tmw41

Hi Cheri! Dr. Spivak doesn't do his seminars anymore and seems like he is trying to get away from doing the band. He tried to talk me into the gastric sleeve when I first met with him and said the band would only be somewhat sucessful. He was a great surgeon but he doesn't offer any official support for aftercare. Not sure what he used to do. I was self pay and have 1 year follow up with him so I will go in for fills and such, but nothing more than that. I do love Brenda and have actually gotten more useful info as far as living with the band from her. I do wish he had been more supportive of the whole process, but I feel confident that he is one of the best surgeons, so the technical part of things I have no issue with. I also liked that I didn't have a pre-op diet and he wanted me to start eating soft food by the 3rd day after surgery. Learning how to actually eat healthy as soon as possible is what he drives home. Anyway I am glad I have you guys to get my support from! Tracy

Hi Sandy! I was just banded on April 4th by Dr. Spivak in Houston. Would love to keep in touch with you guys! Tracy

I have a magic bullet and it has worked wonders. I have been using it for the past several days to chop up meat and veggies into tiny pieces and it has been perfect for my soft/mushy stage. The bits are so small it easy to chew and get down. Very easy to get into almost a liquid state with the bits so small while I am chewing. The magic bullet is also nice because it isn't as big as a blender so it takes up less counter space. For the shakes, if I am at home blending in the magic bullet is great. For work I use a shaker cup as someone mentioned. You can get them at GNC, Wal-Mart etc... It is a12 oz cup with a little agitator ball, like a whisk in it which blends the powder nicely. Right now I use a fat free milk with mine so I just fill it to the 8 oz mark and carry that to work and put in the fridge there. I put my scoop of powder into a snack bag size baggie and add it to the milk whenever I am ready to have my shake.

I am 8 days Post-Op and for gas pains I was using the GasX strips but they really didn't help much. I have a friend that recently had the sleeve done tell me that for her using infant gas drops worked better than anything to get rid of gas pains,. I decided to give it a try and so far they work great. I put a couple dopplers full on my tongue and the gas typically goes away within minutes. I think the brand I am using is called Little Tummies, but it was the only infant gas drops I could find at the store. Anyway just thought I would pass that along in case it can help anyone.

I was banded yesterday, April 4th by Dr. Spivak at Park Plaza Hospital in Houston. All of the staff that I dealt with at Park Plaza over the course of the day was fantastic. They took really good care of me. This was my first ever surgery so I didn't know what to expect but I was surprisingly not as nervous as I thought I would be. Got there about 5:45am to be admitted. Glad we showed up a little early since by 6:00am the admitting area was getting really busy. After signing the paperwork we were taken up to the 5th floor day surgery area and I was given a room. Once there, the nurse had me change into my gown and gripper socks and give a urine sample for a pregnancy test. The nurse came back in a few minutes later to ask several questions as well as take my blood pressure and temp. She said it would be a few minutes before I was taken down to sugery so me and my husband just hung out in the room and watched a little TV. By 7:15 a wheelchair had arrived to take me down to surgey and my husband was shown to the OR waiting room. I was moved to a bed in the pre-surgey holding area. There were 5 or 6 other beds in there and we were separated by curtains so there was a lot of activity going on. At this point I was asked more questions by the nurse there. Verfiy your name, what procedure you having done, allergic reactions to meds etc... The anesthesiologist and his assistant came over, started my IV and went over everything that was going to happen to me. Both very freindly and calming. Dr. Spivak stopped by a couple minutes later to say hello and that we would be starting soon. I was given a sedative in my IV after he came by which hit pretty quick. I was still awake when I was rolled into the OR and had to move to the other table. I was strapped in, the mask was placed over my face and next thing I knew I was in recovery. When I woke up it was about 10:30 so I am guessing I had already been in there a while. I was pretty sore in recovery so they started the pain meds quickly which was nice. My throat was killing me from the tube but unfortunately there isn't anything that can be done about that. After a few minutes I was take back upstairs to my room and moved back into my bed in there. After about an hour or so I had to use the bathroom so I did that without any issues. I was in a good amount of pain but I spent the afternoon fading into and out of sleep. About 2:00 the nurse got me up to do a couple laps around the nurses station. I wasn't moving fast but I did it. I was done with everything I had to do in order to get released but we were waiting for Brenda from Dr. Spivak's office and the doctor to stop by. It was about this time Dr. Oz came on TV with his topic of the day being Lap Band. I thought that was pretty ironic, but good to watch. We finally left and headed home around 5:00. I could have gone home sooner but I asked for more pain meds before the drive home which puts me to sleep for a few minutes, so that kept us there a bit longer. The drive home wasn't too bad. We stopped by CVS to drop off my Loritab prescription and headed on to the house. I was in quite a bit of pain last night. Standing and walking were ok but sitting down was miserable. I am sure it was a combination of gas and the soreness from the incisions but I was hurting. I took a dose of Loritab before bed and slept pretty good. I was up about every 2 hours or so to use the bathroom so I switched between Tylenol liquid and the Loritab (every 4 hours) to keep my pain at bay. It worked pretty well as I was able to get myself out of and back into bed by myself during the night. I felt so much better this morning! I am still very sore, but I am able to move around much better and sit without too much pain. Taking a shower also helped big time to feel human again. I am looking forward to feeling a bit better each day. Anyway that is my surgery day story. Nothing too exciting and probably pretty standard.

