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I am so happy for me to see this message... So unhappy for you. I am on Day 10. I have hives as of yesterday. WANT TO DIE. Also on Lovenox blood thinner shots daily. They gave me one script Hydroxyzine for the anti itch. Problem is one dose outs me down for 12 hours! I got up for work and couldn't drive. I am basically trying to go back to my old diet which I know didn't cause hives. Stopping all Vitamins and meds except Prilosec and Lovenox. I don't have a choice for the blood thinners. How are you doing?

I typically keep the calories between 700-800 a day and then every 3-4 days I will bump it up to 1000-1200 (generally ends up being a weekend day in there somewhere). I am also doing the Couch to 5K every other day and try to walk in between. I have not experienced the 1-pound-a-day loss that kansas has (lucky dog!) but I am losing slowly but surely. I also notice I have been losing inches more consistently than pounds. How is your Water intake Lexy? I don't generally get in 64 ounces but I do try to at least get half of that. Try checking some measurements. It could be that you are losing inches and not pounds right now. I keep waiting to wake up one morning down 10 pounds. Also, I do keep track of my calories/exercise on the daily plate. I LOVE it! Hang in there!

It is not the easy way out for sure. I was banded 12/19/11 and its taken me this long to realize that my life will never be the same. I know that sounds stupid but I can actually fully understand it now. There will be foods I will never eat again. Sometimes just that is hard because I didn't get overweight not liking food. Its like someone took my best friend away. This is a physical journey and as well as a mental one. I have come to terms with a lot of it. I am almost 6 months out and have had to change my lifestyle. Not focus my life around food. I guess it still does focus on food just in such a better way. Eating better and being active. It has made me a better person with getting a better attitude with myself. I have lost 65 lbs so far and definitely not done. But for anyone saying we took the easy way out let them walk in our shoes for a week and see if they still say it's the easy way out. I bet they wouldn't say that again! God bless!

It really depends upon your restriction; at 10 weeks out, I could eat ANY of that without issues; it took me 6 months to get to restriction;

My Dr. sees me every 3 months. When I'm there we decide if I need a fill. I'm almost 10 months out and I've had 3 fills. The last time I went to Dr. I did not get a fill. He told me if I needed one before my next scheduled checkup to call and make a fill appointment.

There are no guarantees in life. All surgery minor or major have associated risks. Your doctor and his staff will do all they can to protect you. And I know you will do all you can by following your doctor's instructions. Overall, there are studies that show the death rate for gastric banding to be about .01%, which is very low. Sorry I cannot quote the studies for you verbatim, but if you do a Google search you will find information on it. Good luck!

CONGRATS on your first five days! I lost the most weight (14 lbs) during my first 10 days post-op. Then it gets tricky until you start getting fills. Whatever you do, don't beat yourself up during this time. It actually took me 4 fills to have good restriction. Of course, everyone is different. I just wanted to give you a heads up! GOOD LUCK!!! its a rewarding journey. my surgery date: 12-10-07 Dr. Atkinson, Las Vegas, NV. 278/245/175

I have a class tonight from 6 - 9. I wil need to leave at 5. When do I eat? I am not hungry now, but if I wait until 10, I will be over hungry and a break during class to eat is out of the question. This is not the first time something like this has happened, nor will it be the last.

They are treating me with antibiotics for 10 days "just in case" it might be cellulitis. It's slowly getting a little bit better...and it's good that it hasn't gotten worse. I'm just supposed to keep an eye on it and go to the ER if it gets worse. I think it will be okay. Thank, everybody!

my fiancee is using DeWhitt and he seems to have a really easy pre and post-op program. I used Weinstein in Mobile and his was pretty hard on my will to comply (darn McDonalds) DeWitt's program was low carb starting at 10 days before and clear liquid at three days prior. Recovery was also faster at 1 week of puree food instead of my doc's recommended two weeks. I'm sure everyone is different. Down side to Dewitt (for me) is if I want to use him when I move back to Montgomery, he charges $100 and doesn't file any insurance for fills. btw, I'm new too. banded 5/1

