Shelley64

It's always a good idea to get with your PCP and have this discussion. In the Fall of 2010, I went into my PCP for my annual exam, etc. and my fasting blood sugar was 176. On top of that, I was already on 20mg of blood pressure medicine and 40mg of cholesterol medication. That was the straw that broke the camels back. There was no way I was going to go on another pill because I was fat and unhealthy. I'd thought about lap band before but made up my mind that day to proceed. I made an appt with the bariatric clinic and got the ball rolling. My bmi was just under 40 but with my co-morbidities, I got aproved for surgery. On 1/11/11, I was banded. This was the best decision I ever made. I was a very slow loser before the band and I haven't set any speed records since but I'm literally a new person. My original weight at my very first bariatric appointment was 232. This morning, I weighed 175 on my scale at home. It's with a pound or two of my doc's scale. My last fasting blood sugar test was 97 and my A1c is in the normal range. My blood pressure medicine is now down to 5mg which my doctor is only keeping me on as a precaution. The bariatric nurse said it's a good idea. I tried going off my cholesterol medicine but my numbers went back up. I'm one of those genetic freaks that's just going to have high chol/trigs no matter what. HOWEVER, my numbers with medicine are lower than they ever were before my band. Pre-band, my chol never got under 220 even with medicine and now it's like 180. My Trigs are normal and my good/bad chol ratio is much improved. I'm fortunate that my insurance paid for surgery and I know thats not the case with everyone but it has made such a difference in my health and my future. My original weight goal was 145 but I think I'd be happy at 160. I'm losing 3-4 lbs a month and my bariatric doctor and pcp are thrilled with my results. I know that I added years onto my life by getting my blood sugar under control. Good luck to you moving forward!

I practiced not drinking with my meals a couple weeks before my liquid diet. I thought it was going to be really hard form me but it really wasn't. honestly, when I'm eating my meal, it doesn't take much to feel a little stuck if I swallow too quickly or take too big of a bite. If I were to try to drink something, it would literally come out my nose. I don't even put a beverage on the table because it's strictly habit to grab a glass during a meal. If it's not there, you don't miss it. If I'm in a restaurant, i don't even let them bring me water. If they insist, I move it out of reach. I used to love ice cold water or tea but I really don't even enjoy them that much anymore. I struggle to get even half of my water intake each day. I have to put a note on my computer at work to remind myself to drink during the day. Yikes...that reminds me.. ha ha. Keep working at it, it get's easier!

This is why I am so glad I didn't tell anyone other than my family that I was having lap band! People in general are very judgemental and can't stand it when someone else is successful. I figured that I'd probably lose slowly and no one would ever be the wiser when I started getting thinner and that has been the case. People who haven't seen me in a year, don't even recognize me. I changed my hair style and that mixed with the smaller body really throws them. I'm sorry your friends are not being more supportive....hopefully they'll come around when you are healthier and happier! Good Luck

My first piece of advice would be to get 2 lbs a week out of your head. Now, if you were ever able to lose 2 lbs a week in the past on any diet that you stuck to 100% of the time, you may lose that much per week now but I don't think it's realistic. Some weeks I don't lose at all and then I drop 3 or 4 lbs. You will drive yourself crazy if you start expecting to see the scale move when you want it to and you'll think the band has failed. Before you get some fills and get into the zone, I'd just let your body and mind catch up with each other. this is a journey.....you'll see that when you're out 6+ months. You'll learn more about yourself than you ever knew. When you're newly banded, you're all caught up in the "what can I have", "what can't I have stage" because it's new and it's all you think about which is perfectly normal. Everyone has to go through it....we've been focused on food for our whole lives so it's a big adjustment to not have it be the center of attention. Once you have a fill, I doubt if you'll be able to eat cereal in the am. I'd find a protein shake you like and plan on having that. Most people are tighter in the morning so liquid protein goes down the best and keeps you full/satisfied til lunch. you're probably going to need about 1000 calories to keep your metabolism fired up. At 600 cal's, you're body will fight you and try to hang onto every calorie. Good luck.