Not sure what your fitness level is, but I love Leslie Sansone's walking DVD's. You can get anything from a 1 mile to a 5 mile workout and they work your whole body. She has 4 basic steps she uses so it doesn't require a whole lot of coordination or space. You can get them anywhere...from the Leslie Sansone website, Amazon, Target, Best Buy etc.. Tracy

I think Dr. Spivak just uses the lapbad. At least that is the only model I have seen floating around his office. I am being banded by him Monday morning! Tracy

Hello all! I am 41, married with 2 grown kids and 3 grandkids that all live out of town...(husband is 15 yrs older so I inherited all the kids and grandkids!) No children of my own, but we have 2 dogs that get treated better than most humans! I have had back problems since I was a teenager (and in shape) but that has been made worse by my weight gain over time. My breaking point to decide to do this has been pretty recent when both my back and my knees got so bad I could barely walk. It is such an embarrassment every day at work as I hobble down the hall to the ladies room, out to the parking lot, etc... I work with a bunch of fit people that work out multiple times daily, so I feel so judged most of the time. Whether they are actually judging me...who knows but that is how I feel. Some folks won't even look me in the eye anymore as they pass me in the hallway. I live in the Houston area and I am getting banded a week from today, April 4th by Dr. Spivak. I don't have any pre-op diet to follow but I have started replacing at least 1 meal a day with a protein shake more as a way to test out a few different brands/flavors. My husband is incredibly supportive as well as the few people I have told. I was so embarrassed that I let myself get into the position of neeeding surgery, but everyone I have told has been so supportive since it is obvious my weight is really beginning to take a toll on my body. I am having sugery on a Monday and my husband convinced me to take the entire week off so I could heal properly. Not an ideal way to spend vacation time, but I know it will be worth it in the long run! At this 10 seconds I am not nervous about the actual procedure, but I am really scared about everything that follows. Knowing that when I wake up in the recovery room, my life will be different is hard for me to get my hands around. I am ready to make this change, but if I am to be completely honest I am scared too. Don't get me wrong...I am excited too! I have never been a great fan of exercise, but since walking is so painful for me now I have to say I am looking forward to being able to move again. Just dropping 20-25 lbs will help in that respect. I don't think I will take being ABLE to exercise for granted again! I am tired of living in pain, having no clothes that fit, etc. I am looking forward to being able to shop somewhere other than Lane Bryant and Avenue. I have shopped there for so many years I cannot even begin to imagine what that will be like. Anyway, that is a little about me. It's been nice reading about everyone and I am looking forward to hearing about everybody's experiences as we all go thru this in the next few weeks.

How crazy is that! Hopefully I can give you guys a report back in a little over a week! Can't wait to hear which doctor you end up going with no mattter who you eventually choose. Thanks to both Trish and Cheri for all the support and advice. You guys are all great. Tracy

