Elisabethsew

Some MDs use pre-op diets and others do not. As a general rule, if you weigh over 300 pounds or if you have high cholesterol, your MD may want to place you on a low fat, low carb diet to shrink the liver. When you eat a lot of fats, the liver becomes enlarged and fatty. This obscures the surgical field. Talk to your MD about what he/she prefers.

Many MDs recommend "tricking" your body into losing by confusing it. How? You alternate the amount of calories you take in a day (as in the article posted above). One day do 800 calories and then the next day do 1200, etc. Your body won't be able to "adjust" to what's happening which prevents plateaus and keeps you on a winning course (or should I say losing?). LOL.

My surgeon won't allow any fills to be scheduled until 8 weeks after surgery so I'm waiting for my appointment in 5/25. Like you, I feel NO restriction from the unfilled band (since post-op Day 5) but I am determined to lose the weight and am sticking to the diet. It sounds like you're ready for a fill.

Welcome, Jen. I would suggest doing a search for topics that you're interested in and researching ALL of the weight loss surgeries that are currently available before making your choice. I'm sure someone will offer you a MD recommendation (I'm in New York) but you should start with calling your insurance company to determine what procedures they will cover.

You're depriving yourself of protein and THAT's why you feel hungry all the time and make poor choices like Burger King for dinner. Did you have a pre-op meeting with a dietician prior to your surgery? Maybe it's time to make an appointment and talk with one. Journal what you've been eating the past few days so they're able to see what you're doing wrong and how to make it right.

Hi Sunta, I'm glad that you're feeling better and worked through that awful experience. I swore off all fast food the month before surgery and don't crave it at all. I start solids next Thursday. Stay away from McDonalds... it's evil! LOL.

Hold a pillow against your stomach and slowly bend down towards the floor. Bending and walking are the best remedies. Hang in there, it gets better.

The only thing that I would add to what the others have offered is to HONESTLY journal your food intake... everything you put into your mouth and measure the food. It's amazing how I can "eye-ball" a 4 oz portion of frozen yogurt only to MEASURE it and find it's 8 oz. Good luck to you!

Hi Mary, Yes, I have been in the healthcare field (RN) for MANY years and I also have iron deficiency anemia that was discovered when I had my gallbladder out a few years ago. Your MD could give you a Rx to have the bloodwork done at your leisure.

Have you had your iron levels checked? Low iron can cause hair to thin. True iron deficiency anemia cannot be detected from a hemaglobin and hematocrit. You need a ferritin level, iron level, total iron binding capacity and iron saturation... one tube of blood.

Thank you for posting your update. It's great to hear from "experienced" people who were banded and to be reminded that the lapband is merely a tool and not a substitute for healthy eating. I think it's wonderful you were able to maintain your loss and hope to see more postings from you as you continue your downward journey with the refill.

Hi Robin and welcome. I found this site 5 days after I was banded and discovered a wealth of information. I would suggest searching through topics you're interested and then posting specific questions you might have. I had surgery 4 weeks ago today and did well. I was in the hospital overnight, went back to work after 10 days, and will have my first lapband fill on May 25. The surgeon I used requires a one week pre-op diet of full fluids. After surgery, it's 2 weeks of full fluids, 3 weeks of a soft diet, and then a solid diet. Pre-op, you'll need insurance approval (call NOW and see if they will pay), a surgical consult, an upper GI series, a respiratory consult with a chest x-ray, pulmonary function tests and a possible sleep apnea study, a cardiology consult with a stress test and EKG, a psych and nutrition consult, blood work, a pre-op informational seminar and maybe a few other things.

Congratulations on getting your approval. I also have Blue Cross/Blue Shield Insurance but had to fight 2 refusals to pay before I was approved. In the end, I won. Like you, I would not have been able to pay for the surgery out of pocket. Mexico was never an option for me due to a rare heart condition.

Believe it or not, hiatal hernias are common in obese people and many have no signs or symptoms of the condition. Like you, mine (very mild) was diagnosed on endoscopy. I never took any medications and it was repaired during lapband surgery.

When you go to see a surgeon he/she will give you a packet of information on the lapband and the percentages you quote are correct. My surgeon flat out told me that he discourages the band for "junk food junkies" because that food is primarily comprised of simple carbohydrates. Carbohydrates begin digestion in the mouth. He advised that the lapband works best for high volume eaters as opposed to junk food eaters.

You've done great with your weight loss and it's natural to obsess over food and crave certain things. Adopting an "all or none" attitude is a trap we often fall into... often to allow ourselves to over eat. If you are really craving a certain food, why not have a small portion to satisfy the craving? Naturally thin people don't eat ONLY nutritious foods. They splurge every now and again but they don't over indulge.

I was banded 5 days before you and am not allowed to advance to solids until May 11 (6 weeks post-op). You might still have some swelling that needs to subside before you tolerate solid food. My advice would be to go back to a soft diet for a day or two and then slowly introduce solid foods.

Like everything else in life, it's about choices. If you want to lose weight, you can't "waste" all those calories on alcohol. Adding to the problem is the fact that alcohol is an appetite stimulant. Have you considered beginning the night and ending the night with one alcohol based drink and only drinking water or virgin drinks inbetween? Can you have the same level of enjoyment without the alcohol? Would your friends care if you decided to have fun, dance and socialize but NOT drink alcohol? Ultimately, the decision is yours and I wish you good luck with it.

Are you taking an acid blocker (Pepcid, Nexium, etc.) for the acid reflux? I take a medication that causes the symptoms you are having and when my MD added the acid blocker (taken once a day) it made all the difference. Your endoscopy will at least give you some answers and then you'll be able to make an informed decision. Living a life in constant pain when you don't have to just doesn't make sense. Talk to your MD about ALL your options.

Hi Reyna, I feel the same way you do. I didn't feel like eating for the first 5 days post-op but, once the swelling went down, my appetite returned and I have not felt any restriction. My surgeon waits 8 weeks before allowing a first fill so I'm now scheduled to have that done on 5/25 (8 weeks to the day). Until that time, I am committed to following the diet as I know the band is only a tool and not a cure. Your decision to go to the gym is a healthy and wise one. Hang in there.

Congratulations on taking action to get out of a bad marriage. You seem to have moved on and handled it well. I wish you happiness with the new man in your life.

I'm glad to hear all went well and that you're home and recovering well. Make sure you walk, bend, drink plenty of water and take in the required amount of protein.

Congratulations on your terrific loss and welcome! I was banded 2 days after you but can't start on solid foods until week 6. Good luck and continued success.

I'm very sorry to hear about the loss of your Mom. People grieve in different ways and only you can determine how much time you need to move forward. Did you discuss your planned surgery with your Mother before she died? Was she supportive of your decision to have lapband surgery? If the answers to these questions are yes, it would honor your mother to go ahead as planned. As for surgery concerns, while there are always risks, you yourself stated how healthy you are with no co-morbities and 100 pounds to lose. Being an RN, I can tell you that you're actually considered a low risk for lap surgery. Take the time you need to make a decision.

Hormones are stored in fat cells. Unfortunately, fat cells never die. They can shrink but they never go away. It's also very normal to have flucuations in hormone levels not only on a monthly basis but also in times of stress. Surgery happens to be a big stress on the body so mood swings are not uncommon after surgery. You might also want to check with the dietician about advancing your diet. Are you getting in 60-70 grams of Protein a day? drinking enough Water? taking Vitamins? The good news is things improve as time passes. In the mean time, why not concentrate your efforts on doing something special for your husband as a thank you for all the support he's given you?