Hello everyone. I'm getting banded tomorrow.

[caffeine 0]

My name is Peter, and I'm from NYC, although I've lived in DC, FL, TX, MI, and CA. I consider NoCal to be my home. San Francisco is my favorite city in the world.

I'm getting the procedure tomorrow; meeting the surgeon (Christine Ren from NYU MC) at 6am. Procedure starts 7:30am. At that hour, I doubt I'll need any anesthesia. :thumbup:

I've been on a liquid only diet for 2 weeks. The first 5 days were one of the hardest things I've ever done, but watching the procedure done "for reals" on youtube gave me the will and resolve to stick it out on 1000 cal/day Protein shake diet. The 2 cups of veggies were the high point of my day.

I've been faithful to the diet, and other than days where I probably had more like 3 cups of veggies, I have been 100% faithful to the diet. OK, there was one day I fell off the wagon and had 4 cups of veggies.

My pre-op diet went something like this:

Days 1-3: Agony. Pain. Like a drug addict in withdrawal.

Days 4-5: Misery.

Days 6-10: Much easier, but I felt like an angsty teenager, looking at a pizzeria or a deli knowing they aren't for me. I became angry with things like Subway sandwiches and yogurt. Typical "diet food" that was off limits for me.

After day 10, I have to say the diet is much easier. Occasionally I feel hungry, but it almost feels natural to go for some rose-Water or some spicy broth.

In all, I have lost 20lbs on this crazy diet.

It's not that I'm not looking forward to eating my first pizza, but I really think the pre-op diet will make the 10 day post-op liquid diet much easier. I feel more prepared for it. Oh, I also have found the diet is MUCH easier on days I go to work. The weekends are much harder for me.

I did a lot of research on bands, and decided that unless my surgeon thinks otherwise, I want the Realize-C. The reasons AGAINST the Realize-C are:

1. LapBand AP seems to have more weight loss associated with it. However, I am a mathematician, and I know claims like this are nearly meaningless. Contrary to what people say, statistics don't lie, however, you need an unbiased researcher who wants to do a good job, and this particular statistic does not come from an unbiased researcher.

2. The LB-AP is 3rd gen while the Realize-C is 2nd gen. True, but not compelling. I'm sure the Realize-C engineers had a LB-AP in their hands while contemplating the Realize-C design.

3. There is some empirical evidence that the Realize-C balloon may crease, causing saline leakage when past a fill of 9.0. However, I have full faith in my surgeon, and if she thought the risk was anything other than nearly insignificant, she wouldn't have offered it to me. There is risk in everything we do.

There are numerous benefits to the Realize-C which seem compelling, but I think the port profile and insertion technique is what put me over the edge in favor of the Realize-C.

So therefore, I'm going to ask her for the Realize-C unless opening me up reveals that LB-AP is a better choice.

I have no number "goal" weight. My goal is to look great naked. I don't care if that puts me at 150, 180, or 200. I want to look at the mirror and say "Hell yeah, that's *my* body. Awwwww yeeeaaahhhhhhh......".

I also want to be able to shop in any clothing store and be able to find clothes that fit. About a year ago, I went to H&M and not a single pair of pants fit me in the entire store. Not one. I was traumatized. So my secondary goal is to be able to find groovy clothes that fit me anywhere in any store.

My last goal is to learn moderation. I want to eat a single pizza for lunch and say "You know? That was delicious and filling". Currently, even 2 pizzas would leave me hungry.

I eat great food. I don't eat candy or sweets. I don't eat fast food at all. My last Big Mac was in 1986. My last KFC was in 2003, but before that, it was probably sometime in the 80's. However, I currently do not know moderation, e.g. I can eat a whole jar of Peanut Butter.

I have made a few theories about weight loss in the past few weeks. I'm not sure if they're true, but it's what I've seen.

1. If you lose more than 2lbs in a day, expect diarrhea. Your body is probably in shock.

2. If you eat something, the weight you'll gain will not show up on a scale anytime soon. It takes about a day or two for the weight to fully show up. I have no idea why. It just appears to be true.

3. There is a moment in the morning where your weight is at a minimum. Past that time, even if you don't eat or drink a single solitary thing, your weight will increase. For me, that time is somewhere between 7:30am and 9:30am.

