LaughingLady

Hello! Very nice of you to ask for some feedback. Here is some of mine.. What do you love about your band surgeon and their practice? My surgeon is located in Memphis TN. His practice has a great staff. Everyone that works with him is very helpful and nice. My surgeon is one of the best technically but he has the personality of a brick and an ego the size of Texas. He can be very cold and sometime hurtful but he is one of the best at the procedure. And I hired him to cut me open, not marry me so I wanted the best. His staff is so helpful that it makes up for his lack of bedside manner. If his staff had been as cold, I would have went elsewhere, skill or no skill. What do you hate? My main dislike about my surgeon is his personality. Just doesn't have one at least not professionally that I have seen. What do I hate about the surgery itself...nothing that I can say so far. I've been banded about 3 months and no major issues. What do we do well? I think all the prework that has to be completed (nutritionist, psychological, lots of prep info) is great. I knew exactly what to expect and what I was getting into. My doctor did a great job of this. What could we do better? Recognize that being fat doesn't equal being stupid or being weak. Yes, I have/had an issue with food and was weak around it but I also run a very successful business, probably make about as much as my doctor and I am not stupid. Those fat cells didn't suffocate my brain, thank you very much. What more could we do to help you succeed? My doctor has support group meetings, follow-up counseling provided, etc. I think he does pretty well at that honestly. Also, this website is great. How could we improve your customer experience with our practices? Treat us with the same respect as you would expect to be treated with yourself. That is really the core of it in my mind. Thanks! Hope this helps.

It's really hard to say without seeing the labels but from your example menu, I'd say try to increase your fiber content. I'm also not a big fan of breakfast, but I try to down a pack of instant oatmeal for fiber. Also, there are some Southwestern Chicken wraps and turkey club wraps that you can find in the deli section (near the Lunchables usually) that have 15 grams of fiber per serving and less than 300 calories. I forget the name brand but I love the Southwestern chicken and the asian chicken wraps. Very yummy. I find that when I am in a slump, if I up my fiber content, it really helps. Good Luck...

Hello! I was banded on 10/9. I was 303 lbs when I started, lost down to 289 during my pre-op diet (about 3 weeks of "normal" food just really watched portion size) and am now at 280. Goal is 150, would love to hit 140 (my college weight). I'm at the soft food stage now on my Physician's plan. I am doing most normal activities, just no lifting of anything heavier than a gallon of milk. No one knows that I had surgery except my hubby. He is an angel and very supportive so I am lucky. I returned to work on the Monday after my surgery. My only real complaints have been serious shoulder pain which I assume has been gas and some foot cramps. My energy isn't back to normal yet but is getting there. I am so glad I found this site!!

I had horrible foot cramps this weekend (I was banded on 10/9) and low potassium is one possible reason along with dehydration. I mashed a fresh banana to mush and ate it for breakfast (bananas are very good for potassium) and baked a potato and scooped out the middle and mushed it with some chicken broth for lunch (Potatoes are also good for potassium). In between, I sipped alot of water. So far, no more foot cramps. Hope this helps someone.

I use grits as a substitute for rice/pasta. It is just ground corn and if you add a bit of margarine and salt, tastes very much like rice. It is very, very finely ground and I can tolerate it during my mushie stage. It also is very good to thicken up Soups slightly. broth was getting where it didn't satisfy me at all but if I added a few tablespoons of grits, it thickened it up enough to stick in my stomach for a bit longer. I use the quick cook kind, not the instant. I cook a big batch on Sundays and then refridgerate for use during the week. That way I have it handy.

I had my surgery on Tuesday, October 9. 2 days post-op and I am up and about with minimal soreness, mainly when I get up from a sitting/laying position. I've had no nausea and my biggest physical complaint has been gassiness (I feel full of air). My incisions are really only sore if you touch them directly. I showered yesterday with no pain at all. I wish you the best!!

I had my surgery on Tuesday (October 9) of this week and I am already up and around. It was amazing. I'm a bit sore when I get up and down from a sitting/laying position but other than that, I've had very little pain. The biggest discomfort has been a bit of gassiness/full of air feeling. I wish you well!