Lapband date 5-12-2010

I had my surgeon's consult today. It was more like the intake appointment I had in January. We arrived at 12:30. We, as in 6 others. We had group education class with Karen and learned what to eat, how to eat, what not to eat. We learned about the surgery, pre-op, post-op and treatment at home. We received more packets and vitamin samples.

Then because the surgeon was running late from a surgery in Lexington, we had to cut our time short. He met with each one of us in a private examination and quick question/answer session. After that we went over the consent form as a group. Usually he does this individually but that would mean us being there until 8 or 9 pm. We opted for the group. After that I met with the scheduling nurse and got my date.

The good news is I lost 6 pounds!!!
The bad news is because I have a blood disorder I have to give myself injections in my stomach after surgery with a blood thinner. I think I may pass out. I am not looking forward to that.

Good news is that I don't HAVE to do a 2 week all protein shake diet. Only one week is mandatory. I can do a week of 3 protein shakes and one high protein meal and then one week of all liquids before the surgery.

Bad news is that I have to only have clear liquids the day before surgery. There are meds I have to start before surgery but not on the day of surgery or meds I start a week after surgery. It is confusing but I AM EXCITED!!

I'm at my surgeon's consult with Dr. Oldham. I'm nervous. I hope I didn't gain...

How it's going

Well, I see the surgeon on Thursday this week. I am both excited and apprehensive. I hope my surgery is soon. I know I will have to do some sort of diet but not sure what and for how long or how much weight I will need to lose before surgery. Right now I am just focusing on not gaining weight. I have heard that if I gain weight then it could delay my surgery. I think I have said that before.
I have been trying different proteins shakes and flavors to find some that I like so I have variety. Getting one with 27g of protein and is a meal replacement is impossible . Bariatric Advantage pre-mixed shakes are nasty so I am not even trying the tubs of mix. So far I have tried GNC's lean shake in swiss chocolate and it is very good but only 9g of protein. That's less than a Special K protein shake. I have to mix wheybolic with it and that adds calories. I am frustrated. I now have EAS protein mix and it has 42g of protein in two scoops. I am going to try just one scoop and see how that goes. I usually blend it with ice and a little skim milk. I throw in a banana with the chocolate. I have a few recipes and now that I have vanilla mix I am going to try some different ones. There is a lot more variety with vanilla. Adding an orange to it makes it a orange creamsicle. Adding pineapple and coconut extract makes it a pina colada. adding a scoop of chocolate mix and a tsp of peanut butter is another idea. I don't want too much of a chocolatey flavor.
I think right now I need ideas on ways to just lose some weight. I am replacing one meal a day with a shake. Usually breakfast since I can make it at home and take it to work with me. I will have to somehow think of ways to take it to work too. I keep meaning to get the unflavored protein so I can add it to broth to see what that tastes like so I can have hot "meals". When I drink the protein shakes in the morning around 9 am  I usually eat lunch around 1:30 or 2 pm.

I'm getting more excited now. Less than a week til surgeon consult. WOO HOO!!

That was just a test;-) I'm at pre-op testing. There are more test than I thought. EKG,xray,labs. EKG tech said lapband is the best and I'm going to love it.

Hello

It has been a while...

Not a whole lot has happened lately. I had some pre-op testing. This week I had a PET scan/stress test. That scared me. I was not fond of having them artificially stimulate my heart while I am encased in a tube. My heart was racing and I couldn't do anything but lay there with my arms above my head and stare at the ceiling while the rest of my body was squeezed inside the tube of the PET scanner. My head felt pumped up with pressure and my face was feeling numbness. As soon as it was over they made me sit straight up and then the room began to swim and I was nauseous. I was made to walk down the hall to my room and sit in a chair. They gave me a coke and said to drink it and they would check in on me. A full minute later the cardiologist popped his head in and asked if I was ready to go. I told him my head hurt and I felt sick. He said the coke would work but if not they had medicine. He would check back in a few minutes. A minute later the nurse popped in and asked if I was ready to go of if my head still hurt. I said it did. Okay we will give you a few more minutes. A minute later another nurse popped in and this time I said I want to go. GEEZ!! Talk about rushing me out of there. It was several hours later that I felt normal. I guess the cardiologist gave me the okay since they shoved me out of there so fast. Next is the chest xray and EKG. Then the surgeon's consultation. After that the surgery will be scheduled.
I can't help but think...what I am getting myself into??