Littleroo27

YAY! I'm glad I could help you out some, even if I can't help you lose faster.

I would never hate you no matter what you weighed!!! Good grief, we all have enough problems without turning on each other. The reason I asked is because I am around 310 right now and have yet to hear any "failure" cases from high BMI patients, though I'm sure there are some people who have a crap time losing no matter how heavy they are. Your BMI was around a 32.7 on the day of surgery and your "ideal" weight is 104-135. So, let's go for a safe 125. That's 54 lbs to lose. They say most people lose about 75% of their excess weight in 3 years. 40.5 (75% of what you have to lose) divided by 3 is 13.5 lbs a year. And you've lost 15, right? I'd say you are really right on track. I know most people do lose all their weight at once and I know it's frustrating as hell. I can't see how you are even walking at 300 calories a day - your body has to have gone into starvation storage mode by now! So, I don't know if my math will frustrate you or make you feel like you're doing well, but there it is. You're right on track compared to the average weight loss of most lap-band patients. I'm giving you warm squishy thoughts and hope things to work out better soon for you and everyone having problems with the band. I'm sure I will be on your side in about 9 months!!! Below is the chart I made for myself to try and motivate some pre-surgery weight loss... it hasn't kicked in yet, but I'm working on it, lol.

I know that's very frustrating - I would be POed too! I have another question for you. What was your starting weight and BMI? It seems like a lot of people who have problems with losing slowly started out at a lower BMI, so I'm just curious. Also, I have to agree with your point of "at least I didn't gain anything." I managed to gain back ALL of the weight that I'd lost and maintained for 4 years. It took me less then a year for it to come back. 314 to 240/250 in 2002 Maintained that until January 2005 when I thought it would be just nifty to start dieting again Got down to 230 by Sept 2005 Had out of town guests and fell off the wagon Am now back up to 310 as of Sept 2006. So, yeah, I gained a good 80 lbs in a year. Wouldn't I be thrilled to have gone 15 in the other direction instead!!! I'm scared to start dieting again in case I end up gaining MORE weight!

It's not so much that air gets in with the fluid as there is already some trapped air in the band. After your first fill, pressure is increased and the air my start to push out of the band, leaving you less full. And, yes, it may take a little bit of the liquid with it as it escapes. But after the air is released from the band you shouldn't have much of a problem sustaining your fill level.

He does put you out, right? Cuz I had a doctor do an endoscopy on me earlier this year and he convinced me to NOT take any drugs (my veins are small so he was afraid it would be more trouble then it was worth). It was the most HORRIFYING experience. And I'm not talking about the procedure itself - that's easy. But I have a severe gag reflex and kept throwing up around the tube, freaking out and my arms and legs were flailing like I was drowning and trying not to grab the tube and yank it back out. *shudders* Worst 45 seconds of my life!

Unfortunately, my distress is more physical then mental. After the first 5 days on liquids I was good to go. It was nice to not have to think about food. The only thing I missed as the social aspect, as I was a senior in college at the time (4 years ago) and stopped going to meals with everyone. My problem was that my intestines started to severely cramp up with nothing in there to "cushion" the normal dilations. It causes wonderful things like severe abdominal and intestinal cramping, diarea, etc. Much the same thing would happen if I ate a big green salad with lots of fresh veggies, but in that case it would be the equivalent of trying to digest rocks - just not gonna happen. I really need to try and sneak fiber slowly into my pre-op diet until I'm able to ingest a larger amount so that my post-op diet can be supplemented. If you just start using a lot of fiber at once without working up to it, you end up with about the same problem you're trying to prevent! I hate digestion.

I've done the opti-fast diet before. Actually, that was the start of me losing a good 75 lbs (that I gained back this year after 4 years...). I was forced to quit the program though, because it gave me seriously bad IBS problem. Of course, my IBS is under much better control now then it was then, so it might not cause me any problems this time around... I will most likely continue to add something solid into my diet right up until surgery so that at the most I only have to deal with 3 weeks of liquid diet and distress.

