BetsyB

Bariatric Eating (BariatricEating.com - BE, Inc. The number one bariatric website for Protein, Vitamins, and success.) has a line of Proteins that is awesome. It's called Inspire, and it includes many really great flavors. They are designed to be added to a small volume (4 oz.) of food or fluid--so it's easier to fit the protein in. My favorite is their unflavored PURE (that's its name) whey protein isolate. I use it so many different ways--in shakes, in Soups, etc. When mixing with something hot, you have to first mix it with a bit of cool Water, then VERY slowly add the hot food/liquid while stirring constantly so that the protein is tempered and does not clump. (This is typical of proteins in general.) I can't recommend the stuff highly enough. It's light years better than the GNC stuff, IMO.

Hi, Kristin! I'm in Plainfield, and am being banded by Brian Lahmann at Silver Cross in Joliet. I'm a little (well, not so little) older than you, but am always interested in making new friends, online and IRL. Good luck with the approval process. I have BCBS (Empire), and it was totally uneventful. Just jump through their hoops, and you'll have a surgery date before you know it!

Continuous sipping throughout the day will provide enough Fluid, in most cases, to prevent dehydration. If your urine is dark in color, or your urine output scant, call your doctor and ask where to head for IV fluids. If you're able to sip, sip, you probably can put worries about dehydration aside. As for feeling miserable, have you been walking? Using Gas-X? What kind of band do you have? Did you start with any fill? If so, it, combined with swelling, might be a bit much for you. Call your surgeon to see if s/he thinks a slight unfill will improve the way you feel. I hope you are feeling LIGHT YEARS better FAST! Never feel bad about calling the doctor; that's what they're there for! If at all in doubt, pick up the phone.

I'm a former ortho/neuro RN who also has back issues, and can't for the LIFE of me figure out the rationale for the correlation between the surgical procedure for banding and thoracic spine issues. It makes NO sense, whatsoever. Did you reach this conclusion on your own, or has your doctor provided an explanation? If the latter, I'd be VERY interested to know what you were told. ETA: Reading further, I see that a chiropractor's massage therapist gave you this 'diagnosis.' I am sure your pain is very real, and certainly am not minimizing its severity. But to take the word of someone who is utterly uneducated in this arena is not safe.

Most protein powders are repulsive--I agree. They have that sort of spoiled baby-formula smell/taste. I have been using--and REALLY liking---a product called Inspire from bariatriceating.com. It's reasonably priced, and comes in many flavors. The one I use most is the PURE unflavored protein isolate. I'm on my preop diet, and just had 2 scoops (25 g protein) in a cup and a half of chicken broth I doctored with some Asian seasonings. The protein is undetectable (can be added to many fluids and foods, only requires 4 oz, so you don't have to get tons into your pouch, and it is flavorless---really and truly.) Their other flavors are great, too. The Peanut Butter cookie is amazing. One scoop, four ounces of water--BAM! Almost 25 grams of protein. I have the PB, the PURE (plain), and am waiting for my pom/raspberry, dutch chocolate, and candy cane flavors to arrive. Sounds like a lot, but ALL of them together cost less than I spent in just a couple of weeks of my daily Starbucks latte that I've given up.... If you're reluctant to spend a lot on Proteins you're not sure you will like, they have a sample pack that includes several flavors. (No, I have no affiliation with Bariatric Eating---I just think their proteins rock.)

My insurance (BCBS) does not require overnight stay; they require that the procedure be performed in a bariatric center of excellence. The surgeons at that center prefer an overnight stay--so that's the way it is It will be hard to be away from home--and more inconvenient for my family in some regards. But I really do think it will be better for me. Far better to make sure fluids are tolerated, bladder is functioning, etc. before making the hour-long drive home!

It doesn't sound as though you're being punished for losing weight--it sounds as though you were given an EXTREME amount of latitude when you were morbidly obese, but now are expected to conform to the standards set by the company and followed by others. Do you believe you should still be able to dress differently from your colleagues? Shorts are not business casual by any definition. Since you love your job, why not decide to stop making waves--to invest in some good-quality clothing that cannot possibly elicit objection, and resign yourself to dressing the way that is required by your workplace. EVEN if there are others who do not consistently follow the dress code. You can't change others' behaviors. You can't ensure that everyone else dresses appropriately. But you CAN make sure you do. I would think long and hard before complaining about this issue. If anything, you were shown preferential treatment in the past. This is not a discrimination issue.

