CherieRyde

I'm sorry to hear that the surgeon you saw is so negative about the band. Yes, I'm still new to this whole thing. HOWEVER .... I'm happier than I've been in a LONG time. I feel great, I'm exercising every day, and my clothes are hanging on me to the point that we are taking most of them to Goodwill this week. The band may be a waste of that surgeon's time, but it's not a waste of mine. I LOVE the way I feel, and I'm proud of the weight loss I'm seeing. I agree. You need a second opinion.

Rice is no longer on my "allowed to eat" list. :-/

YES! I LOVE my Fitbit! I recommend it to EVERYONE!

Questions .... lots of questions.

I like myfitness pal and fitbit.

For me ... any kind of bread is difficult. Also, boiled eggs, pork chops, hamburgers, and grilled chicken are hard for me to eat. I've not tried "normal" vegetables yet since I'm *technically* still on pureed foods. So I'm getting my veg from baby food. I can handle baked chicken (as long as it's cooked with orange and apple slices, and covered with foil), any and all fish, steaks cooked medium, turkey burgers, scrambled eggs, hot dogs, sausages, bacon cooked medium well (not crispy. Crispy bacon now hurts), quinoa, couscous (only 1/4 cup per meal), baby food veggies, and spaghetti. Amazingly enough, I don't miss chocolate for a majority of the month. I only miss it when I'm PMSing.

Socially ... I didn't worry much about that at all. To be honest, it's easier to eat at home rather than going out during the pre-op diet. My husband and son have been SUPREMELY supportive, and they've adapted their diets to mirror mine as much as they are able (or as much as I'l allow since they need to not starve). Going out with my friends is even easier now. One of my friends had the gastric sleeve surgery, and my other friends are supper supportive. I don't worry at all about the people whom I'm not closely acquainted. They have absolutely no impact on my life. ^.^

It's not really fasting. I was on a 2 week, mostly liquid pre-op diet. My NUT (nutritionist) prescribed a specific protein shake that I had twice a day, and gave me a list of foods that I was allowed to have for my SMALL meal once a day. Also, she gave me a list of things that I could have for morning and afternoon snack. It wasn't horrible.

Congrats to BOTH of you!! Lets be totally honest. The pre-op diet SUCKS. But it's worth it. Now ... post op will also be a liquid for a bit. The difference is, you won't CARE that it's a liquid only diet for at least the first 2 weeks post op. You can do it, and it's SO very worth it. I've lost 22lbs since my heaviest weight in May. I've lost *2* dress sizes since my surgery!!

I used a husband pillow to help prop me up so that I could sleep comfortably. I usually sleep half on my side and half on my stomach ... but I was too tender to do that for the first few days post-op. But yeah ... sleep however you can. Oh, and Congrats!

ER! It really needs to be checked. Especially since you've been purging for the past *4* years. Let us know how you are doing after you go to the ER.

Yep. It's carb, gluten, and sugar withdrawal all at once. Oh .. and if you are / were a coffee drinker ... it's also caffeine withdrawal. You'll feel like a new person by day 7. By day 7 post op, you'll be irritating your friends and family with how happy and wide awake you are in the mornings.

I'm go glad you asked this question because I was thinking the same things. I get my first fill on Sept 9, and I'm pretty well looking forward to it.

My doc said that it's OK to drink a LITTLE right before my meal, but not during or right after. So, I drink just enough to make sure that my throat doesn't feel dry (usually only a sip or two) before I eat. It helps a lot, and I also don't feel like I'm dehydrated by the time I can drink again about 45 mins after my meal.

Does your doc not have you on protein shakes? Mine gave me a list of things that were approved for my recovery. I did great for the first 3 weeks .... >.>

Ummm .. YEAH! We are all human, after all. Except for Bob over there in the corner. He's a cyborg. Honestly though ... yes. I had those struggles. My son and husband asked me to stop for fast food for them on my way home from the grocery store. I was on day 4 of my diet. I was so HUNGRY that I almost fainted at the grocery store, and then I was in tears on my way home because of the smell of their fast food. Then the following weekend was our son's birthday party. We had cake ... and EVERYONE kept telling me that it was so moist, chocolaty, and that I REALLY needed to try it. I was 3 days pre-op. I WANTED THAT CAKE. I decided to take the dog for a walk instead .... and cried while we were away from everyone else. Know what? It was worth it. I made it. The next hurdle you get to face is the first 6 weeks post-op. OMFG. I've not done as well this week, and I can feel the difference. I have to get myself back on track before I mess everything up. But I'll get there.

STOP! Talk to your doctor about this before you do it again! My doctor made it very very very clear that they chose these specific shakes for their nutritional content, and that any changes to them would directly impact my pre-op success. Yes, the things taste nasty, but do NOT change anything about them without your doctor 1) approving the changes, and 2) giving you instructions on how MUCH you can change them. Just because one person's doc was OK with this or that, or my doc was NOT ok with any changes, does not mean that your doc's instructions will follow suit. Talk to your DOCTOR about changes to your diet ... not us. We aren't medical professionals, and WE are not the ones doing your surgery. OUR advice could adversely impact what your DOCTOR is planning. If I'm wrong ... then awesome. But you won't know that unless you talk to him/her FIRST.

What brand is the shake? Is this a Dr / Nutritionist prescribed one? I *hate* artificial sweeteners, and it took me about 4 shakes to start getting used to the taste. By my 6th shake, I was OK. The things that helped the most was making the thing COLD. I even went to the extent of refrigerating my Water. Good luck!

Mine doesn't have an liquid in it ... and I've not had my first fill yet. That will happen on 9-9-14.

ABSOLUTELY! I'm finally past the feeling of being bruised, but if I move wrong, my port area starts bothering me a little. You'll be fine.

Before you consider the sleeve, I'd first make sure that you don't have any allergies to metals. ANY metals. I do, and that knocked me out of the sleeve and into the band. Reason being, they use metal staples to close the stomach once it's been cut to size. The sleeve is what they used to call "Stomach Stapling".

As everyone else stated, it has everything to do with your insurance company, their requirements, and how fast they move. Keep doing what you are doing, because you are doing a GREAT job!

YAAY!! So glad to hear from you, and glad that you are doing well!

GRATS!!

Yeah .. the eggs got stuck. They were hard boiled for egg salad, and I apparently didn't get the whites chopped up enough. NOT. FUN.