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For now anyhow, had my second appointment were we decided that I didn't need a fill. Steady weight loss (Of course not as fast as I would like), 3-4 hours of satiety (Depending on if I stay away from simple carbs and focus on protein). Can pretty much eat anything, but have to be careful and have had a few stuck episodes in the last month when I wasn't. It is kind of a bittersweet place to be, the green zone is this magical fairy land that is held out to us from the time we are banded, and yet here I am. I still wrestle with eating too fast, I still am plagued by head hunger, I still have to exercise, I still have weight to lose, I still get plateaued. WAIT A MINUTE, YOU MEAN I STILL HAVE TO WORK AT MY WEIGHT LOSS, I THOUGHT THE BAND WAS MAGIC!!! I WANT MY MONEY BACK!

I had my sleeve done on March 30, 2013. This is my story so far… even though I feel like I am eating like a bird, my weight loss has come to a halt! I am upping the exercise a bit to see if that helps. The lack of weight loss is frustrating, however, I am fitting into smaller clothes! It is the best decision I have ever made regarding my health. At first I felt very sad - I missed chewing - doesn't that sound weird? But then after a few weeks I was allowed to have soft foods and the desire to chew up some meat was fulfilled! Now I find that I don't even really enjoy food - it is a chore to figure out what I want to eat. I make sure I get my protein drink in each day and a V8 along with the vitamins and calcium citrate; the rest is just filler. Nothing tastes as good as it used to before the surgery. If this keeps up, it will be a breeze to lose more and keep it off for life! Food was my best friend that I turned to whenever I needed to calm myself, soothe my mind, celebrate an occasion, and so on. The surgery has severed this relationship - it's been like losing a friend that I depended on for moral support. But now I realize that food was not my friend – it was a crutch that was bringing me down – not holding me up. I am learning new ways to cope with life – it is wonderful. I think anyone who has struggled with weight should consider this surgery. The recovery is painless and the scars are minimal. I can’t wait to uncover the thin person that is inside this chubby body – what a treat that will be! Good luck to all!!

Im just a little over a month out. Im down a total of 35 pounds, my clothes are too big. I feel AMAZING!!!! This was, by far, the best decision I have ever made. I was nervous, obviously, but I have not had one complication since my surgery date on March 21st. I stayed in the hospital only one night, when home the next day. Getting fluids in was tough, but not impossible. I had NO pain or nausea at all. Each day became better than the day before. By day 7 I was virtually back to my old self. I think the nutritionists prepare you for the worst case scenario, which I thought may happen to me. But I had no adverse effects. No problems, no issues. I continue to feel well, I am noticing changes in my body, and people are starting to notice my weight loss. If you are ever struggling with the choice of what to do? Please contact me. I could not be more happy.

Had my follow up with gastroenterologist yesterday. He's done all he can, medically. I'm seeing a top doctor in this type of problem at a local university hospital. There are only a few options available, even surgically: 1. Remove band, evaluate gastro-esophageal junction, hiatal hernia repair, vagus nerve damage/injury. 2. Remove band, take down HH repair and redo it along with Heller Myotomy. 3. Remove band, implant feeding tube for 3-6 months to rest the esophagus. 4. Remove band, remove esophagus with reconstructive surgery (horrible option) The achalasia is "end stage" based on the manometry, but since pseudo achalasia is gaining prevalence in the banded population, I might get lucky and just end up with #1. Fingers crossed. My motility was 0% My appointments at the university start on May 17. Wish me luck

So, I went for my 6 week follow-up visit on Thursday, and also saw my primary care physician the same day. First, the follow-up. My surgeon was very pleased with my progress. I've mentioned about the scale discrepancies before. The first visit with the doctor, his scale and my home scale showed the identical weights (274), so that's what they had as my starting weight. Every visit since then, their scale has been 5-6 lbs higher than the home scale. So according to them I went up to 280 before the surgery, but they still have 274 listed as my starting weight. This last visit, they had me in a different office than usual, and that scale was 7 lbs higher than the home scale. So according to them, I have lost 36 lbs, even though at home I know it is 43. I'm not going to argue, they are still very happy with 36, and I would be also if I didn't know it was actually 43. Now for the primary MD visit. He was amazed at the difference in how I looked, and my weight loss. My blood pressure was 110/80, and he said that in 2 weeks I can start cutting my BP pills in half and he would evaluate me again in 6 weeks. This is huge for me, getting off the medication was one of the major reasons I did this surgery. Also, big news - on Friday my wife was sleeved! That's why I haven't blogged about this other stuff until today. She is doing pretty good now, her recovery has been much different than mine. She has had a bit of a rougher time than I had, but I know she will get through it.

It has been awhile since I blogged, I think that is because the snow finally melted, yeah!!! Ok back to the reason for my entry. For those of you who have not followed me or know where I am....I am currently in the last 3 months of my pre-op diet and I am losing weight. Cool right, but what is not cool is my surgeon's insurance specialist not communicating and when she does it is obvious she is clueless......."Ain't nobody got time for that!" I have emailed her repeatedly, giving her in excess of 15 business days to respond, nothing. I have patience but I do not have time for being ignored. And when she does respond it is like she has no clue what my insurance coverage is, or what my requirements are! The last straw came the other day when she told me that I had to see a doctor every month for six months (when my insurance requires 3 visits in six months). I know because it is spelled out in the plan, I pointed this out and she said oh sorry my mistake! Really, are you serious? I have no patience for this, the hoops I am jumping thru seem so tedious and I am determined to do it right the first time. So the next email I had a time sensitive question (which I have called and left her 4 messages on in the last 4 weeks no call back also) and guess what she NEVER responded. It had to do with me having the option of changing insurance coverages, well I had it so you know what I emailed the surgeon directly. Now we will see what happens next.....either they will hate me all around or they will appreciate the heads up!! Either way it needed to be said. Do people not get it that this is the BIGGEST thing to happen in our lives short of just a few other things in life..... AIN'T NOBODY GOT TIME FOR THAT Ok I feel better now No one is standing in my way of accomplishing this.

Ok so I forgot how to ad a new blog haha but here it goes anyways... Idk bout anyone else but I feel like I should keep eating all d wrong things well the things I love in mass quantities before my surgery .. I know I won't be able to eat them anyone more..So I keep telling myself ok eat all u want cause in a few days you can't do it anymore ..I feel like i have to get as much as i can or like I'm saying goodbye ... The goofy thing I know its only food!! Does or did anyone feel this way ??? Im sooooo ready to be healthy but I feel like Im going to miss it ....

3 months post op and ive been stalling this past week. been fluctuating between 221-224lbs but yesterday i started back at the gym so we will see how this goes for the next few weeks. i said im not gonna weigh myself again until may. but today i did weigh 221.8lbs. so far since surgery i only got sick once, and that was from chewing like 3 times and not 30. i cant eat boiled eggs whole, only chopped up. i cant eat greasy foods like conecuh sausage or rotel dip but maybe i will be able to further out. clothes are getting too big but im scared to try on new clothes. i went from a 3x in scrubd to a 2x and now at 3 months im fitting in a xl size scrubs. so far so good. i just hate the stalls but no worries or regrets. looking forward to how i will look at my 6 months post op! oh! AND im down about 58lbs

