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Also having some MAJOR rumbling grumbling like almost like I have to poop but I don't. I had 3 good sized BMs last night which have me good relief but I've had nothing but Water since I've been home (and liquid pain killer) so I can't really change my diet at all. Even though I don't have to go to the bathroom it's still keeping me awake because I'm scared ill go in my sleep. Starting weight 321- sleeve date 07/10/13 Sent from my iPhone using VST

http://www.lapbandtalk.com/showthread.php?t=10698 This is an interesting thread where someone listed about 10 foods and people answered whether they could tolerate them or not. What you will really learn is everybody and every band is unique. And things you can tolerate, others you can't, somedays you can tolerate different things. My band doesn't always say no to bread but I just don't want it anymore. You may find that some of your favorite things no longer appeal to you. Good luck on your journey. Celeste

Hi!! I am three months out and am considering getting a breast lift. My mom doesn't think I should get it right now as I am still in the early stages and 19. She says my boobs will get back to normal soon, but I hate the way my breasts look when I'm not wearing a bra. My boobs have shrunk a few sizes down since getting the surgery, but they're still pretty big. I was wondering if anyone else has gotten a breast lift or breast implants? If so, how long did you wait? And how did it all go? This is something I really want as I hate how my boobs aren't the perkiest lol

Hi all, here is my Journey so far. I was one of the lucky ones (NOT) who had a JP Drain. I hope my story helps others. So far, so good - no regrets at all!! June 2017: My ins just dropped the numerous lengthy requirements and is allowing sleeves. I jumped on it, and was able to navigate thru the list quickly. Start to finish took me about 2 months. Do Ins companies really think we haven't tried every program out there prior to considering major surgery??? Stupid! They no longer require 6 months of Dr administered weight loss program, but my Dr watched me for a few months, and submitted it just to make sure I would not run into any problems. I was approved 10 days after submission. I hate having to jump thru hoops, but the savings was worth it. Altho, I would have paid out of pocket if denied. Check off the requirements, and you should be fine. Most Drs have a good relationship with the ins claim reps. My daily (boring but working) pre op intake is: coffee with a splash of Premier Protein banana or caramel , then the rest of the Premier Protein Shake for Breakfast, at 10am I have 2 C of chicken broth, at Noon I have 2 C chicken broth + another Premier Protein shake, at 2pm I have 1 sf Jello cup, at 6ish I have 2 C chicken broth (appetizer ) and another Carmel Premier Protein shake, 8pm snack another sf jello cup. I don't really like any other flavors of broth or I would have those. My shakes have to be under 200 calories, high protein (these are 30g) and as low sugar as you can find (1g). Premier is handy, pre made, and I like the flavors (Caramel, Banana, and strawberry Cream are my favorites). I SWEAR I have not had any headaches, and my energy level is really good (just fall asleep earlier which helps me not dwell on food). Aug 25/2017: Surgery day and I couldn't be more excited!! My surgery went well except that I needed a JP drain that will remain in for about a week. I was up walking 2 laps of my floor that night. The nurse said she had never seen anyone do as well as me. She said my positive and excited attitude surely helped! My pain never got above 2 or 3 and I needed very little pain meds. 3 ice chips made me nauseous, so I did not eat or drink anything the first night. I do have to give myself shots in the stomach of Lovenox (blood thinner) to prevent blood clots for 2 weeks. Aug 26: Got discharged this afternoon after my upper GI and chest xray came back ok. Was able to keep down 4oz of liquid before I left the hospital. I'm off the pain meds now, and don't even feel the need for Tylenol. The Lovenox shots are not as scary as I thought they would be. The trick is to freeze the area for 10 minutes before you give yourself the shot, and put the ice back on right after you are done (the after affect feels like a wasp sting). Now I just need the gas to pass (pun intended). All said and done, I feel great for what I've been through, and lost 12 pounds pre op. I will keep up with updates. Thank you for all the support and info. This Forum is great, and I hope to pay it forward. Aug 28: Ok, so to continue my journey, I am 4 days post op and my drain is still working over time Im not concerned, but can't go back to work until its removed. After having little to no pain, this morning I noticed pain on my right side - like a stabbing pain. I have to hold my stomach when I walk for any relief. Seeing as most of my stomach was sliced off, I am assuming that now that the swelling is going down, some of this is "normal". Its definitely NOT gas pains. I don't like taking the liquid pain meds so am taking tylenol only. liquids are going down no problem. Energy level is up, and I'm looking forward to Protein Shakes on Friday. Update: Dr said my drain most likely moved which is causing the pain. Its pretty intense. Good thing is they will be removing it on Thursday. Bad thing is I will be living with the pain and have to take the liquid pain meds until then...a small price to pay I've discovered a love for tropical flavored sugar free popsicles !!! Aug 29: Having a good night and a great hair day so I'm