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I had my one on one with my surgeon today, I have 2 more dietitian appointments and should be ready in December. I have BS of CA and Cigna as secondary. I'm hoping all goes smoothly. I barely have a 40 BMI and no co-morbidities.

Had my pre op checks this morning. Day 11 of the liquid diet and 21lbs down already so really pleased with that start although I'm getting pretty fed up with the same things day after day but the big countdown is on with surgery at 1.30pm on Thursday. Hope you guys who were banded this week are doing well. Gary

Wow! MNBSLEEVE, your post almost brought me to tears. I pasted the Mandela passage for my journal I will take to surgery. Thank you for that! You know, really, if you think about it, we lose both ways with certain people...we are insignificant to some when we are overweight & we are offensive to others after we lose our weight. I've always been told that I can't please everyone all the time...and believe me, I try! I try way too hard, sometimes at the expense of my own self, whether it be sleep deprivation, overbooking myself, helping someone do something I greatly do not want to do, etc. This journey may be the perfect time to start doing more for me and less for others in some regards...I don't mean to be selfish. I think it is VERY important to help others every chance I get. But, to find the perfect balance between serving others & nurturing/respecting my own needs & wants. Does that make sense? Anyway, Shanny, your post was thought-provoking. I am sorry for your loss. I had a friendship loss 1 year ago (not weight-related) also where I just had to cut this person out of my life bc she was very manipulative, controlling & hated my husband...pushing me (forcing me really) to divorce. (She had divorced also bc her husband forgot to stop dating other women after they got married). She was an asset in some ways, but I realized that she was toxic to my marriage & I had to walk away so as to not live in chaos and turmoil anymore. It is sad & I hate that, but I had to take responsibility for me & my family. Such is life. We just can't please everyone. We have to be true to ourselves:-)

What an interesting post. I can understand the emotional pull to sleeve at risk adolescents and also adults. I lived those tumultuous obese years like everyone here. But I disagree with preventative sleeving. I am in medical school, and perhaps that education has swayed me. I look at it as cost benefit. Someone mentioned getting the ovaries removed as an analogy. It was a great analogy I think. If a woman has a family history of ovarian cancer she can get her ovaries removed prophylactically and can reduce her cancer risk. But she also will go into early menopause with consequences such as osteoporosis, infertility, etc. But this woman also saves her life. Presumably before having her ovaries removed the woman would have spoken at length with her doctor, researched, made preparations for how to best manage her health after the surgery for years to come. Similarly, a 30lbs overweight woman may get the sleeve. Just like ovarian cancer there is still a risk of gaining weight with the sleeve. Also, the sleeve comes with risks...surgical risks, Vitamin deficiency, energy level. What worries me about making this option readily accessible is that unlike removing your ovaries (no vanity benefits here!), the sleeve and its associated weight loss will cause ppl to flock in for a quick fix without doing the necessary research to ensure they remain healthy. It's akin to getting your ovaries out to avoid having kids when you could have just take birth control or even had a hysterectomy! Having said all that, if a patient feels the desire for a preventative sleeve and can pay for it and goes through a regimented and intensive education (I wish there were even stricter requirements than we see now) and therapy, then there should be an avenue for that. And through that education I would hope many preventative sleevers would change their mind bc they get individualized attention from their physician on how to lose weight and maintain a healthy lifestyle. Kind of like going to driving school to learn the rules is preferable to getting in an accident and then having to take a class on safe driving... Sorry if that was wordy. I had to get it out there.

Right on! I'm scheduled for next thurs.. it's weird though bc some days I can tell I'm hungry and others I can only get down like 2 shakes.. till maintence my reccomended calorie intake is 600-1000.. and unless I have a "drink" I'm still not even hitting 600 now.. I think it'll be easier when I get out of the mushy stage =)

Has anyone had VS pushed through due to medical issues? My BCBS Fed requires 4 months of medically supervised weight loss and counseling, but I am an uncontrolled diabetic. From what I have researched a lot of my medical problems may go away very soon after the surgery. I would appreciate any info from the folks here. I am so glad I found this site. Carrie

Oh good! It was the best thing I ever did. Only wish I had done it sooner bc maybe then I wouldn’t have all this loose skin. Nothing a little PS won’t fix though! My first time for PS though so I’m nervous. When is your surgery date again?

i've been on the liquid diet since thurs morning and i want to shoot myself.!!!! I have 10 more days to go!!! the protein shakes ( slim fast optima) are making me nauseous. I can only have maybe 1 or 2 a day bc ive been dry heaving after i drink them. Im supposed to be having 5 a day!!! Almost everything is making me wanna throw up....carrots...im over it....fat free salad dressing...barf...clear broth...grossies!!!! all i want is a grilled cheese and fries!!! im dyin over here....if anyone can help me with some acceptable alternatives please let me know.....im dyin over here!

