Tgarden

Oh my goodness, I am crying and laughing at all of these!! And aren't these victories really the best? I know the scale has its own story to tell us, but it is life we should learn our lessons from. I can't wait to be able to add to this wonderful list! Three more weeks until surgery. Blessings to all of you, and I can only imagine how many more NSVs you have all had since this thread began!! Yahoo to You!!

Nobby, it sounds like you had a bit of a shock! I have heard amazing things about the sleeve, so I'm sure your success will not be limited by that! I hope that your infections and drains have all cleared up by now and that you are on the road to complete recovery. 33 pounds so far? That is so inspiring!!! Keep up the good work and soon you will be chasing your little ones all over the place, RV or not!! Blessings to you!

Hi there! My surgeon's office has been a huge source of great information, specifically the dietician there. It wounds like you need lots of information to help ease some fears, so I would suggest giving them a call. There is an awful lot of great info on here, but I'm noticing that every doctor is different in requirements. My dr has me doing a two week high protein/low carb diet, I've seen others on nothing but liquids for 1 or 2 weeks, some have a month-long diet. Some can have caffeine, some not. Etc, etc... You need to be sure you are following what your doctor wants for his/her particular patients. I'm sure they wouldn't mind answering any of your questions. Best of luck to you!!

Just saw this post, and wanted to say that I hope things went smoothly for you, and that you are home resting and feeling better every day!

Tanya, your line "I'm scared that my bad habits will outweigh the tool" are very real to a lot of us. I haven't had my surgery yet, but I worry about a lot of the things that you do. I plan on attending a support group in my community and am looking in to some private counseling for at least a year post op. I've had 43 years to develop some pretty bad habits, and honestly some are probably addictions. I would like to think I can do this on my own, but it is worth it to me to spend the extra time and money to seek some professional help to get me started. Have you looked for groups in your area? Best of luck to you on whatever you decide!.

God bless you, Irene! You have been through an awful lot in your Quest to achieve a healthy life. My story is similar to yours, just not the sleeve part. I had the band put in 6 years ago, and went to see my dr wanting it OUT after years of trouble. The nurse asked if I had considered a revision, and here I am 3 weeks away from my bypass surgery. Like you, I suffer from reflux and heartburn, so the sleeve was not my best choice. I feel like over the years it has become more documented that the sleeve can cause heartburn or reflux to increase, but perhaps it just wasn't a common side effect when you had yours? Either way, like you said, what's done is done. I wish you success in finding relief. This board is a fantastic place for advice and stories.

I think it is great that you have shared that you ARE hungry, so that those of us waiting for surgery know that it is a possibility! By reading this board, I have heard so many differing feelings/opinions/outcomes, and it is so important to know as much as possible. I remember reading about "head hunger", and it is essentially your brain thinking you "should" be eating because you used to do this activity (eating) quite a bit more than you are now. It is not a signal from your stomach, but rather all in your head. But hey, hungry is hungry, right? See if you can find something to distract yourself, or just keep drinking as much Water as you can. I haven't had the surgery yet, so I don't speak from experience. Just trying to pass along some things I have read and heard as I prepare. I hope you get some relief soon!! Jessroto, have you had any weight loss yet?

So, tomorrow is my last day of "mindless" eating. Not meaning I have been going nuts, but certainly not worrying too much about what I eat or drink. I'm only required to do a 2 week diet, but I am going to start a week earlier. I won't be extremely ridgid, but knowing me, I need all the time i can get to prepare my body and mind for the changes coming up. I want to work on getting rid of carbs next week and focusing on healthy Proteins while also helping my family get used to the changes coming up. I'm thinking the grill will be my friend! At least for awhile. I have had some really good talks with my husband about my surgery coming up, and it just feels so good to have so much support and love. We are holding off telling our two teenagers until about 3 or 4 days before surgery, only because they would both worry incessantly until my date. Nobody needs that!! I hope everyone is having a wonderful week full of success and healthy habits! We are off to a friend's house for barbecued shrimp and pork tenderloin. Oh, what the heck, and probably some really good wine!

Cupcake, that is wonderful news!! I am doing the happy dance for you today!!!

Hi there! You all have such great advice and insight as to who to tell and when. I had lap band several years ago and mine did not work at all. The only people who knew were my husband, my mom, and two friends. I didn't want many people to know because I didn't want them constantly "monitoring" my weight as time went on, and didn't want their assumed judgement if I should fail. Well, I did fail with the band. Or, the band failed me, depending on what research you look at. Now that I am about a month away from my revision to bypass, I feel like I'm in the same boat. My husband and mom are supportive, and I need to tell my children next. I worry about how to present this to my 16 year old daughter, who has a precarious view of her own weight right now, even though she is very thin and healthy. I think she worries that she will turn out like me. I know what that feels like, as I have spent a lot of my life worrying that I would end up like my sweet mom. She is close to 300 pounds now, and I just don't want that for my life. I need to find a positive way to present things to my daughter and focus on the HEALTH aspect instead of the outward appearance part. As for my other friends and family, I think I might wait until people start to notice my weight loss, then begin to tell people. I just don't think I could handle my (well meaning) friends always checking on me and wondering how much I have lost from the very beginning. I need to get a handle on it myself first.

@iamsoworthit, I love your response! I am looking forward to not having these sugar cravings that seem to rule my life most times. I am going to seek out some counseling for the first year because sugar does have a big hold over me. Knowing that my cravings will most likely be gone is so freeing, it almost makes me cry at times. My nutritionist said during a seminar that a heroin addict and a sugar/carb addict have very similar brain reactions in brain scans when the craving parts of their brains are stimulated. So frightening the hold these foods have over us. Here's to breaking those chains!!