psyched! Lol. My incisions are dissolvable stitches with a rubber cement waterproof type paint over them. The stuff just flakes off when healed. Easy peasy. I SERIOUSLY think I could have returned to work tomorrow if not for the JP drain. All bodily functions working perfectly, and no hunger pains. BUT I know that even tho I feel good, my body is still recovering from major surgery, so I am working from home Thurs and Fri and returning full time the day after Labor Day = 10 days post op. Knowing that there is still swelling and fluid retention from my hospital stay, Im staying off the scale until my post op appointment. I have ankles again!! August 31: Got my JP drain out today (yes, it hurt), but as soon as it was removed, the pain went away!! I feel like a million bucks Sept 1: Diet additions today!! I get to have protein shakes again, yogurt, milk, and cream soups. Still not feeling hungry and am down 18lbs. Had half a protein shake for breakfast, yogurt with sugar free cheesecake pudding mix stirred in for lunch, broth and a half glass of milk for dinner and sugar free jello with sugar free whipped topping for dessert. I heard that some are lactose intolerant after surgery, but I had no issues with anything I ate. I'm paranoid of gaining anything back, so am kind of afraid to eat. I will have to watch that. Having cabin fever so decided to venture out for the first time since surgery. I have a tendency to feel good and over do it, so wanted to be careful. Took a quick trip to the store, and then for a well deserved pedicure. Heaven. Energy level is still up. Since my boyfriend took good care of me, I decided a date night was in order and we went out. Challenging to say the least. How do you go into a bar without ordering a drink?? Pre planning helps. THIS IS A NO JUDGEMENT ZONE!!! I ordered a tall glass of water with lots of e and 1 small shot of vodka. Then I added Crystal Light cranberry to it that I brought along. Nursed it for 2 hours and did not even finish it. I have read others say alcohol hit them quicker after surgery (no noticeable change for me) and I KNOW that its not allowed (this soon or in some minds at all), but I am human. I gave up diet coke for Gods sake Next challenge coming up = lunch with friends in the liquid stage. I am mentally preparing already. Eat before, and take my Crystal Light. Since I am keeping my surgery secret, the only viable option is to say Im having a little tummy issue. Stay tuned. Sept 2: More milestones accomplished today! Ride my motorcycle - check, go boating - check Sept 3: Lunch with my man and his mom.....First I had to reassure my fiance that he could eat in front of me, and I would be ok. He was considerate enough to make sure that it was ok to plan lunch with his mom. Sweet man. I had a protein shake for breakfast and some vitamin water. We chose a restaurant where I knew they had soup on the menu. I told my future mother in law that I had been having stomach issues, and was changing my eating habits. I am not telling people I'm on a diet, or that I had surgery because history has shown that when you do say these things, people watch what you eat, or fill your ears with "helpful" tips etc. I'm not having it. So I ordered water and a cup of soup. Ate the broth and inconspicuously covered my cup with my napkin and handed it to the server first chance I could. Mission accomplished! You can go out to eat when in the liquid stage. Sept 4: Family bbq planned today.......Again, I will eat before we go. My fiance and I came up with a plan. We will both take plates and put food on them, he will then eat his plate of food, and then mine. Oh the games we play....Again, sweet man! I really don't care what anyone thinks, or surmises, this is my Journey and I will do it my way. 2 more weeks til I can eat real food The bbq was great. Truly a testament to the fact that it isn't the food, it's the company. I drank a shake for breakfast and then had some Greek yogurt before we left. Packed some So Be Life Water (my new staple). My brother in law tried to tempt me with Sangaria and grilled pineapple and I simply told him that I was trying very hard to eliminate sugar from my life plan and I was feeling GREAT so I must be doing something right. My fiance and I carried thru with our plan, and as we went thru the food line, he put on my plate half of what he wanted and then ate everything on both plates. Nobody said a word!! Not even my brother in law who notices, and comments on everything. That night we hit one of the last post op milestones Sex 10 days post op is just as fantastic as pre op. Yay! Sorry for the TMI, but this is a question that others are wondering about. Sept 6: Planning our road trip evac for hurricane Irma. I am packing protein shakes, cream soup packets, SoBe Water, crystal light packets, cottage cheese, yogurt and sugar free pudding mix for my yogurt. Wish us luck! Sept 12: The past week has been hell thanks to Hurricane Irma. Prepping 2 houses and 4 days of travel thru 3 states.....Boy, if I ever needed comfort food, or wanted to garbage up, it was now. But I stayed true to my plan by packing a cooler, and was never hungry! Sept 14: I am now in the puree stage and happy to be "chewing" kind of. I still love my sugar free popsicles. I have been switching it up with egg salad, tuna salad and lots of soups. I am surprised that I do not have any hunger pangs. So far I have not had any issues keeping food down. Watching my fiance eat the foods I used to eat does not bother me because I am so looking forward being thinner and healthier. So far I am down 24 pounds in 1 month (that includes my pre op diet week). Yay!