Thanks guys it's so exciting!! I'm amidst a rough patch in life my Aunt was very sick and I was able to fly up from VA to NH to spend some awesome time with her a few weeks ago and she was doing great, getting around, I even got to color her hair, my Mom left a few days later than me and she was doing even better then, but sadly 5 days later she took a bad turn and she passed away last Saturday! We are back in Nh for the services(yesterday and today) and ironically I was taking the pic to show a friend that figures my hair came out good amidst a blizzard which would kill it for sure lol! But anywho it's been an emotional and physically exhausting month, I'm looking forward to getting back home and putting my concentration back into things and actually just got released to go to the gym again(I had an enlarged spleen, still do) I wouldn't trade this craziness for the world tho, I got spend time with someone who meant the world to me and I know she was proud of my weight loss when she saw me last! Thanks again for the kind words I can't wait for the belly fat to go, bc I am sick of IT!

I'll be 10 weeks post surgery on Monday. I'm unsure if the actual pounds lost to date as I shunned my scale, but I'm at least 2 sizes down on all of my clothes so I know I'm losing. I've never exercised "formally" in my life as I abhor it. But...I know that in order to maximize my weight loss and be as healthy as possible, I MUST start. I face several challenges in making time to exercise. First off, I have three small children; 2 in preschool, one in grade school. All three have homework which means Mommy & Daddy have homework! Secondly, I commute about an hour and 20 minutes one way to work every day. I literally live on one side of town and work on the other side, and work 8:30-5. Lastly, walking (the supposedly best way to ease into exercising) is off limits bc I have a completely torn ACL in my left knee. Physical therapist said no exercising that involves me picking up and putting down my foot!! I'm not really in a financial position right now to join a gym, and I can't see having the time to go anyway. I have a wonderful husband who does more than his share but our daily lives are jammed full from start to finish, and we already don't get enough sleep!! Help!!

I know I keep given bits and pieces I am so excited some things are coming back to me one of the prescriptions my Dr. gave me was for nausea,pain,and to treat reflux even thought I don't have reflux and never did he said he wanted me to take it everyday for a precaution. I also think you guys should talk to your caseworkers about having your insurance company to pay for your Vitamins too like mine does I have BC/BS and my caseworker hooked me up. Since we have to take them for the rest of our lives and I also will be using my flexable spending account to pay my 25$ copay.

That's your opinion and the opinion of your dietician. I'd say a strict low carb diet for weight loss is BS and so would my dietician. My BMI is 22.9 and I reached it without eating low carb and there are many more patients who did so. I'm with sillykitty: it's the calorie deficit, nothing else. If that isn't pushing low carb eating, then what is?

Try these. They are a lifesaver. Cut in half with regular beef or chicken broth Bc they are spicy.

I am almost three years out from the RNY and I have never regretted it. It was alot of learn new feelings and now not being able to eat things as simple as eggs. But not everyone is the same. People with the RNY are usually able to keep it off and lose more due to the fact they have a small pouch (stomach) it hold less than the sleeve. And it takes a little longer to digest from what I was told. I was more scared to have the sleeve bc of all the stories I heard people would gain it back and I didn't want the surgery and time to be all for nothing if that happened to me. Either way it's a tool for a healthy life style. Everyone with WLS needed for a reason health issues, bad habits. But we all are choosing to change it for a even better reason.

Ok, so I have been eating on a schedule for the last 3 days. I eat from 12:00pm -8:00pm and fast for the other 16 hours. This has been super easy and my fasting BS have dropped 10 points down to 78-82 from 92-98 prior to starting. I haven't noticed anything different that would make me want to stop. I drink my coffee and my diet green tea or water and just eat normally once 12:00 comes around. I definitely think the tendency to snack after dinner is not from hunger, but more from habit because I have thought to grab something while watching tv and then said no your not doing that anymore. When I really thought about it I wasn't hungry at all.

Dr. Schmitt did complete my surgery on December 18, 2006. He was so wonderful, I cannot even begin to explain how wonderful my experience was. I have lost 65 pounds. I am scheduled for another fill next week. I was too tight in May and in June he took some out of my band. This is September and I cant wait to get to my goal weight. Dr. Schmitt has always answered all of my question. This has been the best thing that has ever happened to me. I feel like a different person. I am 36 years old and feel like I did when I was in high school. The only bad thing was that when I was to tight I would throw up alot. I went back to the doctor and everything has been fine since. I have BC/BS of Alabama and it would not pay for my surgery. I was self pay. This has been the best money I have every spent.

