Search the Community

One year gone and took 87 pounds with it. Yupeee!!! I'm happy and sad. Happy that I feel good and have not had any complications. I feel energized with alot more self esteem and do feel like my life is in a new phase. Sad, because my goal was to loose 100 pounds in one year. It's getting much more harder now. I've caugt myself going into old bad habits. I feel like my body continues to fight me. Hunger is also against me. It's harder to loose the pounds. I stay in a range of 10 pounds. Loose 4 one week then two weeks later those same 4 or 5 are back. I have now decided to take things to another level. I enjoy walking and have put some jogging into my excercise. But feel I need the advice and encouragement of a physcial trainer. I have now looked into that and plan on starting soon. Mentally, there's been alot of confusion and alot of emotions. There's alot of ups and downs. Alot of my history has come out, for some reason. I need to continue seeing my pyschologist, who had previously warned me that many things in my head would awaken and I would have to face them. I trust that with his help and GODs presence I will work thru this. :smile2:

Hi Diamond.. I have only had 1 fill so far.My 2nd ic coming up in 1 month. I want to be real conservative about it since i dont want sinple things like liquids to get stuck and ruin my day. Thankfullly the to times i got stuck i was at home, but i cant imagine if i was somewhere public with my kids. I love to drink my water, i have no problems drinking my 64 oz + of it a day, so i want to make sure i do not over do it. The Dr said it would take 2 to 4 fills before finding the "sweet spot". It would be great to loose weight a little faster, but i keep telling myself " it took me over 10 years to put on the 100lbs, why expect it to come off in less that a year///relax" Have a great holiday everyone I will take the advice of the paper bags...cuz yuo never know. How many fills have you had so far? Is this the fisrt time you have had such toubles with it?

Wow... This worries me becasue i have celiac disease and i get most of my carbs from rice and rice flour products. My lap-band date is scheduled for 4/13/10.

Hello my name is Catherine. I am wife to Sri and mom to Vee {Super Ny-ick}. We all live in Charlotte NC in a quiet neighborhood in a comfy cozy house on a small plot of once green land {all brown now!}. I decided after miniaml to no success at weightloss for about 10 years that I needed a little medical intervention before I crossed over into the 300s. I was real close too. We went in October 2009 and saw a doctor and did all that was required and it took 9 months but we are almost to the OR. My surgery is set for 8:30 am on July 8th. I have had loads pf pressure from everyone to get the bypass but the thought of going in and REALLY changing how my body works sort of scares me. I don't have any real bad co-mordities. I am pretty much just fat. I don't have high BP or diabetes. Knock on wood. I do have sleep apnea and hope that will go away after I am down lower in pounds. I do have lots of hobbies much to my husband's dismay. I love textiles and fabric and yarn are my downfall. I collect them basically. Buy them because they are beautiful and I think Oh I can use that. Eventually I do! I also have an extensive doll collection which is becoming boderline unhealthy. I have Sasha Dolls which I love dearly and plan to will to my children as I could never sell them. They can sell them when I am good and dead 50 years from now! I also collect Asian Ball Jointed Dolls. And they are worst than Lay Chips because you can not even stop after 10! And my one and true love is my little boy {uh, and my husband!}. I would give anything to make sure he is happy and complete. Even go under the knife so I can live longer and watch him grow up, marry, and have babies of his own. And if you met him you would see why he is my Super Ny-ick! Catherine

A lot of my back pains stem from a crooked spine and inflamed muscles that never die down.. so I normally take 4-10 advils daily (pre-op). Tylenol does not help the muscle pains at all.. I was told not to take NSAIDS, so I've just been 'toughing it out' and hoping with weight loss it will get better.. only really bad part is at night in bed, it hurts a heck of a lot to lay down, so I take liquid tylenol night time stuff to help me pass out and not feel it. During the day when it flares up really bad I take some of the liquid lortab I was prescribed from post-op. I only have about 1 dose left, and I tried liquid tylenol for the pain during the day with no result, so not sure what I'll do! I guess pray I lose enough weight to reduce the pain rather quickly