Flintstones Vitamins are made for children, not bariatric patients. Invest in some good-quality bariatric vitamins. And for heaven's sake, follow up with your doctor about the Vitamin D. It's available over the counter--s/he can look at your most recent bloodwork and determine the appropriate dose to add to your regimen. If it's above a certain level, he can prescribe. You have been TOLD there is a deficiency. It is YOUR responsibility to follow through to protect your health.

BetsyB.........248.6...........226.6..................109

Really? How do you feel about taking money from the people who, like you, pay into the system? Your abuse doesn't just affect Metlife, it affects everyone insured by Metlife. I'm one of them. Thanks.

I don't know if this thread is still active--and I realize you've all formed relationships already--but am hoping that there's room for one more in the group. I'm Betsy, a 48-year-old patient of Dr. Lahmann, looking forward to banding on Jan. 12. Right now, I'm in the midst of the preop diet, and SO exciting about the upcoming changes. I'm in Plainfield; and look forward to meeting everyone at the doctors' support group. I'm also very open to alternative routes of support--get-togethers outside the hospital setting, etc.

The doctor needs to be made aware of patient dissatisfaction with his coordinator. And because you have been happy with his care, I'd go so far as to say that you owe it to him to let him know your reasons you are thinking of leaving his practice and allow him to address your concerns. If this woman really is his gatekeeper, he may be completely unaware of what is going on. You may need to schedule an appointment with him to hand-deliver a letter to him.

I haven't heard of this associated with banding, but know MANY people who've had Roux-en-y for whom sneezing is their "full" signal.

What an interesting question! I don't think I ever see myself in my dreams; I think I see through my own "eyes," and therefore see others, but not myself. Hm. I will have to watch and see if this is true. I have never thought of it. I do know how I perceive myself in dreams--and that is as a woman who needs to lose weight. I frequently have 'cheating' dreams (as in cheating on a diet). I suspect this will taper off as the diet mentality ebbs. Then again, I still have sneaking cigarette dreams, and I quit ten years ago!

I've had fibromyalgia for ...oh...almost 30 years! I was first diagnosed when it was a junk diagnosis given to anyone whose pain syndrome could not be identified, but it's since been confirmed. For me, it was a consequence of trauma, at least in part. Yes, easing in to exercise can be painful. But over the years, I've come to the conclusion that I am in pain whether I exercise or not--and the other benefits gained from exercise far outweigh the drawbacks. There can be a fine line to tread between a "good" level of exercise and one that pushes the envelope; while no real damage is done physiologically, we all know how harmful it is, psychologically, to be thrust into a huge flare--so toeing the line is important. I am preop, so obviously I have not conquered everything--but the one thing I do, without fail, is walk twice a day, at a brisk clip, for an hour. If I didn't have an insistent Lab-shepherd, I would likely do it once a day, but twice is really nice. Being outdoors, seeing neighbors (pain can cause a degree of self-isolation), being in nature....it is EXCELLENT for the depression that can accompany a fibro flare. And over time (and it did take a long time), my body has responded very positively--to the point that I really do feel better when I exercise. Trickier is finding the right balance for strength training---that is much more of a crapshoot, and involves a good deal of listening to the body. Still, its benefits outweigh the drawbacks most of the time. When in a severe flare, I ease off.

Bariatric Eating has a line of whey protein powders that are AMAZING. It comes in both Peanut Butter Cookie and PB Fudge flavors; I like the PB cookie with a little bit of SF/FF chocolate pudding blended in. My favorite of the Inspire Proteins, though, is the PURE unflavored--it has absolutely none of the typical baby-formula-ish proteiny smell/taste, and can be mixed with either sweet or savory liquids or foods. (I like it added to Soups to bump up protein. It's also good in coffee--as are many of the other flavors--and Crystal Light.) BariatricEating.com - BE, Inc. The number one bariatric website for protein, Vitamins, and success.

I like the Inspire line from Bariatric Eating---there are lots of great flavors, but the PURE unflavored whey is awesome--it is completely indetectible in both sweet or savory foods or liquids.

Another way they lose huge amounts each weigh-in is by sometimes NOT doing them weekly. (They air weekly, but not all weigh-ins reflect a single week's loss.)

Her diet recommendations leave much to be desired--but so does your eating plan. Can you ask her for a referral to a nutritionist very experienced with bandsters?