chrisdirects

:thumbup:First off, I would like to give you MEGA KUDOS for loving your wife so much that you were willing to push back against her craving, and not be an enabler. The world needs more men like you! The cheating arguement is really more of a justification than anything else. I was on Medifast for a month preop, and managed to get through without deliberately cheating, nor have I cheated since. All along the way, I've seen the improvements in my heath that have made all the potholes in the road worthwhile. I certainly understand the desire for foods that we once were able to eat freely, but I'm convinced that part of the success on this journey is the determination that food must no longer control me...if I had gotten that squared away in my head long ago, I perhaps would never had needed the surgery. Your wife is in the earliest days of her experience...and sometimes I think the early days are the worst. I hope she finds the courage to stick it out through the tough times, because the rewards for doing so are priceless. She may not be thanking you right now, but in the end, she'll realize how lucky she is to have you to provide tough love when she needs it. Best, Christine

I was on clear liquids a week post-op, full liquids 3 days, then purees for 2 weeks, finally transitioning to softs/solids. Had my first fill yesterday, so I'm back to liquids today...purees tomorrow and Saturday...then, if all goes well, I can start morphing back to softs/solids. Good thing I had lots of supplies for all stages handy :-) Best of luck- remember that everyone is different, so just use what you see here for comparison, not as a guideline for you. Christine

I'm so sorry you had a bad experience! My first fill was yesterday, and it was truly no problem...my surgeon did it...very carefully palpated the exact position of the port and used a marker on my skin. It was a bit of a poke, but no worse than how it feels to get my blood drawn. The strangest part was sitting up with the needle still in, and drinking Water while he did the fill, so I could tell him when it started backing up (too full), and then, as he withdrew some, when it dropped through. It was hard for me to describe the sensation- best I could come up with was that it felt like my throat was closing down. Anyway, onward and upward. Congrats on your 20 pound loss- what a great start! Best, Christine

OK, I just couldn't resist...my band is named Bones... "Dammit, Christine, I'm a Lap Band, not a Magician!" Once a Trek Fan, Always a Trek Fan, I guess! Hugs all around, Christine

My previous experience at Curves, while not unpleasant, also didn't do anything for me, so that was out of my box from the beginning. I already had a membership at Gold's when I was banded, but wasn't using it (I know, stupid waste of money!)...so, now I'm back there. I don't really care what others are thinking. I've been alternating between the elliptical, the treadmill, and their ski machines, and today, I'm taking advantage of one of my free trainer sessions to set up for starting to work with weights. A big plus is that my Gold's offers Zumba classes, which I love...I'm planning my first post-op try at that this Saturday. I figure, if I run out of steam this first time out, oh, well, I'll just do the best I can. I've also had good luck with the Leslie Sansone in-home walking tapes, when I know I need to move but can't get over to the gym for whatever reason. Best wishes! Christine

I was on clears only for 7 days, full liquids for 3 days, purees for 2 weeks...now gradually morphing to solids...and I'm happy to report no problems as yet! Christine

I had my procedure on a Friday afternoon, and was discharged from the hospital the following day in the late afternoon. During that time, I had a morphine pump, but I only used about 11cc's total, which the nurses told me was very, very little...I only triggered a bolus to keep the edge off my discomfort. At home, I was given liquid codeine...I only took it at night for the first 3 days, then discontinued. I had some tenderness around my incisions, particularly where my port is, for about a week, and some discomfort from the CO2 they pumped me up with, which lasted for about 2 weeks while it worked itself out of my system. A heating pad was really helpful. I was actually pleasantly surprised that I didn't have more discomfort. Wishing you smooth seas and fair winds! Christine

I'm really glad to hear about the positive experience at Fill Centers- my husband and I are moving to Florida in the fall, too far away to continue seeing my surgeon on any kind of a regular basis...besides, he has a rule that you can't fly within 2 weeks of having a fill, which kind of knocks that out of the box. There is a Fill Center within 15 miles of our new home, so when we go down in July for vacation, I'll definitely check them out. Best, Christine