That is an awesome question and I hope lots of bandsters read and reply. What most bariatric patients don't know or aren't told is how/why the band works. There are a couple of sites out there that expain the true mechanics of the procedure and it's very interesting. When you eat and your food passes through the top part of your stomach where it leaves the esophagus, it stimulates a hormone to be produced telling your brain that you've eaten. It takes about 20 minutes foryour brain to get the message so... if you're slamming a bunch of food down super fast, you've already eaten way way too much by the time you get the stuffed feeling. That's the point of eating very slowly with the band. A meal should take at least 20 minutes. I've been banded over a year but I figured out pretty quick that "full" doesn't feel the same as it did before. When I would get full before the band, I was full down in my lower belly and would get a tight bloated feeling. With the band, the feeling is up high. I confused "stuck" with "full" for several months before I finally figured out I'd eaten enough. Sometimes I can eat more at one setting than another which is really strange. My doctor said that your stomach is a moving organ and the band can be tighter from one day to the next or one meal to another. I've had instances where I take 1 or 2 bites of my meal and I start getting the heavy saliva build up, gurgling, etc. It makes me mad because I know 2 bites isn't really a meal and won't keep me satisified for very long. It's usually because I ate too fast or took too big of a bite. I set it aside and then finish it later on when I feel hungry again. My meal size changes based on the time of day. In the am, a shake is all I can handle. I drink a premier nutrition shake from Costco. At lunch I have cottage cheese or tuna or salad w/some protein. I eat soup if I'm in a social setting because I rarely get stuck and don't ahve to worry about making a bathroom trip. I can eat a few crackers but not bread. Dinner is protein, green veggies. I can eat a little pasta but I have to be careful to eat super slow. I still struggle with night eating and since I'm not as tight late in the day, I can graze pretty easily so I have to really be focused and not let myself eat stupid stuff after dinner.

Cottage cheese, greek yogurt, ground turkey or chicken, lean ground beef.....there are many good protein choices out there. Try things, play with recipes, change things up from time to time so you don't get bored. You're doing great!

I haven't noticed anything regarding my cycle other than the fact that I still crave the salty/chocolate combination!!! The only time I notice not being able to eat is in the morning. I have to stick with a shake in the morning. I have heard of people that have trouble with a particular food but try it again months later and it's ok. Your actual stomach is a moving organ so as you lose weight, lose fluid, etc. the restriction can change. Have you read the book Band Wagon? It's a great book and covers lots of food questions. Good Luck to you!

I had my surgery on a Tuesday (1/11/11) and went back to work the following Tuesday. Monday was Martin Luther King Jr holiday so I took advantage of the extra day off Give yourself a week if you can. I didn't have a lot of pain after day 4 or so but I was kinda tired, had gas pains in my left shoulder and just didn't have a ton of energy. I have a sit down office job which is nice. Wouldn't want to do that if you had a real physical type job. Good Luck!

I personally don't think it's necessary. First of all, after a liquid diet for pre-surgery, most solid material has already been passed. I've never seen it listed as a pre-surgery suggestion on anything I've read.

I'm guessing Carney Wilson stretched out her pouch after bypass. Carney has food issues....period! She started a cupcake business for crying out loud! I hope she's successful with lap band but I hope she's not thinking it's another magic bullet. Weightloss occurs between your two ears and that's 99% of the battle.

I was at my doctors office yesterday and he had a student teacher with him. The subject of a slipped band came up and my doc told this "kid" (seriously, he looked 12 years old) that if he gets a band patient in the ER with pain, unable to keep anything down, etc. just pull all the fluid out. He said they keep it out for a few weeks and then start re-adding it a little at a time just like when you got your initial fills. This would be scary because we all worry about gaining the weight back. I wish you the very best of luck. you know the right amount to eat based on the restriction you had so just push ahead and make it mind over matter. You'll get through this and back to fluid in your band in no time!

The first week of my pre-op diet was hard but I got over it. However, I will never and I mean NEVER eat jello again!! By the time the surgery date came, I really didn't have that feeling of starvation. It really did pass as the time went by. I'm about 13 months out and I listen to my body a lot more than I ever did before. I still have food issues, I still have the desire to graze after dinner but for the most part, I eat when my stomach gets growly. Now, if I've had my protein shake at 9 and I'm planning lunch at 12:30 or so and I get a growl in between, I can drink some tea, water and crystal light and it goes away. I have noticed though that I'll wake up before my alarm goes off and my stomach is growling. That never happened before the band because I ate up til the time I went to bed so my stomach never really got empty! Head hunger is a whole different demon. I still struggle with that in the evenings as old habits die hard. It's a daily struggle but so much easier to control with the band. Sometime I literally have to have an out-loud converation with myself when I head to the kitchen after dinner when I know good and well I'm not hungry!

My doctor told me that excessive vomiting (wretching) can cause the band to slip. Definitly something I don't want to have happen. Also, I found out that if the band slips, it goes farther down on the stomach, not up around the esophagus. I would think the opposite. My doc said, when there is a slip, you can't keep your own spit down and it's usually quite painful. I think as long as we play by the rules, eat correctly, etc. we'll be fine.

