MollyBrown

I was just banded on 11/09/07. I have never been in the hospital before so it all has been a real shocker. Some advice (if you want it): 1) Don't step on the scale post-op for probably a week (gained 7 of my 9 pre op pounds back). It will go away though... 2) Be patient. There are varying amounts of pain/discomfort. Apparently I am a big wuss, so it has not been a great two day for me. 3) Remember that it gets better every day. Good luck....

7 Days until Surgery-- OMG!!!!! Anyway, I started my two week preop diet and I was devastated the first day or two because I failed miserably. I thought, what the hell am I doing, and for about two days I seriously considered backing out of this because I did not know if I could do this. Since this past Monday I have been kicking butt on weight loss, 5lbs without exercising a lot (walking only around work-large facility, doing the stairs instead of the elevator). I have not been perfect my first week. The first two days were a disaster and then since then I have had several cans of Healthy Choice chicken & Rice Soup, yogurt almost every day, and over the week I have had three handfuls of pecans and today I had a banana. The banana was the big mistake because I went into ketosis yesterday or the day before and the banana could be enough to take me back out of it. The surgery group I am using has an inconsistent policy about the preop diet. They asked me to do it, but in one of our group sessions there were several gals there (much larger than me) and they were not required to do a preop diet. I was freaking about the preop diet originally, but it has afforded me time to figure things out before the band is on. Number one, find a Protein source you can live with. This has been the hardest thing for me. I finally found Natures Best Isopure premade drinks at GNC (they have a bunch of different flavors and they are clear so I will be able to have them postop-my doctor has me on Clear liquids for two weeks post op). These drinks have 40 grams of whey isolate protein and if you drink about a 1/4 cup every couple of hours it keeps your blood sugar really stable and it has really helped with the hunger. I have resisted candy, cake, and a bunch of other bad things this week and I credit that mostly to the Isopure. Anyway, good luck to you. I am feeling nervous, excited, scared, etc... But the one think I am not feeling (at least right now) is whether or not I can do this. I am feeling pretty secure at this moment that I can change my weight, my lifestyle, my eating habits, and I am confident the band is the tool to help me. Hopefully I will be feeling this way two weeks from now.... Sincerely, MollyBrown 10/28/07 286.8 lbs 10/30/07 Start Pre-op 285.8 lbs 11/03/07 280.3 lbs 11/09/07 Surgery Date

Thank you all for responding... Sue Magoo really got me with her list of questions. My feet are killing me. Both feet are trying to disable me with repeated bouts of plantar faciaitis which is really painful and limits my exercise. I have enough energy to work, take care of errands, and then collapse. Clothes shopping is absolutely mortifying....size 24-26. Today I have made it through with the liquids (or liquid like stuff). I did not have much to eat though because my Designer whey made me gag. I've tried the Atkins Advantage Premix (low sugars as I am diabetic) strawberry flavor. It was not horrible the time I tried it before. This morning I had one and it tasted like tin can. I had a workmate try it to see if I was having a Vitamin aftertaste or something. She tasted it and said it was bad. I opened another and it was fine. I had two cans of chicken broth and two yogurts. Not enough Water, Protein or calories. Tomorrow I will be visiting a GNC to get some Isopure. I am really hopeful that I like the taste of these because I like the thinner stuff, the thicker chocolate drinks kind of make me gag too. I am wondering if unjury is truly tasteless because Designer Whey Natural was supposed to be and it definitely is not. Yesterday I thought I was dead serious about backing out. Today I am thinking that having the surgery is the right thing to do. I am terrified of the surgery. Literally scared to death. I am worried about what I will eat and what I won't be able to eat. I guess I am just worried in general and I need to get over it and do this thing... Thank you all for being there and responding. I hope I don't have another freak out session between now and the 9th, but if I do, it is a comfort knowing I can vent and you all will talk me in from the ledge.... Did everyone else have a few of these worrying jags because going through with it? What was the worst part so I can expect it? What was the best part of your journey so far. Maybe this will help me when I am feeling weak in my resolve... Sincerely, Molly

Jetti, I am being banded on November 9th, and I am trying to get through the liquid pre-diet. I purchased the Designer Whey Natural Flavor at the bequest of my nutritionist. Today I tried it three different times and gagged each time. The smell was awful and the taste was even worst. I am really concerned at this point. I have tried those little bullets, they do not taste great but they are so concentrated getting a ton of Protein with the least amount of volume. But I know what you mean after reading DBAGuy's post. I really need to find some ISOPURE ASAP!

