Lanakila

Hi Liz, and welcome to the boards. This is absolutely an appropriate request and we are thrilled to see supportive family and friends seek information. You are always welcome to pop in an ask questions anytime! I am going to be banded this Thursday and I have been VERY active in a discussion board here on the site that is used by over 400 people being banded this month. I think that it would be valuable to both you and your sister to hang out there and learn how people who have recently been banded are doing. From the home page, scroll down the menu on the left and choose Monthly Lap Band Support Groups, then select August 2008. Or, you can use this link: http://www.lapbandtalk.com/f183/ Looking at the list of August Bandsters on there, I see that we have folks from Temple Hill, and Forest Hill, and one that just listed Maryland as where they were from. There is also someone from the District, and someone in Alexandria. You can also look to see if there are others from your area by checking out the Local Lapband Support Groups, USA, Maryland section. Follow the links on the menu on the left of the main page. Good luck to you, and congratulations to your sis!

My doc said that walking is fine because it doesn't cause any serious strain on your core. If you were already a walker, I'd imagine it would be fine. My guy said that things like curves or other resistance exercises such as yoga are off limits for at least 6 weeks.

There are lots and lots of others who are posting over on the August 2008 Bandsters boards. C'mon over and introduce yourself to the 390+ band buddies there! Who's on your date? Who's in your state? From the home page, scroll down the menu on the left and choose Monthly Lap Band Support Groups, then select August 2008. Or, you can use this link: http://www.lapbandtalk.com/f183/ You'll love it!

Adult beverages are only calories in a cup. You went through this whole process and yet you are willing to jeopardize your progress so far. You are a big girl and can make your own decisions, but I think you should reconsider and ask yourself why you think you should be having a drink so soon after surgery.

I do not know of anyone on this board who has been given Fragmin. Why on Earth is your doctor prescribing this for you? Do you have a history of clots?

Meeeeeeeeee AND Youuuuuuuuuuuu Ro (& Daddy)! Finally :biggrin:

Careful...Liz was talking about her 3rd DAY. Ask your doctor before you try it Liz. It may be absolutely fine, really, but you should have clearance first, k?

For the first 4 weeks, my doctor told me to force myself to eat and drink if I had to because I wouldn't heal properly without the hydration and the nutrition. After those 4 weeks, I was told to keep my calorie minimum at 800 and to never skip meals because it means that I a) will eat something very high in calories later because I will eventually be really hungry, or :tongue: will overeat or eat past the band because I will eventually be really hungry. Both of these defeat the purpose of the band by not teaching us to make better food choices, and not working with the limits that the band is intended for. He said that I should start feeling hunger by the end of those 4 weeks.

IMHO, no, mashed potatoes shouldn't be used. Here's my logic: Yogurt and pudding are basically just a liquid that has been "stiffened" and will become liquid just as soon as it hits your internal heat. Applesauce is mostly Water, both from the juice of the fruit and from the cooking process. There are very little actual solids and they are still mostly water. Mashed potatoes, while of a similar consistency, have more solids in them. There is simply not a way to cook potatoes long enough for them to be essentially water. The purpose of such limited solids in your diet is to keep your stomach from contracting as it has to digest them. With the stomach having been stitched over you band, you really want to avoid having your stomach contract and pull on those stitches. Now, all that being said...EVERY doctor and diet is different. My suggestion would be to ask your doctors office before doing it. Don't try it just because others have been permitted to eat them at this point. I know that it is frustrating, but one more week of sacrifice will seem like nothing at all once you have lost your first post-op 20#! Hang in there :tongue:

Welcome to the board Jason! At the top of our board is a list of the nearly 400 folks that we know are being banded this month. I checked out the list and here are some folks from AL. There's only one from there being done on the same day...but many this month. Some of them we don't see in here but you can send them a private message! Hope2bthinrn, Semmes, 1st Rolltide, Montgomery, 4th SLIMkim2B, 5th moonandstarzz, Gurley, 13th jandamom, Birmingham, 14th Marie alverson, Pell City, 21st Maribelle, 26th heather113076, Birmingham area, 29th

I left a notepad on my desk at work, my coffee table at home, and a pad of post-its in my car for about a week so that I could write down questions as they came to me. I must admit that most of my questions came to me while I was reading the boards but, I admit, I troll the boards pretty heavily while "recruiting" (Hey, Ro!) I was thinking that we could add to the list and maybe toss it over on the September Samurai board once we have it refined. Whatdyathink? Oh, and since I'm getting glued shut, the doc said showering the next day was fine...but no immersion like baths or swimming for two full weeks. I dunno what the answer would be for steristrip folks.

How is MIGMOM doing? Did she get her sx time yet? Is she excited?

Make sure that you are "sipping" rather than "drinking" because you may be swallowing extra air. Are you using a straw? If so, stop. I cannot emphasize enough how important it is for you to walk around. That means more than just around the house too. Put your baby in the stroller and take a stroll. There have been lots of posts about how walks around the neighborhood bring poots-a-plenty!

