ThinknHealthy

The pre-surgery liquid diet is to shrink the liver to give surgeon more room to move around. You'll also lose some weight, or should. I start my pre-surgery diet in a few days.

Tracyde730, I'm having the same question but my situation is different. Like you I was banded in 2008 and am needing a revision because of numerous complications. I did loose a lot of weight but gained more than half back. About 3 years ago I started getting heartburn and GERD. I bought a bed that I could elevate. I adjusted my diet. I took PPI medication. It wasn't until I had an EGD that I was diagnosed with Barrett's Esophagus. The Doctor said that the Lapband needed to be adjusted as he could see food stuck in the pouch (that after fasting for the test). The next week I went to my Lapband doctor and had all the restriction removed and had immediate results. A year later now I still have no heartburn or reflux unless I eat something stupid too close to bed time. I really want to get the SLEEVE but I do have concerns about the potential GERD. My new surgeon says it should not be a problem as I'm not currently experiencing symptoms. He says it was the Lapband that caused the problem. I can understand that. But then again I'm reading so many saying that the SLEEVE makes it worse. I just have a problem with accepting the idea of a BYPASS for some reason so I'm still leaning toward the SLEEVE. It is a puzzlement.

Wow. I haven't been on this forum since it was "Lapbandtalk.com" I've had my lapband since June 2008. Went from 265 to 175 and then gradually gained and settled in at 240 for the last couple of years. In 2010 I had reconstructive surgery to remove my panis (-16 lbs in that surgery alone). My lapband complications include Barrett's esophagus, infections, and finally it has slipped. All Fluid was removed last December. I'm having revision surgery to sleeve next month. A little nervous about it but am resigned to the the fact it has to happen. My skeletal structure cannot bear any weight gain. So this is going to happen. I'm trying to get excited about it and get in the pre-change-in-life mood. So far it's not happening.

Hi there. It's been months since I've been on this site. I'm 52 years old and had a panniculectomy with vertical abdominoplasty on October 5th. There is absolutely nothing to be scared about young lady. You will be feeling some burning pain when you wake up after surgery and just let them know that so that they can adjust your pain meds. Expect to have some sleep issues for a few days. Make sure you have a recliner as I slept in one for 2-3 weeks after surgery. Above all, DO NOT BE IN A HURRY TO HEAL, as that can slow down the process in the long run. Take it easy and follow ALL of your doctor's instructions. Expect you tummy to feel very TIGHT, kind of like a drum would feel if it had nerves. You'll feel like you can't straighten up or you'll bust your stitches. That will loosen up with time. Where the sutures are, you will have no feeling at all. I'm over two months out and I still can't feel the skin there and probably never will. I hear it is similar to those ladies who have had c-sections. You will have drainage tubes and that is the most inconvenient thing but before you know it, they will be gone. WARNING!!! It is very possible that very few of the people you know will even notice that you've done anything. It was amazing to me that this doctor cut off 16 lbs in 4 hours and people didn't even notice. Also, I can still wear most of the clothes I was wearing before the surgery. So, keep your post-surgery expectations realistic and don't expect a dramatic change. Your new body will be there, under the clothes, because you will know the difference. You are starting a new phase of your journey. Although I agree it would be best to wait until after you are finished losing weight, who is to say that you haven't finished. I believe that we'll all find the weight that is best on us. I decided that I had stopped losing weight at a BMI of 32. I'm okay with that and that is why I went ahead and had the surgery. Best thing I ever did. Be strong and get some movies. I have a friend who loaned me 7 seasons of NCIS and I've gone through all of those plus some. It's is nice now to be completely back to my old self. Hope this helps.

Stick with Weight Watchers as long as possible. It will mean the difference between being successful in this period and just waiting for the band to provide assistance. I lost a lot a weight before I had restriction simply because I followed WW. In fact, when I'm using WW tools is the only time I can really lose weight. The band helps but no matter what, you will have to make considerable effort to lose weight, at any restriction. Get ready to work hard. It took me 5 fills before I felt real restriction. Be patient.

