Corrigan

Hi Sweetpea, It looks like you had a good surgeon and should have a speedy recovery. It takes some work on your part, but it'll be well worth it. Good luck and a speedy weight loss.

Are all the septuagenarians gone? No posts since June. I was banded about a month ago and seem to be losing two and three lbs a week.My first fill is next week although I'm not sure I need it, not much hunger. Lets hear from someone else.

We were told if we became fatigued easily after surgery, to take a B12 tablet and place it under our tongue (sublingual). It seems to help me, you might try it.

I was going to write a big, long post about all the stuff I went through, but roeroe pretty well covered it. If you don't have nearly that much support, maybe you should find a bariatric Center of Excellence near you and speak with them (look on Google). Whatever you do, good luck.

We were advised that if we became unusually tired, to take a sublingual B12 tablet (under the tongue). I'm also hypothyroidic and have just had my levels checked. I'm also more tired than usual and wonder if it's not caused by losing weight somehow. I see my surgeon next week and I'll ask him. I hope that's all it is.

How is taking steps to improve your health cheating. I guess me, taking meds to improve my diabetes, is cheating? I recently read that over 90% of people that lose weight by dieting, gain that weight and more, back. I don't think it's lack of will power, it seems people are hard wired to gain weight to hold us over in lean times. When I eat with others, I feel righteous with my little bit of food while they eat their huge plates. Why not enjoy your weight loss and the hell with any detractors and forget the guilt?

I have the Puritan Breeze Nasal Pillow mask and It's just about as small as possible. It took me about a year to get used to it, but now I can't sleep without it (for a while). That's one reason for the band. They're a pain to adapt to, but once you do, it's not too bad.

Brittney, Recent studies have shown the Lap band surgery to be the safest WLS, with the fewest complications of any. After one year, the total weight loss is about the same for any WLS. The quality of the facility and the surgeon make all the difference. Do your homework, check your surgeons reputation, make your decision based on facts, not website speculation and rumors. Good luck and I hope it all goes well for you.

I doubt that True Results will be paying for your surgery. Many insurance companies have a weight loss exception, however most will pay for weight related illnesses such as diabetes, sleep apnea, etc.(comorbidities). If you have such illnesses, your chances of getting WLS are much better. Best of luck.

I hope you folks don't go into this with the attitude that you're likely to fail. This is a relatively simple surgery with very few complications and a high success rate. You have to pick your surgeon carefully (do a little research), and follow his postop instructions and in a year you'll be a new you. You don't hear from most of the thousands of people who have successful WLS. Try to go into this with an attitude that you WILL succeed, and you will.

I guess i was one of the lucky ones, almost no pain at all. The throat rawness from the intubation device was the worst and it was gone in three days.

Hi Callie, You seem to have a very good surgeon and I imagine you'll have an easy time of it. Best of luck and don't forget to let us know how you make out.

Unless you're prepaired to change doctors, there's probably no need to ask about his experience. You might ask if he's going to have you meet with a nutritionist and provide you with a post-op diet. Don't forget to take PJs and slippers because you don't want to be walking down the hall holding your gown closed in the back. I hope your surgery is as good as mine was.

This was sent to me a while ago and seems like a good explanation for stalls. This is FWIW. Our bodies use glycogen for short term energy storage. Glycogen is not very soluble, but it is stored in our muscles for quick energy -- one pound of glycogen requires 4 lbs of Water to keep it soluble, and the average glycogen storage capacity is about 2 lbs. So, when you are not getting in enough food, your body turns first to stored glycogen, which is easy to break down for energy. And when you use up 2 lbs of glycogen, you also lose 8 lbs of water that was used to store it -- voila -- the "easy" 10 lbs that most people lose in the first week of a diet. As you stay in caloric deficit, however, your body starts to realize that this is not a short term problem. You start mobilizing fat from your adipose tissue and burning fat for energy. But your body also realizes that fat can't be used for short bursts of energy -- like, to outrun a sabertooth tiger. So, it starts converting some of the fat into glycogen, and rebuilding the glycogen stores. And as it puts back the 2 lbs of glycogen into the muscle, 8 lbs of water has to be stored with it to keep it soluble. So, even though you might still be LOSING energy content to your body, your weight will not go down or you might even GAIN for a while as you retain water to dissolve the glycogen that is being reformed and stored.

