DollyRose

I hope it got better for you and I just realized that this was your pre-op diet, not post-op diet. For those that may be on their pre-op diet, everyone here has had some sort of pre-op, two weeks of nothing but liquid or liquid and all the non-starchy vegetables you can eat, or perhaps just an intestinal cleaning just hours prior to surgery. I'm a bit concerned about the doctors that don't have a two week diet plan as this will help reduce the amount of fat stored in your liver. The other side effect is weight loss which will be much more beneficial to the patient during and after surgery. Fat cells (adipose tissue) like to hang on to every little thing that floats by (gasses, anesthesia, junk like that) and they are not the best at turning that junk lose. The less crap hanging around in fat cells, the easier it will be for you to recover from surgery. The other added benefit to shrinking fat cells (which BTW, never go away, they shrink but never go away without the aid of liposuction) is that the lower lobe of the liver needs to be moved up and to the right for the band to be placed. Now I don't know about you but my liver is very happy just hanging out where it has always been, the less the surgeon has to move, the better off you will be. The other thing I want to bring up is this: once a cheater, always a cheater. The lap-band is a TOOL for weight loss, not the end-all be-all answer for weight loss (like all those crappy commercials on TV, take this pill, lose weight without trying, bullshit). For two weeks after surgery, most folks are on full liquid diets, some of those folks will find away to make cheetos into a liquid. Anyone thinking lap-band is a walk in the park is way wrong, you have to work at this, you have to be honest with yourself, and you have to really watch what you eat and how you eat.

Great idea! I'll give the parmesan cheese a try as beef and chicken broth get a bit boring and the cheese may help to bind up the worst case of squirts :faint:I've ever had (sorry if that was a visual you didn't need).

ahyup! Some folks simply will not drink water, I see this in the ER all the time. Crystal light or your store brand added to water counts as water input. I think Crystal light makes a super hydration mix now...

Get yourself down to the local Asian market and buy some miso paste, add that to your broths and that should help to hold off the hunger. I've dined on sugar free pudding and Jello, miso Soup (strained), hot and sour soup (strained), low sugar fat free yogurt, beef broth (add a TBS of miso paste) and I am full all of the time. I should be getting 30 grams of Protein a day and I'm lucky if I get 15... DollyRose

I was banded on Monday (7-2-07) and still in pain. Not so much the incision sites, my back hurts and so does my chest. I've had NV episodes for the past three days and that mostly comes when I've been out and about too long and haven't taken along enough slim fast or Water. Tomorrow, I am doing nothing but loping the recliner! Perhaps the pain will subside... I probably didn't need to go to the Harley dealership today DollyRose --> 10 pounds lighter today!

Just a quick question for those of you that are horse owners... how long after banding were you able to get back in the saddle and ride? DollyRose 'still waiting on Cigna determination' :bored

Thanks for the input! I realize everyone is different, I just sort of wanted a general time frame. I haven't been on any of my horses in a few years. Not because I am too heavy for the horse, I am totally uncomfortable in my fat! DollyRose

I was wondering if anyone has tried the Protein Water from special K... I picked up the lemon twist and it is pretty darn good. Why not try your unjury protein with a flavored water? DollyRose... waiting on Cigna determination

Actually, anemia can be caused by any number of issues. Microcytic anemia, an iron deficiency anemia is the most common. The red blood cells are smaller (micro) and paler (hypochromic) than normal. Iron deficiency anemia can be caused by insufficient intake or absorption of iron to replace natural losses (your period for instance) or through illness (say, a gastric bleed or parasite infestation). A normal healthy adult has enough B-12 stores to keep you out of the anemic zone for many, many years and it would take probably 4 years of an iron deficient diet alone to create iron deficiency anemia from diet alone. Iron (Fe on the table of elements) is best absorbed when taken with sources of Vitamin C. So, if you are worried about your iron levels, have a few slices of an orange or tomato with your meals. There are foods that inhibit Fe absorption; coffee, tea, chocolate (not fair!), and red wine, just to name a few... DollyRose Can you tell I'm a nursing student?

OMG that is the best and the funniest reply I've ever heard! Bravo to you and your wife! :clap2: Don't ya just love it when folks turn into to targets... DollyRose

How right you are! Those that help themselves are the successful people, those that depend on and demand help from others are usually the failures. Oh how I wish I could get someone else to pay for this surgery! I am ready and willing to take money out of my retirement fund for this and just waiting for one last ditch effort to see if the lovely folks at Cigna will find it in their hearts to pay for at least some of this... and in a timely fashion. I have been overweight for 20+ years and have been on every healthy diet that has come down the pike, even tried phentermine for 4 months, any weight lost is now back... like 6 more months on yet another diet is going to make a dent! DollyRose

Unfortunately, many do not need to hit the 800# mark... and, insurance companies do not accept "call me weak" as an excuse and many, many doctors will not sign their name under "medically necessary." I think some of these pts just give up... DollyRose There are days that I think all of my excess weight is stuffed in my bra! I look at my profile and wonder how long it takes for my butt to enter a room after my boobs get there

Same here. I am not considered a binge eater, portion control is my issue. My BMI is 41 so I am considered MO, I need a life long tool that will remind me that more is always better. DollyRose

