Vancouver Area Bandsters

[Doddie63 6]

Drinking out of a straw for the rest of your life! Absolutely not. The band only restricts and the tightness is governed by your needs, no one elses. I keep a 5.5 fill in a 10 cc band because I have a bad habit of not chewing my food thoroughly enough. I eat anything I want. Most people stay away from any foods that are white, such as potatoes, rice, white bread. This was my day. BKfts Yogurt and boiled egg, lunch Salmon sandwich (16 grain bread) with a Soup and for dinner, swiss steak with veggies. At first the quantity seems small 1/2 cup or less at meals seems small, but it is all you body requires if you take a Vitamin tablet daily.

Surgery for me was a snap. I flew to Toronto had the surgery and returned to Vancouver two days later. No problems. The first 6 weeks are used for healing so you may actually gain weight. Then you get your first fill and you probably won't feel too much restriction. It is the 2nd or 3rd that you will feel restriction

Come to our support meetings. They are free and are held at the Lions Gate Hospital every 3rd Wednesday of the month.

I wish you well in your surgery and your journey to come.

Hello,

I am new here. I am scheduled to have my surgery done in exactly a week, Oct 2, by Dr. Leung. I know that he is very experienced but he kind of scared me when I went in for my consultation. I truely feel at the end of my struggle, like I am so far gone that this is the only solution. I have my preop on monday and will be meeting with a dietian and everything but I am scared and nervous. I try to think about how amazing it will feel to love my body and have extra energy, I just turned 26 and I feel like I have wasted my whole life in a body I hate. I've had my galbladder removed and developed collitis and IBS as a result, I finally have both of them under control for the most part and now I am worried I'll be in for another long haul of upset stomachs and pain. Whats the worst part of having it done? Can you ever eat the same amount as a normal person? I know i overeat now which is why I am obese but once the weight is gone can you ever just have a normal life? Is it true that you have to drink things out of a straw for the rest of your life or does your body adjust?

[Paulax 8]

Hello,

I am new here. I am scheduled to have my surgery done in exactly a week, Oct 2, by Dr. Leung. I know that he is very experienced but he kind of scared me when I went in for my consultation. I truely feel at the end of my struggle, like I am so far gone that this is the only solution. I have my preop on monday and will be meeting with a dietian and everything but I am scared and nervous. I try to think about how amazing it will feel to love my body and have extra energy, I just turned 26 and I feel like I have wasted my whole life in a body I hate. I've had my galbladder removed and developed collitis and IBS as a result, I finally have both of them under control for the most part and now I am worried I'll be in for another long haul of upset stomachs and pain. Whats the worst part of having it done? Can you ever eat the same amount as a normal person? I know i overeat now which is why I am obese but once the weight is gone can you ever just have a normal life? Is it true that you have to drink things out of a straw for the rest of your life or does your body adjust?

Hello, I am over 3 years out now, I am at goal and I do not drink from a straw. But my meals look nothing like they used to. It takes time but I have accepted the fact that my meals are tiny. I can eat most things, but some things I just had to let go, like the idea of a sandwich or plate of Pasta.

I think the hardest part of being banded is focusing on healthful foods and how best to feed your body nutritionally with such small amounts. It takes time and thought.

For now, just focus on the first phase of Clear Liquids. Make some homemade broths, this will give you something warm and at least 9 grams of Protein each cup.

Dr Leung isn't always easy, but he has always treated me with respect. Now that I am at goal and maintaining, Dr Leung is one of my life's heros.

Good luck my dear. Let us know how you are doing. You will need support in this journey. Go to the support meetings if you can.

hugs

Paula

Edited September 28, 2009 by Angel Eyes

[canadagirl33 0]

Hi Everyone :tongue2:

I'm so sorry that I have been MIA for so long but life has been kicking my butt and keeping me way too busy lately. I think things are finally settling down and hopefully I will be able to change my focus back to me for a time. Altho I haven't gained anything I have not been making the best choices for myself and I need to start living like a bandster again and looking after myself better....hard to do when those you love need looking after.