So I had my surgery for breast reduction and abdominoplasty on Tuesday. They said it went really well. I did have a lot of pain and discomfort, but I am also heavily medicated, so I've been sleeping all the time. The breasts really don't hurt at all, but the stomach muscles hurt a lot the first day, and the sutures have hurt the past two days. I have my follow up appointment today. They removed 11 pounds altogether. I haven't seen the results yet because I'm in this body "armor" and support bra and I can't take it off until after my post-op appt today. I'm almost afraid to see it because I know it's going to look bad at first. I did look down right after surgery and was woah!! and the nurses thought something was wrong, but I said, my stomach is gone! It was a really great feeling. My mom is here taking care of me. I think it would be almost impossible to do this without someone here because I need her help just to get in and out of bed. The stomach hurts alot whenever I move, but as long as I stay still, everything is okay. My back and neck are really sore from having to sleep in the same position. All in all, not super fun and very uncomfortable, but not intolerable and definitely worth it if it ends up looking/feeling good. I'll post more soon.

I am so sorry to hear you're going through this. I went through a similar situation years ago ( my now ex-husband was cheating , I found out our newborn was born with a devastating rare genetic disorder and I was also diagnosed with a couple medical conditions -nothing life threatening but definately life altering ( all within a 3 month period) . Hand s down the worse time of my life. Counseling helped me through it. 10 years later I got remarried, HAPPILY, I might add and although my daughter is disabled she is happy and relatively healthy. This too shall pass. In the meantime, continue to reach out. It's important to talk about it and please consider counseling.

Hí everybody. Im feeling down. Ressonância ? My surgery is scheduled for aug16 , just last friday the nurses from my bariatric Doctor and my regular doctor were not communicating with each other and s not papers for the insurance last Friday. I asked how long takes for them to know they said 7 to 10 days . On top of that I have bronchitis Andrew I'm I. Treatment but I called today my regular doctor and he can't see me until the 19 of August. So I'm at loss , I don't think I can have surgery with bronchitis.don know what to do. Maybe go yo an emergency room to be treated for it? Feeling very down and without medical support :-( Sent from my iPad using the BariatricPal App

Today is May 5, 2009 The 1st to many Blogs I hope..... The day after my Pre-op appointment. Where do I begin... I was so scared and nervous most of all because of the Blood work, the date approaching and just overall scared. I have been praying for so long that I could have this surgery and after being turned down 3 times the date was set for June 18, 2009 only for me to receive an email stating that my date could be pushed up to May 21, 09 !!!! This is Great because it will be done sooner than later which is also very stressful because I am scared. Just a little. I have so many High hopes and expectations! I really truly want it all to go well and I really want to lose this weight, for several reasons the most important Health and the ability to finally become a Mother! I started my journey at 289.1 lbs on November 2008 only to increase to 297.3 lbs after being turned down 3 times. I called and nagged the hospital for an answer I call and asked the insurance company for an answer. I submitted an appeal and went off to visit realities in the South. upon my return home I phoned the hospital for any update to which I learned "nothing as of yet sweetie" The very next day the young lady who handles the insurance company calls and tells me I HAVE BEEN APPROVED FOR SUGERY! I would have to wait however till the letter the healthcare provider mailed out. I received the letter the very next day. My surgery was set for June 18, 2009. A week or so later I received an email stating it could be pushed up to May 21, 09, if i wanted? If I wanted?! I jumped on it! My pre-op was set from 2 weeks from April 20,09 I was overjoyed! I started thinking "Oh no I'm fatter now than when I started I need to lose weight". I also needed to learn how to eat right and start putting the lap band rules into practice, so I did just that. I now weight 282 lbs. down from 297 lbs. I went in on May 4, 2009 at 9:00 AM to meet with the Dr. have blood work done, X-ray and meet anesthesiologist. I was so Nervous! I am on my way to a better life and God willing a step closer to becoming a Mommy! My surgery is scheduled for May 21, 09 at 10:00 Am. I will arrive at 8:00 Am and look forward to being health and safe through out the surgery! I will continue to pray for myself and others. I hope you all reading this will do the same!

