Melody2006

Any lap banders (pre-opt or post opt) have a blackberry phone and use the pin messaging? I'd love to have some lap banders on my buddy list. If you do, add me & let me know you found me here! Hope this post helps other blackberry phone users for support. :seeya: My Pin # 318CF1C3

Lots of walking and Gas X. Some here like the Gas X strips.

All you have to do is open up your blackberry messenger program, hit the menu button, pick add contact, then it brings you to your address book, pick use one time, then open the menu again, pick request by PIN, put in the pin # of the person you want to add, and then a standard request message comes up, then click ok. Then it sends the person a request and they add you! Now to find your blackberry's pin number (every blackberry has a PIN#) go to options, then to status, then about 5 lines down you see PIN: and thats your device number. You can post it in this thread for others to add you to chat on your blackberry. Just a perk to having a blackberry phone, to chat with other blackberry members for no extra costs. :thumbup:

I had this talk today with my surgeon. In our class they said the chewable flinstones. At my appt I asked if the chewable centrium was ok because I can't see how a childrens vitamin is great for an adult. He said thats a great vitamin and he's going to stop recomending the chewable flinstones because thats now outdated from what they've learned about lapbanding.

I doubt 5 Cookies ruined much. But I know what scared me into not even cheating one time on my pre-opt diet. The posts here about how ones get sent home on the day of surgery after being told their liver wasn't shrunk enough to get around and they'd have to try another time. Or they wake up cut wide open and stitched up and their surgeon had to do an "open" lap band. I did not want that! Now whats keeping me straight post-opt is knowing I don't want my band to slip or eat thru my healing stomach because I didn't follow the plans like I've been told it could do. I'm pretty scared straight. I'm almost to mushy foods, I'm 7 days post opt today.

You can do this with out depending on your hubby past a ride home from the hospital. If you don't want to do that just arrange another ride home. He really doesn't need to take any time off of work. Past that you have have all your major stuff done (foods ready for 2-3 weeks, post-opt scripts filled tell the surgeon your situation, or get them called into a pharmacy by the nurse at the day of surgery and get them on your way home from the hospital.) so you can have a few days down time and you won't need much help at all from the girls even. Set yourself up now to get thru this! If you do that it will go smooth with no extra help. :thumbup:

So glad your here. Jump right in and stay because you'll get tons of support here. :thumbup:

Eat it all now before your 2 weeks pre-opt and your on liquids only. Once your on liquids only your on it for a long time. You get 3-4 Protein shakes a day, unlimited: Water, sugar free popcycles, broth, sugar free Jello. Thats all my surgeon allowed. And what made me not cheat even once was reading here is that they do the pre-opt diet to shrink your liver to get around to your stomach or they can't do the surgery with out cutting you wide open. Some have woke up to an "open" lapband surgery where they were cut wide open down their outside stomach and some have been sent home saying they have to try again at another time. I did not want that. Now I'm 7 days post opt on full liquids only for 2 weeks (SF jello, SF popcycles, SF pudding, Broth, Protein Shakes, watered down cream only Soups, watered down oatmeal) and I'm dying to get to the mushy foods. I'm tired of liquid only! I am down 17 pounds though.

I was banded on 7/15/08 and I now can tolerate 8 glasses of water a day and more stuff. like today was my first try at yogurt (4 oz Dannon Light and Fit) and it went great. I can tell I have no restriction. I went to my 1 week post opt appt today and they said no fills until 6 weeks because my stomach is still healing. Wish I could have a fill at the 2 week point! I'm weak, but I figured that was because of not having 8 full glasses of water a day up to this point and I started my period today.

Oh my gosh! What a pain. Can you tell me how they found out it flipped and what it takes and what they charge to re-attach it? I was just banded on 7/15/08 and I've seen it mentioned here a few times about ports flipping but I always wondered what was all involved in fixing it and if they charge you to fix it.

