WanderingLass

First, I am so sorry for the loss of your sister. That is heartbreaking. Every person I know that had a Lap Band had it fail and had a VSG done. Even as recently as 2 years ago with the Band, and it caused a lot of complications. She had it removed with her VSG last year and couldn't be happier. A friend had hers done in 2006 and it was an hour away for adjustments. She said the number of times she made that trip in agony was not worth the surgery. Yes, it was a long time ago. The adjustments are still necessary, though, so it's something to keep in mind. My original plan in 2016 was a Band. I liked that it was reversible and I'd already had 2 open abdominal surgeries. Life happened and only last year after 2 moves did I have insurance that covered surgery - but not the band. To me, it speaks volumes that insurance companies are no longer covering it - which means they're losing a ton of money covering complications (I work in medical billing) and the number of surgeons no longer offering it is increasing. In my opinion, the risks of the band far outweigh the benefits, now.

I was miserable. I'm on day 6 and it's better. Mine is less than 1,000 calories a day and no more than 50 grams carbs, 2 meal replacement shakes. They sent home some recipes and frozen dinner recommendations, too. Day 1 morning I was nauseous to the point I almost went home from work. And bathroom breaks for loose stools were numerous. I felt like I'd done a colonoscopy prep! Day 2 no nausea, still numerous bathroom trips. Day 3, numerous bathroom breaks in the morning, but by afternoon these had stopped. Day 4, a few extra bathroom breaks but none in the afternoon. Day 5 we were going to go on an easy hike but the drive is about 2 hours and, of course, no bathrooms on the trail. So we opted to stay home and I'm glad. A few extra bathroom trips. Today, Day 6, still a couple extra trips, but I'm sure tired of it. For food, leafy green salads with ground turkey; hard boiled eggs; chicken on greens; that type of thing. Green beans, not my favorite but they'll do. You've got this! I read someone say the 1st 3 days are the hardest and I'll agree with that. But it does get easier.

We have to spend 2 nights at a hotel due to the 3 hour drive (assuming ferries are running!). I'm bringing meds, clean clothes for day of and after, my phone of course, and probably my Kindle. I'm sure I'll be sleepy so I figure that's plenty. They ask I stay an extra night due to the drive in case of any issues, and then they'll do imaging the next day to ensure the staples are doing their job.

I use the Walden Farms dressings. They're not exactly the same flavor but they're close.

Safe surgery and recovery!

Surgery buddy! I'm scheduled for the 11th too! I'm glad you got your anxiety addressed. 🙂

I miss horseback riding so much. I always had to rely on friends who had horses and now I have no friends with horses. I will absolutely post pictures!!

You got this! You've got 5 months to go! I would ask them exactly what you're concerned about: what if I'm 1 or 2 pounds over? I have a patient care coordinator who helped me with a lot of my questions. Does your surgeon have something similar? 10 years ago I had major surgery (an ovarian cyst roughly the size of a gall9n of milk plus a gall bladder that was completely shot) and I was opened from above my navel as far down as they could go.Because of my size, I ended up with a wound vac. The pain was rough. I developed a mantra as I breathed through sharp pains from getting up, sitting down, etc. "Today is better than yesterday and tomorrow will be better than today." It helped me a lot, even on the days it wasn't true. 😉 You've got this!

I love zoodles! Cook them just enough to heat them so they retain texture without getting smooshy and they're great!

I'm one of the fortunate ones in which I can have 1 meal plus 2 shakes and some snacks. No fruits, carbs 50 grams or less, and under 1,000 calories. We got Origami Paddlers (combination sit upon kayak/paddleboards that folds into thirds) as part of their Kickstarter (sadly they went defunct a year or so later) but I've always been over the weight limit. I'm looking forward to take them into the ocean!

Hooy cow, I start my preop diet Tuesday! It's all happening very fast after months of meeting the insurance requirements. We picked up some of my center's recommended frozen dinners and ingredients for recipes. I've been a Diet Dr Pepper drinker forever, at least 20 years. We haven't had any in the house for a month. At that point I'd gone from drinking 2-3 of the 16.9 ounce bottles a day to 1 a week. (Not given it up 100%, I'll sometimes have a can at work or drink at a restaurant but I'm still hitting 55 ounces of water daily now). I do have the SodaStream syrup that I've been thinking about just adding to cold water. Tomorrow I fill out the FMLA paperwork for work and meal plan for the next 2 weeks. We're also going to take my measurements as the current starting point. We got this!

I've been on metformin 500 mg twice daily for a bit over a year for pre-diabetes. I had some digestion issues at the start for about a week (not unusual with new medications) and even lost about 8 pounds. It's done a good job at keeping my blood sugar closer to normal.

Mine did a nicotine test at my initial consult in December, again 2 days ago for my preop consult, and will again the day of surgery. Your best bet is to speak to your surgeon about their timing.

I struggle to get more than 2,500 a day (yay sedentary job). Even getting up out of my chair has gotten harder (although a cat in the lap may be a contributing factor....). I'm looking forward to not being tired all the time!

Hello! Complete newbie here! I started my journey in earnest a bit over a year but had actually been researching my surgery center in 2015, 3 years before moved to the Pacific Northwest from Ohio. I got the OK from my doctor May 2022 but the center they referred me to ended up being out of network. After a few months of putzing around, I reached out to the one I wanted and it turned out they're in network! I started the 6 month required process and got the call today to schedule! I'll be going in July 11th! I'm excited. I've seen what my life could be like if I don't do this. I know what I've missed out on. My 30 year old son has never seen me healthy. He missed out on a lot because of me. LibrarianErin said it best: I love following a food plan; it’s creating the food plan that is hard for me. I’m terrible at making time to plan meals and shop for the food and prepare the food. This surgery is the most important tool to start the journey. Learning how to eat again is the 2nd most. I'm thankful for a supportive husband who is learning with me.