mcwms

I actually had no trouble following the pre-op and post-op diet as prescribed by Dr. King. The protein/vitamins in the slim fast as well as the multi-vitamins were all I needed. I think (for me anyway) that it was really important to "get my body used to" consuming such a small amount and a great preparation for post-op eating. I basically lived on sugar-free banana popsicles post-op! I had absolutely no appetite! I know that every doctor has different requirements and some don't even require a pre-op diet at all and a very short/limited post-op diet. The way I looked at it was that Dr. King had a reason for ordering his particular diet and by selecting him to do my surgery I was placing my trust in him and therefor had to trust his reasoning for the diet guidelines. The extra weight loss from the 2 week pre-op diet was an added benefit for me also! Good luck with your upcoming surgery! For me it was a wonderful gift! Mary

Howdy! I was also banded in Oxford, MS by Dr. Micheal King and was self-pay. I chose to take money out of my 401K to pay for my surgery instead of financing it so I can't help with any info on that! Medical expenses is one of the 3 allowable things that you can make an early withdrawal from your 401K so I considered it an investment in my health and retirement! Good luck! Mary

Howdy, Y'all! I thought I would join in with my 1-year anniversary story as well. I was banded February 23, 2007 and this has been an absolutely wonderful experience for me! I have had zero complications and feel so much better physically and mentallly. I started out at 226 pounds and wearing a size 16/18 and x-large scrubs (I'm a nurse) and I am now at goal at 140-144 pounds and wearing a size 6-8 and small to x-small scrubs! I have never in my adult life worn a size 6-8! It is amazing to me! I have only done small amounts of exercise throughout this journey (bad me, I know!) but I am much more active than I used to be and am planning to up my exercise routine. I do have some sagging skin issues but since I was self-pay for the banding there is no way I can afford any plastic surgery and I don't think I would choose to have any done anyway so I will just deal with the skin as best I can! Clothes cover it all up anyway! I can eat anything at all that I want and have been eating a lot of junk food lately and am amazed that I have not gained back any weight! I am tired of the crap food, though, and plan to get back to my low carb, healthy food ASAP. Like several of Y'all have mentioned I still think of myself as "big" and constantly buy clothes that are too big for me. The mind and self-image is a crazy thing! Even though I haven't posted too often here I read the boards very frequently and appreciate everyone sharing your experiences here. Congrats to everyone as we approach our anniversary! Can you just imagine how fun this summer is going to be! Woo-Hoo! Mary

Hang in there, Don! I've got my fingers crossed for you! Mary

Hang in there, Don! I've got my fingers crossed for you! Mary

Howdy! I was banded in February by Dr. Micheal King in Oxford. I highly recommend him! You may want to check out the Mississippi group under Local Support also. Good luck! Mary

I think it is not that uncommon to receive a fill during the actual surgery. My surgeon actually filled my 10cc band with 4cc during my surgery. He said that it was necessary in order to get the band tight enough around my stomach. I actually didn't feel much restriction at all after the first couple of days of post-op swelling! I then received my first post-op fill 4 weeks later. He also does not routinely do a swallow test until the first post-op fill under fluro, unless the pt is having a problem. It's worked great for me- smooth sailing since band date Feb. 23 and about 10 pounds from goal! Mary

Howdy, Susie! I do read the boards here lately but I guess since most of the initial questions/uncertainties have gone away I'm not on here nearly as much as I was in the past. The 23rd of this month will be my 6-month banding anniversary and I still feel that this was the best thing I have ever done! I have about 15-20 pounds left to go to meet my goal. I am down to a size 10/12 in clothes and feel great! I have a total of 7cc in my 10cc band and definately believe this is the "sweet spot" for me! I am full after eating 1/4/-1/2 cup of food- which is something I never thought would happen to me! I find myself wanting to tell everyone about the lapband and how wonderful it is! I do need to work on my excercise, though- I was doing really good with it but have dropped off the last 2 weeks. I plan to start back at it again serious come Monday! Congrats on your weight loss- you are doing great! Don't you just love Dr. King! Howdy to all the rest of the MS folks also! Mary

