Bandista

Hi Carole, glad you're here -- that's a big step in the right direction! And seeing your doc soon is excellent. Good for you for making that appointment and reeling in the carbs. Don't forget that you are coming off of a back surgery and probably a lot of pain leading up to that. Maybe even drugs. Your body is shrugging all of that off now, which makes this a perfect time to get healthy. Pain does such a number on the brain, and for those of us who have wiring for food as a reward or escape, it is very hard not to turn to that. Which is why the band. Dim that hunger and you'll be feeling great through the holidays -- in control of your appetite but enjoying food, just in very small amounts. Talk about the ultimate Christmas gift. Best wishes to you!

What a nice waitress! Happy birthday! For me the Lapband is my gift to myself. I'm so excited to have started this new chapter in my life. Tomorrow is two weeks since my surgery. You'll be there in no time! Best wishes to you.

So happy for you!

Hi Essence, there is another recent thread about this -- the Lapband is adjustable which means there is a lot of followup with the surgeon in the first year to get the fill just right for the individual patient. This is, of course, is costly for the hospital. I believe money is a big factor in why some hospitals are switching to the other surgeries -- it's just less time-consuming for them.

I am fascinated by the whole soft stop thing.......looking forward to getting my body's signals straight.

Hi there, I'm on day twelve and have been out to eat twice. First time was a few days ago. There's a little bookstore cafe we love. My husband got a huge melted Reuben kind of thing and I had a cup of carrot ginger soup (puréed). Then yesterday we took off for the shore -- a beautiful sunny Saturday and we live in snow country so this felt like a last chance before winter. We found a Mexican Bistro. My husband had a Margarita and big bowl of chili. I had a cup of tortilla soup with the tortillas on the side. This was another blended soup -- white beans, etc. It was yummy and it was just great to feel like I'm able to go out without a problem -- even while still on post-op diet. Must confess I look forward to a Margarita one of these days. But since no eating/drinking at the same time I guess it's sort of one or the other and I need food!

Hi there, there a couple of November threads so be sure to look for them -- there are so many of us! I am on day 12 and feeling great. Overdid one day and had to lay low the next, but all in all it's been a very smooth recovery. Best wishes to all!

Yikes! Thanks for the warning. Hope you get medical care for that ASAP. Can you be knighted for this? Definitely looks like a sword fight wound. I really wanted to be banded late summer -- started process in June and felt like it dragged on -- but it's probably a good thing I got an early November date as I am a serious gardener and can imagine getting caught up in a task and overdoing it. This is a good cautionary tale but I'm sorry you have to go through it. Best wishes!

Every program is different -- I'm sure you're fine! Main thing is post-op care. That's what's really important, the regular followup visits for assessing need for a fill, how it's going, etc. Best wishes to you!

Hi Bobbie, congratulations on your date! Excited and nervous pretty much sums it up. It will be here before you know it. Best wishes!

Congratulations -- coming right up! Wishing you smooth sailing and a speedy recovery. For me it was much easier than I thought it would be. I started walking right away (had an overnight stay in the hospital) -- the walking is really important. I had a prescription filled for pain medication but didn't use it -- did fine on Tylenol and Ibuprofen. There is discomfort -- all those belly incisions -- but they heal up quick. Laparoscopy is a marvelous invention. The walking helps with the lung capacity following the anesthesia and moving any trapped gas. And Popsicles, yum! Will be thinking of you on Tuesday. That's my two-week anniversary so we'll be on our weight loss journey together. Best wishes!

Hi there and congratulations! I'll be two weeks out on Tuesday and I'm really feeling like myself again. Well, my new self! Actually I'm feeling great. Hope you're able to get lots of rest and walking in -- I'm pretty sure that's the secret to success. Best wishes to you!

Hi Fnika, I think what you're experiencing is very common. The band has been installed but it's not adjusted yet to help dim that hunger. As for the protein shakes, I was banded Nov. 5 and I haven't been able to drink one since. Every one is different as far as how many fills are needed and sometimes it takes a while. This is a partnership with your medical professionals and they'll be working closely with you to get it just right. Be gentle with yourself and know that you're on your way. What's great is that you're tuning in and listening to your body. That's something I'm really working on -- knowing when/if I'm hungry and when I'm full, what is the old me just trying to go back for more and what is a real need for food. It's a process and we are all in this together. You'll get there!

So inspiring -- thanks for the blog! I did manage to get a friend to do my measurements prior to surgery and take a couple of photos; that will be good to have when I need a boost. You look terrific!

Oh, definitely! Love that feeling of the face getting more chiseled and collar bones, oh yes, collar bones! Congratulations -- you are doing beautifully.

Nice post!

Thanks!

This is great! You reached your goal in order to get your hips replaced and now you are through that, too -- two huge goals! I'm glad it's all sinking in and you're realizing what the people around you must already know -- you are amazing. I'm convinced that exercise is the secret to success. Now that you will be able to be a real walker it is all going to fall into place. Forget the numbers -- the scale is going to be whacky for a while after all the inflammation. Your body has been through so much. Now your focus is going to be mobility and building muscle. You'll be at that other goal before you know it. Very best wishes to you -- you are an inspiration!

