jen_1381

I'm one week out from surgery and honestly, I feel great. I thought I would have a tougher time not eating - I can't eat mushies until June 1st - but I'm really not feeling that hungry. Every now and then I get that stomach growl but I've been following the diet exactly, so I know that I'm getting adequate nutrition. I've been a little discouraged the past few days, before surgery I lost 21 lbs and since surgery I've gained back 3. I don't quite understand why - I'm living off liquids for goodness sakes! - but I know my body is just adjusting to everything and the losing will start once I'm healed. I weigh myself every morning, always have, but I think I need to give myself a break. I look at the scale, see that I've gained a pound or didn't lose any after my great eating the days before, and get a little angry. I follow up with the surgeon on the 30th, I think I'll just put the scale away until then. I know I'm doing everything right, so it will change...just have to be patient I guess!

My dietician recommended adding a splash of sugar free coffee syrup (like the Toranni) to the shakes if they get boring. I drink the Body Fortress and they're actually pretty good with skim milk. Vanilla with a splash of sugar free Carmel syrup will be dinner tonight

Diane, you are amazing. Thank you for the positive note. I was just banded on May 18th and I know I have a long road ahead, but I've fully embraced the accountability and responsibility that goes with the band. You have such a great attitude, and I wish you all the best!

I have concluded that the pain is residual air from the surgery. I checked with my surgeons assistant yesterday, reviewed everything I've done and how I'm doing it, and she said that I'm absolutely on track, it's just air pain trapped. I find that lying flat gets rid of it. Honk - I agree every surgeon seems to have a different post-op diet. I was directed to do the first two days of either Water or Protein shake, then advance to the full liquid diet for two weeks. The only non-liquid food the surgeon has on his plan is the non-fat greek yogurt, but it can't have seeds or chunks. The fat free greek yogurt seems to be pretty thin also - nearly the consistancy of the tomato soup. I feel better knowing that it's not pain from eating at all. I'm post op 6 days now and feel amazing. I actually felt hungry last night...but that could have just been smelling the chicken my husband was cooking Thank you all for your input and support!

I'm 4 days post-op from having Lap Band and a hiatial hernia repair. I've always felt I was really in-tune with my body, but now I'm at a loss! During the pre-op diet phase (my surgeon didn't require one, it was voluntary) I did a week of Protein shakes 2x a day then salad for dinner, then four days pre-op I went to skim milk only. I thought I learned how to recognize hunger vs. boredom, thirst, etc. Flash forward to yesterday: I'm post-op and spent the first two day sipping on Water and Protein drinks. I was honeslty not feeling one bit of hunger. Yesterday I came back to work, and hit the point of starting 2 weeks of full liquids. I had a Carnation Instant Breakfast before work, and about 5 ounces of Tomato Soup for lunch. After lunch I got this pain...it wasn't the chest fullness that I got the first few days that let me know I was "full". It's pain that radiates to my back, under my left shoulder blade. Last night I went home, took a nice hot shower then put an ice pack on my incisions and laid down for a while and felt much better. I had about 4 ounces of Greek Yogurt for dinner. This morning, I drank a Protein Drink and the pain started almost instantly. It's been constant; I've tried TUMS, water...the only relief I get is when I stand up and walk around. I'm following EVERY rule about eating/drinking. Slow sips, meals over 20-25 minutes, etc. I've had my gallbladder out last year so I know it's not that. Could it be residual air from the surgery, or is that indigestion, or am I full...or hungry?! My stomach growls and makes noises non-stop so I can't really tell if I feel hungry or not!!

With the pre-op diet (two weeks before surgery) I lost almost 20 lbs. I was excited, felt like things were moving right along. I had surgery on Friday the 18th and since then my weight has fluctuated 8 ounces back and forth. I'm eating next to nothing - I'm following the post-op diet plan (currently I'm on full liquids until June 1st). I'm not able to take in whole portions before feeling full. I'm walking daily, even more such since I started back to work 3 days ago. I know the weight just doesn't "fall off" after surgery, but I'm surprised that I'm stuck already! My incisions are still sore so I don't feel comfortable doing a lot of exercise right now. Did anyone else get stuck right after surgery? I really wanted to impress my surgeon when I see him next week for my follow-up!

Thank you all for the reassurance. I guess I just got that old panic feeling back like I used to when I would get on a good roll with a diet then stop losing. Maybe because I feel so much better already post-op, I just figure that my body is healed too. I kind of forget that my organs went through some trauma with the band and hernia repair I'll just continue to practice my patience and see how it turns out after a few more weeks.

Maybe I phrased it wrong - I wasn't meaning "stuck" as in - something stuck in my band. The scale is stuck...my body is stuck. I've lost my losing momentum.

