laurenica23

Hi! I'm a singer and had surgery in December. The first couple days my throat was sore from the breathing tube, but less than a week later I was singing. My breath support wasn't as good until about 2 weeks out. I had some pain on my right side from them cutting through the muscle during surgery to place the band, so that's why. I don't have acid reflux or anything, and I've been just fine since the surgery. I've recently hid the 30-lb mark and my voice is still doing just fine; in fact, I'd say it's better. However, I'm only 24, so my voice is still changing somewhat. I haven't thrown up at all since having the surgery, and I think if that happens a lot it could affect the voice. I've been very fortunate in that way. I also don't have any acid reflux, which can affect the voice as well. Overall, I feel like it's been a very smooth transition for me. Good luck!

I was eating too much (and eating too much sugar) once I was allowed to eat real food. More recently I have cut out all processed sugar and started counting my calories ... I've also recently gotten a fill that has helped my hunger TREMENDOUSLY. I would encourage you to, while it's hard to turn down those delicious foods (and drinks), try your hardest to do that. You are only one month out, so I think you should make sure you're eating what your doctor wants. Also, don't drink too much alcohol as you are still healing. This was the worst time for me as I didn't have a fill and didn't feel any restriction, so I know how difficult it is to turn down tempting food. You can always tell your friends you aren't that hungry or your can nurse a drink rather than drink a couple. Just remember you feel the affects of the calories you eat/drink - not your friends. Good luck!

I'm a little over 2 months out and I'm still trying to figure that out. Since surgery I've lost about 14-15 lbs. However, I struggled with sweets for a while and have recently cut them out totally. Since then, along with a pretty good amount of restriction, I've lost 5 lbs in one week. It's hard to say if that will continue (I work out 1 hour, at least 3 times a week), but if I stick to 1200 cals a day I should lose at least 2-3 lbs a week. My overall goal is 10 lbs a month. I'm in my roommate's wedding in October, so I totally understand how you feel about that! I'd LOVE to be under 200 by then, but we'll see.

The Clarian Bariatric Center is great. I had surgery in December with Dr. Samer Mattar (in fact, I just had a follow up appt with him today!). I don't believe he's doing LBS anymore (just GBS) but there are other doctors on the team who are experienced and knowledgeable. Their dieticians are great as well. They do te surgery at Clarian North in Carmel.

My doctor and dietician both say around 1 cup food; 1 1/2 cup max. 3-4 oz protein and 1/2 cup veggies. I can eat more protein if I want, but fewer veggies. They prefer no snacks. Also, I can have 1/2 cup fruit with breakfast only if I want it.

I had already chosen my doctor and I did the supervised weight loss with his office. I had my surgery Dec 20. If you have any more questions, feel free to ask!

I have Anthem! I had to do 6 months of supervised weight loss classes, but after those, they approved me almost right away.

When I was in high school I had daily migraines. I was drinking lots of soda and taking lots of excedrin migraine everyday. I went to the doctor finally and he prescribed me some medicine and told me to STOP all forms of caffeine. So I began drinking lots of CF diet soda. I had caffeine withdrawl for about 4 days ... severe migraines. Eventually I began drinking caffeinated sodas again (within a year or so) and was drinking A LOT of it before my surgery. I was going through drive thrus to get large diet sodas 1-2 times a day and I always had cans of diet soda at home. Then when I started supervised weight loss I tried to cut down to 1 soda a day. That worked for a while until about 2 months before surgery when I freaked about not having soda and began drinking it a lot more. Finally I decided I needed to get over the addiction to soda, so over Thanksgiving vacation I decided to stop soda for a few days. I did, then only allowed myself a soda once every couple days. This prepared me a lot and my cravings slowly went away. I had my last soda the day before my liquid diet began and I haven't had one since ... about 3 weeks ago. If a craving ever gets to be too much for me, I'll probably take a drink of soda, swish it around my mouth, and then spit it out. At this point it's the taste that I love, not the caffeine anymore. I always stock light lemonade in my fridge now, but drink only 1-2 cans a day. Much less than I was drinking with soda, but it is a replacement. And I like opening the can ... cause it reminds me of a carbonated drink. I never thought I would able to give up soda, but I'm doing just fine 3 weeks later. It's entirely possible to give up soda and caffeine. You could even have a replacement drink like I do with light lemonade.

