Ok. NOW I'm Nervous!!

Hello everyone. I'm sure you don't remember, but I had asked a question about a panniculectomy with Dr. Srikanth a little earlier. Well, I had my consultation yesterday and now I'm SO SCARED!
He basically said now's not the time for a panniculectomy (which bums me out because that's all I want) but I am just now starting the process for LAP Band surgery. Any advice from you LAP Band patients?? It really scared me when they said I can't have milk or potatoes anymore. (I can handle whole grain bread, and pasta... but potatoes!! I am on a tight budget and they are cheap and easy to feed my family of 5 and not to mention my very picky kids eat them and I LOVE them) Anyway, I wasn't really scared to get the LAP Band, but for some reason, now I am. I've ordered samples of protein drinks from Vitalady and Enjoyhealth.. Stocked up on broth's.. But what can I expect after surgery is done... Will regular food get stuck always?? I don't know why I'm freaking out, but I am. I just love this forum and appreciate everyone's candid and personal replies. It makes me feel so much better that I'm not the only one going through this. Anyway, Dr. Srikanth is nice, I sort of felt rushed, but that's ok. I've made my appts. for all the tests and whatnot I need to do. Sorry for going on and on... Thanks for listening! Any advice is appreciated!

I hate to be the one to break the news to you... but ...while you will eat less food... the food you will eat is a little more expensive.  Protein tends to be more expensive than starches.  That said... there are protein powders that are less expensive (usually purchased online) ... and you may need to change the way you cook so that you can prepare lesser expensive cuts of meat so that you can eat them .  I tend to eat more tender cuts of meats or use my croak pot.  Some people use TVP (Textured Vegetable Protein  - found in the bulk foods sections of Fred Meyer and other stores) to add low cost protein to other meats or recipes to up the protein at a lower overal cost.  TVP takes on the flavor of whatever food it's cooked with.

For me personally,  I buy the best quality foods I can afford... which sometimes is organic and grass fed meat or poultry... since I want the small about of food I do eat be the best quality.

I don't know how differently Lap Band patients eat from RNY... so I can't help you there... and each surgeon has different requirements on pre and post op food plans. 

Best of luck as you prepare yourself for this amazing journey of WLS....

Helen

Thanks for your reply. I have started to eat the healthier fresh and organic items as I was diagnosed with type 2 diabetes in April of 08 but there are a few things (like potatoes lol) that I just can't give up. I LOVE my crockpot, so I will prob. be using that a lot for meats and I will look up the TVP. Thanks!!

I am glad I could help... you may want to read the Lap Band forum... when I was deciding between Lap Band or RNY.. I spent alot of  time there reading the posts... also they have a Bariatric Surgeon who ansers questions regularly...

Helen

~Namaste~

I just wanted to chime in here that Dr. Srikanths post-op dietary guidelines for life for all of his patients regardless of surgery (Lap-Band, VSG, RNY, DS) are the same so potatoes are on his list of lifetime exclusions.  His dietary guidelines, both pre-op and post-op, are some of the strictest I've seen.  This is not a judgement; it's a simple statement of fact.  I love Dr. Srikanth.  As self-pay patient who paid cash, I could have chosen any surgeon any where and I chose Dr. Srikanth.

Have you gone to the nutrition class yet?  At that meeting, you'll gain more understanding of the why's behind his plan.  I, too, recommend going to the Lap-Band Forum to ask specifics about life with the Band.  Finally, I truly believe that your attitude determines your reality.  This is not to say that having a Pollyanna attitude will ensure a complication free surgery and magically melting pounds post op; it is to say that you can choose to look at things in a different light.  For example, instead of focusing on what you have to give up, you could be excited about becoming a food sleuth whose mission is to discover new and wonderful nutritionally sound ways of feeding both yourself and your family!

I wish you much success on your journey,

Amy

Thanks for your reply! Yes, I went to the LAP Band forum and got great advice as well. Everyone is so helpful here. I am proud to be a member.
I was so happy to see that Dr. Srikanth is the Dr. my insurance prefers because he's supposed to be one of "THE BEST". I just bought a book too about the whole LAP Band process before and after it's called: "Weight Loss Surgery with the Adjustable Gastric Band: Everything You Need to Know Before and After Surgery to Lose Weight Successfully"
I saw it and it had good reviews and was written fairly recently. I will be going to the Nutrition Class on March 3rd. I'm sure I will get answers there as well. I was also wondering about my diabetes medication (my metformin pills) will those be able to go down after surgery??? Thanks again!

I have learned to love mashed cauliflower instead of potaotes.  You will find new things to love, you just have to go into it with an open mind.

Good luck!!