lorena st

Dr Mitchell is great and the staff at SWLC work hard to make surgery a good experience. Dr Phil (aka Dr Mitchell) was recommended to me by my family doctor (she did her surgical residency with him) and said he is a very good surgeon. My family doctor was also really impressed with my post-surgical scars (she said Dr Phil did a very good job). I have seen him once since surgery and he is personable and answered all my questions. I will be seeing him next week for another follow-up and I look forward to the visit. I hope this answers your questions.

Cheers to becoming fit at 60! I too, hate the plus size stores and departments. There is nothing more discouraging than walking past a whole bunch of cute clothes and then heading to the schlumpy (is that a word?) department, for things that I might fit into. Actually there is one thing more discouraging and that is going into stores that do not carry anything above Size 14 and being relegated to the cheap jewelery racks. I am looking forward to going into regular stores and trying on regular clothes...I wonder what that will be like, as it has been at least 15 years since I did that. The best part, I will be able to take my daughters shopping and actually try on stuff, rather than looking at purses and shoes, while they have all the fun.

Only 1 week to go! Good luck with the surgery and I hope you get over the cough. You have done really well, with the pre-diet diet and the pre-surgery diet and your weight loss is great. Keep up the good work and enjoy your coffee-flavored protein shakes.

Thanks, no problem. As I said, keep asking questions, do your homework and then do what is right for you. You have struggled a long time with your weight issues and certainly have tried many other ways to lose the weight. Being a chef, makes watching your weight even more difficult. On another note, I enjoy food now, more than I did in the past...mainly because I actually taste and enjoy it! Last night we had a dinner party and I actually participated in the conversation, rather than spending my time eating...and yes, I ate a little bit of everything that was served (prime rib, twice baked potatoes, peas, small glass of wine and desert) and no one noticed my smaller portions, as I eat much more slowly than I did in the past. And I was down a pound on the scales this morning. I don't do this every day, but I'm back on my regular routine today, with no problem. So good luck and keep me posted on your progress.

No, you are not alone. At home, I am surrounded by skinny teenagers and a house full of junk food. I just ignore it. I am typing this while sitting next to a bowl full of chocolates! You are just out of surgery and your body and mind, still really craves this stuff and that might help explain your reactions. Just stick with the diet plan (protein+veg first, minor amounts of carbs) and in a few weeks you will be able to ignore the junk food. Good luck and I hope you have a better day.

Hi there. You sound frustrated at your lack of support from your parents concerning the lapband. As numerous others have stated, you can come to this forum for support. You said that your parents have "saved" you many times in the past, but this choice requires you to "save yourself". The lapband is not only a "tool", but it is a medically recognized procedure that can assist people to lose weight and maintain that weight loss. Yes, it is drastic...but having failed on many diets/exercise plans, it is often the choice of last resort. Your parents have been very supportive in the past and will likely be supportive, when they see that it works for you (just give them some time to get used to the idea). I am very much like the previous poster, Dibley Dawn, as to my eating habits. I have only been banded for one month, but the change in my attitude towards food is nothing short of miraculous. I don't think about food all of the time. I eat what I want to eat (Protein first, followed by veg, and if I'm still hungry a bit a carbs) but I can't eat very much (1-1.5 cups per meal). I haven't had a fill and I may not need one. I have lost 31 pounds to date and look forward to losing the remaining 89 pounds. Even more, I look forward to keeping that weight off. I do not regret making this decision, but I am very lucky that my doctor and husband were very supportive of me (I haven't told anyone else because I haven't wanted to experience what you have been going through...it just wouldn't have been helpful to me). Good luck with your pre-consults and surgery and keep asking questions. It's good to be informed and ultimately this is your decision.

Congrats! I took my daughter shopping at VS a few months ago and hoped that someday I would be able to buy something there....Maybe next year! Something else to look forward to.

I use a teaspoon of Benefibre in a glass of Water, one time per day. This keeps me regular as clockwork. Benefibre has no taste, no smell and does not thicken the water, so it is just like drinking a glass of water. You can mix this stuff with anything that you are drinking (juice, Protein shakes, coffee, tea) and it works. Just a note, I had to go the hospital route, described by mtzmom, and I am keen to avoid that ever happening again....so far, so good.

I am curious, but how much did you have to lose before anyone noticed? I am down 30 pounds as of today (89 pounds left to go)...but not one comment. Only my husband and doctors know about my surgery and I haven't told anyone that I am on a "diet". Is this unusual?

Good luck with your surgery. I was banded last month and I was scared too. I had second thoughts too, mainly about dying or the lapband not working and I have wasted money or is this too drastic a solution. But being obese just wasn't an option anymore and everything else I tried had failed. The first week post-surgery was rough, but I am feeling great now and losing weight (and the "diet" is just not that difficult to stick to, as I am not hungry and thinking of food all of the time). I don't regret it at all. Good luck and let me know how it goes.

