Longhorn

I saw most of my family last weekend for my mother's 75th birthday party. I was so pleased with the comments I received. Nearly every person said I looked great and asked how I'm feeling. Not one person asked me how much weight I've lost and I didn't volunteer it. This is exactly the kind of reaction I had hoped for! Education works! :confused:

I decided I didn't want to keep my surgery a secret from my closest family but I also didn't want to have to keep explaining it over and over and I certainly didn't want to argue or debate with anyone (something my family is known for, including me! ) So I sent out an email in advance and the results have been great. No one argued or disagreed, at least, not to me. I received some well wishes before and after surgery. And while there may be questions when I see them over the holidays, my hope is that I've cleared up a few things in advance. Here's my email: Subject: Do you know what Lap Band Surgery is? (Warning: this is long!) It's a procedure in which an inflatable band is placed around the upper portion of your stomach. There is a tube attached that runs to a port that is placed just below the skin. Saline is injected into the port to inflate the band. The idea is to create a pouch of the stomach through which food initially passes. When this pouch is full, you feel full and so eat less. I am having this procedure on Thursday. I have researched it extensively and have visited the surgeon, a nutritionist, a psychologist, and my own family doctor. All have been supportive but I was especially pleased with my own doctor's opinion, since he has no affiliation with the others, though, coincidentally, he knows the psychologist. (She has a regular family counseling practice and does not work for the surgeon.) My doctor said that he has about half a dozen patients who have had the procedure and all of them are doing great. He was very positive about me doing this. Also, he performed all of my pre-op tests and I am in excellent health. I have about 70 pounds to lose. The Lap-Band will not cause me to lose it especially quickly. However, it should help me keep it off. You may recall that I lost 70 pounds four years ago, too. I fought to keep that weight off with continual dieting and exercise. Unfortunately, diets don't work, and 95 percent of people who lose weight will gain it back. People tend to be blamed (or blame themselves!) for this regain but there is more and more evidence that our bodies are programmed to regain this weight. I read a recent study with rats: two groups of rats were given the same amount of food. The rats who had previously lost weight GAINED while those that hadn't stayed their normal weight. Of course, those of us who have struggled with our weight for many years don't need these studies to convince us this is true! Here's what's going to happen to me: I go in for surgery at 7 a.m. at Austin Surgical Hospital. It's a laparoscopic procedure that should take no more than an hour. After I've recovered, I'll go home the same day and I'll go back to work Tuesday. For the first week or two, I will be on a diet of Clear liquids. Then I'll be on full liquids (anything that can go through a straw) for another couple of weeks. Then I'll be on soft foods (foods that can pretty much be swallowed without chewing) for a few weeks. Finally, I'll be able to start adding normal food. I will need to chew thoroughly and slow down the eating process. I will also not be drinking with my meals because liquid just pushes the food on through. Eventually, I'll be able to eat most foods but more slowly and in smaller quantities. The process is slow in order to allow my stomach to get used the band while I get used to learning to eat differently. After six weeks, I'll go in for my first adjustment, called a "fill." My surgeon is conservative about filling the band, one of the reasons I chose him. I want to take my time and adjust to each change. I am not in a hurry about losing the weight, especially knowing that this will be the last time! The perfect amount of restriction is being able to eat almost anything I want in small quantities without being hungry but still losing weight. While some people get exactly the right amount of restriction with no fill at all, it is more typical to get three or four fills, or more, several months apart. Also, as one loses weight, there is less pressure from fat on the outside of the band, so the band can loosen up, requiring a fill. The band can be unfilled a little or completely if I ever get too much restriction or have a medical reason for needing more food. Also, the band can be removed completely in a similar surgery and my stomach would return to normal. However, this is only done if there is a medical reason for it. It's considered permanent like a knee replacement or defibrillator. This is a big difference from gastric bypass surgery, which is a permanent reconstruction of the stomach and cannot be reversed. One of the best articles I read that summed up the procedure is an ABC news article about Khaliah Ali's book, "Fighting Weight." She is Mohammed Ali's daughter and she had the Lap-Band surgery. An excerpt from her book is in the article and she does a good job of summarizing: ABC News: Excerpt: Khaliah Ali's 'Fighting Weight' I have other links if you would like to learn more about it. Mr. Longhorn and the girls will be taking care of me after the surgery, though I shouldn't need much. The surgery is considered comparable to gall bladder surgery. I'll be up and walking a lot that weekend to get rid of the CO2 gas that the surgeon will pump into my body during surgery to create room to work. Many people have very little pain afterwards. I'm getting the latest version of the band, made by Allergan/Inamed. While complications have been rare, this band has improvements designed to address those complications. I'm sorry this is so long but that's why I decided to let y'all know in an email. I didn't want you to confuse what I'm doing with gastric bypass surgery. I also wanted you to know what to expect when we're together for meals in the future. And I didn't want to have to repeat this "lecture" over and over! :eek: Love, Longhorn Feel free to use any part of my email if you find it helpful.