Just talk to the "chicken lady" who thought it was okay to have just a tiny bite of chicken 4 days out and her band slipped! True, one tiny bite of mashed potatoes is not going to kill you, but make sure that doesn't turn into "one bowl of clam chowder" or "one piece of turkey." One of those tiny bites could be the bite that lands you back in surgery. Surgeons plan out the post-op diet for very specific reasons - not just to watch us suffer through clear liquids.

I went completely the other route (but I'm terrible at keeping secrets!!!) and have openly told everyone that I am planning on getting this done. Everyone at my 2nd job knew that's why I was there (too bad it only lasted 2 months before exhaustion kicked in). The one thing I'm NOT telling most people is where I'm getting it done. Cuz, I just don't want to go there. I'm telling the truth that my insurance won't cover it so I have to work very very hard to find the money and I'm planning on next March. But they don't need to know I'm going south of the border instead of up to La Jolla :-D

The dry skin MAY be from not getting enough fluids, but you really should talk to either Dr. Ortiz or your primary care doctor. It's possible you have something going on that's not even related to the surgery, but you want to make sure you're healthy and it's not a bigger issue.

(((BIG HUG))) Take deep breaths!!! You are acting just like I did the day I finally decided which college I was going to. It's a life changing decision and even after you make up your mind, you're still scared it was the wrong choice. Just keep reminding yourself why you are doing it. Make an affirmation list of all the things that can be improved because of this surgery and why you wanted to do it in the first place. Yes, it is a lot of money. I am 26 and live paycheck to paycheck, yet somehow I'm supposed to pay off a $10,000 loan??? It's insane - I wouldn't even do that for a car! But this is worth so much more then that. You are worth $10,000, your health is worth it and your future is worth it.

Does anyone here have a sleep disororder or had one pre-op? Have you noticed any change in your symptoms since the surgery either for better or worse? Have you found that weight loss has given you more energy or is it pretty much the same as before? I have a currently undiagnosed sleep disorder (all I know is that it's not sleep apnea) and am really hoping that the surgery will have the side effect of helping that as well *crosses fingers* I THINK I have Hypersomnia: Hypersomnia is characterized by recurrent episodes of excessive daytime sleepiness or prolonged nighttime sleep. Different from feeling tired due to lack of or interrupted sleep at night, persons with hypersomnia are compelled to nap repeatedly during the day, often at inappropriate times such as at work, during a meal, or in conversation. These daytime naps usually provide no relief from symptoms. Patients often have difficulty waking from a long sleep, and may feel disoriented. Other symptoms may include anxiety, increased irritation, decreased energy, restlessness, slow thinking, slow speech, loss of appetite, hallucinations (Beth - auditory), and memory difficulty. Some patients lose the ability to function in family, social, occupational, or other settings. Hypersomnia may be caused by another sleep disorder (such as narcolepsy or sleep apnea), dysfunction of the autonomic nervous system, or drug or alcohol abuse. In some cases it results from a physical problem, such as a tumor, head trauma, or injury to the central nervous system. Certain medications, or medicine withdrawal, may also cause hypersomnia. Medical conditions including multiple sclerosis, depression, encephalitis, epilepsy, or obesity may contribute to the disorder. Some people appear to have a genetic predisposition to hypersomnia; in others, there is no known cause. Hypersomnia typically affects adolescents and young adults. Right now I'm just waiting anxiously for my sleep study in a month, but until then I thought I'd poll the veiwing audience and see what you're experiences have been! All the best, Beth

I can't say anything about the band itself, as I'm still pre-op, but as for the phone calls, it pays to be a pain in the behind. If you don't hear back from someone in a reasonable amount of time (say, 24 hours in a non-emergency) then call back! Tell them this is your 2nd (or 3rd or 4th) phone call. Become such a pain that they know your voice when they answer the phone. Trust me, you WILL get called back! I do that to my regular doctor all the time. So many people take phone messages and they get routed to different people, that sometimes they get lost before the doctor ever sees it. But if you need answers you aren't getting, be persistent in your quest. Don't wait to see if they ever return your call, you pick up that phone and hit redial as many times as necessary to get the answers.