Thanks everyone for the advice and sharing your thoughts and stories, it means alot to me. I guess im just so lost feeling now that she brought up the sleeve and I've tried to do research on the internet but you never know what you can believe on there. When I first started this journey I was told by a dietician that ran the informational session that the sleeve was for very large people that were 400 or more pounds...so for me it was not an option. My surgeon actually rolled her eyes when I told her that and was mad that the weight management center is telling people that. I feel like I absolutely need this surgery but im scared...im so young and I feel like not a lot of people my age are doing this and its scary. Can someone answer a few questions for me maybe? Can you take excedrin migraine when you have sleeve done? Bc I know with rny u can't and I have horrible migraines. Also, what is the average amount of weight loss per week? Do you absorb nutrients with the sleeve ..like with the rny you don't absorb very much. Last question....can someone tell me what the surgery process is like? And how painful is it? For the women out there that have had a csection...is it that painful? Because alot of people I've talked to said its as bad as having a csection and let me tell ya...I thought I was gunna die after my csection lol. But....I don't tolerate pain very well. Sorry im asking so many questions...im just super crammed for time to make a decision. Thanks so much again!

Hey everyone! I am new to this site...I have been a part of the RNY talk for about 4 months now and love it. Through this whole process I was positive I wanted the gastric bypass until I got to my appointment and my surgeon said she thought the sleeve was a better option for me bc I am so young there's no point in cutting my intestine. If anyone could give me any information or tell me ur success story would be awesome...I have to make a decision in the next few days and I feel like im going into this blind now because I don't know anything about the sleeve.

I have BC/BA Empire. The requirements for me were 6 mos visits with my PCP w/weighing and weight loss options discussed for each visit. You have to have a bmi of 40 and over or 35 and over with a co morbidity. If you go on the website look under policy # SURG.00024. It will explain I'm detail. I've done all they required. I'm waiting for approval and so far have a tentative date of Aug 1. GOOD LUCK!!!! ????????

Some of us old bandsters are still around. We hide at times bc we have been through a lot of questions and answers in my opinion... ???????? my band. This year will be 9 years. I'm am compliant. And I do have liquid days ( thanks B-52) that help ... But very occasionally Happy and healthy. With a TT thrown in this year which helped me to lose my last 10 lbs I was aiming for... But willing to concede if needed.

so i pushed off starting th C25K. i dont know why. i tried it last thursday and i made it through but it was hard. i just didnt want to do it this week. i did however do kickboxing yesterday which was fun. i am just so tired of looking at myself in the mirror. im at another plateau and i cant wait for my fill on monday. money is still an issue here with me and i hate constantly complaining about it but i am tired of losing things i worked so hard for. and to make matter worse, i dropped my google phone in the toilet here at work yesterday and now it is not working at all. oh well they turned off the service right now anyways. tony found out that he can do work for th county which does pay good money but he needs money for insurance, bonding, corporation fee, and tax id numbers which total 1600.00. i dont where we are going to get that kind of money. hell i dont know where we are going to get money for groceries. and as always i make too much to get any help. i think that this stress level is really getting to me and my weightloss. i find myself unable to sleep and wanting to eat in the middle of the night. my 5 year old is driving me nuts bc he continues to get into things that he isnt suppose to and he is soo stubborn. but i love him. he starts kindergarten this august and im so proud of him and his test results. he is 1 point away from being gifted but i know that as long as he is challenged that he will do fine. i am going to try to do a tae bo workout video in the morning before work so if i cant run i still have some sort of workout in the day. well until next time.

I had mine done in July 2006 by Dr Leung in Surrey, BC. I paid approx. $14,000 and got back a couple of grand on my income tax. If you want more info, let me know.

I'm laughing DaniThomas, but I get it. I got the same reaction from people I told. I hoped they would be supportive, but instead I got the same old BS "why don't you just diet? You're not big enough to do something this drastic." I'm 5' 2" and 215 lbs. My back and knees are killing me. I can't even walk my dogs anymore. I can't sleep laying down or I feel like I can't breath. This is for real. We are suffering. My sleeve is scheduled for January 17. Not even nervous, just want to get my life back. You go get the surgery and never look back.

