Wheetsin

My *guess* is that you wouldn't be constipated 6 days post-op if you're on any kind of a liquids only post-op diet. Of course, if you have pain, etc. - that's another story... but just because you aren't dropping off any kids at the pool doesn't mean you're constipated. I only bake brownies about once a week now.

My consultation weight according to my surgeon's scale (which I still protest!!) was 370. On the same day. PCP's scale was 347. I know I gained weight before surgery, but wasn't weighed on his scale -- but through tracking numbers at home I estimate I gained 12#, so a rough surgery weight of 382. I'm just a hair over 5'10, so my starting BMI would have been 54.8. I'm just over 5'10, depending on which nurse does the height thing, and I have a large frame so I can carry more weight than what people would guess (fortunately!). I would be thrilled to see about 180, which is a 200# loss. I have not been overweight my whole life, but the smallest I've been in the last 10 years was around 220 - 230. At that weight, I wore a comfortable 18 or loose 20, and was comfortable with how I looked, but wanted to lose another 40 or 50 pounds, so that synchs up very well with my personal goal of 180. I have not yet asked my surgeon or PCP what they would consider an ideal weight range for me, but my psychologist (also a MD) during pre-ops suggested 160 - 180. I'm 15 days post-op and to date I have lost about 43 pounds. I know that will slow, and slow hard -- that's my weightloss pattern. I'm also a sporatic loser, so I may go two weeks with nothing, and then drop 11 lbs for good overnight. I have a looong journey ahead of me.

Ok guys, I've officially requested such a thread. A dedicated forum would be niiiiice, but - well - baby steps first I guess. If you like the idea of our own super-sized area, it may be helpful to voice your support in this thread, where I've made the request.

What you drink for two weeks? You mean a liquid diet for two weeks post-op? Didn't your surgeon or dietician provide a list of what you can or cannot drink? I know what *I* drank, but that's just one surgeon's plan out of many...

This will probably vary person to person, but IME - not quite accurate. Trust me, it's possible to have some restriction. I PBed just a few days post-op, so I know I had restriction... though I did not have any fill. I will get my first fill a total of 5 weeks post-op. Some docs to put in a small fill at the time of surgery, but this does seem (just from my own research) to be a small percentage. Also IME, I do, or at least did, have restriction, even without a fill. I think there are at least two factors here, one being that your tissues and organs will undergo trauma during the surgery, and it's very common for them to swell some while you are healing. This swelling, in a confined area (e.g. band), can leave you with some restriction of the upper stomach, much like a fill will later on. The second factor is the band itself. If you look at the internal diameter of a band, and you look at the external diameter of the area of our stomachs where the band is placed, there's a difference. I haven't seen a VG band so it may not be the case with that particular band, but I have seen the smaller ones and their empty size is still smaller than where they are placed... so, in short, just having the band in place, even empty, creates a somewhat smaller opening than what is normally there. Plus just for me, it seems like something about surgery took away my appetite. 2 weeks and a day post-op, and I'm eating more than I was right after (maybe 2 oz food a day), but I'm maxing out around 4 oz food a day. I don't believe this is due to restriction, because I can tell the food is hitting my stomach, so maybe it's just part of my healing.

I was using Isopure powder in Water - gag. I switched to fat free "Carb Countdown" milk. Good on calories, no fat, and like 1 or 3g carb per cup. I'm not a milk drinker so even the fat free is too thick for me, so I dilute it with 1/2C water. I also add a teaspoon of low carb Peanut Butter or sugar free coffee flavorings. Pretty darn good, actually. It has 50g Protein per serving (2 scoops) so I drink half at breakfast, half at dinner, and an "AdvantEdge" shake at dinner. Here's the nutritional info:

There's a sticky thread of before & after pics in the General forum. You can access it at: http://www.lapbandtalk.com/showthread.php?t=4642

What do you guys think about a thread for "super sized" bandsters? I see geographic locations having their own area, and turtles have their own society thread... anyone interested? That way we can support each other through our "more than most" journey. Just as turtles don't get much out of hearing us talking about fast we're losing, maybe it would give us a nice break from "I'm getting banded because I need to lose 60 lbs"? Dunno. I know that a lot of diet boards have threads or forums for their "century club" "double century club", etc. members. It could be based on amount of weight to lose, or BMI over X pre-op...whatever. I do believe there's a different type pf encouragement needed when you're a super-sized person trying to lose weight, than when you need to lost 50, 60, 70 lbs.

Hi Jacqie, my pre-op weight was not quite as high but close, 350 - 380 depending on which scale, and want to lose 180 - 200 lbs. I can't really give banding/fill advice because I'm only 2 weeks post-op, but I can help with your dietary choices if you would like my non-professional advice. :hat: Send me a PM and I'll shoot you my email if you're interested.

