Search the Community

Gosh it's been a while, my update to update to update.. HEH! My tube broke while I was pregnant. I had to pay (out of pocket) about $10k to get a new band put in. Well actually, I had to buy the whole band (you can't buy pieces) and they replaced the tubing & port. Allergan is currently entertaining reimbursement. My doc kept the tubing to show it was defective (it actually just snapped in half). I'll let ya know what ever happens. And my band is not covered by insurance.. Oh man and as for weight gain... pregnancy + Broken Band = bad. I lost 120lbs the first year, gained 60lb while pregnant, and since my band has been fixed (Oct. '09) I haven't gained or lost a single pound.

I posted this on my blog, but I thought it might be important to share here because I am sure I am not the only one who is experiencing this: I know I've been raking on DH a bit here, and usually he's a decent guy, but I don't know exactly what's happening here lately. It's either time for a sit-down or to really get this before a counselor to make it a bit more neutral because, frankly, I don't believe he'll see what he's doing. Since the "coming to Jesus" talk we had (okay, I had with him) a couple weeks ago, on more than one occasion he has made some bizarre comment when I've complimented him after making dinner. I'll say, "Oh, the chicken was good," and he'll reply, "Nah, it's okay. It's just food." The first time I asked what he was talking about and he said he needed to look at food as just sustenance and nothing else. Um, that's NOT what I said. What I said was that he lives to eat and makes everything about the food. So that's been going on a few times since that day. Tonight I said that he needs to stop it, to which he replied that he was only being supportive. I said no, what I feel like he's being is mocking, like he really doesn't get this whole thing I'm going through. I said that it's not bad to enjoy what we eat, it's just that he was so consumed with the act of eating that it was wharped. I said that I wished he was as into me as he is into food, and he thought I was being silly. Uh-huh... *eye roll* Another thing that just started on Friday is that I'm getting a blow-by-blow synopsis of the weight HE has lost by virtually doing nothing. I'm exercising four days a week and eating good meals, every meal, and he's lost over 20 freakin pounds by just not eating all the junk after dinner -- in front of me. And again, he attributes it to "supporting me" -- almost like, "Look how I'm suffering for you because I'm losing weight too." Okay, he's lost almost as much as I have, and now I feel like he's crowing about it (his weight has NEVER been discussed before). The problem with DH is, even if I try to discuss it with him, he is totally lacking in personality or person skills (read: he's very immature). He is not always good with other people, and he seems to lack the ability to understand anything or anyone beyond the end of his nose. Compassion is virtually nil. As Jennifer Aniston would say, there's a sensitivity chip missing sometimes. So when you explain something to him that he's doing, he only knows how to deny. Comprehension doesn't seem to be his strong suit -- especially when it comes from me, unfortunately. I always knew he was going to be the hardest part of this journey, but I guess I never realized just how hard. In the past when I was just dieting, he eventually got his way and we'd start back to eating out again, leading to my weight gain. I'm not blaming him, per se, but still -- if I was doing this only own, I'd have done lost it by now, I feel. But now it's as if he's pulling out all the stops. I dunno, maybe I'm just being sensitive or reading more into it than I should, but I'm not even three months into my journey and we've already had waaaay too many conversations over this. I think that's why I spend so much time on LBT and here -- because these are the places I get support, these are the people that understand what I'm going through. I find it sad that I can get that from people I've never met, yet a man I've known 17 years is either so self-absorbed or so clueless that he doesn't get it.

i am 5 days post-op. just got off the plane and weighed myself when i got home. i have gained 2 pounds! i just read someones post who is one week out and has lost 16 pounds already. i have had nothing but clear liquids for 8 days and feel like i walked home from san diego to oklahoma city. how can this be? im feeling really bummed right now. has this happend to anyone else?

Boniluu - heart goes out to you. Right now, I too am tight - probably too tight. I have PBed daily since my fill 2 weeks ago. The chest pains, slime and reguritation is awful. That said, I have dorpped 8 pounds in 14 days (the 4 I gained + 4 more). I see the doctor again July 6th and unless things change, I will ask for a very slight unfill. I worry about getting enough nutrition plus these "episodes" are very embarrasing. I actually drive around with a roll of papertowels next to me in the car and carry them with me. I wanted a good fill because of the weight gain so I got what I asked for. I can get fluids down and Protein shakes so I won't starve. Hey guys, take care and hang in there. Melinda in Florida

Today i got on the scale and i gained 6 lbs from the last time i weighed myself, but i gained 9lbs since the last time i went to the doctor 2 months ago. Sometimes i get discouraged when i see the scale go up and down. I dont feel like im losing weight but today my co worker said he can tell that i have lost weight. He also told me that youve been working out alot so the weight gain could be the fat turning into muscle and muscle weighs more than fat. When i see the scale go up and down it makes me nervous to weigh myself at home and even more nervous when they weigh me in the doctors office.

My name is heather and I'm a scalaholic. lol. I've done the same thing and experienced the same thing with the weight gain after peeing. Or even seeing the scale stay the same! I weigh myself about 2 or 3 times a day. Usually 1st thing in the morning. If it's a weekend I'll wait an hour and weigh myself after the morning weigh in and then I usually weigh myself at night just to see how much i'm up from the day. So no it's not just you there are others out there just like you!

Some fat free products have a lot of sugar to make up in taste. I'd be more concerned about sugar free vs fat free. It's sugar that leads to insulin resistance, which leads to weight gain. Aren't you able to eat real food yet? Why still on Protein Shakes?

