dancinglamb

Nikki- I was given the choice, too, and I think I'm going to go with the Realise one. I've not been given the 'secret code' to get onto the larger part of the website, but so far, it looks promising. If you do a search for it here (as well as "Swedish Band") you'll find lots of threads about it. Denise- First, the biggest thing is that my surgeon seemed to be happy about was Johnson and Johnson's reputation about standing behind their products (they're the ones distributing Realise). The band is entirely 'low pressure' versus the Inamed that becomes high pressure after 4cc (?? -- I think that was the number he gave me). Meaning, if you go in to do a fill at a certain point with the Inamed, the pressure load of the saline will be high enough that it would push back the plunger on the syringe ... or shoot out if there was a leak. With the Realise one, it's low pressure throughout. And I was told that would be beneficial in terms of keeping food from getting stuck. Because the band is wider (and somewhat softer by extension), it can kind of mold to a larger chunk of food to help it move through the stoma rather than having it lodged there for however long it would take to either get displaced or digested. My surgeon also told me that the interior of the band gets inflated all the way around (as opposed to the sections that Nikki described, leaving less of a chance of erosion/rubbing in one spot. Also, all Realise bands come with a low profile port (Inameds don't - or didn't until recently come with that option). There's also that whole online support thing that comes with the band where you can track exercise, food, calories, etc. You can also have it set up so your doctor can link in to your personal page and follow your progress. There was, however, a pretty big issue with it only being offered to US patients (Patients in Canada and those who had the surgery done in Mexico apparently weren't eligible for the web program. Dunno if they revised that or not). That's all I'm remembering off the top of my head for now. I'm sure there's probably more. I have the little book the doctor gave me floating around here somewhere...If I think of anymore, I'll come back and edit. -m

I've been spying this stuff, too. They even sell individual sized bottles (as well as Muscle Milk bars) at 7-11! I figured if it's that mainstreamed, it can't be *that* disgusting:wink_smile:. Oh, and I'm pretty sure I've seen the 4pks at Target near the diet stuff, and GNC has it at their stores and on their website. At least you don't have to go making special trips to get the stuff, kwim? Just make sure you're picking up the Muscle Milk LIGHT and not the regular stuff. There's a pretty signficant difference in the calories and fat. Figures, huh? *sigh* ETA, well, crap. According to their website (www.musclemilk.com): MM Light version has 160cal, 5g fat, 20g Fiber Reg MM has 220cal, 11g fat, 21g Protein MM CytoCarb II version has 330 cal, 16g fat, 32g protein -m

I bought a sample of this and a sample of their lemon tea, but then I read that it can give you an evil case of 'auto-eject' (a/k/a diarrhea). How's your stomach on the Nectar stuff? I was really excited to see that it comes in those little individual serve packs. Maybe the trick is to mix it in with the Crystal Light? I have to sheepishly admit I've never had the Crystal Light stuff, either, since I'm not a huge fan of all the chemical sweeteners. But it seems like there's no way to avoid them at this point (I do know about stevia, but that comes with its own issues)... -m

Topamax (brandname for Topirimate - it's still patented and can't be bought in the US under generic yet) is a prescription med that's used for migraines. Definitely not the end all, be all 'cure' for migraines for everybody, but one that works for a lot of people. It does tend to have quite a few side effects. Some of them may include curbed hunger (which may cause subsequent weight loss), but it also can slow cognitive abilities, have neurological impacts (pins/needles), balance issues, make you wicked tired, etc. It can also cause altered tastes in some foods - esp. diet sodas. You absolutely need to tritate up to a standard dose of the meds (take it over a period of weeks to get to the therapeutic amount needed) and CAN NOT suddenly stop taking the stuff cold turkey. I've had great luck with it (e.g., have gone from completely couch-ridden 4-5 day long headaches several times a month to maybe 3 simple headaches/month), but I've also definitely come to realise why the nickname for it is 'Dopamax'. My memory isn't as sharp, names/appts don't come to me as quickly (thank God for the Treo!). But I gladly trade that for the lack of headaches. But on the other side of the coin, two girlfriends of mine have had horrible luck with Topamax and it doesn't do a damn thing for them. Another thing you need to bear in mind - it's extremely cost prohibitive if you don't have prescription coverage. Without insurance, it runs about $300/month. I have Aetna POS, and I pay about $45 for it at Target (I take 100mg/day). Anyway... Talk to your neurologist (if you don't have one, find one - GPs really aren't skilled enough to be dealing with this kind of medication). Oh, and it comes in both tablets and granule form so you don't even have to go through the trouble of crushing it post surgery. As far as Over The Counter stuff goes, I take 1 tablet of 800mg of Ibuprofen (same as 4 OTC Advil) at the slightest hint of a headache. If that doesn't kick it, then I move onto a prescription medication called Maxalt-MLT, which is like a super melty Altoid (the only way I can really describe it). It melts the second it goes onto your tongue, and usually within about 10-20 minutes at most, my headache is gone. So far, this protocol has been working for me for the past 8 months or so. PM me if you have any other questions. :smile: Good luck! -m

