RestlessMonkey

I didn't stick to the preop diet and came to in recovery without the band because my liver was too large. I hope that doesn't happen to you. I could do any diet...for a while. I just couldn't keep it off. You still have to kind of diet with the band anyway....could be you aren't ready for it? (not being mean either, ok? just honest!) The preop diet is bad but the post op phase is worse and it is imperative that you follow doc's directions then or you can cause slippage etc. So talk to your doc (I was on a 500 cal preop diet) and do some soul searching; see if this is really what you want. If you do, then diet like your life is on the line, because it may be!

Yes thanks I did mean bypass; I've corrected it. Too excited about finally getting my BSN to proof read! LOL

My doc said band slipping is most often caused by people eating ahead of their post op diet; ie moving on to mushies or beyond when still in liquids phase etc. And overeating would be more likely to stretch your pouch than cause a slip. Lastly a slip hurts, or so I've heard. What you may need if you aren't losing 1-2 pounds a week is another fill.

Honestly if you REALLY just have a sugar problem, then bypass (and it's concurrent dumping syndrome when you eat sugar) may be the best choice for you. Bypass is scary to me but the point isn't "JUST" to have an easy surgery, but to be successful. I didn't want bypass because it is permanent. The band is "foreign" (so for that matter is a pacemaker which I didn't want to need down the road) but can be removed if necessary; bypass CAN be reversed in very very very few cases. So in the interim....buy a book or two (like WLS for dummies or some such..I researched a bunch on amazon) and educate yourself! Good luck!

Your preop diet SHOULD be prescribed by your surgeon and/or nutritionist. Are you nervous about it? or the surgery?

Thanks! SA's ok...except for in July and August! :tt2: Anyway I hope it all works out for you!

Ask your surgeon; I'm sure they are all different.

I can see why you got that diet, and it makes sense. You do want to lose. I know it will be a long summer but it's just one in a BUNCH of great summers that will follow! Although my doc didn't put it the way you have, my post op diet (once healed) is very similar: we're to eat Protein, then veggies, then if we still have room (and we shouldn't have room!) fruits and grains and pastas. So I was told the same thing, just in a different way. I bet you lose well following that plan.

Sure...if you can drink medi-fast and stay away from your old faves (whatever got you where you are today). If not, you may want to find something else to help you lose and keep it off.

First, follow your post op diet/guidelines TO THE LETTER until you are well into solids. That period isn't for what you can/can't/should/shouldn't do, but for healing. Period. You need to not eat the wrong foods so your band can heal. After that? Before you have restriction, many of us feel we don't even have a band. I was one. I ate like I used to. That meant sometimes the goods you describe. I haven't, to my knowledge, hurt myself. Once you get restriction it is a different ball game but until then, once the band is healed (and your swelling has subsided) until you are tightened up, you don't have to be so watchful. And actually post fill depending you may be able to have rice/pasta etc (just don't drink while eating; it can stretch your pouch etc and can HURT!) My nut. said just to make sure the rice or Pasta is very well done so it won't continue to swell once you've swallowed it. Eventually you may get tight enough that you won't have those things because you'll be trying to get adequate nutrition and are very full on a very little bit.

Try drinking some water; sometimes when my stomach is growling water will make it chill out! :tt2:

All I can tell you is stick to your preop and most importantly your post op diet scrupulously. Eat only what your doc approves! (I didn't realize how very important that was when I was in your place preop so long ago! LOL) As to things not tasting good, no one likes to eat things that they find unpalatable. I got so deathly sick of those sweet gicky EAS carb control advantEdge shakes I could've screamed but I figured that period wasn't about me enjoying my meals so much as losing the requisite liver fat preop and then healing post op. So hang in there; if you need to, call your surgeon's office on Monday and ask for some help. Good luck!

I responded to this in your "hello" thread in the "introductions" forum. Not that you won't get other answers, but mine is there.

No...peristalsis (digesting food) is very different. People don't (or most usually don't) FEEL the churning when digesting food. That stomach growling won't hurt your band; eating "a little" to prevent the growling WILL hurt your band. Hang in there, do what your doc says.