I took a shower a while ago and weighed myself and was happy that I'd lost four pounds this week, then I read your post and thought "what a bummer". I could come up with a bunch of things I'd do to lose weight, but that wouldn't help you. I'm certainly no mental health expert, but I wonder if you don't need to talk to a therapist more than a WLS forum. We all want to help you, but I don't think we have what you need. If your post is really how you feel, I hope you get some professional help and I wish you all the luck in the world and please let us know how you make out. POST SCRIPT: Carol, If you're still there, Look up "5-day pouch diet" in Google. This will take some commitment on your part, and I hope you're up to it. It requires many of the things you say you're not willing to do, but if you took time to write your post, you must want help, and this is the only thing I've found that might do that. Again, good luck.

We're in the High desert of So. California and today will be 81 and tomorrow 83, a welcome relief from 112 a month ago. Wouldn't mind a little snow (just a little).

We went to a Mexican restaurant last night for a birthday party and I had my first beer since surgery a month ago. I ordered a second, but couldn't drink it because the effects of the alcohol from the first hit and I was afraid I wouldn't be able to drive home. I was a beer maker for 20 years and was able to drink, but not anymore. I think that after WLS, at least the band, alcohol has a much greater effect than it did. The carbonation wasn't a problem, but the alcohol was. So I guess we just have to be more careful. After fills it'll probably be a different story. Then the carbonation will<BR>probably be restrictive.

You'll probably be fine, but keep an eye on it and if it gets worse, have a medical professional look at it. (I guess this is redundant but bears repeating).

I'm not an expert, but I wonder if you might need a bit of an unfill. I do know it takes a few days for a fill to allow much to go down, maybe you need to give it more time. My book says to drink liquids for a day or two after a fill. Someone with a little more experience will come along and give you better advice. Until then, good luck and keep chewing.

I was banded the 12th, I'm not losing much, and I don't think you should worry too much about it until your first fill. You probably don't have any restriction yet so you can (not should) eat almost anything you did before surgery. You should just follow your dietitian's instructions and you'll be fine. We'll lose after our first fill.

If you don't have access to a pool, you might try a physical therapy office and see if they will recommend some exercises you could do considering your limitations. I hope this helps.

Most anesthesiologists use your IV for sedatives and anesthesia these days. No mask involved. It's a very easy procedure, you're wheeled into the OR, everyone says hi, and next thing you know you're in the recovery room. Couldn't be easier. The worst part is being so thirsty afterwords. It really is just that easy. If you spent as much time and effort following your surgeon's instructions as you do worrying, you'll do great. Best of luck.

I don't blame you. My PCP talked me out of WLS for years. He retired and a new, proactive doctor took his place and recommended I try the Lapband to control diabetes and other problems. I guess it just depends on the PCP. You are probably the best judge of what you want and need, and there are a lot of doctors around, so find one you get along with. Good luck.

Lorianne, I was banded at Cedars-Sinai about a month ago. I can honestly say that I have never had a better hospital stay. I had a private room with a couch, table several stuffed chairs room for DW to sleep. The view from my window was of the LA skyline with the ocean behind it. The operation went as well as I could have hoped, No pain except for a little discomfort from the incisions. That place is huge! I walked about a mile, up and down the corridors, wheeling my IV stand. when I was leaving the next day, it was all hugs and kisses. I have never in my life, been treated that well in a hospital. when we got home, I went for an almost 2 mile walk around our "ranch" and never had the slightest pain. I'm seldom this enthusiastic about anything, but they deserve it. I hope you're experience is as good.

Wow, SM you're going to make medical history. You had the sleeve in Mexico in Aug., now your having the band. I didn't know that was possible!