BeeJay

Hello, I'm BeeJay from southern Md. I am just waiting for my May 15th surgery date with Dr. Brody. I would love any advice you have to give, and any info you can tell me about the after surgery that you don't read about and the Dr's. don't tell you. :scared: How long was your hosp. stay? I was denied coverage by my insurance, Aetna. I decided to just pay for it myself. My health is worth it I think. Nice to meet you all!

Hi, I'm in my second week and my Dr. has given me the go ahead to thicken up my foods. I just have to figure out what the healthiest soft, easily digestible foods are. I have not had a fill of course, that won't happen for at least another 4 weeks, but in the meantime, I need to heal. I want to do this right. How's everyone else doing?

Hey there, I'm ok. I was given the ok by my Dr. to start eating thicker foods. So, I am now trying to find healthy foods that are soft. I want vegetables, Proteins. I know that carbs are easy, but I want to do it right. I had tuna salad yesterday, which I pureed a bit. What did you all eat in the very beginning?

Hey Tonya, Today seems to be my sleep day. I just want to sleep. I guess I'm sleeping off that anasthesia while I have some peace and quiet. Can't get any sleep in the hospital. I'm sore around the middle of course. But I am making myself stand up straighter. Dr. Brody says i can go back to work on Monday, but I'm awfully slow getting around and so tight around the middle that I am not sure about that. I'm walking around some so that I won't get blood clots in my legs. That happened to a friend who had the band. She ended up hospitalized a few times. I don't want to go back to the hosp. for anything! I'm over the popcorn, lol. I'm just kinda struggling to get my Protein shakes down. I have this nasty taste in my mouth and I really don't want anything thick. I'm sipping it down little by little, which is what they said to do anyways. You say the 2 liquid weeks will go by fast? Alright, I'll take your word for it. Well, keep in touch. I need you!

Hey there, I made it! Dr. Brody said everything went extremely well. No problems. :clap2: But.. now I am at home, on liquids. I'm not really hungry, but let me tell you, I have been thinking about popcorn all day for some odd reason, lol. Of all things, popcorn!:faint: I wonder how hard the first two liquid only weeks are? I can just imagine that I will be so tempted. But I don't want to get sick. I have Jello, juices, broth, Optifast, SlimFast Optimum, Boost, sf popcicles. I am prepared. I am doing ok tho, just sore around my middle. So glad to be home. The hospital is not the place to be. I go back to Dr. Brody in two weeks. Then I get my first fill in about 6-7 weeks. Thanks so much for all your support and kind thoughts. BeeJay 258.5

Ok, I'm officially one week to go. I had a scare last week (Thursday evening). Got a call from the receptionist saying that my Thyroid lab came back and was not normal so I would have to take it again and wait until it was normal before Dr. would do the surgery!:faint: Friday I took the test again and got a call today saying the surgery is still on for Monday!! :clap2: So, I guess it's time to get nervous!

Hello, Well, today marks my two week pre-surgery period. I started the Optifast this morning. Did anyone else have to do OptiFast before surgery? It's to help lose fat around the liver before surgery so that it's easier to get to the stomach and get the band on. OptiFast is ALL liquids (4 shakes a day) with 2 nutritional bars and broth for lunch and dinner. :faint:

Hi NoChoice, Check with George Washington Univ. I am going with Dr. Fred Brody.

Thanks Barbara. I'll be sure to look for the meeting info. Good Luck with your insurance. I just got the billing info for my self-pay yesterday. It's costly!:Banane04:

Ok, some of you can stop with the smart comments now. Besides, sometimes we all need a kick in the pants, and I wasn't trying to, but I think I stepped on some toes, or maybe forced some to say Whoa! slow down on the snacks? Just maybe? Anyway, let's just start over. ok?

Thanks for the warm welcomes! I appreciate it. Teresa, I will post my weight tomorrow. I need to get on the scale in the morning. Karen, in at 10 and out by 2:00? Wow. In my case, I hope I don't need to stay any longer than I have to since I have to pay for it all myself.:scared: Gunn, since you are in Southern Md, maybe we can hook up sometime in May, before the surgery. By then, you all should know me pretty well because I will have questioned you to death, lol. Let me share something with ya...I have not told any of my friends that I am doing this. Ok, initially when I was trying to get my insurance to cover it, I did tell one friend, but then it was denied. She doesn't know that I am still going through with it. I know I will tell her before I do it. For some reason, I just don't want a lot of questions and doubters and all that jazz. I just want support.

Hello again, Thanks Puddin for explaining things more. I appreciate that. I was just about to ask what "PB" stands for, and you explained that as well. But...does Productive Burp mean food comes back up?:scared: Lately when I eat, I start to wonder if the food I'm having will be tolerable after surgery. For instance, I had some ice cream, which is pretty soft. But does milk/dairy products cause problems? Teresa, you've made a good point. No, I definitely couldn't live off soup. Tell me, how are the first two weeks? I know it's liquids only. But do you crave food? Is it a mental craving? Aarch~! So many questions. BeeJay

Don't take offense, please. I wasn't trying to down anyone. I know it's hard, but since I haven't had the surgery yet, I can only imagine. I just heard that if you eat certain foods, they may make you sick..sugar for instance. I'm trying to separate the fact from the fiction. Someone posted that they can't digest broccoli. Wow! I believe I overheard a patient saying she couldn't handle rice. That's why I started reading the posts about what everyone is eating. And yes, I was surprised at the junk foods. But I imagine that you are not eating a heck of a lot of it, right?

I'm am new here. I expect to have the surgery in May 06. I was reading what you all have been eating and I am a little surprised. Most of it is junk or not really nutritious. I thought you had to change your life style/ eating habits for the better after you had the surgery. Isn't there danger of gaining the weight back if you continue to eat the wrong foods? It just seems a little counterproductive to me. Sorry to be getting on your "bad side" so soon, don't kill me. But I just need to understand how this thing works before I go into surgery. I am excited!