Dr. Gerald Kirshenbaum - Considering Dr. Kirshenbaum

[Woofay 0]

Good Morning!

Well, the pre-op is done. And just like with the first surgery, Dr. K. was so reassuring that I'm not so nervous anymore. I know it's really not that big of a deal, but I just get so uptight about it. We're going to use a local with very little sedation. I don't know why, I just don't think I will need it. He said I would be able to feel some things, but not necessarily pain. He told me that weird feeling when the needle comes out after a fill? He said it may feel like that because of messing with the muscle that the port attaches to. He said if I get too freaked out by that, then they could add more sedative (valium). And if I was still freaked out after that, then they could knock me out. I feel all better now. And luckily, I remembered at the last second that I am allergic to that adhesive they use for the tape. THANK GOODNESS! He wrote it on everything so he won't use it. He's also going to give me a little fill so that I will have some restriction after surgery. Yeah! So, I guess I'm all ready. And their scale said I had lost more weight. Very kewl. Hopefully this will let me get to where I'm going!

Dynamo~ Count me in for the 11th. I should be okay to go. How hard is it to drive on Vicodin??? Hee! I'm just kidden! My three boys have their "boys night" on the night I go out with you all. They look forward to it so much. It's like "don't let the door hit you where you sit!" They can hardly wait for me to leave. Feel the love! Crazy kids!

Mal~ you're going, right?

Drews~you're going too, right???

Who else is going to meet up with us????!!!

Want2bmeagain~ You don't choose local or general when you are having the entire band put in. They have two manipulators, a camera, a liver retractor all stuck in you and the main incision for the band and port. 5 holes and then they puff you full of CO so they can see what they are doing. You definately could not do a local for that. The port replacement seems to be a lot less of a proceedure. I'm self pay too, and Dr. K. is taking care of this surgery. (thank god, otherwise it would definately wait for a while!) Oh ya~ don't cheat on your pre-op diet! It's only 2 weeks and you can do it! We all know you can! Get yourself some good artificial sweetener for your coffee and write here when you think you are slipping. We'll help you through it! And if it gets really bad, be cheap like me and think of that big check you just wrote. hee hee! You're always welcome to PM me if you need more support! :whoo:

Taynuh~ don't look at the scale! (this is truly funny coming from me!) Surgery makes your body swell, and the abdomin can really swell. It's all Fluid. Take good care of yourself right now. :mad:

Littleroo~glad your doing well. Don't get too sick of the popsicles and broth. Did you ever think that you would look so forward to a health shake? ha! Congrats again!

Have a great day all!

[want2bmeagain 0]

Hi Anita!

Ok, I will try sweet n low in my coffee today (YUK!) ~ I have had a couple of teaspoons of sugar a day, and never thought about it till yesterday. Ya know, me and that fresh ground Starbucks in my kitchen are kind of joined at the hip (or mouth??) ~ since I have been so "good" otherwise, I am hoping that won't ruin my liver! He only has me on pre-op for 7 days. I started a day early, so it'll be 8. I hadn't lost a pound till today, and I am down 2 lbs. Is that because my BMI isn't that "high" (high is a relative term!). Everyone talks about losing like a pound a day on the pre op. And, really, I have lived off eggs, cheese, meat, and veggies. I have had sour cream and half and half, but in the Atkins book, it is ok, so I am assuming it is ok pre op...I emailed Paula asking about walnuts for crunchy Snacks, but haven't heard back yet.

I never thought I would actually get a tad sick of eggs..they just aren't the same without toast:hungry:

ok, I will check back in a while and look for your words of wisdom! I am so glad you are getting your port fixed and that he's taking care of it for you. You really should have scheduled it for the 11th so we could meet! Are you having it done at Crown Point?

[Woofay 0]

Want2bmeagain~ Sweet n low is yucky! Try splenda. Artificial is artificial and splenda doesn't have quite the aftertaste. You are doing great. I got bored with eggs too. I like potatoes with them. My surgery is going to be at Health South, which is right across the street from his office. I had my band placed at Crown Point though. I really liked that facility. The nurses are so kind there. Health South in Phoenix is rude. (actually, everything in Phx is rude) We'll see what it brings here.

Are you getting excited???!!! Freaky excited???!!! :omg::bounce:

[NM Sunshine 1]

WanttoBme Can't you use splenda? It looks and tastes just like sugar. It does have less than 1 g of carbo per tsp. 0 everything else. Are you on the 20carb or below Atkins? How about Eggbeaters? I love eggbeaters.

[nicnaknut 0]

Hello All.... My gosh I stay away for a week and I'm so far behind that it is taking awhile to catch up...

Want2bmeagain.... Wow, your surgery is coming up fast... Congrats on the pound lost on the pre-op diet... I can only imagine how hard it is to stay on the straight and narrow and not cheat on the pre-op.... Woofay is right, the Splenda tastes much better than the Sweet-N-Low... I have been testing out the different flavors of Crystal Light to go in my bottle Water and that seems to help with the sweetness craving... They also taste pretty good too and help with the daily water quota..

In one of your past postings you mentioned that you didn't recognize yourself in pictures... Well, that is the same with me.. DH and I went to San Francisco and took a ferry to Alcatraz prison this past Wednesday and pictures were taken of us as there and I swear that my DH was with someone else!! It sure as heck wasn't me!!

Being fill buddies would be fun... Hopefully we can work something out one of these times... I won't get my band until next month....

Dynamo.... Congratulations on your weight loss... That's great!! But, I'm sorry to hear about your house flooding and IRS issues.. However, it sounds like you are getting things done rather quickly. Good Luck to you on the IRS audit, hopefully they will find a big mistake and give you a nice refund...

Lap Dancer.... Thank you so much for the thoughts for the day postings.. They are great and makes you think about some issues... The pictures of your family are great... Sweet, sweet kitties, dog and Byron the goldfish...

Shelbi.... Your surgery time is coming up soon as well... Thanks for the Hi and same back to you... Hope all is well and you are doing ok...

Mare.... Congratulations on your 20 lbs weight loss.. That's great!!!

Marcy.... Happy 10th Anniversary to you and DH!!! Sorry to hear that chicken is sticking... Do ya think the chickens are protesting after the big chicken slaughter? :bounce:

Woofay.... Good Luck to you on your port replacement... We are so lucky to have found Dr K.. He has got to be one of the greatest Dr's ever!! Isn't it a great feeling when the Dr's scale says that you have lost weight.... Congratulations!!!

Jennifer.... Happy Birthday to you and my Sincere Sympathy on the loss of your Grandfather.... Your Grandmother is so fortunate to have you there to help her... Big ((((Hugs)))) to you....

Littleroo and Taynah.... Yea, Yippee :clap2: You are now officially members of the band!! It sounds like the two of you are doing well post surgery... Best wishes on your healthier life.....

LSzeliga.... Welcome and Good Luck to you on your journey into bandland....

Hello to all that I missed, good luck and good wishes to you....

In just 3 short weeks I will be starting my pre-op diet in anticipation of my surgery on the 16th of October.... I am already getting nervous about that and am fighting the last supper mentality... Even though Dr K said I only need to do a 7 day diet, I want to do 2 weeks just to make sure that my liver is in good shape... DH and I will be on the road working our way from northern California to Denver during that 2 week period, so it will be extra hard since we eat out alot when traveling... Another thing that is bothering me is Thanksgiving... I will be about a month and half post surgery and wonder if I will be able to have a taste of everything that makes Thanksgiving so delightful... (See there I go worrying about food again...) Has anyone else thought about this and how will they handle it?? Am I being to silly about it??

Sorry for the long post.. I was just trying to catch up.... Take care all...

[NM Sunshine 1]

Nicnac,

I find it real handy to have the no sugar popcycles, lots of them. They are like 10 calories a bar. You can eat those all day and get maybe 100 calories from them. They are helpful for that 'just want to eat something but not hungry' feeling.

[Mal 0]

Hey all!

Gosh, I really don't have much to say, but I wanted to drop in....

I'm gonna try my best to make it on the 11th...I just found out that my Chris has parent teacher conferences that night....I'll see what I can do.

Sounds like everyone is doing great, that is AWESOME!! I haven't stepped on the scale for a long time, I feel good, I'm eating more than I should be, I went back to the gym. I am just kinda going with the flow of things being really laid back (in other words lazy) about everything...

I wish all the new people a smooth surgery and healing time!

Woof~Congrats on still losing with a leaky port, and being on vacation...how do you do it???? I'll be thinking about ya' on Monday. Is your mom going with you this time? You are going to melt away once your port is fixed!!!

A day doesn't pass that Kevin asks about the car!!! I told him that you are on vacation and I don't know when youll be back...LOL, once he gets his act together, then we'll talk. If you still have the car, then great, if not then he will have to find somethin' else...

Dynamo~I hope things are settling down for you. And congrats on ypour weight loss too. Your doing it!!!

Little & Tanya~congrats and happy healing!!!

Marcy~Happy Anniversary...cheers!!! I have a good friend that is a State Police officer, he really likes it here, maybe WHEN you transfer out here I can introduce your hubby to him....

Nic~I loved your post, you are so thoughtful and kind to all. Don't worry about Tgiving, you should be able to enjoy it.

Happy Friday to all and enjoy your weekend!!!

[DrewsLou 3]

I WILL be there on Tuesday!

I am getting ready to head up to Breckenridge for the weekend for our annual retreat for my derby league. Should be fun... and intense. You get 20 strong willed, passionate women together and the sparks will fly.

Thank god for booze. :bounce:

[want2bmeagain 0]

NM sunshine...could I have been sleeping when I talked to Paula, the nutritionist? I don't remember her saying anything about 20 gram or below Atkins? I haven't measured a damn (oops, I mean "darn" ) thing ~ just eating when I am hungry..eggs, cheese, eggs, meat, veggies, cheese, meat, eggs, oh yeah, need a veggie again...on and on! Could I be eating too much?

Ok girls, I am now having my coffee with sweet n low (the vomitting smiley was to go here, but he has alluded my search!)

gawd, how gross is this?? I need to head to the store in a while!

Have you ever heard of the sweetener Stevia? Is it better than Splenda?

I really think the Red Robin group should call me on Tuesday night at the hotel to see if I am alive ! I feel soooo left out! LOL (no, really, I do). Gosh, am I sounding insecure, or what? Wouldn't you all rather meet at the hotel restaurant?? (now, I am kidding here!)

I think that we newbies who will be getting fills often should coordinate all of our fills with meeting you at Red Robin ~ gosh, I usually hate going out to eat, wondering if the roaming patron eyes are trying to figure out what the fat lady ordered! now, I am actually getting excited to go to a restaurant!

Woof~ what time Monday is your surgery?

Do the no sugar popsicles have nutrasweet? I can taste that stuff a mile away (see, that's one reason I prefer beautiful, sparkly sugar! ) ~ if it is a nutrasweet product, will I get used to the taste? Ok, dumb question, buttttttt..why can't we just have plain ole popsicles? The few sugar calories certainly couldn't make or break us, could they?

nicnaknut~ the first pictures I REALLY noticed the flippin extra chin and dough boy appearance was from a trip to SF on New Years 2002/2003. Lucky enough, it was cold that week and I wore turtlnecks. Every time we took a picture, I pulled the turtleneck up and tried to rest it on the extra chin so the camera wouldn't see! On some pics, the turtleneck slipped, and the extra wobbly attachment to my jawline would poke out......way too gross! Oh, and I weighed less then than now. So, I get home and start weight watchers online..counted EVERYTHING that went into my mouth (except the sugar in my coffee ~ wow, this is getting to be a pattern!), and lost 35 lbs. I am now thrilled to say that I gained that all back, plus another 20 lbs.

ok, everybody ~ hello to all!~~~ I really think you are a fantastic bunch! Who would have known something such as our war with weight would have such a bonus as kinship?:hug:

[nicnaknut 0]

NM Sunshine..... Thanks for the popsicle idea... I keep forgetting about them and I sure could use them now, especially at night when I'm having my sugar craving.. I have them on my grocery list now, so thanks again...

Mal.... Thanks for the kind words.. I'm sure hoping that Thanksgiving will be ok... I just need to quit stressing about it...

want2bemeagain.... That's funny both of us out in San Francisco having pictures taken and don't recognize ourselves... Do you think it is the SF sunshine that is distorting our otherwise beautiful faces and giving us double/triple chins??? lol

Don't worry, giving up real sugar and getting use to the sugar free stuff will be the easy part of the overall picture for your band success... I would say that after you are banded and your body is all healed up, having a teaspoon of sugar in your morning coffee won't be a big deal...

On your next post could you change the size of the text?? I had to get my magnifying glass out to read it...lol... My old lady eyes aren't as good as they use to be....

Happy weekend to all...

[NM Sunshine 1]

WANT2BEME

I took for granted the diet was Atkins, because that is what it is cheese, eggs, meat and some veggies. It must be a low carbo diet. If you keep your carbo's low your appitite goes away. And it is a quick way to lose some weight.

Some of the no sugar popsycle have Splenda in. Sweet & Low about gags me to. But, I am used to the fake sugar taste. I also use Stevia and it is good,but Splenda is the best. About the sugar, I guess it depends on whether you are a carbo addict or not. I know I am one and I need to be careful. But once the band and restrictions are in it may not make a difference cause the band will rule.

NICNAC

Today i discovered no sugar fruit popcycles. They have a few extra calories but are made with real fruit. yummy

[Rosey80231 0]

Hello!

I found this forum as I am considering Dr K. Things sort of work out farily quickly when I decided that this is what I wanted. Reading this forum has alliviated some of my concerns but I guess what I need help from those of you who are going throught this. Everytime I am in front of a Dr I sort of freeze and my mind goes blank. Can you help me with some questions you asked or hoped you would have asked. I got some but if you help me I can kind of come in with a list. I decided 3 weeks that this is what I wanted to do, within 2 days I got the finacial aspect handled and I got my appt Monday. All I have to do is get my date.I know I want Dr K even thought I have not met him. I am very comfortable with their office staff and somehow I got this gut feeling that I need to go with him. Crazy but since things are moving fast and short of reading the 100's of posting which I have read a great deal I need the just of it. Anyone there to help a newbie! Please know that your stories are inspiring and I am glad I found this forum. Thank you in advance.

[nicnaknut 0]

Hello and Welcome Rosey.... All of us here on this thread will say that you made the best choice in selecting Dr K for your band surgery....I haven't had my surgery yet, but I can list a couple of the questions that I asked Dr K when I had my consultation with him.. They are the pretty basic questions, but were the one's important to me.... Some of the others here will help and give you more information... You came to the right place as this is a great group, very helpful and supportive...

1. Will I get the VG or AP band?

2. What is the average recovery time?

3. What do I do if I have problems after surgery?

4. What about the pre-op diet?

5. How long after surgery before I need my first fill?

6. What kind of medications will I need?

You will find Dr K to be the kindest man and will answer your questions no matter how many.... I have several other questions that I am saving to ask Paula the nutritionist...

Good luck to you and keep us posted on your journey..

[DynamoMini 1]

HI Rosey - I am happy to answer any questions you have had, just PM me. sometimes, things are meant to be and you and Dr. K sound like a match. He talks really fast because he goes through the whole thing over and over. It's ok to ask him to slow down, explain what he means, etc. He is really nice. Also use the information on the website. It gives great information about general stuff.

Woofay - are you ready??? Will you come on Tuesday? I'll have to cancel if you and Mal aren't there. Drews we expect to see you on your skates! or at least in uniform.

Hugs to all you newbies and gonna be banded soon. I think it would be great to have you coordinate your fills with Red Robin. This month we are meeting on Tuesday, but find a day that works and we'll try for it in October or November. Come anyway. Woofay comes from the springs each time.

Michelle

[want2bmeagain 0]

Rosey ~ I haven't been banded yet (next Tues is the day!), but I have talked to Dr. K on the phone, and also feel that word of mouth/referral is one of the best ways to find a doc. I really liked him, and I trust his patients that are on the board. When I spoke with him, I told him that he has a huge following! He seemed surprised, and I assured him that, in fact, he did!

One of my other reasons for going with him is having to get fills, and being able to afford them! If I cant pay for fills, why get the band? His prices are incredible (he's very generous compared to the norm I have seen for fills), I believe even if someone had to fly in. Where are you from?

I am a huge fan of the show "Big Medicine" - when they did banding, I was at my computer ASAP to learn more. Then I read, read, read, and posted and felt educated in a short time ~ my decision was made quickly.

Ask after next Tuesday how it went for me, I am anticipating being very happy with him. I am having all the freak out jitters that it seems everyone has, but I am just trying to go with the flow and not think about my fears.

Keep us informed of where you are heading in this incredible journey!

Ok, the question asker, whiner, encourager, scaredy cat, and so excited I cant see straight person has another question (I can't get a hold of Paula):

Can I have milk pre op?? I bought protien powder and wanted to try it out in milk. If you read this soon, please let me know your thoughts~the powder is staring me in the face

:bounce:

thanks!