Anyway, that's pretty much everything. I'm glad to have found this resource. I still have loads and loads to learn. I doubt I'll be able to meet support groups since I work in the financial district all the way downtown NYC, and sometimes I keep pretty late hours at work. But I'm hoping that forums like this will be a good substitute.

Pete

[Aquarius12459 0]

Good Luck to you! Perhaps "a" piece of pizza is more realistic instead of 1 pizza. :thumbup:

[caffeine 0]

LOL. That's a NYC habit that I can't seem to shake. We refer to a slice as a "pizza" and a whole pizza as a "pie". :-)

[Tracytma 19]

Welcome and congrats on your banding tomorrow. I'm sure you will do fine and I'll be thinking good thoughts for you. I am somewhat new to this forum as well. I've gone to a few of my required meetings and officially start on my way with my first Nurse practitioner meeting on 4/22/10. I hope to be banded in June or July, but will know more when I meet with her! Just wanted to say hello and good luck and this is an awesome sight. You will get the support you need. I look forward to hearing how it goes for you!

Oh, GREAT job on the two weeks of fluids preop.. I am SOO looking forward to that!! :thumbup:

[caffeine 0]

Hey Tracy,

Thanks! It's really luck that I was able to do this so quickly. My health insurance required a 6 month demonstration that "medically supervised diets" don't work for me. What a joke...

Switched jobs, got another insurance, and they only required 3 months. I know I'm not going to look the way I want to this summer, but I'll look better than I've looked in years. Maybe a decade.

I'm sure you'll do OK on the diet. You know how they say "time heals all things"? It's kinda true for this diet. Here's what helped me through it:

1. Time. The first few days you're going to be tired and disoriented (at least I was). The first week or so will be very difficult. But after that, it *really* does get easier.

2. My boss. Don't know how to put this delicately, but those shakes ... umm... don't agree with me very well. I explained everything to my boss, and he let me work at home in close proximity to my bathroom whenever I needed it. :thumbup:

3. My wife. The lack of variety really killed me. So did the sickeningly sweet shakes. I wish they had roast beef flavor or something. But she tried very hard to make variety in my dinner, and it helped a lot. My mother made some home made broth. Put some capers and hot sauce, and you feel almost half-way normal.

4. My work. Delving into work REALLY helped. Weekends were the worst. I guess this translates to "keep busy" with whatever you do. I think that's part of the reason why I'm writing so much. It keeps my mind off food. :-)

Good luck with your meetings, insurance, and everything. If you're banded in June or July, It sounds like you'll definitely reach your goal next summer and we can both post about all the groovy summer clothing we've bought.

Oh, also time isn't the only thing that helps with the diet -- no fat salsa does too. :-)

[Laura Lane 0]

i wish you the best of luck!!! nice description of your experience with weight loss. keep us posted.:thumbup:

[mglenwink 0]

Good Luck Peter! You'll do great. I just got banded last Monday and I feel like I'm walking on sunshine every day. But I have to say you are a much stronger person than me. I didn't have to do liquids for two weeks before. I got to eat food, just had to boost that Protein up there. And I don't have two weeks of liquids after either. I had Clear Liquids the first couple of days, but I had a single scrambled egg (which I couldn't finish) today for Breakfast, and about a quarter cup of pork and Beans tonight for dinner. I do drink Boost still for most of my meals.

Best of luck to you! I have lost a total of 10lbs since last Monday and look forward to each and every day to see what comes next!

Michele

Austin, Texas

[caffeine 0]

Well, I now have a Realize-C in me. All I can say is ... WOW!!! Went something like this:

Woke up at 4am. No Breakfast.< /p>

Met my wife, mom an stepdad at NYUMC at 6am.

Met with anesthesiologist (scored brownie points by talking to him in my broken Russian) at 7am.

Met with Dr. Ren (surgeon) at 7:30am.

At 8am, they put me in the OR, which was buzzing with activity. There were 4 people in the room, and I didn't see the surgeon yet. They numbed my left hand with an impossibly tiny needle. It was so small, I literally felt nothing. I mean that. A mosquito bite was more painful than the needle they put into me.

At 8:15am, they put the IV in me and started to drip the anesthesia. I started chatting with the anesthesiologist. We started to talk about college. I told him that I've been in college for over 20 years and did my doctorate in physics. We started talking about physics education in Russia vs the USA. He said I could call him "Gene" if he could call me "Peter," since "Dr." such and such was so long (my last name is only 2 syllables, so it's not that bad, but his was pretty long). I laughed.

