MistyD65

Glad to know I'm not alone! I think I was really looking for someone to whine with as much as for suggestions. lol Yeah Nikole, that's what's itching for me too - the area around the stitches. But don't worry Headhunter, I don't give into the urge to scratch very often, and when I do it's more rubbing than scratching.:thumbup: JeanMarie, I'm praying it'll be over for me quickly too. Thanks everyone!

I was banded Monday and stayed overnight with an IV of "Lactated Ringer's". The only thing I had by mouth was about 6 ounces of water over the course of about 12 hours. I had a couple of very loose bms about midmorning Tuesday, and a very small one Wed morning. By Thursday afternoon I took a dose of Milk of Magnesia, as recommended by my surgeon for constipation brought on by the liquid pain meds. It did the trick within a few hours. Still very loose, but I figured there's nothing solid in there to begin with!

I was banded Monday and I've not been the least bit nauseous or felt like i needed to throw up. Gas now...that's another matter lol

I used to be a Cokeaholic, then became a DietCokewithSplendaholic, but in the last couple of years I'd pretty much given sodas up. Now, Starbucks Green Shaken Iced Tea with Splenda is my vice. Well, it was up until Monday, when I was banded. I do hope to be able to enjoy it from time to time again in a few months, once everything has healed. Wish they made it in decaf. :tt2:

Had my surgery Monday morning. Everything went very smoothly, spent the night in the hospital since I was to have an upper GI the next morning. Since Edouard decided to drench us with lots of rain Tuesday morning, I was really glad I stayed over rather than trying to get back to the hospital in that. I've had no trouble at all with full liquids - no nausea, thank goodness. The operative gas seems to have mostly dissappeared after spending most of yesterday up in my left shoulder. But the rumblings and gurglings in my tummy and intestines at times makes me laugh...the GasX strips do help though, as does walking. The pain at the incision sites is really more of an ache - nothing terrible. Still, I'll be glad when that fades away too. I'm so excited to start my journey and join the ranks of the successful, shrinking Bandsters! :wink_smile:

I read a suggestion in another post regarding the gas pain...a surgeon had recommended getting down on elbows and knees and lowering your head to the floor, rear-end high, head low (well that was the gist of it, anyway). I tried it and it helped. Of course, it all depends on if you can get down there and then back up. :w00t:

I have to agree with Brandy. I have yet to run across anyone who regrets getting the Band, although I'm sure there are some out there who do. I am just 2 days post-op, so I know I"m just a baby in the process, but I am so glad to have this new tool in my journey towards health. And that's what you have to remember...it is a TOOL...the Lap Band isn't going to lose the weight for you. Habits must change, new habits formed, your relationship with food will never be the same. Read the positive posts, the successes, the uplifting stories and people helping each other. That's not to say there isn't helpful information to be had from reading about others' struggles, but don't dwell on those. You have taken a drastic but wonderful step towards health and being the YOU you want to be. Embrace it. :wink_smile:

It's almost here!! This weekend I've been a tiny bit weepy...I think it's really finally hit me what a huge change is about to take place in my life. So I'm excited, nervous, scared and excited again. food, which has been my comfort, entertainment, reward, instant gratification, is going to find a new, more appropriate place in my world, with the help of the Band. Right now I'm waiting for a load of towels to dry so I can take my shower and scrub with the stuff the hospital gave me. I've got fresh clean sheets to climb into, freshly washed clothes to wear tomorrow (even though they were already clean lol), my overnight bag almost ready. Won't have much to do to get ready in the morning after showering *again*, since I can't wear makeup or deodorant or my contact lenses. I'm so afraid I'm going to forget something, but I know it's just nerves. Keep me in your thoughts and prayers...my surgery is at 11:15 AM Central time. I have to be there at 9:15...fun, we get to fight Houston rush hour traffic to get to the hospital :biggrin: Best wishes and prayers to the other August 4th Bandsters!! Misty

