Jacksonville, Florida

[JOHNST027 0]

The meeting tomarrow , is it at Dr.C's office ? I've never been to one and would really like to attend. Are there alot of people who goes to it or just a few? Just wondering.

[KatieBelle 0]

Yup, 6 PM at Dr C's office. Last meeting was my first meeting, but there was probably 10 or so of us there. It's a lively bunch, but they are funny.

[JOHNST027 0]

Sounds good I'll be there too

[anavrin 0]

Hi, I am going to be banded on May 20, also thru jax wt loss ctr, Dr Baptista. Has anyone had him do their band, I have to go to Memorial, and I meet w/him on the 14th, what kind of preop diet do they require? I have a stockpile of Atkins shakes.< /p>

[*susan* 1,709]

Hi Anavrin, sorry, I wasn't banded by him, so I am unable to answer your questions, hopefully someone else will be.

I am truly beginning to feel in the minority here, seems like just about everyone was banded by Dr. C, but me!

[JaxBandster 11]

Hi, I am going to be banded on May 20, also thru jax wt loss ctr, Dr Baptista. Has anyone had him do their band, I have to go to Memorial, and I meet w/him on the 14th, what kind of preop diet do they require? I have a stockpile of Atkins shakes.

Dr. Baptista didn't do my band but I can guarantee you he is good if Dr. Cywes works with him. Dr. C doesn't seem to be the type to settle for mediocrity. The pre-op diet consists of a low carb diet for 3 to 4 weeks out prior to surgery. You will need to keep your total carbs (not net) to less than 30 gms a day excluding green leafy vegetables. You do not need to count the carbs in those. You don't have to worry about calories, just carbs. Two days prior to surgery you will convert to a clear liquid diet only.

You will use your Protein Shakes primarily after surgery especially in the mushy phase or any time after getting back on regular food when you may be in a hurry or are very tight. I use them a lot for Breakfast and right after a fill when I am making the transition back to solid foods again.

It is extremely important to follow the pre-op diet as you need to shrink your liver to make the surgery easier on both your body and for the surgeon. The area where they place the band is right behind the liver. If it is too fatty and swollen it can make the operation more difficult and more dangerous. The liver stores excess sugar in the body which we generally have a lot of as we consume so many carbs in our daily diet. The body can't use all the sugar we consume so it stores it in the liver and as a result the liver gets larger and also more fragile. The doctor's will show you a picture of a swollen liver at your pre-op appt. You will then clearly see why it is so important to stick to the pre-op diet. Their pre-op diet is a lot easier than some I've seen. You just have to eat a lot of meat and veggies. All you want in fact. You will go through carb withdrawal which isn't a whole lot of fun. Take some Tylenol to help you through the headaches and other discomforts. You may have some slight nausea as well. For a few days you will feel like crap then slowly but surely you will begin to feel better and in fact you will feel great!!!! You will also begin to feel less hungry. I was really amazed at how much better I felt and how much hunger was diminished after about a week of being on low carb. I swear by it now.

Hope this answers all your questions, and maybe a few more!

[JaxBandster 11]

One more thing I forgot to mention. Your Atkins shakes MUST be the Atkins Advantage Shakes (low carb), not the regular ones. They are too high in carbs.

[anavrin 0]

Well, I have been stocking up on those low carb Atkins shakes, and I meet with Dr B on the 14th, should I already be drinking only the shakes, 16 days from surgery? Or will he tell me to, when I meet with him, 6 days from surgery. I am having it done on a Tues, and have taken Weds and Thurs off also, but I wonder now if I should have taken off Fri, the wknd and Memorial day. I know about the shrinking liver, and the rationale behind it, but it's hard to have to cook for my husband and son, knowing I can't eat. I want them to switch to my diet, maybe after the surgery they will. WBS

[JustCallMeKelly 0]

Katie and Tina, congratulations to you both on getting banded and welcome to the club "officially" I'm so happy for you both and can't wait to hear all about your journey. Katie, sorry to hear about Dr. C not being so nice, but he did almost the same thing to me and my dh on the day of surgery (not about the liver but just his general abruptness and slightly rude attitude), my DH was like what is wrong with this guy and I just said, ignore it cos' he's the best in Jax area and for that I will put up with his attitude. Also, I know he takes the seriousiness of the liver problem very very personal and when he thinks someone doesn't he gets extremely upset, so even though YOU know you didn't do anything wrong, he sees your liver size and thinks otherwise. Just be glad he went through with the surgery cos' he told me in no uncertain terms pre surgery that if he felt I hadn't stuck to the diet and did what he told me to do he would have no problems aborting the surgery even after he'd cut me open. So thank goodness for that! I cannot make the mtgs. at Dr. C's office cos' I don't have anyone to watch my son but I would love for us all to get together and meet sometime soon, anyone want to get together just lmk I'm totally open for options. Also, one final note, at my last appt. I told Dr. C I felt I didn't need a fill cos' I had done so well in the past month, losing 19 lbs., but boy was I wrong and now I'm paying for it. I've been completely lax these past few weeks and having lost but just a few lbs. so now I"m dying for my next fill and of course had to wait like 3 weeks for an appt. cos' he always so booked up. Anyway, just a word to the wise to be absolutely sure when offered a fill whether you want one or not. Peace and love to all. Be well. KKG

PS. Just fyi...I posted 4 month progress pics on the Before and After pics thread if anyone wants to see them.

