Hey everyone! I hope you guys don't mind that I've started a new thread. I've been talking to Terri from Dr. B's office, and she wants to email all of Dr. Bagnato's patients about this website and this support chat that all of us Bagnato Bandsters have going on. She was really impressed by how we've been supporting each other and wants all of Dr. B's patients to be able to come here and get support.

I wanted the title of the thread to be clear and make sure everyone who was banded by Dr. Bagnato knows that they are welcome here, even if they don't live in Albany.

For anyone who is interested, we have formed a support group and have decided to meet once a month.

Our first group meeting will be Feb. 7th at Ruby Tuesday in Tifton, Ga at 6:00 pm. This meeting is basically just a "get to know each other" meeting. I hope to see all of you there!

Brina - Talk with the doctor. I'm sure they can keep you up to 23 hours and still be considered outpatient and no extra charge. Will that help? Good Luck and let us know how you do.

I have a question about the Sugar Busters diet....did everyone stick to it picture perfect? I've been doing low carb since January and have done okay on it, but for the last week, I've not stuck to the diet like I should. I guess it has been one "last meal" after another. Today is a new day and I'm going to stick to it for the week leading up to surgery, but I'm just wondering how much trouble I could be in for not sticking to the preop diet the last week?

allykat

it is Terri from the office.I know it is difficult to do with out sugar and starches but it is important for the surgery that you reduce your liver as much as possible. I for one am a sweet, starch and carb freak, so i do know the carvings but you will feel better and the size of your liver will shrink and the best part is you will lose weight even before the surgery. Hang in there and don't give in to temptation.....Terri

I have a question about the Sugar Busters diet....did everyone stick to it picture perfect? I've been doing low carb since January and have done okay on it, but for the last week, I've not stuck to the diet like I should. I guess it has been one "last meal" after another. Today is a new day and I'm going to stick to it for the week leading up to surgery, but I'm just wondering how much trouble I could be in for not sticking to the preop diet the last week?

I didn't cheat on my sugar busters diet at all- Frankly I was too terrified that he would get in there and not be able to do my surgery, and I'm self pay so that was just too much money to gamble with for me- that being said- there is nothing you can do about what you've already done- Just make the decision that you aren't going to do it anymore and stick to the diet. You will get your surgery and then be on your way! Since you've said you've been doing low carb since January- you are probably alright- but just be sure to stick to it from here on out- You don't have that much longer left and YOU CAN DO IT!! I kept telling myself 'its only for two weeks'- and that kept me in check. It's funny - but I did better on the pre-op diet than the post op- We all suck at dieting and sticking to them- or we wouldn't be having surgery- so just forgive yourself, and make a promise to stick to the plan until your surgery. Tell your head whatever it needs to help you stick to the plan- I'm finding out that my 'head' is more trouble than my stomach!

Thanks Terri and Mia. Yes, I know why I need to be sticking to the diet....and I was doing just fine since beginning low carb in January. But I think it got into my head that it was okay to just have one more taste of this or that...rolling eyes....

I'm getting back on track. But with everything else going through my head about having surgery (Will it go okay? Will I finally be successful?), I also started getting really worried that maybe I'd messed myself up for the surgery date. I honestly have not done that badly, but I've also not been 100% on track with how I need to be.

Thanks again!

I have been sticking with that diet 98% of the time. The other 2% was when I unintentionally consumed something that I was not supposed to. I had been munching along on my ready-made grilled chicken caesar salad. Praising myself for doing so well when I bit into a crouton. Mind you I had had like 50 gabillion of these salads. Then it dawned on me that croutons are little deceptive pieces of bread in disguise. I was eating chicken noodle Soup for a while..yeah.. and my mind managed to drown out the fact that noodles are Pasta.

Sigh.

was eating clam chowder. When I realized that those little white chunks were potatoes.

so again...98% of the time i have been sticking to it. however I am still so worried because I am not losing weight like I should. i asked how much weight people lost before surgery on this diet and someone said 10 lbs or so.

I have lost nowhere near that much. I will have been on the diet for two weeks before my surgery. I thought that healthy weight loss was 1-2 lbs per week. How the heck am i supposed to lose 10-15 lbs in two weeks???? :confused2:

The fact that I dont seem to be losing much makes me upset. Well that and the fact that my surgery is this monday. I spoke with one of the nurses in the office and stated that I have loss less than ten pounds. I would have rescheduled if I needed to but she said it was ok.

I more than a little scared about that.

Brina, they didn't mention anything to me at all about loosing weight before surgery, just that the diet was to shrink your liver. Did they tell you weight loss was necessary?

Like I said up there, I have been doing low carb for 2 months now, and I guess I just took a little break from it that went longer than I intended. I'm back in control now and will remain on the straight and narrow until surgery (and after!).

Here is a question - do we have to weigh in again the day of our surgery? I'm just curious. I've read where some doctors do this and some do not.

I don't know if we have to weigh in. I am hoping not. I don't think that weight loss was the main abjective of sugar buster's diet, but i am kinda using it as a measure of how well I have stuck to the diet. I keep reminding myself that I have only been in it for two weeks. however, i have deprived myself of so much stuff (ie. not a single smidge of chocolate on valentine's day) that I will hope that I have something to show for it.

I hope that something will be a smaller liver.

it would be torture to be on this diet for 2 months but at least I would feel as if I had enough time to accomplish something. i jsut hope that my liver is smaller because I have had almost no sugar or carbs for 2 weeks.