Hello Everyone, I recently had the sleeve on December 17,2016. This journey has been a long process. Initially my insurance required I do 6 months of documented weight-loss. Which I completed in September of 2016. However I was with True Results of Dallas weight-loss clinic which has now transition to the Nicholson clinic. Having the sleeve has been a struggle. My doctor has me on a clear liquid diet for 21 days . Hopefully when I go in on the 01/03/2017 I'll be cleared for pureed foods. Any suggestions other than Soups or broths or sugar free pops they give me acid reflux . Sent from my HTC Desire 626s using the BariatricPal App

Good thing for us shorties 10 pounds feels like 20 off. I've lost 10 lbs on the pre op diet so far and already have a lil less pain. Looking forward to dropping it all too so I can play with my kids again instead of just observing.

After my initial meeting with my surgeon, he set a weight loss goal for me of 10 pounds, I think because they want to see that I am trying to change my habits before surgery. I went to the NUT at my surgeon's office and she has been amazing. We are slowly removing sugar and Diet Coke from my diet and adding Protein and Water. This is to get me ready for the surgery. Ask the surgeon for a NUT recommendation, it is likely they work closely with one or two. I would follow either the surgeon or the NUT that is recommended diet as they will be the experts when it comes to bariatric surgery. Also, it sucks that your PCP isn't on board. Mine is very supportive, which I think will ultimately help with long-term success. I hope everything works out for you!

My life has been moving at a very fast and stressful pace the last couple of days and I did not get the opportunity to detail my first visit with the doctor this past Monday which now has become a slight blur after a day of meetings and the training of 2 new assistants. But the details are simple..the appointment was longer than expected mostly due to waiting..I saw the bariatric doctor first and she gave me a full examination and a clean bill of health to proceed with getting the procedure. That was no surprise since I have been blessed to live all these years with extra weight and none of the health problems usually associated with being obese. She asked me how much weight I was looking to lose and agreed I would be a great candidate for lapband. The nutrionist came in next and spoke with me about alot of the same things she had discussed at the seminar I attended a week before and little tips on how to "practice" what will become my new style of eating. I kinda felt like she probably did the same speel with everyone and could do it in her sleep, but like everyone on the staff, she was really nice and it probably was more me, than her feeling like there was nothing this woman could tell me about how to eat properly, the food pyramid, reading labels and exercising...I knew the rules..I just did not apply them to my life. The surgeon met with me last with his plastic stomach replica to show me how the band actually works and also touched base on my concerns about blot clots since I had a clot last year. He was very patient with my questions and made me feel at ease. The fact that I had checked him out online when my primary doctor gave me the referral, helped alot. By the time I left (3 1/2 hours later) I was exhausted and starving :biggrin: but smiling brightly because I had my appointments scheduled for the necessary tests all patients have. My sleep study was the only thing not scheduled but with another 6 weeks before I return to see the doctors, I will wait to hear from them for my appointment. On a good note...I met my angel. Despite some distractions she had that morning, she managed to meet me and sat with me while I waited to be seen. She was just as beautiful as a person as I imagined and having her there for support was truly special. She is highly opinionated on some things, but I like her spirit. On a quasi bad note..I have been smoking. Considering the fact I am doing it sans any smoking aids and for the first time ever since I started smoking at age 20, I think I am doing pretty well. I bought a pack on a very stressful morning when I couldnt "bum" one and found myself reaching for them as my stress continued. I smoked about 8-10 cigarettes a day before I decided to quit, now i have been smoking about 2-4 a day. I will not give up. I will just continue to try because I know I have had enough and have been tired of the habit for a long time. Its just been a really long and stressful work week. (and its only Wed) Its no excuse..but its the truth. On another good note..I weighed in at my appointment at 270. That was a 8 lb weight loss since I saw my doctor last month with no real effort. Just small changes to my diet and doing those little things like walking a little further and just getting off my ass. My appetite has also decreased because I have cut back but today I felt as if I really cheated myself because despite the intent to have a heatlhy lunch that I bought to work, I rushed when I finally got a chance to eat without being abel to savor my food and of course ate more than I would have when I got home for dinner if I would have been able to eat what I took to work. I am truly trying to embrace my life and I am looking forward to process ahead of me simply because I know as I complete each phase, it is just taking me closer to getting banded and the road to making positive changes in my life.