Okay everyone.. We all know when your pregnant you have cravings. Ive been REALLY bad. I eat healthy most of the time.. but sometimes I eat breads and pastas.. Since I was 10 weeks preggo Ive had the feeling of a constant lump in my throat. Some days I have it.. and some days I don't. I finally talked to my OB about it and she tested my thryoid.. which was fine. A friend of mine also has LAP-BAND® and she mentioned Ive probably stretched my pouch bc I can eat SOO much more then what I used to. Like tonight for instance.. I made an omlet with veggies in it.. I used 3 eggs to make the omlet.. I was able to get down about 3/4 of it! I KNOW thats to much! I only had the band about 4 months before I found out I was pregnant.. So my fill was only at a 3 which my Dr. refers to as a "prime". He didn't want to unfill me bc he wanted me to continue to lose or just stay the same. So far Ive gained about 4 pounds..and thats within the last 3 weeks. Anyone have any insight on this problem or am I just being paranoid?!?! Thanks in advance!!

I'm in a contest to be on the cover of Triathlete magazine. To enter I shared my story about how WLS and exercising, specifically triathlons have made me more fit, and I'm happy to say I've made it to phase 1, the top 20! Please vote for me, Julie S., so that I can make it to phase 2. You can vote on all your devices, (desktops, iPads, and your cell phones). Thank you. Voting ends in Monday February 1, 2016. http://triathlon.competitor.com/2016/01/photos/2016-triathlete-fit-contest-round-1-women_127517 Here is the essay I submitted: In August 2011, I had weight-loss surgery. Like many, I had tried to lose weight on my own with diet and exercise, but I wasn’t successful. After the surgery, was it easy to lose weight? Yes. Was it easy to keep it off? Hell no! The main problem was I wasn’t being active. I met a lady who told me she was scheduled to have a second surgery to lose the weight she had regained. Fearing I would end up like her, I decided I needed to get moving, so I started swimming. Then a friend asked if I wanted to do a triathlon, so I started biking and running too. Finally, on Mother’s Day of 2012, I officially became a triathlete. From then on I was hooked. I’ve been competing in triathlons for four years now, and I’m currently training for my first half Ironman in April and first full Ironman next year. I’m happy to say that, thanks to triathlon, I haven’t regained any weight and I’m the fittest I’ve ever been. My new goal is to encourage others to be active and to try tris—whether they need to lose weight or just want to have fun.

I have surgery on 7/10 and went back to work the following Monday (7/15). My surgeon was a little surprised I went back so soon. I think it's completely up to the individual. If you're tolerating the pain and your job is super physical, try half days or partial shifts to build up your confidences.