I posted this on the Pre-Op forum, but it'll fit here too! **Added since initial post** I've been taste testing several things, since I have to do Protein drinks for 3 weeks post-surgery. I was interested in things other than milkshakes, too. Here's what I've tried: Isopure - clear, fruity drinks 40g/Protein in a 20oz bottle, 0 sugars. I tried the Icy Orange. It wasn't bad, but the Vitamin Shoppe guy said some flavors are "more dry" than others. It did leave my tongue a bit coated, but nothing I couldn't live with. Other flavors are Passion Fruit, Apple Melon, Grape Frost, Alpine Punch, Mango Peach, Blue Raspberry, pineapple Orange Banana, and I think a Green Tea. **Apple Melon...smelled like Midori!! Taste was pretty good. Neither it nor the Icy Orange have very intense tastes. I think adding some appropriately flavored Crystal Light would bump the flavor up.** ProteinBlitz by Designer Whey - these are really new. Also a fruity, non-milky drink. 30g/Protein in a 20 oz bottle, 1 g sugars. I tried the Grape...I LOVED it...reminded me of a grape soda without the fizz. Also comes in Orange Mango and Punch. **Punch is YUMMY! Orange Mango was good too. Hubby nailed it when he said they all tasted like Kool-aid. And that's a good thing!** Lean Body by Labrada - milkshakes 40g/Protein in a 17 oz serving, 0 sugars. I tried the Strawberries and Cream, which is a brand new flavor, and it was really, really good. It also comes in chocolate Ice Cream, Vanilla Ice Cream and Bananas and Cream. **Chocolate Ice Cream was very good. Really had a melted-ice cream quality to it.** Worldwide Pure Protein shake - comes in an aluminum can like soda. 35g/Protein in an 11 oz can, 2 g sugars. I tried the Frosty Chocolate and enjoyed it. Just make sure to shake them up REALLY good. It also comes in Cookies and Cream, strawberry Cream, Vanilla Cream and Banana Cream. **Strawberry Cream was pretty good. These are fairly thin, watery shakes, which isn't necessarily a bad thing sometimes.** EAS AdvantEDGE Carb Control - 17g/Protein in an 11 oz carton, 2 g carbs. I tried the Chocolate Fudge and Strawberry Cream. Didn't like them one bit :biggrin: Based on my research...lol...I've bought a 12-pack of the Lean Body Strawberries and Cream, and another Grape Protein Blitz, plus the rest of all the "testers" (except the EAS....down the sink they went) to get me through the first 5 days or so after surgery...which is tomorrow!!

**Added since initial post** I've been taste testing several things, since I have to do Protein drinks for 3 weeks post-surgery. I was interested in things other than milkshakes, too. Here's what I've tried: Isopure - clear, fruity drinks 40g/Protein in a 20oz bottle, 0 sugars. I tried the Icy Orange. It wasn't bad, but the Vitamin Shoppe guy said some flavors are "more dry" than others. It did leave my tongue a bit coated, but nothing I couldn't live with. Other flavors are Passion Fruit, Apple Melon, Grape Frost, Alpine Punch, Mango Peach, Blue Raspberry, pineapple Orange banana, and I think a Green Tea. **Apple Melon...smelled like Midori!! Taste was pretty good. Neither it nor the Icy Orange have very intense tastes. I think adding some appropriately flavored Crystal Light would bump the flavor up.** ProteinBlitz by Designer Whey - these are really new. Also a fruity, non-milky drink. 30g/Protein in a 20 oz bottle, 1 g sugars. I tried the Grape...I LOVED it...reminded me of a grape soda without the fizz. Also comes in Orange Mango and Punch. **Punch is YUMMY! Orange Mango was good too. Hubby nailed it when he said they all tasted like Kool-aid. And that's a good thing!** Lean Body by Labrada - milkshakes 40g/Protein in a 17 oz serving, 0 sugars. I tried the Strawberries and Cream, which is a brand new flavor, and it was really, really good. It also comes in chocolate Ice Cream, Vanilla Ice Cream and Bananas and Cream. **Chocolate Ice Cream was very good. Really had a melted-ice cream quality to it.** Worldwide Pure Protein shake - comes in an aluminum can like soda. 35g/Protein in an 11 oz can, 2 g sugars. I tried the Frosty Chocolate and enjoyed it. Just make sure to shake them up REALLY good. It also comes in Cookies and Cream, strawberry Cream, Vanilla Cream and Banana Cream. **Strawberry Cream was pretty good. These are fairly thin, watery shakes, which isn't necessarily a bad thing sometimes.** EAS AdvantEDGE Carb Control - 17g/Protein in an 11 oz carton, 2 g carbs. I tried the Chocolate Fudge and Strawberry Cream. Didn't like them one bit :smile: Based on my research...lol...I've bought a 12-pack of the Lean Body Strawberries and Cream, and another Grape Protein Blitz, plus the rest of all the "testers" (except the EAS....down the sink they went) to get me through the first 5 days or so after surgery...which is tomorrow!! :biggrin:

I've sampled both flavors and didn't care for either of them. But that's ok. All I want from Starbucks is my Venti Green Shaken Iced Tea with 7 Splendas. I'm going to miss that until I can start adding some caffeine back into my diet. :wink2:

Hi Terri Dr. Ricardo Bonnor is my doctor. And I'd love to meet up with you sometime soon. You too Sandra! Hope your surgery went well! Misty

Charles, I'm just starting on this journey myself, but from what I've read here, the things you are going to be able to eat after you have completely healed (10-12 weeks after surgery) vary wildly from person to person. There are people here who eat bread with no problem and others who can't tolerate it at all. The same for many of the other "0" foods you listed. One constant does seem to be that you must chew everything VERY well. I didn't consider WLS for a long time because I knew it was still going to require a change of eating habits on my part, and if I could do that, why have surgery? But just this past year, after putting back on 40 pounds that I had kept off for a year and a half, I decided I needed the tool that the Lap Band would provide. Yes, I've mourned over foods I'm probably going to have to give up...but then I kicked myself and said "Good Grief woman, it's just food." I've got to learn to eat to live, rather than living to eat. And who knows, further down the line, I may be able to allow myself a bit of the "forbidden" foods that I am fond of...but then again, by that time I may find myself not so fond of them anymore...kind of like old friends that you look back on and realize "boy, they seemed like great, fun friends at the time, but really, they were just jerks and using me...good riddance." lol So, do some reading here, ask hard questions of the forum members and make the choice that is right for you. And best of luck, whatever you decide.