IF you're going through insurance - it all depends on what weight they submit to the insurance company. I had to practically caudle my BMI to keep it above 35 until the surgeon submitted it to insurance, I was losing too much weight on the pre-op eating plan. Otherwise, it wouldn't hurt to pass it by the surgeon or his nurse, but the point of the pre-op diet is for you to lose weight. You're being a good patient in my opinion.

It's completely normal! I was so nervous (and I'm NOT the nervous type!) the day before I was ready to bag it all and cancel. It didn't help that I was waiting for the insurance company to overturn their denial. I had 10 minutes left before the deadline the hospital gave my doctor to confirm the surgery when the surgeon called and said he got it taken care of and surgery was on. I was COMPLETELY ready to cancel and never reschedule. I kept thinking - I can do this on my own! I'm doing great on the liquid diet losing weight, I can do this without surgery! Then, reality set it, and looked long and hard at my past failures and what got me to where I am today, and forged ahead with surgery. So far, I'm 4 days post-op, and no regrets at all.

I had my freak-out moment, but it didn't involve food. My insurance denied my surgery the day before it was scheduled to take place, and add in my nerves, I thought for SURE that it wasn't meant to be. The surgeon assured me he would talk to them and get it overturned, which he did right in the nick of time, but I was ready to bail. I thought - I've lost 14 lbs on the liquid diet - I can be successful on my own! But then reality hits and I realized that I wouldn't stick to the diet plan for good because why? I would be HUNGRY. I needed this tool to help control my hunger. I'm three days post op, down over 20 lbs since seeing the surgeon May 7th, and for the first time in YEARS, I felt full yesterday. I'm still on full liquids for two weeks, but about 4 ounces of Greek Yogurt and my body said "enough". I was elated! Just keep your goal in mind. Good luck to you!

I'm three days post op and the best thing I could tell you for after surgery, besides follow EVERYTHING your doctor says, is have a hot pack and an ice pack readily available. The hot pack to help with the gas/air pain, and the ice pack for the incisions and muscle pain. Remember, they're cutting through muscle to get to your stomach, and you're going to feel like you did 500 sit-ups the day or two post-op. Icing my insicions is just about the only way I'm able to comfortably sleep.

Ugh I'm in the same boat. Am I hungry or is that indigestion? Is that chest/back pain from being full, indigestion, or gas?! I always thought I was really in-tune with my body, but this band threw me for a curve!

Surgery was at noon today and I feel great! Man, it was a breeze. My surgeon was great, the anesthesiologist was amazing, and the whole staff was very nice. My husband got stuck with mandatory overtime and was completely distraught he couldn't be with me today, but my dad brought me and sister-in-law came after. Tonight, I'm only having some shoulder/back pain from the air. I can't even feel the band or the hiatial hernia repair they did. I can't believe I was so scared yesterday I wanted to cancel! Good thing I put on my Big Girl Panties today when I woke up So this is it...here I go! First post-op is on May 30th, I can't wait to show my doctor what progress I will make.

I'm two days post-op and I'm actually surprised at how good I feel. It feels like I did about 500 sit-ups, my stomach is pretty sore, but other than that I feel great. I haven't felt one bit of hunger. I spent the first afternoon and full post-op day 1 sipping a protein drink and water, then today started in following the two weeks of liquids menu my surgeon/dietician gave me. Breakfast called for 8 ounces of Greek Yogurt. I got about 4 ounces in and felt full. It was an amazing feeling! Before the band I would NEVER feel full. It was a different feeling - it was more in my chest than my stomach, but I felt the signal and at the first sign I knew to stop. I'm comitted to being a good bandster, so I'm following the rules to a T. Tomorrow I'm set to go back to work and I think I'll be fine. The surgeon said as long as I felt okay, going back 3 days post-op would be okay. My post-op appointment is May 30th and this morning I weighed in at 222.4. I would love nothing more to be in the 215ish range when I see the surgeon, so it's time to step up the exercise.

Surgery was at noon today and I feel great! Man, it was a breeze. My surgeon was great, the anesthesiologist was amazing, and the whole staff was very nice. My husband got stuck with mandatory overtime and was completely distraught he couldn't be with me today, but my dad brought me and sister-in-law came after. Tonight, I'm only having some shoulder/back pain from the air. I can't even feel the band or the hiatial hernia repair they did. I can't believe I was so scared yesterday I wanted to cancel! Good thing I put on my Big Girl Panties today when I woke up So this is it...here I go! First post-op is on May 30th, I can't wait to show my doctor what progress I will make.

I had surgery today at noon! I also had a surprise hiatial hernia repair. I feel great tonight. Recovery was a breeze, I have a little discomfort from the air they used...my back and shoulders could feel better but so far I'm happy! Good luck to you on your journey!!