Saying prayers. It sucks. Now what everyone doesn't want...duh duh dunnnhhhhhh--yes, that's right! It's time for the "Advice from a Pre-Surgery Newbie" Show, starring? FluffyChix! Ok, so now for some practical advice. You are a medical professional--so you must be aware of this stuff--if not, get to know it! 1. Take baby steps. Begin again. Today. Right now. Only focus on the next bite. Today your one job is to dump the carbonated diet drinks. Dump em baby. Use LaCroix as a sub if you must. 2. Tomorrow or when you feel you can, work on the next step...make your snacks healthy and filling: 2oz of protein, or PB3s, or 2oz of GS apple + 2tbsp peanut butter (I'm presurg and this snack right here fills me for 3 hours). 3. Next step, STOP drinking while eating. You can do this. It's actually the easiest step. Make it the first step if you want!!! 4. Next step, go back to eating protein first with every meal. Follow the baby step meal order: protein, non-starchy veg, high carb bs, dessert. 5. Next step, get rid of all the sugar and carby nonsense. Lose the desserts and high carb nonsense. Dump all the sugar from your diet. Tighten up your daily food intake. REALLY this is the fish or cut bait time. It may take several days...get rid of the CRAP. 6. Go back to planning your meals for 1 day. Weigh and measure everything. All. The. Things. Each day, recommit to weighing and tracking (and planning--don't forget the planning) for that day and that day only. Each day. Every day. Recommit. 7. Start walking every day--just around your house, inside your house if necessary...just 5 minutes if that's all you can do. Work up every day to more. And that's as simple as it gets. Don't eat within 3-4 hours of bedtime. Sleep elevated. Make low acid choices. Chew the crap outta stuff and makes notes on what makes the GERD and your esophagus feel worse. Take your PPIs. Treat yourself kindly and with respect. Congratulate yourself on getting through some serious ****. Congratulate yourself on graduating and improving your life. Go back to basics. Each day plan and log your food. Only focus on taking the very next BEST bite. Don't forget to surrender to your higher power. Read about CBT and food addiction. It's an awesome tool for overeating or eating with abandon. And lastly, don't put off a revision if it's called for with the GERD. Just jump in and get it done. Don't waste any more of your life on this. But you do need to get the overeating/eating off plan stuff together cuz as you know, you can eff any surgery if you're determined to do so. Do OA or Greysheeters. Go to therapy. Just concentrate on changing one thing at a time. Take baby steps and you can turn your life around. This is exactly how I backed into starting my new life on the pre-surgery plan. Before I could even do my plan, I had to slowly and gradually back into it until I had strung together so many successful days that I'd built momentum and resolve. Resolve and commitment grow exponentially with success. The more you see the scale move (or whatever your marker of success may be), the stronger the resolve to stay on plan. Good luck. If I can do this, you can do this. I'm the queen of recidivism. I practically wrote the book on it.