My last straw comes about every weekend... I work in the ER weekend nights and without fail, every weekend, a woman comes in that just happens to be at least 200# over weight, is diabetic, and having chest pain and/or abdominal pain. Well, to rule out urinary track infections, we need a clean catch urine sample to culture. Ever try to get a clean catch from a woman that cannot wash between her legs? Have you ever smelled someone that cannot adequately wash under skin folds? Try straight cathing that woman! I have a very tollerable stomach, but that body yeast just does me in! And like a previous post, I thought, "my gosh, how in the world does someone get like this?" and then I took a good look at my self :help: These women were first 20#, then 45#, then 200#+ over weight... big ol' damn 1000watt lightbulb lit up! DollyRose

dang... I had an appointment with Dr. K May 15 for surgery. As I was having an internal discussion with myself trying to figure out how to tell Dr. C's office here that I was going with another Dr. and to thank them for all the hard work they have gone through, Dr. C's office called. They want to have more visit notes from my PCP and they want to try the insurance company again. So, I've posponed my appts. with Dr. K... Here is my question: have any of you penned a letter to your insurance company discussing the reasons why you feel it is important to have this surgery? I am a nursing student, I know how to research, and I am pretty good at putting thoughts to paper, I was wondering if this would help? DollyRose

My banding date is May 15th and I can hardly wait! DollyRose

Hey, even the strongest people fall off the wagon from time to time. It doesn't matter if your addiction is alcohol, drugs, shopping, or food. I think you have made the most important step, realizing what you are doing that causes you not to lose weight! Hey, just about everything you put in your mouth will eventually turn to mush, decide what you can do without and then don't buy it. Once you get over that item, move on to the next. My weakness is bread, sourdough bread, and crackers. The last day I shove a piece of bread or a cracker in my mouth will be April 26th. I have a consult with Dr. K and that will be the day I pull the $$$ out of my retirement account to pay for the surgery and the day I start my pre-op diet. I simply will not put bread or crackers in my shopping cart. Ha, simply, yeah, right! It won't be easy and I can tell you right now that there will be more than once that I pick up a box of wheat thins and then put it right back on the shelf, I'll be thinking of my health and how much better I will feel getting back on my show horses while fighting a cracker. Nobody ever said weight loss was easy, well, nobody overweight said it was easy... put on your boxing gloves and smack down that piece of chocolate! DollyRose

I agree, 100% about "no, this is rediculous", suicide is a very serious issue and should not be taken lightly. I have been dealing with depression for several years and much of it has to do with my obesity but I have never thought about suicide, the fact that I am hauling around 120 excess pounds is a death sentence in itself. I think what is causing the depression for me is the fact that I have been successful at everything I have attempted except weight loss. The word 'try' is not even in my vocabulary because I believe the word implies failure, at least until I discuss weight loss. DollyRose

I have been emailing Marilyn at Dr. K's office regarding surgery and I have a date! WooHoo! :clap2: May 15th, my consult with Dr. K is April 26th. After being turned down by my health insurance (Cigna) who wanted more acrobatics through hoops, this is such great news for me. I am so thankful that Dr. K has made this surgery more affordable for the self-pay group and those who aren't sure if they want to travel to Mexico. DollyRose

Hi all! I am currently looking for lap-band options (read: most cost effective) and doctors. I have read your posts on Dr. K in Denver and I am quite impressed with what you all have said. I may give him a call this week! DollyRose :sick of insurance company :censored:

I'm not from Colorado either but I will be there next month! Banding surgery scheduled for May 15th! :clap2: DollyRose

I've had about three of those moments... first moment - my family doctor, I was asking him about lap-band surgery and if he had had any patients with lap-bands. His reply was, "you know, your only problem is you need to spend some time with a psych doctor and learn self control." That was the last time I went to him for help. second moment - first semester back to school since graduating in '74, a fellow student said, "dude, those are the biggest boobs I have ever seen!" I wanted to crawl under the table, :faint: third moment - my mom, of all people! "You aren't going to be able to market yourself as fat as you are." Meaning, 'why are you going to nursing school, you are too fat.' Some people, no matter who they are, just don't get that obesity is not a choice. DollyRose

oooohhh... as with any weight loss program, including banding, you are bound to experience times where the weight just doesn't move, period. You might not be eating enough calories or too many, you might be eating the wrong calories, and you might have to add 10 or 15 more minutes to your exercise plan, or you may be increasing muscle mass AND losing weight. You did not say if you have gained weight, so I am going to assume you haven't, and that is something to be proud of! Don't get down in the dumps! Nothing is wrong with you, just step back and take a close look at what your current eating plan is as well as your current exercise plan. It has taken 20 years for me to pack on 120+ pounds, I expect it to take at least 2 and perhaps 3 years to take it off. It didn't go on overnight, it won't come off overnight. DollyRose

regarding carbonated soda (I am a BIG diet coke fan), could you try letting the cabonation out and drinking the soda flat? I spend many, many hours at my desk studying for my nursing courses and often find myself grabbing the soda can left on my desk from the previous night. Once you get used to no carbonation, the soda isn't all that bad! DollyRose "back away from my soda can..."

I am so glad I found this forum and I am so impressed with the reported short recovery times! I am a nurse apprentice in an ED and I wasn't quite sure how long to schedule off for recovery after lap-band. Sounds like a week of light duty and then back to normal? DollyRose hmmmm, my DH is usually interested in discussing lap-band with me, this morning he just grunted... :faint: