CherinSoCal

My doctor took my gall bladder out at the same time that the lap band went in. I had a Upper G.I. and an abdomenal ultrasound before surgery, and they did find a gall stone. My doctor said that, if you have a gall stone before surgery, they usually take the gall bladder out at the same time as the banding because you more than likely will get gall stones later if it is not removed. Mine was all done laparoscopically. The gallbladder, once cut, can be folded and taken out through one of the slits made in your abdomen.

I am in Week 3 after my surgery and have not been filled yet and am eating soft foods. Yesterday, I had a really late lunch and thought that I was hungry when it was time for dinner, but after I had a little something for dinner, I had a sore stomach and felt really full -- like the kind of full you feel after Thanksgiving dinner when you know you ate too much. I tried to throw up to make myself feel better and in case I had something stuck, but not much came up. I felt a little better after about 3 to 4 hours and then went to sleep. I am worried that I stretched out my new stomach by eating too much. I've been careful not to do that previously, but I got distracted yesterday, I guess. Do you think I might have stretched out my new pouch by eating too much? I won't get to see the doctor for another two weeks to find out for sure. A couple of days after surgery, I would throw up after taking Calcium or Vitamins, and I was concerned that my band would slip back then, but the nurse told me that the way the doctor secured the lap band would make it almost impossible to slip so I am hoping that that didn't happen either. Thanks in advance.

I was banded by Dr. Billy in April and couldn't have been happier with him. His credentials outweigh any lack of bedside manner for me, but I thought he was very nice. I was very impressed with his expertise. I wouldn't have entrusted my life to anyone less experienced.

I was banded by him, and I adore him. He's really intelligent, knowledgeable, and caring. I wouldn't have been banded by anyone else. Kat, my fills were included in the price of the surgery for life, but I heard fills could be anywhere up to $250.

I took Phentermine for nine months and lost 70 pounds about ten years ago. When I started to gain weight again, I tried taking it again to supress my appetite and lose weight, but its effectiveness had worn off. I tried it on and off for several years after that as the weight creeped back on. I gained the 70 pounds back and 20 more over time. You might be able to lose the weight with Phentermine, but like all other diets, the weight will not stay off because your body will secrete hormones that make you hungry because it wants you to return to your original weight. It is that survival thingy that helped early man to survive famine. I wouldn't waste your time and money.

I felt it was a huge waste of $250 and felt it was totally unnecessary for me. I learned more from Oprah and Dr. Oz and from Bob Green's book and didn't hear anything from the psychologist that I didn't already know. I think that it is ridiculous that a one-hour appointment with a stranger can have an affect on what you've decided to do with your body. Some people don't eat emotionally and are just fat because of yo-yo dieting and hunger and portion size and a sedentary lifestyle: too many calories in vs. out. I felt annoyed that I had to explain why I'm fat to yet another person. I was a cash pay customer for the surgery so it wasn't like my insurance required it, but my surgeon did. I feel like you have to jump through a lot of hoops as it is, and this was just one more expensive one.

I was banded on April 22 and felt the same way. I pretty much just had sips of water and broth the first two days. Anything else made me hurl. I couldn't take the calcium supplements either without vomiting. The nurse called my house the day after the surgery and the next day, and I told her what was happening, and she said it was normal. I think I had jello and sugar free ice pops on the third day and was still nausiated but didn't hurl. Just take it easy and make sure to get your water in so that you don't get dehydrated. It gets better with each passing day.

I have a 150-pound old dog who is disabled. He can walk short distances, but he needs help getting up. My job in life is to lift his bottom until his back feet touch the ground. The back end has to be about 75 pounds! My husband helped with lifting him the day of my surgery, but I started lifting him when my husband wasn't around starting on the second day after surgery and more frequently after that. I was careful to use my legs and not my stomach muscles, which were just cut. I lift my baby many times a days and several times at night, and I'm fine.:biggrin: I think you just have to be careful with your stomach muscles for a little while until they heal.

Thanks, Juliegeraci. I will try to do that (slow down). I am relieved to know that I didn't stretch it out. I paid cash for this operation and went into debt for it so I don't want to defeat it. I guess this is a learning process. It will be interesting to see what happens when I have my first Thanksgiving. I guess I'll just try to have a little tiny bit of everything. My mother-in-law eats like that naturally and is the smallest, thinnest woman I've ever seen. I was always amazed to watch her nibble on a piece of lettuce after dipping a corner of it in the smallest amount of dressing. She must have looked back at me in amazement as I shoveled food into my mouth. She eats that way on purpose because she think it will make her live longer.:biggrin:

Thanks, Connie! I've got that in the garden so I'll give it a try the next time that happens. I'm trying to be really careful, but it is bound to happen again. My eyes are still definitely bigger than my stomach, and my stomach is smaller than ever now.