Day 6 - Monday, April. 22nd. The weight "falling off" has slowed down. I'm seeing my weight fluctuate back and forth about 2 lbs throughout the day. Typical. My lowest weight daily will be early morning before I have any intake. I think the 3 lbs that fell off in 10 hours a couple of days earlier was a fluke (with my scales). Today, that 3 lbs is definitely gone. I awoke groggy from the pain pill I took Sunday night. I felt buzzed most of the day. I hate that feeling. No more pain pills for the sake of sleep. I used my 4-lb hand-held weights for arm and shoulder exercises/ strengthening. Even five minutes of it while sitting on the sofa is better than nothing. I ate SF Butterscotch pudding for breakfast (made with Double-Milk). The Fruit 2-O peach water has become one of my favorite drinks. So is Snapple Peach tea. I need to make a pitcher of decaf tea sweetened with Stevia. The only ready-to-drink tea I have here has caffeine in it. And, I think it is playing a part in my restlessness at night. I don't think I drank enough, so I am going to log the volume now. I haven't been journaling my intake. Bad girl. Adding protein grams in my head really isn't accurate enough. Ethyl thinks so, too. (Ethyl is the name I gave my body, since I am listening to her more than ever. I'm learning she has a lot to say. Don't worry... I won't end up with a split personality from this.) I came up with a great idea last night. I'm looking forward to testing it on the regular diet stage. When I crave a crunchy snack, I'll pour a little Special-K High Protein flakes into a little bowl and eat them. Dry. They taste really good. The protein is needed anyway. And, if I mince them up really good, I'm hoping Ethyl will like them, too! It satisfies the psychological desire to crunch something. Showering and washing/drying/styling my hair exhausted me. I had to rest for an hour to regain my strength. My protein drink helped pick me up again. Mid-afternoon, I decided to push myself to walk. The more I move, the quicker I can flush out the toxins from anesthesia and those pain pills. So, off we went, the dog and me. Two blocks to the local park. Upon arrival, I sat and rested. I was tired! No! Just two blocks? Before surgery, I'd walk to this park and do 5-8 laps on the jogging path (power walking - not jogging). I hadn't even started the first lap and I had to rest? Okay. Ten minutes later, we were walking the lap. (One lap = 3/8 of a mile.). I had to sit and rest halfway through the lap. Ten minutes later, we resumed. And, this was no power walk. It was a nice leisurely stroll. I'm pacing myself. When the 1st (and last) lap was completed, I had to sit and rest again for 10 minutes. Trying to get enough strength to walk the 2 blocks home... Tempted to call my husband and ask him to come get me. No shame in that. I still made progress! But, I'm determined to finish what I started. So, I finally returned home. An hour had passed and I had walked less than a mile. Ha ha ha! That's ok! This is Baby Steps. I don't expect Ethyl to be able to break my walking record before April 17th. This is a new life. New beginnings. I'm doing just fine. Still no nap. I should be taking advantage of this time and sleeping more. After two months camped out with my sister in ICU (Jan-Mar), I am still sleep deprived. Hard to turn off my thoughts. I'll work on a good nap tomorrow. This forum has been so helpful and filled with great advice and tips. Someone told me the burnin' in my sternum was probably tomato soup. Of course! I hadn't considered that! Thank you for the good advice! And, I find I can share my story of my battle with my insurance company to help others, too. That makes me feel good to know I can give back. So, I changed my Display Name here from PBCNasher to SqueakyWheel&Ethyl. We are one and the same, you know.

i get asked all the time about working out so i thought that i tell you my story with it. i am uncoordinated and can not balance ( i am much better now) even as a child i hated gym class. I was always the last picked but i loved to dance i would go to dance class all the time. Well till 13 when my dance teacher told me "i need to learn my place in life and it no were near the dance floor" that ended my love with dance.. I went to feeling like i could not. I joined a gym because my husband worked there Then i picked up body pump something about the music I worked out with Dave a trainer for 2 years however i never lost weight and never rely loved it. I bought the Zumba videos I was not a fan at frist. I thought i never were those silly paints. But the more time i did them the more i kind of liked it. I started taking body pump on Sunday and the teacher was also a zumba teacher she invited me to stay. I SUCKED. I would not have come back if penny did not tell me it would get better i get better. The next week it did get a little better and it keeped getting better till i loved it. Then i was hocked and those silly paints with the but strings i own 7 pairs So why do i love Zumba well it dose not matter if your fat thin green black old young one leg in a wheel chair you can do it. They have a zumba for everyone. I love to dance and I just get lost in the music. I get asked all the time for my best advice. So here it is My Mottos: If you think you can't you can if you can you will if you will you must if you must you do!! I wear a neck less it was a gift from my zumba mentor. it has 3 charms 1. dance like no one watching - to me this means let go feel the music if you not doing a step right and trust me i even mess them up it dose not matter were all going to have fun. 2. a tiger eye for strength if you no this lap band journey you need this to have go though surgery fill change you eating habits it more than just pure muscle strength it about being strong enough to change your life. The 3rd is a butterfly it the transmutation a butterfly starts out a a caterpillar and then go though a change into a butterfat is in all of us. Dance, walk move just be free to do what you like, Be Strong and in the end Become the butterfly that lies with in each one of us