I have to say, I was a little perplexed about your posting. For you to be contemplating how committed you're going to be when you are just starting this journey is, quite frankly, a bit scary. I'm sure that you've heard from a bunch of people that success with the appliance that you've had put in your body is 98% up to you. It took a lot of courage and motivation for you to have gone through the preop, the surgery, and the early days as a band patient. At this point, from my point of view, the question of how hard you're going to work to achieve your goal shouldn't even be crossing your mind. It's not a bad thing that you're taking it a bit easy right now, because the focus in the beginning is healing, and letting your body get used to all the changes. The hard work part still lies ahead...but the rewards for that work are priceless. For what it may be worth to you, my best advice would be this: it's a given that there may be things that will happen along this journey that you will have absolutely no control over...but please consider dedicating yourself now to do everything in your personal power to reach success...because you are so worth the time and the effort! My best wishes to you- Christine

I haven't had any problems with my pills...although they have already dropped my BP dosage in half, and the new pills aren't any bigger than a TicTac. My Metformin, which is a fair bit bigger, has gone down whole just fine...my sugars are now running so low, I'm hoping to get a dosage reduction on those too. Some meds shouldn't be crushed under any circumstances, for various reasons...unless your pills are huge, it might be worth giving a try to taking one as usual, at least until your first fill. Good luck! Christine

When I made the decision, my husband and I were not yet married. I remember sitting in the basement of his house, while he was doing laundry, and crying, so angry and disappointed with myself that I hadn't been successful controlling this on my own. I was sure that he was going to put me down for doing this. Much to my surprise, he said that he was so glad I had made the decision. He had watched his grandmother die of complications of diabetes, and since he knew I had it as well, he was scared to death that I would suffer the same fate. We decided together to hold off on the surgery until he had retired, so he could be there for me with as much support as possible. All through the preop phase, he came with me to almost every appointment...and has been the rock in my harbor ever since. I'm not at all sure my first husband would have been supportive at all, so I feel blessed that I waited until that part of my life was over to make this decision. Best, Christine

The first days after surgery can be really hard, y'all, but there will be light at the end of the tunnel soon. There are other Protein supplementation products besides milky shakes that you might like better...the Bariatric Eating website lists some of these. I was tired of sweets, and needed some savory stuff...so I bought a bunch of unjury unflavored protein to add to broth and whatnot, which worked out great. The Allergan Lap Band site had a recipe for Hot and Sour Broth that was so good, I'm STILL using it! Hang in there- you will get past this time successfully! Best wishes, Christine

Jasmine, congratulations on your great loss so far!! :frown: Your continued success is going to be hinged on restricted portions, keeping Protein as your first priority always, being sure you get your Vitamins, regular exercise...and a whole list of other behavior changes. Although technically, I've been told that there aren't any foods you can't have once you've successfully progressed to solids, there may be certain foods that you won't be able to tolerate. In any case, you must be careful...before you've had your first band adjustment, you don't really have restriction, so you may be tempted to eat more than you should, and that will stall your weight loss. My guidelines say that a meal on solids is only 4 OUNCES of food total...that's a little smaller than a standard deck of playing cards in volume! So, when you eat, you have to be careful to make really good choices to help support yourself nutritionally. I'd like to suggest that you find a nutritionist or dietitian who has worked with weight loss surgery patients, and get some better, more specific guidelines on what you should be eating now. There are books available as well that will help you. Or, go back to your doctor and ask for more information. Exercise is really important, but it's not going to get you where you want to be all by itself. I wish you all the best on your journey! Christine

I'm so sorry you had that experience. I worked for doctors in various specialties for many years, and although they all coped with the stress of being physicians in different ways, they were never abusive to their patients. It sounds to me as if he's more worried about his personal "success rate" than he is about you...and with such a great loss, you should be one of his shining stars. What perhaps he didn't say, and should have, is that, although banding patients do not lose as fast as those who have more radical procedures, over the long haul, we catch up to the others...with a lot fewer complications and side issues to have to deal with. I agree with everyone who has posted...you deserve more support, not less. Find yourself a surgeon or facility that is focused on YOU. Best wishes, hon, Christine

I had been required to be on the Medifast for 2 weeks preop, but it ended up to be 4 while I was waiting for the insurance company to get back to us. I really didn't mind it too much...my problem, since I spend 4 hours a day commuting, was getting in the 5 Medifast meals. I wasn't always successful, but I did pretty well. Best to you, Christine