I had spinal meningitis as a newborn, and required IVs through my vertebrae and in the Fluid sac in my head. Even with all the things they do to newborns without any kind of anesthesia, they have me some for this because of possible jerking from the pain when they inserted the needle into my spine (to pull fluid). These things can result in paralysis, so for that reason alone I'd go with the anesthia! Umm... maybe the shots are similar in feeling or location to an epideral? Not sure... but maybe some moms out there can help you out. My mother had to have cortisone shots once. I don't remember why, but they were in and near her achilles tendon. She's a tough lady, and the shots brought her to tears. SHe had me naturally and said that shot hurt worse than labor & delivery. The needle wasn't a regular needle, it had several needles coming out of the same syringe. Sorry I can't help more.

Best wishes! Pics! Pics! :clap2:

Is there a psychologist that is part of your post-care treatment? If so, you should give them a call ASAP. There are reasons you're doing this, and they can help you find other outlets. I agree with the above. PBs are accidents, to be avoided, not something we make happen. The behavior is beyond PB, and you could end up really doing damage to yourself. Not just from the PB activities, but also because when you're brining up what you've eaten, your body is not getting any nourishment at all. Please call someone, psychologist, surgeon - even a nurse.

what happens when you get sick of eating the same things Short-term, when you're on restricted diet, you just plug away and get through it, or you can try adding some flavorings, etc. to make things seem like they taste different. My pre- & immediate post-op diets weren't great, but the time is over before you know it. what are things that I can eat that would be good for me to eat, Protein shake like were do I start for that one. Protein, protein, protein, veggie. My dietician & everyone else in my program recommends an 80/20 rule, 80 being protein and 20 being your veggies, fruits, etc. Always eat your protein first because if you're going to get full on something, it may as well be the good stuff that will help your body. I use Ispoure "Dutch Chocolate". At first I was mixing it in Water and it sucked monkey butts. It got to where just smelling it would make me queasy. Now I blend it in FF Carb Countdown milk, and add a bit of reduced sugar/fat Peanut Butter, or SF hazelnut flavoring, SF Kahlua flavoring, a bit of peppermint extract, etc. Much much better. Since my old vice was Reese's anything, I'm particularly fond of the peanut butter option. :hat:

You need to replinish the water in your body or your body will not function properly, including metabolism. Not drinking water to weigh less is not a positive state of mind. You're focusing too much on the scale. By that rationale, just walk around naked because most outfits add 3 - 6 lbs. Make good choices, use your band wisely, exercise, drink your water, and the weight will come off.

I was banded on the 1st. I was nervous that Saturday night, and nervous when I actually had to crawl into the bed at the hospital, but otherwise just fine. I slept like baby the night before. Haven't yet, and don't expect that I will, questioned my decision or had the "What the hell did I just do?" reaction that lots of people have... heck, my psychologist during my pre-op quals even told me that's the most common reaction. I had no gas at all - pain, anyway. I did burp quite a bit in the recovery room though. I was sore after surgery, but never what I would call in pain. In temrs of the surgery itself, and general recovery, the most painful part was the kidocaine shot to numb me for my IV, and that certainly wasn't what I would call painful. If you haven't started your pre-opwork, you'll have plenty of time and assistance to help you prepare mentally. :hat:

It depends on the band because there are differences, but an unfilled band (from the pics my doctor showed me) is smaller in diameter than the natural diameter in your esophagus. So apparently the band in and of itself will cause some small amount of restriction. It looked very small, maybe 10 - 15% decrease. Yes on the healing. I had surgery 2 weeks ago. My surgeon does the first fill 4 weeks after your staples come out, which is 5 weeks after your surgery. I was talking to my regular doctor (familiar with lap - has several lap patients) about this and she said that not only is it time to heal, it's also good for giving us time, psychologically, to adjust to banded life. If you woke up one day and had perfect restriction, you'd have little time to adapt and learn the rules... and learn what the early filling up feels like. Like any other decrease/restriction in diet, you're first few weeks will be the most productive in weightloss. I know everytime I'd diet, I might lose 10 lbs the first week, maybe 7 the second, and then 1... 2... 0... 3... 1 :hat:

This is a HUGE struggle. And unfortunate, too. :hat: A good friend of mine had RNY and lost almost 200 lbs. She's a sz 10 now. When we go out people check her out because she's cute and spunky. She'll lean over to me and ask if I think so-and-so is staring at her because she's fat. She has no clue what she looks like, even though she sees herself in the mirror. She can see the different in her before & after pictures, but doesn't "feel" like her pictures "look". She asked me one day why a group of guys were staaring at her, if her shirt had tucked into a fat roll, and I had to remind her -- nope, you're just the cute blonde now! I do the exact same thing. It's very hard.

1. No surgical changes to the structure of my organs. 2. Less time/easier adjustment for becoming pregnant after weightloss. 3. Relatively low risk/percentage of complications during/after surgery. 4. What I consider, "built in portion control" - without the malnutrition or malabsorption. 5. Relatively easy removal if something goes wrong, vs. nothing they can just take out.