Congratulations, Tish! So glad things went well and I'm sure it will continue that way. I agree with you that it's great to have a place to learn and share with people who are going through the same experience. Take care!

I was responding to JSOTO, who said, "After your first fill, you will know what restriction is." I didn't have any trouble understanding you and I agree with you! :eek:

Fully clothed, shoes and all. I figure if I start with my shoes and continue to weigh with my shoes, then I still know how much I lost!

As much as I have gained from this board in both information and support, there is an over-representation of complications discussed on the board, just like any message board. So don't worry too much. It's good to know what CAN happen but that doesn't mean it WILL happen or even if it does, that it happens every day or that it is as bad as it sounds, etc. When so many people are sharing their experiences -- and we do tend to share the abnormal more than the normal -- it can sound overwhelming. If you haven't already, check out the December 07 Bandsters board. There's something especially comforting about sharing with people who going through the same thing at the exact same time. Good luck!

I'm 12.5 pounds away. It will take me awhile but it certainly seems closer than it did 16 pounds ago!

Patience isn't easy but that's what it's going to take -- patience and faith that this WILL work! It's hard to imagine when we're used to being hungry if we deprive ourselves. And it won't always be easier. But from my experience so far, it's easier than anything I've ever done to lose weight, especially knowing that this is how I will eat the rest of my life. I don't feel deprived at all but that's because I'm not hungry all the time and I know that there are very few things that I can't have at least a taste of -- and amazingly, a taste is enough! Hang in there and do the best you can and know that help is on the way! Reading and posting on this board helped me a lot, too! Good luck!

Actually, it's my understanding that it will take several fills before most of us get restriction -- or at least, enough restriction to make a difference. I had my first fill Friday and I can tell absolutely no difference and my doctor said I probably wouldn't. I'm still following the rules, though, and I'm grateful that I haven't been hungry since I had the surgery.

Oh, I'm happy with it -- I'm just surprised that it's very noticeable. We buy dogfood in 20-pound bags and it's amazing just how much weight that is! There were eight of us caravaning to Spring (about 2.5 hours from Austin) in two cars -- my husband, my four children, two sons-in-law, and me -- and we had a great Mexican Breakfast at around 9:45 as we headed out of town. Almost everyone ordered migas (eggs scrambled with tortillas with refried beans and potatoes, for those who don't know.) There was cheese on it, too. You should have seen my plate compared to everyone else's! The rest of my family are not big overeaters but they did pretty much clean their plates and then complained about how stuffed they were. I just felt like I had enough, even though I could have eaten more but later, I was perfectly comfortable and not hungry again until we ate at 5:30! At the party, I also ate very little, including slivers of pie and cake and felt great! I may not have lost but typically I would have eaten a lot and probably gained so I still consider that a victory! Yes, we are doing great! I love this group of November bandsters because we really have a good attitude here! :clap2:

I went to my mother's 75th birthday party yesterday and I got so many compliments! The thing is, I've only lost 16 pounds so I can't imagine that it's that obvious. However, in advance of my surgery, I had emailed all of my family a fairly detailed explanation of what I was doing and how it would work and this is the first I had seen most of them since the surgery. So the main way I count it as an NSV is the tremendous amount of support I'm getting!

nymph (nĭmf) n. Greek & Roman Mythology. Any of numerous minor deities represented as beautiful maidens inhabiting and sometimes personifying features of nature such as trees, waters, and mountains. A girl, especially a beautiful one. The larval form of certain insects, such as silverfish and grasshoppers, usually resembling the adult form but smaller and lacking fully developed wings. Also called nympha. I think we've been going with the first or second definition, which is why the guys don't quite identify.

I can't tell any difference, either. I'm still eating less but it's mostly me and it's easy because I'm not as hungry as I used to be. Who knows why? But I had ham and turkey yesterday and chewed slowly and waited between bites but it didn't feel any different going down. I don't WANT to feel it in a bad way but it makes me curious when I'll be able to tell that I have restriction. Then again, when I stop eating, I am complete satisfied so maybe that's it? I just thought it would feel more "physical."

Congratulations on the new Cowboy fan!

There are different versions of bands. The AP bands come in 10 cc and 14 cc and have little "pillows" all the way around and it takes more saline to fill them but it doesn't mean there is more restriction -- it's just done differently. Just think of it this way: 3 out of 4 is equal to 7.5 out of 10 (I can't help it -- I'm a math teacher! ) Good luck, Monday!

