Question:
my mouth is going to be able to hold more food than my stomach.....

guess i never thought of it that way but it is true. <P> not too suprising my biggest concern is food. i was told to prepare food ahead of time, but not too many suggestions. i bought some tofu, ground turkey and veggies. i was told to mash them all up with some liquid and put the mush into ice cube trays and freeze them. each 'ice cube' is one meal. just thaw and waa laa!!! dinner! sugar free jello and the like, but what else? I am also beginning to question my decision about what surgery i choose. i am having lap rny but now wondering if i should be getting a band. i'm sure that this is normal and i choose the rny over the band for several reasons, but in support groop this week, someone said that there surgeon doesn't like to do rny on patients under 40 yrs old. for two reason, under 40 is still childbearing age and because there are constantly new procedures being perfected (aka.... the band can be removed later). i choose the rny because i feel like i will need this tool for the rest of my life and i don't know about having a forein piece of plastic in my body for the rest of my life. i'm 29 years old and i know i don't want any more kids, i have 4. any suggestions????    — Keri P. (posted on December 19, 2003)

December 18, 2003
i would never choose the band thinking I could have it removed later. What would keep you from gaining all your weight back plus more. I am ten months out and chosing RNY is the best decision I have ever made. i have seeen a lot of people on the board that have been dissatisfied with the band but I have also seen a lot that are happy. As far as most surgeons don't like to do surgery on people under forty, that is false. Maybe this one surgeon feels that way but he is misguided. Most patients are under forty. many post-ops have gone on to have children after rny
   — Delores S.

December 18, 2003
To my knowledge this surgery can be reversed in EXTREME cases. They don't like to reverse it but can. As long as you are past child rearing and KNOW it. I don't see a problem. I didn't have my surgery until i had all my kids and my tubes done. No surprises coming. Very happy so far with it.
   — Rebecca K.

December 18, 2003
Hi Keri, I was 21 when I had VBG and 29 when I had the revision to RNY due to staple line disruption. I am 18 months post op and about 4.5 months pregnant. There are many women who have normal healthy pregnancies after WLS (I had to put that in there even though you said you're done having kids!) I was always under the impression that while the band COULD be removed in case of emergency, it was designed to stay in forever. Lot's of people are walking around with medical equipment in their bodies (pacemakers, artificial hips/knees, pins used to hold broken bones). All of the surgeries are supposed to be installed forever, it's only in the small percentage of something going wrong that they are reversed, revised or taken down. Ultimately it is your decision of course. But I don't think that the info you got in the support group was less than accurate. Ask your dr. about complication rates (including deaths), whether they even place the band, and even though you said no more kids, ask them about that. Use info you get from your dr. to make the decision. Don't go on hear say from a support group, even this one at AMOS. Good Luck!
   — Ali M

December 19, 2003
I've never heard of that reason for a Dr. not wanting to do RNY on people under 40. Don't believe everything you hear! Women have perfectly healthy pregnancies and births after RNY all the time! If your done having kids, then that isn't an issue. Its normal to question your decision, we've all done that. Just keep doing more research so you can be sure and go with what your instinct is telling you.
   — Kris T.

December 19, 2003
i'm 31 and i had RNY and i LOVE IT!!! this was the best choice for me. i know myself really well and if i had a band removed i know i would regain. the first two month post-op were pretty strange getting used to new foods and a different way of eating. no offense but the ice cube mush sounds really gross haha. i wouldn't make anything ahead of time, just have things you can have on hand. sugar-free ice pops, protien shakes, i liked herb-ox brand chicken broth and 4 saltines crushed in it...kinda like mock chicken soup. fat-free refried beans with low-fat cheese and taco sauce, cup of soups, crystal lite tea, string cheese and bluebunny brand sugar free flavored yogurts(i get mine at walmart). i didn't like pudding because it seemed to thick. some people do add protein shake mix to their pudding. in my chocolate shake i always put them in the blender with ice. some things i like to add to it are the internationals sugar free coffee mix (tastes like one of those fancy frozen coffees) or i also really like smuckers sugar free peanut butter which adds 10 grams of protein.
   — franbvan

December 19, 2003
Sorry - but, yuck! Is that the extent of your pre-op diet instruction? If you are going to have to eat pureed food for awhile, here are some suggestions: I cooked a real turkey breast, pureed the meat with Campbell's chicken Soup At Hand. You can do the same thing with chicken ( time saver - buy already cooked chicken breasts. More expensive, but two chicken breasts = 4 meals.)Cottage cheese, V-8 juice, Choice DM, Oatmeal made with Lactaid milk, Cream of Wheat made with milk, pureed canned peaches (in juice), pears, mashed bananas, mashed potatoes, mashed sweet potatoes. You can find more in the library on this site, Sorry, but tofu just sounds awful right after surgery. You need a little variety, and there is no reason you can't have real food that actually tastes decent!
   — koogy

December 19, 2003
I'm sorry but I have to say, tofu and ground turkey, pureed and put into ice cubes?? How disgusting! Susan and Fran have better ideas of food that you can have as a new pre-op. I don't know how much weight you have to lose, but often times the band is chosen because it works slower,does not rearrange your insides, and is for those with not that much weight to lose. The band was fairly new in this country two years ago so it was not an option for me, but from what I've read, I don't think I would be comfortable with having to get fills and the bands have been known to slip. Since you have already had your kids, the childbearing issue is not a factor in your decision. The doc is right that there are constantly new procedures being perfected-that applies to all facets of medicine, but while you wait for a better solution, you remain obese. I only wish I had made the decision to have surgery earlier.
   — Cindy R.

December 19, 2003
I don't know about the food - but may I suggest a tubal ligation if you are certain you do not want more children. This way the surgeon might feel more comfortable doing the RNY. I'm going to read other responses about pre surgery diets because I wasn't aware I would have to eat pureed food BEFORE surgery. YUCK - guess I can start eating meals with my Grandma we have to puree all of her food due to Alzheimers and refusal of a feeding tube on our behalf. LOL Dinner with Granny tommorrow to test the "waters" Take care, Lynnette 268, Appt. w/surgeon 1/04
   — LynnetteMFrary