I also had a mandatory 6 month waiting period, which actually turned into almost 8 months while the insurance company took their time getting the approval squared away and we got past the terrible winter weather. During that time, I visited the nutritionist at my surgeon's office monthly...we worked on getting some of the behavioral changes squared away, like not drinking at the same time I ate (that still seems a bit unnatural), and switching to smaller portions. Too, my surgeon required extensive preoperative testing, and it took awhile to get all those things done- I think I visited every specialist in my local area, lol! In my mind, part of the philosophy on the part of the insurance companies is to make you go through more or less an endurance exercise, to test your resolve in having this done...if they are going to lay out $15-$20K for what used to be considered elective surgery, they want to make sure that you are fully committing to the new lifestyle that will make the investment worthwhile. I know several people who gave up on it in the preop stage...but perhaps their expectation was unrealistic to start with. Once you have the surgery, it's DONE, and your life will change forever, so it's best to work out the doubts in advance (at least the big ones :scared2:). The time will go quickly, believe me...and it's definitely worth the wait! Best to you! Christine

Sending you all kinds of uplifting, healing energy...you'll sail through beautifully, I'm sure!! You'll always remember this as the best birthday present you've ever received...the gift of longer life and better health. Best of luck!! Christine

I may not be the best example...I had my band put in 2/26, and I won't be returning to the office until the first full week in April. Fortunately, my job can be done entirely from home. I started charging billable hours, on a very part time basis, the Wednesday after my surgery. Now, I'm pretty much putting in 8-9 hour days. Here and there, I have a day when I run out of steam...but that's mostly because I'm in the midst of having my medications reduced, and I'm trying to get used to the new dosages. Because I have such a long commute to the office (2+ hours each way), I wanted to be sure I was fully healed before I started that again. Actually, I'm beginning to wonder if I couldn't arrange to work at home permanently...now, wouldn't THAT be a sweet ending! All my best, Christine

I'm not sure about the cost...although I had heard that they will not file for insurance coverage. I'm looking into it because I am relocating away from my surgeon, and getting a fill doctor is not always easy. Christine

If you ask the nursing staff at the hospital, I'm sure they would be willing to give you some of the graduated disposable medicine cups they use for small amounts...the 1oz size looks a lot like the dosage cups on NyQuil bottles, and then there's one that's a bit larger. I've always made up everything in full size, then park the rest in the fridge if I don't drink it all. Hope this helps! Christine

Definitely, that Protein count seems too low...I'm on purees as well, with a daily goal of 70 to 89 grams of protein. At just over 2 weeks out, I'm perhaps not quite back to the Energizer Bunny stage, but I'm not feeling weak, even after working out. Perhaps you misunderstood your surgeon/nutritionist...I think my list says that if I have Cream of Wheat, it has to be supplemented with unflavored Protein powder. It's definitely worth a phone call, rather than you go on feeling this way. Hope it turns around for you soon! Christine

I am definitely expecting to have the influence of my Lap Band for the rest of my life, unless something untoward requires its removal. Perhaps at some point, whatever fill total I've needed for long-term restriction will be reduced, but the appliance itself is here to stay! Good luck! Best, Christine

If you go out on the Bariatric Eating website, you'll see lots of options available to use for Protein supplementation, to give yourself some variety. Everything I've had from there has been terrific. I also invested in some of the Medifast foods, which are also good. Hang in there- you are on your way! Best, Christine

There are lots of different sets of guidance that I've seen post-op, so it seems that each surgeon is different. For me, I was restricted to Clear Liquids only for 7 days post, then full liquids for 3...tomorrow, I start my second of two weeks on purees...on the 22nd, I'll start softs, moving into more solid food...my first adjustment is scheduled for the 31st. I had been told during my preop studies that, for my surgeon, from clear liquids to solids takes about 6 weeks total. That seems like a long time, but I know that the progression is moved slowly so that all of the healing can take place appropriately. For me, having had a hiatal hernia repaired at the same time, I'm glad for the extra "rest" in that area. Keep in mind that, when you start having fills, you will be advised to regress in your food types for a few days after each one...you need to be prepared for that. Advancing your diet too far, too fast at any stage is just setting yourself up for problems. The advice my nutritionist told me is "Just because you THINK you can eat it, doesn't mean you SHOULD!". I think those are pretty good words to the wise. Hang in there! V/R, Christine