But you've also lost nearly twice as much as me so it all evens out!

I'm down 15.5 pounds since my initial consultation. I think I'm up a couple of pounds today because of my period but it will all even out in the end. I figured I'd be a slow loser so this isn't a surprise. However, since I haven't suffered one bit, I'm not really disappointed, either.

I had my first fill today as well. It couldn't have been easier! I was laying on my back and Dr. Ganta had me raise my feet and lower legs to tense my abdomen so that he could locate my port. He then gave me a couple of injections of lidocaine, which I could barely feel, and then injected the syringe into the port, first try. I already had 1 cc in the 10 cc band and then he added three ccs, taking me to four, total. He didn't have me drink anything. He said one day of liquids and then back to normal food (I'm still on soft foods.) This will be fine for my mother's party tomorrow. He said that I probably won't notice much difference on this fill. I go in again in five weeks (maybe four if there's a cancellation) for the next check-up.

I can tell you how a person can become overweight without sweets and binging -- by dieting! There are studies that show that once you've lost weight, you will gain weight on fewer calories than someone who has never lost weight. In my case, I went on my first diet when I was five pounds overweight! I thought I was being responsible. Then every time I was pregnant, I went on a diet to lose the weight gained from pregnancy. By then, I was in the seemingly never-ending cycle. Like a lot of people on this board, I blamed myself, even though I never binged and I rarely ate sweets. Four years ago, I lost 70 pounds on Medifast. This time was going to be different! I watched every morsel that went into my mouth. I exercised like crazy, even commuting to work by bicycle, 34 miles round trip! I logged my calories and exercise in an online journal. I had my resting metabolic rate checked at the University of Texas Department of Kinesiology by the department chair. He determined that I should be able to lose weight on 1800 calories a day. I ate between 1400 and 1600 and exercised and STILL did not lose or even gained. Even on Medifast, at fewer than 1000 calories per day, I was a fairly slow loser. I realize now that I will not be able to lose weight on as many calories as the charts and tables say I should. And since I don't think I can make myself eat fewer than 1000 calories per day for the rest of my life, that's why I got the band. At my age, I'm fighting other sources of weight as well. I think there are a whole lot of variables involved, too. I definitely believe genetics play a part. I also believe that the explosion of obesity is related to the unhealthy added ingredients in our food supply, such as high fructose corn syrup, added to almost everything! Khaliah Ali and her doctors do a great job of explaining these issues in her book, "Fighting Weight." She and her doctor have been banded. And of course, we can develop bad eating habits, such as emotional eating and binging. We don't all have the same reasons for being overweight, just like people don't all have the same reasons for getting cancer (and we don't always know the cause of cancer, either.) There's a difference between blame and responsibility, too. I don't blame myself for being overweight because I feel like I did the best I could with the knowledge that I had and I genuinely fought it, just like most of us here. I don't think most people blame themselves for getting cancer, either. But all of us are taking responsibility for losing weight -- in our case, by getting banded.

Thanks for sharing, Sades! Since my doctor is conservative, too, I'm sure he'll give me something I can handle. My family all knows about my surgery so I'm not trying to hide anything but this is the first time most of them will see me and I'd like to look as "normal" as possible just to avoid a night of answering questions. :scared:

unjury can't be heated above 130 degrees or it will cook -- that is, it forms little rubbery pieces. Maybe that's what happened with your oatmeal? When I've used it in oatmeal, I prepare the oatmeal, add a little milk or SlimFast to cool it off (I check with a thermometer) and then add the Unjury. The texture didn't change at all that way.

I still get a twinge of pain in my left shoulder. It's barely noticeable but I'm aware of it. I think I read that some people have it for months or even longer. It's not gas -- it's referred pain. The nerves in the vicinity of the stomach stretch up to the shoulder so we're feeling in the shoulder pain from when they messed with our stomachs, if that makes sense.

I'm in the same boat! My first fill is likely tomorrow (depending on what we decide) and my mother's 75th birthday party is Saturday. I'm almost tempted not to get one, not knowing how I'm going to react and I don't really want to be on liquid for the party, just because it can be a hassle and I don't to call attention to myself at my mother's event. I guess I'll talk to my doctor and see what he thinks. Good luck with yours!

Yep, he's a keeper! What a game that was! Go Cowboys! :bounce:

I've used the unflavored more than any other. I don't think it's horrid at all. I've mixed it with pudding, mashed potatoes, and oatmeal and couldn't taste it or smell it. I didn't like it mixed with Propel but it wasn't horrid.