Matt Z

Depends on your surgery overall, but yes, post surgery, it's going to take some time for your new stomach to get used to thicker, heavier, more solid food items. Just take your time and let yourself heal... IE don't push things. If it hurts or makes you feel sick, stop doing that.

I got to that point about 4 years in or so. Nothing I did would get me to stay under the 300 mark. Ultimately, I was revised to the bypass. My surgeon advised me that the Lapband was over hyped and under performed, that 2 of the largest manufacturers have sold off or stopped making new or replacement parts for their versions of the bands. When they removed the band, even though I didn't have any major issues going to the revision, the band was 100% encapsulated in scar tissue and took my surgical team more than 3 times longer to remove it than it should have taken. I'd hate to think what would have happened if I left it in!

Sounds typical actually, 6 months out, your body is fully healed and potentially has already figured out your new normal. As long as you aren't overeating, there is no pain or discomfort or other odd side effects from eating, then you shouldn't be worried.

A few things could have happened, one of the internal stitches could have let go, or one side did and it's poking a nerve. Could be "normal" pains from healing incisions. Glad to see you already contacted your doctor and have plans to go in, so many people only post online and have odd aversions to speaking with their doctors. Good luck, hope it all turns out to be nothing major!

I'm all about finding the healthy alternative that satiates that craving. Ice Cream - I eat Halo Top "Ice Cream". Low calories, low to no sugar, has protein. Not saying it's "health food" but it's certainly a way better option than typical Ice Cream and it fits into a post WLS diet rather easily. Pizza - We'll get Cauli-Power Pizza, if you are watching carbs, you might want to avoid it (but just remember, every single vegetable you eat, has carbs as well, not all carbs are the same, just like not all sugars are the same) Chips - Kay's Naturals Protein Snacks for the win here. So many options! All made with Soy Protein and are so easy to fit into a post WLS diet. So, you can TOTALLY get the cravings filled, you just need to find the alternative that works for your WLS diet.

Why not just revise in 1 surgery? There are **PLENTY** of folks that have Band to Sleeve or Band to Bypass revision done in the same day, curious why your doc wants to do it in 2 steps rather than 1 like most cases. Something to be aware of, the sleeve has the potential side effect (actually effects most people) where acid reflux is increased. My doctor refuses to do Band to Sleeve revisions because the sleeve staple line runs right through the scar tissue the band has created, and this causes a potential weak spot on a high pressure incision. There are plenty of folks that have gone from Band to Sleeve, I agreed with my surgeons logic and reasoning and went for the Bypass. Best decision I ever made getting that band out... I didn't have any major issues, but my band was 100% encapsulated in scar tissue and took my surgical team more than 3 times longer to remove than it should have. No idea what would have happened if I didn't have it removed! But, even though it was a very tedious removal, I was revised to the bypass in the same exact surgery.

Something to notice as well, and it's an important "side effect", notice how fat my kids were as well in 2010. And how they also got thinner and healthier as I did. Because of my eating habit changes, the rest of the family's habits changed along side mine and the benefits are clearly visible.

There are quite a few options. There are lots of at home body fat measuring devices. Some are hand held, some are built into scales. You can get a body fat measuring device on amazon or lots of other places. Personally, I have a FitBit Aria scale that tracks body fat % as well as weight.

I'm curious why you are going in expecting to be denied? At 5 foot 1 and 220 lbs, you have BMI of 41.6, I don't know of any insurance that won't approve revision with a BMI that high. (they might have other hoops to jump though, but you aren't a low BMI, so the BMI itself wouldn't be reason for denial).

Congrats! Most certainly take the time to heal up first! Then you can go full Super Hero! I had my band removed and was revised to Bypass in March, best WLS choice I've made!

Stop. Just. Stop. Focus on healing before you worry about hitting the goal amounts of protein and water. Just do your best and that's it. If you are going to lose hair, you are going to lose hair. There is nothing that will stop it. There are people taking all sorts of stuff 5 months before surgery and they are still losing hair. Me, I only took biotin, and I haven't lost any hair yet. Your biggest and most important goal right now. Is healing.

And this is the Guys room, and the tag on the thread says "Males Only". Please respect the forum and post.

For what? If you are talking about the procedure, they will give you meds in an IV, what they give you, is going to be up to the doctor and what's generally acceptable/required for the procedure. But, if you are looking to get WLS, then you should be ready for the fact that you will be getting "prescription pain meds" through an IV during the surgery as well.

You should be just fine going from 1 appt to another in the same hospital. They just don't want you driving... or making important choices until everything has had a chance to wear off 100%.

Sleevers generally don't get dumping since there was no adjustments to your intestinal tract. Diarrhea post op is pretty common. You'll see and hear the "never trust a fart" phrase a lot.

I only had like 10 pills, so I only took them when I absolutely needed to, which, really was only when I had issues sleeping.

I'd honestly wait it out.... wouldn't want to risk looking like the old ladies that get their hair dyed and it looks like a big cloud of color rather than hair. Plus all the different colored hair that's all going to grow at the same time...

For me... I was awake before the bed made it back to recovery. Left like 30 mins later. Just don't opt for the "awake" version of the procedure, all sorts of horror stories from folks that had the procedure done while they were awake / semi awake...

I started before, but make sure you tell your surgeon, because they more than likely will have you stop certain vitamins prior to surgery for like 2 weeks to prevent any issues while in surgery.

Yeah, itching sucks. The old tattoo trick of slapping it helps. Allergy meds can help as well.

Congrats and good luck! I had my band removed back in March and revised to the Bypass... Best damn thing I've done for myself in a very long time!

Just remember that ***ALL*** Fruits and Vegetables have carbs in them. As everyone has said, if your BMR is low and you are eating more than you are burning a day, or even if you are close to eating what you burn in a day, that'll keep you stagnant. More than likely not, but do you have any extra skin that hasn't retracted? I know some folks can have quite heavy amounts of weight just in excess skin.

Seriously check out the Cheddar Moon Cheese. They taste EXACTLY like Cheez Its and are just cheese, no extra junk!

The risks of WLS are much MUCH lower then the risks of being overweight and unhealthy. This decision is for you. But this decision will impact everyone around you. My wife wasn't "for" me getting the bypass. She was scared of all the things everyone is scared of. But now, she's dropped a bunch of weight as well, she goes to the gym with me. All of us are eating better. It's just as much for everyone around you, as it is for yourself. Don't worry about the "guilt"... it's better than the alternatives.

Some insurances cover plastics, but most of those that do only cover the panniculus area, and usually only after there are issues with the skin and you've been at a stable weight for a while. That is going to need to be addressed by your insurance company, ask them what they cover and what the requirements are. A *LOT* of folks chose to have plastics done in Mexico since the price is much cheaper than in the states.