Howdy, Ladies! I was banded by Dr. King on 022307, have had 2 fills (plus a 4cc fill during surgery) and am currently filled to a little above 5cc. I have lost approx. 40 pounds and have around 35 more to go. I haven't had any problems so far. I find that I am much more restrictd in the mornings but can pretty much eat anything in the evenings (unfortunately!). I haven't lost much in the last 2 weeks but I've made poor food choices (why is it that junk food goes down so easy?) and I also haven't been exercising (shame on me!). I have got to start exercising!! I am trying to follow a lower carb diet most of the time. I would love to hear a sample of what Y'all are eating during the day? I usually have coffee for Breakfast, sometimes a snack of lunchmeat mid-morning; a 200 calorie low carb Smart Ones frozen meal for lunch, and either another frozen meal for supper or small portions of whatever my family is eating. Usually around 600-900 calories. I wonder if I am not eating enough? I'm thinking that the frozen meals are too processed and that I probably need to eat more fresh foods but the frozen meals are so convenient and are only 180-200 calories. I find that I am still eating out of boredom, etc. and need to work on that! Anyway, sorry to ramble on so much! Mary

Lizbit, I'm so glad that you're surgeon discovered your problem and promtly took care of it! You've really done an amazing job with your weight loss considering the leak! You go, Girl! It sounds like everyone else is doing great also. I know I don't post often but I do lurk here almost every day. I was banded on Feb. 23 and have lost about 40 pounds so far and have about another 30 to go. I have had 2 fills totalling 5.2cc in my 10cc band. I do feel that I've got pretty good restriction but I am still struggling with the head hunger. I find myself reaching for poor choices that go down easily when I am bored, stressed, etc. I am trying to work on that! I also haven't been exercising like I should but I am really hoping that I can improve with that! I am basically able to eat any foods that I want, although for some reason I've been scared to try any bread so I'm not sure if I would tolerate it or not. I am much tighter in the mornings and am usually only able to get down coffee very slowly. By lunch I am able to eat anything I want. Overall I am very pleased with the band, and I fully understand that it is a tool and that I need to "step up my game" in my exercise and managing my head hunger! Keep on keeping on, Y'all! Mary

Howdy! My MD requests that his patients take 2 children's flintstone vitamins daily along with one of the calcium chews. Honestly I have only taken them a couple of days. I really need to work on that! I wanted to offer a little encouragement- I was banded on 022307 and have lost approximately 36-38 pounds and I still have approximately 25-30pounds to go. I had basically been at a standstill on the scale for the last 2-3 weeks and was becoming a little frustrated. However since this Monday I have lost an additional 3-4 pounds! I have not changed much in my eating except for cutting out the taking a bite here and there of foods that aren't the best choices. Unfortunately I still haven't found the motivation to start exercising like I should. Anyway- I really believe that sometimes we don't lose because our bodies do need time to "catch up" and adjust to the weight loss and we just need to "hang in there" and "keep on keepin' on" and eventually we will start losing again! Have a great Friday, Y'all! Mary

Howdy! I just thought I would check in also. I was banded on February 23rd and have lost around 30 pounds so far and have about 30-35 more to go. I have dropped a couple of clothes sizes. I was filled with 4cc during surgery and have had one more fill bringing me to a total of 5cc filled. I feel like I don't have much restriction left and can't wait to get my next fill on May 14th. I have been a little frustrated the last week or so and have allowed myself to slip back to poor eating habits- eating stuff that I have no business eating! I am eating tuna now and plan to get my eating back on track this week. I am also planning to begin exercising this week and I know that will help also. I am very pleased with the band so far- I know if I do my part and follow the rules that the weight will come off. Hang in there, Y'all- we can do this! Mary

Howdy, Y'all! I was banded on Feb. 23 and have had a very easy time of it so far (thank goodness). However 2 days ago I started getting sick and have gotten progressively sicker with what my MD diagnosed as bronchitis/pharyngitis/laryngitis. Since I've gotten sick I have noticed that my restriction has increased significantly and wanted to ask if this is common? I am not sure if it is from post-sinus drainage and esophageal irritation due to the pharyngitis/laryingitis but everything feels really tight and I feel like there's no way that I could eat anything solid. My 10cc band was filled with 4cc during the surgery because my MD said it was necessary due to my stomach shrinking so much from the pre-op diet and I required the 4cc insertion in order to get the band snug around my stomach. Anyway- I am scheduled for my first fill tomorrow (exactly 4 weeks post-op) but am a little concerned since I've experienced the increased restriction during the last few days since I've been sick. Has anyone experienced this?? I can't figure out what else could be causing it?? Any ideas? Should I go ahead with the fill since this increased restriction will probably go away soon since my antibiotics should be kicking in (assuming it's related to my being sick)? Thanks in advance for any suggestions! Mary

Thanks for the information and advice!