Please forgive me if this is long.... And some of you might nail me to the cross for this I've been married going on 15 years. I'm 35 years old with 2 Children 12 and 15. 2 years ago almost to the day I met a guy. Now I may have been what society considers a fat girl but only now am I able to actually express that. I truly did not see myself that way. I was very confident, dressed well, hair did nails did everything did and although I was married-- NEVER had a problem attracting men. I was doing some shopping and kinda ran into this guy and looking back I think he may have strategically planned it but when I looked up there he was. I felt like I had been hit by lightening. He looked me in my eyes and said hello, then walked away. He had me at hello. He was extremely attractive. Why extremely? I could see him being on tv, or a music entertainer and it wouldn't surprise me he was that kind of attractive. My heart was fluttering and I was just a mess. Thinking why I didn't spruce up a bit before I left the house ugh!!! I mean wth, it's just a little harmless flirting. After trying to figure out 50 ways to sunday how I would tell this guy he was cute without coming off as thirsty I ultimately decided against it. I mean guys tell me how attractive I am all the time and it's normal but if a woman does it, it's an automatic signal that she wants you and that's not the message I was trying to send. Well he found his way over to me again and struck up a conversation. We chatted a few brief moments then I'd shut it down and sashay with my basket over to another isle. He'd find me again. He never came out and flirted with me off rip but these random conversations were a big giveaway. After all he was obviously younger, he must've been nervous and didn't know how to approach me. Well he finally got up the nerve and found me in another isle walked up behind me and whispered in my ear Damn Ms ______ you look so good. Why did he call me Ms. ______ Because I had on a football jersey that had my sons last name and number on the back and I guess he just went from there. Here was my opportunity. I looked over at him as he walked away, tossed my hair, laughed very nonchalantly and said, yeah you too. Well within moments he had come back with a piece of paper with his name and number written on it. he asked me to call him if I ever needed any home repairs, flooring or tiling. So I smiled and said sure I might just do that. Finally he asked me if I was married and I was truthful and told him yes and he made a case about wanting to be a friend to me, and just be someone I could talk to if I ever needed and that he would never overstep his boundaries. I politely declined and decided it was time to wrap this shopping trip up quick fast and in a hurry. As I was leaving the store I got to my car and popped the trunk I looked up and he was walking toward me eyes fixed. I got scared for a minute and asked "what are you doing?" he said I wanted to help you with your things. Please allow me. (Just like that. No lie) So he put my groceries in the trunk, pleaded his case once more and asked me to just give him a chance. He opened my car door so I could get in, and asked again would you please give me a call. I agreed and pulled off. I could go into details about how this whirlwind affair unfolded but lets just say it was the best of times-- it was the worst of times. He was 22. No kids. Lived on his own. Had 2 jobs. Very responsible, a real gentleman, Old school. he was everything I never would have expected. I fell in love. lust. whatever. My world had been turned up. side. down. My husband found out, it tore him apart. Our family was broken and it was all my selfish fault. Did we have issues? yes. Nothing major. Nothing worth him being cheated on. One day. He stopped calling and texting. he just disappeared like a thief in the night. I thought I would have a nervous breakdown. I didn't know what happened, why was there someone else? Did I say something do something? NOW things needed to end don't get me wrong they should have never began. But I started to wonder... would this have happened if I were say 75-100lbs lighter? For the first time I began to feel insecure about the way I looked. My weight never came up. He always told me I was beautiful, attractive, whatever but nothing else made sense. We reconnected and he just told me he had a lot going on with his job and he had to move out of his place and that he just needed to deal with it all and that he would never just leave me without saying a word. He asked me about my husband and I told him we were working things out. He said I just want to make you happy (whatever that meant). then one day he said listen sweetie, its getting too hard for me not being able to have you when I want and spend time with you and I can't do half relationships. So I said fine. I understand no hard feelings. 8 days pass and I'm heartbroken he calls and says, I miss you so much. I love you, I'm going crazy, I can't sleep, I've been shutting people out cause I only want to be with you. He said he would be in the city and wanted to see me that weekend and it never happened. Then I didn't hear from him anymore. I called, I texted cause I thought he cared. He never responded. Once he returned my call, and I left my phone in the car. He left a message hey baby, call me when you get a chance. I miss u and I love you. Talk to you soon. I called him back, texted him... nothing. So I told myself # 1 I'm trying to work things out with my husband-- why keep this going on. ( I was addicted to him and I could not stop) # 2 He clearly is not that into you. His actions do not line up with his BS words if he really wanted to spend time with you or talk to you he would. #3 LET HIM GO... there must be someone else or he isn't attracted to you or something. That affair tore me apart mentally. There was no closure. I was left with a empty feeling inside. 4 months later I see him on FB with a girl who and he was now "in a relationship". He was calling SOMEONE... texting SOMEONE just not me. My husband and I are back together. I won't say he's fully recovered there are definitely trust issues there that will take a lot of effort on my part to restore. I do regret that affair. If I could do it over I would have run for the hills!!! I have convinced myself that (although it was wrong my ego was hurt still the same and my confidence completely SHAKEN) he did that because I was fat and he didn't want to hurt my feelings. I've had a problem with flirting and getting myself in trouble with the hubby in previous years before I gained weight. Then I started gaining weight as a way to keep me honest, thinking guys wouldn't be as attracted to me and I could be content in my marriage and not wander off. it was working although I still got hit on. I never want to go down that road again. But honestly 2 months after things ended I decided to have WLS. Now I didn't have surgery until 1 year later because although that was the catalyst I didn't want that to be the only reason. I needed to do it for me. My health, and my well being. I'm much better today. But I was just curious if anyone else had the feeling a relationship ended or never took off because of their weight. Or if you've had trouble staying faithful since weight loss. I will be honest, when I get to goal. I will have a professional photo shoot as my reward. My friend agreed to post a pic of me as her WCW as he is her friend on facebook-- to ensure he see's the new and improved me. (I know, petty) but It's only for my personal satisfaction but trust me I will never travel that road again. EVER again. My hubby has loved me through it all and he deserves my LOYALTY. But sometimes I don't trust myself and wonder will old habits find their way back when I lose all the weight?