Yep......my insurance company has one requirement only: BMI 40+ and no co-morbidities taken into consideration on appeal (some insurance companies will accept 35 with high BP, diabetes or sleep apnea but not mine). At my height I needed to weigh in at 250. Had been hovering in the 240s for a long time -- got up to 248 and got myself over the top by carrying hand weights in my pockets and wearing heavy clothes. Bought ankle weights for the purpose but gained enough not to need them. It was very stressful trying to be heavy enough but it all worked out. I did tell each person along the line (program coordinator, nutritionist, therapist who did the psych eval) that I was very concerned about not qualifying based on a few pounds but no one offered any suggestions. Then when I finally got through the hoops, weighed more than 250 for the insurance, the surgeon told me they would have let me have my purse on my shoulder, wearing a coat, whatever I needed to do. Easy for him to say -- I don't think the people under him had that kind of authority. Good luck to you! I may have gained 5-7 pounds for my surgery but I could not have paid out-of-pocket. And I am now down 20 pounds 12 days post-surgery (lost some on pre-op diet, losing steadily since band day).

I don't do artificial sweeteners -- prefer a little sugar over the chemicals. There is so little caloric intake following surgery that it doesn't matter if the real ones are a little higher -- just my opinion. I'm still having a Popsicle or two daily -- my treat!

In my research I found quite a few hospitals that no longer do LB and of course I worried that might indicate other procedures might somehow be more successful, etc. So I kept digging. I honestly think it's about the followup. My aftercare with the surgeon is at weeks 1, 4, 5, 6, 7, 9, 11, 14 and as-needed along the way. We all know who makes the medical decisions these days. The insurance companies. Hate to be such a cynic, but there you go. And there are surgeons who really do enjoy working with people and seeing them through to better health, etc., but the majority prefer their patients to be under anesthesia when they deal with them. A LB surgeon does a lot more hand-holding and cheerleading than most surgeons, that's for sure.

This was a big issue for me. I'm a private person and don't want to have it out there for whatever reason. Maybe I feel like I have been judged so much for being heavy and I don't want the judgement about how I am losing the weight. Or the monitoring. So I only told a handful of people and there are a couple I wish I hadn't included just as I'm not sure they can keep my secret. One big thing for me was my parents. They are elderly and live in a retirement facility the next town over. We see quite a bit of them or at least have a phone call each day. My mother has handed me every diet book for the last twenty+ years and I knew it wouldn't be good for me to have her involved in any way. She'd be anxious, for one thing, and then she'd want a lot of details, constant updates, etc. She is very obsessive and has never been happy with how I look. I'm adopted -- tall and larger than all the women in her family who are quite petite but "watch their weight" all the time. So I fussed over how to do this under the radar. It turned out I had a hernia, which they found when there. So my husband called that night and told my parents I had to have a hiatal hernia fixed. It is true, so I don't feel weird about it. A sin of omission. Then he went and out on FB that I had a hernia. I honestly wanted to kill him. FB? I flipped put. His rationale was that people would know I had been in the hospital and he needed to be able to say something. I'm an introvert, he's an extrovert. Well it worked out fine. The friends and neighbors who I didn't want in my inner circle now know I had surgery but not the LB part. In the future at dinner parties and so forth I will be having very little food. When asked about that or how I've dropped so much weight, I will say that ever since the hernia I can only have very small meals. That should quell further probing. No one needs to know why you have medical leave. You have the right to complete privacy. And you've earned the time off -- don't worry about that! Just be sure to take enough. It sounds like you may work for a school system. Don't go back too soon and then feel emotionally or physically drained later. This is a gift to yourself, the gift of health, and you want to start off this new chapter in your life with the right priorities. You are the priority! Get the slip from your doctor, take two weeks off and no one needs to know why. Surgery is surgery. You are not required to give details. You can use that time to walk like crazy every day and be really healthy when you go back! Good luck to you -- keep us posted!

For full liquid stage my doctor told me whatever it is should be pourable -- if you put it on a plate and hold the plate up, the "food" should slide right off. So if you blend foods, just be sure to get them liquid enough by adding broth, milk, etc. I was told not to worry about protein at this stage. Every one is different, however. Did your doctor indicate a particular protein goal for you? I have enjoyed yogurt, applesauce and boxed soups -- potato leek, butternut squash, etc. Pacific and Imagine are two brands we have in our regular grocery stores here, in the natural foods section. Scrambled egg was on my list and one of the first days I made egg drop soup. This weekend I'm making Indonesian a Squash Soup which is a blended soup the whole family loves. I use chicken stock so there's some protein there. Also I have a block of silken tofu I will do something with. Have been practicing letting a full minute pass between bites. Sure has slowed me down! Good luck to you and have fun!

My doctor ran labs a second time a week prior as a standard protocol. Good luck to you -- getting there! Congratulations on your date. I am ten days out and so happy with my new band.