Hi there, That is pretty quick to go back to work already. I had mine on 6/10/13 and went back to work after 5 weeks. If you don't feel up to it I would check with your HR dept and find out how much time you are allotted? Good luck

You are all doing amazing. I am 6 months post op and have lost about 60 pounds in total and on average a 10 pound loss per month. Im totally pumped even though I would like to lose another 25 or so to get to my perfect height for weight/BMI. So I am was on the lighter side as a starter compared to some of the people on this forum, so don't expect the massive loss that those folk will experience. Trust me you are doing absolutely amazing!!

I couldn't agree with you more, Randy. It's easy to get impatient... my weight loss for this week 6/10 of a pound... but, we didn't gain it overnight and we won't lose it overnight. I chose the band over bypass because I thought it was a healthier option and with that comes slower weight loss, but healthier, in my opinion. I'm 5 days away from my 6 month "bandiversary" and 6/10 of a pound away from a total of 60 pounds gone so far. I still have a long way to go, but baby steps are okay as long as it's a steady downward trend. We can't get discouraged. We're in this for the long haul! You're right... first priority... healing. Then, we do have to watch our calories, we do have to watch the quality of food we are eating... we all know this... protein first, then veggies, keep carbs to a minimum, watch liquid calories (I'm enjoying a small glass of wine at the moment... SMALL), and... a biggie.... EXERCISE!! That's important. Those of us with extra weight often have joint problems and mobility issues, arthritis, etc. My exercise is water aerobics and I LOVE it!! But, find an exercise you can do and be consistent with it and it will help the weight to come off. Hang in there gang!! We're going to do this!! :smile::cool::eek::Banane30::Banane28:

Hello Everyone. I was banded on August 10 and since then I have lost nearly 20 pounds. Is that too much? Does that mean I'm not eating enough? Or should I just stop complaining and be happy that the weight is coming off so quickly?

Hi everyone! I am just curious about something, I am 5 weeks out as of today and have lost 40 lbs (10 from pre-op diet) why I am super super excited for this amount, I have noticed that my weight loss has slowed down quite a bit since the first week. The first week post op I lost 14 lbs... after that I am ranging between 4-5 lbs a week. Which is still AMAZING! More than I was losing before surgery, when I was trying really hard. Just was curious how everyone elses went. Was it similar to mine?

I am cleaning ouy my closet, getting rid of everything 18-24. Yesterday I spent $13 dollars on a pair of shorts at Walmart=size 12 and they fit! I know they were stretchy but still. I have a size 10 dress in my closet that I would love to get into. It will be a long while because the thing has not give what-so-ever but its cute and I cannot wait to be in it. This sliding between sizes is fun but I can see it as expensive. I will be visiting a resale shop near me for the fall.

I think I answered this but not sure Figleaves.com has bra sized swim tops with or without underwires they have a ton of brands. I like the bra brands like Freya which is my fave but I bought a Figleaves brand tankini that is cute in a 36F and bottoms Ina medium. I am 5'2 and a size 10.Prices are competitive there too!Pic below is the one I bought.

I need a good swim suit. I have larger breasts that need support and I need tummy control. I am am close to 5 feet tall and in a 10-12. I need some suggestions. !!!

I had been having a really tough time since my surgery (Oct 19th) with nausea, grogginess, and dizziness. At my check up yesterday, the surgeon suggested getting off of the pain killer I had been prescribed (roxacet) and replace it with chewable tylenol. Wow! I feel like a new woman! The side effects from the narcotics were worse than the actual pain. So glad we did that change I start flying back home to the Yukon tomorrow. It has been a good 10 days with my out of country surgery experience here in Washington. I am looking forward to being back home with my children and the snow that is already on the ground. I am ready to hibernate for winter. I was already down 10lbs in the five days post surgery. Not too shabby!