You are the story that every dieter, lapbander or gastric bypass patient is in fear of. The fact that we'll slip back into our old ways and gain the weight back. You can eat around the band, you can eat around the bypass by grazing. It's something that we're all told, hopefully, by our surgeon or bariatric team but it boils down to our own ability to use the tool we paid for to help us eat less. You said this wasn't a magic bullet and you're right. You still have to work at making weightloss a success. We all know we shouldn't eat when we're not hungry but most people who have dieted their entire lives eat when we're not hungry. That's how we got to the size we are! I think you know how to be a success because you know that eating the whole pizza over 4 or 5 hours goes against the principle of the band. Weight loss occurs between your two ears. If your head isn't right, nothing else will work. We have to figure out why food is an issue for us and how to redirect that thought process. It's not easy! The sweets issue for me boils down to getting sugar and refined carbs out of my system. If I have an occassional cookie or sweet treat, it just make me want it more. They've proven that sugar makes you crave sugar. My advise.....go on a low carb program and make an appointment with a therapist. Nothing wrong with getting a little help!

I'm assuming you'll have a mushy stage before real solids. Cottage cheese, yogurt, creamy soup, applesauce, stuff like that. I didn't have any problems moving to mushies but you need to concentrate on eating slow, very slow...taking time between bites! Don't drink any liquids before or after you eat. Make this habit early and it will make things alot easier moving forward. good luck on your journey!

I would bet every bandster had these or have these thoughts go through their mind. I know I did. I didn't tell alot of people about my surgery for that very reason. I guess we all have a built in "failure" mechanism since we've failed at most other programs. You are right, the band is a tool and only a tool. They call this lab band deal a "journey" and it is exactly that. You will find out things about yourself that you never knew or wanted to admit before. Binge eating is a problem between your ears not your stomach. I cannot physically binge anymore because the band literally prevents it unless I was to end up in miserable discomfort. I've grazed with the best of them for one reason or another (boredom, my period, etc) but that's when you have to buck up and use common sense. In 14 months I've got way more control over myself than I had before but I still struggle. It's easier but you have to work at it. It's not a magic potion. If you have a qualified surgeon and everything with the band surgery goes according to plan, you allow yourself time to heal, you follow the rules to the letter, get fills when you're supposed to, follow up with your doctor's office/nurses even if you don't need a fill, you will have success. It may not be as fast as everyone else, but it will happen. I would stronly suggest 2 things....First, get and read the book "Bandwagon" by Jean McMillan. I wish I would have had it before surgery. Second, it's ok to get some counseling or attend a therapy group for overeaters. most of us have had food issues for a long time and that's how we ended up needing help. The band doesn't fix everything. you really have to work on your head and why you binge. I attend a bariatric group meeting every month or so and it's been very helpful. Good Luck to you!

I still have my coffee in the am. I've never been a soda fan which has made the band journey easier... most doctors don't want you to have the carbonation. I'm a huge fan of the premier nutrition protein shakes from Costco. 30 grams of protein and only 160 calories and 5 carbs. I drink one every morning. I've tried the special K water packets.....pretty tasty but not enough protein for me to really count it as a protein source. I need a liquid in the morning since I'm tighter then so the shakes work great for me. Sometimes, mid-morning, I'll have half of a chobani yogurt or some cottage cheese if I get hungry before lunch. Usually the shake holds me but some days I get a growly stomach before lunch. Some doctors are totally against coffee and I'm glad mine isn't. I love everything about coffee...the smell, the sound while it's brewing, the taste, etc. Now, I don't drink as much as I used to because my natural energy level is so much better now that I'm down 50 lbs. If I don't drink a cup, I get a headache. i choose to have the best single cup I can get my hands on. I've given up a lot of treats and splurges since being banded and it's been 100% worth it but I'm not giving up a good cup of coffee!

I had to fill out a sheet of my previous weight loss attempts. I don't remember now if that was just for the surgeon's office or if that went to BCBS. I wrote down every stupid diet I'd ever been on....low carb, low fat, weight watchers (more times than I could count), etc. Also, there were notes in my primary care physicians file that my weight had been a topic on numerous visits. My BMI was just under 40 but I had high blood pressure, high blood sugar and high cholesterol. I'm on BCBS Federal in Montana and they approved my surgery.