[JustCallMeKelly 0]

Well, I have been stocking up on those low carb Atkins shakes, and I meet with Dr B on the 14th, should I already be drinking only the shakes, 16 days from surgery? Or will he tell me to, when I meet with him, 6 days from surgery. I am having it done on a Tues, and have taken Weds and Thurs off also, but I wonder now if I should have taken off Fri, the wknd and Memorial day. I know about the shrinking liver, and the rationale behind it, but it's hard to have to cook for my husband and son, knowing I can't eat. I want them to switch to my diet, maybe after the surgery they will. WBS

Anavrin, I would say No to drinking the shakes that far in advance except that maybe you want to get a little used to them (they are pretty good). Dr. B or Dr. C will put you on the pre-op diet when they meet with you, but with that said, definitely check with them to be sure that you are following their instructions perfectly cos' if not then it could jepordize your surgery! They do not f&*k around when it comes to shrinking your liver, so make sure you take it VERY serious. When I got my surgery, the lady in the bed next to mine in the pre-OR waiting area was asked by the nurse whether she had eaten anything in the past 24 hours and she proceeding to tell her about the x-mas dinner she had the night before (I was banded on 12/26) and even though she only consumed a very small amount of food, after the nurse went to let the surgeon know, they came back in to tell her they could NOT do her surgery (this was not Dr. C it was some other doctor). She just started crying and saying no, please, I only ate a tiny bit of food, but it didn't matter they cancelled it anyway. So just be aware of how important their instructions really are and stick to it and all will go smoothly. Take care and good luck. Keep us posted as well. KKG

[anavrin 0]

thanks for in the info kelly, I know Dr C an be very rude and seem heartless, he was abrupt and said to my boss whose band he did, "don't feel special just because you can cross your legs" I was like, whoa. I had a lady in the office tell me that Dr B talked to her rough also, she said " my husband doesn't even talk to me like that!" Anyways, I just figured with having the meeting with Dr B only 6 days away from the surgery, and seeing other people being on pre op diets 2 months out. I do try and watch carbs, I am mindful of what I eat that has carbs, which seems to be everything! I mean, how much meat, and green Beans can I stand? And is it true that you can never eat rice Pasta potatoes and bread again. I asked Jody, and she said , yes you can eat rice, but then you won't eat again for a month. My husband is very much against the surgery, reminding me of how I lost 50 lbs at WW, but then I'm quick to remind him that I also gained back 35. It;s hard to be good when you live with such hearty eaters such as my husband and son, who are both overweight, I'm hiping I can change all of our eating habits, I figure if I can't eat it, then it doesn't need to be in the house.

[anavrin 0]

also, when i met with the dietician in the middle of march, she gave me a list of dos and don'ts, and in the beginning i stuck to it pretty closely, but then i got a bit lax, especially when i had an abnormal ekg, stress test, and echo. i had a heart cath on apr 14th, at BMC, which showed no significant blockage, well i just haven't gotten back into the no /low carb thing as much, and when I was doing it closely, i lost 7 lbs, but now gained back 2. they told me from the very 1st meeting when i went on jan 2, weighed in at 200, with a BMI of 40, that from that point on, I could lose as much as I wanted but could not gain any above 200, or the surgery would be cancelled, so now I'm 195, and wil try harder this week to be good, knowing i have to go and see him next week.

[JaxBandster 11]

Anavrin

When is your surgery scheduled?

I would definitely make the extra effort to be extremely good when it comes to carbs this next week so Dr. B can see that you are making a concerted effort to comply with their instructions. They will not hesitate to make an example of you when you do your group pre-op meeting.

Post band people tolerate different foods differently. Some people can still eat bread. Some can't. Some people can eat scrambled eggs. Others can't. Some people can eat shrimp, others can't. You really just have to try things out for yourself.

I still eat rice and potatoes. I avoid bread as I really don't want to take the chance of getting stuck. When I eat rice, I usually don't have any more than a quarter cup. I may have a few bites of potatoes. I try to keep it to a minimum just because they are carbs, but I love my rice and potatoes so I allow myself to have them every now and then. I certainly don't eat them the way I used to!!!

