laners777

Hello, I also welcome you to this site. I used this site to research many things before surgery. I am in my late 40s, am a revision from lap band to sleeve and my surgery was 3 months ago today. I also have poly ovary disease. 5 months after having band surgery, I found out I was pregnant, which makes the age between our 2 children 10 years apart. We tried for 8 years to have another baby. I believe weight, at least in my case, has a lot to do with fertility. In my case, I think my body knew I couldn't carry a child, at least healthy anyway. Once I lost 75lbs, I got PG and my entire pregnancy was a breeze, even though I was still 70 lbs overweight. Can you be guaranteed that weight loss surgery will help you conceive, no. I can tell you I didn't follow my surgeon's advice of getting on birth control because I thought I couldn't get pregnant again and my 4yo is living proof I should have listened. I am sooo happy for my lap band baby though! As far as the amount of weight you have to lose, I agree with PdxMan, if you follow what they tell you, it will happen. I am 3 months out and 58 lbs down with 65 more to go. It is by far the best decision I have made for myself, EVER. Good luck to you and you will know what the right answer is for you when the time is right. PS...having kids later in life is a blessing, my first I was 33, last I was 43 and I still had a whole life before kids.

My surgeon told me no more than 10#s for 8 weeks. I also have a 4yo and it was torture not being able to pick her up for that long. We finally made a game out of it and she learned what 10#s feels like, which was good. We started guessing how much books weigh, how much her toy bag weighs, etc. I just sat down a lot and had her sit on my lap to snuggle more. She got used to it after about 2 weeks. She started saying "Mommy it's time to sit down and hold me". Very adorable ! When 8 weeks came around, she was in heaven when I picked her up again. Your 16mo old might be a whole different story since not as much comprehension of limitations. Good luck on your surgery, you will love the sleeve!

Congrats to you !!!!

I too had pain after surgery but it was gone by day 4. The gas is the worst thing and walking it off is the key. Obviously no one can make the final decision but you but I am so happy with the sleeve/surgery. It is the best thing I have EVER done for myself. 9 weeks out and 52lbs down, able to move, bend over without strain, started running on treadmill and workout 4-5 days a week. I feel incredibly good now and can't really remember the pain after surgery...kinda like forgetting the pain from having a baby Good luck to you on whatever you decide.

This is the most informative and BEST post ever about plastics. The pics are amazing and most of all brave....I admire your selflessness in sharing with us to help and inform !!! Thank you.

This site is an awesome place to start and I agree with Arts...that book is wonderful reading to get you prepared for surgery. Good luck on your journey !

My NUT does not allow for sugar or artificial sweeteners. So that has meant no sf ice cream, sweeteners for anything. I'm 8 weeks out and I can honestly say, I don't miss sweets. I was/am a sugar addict too so to even think I wouldn't miss sweets is amazing to me. The explanation that I was given is that if I eat the artificial sweeteners my body will crave sweet and that is something they want me to refrain from ever eating again. My NUT is also very against putting those chemicals in the body, which I have to say in reading different articles of health issues, I tend to agree with now. I am doing everything they say to the letter, so no sugar in any form for me. It is just one more step to my new lifestyle.

Hello ladies. Congrats to all of you on your pregnancies ! I'm a band/sleeve revision and after I got the band, I lost 60lbs and got prego. My healthy, active band baby is now 4yo. Just wanted to let you know there are liquid prenatal products out there. My OB DR sent me to a hypothocary (sp?) which is a pharmacy that mixes it's own drugs. They were able to give me liquid prenatals that were so much easier to swallow than the horse pills that most prenatals resemble. Beware of the taste though...it takes a while to get used to but it made for a very healthy baby in the end so I was happy I did it that way. I also only gained 27lbs instead of the 80 lbs gained with my first baby. I pray for you all to have great pregnancies with healthy babies.

CONGRATS to you !!!!

I think every Dr is different, mine didn't have me start vitamins until one week after surgery. It was good for me because I had some much to work on concentrating on getting my water and liquids in that I would not have wanted to worry about vitamins at that point.

I also had a pre-op class to tell us what to eat "drink really" after surgery and then a 1 week class to give us all the info about vitamins. You will do great....it really isn't a big deal with the vitamins, it has become 2nd nature now. Everything is 2nd nature now and I don't even think about it much. I had to remind myself to take a deep breath and everything will be OK. I can't tell you how good it feels to wake up in the morning and not feel bloated, with a nausea feeling because I overate right before going to bed. And the guilt of the ever revolving eat something horrible, feel bad, say to myself "what does it matter now, might as well eat what I want", just to feel so guilty again. That is all gone....I have followed my DR's plan EXACTLY for nine weeks now and have never felt better in my life. Good luck to you and you will do great !!!!!

I agree with Arts137....naps are your best friend right now. I think we forget since most of us only have 5 little incisions, at least I did, that this is a MAJOR surgery. We are so motivated to start getting the weight off that we forget our body is recovering. I could only do water the first couple of days too but just kept sipping away. I thought I was getting dehydrated too but I held off calling, and just a few hours later, after drinking continually for those couple of hours, I felt better. You will get more strength as your body heals. Wishing you much success !!!

