Dave01

Welcome to the site. I remember the last weeks before surgery. I did not find this site until after I was done, so read up as much as possible and maybe we can answer any questions that you have. Thi is a great place to learn and if you just need to vent....Dave

Mandi78, It was hard for me to give up the Diet Dr Peppers. I quit a month prior to surgery and the craving is all gone. Replaced them with tons of water and crystal light drinks. Good Luck to you....Dave

Tomorrow morning, a soft scrambled egg.....Yummmmmm

Mamato3, Welcome to the board. I had to jump thru many hoopstrying to get Aetna PPO of Fl to pay for mine. I was approved 2 days prior to my surgery only because my primary dr told Aetna he was going to take them to the Insurance board for delaying my surgery. What a great doctor he is. It took me a total of a year to get all required things done, mostly because I work out of town every other month, and scheduling appts was tough. Good luck with your case. I'm sure it will all work out. Make sure your dr lists any other conditions you may have, ie. blood pressure, cholesterol, painful joints, sleep apnea ( a big one). Dave

Plus this is another thing to send your insurance company to get them to pay for the surgery...Good Luck, Dave

Hazely, I was told by my dr to not do the last meal thing. She put me on liquids/protein drink for the month prior to my surgery, to shrink the liver and get me used to the liquid only part. I was like you, nervous and anxious all at the same time, waiting for the big day. I'm really surprised that they didnt put you on a pre-op plan. You are one of the lucky ones. Keep us posted on your progress......Dave

Kathryn, I have not had a fill yet since I am less than 2 weeks since surgery, but just having the band in place has been keeping me from being hungry. I can barely manage to get the protein shakes twice a day down and just 4 oz of soup and I am FULL. Congrats on your choice. Keep reading, there is a ton of information on this site....Dave

Better days are definately coming. My first 2 days at home were rough. Keep up with the liquids and when you can, stay out of bed, sitting in a chair and stuff helps with the pain. Take the pain meds as prescribed. You will rest better and be more comfortable. Oh crap, I'm starting to sound like my parents...LOL Keep posting when you can.....Dave

Pain is minimal. I and almost everyone else were walking around within hours of aving the surgery. I stopped the pain meds 2 days after getting home and have very little discomfort. As far as Carnation breakfast goes, I am using whey Protein powder, from Walmart, and mixing it with 6oz skim milk for breakfast. It gives you more than half of the required protein for the whole day and comes in vanilla, chocolate and strawberry. Just wait. You will be real surprised at how quick this stuff fills you up....Dave

Lorie, thats real good news about your insurance. I'm newly banded, but wouldnt change back for anything. Keep reading and it will help you in making your choice....Dave

Shelli, I drain off almost of the water, but save a little to keep it moist. If I am mixing anything else with the meat (salsa), I drain off all of the water. I wasted a little when practicing on how long to mix, but am getting better. I will be a pro when I can eat this in 2 days...Dave

Missy, I know all doctors see this different, but I cant have yogurt till 2 weeks after my surgery. I hve 2 more days to go of liquids, then here come the mushies....Cant wait. Try going back to only liquids for 2 days and all should be back to normal. Hope this helps....Dave:bounce::bounce:

Shelli, I have done chicken (canned) with the magic bullet blender. Best thing I found to grind stuff up. I added a small amount of mild salsa to the chicken and kept turning it on till it was smooth. I still have 2 days till I can eat pureed, but wanted to practice. Chicken or tuna in water should blend the same, but larger blenders wont do it too well. Hope this helps...Dave:bounce::bounce:

Way to go Stephen. It was a hard choice for me too, but worth it. I'm 11 days since surgery and feel great. Recovery isnt too bad. Keep reading the posts on here and you will probably be better informed than your dr. LOL

Glad to hear the rest of the August banders are also doing good. Mine was Aug 30 and 2 more days till mushies:bounce::bounce::bounce:

Jimmie, There isnt much pain. More of a discomfort than anything. I got banded 8/30 and other than bending over a lot, I cant feel the band or port at all. You most likely will be doing the liquid diet for 2 weeks. That has been the only touh part , but its almost over. Congrats and keep us posted....Dave

Sounds like you have a plan. Healing and protein are the most important right now. I'm just over a week ahead of you and it really does get better. Plus the end results will be worth it. Take Care....Dave

Toots2, Welcome to the family. I had to keep checking the scale too, so dont feel alone there. Congrats and keep healing. I am only 11 days out but feel much better.

Im really surprised at all of the different time schedules that dr's use. Mine is 2 weeks liquids, 2 weeks mushies, 1 week soft foods, then go for it...LOL Not sure when my first fill is, but I think its just before I quit mushies. So far the Protein shakes for bfast and dinner have been ok, with 4-5oz of liquified Soup for lunch. About all I can take in right now ( not complaining) and people are starting to notice the appearance change already:D:D:D Hope all of your weekend is good....Dave:bounce::bounce:

I did the same thing. Is this right? Can I do it? Will I ever be able to eat normally again? Even after the longer surgery, this was less painfull than my last. And the results will be great. I thought the same thing, why not just eat/drink liquids and all the weight will go away. Just knowing that the liquid part is temporary makes it easier to tolerate. As for the adhesions part, 5 years ago i was in an accident which resulted in 5 broken ribs, a ruptured spleen, bruised kidney, punctured lung and tons of internal bleeding. Then I went back to work too soon and tore the incision, which goes from the top of my chest to below the belly button open. Thats what caused my surgery to be so lengthy. I would gladly do it again just for the chance to get down to norml weight. So far, since 8/30 I have already dropped 24 lbs and still going strong. Good luck with your choice....Dave:bounce::bounce:

And lots more to go. I was dong great on the Hydrocodone, but decided to quit them after 2 days. Possibly a mistake on my part. No where as bad as I imagined it would be, but did you all have absolutely no appetite? I am managing to eat/drink whats required, but really dont want to. Patiently waiting for the 14 days till mushytime!!! Dave :bounce::bounce:

Ebeth, first of all, congrats on making the choice to change. I wish I would have done my surgery sooner. I tried all methods of diet and suceeded at all of them, only to have the weight come back in the end ( and bring friends). Stick around on here and you can learn a lot. I found thi site after haing my surgery and am learning a lot every day. The whey Protein shakes twice a day, along with a small meal really worked to get me to surgery weight. I started on a liquid diet 3 weeks prior to my surgery date so I could get used to it while I was still feeling normal. Good luck.....Keep us posted...Dave:bounce::bounce:

Mine was one of the long ones. 3 hours into the surgery, the surgeon came out and told my parents she had not even started on the banding due to having to remove a lot of adhesions from previous surgeries ( accident from work). She told them that if she didnt think I was so serious about the weight loss, she and most all other surgeons would have stopped and given up. I have thanked her over and over in my prayers for not giving up on me. Total surgery was just over 4.5 hours, so I had to spend the night for observation....Dave:bounce::bounce:

I have made it to day 8 and I remember day 2 and 3 real well. The recliner was my only choice for sleeping too. Now I feel much better, but still have the shoulderpain stuff.% more days till mushies:biggrin1: Still almost no apetite, but I'm not complaining about that part. Just wish I had more strength to walk more. Take care everybody....Dave:bounce::bounce:

I have to figure out something to do with all these sugar free popsicle sticks, so I thought of making a little hospital building to take back to my surgeons office. As soon as I make some progress on it I will post some pics. Its amazing how many you store up when your friends come over and the first thing they want are popsicles...LOL Any more creative ideas? Dave:bounce::bounce: