ElizabethAnne

Best wishes to you! You are wise to take charge of your life right now.

Glad you're back, Deb! Soon it will be your turn for surgery, and the next time you go to an amusement park, "fitting" on a ride won't be a concern!

I wish I was with you all at the post-op stage, but it's great to read about how well you are doing! You have much to celebrate! Thanks for sharing your stories.

I am at the pre-op stage, so I can't offer any personal experiences with the band. However, I have been researching weight loss surgery for almost three years, primarily because of my insurance requirements. For me, I've determined the band is by far the best tool out there to help me manage my weight, and that the complications associated with it are significantly less risky than my obesity is. My surgeon believes the band will work for me (he performs other types of weight loss surgeries as well), and although I do completely trust him, I still question almost every single day whether I am doing the right thing. I have accepted that I will likely have doubts until the anesthetic takes effect on my surgery day, but I have reached the point now where I just want to get it done and behind me; I am hopeful that this procedure will truly be life-altering and that I will finally be able to maintain a healthy weight instead of repeatedly yo-yoing up and down.

I remember someone posting on another forum that you can order it online at CVS. I checked and found this link: http://www.cvs.com/CVSApp/catalog/shop_product_detail.jsp?filterBy=&skuId=695051&productId=695051&navAction=jump&navCount=3#Prodtabdetail I am going to check at a nearby CVS store to see if they stock it.

Welcome to everyone who is new here! I think you'll find this is a terrific group of people who struggle with many of the same issues and want to help in any way they can. I have gained a wealth of knowledge from LBT and feel prepared for my surgery because of all of the individuals who have helped me here.

You're welcome. I appreciate learning about your experiences. The surgeon first told my husband this after completing the procedure, so I asked him to explain it during my follow-up visit a week later. It made sense to me as we had nearly perfectly weather for several consecutive days where I live.

What brand of the whey isolate powder do you recommend? Thanks!

I agree---not worth the calories for me.

I wish I was not obsessed with weighing daily. I weighed Monday morning before I went to the ER, then have been on the scales every morning since then. I have tried to not weigh-in but still find myself giving in and getting on the scales each morning. It would serve no purpose to ask a friend or family member to hide the scales from me because I would be relentless about replacing them. I know this isn't healthy, yet frankly, I am unwilling to work at it. I have read that people usually experience a weight gain after band surgery, so I fully expected to see a gain from my appendectomy and the bags of saline solution I received while I was hospitalized. However, I was not mentally prepared for an increase of 8.5 pounds. I think this increase is probably exacerbating my daily "need" to weigh: If I could somehow "see" even a slight decrease on the scales, then maybe I would accept that the gain is only temporary and consequently, would feel more in control. I didn't want to change my ticker today but decided I must face it, especially since I bought Easter candy last night and then again this morning at Walmart. My willpower has deserted me, and I have gone back to my old, candy-eating habits, consuming 530 calories in foiled-wrapped chocolate eggs prior to 9:30 this morning. If I hadn't temporarily removed myself from my chocolate-filled environment, I undoubtedly would have consumed even more, quite possibly the whole basket. My appetite has been completely out of control, but writing about these issues is therapeutic. I am going to grab a Greek yogurt from the refrigerator and work hard to get back on track by telling myself I need good nutrition so I will be as healthy as possible for my band surgery.

My nails are my own but painted. During my pre-op anesthetic appt, the nurse thought I had acrylic nails and said they were fine, but she cautioned me about painting them dark. I had on a hot pink color that day, which was more of a bright pink than a dark pink. The list she gave me that day also said "no dark nail polish." "Dark" didn't seem very well defined, and I didn't want to chance it, so the next time I selected a polish color, I chose a lighter shade of pink, which would hopefully have been fine for my surgery. I ended up postponing my surgery but I believe it would have worked. Last week, I needed emergency surgery and specifically asked about my nail polish since I was at a different hospital. I had used a gel polish, which is more complicated to remove and wanted to know what I needed to do. I was told that any shade of nail polish is fine, with the exception of black.

Hope you receive your approval soon!

Stephyanders, I can't get the "quote" button to work tonight but was wondering if you could answer some questions and/or explain some of the items on your "buy" list? 1. Sublingual B-12: My dietician never mentioned B-12. Is this a supplement everyone should use? If so, is the sublingual version better absorbed? 2. O-purity Band multivitamin or Centrum Chewables: I have been using the Centrum Chewables recently. Any advantages to the O-purity brand? 3. Calcium + Vit D & K chews: My dietician (trained by my surgeon) said to use calcium citrate for better absorption. When this was being discussed at a small group, pre-op meeting, my surgeon's NP said our surgeon didn't possess the belief that calcium citrate was better absorbed than calcium carbonate, which makes it very confusing. I bought the Costco type that you recommended at another time and find them good for the amount of calories. Have you ever been told that the citrate ones are better than the carbonate ones? 4. Chewable or dissolveable Iron supplement: When I had my appendectomy last week, I was told my iron was a tad low. I am going to get clarification on that at my follow-up appointment. Prior to that, my dietician said we would be informed after surgery if we needed iron. Does your surgeon routinely place patients on an iron supplement? If so, do you have a recommendation. 5. Liquid adult Tylenol: Did you use this? When I talked to my doctor's NP, she said I would be fine using the gel caps I typically used. The thought makes me nervous, but her personality is much different than mine. She goes by the try-it-so-you'll-know philosophy where I prefer cautiousness initially. 6. Probiotic Pearls: Could you please explain these? Stage One: 1. Pillow "chair": Do you mean the type that is used for reading in bed? Thank you for your help---your knowledge about nutrition/supplements is incredible!

