Longhorn

Ann: It's going to be fine. They'll probably give you a shot of heparin to prevent the clots and the anesthesia is pretty sophisticated these days. Good luck and let us know how you're doing!

I had the bloating, too! I thought maybe it was a reaction to the whey Protein powder so I switched to SlimFast. The bloating went down but it could have just been a coincidence. I'm going to wait until my stomach isn't so swollen before I try the unjury again. This has happened to me before a few years ago and I took chewable Lactaid to try to prevent it. Time will tell. I have enjoyed the sugar-free popcycles. Other than that, I'm eating everything you are except I haven't had any pudding. Oh, I also like the Diet Snapple Peach Tea. My third day was the turning point for feeling better so you're almost there!

And there doesn't seem to be another board out there like this one! Not one that is as active and devoted to lap band surgery, at least not that I could find. Being somewhat housebound after having my surgery on Thursday, I really wanted to get on this site!!!

Wow, I thought popcorn was one of those things I wouldn't be able to eat again! I'm glad to hear that it's not a given!

My doctor said four weeks. And I'm not to lift anything heavier than five pounds before then, either. I'll probably start off with my recumbent bike or elliptical and wait before I add weights. I don't have a lot of time in my schedule until after this semester ends anyway.

Good luck, tomorrow! Are you spending the night at the hospital? If not, you won't need the heating pad, etc., until you get home. The only things I brought to the hospital were a pillow for the ride home (which I also used in pre-op and recovery), some Carmex because my lips were dry, slip-on shoes, and a pullover dress. I wore a leisure bra and non-constricting panties. To put a ticker in your signature, go to UserCP at the top of any LBT page, then click on Edit Signature. Copy the code from the top box of the ticker page and paste it into the signature window. Then click on preview signature below that box to see if it works okay. Let us know how you're doing when you get home!

It looks like you also posted the code in your avatar. You can change that to something else, if you want.

Copy the code in the top box at the counter site. Then go to UserCP at the top of the any LBT page and click on Edit Signature. Paste the code into the signature box. Below the box, you can click on Preview Signature to make sure it's working.

That's quite a change! You're body is so much smoother and slimmer! Isn't it great that you don't have to reach goal to enjoy the benefits of losing? Congratulations!

I thought I would have a hard time giving up diet soda. I've been building up to drinking at least six a day for 30 years. I'm not a coffee or iced tea drinker so soda was my drink of choice all day long. I went ahead and gave it up when I started the pre-op diet and didn't miss it! I had a headache for a couple of hours the first few days but that went away. Now I sip on Propel or, gasp, water! Oh, and I like Diet Snapple, too. I never would have believed it would be this easy!

My doctor told me to get in 64 oz a day and I could count the protein shakes, etc., toward that total. I think I'm coming close. I'm pretty much sipping all day.

This is one reason I was glad not to stay in the hospital. I remember how little rest I got after my first child was born! I've been in the hospital a few times and I've never rested well, and just when I would get to sleep, someone would come in again. Once my room was near the nurses station and all I could hear was the nurses laughing and talking, day and night! I asked them to quiet down but it didn't help much. I live out in the country and I didn't have one visitor. I could watch what I wanted on television, decide if I wanted to take a phone call, hang out with my laptop, and sleep when I wanted. It's been really nice!

My surgery was on Thursday and I'm planning to go back on Tuesday. I teach at a community college so it shouldn't be too taxing. I have long breaks in between classes. If I have to, I can teach sitting down as my lessons are on PowerPoint. I'm feeling pretty good today and think I could go back tomorrow if I had to but I'm glad I'm waiting until Tuesday, not so much because of the pain but because I might still be tired.

My pre-op diet was a low-carb, high protein diet. However, I have a relatively low BMI and my surgeon said he wasn't worried about my liver being too big. I believe he does require a liquid diet for those with higher BMIs. His post-op diet is the most conservative I've seen on this board! First two weeks: Clear liquids (including skim milk and protein shakes made with skim milk) Next four weeks: Full liquids/pureed foods (foods that could fit through a straw but no fruit juice) Until 5 months post-op: Soft foods. 5 months post-op: Normal food. Most people are eating soft food and then normal food much sooner than this. I plan to ask him more about this when I meet him on Friday. I don't know if this schedule depends on how I'm doing or why it is so strict compared to others.

Thanks, Flip! Let us know what you get, if you like it, and if it works. I may have to try soy next.