I closed my eyes just for a second and the next thing I knew, I was in a different room. I drifted off to sleep in a matter of seconds. I didn't make note of the time.

I awoke around 10:30am. I noticed that deep breathing was painful. There was a female nurse next to me. She told me that I'd be released from the recovery room based on my heart rate and my level of breathing, so to breathe as much as possible. I noticed she was reading a book, and although I didn't have my glasses on, I distinctly recognized seeing a carboxyl functional group diagram in her book. I didn't see well enough to see what the rest of the chemical was, but I recognized the COOH instantly. I weakly said "Are you taking o-chem"? She said she just got accepted to Columbia anesthesiology nurse school and o-chem was kicking her ass. She asked me if I knew o-chem and I told her I loved that class. She asked me if I could help her with her homework, to which I said yes, but I drifted back to sleep a second later.

There was a young boy on the bed next to me. Maybe 6 years old. Hispanic. He was crying, and I overheard that he had leukemia. I felt really sad for them. He was a cute kid, and his parents looked calm, but you could tell that was just exterior for his benefit. You could see the deep sadness in their eyes. I drifted back to sleep.

At 11:30am I woke back up and my wife was there. We spoke for a bit and I drifted back to sleep.

I awoke. The boy had stopped crying and was talking to his parents. They were speaking Spanish too quickly for me to understand. The nurses finally moved me to my room around noon. It was private. On my way out, I gave the boy next to me a smile and a thumbs up. He smiled and waved back to me.

They gave me some kind of "mineral water" with too much aspartame and very salty broth for lunch. I was told I could go if I could eat lunch, pee at least 300mL, and walk the length of the hallway twice.

I had only 2 holes in me -- top was smaller, bottom was larger. I was surprised because I thought they'd be making 5 holes. Maybe I was so faithful to my pre-op diet the surgeon only needed one hole to get the job done? I dunno.

Drifted back to sleep.

Woke up to the nurse looking at my bottom dressing and noticed that it bled through to my night gown. She and another nurse changed me. A momentary flash of modesty came over me and I felt a little sheepish having someone other than my wife see me in my birthday suit, but I noticed that I was in pain so my mind didn't focus on modesty. I asked for more morphine, which they gave.

I noticed my throat hurt quite a bit, and I felt like I had been yelling; I was hoarse. It was due to a tube they put down my throat during the procedure.

I listened to Abbey Road, Magical Mystery Tour, and Revolver.

I drank their lunch, and noticed I was literally stuffed afterwards. I peed, which made the nurse very happy. I went home around 6pm.

For dinner, I had Progresso pot-roast Soup (7:30pm), strained of everything except for carrots and string Beans, which were very mushy. I promised my wife to chew them copiously. Followed by a small cup of coffee.

I could barely finish the Soup for dinner. I was (and still am) stuffed to the gills. I have a feeling I will never order a venti bold from Starbucks again.

Point of information: A can of soup *never* filled me in my life. Strained at that!!! I usually have 2 cans of Progresso soup supplemented by a large salad and oat bran/flaxseed crackers if I have "soup" for lunch. I can hardly believe it. Being full on such a little amount of food is just ... breathtaking. It's an emotional experience for me.

It's now midnight. My throat is doing better, although it still hurts a tad. My stomach has a very small dull ache. My wife needs to put on/take off my socks and shoes because it hurts when I bend very far. I need help getting into and out of our sofa.

I'm still full and the thought of eating more is simply odious to me. I managed to take all my liquid Vitamins.

Dr. Fielding (my surgeon's husband) was 100% correct. This is the first time I've ever had a small amount of food, and with slow purposeful eating, I feel completely satisfied. If anything, I think I might switch to Campbells. Progresso cans are currently too big for me.

I just took some more codine for my stomach and throat. Waiting for it to kick in.

I never did help the nurse with her o-chem hw. :wub:

I'm a "belly sleeper," and need to make a concerted effort to sleep on my back.