Thank you so much for posting Doreen, and for being at the meetings and helping everyone. Your knowledge of and experiences with the band are always a huge help to others.

I'm glad you have found this board Timmers, hopefully you will find us helpful. Unfortunately I do not have a full list of bandster meetings in the Lower Mainland altho I do know that there are a couple of others. However, if memory serves, they are all out in the Valley and all held in the evenings. I know how hard it can be for some to get to the meetings but I really do believe that face to face meetings can be very helpful. Maybe if you post what area in Vancouver you are at someone in the same area will be interested in meeting up during the day for a coffee or a walk. Just a thought but it might be a good way to at least meet a fellow bandster and get in some chit chat about living the life....

Nadsltd...it really concerns me that you asked "Is it true that you have to drink things out of a straw for the rest of your life..." Are you just assuming this or did someone actually tell you this?? If you read the manufacturers suggestions you will actually see that they completely discourage using a straw at any time due to the amount of air most people ingest. Trust me, you will more than likely have enough gas (burping) without using a straw.... As for meal size, you will probably never eat another meal like you do now, and is that really a bad thing? Like Paula said, there are things you are going to have to just let go of as part of your pre-bandster life. You will slowly learn a new reality, and small portions are not a bad thing. I can pretty much eat anything that I choose, in smaller portions, and have maintained a 100+ lb weight loss for almost 2 years....the satisfaction in that beats the heck out of sitting down to a big plate of food any day !!!

Dr. Leung can be difficult to deal with....but you need to realize that he is going to be a part of your life for a good part of the forseeable future. You should really try to attend a few of our support meetings, we have quite a few of his patients that attend on a regular basis and they may be able to help you in dealing with him.

Speaking of meetings.... I PROMISE that I will be at the next one !!!! My summer 'travelling' in over with and things have settled down. Everyone please remember that you are all more than welcome to attend and bring your family and friends if you chose, there is no fee and we welcome any and all bandsters, newbies or oldies !!!

Take care and be healthy !!!

Patricia

Edited September 29, 2009 by canadagirl33

[timmmers 0]

Hello all

Thanks canadagirl33 for your reply(ies). I'm getting banded in two days!!!! OMG! I'm so nervous (and so excited). I've been on the pre-op for 4 days now and have lost 6 pounds. Wish I could just do this diet for a few months and I'll be at my goal (hahaha).

As per your suggestion canadagirl33, I live in Richmond (specifically, south Richmond). I used to live in Tsawwassen. So, if there are any bandsters out there in Richmond or Delta (or anywhere close to these two places), and would like to meet up, please let me know. I go to Kwantlen in Surrey, so meeting in Surrey is an option too. I would love to be able to talk to people who have been banded, and learn from their experiences. Because my surgery is in two days and I have SO much to do before then, I won't be able to meet for a few weeks (after I recover). I would love to make it out to a support meeting, but I am in school during ALL of the meetings. So, meeting up one-on-one or in small groups is my only option at this point. Would really like to speak with some of you in person.

Hope you're all having a great day! Cheers ~

[nadsltd 0]

Thanks guys for the advice and support. My mom knows a lady who was banded and she said that she was never able to go to social functions or anything because everything she ate had to be blended and mushy. She had the band for 8 months and couldnt eat anything solid, everything had to be blended. She had the band removed because a piece of cilantro managed to plug the band and nothing would pass, her surgeon was out of town and no other doctor would touch her. She was admitted to the hospital and could barely breathe and eventually her surgeon removed the band. Now that I have learnt more about the band I think that perhaps her band was too tight and she didn't chew well enough. When I spoke to the dietician yesterday she said that I would eat the amount of a lean cuisine, which isn't too bad and I am sure as the weight comes off I will think about food less and less. Does it take a long time for your body to adjust to the band? Do you feel hungry? I would like to attend a meeting, I have a place in Burnaby and my family lives in Mission so meetings in the Valley or in the city.