It sounds like you're on the right track, both nutritionally and mentally. I had to eat between 800-900 calories a day to lose and now in maintenance I'm between 1200-1400 a day. Only you are going to know how much you can eat and still lose, so log your food and pay attention. Even the doctor and nutritionist are going off of guidelines that don't consider what works for your particular body. Some folks need more and some need less. Until you heal completely, I wouldn't worry too much in any case. Just focus on pushing liquids, staying hydrated and getting as much Protein as possible. The rest will follow. I'm 19 months out and eating more than one egg scrambled with cheese in a sitting is tough. I do 2-3 ounces of protein if it's fish or chicken but if it's beef I manage even less. I don't have a lot of protein options where I live so I tend to make up the slack with protein coffee or tea in the morning. I like to see my protein levels at 90+ grams a day. Congrats on putting away the scale. It's hard to do. Once you get to the point where your realize that you won't see a loss every time, and that the scale is simply a tool to keep us accountable and NOT a measure of our success you'll be able to weigh daily without driving yourself nuts. Until then it just makes life a rollercoaster. You're doing great so far. Don't stress about the food. I didn't start really hitting my calorie/protein goals until 4-6 months out. ~Cheri

So I am fairly new to this process- banded 2 months but have a band that doesn't have much in it- 2.8 cc (10 cc band). So my dr is very gradually filling me. I had a fill on Monday and am now having a new experience- if I swallow too big of a bite (because I am hungry, because it tastes really good, or because I am not paying attention) I get a 10 second pain in my upper chest and it passes. Is this considered being "stuck" or does a stuck episode last longer- I have always heard it as being described as 15 min. of pain. Is this a good sign that I am moving closer to restriction or just a sign that I am not chewing and eating slow enough. Part of me is hoping for an agressive fill in two weeks but I am wondering if I should be extra conservative because of this new experience.

I think this last fill brought me to the sweet spot. I am now at 8.3 in a 10 cc band and I have been losing steadily for a month without any exersize. (Bad...I know). I have been working at last 14 hour days and I really haven't had a few minutes to even think about it...plus it's already almost 100 degrees every day here which isn't particularly motivating for a nice sweaty walk at lunch time. I have been watching my carb intake and am making sure I'm getting my protein although I was definitely slacking in March and April on the protein. I made a new mix which is almonds, shelled pumpkin seeds, dried cranberries, white and dark chocolate chips, and a few other nuts and mixed up in a huge batch. Then split up into bags and put one every where I spend time so that I can snack on something high protein and fiber and relatively low in carbs. (keep the number of choc chips and dried fruit to about 1/4 to 1/5 of the total mix. This helps me stay away from the bad stuff. I am 9 pounds away from wonderland and I can't wait. Just cleared out another 50 pounds of clothes that don't fit me from the closet. IT's crazy! I find myself wanting to talk about my weight loss and most people just give me a crazy look. I realize that they don't care but I do!

Congrats John! That's exciting news!! I'm finally ditching my band after 10 years in May!! I had prolapse issues twice. I chose to unfill and refill once, but once it happened again, I decided I was done. I haven't had much success at all since replacing my band in 2006. I think you made a wonderful choice. The reality is, you would likely end up anyway, as prolapse generally becomes a repetitive problem!! Have you discussed a surgery date yet?! There are quite a few band to sleeve revisions around here and I have yet to hear one person say they didn't have more success and feel better after revising!!

Tuesday 198.5!!! Yesterday was my 5 month anniversary and I am down 30 lbs! I am thrilled!! I have refused to compare my loss to anyone elses, I am losing at the rate I lose at! I have consistently lost about 6 lbs a month. I have so many NSV's I cant begin to list them, but I need to...just to look back at. 30 lbs has made a HUGE difference on my body, especially from the waist up. 1. My waist is SIX inches smaller. 2. Ribcage under my bra is FIVE inches smaller....36 inches and one inch smaller than my waist!! Goodbye back fat. 3. My arm at the bicep is only 12.5 inches, ! 4. From size 20W pants to size 16 and 18.....16-18 misses, not W!!!! 5. My boobs stick out farther than tummy...no longer look 5mo pregnant. 6. There is not ONE coworker, friend, family that has not noticed and commented on the weight loss (and I am still in the closet with banding) 7. First time under 200 in about 4 years. 8. My face is getting thin enough I am starting to feel really pretty again. 9. I feel 'heavy/normal' and not huge, bloated, puffy 10. My ankles never ever get edema anymore. 11. I have zero nighttime reflux anymore. 12. My DH says it is like having sex with a different woman because he can FEEl such a difference in my body. 14. My back is completely smooth. No roll above waistband or around bra. 15. Blood sugar stays very stable (thanks to no bread, lmao) 16. OFF BP medicine....was only borderline and now normal. 17. Gone from (bust,waist,hip) 48.5,43,51 to 46.5(-2),37(-6),47(-4)......big fat gut is so much more in portortion now, hell! its gone!!!...maybe that is why everyone notices I have lost weight. My shape is still big but back to being very shapely now. I could keep going but these are the major ones....in no particular order.