I'm not a big fan of Oprah, either. However, I do think Dr. Oz has some good things to say. He's a very intelligent doctor who makes well informed decisions. His wife is a vegetarian and I think he's more of a "in moderation" guy than a specific diet guy. He enjoys eating meat, but at home, eats what his wife cooks and finds her vegetarian dishes delicious and healthy. To me, it seems that lately Oprah is putting a lot of blame on her thyroid problems. I don't watch her show that much, but from what I've seen this is the impression I get. I have hypothyroidism as well. I was talking to my mom about it the other day (she's a nurse practitioner) and asked her since my thyroid imbalance is controlled with medicine, if it would be difficult for me to lose weight. Some of it may be that I have age on my side, but she told me since it's well controlled, it shouldn't be too difficult to lose weight. The fact is, I can't blame my weight on my thyroid problems anymore. I respect her decision to NOT have weight loss surgery. At the same time, I think she should respect the decisions of others who have had weight loss surgery. The statistics are there -- a lot of people who have a lot of weight to lose tend to gain it back after a while. For me, the lap-band is a tool for me to keep my appetite in check as I lose weight and when I get to the point of maintenance. Obesity is a serious health issue and surgery is one way to treat that issue.

I had one and honestly, I'm thankful I did. They pumped me so full of fluids and I know right after surgery I was too tired to get up to go to the bathroom. I would ask your surgeon his/her policy on it. Then you'll know for sure! :tongue2:

My surgeon put me on Actigall (gall stone preventative) for 3 months after surgery. If you don't already have them, see if you could get a similar prescription to prevent them. If you do have them -- I'm so sorry! They are no fun at all.

I agree with those who say you may not feel restriction yet. I'm only 11 days out, but I'm beginning to feel hungrier every day. I'm only on mushies and am fuller faster than before, but at times I feel I could eat a ton of food. In fact, I had a dream the other day that I did! I think until you get your first fill you'll continue to feel this way. Until then, I think you'll have to focus on eating healthier foods. Your slice of pizza and a salad sounded OK to me! I know before the surgery I could eat 3-4 pieces of pizza, so I'll be happy feeling full on one! My surgeon's office said I should be able to eat 1 - 1 1/2 cups max. They aren't as strict as some, but I feel like this is still very little compared to what I could eat! Just do what you can to make it through this time of bandster hell ... the fills will make it easier for you. Good luck!

I have BCBS of Indiana. Your surgeon's office should detail everything for you, but this is the gist of what I had to do. - attended free seminar, set appt with surgeon - met with surgeon, dietician, told to start 6 month supervised weight loss (1st class was this meeting) - attended SWL classes for 4 months - 6th class was last meeting with surgeon. met with surgeon, dietician again. - got called for pre-op testing - did pre-op testing - did psych eval - called about approval - attended pre-op class - had surgery!

Congratulations! My port site has actually never hurt at all. I can feel it if I press on it, but it doesn't hurt. My right side hurt a lot and still hurts if I move a certain way. I think it's because that's the side they manipulate most, since the liver is on the right side and everything. Good luck!

Haha. I felt the same way going in, but it really wasn't that bad. I mean, they put it in while I was asleep, and it didn't hurt coming out at all. My mom said it might burn, but it didn't. You could ask, though. I had so many fluids pumped into me, I know I couldn't have gone all that time without going. Also, I know I wouldn't have felt like trekking to the bathroom (a few feet away ) right after surgery. I needed that couple hours to rest.