Moonshadow- I start the Optifast Fest next week. I tried the chocolate one today. Let's just say somebody was telling a pretty major white lie when they said it tastes like Yoohoo. I just ordered a few of the DaVinci s/f syrups to see if I could spiff them up since I have to drink the stuff for two weeks straight (three shakes a day with only clear liquids to supplement). I have both the powder and RTD versions of the Optifast. How did you stick it out? Did you drink any of your leftover stuff post surgery? My surgeon said that I can use whatever I have left during my 2w full liquid phase (immediately post surgical). Thanks! -m

I was told by my surgeon that I'm going to have to crush my meds for the first 6-8w post op. I take a nice variety of them- Metoprolol for tachycardia Singulair for asthma Nexium for reflux/asthma Topamax for migraines Wellbutrin XL for, well, sanity :shades_smile: Singulair, Topamax and Nexium are all available in granule form, and I have scripts written to switch over to those. I'm going to have to switch over to non-extended Wellbutrin (you can't crush extended release meds) and take it a couple times a day. Besides the current XL is an absolute horse pill... So, that leaves me with having to crush the Metoprolol, and Wellbutrin, as I assume any pain meds I get post op will be liquid (icky!). Are there any tricks to crushing meds? Any pill crushers that are better than others? Anything better than applesauce to take the meds with? Thanks! -m

Immediately post op, no capsules (you just take them apart and sprinkle the contents into whatever - pudding, applesauce, etc.). But eventually yes they're fine. According to my surgeon, capsules aren't an issue. -m

Oh, Girlie. I'm not about to try and find THAT out. AF is here right now. I think my husband and kids would put me out on the side of the road if I did a follow up trial of no Happy Cats! :ohmy: I think being off of it for six weeks would be a baaaaad thing. I'm just going to switch over to the non-extended release version. This is the third variety of antidepressants I've been on (did Prozac and Zoloft). I really am liking the Wellbutrin the best so far. It's really not the end of the world if I have to take it twice a day.:crying: As far as taking small pieces of it instead of crushing, I'll have to ask him. -m

I brought all my meds to my surgeon's office and he said that every one of them with the exception of the generic Wellbutrin XL would be fine to swallow after 6w. So.... guess I'll have to take the regular generic version of that one. :eek: Got a pill crusher in the meantime. I'm not looking forward to the swallowing nastiness that will ensue. Gah!!!!!!!!!:thumbup::eek: -m

Still, not that far! :thumbup: -m

Theresa- If you have EBCBS you've got to be in NY.... Where are ya, Girlie? I'm in Northern NJ -m

Does your surgeon actually sanction this? I mean, it's downright cruel and not healthy from any perspective. Hell, since they're asking you to demonstrate such crazy feats of will power, they can freaking send you to audition for Survivor! Even those guys are given a sack of rice. :smile: It's one thing to make you jump through the hoops of 6m of supervised dieting, and all the tests/approvals that go with the prebanding stuff (psych consults, gallbladder ultrasounds, apnea tests, etc. etc.). But seriously, this just seems like somebody is pulling a 'hey, lets see if the fatty really wants this bad enough scenario', kwim? Girlie, I know that you're less than 24hrs from being done with this crap, but I would give some long hard thought to whether this is the right doctor/nutritionist group for you. If this particular nutritionist (dunno if this is the only one available to you or if there's another one there) is being this evil so early in the game, I'd be scared as shit as to how mean she might be once you have the band and are having a rough time of it (as I expect we all do/will) early on. hugs! -m

Hey! I went to Target today and found these. They were less than $3. Funny thing is, they're exactly like Lilliputan-sized versions of beer cups from BBQs/college parties. D'oh! :tongue_smilie: I then went around to the baby section and they had these little spoons (also come as forks, too), which would go perfectly with the mushy stage (I actually already have some leftover from my kiddos). They're less than $3 for 12 and they last *forever* -- you can put them in the top of the dishwasher. The whole Take and Toss line (the spoons) has all kind of cool stuff -- little cups/bowls, etc. with lids in small sizes. It's not really obvious from the photo, but the spoons are only about 4" long. They're disposable, but you can also reuse them for quite a while before you end up having to ditch them. Target has them, so do most CVS/Walgreens, etc. I don't shop Walmart, but I assume they stock them as well. HTH -m

