RavenClaw779

Met with my NUT practice today(not the one affliated w/my surgeon). I explained that I was confused about what to eat and how much(don't know about everyone else, but I've gotten so many conflicting tidbits that I've got pages of notes). So the ladies get out the ADA Pocket Guide to Bariatric Surgery - Appendix C - LAGB Stages and Postadjustment Diet Instructions. Right there on the front it says, "Note: There is no evidence supporting a specific diet transition. Expert opinion suggests (a) a staged approach; (:tongue: diet advanced as tolerated. Some other notes of interest: Stage III (whole grain crackers may be added to eat with protein) StageIV (your calorie needs are based on height, weight , age and activity - so much for the "1,000 calorie" pat answer) Another great help was the ADA's EatRight - Bariatric Surgery Blended and Pureed Nutrition Therapy which provided a Sample Menu by Hour with amounts to consume - you are literally eating or drinking every hour from 8am to 10pm! I had no clue - so this will help as I go through the stages again following my fills.

I am starving. I am finding that a 1/4 - 1/2 cup of mush does nothing for me and I'm hungry 45 minutes later. I am finding I can eat things like chocolate(melts in your mouth), ice cream and oddly enough - Doritos(crunch down to nothing). So I've gained 3 pounds. I have no fill so the hungry doesn't surprise me but I am disappointed that after the sheer agony of the three month pre-surgical diet, I am cheating. Am I bored with my food choices(Hell Yes!) Is it a good excuse - No. Fill day can't come soon enough - maybe in the meantime my doctor could prescribe a good appetite suppressant!?!

ymjackson1 - I like the way you think!

I'm at that bandster hell stage - tomorrow is the last "puree" day but I'm already ravenous and able to eat far more that I should from both a dietary and capacity stand point. I have an 11cc unfilled Realize band. April 14th can't come soon enough as I've re-gained 3 pounds. From what I'm reading, a number of bandsters are feeling no restriction 2, 3,4 fills down the road and wondering if they actually got a "fill". Here's a question for everyone who has had a fill - while you're actually getting the fill, do you feel the band tighten?

I couldn't even wear a bra for the first two weeks post surgery - it's the swelling. Now it's okay but I do notice if I have a bit of a "stick" I almost have to take off my bra.

Heathan - I meant private schools back in the 70's(when I was in school) - I wouldn't be at all surprised to find that all schools inc. state colleges are following some sort of USDA "required" parameters. My nephew is a sophomore at a state college in NY and he says the food is the same kind of crap.

Run! Don't walk to your primary care doctor and explain the situation. Often if the request for records comes from a fellow physician the originating doctor feels more compelled to produce. That said, everyone is correct - they are your records and you have a right to have them. I went through something similar in the course of dealing with another health issue. After multiple trips to the facility I was trying to get the records from and excuses ranging from they, "forgot you were coming" to "those records are confidential", my new treating facility went to bat(I signed a release) and got the bulk of what they needed, but a lot was never released and tests had to be re-run. I filed a compliant with the state medical board. Being told that you'd have to make ever effort to come back to their facility is a RED FLAG!

I am starving. I am finding that a 1/4 - 1/2 cup of mush does nothing for me and I'm hungry 45 minutes later. I am finding I can eat things like chocolate(melts in your mouth), ice cream and oddly enough - Doritos(crunch down to nothing). So I've gained 3 pounds. I have no fill so the hungry doesn't surprise me but I am disappointed that after the sheer agony of the three month pre-surgical diet, I am cheating. Am I bored with my food choices(Hell Yes!) Is it a good excuse - No. Fill day can't come soon enough - maybe in the meantime my doctor could prescribe a good appetite suppressant!?!:tongue:

Since January, $41,683 has been billed to my insurance company for services related to my procedure. The entire surgical charge was $26,829 - excluding the anesthesia. The procedure itself was billed at $17,735 - for a 45 minute pop. What's funny is my carrier's Reasonable & Customary for the surgery alone is $3,130 - so that's what Ellis gets paid. My portion of the entire surgical day - $389. My entire portion of the surgical process plus lead up - $1,482.00 I couldn't pay what they billed my carrier - who could? I'd be curious to see what my charges would've been if I'd pay out-of-pocket cash. Ellis will of course, write of the difference between billed/paid and my coinsurance on their taxes. Is it any wonder real reform is needed?