Tis the season! Christmas is prone for depression for normal people. Add to that this surgery you have coming up, and you have a perfect storm. My only suggestion is to think beyond all of the stuff. Don't look in the mirror to see who you are, close your eyes and imagine who you will be one year from now. Imagine the changes your life has in store for you. In one year you will potentially lose a signifcant amount of weight. Image wearing clothes next year that you would never have dreamed of wearing before. Imagine going into a store and seeing people that you know but they don't even recognize you. Imagine the physical things you will be able to do, the increased energy you will have. There are so many positive things in store for you. Don't dwell on what you don't have now. Don't worry about what gifts you can't buy people this year. The greatest gift you can give to them is your health. Let them give to you this year, let them give their time, their love, and their support as you heal and begin this journey. You've made a huge step in scheduling this surgery. Looking back, if I had to do it all again. I would do it in a flash. I know that not everyone can post a success story. I never imagined that mine would be anything but successful and that is how it turned out. You can "think" yourself into failure, or you can "determine" yourself into success. The choice is yours. Just take a deep breath and smile. I pray that God fills you with incredible joy and hope for the future. If only you could see the beautiful person you are that will be revealed during this journey.

Elfiepoo. You are right about the simple math concept. In theory, it is completely correct. However, it is not really as simple as that. Exercise provides more benefit than merely "calories out." The act of exercise increases a person's motivation and general sense of positiveness. Those indorphens (sp?) really do exist. When I add exercise to my weekly routine, it makes a huge difference in how I feel about myself, even if the scales don't move. For those who are relatively new at being banded, I would encourage you to add exercise to your routine when you reach that point when you are on a plateau (you will have some of those). Simply taking a walk every day can make a difference.

Thanks for the update. I go for a colonoscopy on Wednesday. I think it may be stress related for me. My sister-in-law (genetically skinny so not banded) said she has had some of the same problems and gave me that idea. She asked me if I also had back pain and I started relating the two. I know my back pain is muscular and stress related. So, we'll see.

I've been experiencing some of the same symptons. Not severe at all but still they concern me. I've had some of these off and on for months after my lapband surgery. In September, I had my gall bladder (gall stones are VERY painful) removed and I thought that solved this intermittent problem too. But recently, the pain in the upper abdomen has returned. My regular doctor has ordered a colonoscopy (I'm 51 so its about time anyway) to rule out any possible polips or diverticulitis. If all that looks normal, and I still have a problem, I'm going to my surgeon to have the lap-band evaluated. I've learned that some pain medication along with the GAS-X helps. It's never been real severe with me, just enough to know that something is not right. Gall stones, that's another story. Ouch!!! Writegirl --- I sure would like an update on how you are doing and what happened.

It is unlikely that you have stretched your pouch. 3 cc's is not that much. My doctor put 3 cc's in my pouch the first fill and then did .5 cc's each fill after. My sweet spot seems to be 6.5 cc's total. Just be patient as your doctors takes this cautious approach to find that sweet spot where you have restriction, but not so much you can't eat comfortably.

GNC has potasium in capsules that you can open up and pour in your drink or shake.

Agnes: Yes, I do Weight Watchers. I find that I am more consistently successful when I am counting my points. Those weeks that I am lazy about doing that are the weeks when I plateau. Go Figure! Anyway, I do WW Online rather than go to meetings. There are a lot of tools there and I am comfortable with the application they have for entering the food eaten. It does not keep track of protein though which is a draw back. It is also not free. They do have an application also for my Blackberry so I can enter food on my phone as I eat it. If you like the group support that WW can provide then going to meetings is a great idea and can be extremely useful (no need to tell them you've been banded, although they are usually okay with that). WW is not for everyone but I strongly believe that keeping track of what you eat makes us accountable for that consumption. It can open our eyes to what is really going on. Also, remember that everyone's journey is different. Your doctor might think you are behind what he feels is average weight loss, however you are not average. Nobody is. We all have our own path to tread here. For me, during the first few months of being banded, I lost weight only because I was strictly following WW. Even though I had no recognizable restriction the weight came off because I followed a plan. When I went off the plan, the weight loss stalled (Holidays 2008). When I got back on the plan after New Years, had a fill, started exercising, etc. the weight started coming off again. That is the path that I took. I am happy and comfortable with my path and where I am now. However, I'm ready for a new kick in the *ss too after coming off gallbladder surgery I haven't got back on the plan yet. I'm ready to get into gear to make sure the new winter wardrobe ($1000+) I just bought will be too big by Spring. Let me know if you need any help.

This is what I suggest -- 1. Keep a journal of ALL that you eat and calculate the number of calories. 2. Keep a journal of ALL your exercise. 3. After a week, review the journal and calculate the number of calories you have eaten and burned. Not knowing what you're eating it is impossible to advise you. You are either either eating too many calories or not enough. Check these links out: Calories Needed: http://www.ehow.com/how_5138_calculate-total-daily.html Food Journal and Calorie Goal: Calorie Counter, Diet Tracking, Food Journal, Nutrition Facts at The Daily Plate Also, consider joining a program like Weight Watchers or something similar. Good luck.