nurselori73

Hey there! I had lap band surgery with Dr.Kaplan March 19th of this year. Just had my second fill today as a matter of fact. Things are going great. I have been very pleased with Dr.Kaplan and would do it all over again in a heartbeat!!!

I'm really starting to get down. I know that you're not supposed to compare yourself to others..but, i've only lost 10lbs since surgery on march 19th. got my first fill April 21. started with 4cc, he gave 1cc at my first fill. Had really rough couple of weeks after the fill but now have the hang of it. I weighed 200 the day of my surgery. I'm not eating much at all. Definitely less than a cup per meal. Why am I not losing? Others that had their surgery around the time of mine have lost 20 to 40. I definitely have restriction and i've got 5cc in a 10cc band. Help!

I am so worried that the surgeon will get in there and not be able to complete the procedure because of my liver. I am 5'2", 203lbs. A couple years ago I had a Cat Scan that showed I had a fatty infiltrate in my liver. I've been following the pre-op diet pretty well but i'm still terrified. I don't know what I would do if I went through all this only to wake up and find out that he couldn't do it. Oh, by the way, my surgeon has never done this procedure before. He will have a proctor there. I am one of three patients he will be doing that day. And, to make matters worse, my LFT's (liver function tests) have been elevated in the past,too.

Today's the day. Leaving now. I will check in when I get discharged from the hospital

Anyone else out there getting banded around that same time??

I had to quit my cymbalta two weeks ago(i'm being banded tomorrow), unfortunately it doesn't come in any other forms than the capsule. The withdrawl has been really,really hard (not to mention being on a liquid diet,too)

Hey guys, my surgery is tomorrow in Parkersburg, WV. (hooterville) So, Fenton if you could beam some of your hippie vibes that way too(lol). My surgeon is new at this (he's been a surgeon for years but new to lap band procedures) so needless to say, I'm already on the valium. It's been an emotional couple of days but i'm committed to doing this. Please,please,please let his hands be steady.......:shades_smile:

travellgal, good luck on wednesday, i'll be thinking of you. your surgery is just before mine. I am scheduled to be there at 8:30 am. If you need something to help you relax, don't be ashamed to ask for it. I have had many surgeries in my young life. At the facility I work at, we give almost everyone something to help them relax while they are in the holding area. It's normal to be nervous. But if you've seen the statistics, rarely ever is there a problem with this procedure. Good luck and best wishes on a wonderful surgery. we should keep in touch. I'll be back on here when I get home. I have to stay overnight after the procedure. I've been on liquids for two weeks so I envy you that you get to eat something good tonight. Savor every morsel.

I'm in Parkersburg, WV.

you didn't have to diet before the surgery? I'm jealous. I've always wanted to go to Hawaii. I hear it's absolutely stunning there. I'm from West Virginia. Pretty drab here this time of year. Congratulations on your surgery.

CBK, you were wondering why i'm useing a surgeon who has never done the procedure before.....My insurance won't cover the procedure, and I don't have the cash to self-pay. This surgeon is doing it for free for three of us so he can get certified. There will be a proctor there and he is experienced. But, yes, I am terrified. Obviously if not for the financial reasons, I would have gone for someone more experienced. I wanted to take out a loan and go to mexico for the procedure but my friends and family threw a fit. They're probably right...I'm a single mom of three living paycheck to paycheck.

pfrando, did your surgeon make you do a pre-op diet?

Hey Lori, I'm from West Virginia. I'm 5'2" and weigh 203. I've only lost 5lbs on the pre-op so far. My surgery is Wednesday. My doctor has never done the procedure before, he has 3 of us scheduled that day. I'm number 2. I'm so worried that something will go wrong and I won't get my band. (I've heard if your liver is too big they can't do it). My procedure will be free. It was the trade-off of using the un-experienced surgeon. I'm 34 and a single mommy of 3, without this deal I couldn't have had the procedure. My stupid insurance company doesn't cover any weightloss surgeries. I've been heavy since the second grade. My parents used to call me "fat albert" as a child.

Ara, I was given a really hard time from my psych eval too. He said in the end that he passed me because my surgeon is new and has to have three patients to start with. There were no back-ups so he said he pretty much had to approve me. Here's what I think is so messed up with psych evals....Ok, first i know they serve their purpose and I understand that this is a life changing operation BUT i didn't think it was fair that he almost flunked me because I have been treated for depression in the past and still have some issues. My husband killed himself three weeks before I gave birth to our daughter. He had a problem with the bottle for years. Last time I checked, it was pretty normal to grieve the loss of your husband. Yes, it has been 5 years. I'm doing just fine, I've worked full time as a nurse and raised 3 kids by myself. I took cymbalta for awhile. I still think about my husband. some days I miss him, some days I just want to kick his a@#!!! But the fact remains that I have been heavy since the second grade. It had nothing to do with my husband. If I had not been one of the first three patients that my surgeon "needed" to become certified, the shrink would have failed me. That made me kinda mad, like I was being punished again for the choices of my husband. I'm not a depressed person any longer. If anything is bringing me down, it's my weight. Honestly, if I had it to do over again, I would have lied to the shrink. How sad is that?! I think most of us who have lived the majority of our lives overweight do suffer from a little depression every now and then. It's not like i hear voices comming from my jello.lol

Nice to see Law Enforcement represented here. My brother was killed in the line of duty in 1994. Franklin County, Ohio. "Blessed is he who lay down his life for his brother". I just popped in to say hello, I'm being banded on the 19th.

