Search the Community

hi all, I am in the process of of getting the Lap Band - should be able to get it in September. I am looking for any tips or advice you can give about the process. I would like to start purchasing food/supplies that I will need pre & post surgery. Does anyone have a list of things to get to stock a pantry in preparation of the surgery.... and any kitchen products that might be needed. anyone be willing to share their favorite recipes/tips for after surgery? How about the mushy/ soft food phase any tips/ recipes? Lapband questions- I sleep on my side, does it hurt.... or is it bad to sleep on the port? What does it feel like when food gets stuck from a tight band or bread or something that has expanded. I suppose it would not feel like choking, as you can still breathe.... but what's it feel like? How do you best resolve it? Alcohol & carbonation: i was under the assumption that liquids would pass through the band opening easily & into the big stomach- why do they say it may stretch the pouch? If I ate rice/pasta... and it swelled/got slimy so it did not go down in the pouch- how do you fix it? Do you drink water to loosen it up? THANK YOU all for any responses I am not sure if I can post my email in a posting.... but my username at Gmail dot com is my e-mail

Oh I have been having fun with this...Let's see... There is so much good advice out there why in the heck don't those fat people take it..what a bunch of idiots! All they need to do is walk, run ,take yoga, join curves, use slim fast, eat olive oil, avoid trans fats, swim, be honest, smoke like a chimney and only eat all organic food from Arizona, take hoodia, ephedra, leptotrim, slim quick, fat burners, vinegar, Fiber, citrus juice, do a good colin cleanse, meditate, fast, eat more often, eat less often, eat Breakfast, drink wine, not drink, skip sugar, eat chocolate, self actualize, think secret positive thoughts, visualize yourself thin, put a picture of a thin person on your fridge, put a picture of yourself on your fridge, have more sex (if you can get any), Take long baths and foooocus.... And I mean my god if they can't do any of those easy things why the heck not just eat 2o pounds of Protein and fat each day, get injected with pregnant womens urine or wear a copper and gold left spiral bracelet encrusted with rubies and peridot, and work with their transits? Good god there are so many easy and reliable solutions to fat peoples character flaws! Mostly they are just a bunch of lazy gluttons. Let' all talk about it while we watch the football game all day sunday...I'm on for the pizzas, you get the beer...who will bring the Ben and Jerrys? We are all the same after all...a calorie is a calorie jeeze. Wow, did you hear about that poor Paris or Lindsey...Such pretty things to take so many drugs and drink, drive drunk and behave so frightenly! I sure hope that waterfront 5 star spa/treatment center can help the poor girls with their difficult problems...poor girls...such a hard life! but they are strong beautiful girls and they will make it. :ohmy::crying: Sorry to rant but I just have to...a little semi anonoymus indulgence:rolleyes: Seriously though...How in the world can insurance companies justify alcohol treatment centers at 30 days and $30000 or so and give obese people trouble if they want a lap band...hello! If we (I!) want help for either we deserve it. Compassion folks! Do unto others and all that stuff....And luck to all of us , we might be pioneers...but let's settle for being worthy of help to get healthier...Love to All...:thumbup: (though maybe not the fat bashers...just yet anyway:blush:)

@@SciFiGuy My doctor doesn't allow alcohol for a YEAR! I guess the idea is that too many people replace one addiction for the other, but... To the OP..... If you are really sincere, I suggest professional help. There's no one on this board (I hope) that is going to help you justify your alcohol abuse. Our shock, disbelief and utter concern should tell you that this is a serious problem that you have, and you desperately need to seek help. If you need help selecting the therapist, please contact me via private message and I'll help you find someone.