You can do the over the counter tablets or the shots. Will work the same. You can buy everything you need if you want to go the shot route at any pharmacy.

I was banded on 7/15/08. I'm down 16 pounds total. I have my 1 week post-opt appt. tomorrow and will confirm my weight then. My 5 cuts are healing nicely. I had a few depressed days where the liquid diet was just too much and I was over doing it. I really think it's effects from the surgery and it's normal to have a few days post opt like that. I have not yet cheated on my post-opt diet. I'm too scared to after hearing all the stories here of bands slipping, etc. I log all my foods, like a food journal into thedailyplate.com and just the last 2 days I've worked up to 8 glasses of Water daily and I can't seem to go over 550 calories. 3 months ago I gave up an 8 can a day Diet soda routine. It's about all I drank all the time. With straws. I gave up straws too. I can't say I miss it at all.

What kept me from cheating on my 2 week liquid pre-opt diet even once was when I kept reading people who recently posted and their docs had to cut them wide open to get to their stomachs because they didn't shrink their livers instead of the 5 small slits they were expected. They were upset because they never expected that to happen. I guess it does!

I'm 6 days post opt and yesterday was the 1st day I was able to get in all 8 glasses of water. I have not been able to go over 500 calories a day. (I log every single thing into thedailyplate.com). I wonder how many calories we are to be getting in this phase?

I was banded on 7/15/08 and I have my 1 week appointment tomorrow myself. I was wondering what to expect at the appointment as well as the next food phase.

I'm 6 days post opt and went on a 2 mile walk today. A little every day!

I went to all my appointments alone and I did my weigh ins threw my 1 month of classes the program required and kept food journals that month. I also did all the other required appointments on my own with in 2 months, did the 10 day pre-opt liquid only diet for surgery with out cheating while they kept eating, and was banded right after that. I think that showed my family I meant business. When I'm feeling low, or want to talk diet and or exercise, I turn here instead of burning them out with the talks of what they don't want to keep hearing. We are here for you! :crying:

My surgeon (and it seems like many of them, but not all of them) make you do a 2 week pre-opt liquid only diet to shrink your liver. Thats pretty hard because you watch everyone else eat, and your not. :crying: Then post-opt your on 2 weeks of full liquids, 2 weeks of pureed foods, and 2 weeks of soft foods before you get back to eating "small meals" of regular foods. Everyone around me painted this oh, this is great picture but never mentioned you have to get threw this hard part! :eek: I think once you do it's all good after that if you follow the lapband rules you will loose.

:eek:Gosh, I'm so sorry that happened to you. Thats one of my biggest fears! :ohmy:

I vented here and bypassed the milkshake I wanted to go pout with. When the company left I had a heart to heart with my family. I let them know I didn't realize the band was going to be this hard. No one tell you your going to go a month with out real food right before and right after the surgery and thats gonna equal a very rough month. No one mentions the liquids is the hardest part.

Actually it's good to have it in August because by the time your traveling in September you'll be healed up and on regular food. If it's not hard for you to get time off of work for both, do it!

Talk with the surgeons office about your insurance and if they have delt with them in the past. They know all the ins and outs to get approved by your insurance. No reason to jump threw all the appt hoops until you know how your insurance works unless you plan to self pay if your insurance wont.

Try to ween off of it as much as you can tolerate because it will make you even more constipated. have you tried liquid tylenol?

Hi, BigFish. I'm glad your making such a great decision. Once your healed up your going to ask yourself why you didn't do this sooner! I'm 33 and tuesday is my 1 week post opt appointment and I'm wondering why I didn't do this sooner.

I was banded on 7/15/08 and went to see Batman on Saturday 7/19/08. The humidity was so bad outside and the vehicle didn't have air and then a 2.5 hour movie. I only had 2 glasses of water. Needless to say I let myself get dehydrated and cranky. Went home and took a long nap. I promised myself today 8oz of water, no excuses!