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[AshevilleEddie 14]

Hey.........my name is Jay from Phoenix. I was 383 and a now am 358 and I am scheduled for surgery 8/16. My doc put me on a Protein Shake (huh) diet that I've been on for a week and still 1 week to go before surgery. I've been told by other bandsters that some docs don't require the shakes and allow real food up to the day before,aka "the last meal". What was the case for your surgery/doc?

Thanks.....Jay

Every doc is different. I had to do low-carb, low-fat for two weeks to shrink my liver. I've read that others have to do a week or more of clear liquids! Follow your doc's orders and you'll do fine. The extra Protein is a good thing though, because it will help you heal faster.

[TheWatcher 1]

I'm 24 and have been to me fat all my life... even though my fam says they can remember when i was younger and slim. I have always been the Jock all throughout my schooling career football, basketball, baseball, wrestling, I just love to be doing something... and i don't think i realized till recently how far i have fallen up... my freshman year in high school i was 202. i went to the doc for the first time in 6 years and topped the scales at 436. Needless to say i was fing shocked. I knew i was fat but fing 400lbs. I mean i swear i thought i was 390. I have at this point already decided to get the surgery i was just frustrated at how big i was.

So anyway doc gets blood screens and sets up a sleep study witch i just finished.(by far the best sleep I've had in years) and while i wait for the results of that i cant help but to wonder ... how long is this prepping ish gonna take... my doc is all for it he says that there are bases i need to hit first... so Guys Com padres any idea of whats next....

another question. once banded with a good lifting routine how fast has some of the weight been coming off????

[Brewa2000 1]

Welcome to the group.

Jay- do what your Dr says. It'll pass quickly and lose some weight to boot. I lost 19 lbs in the 2 weeks preop on liquids.< /p>

Watcher- Rate of loss varies. But guys your age, if they follow the guildelines and exercise, are usually have the best results.

I was a self pay and it took about 1 month from the consultation to surgery. If you have to get the insurance ok, it will probably take longer.

Good luck

Bruce

[Chris_NJ 9]

I'm 24 and have been to me fat all my life... even though my fam says they can remember when i was younger and slim. I have always been the Jock all throughout my schooling career football, basketball, baseball, wrestling, I just love to be doing something... and i don't think i realized till recently how far i have fallen up... my freshman year in high school i was 202. i went to the doc for the first time in 6 years and topped the scales at 436. Needless to say i was fing shocked. I knew i was fat but fing 400lbs. I mean i swear i thought i was 390. I have at this point already decided to get the surgery i was just frustrated at how big i was.

So anyway doc gets blood screens and sets up a sleep study witch i just finished.(by far the best sleep I've had in years) and while i wait for the results of that i cant help but to wonder ... how long is this prepping ish gonna take... my doc is all for it he says that there are bases i need to hit first... so Guys Com padres any idea of whats next....

another question. once banded with a good lifting routine how fast has some of the weight been coming off????

It only took a couple months from start to finish to get my surgery. The time seems forever but it does come eventually. I think its usually the insurance approval that takes time.

With weight loss it can vary how regimented you are. If you watch what you eat and do a good amount of excercise you will loose faster. I myself tend to watch my calories and keep them around 800- 1200 a day. Doing that and walking my but off 3-5 miles a day religiously seems to be working. I have lost almost 90 lbs since 4/27.

Chris

[TheWatcher 1]

i plan on doing alot of weights with a 30 min cardio warm up and a 10-15 min cardio cool down

[pronetus 0]

Everything went well. Pain averaged between 5-8. I am walking around today, feel remakably well. pain 3-5 today. Only thing that sucked was the foley catheter last nite! OWWWWWWW. If I ever meet Foley I'm kicking his ass! Feel like I have ghoneria! Flashbacks of Thailand! Up and walking, slowly sipping liquids. Got my 64 0z down today. No nauseas, no shoulder pain yet! Life is on track. I am excited. Hang in there guys. Don't let the pain start hurting to take meds. Stay in front of it. if you start feeling pain in the hospital take meds right away otherwise you will be trying to catch up. More later.....

Good Luck on the journey everyone.

Highest: 296

Preop: 292

Surgery: 282

[hunter5410 0]

Howdy!

:whoo:I am a newbie, three weeks post op. I have lost 22 pounds from my start of the liquid diet and 16 pounds since surgery. I have only gotten ill once when I wolfed down a few gulps of a bkft burrito. I have found that if I chew slowly I can eat almost anything. Dry meat, hard breads, flour tortillas are a no-no for me. I jogged three miles non stop the other day which was a milestone.

I have been eating too much since moving to more solid foods and I am hopeful my first fill will help curb my enthusiasm at the table. I go in for the fill in ten days. My cardiologist has already removed one of my three blood pressure meds. It was running 113/56 last week.

Lap band has been one of the best things I have ever done for myself. I wouldn't trade it for anything.

Hunter5410

304-282-190

[Chris45 0]

Had my post op check up today. Everything is great, moved to mushies.

Lost 30 lbs:clap2::whoo:

Pronetus - Kick his ass for me too. He did not do mine, but the catheter was the worst part of the experience. After surgery the nurse (she was great) said if I did not clear my bladder in an hour she would have to insert a catheter to drain it. I was so swollen from the first one I could not pass urine, how were they going to insert a second catheter? And even four or five hours after surgery how were they going to catch me to do it! Luckily just as she came in I was able to pee. Like pissing razor blades.

Good luck on your recovery - Keep walking. I had my surgery on Tuesday and went back to work on Friday, so I am sure your will be feeling much better in no time.

[Big Wave Dave 0]

Way to go Chris, good luck with mushies, I had no problem with them and I'm now on reg. food and really watching what I eat but it's all good

again good luck

BWD

[Dumpling 0]

Dave:

re: "Hi Jack, I am having trouble getting my band sized right. Last week I was so tight that I could not get anything down, after jsut a .5 cc de-fill I can eat almost anything as long as I chew well."

.5 cc is a large amount in a 4cc band, if that is what you have....I recently had .4 taken OUT and it makes a HUGE difference...although I can still eat too fast and have to be observant to monitor the 'how much' vs 'how little' question....

re: "Did you ever go through this? I plan to have a 1/4 cc put back in but I am not sure it will help"

I like to give plenty of time to adapt to the new fill level....my first fill was SIX MONTHS post Op....and that first 6 months I lost most of my weight. Being 'too tight' is no better than being 'too loose'... When you are near your Sweet Spot as little as .1cc will be noticeable. And adapting eating behavior is part of the process. The 'Bandster Rules' are guidelines only, and subject to your personal experience.

re: "What is it like when you have the band right, do you PB at all? I am having trouble knowing when I should stop eating."

When I inadvertently eat too fast too much...I can be on the verge of PB...

The trick, IMHO, is STOP EATING when you are NOT HUNGRY.....

That may be in as little as one or 2 bites....and there is the '1st bite syndrome' when we are close to being 'too tight'....

Slow down, and do not feel obligated to eat what you put on your plate.

The visual clue of a large bowl vs a small bowl for my Holy Shredded Wheat is subtle yet effective.....I seem to respond better to the 'full SMALL bowl' better than 'partial LARGE bowl'....in that something in my brain seems satiated on a visual basis as well....

re: "Any suggestions?"

My 'Life with the Little Angel of the Silicon Fist' is a constantly evolving sometimes frustrating experience. I've been too tight and tried to learn to live with it.....if you are PBing daily something needs changing.

Learning how to STOP eating when NOT hungry is a great goal.

Normos stop eating when they are not hungry....Bandsters as a group seem to not have the same behavior.

Cheers and good luck....it's a GREAT ride!!!!

Thanks for the advice Jack, your experience and willingness to share it is very helpful.

Dave

[Big Fred 0]

Hello All,

I have been on this journey since the beginning of April, had all the tests including the psych visit. If all goes well with the insurance I'm scheduled for the first week in October.

Did anyone have any problem with their insurance? Even after doing everything they said?

I have come to far to stop know, if denied I may have to self pay.

Can't wait to have the banding done.

[TheWatcher 1]

Ok so my doctors on board the sleep clinic is on board, i have a psych eval coming up... BU wth hoe by doc says that my blood sugar is low and i may be hypoglycemic WTS. every week its something new. Then he tells me that i may have Tumors in my pancreas that are secreting insulin that causes me to be hungry more..... for **** sake.

does anyone know what the hell I'm in for at the endocrinologist?:ranger:

[njwhitetail 0]

Hey all, its been 7 weeks since surgery and got my first fill on wed. so far I am down 54 lbs Doc wasn't sure if he was going to fill this time . But I talked him into it . He said he would like things to slow down on the weight loss . 2 lbs a week well I lost 3lbs thursday in this heat .

All in all everything has been fine . I had no complications yet and my band is my new best friend . I am counting all the money I am saving from not going to mcdonalds burgerking and wendys.( well I do eat wendys chili it goes down great) Hope is all well for everybody out their

Larry

pre op 351

today 297

lost 54 with 40 more to go

[Gaffer 1]

Quote:

Originally Posted by njwhitetail

well I do eat wendys chili it goes down great

It is great though. I was normally spending about $8-$9 for lunch at these places, now I am full off a $1.39 Chilli (Canadian prices here). The money that I am saving on food and beer will pay for my surgery in no time.

Andrew

[silentfades 0]

Hey Guys

First of all I want to say thank you sincerely to all who responded to my questions when I first posted.

I have done a pretty extensive search and am convinced that alot of MDs are getting very rich off folks needing help in being banded but that is an ethics discussion for another time.

I have picked Dr Kirshenbaum in Denver for several reasons and feel very comfortable that he is top notch and the prices are as reasonable as I am going to get here in the states. As well he is using the new AP band that has been suggested if I am going to do this I should have this type.

I am doing this on 9/11 for a very specific reason -- I was here in NYC not too far when 9/11 happened. I heard the plane go over my village apt and saw the ever memorable orange ball of fire engulf the North Tower knowing that folks I knew were dying. For months after I took care of patients of mine who lived being at the site. I also lost several patients during that murderous event. For the first time in my life I used the diagnosis victim of war. (I am a physician assistant)

It had a personal effect on me that was emotionally devastating. I want to reclaim that date for life.

I am going to Denver alone and want to do this alone as far as the trip and surgery. It is like facing and wrestling my own demon.

The only concerns ok lets be real here -- fears are those of post op concerns -- slippage / erosion / leaky port / vomiting and ruining the band. Of these things I am terrified that something will happen and ruin it all.

Being self pay I can not afford to play around and ruin this wonderful opportunity. I must do everything I can to take advantage of this choice and chance being so greatly given to me.

I can not tell all ofyou how much I admire you in your threads and how much respect I have for you as men who are facing thier situation. It has taken me years to do so but now I can feel some respect that I am going to take care of what needs to be done. One day at at time.

Marc

Silentfades@aol.com