EVERY surgeon prescribes a different diet regimen for before and after surgery. Follow your doctor's instructions ONLY! It is really important that you adhere to what your surgeon requires rather than comparing your diet with others.

I don't meet with the anesthesiologist until Tuesday, but here's what I asked my surgeon and his staff when I met with them for pre-op this morning: What do you use to close the incisions? Mine uses Dermabond glue. Will I get a heparin, or another anticoagulant shot? What do you use for post-op pain management while I am at the hospital? What will you give me for post-op pain management after discharge? Can I have that prescription now so that I can fill it before surgery? Do I take my meds the day of surgery? When do I see you again? When do you generally do the first fill? Do you fill under flouroscopy? How soon can I have sex? (for me, 1 week at least and then as tolerated) How soon can I shower? When can I hit the treadmill again? When can I do weight machines again? How soon can I drive? In the last two years, how many "open" procedures have you had to do? (I should have asked this earlier...but he had zero so it didn't really matter) How should my caregiver contact you after surgery if there are any problems? I'm sure that there were more, but I forget what else.

I think that Wicked was definitely the best of McGuires books. I did the stepsister one and it was ok, but cannot drag myself into Liir. Anyhow, had my final appt. today too. liquids only (shakes included) for Tues. and Wed. I've been doing 2 shakes and regular dinner this week...on my own, so that shouldn't be too bad. I have an 8am surgery time, but I have to stay overnight because of my apnea and general anesthesia. They like to watch the breathing with my cpap. No gastric cleansing, no icky cleanser bath, no heparin shot...yaaaayyyy! Met a girl in the waiting area at the surgeons office who will be going the same day. I told her to come over here so, hopefully, we will see her soon!

Since I didn't have a prescribed pre-op diet (yet?), I put myself on a self-imposed 2 shake, regular dinner reduction this week. Don't get me wrong...I mean regular dinner...so the weight loss isn't insane, but a good start. I'm down 5.6 lbs (-0.9 BMI), hubby up 2.0 lbs (+0.3 BMI) Exercise: 1.25 miles treadmill on "forest" setting (variable speed, variable incline) it was only my second time trying this setting and I ramped up the max incline to a 7% grade. My back and butt had a good-but-sore feeling the next day. Hubby and I go tonight to get a lesson on how to use the weight resistance equipment. I see my surgeon today for my pre-op visit, so we'll see if he puts me on an actual diet.

Miss, You are going to LOVE this site more and more every day! I have found so much support, encouragement and even friendship with my fellow bandsters and bandsters-to-be. Welcome!

You certainly don't need to pretend for us! We are here to support you and to listen when one of us needs help and encouragement :biggrin2: I'm sorry to hear that you haven't developed a good relationship with your co-workers. I know that it can be hard to feel invisible on the job. I'm sure it's not the most convenient time because I'm sure you don't really feel motivated to do it, but it's probably time for you to take the lead on trying to build a better atmosphere. It doesn't seem like it is coming along naturally. Even if you decide to move on in the near future, "making nice" will be important to your immediate comfort. I cannot imagine that someone will not at least say "glad to have you back" or "how are you doing?" When they do, give them a nice smile and FIRST let them know that you are glad to see everyone again, then SECOND express a gratefulness of some sort; "I'm looking forward to being up and around a bit more" or "It's good to see people again." No need to be Disney Nice, but the first says that you like them and the second says that you are willing to open up to them. Might not be the case, but you will have tried and that's all one can ever do. Good luck, and let us know how everything went!

Hang in there Amanda...you are sooooooooo close! :smile2:

You Go Girl!!!!!!! I love the sausage casing analogy. I'll have to keep that in mind when I am finally able to get back into some clothes without looking downright vulgar. Keep your super positive attitude...it has really revved me up for the day!

And just six days for you!!!! Can you believe that we are FINALLY getting our turn? We've watched all of our band buddies with a tinge of jealousy and now we get to dance our way into surgery knowing that so many of them have gone before us and will take care of us :wub:

This is a fantastically funny picture in my head now! I'll giggle today when I see my boss pull out her iPhone :smile2:

I haven't been banded yet, but this sounds like something I had once. It might be an esophageal spasm. Let's see what the veterans can tell us! I hope you feel better soon! :thumbup:

Moooommmmmm...Lisa's pickin' on me! Just kidding :thumbup: Actually, aside from my nutritionist and a dietician friend I also asked a peer at the university. The pharmaceutical kineticist said that unless you have an endurance metabolism (marathoner, triathlete, long-distance stuff) then protein absorption is time limited. They also said that calories from "left over" protein are still calories so it would be better to consume veggies in place of the "extra" protein. The nutritionist said 20g at a time, the dietician 25g. The kineticist said probably 30-35 since we are morbidly obese, but that he couldn't find any academic journal articles specific to protein absorption in WLS patients to support his guess. I'd sure like to hear from anyone who can find a journal article of a study or two that says I can down those darned 42g bullets in one sitting. It would be great to slam one twice a day and be done with it!