Anwyn

Hi Dani - I was banded 2 weeks ago at Henry Ford Hospital. My physician was Dr. Ganaw. They haven't done very many bands, so I'm not sure if they will do fills on people they haven't treated. I have heard that there's a physician by the name of Dr. Pleatman in Bloomfield Hills who will do fills. You may want to search for him on this site - he has actually posted here a few times. Hope this helps! :-)

Congratulations! Best wishes for a speedy recovery.

Good luck with your "red tape" stage. The surgery will be here before you know it! Full-time college, full-time job, full-time 3-year old? When will you find time for surgery?! :-)

Throw a big bag of frozen meatballs into the crock pot and douse it with your favorite barbecue sauce. To make them a little healthier, prebake on cookie sheets to bake out some of the grease and then throw in crockpot with bbq sauce. I make it all the time for get-togethers. Yummy!

I went through a similar thing about a week before my surgery. There are still some days that I think to myself "is this really what I want to do?" and then I remember that I had the surgery 2 weeks ago. :-) It's natural to feel this way, especially since you're a nurse so you really understand what's at stake. But, you also understand the health repercussions of staying overweight. I do think this surgery should be considered a last resort, so if you want to try therapy first you can always have the surgery a little later. Keep reading this board - it's so informative, and it really helped me feel confident about taking the leap. Good luck with your decision!

Good luck with your approval! You're almost there. I'm impressed that you're starting partial liquids early - I'm counting the days until I can eat real food. :-)

Congratulations! You're going to do great.

Hi Jodie, It's sad, but it doesn't seem at all uncommon to lose friends once you've had WLS. It seems that they break up into two camps - the ones who are true friends and who stick with you through it all and the ones who can't get over their own insecurities and jealousies. I've only been banded two weeks, and I can already put every friend I have into these two groups. I know from your other posts that you are housebound unless someone takes you with them, so it's no easy matter to go on your own. Hang in there and concentrate on being the best friend you can be to the people who deserve it. Another thing to consider, and I confess I am completely guilty of this, is that when we're planning on weight loss surgery and going through all of the crap we have to go through before, during, and after surgery we tend to be a little... okay, a lot self-centered. I realized yesterday when I was talking to my sister that I had been going on and on about my liquid diet and the weight I was trying to lose. I hadn't even thought to ask how she was doing. So make sure you're being a good friend too - they may be staying away because it's always about you right now. Good luck with everything!

Buffy - Unless you see signs of infection, once the hospital dressings are removed you should keep the incisions dry and uncovered. They'll heal faster that way. That's what my nurse told me anyway...

You may want to try "Unjury" protein powder. I ordered mine today at unjury.com, so I haven't tried it yet, but I've heard from several people that it's wonderful. You can dissolve the unflavored kind in sugar free jello (there's a recipe on their website), or just dissolve it in any liquid. I've also struggled with the protein shakes, so I'm hoping this works better for me. Good luck with your recovery!

My surgeon told me that everyone is different, but I'd say your chances of avoiding baggy skin are pretty good if you were able to avoid stretch marks with 3 babies. My own stomach looks like a tattoo of spaghetti salad after only 2 kids, so I'm seriously envious. And look on the bright side - maybe you can get a 2 for 1 deal if you get a boob job and a tummy tuck at the same time! :-)

You should ask at your consultation to make sure, but I believe that the important weight is the one at your consult. That is the weight they will use to determine your eligibility with their office and with insurance. In my case, I was required to lose 5 lbs before surgery to show that I was committed. If I had not maintained that loss they would have cancelled my surgery. I think that practice is fairly uncommon... As far as whether or not you should have the surgery, that's a much tougher issue. It certainly isn't for everyone, and I can see where being borderline BMI would make it a harder call. In my own case, I endured two back operations before my neurosurgeon told me that if I didn't lose weight pronto I'd have to have a third, much more serious back operation. Not exactly a tough call picking this over a spinal fusion. I will say this though - everyone on this site (even the people who have had serious complications) say that this is the best thing they have ever done for themselves. Good luck with your consultation and your decision - you'll know what's right for you when the time comes.

