CareBear

Any advice about which brand/flavor of protein shake to buy? Syntrax Nectar sells Fuzzy Navel, Lemonade, Strawberry/Kiwi, Cherry, Apple, etc. It seems they have about 90 calories & 23g protein for each serving when mixed with water, not milk I'm assuming. Anybody ever tasted this brand? Could anyone recommend a better one? I already have a hard time getting protein eaten, so before I get banded (in 18 days but who's counting? lol) I want to order some 'good' tasting protein shakes to help get that protein in. Thank a lot for any advice!

Ok, I've had my protein mix forever now and only used it ONCE! I don't like the taste at all...I mixed it with water & UGH. Any suggestions at making it taste better?

me too! i'm worried i've done something stupid! i almost immediately went to solid foods, which has me a little freaked out after reading about people who wait weeks & months before moving onto solids! why didn't my doctor even discuss with me the liquid or mushy stages!? should i incorporate them myself? i don't see my surgeon for another 4 weeks but would like to see him sooner! everything seems to be going down ok...no pain. only problem is that i feel like i don't even have a band!!!! i eat almost like before. well, of course minus the fried foods, fast foods, & soda. i avoid bread, though it goes down if i chew it really well. (tried twice) i'm eating much more mindfully & healthy, so no complaints really. ok, just 1: where is my restriction? i can't wait until my fill! i hope i haven't done any damage to my stomach, pouch, or the band because i started eating regular food so quickly! i just followed their directions...both from the surgeon & nutritionist.

Hi! I was wondering about your 1st fill....glad it went well! Let us (or at least me, lol) know how long your restriction lasts! I'm curious about my 1st fill. My nutritionist says that maybe the doc won't actually give me a fill on the 12th of Feb afterall! She says it depends on how much I lose before then...if it's slow, they'll fill. If I'm still losing, they're going to wait! I thought it was "normal" to have a fill at 6 weeks post-op. Am I crazy or what? As for the flaky face thing, yeah I'm experiencing that too! Take some Omega 3, 6, or 9 Fish Oil supplements! REALLY seem to help...especially since we've all drastically reduced our intake of fats. * Note: but I ONLY take them right when I go to bed. Otherwise...fish taste all day, along with fish burps. ICK, gross! You have been warned. :biggrin1: And about that weighing everyday thing, I've been guilty of that too. But sometimes it does dictacte how well my day will be! Not where I want to be with that, but working on it. INSTEAD, I'm just paying attention to how my clothes feel...and so far, great! I don't feel so much like a bloated fish anymore. A blow fish, if you can visualize it, WAS me! Keep up the good work December Bandsters!!!!

I hear ya...I'm trying NOT to be one of those people either. Keep up the good work VABanster, I know we can do this! Oh, and my first fill will be Feb 12th...and yours? We're just about on the same schedule, eh? And to finish with some random tidbits...I have some babbling to do, hope you don't mind. My general doctor told me today that my healing scars look wonderful, which I'm relieved to hear. Maybe I'll get courageous enough to post pics. Hmmm? Call me shy...but my belly is SO not cute! Now that I'm feeling better, I want to incorporate some physical activity! I love swimming & doing Water aerobics...can't wait to get started. She said that I should avoid swimming for the next month to let my scars heal properly. She also mentioned staying out of sunshine for the next year! I was sort of disappointed, thinking that once spring comes i'll want to hit the tanning bed a few times! Sometimes even in the dead of winter, i like to go lay in a tanning bed for the warmth & what i like to call my "sunshine therapy". I'll meet with my nutritionist this Wednesday & I'll give her my food journal. I think she'll be shocked too that I've been able to get bread down! It's actually rare that I eat bread, but the few times I have eaten it, no problem. I'm sure all that will change after my 1st fill.

Congrats on your weight loss, you should feel so proud of yourself! I'm inspired by your progress. Your doctor will find a solution for you, whether it be a new band or something else. Sorry I don't know what they do in your case, but regardless, you'll be OK! I can only imagine what it feels like to be in your shoes. Hang in there and remember how far you've already come! Keeping you in my thoughts & prayers...

thanks wade for allowing us to download this guide you obviously spent a lot of time working on! highly recommend it to everybody here!

I agree, a 6 month wait for a lifetime change isn't very long....although it feels like forever! It will be worth the wait, no doubt. I started my process in June 2005. After being watched by a dietician & after all the tests, x-rays, other doctor appointments (psychologist, anasthesiologist, etc) I finally got an appointment to be banded in December 2006. I didn't think it would EVER happen! But I kept doing everything they wanted me to do. Jump through all their hoops & be patient. It will happen at exactly the precise moment you & your doctors are perfectly ready. It is a long process for most of us, but I hope it doesn't discourage you! Keep your chin up, it will happen!

does everybody recommend taking laxatives to get more "regular" before checking into the hospital? or do they give an enema after getting there? since being on a pre-op diet the last week, i need help in this department, ahem... if you get my drift. and it seems that post-op it takes awhile as well.

