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Banded today at GBMC in Maryland. No problems......Home in less than 8 hours. Sitting up in bed doing this. So far so good.........very pleased.

Here I am on Day 10 of the Optifast liquid diet and have been doing well. I try to stay away from the Tv. Seems like all the commercials are for food or anti-depressant pills! last night I was watching TV though and didn't have a problem until the commercial came on for Cesar's canine cuisine. And I started salivating!!! Tuesday (surgery day) can't get here soon enough!!:thumbup::eek:

@@CanyonBaby, great post! So much truth and I hope people read and absorb it. It can be a real struggle, but I think it's worth it. I want to elaborate a bit on your: "You may gain weight back." a little. I've seen so many people online and off who say thing about weight loss surgery being PERMANENT weight loss. No damned way. SO many people lose considerable amounts of weight and yet gain back every pound and sometimes more because they go right back to eating the foods they did before and sometimes nearly the same amount. I have a friend who had surgery six months before me and she had less to lose than I do. She was 10 pounds from her goal around Christmas. A piece of pizza turned into three. A piece of pie at Thanksgiving had turned into trying a piece of each pie at Christmas along with Cookies and fudge. After the holidays it kept going and it continues to as of this month. This story also touches on your "you may lose friends" point as well, because she blew up at me a week ago because I wouldn't go out for pizza with her. I offered to have her over for something else but she insisted we get a pizza. Pizza is a food I used to love but I haven't had a bite of it since I started preparing for surgery last March because I know me and I need to focus to stay on track. She's gained back 40 pounds since December and shows no signs of stopping. She told me I'm obsessed with my surgery and my weight loss and that it isn't healthy for her to be around me anymore. It made me a little sad, but I can't afford to let anyone or anything knock me off my track. I used to weigh 450 pounds and I never want to be there again. I'm telling this not for pity, but to illustrate how even people who've been on a journey like yours, it isn't exactly like yours. We all arrived at the decision for surgery for myriad reasons and our weight loss paths are going to be different a well. There isn't one way to do it right, you have to do what's right for YOU to keep yourself moving in the losing direction. It's too easy to stumble and go backwards.

Buy a few sundresses(they fit loser anyway) on the sale rack or shop online at big stores a little closer to your cruise date - google resort wear to get specific hits. You can always try resale shops right before and there is always shopping on the ship and at ports too. I will be in 'the same boat' lol in February - we are cruising to S Caribbean for 10 days.

I really don't know why I am sabotaging my body. I know better, I really do. I was a drug addict before many years ago and was clean for a long time. However, over the last few months I have sniffed a few lines here and there and also have taken ectasy. I took FOUR ecstasy pills yesterday. I love the feeling of "feeling" different. I used to use food as my drug and now it seems I am getting cravings for other things too. I also have an OTC sleeping pill addition to. I sometimes have to take 4 tylenol pm's or equivelant to go to sleep at night. This overwhelming feeling of wanting to change my reality over boredom is REALLY, REALLY horrible. I pray for hours on end for forgiveness. I don't want to die. I have everything to live for, a great job, a WONDERFUL BEAUTIFUL son & daughter. I love God. I know it is going against him to defile my body, but somehow, that is not enough. I have no self-control or will power, I will cave in a minute. The crazy thing about this is I have been exercising like a mad woman to "help my body". Just want to be a normal 34 year old woman. Why do I feel like I am still a 19 year old living in a 34 year old body? My son recently moved to live with my parents because he wants to finish high school in the town we are from. My daughter is in Pittsburgh with her biological mother (I am her step-mother) and I have nothing stopping me or helping me in my will power. No, it's not an every day thing, it is an every few weeks thing. But I DID do lines 2 weeks post op and I was so worried about hurting my band, but did that stop me? NO! I am such a mess. This took a lot to write this down and strip myself naked but I can't keep living a lie.

Yeah, I agree with not self-medicating. I also had the cuffs on from right before surgery until I was discharged. I also had meds in the hospital to thin my blood. And finally, because is had another surgery 8 weeks prior, I had to give myself shots in my tummy for 10 days after I got out of the hospital. That pretty much cured me of my needle phobia. Anyway, I digress. Talk to your surgeon. Blood clots are a risk, but not a huge one unless you have other things like I did that make you a higher risk. If you are, there are things your doctor can do.

Mine didn't feel 'stuck' but I did have really bad heartburn the next morning, but more in the esophagus than the stomach. At my first post-op with the surgeon, he mentioned that the esophagus acts like a "pre-stomach" when the stomach is full and I am eating more good. I think that I ate too much that day with my first time to try Soup. I am always testing and will now try to eat that type of stuff earlier in the day and try to stick with clears at the end of the day before bedtime. Sleeved on 6/10/10. 14# lost since. (blasted ticker!!!)

