I'm thinking about having this surgery....please help

Good afternoon, I have actually called Dr. Byrne's office to get some information sent to me on the surgery. I have a few question. I would prefer the Lap Band. Has anyone had this done. What were your "issue's" pain, bleeding, constipation, diarrhea, vomiting etc....How long did you have to take off from work. I want to loose at least 150. I've joined a gym and I've been loosing weight only to gain it back fast. Can you guys help me please...I'm reading everything, from profiles to articles.

Hi my name is crystal I am going to have gastric bypass surgery on Monday. When I went to my group session with Dr. Byrne he made a comment that they will at some point start doing the band but he said that he liked the gastric bypass better but there is a demand for the band. I think you lose weight slower but that is all I know about it. Sorry! I hope this helps alittle.

I'm just scared of the bypass, I don't want to go through the pureed food stage, The actual thought of 1 oz of food, will I actually be able to stop, I guess I have to huh.....Please keep me updated on your progress. If I make the decision to have this done it will probably be in the fall. Good Luck! I'll make sure to say a little prayer for you

DON'T FORCE YOURSELF TO DO ANYTHING YOU'RE SCARED OF. KEEP EDUCATING YOUSELF, MS MARLENA, UNTIL YOU'RE COMFORTABLE WITH WHATEVER PROCEDURE YOU CHOOSE. YOU REALLY DON'T "WANT" TO EAT ... YOU DON'T HAVE ANY APPETITE IN THE BEGINNING, SO A COUPLE OUNCES OF FOOD AT A TIME IS MORE THAN ENOUGH IN THE BEGINNING. AS FOR THE PUREED STAGE, I ATE CREAMED SOUPS MOSTLY & ENJOYED THEM. THERE ARE ALL SORTS OF FOODS YOU CAN EAT ... YOGURT, COTTAGE CHEESE, APPLE SAUCE, THINNED OATMEAL, GRITS & MASHED POTATOS, PUDDING & JELLO, S-F POPCICLES & NSA FUDGECICLES & ICE CREAM BARS, HOOD CARB COUNTDOWN MILK BEVERAGE, ALL SORTS OF PROTEIN PRODUCTS. YOU REALLY DON'T FEEL LIMITED BECAUSE YOU AREN'T HUNGRY. KEEP READING ... YOU'LL KNOW WHEN & WHAT IS RIGHT FOR YOU, MS MARLENA! GOD BLESS DAWN & NICK