I need to know what you all think I should do. I have a surgery date of April 30. I had a panic attack about 6 weeks ago. I thought I was having a heart attack and made my DH race home to take me to the hospital. It was a full blown PA. I was in the ER for 10 hours with blood work and ekg's ect.. I had just had my stress test pre lap band, and it was all fine. Anyway... I had also had my 1st of 2 visits with the shrink for the psych eval. The hospital gave me some valium and sent me home. A few days after the PA, I took my psych exam (500+ questions) and the next week I had my 2nd psych eval. And he passed me. I did not tell him about the panic attack, for fear it would keep me from getting this surgery. I also have been seeing a counselor for the last 5 years (1x a month) and I have not told her yet, she works in the same office as the shrink (he is her boss) and I am afraid she'll tell him and he will call the insurance and they will change their approval. Should I tell my counselor?? I don't think it is lap-band related. Honestly. As far as the surgery goes, I feel I am really at peace with it, even getting alot excited. At the time, many crazy things had been going on and one big thing pushed me over the edge. I also have a almost 5 year old DD and 17 month old DS and I am almost 40. AND I went from 2 1/2 packs of cigarettes a day down to 1 or 2 individual cigarettes a day. (currently 1 or 2 a week- just need to stop all together and be done with it). should I tell her after the surgery? I hate being a liar and I feel like I am leaving a big piece of my life out when I see her. I have an appointment tomorrow and I don't know if I should bite my tounge for 31 more days. Just wondering what others might do..... Thanks!

I believe I’m ready. I’ve done some serious soul searching. I know some of the reasons I’ve been holding on to my armor of fat. At least, I think I know. A big thank-you to everyone here for helping me along this journey. I’ve read almost everything posted since October, and that is sure a lot! J Most of it has been very thought provoking for me. I hope I’ve been able to add to the quality of the board, and not just created a lot of useless noise! The before-and-after pix are such an inspiration, as is the NSV thread. The results y’all have shared amaze me and give me hope. I need all the hope I can get. You see, I am still in the camp where I don’t quite believe that this band will actually help me. I have tried just about everything, but I only end up fatter than ever. I worry that it won’t work for me. I know that the band is only a tool, and not magic. I know I still have lots of hard work ahead of me. I believe I’ve set a realistic goal for myself; I want to end up a pants size of 12, and end up around 170 pounds. So, that’s just shy of 100 pounds, and a full 10 sizes. My first NSV goal is to nicely fit into a desk at school, not feel like a sausage squeezed into the desk… Food and exercise: I’ve examined my relationship to food, and I’ve discovered why I HAVE to have a house full of food even if I never ever eat it. I know most of the foods that trigger a binge. I have learned a lot about some of the various eating disorders. I’m learning that even thin people think they are fat and are made miserable by that. I’m practicing chewing everything to mush…. I even masticate in public! However, I’m a little worried about not drinking with meals though because I find some foods too dry to swallow without the added benefit of a sip of water. Because I’m currently recovering from a severe asthma episode that lasted for several months, I’m slowly getting back to where I was physically. I actually took the stairs yesterday without even thinking about it! Sure I was winded when reached the next floor, but I was exhilarated at the same time. It sucks being limited to “as tolerated” especially when I am still not tolerating as much as I was before this episode started in November. But one of my goals is to get my black belt in Tae Kwon Do before I graduate, and I know what that work will require. Aftercare: All aftercare will be taken care of in Seattle, which is groovy with me because it means I can write off trips home. And any excuse to go home is a good one. Okay, well, almost any excuse…

So I guess this post is really just so I can get some fustration out. Maybe to just get it off my mind for the time being. Let me first start off by saying 44 pounds in 4 months and 19 days I was pretty happy with that up until a few weeks ago.. My daughters great aunt came down from Maryland for a family outing a few week ago, The last time I saw this women I weighed at least 290-300 pounds that was a year ago right I had my sugery at 284. So 44 pounds Ive worked my ass off to lose and she says to me " Well You dont look like youve lost any weight at all".At That Moment My whole world came crashing down around me like some crazy horror movie, and it took everything I had not to burst into a frantic hysterical outburst of tears and pity.( okay well I sorta did when I got home, But i didnt infront of her). Now Im not new to the whole its a slow weight loss, it doesnt happen over night talks. I know this, The reason I opted for lapband was because Im still young and Im hoping when I finally get to where I want to be I might not need drastic amounts of cosmetic surgery, I wanted it to be slow and steady I dont want tons of nasty hanging skin everywhere( I know it will happen anyways, but I have my fingers crossed) I know Im not alone, I know there are a lot of people going through this right now and maybe Im crazy or F'd Up? But the past few weeks my self esteem has bottomed out, for a while I wasnt weighing myself because when the scale didnt move I would get upset so i stopped but lately its become some crazy obsession everytime I see a scale I have to get on it. I stand in front of the mirror and just stare at myself thinking " gross" I look at my arms and stomach and almost cry. I had a fill almost a month ago and ive dropped those last 12 pound and part of me was like " hell yeah amazing job" and the other part of me just thought " oh wow is that all, not good enough" It just seems like Im picking myself apart and because I cant see a change I just get even more depressed. ( I take pictures so I mean I see the change, I just have this image burned in my brain of myself) I see the pictures I see the change but its just not registering? Its hard to find people to talk to about this because all of my friends and family, they dont know the first thing when it comes to something like WLS, I try to explain that its just not registering with me yet, and I get the " You're so crazy, you look amazing and you're doing so great just shut up" Its nice to hear those things, dont get me wrong but its not really what I want to hear if that makes any sense at all. Maybe Im just Broken this week. I attached 2 pictures one is from 4 weeks out and the other is 20 weeks out.. * really loud scream on the inside* So anyone been through this, going through this, any uplifting advice? Sincerly, Bonkers!

