18 and our weight stats are very simaler. I was 284 but only posted 279 cause that is what I was when I started my preop diet.

Incisions....I had a bit of oozing from the big one. I have been using polysporin on them. It is working for me. I am a little concerned about the peroxide drying them out but what do I know! Trust your instincts.

Have a great day everyone!