WELCOME TO THE BOARD , MS MARLENA; WE HOPE YOU BECOME A REGULAR WITH US! CONGRATULATIONS ON YOUR DECISION TO CHECK INTO WLSurgery. WE CERTAINLY HOPE & PRAY THAT YOU FIND THE ANSWERS YOU NEED FOR BETTER HEALTH! DR BYRNES DOESN'T PERFORM THE LAP BAND PROCEDURE AT THIS TIME ... I DON'T THINK ANY OF THE SURGEONS AT MUSC DO, BUT CHECK WITH THEM TO BE SURE BECAUSE THAT COULD CHANGE ... THEY DIDN'T AT THE TIME OF MY SURGERY (OCT 2005). THERE IS A FORUM (MESSAGE BOARD) HERE ON OBESITYHELP.COM JUST FOR LAPBANDERS WHERE YOU'D PROBABLY BE ABLE TO GET INFO SPECIFIC TO THAT PROCEDURE. CAN'T TELL YOU ABOUT THE LAP BAND, BUT WITH THE LAP RNY GASTRIC BYPASS, PAIN WAS NOTHING. I'VE HAD PAPERCUTS THAT WERE WORSE. THERE WAS SOME "PULLING" WHEN I MOVED AROUND & DISCOMFORT JUST FROM THE SURGERY, BUT I DIDN'T EVEN TAKE ANY PAIN MEDS AT ALL IN THE HOSPITAL. I DID TAKE LIQUID LORTAB WHEN I GOT HOME FOR BODY, BACK & JOINT PAIN (PRE EXISTING BEFORE SURGERY) ... I'D TAKE 1 TEAS BEFORE BEDTIME & THAT WOULD ALLOW ME TO GET A REALLY GOOD NIGHT'S SLEEP. BUT, I ONLY TOOK THAT FOR A WEEK OR 2 AT THE MOST. NO BLEEDING ... THEY REMOVED MY DRAIN 2 DAYS AFTER I LEFT THE HOSPITAL ... NO BIG DEAL. THE ONLY CONSTIPATION I GET IS MY OWN FAULT FOR NOT DRINKING ENOUGH FLUIDS. NO DIARRHEA AT ALL. THE ONLY TIME I'VE VOMITED WAS WHEN I DUMPED ON LIVERWURST & POTATO SALAD (TOO MANY CARBS TOO SOON AFTER SURGERY) & WHEN I OVER ATE ... THAT WAS ALL WITHIN THE FIRST MONTH OF SO AS I WAS GETTING USED TO MY POUCH ... 3 INCIDENTS, I THINK ... &, ALL MY FAULT. NORMALLY, A COUPLE 2-3 WEEKS OUT OF WORK DEPENDING ON THE TYPE OF WORK YOU DO, WHETHER PHYSICAL OR NOT ... SOME HAVE GONE BACK SOONER, ESPECIALLY THE YOUNGER PATIENTS HAVE THE STAMINA TO GO BACK SOONER. LIKE YOU, I WANT TO LOSE 150 - 160 #s & THAT IS VERY DOABLE WITH THE RNY GASTRIC BYPASS. YOU'LL SEE MAJOR DIFFERENCES IN YOUR SUCCESSES WITH YOUR GYM ACTIVITIES & YOUR WEIGHT LOSSES POST SURGERY. I'VE BEEN ON A MAJOR STALL. BEFORE WLSurgery, I'D HAVE BEEN REGAINING WEIGHT BY NOW ... A LOT OF IT. BUT, I'VE JUST STAYED STABLE WITHIN 3 #s ... INCHES LOST ... &, I KNOW THE WEIGHT WILL COME OFF ONCE MY BODY HAS STABILIZED. GO DOWN PAST MY HOSPITAL PICTURES IN MY PROFILE & READ ABOUT MY HOSPITAL STAY. ALSO, I PUT A LOT OF INFO IN MY PROFILE ON FOOD, WATER, SUPPLEMENTS, PROTEIN PRODUCTS, ETC, THAT MAY HELP YOU. ASK ANYTHING & EVERYTHING ... SOMEONE WILL KNOW THE ANSWER OR WE CAN DIRECT YOU TO SOMEONE WHO DOES. I ADDED YOU TO OUR SC WEIGHT LOSS LIST AS "CONSIDERING WLS". WHERE IS PINELAND? ... LOWCOUNTRY, MID OR UPSTATE? GOD BLESS DAWN & NICK

