Surgery - without getting all that appropriate info first

[*Love* 2]

I don't know if it's something lacking with the doctors, nutrutionists, the pre-op meetings...they don't seem to be sharing enough appropriate information....BEFORE surgery.

Something is missing for sooo many woman. They are not getting all the information they need to be sucessful.

They are not told that a band is a tool, not a miracle cure.

This does not mean, eat whatever you want, whenever you want, after surgery & the band will magically stop you.

It means, you must follow your outcare instructions to the T.

You absolutely do not want to risk stretching your pouch or causing it to slip, due to the mentally that: if I can eat it, it is fine. It isn't fine!!

Save those food you just have to have now, as milestone rewards in tiny portions.

Nothing tastes as good as thin feels!!

Once at goal weight, you should be able to have them more regularly, if you even want them anymore by then.

The weeks between surgery & your first fill is for healing.

If you lose weight during that time, it is a bonus, not a rule.

Before & after fill, you have to work with your band.

It can be hard work, but I find getting into a routine is helpful for me.

My doctor told me to:

1. Eat every 3-4 waking hours.

2. Make nutritious choices.

3. Always eat the protien first.

He said you never want to get hungry, because that is the sign that tells your body it is not getting enough food, so it goes into hybernation mode & stores for later. My body was in hybernation mode for 3 years. That is how I ended up here.

My aftercare package also gave meal suggestions & suggests eating 1/4 - 1 cup of food.

To me, all this means that I will never stretch out my $18,000 pouch by ever eating more than a cup of high Protein food at any 3-4 hours sitting.

I follow these rules strictly & it works for me.

I eat Breakfast, I have my alloted Snacks, I eat my pre-homemade dinners that I froze in one cup containers, I never let myself get hungry, and I am starting to get more active.

I eat off of a dessert plate or bowl with baby cutlery. I take the time to savour my small portion of food & typically finish after my husband.

It's only 3-4 hours to the next meal. That is only a short wait, during which I am not hungry, since I am eating what I should, when I should. Between meals is when we are suppose to squeeze some fruit in. It only takes a half hour to digest.

I am a prime example that, if you stick dilligently to your plan, you can lose with or without a fill. I was able to put off my first fill for quite a while because I am still losing an average of 1 lb a week. That is good enough for me.

Edited August 25, 2008 by *Love*
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[RestlessMonkey 7]

I don't have a clue where this is coming from. My doc told me it's a tool and how I need to eat. I've had nutrition and consults. I think most of us have. Some people choose to ignore it. We're human. So?

[*Love* 2]

Surely you have noticed that almost everday someone posts distraught that they are not losing weight before their first fill, & don't know why.

It would be nice if we all got all the information up front.

Since many don't seem to have it, I thought I'd share some.

Please feel free to add in anything I have missed.

[RestlessMonkey 7]

I think people get that info and just think it will be different for them.

I'm sure you're proud of yourself and you've earned it...

my doc's directions to me, however, are different from yours so I'll do what he says.

We're all grownups here; if people want to eat the wrong stuff, drink, or overeat it's their call. Not for me to judge, anyway!

[Kellster 1]

In all of the discussions and conversations and recommendations I have seen, they all point to one simple key to success - following the rules your doctor gives you.

There are so many questions I have now, and I'm sure I will have more and more the closer I get to getting banded, and especially afterward. I'm glad we have this support forum to bounce things off of one another and see what's out there. Thank you, Love, for sharing your experience.

I think there are some unfortunate individual situations where there are complications or little weight-loss, but those seem to be the exception, not the rule.

All I know is, I want this as a tool to help me actually get the weight off - for GOOD! And during my weight loss I want to address how I got to be overweight, the mental/emotional reasons, and how I can learn and grow in order to keep it off forever. And you can bet that I'm gonna be following whatever rules my doc gives me... going through surgery is not easy, and I don't want to take any chances!

[Donna113 2]

I think if you are self-pay then you do get less info than if you are going through insurance. Most insurance companies require consults, physician managed pre-op diets, nutritionists, pych evals, etc. If you are self-pay and have no comorbidities, you can go to a seminar on Saturday and have your surgery the following Wednesday. That's what I did and I received very little info and found out much more after the fact. I was a bit surprised and dismayed at first to discover that the band isn't a magic bullet but once I got over the initial surprise I was fine with it. I would still have gotten the band over the bi-pass or doing nothing so regardless of the info or lack thereof, at the end of the day, I came to the conclusion I did the right thing and am learning to live much healthier than I have been for a very long, long time.

