Corrigan

It's pretty much what the surgeon is used to. My dr. said they're just about equal in performance.

Amazon doesn't have anything? I'd be surprised if you feel like reading after surgery. They'll have you busy with hospital things. Good luck.

It's not all that bad, just do what they suggest and all will go well. The surgery isn't bad, the diets are a bit of work. If you take the weight loss part seriously, you can't help but be successful. Welcome and best of luck.

Congratulations, and it will be a new life!

Excess thirst is one of the major symptoms of diabetes.If you haven't been tested for it, you will. You're going to have to change many of your habits with WLS. It's a lot of work, I hope you're going through a series of classes to instruct you as to diet, vitamins and exercise. The band isn't a magic cure for weight loss. You'll get out of it, whatever you put into it. It isn't really hard, it just requires some discipline. I hope you do well, and we'll be here to help, if you need it.

We were told to drink plenty of water to overcome nausea. You can buy over the counter anti nausea medicine, but you'll probably be over it soon.

I think most people get better relief from hot packs applied to the shoulder.

Most doctors like to be responsible for their own work. Surgeons even more so. WLS done by one doctor is not very likely to be well recieved by another. If there is a life threatening problem, then that's different. Almost any surgeon skilled in that type of proceedure will help.

Don't worry too much about the Phych. eval., it's just to see if you're a real kook or want this for weird reasons. The physchiatrist will carry on a regular conversation with you, then OK your surgery.

You're doing well with your weight loss. I'm not a believer in increasing calories to increase weight loss, if you eat less calories, you'll lose more weight. You should be losing 1 to 3 lbs a week on average, some weeks more, some less. If you lose much more, it'll likely be muscle and we don't want that. If you go more than a month without any loss, you need to look at your caloric intake honestly. There are a lot of ideas about weight loss that have been going around for a long time about increasing caloric intake to increase weight loss, but there is no scientific evidence to support this, in fact just the opposite, glycogen uptake and use cause much of the gain and loss seen. Any animal will lose weight on insufficient food and gain on too much. As far as fills, I haven't had any fills yet, but that's largely just will power. If you can do it, great, but you have to be careful that you are able to control your hunger. It's very easy to give in and overeat, so it just depends on you, you will get hungrier with time. I hope you do what's right for you, good luck.

Emmajane read this short paragraph. It explains a little about the variance of weight loss: Our bodies use glycogen for short term energy storage. Glycogen is not very soluble, but it is stored in our muscles for quick energy -- one pound of glycogen requires 4 lbs of water to keep it soluble, and the average glycogen storage capacity is about 2 lbs. So, when you are not getting in enough food, your body turns first to stored glycogen, which is easy to break down for energy. And when you use up 2 lbs of glycogen, you also lose 8 lbs of water that was used to store the "easy" 10 lbs that most people lose in the first week of a diet. As you stay in caloric deficit, however, your body starts to realize that this is not a short term problem. You start mobilizing fat from your adipose tissue and burning fat for energy. But your body also realizes that fat can't be used for short bursts of energy so it starts converting some of the fat into glycogen, and rebuilding the glycogen stores. And as it puts back the 2 lbs of glycogen into the muscle, 8 lbs of water has to be stored with it to keep it soluble. So, even though you might still be LOSING energy content to your body, your weight will not go down or you might even GAIN for a while as you retain water to dissolve the glycogen that is being reformed and stored. I hope this helps.

That's about where the stoma is, and some surgeons put the port there so I guess it could be either.

I doubt it, there is a simple exercise called the 5 day pouch test that takes you through a easy trip, much like your post op diet, only in just 5 days and it's helped a number of people get back into their programs without much effort. You can find it on this site (look in search box) or on Google. Congratulations on your loss to date.

I doubt it, there is a simple exercise called the 5 day pouch test that takes you through an easy trip, much like your post op diet, only in just 5 days and it's helped a number of people get back into their programs without much effort. You can find it on this site (look in search box) or on Google. Congratulations on your loss to date.

Hi kerri, I think you made a wise choice. The band is the safest form of WLS, and as long as it's Performed by a skilled, experienced surgeon, you should have it, trouble free, for life. There are three Centers of Excellence in Houston that should guarantee a safe, trouble free surgery with classes that assure that you know all you need to make your surgery a success. If you look up BSCN on Google it'll give the names of the CoEs. Whatever you choose good luck, and come back if there's anything we can help you with.