Yes, I will be at Park Plaza. I won't find out exactly what time I go in until next Friday. I am exciited and nervous at the same time, which I know is normal. I was told I won't go in for a fill, if needed, for 5 weeks and that I should feel restriction with just the band at first. I know a lot of people don't feel restriction at first, but I hope I do. I am ready for a change and in need of one regardless. The pain in my back and knees is ridiculous. I am more embarassed with each passing day at work when I get up and hobble down the hall to ladies room. I am trying to be really proactive with all of this. My husband is so supportive and has said he is going to eat whatever I do. I don't see him joining me in the super mushy or pureed versions of meals though! I have tried a couple Protein shakes to see which ones I like best. I know I only have to be on a liquid diet for a few days after surgery, but I figure I will need a protein boost for a while in addition to whatever I start eating. So far I like the unjury chocolate. My plans this weekend are to clean out and reorganize my pantry so I can see what I have, what I need and of course get rid of the junk that is in there as well. I bought 2 cookbooks with recipes and meal ideas specifically for WLS folks. I have been lurking on these boards for a couple weeks now and the nutrition information alone is SO overwhelming to me. Hopefully the cookbooks will help to make the soft food stage a little more interesting and just give me a little guidance for variety. I know I sound like a crazy person, but I just want to give myself the best shot at success from the beginning. OK...I am done. I am backing away from the keyboard! I do appreciate all of the feedback and support though!

I am being banded by Dr. Spivak in a little over a week, Monday April 4th. I am self pay as well and it has been an easy process thus far. I had done quite a bit of research and thought his credentials were excellent. He was very open and honest at my appointment, very easy to talk to. My husband still has a few questions for him so he feels comfortable with what to expect post-op with me and Dr. Spivak's office was more than happy to schedule another meeting with him this coming Tuesday, a few days before my sugery at no additional cost. Dr. Spivak does have 2 plans to choose from if you are self pay. $9900 with 3 follow up visits or $10,900 with a year of follow up. I have to say I am happy to hear the positive feedback on Dr. Spivak. I knew I made the right choice, but hearing such great feedback from people always helps!

I am getting banded April 4th and I am doing the same thing. I am trying out a few Protein Shakes to see which ones I like. So far my favorite has been unjury chocolate Slendor. I ordered a variety pack from them. The Vanilla was ok and I haven't tried the strawberry yet. So far I am just mixing mine with the lowest calorie/sugar fat free milk I can find. I haven't tried it with Water yet. For a change of pace I have tried the Jay Robb whey Protein Powder in Dreamsicle. Actually my husband wanted to try it! He found a fairly low cal/low sugar juice to mix it with and it is outstanding. Not something I would drink everyday just because the calories and sugar are higher than I want, but for a treat (as far protein shakes go) it is really really good, But so far I think I may just order from Unjury as the Chocolate Slendor was great and I am hoping the Strawberry will be just as good. The starter pack I bought also came with a chicken noodle Soup and an unflavored protein powder. I have not tried either of those yet. Anyway just what I have discovered so far.

I understand completely. When I went in for my consult my surgeon was pushing me toward the gastric sleeve. He said the band was typically not as successful if you have 100 or more pounds to lose, etc. I left the consult confused and a little upset, but at the same time I appreciated the honesty from him. That being said, I knew I didn't want anything right now as drastic as the sleeve or bypass, so I am now on the schedule for a lap band to be done on Monday, April 4th. I have seen so many success stories on this forum the past few weeks that I have been lurking. So I know if I put forth the effort with changing my eating habits and execrcise, I can be successful too. It won't be an overnight fix but I know I can do it.

I am set to have surgery Monday, April 4th. No pre-op diet to follow other than typical no food/drink after midnight the day of. I have been testing out a few Protein shakes since I know I will need them post-op and I have been pleased that they really do fill me up. More than I thought they would anyway! I have actually brought some Protein powder and fat free milk with me to work today to have for lunch. I am so tired of my clothes not fitting that I am going to start replacing some of my meals now. Anything will help at this point. Anyway...I am looking forward to chatting with you guys and hearing what is working or not working for everyone as we all go thru this journey.

Hello all. I just scheduled my surgery for Monday, April 4th and I am a bag of mixed emotions. I am glad I found this site. It was difficult to find real stories that were not just paid advertisements for various doctors. I know this will be a long journey with changes to my diet and lifestyle being key. I just have that nagging fear in the back of my head that this will be yet another epic fail. I am trying to block those thoughts out so I don't sabotage myself from the get-go but years of faliure are difficult to forget. Thankfully I have the support of my husband and the few people I have chosen to share my decision with. But honestly unless you have battled serious weight issues, no one will really ever understand all the emotions involved in a decision like this. Which I guess is why I have turned to this site for support. Anyway I just wanted to say hello and am looking forward to reading about everyone's successes and challenges that go along with getting banded. I know I will need the support as my date approaches. Thanks, tmw41