There's a thread for those over 50 and another for those over 60 in the Lap Band Support forum. Some of these topics, including Medicare, have been discussed there. You might want to check them out. I'm 52 and it never crossed my mind that I might be too old. Silly me! But then I never think I'm as old as I am. :Banane20:

I was banded November 1. Here's the sequence of appointments that I went through: 1. Initial consultation with surgeon. They took my weight, blood pressure, and temperature. I had downloaded and filled out some forms in advance about my health and weightloss history. I met with the surgeon who explained the surgery and answered all my questions. I had already been approved for credit. I made the appointment for surgery for 13 days later. 2. Meeting with nutritionist. She went over the pre-op and post-op diet. 3. Meeting with psychologist. I filled out a brief form rating my level of depression and self-esteem. We discussed my weightloss history, feelings about myself, family support, etc. It was a very uplifting meeting. 4. Appointment with my GP. He had no affiliation with the surgeon but because I had the tests done in his office, I saved some money. He examined me and recommended me for surgery. I also had an EKG, chest X-ray, and pulmonary function test. The nurse drew blood that was sent off to the lab for a bunch of tests. My doctor had also faxed the results of tests I had this summer which saved me money in not having to repeat them. 5. Pre-op meeting at the hospital. This was just a meeting to take care of the admissions paperwork. I brought a printed list of the supplements I take which saved a little time. The technician took my blood pressure, pulse, and temperature and asked questions regarding my medical history. 6. Pre-op visit with the surgeon two days before surgery. His assistant weighed me, took my blood pressure, pulse, and temperature. She had me stand on a special scale to measure my fat percentage and I did a metabolism test where I breathed through a tube for about ten minutes to measure my daily calorie requirements. She said this was to get a baseline measurement so that if I reach a plateau, they have something to compare. I showed 50 percent of my weight is fat and we want to get it down to 25 percent. My metabolism showed 2600 calories per day, which makes me wonder why I couldn't lose weight when I cut it to 1600 a day -- I guess we'll see! I then met with the surgeon who examined me and decided where he was going to put my port so that it doesn't bother me when I bend over. Some people do all of this on one day and some appointments are spread out, like mine were. I'll go in one-week post-op to visit the surgeon again. Everything has gone like clockwork. Good luck!

I'd like to start riding my bike again. I didn't actually stop because of how I looked but how difficult it is to bike in the hilly area where I live. I have an electric bike to help with the hills but it has had plenty of technical problems so I'd love to be able to ride my regular bike and weighing less would surely help!

Massage and heat have helped me. Mine is in the front so I massage it myself and then I use a heating pad on it.

Well . . . First Day: I got home from the hospital at around 1:45. I was sore but upbeat. The worst pain was in my left shoulder. I spent the day in my La-Z-Boy with a pillow under my knees and another on my stomach. I frequently dozed, hung out on this board, and sipped Propel and Protein beverages. I took Tylenol with codeine every 4 to 6 hours. I had a slight fever of about 99.2. I slept in my bed but woke up a lot. It was painful to turn over but I could get comfortable enough to sleep on my side with my body pillow under my belly and between my knees. Second Day: The pain in my shoulder had lessened but I was more sore around my incisions and my abdomen became bloated. I kept up the Tylenol and walked around. Late in the afternoon, my husband gave me a back rub and that seemed to help get the gas moving. I couldn't stomach any more whey protein so I switched to low-carb SlimFast. By evening, the bloating was mostly gone. My fever went up to 99.9. I slept better the second night. Third Day: I was pretty sore when I woke up this morning and a little discouraged. However, as the day went on, I started feeling remarkably better. The pain in my shoulder is only an occasional twinge. My belly feels better and my fever is gone. I took regular Tylenol this afternoon. I was awake more and able to move around better, though I still took it easy. I had more SlimFast, Jello with added powdered egg whites, Propel, a couple of SF popcycles, and Water. I'm taking the prescription Tylenol before bedtime. And that's it so far.

The only time I've been lactose intolerant was when I drank a whey Protein shake. However, usually if I take Lactaid when I drink it, I'm okay. I didn't have any trouble with unjury before my surgery but I got very bloated yesterday, one day after surgery, even though I took some chewable Lactaid. So I switched to low-carb SlimFast and the bloating went away. Now, that may have just been related to surgery so I'm going to try the Unjury again tomorrow. Anyway, even if you've never been lactose intolerant before, the whey protein may trigger it. I agree with the suggestion to try soy protein. I'm going to do that next if I find out that the whey really is the problem.

Thanks for the advice! That's my thinking, too.

Happy Birthday and congratulations! You're a great inspiration to those of us just beginning the journey!

Well, I hope you get to the right amount of restriction soon. Your progress is even more amazing, doing it mostly on your own. Eventually, your band is going to start working for you, right? I'm not even thinking about losing weight yet. I'm just focusing on healing and following the rules.

You need to get in touch with this guy: http://www.lapbandtalk.com/members/wendell-edwards/ He's an inspiration to all of us but I think you could especially relate to him. Good luck!