Hey everyone!

I think I may be having gallbladder attacks. I knew that obese people were at high risk for gallbladder problems, but I didn't know that rapid weight loss could cause it. I think I have had 2 gallbladder attacks. Both happened at night. The first one was a stabbing, cramping, sharp pain in my lower back that lasted about 30-45 minutes. The second one was a stabbing, sharp pain right under my ribcage on my right side and it lasted about 30 minutes. Has anyone had their gallbladder removed and were the attacks similar to mine? I posted about this in a couple of different places, but didn't get much of a response. Any information would be appreciated.

I am surprised nobody mentioned that gallbladder problems were sometimes a side effect of rapid weight lost to you during all the information insurance ppl have to go through- It usually occurs more to bypass people than lapbanders but I know several ppl on the board have had it happen- Call your primary care physician nurse and describe the pain you're having and tell her about your weightloss (lapband) and see if she thinks you need to come in- I think it will really save you alot of pain if you catch it early- they might be able to RX you something to ease the irritation and you might not have to have your GB removed. I know one girl I was talking to on the forum is taking prevention meds ( I never even knew that existed) So its something to check out. Hopefully you can get it figured out and not have to hurt anymore. It could a gall stone. The only real way to know is to go see your Dr and have some tests run. GOod luck and let us know how it goes...I hope they can figure out why you are having the pain and can eliminate it!!

I don't know if we have to weigh in. I am hoping not. I don't think that weight loss was the main abjective of sugar buster's diet, but i am kinda using it as a measure of how well I have stuck to the diet. I keep reminding myself that I have only been in it for two weeks. however, i have deprived myself of so much stuff (ie. not a single smidge of chocolate on valentine's day) that I will hope that I have something to show for it.

I hope that something will be a smaller liver.

it would be torture to be on this diet for 2 months but at least I would feel as if I had enough time to accomplish something. i jsut hope that my liver is smaller because I have had almost no sugar or carbs for 2 weeks.

Dr. Bagnato doesn't ask that you lose a certain amount of weight (I know because I was worried and called and asked too!) He just asks that you stick to the sugar busters diet so that your liver will shrink. At the hospital they did not weigh me either time before I had surgery. I lost about 15lbs on the sugar busters diet (according to my home scales) BUT my body was so used to eating fatty foods, high carb foods, sugar out the yazooo- that cutting it out, even for only two weeks sent it into shock and I lost a good bit of weight- Just keep in mind that although dieting sucks and we as fat ppl suck at it- this is necessary and is also going to set you up to the post-op diet which IMO is MUCH MUCH harder to stick to. At least it was for me- I REALLY sucked at following the post op diet- But just realize- if we could stick to ANY diet for the long run- we wouldn't be having lapband surgery right? So don't beat yourselves up about it- just take it minute to minute and try for that minute to stay on plan. If you get to craving those bad foods try something to get your mind off of it. It was really hard for me to stick to the sugar busters diet too. I won't lie. But I let fear be my motivation- maybe you gals can use that as morbid as that sounds- I would just ask myself- is that peice of bread worth him not being able to do my surgery and then I'd quickly say NOOOO WAAAY! We all struggle, I'm struggling now myself with not gaining until my next fill- Let's try to keep each other motivated!! We can do this!

Nice pep talk, Mia...thanks. I'm actually doing pretty good today. My DH called to take me out to lunch and we went to a Mexican place. All I know if my liver better be thanking me for sitting there with those chips in front of me and I didn't cheat! LOL!

Now answer the big questions....do we have to weigh-in the day of surgery?

Georgia girl, not experience with the gall bladder thing, but I agree...call your PCP. Can't hurt to check it out and make sure all is well.

Nice pep talk, Mia...thanks. I'm actually doing pretty good today. My DH called to take me out to lunch and we went to a Mexican place. All I know if my liver better be thanking me for sitting there with those chips in front of me and I didn't cheat! LOL!

Now answer the big questions....do we have to weigh-in the day of surgery?

Georgia girl, not experience with the gall bladder thing, but I agree...call your PCP. Can't hurt to check it out and make sure all is well.

Both times that I had surgery (lapband and my port revision) they DID NOT weigh me either time. The procedure's pre-op went pretty much the same each time- they call you back, you get changed into the lovely gown and socks with the bumps on the foot - the nurse comes in and does the IV and enters some things in the computer and then you wait for the OR people to come get you. THey will wheel you in your bed down to the pre-op waiting room and set you up with the anti-nausea Patches and give you something to relax you in your IV- the anesthesiologist comes around and talks to you and then you will see DR. Bagnato for a quick second and then you will be off to the OR- once they get the monitoring patches on you and get you on the table you will be knocked out and the next thing you know you'll be waking up in recovery. Anything else you have questions about? I Feel like a pro at this surgery stuff, lol...I graced the halls of palmyra medical two times in the same amount of weeks!!!

Thanks for the info guys, I called my family physician and he can see me next Wednesday. I've only had 2 episodes and they didn't last that long, compared to some I've heard about. I hope it's not gallbladder, I really don't want to have surgery again :tongue2:. I'll let you guys know what I hear from the doc and thanks again.

Georgia Girl! please dont rule out kidney stones. I had my gal bladder out 10 years ago and the other night i was awakened with severe pain that has never been so bad since my gal stones. They found a kidney stone and i am still in pain.

Just make sure you get it properly diagnosed!