I've heard all sorts of ideas, from walking a lot, to all the commercial products for gas, some say windmilling your arms (in the privacy of your own home), But the only real cure is time. In two or three days you should be feeling some relief. Lets hope so, anyway.

Here's an article I was given that helps explain temporary weight gain, loss and stalls: Our bodies use glycogen for short term energy storage. Glycogen is not very soluble, but it is stored in our muscles for quick energy -- one pound of glycogen requires 4 lbs of Water to keep it soluble, and the average glycogen storage capacity is about 2 lbs. So, when you are not getting in enough food, your body turns first to stored glycogen, which is easy to break down for energy. And when you use up 2 lbs of glycogen, you also lose 8 lbs of water that was used to store the "easy" 10 lbs that most people lose in the first week of a diet. As you stay in caloric deficit, however, your body starts to realize that this is not a short term problem. You start mobilizing fat from your adipose tissue and burning fat for energy. But your body also realizes that fat can't be used for short bursts of energy so it starts converting some of the fat into glycogen, and rebuilding the glycogen stores. And as it puts back the 2 lbs of glycogen into the muscle, 8 lbs of water has to be stored with it to keep it soluble. So, even though you might still be LOSING energy content to your body, your weight will not go down or you might even GAIN for a while as you retain water to dissolve the glycogen that is being reformed and stored. I hope this helps.

As it was explained to me, water, beside keeping your body hydrated, will regulate hunger and help prevent constipation. We were told to try to drink about 64 oz a day. Of course, how much you drink is up to you. After you're on solid foods, thirst should probably be your guide. Coffee and tea are diuretics, but you still get water from them and they count about half, depending on the strength, of their volume in water towards your total.

You should adjust your diet so that it is well balanced, and allows you to lose 11/2 to 2 lbs a week on average. If you are gaining or losing less, then you need to reduce your caloric intake.

I was directed to a CoE by my PCP. It was the most fortunate thing that has happened to me in a long time. The whole experience couldn't have been better. If you do go to a Center of Excellence, you'll know everything you need to make your surgery a brilliant success. Mine was a PPO and so far, no out of pocket expense. I hope you have as good luck as I did.

I guess I'm just lucky, I haven't had any fills and I don't seem to get very hungry between meals. I only tell you this to show that we're all different, that some people need 8 fills and some need none. Many people here haven't had a fill yet and all are still losing weight. As far as the amount you eat, that's up to you. If you want to lose weight bad enough, you'll regulate your intake so that you do. I know how difficult it can be, I had terrible hunger pangs for a month or more, then, gradually they went away and now I eat small meals at regular intervals and don't have much hunger between and what I do have, I can control. I know several people that do the same. The way you handle your eating is absolutely up to you and you'll get out of it what you put in. This probably seems a bit harsh, but it's not, just realistic. I hope you are successful and lose all the weight you want.

I guess you're going to have to start over. You'll do better tomorrow. It does get easier with practice, this is self deprivation. It's going to take a bit of will power and a bunch of determination. You have to take it one day at a time, like a recovering alcoholic. You're a recovering food junkie. If it gets to the point where you can't stand it, think about what you'll look like in a year if you make a success of this. If you follow your dietitian's instructions, you should lose about two pounds a week, on average.That's about 100 lbs in a year. Would that be worth drinking a cup of tea instead of eating a cookie? Everyone here has done it and we've all slipped once or twice, but you have to get back on the horse, and try again. you're the only one who really knows how badly you want this and whether you're willing to work for it (and it is work!). The rewards are worth it.

Some people say they love it, but I think it's just OK. It looks like round bird seed and probably tastes like it, too. It's pronounced 'keen-wa". You cook it like rice and to be fair, it can taste good, properly flavored. Even with just butter and garlic it's OK. Winco has it for a fair price and it's all over the internet for a little more.

I had the same problem, and finally said " why not" with the understanding that this would be it until I was 6 months out. So, every 6 months, I'll splurge and eat what I want, if I can.

What you don't see are the thousands of others that have had no problems. We all wish we could see 10 or 20 years in the future, but science isn't there yet. One thing to remember is that band technology and surgical skill have improved dramatically in the past few years. The band is still the safest form of weight loss surgery.