Hi everyone! I am so excited and scared at the same time. I am sure I am among the thousands who feel this way. I started my journey 1 1/2 years ago with aquiring and insurer who would pay for bariatric surgery. I talked with the people at Bariatric Treatment Centers and they told me BCBS would be the best insurance for me to get. So I did. I had to wait a minimum of 6 months before doing anything. So I did. I went to my evaluation, meeting and consultation. They told me I was in. Then I broke my ankle in 3 places and was a mess. On top of being a single mom with a house hold of animals and a full time job I now was barely able to get around even on crutches. My one year anniversary is 2/19 of my slip and fall. I needed to recover from that to go forward with the surgery. Then 2 months later when I was feeling better but still in a cast I recieved a letter stating they were no longer excepting my insurance. Well I was extremely dissappionted but wondered if it was meant to be that I did not have surgery. So I kind of forgot about the idea. Thinking about it but realizing maybe my life was at risk if I did it. I met a nice lady who had the lap band surgery in November 2003 who had the lap band surgery and had lost 111 lbs. in a little over a year. She told me it was a much lower risk and less time in recovery and reversible if I didn't like it. I had looked online in the past about this surgery and liked that it was done laproscopic but had not done much about it. Feeling like I could do it on my own. But I am and have been unsuccessful in removing the unwanted pounds for years. The more I diet the more I eventually gain. So I went to the seminar about 10 days ago and did my phyc evaluation before the seminar and yesterday took care of consultation, blookwork, insurance and I am scheduled for surgery Monday 2/2/2004. I am so excited. Please wish me luck and I so hope to join the ranks of all of your success stories! Terri

I know a couple of banded drinkers who smoke and shop when they didn't before. I can sympathize with the shopping... If I were a size 10 again... The only new addiction I have picked up is gardening. I even dream about it. It is about as expensive as food, but so much healthier (exception: sunburn). IMO, AT is very real, but can be headed off with head-work and planning.

Tomorrow is 1 week left until the best decision of my life (April 10 is my sleeve surgery). I was only to do a 1000 calorie diet 2 weeks preop which I've been following - tomorrow I want to change to an all liquid diet for the rest of the time. I've read a lot of people's plans have them doing a liquid diet preop. So I put the question out there- what are some of your go to sugar free, fat free liquid items you do for the liquid diet you're on.. I plan on doing 3 shakes a day, possibly 4, with sugar free jellos and popcicles. Anything else I should try?!

I've previously done a bit of research on Lap-Band after my doctor brought it up earlier in the year, but this time I'm actually seriously considering it. In fact, I'm signed up to go to an information session at one of the local hospitals tomorrow night with a surgeon who I've heard lots of good things about. Before, it was sort of a "well, ok, maybe I'll think about it as a vague possibility" situation, but now I'm in a spot where I could actually see myself going through with it. Scary, but good! I'm going to be a fun patient because I'm a data geek by trade-- I've got an MA in sociology (no fear of PubMed here!) and I work in healthcare outcomes reporting. Success stories are fun and exciting, but I definitely want to see as many numbers as I can, particularly regarding long-term complication/removal rates. I'm open to banding because I'd personally rather not have my insides rearranged, but I'd like to see what the average patient experience is 10 years down the road. If I do end up doing this, it'll be quite a way out; due to work schedules and such, I think my best shot would be in early December or mid-February. And if my research makes me nervous, I can wait longer, or not do it at all. That's why I'm here, doing my homework. Looking forward to "meeting" everyone and reading as much as I can!