You will be on the low carb diet until two days before your surgery, then you will go on Clear liquids for the remaining two days then nothing by mouth after midnight the day before surgery.

Dr. C and I get along great. But I'm also not the kind to take crap. I'll dish it right back especially if I feel I'm being accused of not following the rules. This weekend, after four months of really being good, my daughter made these huge icing covered sugar Cookies and I had really been having serious sweet cravings. I decided I was going to have one, I was going to enjoy the hell out of it, then I was going to resume being good. I ate it. I got the craving out of my system. It was wonderful and yummy but now I'm satisfied and I'm not going to need to have anything like that for a while again. I may pay for it by gaining a couple of pounds for a few days, but I know that if I deprive myself too much that I will eventually fail. If Dr. C wants to yell at me for having one large cookie in four months then I will yell right back at him. I'm doing really good, but I know me and know that if I don't give in to my sweet tooth every so often, that it will eventually beat me and I will begin to binge. This way, if I decide to indulge, then I am the one who is in control. But having said that, 99% of the time, I do follows the rules by the book.

So, do what you are supposed to do. When you go into that office, you want to be able to hold your head high and not cower in because you haven't been following the rules.

Edited May 5, 2008 by JaxBandster

[JustCallMeKelly 0]

thanks for in the info kelly, I know Dr C an be very rude and seem heartless, he was abrupt and said to my boss whose band he did, "don't feel special just because you can cross your legs" I was like, whoa. I had a lady in the office tell me that Dr B talked to her rough also, she said " my husband doesn't even talk to me like that!" Anyways, I just figured with having the meeting with Dr B only 6 days away from the surgery, and seeing other people being on pre op diets 2 months out. I do try and watch carbs, I am mindful of what I eat that has carbs, which seems to be everything! I mean, how much meat, and green Beans can I stand? And is it true that you can never eat rice Pasta potatoes and bread again. I asked Jody, and she said , yes you can eat rice, but then you won't eat again for a month. My husband is very much against the surgery, reminding me of how I lost 50 lbs at WW, but then I'm quick to remind him that I also gained back 35. It;s hard to be good when you live with such hearty eaters such as my husband and son, who are both overweight, I'm hiping I can change all of our eating habits, I figure if I can't eat it, then it doesn't need to be in the house.

You are very welcome, glad I could help a little w/the info. Yes, the carb thing isn't easy, but it's definitely worth it when those pounds start melting off. It takes getting used to but once you get the hang of it, it really is quite simple. I did Atkins back about 6 yrs. ago and lost 106 lbs. in 11 months, but then my father died and it sent me running back to my old addictions and comforts of Carbs and 5 yrs. later I'd gained it all back plus 66 more, which is what led me to the band. I know that I can live with a low carb diet, as long as I allow myself an indulge every once in a while, but the band is what keeps me in check when I do indulge and that is why I LOVE it. Also, my hubby was not keen on me having surgery cos' he hates anything medical but he knew I needed this tool to succeed long term and to get healthy and live longer for our children so he got on board. Now he eats healthier himself and trys to be good as well. And now that my food issues are coming under control it allows me to set good examples for my son. Also, remember that you are the one that brings the food into the house (assuming you do the shopping) so they will eat what you provide and what you cook, just remember that when you are preparing your meals, if they don't like what you make then let them make their own ;-0 see how long that lasts!!! Anyway, I wish you great luck and well being on this journey and remember that we are all here for you. Be well. KKG

[JustCallMeKelly 0]

also, when i met with the dietician in the middle of march, she gave me a list of dos and don'ts, and in the beginning i stuck to it pretty closely, but then i got a bit lax, especially when i had an abnormal ekg, stress test, and echo. i had a heart cath on apr 14th, at BMC, which showed no significant blockage, well i just haven't gotten back into the no /low carb thing as much, and when I was doing it closely, i lost 7 lbs, but now gained back 2. they told me from the very 1st meeting when i went on jan 2, weighed in at 200, with a BMI of 40, that from that point on, I could lose as much as I wanted but could not gain any above 200, or the surgery would be cancelled, so now I'm 195, and wil try harder this week to be good, knowing i have to go and see him next week.

Yes, and they mean it too! At my appt. that was before the pre-op appt. I had gained 6 lbs. and Jody let me have it and told me that Dr. C would cancel my surgery if I didn't lose it before he saw me 9 days later, so I hunkered down and dropped about 9 lbs. in 9 days and was able to "hold my head high" when I met with him. Just try to be really good, as much as possible, because not only could it jepordize your surgery but it's good training for after the surgery. Good luck and let us know how it goes. KKG