Since January, $41,683 has been billed to my insurance company for services related to my procedure. The entire surgical charge was $26,829 - excluding the anesthesia. The procedure itself was billed at $17,735 - for a 45 minute pop. What's funny is my carrier's Reasonable & Customary for the surgery alone is $3,130 - so that's what Ellis gets paid. My portion of the entire surgical day - $389. My entire portion of the surgical process plus lead up - $1,482.00 I couldn't pay what they billed my carrier - who could? I'd be curious to see what my charges would've been if I'd pay out-of-pocket cash. Ellis will of course, write of the difference between billed/paid and my coinsurance on their taxes. Is it any wonder real reform is needed?

Banded 3/9 with no complications. Lost 30 before surgery and only 10 since. Seems I've reached a plateau. Still on puree until 3/31 then soft foods for a week or so. First fill is on 4/14 and the nurse told me I had to be eating solid foods for at least 48 hours prior to my first fill...but for the 4 -5 days following the fill I have to go thru Clear liquids(day 1), Full liquids(day 2) and so on...so what difference does it make if I can eat solids prior to the first fill? I've gotten so many conflicting sound bites from my surgeon's staff I had to make an appt with my own nutritionist. Wasn't hungry at first, but the past week has been hell as I am ravenous!

I'm a 3/9 gal too. I lost 10 pounds the first two weeks and the scale hasn't budged this week. On the plus side, I feel like myself again physically and am able to do everything I used to do BUT...I am starving and so bored with pureed poop I ate half a burger my husband grilled. You can guess what came back to visit shortly. I'm finding the most I can managed in the morning is a shake but by dinner I can easily eat a cup + of pureed veggies, chicken and potatoes. Well, at least I'm not gaining! First fill is 4/14 - Keep me posted on how you're doing!

From your mouth to God's ear John - as you can probably tell from the initial reaction here in the states, the push back and refusal to cooperate is a tough to take on as the extremely poor manners displayed toward a foreign vistor with a postive agenda. I brought my lunch as a child but even the meals served at the prep school I attended were not chicken nuggets and pizza. Pizza was a once and a while treat that came handmade from fresh ingredients care of the local pizzeria. I didn't develop a weight problem until my late 20's, and as a child you rarely saw a "large" boy or girl - now half of my 5 year old niece's kindergarden class at a minimum could be described as "husky"!

I left the decision to my surgeon - she uses both products and has no particular bais to either. Her decision was based on my interior landscape(so to speak) - I have a Realize Band(but I hate their website so here I am)

I had surgery about three weeks ago. I lost about 30 pounds on my own pre-op(believe me it was a battle) and 10 since. The scale hasn't budged in a week and meanwhile I am starving and tempted by everything - which led me to eating something I shouldn't have and paying for it. And that little voice is back - as in "Here we go again...how long til it's all back and then some..." I know exactly how you feel and I guess none of us really knows if anything in life we undertake will succeed or fail, but one thing's for sure - to never try is the biggest failure of all.

I've had three incidents - one in my car/two at home - from trying to eat things I shouldn't at this point. I feel like my old self, but I guess I'm not. I am starving now, but trying to just say no. Your tale makes me afraid to ever eating in public!

I called my husband in to see the family at the hospital. He couldn't believe the little girl was four! Considering the amount of money we pay in school taxes and now with a first lady taking up the cause of childhood obesity you'd think this would be a no-brainer. I have to wonder if there's any tie-in with the lower socio-economic level in Huntington. It would be interesting to see the lunch offerings in private schools around the US. Just clicked on the link to our local elementary school's menu...everyday they have a choice of fruit or fruit juice, and cold cereal for breakfast with revolving choices of pop tarts, doughnut holes,muffins, french toast sticks or breakfast pizza. Lunch - what a surprise...chicken nuggets, peanut butter & fluff,mac & cheese with a pretzel, pizza...only occasionally do they service veggies or yogurt. Jeez - I don't even have kids, but I wouldn't feed this crap to my five-year-old niece! What was really sad was the attitude of the disk jockey and the bitchy(and obese) kitchen staff.