I'm starting to get some pains associated with movements (e.g. stretching, twisting...) that I didn't have before surgery, but aren't in the area of any incisions. I hope they didn't leave something inside me. Any problems with the oatmeal going down? I haven't tried it yet b/c I wasn't sure how it would do.

I don't have issues with stinkies and it takes a lot for me to sweat, but I use Dove, have ever since I got a free sample in the mail years ago, and love it. I used Secret before that, and I'm so happy I switched. I never knew how poorly it worked for me until I tried something else. Plus the Dove just feels good to put on your skin (that why I intially switched).

The only time I've been under was for my band, which was placed on March 1. In the recovery room, one of the first things I remember is them asking me to lift my butt up so they could take an xray. I only remember this vaguely, but I told the girls they needed to get away from me until they could go bathe, because they were filthy and I didn't want to get an infection, and shame on them for not having better hygiene, working in a hospital and all... their faces were smeared with dirt. I guess right aftrer I got my "happy juice" (I don't remember this myself) another nurse came in with the ashes on and I told her she looked like she had a Charles Manson tattoo. (Later on I was told it was ash wednesday).

I got my staples out today (relief, they were really starting to really pull) and had to weigh in. It has been 7 days since banding. I'm down 21# from my consultation date and down 30# from my surgery day. Doc estimates about ten of that is Water, but I'm still thrilled! Doc wants me back in 4 weeks for a fill. That's sooner than I had expected... :faint:

Fantastic! :clap2:

Oh my I thought you crawled into my brain for a minute. When near my highest weight, it takes 60 - 65 lbs for there to be a noticeable difference. What I've found is that as soon as I hit that threshhold, *bam* - I'm like 2 or 3 sizes smaller, even though the week before I could wear my fat pants. When I was on Atkins, no one said anything for the longest time, and about 65#. Then - I swear - I showed up to work one Monday morning and *everyone* was like - "OMG!? What did you do this weekend? Have you been on a diet? You look great! Did I not see you Friday?" It was literally an overnight thing, so it seems.

I just found this. How fun! My birthday is Valentine's day, and I have red hair. My parents used to tell me that all people born on Valentine's day have red hair, because it's a very red day. They also used to tell me that the stores were putting up heart decorations & special candy to Celebrate my birthday. Totally believed it. You know the Hostess cupcakes with the loops of white icing across them? When I was very young, before I learned cursive writing (redunant), my parents told me those loops spelled my name in cursive. My parents used to tell me that my tongue turned black when I was lying -- that's how they knew. I'd say something and they'd tell me to stick my tongue out, then say that they knew I was lying because my tongue was black and, sure enough -- I was lying. One day I got smart and looked in the mirror and confronted them about it. They said, "Only parents can see it." Duped again! They also used to tell me they had a special vision mode that let them see through me. They used this to make me go to the bathroom *before* we left. They'd ask if I had to go, and if I said no they would say, "I can see through you and you're full to your knees/hips/eyes/whatever, you better go try." Kinda related, I believed it, but it was only a partial deception. My father was in the Navy and would be away on his cruises for up to a year at a time. When he would get back, he would give me whatever gifts he had purchased overseas, and would always have a roll of quarters. He would take the quarters into the backyard and hide/throw them, almost like easter eggs, then tell me "I brought you special quarters from Australia/Hong Kong/Korea/wherever, you have to go find them before they turn into regular American quarters. You have to find them all before you come back in or they'll just turn into regular ones." Pretty clever, actually, and kept me out of the house for a LONG time. I forgot about that until a few years ago, and when I told my parents, "Hey... I know what you were doing -- perverts!" they just cracked up. I asked my mother once where babies come from. She told me, "All little girls are born with a special seed in their tummy, and when you fall in love that seed starts to grow into a baby." About the same time, my daycare class was learning about science using the "grow your own pinto bean in a styrofoam cup" thing, and we learned that watering seeds makes them grow. I refused to drink Water for over a month because I didn't want to water my seed & have a baby. My parents told me that brown cows give chocolate milk, red ones give strawberry milk, white ones give regular milk, yellowish ones give buttermilk, and spotted cows give swiss cheese. My grandfather used to tell me Tapioca was lumpy because it had fish eyes in it. My mother used to have a car that had the high-beam trigger on the floor, near the brake, so she turned it off & on with her feet. She used to have me look at the dash and by magic would turn on & off the blue light (beam on indicator), even when we were driving and both of her hands were on the wheel. No one told me this, but when I was a kid I'd watch a horror movie & of course be scared all night. I had just gotten done watching a vampire movie and just knew that one was going to crawl through my window and get me. So to protect myself, I tucked a blanket up around my neck because, you know, a vampire can't bite through that much blanket. I did this for a LONG time, long enough that even after I'd gotten older and knew better, I'd still wake up with a blanket around my neck.