Julia_N

Diabetes is another co-morbidity. I'm not sure if being prediabetic counts.

I second it! Love the site.

I did my 6-month diet with my surgeon. He has his patients have protein shakes for breakfast and lunch, then a high-protein, low carb meal for dinner. My 6 months stretched out to 10 months because I got pneumonia in the middle. I lost pretty well -- almost 45 pounds, and that's with lots of cheating in the middle. I feel like it gave me a good boost for my post-op life. I had to tell the nurse every month what kind of exercise I was doing. Sometimes, the only thing that got me through the day was the realization that soon the diet would be over and I'd be post-op.

Sometimes the food sits on top of the band and never makes it to the main part of the stomach. I've had those incidences when I've eaten too fast, which let me eat too much, or didn't chew meat properly. I've also had it when I've eaten the tail end of a burrito when it was only tortilla, no filling left.

I think it's pretty standard among insurance requirements. They want to make sure you can tolerate anesthesia.

Everything's better with bacon! :frown:

If the guy doing the blood draw is good at it, perhaps it won't hurt as much as mine. My nurse had to poke a couple of times before she found the artery. So maybe she was really bad at it!

I did my pre-op stuff through my surgeon's office. At each monthly visit, they'd ask me how much exercise I was doing, I'd tell them, they'd write it down, and that was that. I was approved with no problem. Good luck!

Great news! I felt like I won the lottery when I found out. May you have smooth sailing right through your surgery.

I have been extremely fortunate in that everyone I've told has been very supportive. I was afraid that my personal physician might be against it, but he had just gone to a seminar about the Lap Band and was very enthusiastic. You say your husband is supportive, and that's great! The naysayers are just ignorant. They don't understand how hard we struggle with many everyday life events. They don't understand the lifesaving aspects of the surgery. I say, a smaller butt will be the best revenge. Don't let them get you down. It's your life and your health that's important. I hope none of the negative folk try to sabotage you. I had that happen several years ago with a diet program I was involved with. A co-worker kept calling it a cult and I listened to his negative attitude and let him talk me out of it. And I gained LOTS of weight after that. Good luck to you!

If it's the same test I had when I was in the hospital for pneumonia, I'm sorry to say that it hurts a lot and they do it without any numbing. I'm not trying to scare you. I get lots of blood tests regularly and used to inject insulin, so I have no needle anxiety. I'd never had one of these before. Maybe they can give you a little numbing in the area. They have to hit an artery instead of a vein. My blood came out purple. But look at it this way. Once it's done, it's done. :smile:

I got some sugar-free preserves and mixed in a tablespoon or so with a cup of Greek yogurt. Some people use it in place of sour cream as a topping. You also can mix in some frozen berries or other fruit. I'm sure other people also have suggestions.

I, too, had the 6-month wait, but mine stretched into 10 months because I got pneumonia in the middle of it. Use the time to get a head start on losing. I lost almost 45 pounds in the pre-op diet and feel like I had a great start to the rest of my life. I got used to eating more like I do now so it wasn't so much of a shock after surgery. Good luck!

They're idiots. I had Spanish in junior high. Our favorite retort was: Que es para tu, sapo? Which means, What's it to you, bullfrog?

I love the lemonade! A lot of the fast-food places here have it on their fountain. More and more are going to the presweetened iced tea, so this is a nice alternative. I have a long drive home from work and sometimes I forget to bring water.

I have Aetna, but not managed choice, so your experience may vary. I had to do a 6-month pre-op diet, but I've read on here about other Aetna members only needed a 3-month diet. If you call Aetna, or look at the Web site for your plan, you'll be able to find out the exact requirements. I had to have a couple of years of documented weight problems, and had to do several pre-op tests: upper GI, heart scan, and psych evaluation, in addition to a lot of blood work. Other people have had to get a sleep apnea study, but I didn't. I was able to get all the tests done in a month. Good luck!

I don't think I've posted in any of the July 09 threads. Anyway, I'm having trouble remembering to eat slowly. Ever since my fill on 9/10, I've had small PB episodes almost every day, even on Soup, which had some tough meat in it. I went up a bit when I ran out of some of my meds, but now I'm back to where I was, down 69.3 pounds. I'm eager to get more recipes and plan better, so I can use the crock-pot more often. Good luck everyone!

So you probably sell these shakes, since you're not posting a link or any other info. Everyone else who finds a great shake doesn't hesitate to post everything in the message.

I have not had these since I've been banded. I tried them a couple of years ago. They were hard to find. They're in with the refrigerated Asian foods. Anyway, you have to rinse them really well or there can be a fishy smell. They're precooked, so you just need to heat them up. They have a slippery texture, like overcooked Pasta. Seems like they'd be easier to eat than regular pasta. Personally, they didn't agree with my digestive system, so I only had them twice before giving up. I know other people, especially Weight Watchers, have sworn by them, but I don't know of anyone who has been banded who's had them. Perhaps someone else who's had them after banding can chime in. Good luck!

I had my first fill last week and had some blood. I know the saline went in because I could feel the restriction. The blood wasn't much, but it was enough that they had to put a band-aid on it to stop the bleeding. It stopped soon after and I peeled it off after a few hours. I wouldn't worry unless you feel weak, like you're bleeding inside, or if the bleeding won't stop. Good luck!

I'm using an espresso spoon and pickle fork. The pickle fork used to be my cheesecake fork. I used it to eat whole cheesecakes, but slower. I used to think, You have to eat the whole cheesecake because you're not binging tomorrow and throwing it away is wasteful. Those Crate & Barrel utensils are really cute. I may get them to have something that matches. Good luck on your surgery!

The only foods RNYers need to avoid is sweets and heavy fats, if they dump. They have smaller stomachs, but not a restricted opening like Lap Banders do. I have to avoid a lot of starches because they just don't get through the band and sit on top. Very uncomfortable. I haven't tried bread yet, but I ain't tempting fate.

What food stage are you at? When I was at 2 weeks, I was moving to mushies. I ate a lot of Protein -- Beans, cottage cheese, Greek yogurt, eggs -- and that helps stem the hunger. My surgeon has you do 2 weeks liquid, 2 weeks mushies, then introducing solids. If you don't have to be on liquids at this point, move to the next stage. I never felt very full with shakes. I only got through the pre-op diet with sheer will power. If you need food ideas, look at the recipe section of this site and there are good recommendations. My personal mushy-stage favorite was fat-free refried beans with taco sauce and low-fat cheese, melted. Sometimes I added a scrambled egg for a fake huevos rancheros. Good luck to you!

I went through Bandster Discomfort. When I transitioned to solids, I at less than I would have pre-op. I was hungry a lot, and I think that's what trips up some people. I lost weight during that period, but it was as tough as when I was on other "diets." I had my first fill and restriction kicked in about a week later and not I have to be careful to not eat too much. You sound like you've got the attitude to sail right through it. Good luck!

I've seen some short plastic tubes that you can put on the back of your rings to make them fit better. They were available at Walmart in the jewelry department. They were split up one side and popped onto the back of the ring. I haven't used them this time I've been losing weight, so I'm not positive they still have them.