I was browsing and noticed you got no reply! I was banded on Dec 20, so I'll tell you my experience. Hospitals can vary, but I think most will be similar. In pre-op they got some blood for labs, gave me some anti-nausea meds, and got an IV started with some fluids. I met the anesthesiologist, talked to my doctor, and got in my gown and everything. After saying goodbye to my parents, they wheeled me to the operating room and had me get on the table. They covered me in warm towels since the room was freezing. My anesthesiologist had me close my eyes to do something (can't remember). Soon after she told me she was giving me some relaxing medicine in my IV and the next thing I knew I saw the oxygen mask coming down. What seemed like seconds later (but in reality was over an hour later), they were wheeling me into post-op and waking me up. I was SO thirsty and kept asking for Water. I was also emotional from the anesthesia and kept crying! Eventually they gave me little water soaked sponges to suck on because I kept asking. It made me nauseous, but I didn't care because I was finally not thirsty! They gave me more anti-nausea meds and a few minutes later, they wheeled me to my room. I rested for a couple hours, and after removing my catheter, I was up and walking. I was nervous going in, mainly about being put under, but I found it to be as easy as it could be. I had a wonderful team. My pre-op nurses assured me I was in very capable hands, and I can attest to it!

I stayed as busy as I could! It was my first surgery, so I was nervous most about the anesthesia. I built bookcases and cleaned my house until about 1 am the morning of my surgery. I went to bed and got up around 4:30 am to continue getting my things together for the hospital. Left around 5:45, got to the hospital, and was pretty distracted until they wheeled me out. I just tried to think of everything BUT the surgery. It worked for me!

I was banded 9 days ago. My mom stayed at my house for a week. I have two dogs and that's really what I needed help with. One is very old and demanding, and I didn't feel comfortable taking care of him alone until Tuesday after my surgery. I probably would've been fine by myself, as I could shower and everything on my own. I couldn't bend to tie my shoes for a couple days, so I would suggest slip-on shoes. Also, if you have a pain pump and don't want to pull it out yourself like me, a friend or relative is good to do that.

My surgeon's office says 1 cup at a time is fine. Try drinking a protein drink ... that always helps me with my hunger.

I'm not a professional singer, but did major in music and sing in the community a lot! I had surgery the 20th and sang on the 24th. I was practicing a couple days after surgery. I'm feeling much better since Wednesday and could probably sing higher notes now. I have the range of 2nd alto to 2nd soprano and I'd say my 2nd sop notes were much harder for me to hit. Now, I could probably hit them. So, I'd give it at least a week for the higher notes. My breath control is not as good right now but it's getting better. I'd probably expect that to go back to normal in more like 1-2 weeks. This is my experience, though. My throat was sore after surgery from the tube and felt better 2 days after. So, I think you could sing a few days out. But if you want to sing like you can now, I'd wait 1-2 weeks. Your voice and diaphragm will thank you for it!

My levels are stable now, too, but my doctor and dietician told me the surgery would only help me because those with thyroid disease often have trouble losing on their own. The lap-band makes it much easier for us to lose, so it can only help us. :laugh:

I like Isopure for the most part. I'm not a big fan of drinking my Protein, but right now, that's all I can do. I like the pineapple Orange banana, Mango Peach, Icy Orange, Grape Frost, and Passion Fruit. The Alpine Punch has this weird texture to it .... I just couldn't drink it. There are a couple other flavors I haven't tried. They have the texture more like Water, not a shake, which is nice. Downside is, they can get pricey. But it's worth it to me right now so I don't have to drink 3-4 protein shakes; I can drink 2 Isopures.

I was told drinkable yogurt fulfills a full liquid. The Light & Fit yogurt has a drinkable version ... I love the strawberry banana. It's only 80 calories, too.

I'm hoping to wean myself off Protein Drinks when I can eat regular food. Today is my first day of mushies, so I can eat some eggs and I may be able to cut back on the number of protein drinks I have. But until I can eat normally, I'm using protein drinks to get what I need.