(Sorry for the quote, but I don't want to have to scroll up to reference your post… and sorry in advance for the long post…) I felt bad about getting so low that this surgery was my only option. I WANTED to lose the weight myself. When I put my mind to something, it gets done, so why not THIS particular something? That's another book... It took me almost 5 years of heavy thought and self contemplation before I was "OK" with the idea of having weightloss surgery. I spent 4 years telling myself, “MAYBE I’ll consider if, if I don’t weigh under X by X date” or “Ok, I will do it if I can’t be 40 lbs lighter this time next year, because obviously if I can’t make that little goal, I just can’t do it on my own.” I also kept thinking, especially as I was truly, seriously considering LB, “Damn, it would be a shame if one last diet could have fixed my problem… so maybe I should give it one last chance…” Here’s the thought process I had that slowly changed the way my gears were turning: Lots of people have health issues. Lots of people have borderline health issues, or are at risk for health issues. Most of those people are employing some type of medical intervention for their issues. Why is this so different? Why should I not seek the medical treatment available to help with what might otherwise turn into a significant health issue? Why is it OK for an alcoholic to receive a new liver, but not for me to get the band? Why is it OK for a smoker to seek breathing treatments, but not ok for me to seek a medical support? Eventually – I could no longer explain away the differences, and could no longer justify to myself staying fat. Don’t feel bad about the money (easy to say, my insurance covered… I know). If you need reassurance that it’s a worthwhile investment, ask your husband – “If we could spend $180000 on <debt, car, house, whatever>, or on something that will give me a really good shot at a normal, healthy weight and longer life, which would you want to spend the money on?” J I do want to interject against one thing you said. You say “I think that I am on the right path, because friends tell me I should definitely do this”. In the politest way possible, your friends have nothing to do with this, and you should not use their opinions as a way to judge whether or not this is right for YOU. It’s handy to have the support… can definitely be done without… but make sure you aren’t allowing their opinions to change your life. YOU need to be telling yourself that YOU should do this. Until then, it’s maybe not the right path. Have you researched the band, how it works, and what happens once you’re banded? I think for most people, upon finding good restriction, don’t have to contend with appetite. A majority of the significance of restriction is that you get full on a small amount of food. That’s why we get it. The possible restriction on certain foods, and negative consequences to “eating wrong” are side effects… the purpose is to cause satiety on small portions. Here’s another “setting” I put myself in when contemplating WLS: Time is going to pass. There’s nothing I can do about it, it’s one of the few truly inevitable things about life. It’s going to be “a year from now”, regardless of what I do. So in a year, I can be like this, or fatter – or I can be well on the road to a much healthier & happier me. In a year, how am I going to feel if I reflect back on this exact moment, and only feel regret for not making changes?

Yes, people tend to have a warning. You get immediate nausea, then there is sliming (heh, that's always a treat for newbies to hear about), and sometimes it goes down, sometimes it doesn't. You LEARN to chew well and not make mistakes in public. I drink alcohol once in a while but with any WLS you get drunk VERY VERY fast. I used to be able to put it away, not anymore. A half glass of wine the other night and I wanted to climb the palm tree outside my hotel room balcony, it seemed more reasonable than taking the elevator.

I am so, so, so disappointed. I started this process last December. I had to go through the Psych Eval, the three - nearly four months, of seeing the dietician, support meetings, etc. Finally the letter came back from the insurance company that my surgery for RNY has been denied. I am 4' "11' and 185 pounds or so. My BMI over 35 and I have to have at least two co-morbidities. You name it, I have it. My body hates to be fat. I have high blood pressure, sleep apnea, osteoarthritis, diabetic neuropathy in my feet, fatty liver disease, repeated issues with UTI's because of my blood sugar, I am diabetic and I know my endocrinologist is going to make me go on insulin this week - it totally sucks. They denied me because my two years of weight history shows my BMI as under 35. I was on two different prescription weight loss pills that my Endocrinologist prescribed - of course my weight was down. However, I did not like how either of those pills made me feel. One made me feel too jittery, heart racing and unable to concentrate while the other one worked for awhile - it stopped working and made me way too lethargic. My GI doctor was the one who told me over 2.5 years ago, when my BMI wasn't quite 35, that if I did not take the weight off that in ten years I would be looking at cirrhosis of the liver, non-alcoholic fatty liver disease. That is when my endo put me on the weight loss pills. AS usual, I gain it back. So while I am 2.5 years into my fatty liver and I am closer to the 10 year mark and my insurance company denies me. Anyway, any tips on appealing Federal Blue Cross Blue Shield?

