unopadre

how many of you wish you had gone with a bypass rather than your band? how many have scrapped the band and gone for a bypass? i've read some regretful posts. before i get my band, i'm wondering how common is this regret among bandsters. thank you.

i was recently banded. i'm still on liquids. i'm experiencing a lot of upper-digestive gas (burping). it's unpleasant and a tad uncomfortable. i'm taking gas-x, but it does not help. is this a common problem for new bandsters? bill

i really don't understand slippage. if the band is attached to the exterior of the stomach in a belt-looped fashion, how can it slip? can someone help understand how it can happen?

my pre-op is 5 protein shakes a day and light steamed or raw veggies if i need them - for 2 weeks.

i'm here too. and, like willowba, my b'day falls in the middle of the liquid diet. i think that is making me feel more deprived than i normally would. i've done liquid diets in the past, but none has been as hard as this. keeping my eye on the prize - this temporary deprivation will be worth it in the end.

i'm on the pre-op liquid diet - so i am very aware right now of the satisfaction i usually get from "feeling full." guess i am a volume eater. i'm counting on the band to give me that satisfaction - just with a much smaller amount of food. has that been your experience? or will i be hungry all the time? as a 40-something 350 lb. guy, i'm particularly interested in the experience of other men - who tend to be volume eaters (at least according to the nutritionists i've consulted).

i was really surprised my surgeon didn't request an endoscopy. should i press the issue?

i'm scheduled for the end of the month. start the pre-op diet next week. how is everyone staying healthy? avoiding colds, flu, etc.

thanks everyone. just wanted to make sure it was standard operating procedure (no pun intended). i originally planned on bypass surgery, and there was a litany of pre-op tests, but i guess that's because it's a more involved procedure. thanks a lot!

44 yr. old male here. surprised my pcp did not order a pre-op stress test or echocardiogram. he seems satisfied with the ekg. blood pressure is in normal range. should i ask for more? did you have more heart health tests before surgery?

are you happy with your weightloss so far?

i'm a 2 triple espresso a day guy. should i start to wean myself off coffee before the surgery?

reviewed the pre- and post-op diet with my nutritionist. just thinking. i would definitely lose a lot of weight just following the pre- and post-op diet without the band. chew. eat slow. drink loads of Water and other low-calorie non-carbonated liquids, avoid bread and other bread-like foods. avoid Pasta. avoid rice. avoid ice cream, chocolate, and other foods that can slide easily past the band. avoid red meat. eat lots of flaky fish. sounds like most weight loss diets to me. what does the band bring to the party?

discouraging to a pre-op bander. i thought the point of the band is to reduce our interest in food, thus allowing us to avoid high calorie foods like cookie dough, or to at least enjoy them in severely limited portions. if the band doesn't accomplish that, what's the point of it? sounds like we're back to the old diets we all failed at. what am i missing?

like your dr., my surgeon says my gerd will be gone.

in other words, can i save the dough i'm spending on the operation, and buy a car?

you've dieted before? has he always made jokes like that?

ok. met with the nutritionist today for my pre-op consultation. we discussed the pre-op diet, the 2, 4, 6 month post-op diets, and the lifetime diet. i'm fine with all of it, but i was sad to learn that i'll be eating my last bagel soon. how is living without good ole doughy bread?

my surgeon says the band will clear up my reflux. are you saying that you started experiencing reflux after surgery?

wow... you're giving me hope. my nutritionist is saying no more coffee ever. this is good news.

i'm a guy the surgeons i've talked to say the port will not be visible when i'm out at the beach or the pool. hard for me to belive. is it true?

wow. really depends on your policy. call, get the name of the person you talk to, and a confirmation #. what insurance company is it? why do they want you to diet for 6 more months? what happened in the first 6?

so... do you feel it when you bend over to pick something up off the floor? do you feel it when you're lying on your belly? does it set off the security gates at the airport or the screening wands? any chance of it dislodging or tearing free during rigorous physical activity? what if my three year-old kicks my port? funny, that i'm more concerned about the port than the band. but i have family members who have had port-o-caths for chemo that caused them trouble.

so happy to find this place. i'm winding my way through the pre-approval process. so far, so good. decided that between the band and the bypass, the band is for me. hoping surgery will happen in early march, but a lot depends on the insurance provider. i've lost 100+ pounds 3 times in the last 16 years. hoping surgery will help may the 4th a keeper. thanks for any advice on insurance, banded life, avoiding pitfalls (the erosion threads are scaring me.) unopadre