JMS that Water trick is a good one; I'll try to remember it. Because I have a terrible time when something is stuck. I am NOT a vomiter; I could never be bulemic because I say my digestive tract is a one way ride. I am 54 and preband vomited 5 times in my WHOLE life. (Yes I remember each one! LOL) So having something stuck and getting it to come UP is a nightmare for me. IF (ha, when!) I am foolish enough to get stuck again I'll remember that water trick.

Hang in there! At my last fill (5/7) I asked my doc what causes slips. He said that several things (including surgeon error and equipment failure, plus "who knows?" all can be factors) can cause it but MOST are caused by patients who 'advance the diet" too quickly. They either slip right away, or they slip down the road because if their band is sutured in, digestion (and the churning tummy that goes with it) can pop a stitch or two and set you up for a slip later on. SO! You are doing great to hang in there; just realize it can set you up for a great band experience! :tt2: And I remember your pain. I sat and held a can of refried Beans and cried. I felt like an idiot for doing that, so I cried even harder! BUT I didn't open them and eat them...You can make it through!

In the first place, it's kind of rude to board hop and diss people like this. Furthermore WW has BUNCHES of boards. Some are snarky, some are supportive. (I post there frequently) So please don't make all of them sound vicious and evil. You will find people everywhere (even HERE!) who don't think the lap band is a viable option and think it is an "easy" way out. And if it's just one person you're upset with, take it up with him/her. I know people can be hurtful and I'm not meaning to be unkind to you....but step back and look at the big picture. To say :OMG I cannot believe how horrible the WW boards are to Lap banders!!!! is being as unfair to them as that poster/one forum is being to you.

Hello and welcome. You should have had a BM by now. If you don't by Monday call your surgeon ASAP. Many times the post op pain meds can constipate you.

Post op pain varies widely; some have lots, some have virtually none, but most have some pain that is manageable with either the prescription drugs the doc gives, or OTC tylenol, and just taking it slow. If you have a good surgeon (like I was lucky to have!) you don't have as much issue with trapped gas that they pump into you, the gas that things like Gas-X don't touch because they aren't in your digestive tract and therefore gas x can't reach. (Gas X does help the burps though..that type of gas!) My pain was minor but I'm a firm believer in distraction. Using a pillow to "splint" or brace your incisions when you sit, stand, etc really helps a lot the first few days. AND stand/sit/sleep/walk as normally as possible from the start; you'll be less prone to adhesions and so on. The pain will pass, even if you do have it, but you may be one of the lucky ones (like me) who had little to no pain. I've actually had dental procedures that hurt more for longer.

Yep...go to the doc. Make payments, negotiate, whatever, but go to the doc. If you're indigent you may qualify for medicaid. But go. If it hurts all the time and you can't burp you may have some issues in there that need immediate attention.

I'd really check with the surgeon on this one. I am sure you want the band badly but I can tell you having something stuck is bad enough (as you know)...add to that a narrowed opening into your stomach and you are looking at many different POTENTIAL problems. Check with your surgeon; if s/he is well experienced, your issue may be dealt with (less fill, etc) Good luck; I think you're smart to address it now!

If you are in pain, and it's getting worse, call your Doc! Do it ASAP!

Left mouse click on your name "NANO" (over to the left, in white against blue background.) A dropdown menu will appear. From that, select the option "find more posts by nano". It will list your posts.

No issues. Some people think it hits them faster but it really is psychological. It DOES hit bypass patients more quickly because their digestive system is rerouted, but alcohol isn't any more or less dangerous for bandsters than for people without WLS, and you'll "process" it pretty much the same. I know that when I was younger and drank often I could drink A LOT and now I can't; so maybe some people who drink regularly stop for a few months while banding and then they are kind of out of the habit...but otherwise no issues. This is interesting, I think: I didn't read it through but believe it's a fairly accurate depiction of what happens when you drink: http://www.oregoncounseling.org/ArticlesPapers/Documents/ETOHBIOFx.htm

My ins has a 150 deductible and a 3000 "catastrophic cap" so my max would be 3150 if husband and I both had it, max would be 6300 worth it plus if we did it at start of ins year, then the rest of our medical for year would be covered at 100%, so it would be do-able.