Thanks everybody for your pre-op advice! I guess I worried about constipation for no reason. Actually the same happened to me too threebeauties --- it took about 4 days to not have the "liquid in, liquid out" issue! Thank goodness that's over! Back to the regularly scheduled program...

Thanks for this useful information! I thought it was normal that I'm hungry every 2-3 hours! But I'm also able to eat a lot more than 1 cup per sitting. I've only been banded less than 2 weeks but I think my swelling has gone down & actually my band is empty! SO definitely looks like it's time for a fill! However, I have to wait 4 more weeks...that's a whole MONTH! So what do we do in the meantime, while waiting for a fill? I have bfast, snack, lunch, snack, & dinner totaling sometimes over 1200 calories! I try to fill in my Snacks with Protein shakes, to prolong my hunger coming back so quickly & it seems to help. Drinking a lot of Water between meals & snacks gives me a feeling of being full too. Any tricks for those of us who are forced to wait?

I would definitely recommend getting some sort of Gas-X... I had the WORST post-op gas pains the first 5 days. I couldn't sleep, I couldn't lie down completely so I slept sitting up! The gas eventually passes itself out in all forms. I let all mine go naturally, without any Gas-X but I bet it would have made a world of difference! I even BEGGED my intensive care unit nurses to give me something for the painful gas & they couldn't! I even brought my own natural herb supplement for relieving gas pains & they wouldn't let me take it. I cried a lot because the pain was so bad. Bending over seemed to force the gas into my shoulders which cut my breath & I thought I was having an asthma or heart attack! I couldn't get a deep breath at all. Kinda freaky. So I stayed still, barely moving at all. When I did get up & move around, the gas pain came back. Regardless if I was just walking around the room or trying to bend or anything at all, it forced the gas around & it was painful! Long story short, be prepared for gas & ask your doctor beforehand to have something you can take!

My 2 cents... If possible, I would give your body the maximum time to recover slowly. Regardless if the surgery is severe or not, our bodies have undergone a shock & our bodies need intense TLC. Everybody is different but I would take as much time as possible. Give yourself the time, you deserve it! And if you feel better before you're due back at work, all the better! Just extra time to pamper. Who doesn't like the idea of that? Personally, I couldn't be one of those Thursday-Monday people. I have a full 2 weeks to recover & I am so grateful! I didn't start feeling "normal" until at least 1 week post-op. Until then, I really didn't want to bother with blow drying my hair (bending hurt), buttoning my pants on my incisions, underwire bras, etc. I got tired very easily, after doing simple things like showering & getting dressed! I felt like I had been hit by a truck so I'm glad I had already taken the 2 weeks off. At first I thought it might be too much time, but actually not at all! Best wishes for everybody's recovery!

Can't wait for my first fill either VABandster! I'm easily getting in 1000 cal. per day, everything goes down without a problem. Though I get a feeling of being full, I get hungry again about every 3 hours! I guess this is normal?

Congrats on your 1st fill! I'm looking forward to mine...I won't have my first fill until February 12th. I was just banded 1 week ago and now it seems that I'm having almost NO restriction at all! My doc had me eating "regular" food right away (no liquids, purées, or mushies). I chew well & eat very slowly & everything goes down without any problem. But it still seems like I'm able to eat a lot in comparison to others here. For example, today to see how much it took before feeling full, I had a tuna sandwich, yogurt & applesauce. I couldn't believe it! I suppose I'll need to be patient until my fill.

Isn't it better if we take Vitamins throughout our weight loss stages, regardless what we are eating? Anybody having a hard time digesting multi-vitamins? Anyone taking liquid Vitamin supplements? Any advice? Thank you!

