Who's out there? We don't have too long to wait!!!:clap2:

KaCee I'm from the Magnolia area. Have you always been in the Houston area? Lowrey is my married lastname.

Hello everyone -

I have a question that I have not seen anyone ask yet. I am going to St Francis Hospital for my band on the 22nd! Yay - BUT - our pre-op instructions were eliminate all white foods (i.e. milk, sugar, bread, potato, etc. This applies for the rest of our lives as well according to the Dr.'s diet. Now- I have been on my pre-op diet with 3 shakes a day (Champion brand, really good) and have done pretty well to date. I am currently down 10.6 ;bs since the start and need to get my little design going down below.

Ok getting chatty - my question is that I have been sustituting 1/2 water and 1/2 sugarfree soy milk with my shakes because it is lactose free and high in protein. Has anyone else done that? Without the soy milk, I don't think I would have been able to keep myself on the pre-op liquid diet.

I see a lot of you using milk, and I was told that it turns into sugar after ingested. Is this true? I LOVE milk and hated the thought of giving it up, but the end result is sooo worth it.

Thoughts?

Also - good luck to all of you on Monday! I am a complete believer in pain meds and have a huge bottle of liquid vicadin, some prescription gas medicine, and my liquid tylenol ready to go. I am also picking up some Isopure punch for my post surgery - Thank you so much for that info, whoever put that in the posts!:mad: http://www.LapBandTalk.com/images/smilies/smile.gif

I think you should do what your Dr. suggests unless you get a clarification which changes it...that said:

I was told to avoid white rice, pasta and breads as they don't contain enough fiber and can easily block the opening after banding. On my post-op liquid diet they specifically name skim milk as something I can use. They prefer we use the FF milk from Braum's as it is processed a bit differently than other milks and has a whopping 13 grams of protein in 8 oz./1 cup. It tastes better, too! Again, that's just what my Dr. advises. I hadn't heard about milk turning to sugar.

My .02 :-)

Michelle - Yes, I was raised here. Maybe we don't know each other. I could be just having a combination deja vu and senior moment. I don't know where Magnolia is...

Hi to all May Banders. I was banded on May 8. I have had a struggle with major depression since the surgery. Each day it seems to be lessening. I am on fluids....and in another week and half I can progress to semi solids. I feel full all the time...and am drinking all the time it seems. I am too starting to feel more energy , which I am so thankful for. Hope you are all doing well and keeping with the program. At this stage I feel I might live through this ordeal. Shar

Hi Everyone,

This is my day 5 and I can't believe how much better I feel. Almost no pain where my incisions are and I'm starting to feel like my old self again.

I found a wonderful dessert in our area that is wonderful. I didn't get an Ok from the Dr. but it is called Dr. Oetker's Mousse Supreme Light. You make it with 1 cup of skim milk and it makes 5 servings. It has only 1 gr. of sugar and 4 gr. of carbs.and 1 gr. of protein and only 45 calories. I used to make this when I went to Weight Watchers. It is as light as air. You can find it where the powdered SF jello and pudding packages are. I had the milk chocolate and it was great and they also have it in Dark Chocolate Truffle and I think vanilla. Make sure you get the "light" though. Hope all our you guys that were banded are doing well and good luck to everyone on Monday.

legster...

I am banding at st Francis on the 24th!!!

I'm not sure which doctor you are with. Mine is Dr Oh. He says no milk forever, but on the side (by the education person) I've been told that this is more because it will lead to other high sugar high fat foods. The by-pass patients can not eat milk...cause dumping syndrom, but banders can use skim milk, but must be aware of the sugars.

My nutritional educator said that soy milk is OK but there was only one brand that she knows of that is low in sugar, she said it tastes like old carpet. She said to use mocha mix in cereal, baking and such. ARe you on liquids or clear liquids. the soy milk would probably make a really good shake, but would not be a clear.

I am a milk lover too, and will probably drink skim milk eventually, after I reach my goal weight :mad: , but I think I'll avoid it for now so I don't hinder my weight loss.

What I've heard on potatoes is that the volume of the pouch is so small that it's better to fill it with more nutritional food, potatoes are basically sugar, and we tend to add those yummy fatty toppings.

Bread can clump in pouch and get stuck, and she said brown & wild rice are better than white. Now that I've recapped my nutrition class...

Do you live in the area...I'm in Tacoma

I hit 10# this AM too...a great start on greater things...congrats

Hi Shar,

I felt that way, a little depressed like you a day or so ago. I think I was

already mourning the foods that I can't have. And then I started remembering what everyone else has said who has come before us that we will be able to eat our favorite foods again, only in moderation. I also just wasn't feeling very good. I didn't notice when you were banded. Also once you start to see the scale moving in the right direction it will motivate you. Hope I helped a little, I am right there with you.

Maybe we were at the same nutrition class last monday??? I asked about the soy milk then.

