Erick

Well, I was almost the same start point as yourself, 41yo@296#. I know it is different for everyone, but it has been a great decision on my part. Right after surgery I was a bit tender for about two weeks, but I was doing all my normal activities almost from the second day. I did put off serious workouts for about a month. Since then I have been mountain biking (average 50 miles a week now) and some gym time each week. It is now a little over 3 months post op, and I am 249#. I have had two fills, don't know how much, but each time things were extra tight for about a week afterward. I believe I am at a great spot right now. Honestly, I have had more complications from dental work. I have gotten quite good at predicting when to stop before I have an issue, but I still over do it about once a week on something and have to cough it back up. I wish you luck! Cheers, Erick

Well, I didn't have a pre op diet, and my second week ended with a low point only three pounds lower, then promptly bounced back up two over the weekend. That has been my nominal fluctuation for as long as I can remember. I guess I am back on course. Wow, that was a lot of crap! Cheers, Erick

Well, weighing myself this morning, 7 days out, and I am just over 15 pounds down. I know this won't continue, but I am wondering if this is a bad thing. I had expected 1-2 pounds a week, after I started to get fills and returned to the gym. I am just not feeling hungry right now, but I am eating and drinking as I was told I should. Saw the Doc yesterday and he though all was fine. He said I was feeling like I would at proper restriction. I am chalking this up to swelling. But, it does show what is possible for me. I am still on liquids, I had started pushing into thin Soups and yogurts three days out without issue. I was feeling cocky and tried a small sliver of roast beef, chewed the crap out of it in small nibbles, that seemed fine. I tried it again a few hours later with my Soup for dinner and shortly afterward I felt tightness in my abdomen like trapped gas and you all know what happened next. I had my first experience with PB or slime-ing (I don't know what the difference is, but that wasn't vomiting). Damn, that came up quick! Like a huge ball of snot at high velocity. Luckily, I was prepared with a wastebasket nearby. I don't think I could have handled that discretely in public. Definitely a disincentive! I feel great and have returned to work. I still think this is awesome. Cheers, Erick

Well I am a week post op, now (10-12-2010) and have just gone in for my follow up visit. I am down 13 pounds, I know this won't continue, but I haven't really done much out of my usual routine besides the post op diet. I haven't started exercise in earnest, yet. Thankfully, I haven't had much pain or hunger to speak of. I feel great and my pants are already starting to fall down! Until my surgery I had at least one, if not two substantial meals a day and feel lethargic for hours. Getting out of my easy chair in the evening was a several step process. Now I spring right up. I really do hope this continues. Ultimately, I told only a couple of people directly affected. Even then I was vague. I don't think I will have a problem telling people who will ask in the future, commenting on my (hopefully) successful weight loss. Sandworms, I was at first resentful my wife was sharing with more of our friends. But, she explained to me that she was hoping my good example might inspire some of our other friends (we have many obese people around us) who may be fence sitters or that thought bypass to drastic to consider, to see another option. Mostly this is for the benefit of some of her girlfriend's husbands, most of them like myself, stubborn, middle aged, prideful, who tend to think WLS a cop out, at least for men. At only a week into this side, my only regret is not pursuing this five or ten years ago. My only consolation is they get better at this as time goes on. Thanks, everyone, for your comments!

It has been 4 days now and have been recovering very well in my opinion. Have gone out with my family every day, I have been driving since day two, haven't been taking anything for pain since day three. Still tender at the incision sites. Especially the one over the port, if the round bump I can feel about an inch below my skin is what I think it is. It is right next to an incision a couple of inches down and couple inches to the left of my sternum. I thought it would have been much lower and around to the side more, in the "love handle" area as the Dr. described it. I go in for my follow up on Monday and will ask him then. Last night was the first night I could sleep on my side as I normally do. Weighed myself this morning, 5 pounds down from the surgery day, 9 pounds down from my first doctor visit six weeks ago. My pants are already starting to fall down, I am having to cuff them to keep from walking on back. Sweet. I really want to keep a 1-2 pound a week pace, that would put me at goal inside 12 to 16 months. I have never been the kind of person that changes weight, good or bad, quickly. It has been a steady 5 pound a year gain since, well, probably since puberty. I haven't really felt hungry to speak of, I hope that lasts awhile. Cheers, Erick