Girls - I am LMAO! A couple of weeks ago me and a family friend who had the procedure in November attended "Sunday Supper" at my s-i-l's with the goal of getting the family to grasp the concept that someday - about a year from now, I'll likely eat like everyone else, just a lot less. My s-i-l's usual fare - heavy cassorole, veggies covered in sauce, rolls (you know what I mean - the white/beige/brown meal with no redeeming qualities). I was at the pre-surg shake stage and the friend is on real food. I had my shake and the friend had about a 3/4 cup serving of the entree. Despite us going over and over the concepts, my s-i-l kept saying, "Can you eat this?", "How about this?" and my m-i-l cut big slabs of pie which she shoved in front of both of us... she "forgot"... My s-i-l is not the sharpest tool in the toolshed - despite her diagnosis of Type II diabetes she insists that she's not a diabetic. She can't take change of any sort so her married daughter spending Christmas morning with her hubby and child rather than at her house had her in tears as did her company telling her she had to learn a new computer program - actually stomped her foot and told her boss she didn't want to learn anything new. Her fondest wish is to be back in high school so "somebody else could take care of me". She'll never get my WLS and I'll be saying, "No" and explaining this to her for the next 20+ years. The m-i-l is another story. She comes off as the local saint but I've heard her bad mouth my two s-i-l, neighbors... Widowed for 30+ years she's always attracted male attention and she treats them like sh--. Her three sons can do no wrong and of course none of us d-i-l's does enough or is good enough for her boys. Like her daughter, she is largely clueless about critical issues like her taxes, the phone bill, why we don't leave a 4-year-old outside by herself..but she's also sneaky. So she's blabbed to just about everyone and added her own little spin about how I just didn't try hard enough... We have a family dinner tomorrow night at her house and again she's left her little charming message on our voice mail, "...um I guess you're still on your little diet but maybe you could bring one of your shakes..." There will always be people who want to keep you in your place because keeping or putting someone else down helps them feel superior - they are what they appear to be - Pathetic!

(Making up for not blogging for a few days) I realize just how lucky I am to have had my procedure before health care reform really kicks in as who knows what might be "excluded" down the road. Plus, as a result of all the pre-surgical testing I've been checked from head to toe and found to be in excellent health despite my weight and Type II diabetes. I consider myself very lucky that if I am able to tackle the weight problem, I can likely avoid the heart disease, stroke and osteoarthritus history prevalent in my family, and perhaps a recurrence of my breast cancer. Three weeks post-surgery and my doc has reduced my Metformin to once a day and my testing reveals BG within normal(non-diabetic) values - Yea!

GingerJane - I feel for you and though I don't have quite the toxic in law situation you have, I do have a MIL and SIL who simply cannot keep their mouths closed and feel compelled to blabber to everyone. That said, I find a good offense makes the best defense. What do I mean? Some people might call it "doing an end run" or "cutting them off at the pass" or in the immortal words of Barney Fife, "Nip It - Nip It In The Bud!" Chin up - shoulders back and throw this at 'em: - "Yes, I have decided to take charge of my weight issue with gastric band surgery. My doctor and I agree that this is the best method for me. I am so blessed that your wonderful son(insert his name) supports me all the way. Thanks so much for your caring and support(insert names of in-laws)!" In this way you've established the following: 1) You are in charge of your body/life/decisions. 2) You have "professional" support. 3) You have their son's support. 4) You flatter them though they likely don't deserve it. Then every time they bring it up, pretend you're WLS Barbie and repeat the same phrase - over and over until they give up. As an alternative you can also do as we do in the South..."Why Sugar - we've talked about my plans so many times I'm afraid we're jus' borin' everyone...so let's talk about your(vacation plans, garden, colonoscopy...you get it - deflect, defer, ignore...). As far as your husband goes, I'd be as direct. He is married to you and has left his parents' home - you are to be his #1 priority and you should feel comfortable in confiding in him without feeling like he's going to run off and blab to whomever. I'd tell him how very disappointed in him you are - and hey - the silent treatment has yet to kill any man!

