RestlessMonkey

If you don't mind...you feel paralyzed and think it is from meds you got yesterday? Could you walk when you left the hospital?

With all respects to Jack, a true super moderator, I've only heard of the 6-month diet in regards to insurance requirements. If you are self pay, I've never heard of a surgeon requesting/requiring it. Jack's reasoning behind the diet is as good as any; who knows why ins companies do things? Some people do start the 6 month supervised diet and decide to forgo surgery.

If you're sick on Monday, call your surgeon and see. If you've a fever etc they will probably postpone it. It's a pain, but worth a few extra days to optimize your recovery. (and trust me you don't want to be post op and be all congested, feverish, and miserable!)

The sore throat is from being intubated during surgery. It will go away in a day or two. If it bothers you too much, suck on sugar free lozenges. As to the other...sorry you're so sore. I wasn't; but then I moved just about every chance I got and I think that helped me. However, we're all different. Use a pillow to brace your surgery sites and take your pain meds... I used tylenol because I wasn't in that much pain and I HATE feeling groggy... It will get better. Hang in there!

If this is a recent development and you haven't just gotten a fill, you need to see your doctor.

I really DO feel your pain. I'm 54 and it's bad enough being the fat lady with rosacea. I REALLY didn't want to be the fat BALD lady with rosacea! :thumbup: I know people will swear by supplements but most of them say "may take up to 12 weeks to work" and by then, little old unsupplemented me had her hair growing back! Hang in there!

My surgeon said the following, in the seminar (and he's been right about everything he's told me so far, including this)....Your hair most likely WILL fall out at anywhere from 3-6 months. Most of the time you won't need a wig or toupee. One patient "needed" a wig but then she had a wig shop. It will stop falling and grow back. You can take supplements or not and the same thing will happen; it seems to be tied to the trauma of the surgery. Mine started falling out at 3 months. It never got so thin that my stylist could tell (although it was horrifying for me). It fell out from about 3 months to about 5 months, then it quit. Hang in there. There are supplements people say to take (like biotin) but I personally don't think they really help. Just eat right, take your doc prescribed supplements, and grit your teeth. It'll stop. OH and I will say that it is growing faster than usual too. I have a short style and get it cut at set intervals...and now it's too long when I wait my "time"...if that makes sense. It's getting too long too quickly.

That's bizarre. I know my port is flipped, but my surgeon still manages to do fills and unfills. And last time (just yesterday) I said...WHat if it flips all the way around? What if you can't fill it? And he said "don't worry. I WILL be able to do fills on you" and I said "With a big curvey fish-hook type needle?" and he lauged and said no. He said...don't worry. This is part of my job... I'll always be able to do fills for you. ??? I didn't ask him "what about if I get scar tissue"...I wish I had. I'm sure you are frustrated. Do you trust him? If not, maybe you should find a new doc?

My husband is an RN who worked in a "GI" lab for years and was adamantly AGAINST the band, because of all the issues he saw relating to bypass (roux en Y) surgery. Once he went with me to a seminar (and spent about 30 minutes discussing the surgery etc with my surgeon who bless him seemed interested and willing to chat for hours!) he was totally on board, supportive, and enthusiastic. My husband was wary because of the medical risks he thought were there. So if your husband is cautious because of that, maybe a seminar etc can help? There are also some good books on the marked...half price books or your library (or amazon!) can help you there. Good luck!

I think you should ask him these questions. We don't know you or him and can't really tell you why he feels the way he does. He could be jealous; he could be afraid you'll die during surgery, he could see the band as a weakness. Until you talk TO HIM and get answers, you won't know what to do.

We were told not to eat until FULL, but until satisfied. Fine line of distinction, I know; but personally if I get full, it's uncomfortable. HOWEVER you should be able to eat food. The point of the band isn't like the old "jaw wiring" where you could only sip liquids for nutrition. You're supposed to be able to eat normally, but less. If I were you I'd discuss with my surgeon and maybe the nutritionist.

It takes our bodies at least 20 minutes to start signaling "done...full now" and that message get to the brain. So eating slowly is a good start. My surgeon says not to take longer than 30 minutes for a meal, though, because you can "graze" and overeat. So aim for taking 20-30 minutes to eat. As to how much? That's hard for most of us, I think! You can portion it out like some do. I go nutso measuring and bean counting (literally LOL) so I try to get what looks like a "sensible" portion. Then after each bite I think...how do I feel. Am I done yet? This gets easier to do. I'm hoping eventually to pick back up on those signals that, like Jack said, I've ignored for so long. Used to, stuffed was a good feeling. Now I fear it like the plague because it hurts! LOL