I work as a part-time tutor in a middle school, and my doctor thinks that I should be able to go back after a week. Maybe short days at first, but it will just depend on how I feel. Like someone said earlier here, everyone heals differently! I think it is important to just not rush it. You have the rest of your life to get back to work, and you want to do it as healthy as possible.

My date is April 7th!! Getting closer and closer! So glad to know there are many of us in April.

I really hope he just decides to take it out! I think he is going with the mantra that "If it ain't broke, don't fix it", but knowing that so many people end up with problems, I just really wish it could just come out while he is in there. Since he is removing my band and doing bypass, I'm guessing he doesn't want to do something else just on the off chance it could cause problems later. Oh well, we will see! When I had my band put in, I woke up and found out that he had to do a hiatal hernia repair also, and those can come back.

Cupcake, you are one step closer!!! I know the waiting is frustrating, and a lot of the time we all feel like we have to "play the game" in order to get our surgeries approved. At least the ball is rolling, and hopefully nothing gets in your way! An update for my progress is that my gallbladder is NOT an issue! Thank goodness! My surgeon was going to have to remove that in a separate procedure, but my scans all show things are normal for now. He did tell me that many times with great weight loss that patients will begin to have problems with their gall bladder, so we are just keeping an eye on it for now. So, I am about one week from my surgery, and in two weeks I have a strict diet to begin following. I think I might start it 3 weeks ahead of surgery just to give myself a little boost! This coming week is spring break for us, so I'm going to enjoy myself! Not go crazy, but just enjoy my last week without restrictions.

Jessroto, that is interesting! I have not heard anything about that. Do you mean before the surgery, or after? I will have to ask my patient advocate about that. Cupcake, what did you find out about your surgery date and approval? I hope it has gone in your favor!!

Koochiku, I am so glad I found your initial post! I have enjoyed reading all of the responses, and have started making a list of Protein drinks and powders to try. I am about a month from my surgery date, and have felt every single one of your analogies about life and weight. You are so good with words!! I will read something you wrote and think, now THAT's what I have been trying to say! Good luck to you as you progress with your healing and your new life. I look forward to hearing about your continued successes! Blessings to you!

I agree with patticake. Be gentle with yourself! You have a lot of the same fears I have. My surgery isn't for another month, but I worry about feeling ill after eating. I've had the lap band for 7 years and have spent so much of that time feeling horrible during/after eating, that I really hope and pray that that part is gone! Take it easy, and from what I have read on this wonderful board, if you are feeling bad with eating such a small amount of food, it could be that your body isn't ready for that consistency yet. You have the rest of your life to get back to enjoying regular food, so take it nice and slow for the first year or so. I pray you get some relief soon, and that you focus on your success so far!

So exciting for you! Congratulations, and I'm glad you didn't have any complications. Keep following the rules once you are home and hopefully it will be happy trails.

I am still waiting for my surgery date, but have some info my nurse shared with me that might be helpful. She said that your body will eventually, and possibly periodically, go into "starvation mode". If your body feels threatened that it is not being fed, everything shuts down as far as weight loss. You will be more tired during these plateaus, and might feel just generally yucky. It is important to keep getting down the required amounts of food, Water and protein! Eventually your body will get the signal that yes, you are still feeding it, just not as much as you used to, and it will kick back into calorie burning mode. Some people have plateaus that last two to three days, some can last up to two weeks. This can be expected for the rest of your weight loss journey. The important thing is to not become discouraged. Easier said than done, I'm sure! I will pray for you that things begin to move in the right direction! Best of luck!

I was just approved by Aetna, and I don't have any "hoops" to jump through. Routine bloodwork and such. There are numerous criteria that a patient has to meet for approval, so maybe that is what you mean by hoops? It can be frustrating, hang in there!

I am in the process of waiting for insurance approval for my band to bypass revision, but it is highly unlikely that I will be approved. I am trying to wrap my head around the possibility of paying for this out of pocket, and was wondering what type of medical requirements there are for self pay patients. I'm sure my doctor will fill me in when the time comes, but for now, those of you who were self pay, could you tell me if there was any special diet or other requirements your surgeon had you meet before surgery? Thanks so much!

Hi everyone! I am fairly new to these boards, and absolutely love reading the journeys that are being taken on a daily basis! I have been banded for about 6 years and am having a revision later this year. My surgeon and I had originally thought that the sleeve was the best option for me, but now (long story short) a bypass might be in my best interest. My question to all of you bypass patients is, what made you choose bypass? Was it your only option, or did you also consider the sleeve. I'm totally not here to judge or contradict, but am simply still in the information gathering phase of a life altering decision! I have gone from being completely terrified of EITHER procedure, to a state of curiosity and real-life story gathering. I thank you in advance for sharing your advice, experience and wisdom!

I'm loving these boards! You all are inspirational, honest, and a fantastic source of real-life information. I am banded and due for a revision later this year. I had a meeting with my surgeon today, and up until now we had been thinking the sleeve was the way to go. However, long story short, he is now asking me to consider the possibility of bypass. My question for all of you sleevers, is did you ever consider bypass? If so, what made you decide on the sleeve? My heart is saying sleeve, but now that my doctor has put this other option in my brain, I would love to hear from you veterans. Thanks for any information you can provide!

I'm not sure about all insurances, but mine requires a BMI over 40 for at least 2 years. I also am not quite at a 40 and considered just gaining another 10 pounds or so, but it seems they have already thought of that! So sad that we have to jump through so many hoops just to get a surgery that will change our lives for better. Good luck to you. I'm already thinking I will be a self pay patient. Isn't it sad to pray for diabetes?