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That's my gut feeling too. I also recovered quickly from surgery, and if this was a best friend's wedding, I'd be more comfortable saying it's a small risk that you won't be up to going to the wedding. But, this being your daughter's wedding, well, that's just too important of a day to leave up to chance for a surgery you can postpone for a few more weeks. I hate to say that, because I know I was very excited to get my surgery done once I decided to do it, and it's a relatively easy recovery for many if not most. Although I'm generally an optimist, I would hold off.

Dave, I know, for me, the first couple days on the pre-op diet pretty much sucked. I felt tired, and I was craving real food. Things really turned around on day three. I think my body started adjusting to the absence of carbs and fat. I hope you start to feeling better soon, and good luck with your surgery. It sounds like you're highly motivated to be successful.

Hi, gramma-0, and welcome to LBT. Your pre-op weight loss is fantastic. That's close to losing three 5 lb bags of flour! Sometimes, I imagine myself carrying the weight I've lost around in a backpack, and I can't imagine how I ever did it. Good luck on you're upcoming surgery, and I hope everything goes smoothly.

The biggest change I made pre-band was to wean myself from the diet coke habit. I don't miss it all now, and will have a small amount every now and then, but I never crave it like I thought I would. As far as not being able to eat the same, that's not always the case. If you're band is tight as a mouse's ear, then yeah, you're going to have to give up many different foods. I was prepared to give up steak, bread, pizza, etc but I can eat all of these foods. Smaller portions...for sure....but I can eat and enjoy them. Some people are just more sensitive to their band than others and maybe anatomy affects it. Also, unless you get restriction in you're first fill, you're trouble won't be *not* being able to eat normal foods. You'll need a bit of willpower for awhile to stick with the prescribed diet. Once you get close to you're sweet spot, it'll feel a lot less like dieting, and a lot more like the literature says. Your hunger should be satisfied with small portions of solid foods (my doctor goes for 1/2 cup portions while others are different).

If you're husband is generally supportive of you through past diets and in other areas of your life, expect him to be concerned that you're contemplating surgery but to be ready to listen to why you think this is the best option. This is not an overnight whim for either us or the people who love us, so he may need a little time to digest it all. If he's the kind of guy that brings home you're favorite brand of _________(whatever you crave most when you're dieting), be ready for him to tell you a 101 reasons why band surgery is a foolish decision and you're going to fail anyway. I hope you find that you're husband is fully supportive of your decision once he gets all the facts. Is there a reason who've not talked to him about it?

I had my surgery September '08. If you can go to the Monday night (2nd Mon of the month) lap band support group meetings, try to attend. They're so helpful, even before your surgery, and there's always people there early or who will stick around after the meeting to answer questions. Some are long time banders, so it's a great perspective. Usually one of the doctors from the two practices comes to the first part of the meeting to answer questions too. The coordinator of the support group is a NP and she is a great resource as well. It's a very informative and welcoming group. Dr. Brengman's two week pre-op diet isn't quite as strict as many doctors (or the other practice, unless things have changed). You do the Protein shakes for two meals, but you're allowed a meal of 4 oz of LF meat, two slices of LF high Fiber bread, and a variety of veggies, plus a fruit. (My memory is terrible, and it might be different now, but I think that's pretty close.) I really like Dr. Brengman because he always seemed to have all the time in the world to answer my questions and to put my mind at ease. I never felt rushed in his office. His NP, Erin, is great too. He has had years and 100s of bands of experience, so you'll be in great hands. Don't hesitate to ask, if you have any questions. I'll be happy to try to help.

tcb, first, check with your doctor to see if he says you shouldn't eat on the plane rather than going by what someone told you. He might have some tips on flight food for you too. I've personally had no problems with eating while flying, but if I were going to Thailand, I would be extra careful about what I eat just in case. You can by water after you pass through security. Buy a bunch. I always buy a few bottles. Bring powdered protein that mixes with water (I happened to catch a few minutes of Biggest Loser last night, and they were advertising a fruit flavored protein that mixes with water). Also, bring along some packets of Crystal Light or other sugar free drink mixes if you think you'll get tired of straight water.

I totally agree with Plain. I knew I had a great doctor after research (and he was recommended from other LBT members). I truly didn't appreciate the importance of not only a skilled surgeon, but the need for very qualified after care, until reading these boards. I've seen many people say they had a bad feeling about their surgeon, but didn't listen to their misgivings and now are sorry because it's often hard to change doctors after the fact. You'll never regret these few extra requirements and delay after spending more time on LBT.

Thanks Lisa! Getting started has always been 1/2 the battle for me. I'm so glad you're feeling a better about the timing of your surgery. My surgeon was Dr. Brengman at St. Mary's. If he is your surgeon, I can't recommend him enough (or his partner Dr. Shroeder). Their nurses and staff have been great too. I've received tons of support, and I've found that their advice, diet and fill regimen works and makes perfect sense.

