preop-surgery-postop advice

[LateBloomer 0]

I have the same band date (May 30th) and the exact same experience as mentioned by Jodi of "Tomorrow is the Day". It really helps to read that others have experienced the same thing. Day 2 was the worst of it. I thought something must have gone terribly wrong, as so many people say they were fine right away. I was thinking the dreaded shoulder pain was going to be the worst part but it was the idea and sensation that every time I moved I thought the stitches would rip that really hurt the most. Sheesh, it does hurt but the next day it started to feel a bit better and today (day 4) I drove my child to school (1 1/2 hours round trip - no meds!). So I think I'll live and am shocked that I have not cheated on the post op diet, but all I keep thinking is that I do not want to have myself to blame if I ever have to go under the knife again. Gosh, I barely even go to the doctor, I can't believe I actually did this. So the post op diet is getting a little irritating but not impossible. You start to hear your stomach growling and you know you must be hungry but it feels very bearable and you realize that you can do for a wee bit longer. The stitches are a gentle reminder that you can do what you want but you might not want to sabotage the healing process in any way.

For those of you fretting over the pre-op diet, I know that I shouldn't say this, but you will not die for bending the rules a bit. I followed my pre-op diet very loosely and thought about things like what chemicals were in the food rather than if steak was sacrilege. Twice I traded my morning yogurt for a Decaf coffee with cream and sugar at Starbucks. I avoided carbs but had four pieces of bavarian rye with my allowed chicken breast and 4 little tomatoes on my last supper. Just make sure that you eat this in a timeframe that will allow you to digest it and get it out the other end before surgery. To this end I drank three glasses of Water right at midnight. ALong with a small bowl of roasted red pepper Soup. WIth cheese and two turkey pepperettes. I'm a bit devilish, I know and I am not telling you this with glee but just so that you don't hate yourself for falling off the wagon and that you will be okay. If you can stick to the diet do it, but doing what I did, I lost 11 pounds in 7 days anyway and know that sugar and carb consumption must be what does me in. Please note, however, if you do not think you are regular enough to be reasonably empty on the day of the op, eat less on the final day. I really think that the key goal to the pre-op diet is to pre-adapt your mind and stomach for the post op days as well as to clean out your liver as best as possible. One of the things I read that is really good for liver cleansing was Milk Thistle tea so I drank alot of that. It is not gross as many medicinal teas can be, just a bit bland and quite bearable. Also, I really learned a lot about my liver before I cheated and came to believe that it is better to err on the side of natural foods rather than lowcal filler full of chemicals. The liver works so hard to detox your body, how can the dyes and chemicals in sugarless popsicles, the starches in low fat yogurt, for example, be good for giving your liver a break? I may have eaten a bit more chicken than I should have but it was free range which is good for detoxing the liver. Also, I traded 4 jumbo shrimp on the grill rather than a chicken breast one evening, I pigged out on baby carrots with a balsamic vinegar dressing to die for when I was starving, and had some nutella once or twice. Well, I'll stop telling you what I ate but just think healthy and if you are strong enough to follow the pre-op, do so, if you cheat, cheat with something your body and liver will appreciate. As usual, as soon as I had seen that I lost 7-8 pounds, I started cheating more... standard dieter behaviour perhaps. So stay off the scales pre-op, as much as possible, and just do your best.

SOme post op tips: I had bought tinned broths but then found some really good organic broth made by a celebrity chef (initials WP) and it makes the broth much more bearable post op. Plus it has far less sodium than tinned. If you have to crush your pills, it is easier to put it in your mouth, make the ugly wincing face while crushing it between your teeth, then swallow it with a sip of Water, take another wash out sip, then eat a piece of sugarless gum. TO crush it then put it in liquid and drink it washes the bitterness all over you mouth and prolongs the procedure. Just get it overwith. The gum has saved me, however, get a few flavours, as you will get mighty tired of the same flavour each time. I found the ice breakers gum helped a lot. I didn't think I'd need Vitamins right away, surely my big body has an abundance of everything, but found that I was getting too light headed and feeling unwell until I started sipping some Vitamin water. My husband finally found liquid vitamins and so that seems to make a huge difference. DOn't overdo Vitamins as that is toxic but having some in your system will save your mind and probably your hair too. Oh, also, you may find the apple juice too sweet and nauseating so get some cranberry juice to balance your flavours out. It tastes so good when you can't handle the sweetness. Also, remember to brush your teeth every day or your mouth will feel like the bottom of a bird cage for the first few days.

I am not one of those people who is motivated by people who tell me that things won't work (known as the haters in other posts). BUt things have unfolded so extraordinarily that I know I am on the right path for me. I always feared that I was one of those for whom this whole thing might not work, as I am not one who has a great deal of will power (some overweight people have astounding will power but I rarely even diet), but I am definitely one of those IF I CAN DO IT YOU CAN, and if I managed to stay on the post op diet for 4 days so far, trust me you can too. I'm sort of surrendering myself to the universe and trying not to overthink this as I do with everything else. We'll see.