That's what works for me, too. I use the Stayfree Ultra-thin Overnights with wings and Ultra-thin Regular with wings. Overnight goes in front, Regular behind with the Overnight overlapping. I looked into the Novasure, but it turns out my uterus is on the outer limit of the size range it is effective for. Since my periods aren't THAT big of a problem, I decided not to have it done, since there was the risk that it wouldn't be effective.

I'm scheduled for the 4th too! Blessings and best wishes to us all

As far as the female taste goes, I've been told that chewing lots of Big Red gum makes things rather spicy and tingly.

There's also the fitness room and pool at Mary Jo Peckham Park. They have Water aerobics classes on M-F at 9:05 AM, M/W/F at 5 PM and T/TH at 6 PM. You can also do water walking almost any time during the day. The fitness room has lots of machines that are available all day, except when classes are going on. You can see the schedule and find out more about the Park at Harris County - Precinct Three Commissioner Steve Radack - Mary Jo Peckham I'd planned to go to the morning water aerobics classes this summer but never seemed to get around to it. :tt2: I know that having to be accountable to someone would help me a LOT. lol I live near Mason and Franz Rd, btw.

I'd certainly be interested in meeting with other Katy bandsters. Sunday would be ok with me, as long as it's late afternoon/early evening.

I'm scheduled to be banded on August 4th. I'm going for my pre-op visit in about 30 minutes. Got insurance approval right away, with no pre-surgery diet required! Woo hoo!!

Hi everyone! My name is Misty and I am scheduled to have the LapBand procedure on August 4. It's been about a year since I first considered LapBand. My first seminar was with Dr. Felix Speigel in 9/07. I found out that my insurance at the time required a 6 month Dr-supervised diet, and visits to a nutritionist and psychiatrist/psychologist, so I left the seminar frustrated. In May of this year I attended a JourneyLite seminar with Dr. Matthew St. Laurent and really loved his team approach and support. Unfortunately, the JourneyLite center in Houston is not a Bariatric Center of Excellence, which is a requirement for my insurance. I also found out that my insurance (United Healthcare Options PPO) will not pay ANY part of an out-of-network physician's charges for bariatric surgery..and, of course, Dr. St. Laurent is out-of-network. So, I did some detective work, cried on the phone with the insurance people out of frustration, and finally found Dr. Ricardo Bonnor. I attended his seminar on 6/14/08. He fit all the criteria: he uses a team approach, with a dietician and a life coach in his office; he's an accomplished surgeon; he and all of his staff seem very caring and invested in their patients' success; his office is less than 10 minutes from my home :biggrin:; he's in-network for my insurance; and the hospital is a BCOE. I had my initial appointment with him on 6/20, and managed to book appointments with the nutritionist, life coach and a Bariatrician for a complete physical that next week. Dr. Bonnor also requires an Upper GI, and I had that done last week, 7/2. Then, on 7/3, his office called to tell me my insurance had officially approved my surgery!! Woo hoo!!! So, unless ins. pulls a fast one on us, I will have gone from seminar to surgery in less than two months. Then, of course, the hard part begins. If you've read through all of the above - lol - I guess I should tell you a bit more about myself. I'm a former elementary music teacher - taught for 16 years, experienced major burn-out, then resigned while I still had my sanity. Been married for 11 years, no children, 1 spoiled cat. I love reading, ballroom and folk dancing, singing and spending lots of time on Second Life. I've been a Duranie since 1984, and also love the music of Marc Broussard, OK Go, Carbon Leaf, the 80's, Broadway show tunes, standards, classical...well, I like music. :thumbup: and Star Wars. and Harry Potter. I'm in my early 40's and have been enjoying the heck out of them, but I know I will be able to enjoy them a WHOLE LOT MORE after I rid myself of this extra person I've been carrying around for the majority of my life. I reached my highest weight in 2004 - 312, then found the motivation to lose about 40 pounds between August and December of that year. The motiviation? Meeting Duran Duran during their 2005 tour...which I did...and I have the pictures and perma-smile to prove it! I kept most of those 40 off for about 2 and a half years, but it has slowly crept back on in the past year. When I hit 300 again, I knew I had to do something. And I am! I know it's not going to be easy, and that the band is just a tool...it's up to me to use it and make it work. I look forward to gleaning advice and support from you all here on this forum and hope I can return the favor! See you around.:biggrin2:

Thanks for the welcome, everyone!:redface:

I'm in Katy and am scheduled to be banded on August 4th by Dr. Ricardo Bonnor at Memorial Hermann Memorial City hospital. I see this thread hasn't been posted to in a while...did you all ever meet up? I'd be interested in a get-together. I'm going to be looking for all the support and help I can get! :biggrin: Misty

Hi! I'm in Katy...more west than northwest...but I might be interested in some get-togethers too. I'm due to be banded on 8/4. Misty