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These questions come up very frequently and they are all normal things that occur after weight loss surgery. Hair loss: Normal! There is really not many products that really work. It will end eventually. If you are having excessive hair loss then consult your doctor. Constipation: Constipation is normal when you are on a high protein diet. Again if you are having extreme issues and a little stool softener is not helping consult your doctor. Weight loss stalling: Normal! No diet in the world will not come with weight loss stalls. You just have to bear with it. Pain after surgery: Now I am not being rude but who has ever had surgery and not had any pain? I haven't. The severity depends on your ability to deal with pain. Some can and some can't. Gas: Normal. Any abdominal surgery you will have gas because your belly is filled with gas during surgery so they can see what they are doing. How long it stays is also indvidual. No one can tell you how long it is going to last. Diarrhea: Normal! Liquids in liquids out. No restriction: Normal! People get restriction confused as anything. Its not about keeping you from eating food its about keeping you satisfied for 3 to 4 hours or longer on small amounts of food. Until you reach your green zone you have to do some or not all of the work. Yeah it sucks but its the truth. Did I hurt my band: Probably not but if you continue to eat large amounts of food, drink and puke, get food constantly stuck because you are eating the wrong things then yes eventually you will hurt your band by causing erosion. Then your band will come out. Port Pain: Normal. The port area can hurt up to three months. Not normal things: Chest pain: this should never be posted in the forum unless you really are seeking attention. Go to the emergency room then tell us how you are doing. The time you spent posting in the forum you could have been on your way to the hospital. Leg Pain: Not normal. Could be a blood clot. Again do not post this in the forum go to the emergency room you could have a stroke in the time you posted this. Constant Vomiting: Not normal. Something is wrong and again call your doctor and or go to the emergency room. Throwing up with the band can cause slippage. Any kind of pain that you did not have post surgery is not normal. Constant heart burn: Not normal Not being able to keep any food or fluids down: Not normal. Seek medical attention. If you are having medical issues then call your doctor. Care enough about yourself to do that. We are not medical professionals to give you medical advice. Your surgeons are on call 24 hours a day 7 days a week if you are having medical issues. They are getting paid to take your call. Call them, they don't mind after all that is why they chose to be a surgeon and knew what came with the job when they took it. Why fear calling them and distubing them. To this day I still have my surgeons cell phone number and can call him day or night and he will always answer any questions I have if I am having an issue.

Hi, I know this is strange but im really nervous about trying softfoods in a couple of weeks.... I am on a 3 week post-op liquid diet per my physician. I have 2 weeks left and I dont know how i will deal with vomiting/sliming/chest pains and whatever else comes along with my new tummy mishaps. Yes i know i decided to have the sleeve and im not regretting my decisions but i dont want the discomfort or the ugly side of the sleeve to become a daily part of my life.... The first day i start soft foods i also return to work . I havent shared with coworkers/ family i had the surgery because i felt they honestly did not need to know and i will share if./when i choose to share. I have struggled with my weight for years and finally had the courage to do something about it but its been very painful, emotional, and extremely difficult. I know i am not the only one that has felt this way and im glad that this forum allows us to express the pain of weight issues/struggles/disappointments. I would greatly appreciate any tips, recipes, ideas on how to start soft foods also how to handle lunch at work!!! Thanks Blessings, TD

So here we are: Day one of my pre-op sugar and carb free liquid diet. I was terrified to wake up this morning for the fear that my hunger would be so bad I would fail, fail once again on my weight loss journey. But I pulled on my big girl panties got up put two feet on the ground and started my day. I began with a few drinkable yogurts, some jell-o and a coffee. A black coffee without the delicious milk and sugar but hey the caffeine is what I wanted. For dinner it will be broth but I look at this as my last fad diet, the last time I will ever see the scale go up, the last time I will fail.

