RestlessMonkey

HH if there's one thing I "know" about you, it's that you NEVER advocate blindly listening to anyone...even if they have a string of letters after their names. I think I pretty much said what you did; I just said it Monkey-style. In the final analysis, the OP will do whatever s/he thinks is best, and that's as it should be....you live, you learn. :ohmy:

I think it's always prudent to ask WHY. For example, people who are grazers struggle more with the band. Her surgeon MAY have a good reason, or it may be knee-jerk. We don't know the OP or the surgeon, so it's hard for us "armchair" players to tell the OP what to do.

Not a man but buy MBT's for one and I love zappos. They have a large range of sizes and exceptional customer service. Viprvenm sent you a link...they are a great company.

What you're feeling is normal. Your stomach is probably a little swollen in reaction to the band being tightened some. If you can drink water you don't need any taken out right away; within a few days (per your surgeon's advice) you should be able, if you chew well, small bites, no liquids with meals etc, to eat up to 1 to 1 1/2 cups of food per meal. If you can eat more, you may need another fill (but it can take a few weeks for them to kick in on many people, so you need to give it time) and if you can't eat without being stuck, you are too tight.

I think probably cavemen ate things raw. I'm glad I don't have to! :tongue2: (Admittedly a big WEENIE when it comes to raw foods) (and raw oysters give "slider" a whole new dimension to me. shiver)

This surgery is elective. (and by the way, if you lose a lot of weight you'll have loose skin whether you do bypass or the band. So loose skin is no reason to choose one surgery over another) We make an INFORMED choice. That means considering alternatives and deciding. Let me give an example. Over time my front teeth have separated slightly. Now I don't look like myself, to myself. So I asked my dentist: Do I need braces to get them back in alignment? He told me : NO They'll keep moving. You have a couple options. I can fill in the middle with dental bonding. It will look great. It is the cheapest. Or I can do porcelain veneers. That's way more expensive. Both will work. You pick. (he went into more detail of course but I don't figure anyone on here cares about this in more detail LOL) SO you see...I had thought "braces", he disagreed, explained why, gave me other options. The goal: No longer have a slight gap between my two front teeth. What I thought I wanted (and what worked for many) Braces What I decided on: Veneers. Firstly, I trust my dentist. He's great; I've been going to him for years. I PAY him for that expertise. I PAY him to help me navigate. IF you trust your surgeon, ask WHY bypass? WHY not band? Weigh his reasoning and decide which is right for you. The band isn't one supersize fits all solution. It works for lots of people, but not everyone. Neither, for that matter, does bypass. or the sleeve. But they are all valid solutions (like my braces, dental bonding, or veneers options) and you need to pick which (if any) is right for you. If your surgeon will not take the time to explain to you which he feels is best, and why (same with dietitian and psych consult) then by all means ignore them. But ASK. Weigh. It's your body, the surgery is elective, educate yourself and decide, knowing yourself best, which is right for you once you have all the info.

Since cashcow never answered, we don't really know what the surgeon plans on being self injected...we assume lovenox but it could be something else, actually. Having to inject lovenox post op is rare. It does happen, but it's not the norm for most surgeons/patients.

I just googled and found this link: Green Zone - What is this? The "sweet spot" is what my surgeon calls "the green zone" and is explained at the above link by the chart that comes up.

Honestly my psych eval was a great big joke. But if you want to pay for one on your own I'm sure you can! Aside from almost a year of behavioral therapy on my own before I even decided to get the band (when I say I tried everything, I mean it; including hypnotism) anyway...I know myself better than any 1-hour psych eval could ever show, did my research, soul searching, etc and was ready. If you aren't sure you want the band, don't get it! IF you feel you need more tests and are getting rushed through (and that is possible) find another surgeon. I didn't have to do a lengthy 6-month eval and honestly that's a waste too, for some of us. Some decide to cancel the surgery (which I'm sure pleases the Ins. co) I've done WW for years, I've done Jenny, I've done Atkins and Nutri systems and a thing in the 70's called Medical Weight Control. The last thing I needed was another 6 months of dieting, but we're all different. If you feel you need to give it one last try then you know yourself best; do that. Join WW and give it your all, (or some other organized diet).

I slept on my left side (the one with the port) the first night and on my stomach (my norm) from night #2 on. I felt like the longer I delayed it, the more stiff I'd be, and more likely to form adhesions. I was a little stiff the first day or two, but I wanted a good night's sleep. Plus actually the pressure is good to stop bleeding.

I felt great!!! I was so glad to have the band. My surgery was in the afternoon and it was evening by the time I got home. I slept on my left side (the one with the port) the first night..although i did use a pillow to help brace and protect it. Night 2 I slept on my stomach (my norm). I felt wonderful but hungry. I drank easily and it was no trouble to get my Water in (I was on Clear Liquids, no Protein shakes even) I felt great and just took tylenol (the caplets, not even liquid) I was sore as if I'd done situps to exhaustion. My throat wasn't even sore for the 2nd surgery (keep in mind I had 2 surgeries within 17 days of each other) I felt great and recovered very quickly. I give a large credit about that to my skilled surgeon.

Maybe. I didn't. But some do.