Hi Micki - I don't know if this will put your mind at ease so much as help you feel that you're not alone, but I did the same thing. I'm 10 days post-op and I'm supposed to be on thicker liquids for another week and a half. Last night I had the bright idea to put a cheese-it in my mouth. It didn't hurt my stomach at all, and before I knew it I had at least a serving and a half in me. Even though my overall calorie intake for the day was about 800 cals I was up a pound this morning. I'm pretty sure it was God trying to say "don't screw this up, moron". I'm determined to stick to the liquids from now on - I do NOT want a slipped band and neither do you. Stick with it - we'll be eating regular food soon!

Ugh - you poor thing. I hope you're feeling better now. I never thought I'd say this, but I hope to die a virgin! PB, that is...

I've been married for 8 years. I'm a stay at home mom to a 5 year old son and a 20 month old daughter. I love scrapbooking, but I'm too unorganized to get much done. I also love to decorate my house, but my biggest fault (other than a crippling addiction to Ben & Jerry's) is that I never finish a room before I move on to the next one. I'm not a big sports fan, but I'm very good at watching tv. TIVO is my best friend - I love Arrested Development and CSI.

I'll PM you directions for changing your signature. It took me a while to figure it out too... I'm 10 days post op and experiencing the same thing. It's a little unsettling having the surgery and then having to wait 6 weeks to feel the effect. I'm sure once we got that first fill we'll be feeling more confident.

Thanks for the tip DeLarla! I feel stupid saying it, but I didn't even know liquid vitamins existed. I used to buy an occasional jar of Centrum horse pills and let them expire in my cupboard for a few years (I've never been a big vitamin taker unfortunately). I was just wondering today if I was going to be stuck with Flintstones Chewables for the rest of my life... :-)

You're not alone! We must have been banded on the same day. I thought my hubby might go on a supportive diet with me during the fasting, but if anything he's bringing pizza and fast food into the house more because I'm not cooking. He's a great guy, but he has no idea how close I've come to strangling him these past two weeks. :-) Anyways, the thing keeping me going is definitely the scale, even though most of it is probably Water. I try to make sure I'm full with a Protein shake when my family is eating, and I just keep counting down the days to mushies. I keep telling myself that soon this will be a distant memory, and it will, so hang in there. We can do it!!

Oh my God - I just about peed my pants laughing at that picture. Thanks for the laugh!! And I agree with Delarla -- nice buns!

It looks like you need some Midwest prayer power coming your way, so I'll be your angel from Michigan! Good luck on your surgeries - you're an inspiration to all of us!

I am so sorry to hear that you lost your band. I once heard (on Dr. Phil or something probably - I'm addicted to self help tv) that it takes 3 weeks to create a new habit. You had 6 months to create some new habits that will hopefully help you keep the weight off. You may have heard of this, and it is VERY Christian focused which may be a turnoff, but there is a program out there called the "Weighdown". It centers around listening to your body to find out when you need food, eating very slowly and savoring each bite, and stopping as soon as you feel comfortably full. I've often thought that it's kind of similar to having a band (without the leg up that a band gives you of course). At any rate, my sister has had some luck with it, and I just thought I'd mention it. Another important thing about it - no food restrictions! If you're interested, you should be able to find their website easily by googling, but if you have any trouble let me know and I can find the info for you. It's a series of videotapes and audiocassettes. Regardless of how you choose to tackle the remaining weight, I wish you the best of luck. I know you can do it!

Hi Tina, Thank you for the entertaining glimpse into your first day back, and congratulations on making it through! Good luck with your boss tomorrow, and try to keep those panties hidden! 8-) Anne Banded July 26, 2005

Congratulations to both of you! I was banded 4 days ago. Still sleepy, and I definitely recommend not bending over to pick up toys (still nautious 1/2 an hour later), but recovery is going pretty well. Going a little insane on the liquids... Glad to hear everyone's surgeries went so well! Anne

My doctor told me that the reason to avoid carbonation is because it will stretch your pouch out and then take longer to get full, making it harder to lose weight. True? I dunno. I say, if you've been able to tolerate it and your weight loss is going where you want, go for it! I can certainly see where it would be a good alternative to downing a pint of ice cream at night (ice cream is my downfall as well). 8-)

I have an expensive scale at home that weighs very consistently so I use that one for any weigh-ins. I'm still up, but it is slowly coming back off. The important thing is that I'm heading in the right direction. I'm curious though - did anyone else have such a large gain after surgery? I am trying to change my mentality to "healing" instead of "losing". It ain't easy, but I'm working on it!