Today is surgery day! I'm excited but also a little nervous. I've had surgery before - a lot - so I know I'll do fine, I have a very high pain tolerance, so I'm not worried about that...just nerves. I started out this journey on March 1st with the decision to have the surgery. At that time, I weighed 243 pounds. My heaviest, although I teetered around there for about 6 months. I had to keep my weight stable to keep my BMI high enough for insurance to qualify me. After seeing the surgeon May 7th I weighed 239.8. We scheduled surgery and he cleared me to start the pre-op diet (only if I wanted to - he said it wasn't necessary because of my boarderline BMI). I chose to, and today I weighed in at 223.3 lbs. Two months into my journey, 20 lbs down. I feel like I'm off to a good start! So here goes nothing...I can't say it's the first day to the rest of my life because I feel like this whole process has changed me so much already. I've learned so much about myself in the past 9 weeks, it's amazing. I feel like a whole new person already.

I am two days away from getting banded and got the call this morning that insurance denied me! I'm so frustrated. We had gotten pre approval but when the surgeon submitted info he didn't put down I had I uncontrolled hypertension, just plain hypertension so they denied me!! He was granted an emergency review and was promised a conference call by 9 AM tomorrow but if they say no again, I have to appeal which can take weeks. I'm SO close and now everything is all messed up! They said the surgeon will plead my case and do his best so fingers crossed.

We had a noon deadline and at 11:50 they came through with the approval!! So it looks like tomorrow at 11:30 I will become a bandster. . Very excited!!

I'm currently struggling with the whole co-morbidity/BMI issue. Apparently, my insurance decided at final approval time (today) that my hypertension didn't count since it wasn't submitted as "uncontrolled hypertension". I got pre-approved based on having HTN, high cholesterol, and a BMI of 37. Since I started the pre-op diet plan the day after seeing the surgeon, and have lost 15 lbs, my BMI will no longer qualify for the surgery. So, fingers crossed that my surgeon can get the decision overturned (he's working on that today) and we'll have an answer by 9 AM tomorrow, because my surgery is scheduled for 11 AM Friday!! Otherwise, we have to appeal which will take weeks and force me to gain back all the weight I lost to qualify, and I just don't think I want to do that.

It's just frustrating that in the beginning, they were very basic. Two comorbidities, BMI of 35, good to go. The WLS Coordinator got it all in writing (thankfully) so they have another arguing point, but now they say the comorbidities have to be uncontrolled by medication. Thankfully (which is so odd to think!) my BP hasn't responded to medication as well as it should and has been high since I was 15. If I have to wait, then I have to wait, I get that...if it's one thing this process has taught me is patience. I've learned SO MUCH about nutrition, exercise, and what I need to do to be successful. It won't be the end of the world if they deny me, but this tool would be so useful in helping me reach my goal. If they appeal it, and I have to wait weeks, I'll have to put back on about 15 pounds to get my BMI back up into qualifying range which will be the only truly frustrating part about it all.

My first thought - you said you were in the hospital for pneumonia and breathing treatments - most likely they had you on steriods to help your lungs. Steroids can greatly raise your blood sugar. Do you feel like you have any symptoms of diabetes? I know there is a huge debate on whether "pre-diabetes" even exists among doctors, most believe that you either are or aren't. It will be interesting to see what your A1C is.

I'm pre-op (until Friday - yay!) and I've done Insanity at my highest weight of 240. Now, I'm sure I didn't look like Sean T, but I did put out all of my effort and kept up for the most part. I was EXHAUSTED at the end but also felt great afterwards. They say you need to have *some* athletic ability, but it's great to plug in and work along with. If you stick with it, by the third or fourth week you'll be keeping up much better. I love Insanity.

I don't know that I've ever felt so prepared for anything in my life. Mentally, emotionally, even physically. My surgery is in 4 short days. I started the Pre-Op diet 6 days ago and have lost over 11 lbs so far. Seeing the way my body is responding is making me feel very positive! I know I will hit plateaus, but for now, I'm going to keep plugging along. The past week I've started easing up on myself. I'm VERY Type A. My house is ALWAYS spotless, as is my car, husbands truck, my work desk, you get the idea. I decided that I needed to just stop. I needed to let myself sit still and relax and NOT eat while I tried. Before, if I was forced to sit still and say, watch a TV show with my husband, I would grab something to snack on so I could keep my hands busy. I've forced myself to change. I picked up my Kindle, downloaded some amazing books, and have spent hours upon hours reading. It's made the Pre-Op Diet go by so much better! I set aside a few hours Sunday morning to whip through the house and do a deep clean (thankfully, my husband is so good at keeping the house going during the week) and wash my car, but that was about it. Otherwise, I was playing with the dogs or just simply relaxing, something I haven't honestly done in a very long time. Let me tell you, it was AMAZING. Mentally, I feel so much better! I know it sounds super corny, but I finally have this sense of inner calmness. I know that the house won't fall apart if I don't vacuum every day. I know that the world won't stop if I take time for myself. After trying it, and seeing it succeed, I feel SO much more prepared for surgery.