I use the Nutribullet all the time, it mixes things up really well. Just beware of the froth at the top, I usually scoop it off before drinking. I had horrible gas/nausea after surgery and walking was the ONLY thing that made it go away. After the first 3-4 days, it gets so much better. Good luck to you and your goal of Disney with your Granddaughter....now that is a great goal !!!

I attended my first work conference this week since being sleeved 6/24/13. First NSV occurred on the plane, NO seatbelt extender needed. I did ask for one because I didn't trust that I had lost enough to fit but didn't need it. As a matter of fact, I had about 3 extra inches on the regular seatbelt. Second, my hotel was 1.2 miles away from the convention center and I walked to and from everyday for 4 days, so got my walking in. The NSV to that was that it didn't even wind me, the weather was nice so I didn't even sweat and I walked it in a 3 inch heeled sandal. I stayed on program the entire time of the conference, having the confidence to say "no thank you" to food items I knew I should not eat. I also went to happy hour everyday, did not drink even though I really wanted to. Last NSV was putting on my bathing suit and going to the hot tub and taking off my cover-up to get into the spa. No shame, no self-consciousness, just at a place where I know I don't look the best in my suit but I sure don't look the worst either and I know I am transitioning to a smaller me and I am comfortable with my place in the world right now. I haven't felt that way in years. Life is so much more about how we feel about ourselves, what we are doing for ourselves, than what we look like in a bathing suit. I guess with weight loss, total of 45lbs so far, I am actually learning about myself again, that might be my happiest NSV

Thanks for feedback ladies. And yes by the end of the 4th day, I thought those sandals needed to rest in the closet for awhile

WOW that is fast...meant to be. Congrats!

I'm sorry you have had such a bad day. Reading your post makes me think of how that guilt ridden circle of eat something forbidden, regret it, then do it again, regret it and so on....I think we will be plagued with that forever. You are right, good lesson learned and I know you can get back on track. If you didn't have the desire to do better with the rest of this day and start again tomorrow, you wouldn't be here posting, you would be searching for you next sugar/carb fix. I will be thinking good thoughts for you to forgive yourself and move on, back to program and maybe you could walk at the end of such a horrible day and clear your head.

CONGRATS!!! So happy for you. I dream about onederland, I am 34 lbs away and working hard to get there. So inspiring to hear from people who have crossed into that promiseland. Congrats again and can't wait to see the post of hitting goal for you.

Yup, heightened smell is what I am experiencing. It is EXACTLY like being pregnant all over again. I'm 6 weeks out of surgery and it's still happening. I am just getting used to it and thinking if it stays and the weight drops off....I will take that trade-off any day! I try to keep an extra arms distance from people since I can smell their breath at a heightened level and close friends/family...I throw them a mint

I can't speak for the sleeve but I was banded for 6 months, lost 60 lbs and boom/surprise, pregnant after trying for 8 yrs. We now have kids 10 1/2 years apart. I am now a sleeve revision and the baby making machine is closed but losing the weight after either surgery helps conceive. Our band baby is the best thing that ever came out of getting a band ! Good luck to everyone who wishes for pregnancy after WLS...it is one of the perks of losing the weight.

I am 6 weeks out of surgery and I too had trouble sleeping. It passes and by next week you should be much better. Hang in there...once I got off the pain meds, things got back to "normal" .. whatever that is. I think our bodies go through so much during surgery and then the meds etc. I found walking every 2 hours and drinking as much as possible helped with all that. I just kept saying "this too shall pass". Good luck to you!

HI BB78....I am a former band patient that had a revision approx 6 weeks ago. DO NOT get a band is my advice. I, along with others, had many complications with the band and so far the sleeve is ZERO complications. I know I am new to the sleeve but I love it. I never had GERD problems so I can't say anything in that area but I am very familiar with the band issues. I would consult with another bariatric practice and get a second opinion if I were you. I researched three different practices this last time, just to make sure the information was the same and when I called insurance, they said they didn't care who they paid, as long as the credentials were on the up and up. Good luck to you and wishing you the best at whatever you decide is best for you!!!

You look AWESOME....congrats on all your hard work!

I understand your struggle with old habits...mine is the urge to eat while watching TV at night at the end of the day and the BIG one is not drinking 30 minutes before/after I eat. So I wrote down on a piece of paper and attached it to the frig....DO NOT DRINK...and I started collecting things to read when I'm also watching TV ... nothing mind boggling just magazines like PEOPLE or fashion mags that I look at but really I just hold them to have something in my hands so I'm not tempted to have food in my hand. I know it isn't the exact same problem you are having but it is the habit thing for both of us and I just have to keep busy doing something other than what I did before surgery. I hope it helps you think of ways to combat your grazing. Remember...we are on a learning path and sometimes the rocks are BIG along the path We just need to be bulldozers...OK I'm done being corny

Congrats to you and you look AWESOME!!! I am just starting my journey, 3 weeks post op and I can't tell you how inspiring this post is for me. I started the same weight as you and my goal weight is 140, so not far from you goal. It gives me encouragement that this kind of weight loss can be achieved. I am so happy for you, sounds like your at a healthy place, both physically and mentally. GOOD FOR YOU !!!