msbug

Dr. Heydari in Crystal Lake does them. Not sure if that's too far for you though! He's doing mine next week and Centegra has a great program. Very comprehensive, lots of education stuff and support during and after. PM me if you've got any questions! I know they also do them at the Wish Center, which is in Chicago, and there's a hospital in Rockford that does them too.

1 day of liquid diet done, 9 more to go. Ugh! Actually it wasn't too bad yesterday aside from the stupid headache. Luckily, we are very busy this week so it should fly by. For those who've been banded, are your prescription pain meds a liquid? Or do you have to crush pills? And did any of you get a prescription for anti-nausea meds?

Good luck Koala! Let us know how it goes. How are our early August bandsters doing?

Start taking Zycam! If it is a cold, it will help you get over it faster. If it's not a cold, it won't hurt anything. Maybe try taking Benadryl before bed to help with the stuffiness. Good luck!

I was wondering if it is ok to throw my Slimfast Optima in the blender with some ice and make it into a smoothie while I'm doing the pre-op diet? I'm thinking the extra bulk might fill me up more and honestly, I hate the aftertaste I get and am hoping the ice would cut it some!

This scares me! My dh has jokingly said that I'm going to get skinny and leave him for some hot guy. But, I'm sure deep down it is a fear of his. We've been together for 12 years and been through hell. I read in a magazine once that the 5 hardest things in life are divorce, buying a home, having a child, the death of a loved one, and losing your job. Well, we went through 4 out of 5 of those in the span of eighteen months. I told him if we can stick together through that, I think a little wls will seem like a piece of cake! As for the high divorce rate, I think a lot is due to underlying issues. If something was bad to start with, it's probably going to get worse. But if you've got a good foundation, I think it can stand up to anything, including wls.

Thanks! I asked my dietician and she said to go ahead and use ice. I have to drink 4 Slimfast Optima a day starting Saturday. They have a capachino flavor that I'm hoping will taste like Starbucks by the time I'm done! :confused: So how are you surviving the pre-op liquid diet? I'm dreading it! How much weight have you lost so far?

Glad to see some of our early bandsters back and doing so well! Keep us posted over the next couple days so we know what the recovery is like.

According to my doc they are 2 separate stages. Puree means you can take anything and put it in the blender till it is baby-food texture. Mushies are stuff that you can mash into mush easily while chewing, like bananas or baked potatos. You should probably check with your doc as each one does their program a bit different.

Just got my pre-op testing scheduled for Friday. Upper GI, EKG, blood work, and meet with the anesthesiologist. Busy morning! She said the doc wants a lipid level done as part of the blood work. What the heck is that and what info does it give the doctor?

My dietician actually recomends adding a couple tablespoons of dry milk to pudding, yogurt, smoothies, skim milk, or whatever. She says it tastes much better than the protein supplements and is a heck of a lot cheaper too! It adds about 8 grams of protein per serving.

My doc has a support group that meets once a month, plus check-ins with the bariatric nurse and the nutritionist every month, or more if needed. All my fills and after care for the first year are also included in my cost.

It's August! It's August! It's August! That means we're all getting BANDED soon! :clap2: :clap2: :clap2: Anyone care to join me in a happy dance? :whoo: :whoo: :whoo: Ok, can you tell I'm a bit excited that our month is finally here?! 2 weeks from today for me. Now I'm starting to get nervous, mainly because I'm afraid the surgeon will get in there and for some reason not be able to do the band. Call me paranoid, but I so don't want to have to go through all this only to have it not happen. So I plan to stick to my pre-op liquid diet 100%. Of course with the way I've been eating this week I'm going to be glad to not eat for a while I think. Good luck to all! Can't wait to hear how everyone who's being banded this week did.

Losin' It, I'm the same way with last suppering! Start my liquid diet this Saturday. Yesterday I had bbq ribs at my mom's, tonight going to Red Lobster for crab legs, Thursday out with a friend for burgers. I'm already tired of food I think! That's a good thing though, right?

