Bruce120

Thanks for the kind words guys! I'm literally teary eyed that there are so many people out there that don't know me at all, yet are so concerned and caring about me! What a great world we live in! Anyway, the pain isn't as bad as it was before, but it's still pretty bad, and I'm having great difficulty walking around or even turning in bed. The hospital I'm in wanted to send me home merely three hours after surgery, but I insisted that I won't go home in such a condition, so I'm spending the night in the hospital, and we'll see what happens tomorrow. Thanks again people, I feel like part of the family now!

The surgery is done thank god. The surgeon and the anesthesiologist brushed aside the breathing issues as anxiety or something like that. But the pain now is extreme. I didn't know laproscopic surgery is accompanied by such sharp pains. The pain especially flares up when I take a deep breath, cough, or move around.

Thanks for your encouragement guys. I'm heading out to the hospital now, and I'll tell the surgeon about it beforehand. I'll let you know how it goes/went.

Mistake - Double entry

Thanks much for the reply. What he says in the video, is unlike anything I've heard about the band till now. He doesn't mention anything about the pouch, or about it getting full. From his words it seems like food slips right through the band without going through the pouch, and the essence of food going through the band makes you feel full. That is something I've never heard before, and is totally new to me.

It's been one week since I started my liquid diet. It's been going pretty well, the hunger is bearable, and I've been able to completely overcome my cravings. But today, I got for the first time a terrible stomach ache. My stomach feels really painful and especially feels very tender when I touch it. I've been wondering if this is a common side effect of not eating normally for so long. Today I also suffered from shortness of breath. I couldn't take a good deep breath for hours upon hours. It got so bad, that I even considered seeking medical help. I don't know if it's related to the diet, but I highly doubt it's a coincidence, since I very rarely, if ever, suffer from this. Any input would be greatly appreciated.

My shortness of breath subsided, so hopefully it was not related to my diet. But my stomach still feels terrible. It hurts and aches quite badly. It's very sore and tender as well. So guys, is that a normal side effect of the liquid diet, or should I get a little concerned?

I'm in the middle of my preop liquid diet, I know I can have clear broth, but I can't figure out exactly what it is. Is it simply chicken Soup without the chicken and the top layer of fat removed? Or is there anything else involved? Also, has anyone used the slim-fast Protein shakes? They're very good and all, but seem to be awfully high in carbs. I mean 24 grams of carbs for one bottle seems very high to me. Another thing, in my instructions it says only decaffeinated coffee till surgery. Is there any specific reason for that, or can I grab a regular cup of coffee with some skim milk? I seem to miss that the most!

Wow I'm having surgery the same day! July 14th it is! I saw my surgeon today, and we chatted quite a bit, he calmed me, and made me feel extremely comfortable about the whole thing. So far the liquid diet hasn't been too difficult for me. I eat a ton of vegetables plus the four Protein shakes, and I somehow manage to get through the day relatively easy. For me the hardest part was choosing between the lap band and the sleeve, and to tell you the truth I'm still not sure I made the right decision. But being that I'm young, completely healthy, and have a BMI of only slightly above 40, I just couldn't bring myself to cut out 85% of my stomach only in order to lose some weight. It just didn't feel right to me. Another thing that I'm a little nervous about is not being able to drink with food. I tend to drink huge amounts during the day, and I get thirsty very quickly; the thought that I won't be able to drink after eating a thirst inducing food, is making me quite nervous.

Hello y'all. I'm new to this site, and have only recently heared about it. I decided to join for some support during my journey. So here's my story in short. I'm 25 years old and I weigh in at 280 lb. I have been struggling with my weight since my early childhood. I've lost weight many times only to gain it all back and then some. In the beggining of this year, I decided that enough is enough, an I joined a seminar on weight loss surgery. To make a long story short, here I am 5 months later, scheduled for surgery in 6 weeks. The hardest decision for me by far, has been to choose between the sleeve and the lap band. Common wisdom and most people online and even doctors will tell you to go with the sleeve. It requires less maintenance, and the weight loss is much more rapid, plus you don't have nearly as many food restrictions as with the band and so on. But I, being a relatively healthy 25 year old guy, just couldn't bring myself to cut away 85% of my stomach just because I have to lose 80-100 pounds. I just felt that it's too drastic of a measure to take. So I went ahead and got approved and scheduled for the band. But now after the surgery date came in, I got really nervous about my decision. It seems that wherever I read online, people are just blasting the band. I keep on bumping in to stories how people are miserable with the band, and how many doctors and hospitals are stopping the lap band altogether due to the high complication rates and low weight loss results. So dear fellow bandsters, I could use some words of support and encouragment which will make me feel that I have made the right decision. On the other hand, I can probably still change to the sleeve if that is indeed the right path to take. So please let me hear your thoughts on the matter.