AND you know depending on where your oysters come from, you really aren't supposed to eat them raw...not through October (if they are from the Gulf of Mexico), or through August if they are from another source...

Honestly I'd ask the doc. You don't chew them, do you? And if they are too wide to fit through your band, well, yuk. I think your surgeon can tell you if they are save or not.

I think you should ask your doc. The longer I have my band, the more flexible it is at allowing things like carbonation, and my doc has told me now that if it doesn't hurt me its' ok for me to have it. I drank a beer tonight (i'm at just over 11 months out)....it's best, at least until you have had the band a while, to follow your surgeon's directions.

nope. Been there done that ad nauseum for Weight watchers. I've weighed my steak a couple times just because I thought I wasn't eating much (and I wasn't, between 2-3 oz) and I measured out my lemon chicken with rice once to see how much of it I was eating (1 cup) That's it. You can if you want to, but you don't have to, to lose weight. I want to learn to rely on myself and my body's indicators. Eating a "serving" (or two) of things helped get me here now. I try to be totally tuned into myself, not to eating what someone else says a serving should be (even if that serving is only a cup, or less) Just what works for me

Sounds like great motivation, besides being smaller, to work the band! Sorry i can't help you about paperwork; mine was easy and handled by a wonderful lady at my doc's office. I kind of just did what they told me to, when they told me to do it! Good luck!

Honestly I was forced to sit thru a lecture by the nutritionist right after I got my band. I tried to pay attention but essentially tuned a lot of it out (she geared our talk to bypassers, and kept thinking I had the bypass. That exasperated me) I have done so many diets, between that and the nutrition class I had for nursing school, I have a pretty good grasp of what to eat and what not to. That doesn't mean I always do it though! LOL SO my point is you may (or may not) already know "what to do" While I had restriciton at 6 months out, I didn't hit my sweet spot until May (almost 9 months out) and good grief has that made a world of difference. I think partly you're just being too hard on yourself, expecting too much. "some" restriction isn't the same as the sweet spot.

I say ask your surgeon.

Well, my liver shrink diet was low fat (compares to yours) low carb (not the bread) low calorie (mine was about 400 cal a day) high Protein. However, each and every surgeon seems to have a different diet. I would think that your diet works or they'd have modified it by now. Unless you know your liver is really huge I wouldn't worry about it, but a call to ask them specifically would be good, too. Ease your mind, make sure you didn't just slip through the cracks.

I always thought, in a vague sort of way, that it kind of "depends" on the food, how full, how well chewed. in other words, I think it can be because it is sitting at the stoma and irritating the sides of the stomach...or you're too full and it irritates the esophagus. I don't KNOW this though...I just think it. I am going to ask my doc, too, Aug 30. He's a sharp guy and always good about answering my questions...it will be nice to compare answers

Good grief call your general practitioner. if it IS the flu, there are drugs to shorten it. If it is a bacterial infection, there are drugs. If it's a non-flu virus, you may just have to wait it out. But...you won't know until you go. If it's something treatable and you delay therapy you're only hurting yourself and your chances of surgery. AND if you are sick on surgery day they will delay it. They'll catch it and stop it and think you are a doofus for not telling them...congestion makes anesthesia problematic, and if you have an active infection the last thing they want to do is surgery. So call your primary now!

It's truly more prudent to NOT drink the shakes. A conservative fill schedule and scrupulous practice on your part can minimize the chance of vomiting. However I agree that the odds are, at some point, it will happen. I'm shocked you've made it to your age and never had a stomach bug! What I suggest is that you go to a behavioral therapist for help with your phobia. Anytime a phobia is stopping a person from living a full life, it needs to be addressed, and it sounds to me like you're there. I don't mean this at all unkindly, either. A good behaviorist can help you and you won't need to talk for hours about how your daddy never bought you a pony, or whatever, unless you want to. They'll just "fix it" with your help. I don't like to vomit, I vomited about 4 times in my whole life before I got the band. However, PBing is not like vomiting and believe me, compared to the pain I felt in my chest when I had my bad "stuck" episode, I gladly vomited. I'd have rather faced down a tarantula (MY phobia) than had that misery continue. A little therapy will help you. But don't proceed with the band until you can at least concede that while you may not enjoy it or seek it out, you will be able to get through an episode of PBing with your psyche intact. Because odds are it'll happen. And I hate to tell you this but sometimes medical issues happen and people vomit back their own spit, let alone a shake or Protein drink. So even if you COULD live an "all liquid" life, it won't guarantee that nothing will come back out the "in" door.

hang in there. i think many insurance companies hope people will give up. Don't give them them the satisfaction. It's worth it.

Yes, call your docs office and discuss your concerns with your doc or one of the nurses in the office. They can either allay your fears if there's nothing to be worried about, or delay your surgery a little. The preop diet is, as far as I can tell, mostly to shrink your liver and it isn't an issue for everyone, so you may be fine! or not...your doc and his staff will know! Just FYI it's really important not to cheat at all on the post op diet because eating foods ahead of time can cause a slip. You might go over this with your surgeon too, to get his take on it. You will be able to eat the foods you love (most likely...I can eat anything at my sweet spot, but it takes a lot less to do the trick) so you don't need to mourn so. It's common, but usually not for any good reason! Call your doc; I'm sure you'll be fine!