thank you. You're profile is very helpful....I'm scared of the fact that I may not be able to consume what I like. But I guess that's not the case. I joined curves but the weight loss isn't consistent. I'll lose 11 lbs only to gain 7lbs back. Thank you guys for all of your help. Hopefully by spring I'll make my decision or maybe I'll just go ahead and schedule a consultation with Dr Byrne. I'm really afraid of pain (that's why I'm really scared of the gastric bypass). Pineland is in the lowcountry its in Jasper County down by Beaufort. There's really nothing in this area but deers, trees, and more deers lol.

IN THE BEGINNING, WHAT YOU EAT WILL BE BASED ON PROTEIN, PROTEIN, PROTEIN. AFTER ABOUT 2 1/2 - 3 MONTHS, AN OCCASIONAL TREAT IS NO BIG DEAL. BUT, YOU STILL HAVE TO MAKE WISE DECISIONS. I HAD A TASTE FOR POTATO CHIPS SO I GOT BAKED ONES & HAD JUST A COUPLE. I HAD A COUPLE TORTILLA CHIPS W/ GUACAMOLE (sp ?) AS A TREAT AT OUR DINNER ON VALENTINE'S DAY. IF I WANT CHOCOLATE, I GET RUSSELL STOVER'S S-F & HAVE ONE PIECE. HONESTLY, IF YOU AREN'T READY TO "GIVE UP" WHAT YOU LIKE, WHICH PROBABLY HELPED PUT THE WEIGHT ON YOU IN THE FIRST PLACE, THEN YOU NEED TO STEP BACK & MAKE SURE YOU ARE READY FOR THIS PROCEDURE. THIS IS THE DIFFERENCE BETWEEN "LIVING TO EAT" vs "EATING TO LIVE", & YOU CAN'T ENTER THIS RISKY A CHANGE WITH THE IDEA THAT FOOD STILL RULES YOUR LIFE. IT'S A VERY HARD TRANSITION TO MAKE, MS MARLENE. THIS IS A CHANCE AT A HEALTHY LIFE WHILE BEING AT A "NORMAL" WEIGHT ... ACTIVE & A PART OF LIFE'S JOYS. SOMETHING HAS TO GIVE & THAT'S THINGS LIKE FAST FOOD, FAT-FILLED FOODS, SUGAR-FILLED FOODS & EMPTY CALORIES. THE GOOD NEWS IS THAT THERE ARE TONS OF SUBSTITUTE FOODS AVAILABLE THAT ARE REALLY, REALLY GOOD, BUT IT STILL BOILS DOWN TO YOUR CHOICES. THIS ISN'T A "DIET" ... THIS IS AN ENTIRE LIFESTYLE CHANGE ... IT'S NOT FOR EVERYONE & IT WOULD BE HEARTBREAKING FOR ANYONE TO GO THROUGH ALL YOU MUST GO THROUGH WITH WLSurgery ONLY TO FAIL ... ABOUT 15% DO FAIL PER DR BYRNE. THE MAJOR REASON THEY FAIL IS BECAUSE THEY WON'T GIVE UP THEIR "RELATIONSHIP" WITH FOOD ... IT'S STILL TOO IMPORTANT TO THEM. I WILL TELL YOU THAT I COULD PIG OUT WITH THE BEST OF THEM BEFORE WLSurgery. NOW, I ENJOY MY FOOD EVEN MORE THAN BEFORE SURGERY; EVERYTHING TASTES FANTASTIC, BUT I DON'T WANT TO OVEREAT JUST TO "TASTE" SOMETHING. THE BENEFITS ARE SO FANTASTIC THAT I WANT THEM MORE THAN THAT PIECE OF CHEESE CAKE OR A WENDY'S DOUBLE CHEESBURGER W/ SUPER SIZED FRENCH FRIES (MY FAVORITE). BUT, THAT IS ME. WE EACH HAVE TO MAKE THE DEFINING DECISION AS TO WHAT WE WANT IN OUR LIVES. THERE IS NO WRONG ANSWER HERE, BUT IT HAS TO BE YOUR ANSWER FOR YOUR LIFE. AS FOR LOSING & REGAINING WEIGHT ... THAT'S WHAT HAPPENS WITH OBESE PEOPLE ... OUR BODIES BECOME OUR WORST ENEMIES. THE POUCH IS A MEDICAL TOOL THAT ALLOWS US TO OVERCOME THE "YO-YO" SYNDROME, GENETICS & SLOW MOTABOLISMS. BUT, WE STILL HAVE TO MAKE WISE FOOD DECISIONS ... STILL HAVE TO GET IN OUR FLUIDS & PROTEINS, STILL HAVE TO TAKE OUR SUPPLEMENTS. OUR LIVES DEPEND ON DOING THE RIGHT THING AFTER WLSurgery. TAKE YOUR TIME, MS MARLENA ... COME TO THE BOARDS ... DIFFERENT ONES SO YOU CAN GET A GOOD OVERVIEW. READ, READ, READ. GOD BLESS DAWN & NICK

Are you able to have any "regular" food like a couple bites of steak or something like that? I'm not a big eater, I don't like sweets at all. I just eat WRONG. My problem foods are breads and starches. After the surgery I understand there are a lot meds that have to be taken and you change your eating habits are you counting calories are or you avoiding all fats/bad foods? I have soooo many questions....I really want to do this. Right now I'm searching for foods I like that are non fat or low fat. I don't like splenda, sweet & low or equal so I'm trying to find something that I can actually stomach to sweeten tea/drinks with. Can you tell me what a day is like. Like what your meals consists of? One thing I like about the surgery is the dumping...the stomach tells you when you're over eating. I'm still reading profiles and reading success stories. I'm ready for a change I just have to find the right path. I want to loose this weight so bad, but I want to keep it off. I want to get down to 180-200lbs, so that means I have a lot to loose.