Well, one week from today I start my liquid diet. 10 days of nothing but SlimFast. Not fun. I'm heading to my mom's tonight for her awesome ribs, some corn on the cob, and sauteed mushrooms. Yum! Still trying to decide what my last meal will be next Friday, aside from a huge bowl of ice cream! Any tips for surviving the hunger for 10 days? Can we take regular Gas X caplets or does it need to be a liquid or chewable? I tried the Gas X strips and they are just nasty! I wanted to puke. Other than that, I've got my Flinstone's vitamins, liquid Tylenol, a heating pad, stool softener just in case, and tons of soup. I'll get some yogurt, sf jello, pudding, and yogurt smoothies the day before surgery. Also, my nutritionist said that instead of spending lots of money for a protein powder to add to stuff I could just use dry milk and add it to my pudding, milk, carnation instant breakfast, etc. She said it's a lot cheaper, tastes much better, and does the same thing as the protein powder. It adds 8g of protein per serving. I found it in the baking aisle at the store. Just thought I'd pass that tip along!

I'm more nervous about the preop diet than the actual surgery! But I'm sure that will change in the next week or so. Booda, if I were you, I'd go with the local doc. Only because that way if you have any complications afterwards, the doc who banded you is right there and able to help. Plus then you don't have the added stress of traveling right after surgery. Good luck with whatever you decide!

I am doing no pre-op dieting till I have to start the liquid diet 10 days before surgery. All I get for the 10 days before is 4 cans of SlimFast Optima a day. :faint: I've already warned dh I'm going to be really cranky for those 10 days! I had my pre-op education class with the nutritionist today and got my list of what all I can eat for the 10 weeks after surgery. All I can say is I'd better lose weight during that stage! :huggie: Full liquids for 4 weeks, then 3 of pureed food and 4 of soft food. I'm going to get really bored with soup and yogurt! :bored

Try either a heating pad or ice on your shoulder for the gas pain. I used heat after having my gallbladder out, but I've read some people on here have better luck with ice. Good luck and hope you're back on your feet soon!

Thanks for sharing your story. I'm getting mine in 3 weeks and it's good to hear such a detailed account of how it goes!

I just got a Cuisinart blender that also has a 3-cup food processor attachment. I figure that combo should get me through the liquid and mushy stages!

What do you guys plan to do about clothes? Since we're getting banded toward the end of summer, if/when we get to smaller sizes I'm betting it will be impossible to find any shorts to get us through till fall. I'm usually wearing shorts till at least the end of September. By then I hope I've dropped a size at least! Luckily I live in jeans and sweatshirts for fall and winter. I figure I'll just get a couple pairs of jeans at a time so I'm not spending a fortune on them every time I drop a size. I'd rather do a load of laundry every couple days than waste money on jeans I won't be wearing for all that long! Although I'll have to make an exception for our trip to Disney in December. No laundry facilities, 2 kids, lots of walking around and eating out just spell trouble if I've only got 2 pairs with me! And sweatshirts are pretty forgiving, so those should be fine for a few size drops at least.

Dh and I set up a living will and MPOA with our lawyer a couple weeks ago when we set up a trust/will. I'm trying not to be paranoid that the lawyer just called and wants us to come in and sign the final papers the day before my surgery. :paranoid It's just a coincidence, right?

Check out my siggie! Down to counting days instead of months finally! :whoo: :clap2: :whoo: I cannot wait!

My dh is nervous too. He's got a huge phobia of hospitals and says he's seen me go under more times than he ever wanted (2 c-sections, gallbladder, appendix, and an arm surgery in the 12 years we've been together!). But, he wants me to be happy and is willing to go along with it. I'm trying to get him as much info as possible and reassure him as much as possible. Not sure if it's working though!

I'm getting banded on August 15 and am having some serious last supper meals. :confused: Not proud of it though. I just scheduled my consults with the nutritionists and bariatric nurse where I get all the detailed info on the post-op diet. It's in 2 weeks, so I'm trying to make sure I don't gain any weight between now and then. Losing would be nice, but I'm not going to beat myself up if I don't. That will happen soon enough once I'm banded! As for Vegas, we were there in June for my 30th. I highly recomend the Breakfast buffet at Harrah's. :confused: It was awesome! Treasure Island, on the other hand, was horrible. Have fun and win lots!