mscafe32

Well I'm glad that I had the surgery for me and not for my husband becasue he seems totally oblivious to everything. my mother-in-law was banded 9 months ago and when I mentioned how well she was doing, my husband said that he didn't really notice a difference. I'm like "Are you Crazy!!!" She has lost like 70lbs! She looks like a totally different person to me. She looks like she did in pictures when Hubby was growing up, so mybe the problem is the my poor Husband never noticed that she got fat in the first place!?

FYI, I posted this same message under a thread in the pre-op section. I was banded May 21st and so far I am down 12lbs 11 days post-op. Surgery and recovery went really well and I only needed pain meds the day after surgery. I was pleasantly surprised about how well I felt. I was even able to go back to work 1 night earlier than planned (4th post-op night). I am currently progressing from pureed foods to soft foods and I hope to be eating regular by the end of the week. I prepared myself by buying lots of post-op food, but right now anything other than yogurt or chili is unappealing to me. I can tolerate other things, I just don't want them. My staple product is GNC's Amp 60 Protein powder. I make one 12 once shake every morning (60g protein 280 cals) I drink half for Breakfast and then if I don't meet my protein requirements during the day I know that I absolutely have to drink the second half of the shake. Exercise is going to be my biggest obstacle during my weight loss journey, but I have begun to walk 2 miles a day while pushing almost 100lbs (a double stroller carrying 2 kiddos). I ordered wii fit plus and a personal trainer game. I plan to do that like 4-5 days a week. My first fill is scheduled for 5 weeks post op, so that will be here relatively soon.

I was banded May 21st and so far I am down 12lbs 11 days post-op. Surgery and recovery went really well and I only needed pain meds the day after surgery. I was pleasantly surprised about how well I felt. I was even able to go back to work 1 night earlier than planned (4th post-op night). I am currently progressing from pureed foods to soft foods and I hope to be eating regular by the end of the week. I prepared myself by buying lots of post-op food, but right now anything other than yogurt or chili is unappealing to me. I can tolerate other things, I just don't want them. My staple product is GNC's Amp 60 protein powder. I make one 12 once shake every morning (60g protein 280 cals) I drink half for breakfast and then if I don't meet my protein requirements during the day I know that I absolutely have to drink the second half of the shake. Exercise is going to be my biggest obstacle during my weight loss journey, but I have begun to walk 2 miles a day while pushing almost 100lbs (a double stroller carrying 2 kiddos). I ordered wii fit plus and a personal trainer game. I plan to do that like 4-5 days a week. My first fill is scheduled for 5 weeks post op, so that will be here relatively soon. I have no regrets and I am extremely happy!

Hi, I'm six days post-op and in the binder that my surgeon's office gave me, it says that I should be drinking 4 oz-5oz of Fluid every 30 minutes. It also says that if I am going to attempt to drink 6 oz or more, that it should be done over the span of an hour. So I think you're fine.

Hello, I was just banded on May 21st, so I am still new to this. I have only thrown up once. It was in the recovery room right after they told me I was discharged. I had just finished sipping on some ice Water and had taken a dose of liquid pain meds. When they said, I could go home, I jumped up to get changed and as soon as I was standing I knew I had gotten up too quickly. I instantly became dizzy and threw up the water and medicine I had just drank. Since then, I haven't had any problems. My doc gave me a prescription for Zofran for nausea, but I haven't taken any since the day after surgery. As long as you follow your post-op instructions and don't eat/drink too much too fast, you should be okay. Listen to your body. For example, right now it's time for me to eat, but I can tell by the way that I feel, that I will get sick if I try to eat some Soup or drink a shake. So I am just SLOWLY sipping water right now to stay hydrated. Good Luck!!

My doctor told me to tell him if I had a preference. I did lots of research and decided that I would be happy either way. My doctor never pressured me at all. The morning of surgery, he asked me one last time if I had preference and I said no. After surgery I asked the nurse which one he chose. The nurse told me that unless a patient has a preference, he always goes with the Realize Band. So that is what I have. Just do your own research to make the right decision for you. While the Realize band has only been FDA approved since 2007 (I think). It was developed in the 80's and has been used through out the world since the 90's. They just decided to wait until 2003 to begin clinical trials in the US for FDA approval.