Miriam, we're all so different! I had my band placed 8/29 and lost just at 42 pounds pre and post op dieting. However, once I advanced to "real" food, I gained back some. Personally, I refuse to diet. For me, it just makes me obsessed with food. If I measure and count etc I CAN (and have, many times) lose weight, for a while. But I am SO concerned with food (what can I eat when can I eat it how MUCH can I eat...if I eat this apple will it ruin my calorie count for the day? what if I weighed this wrong? What if I eat too much now and am HUNGRY later") that I eventually just wore out. The beauty of the band, to me, is the restriction. I can make good choices, and it is easy not to snack (for me anyway) when I'm not hungry. My surgeon is a conservative fill doc and not until my last fill (Jan 30) did I FINALLY feel restriction. From then to 3/5 (date of my 5th fill) I lost 9 pounds...just by making "good choices". Now that I have more restriction, I'm sure I'll lose at least that if not more. 9-10 pounds a month is great, to my mind, because I have not suffered or "starved" or fretted one time. I've even had pizza once (it amazed me how little it took to fill me up) and a patty melt from Whataburger. Well, I had about 1/3 of the patty melt, and was done. I was shocked and pleased. I've also had a lot of fresh fruit and veggies etc... Anyway my point is, it's up to you. It is your tool. Singers have different styles, people who use hammers for a living have their own methods and tricks. You will use the band the way that works for you. If you like calorie counting and knowing exactly what you eat and when, then do that. Because until you get restriction, like me you MAY gain a little back, or not lose. Some diet until the restriction finally kicks in to help them. I chose not to obsess about it but to just live my life making the best choices. And my way works for me, and the other way works for others! So unless your doc is more aggressive with the fills, the first one probably won't do much (you may be one of the lucky ones who feels it right away, but they are in the minority) and if you want to lose until you get restriction, you may need to diet. Or just watch what you eat and trust the process. Your call! Good luck!

Chantix is VERY pricey. You might want to have your surgeon give you a prescription for zyban...that also helps a lot of people. AND...you can use the patch. Zyban and the patch are a good combo to help you quit. And it may cost a bit up front but with the cost of cigarettes, you'll save money in the long run.

I don't know what a GI Nutritionist is. Could you elaborate a little, maybe? I'd like to help you; just a little confused.

Bless you. WHile I was on my LONG preop diet I did not do the cooking for my family. Someone else stepped up to that task. No one died or suffered food poisoning, either!

My doctor doesn't do it exactly that way. He said he can tell when we approach the green zone by how hard it is to fill/unfill us. He always has us drink water AFTER the fill. Believe me; you'll know if it doesn't go down!

I was told pasta is fine as long as it's well done ... same with rice. You would be the best answer for this...IS it impacting you?

Honestly? If your doctor doesn't think you need one, trust him (or her). You are trusting them to cut into you (lap or not, that is what happens!) so trust them to know if you need a longer preop diet or not. If you've read here, you've read everyone seems to have slightly different preop instructions. Do what your doctor says.

I don't count calories. I've done that OVER and OVER in my 54 years and it got me to 405 pounds at age 53. I get obsessed with food and what can I eat and when and how much and what if I am hungry and have eaten it "all" for the day and on and on. So no counting for this broad. There's a danger in couting your activity unless you do it right.

I don't have delayed restriction but I DO have a very conservative surgeon. I was banded 8/29 and just got my 5th fill bringing me to 6.25 cc in a 14 cc band. There are two opposing ideas about this; some think aggressive fills are the way to go, some think they set you up for problems down the road. Either way, I think my surgeon (and his staff) is a great one, and I trust him, and I am FINALLY starting to lose again. Since I do NOT want to ever be so tight that I can't eat most foods, can't swallow my own saliva at times, etc, and since that has never happened to me (I can still eat bread...I don't usually because it's a pain but I can do it) I am pleased now that he's taken his time.

Caffeine CAN stimulate the appetite in some, suppress it in some, do nothing to some. My doc had it on the forbidden list, but when I asked and was told "because it stimulates the appetite", I knew it didn't do that to me. I added coffee and iced tea back in about 2-3 months post op. I went without it for the long preop diet I had, and post op until after my 1st fill. I always make sure to get in the required 64 oz (at least) water a day, though, in addition to my coffee and iced tea.

Ask your surgeon. I think you're probably safest to wait a few months to allow plenty of time to heal etc...but each doc is different in his/her guidelines for patients.

Here's the link to the travel advisory my school sent out to the students... I think the OP is probably telling the truth. If it didn't really happen to her, it likely has happened. Living here near the border it's possible our local stations cover more "Mexico" news. Don't know about that, don't know if OP is a troll or not, but I DO know what she said could happen (or worse) and things are dicey over there right now. MIG: Mexico Travel Alert

There IS a travel advisory for Mexico. Check it out if you don't think there really is...and border towns (like Juarez and TJ) are especially dangerous. I'm enrolled at nursing school in San Antonio Texas and we got an email to avoid Mexico during spring break. There are drug wars going on. Just be informed...that's the smartest thing.