I was on full liquid diet for 10 days then went to pureed /soft foods which I am still on at 5 weeks post op. my next appointment is on Tue 13th so maybe will be put on regular food then

Birdee- I don't know if anyone can make you feel better but yourself. But I'll try. I am a slow looser, too...and at times it makes me really frustrated, and then at other times I cry for joy that I"m loosing anything at all. Decide what your attitude is going to be about it- you are 50 pounds lighter than you were a year ago. 50 Pounds!!! That's one huge bag PLUS one little bag of dog food. Look around your world and see what weighs 50 pounds- your tv, 10 sacks of potatos, a tire, 50 1 lb packages of hamburger...and then think of that being gone off of you forevor. It sounds to me like there may be some negative self talk going on - "I'm not as good as everyone else. If I would have only..." STOP IT RIGHT NOW! Instead of comparing yourself to other people (where you will ALWAYS come up short) compare yourself to yourself and how much better you feel, how your clothes fit better, how you can get out of the car without needing a crane. The most important message I can give you (because I have to remind myself a lot!) is that this is your weight loss story. This is about YOU...not about anyone else. YOU are a success. YOU have lost the average amount of weightloss that the band studies show. YOU have done it already! Ok, so there are other people who have lost more- but there are also other people who have lost less. STOP THE MADNESS. In five years it won't matter how long it took you to loose it. Look forward, not backwards!!! Hang in there! Megan

My doc told me that it was ok to not eat breakfast. if I was not hungry, dont eat. As it stands, eating before 10am is so painful I dont even bother. I have an early lunch between 10-11am and and early dinner. I have not had a pb - it hurts sometimes but I can always feel it go down. Ick, Iam not looking forward to it

So I had my 2-week post-op appt. today. Saw Dr. Schram only briefly...he had more surgeries to get to and since I'm doing well, he didn't linger with me. He did say my incisions look great (still have most of the steri strips attached), my daily food intake sounds spot-on, and since I've lost 13 lbs., I'm considered to be doing excellent. Nutritionist came in and gave me the okay to begin purees. I spoke to her about my enormous hunger right now. She said it sounds like I healed uber-fast and although she would like me to stick to purees for at least 1 week, she said my 2nd week of purees I can begin soft foods...but not too many each day. After that I'm on softs and easing back into normal life. I'm okay with that. I did ask what the difference was between pureeing food before it goes in my mouth versus eating soft foods and pureeing them by chewing them down to nothing before swallowing. She kinda didn't have anything to say about that, which leads me to believe they are just worried that people won't chew well enough. So, I'll puree when I can, but if I'm in a place where I can't, then I'll chew down to puree. I think I've got this all figured out. Today's food: BREAKFAST: 1 peach Light & Fit yogurt smoothie SNACK: 1 large decaf coffee w/ cream LUNCH: 1 cup Cream of Wheat made with 1% milk No snack DINNER: 1 burger patty chewed to puree (no bun) w/ mustard & ketchup 1 TBSP baked beans 3 pretzels chewed to puree 1/2 cup milk SNACK: 1 chocolate-coffee ice cream bar 1 cup milk w/ 1 scoop protein Eh. I gotta do a little better tomorrow I think. For some reason, today's foods don't seem quite healthy enough. Getting used to all this is gonna take some time so I'm not aiming for perfection quite yet. I'm also worried because I have not lost any weight since last Sunday. Weird. On a diet like this I should be dropping like mad. Hopefully (maybe) it's because I'm still on my period?? Could be a bit bloated, although I don't really feel it. I'm going to begin working out 30-40 minutes each day. I'll probably just start with treadmill since I have my baby and getting time away from him to go to a gym is virtually impossible right now. He'll be 6 months old in a couple weeks! My daughter just turned 10 in October, so doing this all over again is wild. It's amazing how much you forget about the baby stage after your kids are older. :eek:

So I had my 2-week post-op appt. today. Saw Dr. Schram only briefly...he had more surgeries to get to and since I'm doing well, he didn't linger with me. He did say my incisions look great (still have most of the steri strips attached), my daily food intake sounds spot-on, and since I've lost 13 lbs., I'm considered to be doing excellent. Nutritionist came in and gave me the okay to begin purees. I spoke to her about my enormous hunger right now. She said it sounds like I healed uber-fast and although she would like me to stick to purees for at least 1 week, she said my 2nd week of purees I can begin soft foods...but not too many each day. After that I'm on softs and easing back into normal life. I'm okay with that. I did ask what the difference was between pureeing food before it goes in my mouth versus eating soft foods and pureeing them by chewing them down to nothing before swallowing. She kinda didn't have anything to say about that, which leads me to believe they are just worried that people won't chew well enough. So, I'll puree when I can, but if I'm in a place where I can't, then I'll chew down to puree. I think I've got this all figured out. Today's food: BREAKFAST: 1 peach Light & Fit yogurt smoothie SNACK: 1 large decaf coffee w/ cream LUNCH: 1 cup Cream of Wheat made with 1% milk No snack DINNER: 1 burger patty chewed to puree (no bun) w/ mustard & ketchup 1 TBSP baked beans 3 pretzels chewed to puree 1/2 cup milk SNACK: 1 chocolate-coffee ice cream bar 1 cup milk w/ 1 scoop protein Eh. I gotta do a little better tomorrow I think. For some reason, today's foods don't seem quite healthy enough. Getting used to all this is gonna take some time so I'm not aiming for perfection quite yet. I'm also worried because I have not lost any weight since last Sunday. Weird. On a diet like this I should be dropping like mad. Hopefully (maybe) it's because I'm still on my period?? Could be a bit bloated, although I don't really feel it. I'm going to begin working out 30-40 minutes each day. I'll probably just start with treadmill since I have my baby and getting time away from him to go to a gym is virtually impossible right now. He'll be 6 months old in a couple weeks! My daughter just turned 10 in October, so doing this all over again is wild. It's amazing how much you forget about the baby stage after your kids are older.

Thanks for post. I was banded on 01/25 and have not had it happen yet, I swear I keep eating things secretly wanting it to happen and it doesnt. I guess I should be thankful, it does not sound fun!

Wheetsin, I think I had the same name on LBT. It's been a while. My update: I saw my surgeon again this morning. There was some confusion, as I thought they had rescheduled my surgery for 8/24 (instead of 8/31). But it was really scheduled for SEVEN/24. Um, that's next Tuesday, and for a variety of reasons, I just cannot make it work. The big one is I am out of town for work. The next available option he had was 8/17. which was 3.5 weeks later. Fortunately, my surgeon is awesome. He worked me in on 8/3, so I don't have to move heaven and earth, AND I can get it done sooner. The bad news is my band is EFFFED UP! For real. If you've seen your band on film, you know it should look like a slash, '/'. Mine is a perfectly round, big, open, 'O', Yep, it has not only turned, but it has flipped and twisted. Which means my poor tummy is being drug up and through the O and then back down. Not good. He said he's seen worse though. I am thankful for once that my overachieving ways didn't have me in first place. He can't believe I don't have any restriction based on the band's position, but I really don't. Oh, also, my band has ZERO Fluid in it, even though it should have 9cc. Yep, it is a mess. I wonder if he'll give it to me as a souvenir! Sooooo, it's bad enough that I have to wait at least FOUR MONTHS between surgeries for my poor tummy to heal. BUT because he is seriously the most awesome doctor ever, he reassured me that I am NOT to worry about weight gain. He wants me to focus solely on letting my tummy heal. He said he doesn't care if I lose 10 lbs or gain 50 lbs between now and my sleeve, he just wants to see me healed. He said I will get it all off and then some with the sleeve. In fact, he insisted I will be sitting in his office a year from now asking for plastic surgeon referrals because I'll have lost so much weight. It seems impossible, but I know it is true. Whether I have the surgery now or in a few months, a year from now, it won't really make a difference. A lower risk of complication is worth it in the end. There you have it - the latest and greatest from this battling bandster. I have finally stopped crying. I'm still not happy at the prospect of being restriction-free for an additional five months or so, but it is what it is. I didn't have restriction for about six months with the band, so I just need to get in that same head space and do what I need to do. Thanks for reading if you've made it this far!

I got banded on Aug 28, and have generally felt bad since...but the last several days have been much worse. My Dr did not give me a fill at surgery, but I have such restriction, that I have lost 10 lbs in the last week. I start feeling nauseous and having to spit in the sink even when I haven't eaten anything for hours. I went to my Dr yesterday, and he did a swallow test which was fine, but on the xray he could see that my stomach was full of air. He said the air was what was making me so uncomfortable and wrote me a rx for metoclopromide, but not to use it regulary. I took it yesterday, and after several hours, I started having very painful, almost violent burps. After which, I did feel much better...however, I feel just as bad again tonight. What is causing me to keep getting the air to fill my stomach? Has anyone had this? Does it go away? I am so tired of feeling rotten... Targa