Dear TooSlow, Is your name because losing the weight has gone slowly for you? Could you tell me what your experience has been like? Do you have any problem eating any foods? Are you following the plan strictly? Did you do liquids two weeks before hand? OMG I am full of questions.... Do you attend the support groups? Sorry... I have been reading this forum pretty consistently but you are about my age and you are local with the same doctor so I am just curious. Sincerely, MollyBrown

My doctor has a psychologist you can meet with or you can see one of your own choosing. They provided a listing of questions for the psychologist to ask. They want to make sure you understand the surgery, you understand that the lapband is only a tool, that you have a support network, if not how will you cope with that, make sure you are not suicidal, things like that. I was worried about it too, because lets face it, we must have something in us that gives us a heightened connection with food. My eval went well and they recommended the surgery proceed.

Lori, Hi, my name is Molly and I have not had surgery yet, but my doctor requires two weeks of liquids before surgery. I am probably three weeks away from surgery so I am shopping for all my stuff like Vitamins, Protein, etc... My nutritionist recommends a nearly flavorless Protein powder called Designer whey which is available at GNC. GNC sells Designer Whey in many flavors, but you would want the one called Natural. I was told that you can sprinkle it into your yogurt, pudding, oatmeal, etc... as a way to get all the protein you need. I purchased it and will start experimenting this week even though I will not be on strictly liquids until the following week. I am worried because the premixed Protein drinks are not doing anything for me, they almost make me gag as a matter of fact. Good luck to you...

Boy, this thread scares me a bit... I was hoping the band would help me with the feeling of hunger, because that is exactly my problem. I know a lot of my eating is head hunger but I was hoping the physical feeling of being full would over-ride the head. My doctor mandates that we keep a daily diet journal and will not give a fill unless you produce the journal at your appointment. His practice does this because making you write down what you are doing makes you accountable, and it helps to highlight any issues you are having. Do you keep a diet journal? Maybe this would help, especially if you are completely honest in writing down everything. Sometimes seeing something on paper makes it more real.

I am also sorry that you do not have support. I too have struggled with my weight my whole life. Except for a brief period as a teen, and about four years in my late twenties, I have always been at least 50 lbs overweight and now I am 120 lbs overweight. My mom died at 50 from coronary heart disease, and she had no quality at life at 50 because of her weight and her associated issues (hypertension, diabetes, joint pain, etc...). My dad had triple by-pass in 1999 and he has to take a ton of pills. At 63 he is a mess, everyday he experiences extreme joint pain, although he has controlled his weight now he still has tons of the lasting effects from being overweight for so long, his weight and poor eating habits went to far, damaging his joints and ensuring he will have to take at least 12 various pills a day for the rest of his life. I am 44, I have occasional chest pain, I am diabetic, just started taking cholesterol medicine, and my knees, feet, and back are killing me. I have tried tons of diets, and am capable of success with the exception of feeling hungry all the time, so then I fall of the wagon. I view this choice as one of my final hopes in helping me slow the destiny of my genetics. I want my fifties to be my new thirties as they are saying in various magazines. I want to feel attractive, play tennis, go for nice long walks with my husband and dog, I want to travel without worrying if I will fit into a seat or break a chair (this summer in France I sat in a chair at a restaurant and the chair broke and I fell. It was the MOST EMBARRASSING thing that has ever happened to me). I cannot tell you that this is the right thing for you, but I know in my heart of hearts it is the right thing for me. If you have struggled with your weight your whole life, are experiencing intense pain and discomfort at your early age, want for a better quality of life, have truly tried to lose weight with other methods, have researched this surgery so that you are super educated in what you are signing up for, and are 100% committed to using it as directed, then I think you will know what is right for you. I will send a prayer up for you tonight, that somehow you find peace in whatever your decision is, and if you decide to do this, that you experience no infections. I will also pray that somehow you can sit down with those that are close to you and let them know that their lack of support is greatly hurting you, and that you really need them to be there for you as you would be there for them if they were faced with a similar decision, because that is what you do for those we care about and love. Sorry if I rambled to much, I just really feel badly for you and hope things will get better. Sincerely, Molly

What does the abbreviation NVS stand for? I have searched the FAQ's as suggested by others and did not find it.

