Getting Ready To Be Banded!

kerryconner · May 9, 2008

Hi Everyone out there in "Banding Land"! This is my first post, so bare with me. I live in Oregon and I am scheduled for surgery on June 17th, 2008. I have been doing tons of web research, and have chosen Dr. Pedro Kuri in Tijuana, Mexico. I feel very comfortable traveling out of the country after all I have read about his work. I am just looking for all the good advice I can get about what to expect and what to look forward to. I am a 53 year old wife with a 18 year old sence of humor, so "Anything Goes"!:cool2::biggrin::thumbup:

Debbie1955 · May 9, 2008

Hi Kerry, I am just getting started with everything myself. My first seminar is on the 12th of May. This is the perfect place to find out everything you need to know, and a few things you might not want to know, ha ha. I have been getting online every night for 2 weeks reading everything. Good Luck,,June 17 will be here before you know it.

kerryconner · May 9, 2008

Thank you for writing. I also have been glued to the internet and studying up. I am not going to a seminar, but I'm getting pretty educated about what to expect. Where are you from?

kerryconner · May 9, 2008

Sorry Debbie, i am just getting used to sending posts and I now realize your age and where you are from. I'll look more carefully next time. when is your surgery date scheduled?

Debbie1955 · May 9, 2008

I don't have a date yet, just getting started with everything. I still have 10 pages of questions to get filled out. I am one of those "let's do it today" people so I know my wait is going to seem like forever!!!

tapshoes · May 9, 2008

Hi Kerryconner

This forum is filled with the experiences of others - including surgery in Mexico, life immediately post banding and thereafter - read read read and ask questions. Just remember, for every question you ask, you will get different opinions on everything from recovery time, to post-op diet and the frequency of fills and everything in-between.

Enjoy the journey and good luck.

dj_bryan · May 10, 2008

Hey Kerry, I am so excited for you. I am getting banded on June 25th. We are the same age and about the same maturity level! LOL I wish you the best. Go for it!

LIVOWTLOUD · May 10, 2008

Hello this is my first post,

I haven't gotten the band yet , but I guess I just wanted to vent my concerns. As Iv'e seen in prior posts, a lot of people second guess themselves just before getting the band. I'm not unique . My nightmare is that my food addiction will overtake me and I'll be one of those people that stretch out their band. Food is the addiction Iv'e lived with negatively for the last 7 years or so. It unforturnately has been my best friend. It has always been there to suffocate the pain. At least so I thought. For those of you who have used food as a emotional vice how are you doing without that means of "numbing comfort" anymore? I know it is not healty emotionally or otherwise , but I would feel better knowing others do okay without the "food crutch".:smile:

kerryconner · May 10, 2008

Hey Kerry, I am so excited for you. I am getting banded on June 25th. We are the same age and about the same maturity level! LOL I wish you the best. Go for it!

I'm not like most, I guess. I only started researching this about a month ago when a friend of mine went to Mexico last summer and explained to me that the facilities were GREAT and a lot less expensive than in the USA when Insurance won't pay. I figure from beginning to end up costing me about 10 grand, but I'm paying the way for a girlfriend and her moms airfare and motels to take care of me afterwards. I'm not afraid of much when it comes to surgery and I have researched the Dr. and his facility thoroughly, so I'm ready! My body mass is under 45 so the liver shrinking diet is not required two weeks prior, but I think I'll follow it anyway just to make things easier on myself. Do you know the diet I'm talking about? Anyway, have a great evening! Kerry

WannaDance · May 10, 2008

I just posted for the first time today too. My surgery is set for June 12 so I guess we will be starting this journey at nearly the same time. I am a 51 year old mother with both daughters back at home. I know all about hanging on with a sense of humor. Though I am not from the west, my home state begins with an "O" -- Ohio. I think we may have much in common. I've read a couple of posts here about going to Mexico. I am able to have my surgery close to home and feel very lucky to have insurance pay for it.

Keep me posted on your way.

kerryconner · May 10, 2008

Thank You for writing. I am 54, work as a classified employee for our local school district. I am going for a early out retirement with my PERS on December 1, 2008, so have a goal I want to meet by then. I am a little bit nervous about knowing for sure what I can and cannot eat afterwards, but am guessing my facilitator will have a lot more info for me. I have glued myself to these posts and the internet gathering a lot of good info. almost so much I tend to forget little things, so I am starting a notebook and copying and printing everything I think I might want to refer back to. I purchased 2 books, one, Weight Loss Surgery for Dummies and Weight Loss Surgery- Finding the Thin Person Hiding Inside You!,by Barbara Thompson. They have been a great help. I hope you will stay in touch. Kerry

busterfang · May 10, 2008

Hi Everyone. I was banded just about a month ago and the biggest thing I have learned from reading all the postings is to take everything with a grain of salt. Some people write about being hungry -- I have not been hungry at all. Some people write about post-op pain -- I had none at all (never needed a pain pill). Some write about the diet they were put on -- each doctor has his own guidelines. So bottomline, just because people may write about it, doesn't mean it will be true for you.

Quickly my story - - I waited a year before I had the surgery and worked with my family doctor trying to lose weight on a very restrictive diet with minimal success. I was Diabetic, had high blood pressure, acid reflux (the fairly typical list of issues for obese folks)...