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The first two days were my hardest, but after that, the cravings subsided. Then I got through the first weekend and realized I was over halfway through. The next weekend was a three day holiday weekend trip with extended family, but I knew my surgery was just a couple days after I got back home, so I made it through unscathed. Little victories made it doable for me. :bored:

Hi Debbie, and welcome to the board. It surprises me that you didn't get a more detailed list of foods you can have for pre-op, but it looks like your post-op diet covers it pretty well. Rarely do two different doctors follow the same pre-op diet regimen, so you should check with your doctor's office for more info, but from what you've written I think you have a good handle on what your doctor wants you do. Be very careful to check for sugar free, low carb and low fat products during the pre-op stage which helps shrink the liver.

Tami, Do you still have your gall bladder? I have to think your doctor would have tested you for this, but did you get tested for possible gallstones? During one of my pregnancies, I started having pain on my right side just below my ribcage that radiated around to my back. Once it doubled me over, but for some crazy reason I attributed to gas. About two weeks after my baby was born, I had an attack that almost knocked me out, and that was when I had a sonogram that showed that I had gallstones. Good luck, and I hope you get to the bottom of this soon.

The fact that you made yourself throw up is much more worrisome than the pre-op diet cheating. Jbg is right, if you have a history of this, you have to tell your doctor. You can seriously harm your band and more importantly, your health, if you have a history with bulimia that hasn't been addressed by you and your doctor. With the band, there's a lot of high calorie foods that are well tolerated. The band is only a tool to help you feel satiety after small meals. If, for instance, you're an emotional eater, it won't stop you from eating a pint of ice cream or a sleeve of Girl Scout Thin Mint Cookies. Soft foods zip right through the band. You have to be on board emotionally and mentally for the band to do its job. With proper restriction, the band will help tame your hunger between meals and the urge to eat large portions. But, if you have the compulsion to make yourself throw up to eliminate unwanted food, please talk to your doctor before your surgery.

Hi Lisa, and welcome to LBT. I'm from the Richmond area too. That's a bummer about the scheduling, and I hope you end up getting a date that works for you.

I've been banded a year and at my sweet spot, and I can eat all those foods. (Occasionally rice seems expand before it goes through my band. I don't generally eat much rice anyway, because I'm only supposed to eat 1/2 cup meals, but I can eat it if I want to.)

Sometimes, I just want to refreshen my mouth after eating. Altoids makes a small wintergreen mint that's sugar-free that I really like. A Tic-Tac or some other small sugar free mint may help as well. It gets the saliva flowing a bit, so your mouth doesn't feel dry. Keeping very well hydrated between meals, as Joanie mentioned, is a huge help.

Susie, I'm so sorry you're not losing weight in addition to not being able to eat properly. That's certainly a double whammy. I hope that getting a slight unfill will help you get back on track with eating healthy and nourishing food again. Maybe you'll find that as you're able to add back solid foods, you'll begin to lose weight. At minimum, I hope the unfill reduces your restriction enough that you can eat a variety of foods again. Good luck, and let us know how it goes.

Glen...note to self, root beer is fine if you add ice cream. Must erase that piece of info from my brain. LOL!!

I take Centrum chewables, orange flavor, so that's good news for me. I started off with Flintstones chewables, and I thought they tasted nasty, but at the time, I didn't know there were adult varieties. Everyone's tastes is different, but I think the Centrum chewables are pretty good. I'm glad to hear your doctor recommends them too.

I'm sorry to hear that, Mary. I have a feeling, as overweight people, we often overlook symptoms of iron deficiencies and other similar illnesses, because we tend to attribute tiredness and pain to our weight. I hope you quickly get to the root of the problem, and that you're back on track for a band very soon.

That's wonderful, elgrad. I know going to support group meetings prior to my surgery helped me get over the jitters too. Talking face to face with others who were already banded, and some for several years, was such an inspiration. Best wishes for a successful surgery followed by a quick recovery.

One thing my doctor tells us is to not chew, chew, chew. He wants us at the optimal fill level that we can eat most foods (stringy celery, for instance, is not a band friendly food), chew well, but not pulverize, so that our food passes through the band, but not too quickly. Even at that level, some people still have problems with doughy breads, some meats, etc (for whatever reason, I can still eat most foods). For me, if I had to take teeny bites, over chew, eat a snail's pace, find myself getting stuck routinely, I would think that's counter productive to my band working efficiently. It's an individual decision and with your doctor's guidance, to what fill level you're comfortable with. So, this is the right place for me, but there's leeway for an individual to chose, and I love that about the band. If I couldn't eat most meats or chicken, I would want my fill level backed off a little.