I am so excited. I am sitting here at my desk, sipping on some Unjury chicken broth watching the clock. My surgery is scheduled to start in 9 hours at 8:45 am!!! I'm going to try my best to keep busy at work tonight. 4 more hours and then I'll be on my way home to shower, change and be at the hospital by 6:45 am. I am so happy right now!!!

I had my pre-op physical today and I am scheduled for Friday May 21st at 8:45 am. I am the first case of the day and have to be there at 6:45. I am so excited and nervous. I have to work the night before so at least I don't have to worry about trying to sleep, because there is no way that I can sleep when i'm overly excited/nervous. Good look to everyone!!:thumbup:

My surgeon doesn't allow caffeine for two weeks post-op. After that I am allowed to have it in moderation. Like Katy517 said, caffeine is a diuretic and my doc wants to make sure that I don't become dehydrated after surgery. He even gave me a schedule of how often I should be drinking water or some other clear liquid. I would have to add an additional cup of water for every cup of coffee I drink and based on the schedule he gave me, there isn't enough time in the day to fit in more liquids. He has me literally drinking a few ounces every 20 minutes.

I only have to do clear liquids the day before surgery. On one hand we can consider ourselves lucky, on the other hand it gives us less time to prepare for the post-op diet. Also the people on extended pre-op liquid diets get a jumpstart on their weight loss which is a great motivator going in to surgery. We are going out to eat on the 18th for my birthday. I wanted to go 1 day early, so I could do 2 full days on a liquid diet before my surgery. It is only 1 more day than what my doctor requires, but it's still 1 extra day to get used to the clear liquid diet.

Like everyone else said, it's up to your doctor and what he/she allows. My post-op instructions are as follows: 2 days Clear liquids 1 week full liquids 1 week pureed 1 week soft Then on to regular

Not only was it rude of her, but it was also unprofessional and quite honestly just none of her business. For the 6 months while I was doing my supervised diet and preop testing, it seemed like everytime I went to my surgeon's office I was asked if I was a post-op patient. Everyone was always saying that I didn't look like I needed the surgery. It was kind of irritating because it was coming from other patients. In the beginning I felt like I had to explain myself. Finally I reached the point where I would just be rude and say "My body, my choice." Some people gave me a crazy look as if I was overreacting, but as a bariatric patient, they should understand how much of a personal and emotional decision it is to have surgery. And your nurse should understand that it is her job to take care of you w/o passing judgement or making statements that even give the impression that she has formulated an opinion regarding the decisions you have made for your health and personal happiness!

Talk to the person who deals with the insurance companies for your surgeon. He/she should be able to tell you what your insurance company is looking for. At my first Nutrition appointment, the benefits coordinator came in to talk to me and basically told me that because my BMI was right at 40.1 with no co-morbidities, I needed to maintain my weight and not lose anything. I told her that I was getting ready to stop breastfeeding my daughter and anticipated that I would gain around 10lbs when my metabolism went back to normal. Because she is familiar with how each insurance company works, she was able to instruct the doctor and the nutritionist to both put notes in my file that stated I was currently breastfeeding and anticipated a 10lb weight gain once the baby was weened. During my 3rd nutrition visit, I told the nutritionist that I was going to wean my daughter the following week. She put another note in my file. At my next appointment, I had gained 9lbs. But since everything had been properly documented, it wasn't an issue. There are some insurance companies that will not approve your surgery if you gain weight, and even some doctors can extend your supervised weight loss if they are not satisfied with your progress and/or effort. There are also some insurance companies that base your approval on your weight after the supervised diet and some will even look at both. That is why the very first person (unless you are self-pay) that you talk to should be the benefits coordinator. Good luck.

May 21st is my special day, so I am right behind you! I have my pre-surgical physical exam on Monday at the Outpatient Center where I will be having my surgery. I'm glad I get to see the place beforehand. I think it will be more real to me after Monday.