daniellabee

Well I havent been on here in a fwe weeks. I went in for another fill 2 days ago. It had been 2 months since my last appt & I went up .5 lbs. I guess thats not bad but not good either. I dont know what my problem has been, its like that self-sabotoging part of me is coming back. I've been really bad about drinking with meals, not every time but a good majority of the time. So I get the lecture for that which I really needed. Its frustrating I was doing really good on SB & exercising before the surgery then everything went all haywire after the surgery & it threw me all off. I really need to start reading this site more regularly it really does give you a lot of encouragement & remind you to stay on track. I'm trying not to get discouraged, I've lost about 24 lbs overall but its just stopped. Since the fill I cannot get anything down. It has been extremely painful. I'm really not full but just after taking about 2-3 bites and chewing ALOT it still gets stuck. Any suggestions on things that may go down easier but are still higher in protein?? I really do not want to get any fluid removed unless its an absolute last resort. Thanks for letting me vent:) Danielle

its funny that you mention it may drown out the noise. I used mine constantly in the hospital because my roommate snored so loud I thought i was losing my mind...It really helped.

For anyone who's had the surgery already...Do you remember how long it is before you can have salad?? Never thought I'd say this but I really miss salads for lunch. I go for another appt on tuesday, its my 2nd since the surgery & I'm sure I've gained weight. I feel no restriction still and am able to eat anything which is actually not really good. If anything I think i feel full longer. Its still a struggle psychologically to not eat when your not hungry. I really really hope they are still going to give me a fill.

I was told before surgery any multivitamin would b good. After surgery you have to use the chewables. I hate the flintstone vit. so I use Viactiv chews, they're pretty good. Also you'll have to take 2 addtnl calcium chews, I just got the Target brand and it seems just as good. (The caramel ones are the best:) I think you just have to make sure you get at least 600mg of calcium.

Make sure you make copies of everything you or your doctor sends in to them, things tend to get lost or misplaced for a little while. It may take awhile to get into the seminar too. Dont get discouraged, it took me 4 months but others only 1-2 months. They only have the seminar 1x per month. Then they ususally call you w/in 1 week to schedule your 1st 3 hour appt. I would try Dr Ron Lelito for the psych appt. He is on Main St in Williamsville. He was pretty good & direct, he's very familiar with the process & what info BGH will be looking for. A lot of other ppl on this site went to see him too. I would call now, it took me a month to get my appt with him. I wouldnt go crazy getting any unnecessary tests done too early, at your 1st appt they will tell you exactly what they need from you. Everyone's is a little different depending on your medical backround. I had to have a sleep study, psych test & an EGD since they were concerned about my problem w/acid reflux. If you've had any other major tests done recently, even like a colonoscopy they will want that doctor to send them copies of all the results. Hope that helps, good luck! Danielle

Call to schedule the psych consult, mine took a month to get in. If you think there is a possibility of sleep apnea you could ask you doctor to recomend a sleep study.

great job on the weight loss! How long was it since your last fill? Was this your 2nd fill?

thanks judy I'll keep that in mind.

i really hope they do the fill. They wrote it on my appt card & when they were scheduling it they said it would be my 1st fill. Well I guess I'll just wait & see. I think its almost a good thing I'm back to work now. I find it easier to stay on a schedule & not think about snacking so much throughout the day. I'm trying to figure out though what kinds of healthier things I can snack on. Before I used to eat a lot of nuts and celery & now I'm not supposed to eat those for awhile. Any suggestions? Danielle

Well I had my post op appt last tuesday, I kept forgetting to write about it. I lost 9 pounds during the week after surgery. So I'm down 23 in total & very excited about that. That 1st week of liquids was hell, and I'm not doing to good about pureeing my foods. I keep just eating softer things. I still really do not feel any restriction & think I can eat more than I should b able to so I'm trying to make sure I limit myself even if the band doesnt do it. I cant wait for my 1st fill, i thinks its Feb 10th. Hope everyone is doing good. Sorry I forgot to ask them when the next support group meeting was.