I was told that deep breathing is important for people with this procedure. Deep breathing is a common painful thing for us immediately after the procedure, but lack of deep breathing can cause infection and pneumonia. They gave me a small apparatus to help me breathe correctly -- I need to inhale in order to keep a ball within two markers for a number of seconds. I can easily keep the ball near the target point for near an amount of time they want, but it's slightly painful to keep the ball there for exactly the time they want. However, I'm getting better at it as time passes.

And that is my lapband procedure story.

[caffeine 0]

Michele, 101 pounds is FANTASTIC. Although it's my first day, and I'm still in pain a bit, I totally understand what you mean by walking on clouds every day. I feel like that right now. I completely understand you.

BTW, I once drove a Honda VF1100C from Tallahassee, FL to Sacramento, CA. Passed by Austin. You guys have *great* highways!

[caffeine 0]

Thanks Laura! I wasn't sure if describing my "bathroom problems" were too ... umm personal. But I figure we're all adults and are in the same boat. I have a tendency to "blab". :wub:

My wife has the same problem with diet shakes. I can't decide if it's the shake itself, or if diarrhea simply accompanies rapid 2+ lb per day weight loss. I'm thinking it's the shake though. Those things have so much artificial sweetners and chemicals. I haven't researched it yet, but I'd be willing to bet that too much aspartame has been documented to cause bathroom problems.

At this point, I can't have any more salads, but my diet is less restrictive in other ways. I plan to never put aspartame between my lips ever again. That stuff is SO nauseating.

[loserbob 11]

My name is Peter, and I'm from NYC, although I've lived in DC, FL, TX, MI, and CA. I consider NoCal to be my home. San Francisco is my favorite city in the world.

I'm getting the procedure tomorrow; meeting the surgeon (Christine Ren from NYU MC) at 6am. Procedure starts 7:30am. At that hour, I doubt I'll need any anesthesia. :wub:

I've been on a liquid only diet for 2 weeks. The first 5 days were one of the hardest things I've ever done, but watching the procedure done "for reals" on youtube gave me the will and resolve to stick it out on 1000 cal/day Protein shake diet. The 2 cups of veggies were the high point of my day.

I've been faithful to the diet, and other than days where I probably had more like 3 cups of veggies, I have been 100% faithful to the diet. OK, there was one day I fell off the wagon and had 4 cups of veggies.

My pre-op diet went something like this:

Days 1-3: Agony. Pain. Like a drug addict in withdrawal.

Days 4-5: Misery.

Days 6-10: Much easier, but I felt like an angsty teenager, looking at a pizzeria or a deli knowing they aren't for me. I became angry with things like Subway sandwiches and yogurt. Typical "diet food" that was off limits for me.

After day 10, I have to say the diet is much easier. Occasionally I feel hungry, but it almost feels natural to go for some rose-water or some spicy broth.

In all, I have lost 20lbs on this crazy diet.

It's not that I'm not looking forward to eating my first pizza, but I really think the pre-op diet will make the 10 day post-op liquid diet much easier. I feel more prepared for it. Oh, I also have found the diet is MUCH easier on days I go to work. The weekends are much harder for me.

I did a lot of research on bands, and decided that unless my surgeon thinks otherwise, I want the Realize-C. The reasons AGAINST the Realize-C are:

1. LAP-BAND® AP seems to have more weight loss associated with it. However, I am a mathematician, and I know claims like this are nearly meaningless. Contrary to what people say, statistics don't lie, however, you need an unbiased researcher who wants to do a good job, and this particular statistic does not come from an unbiased researcher.

2. The LB-AP is 3rd gen while the Realize-C is 2nd gen. True, but not compelling. I'm sure the Realize-C engineers had a LB-AP in their hands while contemplating the Realize-C design.

3. There is some empirical evidence that the Realize-C balloon may crease, causing saline leakage when past a fill of 9.0. However, I have full faith in my surgeon, and if she thought the risk was anything other than nearly insignificant, she wouldn't have offered it to me. There is risk in everything we do.

There are numerous benefits to the Realize-C which seem compelling, but I think the port profile and insertion technique is what put me over the edge in favor of the Realize-C.

So therefore, I'm going to ask her for the Realize-C unless opening me up reveals that LB-AP is a better choice.

I have no number "goal" weight. My goal is to look great naked. I don't care if that puts me at 150, 180, or 200. I want to look at the mirror and say "Hell yeah, that's *my* body. Awwwww yeeeaaahhhhhhh......".