Just trying to get a broad view of popular, effective insurance plans... 1.) Who's you're insurance company? Aetna POS 2.) What state do you live in? New Jersey 3.) Was your plan provided by your employer or do you pay for it out of your own pocket? My Husband's employer 4.) Are you banded yet, waiting for approval, denied...etc? Surgery is scheduled for 4/21/08 -m

I think Nikki said that she measured out 2oz the first time around and then marked it on the rest of them. I would guess that you'd get pretty good at eyeballing it after a while. :ohmy: -m

Cool. I'm actually hitting costco and Target tomorrow, so I'll keep and eye out. Thanks! :ohmy: -m

It does. I got my 'food list' today. 1oz every 15 min?! Feh.... I have those little tiny Dixie cups, but even they get a little soggy after a few minutes. I looked online for 2oz plastic cups and what came up are those little containers sour cream comes in with burritos !!!:sneaky: I'm thinking I"m going to cruise on over to ebay and see what I might find. This should be interesting. -m

I'm fitting in the surgery during a 10 day window between semesters at school (I recently returned to work toward a degree in nursing). Am I kidding myself in thinking that I'll be able to sit for 3hr classes Mon-Thurs 10 days after surgery? Technically, I guess I can skip this summer session and give myself a six week reprieve to heal. Though, I kind of hate to lose that time in getting the credits I need. I think I'm probably most worried about the whole 'liquids in/liquids out' scenario more than anything else. Any insight, experience would be most helpful/appreciated. Thanks! -m

What sort of preparations did you have to go through the day/night before surgery? I'm seeing my surgeon tomorrow and will ask about specifics, but looking at his generalised list, it's looking most, uh, unpleasant (to put it mildly). I can understand the need for complete lower intestinal cleansing for gastric bypass, but why for banding as well? Guess I'll be stocking up on the Charmin and trashy magazines -m

Nikki- Can you explain how the little cups work - or more specifically - how you're using them? I have a whole bunch of the Ikea kid bowls, but I'm fairly certain they're larger than 2oz (I've not measured them out yet). I bookmarked the spoon link (thanks!). -m

LOL Mindy. I'm fully anticipating that. I've gotten a taste of it on my tongue when I've not swallowed the pills fast enough. ICKIES! I think the basic rule of thumb with him is that you can swallow whole anything smaller than an M&M after the 6w initial period. The generic WellbutrinXR is gianormous, though. So either I switch to something else (not planning on switching my Happy Cat Pills, dammit!), or go to the regular non-extended release formula. I'm seeing the surgeon tomorrow, so we'll have to go through the meds and see what he says. Hmmm. Maybe I should bring them with me so he can see them IRL... Thanks -m

Congrats Gordon! How are you feeling? Do you deal with your own shoulder pain or do you just blog about it? Are you experiencing any P/S? -m

What about *little* kids? I have a 5 and 3yo. My 5yo wanted to know what came in the boxes today from UPS. They were the Optifast powder mixes and Vitamins for the 2w preop liquid Diet Fest. I'm wondering how I'm going to go about explaining all this food/diet/weight stuff to her. The surgery/recovery thing I'm not so worried about - I had ankle reconstruction and Achilles tendon surgery last year, so she's not so freaked out about 'big owies'. The food thing though - that's a whole different story. -m ETA - Both kiddos are thin/normal in size and don't have food issues. Yet. (thank God)

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Just wanted to introduce myself. My name is Marisa. I live in New Jersey with my 5 and 3yo daughters, husband and three French Bulldogs. I'm scheduled for 4/21 to be banded by Dr. Feteiha at Overlook Hospital in Summit. The surgery is being covered by Aetna (thank God!), but I had to do the six month supervised wait. During that time, I've gone down from 253lbs to 235lbs. In the spirit of full disclosure, not sure how that happened, since I've not really done any hardcore dieting.... (Long winter with three bouts of asthmatic bronchitis and then a bonus round of the flu). I recently returned to school to pursue a degree in Nursing, so I'm actually working the surgery in between semesters (I need to finish a couple pre-req courses before December so I can apply to the Nursing Program). Deadlines, deadlines!! My husband is on-board, as are my friends, though my in-laws are somewhat hesitant (the admittedly don't understand the procedure or why I would want to 'do something like that to my body'). I don't have any immediate family in the area, so I'm a little leery about the recovery time. I went through two c-sections, and I hear the lap band is a breeze in comparison... (fingers crossed!) I just ordered the Optifast stuff for the 2w liquid pre-surgical diet, along with the post-surg Vitamins. I now need to figure out how to crush my meds for the post op duration. Looking forward to the camaraderie of the other Bandsters -m