Well, today is post op day 10. I am on full liquid diet until day 14. I cannot wait for the mushies. I am soooooo tired of grits, mashed potatoes (thinned with skim milk) and broth. It's just getting boring and unappetizing- so it makes me want to eat less. This too shall pass though. I have lost 8 pounds since surgery, walk every day 3 times for at least 20 minutes. Inscisions are healing (no infection).....all is good....just really want some fat free refried beans......totally craving that and cottage cheese.....(not on my diet till the mushie stage though). Im still off work until next Thursday- have a job that is very phsically demanding at a hospital. I guess I am also getting a little cabin fever even though i get out most days and do something- go to the park, a museum, a movie, etc. Well, now I am just rambling....Im glad to have this forum and the LB Friends I have made. Here's to the journey ahead. Take care all!!!! talk to you soon. :wink:

Hello everyone, I have been visiting VST for a while, just now introducing myself. I have pretty much the same story as everyone else. Yo-yo dieted most of my life, weight loss expert that can tell you how to loose it, just not keep it off, emotional eater, etc. But in August of 2012, I went to a seminar at New Life Bariatric Center in Knoxville Tn. and met Dr. Boyce. My VSG journey started then. Other than insurance requirement of 10% wt. loss and one denial from insurance it has been a fairly easy process. And finally I have a date Feb. 18, 2013. Yeah!!!I am so excited,.,.,, nervous at the same time. Worried about all the changes for me and my family, how to cook for them, eat at family get togethers etc. I really enjoy reading all your positive and helpful info. so any pointers would be great. Thanks

Today I recieved the phone call!!! I am scheduled to be sleeved on 1/19/11 by Dr. Wallace in MKE! I am so excited to finally have a scheduled date. I cant believe its right around the corner. For like my whole life I have been dealing with being over weight and now its time for the confident, outgoing person that I am on the inside to match the person on the outside!!! I am kind of bummed tho, I really had my hopes to have this done prior to the new year. I am trying to be positive, I know I floated right through the appointments and with insurance, but man I really had my hopes on this year. But, I think having the surgery in 2012 will be better for me in the long run. I feel like it is the fresh start to the whole "NEW CHELSEA TRAIN" as I like to call it. AHHHHHHHHHHHHHH!!!! I could just scream I am so excited!!!!!!!! Good Luck Y'all!!!

I have had my band for 2.5 years now and in the last year I have had problems with reflux. I have had my band adjusted several times and I take stomach Med to treat the reflux. I have also had my band adjusted several times. Now I have been told by my doctor that my ferriten level in my blood is low. I just finished up a 10 day IV infusion. I might have an internal bleed. Could this be caused by my band?

I think I posted this before, but I've been fat since I was 10. If I could have done it just by dieting, I would have already. I needed the help, something to get me going. If your sister won't go and won't learn about the surgery, then I think that's too sad for her. Is she overweight, too? Is it jealousy? Or is she thin, and doesn't understand about being overweight? As always, in the end, you have to do what's best for you. No one else can make the decision for you, and they shouldn't think that they can.

thanks for the input guys...i have actually been ok, but my husband decided to stay home with me instead of going out of town...surgery was 10/16...i checked my blood pressure and it was really low yesterday and today...very odd for me, feel like i could sleep standing up...did this happen to any of you...bp=80/60, and i usaully take bp meds but have not since surgery...??

Hi everyone! so I would like to discuss the possible negatives of the surgery and how to fix/avoid. the first 3 weeks are crucial IMO. the healing process can be tricky. I wasn't able to eat at all and I barely drank. I was admitted this past Monday for severe dehydration and they agreed to do an upper endoscopy to check if there is anything blocking. it turns out that the food passage (the new connection) was nearly the size of a pin and they immediately fixed it. now I can eat and drink so much better. they opened it to about 10-12mm. A fellow member here gave me the heads up (thank you). I decided to share because the Doctor told me that it is common and it's an easy fix. I hope whoever is experiencing this finds this post and helps them out. this is such a good surgery and the lifestyle change leads to a healthier life. After 4 weeks I don't have sleep apnea, no plantar fasciitis, and lost 40 lbs.