Corrigan

If you have the chance, find a ACS Center of Excellence. I guarantee they won't flake out on you. They have the best, most comprehensive program you'll find anywhere. I had my surgery at one (Cedars-Sinai) and I've never had better care anywhere. I came away with no pain or problems of any type. Even if you have to drive a bit, You're going to have this the rest of your life, so you might go with the best. Whatever you choose, good luck.

At this point there's not a lot of advice to give, except relax and go with the flow. Listen to the instructions the dietitian gives, and post a picture of that new baby somewhere.

Hi Mandii, congratulations on your wise choice, and welcome.

Look up the"Five day pouch test" in the search box or on Google. It's a simple, back to the beginning exercise that has helped others get 'Back on track', and you may get some good out of it. It's free and simple, but it works for some folks. I hope it helps you. After you finish it, You'll have to get back to work.

Good for you! Don't forget your PJs and slippers, hospital gowns are pretty revealing.

I was banded a couple weeks before you and I'm down about 50 lbs so we're right where we belong. I don't know what your family situation is, but if I was in your position, I'd have Thanksgiving with my family (or as close as I could get) and have dinner, in reasonable quantities, and try to enjoy myself as much as possible. I've been through a lot of holidays with people who were miserable because they couldn't repeat the experience they had as children. If you have a family, try to make these times as pleasurable as possible for them, and maybe you'll find that you bring yourself out of your funk, as well. Anyway, have a happy Thanksgiving.

I tried the protein shots frrom Walmart (someone else bought them). They're OK, but a pork chop is better.

Glad to see all you youngsters doing so well, I was banded 8/12 of this year and have lost almost 50 lbs and reduced my A1C to 6.1 (that was the object of the whole thing). I wish I had done this 30 years ago, but better late than never.

There is a little program called the 5 day pouch test that quite a few people have had some success with. If you're really looking for a way to get back in the program, it's worth a try. It's free and sort of, begins all over again, for a few days. You've got nothing to lose except a little weight. Look in the search box or Google.

It's really none of their business, but just explain that you were worried about your health and decided to do something about it.

It's really hard to say what's normal for you. A lot depends on your level of exercise, caloric intake. I lowered my food intake until I had a steady loss of 2 lbs a week, average. That'll give me my goal in a year. It handy to keep a log of everything you eat, no matter how small. Some time it's surprising how much we eat without realizing it. One other thing some folks are having success with is the 5 day pouch test, it's free and worth a try. Lots of luck.

Hi Marla, most of us don't lose the same amount everyday, no matter how many calories we eat. some days you'll lose 6 or 7 lbs and other days, nothing. If you eat an honest 1000 calories a day, you'll have to lose. If the amount of calories being burned is greater than the amount eaten, energy has to come from fat or muscle, and at 1000 calories a day, it'll be fat. You didn't mention how much exercise you're getting, but, of course that's also a big factor in weight loss. Stay on 1000 calories a day and a good exercise program and you you just have to lose. Good luck.

Here's some I found FWIW:http://avatarmaker.eu/free-avatars/hummingbird-avatars.html

According to my dietitian, lots of water (64oz) and a glass of warm prune juice will help. She said not to use chemical laxatives for 6 weeks. Hope this helps.

I had the same problem, have the surgery and hope Medicare would pay for it. What made it worse is that my secondary said they would pay IF Medicare paid. They did and everything turned out OK. I had called Medicare earlier and one person said they wouldn't pay and another said they would. Who was right? Made me a little nervous. You have two co-morbidities and a BMI over 35 so you should be alright, but it sure would be nice to be certain, going in. Well, good luck, and I hope your surgery goes as well as mine.

I post this every once in a while to help those experiencing stalls: 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. This accounts for 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. 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 hope this gives you some idea of the problems associated with weight loss stalls.

I really didn't have any problems, good genes, I guess. One of my hand outs from my WLS seminar says to take Rolaids or Tums, short term, or Prilosec for longer problems. GasX probably won't help for heartburn-reflux.

Shhh, go to sleep!

Hi Sue, you're probably doing too much. You've just had major surgery and your body needs time to heal. All the symptoms you're feeling are typical, the shoulder pain is refered pain from the gas used in surgery. Keeping notes of all your feelings and problems is a good idea. I felt a little weak for a couple weeks too, so sit with your feet up, for a while, if you can.

Think you might try going on a liquid diet for a couple of days to see if it's just irritation? If that doesn't help or if it gets worse, you should probably see your doctor. Hope you had a good vacation.

I'm 74 and was banded 9 weeks ago, mostly to get rid of diabetes. I've lost about 50 lbs and my A1C was 6.1 last week. The surgery was uneventful, no pain or discomfort and we went on a 2 mile walk the second day.

Here a little bit of an article on weight loss surgery. Main article: Gastric banding The restriction of the stomach also can be created using a silicone band, which can be adjusted by addition or removal of saline through a port placed just under the skin. This operation can be performed laparoscopically, and is commonly referred to as a "lap band." Weight loss is predominantly due to the restriction of nutrient intake that is created by the small gastric pouch and the narrow outlet. [12] It is considered one of the safest procedures performed today with a mortality rate of 0.05%. [13]

A little post surgery depression is normal, along with the "What have I done" syndrome. This isn't an easy project. It's going to take an awful lot of work on your part. Ask your surgeon what to take for your reflux, many use Prilosec, and your first 20 lbs will come off fast and then slow down. My surgeon suggested no more than 2-3 lbs a week. For me, that's about 1000-1200 calories, everyone is a little different. Try to keep a stiff upper lip for these first couple weeks, It does get better. In a year, when you've lost your first hundred pounds, you'll wonder what all the fuss was about. Best of luck

Glenda, I was banded about two weeks before you. To date I've lost about 50 lbs and haven't had any fills. This isn't bragging, I just don't have any hunger. I was starving to begin with, but as I went along on 900 calories, my hunger began to wane, and now it's very manageable. I could eat the back end off a cow if I wanted, but don't. There is a year between surgery and the last fill. If I tried, I could gain 100 lbs in that time, but I started this to lose weight (for health reasons) and I'm not going to waste my last chance for anything.

It probably will be. The object of the liquid diet is to take as much fat off the liver and reduce the size of the organ itself. I'd say do the best you can.