Other things: try to make sure you will not be on your period during or right after surgery. You will be very uncomfortable. They let you keep your undies on if you are on your period however, so I just left mine on with a pad on and wasn't asked to remove them. You will be under the anesthetic and out of surgery before you know it. IT was surreal. Good luck my fellow bandits! Carpe diem!

[Apples2 19]

Latebloomer...happy things worked out for you but I am having a difficult time with you gloating about your pre-op diet cheating. I don't want to sound harsh but I would feel shame in encouraging others to do the same. I wish you continued success on your post-op diet. I hope you have better luck than with your pre-op.

[sisterc 0]

I had a tough time with pre-op dieting and gained three pounds when I got on the scale. I was not sad, but knew where I went wrong after the surgery I did much better and have to force myself to eat right and make sure I don't over eat which you can do. I just take it one day at a time no advice just do your best and be the best you can!

[LateBloomer 0]

My goodness Apples2, accusations of gloating. To be as self righteous as that. Some people just want to see the worst in others. So many people are having a difficult time with the pre op and so filled with the SHAME as you recommend for me, self loathing, and feelings of defeat for not being able to stick to a starvation diet. Sorry you see my attempts to be supportive as gloating but I suppose that is to be expected. I am not filled with shame for sharing my experience and am hoping that others will stop self flagellating for every little transgression, as self hatred is not uncommon for those with weight issues. The pre-op diet is not universal, there is no industrywide standard, and so I am saying to use ones brain. HAving considered the wide range of pre op diet suggestions/requirements, and having done much research, I just shared what worked out okay for me so that people wouldn't hate themselves for the smaller errors they have experienced. If you end up going to Burger King because you coudn't deal with it, or hate your self for having egg in your Soup, is that helpful, or are their other things that could have been done, is the point I'm looking at. I guess I'm a little bummed that the first comment to my first post would be negative enough to suggest I should be ashamed for trying to share what I felt was positive and caring. Perhaps if you had shared what you ate, it would have been for gloating reasons, but that is not what motivated me to share. WHy should anyone be scared to death before the surgery?

[techhottie 0]

Thank you very much. Very helpfull

[Apples2 19]

OK OK...so maybe I could have chosen a better word than "shame". I did not post to tear you to shreds and sorry if you took it that way. It just drives me nuts when I see posts similar to yours that convey the message "I cheated and I'm OK so do it if you want to". (Not a direct quote).

Yes, there are many different pre-op diets out there and each and everyone should be ENCOURAGED to stick to what their dr. states should be done pre-op and post-op. Sorry if I offended you.

[EricaLyn 0]

You don't have to crush pills between your teeth. You can get a pill crusher to grind up your pills. Just make sure your pills can be ground up. Time released pills may have to be switched out for the crushable kind and/or liquid pills may need to be prescribed in place of time release.

Edited June 2, 2008 by EricaLyn

[EricaLyn 0]

OK OK...so maybe I could have chosen a better word than "shame". I did not post to tear you to shreds and sorry if you took it that way. It just drives me nuts when I see posts similar to yours that convey the message "I cheated and I'm OK so do it if you want to". (Not a direct quote).

Yes, there are many different pre-op diets out there and each and everyone should be ENCOURAGED to stick to what their dr. states should be done pre-op and post-op. Sorry if I offended you.

I understood what you were saying, Apples. You are correct - everyone should do what their own doctor recommends and not what someone else did or what their doctor recommended for them.

My doctor has me doing things that don't match others on this forum and I do wonder why it's different for me, but alas, I follow his orders. He knows best. I think we can learn from each other on this board, but we need to be careful in what we recommend.

The best of everything to those on this weightloss journey. My advice to those who haven't been banded yet - follow what your doctor and/or nutrionist prescribes. You can't go wrong if you do it that way.

[Apples2 19]

EricaLyn...I did offend the OP with the way I worded my post and apologized. I flew off the handle and posted in haste.

The reason we are all on this journey is because most of us have failed many times attempting to lose this weight. The one and only way that I can see success in this is to follow the rules provided by my dr. and the basic lap band rules.

[berryhappy 0]

LateBloomer,

I just want to say thank you for your post.

I am still on the deciding end of the LapBand. I think you telling of your experience is just that YOUR EXPERIENCE. Personally I want to say I'm sorry that someone thinks you are gloating and you should be ashamed. I for one want to say how proud of you I am for sharing your journey with me. Maybe one day I will be brave enough to take that journey also. I for one know I can't follow orders to aT or I wouldn't be needing the surgery in the first place. I want to encourage everyone but I guess I know I'm human and I know I will slip every once in a while. If I can't share those kind of experiences with you than where do I do from here?