Hi all December Bandsters!!! What an exciting 2007 this will be for all of us! I can hardly contain my excitement! Or is it really all the drugs??? haha I was banded on the 27th of December like kkleslie. I am SO thankful & grateful for my band! Not to mention this forum....knowing we're all doing this together is FANTASTIC. I'm surprisingly not on liquids anymore, since being released from the hospital. My doc wants me to return to "normal" eating, just chewing & eating really slow. So far, so good! Of course, I've been choosing easy to eat foods like fish & mashed potatoes. I had oatmeal too & what a warm comforting food after surgery! It's truly amazing how I finally feel FULL after eating a really reasonable amount. Before, I felt like I could eat forever & never feel full. I am so relieved!!! Is anyone out there going to support groups? This forum is my support group, so thank you to everybody for posting here with advice & support! We can & WILL succeed!

thanks so much for the advice! you gals are the best!!! i took some tylenol and it seems to be helping but i'm still going to check out those links you gave randi, thanks again!

hi all, can i take advil 2 days before surgery? thanks!

thanks for replying! that's what i was afraid of.... my tennis elbow is killing me & the anti-inflammatory really does the trick....so instead i'm using a cold pack to reduce the inflammation. any other ideas?

hi all, anybody know if i can take advil BEFORE surgery? in 2 days i will be banded & my tennis elbow is killing me....i'm typing only with 1 hand as it hurts too much!

Motivation has constantly been hitting me over the head & I finally understood it was surgery or death!!!! Of many motivating incidents, here are my most memorable: First came on my 21st birthday when travelling to Las Vegas to Celebrate. It was an exciting time for me! Until I got on the plane & couldn't buckle my seat belt. I was completely crushed. I hadn't realized how big I had gotten. Shamed, I asked for help. The stewardess handed me an "extention belt" & I have never forgotten her reaction. This sparked a BIG diet after Vegas, losing 100 lbs by using an Atkins type eating. Little did I know that I didn't fix my emotional attachment to food...therefore gaining it all back + extra. The 2nd came when I waited in line for over 1 hour at the amusement park, Six Flags just to find out that once I got onto the ride, I didn't fit. Again, shamed to death, I walked away and knew I needed to do something. The 3rd came when I started teaching at a new school. Kids are cruel, but the truth hurt more than ever. They nicknamed me "Big Mama" & laughed. I can already say that being banded is the BEST decision I've ever made for myself. I feel blessed to have the opportunity to be banded. Congrats to all of us who have decided our life is worth living!!!! We deserve the very best! Happy Holidays!

Hi all, Merry (early) Christmas! I'm checking into the hospital the day after Christmas, so I'm getting ready for my banding!!!! They are keeping me 5 days, so I'll post once I get home. I've been trying to see what I should expect after surgery...there's a lot of different stories. But one thing is sure...it looks like I need to stock up on Gas-X. :girl_hug: Best of luck to all the December Bandsters!

sorry you're getting 2 different opinions from your doctors, but here comes another opinion: i would NOT recommend gall bladder removal AT ALL. don't do it! you just won't digest the same after the removal. there are other surgeries and ways to "dissolve" the gall stones & let them pass through without having to remove the entire organ. we need our gall bladder to digest properly! best of luck & keep us posted...

Hi again, I found this & thought some of us might be interested? (here's where I saw it:http://www.bospa.org/Information.aspx?Page=19) Pre-op liver reduction plan Just because you are awaiting a surgical treatment for your morbid obesity, this is not an excuse to sit back and gorge out on as much food as you can! Any weight you can lose through dieting before your surgery is an advantage - it will make the surgery easier and will reduce the risks associated with it. Some surgeons mandate a very restricted diet - one that is low in fat, sugar and carbohydrates - for one week prior to surgery and even if your surgeon doesn't ask you to follow this diet, doing so will increase your chances of your operation being completed laparoscopically because it will shrink your liver down in size. By following a strict diet, your body reduces its glycogen stores (glycogen is a form of sugar stored in the liver and muscles for energy). With each ounce of glycogen, the body stores 3–4 ounces of Water, so when you follow a very strict diet, especially one that is low in starch and sugar, your body loses its glycogen stores and some water. The liver shrinks as it has less glycogen and water in it. This diet is only recommended for one week before surgery and is not to be followed post–operatively. It is quite possible you lose a lot of weight that week, but it will be mainly be water loss. Please ensure you continue to drink throughout the day. Here are some menu suggestions: Breakfast Small bowl of Cereal, or 1 slice of toast with a scraping of low fat spread lunch 1 slice bread or 2 crispbreads Small portion lean meat or fish, or Small portion cheese, or 2 eggs (not fried) Green salad (no dressing) or tomatoes dinner Small portion lean meat or fish, or Small portion low fat cheese, or 2 eggs, or Tofu or Quorn based dish 1 small potato or 2 tablespoonfuls Pasta or rice Vegetables (as many as you like except for root vegetables) Daily 1/3 pint milk for use in drinks and on cereal 2 portions of fruit (e.g. apple, orange, banana, pear) Free water, tea, coffee, low calorie squash or fizzy drinks 1 low fat, low sugar yogurt or fromage frais