I also want to be able to shop in any clothing store and be able to find clothes that fit. About a year ago, I went to H&M and not a single pair of pants fit me in the entire store. Not one. I was traumatized. So my secondary goal is to be able to find groovy clothes that fit me anywhere in any store.

My last goal is to learn moderation. I want to eat a single pizza for lunch and say "You know? That was delicious and filling". Currently, even 2 pizzas would leave me hungry.

I eat great food. I don't eat candy or sweets. I don't eat fast food at all. My last Big Mac was in 1986. My last KFC was in 2003, but before that, it was probably sometime in the 80's. However, I currently do not know moderation, e.g. I can eat a whole jar of Peanut Butter.

I have made a few theories about weight loss in the past few weeks. I'm not sure if they're true, but it's what I've seen.

1. If you lose more than 2lbs in a day, expect diarrhea. Your body is probably in shock.

2. If you eat something, the weight you'll gain will not show up on a scale anytime soon. It takes about a day or two for the weight to fully show up. I have no idea why. It just appears to be true.

3. There is a moment in the morning where your weight is at a minimum. Past that time, even if you don't eat or drink a single solitary thing, your weight will increase. For me, that time is somewhere between 7:30am and 9:30am.

Anyway, that's pretty much everything. I'm glad to have found this resource. I still have loads and loads to learn. I doubt I'll be able to meet support groups since I work in the financial district all the way downtown NYC, and sometimes I keep pretty late hours at work. But I'm hoping that forums like this will be a good substitute.

Pete

Hi Im Bob. I had my surgery done on March 10th. I had the realize band. I was a little disappointed when I found out it was not Lapband(Idont know why). I read about the benefits of the "new" realize band and am very happy now. Do not, I repeat, do not even worry about the surgery! I was probably more scared than anybody(never had surgery before). It went so fast, I spent the day of the operation and went home the next afternoon(my dr. requires overnight stay). All I remember was, being wheeled down the hallway (after they put my IV in) the anest. put "oxygen" mask on, told me they would ask me a couple questions when we got to the OR, well she asked me where I was from, I started getting this funny taste in my mouth, then woke up in the recovery room. Ill be honest, the worst part for me was the 2 days after. I had what I think was really, really bad gas. It was more discomfort than pain. I came home the next afternoon, asked my wife why I did this, took my pain meds, went to bed, slept like a baby. Woke up in a little gas discomfort, a little miserable, almost depressed, managed the day. Woke up day 3, it was like night and day difference, I kinda got my appetite back, miserable makeing my wife and kids pepperoni pizza but the suger-free Jello made up for it, Ya right! Today(Tuesday)I took my youngest to the local mall to get out of the house, went to food court got my kid subway. I drank my Won-Ton Soup broth while watching some old man look to me like he was over-enjoying his Big-Mac! I really thought about grabbing it and frunning to my car but the Soup broth wasnt really bad. Sorry its so long. I hope this helps,Up to this point there is really nothing to worry about, especially the surgery itself!

[loserbob 11]

Hi Im Bob. I had my surgery done on March 10th. I had the realize band. I was a little disappointed when I found out it was not LAP-BAND®(Idont know why). I read about the benefits of the "new" realize band and am very happy now. Do not, I repeat, do not even worry about the surgery! I was probably more scared than anybody(never had surgery before). It went so fast, I spent the day of the operation and went home the next afternoon(my dr. requires overnight stay). All I remember was, being wheeled down the hallway (after they put my IV in) the anest. put "oxygen" mask on, told me they would ask me a couple questions when we got to the OR, well she asked me where I was from, I started getting this funny taste in my mouth, then woke up in the recovery room. Ill be honest, the worst part for me was the 2 days after. I had what I think was really, really bad gas. It was more discomfort than pain. I came home the next afternoon, asked my wife why I did this, took my pain meds, went to bed, slept like a baby. Woke up in a little gas discomfort, a little miserable, almost depressed, managed the day. Woke up day 3, it was like night and day difference, I kinda got my appetite back, miserable makeing my wife and kids pepperoni pizza but the suger-free Jello made up for it, Ya right! Today(Tuesday)I took my youngest to the local mall to get out of the house, went to food court got my kid subway. I drank my Won-Ton Soup broth while watching some old man look to me like he was over-enjoying his Big-Mac! I really thought about grabbing it and frunning to my car but the soup broth wasnt really bad. Sorry its so long. I hope this helps,Up to this point there is really nothing to worry about, especially the surgery itself!