Well really as the title says where do I start? Its been almost 10 months since my surgery - and I've got to say - time has flown by - and though progress has been slow... its still progress... I've also learned a lot since last March... about the band, about me and about the relationships I have.. who would have thought that getting the band could impact ALL aspects of my life? I mean yes - we've all read about how the band impacts not only our health - physical and mental -but it impacts our relationships - to food, to people, to clothes, to ourselves.. I suppose I've been naive to the whole thing.. and haven't really taken a hard look at myself (lets face it - looking at myself was NOT something I wanted to do) but hey it has to be done eventually right?! Now don't mind me if I start to ramble here.. but wait.. its my blog right? ha ha... kidding.. but seriously... See.. it was in 2008 - that I started this journey... when the Lap Band was merely a 'fantasy' for me... I was at my highest weight - 495lb... and wearing a 30-32W pants size... I knew I was fat... I had known that all my life.. being the 'big girl' was nothing new.. but this was different... I was having trouble with my health, with even doing the easiest of things... getting out of bed in the morning, or shopping? Yeah.. lets say even Lane Bryant no longer 'fit' me right.. but it was one week before my birthday in 2008 that I had the scare of my life... I hadn't been feeling well at all - but I had ignored it.. afterall I was such the 'non-compliant' patient... I was a diabetic - who didn't take the prescribed meds, nor did I check my blood sugars - and eating right? YEAH RIGHT... anywho - one morning I was in severe pain, weak, and vomiting... my neices were the ones that convinced me to go to the hospital.. and from the Emergency Room I was admitted directing into the hospital.. where I stayed for two and a half weeks... the diagnosis? Early Renal Failure... really? Me? I wasn't even 30 years old yet.. I didn't understand it.. and that's when the Doc came in and 'yelled' at me... letting me know that my kidneys were shutting down... due to uncontrolled diabetes.. he yelled at me about my weight... he yelled about me not caring about my life... This was so very far from the truth... because I did care... didn't I? After spending those two weeks in the hospital - being completely furious with my Doctor - i realized he was right - this was the first time in my life that my health kept me from work.. I realized that he was right - dialysis was a certainity if I didn't make changes... So it was then - when I was released from the hospital that I decided that I needed a change... When I walked out of that hospital - I was taking approximately 15 pills a day and 2 shots of insulin a day... I weighed 495lbs, had high blood pressure and my A1C was a 13..so my daily blood sugar on average was over 330... Flash-Forward....Its 2011 - and here I am... I am now 130lbs lighter - give or take... and still - I don't see a HUGE difference... is that wierd? but what I do notice is those 2 shots and 15 pills a day I was taking? Nope.. no more... only pill I was taking was a multi vitamin... THAT was success enough for me... but I was still considered Morbidly Obese... and there were some family issues that came up... that woke me up.. my weight was a contributing factor to increased risks for the Cancer that was affecting so many in my family... I HAD to do something more... Diabetes and high blood pressue were not the only enemies I had to fight... As 'luck' would have it - the company I work for changed insurance plans - and it was then - during a benefits meeting I realized that the Lap Band Dream - was now an option.. REALLY? So there I went... I met with Dr. Simpson for the first time in October of 2011.. after our first consultationn - it was a go - now the only issue was to get approved by insurance... and from what I heard - getting approved was to be a 'bear' to deal with... and it was.. no lie.. they wanted EVERYTHING... letters from my primary care provider, 5+ years of medical records, proof that I indeed had co-morbidities... Of course at first glance these requirements looked daunting... but in reality - it wasn't at all - for I met all those requirements - EASILY.. which in this sense.. was quite sad.... The letter my primary care provider wrote? That in itself was an eye opener... She had gone back - way back in my medical records - and found that at age 12 I was diagnosed as Obese... really?! What happened? and then she tracked from that point all those other little issues that came up.. Asthma, Chronic Lower Back Pain... and then at age 15? Diagnosed with High Blood Pressure?! and then at 23 years of age diagnosed with Diabetes? I had ignored all this... This letter had proved to be yet another eye-opener - one that reminded me that yes - I had made progress - but I could indeed become a better version of myself... a healthier version. So in less than a week after submitting all the needed information to the insurance company - that's right - I got the call.. APPROVED... So after much trial and error in scheduling - I finally had my surgery on March 20th, 2012... So now? That we're in the present day? Its been 10 months since my surgery... and since the surgery - I've lost just over 50lbs... see what I mean? SLOW going... but its going right? But somehow I feel like I should have made more progress.... Dr. Simpson always reminds me that this "is not a race, its a marathon".. REALLY? Ugh.. I have no patience... but he's right.. it took me a good while to gain the weight - so its going to take me time to lose it as well.. My struggles of late has been to realize that success can not be measured by the numbers on the scale.. (however lets be honest kids... it matters...) Shopping has been fun.. I mean for the first time in my life - I can fit into 1X and 2X tops - and the cool thing is I've finally made it into a size 20W pants... really? YAY me.. but even with all those little successes.. why am I finding myself not so happy with everything? Why am I finding myself less confident than when I was 495lbs, why am I finding that my relationships aren't as stable as I thought? Is it me or them? Who is the insecure one? Why is it that when I look in the mirror - I don't see the new me - but I see the old Bea... the 495lb one... why is it that when I shop - I still attempt to dress myself in the shrouds of clothing I was so used to... why is it that wearing clothes that actually fit... is uncomfortable and unsettling for me... and what about the changes to my body? the flabby skin? Yes.. I was well aware of the 'side effects' of the surgery - but I want my old body back somedays... at least it was full and somewhat firm... but now? this flabbiness? especially the arm flab.. baah... or lets talk a little about the undue attention I receive now.. THAT's different... however... I'm the same person I was when I was 495 lbs... why all of sudden are they paying attention now? so now - I wonder who's really interested in the me... the real me - the me inside... because somedays it seems that my appearance is all that matters to 'them'... But really ... why am I complaining? This is what I wanted right? and I have to take the good with the bad... so for now? I just take a day at a time... And I think I've caught you up... so until another day my new friends.. take care, be good to yourself and to others... and remember... "A Day Without Laughter is a Day Wasted"... Just me - Bea