[Donna113 2]

Kellster, I see you're from CA but you have a Houston Texans avatar. Are you a fan?

[RestlessMonkey 7]

Dionna, that's awful. My surgeon requires the same psych, nutrition, hospital tests etc for self pay as for insured. I researched on the 'net and knew what to expect and wouldn't have gone forward if they'd tried to shoo me through. You're lucky it all worked out for you. I'd have refused to have the surgery if my situation had been like yours.

[Donna113 2]

In my case, I think it's because my doctor is so experienced that he's to a great extent a bit cavalier about it. He is one the doctors that participated in the study to get the lap band FDA approved in the US and has taught most of the doctors in Houston how to perform the surgery. He has a wonderful staff and they are always friendly, warm and promptly responds to any questions or concerns. I remember on the morning of the surgery when he stopped by before I was put under and asked me how I was doing and I replied I was nervous, he was really surprised. Then he said, don't worry, if you don't like it, we can always reverse it and it'll be like nothing ever happened.... Strange response, but I'm really happy I chose him and very happy with the post-op care I'm receiving.

[Kellster 1]

Hi Dionna, yes I sure am a Texans fan woohoo! I'm born n raised in Cali but am NOT a fan of the Raiders or the Rams (I'm from LA area) and didn't want to jump on the Charger bandwagon.

I can't wait until post-band when I can buy a women's-size jersey for the first time ever!

[RestlessMonkey 7]

Good then! It's nice to know that you can get cavalier with it over time! That's kind of good news in an odd way! LOL

[MistyD65 1]

I have to agree with Love on most of her points. I think there is a group of people who hear about the Band and jump on it as the next big weight-loss silver bullet. They don't do any research, don't take the time to look at the pros and cons, and what is really going to be required of them after the surgery. Some are lucky and end up choosing a surgeon who makes sure they understand that lifestyle changes must be made, even with the Band. Those folks either accept that and decide to go ahead, change their mind about surgery when they find out the work they are going to have to put in afterwards, or decide to go ahead and have the surgery but don't really intend to make changes. Others choose a surgeon who is happy to take their money, give them a little information, band them then leave them as "band orphans." This is a vast generalization, I know, but I've seen evidence of it.

I understand where you are coming from too, Restless Monkey. I, myself, find it hard to imagine anyone approaching major and life-changing surgery without finding out as much as they can about it, and what life is going to be like afterwards. But some do. Yes, everyone is going to have their own experience, and each surgeon has his own idea about aftercare. But there are so many shared experiences that can be learned from. And yes, we are all grownups, but some of us are rule followers and some are not. And there are plenty of grownups who have the "I'm going to do what I want, the way I want to do it, and I don't care what anybody says."

My wish is that everyone who choses Lap Band does so fully aware, accepting and willing to do everything that is required to make the tool work for them. I think that's the only way to really be successful with it.

[Lanakila 1]

I think that it is sad when we see every other post being about "can I eat this or that" or "why do I have terrible shoulder pain" or "is my port flipped (really very rare)", so on and so forth. It really does come down to patients actually following their doctors orders, plain and simple. I don't understand why banders choose to be so non-compliant right off the bat!

I agree that there are those who believe that the band is a miracle cure and have jumped on the bandwagon without doing any research or asking any questions of their doctors. As cold-hearted as it sounds, I think that it is their own fault when they get into a situation that they whine about. This is not to say that we cannot be supportive by explaining a few things for them (i.e. sliming and pb), but even lapband.com has the basics.

[noosagirl 0]

Thank you for your info. I am getting banded 3rd Sept and all info is helpful!

[billfresh 0]

dionna, i agree the self pay folks can get banded much faster but i don't think that the insurance company requirements actually educate insured patients anymore. yeah there are hoops to jump thru and a lot of info and advice along the way but listening to many on this forum it seems that most just complain about the hassle and "just want to be banded already". haven't heard a lot of "boy i learned all kinds of stuff while i waited". not saying this applies to all here but i feel that self pay folks as a whole do MORE research than insured folks and go into this with eyes wide open. when we are laying out many thousands of our dollars we want to know everything possible. sorry if this part seems harsh but people using insurance for this procedure(God bless you for having the coverage, honestly) do not have to sacrifice as much as self pay folks. i could be wrong but the more a person has invested the harder that person will work to get results. faster doesn't mean less informed anymore than slower means more informed.