DELETE THIS ACCOUNT!

It took me about 2 weeks to lose the first 20 pounds. I lost 43 pounds the first month after surgery.

Lisa said it perfectly!! There is no right or wrong foods. It's all a matter of what works best for you and your metabolism. For the record, the only food I don't eat is dry meat because it's sure to get stuck. Otherwise, I can (and do) eat pretty much everything else just in moderation. Don't be afraid, it's not nearly as hard or scary as you think

I am so happy for you. Your story almost made me tear up. Congratulations!

I agree with Lisa. Unless you have unexpected complications, you should be fine on your own the day after surgery. I too stayed overnight in the hospital. The next day, I went home and remained there with my two children. They are both school age so they understood mom needed rest. But, I had no problem getting around the house and such. In fact, I was walking laps around the house to help ease the gas discomfort. I had my surgery on a Friday and by the follow Wednesday, I was back to my normal routine, including driving the kids to and from school. Best wishes!

If you are 3 weeks post surgery, I'd call your doctor. You shouldn't be that miserable so long after.

I don't know about that. I was really big, over 400 pounds, and I was publicly ridiculed often. Total strangers would make horrible comments or laugh at me. Quite honestly, I was treated like I had a contagious disease by most of society. No one felt sorry for me but people were awfully judgmental and mean.

There are risks of complications with any surgery. But, there are also complications and risks of remaining obese. For me, it came down to tough logic: If I remained fat, I was almost guaranteed a life cut way too short. Diabetes, high blood pressure, heat disease, sleep apena, etc. All that and more were in my future. I knew there were risks in Lap Band surgery but I also knew statistically speaking there were much higher risks in staying morbidly obese. Complications from the Lap Band were very unlikely to kill me but complications from obesity most likely would. That was how I decided. Best wishes on whatever you decide is best for you.

This is strictly my experience, I'm no expert. It seems most insurance will cover a panniculectomy if it's medically necessary. They usually require the skin to hang below the pubic line, significant weight loss (100 pounds), and/or skin break down. Most will also cover a breast reduction (lift would be included) but not any sort of implants (unless it's because of cancer). Again, the company will have minimum requirements for this. As far as tummy tuck and arm lift, it's highly unlikely you will get insurance to pay for either of them. It also seems for insurance to cover any of it, they must be submitted and completed one procedure at a time and billed very carefully. Again, I'm not an insurance expert but this seems to be the norm. I hope your doctor has luck persuading them to cover it. Best wishes.

Cool question! I've been fortunate to experience a lot of them. They include: -Sitting in a booth -Flying on plane without needing a belt extension -Going on carnival rides -Not being the biggest one in the room -Wearing non-plus size clothes -Seeing the scale go into Onederland The only one I have left is to hit my goal

The best way to know if something is a good food choice is to read the label then decide if it fits into the plan your nutritionist gave you. As for carbonation, there is no final word on it. Some doctors allow it and others don't. When in doubt, always follow your own doctor's guidelines. Best wishes.

With all due respect, everyone's experience is different. Some people do share your struggles at the beginning. Some even gain weight. Some do feel misled because either they weren't informed or didn't do the necessary research ahead of time. But, not everyone. Some people do know what to expect going into surgery and because of it have realistic expectations. Likewise, some people do lose weight right from the very beginning and continue to throughout their journey. Some never yo-yo diet. Not everyone does low carb/no carb, either. Everyone's experience is different. Best wishes on your journey.

Don't be sorry! The only stupid questions are the ones not asked The best way I know to answer your full question is- you don't want to eat until you're full. In fact, if you're eating until fullness you're likely eating too much. The object is to eat untill you're satisfied (aka not hungry) When I first started out, I found the easiest way was to silently ask myself in my head "am I still hungry?" If the answer was yes, I'd eat a little more. If the answer was no, then I was satisfied and done eating. Have a look at this link, I think it'll help: http://drsimpson.net/fills/Lap-band-eating/lap-band-not-restriction/lap-band-and-restriction.html Best wishes!

I definitely wouldn't massage or do anything to them until you check with your doctor. If they aren't red, warm, and/or sore then I'd mention it at your next appointment. If they are red, warm, and/or sore I'd call your surgeon's office for advice now.

I will definitely be keeping you in my prayers. Let us know what happens please! ((hugs))

My gosh, I can't even find the words to tell you how sorry I am. I won't lie, you are living my worst fear. I am terrified of getting another one having it wind up in my lungs. I'm assuming you've been on both Heparin in-patient and Coumadin after discharge? Has your doctor considered any other treatments?

This is just my opinion, but if it were me I'd just go to the ER where you know there is a bariatric surgeon on staff. Then, they have to give you an unfill. You can deal with the costs and insurance later. A band too tight is extremely dangerous and it's imperative you get it resolved ASAP. Best wishes.

In total? I think 9 or 10, including a total unfill then refill due to another surgery (not band related surgery).

I have a going list from this thread, btw. I have all your recommendations written on a notepad in my purse so when I do go shopping for them again, I remember which ones to look into. Oh funny thing today- I was talking to my almost 19 year old daughter about getting a bra fitting and how she should come with me and get one too. My boyfriend heard us talking and offered these words of wisdom "just don't get a bra fitting from a guy giving them out free in the back of a van" I almost hurt myself laughing!

The vagus nerve is directly effected by the band and runs up your left side. As a result, some people do have issue with left shoulder pain/discomfort when they eat too much or their band is a bit tight. Perhaps if you took smaller bites and chewed even more it might help? If it's getting worse, is there anything that could be causing your band to tighten? Stress, hormones, elevation, or even temperature?

Congratulations on your success but I'm so sorry you're dealing with the blood clots. Are your clots reoccurring or the same one growing larger/worse? Have you ever been clot free since the original one? I too had life threatening blood clots and spent 8 days in the ICU 3 months ago. I no longer have clots because I had tPA (which was brutal) but I am having more testing. In fact, I go in tomorrow for a CT scan with contrast then I am having a 2 hour long venous study next week. I already have 4 stents in place but if I have any re-stenosis or scarring, they are talking about doing more angioplasty as a preventative (which doesn't please me at all).

Unfortunately, there really isn't an average. It all depends on your anatomy, your band size, and the amount given at each fill. Some people are lucky and never need a fill whereas others need a half dozen (or more) before they're in the Green Zone. Plus, the Green Zone (usually) isn't permanent while you're losing. A good example, I just got my first fill in 9 months yesterday. Before that, it was 5 months between fills. As you lose weight often your stomach shrinks so you find yourself needing a band tweak. So, this is actually my third time in the Green Zone. Best wishes.

I agree with Guy. It sounds like the stuck episode made you swell and now you have to give your stomach time to calm. I have a really sensitive stomach, too. I don't get stuck often but when I do, I always need to go on easy after until the swelling goes down. I'd go on liquids for a couple days then slowly transition back to normal food.