kdlee

I have already started taking my post op vitamins to get used to the chewables. I take 1 Centrum adult chewable and 2-3 Tums a day for the calcium. After surgery I'll add in some type of fiber supplement, like metamucil and pepcid for acid control.

Good luck to you! I know just how you feel. I'm starting to get scared, too. Looking forward to hear how you did.

My nutrionist has me on 1600 cal and 60g Protein. She told me not to get much more than 60g of protein in and no less than 60. She figured it out by some ratio she plugged my weight into? I was told to eat fat free cottage cheese. It is very high in protein and the consistency doesn't matter. I have been eating it almost everyday and I'm kind of getting sick of it!

Camden-Clark Memorial Hospital "Gastric banding is now available locally at The Healing Center at Camden-Clark Memorial Hospital Center. For more information, contact The Healing Center at 304-420-7155" Good luck! My surgery is scheduled for June 30th!

I was very prone to headaches, too. I have stopped drinking all caffeine over the past two months and I've only had one headache since! I think it was due to decaf tea and withdrawal the next day. I don't know if the decreased in headache is because I am off caffeine or if it's related to eating better since the start of this process? Either way, I'm just glad the headaches are gone! Mickey-What does 75% Protein equal? How many grams are you supposed to eat? I'm supposed to get in 60 grams, which is fine now. I'm just worried that post-op it will be hard with such limited intake! Do they have you taking any supplements or anything like that? Just curious. :tongue2:

That's great! There are so many surgeons and each one does things so different. There are alot of people on here I've read who don't have to do the preop diet (makes me secretly jealous! :tongue2:)

Wow. I was told the purpose of the preop diet is to shrink your liver, thus making for a smoother surgery since part of your liver lays over the stomach and must be moved. Also, the purpose of the postop diet is to allow your stomach to heal on the outside, around the band, to ensure that your band doesn't slip. I guess in some ways your lucky not to go through the 2 week torture of the liquid diet! Good luck to you in your journey. I'm dreading the preop liquids which start soon.

I'm not banded yet, so haven't had a fill but...Did you notice if the Dr. aspirated (pulled back on the plunger of the syringe)? You would know if you were in the port this way, because you would have a return of saline that you could only get from the port. Perhaps the mark doesn't line up with the port site exactly because she stretched your skin tight across the port to make for easier access and when she let go, the skin went back to where it was, thus looking like it didn't match up?

Exercise will really help to bump up your weight loss. Is there a reason you're waiting to get under 200? I am exercising 4 days a week at my current weight, with good results. I was told to expect a loss of 1-2 lbs a week max after the band. That is all the Dr. wants you to lose, because it's better for you that way. I understand wanting to lose more, believe me! :confused: I hope that with exercise added in, that I'll be able to loose 2-3 some weeks. Good luck to you, whatever happens.

I'm not sure how to measure it. I haven't gotten to that point yet. But, my nutritionist told me that some people have difficulty eating salad post-band and have PB'ing. It would be interesting to see how many people on here can actually eat salad without problems.

Wow, that sounds terrible! Do they think your band's ok? That's one of the things I worry about. I'm afraid I'll get sidetracked and instinct will make me swallow before I'm ready to.

After surgery, I'll be taking 1 chewable multivitamin a day, Tums for Calcium, Metamucil and Pepcid. That's all I was told to take. I wonder what the purpose of 2 multivitamins is? Your body can only absorb so much and the rest is just excreted.

Thanks! :eek:

Something like that is what I'm afraid of! The nurse practitioner keeps reinforcing that complications are rare. However, this is a surgery and things can happen. I think I am going to go ahead and check into the self-donation. Thanks for the input.

Did any of you give your own blood before surgery in case it was needed for transfusion for any post-op complications? Also, did any of you have to get blood transfused after surgery? Just wondering....

She didn't offer it to me. I brought it up to her.

Good job! Thanks for the replies, everyone. I've got a little bit of time before surgery to think about this and decide.

Jeannie said I could donate some blood if I wanted, but she seems really hesitant about asking Kaplan about it. She doesn't seem worried about the need for it, either.

Thanks. I guess it's the nurse coming out in me. :tongue: I know the complication risk is low and I was just wondering how many people have encountered this.

Wow, lots of nurses here! I don't know how I missed this thread. I'm an RN, also. I graduated from The University of Akron in 1998. Let's see, I started out in L&D, nursery, post-partum. Did that a couple years. I then went to Psych/Geri-Psych. Did that for 4 years. Loved that but the unit I worked on closed down. I went to Med-Surg after that for 2 years until I found my current job. I work now as the Director of Nursing for a student health clinic at a university. I've been here almost 3 years. I really like my new job, but took the opportunity of working at a large university to go back to school while working full time (I know, I'm crazy). I'm currently working on a Master's in Public Administration and will graduate this fall. I'm excited to see what will open up after that. It's great to see so many nurses who are getting or have the band!

ME ME ME!!! I just got my date today, June 30th. I barely slid into June by the seat of my pants!

My surgeon requires you to stop drinking all caffeine prior to surgery, and none after surgery for several weeks. Giving up caffeine was one of the hardest things I've done! I used to drink a 20oz black coffee in am and 40-60oz of Diet Coke a day! I took one week to reduce that and then stopped completely. The headaches were horrible! I was moody and sleepy all the time. I was in bed everynight for that first week by 8pm. It was terrible! But...let me tell you how much better I feel now! I used to blame not sleeping well at night on being a Mom and listening for my kids during the night. I now know that it was the caffeine. I used to wake up 4-5 times a night when drinking caffeine. I never had problems falling asleep, just staying asleep. Not anymore though, I now sleep through the night. Also, if I didn't have caffeine in by 10am at the latest, I would get a really bad headache. Not anymore! Even after surgery I will never go back to drinking caffeine. It's just too addictive for me. Trust me, if I can stop drinking it, so can you. It's one of the hardest things I've done, but just set your mind to it and do it!:thumbup:

I know just how you feel! I have lost about 20 lbs on my pre-op diet and this nasty nurse that I work with dared to say to me, "Well, if you can lose 20 pounds on your own, why can't you just do the rest yourself?" She was so snotty about it (but then again, she's snotty about everything and no one really likes her attitude). I tried to explain to her that it was a maintanence issue, but then she rudely said "well, I just don't agree with it." Bottom line, I didn't ask her opinion, so why did she think she should offer? Don't let that nasty woman get you down. Someone who is that nasty at their job must have a nasty home life as well and the only way they make themselves feel better is to make other people miserable!

If you want insurance to pay, it sound like the only plan. It really is just all about jumping through the hoops. Good luck to you and I hope it works out well.

My doc uses this same diet, with Water added in. coffee and caffeine is a big NO with my doctor.