Sue's Eye

When I told her my surgery date was coming up quickly, she stopped, looked at me and said "I don't want you to get skinny." My jaw fell open. I couldn't believe she said this. What's up with that? I've always tried to be supportive of her when she needs me, and in the past she has been there for me as well, so I don't understand how she could be so hurtful and say something she knew would upset me. Just wanted to vent. Thanks.

Seems everyone has a different regiment to follow, so was wondering how everyone is coping? What's your program? My program is this: two Meal Replacement shakes, two Snacks - one is two pieces of low fat string cheese and the other one is a piece of fruit (which I save for dessert) and one meal consisting of 4 ounces of lean meat, poultry and fish, a cup of raw or steamed veggies and two slices of whole grain pepperidge farm veri thin bread. It's about 800 calories a day. This is day 9 for me. It hasn't been too terrible because at least I get to chew something for one meal (and believe me, I really look forward to it!). One thing that helps me with the meal replacement shake is blending in some ice - enough that I can crunch on that too. Strength-wise I'm in the pits. I just don't have the energy to do much, but do try to stay as busy as I can given the lightheadedness and such. How 'bout y'all?

I was speechless that she said it. I wasn't able to recover fast enough to ask her why she would say such a thing, but replied something along the lines of "too bad, cuz it's happening." I'll look for the other threads. Thanks!

:clap2:Good job! I can't wait to join you!

This thread has been an eye opener. If I experience anything like y'all, then I think for at least the first 3-5 days post-op Vicodin is going to be my new best friend.:nervous

I've been inhaling on the spirometer that was given to me last month and I can't get it to what the nurse said it should be. I can get it up to 1750, but it is supposed to be around 2000. Also, I've really struggled with quitting smoking, making it for two days in a row, then relapsing and having start over. Today is a startover day...again. My surgery is one week from today. I really don't want to damage my recovery period with lung issues, so can anyone enlighten me as to whether you had no problems post-op or if you had problems, what they were and how you handled it? Anything at all you think would be helpful is appreciated. I'm pretty stressed out about it.

Thanks, y'all. I'm still struggling, but working that spirometer like crazy. Last night i got it over 2000, so I'm beginning to feel more confident that collapsed lungs won't be an issue.

Also on Wellbutrin XL. I was told to not take it on surgery day but that I should be able to take it afterwards with no problem.

Soft drinks contain not only carbonation, but also high fructose corn syrup, which has been linked to diabetes and obesity. The stuff is evil incarnate! Three months ago I made a conscious decision to eliminate anything with this ingredient -- you would not believe how many products have this crud in it!!! Stay away from sodas. If you want a soft drink as an occasional treat, I'd suggest making your own lemonade.

I paid $13,500 to the hospital on Tuesday. This includes the surgeon, the anesthesiologist, hospital fees, pre-op tests, and one year follow up and four fills. I'm still fighting with Cigna and feel pretty sure they will deny it no matter what, since my BMI is 36 with no co-morbids. But I'm determined to turn my life around and consider this an investment in my future that is money well spent! Good luck to you in your fight with them. They can be an incredibly stingy insurance company.

Days 1 and 2 of this pre-op diet weren't so bad, but today, the 3rd day is really tough. I went to bed hungry last night and dreamt that a friend sent me and my husband a huge honkin' piece of cake with some kind of blueberry frosting and I ate the whole thing without sharing. So here's my frantic question to those who are a bit ahead of me but not yet banded: does it get any better or is this status quo for the next 10 days?