[LateBloomer 0]

Thank you BerryHappy. I was just wondering if it was a mistake to have posted at all. It is because I know exactly how you feel that I shared in the first place. You can search the internet for a very long time to find out what other operations, including open heart surgery, will make patients go through such punishing hoops to qualify, but you won't find anything quite like some of the diets recommended here. I was self pay as I do not want to be derailed by the battles like dealing with insurance and so on. How many people have given up the fight or have been denied because they couldn't drink liquids for a week or more? How many normal sized people could do that? It is so easy for our society to be harsher or more abusive to overweight people and I am starting to see it for what it is. In my heart I feel that the pre-op diets that are the most extreme are put in place to find a way to deny people coverage for the operation. It is like saying that you must quit smoking for two weeks in order to qualify for the nicotine patch or quit drinking in order to qualify for rehab. It just makes more sense to me when the doctors tell patients to be sensible high protein/low carbs and sugars, as I felt I was during my preop. My own doc recently switched from yogurt and cottage cheese only diets to one that includes chicken breast, salads with balsamic vinegar dressing, and an egg every day. He said it was based on new understanding that the diet was changed. At times, I wanted haagen daas so bad and so 50 calories of fat free gelato to keep me on track made sense. It is so acceptable to be abusive and blaming for people who are overweight and I am personally appalled at what some people are being asked to do to qualify. My GP says that not getting coverage has everything to do with the floodgates that would open if this were covered. I just came across a published study which I think is very interesting and applies to lap band people as well. berry Happy, please don't think you won't succeed. Don't be afraid. That is why I shared my experience in the first place. Good on them all those saintly diet followers, but I am not in the state I'm in because of my own Herculean self control. I'm probably in it more because I have absorbed too much negativity from others and never said anything back. It was not lost on me how I suddenly felt hungry after reading the negative posts. You have made me decide to post another message here when I was thinking I was done, and now I encourage you to open up as well. There will always be those who jump on the chance to condescend, so lets let it roll off our backs.

Check out this study: http://www.asbs.org/html/pdf/insurance_article.pdf

Insurance-mandated preoperative dietary counseling does not improve outcome and increases dropout rates in patients considering gastric bypass surgery for morbid obesity

Thanks to all who put forth positivity and for those thinking about jumping on the bandwagon, as I said before if I can do it, you can (4 days on liquids so far- who knew!!) and that is what I want to share as I go along my journey.

Edited June 2, 2008 by LateBloomer

[EricaLyn 0]

Why are you beating a deadhorse, LateBloomer? Apples2 apologized. Can't we let it go?

And the pre-op diet is to shrink our livers. Our big, fatty livers get in the way of the banding of our stomachs. We need the pre-op diet to shrink our livers. Plus, it doesn't help to lose some weight before major surgery.

My feeling is - a little self control before the surgery is a big indicator if the band is right for you or not. The band isn't a cure all and will require a great deal of self control once in place (if it's going to work at all for the one banded). A pre-op diet isn't all that hard when compared to how we'll have to completely change our eating habits once banded.

Also, the study you gave a link to. It's for Gastric Bypass and it's from 2005-2006 (not that current) and the pre-op diet is for 13 weeks. Most lapbanders have a 2-3 weeks pre-op diet. This article isn't really matching apples to apples.

Edited June 2, 2008 by EricaLyn

[yellowroseaz 0]

LateBloomer,

I just want to say thank you for your post.

I am still on the deciding end of the LapBand. I think you telling of your experience is just that YOUR EXPERIENCE. Personally I want to say I'm sorry that someone thinks you are gloating and you should be ashamed. I for one want to say how proud of you I am for sharing your journey with me. Maybe one day I will be brave enough to take that journey also. I for one know I can't follow orders to aT or I wouldn't be needing the surgery in the first place. I want to encourage everyone but I guess I know I'm human and I know I will slip every once in a while. If I can't share those kind of experiences with you than where do I do from here?

Well said. I think LateBloomer is very courageous for putting her feelings and experiences out there like that at risk of being told off. But I also see the point of sticking to what the Doc says and when it is my surgery time I hope that I can do it.

[Bobalooey 0]

I wrote this 3 years ago this month. People still tell me these observations hold true.

http://www.lapbandtalk.com/f17/pre-post-surgery-observations-8033/

Enjoy!

[Mommy.ArmyWife 6]

LateBloomer, thank you for this post! I appreciate reading about your experience! My surgery is tomorrow, and I was pretty worried about the pre-op diet. I haven't pigged out by any means, but it is good to know that I'll be alright! I am sticking to JUST Protein Shakes today! Thank you!