I think as long as it's completely clear, it's okay. So, as long as you aren't downing the CL packets without mixing them with water, you're good :-D

Okay, I'm going to give my 2 cents just based on personal experience. If I eat 1/2 cup of applesauce, it requires no chewing. It's like drinking really yummy water. It goes straight through and there is no "full" feeling or restriction. If I eat a grilled chicken sandwich (which is often my lunch as I am pre-band) and don't drink anything with it, I can feel the bread sticking in my chest if I don't drink anything. I feel full faster because if I eat another bite, something is coming back up! To me oatmeal is kind of middle of the road; you don't really need to chew it, but it has a definite solidity to it (especially if you don't add too much water) that can make it stick around. So, let's go back to that "chew to goo vs. applesauce" issue. Even if you chew your piece of chicken until it resembles a blender accident, it is still not going to have any more liquid added then what comes from your saliva naturally. It is still going to be a fairly "solid" consistency, even though it's now in very small pieces. If you're still not sure - try taking a handful of grahm crackers (I like the chocolate stick ones myself) and eat them without drinking anything. Even if you chew them into nothing, you will still feel them sticking around a lot more then something with a high liquid content.

I do have one, but since I'm only 26, I haven't had it for even 3 years - not enough to pay for the surgery even if I cleaned it out!

I started working at Ralphs grocery store two months ago in order to save up some extra money for the surgery. Well, actually to pay off my credit card before the surgery so I wasn't that much more in debt! Friday night, after two months, I quit. They refused to give me 20 or less hours (I already have a full time day job) and I was constantly oversleeping for work in the mornings and making my boss very very mad. I'm 99% sure that I suffer from a sleep disorder already, but the extra work wasn't helping matters. I'm now a little nervous about finding the money for the surgery as my paycheck just gets me by month to month with nothing left over. I know I can pay for it on my Visa, but then my Visa is going to want money from me that I don't have with just my day job. I am trying to get some "work from home" projects from companies that need excel databases entered and other Microsoft Office kind of stuff. *crosses fingers* Wouldn't it be nice if the magical fat fairy came down and put a check for $10,000 under our pillow at night? Hey, Lori, I don't suppose the OCC needs a work from home person with skills in Microsoft Office??? :-D

Try adding a protein powder to Silk (soy milk - yummy!). If you use the chocolate powder and the chocolate Silk (they have a light version) then you should be okay. The egg white powder has some insane amount of protein in it, like 24 grams per scoop, and it blends well.

I get mine at Whole Foods. You can also buy directly from their website, which I'm pretty sure is just www.metromint.com Yes, it's a little pricey, but well worth it. I bought a case and drank one bottle of it a day as a treat.

You are right on with the post-op gas. That's one of the main side effects the day after surgery, though I'm a little surprised you still have it a week later. I've also heard people get this pain when they are "full" and it's a sign to stop eating, but as you are still on clear liquids, I doubt that's it!

UGH, not good!!! Did you take any fiber supplements while you were on all liquids? Can we take things like liquid immodium while on the clear diet? What about small pills? I know they say you can take your meds right after surgery, but it does seem kinda scary. I don't know about you, but I did Opti-Fast for, I think two months. I lost a lot of weight but found that if I didn't eat at least one solid thing (ie: chicken sandwich) every day or two that I was having bad intestinal cramps, pain and gas, as well as the dreaded D word. I know during the pre-op phase I can get through this with a bowl of oatmeal or some applesauce, but I'm kinda scared of dealing with it post-op. I will already be cranky and in some amount of discomfort. Hanging out in the potty all day is not my idea of a good time!!!

That's only if you fly directly into Mexico by air. They won't require a passport for ground travel until Jan 2008 so you have time

Ohhh, really???? *writes down* I'll have to check at Trader Joe's and see if they have it.

Linda, May I ask why you can't have the lap-band?

If you like the flavor of mint, I would suggest MetroMint water. It's SOOOO GOOD. No fake sugars or calories - just mint and water.