Blue Eyes - I have a Realize 11cc too - first fill is scheduled for 4/14. I'm still on the "puree" stage and I'm finding that I have some restriction i.e., sampled some cooked ground beef with the expected result but that by the end of the day I can easily eat a cup of pureed food. Can you describe what your restriction feels like. Do you eat solids?

(Making up for not blogging for a few days) I realize just how lucky I am to have had my procedure before health care reform really kicks in as who knows what might be "excluded" down the road. Plus, as a result of all the pre-surgical testing I've been checked from head to toe and found to be in excellent health despite my weight and Type II diabetes. I consider myself very lucky that if I am able to tackle the weight problem, I can likely avoid the heart disease, stroke and osteoarthritus history prevalent in my family, and perhaps a recurrence of my breast cancer. Three weeks post-surgery and my doc has reduced my Metformin to once a day and my testing reveals BG within normal(non-diabetic) values - Yea!

So - I'm down from a size 24/26 to around an 18/20 and my underwear was just too big, so I had to go buy some new big girl panties. The experience, though a positive (smaller size) was some what daunting. Why? Well, all the winter clearance sales are going on and there are some sweet deals but as I cruised the racks I realized that by this time next year I have no idea what size I might be. Will I have lost significant weight or just a couple of sizes? So I comfort myself by remembering that I've spent the past 10 years getting to be this big all while continuing my career so whew - I'm covered...I have clothes of all sizes! That is until I remember that a few years ago in a fit of "let's get real - you'll never be anything but a 3x " I donated all those clothes to Dress for Success. What's the problem? Even years ago when I was an 8/10 I HATED shopping and still do. Over the years I've built a wardrobe of quality classics - "investment pieces" so that at most I buy a new item or two with the emphasis on that which always fits - Shoes & Purses. Now I'm going to have to see just how much my tailor can alter what I've got and push myself into the dreaded - FITTING ROOM w/ MIRRORS:eek:

So - I'm down from a size 24/26 to around an 18/20 and my underwear was just too big, so I had to go buy some new big girl panties. The experience, though a positive (smaller size) was some what daunting. Why? Well, all the winter clearance sales are going on and there are some sweet deals but as I cruised the racks I realized that by this time next year I have no idea what size I might be. Will I have lost significant weight or just a couple of sizes? So I comfort myself by remembering that I've spent the past 10 years getting to be this big all while continuing my career so whew - I'm covered...I have clothes of all sizes! That is until I remember that a few years ago in a fit of "let's get real - you'll never be anything but a 3x " I donated all those clothes to Dress for Success. What's the problem? Even years ago when I was an 8/10 I HATED shopping and still do. Over the years I've built a wardrobe of quality classics - "investment pieces" so that at most I buy a new item or two with the emphasis on that which always fits - Shoes & Purses. Now I'm going to have to see just how much my tailor can alter what I've got and push myself into the dreaded - FITTING ROOM w/ MIRRORS:eek:

When I was a little girl, my grandmother had a "tattletale" cookie jar. It was what Grandmama called a "German Hausfrau" - the part that held the cookies was her full skirt of dotted swiss and the top was her head and torso. She was a plump lady(the cookie jar - not Gran) with a kerchief over her curly hair; rosy cheeks and her mouth was an open "O". One arm was raised and held a rolling pin the other hand was raised with one finger caught mid-wag as in "naughty - naughty". When you lifted her torso to get a cookie, a voice box in the torso would cry out "Mama! Mama!". That cookie jar came to mind the other day when reading some of the comments other bandsters post. If you're a doctor, nurse or other bariatric professional, please say so. If not, if you're just like me - banded and providing your anecdotal account of what you're going through, please - for the sake of your readers - drop the preachy, holier than thou, dogmatic, goody-2-toes, "I always do just what my doctor, nurse etc say to do delivery of your message. Reading it can be a real burn-out:w00t:!