Thanks much for the info. and support. I appreciate that. Soontobesmaller, congratulations on being banded next week! I am excited for you. Kathystrick, that is good to know and makes me feel better. Thank you. Trapped inside, I hate throwing up and will try to avoid it in the future. I think my meals were just too close together, and I should have probably skipped dinner since I had such a late lunch. The food from lunch was probably still sitting in my stomach when dinnertime came around. I'll do better. Thanks for your help.

I had my first bp the other day when I tried a chicken salad sandwich for the first time post-surgery. I don't know whether it was the big chunks of chicken that weren't chewed well enough or whether it was because I ate the first two bites too fast, but it came up in a matter of a minute or two after going down. I was previously warned about dry meat causing problems, especially dry white meat from chicken or turkey, but I had forgotten about that. I will try to slow down and chew better to avoid doing that again. It was as unpleasant to me as vomiting.

I had my first experience with food being stuck. I got banded on April 21 and have had no fills yet. I started to eat a half of a chicken salad sandwich. I don't know whether it was the big chunks of chicken or the bread or the nuts and fruit in the salad, but the few bites that I took wanted to come back up in a matter of a minute. It is possible that I didn't chew well enough or that I ate too fast. I just had the bridge replaced on the left side of my mouth and have to chew on the right side only temporarily. I won't do that again.

Right on, Lil Miss Band-Aid! I groaned when the nurse said that we would have to keep a daily diet journal, including a break down of everything we eat into Protein, sugar, and calorie categories. Many diets that I have done in the past required this, and I am done with that. My problem has always been portion size due to hunger, and I feel my food choices aren't bad at all. If my hunger is curbed, which it is, and if I am eating smaller portions, which I am, then I will lose weight, and I am. I do add up the protein roughly, but it doesn't rule my life. I got the lap-band to eat less, and it is doing its job.

It has been almost two weeks since my surgery, and I've already lost 10 pounds. I was told no caffeine too because caffeine can stimulate hunger, but that is not a problem for me in the morning when I'm not hungry anyway. I do need my 4 ounces of espresso mixed with 16 oz of nonfat milk with Splenda in the mornings. The 16 oz of milk gives me 20 grams of Protein anyway. They also say that coffee is acidic, but I've never had a problem with that, and I think the milk might take care of that anyway. Anyway, I started having my morning latte and have no intention of giving that up since it isn't caloric, and some studies have even shown that caffiene can be good for you. They also told me no carbonated beverages because it can stretch the pouch. This doesn't really make sense to me because liquids go right through to the stomach, but I think it is true for gastric bypass patients who don't have an upper and lower stomach. The written instructions that are given to both lap band and gastric bypass patients are the same so perhaps they figured it was easier just to instruct both to do the same, but the recommendations are different in many cases. I used to have a diet Dr. Pepper every now and then, and would like to continue to have one on occasion. I may have one as a test but let the carbonation be released as much as possible. I was also told to stay away from fried foods, but that isn't a problem. I'm in the soft foods period now and had some macaroni and cheese last night and scrambled eggs the night before and half of a California Roll the night before that. I am just having a small portion, and I feel full right away. The biggest no-no from what I've been told is having liquids before, during, and after a meal. That will be the biggest challenge for me. They say that it washes the food from your upper to lower pouch, and so you won't get the feeling of fullness, defeating the purpose of the band. I've still been sipping flavored Water with my meals, and I still get a full sensation quickly, but I'll work toward elimination that as I don't want to defeat the purpose of the band.

My surgery is tomorrow too, and I can't seem to function today so I am just drinking broth and reading threads here all day while listening to music. I admit I did do some things that my husband wouldn't know to do if something happened to me -- like changing the food in the hummingbird feeders, watering the plants, etc. I'll definitely say a prayer tonight for all of us having surgery tomorrow.

Hi All, If I would have went through my insurance, they require 24 hour-long weekly classes before being considered for bariatric surgery, and I believe they put you on Optifast while you are attending the classes. After you do all that, it isn't even guaranteed that you will be assigned a surgeon. I didn't want to wait six or more months so I am paying for it myself. My surgeon is only requiring 2 days of a clear liquid diet before the surgery and two weeks following the surgery. This includes what many have mentioned already -- the sf jello, broth, protein shakes, sf popsicles, etc. They require 40 grams of protein every day during this period and then 60 grams of protein every day after that for life. Protein is the main focus for the future, it seems, which is good because I like most things that have protein in them. My surgery is tomorrow, and I'm a little nervous but excited too. They also said no coffee for five weeks. Every morning I make 4 ounces of espresso and mix it with 16 ounces of nonfat or 1% milk. I only use Splenda so the only calories come from the milk. The milk will give me my 20 grams of protein for the morning. They said that the coffee is acidic and can lead to ulcers, but I don't think I can survive without my morning latte for very long!