The American Society for Metabolic and Bariatric Surgery has developed a chart for the treatment of bariatric patients in the ER. The download contains information for the treatment of leaks, sepsis, intra-abdominal bleeding, obstructions etc... The download comes in a PDF format so that you can download it for FREE before you go to the Emergency Room. You can download this PDF for here: http://asmbs.org/store/

3 little letters... F...A...T... FAT... Something I have carried with me my whole life, something I have been called my whole life, something I have felt my whole life... Something I am ready to let go of. I have always struggled with my weight. I was never the kid that felt confident at gatherings or at school. I was teased...badly. There have been so many times that I have cried because of my weight, whether it be due to someones cruel comments, or because it has inhibited my life. Even as an adult, I have been struggling. It is time to let go and be the person I always wanted to be... I can't wait to be the girl who stops to look in the mirror twice because I don't believe the reflection is me. To be just "one of the girls" in a photo, instead of the "fat friend". To deal with my "inner fat child" demons and live a healthy life. I am going to start my pre-op diet on the 14th. Once that day comes, there is no turning back... I pray this momentum and desire carries me through this journey... Cheers to a new me!

I'm now 6 weeks post-op and feeling great. My surgery date was November 20th, but it seems like years ago. I'm Down 30 lbs which I think is pretty much on track with what my Doc says I should be losing. I think lower BMIs tend to not lose as quick, and I'm OK with that. I'm trying not to be a slave to the bathroom scale, and I said before surgery I never would. But man it's tough to stay away from it! I said I was only going to weigh myself once a week, but I'm finding myself sneaking into the bathroom for a quick weight check. I'll do measurements again a the 2-month mark. I'm getting used to life with my new stomach, or stomach size rather. There have been a couple hiccups along the way (pun intended), but nothing that makes me regret this life-changing decision. Some of the things that I read on this website and others from my Doc are making sense to me now. My doc used to say that the sleeve is only a tool that is one of many that need to be used to achieve and maintain weight loss. I get that now; Even though I'm restricted by the amount I can eat at any one time, it's still entirely possible to make bad food choices and eat *almost* continuously throughout the day. Sure portion size is limited, but I'm hungry in about 2 hours. I use the word "hungry" here not as head hunger, but as my body really needing food. this is something new for me - and weird. But it's as if my body is getting used to using food as a source of nutrition, rather than my brain using it as a source of comfort or stress reliever. Yes, I have had head hunger twice in the past few weeks and it didn't work out very well. the problem was not in the quantity of food I ate, but the speed with which I ate it. I just can't eat fast anymore! So the feeling of overeating, I mean really overeating, is not pleasant. I'm ok for about 5 -10 minutes, but then it starts - light sweat accross the forehead, heart races a little, dizzy. I don't know exactly what dumping is, but maybe that's what happened to me. Now I have to eat very slowly in small bites and pay attention to the small signals my body gives me telling me to stop (I read this on this forum and didn't believe it). I might have the occassional burp which generally clears the way for a little more food to enter, or the occassional hiccup, but I notice a very slight tingling sensation and a VERY light sweat on the forehead. Nothing major, but similar to the very, very, first stages when you're about to be sick (vomit sick, although I never have). I need to pay attention and wait a couple minutes to continue eating. Usually it goes pretty well, but I'm eating small portions of food almost continually during the day. Yes, I've followed the Doc's plan about 98%. I've determined that I can take 4 swallows of water before I get the light sweat feeling. I've got that one down and never drink more than 4 straight gulps from my water jug. No problem. Other than that, I've had no issues at all with salad, some veggies I've tried, any type of meat as long as its moist and cut into small pieces. I did have a little cheat last week and ate a good handful of toasted plantain chips...maybe not the smartest move, but they went down fine. But I saw the Doc for a followup visit yesterday and he said to be very careful and limit carbs to 30 - 40 grams a day. He said anything over that would slow my weight loss. I didn't have my whole wheat toast with cream cheese this morning. I'm going to the gym around the corner from my apartment 4-5 times per week and walking about 40 minutes on the treadmill. I think its a good time to start exercising (sp?) because even though the gym is full with all of the "This is the Year I'm finally going to lose weight" promise makers, I feel comfortable there because most have a bit to lose. But I feel great, and even though I'm already cleared by my Doc for any physical exercise, I'm going to wait a couple more weeks before getting into some strength training. I'm on my way! More later, Joe P.S. My libido has returned full strength, yeah! (and stamina is much better too

