FailureIsntAnOption

So last night I attempted to eat my first solid food meal. I attempted to eat a piece of tri-tip and it didn't go down well. It ended up finally coming back up 4 times. Today my stomach is very tender as well as my chest area. Is this anything I should be concerned about? By the way, I think I will stick with mushy food from now on : )

I know I took too big of bites and probably didn't chew well enough. Old habits take along time to change I guess. Is it normal to feel sore the next day? Banded 4/17/09

Thank you! Banded 4/17/09

Cingulus, Great point of view!

LOL! Too funny! I couldn't have said it better.

Dr. Alberto Aceves in Mexicali

I picked a surgeon based on people I know who had that surgeon band them. I researched this surgeon and found he has done over 3000 lap bands. I went to Mexico and had him do mine and couldnt be any happier with the outcome. The best part......it only cost me $7,000 and includes lifetime fills.

I told my oldest sister my plans for band surgery and she was VERY negative. At that point I decided this was MY decision and nobody's business. After the surgery I didn't care who knew. I just didn't want other people's opinions to influence my decision. I am proud of my decision and don't really care what anybody thinks about it. I still have to do all the work. I'm the one who goes walking every night after work, I'm the one who goes to the gym, the band helps me to eat less but I'm doing the hardest part. My advice is to be true to yourself and the heck with what anybody thinks. Good luck to you!

I agree, it's all worth it and I would do it again in a heartbeat!

I lost 11 pounds in 10 days on the liver shrinking diet my doctor gave me. Here is what I ate: Breakfast: (very important) 15g Protein shake Snack: Low-fat string cheese or low-fat yogurt Lunch: 1 cup low-fat cottage cheese or 15g protein shake. Snack: Low-fat string cheese or 1 piece of fruit Dinner: chicken breast and 1 cup broccoli or green veggie. Drink at least 64 oz Water daily.

I went through so many emotions once I made the decision to be banded. Even though I wanted it more than anything I still found myself mourning the fact that there were foods I would never be able to eat again. I also went through periods of fear and doubt. I believe these all to be natural feelings for somebody who lives to eat. I realize I may be off point of the original thread, however, I wanted to just point out that I felt all kinds of feelings in the weeks before surgery. I realized that the main focus of my life was food. The night before surgery my doctor told me to have my "last supper" I gorged myself with bread, margaritas and Mexican food. I felt so sick that night that I knew I would not miss that feeling. Face it, we eat out for entertainment, we celebrate with food and drinks, going to Starbucks was a night out, etc. The band has helped me to realize that I need food for survival. Food will no longer control me. Eating healthier makes me feel better and have more energy. I recommend you get the band and find out just how much food you should be able to consume and your stomach can hold and if necessary measure it out before you eat it. I still enjoy eating but in a different way. I am enjoying making myself a healthier me!. The only thing I'm struggling with is not drinking water or any beverage with my meals. I recommend anybody planning to be banded try to adjust to this beforehand.

Matrix 5.0 or 2.0 is pretty good. I bought vanilla and make smoothies with it using 1 banana and a hand full of either blueberries, strawberries or my favorite, rasberries. Mix in a little lowfat yogurt and ice and blend. Also, muscle milk tastes pretty good, I like the 100 calorie ones.

Hello, I actually have Kaiser. If you struggle with your weight then I'm sure you understand that once you have made the decision for surgery you are ready. I attended orientation through Kaiser and was told that they are not currently doing the lap band procedure that they refer out to clinics for that procedure and the clinic they use is booked solid and not taking a waiting list. Therefore, I decided to go to Mexicali for my surgery. My surgeon was Alberto Aceves and he has done over 3000 lap band procedures. I knew of two other people who had gone this route so after figuring out how I could swing paying for the procedure myself I went for it. The hospital was new, clean and state of the art (Almater Hosp.) I received top notch care, a 1-night stay in a beautiful hotel, included my pre-op, 2-night hosp. stay and lifetime adjustments for $7,000. I would do it again in a heartbeat. I feel great and have lost 37 pounds since my surgery of 4/17/09. I feel so fortunate that I was able to skip all the "red tape" I would have had to undergo through Kaiser. I had my 1 month post op follow-up done through Kaiser 2 days ago and they have set me up with a nutritionist and scanned all my records from Mexicali into their system. Let me know if you have anymore questions, I would be happy to answer them for you.

I'm afraid I wasn't very clear when I answered your question. Clear liquids are anything you can see through. My plan had me wait until week 3 to start on protein shakes & cream soups.

I was able to have broth, tea, water, sugar free jello, Special K protein water (available at walmart), & Isopure (available at GNC) for the first 2 weeks after surgery then was allowed to have protein shakes and cream soups. Try to focus on the protein, very important. Best of luck to you.

Like anything, I'm sure there are different schools of thought on this subject but my anesthesiologist also recommended I take my blood pressure with diuretic the morning of surgery as well as my surgeon and asst. surgeon. I assumed so my blood pressure wouldn't be too high since that is very dangerous during surgery. You can suffer a stroke during surgery if blood pressure is too high and being obese, this was one of my concerns.

Congratulations Jimbo!

About the twinkies, throw them away so your not tempted. I have totally changed the way I grocery shop. I only buy healthy food and my family thanks me for it. My husband and 3 grown kids that still live at home are also trying to be healthier. They are all exercising more too. You really need the support of your family. It will make your success much easier on you.

Even if you do fail one day, the next day is a new day! Start over!

I think you should not worry and whatever happens happens for a reason. Remember, you want better health first and foremost. I'm sure six pounds will not matter.

I had my surgery on Friday and returned to work on Monday. I too sit at a desk in front of a computer all day. The only problem I had is my stomach where my port is located hit directly on my desk. No big deal though. You'll be fine. Good luck! You'll be so glad you did it!

I take Lisinopril with diuretic and even took it the morning before surgery. It didn't interfere at all with resting for me.

You will have ups and downs even after banding. Exercising can cause this. If you gain muscle and loose fat, muscle weights more than fat. Don't get discouraged. Stick with it. The real results will show in how your clothes fit.

It's not impossible! I did the liver shrinking diet for 10-days prior to surgery and lost 11 pounds. Start now, have a Muscle Milk for Breakfast, lowfat cheese for snack, Muscle Milk or chicken breast for lunch, more lowfat cheese or lowfat yogurt snack, for dinner eat lien. Avoid Pasta & potatoes. There are other good Protein drinks on the market besides Muscle Milk. Just make sure you drink one with 15g of protein. Good luck to you! I am so glad I had the band done. I had mine 1 month ago and feel fabulous. Have lost 24 pounds since.