Howdy! I was banded by Dr. King on February 23 this year! Dr. King has been wonderful and my experience so far has been fabulous! He is pretty strict with his pre-op/post-op diet, but I understand the reason for it. Feel free to pm me if you want to chat! Mary

I made it! I'll share my story: I arrived at the hospital at my ordered arrival time of 7:00 this morning, however I wasn't taken into surgery until around 9:30. The anesthesiologist gave me some Versed as I was being wheeled out of the holding area and that's the last thing I remember until I woke up around 11:00 in the recovery room. I had pretty severe nausea when I first woke up (which is normal for me after surgery) but before I threw up I was given some IV nausea medicine that resolved the nausea. I had no pain at all! As soon as I got to my room I immediately walked several laps around the nurses' station and up and down the hall several times. I can't believe that I don't have any pain and really not any gas at all- I do feel a tiny bit bloated but not much! I had about 1/3 of a grape popsicle and some water from my lunch tray. I am waiting for my surgeon to come by to see if I get to go home this afternoon. He likes for his patients to stay in observation overnight but said that sometimes pts get to go home if they haven't had any problems and if they want to so I am thinking that hopefully I can talk him in to it! I'll post more later tonight, but wanted to go ahead and check it. Anyone who is still waiting for your surgery and is worried about it- don't worry- it's a breeze! Nothing to be afraid of!

Howdy, Y'all! I just thought I would post an update. I've been on my pre-op liquid diet since last Friday (10 days) and have lost 11 pounds so far. My MD's pre-op diet consist of 3 slim fast ultima drinks daily, at least 64 oz water, and crystal light, sugar free popsickles, clear broth as desired. The first couple of days were hard for me but now I'm not even very hungry and have only been averaging 1-2 slim fast and 1 bowl of broth a day. My surgery is set for Friday, the 23rd and I am so excited! My good friend is doing this with me and we have been together every step of the way and are both scheduled for Friday morning so that has been fun having her go through everything with me! I am trying to get up my nerve to tell my parents- I intended to tell them afterwards to save them from being nervous beforehand but have been convinced that I need to go ahead and tell them before the surgery. I know that they will be supportive in the end but they are both going to be against any unnecessary surgery and probably will feel that I could lose the weight without the surgery if I tried hard enough. I am definately not going to tell them that my insurance didn't cover it and I paid for it out of my 401K!! Best wishes to everyone joining bandland this week! This is our start for a new beginning for us!

Congrats and hoping for an easy experience for everyone joining bandland today! Even though I haven't posted often I do read and lurk throughout the day and have found the information here very encouraging and educational! Thanks to each of you for sharing your experiences through this journey! I begin my pre-op diet today consisting of 3 slim fast optima shakes and any clear liquids daily and I am not looking forward to it at all! I've tried the slim fast drinks and find that they taste like chalky chocolate sludge to me! I have tried other protein shakes that I like much better but my surgeon prefers the slim fast ultima so I am giving them my best shot. Have a great day, Y'all!

Howdy, Y'all! Susie, I am scheduled to be banded by Dr. King on February 23rd! I have BSBS of MS also and do to a written exclusion in my policy I am also self pay for this. BOO-HOO! I am hoping this is the best $14,500 I ever spend! I really like Dr. King and was impressed that he has had no cases of slippage or erosion in all of the banding cases that he and Dr. Byars have done. Good luck !

Welcome! We share the same band date! I'm excited but getting a little nervous also.

I bet you get the call from her tomorrow! Hang in there!

mom2miracleprin, babygirl1234, mel07, I hope everything goes great for Y'all today! Praying that everything goes as smoothly as possible! I look forward to hearing from Y'all soon! Mary

Congrats Everyone who "has crossed over to the banded side" and good luck to those beginning their journey today! I am so excited for everyone! Keep us updated!

Hang in there, Tracy. I bet you get your date this week!

Chris, my MD requires 2 weeks pre-op consisting of 3 slim fast ultima shakes a day and any other non-dairy liquids. It is strange to me that there are so many variations of the pre-op diet requirements also! I'm hoping everyone who had their surgery today had an easy time of it! Have a great weekend, Y'all! Mary