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
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