Here is some information from an anesthesiologist friend of mine: "The most common post-op complication that we see is a pulmonary problem. There are multiple reasons for is, and surgeons are quick to point the finger and say "it's the anesthesia." The cause is much more complex than that. A quick physiology lesson: Think of your lungs as being a bunch of tiny balloons at the end of straws. When you exhale, you compress the balloons using your chest muscles to squeeze the air out. However, you never really empty them. A small amount of air remains in the balloon. This is called the "functional residual capacity" (FRC). However, some of the balloons (the ones at the base - bottom - of the lung) may indeed collapse. The only way to get these to open is to "pop" them open by taking deep breaths. There's the dreaded word - "deep breaths." After surgery, deep breaths are more difficult (painful) to take, and people tend to not do it because it hurts. Larger people have more work to do to move the chestwall, and it takes more effort to get those big breaths in. When you don't keep those sacs (alveoli) open, you set up a situation in which bacteria like to grow. Bingo - pneumonia. There a couple of things to keep in mind in your case: 1) I assume that you're basically in good health, and there's nothing other than what I mentioned above (surgery and size) keeping you from taking big deep breaths. 2) Laparoscopic surgery is MUCH less of an insult to the breathing mechanism. The incisions are small, it doesn't hurt as much, and you're less disinclined to deep breathe. 3) It sounds like your surgeon is a pro, and face it, you're good at what you do a lot of. Experience means faster surgery, and faster is better because there are a bunch of other pulmonary things that won't happen. (For a discussion of the effects of anesthesia on pulmonary function, see next week's lecture). 4) The difference between what they set as their "goal" for the spirometer and what you can actually do doesn't sound like much to me. The important thing is that you deep breathe and keep moving as much as the surgeon allows. Lying around in bed afterward sets you up for the things I mentioned. "

I emailed a friend of mine who is a "gas man" and asked about the function of the spirometer that is given at the pre-op seminar. Below is his response. I think this could be useful to anyone with lung issues, and underlines the importance of quitting smoking before surgery: ------------------ "The most common post-op complication that we see is a pulmonary problem. There are multiple reasons for it, and surgeons are quick to point the finger and say "it's the anesthesia." The cause is much more complex than that. A quick physiology lesson: Think of your lungs as being a bunch of tiny balloons at the end of straws. When you exhale, you compress the balloons using your chest muscles to squeeze the air out. However, you never really empty them. A small amount of air remains in the balloon. This is called the "functional residual capacity" (FRC). However, some of the balloons (the ones at the base - bottom - of the lung) may indeed collapse. The only way to get these to open is to "pop" them open by taking deep breaths. There's the dreaded word - "deep breaths." After surgery, deep breaths are more difficult (painful) to take, and people tend to not do it because it hurts. Larger people have more work to do to move the chestwall, and it takes more effort to get those big breaths in. When you don't keep those sacs (alveoli) open, you set up a situation in which bacteria like to grow. Bingo - pneumonia. There a couple of things to keep in mind in your case: 1) I assume that you're basically in good health, and there's nothing other than what I mentioned above (surgery and size) keeping you from taking big deep breaths. 2) Laparoscopic surgery is MUCH less of an insult to the breathing mechanism. The incisions are small, it doesn't hurt as much, and you're less disinclined to deep breathe. 3) It sounds like your surgeon is a pro, and face it, you're good at what you do a lot of. Experience means faster surgery, and faster is better because there are a bunch of other pulmonary things that won't happen. (For a discussion of the effects of anesthesia on pulmonary function, see next week's lecture ). 4) The difference between what they set as their "goal" for the spirometer and what you can actually do doesn't sound like much to me. The important thing is that you deep breathe and keep moving as much as the surgeon allows. Lying around in bed afterward sets you up for the things I mentioned. "

I'm new to this forum and just wanted to introduce myself. Let me start by saying how excited I am to be on this journey and I'm looking forward to sharing mine with you and being a part of your experiences too. My surgery date is October 29, and I'm now on day 2 of the pre-op diet. I spent most of yesterday running to the bathroom, and this morning the scale reflected that -- I lost 3 pounds on the first day!

I'm having a hard time quitting. Have tried twice now and made it as far as two days. Only smoking 3-4 a day, but that's 3-4 too many. Tomorrow is another day! I have a box of Patches for the next attempt.

thanks for the welcome Judy - I'll be reading your new experiences with the band with a lot of interest.

Lisa, I'm on my second day. So far it hasn't been too awful, since I only have two meals that are shakes made from sugar free Carnation Instant Breakfast with a cup of skim milk and 1/4 c. powdered milk added (I also jazz it up with a tsp. of cocoa, 1/4 tsp. vanilla and an extra packet of Splenda). I was surprised at how full they kept me. Two Snacks - one is two string cheeses and the other a piece of fruit (pear or apple); dinner is 4 oz. of lean meat, a cup of veggies and two slices of Pepperidge Farm Veri Thin whole grain bread. Of course, I'm only on day 2, so a week from now I may be wanting to chew my arm off, but so far, not too bad. Been running to the bathroom a lot! I lost 3 pounds on the first day, which is a great motivator. Good luck to you!