Fenton, if you don't mind me asking (and this is kinda personal), when you say you woke up kind of gassy, do you mean the feeling or actually having to pass gas. i'm having my procedure on the 19th. This girl I used to work with, she had gastric bypass. Everyone called her t-bomb behind her back because she farted all the time. She said it was because of her surgery. I have been terrified that after the procedure I will be doomed to a lifetime of uncontrollable farting. I know this sounds silly, but as a single gal who would like to date again someday, i'm thinking that uncontrollable farting might be a potential turn off.lol

Good luck, CBK!!! I'm in West Virginia. I'm on the 19th as well.

You can do it christine!!! We're all here for you.

I know what you mean,NAT36, I lost it on the liquid diet a couple nights ago. Pretty much ate anything that wasn't nailed down. It made me feel so bad about myself. I've really been sticking to the diet since then. I just can't find any protein drink that I like. They're letting me do 2 protein bars each day and then a very small dinner that's high in protein and low carbs & fat. I took my camera to work this morning and had my co-workers take pictures of me. I am going to start a journal of my experience. I could not believe how big i've gotten. I've never been more determined than after seeing those pics of myself. ugh!

It's so funny that this post is here for me to read this morning. I really lost it emotionally last night. I'm going to be banded on the 19th. Up until now I have been so excited about the procedure that I can't think straight, last night (must be the withdrawl from carbs!lol) I got really depressed and anxious. Part of it is what you mentioned in your post. I have been overweight since I was in the second grade. I'm now 34 years old. As a child, my parents' nickname for me was "fat Albert". They used to go around the house saying "hey,hey,hey" like fat albert did in the cartoons. I used to laugh it off even though deep down it really,really hurt. Being chubby has always been part of who i am. It has held me back in alot of ways because of low self-esteem. Many times when I would fail, I would blame it on being fat. As I thought about my upcomming surgery, I think I became emotional because of several things...What if I fail? That thought terrifies me. It would mean that I am not strong enough as a person to overcome food. Something as simple as a cadbury egg has the power to make me feel so crappy about myself. I tell myself that I have the willpower and self-discipline to say no, but when I break down and eat it, I feel like such an incredible failure. It really hit home when you called food your "friend". It really has been to me also. It has always been there to comfort me when times got rough. It's been there when I celebrated,too. It's where I hide when I don't want to deal with something. Mostly though, it's been my addiction. Sometimes I would even hide a stash somewhere. Seriously, please tell me that I am not the only one out there who had an underwear drawer full of chocolate. So yes, i'm am becomming emotional also as my date draws nearer. I keep reminding myself that if I suceed, the world will be mine. This thing that has occupied the majority of my life will be gone, and I will have won. Once and for all. I have put a list on my refrigerator of things that I can do to occupy myself if I feel myself wanting to go back to food for emotional reasons. We are are going to accomplish this. It will not be easy, in fact i'm quite sure it will be one of the most difficult things in our lives. But, we can do it and the victory will be sweet. Others in our lives probably do not understand the hold that food has had on us. But, we are all here for each other. Together we can do this. So, thank you for your post, and here's to our future and finally becomming who we really are inside.

Welcome to the group. I'm having my surgery the same day as you. We should keep in touch. I'm on a liquid diet(my doc requires 2 weeks of liquids before the procedure). How's it going? I'm just a little nervous. More excited than anything. Wish the 19th would just get here already!!!!:sneaky:

wow, I love this site. Anytime I start to get even a little nervous about my banding next week, all I have to do is log in and I realize i'm not alone. I am greatful to have you guys.

I'm 4 days into the liquid pre-op diet and i'm going crazy. I can use optifast,slim fast optima, or adkins shakes. I've tried optifast:smellie:, i've tried slim fast optima(cap. delight) and can't stand it either. I don't want to cheat but if i don't find something to eat soon.....I actually had un-natural thoughts about my shampoo this morning, why do they have to put a big picture of fruit on the front of the bottle.lol. I spoke with my dietician and she said I can have any of the high protien drinks as long as they are low in carbs and fat. Is there anything out there that doesn't taste like butt? I'm having surgery on the 19th. please help.

Thanks so much for all the great suggestions. I'm doing a little better today. Only 10 days to go!!!!

Welcome to the group nat36. Good to know i wont be the only one suffering on wednesday. We're all in this together. It's gonna be great!!!