Well, I joined the ranks yesterday at noon. Things went smoothly and I was discharged two hours later. Honestly, I have had more hassle getting dental work. Only had one issue with the administrating nurse botching the IV, luckily the anesthesiologist came along and got me hooked up without any further discomfort. I was quite sore yesterday, but less than I was prepared for. Today, my wife and I went shopping and saw a movie. I can't wait to get all healed up and start getting my fills. I will have to ask my doc when I do my follow up next week, but all my incisions are across the top of my abdomen. I had expected something in my navel. But it is nice not to worry about wearing my pants! Hope everyone else due this month have such good fortune as I have had! Cheers, Erick

Thanks for the encouragement! Well I am ten hours on the banded side of the fence! Everything went very smoothly, I am dealing with the sore shoulders and I can only lay on my back. But, knock on wood, it has been very manageable, especially with the help of my lovely wife. I wish everyone has such an experience! I am on my way! Cheers, Erick

I know where you are coming from, last year when my wife got her bypass, the hospital billed 125k. That was for the OR and 48 hours in a room without complications. The doctor and anesthesia was an additional 8k. BCBS disallowed 80% of that I believe. I think they bill for 120%+, knowing it will get knocked down. Seemed insane to me, when a couple of months earlier my wife underwent emergency gall bladder surgery at a different hospital, with ER admission, 24 hour recovery and everything for 35k total. Cheers, Erick

Well, I go in tomorrow to get banded at noon. So far it has been a non-event waiting for this. Anthem BCBS has been just great this whole time, they assigned me a case worker nurse on a voluntary followup deal. I didn't see any harm to it and she seems very nice, knowledgeable and supportive. I really thought I was going to have to justify this to someone there, but they really stick to the defined pre requisites. Even with my doc being out of network, approval was less than two weeks. Wish me luck! Cheers, Erick

Well, I was going in on the 28th. But, due to a work conflict on my wife's part, we had to bump it a couple of weeks to October 12th. Not a big deal, but I still spent the better part of a couple of hours seeing if I could work out a plan to keep the 28th (drive myself, wait around the lobby for my wife to pick me up a few hours, etc). I did, however, get word from my insurance that I was approved! We were ready to go self pay if need be, but this is better. Last time, when my wife had her bypass, the hospital billed $125K for just it's part (a pre planned procedure with a two day stay and no complications. 800 (x 2) dollar morphine!!!), of which Anthem disallowed 80% or so. I wasn't looking forward to dealing with the hospital on my own without the insurance company to back me up. I know it is all a shell game between providers and insurers, but geez. My wife had an emergency gall bladder removal with an ER visit and a two day stay at a different hospital earlier last year was $35K total. I went to my one insurance required support group meeting last week. Interesting, that of 30+ people in the group, only myself and one other pre-op were going LAP-BAND®®®®. All the others , including all the post op, were sleeve or bypass. One other pre op explained she was fighting with insurance for the sleeve, though she had been approved for LAP-BAND®®®® or bypass. She was very against a foreign object in her body. She felt they all suffer from rejection and infection, no offense to the two of us going LAP-BAND®®®®. Different strokes. Cheers, Erick

Thanks for the reassurance that I haven't given up or given in. My date got bumped two weeks due to a schedule conflict with my wife's work to the 12th of October. So I have a couple of more weeks, I am still not considering telling most people pre op. I have never been one to share, anyway. They don't hear from me about most aspects of my life. So now I feel like I would be saying, "We hardly know each other, but I am getting surgery, wish me luck!". Doesn't work into most conversations easily. I keep hearing the key to weight loss success for women, especially, is a large support group. I went to the one support group session hosted by the hospital as required by my insurance. I did find it encouraging, but I doubt I will go much. I have little patience for other peoples' neurosis and I am sure they don't want to hear about mine. Ultimately, I do believe and look forward to my success in this. I may think differently soon. Thanks, again! Cheers, Erick