My lap band surgery has been postponed and I am quite disappointed. My appendix ruptured last week so the delay was unavoidable. When I called to reschedule my band surgery, I was told that I first needed to be released by the surgeon who performed my appendectomy. If I understand correctly, that will likely happen 4-6 weeks from now if all goes well. Then I will have to wait another 6-8 weeks for my surgery appointment. I had hoped to reschedule the surgery appointment last week to avoid the wait after I am medically cleared, by unfortunately, that isn't the way it works. It is very unlikely that I will truly be a Springer, but if it's okay with you, I'd like to remain a part of this wonderful group. Though I have only been away for a relatively short time period, I have missed your posts and updates tremendously and look forward to reading and catching up.

That is wonderful news! Thanks for letting us know. FWIW, I am having the same trouble posting...

Julie and Judy, Sounds great---I will continue to be a Springer! Judy, I hadn't even thought about you being an "Autumner." Surprisingly, I'm not too down about my surgery delay. I trust God has a plan and am grateful the ruptured appendix was discovered 8 days in advance of my band surgery and not later. There was one thing I hadn't anticipated, though. For now, I had not planned to tell others about my band surgery. However, discussing one's medical record information in a small-town hospital where a thin partial curtain is the only thing separating one patient and his family from another gives privacy and WLS a different dimension. As the 60ish, examining ER doctor walked away from me, he commented that I "wasn't that big" and said I needed to "keep going on my own so that I could eat steak." I don't think he intended to be offensive and was instead just showing his ignorance of my medical history. However, he did say these comments in front of another patient and his wife with whom we were simply sharing room space. Throughout the day, as I moved from one diagnostic test to another and then on to pre-op, my upcoming band surgery would be questioned. No one was unprofessional, but rather seemed to be verifying the facts the ER doctor had written on my chart. Most times, there were others standing around within earshot, though I do understand this is the nature of a small hospital. Now, I feel like several people in my small community know I will be having weight loss surgery. My husband and son were the only two family members who knew about my surgery, so this isn't what I wanted. Though I can't repair the damage, I am trying to focus solely on the big picture, and I'm thankful to be having my band procedure done in the city, where there seems to be a greater commitment to confidentiality.

Julie, Congratulations! It's great to hear your procedure went smoothly and that you are now home and recovering! Your "very fat frog" description made me chuckle! I feel much the same way right now after my appendectomy. Strangely, I have had no gas at all. Various medical staff members told me prior to my dismissal from the hospital that the gas component of the recovery period would likely be the most challenging. This morning I was talking with my husband about it, wondering when I would start to experience the gas so I could mentally check that one off my list. He said my surgeon had told him that barometric pressure can affect how much discomfort one experiences from the gas. This is new information to me that I plan to ask about at my follow-up visit. Hope you continue to improve every single day!

Julie, I am having trouble posting this evening but am looking forward to reading about your surgery. It helps to know I am NOT alone, and that I am surrounded and supported by people on LBT who truly get it. But I am still frustrated with myself for repeatedly choosing the very same behaviors that have lead to my obesity multiple times throughout the years. Your cheerful posts always make me smile! Wish I liked the natural kind of eggs that provide good nutrition. I was able to walk one mile today and am so proud of myself for going the distance! One mile may not seem like very far, but it was a huge accomplishment for me today. All of the Easter treats I put together for others have now been delivered, so I should be able to control my environment better from this point on as long as I control my urges to become a middle-of-the-night Easter basket burglar...LOL

Welcome Kerry, Jennie, sumcrazyredhead, Lisa, Tracey, Stephanie, and Megan! Hope I didn't miss anyone. Thanks for posting---I enjoyed reading about your experiences and look forward to helping you in any way that I can. Stephanie, I appreciate all of the helpful information you have posted elsewhere on LBT. I have learned so much from you!

I thought it might be interesting to learn about the different types of diets being required before surgery. My program requirements paperwork indicates I will need to be on a 1400 calorie diet at least two weeks prior to my surgery. That sounds like a lot of calories to me, but I will get the full details this Wednesday. Today, I went to costco and bought some more Premier shakes. We do not live near a Costco, so I had planned to stock up for those post-surgery days when I will need to get 60 grams of Protein daily from a liquid diet. I was surprised to discover Costco now has both chocolate and vanilla available. The vanilla box was imprinted with "new and improved," so maybe that's why vanilla was unavailable the last time I shopped at Costco.

It's interesting to read how our pre-op diets vary. Have you decided if you are doing the protein shakes or the Medifast? Sounds like the timing of your pre-op diet is great, coming right after your birthday!

Hi Sandy, I'm a little afraid of failing, too, but the research shows most people who get the lap band are successful. Hopefully, all of us in the Springers group will have great success!

Thanks for all of the great ideas! No place in my town stocks Chobani, but I bought some at costco over the weekend. I put a packet of Splenda in it, and it tastes wonderful! I had thought about adding some Protein powder as well, so I appreciate knowing this isn't a good idea, TracieCat.

I'm glad you mentioned it to the nurse. Now you're good to go. It would be awful to arrive for your surgery and then have to postpone because of some hospital policy you didn't know about. I will be praying this turns out to be nothing.

Thanks, Christina! I was able to vote. I'm not sure what happened the first time---the lower portion of the page wasn't there. Please let us know how this turns out---good luck!