[nadsltd 0]

Hey guys,

I wasn't told to go onto any pre-op diet, I asked the dietician about a pre-op diet and she said that I could whatever until the midnight before, is that true? I hear a lot of pre-banders saying they are on a specific diet but I wasn't told that.

[VancouverRN 0]

Every surgeon has their preferences regarding pre op diet. I have heard of patients doing the liquid diet for 3 weeks and others eating right up until midnight prior to surgery. I don't think there is any right or wrong way, just whatever that particular surgeon has experience with or was taught during training.

I am sure it will be fine!! Best of luck!!

Rhonda

[timmmers 0]

The point of the liquid diet is to highly reduce the number of calories you are eating, so that you have extremely rapid wieght loss, as well as the clear out the stomach for the surgery. Fat is stored in the liver, and when you lose weight, the fat from the liver is lost first. During the surgery, your surgeon needs to work where the liver usually rests, so he (or she) needs to move the liver out of the way. To make it easier (and safer) to work in that area of your body, the smaller your liver is the better. So, the reason why most doctors put people onto liquid diets is to decrease the size of the liver and therefore make the surgery a bit easier. However, I have heard from surgeons I have spoken to in person, they also put people onto liquid diets to test to see if they are in the right place mentally to loose weight and eat the right food after the diet. If you can't handle loosing 5/10 pounds before the surgery, how will you manage 100?

But, as long as your surgeon is experienced, the surgery will be a success no matter how big your liver is. So, really, it's just a bonus to have a smaller liver and not necessary a requirement.

I hope this helped!

[nadsltd 0]

Hey, so i am less than 24 hours away from my surgery and i am freaking out! I am nervous and I am trying not to think about it but i cant help it. I feel like i have butterflies in my tummy and tension in my shoulders. Please tell me this is normal! My mom said that if i want to back out at any moment then I can but there is something inside of me pushing me through. Im scared when i think about having to live with something foreign in my body for the rest of my life but I know i cant think like that. Someone wrote on here that the day they got their band was their re-birth, the thought of having a whole new life with all these possibilities is pushing me through but I cant help but be scared of what is coming ahead of me. I saw some video on youtube about this chick who was being interviewed for gastric bypass surgery, she had lapband but it didnt work, she said she couldnt eat anything healthy because it didnt stay down so she just ate chips and ice cream cuz they went down well. She said her surgeon said that she 'out-ate' the band and it was her fault. She started her weightloss journey at 300 then lost 60lbs then when she had it removed she went up to 365. I know that they warn you about everything like, chewing, what to eat and not to eat, control everything, but if Ive failed at every diet why would this be different? There are pictures of people smiling when they go into the OR, I dont feel like smiling, Im scared!

[nadsltd 0]

Is there a meeting on October 21st? The 3rd wednesday of this month? I would like to come.

[Uli 0]

I am also a past patient of Dr. Leung, I was banded in November 2007. Needless to say it has been a struggle for me and I am not at goal. Unfortunately not. I was on a plateau for one year. Not good at all, and I am at 12 cc on a 10 cc band, and Dr. Leung would not do more which is fine as I am quite restricted. However, even with the band you constantly need willpower as sweets and stuff goes down real easy. I do eat a lot less now and the portions are so much smaller, but I can eat everything, no straw or such.

I still eat too fast sometimes and then I throw up, but that is always a reminder to slow down.

Finally I am in a good state of mind and have my willpower back, so for the last months I have lost 2 pounds a week and I have to say no to all sweets, there is no other way as I am tackling the next 50 pounds which need to come off as I am not happy until it is gone. That's the weight.......ha,ha.