My pre-op diet was 10 days before surgery. It was high quality liquid Protein 3X a day and all the sugar-free popcicles and Jello I wanted along with unlimited broth. I could also have up to 2 cups of orange juice a day. I was never hungry (good Protein, i.e, 20 grams/serving with little or no carbs filled me up). But on Day 5 I started vomiting... Discovered that my blood sugar was too low (something I thought would never happen to me!). So I started drinking the 2 cups of OJ each day and was taken off of ALL my Diabetes medications (before surgery -- yippee!!). Day 6-8 I was fine.

On Day 9 I only felt good laying down. I felt like I would pass out anytime I stood up - - I was so weak (not hunger weak) that I couldn't even take a shower. And I was freezing. On Day 10 I got to the hospital for surgery and told the nurse how I felt. Thank goodness for medical professionals. She threw a blood pressure cuff on me and alarms started going off and people all came running into my little room. My normally high blood pressure was 64/51!!! I guess you really are what you eat!

I was afraid they would cancel my surgery, but they just pumped fluids into me.

So for me, the surgery was a snap. All my drama was the 10 days before! Also when the surgeon actually started working on me he discovered a hiatal hernia that no one knew I had and repaired that.

On the day of surgery I was pulled off of all my blood pressure medications and the meds I took for acid reflux. So by my first post-op day I was off of a total of 6 meds!

Since then everything has been great!

My only advice is to make sure you are on a good protein because it seems to make all the difference. I could not stand the chocolate flavored ones so I have been using either the chicken Soup (Unjury) or Isopure (a liquid from GNC, comes in flavors like grape, orange, mango, etc. - - only 1/2 bottle equals a meal). I have a friend who swears by the chocolate drinks and can tolerate the Isopure but doesn't care for it too much. So if you can, try a bunch of them to see what you like the best.

Good luck to you all. I think you will all be thrilled that you did this. For me it may be the best decision I've ever made.

--Bridget

kerryconner · May 11, 2008

This message has helped me a LOT! These are th kinds of stories I long for. I so believe every BODY is different, and am well aware that what you consume prior and post surgery will be the biggest chalenges and the most important in recovery. I am most excited to get off the meds. I take Blood Pressure, Cholesterol,Thyroid, Hormone, Prozac and a diaretic. I have been wondering how in the world I will react if I can't get them in liquid form. If I didn't have to take them, I wouldn't have to worry! Thank you for your brief diary. Happy Mothers Day and "God Bless"! I will be thinking of you. I'm scheduled for June 17th. Kerry:thumbup:

Hi Everyone. I was banded just about a month ago and the biggest thing I have learned from reading all the postings is to take everything with a grain of salt. Some people write about being hungry -- I have not been hungry at all. Some people write about post-op pain -- I had none at all (never needed a pain pill). Some write about the diet they were put on -- each doctor has his own guidelines. So bottomline, just because people may write about it, doesn't mean it will be true for you.
Quickly my story - - I waited a year before I had the surgery and worked with my family doctor trying to lose weight on a very restrictive diet with minimal success. I was Diabetic, had high blood pressure, acid reflux (the fairly typical list of issues for obese folks)...

My pre-op diet was 10 days before surgery. It was high quality liquid Protein 3X a day and all the sugar-free popcicles and Jello I wanted along with unlimited broth. I could also have up to 2 cups of orange juice a day. I was never hungry (good Protein, i.e, 20 grams/serving with little or no carbs filled me up). But on Day 5 I started vomiting... Discovered that my blood sugar was too low (something I thought would never happen to me!). So I started drinking the 2 cups of OJ each day and was taken off of ALL my Diabetes medications (before surgery -- yippee!!). Day 6-8 I was fine.

On Day 9 I only felt good laying down. I felt like I would pass out anytime I stood up - - I was so weak (not hunger weak) that I couldn't even take a shower. And I was freezing. On Day 10 I got to the hospital for surgery and told the nurse how I felt. Thank goodness for medical professionals. She threw a blood pressure cuff on me and alarms started going off and people all came running into my little room. My normally high blood pressure was 64/51!!! I guess you really are what you eat!

I was afraid they would cancel my surgery, but they just pumped fluids into me.

So for me, the surgery was a snap. All my drama was the 10 days before! Also when the surgeon actually started working on me he discovered a hiatal hernia that no one knew I had and repaired that.

On the day of surgery I was pulled off of all my blood pressure medications and the meds I took for acid reflux. So by my first post-op day I was off of a total of 6 meds!

Since then everything has been great!

My only advice is to make sure you are on a good protein because it seems to make all the difference. I could not stand the chocolate flavored ones so I have been using either the chicken Soup (Unjury) or Isopure (a liquid from GNC, comes in flavors like grape, orange, mango, etc. - - only 1/2 bottle equals a meal). I have a friend who swears by the chocolate drinks and can tolerate the ISOPure but doesn't care for it too much. So if you can, try a bunch of them to see what you like the best.

Good luck to you all. I think you will all be thrilled that you did this. For me it may be the best decision I've ever made.

--Bridget

Debbie1955 · May 12, 2008

I found this site with a lot of recipes for Protein Shakes on it. I have no idea how to start a "new thread"??? So I thought I would add it to this one and if you think it is worth passing on maybe one of you can do it. I am not sure if it is the kind of shakes evryone is talking about. I am new at all of this.

Protein shake Recipes