Thanks for all of the advise! Unfortunately the vaseline, baby oil and rubbing alcohol didn't work. The dang hospital went overboard on the tape - you probably wouldn't believe it if you saw it! I am going to see my doc tomorrow for my 1 week post op and will ask him for something. Thanks again

One think to watch out for is alcohol. My Dr said not to drink for 1 year after surgery due to risk of bleeding ulcers. Your tolerance changes dramatically after as well Sent from my SM-N920G using the BariatricPal App

So, is it for sure this person got a sleeve? I could see this effect coming from a bypass where there's less opportunity for the intestine to absorb alcohol, in which case this makes more sense. This also sounds like a huge health hazard though, right? The no alcohol rule in the first month isn't a matter of calories, it's a matter of shock to your stomach, particularly along the suture line.

First of all, I love your user name Ghostdog. It's pretty cool. Next, I wanted to tell you what others have said. You are not insane. So many of us are in the same boat as you are. We all struggle. I came to the conclusion the other day that I am a foodaholic the way some people are alcoholics. And I have to take it one day at a time. Sometimes it is one minute at a time. But do remember you are 40 pounds down! That is great! I have read posts from people who have gained everything back and more. So you see, things are still going your way. I have been see- sawing for quite some time now. It is always, "I've ruined today, I'll start fresh tomorrow." Well, after reading some of the posts to you I have decided to go back to the basics and write everything down after I have measured it. Maybe you will try it also. You can do this! Please post again and let us know how you are doing because there are a lot of us who care.

My doctor cleared me at 6 weeks for alcohol and spicy food and caffeine (although I must admit I started 1 cup of coffee at 4 weeks) I will only order a glass of wine to see how I handle it and I usually have a driver or take taxis so driving at least isn't an issue.

Yesterday was my first Options class at Kaiser Permanente. We had to weigh in prior to the actual session and it looks like I barley skimmed the 40 BMI >.< I'm just happy that I'm finally here and I'm on my way to getting sleeved if everything goes as planned. They want me to loose 10% of my body weight, so probably about 15 pounds. I don't think that should be too hard if I eliminate all fast foods since lately that's what I've been having for breakfast & dinner. I'm also going to start my green teas and smoothies as well as eating lots of healthy foods again. Maybe I could walk the park while the kids have baseball practice too. This weekend is Mothers Day weekend and I'm going to Las Vegas! SO.... I'm just going to make sure to choose healthy when eating.... but I'm not going to skip the alcohol =) So happy! I can already see future healthier & skinny self! -R

I am down 45-46lbs. We were at the pool yesterday ( shirt still on) and people are saying wow you look good! I really wasn't expecting that yet but I guess it has started. Questions like what are you doing?...Answer---Not eating much and not drinking alcohol which is true. I have the right tool to get this done!

Hi T_Hay81 I had the surgery 9 weeks ago and I'm doing great now ! I already lost 30 kilos and still going ! It's a bit hard in the beginning but by time you will get used to it . The most important stay away from sugar and alcohol and I'm sure you will be doing great Sent from my SM-G935F using the BariatricPal App

My doctor said a glass of wine but not all the time. He said beer is ok if it is not very carbonated. I had my first glass of wine a week post op. I find alcohol slows my weight loss down so I dont have it often. I drink any kind of alcohol I want but not in large portions. I always tells my doc about the amounts I drink and he has never had a problem with it those always tells me it is better not to drink because of the calories etc.

Drinking alcohol helped to get me where I am weight wise. Alcohol bloats me terribly. I have not had any wine since a couple of days before my surgery and I have already released so much of the bloat . I won't be doing alcohol for a long time to come. It's not worth it to me. Losing weight is my top priority now.

OK, my weakness is wine not ice cream. So I was a bad girl last night and had a glass of white wine. (I am still on liquid phase and this is liquid right??!!). Anyway, it tasted bad to me and my taste buds were not ready for it after having protien drinks for 13 days. My mouth was dry as the desert all night as I slept even though I drank 2 glasses of Water after the wine. Anyway, I am glad because I am not going to hurry to have another glass now. That will make me fall off the health wagon faster than ice cream. Does anyone else that likes an occasional drink have a story of their experience of alcohol with the band??

That's right nyquil has alcohol I wasn't paying mind. Do natural stuff hot tea with lemon. Rest

I think the main reason most ask you to wait so long is to cut down on your chance of transfer addiction. Mine said he wants me to have the full year to overcome whatever 'food addictions' I may have before adding in alcohol.