Maybe I'm doing to much researching about this procedure because now I'm reading about the studies they are doing about people who are having bad complications after 7+ years of having the band....a lot of erosion issues etc. Has anyone's doctor discussed this with them? Has anyone else read about this? I'm driving myself crazy aren't I? The purpose of me getting the surgery is so that I'm healthy and active 10, 20, 30 years down the road, not opening myself up to more complications like stomach erosion?????? How is everyone doing if you have had your band for more than 5 years? I need to get off the internet but I'm really trying to be as informed as possible before I stick out my arm for the happy-go-to-sleep medicine.

10 days Post-Op and still on liquid. I notice if I drink more than three swallows of my protein shake or creamy soup I get a discomfort as it goes down or rather settles into my stomach like a sensation that feels like gas build up and the soup or drink is trying to get through and then creates a pressure that pushes it up so I feel this constriction and then need to burp to relieve the pressure is the best way to describe it. I swallow two or three spoonful's of soup as an example then wait about 20 minutes before attempting more. Am I eating too many bites at once? Has anyone else had this feeling and or is it normal and passes with continued healing? Just thinking this will be a miserable existence if this is what I experience for the remainder of my life while trying to take in nutrition at every meal. Anyone?

So I haven't been on here for a while but had to share with others my experiences with the gastric sleeve. I had my surgery on April 12, 2016 the first 6-8 weeks it was going great some vomiting here and there while getting used to the new ways of life. Then the now and then became more and more frequent til I was vomiting daily. I this was not right so I had a long talk with the doctor he told me he was thinking i had a kink in the sleeve and sent me to a gastroenterologist. This doctor was sure it was a kink and scheduled me for a Esophagogastroduodenoscopy or EGD on August 12, 2016. The EGD went well for about 2 weeks than slowly I started vomiting again more and more, back to the doctor then to get another EGD on October 20, 2016. This time it seemed to do the job by the end of January I was doing good than the beginning of February the vomiting started again back to the doctor and April 25, 2017 EGD #3. I knew it linked again by may but I was sick of it so I decided to stick it out, BAD MOVE on July 27, 2017 I was rushed to the emergency room with Severe dehydration because I couldn't keep anything even ice down. July 29,2017 EGD #4. After that one I could tell it wasn't going to be long be i was back there and i was right November 8, 2017 I went in for EGD #5. After that last one it was a 100% different feeling not for the good but I pushed through and waited it out. I went in for my 2 year post OP appointment on April 10, 2018 (2 days before my 2 year) and doc was not happy to hear I am scheduled for my 6th EGD on May 10, 2018 so after looking at my labs and my upper GI from January I was told that my body is basically like rejecting my sleeve and my new lifestyle I have to live. So now i am waiting for a call from the doctor to start my new journey of having a gastric bypass done on my sleeve (revision) before I could think of what I should say I started crying and repeating "Why on earth did I do this to myself. I regret ever having this damn surgery". She calmed me as much as she could and now I'm waiting for this all to begin. When I was 18 months post OP my OBGYN gave me the go ahead to try for a baby. We decided to wait a little longer because he was working out of state. Now that he's back and we want to start a family I am told that I can't for another couple years. My life is crumbling and I am so disappointed that I can't start the family my boyfriend wants I'm even considering telling him to leave me and find someone that isn't a broken mess.