New to forum

Bren649 · May 10, 2008

Hi ~ I am new to this forum. I'm due to be banded on May 27th !! I am very nervous and excited! Any advice?? :tt1:

SherryW · May 11, 2008

Welcome Bren and congratulations on your surgery date. Ohhh there is lots of advice on this website..poke around a bit and feel free to ask. Best wishes with your upcoming surgery.

busterfang · May 11, 2008

I have had my band for about a month. Since the surgery, I have had no problems. I have been able to go off 6 medications (for Diabetes, high blood pressure, and acid reflux)! I am not yet back on regular food (still on a soft, mushy diet) but have had no hunger.

So here's my advice:

-- A good Protein is essential for success, I think.

-- Don't be afraid to quiz your doctor about any aspect of the procedure (before or after the surgery).

--Don't bend over or lift things for 3-4 weeks (you don't want the port to break loose from where it's stitched to the abdominal wall and flip over).

-- To follow the "don't bend over" advice, surround yourself with a good support system. Don't try to bend over and feed the dog, assign that job to a family member or a hire a neighbor kid to do it for you!

-- If you live alone, start getting rid of all the junk food (this doesn't mean eat it all!). If you live with others, sign them up to be your allies not enablers.

-- If you drink caffinated coffee or tea, switch to Decaf now.

-- If you drink soft drinks, start weaning yourself off of them now.

And finally, realize that you are doing this for you! If you read something on this site that sounds negative, it is what someone else went through and very well may never apply to your situation. So use this site as enlightenment but don't think of anyone elses postings as a guarantee of how easy or difficult your experience will be.

I can only speak for me -- I was estactic I did this.

--Bridget

BTTRFLI1432 · May 11, 2008

Advise None, Everyone Is So Different. But I Can Tell You My Experience So Far. I Started My Journey Jan 2 2008 With The Seminar, Feb 5 2008 First Appointment With My Surgeon And Completed All Of My Other Appointments By The End Of Feb...physc-nutritionist-cardiologist.....got A Surgery Date For April 4 And Was Then Denied With Ins But Approved Later. Surgery Was April 30 And It Hasn't Been Bad At All. I Was Going To Compare Everything Like My Gall Bladder Surgery That Way I Would Not Be Nervous. I Started Dieting Really Hard On April 7 And Went From 256 To 241 By Surgery Morning. I Had To Do Clear Liquids The Day Before Surgery. Surgery Wasn't To Bad But A Lot Worse Than My Gall Bladder Surgery. I Did Not Have Bad Gas Pain Which Was Great But I Started Eating Gas X Strips As Soon As I Got Home So That May Of Helped. I Was Really Sore In The Tummy Area For About 3 Or 4 Days And sleeping Was Bad Because I'm A Stomach Layer. The First 3 Or 4 Days Was Not Bad At All food Wise. I Ate 8 Or 9 Spoonfuls Of broth And I Felt Like A Ate A Thanksgiving dinner. I Would Also Eat Some Jello When I Knew It Was Time To Eat Again. By The First Week Post Op I Started Gettin A Little Hungry. My Doc Wanted To See Me On May 6 And I Was Down 11 Pounds...so Exciting....and They Scheleduled My Next Appointment For A Fill On June 10... I Am What 10 Or 11 Days Out And I Am Starting To Get Hungry...i Want More Than I Need I'm Sure...head Hunger I Guess...i Crave The Taste Of solid food In My Mouth Just To Chew And Taste But It Will Be So Worth It In The End. So My Only Advise I Guess Would Be Is To Do Exactly What The Doctor Tells You To

kathystrick · May 11, 2008

Welcome to LBT and congratutions on you surgery date! Look around on the site and you will find just about any information you could need. Good luck!!

edieparks · May 11, 2008

Bren,

Be very very excited. lol

I started walking 1/2 mile @ 6 weeks before my surgery. It would take me about 35 min . I had to walk very slowly because of my knees.

I suggest you start some sort of exercise for 30 minutes NOW. I used the time to think about me and what I was going to do to succeed.

Now I can walk 4 miles in 70 minutes. What a difference 100 lbs makes!

edie

AbelV · May 11, 2008

Hi Everyone!

I'm also new to the forum! I got Banded May 7th, at Wise Regional Hospital by Dr. Felts. He is great!! My pre-op weight was 292 lbs and as of this morning, I'm weighing in at 274, slowly but surely , weight is melting off!!

Anyway wanted to say Hello to everyone!!!

Abel