Welcome Dan... I am new to this site as well, and am approved for surgery although I am still waiting for my psych eval. I have posted several things, like questions about Vitamins and medication. This is a really great site, the people here are very helpful with advice and suggestions. Good luck to you on your journey.

As a newbie to these kinds of forums, and awaiting my surgery, I am strongly relying on this forum to help educate myself. So, a preemptive thank you for all of the advice and input from the members of this forum. Okay, what does Pb mean? And I have seen another abbreviation that began with an N (can't remember it but it did not sound good). Are there any other abbreviations used here that we should know of? Thanks for letting us newbies know what these mean.

My surgical group strongly recommends taking Vitamins for the rest of my life. Conceptually this is a great thing but I have a problem with taking vitamins without the band, I cannot imagine how I will tolerate them with the band. They are recommending: 2 Chewable Multi vitamins and minerals a day 1 sublingual B-12 per day 500-1000mcg 1200mg of Calcium Citrate I think I am going to have to get liquid vitamins given my tolerance history of taking vitamins in pill form. Any advise out there about what vitamins are good?

I currently take Zocor (cholesterol) and Metformin (diabetes). Will I be able to take my medication once I have had the surgery? My doctor did not even address it with me (although it was on my forms), and this really concerns me.

As I wait for my psych eval to finally schedule my lapband, I find myself at a weird stage in my life. The idea of having this tool put in place to help me get to a healthier and happier weight gives me hope, but I am stressed out with work, being a parent to a teenager (a good teen, but a teen none-the-less), being very active with volunteering at church, etc... And my husband and I have been so wrapped up in our daughter and being there for her and her activities, I am afraid we don't have much in common anymore. He is VERY supportive of the weightloss surgery, has not done anything to undermine it, but he is showing a bit of insecurity that is getting on my nerves. I guess I might be going through a bit of situational depression because of all of these stressors, and I am worried if I am honest about it during the psych eval they could possibly say no to the surgery. Does anyone have any experience with this?

I wasn't going to tell folks either but it does just seem to spill out of me. I needed to tell my manager because we are having a reorganization at work and they are throwing so much work on me. I have the time and intend to take at least a week off, but will take as much as I need, work be damned. I also told my estate attorney, just to keep him in the loop. He said he was actually considering it too and we got into a big conversation about it. I am trying not to let it out to much amongst my immediate co-workers though because I have some very hurtful and malicious people I work with and I could just hear them now. Eventually they will probably know, but I am dreading their immature banter about it. I think such a huge life change is coming, it will be hard for people not to realize it, so I will be honest about it if asked.

My husband is 100% supportive, and he is not just saying he is, he really means it. I have come across a few associates (sort-of-friends) who are saying they are supportive but are a little judging about it (hard to explain). But the insecure thing with my husband is the, you are going to get skinny and leave me kind of thing. He brought it up once, and then I was talking with my sister-in-law about possibly getting a breast lift when I get the extra skin removed, and he mentioned it again. Other than that he has been great. I guess it is all swirling around in my brain, super stressful job, teenager getting ready to fledge the nest, needing to readjust our focus back onto our relationship versus all attention being on the child, etc.... Thanks for your supportive words though, I really appreciate them.

bparris My insurance has approved me for the surgery, I am just waiting for my psych eval (10/12) and then my surgery will be scheduled within 2-3 weeks. It was so easy to get approved, I have been researching this for more than two years, trying to decide between lapband and RNY bypass. I guess I expected the approval process to take months so I would have more time to say goodbye to food. It has all happened so fast, I am freaking out inside, but I know in my heart of hearts, this is the right thing to do or I am going to die by 50, just like my mom. I don't think I can say anything to make it better for you other than I know exactly how you are feeling. When I read your post it read like something I had thought. Good luck, stay strong.