One more thing. Buy a box of gas-x strips, they are a lifesaver!!!

[caffeine 0]

Hi Bob!

Good to see a fellow guy on the forums. Had my surgery done yesterday. I was actually looking forward to it -- I've never had surgery before in my life, and I'm always looking forward to experiencing everything life has to offer. The whole process was fascinating.

Right now, I have very little appetite. I'm not really in pain per se, although I'm "aware" of the stiched up hole in belly. And my throat still hurts a little bit from the tube they put in.

I can't really bend down too well, so my wife helps me put on / take off my socks and shoes. I need to ask her to pick things up that I drop.

And, to tell you the truth, I'm having so much here at home not going to work, that I don't even think much about the pain.

I've been playing with my SqueezeBox music server, downloading good tunes, installing a wireless router, playing some video games. I'm having a blast, so the pain doesn't even bother me.

My boss is totally cool and told me I can have the week off. I plan on telecommuting to work on Thursday and Friday and coming back in on Monday. By then, I'll be really looking forward to getting back to the office.

I know you're not supposed to weigh yourself every day, but I was so excited to see my weight drop during the 2 week pre-op diet, that I did. Interestingly, my weight actually *increased* the day of the surgery by 2 pounds. But I think that's mainly due to swelling -- Water weight. Plus they gave me really salty broth at the hospital, and I never use salt, so that's probably Water retention right there.

I was told that they fill our body cavities with CO2 during laproscopic procedures, so farting and burping are common immediately afterwards, but so far so good.

This would be day 2 for me, so it's good to hear most of your pain was the first 2 days. I'm hopeful that I can at least put on my own socks and shoes tomorrow. :-)

Pete

[Jeri1053 0]

...

Oh, GREAT job on the two weeks of fluids preop.. I am SOO looking forward to that!! :wub:

Well, folks - here's another story of pre-op liquid diet - my experience was actually pretty pleasurable! My pre-op liquids were consumed between Monday, March 1, 2010 and Thursday, March 11, 2010. The longest 11 days of waiting I've ever experienced in my life - even worse than waiting for my son to be born or waiting for the final approval on my daughter's adoption!

Day 1 and 2: Hungry all the time, wondering what the heck I was doing.

Days 3 - 5: Dealing with liquids pretty well, getting into a routine, enjoying the change BUT the HUGE emotional rollercoaster was something that I could have done without.

Days 6 - 11: With the exception of a meat loaf meltdown (I'll explain in my blog) one night - I did a great job with the liquids. The only challenge on the 11th day was not being able to have Water after midnight - I love having my water!

I found a Protein powder that I love - The brand name is Pure Protein. It comes in 3 flavors that I know of: Frosty chocolate, Creamy vanilla and Cookies and Cream. It's a whey Protein with 25gm of protein per scoop. You use one scoop per shake. It lasts a long time, is extremely economical and it's like having a real treat! Rather than buy the powders when I first got started, I bought the canned liquid version of the shakes. Same flavors, different consistency. I figured if I liked them then I would like the powders. Well - surprisingly, the powders are MUCH better than the shakes - very tasty and very filling.

I as able to eat yogurt, sugar free pudding, sugar free Jello, broth, cream Soups, vegetable and fruit juices, Protein Drink and watered down cream of wheat. I pretty much "ate" whenever I was hungry but limited the shakes to 2-3 per day as per the nutritionist's instructions. I've been having the same diet since I went post-op and will continue at least until I see the doctor on 3/25 for first follow-up following surgery. No adjustments until 6 weeks post-op and then only with a food diary of at least a week.

Sorry to ramble on and on - I'm really excited that I've started this new chapter of my life and even more excited that there are so many terrific people out there to share it with and learn from.

Thanks for being here!!!

Jeri

[caffeine 0]

Jeri, I see from your profile that you're nervous about the procedure. I have to reiterate what Bob said:

Don't be nervous about the procedure. It really is nothing. The pain is minor, and the complication rate is very low, even compared with a totally benign surgery like having your tonsils taken out.

I totally understand your excitement because I feel it myself.

Best of luck to you!