NOT IN THE BEGINNING, MS MARLENA ... YOU WON'T WANT TO EVEN LOOK AT A PIECE OF STEAK. YOUR POUCH WILL BE VERY SWOLLEN & REMEMBER, IF YOU HAVE THE GASTRIC BYPASS, YOU HAVE 3 ROWS OF STAPLES ON A NEWLY CUT PORTION OF YOUR STOMACH ... FLUIDS & SOFT FOODS ONLY. BY 2.5 - 3 MONTHS, YOU CAN EAT JUST ABOUT ANYTHING, EXCEPT SUGAR IS ALWAYS A NO-NO ... & YOU MUST LIMIT YOUR FATS - STAY AWAY FROM FAST FOODS, JUNK FOODS & THINGS LIKE CHIPS & CARB-FILLED SNACKS. I'M 3 MONTHS OUT & I CAN EAT 3 OUNCES OF THINGS LIKE FISH WHICH IS FLAKEY ... WHILE I CAN EAT ABOUT 1 - 1.5 OUNCES OF STEAK, CHICKEN OR PORK. I USE PAPAYA ENZYME WHEN I EAT THEM AS THEY ARE HARDER ON MY POUCH TO DIGEST. YOU'RE LUCKY YOU DON'T LIKE SWEETS ... SO, THAT'S NO PROBLEM. BREADS & STARCHES ARE A NO-NO AS THEY ARE CONSIDERED "WHITE CARBS" & TURN TO SUGAR IN YOUR BLOOD STREAM. SO, THESE KINDS OF FOODS ARE YOUR "SWEET TOOTH" FOODS. AN OCCASIONAL SMALL PIECE OF WHOLE-GRAIN BREAD OR A WHOLE GRAIN CRACKER IS OK EVERY SO OFTEN BUT ONLY AFTER YOU'VE GOTTEN YOUR PROTEINS IN & ONLY IF YOU HAVE CALORIES LEFT FOR THE DAY. YES, YOU HAVE TO TAKE SUPPLEMENTS DAILY ... VITAMINS & MINERALS & NUTRIENTS FOR LIFE - YOUR HEALTH DEPENDS ON IT ... CALCIUM, & SUBLINGUAL B-12 ARE A MUST. I ALSO TAKE VIT C, BIOTIN & SUPER B COMPLEX. SOME TAKE ZINC & IRON. YOUR LABS WILL LET YOU KNOW WHAT YOUR BODY NEEDS TO STAY IN BALANCE. YOU COUNT FLUIDS, PROTEINS & CALORIES FOR SURE IF YOU'RE SMART. YOU SHOULD ALSO KEEP TABS ON FATS & SUGAR CARBS. IT'S NOT HARD IF YOU BEGIN RIGHT AFTER SURGERY WITH AN ONLINE TRACKING PROGRAM OR A SPREADSHEET. I USE A SPREADSHEET IN MY PC & THE NUTRITION LABELS ON THE FOOD PACKAGES & I ALSO HAVE A BOOK "THE COMPLETE BOOK OF FOOD COUNTS" BY CORINNE T NETZER, WHICH EVEN HAS FOOD COUNTS OF RESTUARANT FOODS. TRY SWEET THING BY DIXIE CRYSTALS ... IF YOU DON'T LIKE SPLENDA, YOU'RE GONNA BE LIMITED AS A LOT OF S-F & NSA FOODS ARE SWEETENED WITH SPLENDA NOW. THEN AGAIN, YOU MAY LIKE IT AFTER SURGERY, THERE'S NO WAY TO TELL WHAT YOUR TASTES WILL BE THEN. NOPE, NOPE, NOPE ... YOU WON'T LIKE DUMPING ... YOU WILL THINK YOU ARE GOING TO DIE! IT IS MISERABLE. AS FOR THE LAP BAND, I HAVE NO IDEA WHAT YOU CAN EAT, BUT I KNOW THE FEW PEOPLE I'VE POSTED WITH WHO HAVE HAD THE LAP BAND LOSE LESS THAN GASTRIC BYPASS PATIENTS. HOPE THIS HELPS ... GOD BLESS DAWN & NICK

I'M GOING TO PUT MY FOOT IN MY MOUTH HERE & STATE, THAT IN MY OPINION ... THERE IS NO OTHER WAY TO LOSE 200 #s WITH AS HIGH A SUCCESS RATE (85% SUCCESS STATISTICS) THAN WLSurgery. IF YOU COULD DO IT ANY OTHER WAY, YOU WOULD HAVE ALREADY. MOST CONVENTIONAL DIETS/EXERCISE PROGRAMS ONLY HAVE A 5 - 8% SUCCESS RATE ... THAT'S A HUGE DIFFERENCE IN SUCCESS FROM WLS AT 85%. SUCCESS WITH WLS IS CONSIDERED WHEN YOU REACH & MAINTAIN 65% OF YOUR OVERWEIGHT POUNDS. SO, WLS WOULD BE CONSIDERED A SUCCESS FOR YOU WHEN YOU LOST & MAINTAINED 117 - 130 POUNDS. EVEN IF THAT'S WHAT YOU LOST, JUST THINK HOW MUCH HEALTHIER YOU'D BE. &, HOW FANTASTIC IF YOU LOST ALL YOUR WEIGHT AS MANY HAVE. THAT'S WHY WE ALL HAVE GONE THROUGH SUCH A DRASTIC MEDICAL PROCEDURE. I HAVE 160 #s TO LOSE ... I'VE BEEN OVERWEIGHT & THEN OBESE FOR 27 YEARS ... NOTHING ELSE IS AVAILABLE THAT CAN EVEN GIVE ME HOPE OF LOSING MORE THAN 50 #s & THEN, I HAVE DONE THAT & GAINED IT BACK & MORE SO MANY TIMES THAT I FINALLY GAVE UP ... UNTIL I RESEARCHED WLS. GOD BLESS DAWN & NICK