I will be checking out as you check in. I also met some people at the nutrition class that are banding the same day as me.. Congrats on loosing the 10 lbs! How exciting. The nutritionist did mention that soy would be okay , as it has 9 grams of protein, 1 gram of sugar (the unsweetened one) and 80 calories per cup, but I only use about 3 oz of it so the actual intake is much lower and I am still within all the guidelines. Kind of confusing as she mentioned soy is ok and the office said no... As long as it is in the limits, I am loosing weight, and unless I get really hungry, I am feeling quite well.

Cutting out caffeine, wine and everthing else has given me so much more energy.

Keep me posted all of you out there on how you are doing with your pre and post ops. I had a teenage boy sleepover last night for my stepson and ordered them pizza. OK that was a little hard, but I made it through.

Are we never going to be able to enjoy food again? My belief is that this is a tool for my life to change both my behaviour and my body. Eventually I do hope to have some steak again and "regular food" but in moderation, smaller portions and smarter choices....

By the by, did anyone have any issues with taking the vitamins and too much iron? I sure did...

hi everyone, I made it through surgery but after posting my whole story on the Washington web site I have to go lay down now. I'll post later, just wanted to let you know I made it to the band side! Hope my band mates are doing well also. I'll catch up later you guys!

Hello all:

My surgery is next Friday the 25th and I'm getting REALLY nervous. My stomach is literally in knots to the point where I feel nausiated. It started last night. I know I've made the right decision but I've never had surgery before and don't know how my body will react to all of this. My dh asked me if I was nervous or excited this morning and I didn't know what to say. I have mixed feelings. Oh well, guess this will pass somehow.

I know exactly how you feel- hang in there! You will do great!

Congrats to all who have done so well this past week and month!

Getting ready for Monday- I have to be at the hospital by 6. Even though my doctor doesn't require it, I'm going to go on liquids tomorrow (day before surgery) to try to make the post-op gas pains easier.

Good luck to all who are getting banded this week!!!!

Hey guys I keep making the appointment and canceling because I am so scared. My bmi is 33 is that to low?

Marcia

Sue11:

I'm in Missouri with Dr. Edwards. I'm on day 6 post-op and doing full liquids for at least another 5 days. The shakes I use only need water added, so milk isn't an issue there. I also use the Advantedge Lo-Carb premixed drinks. Those go down nice and smooth after the procedure. I like all 3 flavors, too.

I've never been a milk drinker (well, since I grew up lol) but on this full liquid diet...and after 3 WEEKS of it *pulls hair* just about anything that is new and different on the list sounds good. :-) So I asked Hubby to take me to Braum's. They had some nice SF FF yogurts there also. I used the milk this morning to make some cream of asparagus soup. I thin sliced some fresh asparagus and steamed it, then added it to the blender along with a scoop of unflavored whey, a can of Campbell's 98% FF cream of celery soup and 1.5 Cups of the FF milk. It made 4 cups/servings that I'm just heating as I use. It was pretty good! I also put a scoop of vanilla flavored whey in a cup of milk and that was pretty tasty, too.

Good luck to you on the 24th! You'll do great! :-)

Marcia,

Are you cancelling the surgical appointment or the seminar/consultation appointment? If it's the latter, you should keep it.

First of all you need to talk to the surgeon. (Hopefully you've already discussed this with your primary care physician!) Many insurance companies want you to have a psych evaluation as well; I think that is useful even if not required. You need to look at all your options, really be honest with yourself as to where your weight is now, your history of weight loss/gain, how it effects your quality of life, where you think you will be 5 years from now without the surgery and with it. Remember, the band is a tool. It will still be hard work!

My BMI started at 42.1 and after my 6 month medically supervised diet, is now at 34.9. My PCP is all for me having the surgery and wrote a support letter on my behalf. But that is me!

Remember, according to BMI charts, a BMI of 30 or greater is Obese. Many insurance companies will approve patients with BMIs under 35 if they have a clinically significant co-morbidity and failed to respond to non-surgical methods of active management attempt for co-morbidities such as hypertension, coronary artery disease, esophageal reflux, etc.

Lap band surgery is not for everyone. Folks here will support whatever choice you make. You need to know all the pros and cons, and do what is best for YOU! Not the surgeon, not your family or friends. YOU and only you!

Keep us posted and ask lots of questions. Information is the key.

Best,

Margaret

okay, so I'm so upset right now that I'm crying....I was told that $16,691 on the day of surgery covered EVERYTHING, including a night in the hospital (which I did not use) and 6 fills. My surgeon told me that I would get money back if I didn't stay overnight, and I felt good enough to go home. I have $4,900 in medical bills sitting on my table right now. They either majorly lied to me, or they have the books screwed up. I don't have money just sitting around, so you understand why I am so upset. It really isn't fair that they expect me to pay before I even have the surgery, but when they owe me money, I can't even get them to really discuss it. Maybe I'll get some good news Monday. Just needed to vent...I feel better now.