If I had to do it all over again, I think I would go with the gastric bypass as this seems faster and yo don't have to work so hard. 2 cousins of mine had that done and they are smaller now than me. What can I say? The struggle will continue for the rest of my life as what is in your head, is not in your stomach, meaning that the craving for sweets will never go away from me. And that was the only thing that I would have wished for.

Good luck to you who has the surgery tomorrow.

The healing is not bad at all and I was back at work after a few days.

Cheers.

[Paulax 8]

Hey, so i am less than 24 hours away from my surgery and i am freaking out! I am nervous and I am trying not to think about it but i cant help it. I feel like i have butterflies in my tummy and tension in my shoulders. Please tell me this is normal!

Yes, it is totally normal. I even thought of jumping off the gurney in the OR before they put me out.

But, I am happy to report, that 3+ years later, I am at goal and so very, very glad that I never jumped off that gurney. I know in my heart that if I had, I'd still be 280 pounds and miserable.

Correct, the band doesn't change your wants or needs for sugar. I believe sugar is a drug, the more I eat, the more I crave. I had to focus on low carb foods and wean myself off sugar.

I try so hard to focus on that foods that will make me feel good and focus hard on the foods that feed my body what it needs. I still have cravings, but I am better able to handle it when my body has sufficient Protein and nutrition.

I also create a successful environment by keeping the junk out of my grocery cart and out of my house. I do NOT want my 3 beautiful children to face the same shame I felt being overweight.

It is not easy, but it is doable.

Good luck my dear,

Let us know how you are doing and what you decide.

hugs

Paula

Edited October 2, 2009 by Angel Eyes

[Uli 0]

I don't keep sweets in the house either at all. And needless to say I was always watching out for my daughter to never get fat and thank God she did not and is at a normal weight for her age. No mother should have children go through the same pain.

As long as people put their best willpower into this, it is always better to be banded than stay heavy for the rest of your life.

Surgery is the easiest, it is the time of losing after which is a long road.

It is a bit difficult to not always think about food when we are surrounded by it daily.

On the positive side, for most people the band has been great.

[timmmers 0]

I'm in bandland. I got banded THIS morning, about 8 hours ago. At the hotel across the street from the clinic, and am here until tomorrow. I had my surgery done at NWWLS., with Dr. Michaelson. I'm going to break down what happened to me today for any of you who are interested in what happens at NWWLS or just in general.

I left home at 5:45am (after only getting about an hour of sleep_ to make it to Everett, WA by 7:45am. Didn't need to be there until 8:30am, so we went to the hotel (Holiday Inn Express) to check in. They gave us our room already!!! Btw the hotel is just wonderful! Very nice rooms, beds, extremely good customer service, TV, and best of all, quiet and dark making it easy to do a lot of resting. Rested for about 15 minutes and then headed to the clinic. Filled out paperwork and waited for about 15 minutes. Was brought to the back. VERY nice private care facility. They gave me blood thinner into my thigh, tested my temp, BP, and O2 stats. Then, Dr. Michaelson spoke with me for a few minutes. Met the anesthesiologist, who asked me the same questions all over again. He was really nice (Dr. Ortiz I think). Walked into the operating room, laid down, got hooked up to monitoring machines, and then got some absolutely amazing drug that made my eyes heavy - but it also made me feel absolutely NO anxiety. About 2 minutes later they gave me the anesthesia as I was out. Ta-da, I'm banded.