I had my band slip in June and the doc took out 1/2 of the fluid. I gained 8 pounds in the 6 weeks after, then he started with a slight fill. But, unfortunatley I gained 10 pounds over the next 6 weeks. I got another fill this week and he put me back up to the fill level I was before the slip. I can definately tell a difference already in the amount of food I can eat. I'm glad to have the restriction again because it helps me control my portions. I still have to be careful about what I eat. Good luck everyone!

im down 45 since my banding (4/26) and 58 total since March 1 The fill I had just before my 5month post-op visit ended up being too tight, so i was back at the doc on 10/2 and had .5cc removed. it made a huge difference. since then I have been eating just about 1 cup food per meal (which is what my nutritionist wants me to be eating) however, some foods i can eat about 1.5cups. I try to stay away from those and just eat the ones that satisfy me with the smaller portions. I was hoping to have lost 8 lbs in the last month (2 per week) but 5 lbs is still good, and i know that had i got to the gym more this week (only made it there once) and didnt cheat and have ice cream a cpl of the days this month...i would have been at least 1-2 lbs closer to that 8 lbs. So i cant blame anyone but myself. I now know what i need to do this next month (and from here on out) if i want to up those weight loss numbers. I am suprised that 6 months after the surgery, I am still "learning" what and how to eat. I knew this wasnt going to be something i mastered overnight..but I still thought i would have a better grasp and better control over my eating by now. Good luck to everyone out there...i am very happy with my band and with what I have done so far...and its good to know that i can still change things up and do even better in the future, if i just put my mind to it.

Have I said I love my surgeon's office? The PA is WONDERFUL. My appointment was this afternoon for fill #3. Wasn't sure if this was a good thing or not, so I kept the appointment and had about 30 minutes of conversation and training. Yep, training. My weight loss is good. Blood pressure was ok, not great. What we do every time is fill out a questionnaire -- what we are eating, how often, how we feel, issues etc. Then the PA comes in. She started asking me questions about how many times I've thrown up since the last fill, how often I get stuck, motivation levels, hunger..... After about 10 minutes she says I'm not going to fill you today -- you need to do the following: 1. First two bites of every meal should be soft -- applesauce, tea, liquid. This will "wake up" the pouch. I was eating the first couple bites of solids fast (starving) and the pouch rebelled. Throwing those bites up would move me back to starvation, and I wasn't getting a "full signal" after that. (I didn't do this EVERY time I ate, but probably once a day). 2. Then eat the 1c of food within 20 minutes, careful to chew and wait, but within 20 minutes. If I'm not done don't eat the rest. 3. Don't eat anything within 3 hours after the last meal. Water, tea, juice, popsicle. Nothing else. So I'm going to work on this. I was following what I've been told, but I can follow this and I'm excited about it. Thank you to everyone for your support and advice! Happy Weekend!!!

Me too! Are u guys on he liquids my doc required 10 days !

Hi all. I had my sleeve surgery on 8/13. I've had no real complications (minus constipation). I did hit a major stall (17 days) about 10 days post op. Since then I've lost about another 4lbs, making for a total of 23lbs lost in 5 1/2 weeks. I'm stalled again. I did have a surgeon's appointment and before I even brought up the stalls he said he wanted to mention something to me. He asked if I had been diagnosed with Metabolic Syndrome. I said no and he said that when he saw inside of my body my fat distribution was consistent with those with Metabolic Syndrome and said he has no doubt that I would have been diagnosed soon without surgery. I asked him what that even meant. He said I would probably lose weight more slowly because it was resilient fat that did NOT want to come off, but once it came off the other fat would start "melting off". When I got home I looked up Metabolic Syndrome. I do sometimes have high blood pressure if I eat high sodium foods, but have never had high blood sugar or triglycerides or any other risk factor. Wondering if anyone else has been diagnosed with this and how slow is slow on weight loss? I don't want to make an excuse for slow weight loss or all these stalls and get complacent. Is it possible this surgery will fail because of this? I'm so nervous now and have a million questions I never thought to ask.

So I am 10 days post op. I was drinking my protein shake and must have taken too big of a sip. I ended up with a gas bubble. Tried to burp it out but it came up with the protein shake. Not quite vomiting more like spit up. Ugh. And I still feel the burp in there. Maybe gas x?

