Can anyone help me with these ??

I have several questions and I'm pretty sure you guys can answer them...any help would be appreciated. First off, for those of you that have a picture on your message board responses "How'd you do that?" Second, I'm trying to prepare my life for the post surgery. I know I have a ways to go but with my health issues I haved learned to start early. Little by little I have been collecting the type foods I will be eating or should I say drinking, after surgery. I have some of the foods bought but not near enough to get me through the first few weeks. I am having the Lap Band surgery done, as long as Dr. H goes along with it so I should be up and around pretty quick, you would think, but I have the unfortunate experience of my back going out on me and being bed ridden for days, weeks, even months whenever I lose weight so I need to be ready for anything. I don't want to put anymore on my DH. than absolutely necessary. He has a heart condition called cardiomyopathy and he doesn't need the added stress. Can anyone out there tell me what other foods I may need or things that I may need to do around here to make his life easier while I go through this? I can't do baby food so a food processor should be bought? I think the diet starts with clear fluids, then creamed things like soups (would the cream chicken soup in the packets froms Liptons be okay or would there be too much sodium?), yogurts, puddings, applesauce, refried beans?? After that I have no idea. Also, I know that each of the food stages will last longer for some. Like the clear fluids: days, weeks, months?...then creamed foods: days, weeks months? How long should I prepare for each? I know my dietician and doctor will tell me most of this but we don't have a lot of money and I need to spread out the buying of these new groceries with my DH's diet and my diabetes and now this...getting stocked up can mean outragous grocery bills! I know there's more but I'm drawing a blank now, must be this humid weather. I have puppies too, I'm a breeder of Golden Retrievers and wondering if I need to have somone come in to care for them while I'm down. One male GR, two females GR, 9 puppies GR...a yellow lab and my little yard nazi, Sassy, a nine pound Shih tzu. I feel awful today. I was out trying to help my DH with the mowing of the yard yesterday while he was at work, it was a rider, but 7 acres, the heat and my back along with this nice little sinus infection I can't seem to kick, I'm whooped...I got a Toradol shot for the back and more antibiotics for the sinuses. Think I will just kick back in the a/c today and sip iced tea Anyway, any help will be appreciated, thanks in advance!...Love & Prayers to all and their families...Deb

Debbie, I don't know that I'll be much help but, I am almost 2 years post-op. On your 1st question...send an email to: [email protected] and upload your picture to them or you can go to the main messageboard and there at the top is a post to help with loading your picture. Hope this will work for you! On the food questions...I did not have lap band surgery and honestly I don't know of the food stages or if there even is any for BANDING....However, I don't think that the food limitations are the same as with gastric bypass. Your intestines won't be re-routed and your stomach will remain in tact. Your surgeons office will supply you with a copy of instructions and supplies that you'll need to stock up on. I really would not stockpile a whole lot of stuff until you talk to Dr. Hodges about what they want you to eat. Hope this helps you some! Kelli

Hi Deb, If you'll do what kelli just said about the picture it's spose to work once you upload it. I been emailing the photo help for a few days now because it wont work for me but hopefully we'll get it. Im so glad to hear you getting started and have your consult date. At your consult if Dr. Hornbostel accepts you as a patient, which I'm sure he will, he will give you a notebook with all kinds of information in it that will answer pretty much all the questions you have about the food, what to expect and so forth. Only reason I know I've had all those questions too and I emailed Dena about some and she told me about the notebook with all the info in it. I know August 30th seems so far away but it'll be here before ya know it, and from what I've seen and talked to a few people about, Medicare approves the surgery pretty fast, Dr. H said at the seminar he hasnt had Medicare deny anyone yet so thats great cuz Im on medicare too!! Hope that helps a lil bit. Feel free to email me anytime if ya have any other questions. God Bless, Andrew

hey Andrew we can see you....Jan

You will eat so little food I would not worry about much of anything except maybe having protien shakes on hand. buy a few pre made shakes and a can or two to make up. Soup, cottage cheese , tuna fish , and the foods you eat are not expensive. The only expense is the protien shakes. You may need help to take care of your dogs the first couple of weeks then you should be ok. You will bounce back faster from the lap band than rny. After about a month you should be on the soft diet and be able to eat about anything you want to eat. If you have lap band you should not have dumping syndrome and vitamin problems. You just have to watch your protions and stay away from unhealthy foods.