I'm tighter in the morning so eggs and stuff don't go down too well for me. I drink my premier nutrition shake (Costco) which has 30 grams of Protein. i like breakfast foods so on the weekends, I have my shake when I get up and then have a little omelette or some other type of egg dish more towards lunch time. Chobani greek yogurt has 14grams of protein so that's a good choice too. I just saw an ad on this site for unjury protein that has no taste. It says you can mix it with anything. That might be an option for you.

Wow, I can't believe you already have 6 cc's. Ok, you're only a little over 2 months into this process so don't get too worried. Concentrate on eating protein first in small slow bites. A meal should take you 20-30 minutes to eat. When food passes through the top part of your stomach where your band is, your body produces a hormone which sends your brain the message that you've eaten. Make sure you're not drinking 1/2 hour before or 1 hour after your meal. Keep your bad carbs to a minimum...stuff like bread, pasta, rice, potatoes (hard to eat anyway w/the band) and don't drink your calories. Be patient...you'll get there.

You're fine! This time is for healing and swelling to go down on the inside. I know it's easy to get in a rush but this is a journey......it takes a while to get through the phases to where your weight loss is steady. I had it all mapped out in my mind on what I thought was going to happen. I just assumed you started losing 1-2 lbs a week right off the bat. I got out my calendar and figured 1 lb this week, 2lbs that week, etc. Well, that didn't happen because it took a while to get my mind and body in the same gear. I lost 40 lbs the first year which was a month ago and now I'm down another 10 I'd say. Everyone is different so just stay the course and you'll get there! Good Luck

What a great success story! You're an inspiration to all of us..........Thanks for sharing!

Tell them you're taking time off. It's totally none of anybody's business and trust me, you will be judged for your decision to have wls by some of your co-workers. I had my surgery on 1/11/11 and as far as anyone knows, I just hung out at home, took my Christmas tree down, worked on some at-home projects, etc. My weight loss has been relatively slow so I didn't have any explaining to do in that department plus my work implemented a wellness program that everyone was excited about. I work with my sister so she's the only one that knows. I'm down almost 50 lbs in 13 months. I wouldn't have been able to pull that off if I'd had gastric bypass because the recovery time is longer and the weight loss is more drastic. With the band, I was only off a week and my weight loss is similiar to any other diet. I may tell everyone some day but for now, it's my little secret!!!

I'm assuming this news came from your primary care doctor?... I personally would find a bariatric center with a reputable lap band surgeon, go to a seminar, talk with the staff at the seminar to find out if you have to have a referral from your regular doctor. If you haven't been a patient of this doctor and there aren't any documented records of weight issues, diets, health problems, it's their duty to tell you to try it on your own with diet and exercise. Many people jump to WLS as a quick fix when it may not be the best choice at that moment. Now, if you've been with this doc a while and your diet history is well documented or if you have any health issues like blood pressure, pre-diabetes, I'd go right to the bariatric team and look at all your options. Your health ins co may require a pre-op diet before approving surgery so the quicker you act, the quicker you'll be on your way. WLS isn't for everyone, it's not a quick fix, it's still hard work to wrap your head around your relationship with food and how you're going to live long term with the band. Everyone refers to this process as a journey and once you're on the path, you'll understand why. It IS a journey. You learn more about yourself, both good and bad, than you've ever known. I was amazed on just how little food I actually need to lose weight, have energy and be happy. In 13 months, I've developed a completely different relationship with food but I still struggle, just not as much. At the beginning of this process, it's 24/7 focus on getting surgery, what to eat, what not to eat, liquid diet, mushies, exercise, food journals. It's all consuming. AFter you get into the process and your body and mind start to catch up with each other and you get into the swing of living with the band, the rest of your life starts to take focus again. It's a great journey and totally worth it!

Lounge/Pajama pants that are loose and comfortable Liquid tylenol (I too only used the liquid oxy? I got filled at the pharmacy for just the first 2-3 days), Protein shakes (costco premier nutrition are pre packaged, tasty and portable) Water cup (you'll probably get one at the hospital) Crossword puzzle book/Suduko, etc. Books/Magazines. I just felt groggy and tired when I got home from the hospital so I slept for the first 8 hrs or so. My husband checked on me every couple of hours and made me get up and walk around and get the blood flowing. Slow of course, but moving. The next morning, I felt ok but my belly was sore. I used the prescription pain medicine but very much in moderation. I was worried it would make me nasuaus and the LAST thing I wanted to do was throw up! I didn't cough or even clear my throat for 3 days! Sip your water, tea, crystal light...but stay hydrated. Good Luck!