Excited but a little exhausted at the same time!!! Had surgery on December 20th and the first week was smooth sailing. Wasnt until about 12 days post op did I realize I had not had a bowel movement. I was in an all out panic and my surgeon was too. He ended up having me take some Miralax and Colace and this morning had my firt BM since surgery.. Glad that's over with! Stepped on the scale last night and was 235.6lbs!! Not much of a loss like in the first week, but I'll take every single pound. Starting Weight: 256 Day of Surgery: 247 Day Left Surgery: 258 1 Week Post Op: 241 2 Weeks Post Op: 235 total loss thus far: 21 pounds Not bad. Won't complain. But I think in this week I will begin taking my vitamins (and boy there are a lot!) and doing some cardio at the gym. So blessed to have gone through this process with little to no complications and even more blessed that I am on my way to a healthy new me! Happy losing all!

Happy New Years! I am very excited about this new year! Especially since I'll be well on my way to a happier and skinner me! Let's see, I am 4 weeks out! WOW, ONE MONTH!! :wub: At times it seemed like I would never get a grip on this new way of eating and drinking, thinking, cooking, coping, and whatever else I can add that I thought would be normal and isn't... LOL And now that I'm at one month, I can honestly say I do feel some normality emerging. I believe that my brain has finally cought up with the proper portion that I can actually eat and that I no longer suffer from "big eye" as it is known in my family. You know, where your eyes are bigger than your stomach and you serve yourself to much food while absolutely certain that you would eat it AAAAalllll! hehe I have found that all animal protien doesn't work for me! I have to have both plant based protein, (beans and such) and animal protein to help my body. So I found that a low gi diet works well and has some good substitutions. I am very much enjoying my cucumbers again! Yes, I finally feel as though my mind, body and Minnie are all pulling together instead of in 4 different directions!! Yes, I'm still discovering that certain foods just don't go down as well as others. Yes, I can get in all my water IF I add some lemon(real lemon) without nausea!! AND the big one, YES! I can EXCERCISE!! on my elliptical for 20 min!! The protien bars and shakes are not my favorite things but I feel for now I must endure them for the protien count to get close to what it should be! I found that stringy chicken is difficult for Minnie but if I chop it up it is much better! I can not skip my anti acid pills! NO MATTER WHAT! The most amazing thing.... I have lost 30lbs!! This is the most I have ever lost with any weight loss effort!! So this is just starting to sink in that this will work!! My body is not an exception to the rule and I have invested into a fanatastic tool that WILL work with me!! That realization is worth it all and will bring the ultimate break through of reaching my goal weight! I go back to the dr in 2 weeks. I'll let you know how it goes! Reach the stars by setting goals and take it one day at a time. Blessings for the new year! Kris

Fantastic week. Long but busy and active. I feel GREAT since my surgery... really. Last night I actually almost ran up my steps. It usually takes me a minute to get up or down the stairs. My knees already don't hurt and that's worth the cost of surgery right there. My numbers: Highest weight- 273 in March 2012 Day of surgery weight 250 Week 1 weigh in: 241.4 Loss: 8.6 lbs I am THRILLED with that number! I will be in the 230's next week! WOOOOT! NSV's: I like the way my doc did my insicions, to where they're not in my bra line at all. Most are at or below my waist, one at my breast bone so I've been wearing my regular Lane Bryant underwire bras. I couldn't hang with the sports bras. The UniBoob just wasn't happening. Anyway, I feel like my band might be a bit loose and the bra is pulled as tightly as possible. It'd be nice to get rid of these G cup mamas. My size 22 jeans need to be retired. Already. I felt like they might actually fall down the other day. My size 20's, which I haven't been able to wear for a while, fit just fine. Not tight, not cutting off circulation, they zip right up. Like I said earlier, steps are no issue right now. I still get a backache from shopping, etc so can't wait until that goes away. Overall I am THRILLED.