I am going to my consultation on July 2nd. It has taken me a while to actually decide to meet with the surgeon. I am paying out of pocket and metting with him is $260! I just received the information they sent in the mail and I am getting pretty nervous about the surgery. I read something that says you souldn't eat shrimp or peanutbuter. The peanutbutter makes sense but these are my favorite foods. :think I am also really scared about the post-op diet. No solids for 4-6 weeks?!?!?! AHH I really hope I can make it. If I am having resevations about these seemingly little things, does that mean I shouldn't do the surgery? Any words of wisdom you might have would be helpful. :mad: Thanks for listening to my rant.:faint:

PandaBear,

I think your reservations are normal. Going 4-6 weeks with no solid foods is a pretty scary thought, well, it was before I got banded. Once you can eat solids, you can eat Peanut Butter, I do all the time with no problems. Shrimp is another story, it's a very individual thing. If it's cooked perfectly and not at all rubbery or tough I can usually eat it, though it has to be chewed very, very well to not cause a problem.

The post op diet for me was 4 weeks of liquids, which wasn't as bad as it could have been. The first week was great, I wasn't hungry at all, 1 oz of crystal light and I was full for an hour or two. After the swelling went down and I was hungrier, it was harder, doable but as you may see it referred to on here, I was in "bandster hell", no restriction but my full appetite. Again, doable, but it sucked. Others on here didn't have that problem and again, it's a very individual thing. My aunt was banded May 1st and didn't have bandster hell, she had no problem doing the four weeks of liquids.

The thought of not being able to eat what I wanted when I wanted and how much I wanted scared the crap out of me and I think we all have those doubts and reservations. But, the desire to be healthy and lets face it, thin, were pretty strong motivators for me. Especially when I developed some pretty serious health problems within the six months or so before I was banded. But, eating what I wanted, when I wanted and how much I wanted was what put me in that condition and got me up to 258 pounds. I have no regrets about having the band. I'm happy I did it and would do it again in a heartbeat.

Go to your consultation, read the posts on here, talk to your doctor and go from there! It's normal to be nervous and have second thoughts, you just have to figure out what is going to be the best thing for you.

Take care!