Waking up from general really sucks for me, so it was a pretty strange feeling. I don't remember much, other than it was a bit difficult to breathe, and that my mom (who came along to drive me home, etc.) was in the room answering questions for me. I knew where I was, but had no idea what time it was and kept on asking.. about every 2 minutes. haha. After an hour in the recovery room in my bed, I was asked to walk to another room with a chair. I had fear that I wouldn't make it, but I actually liked walking more than the sitting. Got to my room, and was checked about every 10 minutes (BP, O2, etc). I was supposed to get the SILS procedure, but the doctor reverted to a standard procedure because he said I was too tall for his instruments. So, I have 5 incisions like most people - I would have liked just having 1, but safety was definitely more important than looks. After about 1 hour, I started to feel some pain, so they gave me liquid vicodin (Lora-tab Elixir). The drugs kinda "knocked" me out half way, but made the pain go completely away. After another 45 minutes, they told me I was good to go. So, got into the car and drove to the hotel. Did a 10 minute walk around the hotel. Then, back to the room and slept for an hour. Took more Lora-tab as I was feeling a bit more pain. Felt sleepy again, and slept for 2.5 hours. Just went for another walk and am now in my room writing this post. So, all in all, it went really smoothly, and pretty limited pain. I would like to have no pain, but it's definitely not bad.

I'll definitely keep you all posted. Good luck to the rest of you still waiting to get banded. Cheers~

[Doddie63 6]

Welcome to bandland. Your journey has just begun to a much healthier, happier life. Glad your surgery went well, now don't rush. Let yourself heal well. You may even gain weight over the next month but don't worry once you start your fills, you will understand about restriction. Keep in touch and don't be afraid to ask any questions. someone will have an answer.

I'm in bandland. I got banded THIS morning, about 8 hours ago. At the hotel across the street from the clinic, and am here until tomorrow. I had my surgery done at NWWLS., with Dr. Michaelson. I'm going to break down what happened to me today for any of you who are interested in what happens at NWWLS or just in general.

I left home at 5:45am (after only getting about an hour of sleep_ to make it to Everett, WA by 7:45am. Didn't need to be there until 8:30am, so we went to the hotel (Holiday Inn Express) to check in. They gave us our room already!!! Btw the hotel is just wonderful! Very nice rooms, beds, extremely good customer service, TV, and best of all, quiet and dark making it easy to do a lot of resting. Rested for about 15 minutes and then headed to the clinic. Filled out paperwork and waited for about 15 minutes. Was brought to the back. VERY nice private care facility. They gave me blood thinner into my thigh, tested my temp, BP, and O2 stats. Then, Dr. Michaelson spoke with me for a few minutes. Met the anesthesiologist, who asked me the same questions all over again. He was really nice (Dr. Ortiz I think). Walked into the operating room, laid down, got hooked up to monitoring machines, and then got some absolutely amazing drug that made my eyes heavy - but it also made me feel absolutely NO anxiety. About 2 minutes later they gave me the anesthesia as I was out. Ta-da, I'm banded.

Waking up from general really sucks for me, so it was a pretty strange feeling. I don't remember much, other than it was a bit difficult to breathe, and that my mom (who came along to drive me home, etc.) was in the room answering questions for me. I knew where I was, but had no idea what time it was and kept on asking.. about every 2 minutes. haha. After an hour in the recovery room in my bed, I was asked to walk to another room with a chair. I had fear that I wouldn't make it, but I actually liked walking more than the sitting. Got to my room, and was checked about every 10 minutes (BP, O2, etc). I was supposed to get the SILS procedure, but the doctor reverted to a standard procedure because he said I was too tall for his instruments. So, I have 5 incisions like most people - I would have liked just having 1, but safety was definitely more important than looks. After about 1 hour, I started to feel some pain, so they gave me liquid vicodin (Lora-tab Elixir). The drugs kinda "knocked" me out half way, but made the pain go completely away. After another 45 minutes, they told me I was good to go. So, got into the car and drove to the hotel. Did a 10 minute walk around the hotel. Then, back to the room and slept for an hour. Took more Lora-tab as I was feeling a bit more pain. Felt sleepy again, and slept for 2.5 hours. Just went for another walk and am now in my room writing this post. So, all in all, it went really smoothly, and pretty limited pain. I would like to have no pain, but it's definitely not bad.

I'll definitely keep you all posted. Good luck to the rest of you still waiting to get banded. Cheers~