I went all out lol. I got absolutely wasted and ordered a BBQ bacon cheeseburger and loaded cheese fries. Alcohol alone must have been at least 1000 calories. I know a lot of people say not to do food funerals but it was worth it lol.

My program requires lifelong abstinence from alcohol (risk oftransfer addiction, empty calories, and higher intoxication with less to drink after surgery). Coffee is dehydrates you and is highly acidic. Why not work on finding a better way of becoming more alert? Drink more water, take 20 min nap, walk in the sunlight, do morning yoga, earlier bed time, smell vibrant essential oil, play upbeat music. I totally understand that some people and programs are A-okay with coffee. I'm just wanted to put another perspective out there. Best wishes to you! Sent from my SM-J320R4 using BariatricPal mobile app

I was told no alcohol for a year, but I broke that at about 7 weeks and had a few glasses of wine with some girlfriends one night and I was perfectly fine. I had a pretty high tolerance for alcohol before though so those 4 glasses really did nothing for me except give me a headache the next morning.

I have met people on both sides of the coin, yes, to many of us who have 100+ lbs. to lose, getting the surgery for 'only' 35 lbs may seem drastic, but I can understand the thought of not wanting to struggle all your life. I have met people (mainly self pay) who get the surgery to 'maintain' their figure/weight as they are older. I think everyone comes to the decision to have WLS of any kind for their own reasons. I was criticized by my family for having WLS because aside from being morbidly obese, I have no co-morbidities, I have low blood pressure, good cholesterol levels, and work out daily, I was 'healthy' (technically) before WLS aside from the weight. I think that akm0036, to answer your questions, yes, getting the sleeve, or any kind of WLS is drastic, it is not just for a year or two, it is for the rest of your life. That being said, I also struggled on the pre-op diet, I think everyone did. Yes, you feel like you are starving, and I understand feeling tired and weak. Once the surgery is done, your Ghrelin is gone, so (at elast for me so far) I have not felt hunger after the surgery, and it then becomes a chore just to get in your 64 oz of water each day. Also, you said you have babies to care for, my surgeon advised me not to lift more than 25 lbs after my surgery, that may be an issue you will also struggle with immediately after, once I am cleared, I can lift items again. The truth about your other questions, is not that you CAN NEVER eat those things again, your stomach will not explode but ideally, you SHOULD not eat those things again, with wine and alchohol, my understanding is that with such a small stomach, the alcohol empties quickly into your small intestine, which causes you to absorb it much faster, and hence get drunk faster, and then not stay drunk as long, with eating hot dogs and pizza, these are both carb laden items, and since your stomach will be so small, you are encouraged to eat high quality foods so you do not develop nutritional deficiencies, but I have read of many people on here and elsewhere that splurge once in a while on 'bad' foods, the Obesity Police aren't going to come and arrest you if you splurge once in awhile down the road As far as eating and drinking at the same time, again, your stomach is so small, you will need to fill it with quality food when you do eat, if you eat and drink at the same time, a couple things could happen, you could cause the food to 'slide' through, and then you will end up consuming more than necessary, or you could end up filling your stomach with liquid instead of quality protien and nutrients, which could cause you not to consume enough. Yes, it is true, some people have issues with acid reflux, and the such, as with any surgery there are risks. I feel like my best advice to you would be to do more research if you are feeling unsure. Bottom line, there are risks, and you will have to change your lifestyle. If you are ready for it, I say do it, don't let anyone tell you that 35 lbs isn't enough, that decision is between you and yourself, but please do be prepared though to know that the sleeve is not a 'magic pill' so to speak, you would be able to gain weight back if you do not utilize it properly down the road. I encourage you to read some of the forums as well about people that have gone backwards on their journeys, how they got there, and why. I think if you do more research it will affirm your decision either way. Whatever you decide, good luck, and I hope you feel better soon. I know on pre-op I felt like I wanted to chew someones arm off, and I was cranky and mean, lol. I don't wish that one anyone