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Hi all.... I saw my surgeon for my 2nd appt after surgery on 5/31...I am now 197 and have lost 31 pounds to date. For the first time in 7 years I am officially under 200 pounds. I am 10 pounds from the 1/2 way point and could not be happier. I did not get a fill because I did not feel as though I needed one. I am quite content between meals atm. He told me that is not uncommon and sometimes individuals do not get their first fill for 6 months. At any rate...I am so darn happy I made this choice and getting happier as the slimmer me begins to appear. I forgot what the old me use to look like

I think beaches and relaxation sounds just fine right now!! Having spent 10 years commuting into the centre of London every day, I can go a few years without having to see it again! I think the west coast is where we'll be heading. The man has already vetoed the east coast for many reasons... Largely - they're not on the gulf! Well, his side of the gulf! Do you have any specific opinions on Panama City? Seems like we can get a rental out that way.. and I was wondering how it would compare to the other locations... -x-

That is awsome! I was banded on 5-16 now am down 19 pounds also!! and am

It helps me to use My Fitness Pal and track everything. Remember to eat Protein first and allow 30 minutes after you eat before you drink Water. Stock up on low fat and fat free Proteins. When I'm starving (in my head) I eat plain yogurt or cottage cheese or drink hot tea. Had lapband surgery 10/12/16

You could try some workout DVDs. That way you can pretty much have your workout done in the time it takes you to get to the gym. I enjoy rebounding and Step with Caribbean Workout and "10 Minute Solution - Ultimate Kettlebell Fat Burner" is OK if you only have time for a quick workout (does strength and cardio). I'm also gonna dust off my Barry's Bootcamp DVDs as those guys are very inspiring!

So I started this journey in November 2018 and finally received my surgery date on June 28 for September 19 I’m nervous and excited to start this new life journey.

I just wanted to post my experience so far...I attened a seminar on Wednesday night for Dr. Abkin and Dr. Bertha and let me tell you I was impressed. First off it was held at a local hotel meeting room so there was space for about 100 or so attendees. Now most of the seminar was a repeat for me as I have in the past year been to 2 other info seminars and I have been researching lap band for over a year but none the less I was impressed. Marco the OR nurse the first spoke was very informative and answered all questions. They also had 2 guest speakers that have already had surgery and while I was disappointed that neither had the lap band they were also very informative for those people looking to do gastric bypass. The next person to speak was Josephine who is the insurance whiz. She answered a bunch of questions and gave lots of info regarding which insurances require what and all that good info. And then finally the doctors came up to speak. Dr. Abkin, Dr. Bertha as well as Dr. Garrison are very informative and open to all question and after the "formal" part of the seminar was over they stayed an answered individual questions if you had any. And THEN when you walked out of the main room there were tables set up so you can go ahead and make your consult appointment with one of the surgeons and also make appointments for a nutisionist and a psychiatrist (sp?). You also walk out with the paper work to get your lab work done and a form for your PCP to fill out. They basically have everything right there for you and I couldn't ask for anything more!!!! Everyone involved was more then helpful and willing to answer any question that you may have!! The previous 2 seminars I attended was held in the doctor's waiting room and you were basically sitting on the person next to you as the doctor just stood in front speaking about all the general info. They would tell you what was required as for as other test but I feel you were left to your own to sort it all out. Now I know we are all adults and should be able to handle making out own appointments but with something like this some people dont know where to start. Even though the previous 2 seminars were smaller groups I didnt feel a connection with the doctors I felt more as if I was just another #. That is the main reason why I was looking for another doctor and I am glad I came across Dr. Bertha and Dr. Abkin with a little help for the LBT group - THANKS!!! I have my consult on 10/17 with Dr. Bertha and I can't wait!!!!! I just wanted to share my experience with everyone and maybe help fellow NJ folks with finding a doctor!! :clap2:

So I figured I'd post post-op bypass. Today is Day 4 Post-op. It went really well. I was in the hospital two nights. Day 1 & 2 I was so nauseated I needed lots of anti emetics! Day 1 I had dilaudid PCA for pain and I think I just pressed it for the fun I it. Thy took down the pain pump day 2 in hospital. I actually have been getting away with minimal Percocet & Tylenol ...but mainly only Tylenol. The gas was horrific. I think I am a little addicted to gas-x (maybe because I like the taste & can't have anything else). I am on liquids...have my intense nalgene (48oz) bottle & am drinking my fluids adequately. SF pops are my buddies and I've been drinking Water & crystal light. As well as my Protein drinks. It's so crazy how I can only take small sips...my stomach gets mad and I swear my back starts hurting. But so far I am sooo glad I did this. I did this for my health, my confidence, my wife & my future children! I am down 10 lb so far. I even did the Wii a bit today! <<Ash>> Pre Bypass: 247.2 Goal: 140