I found it was really easy to make a couple scrambled eggs with cheese on them. I always said I never had time for breakfast but i found it literally dsnt take more than 2-3 minutes. Sometimes I would chop up some green/red peppers ahead of time & saved them in the fridge & then just took a little as needed. That helped to save time in the morning. Or I liked to take 1-2 slices of l/fat deli meat (no bread) & just put a little bit of mayo, a piece of romaine lettuce & slice of red pepper & roll it up. Those were pretty good & easy to eat on the go. At the very least maybe grab a handful of unsalted nuts. I always tried to have a piece of part skim string cheese on hand. It helped to fill me up a little when I would be dying to grab something quick & easy from the dreaded vending machine at work...hope this helps a little. Danielle

Ok its only been 3 days since the surgery, but i feel absolutely no restriction whatsoever. Do you feel it when just on liquids? I can drink an entire glass of protein shake & skim milk & not feel a thing & not really feel full. I'm confused since China is also not able to even get in enough liquids.............??

Kathy, Send it in with the application, also dont forget to send in as much info as possible (any recent bloodwork, tests, sleep study etc). Danielle

? testing again

I'm trying to figure out how to start that ticker thing, I remember someone writing directions in here but i cant find them anywhere...any suggestions?

just testing

Are you supposed to feel that tight full feeling while still on liquids, because I'm not. I seem to have no problem at all w/the protein shakes or broth but I'm trying to not eat/drink them all too much at a time. And has nayone heard when the next support group meeting is? Danielle

well back home after the surgery. I am aching so bad. Trying to figure out if this pain in my upper abdomin & chest is gas or my acid reflux or the surgery or the band...etc...i'm sure its all of the above. I know this is a good thing i had done but I AM SOOO HUNGRY RIGHT NOW!!! And I want to take more pain meds but on an empty stomach its been making me throw up. Well I'm going to keep walking around the house trying to get rid of some of this gas pressure.....

Well getting that drink down was pretty much the worst of it. I'm just a little annoyed right now because I am STARVING. This whole not eating before surgery really stinks...all for a good cause though. THanks for the words of encouragement they mean a great deal, I know its all going to be worth it.

Well I'm getting ready for my surgery monday morning, I'm pretty nervous now. I'm finding I'm getting more hesitant about telling anyone about the surgery, I got pretty annoyed at my mother in law letting it slip to a few ppl at christmas. It's really hitting me how things are going to change, especially after reading the post-op instructions on what to eat after surgery for a few weeks. I know I'm doing the right thing, its still just a little nerve racking. I ran into a girl I went to school with, and I hadnt seen her since I just had my baby last summer. She thought I was pregnant & I'm obviously not...even though I was wearing my maternity shirt still. I laughed it off & suppose I would have felt worse if I hadnt had any babies at all. I remember I was about 19 and it was the very beginning of my weight issues & a guy I worked with told me I looked pregnant & I felt like I could just die. To think I only weighed about 140-145 pounds at the time. I would kill to be that weight now. Anyways, struggling to not eat too much this past week. I did have a few extra things on Christmas but no where near what I would have done in the past. Tomorrow should be really fun with that crappy drink I have to take in the afternoon...yay. I still cant believe after 6 months its finally happening, my husband told me he's proud of me and thats just one of the best things I've heard in a long time... Danielle

Well I'm going for my final medical clearance today at 2pm, and had the final weighin yesterday (lost another 2 pounds). I'm really nervous but excited for the surgery on monday. This is going to be tricky staying on the phase one during xmas. We'll see how it goes...

China, congratulations & hope you're feeling better soon! Well I got the approval from BC/BS for the surgery!! Very excited but still a little nervous about the final weighin, I'm terrified if i dont loose my 5% exactly they will cancel my surgery. I think I may still have another 4 or 5 pounds to go so I'll have to figure something out this weekend...final weighin is on monday at 2:30. Just curious about the hosp, are you actually up for visitors later in the day after surgery, I dont know if my husband or parents should even come up there later if I'm going to b totally out of it??

My appt isnt untill 3pm that day. Dr Hoffman is doing the surgery & he knows all about the ins issue.

Well I have a surgery date scheduled 12/29! I am so excited & nervous. I am really lucky they were so good about moving up my date bcz of the whole ins fiasco. So had my pre-op testing & EGD last week, and I go for my final weighin 12/22 & medical clearance 12/23. So couple questions... Has anyone had problems getting auth from BCBS and/or how long did it take? And, if I havent lost my full 5% by the final weighin do you think they will cancel my surgery? Or what do they do?? Thanks for the info, Danielle