This subject does come up frequently, and it usually provokes some pretty strong opinions on all sides. I'll state the same things I have stated on this subject before: If you are really serious about losing weight, you need to consider giving up the booze. It is NOT conducive to good health OR weight loss, regardless of what some small studies say about the occasional glass of wine. Don't get me wrong; I always enjoyed a good blast of hootch, but NOTHING could make me feel as good as I do as a thin person. Sure, you could have a drink occasionally; you could also have a Snickers on occasion. Or a Hot Fudge Sundae. But WHY would you want to, after everything you have been through with your weight? It's the little decisions that we make on a moment to moment basis that impacts our health so dramatically. A shot of booze here, some cheez whiz there,....it all adds up. And you don't NEED a drink to be happy or have fun....if you DO,....well,,,,there are perhaps some other issues that you might want to address. There are certain things you need to eat to live..... Alchohol is one of those things you do NOT need. And it can hurt you in a number of ways. Also, consider the very real idea that after you have had one or two drinks, your will-power does tend to diminish, if not vanish entirely. This could lead to more drinks, and then the snacking that can often accompany a buzz. Sure, you can drink. Sure, you can have that piece of pizza, that slice of cake. But will that move you ANY closer to your goal? Nope. Will it keep you away from your goal? A little, tiny bit, yes. And will it continue to expose you to the foods that made you fat to begin with? Sure will. A couple of you have said your Drs have said that it is OK to have a drink.. Some have said their doctors advised against consuming alcohol. You will find Drs that say both. But….I would challenge you to ask any Dr if it would be better that you did NOT have a drink/Pizza/whatever. I can guarantee you that probably %100 would say that it would be better if you didn't. You always have a choice. And you should always strive to make the HEALTHY choice. S.

Change certainly is never easy. But as the saying goes. nothing worth having comes easy. This in my opinion one of the hardest things I can think of in regards to life changes. Lets face it, if you are an alcoholic, addicted to drugs, you fight to break that addiction, turn away from the drugs/alcohol and you work hard to never look back. But we have the more difficult task (NOT NOT NOT that I;m downplaying recovering addicts, I have tremendopus respect for them) but we can't walk away from our addiction...food. We have to face it every day, making it a daily battle. But deciding to do this, to get the sugery, to change our lives, shows we DO have the strength. Some days its just harder to find then others EEsMom...don't let the hurdles discourage you, so many of us had to go through them. Lets face it, we are doing this because we suffer health issues, so no wonder we hit some walls along the way! Each step though, is one step closer. Good luck to you!!! Heres another blog... Posted 3/23/11 One more week makes it 3 months. 3 months. Funny, I would think time would have felt like it flew. IT HASN'T! hehe. Its been a long 3 months if you ask me. Just yesterday and last night I was sick again. I know, I know, try not to be shocked. I wonder if that's ever going to stop or if it's a permanent price to pay. Not that its the end of the world, I mean this is annoying but diabetes would have eventually killed me. So its seemingly a small price. But on days like that I do find myself a little...perturbed. For all the seminars, meetings etc that I went to no one spoke about these down sides. Yes, yes they talked about eating too fast or too much making you sick, or eating the wrong thing may give you "dumping syndrome" (Really? with all the medical jargon out there they couldn't come up with a better phrase? Come on, that’s just gross) anyway... I don't know if they would tell us ahead of time of ALL the negative consequences that a lot of people would change their minds. I really don't think it would deter anyone. Hell, I made sure at the seminar I asked all about death rates from the surgery and that kind of stuff. Now mind you, they didn’t have it as part of the whole presentation but they did most graciously answer my questions.(Leave it to me to scare everyone) But anyway, why omit anything at all? I'm sorry but I had no idea how sick I was going to be all the time. Last night I was barely able to hold my Vitamins down. That’s just crazy! But it is what it is. I was talking to a friend of mine who told me he ran into an old friend. She had once been like 400 lbs, had the surgery a year ago and was looking and doing great. Then he told me she said yes, she still felt sick a lot.... ... ... ... A YEAR LATER?! So I gave up one sickness for another lol. Well ok, being nauseous all the time wont kill me so this is the better deal but I do find some kind of twisted amusement in this. All I know is that I have indeed learned this: I once claimed that having surgery was "taking the easy route" Well it may have been the fast route but easy? LIKE HELL!!! It has its own price, a worthy one but a price nonetheless... Call it karma, call it cosmic justice... just call me in some tums. Have a great holiday everyone!!