Well I usually don't eat much...I'm not very hungry. And my constant thoughts of food have diminished considerabley (I hope they go away completely). This is a summary of what I have been eating and I have been losing about 3 pounds per week. Breakfast: 1 poached egg on toast or yogurt Snack: 1/2 banana Lunch: Mandarin orange and the rest of the banana Snack: 1/4 cup of nuts (only if I am really hungry) Dinner: 4 ounces of meat, 1/2 cup vegetable, 1/2 cup rice or potato (I rarely can eat all this, but I give it a try) Snack: 1 sugar free fudsicle or creamsicle Drinks: Water through the day (I don't like coffee or tea), sometimes a sugar free hot chocolate in the evening. Hope this helps.

I couldn't stand the protein shakes that I had to drink pre-op...so the second week post op I drank Jugo Juice protein shakes (Tropical Protein is wonderful). I could only drink about half of one at a time, but they really hit the spot and are very healthy as well. I would only drink a maximum of one of these Jugo Juice shakes per day and I also drank 1% milk (which has similar amounts of calories, carbs, fat and protein as the protein shakes without the gross taste, weird smell and texture). I would also make cream soups (milk plus pureed vegetables) for a change. Hope this helps...Good luck!

Sorry to hear you're suffering. I was banded on October 17, 2011. For the first three days after surgery I lived on a codeine based pain medication, gasex strips, water and apple juice. I had chest pains/gas pains and found that if I slept/rested in an inclined position, I felt better. After 3 days, I stopped taking the pain meds and gasex. For one month after surgery, my diaphram muscles hurt and I always seemed to be yawning or taking deep breaths (My surgeon said that was normal). That has finally stopped and I now feel normal again. This surgery really took away my energy for about a month, but I can happily say that I am now back to normal. I hope you feel better soon, but realize it may take a while for you to feel normal again. Good luck!

If you are severely constipated (impacted stool, painful, blocked up, unable to pass a stool, glycerin supositories don't solve the problem, feel you need to go but can't) then you need to see your doctor. This can be a serious condition if you let it go on for too long. This happened to me (and is related to the drastic change in your diet and the lack of fibre in the new diet), but your doctor can sort it out. If you are not at that stage, but are just not regular. Then, I found that a teaspoon of Benefibre in a glass of water, twice a day, has kept me regular as clockwork. Benefibre is colorless, has no taste, no odour and does not change the thickness of water...so it is just like drinking a glass of water. You can add Benefibre to any liquid that you are drinking and even the protein shakes. Good luck and I hope you sort this out.

Sorry to hear about the rashes...hopefully your doctor can sort that one out for you. I too, didn't have any trouble from the surgery and the incisions didn't hurt at all. But, where the bandaids were stuck, there were raw and sore spots. I just washed carefully and put polysporin on the red, raw patches and they healed up nicely. Beyond that, my favorite mushie food wasJugo Juice protein shakes (Tropical Mango was great). I could only drink about 1/2 of a shake, but they hit the spot. I really miss those, now that I am on solid food! Now that I am on solid foods, I can eat pretty much anything, but I can't eat a lot (about 1 cup per meal). I haven't had a fill yet, but I am steadily losing weight (about 3 pounds per week) and I am not hungry. I don't know what things will be like when/if I get a fill. Good luck with healing and try not to panic.

Constipation...leading to impacted stools (yuch!) Take your Benefibre daily!

What do these people think is "crazy"? The money spent, the risk of surgery to your health, the restrictive diet, not understanding the procedure....etc. I think I would ask people to define what they think is "crazy", then perhaps I would have a response. I haven't told anyone about my surgery, except my husband and doctors, in order to avoid these conversations. Perhaps when they notice me losing weight and asking more questions, I may or may not answer them. For me, this surgery is a tool not only to help me lose weight, but maintain that weight loss for the long term. I have tried many other ways of losing weight and have been successful on several of them. I have never been successful at maintaining the weight loss and have gained back all that I lost plus more. I think it is crazier to live like that than to find a tool that will help me maintain my weight loss and regain my health. The crazy diets and following weight gain are far more dangerous to my health (physical and mental) than this surgery and ultimately this is why I chose this route. I wish you luck in dealing with the "crazy" comments.

I had surgery a month ago and the first 3 days of the pre-surgery diet were awful...and the good news is, after I got through those early days, things settled down. I was dizzy, nauseous and miserable, but then I felt better. By the second week of the diet, the Protein shakes even started to taste okay. I mixed them with very cold Water and added crushed ice to the mix (then it was more like a milkshake). I think the major change in diet (from high carb/fat to low carb/fat) through me for a loop, but my body did get used to it. Good luck and I hope you feel better soon.

Ask your dad to define "normal"? I assume the normal way is to exercise and count calories. If you are like most people on this site, you have tried and failed (usually numerous times) at normal. As Cindy C stated earlier, yoyo dieting is very harmful to your physical, and I would add, mental health. At this point you are choosing to be healthy over normal. Perhaps in 6 months to a year, when you have successfully lost weight, your family will be more supportive of your choices. If not, you will have to wonder why they would prefer you to be obese and "normal".

My favorite mushie food was Jugo Juice protein shakes (I could only manage to drink half of one, which is about 170 calories). Tropical mango was the best! Low calorie, great taste and very healthy...who could ask for more.

Congrats on the weight loss! What a good idea to start a pre-diet, diet. I remember the first 3 days of the pre-surgery diet were miserable, because I was so hungry. You will hopefully avoid this. Dr. M will be very impressed with your committment and the weight loss!