Oh, and just think about your last pre-band plateau. I know the last time I dieted and hit a plateau I was gaining pounds back within a week. By contrast, during my recent 6 week post-band plateau I lost and gained the same 3 pounds multiple times, but because of the restriction of the band I didn't lose hope and eat, eat, eat my way out of the plateau and into another weight gain. So yea, our bands are working the way they're supposed to - helping us lose and keeping our place when we're not losing :-)

Weight gain

I have talked to my doctor about it but he just said i'd have to find something that wasn't an antiinflammatory because of ulcers. Also I did hear that Lyria did cause weight gain and since i'm already fighting that battle , i'm looking for something else.

I can relate to everything you're saying here @mrssoupmix my cholesterol issues are also genetic (not to mention the obesity). I developed Plantar Fascitis in the Army, and with the weight gain I've become queen of the frumpy shoes. And I completely agree--the procedures have come a long way. That's the first thing the surgeon told me after I shared the story of my father. I feel like this surgery isn't just about the weight, it's about EVERYTHING--the apnea, cholesterol, arthritis, PF, you name it. Thanks for sharing!

I just read on a pregnancy weight gain thread in the pregnancy forum that someone there had a failure of the iud and ended up preggers. I wouldn't think that being banded would have anything to do with the failure but I am curious. My TOM is a lot worse since being banded, even with control measures that usually made my period almost non-existant. It used to be a minuscule nuisance to being a huugggee problem now.

Did they stop coming here because of the weight gain or was it completely unrelated?

I had surgery in June 2010 and reached goal in Dec of that same year. I didn't do any "formal" exercise at the gym, but I have a weighted ball at home, go up and down stairs and park as far as I can when I go shopping. I walk the mall.....as one doctor said, JUST MOVE, and I do. That said, my calories were LOW during that six month losing period, starting out with less than 300 there for a couple of weeks, but from about week 3 on, I got a little more in. I slowly started getting more calories as time went on, between 350 and 800, NEVER more than 800 when I was losing and only that many off and on that last month. I have been maintaining for a little over 2.5 year and only get 1300 per day. You'll have people tell you to UP your calories, bologna. Upping calories = weight gain, it isn't rocket science. I was at a WLS support group two nights ago and the PhD doctor said the same thing, but was a little more elegant about it. He said the 'starvation mode' and our bodies 'holding onto calories' is a myth. No proven statistics, ever. He said unless we are in a prisoner of war camp, low calories are not going to disrupt our metabolism. Now THAT makes sense.

@@JupiterinVirgo thank you for your post I just got home from the hospital and I am feeling pretty good. I am sore but my surgery was just 2 days ago. I really need this to work for me...I can't wait until I start seeing weight loss instead of my usual weight gain. I am feeling hopeful so I think thats a good start

And that is perfectly fine. And completely your right. Perez Hilton is just blowing this whole thing out of proportion. everything is all fine and dandy with him as long as it aligns with his opinion of life. But when someone goes against how he feels, watch out. Then there is a personal vendetta. He is the worlds biggest hypocrite, as evidenced on how he makes fun of Jessica Simpson for her weight gain, yet praises Beth Ditto (or whatever her name is) from The Gossip on being so hot.

I think 20 years ago I had issues. Volatile family life when I was young (parents split, mom tried to shoot my dad, ya know, nothing really big :cry). Then once my dad left, my mom was devastated and at 13 I had to take care of her. When I got older, I started finding men who needed to be fixed (drinkers), who needed to be taken care of. Thankfully, I went to counseling 20 years ago to figure that stuff out and to understand those issues. For the last 10 years I have had a great marriage with a wonderfully flawed man, who does not drink, has a good job, is funny, my best friend, and although he cannot fix the car or hang dry-wall, is one of the smartest, kindest, and most interesting people I have ever met. I don't try to fix him, nor does he try to fix me, rather we support each other. I have a great kid (who is actually my niece but that is another long story). Life is pretty awesome except for my weight. So, certainly part of the reason I have had weight issues my whole life come from the under-pinings of a volatile childhood and a family (not husband) who to this day needs me to take care of them in some form or another. But part of it is genetics and learned behaviors from those who should have been teaching us the right way to eat, exercise, live... The real question your friend should have said to you is, what are those behaviors that have contributed to your weight gain and how can you un-learn or modify those behaviors. So tell your friend you probably only need to see a dietitian instead of a shrink...

You need to weigh at the same time, preferably in the morning. By evening, you have 3 meals in your tummy/sleeve or in your intestines, which will affect your weight by evening. Water weight gain alone will tip the scales in the opposite direction. Also, muscle weighs more than fat, so as you're cutting back on calories and exercising, you are building muscle. Before surgery I had major problems with lower leg edema (Fluid buildup) and without the Lasix I could easily pack on 4-5 pounds of water in my body and legs. Thankfully that has eased up. I'm 8 days Post-OP and have seen a drop in weight since surgery. I'm now about 31 pounds down since beginning this journey. Good luck!

Tomorrow I go to the meeting at Beth Israel Deac and next week I go to my final meeting at Brigh and Wom. For some reason I gravitate towards the Brig. One thing I definitely want is a facility with a good post op support ring to attend and good aftercare as well as a good facility and , above all, experienced specialist. So next week I will be on the forum looking up drs and finding out about the treatment received by the guys and gals here. Do they provide a nutritionist to help you lose the 10 lbs? Even 10 lbs is monumental for some of us! One of the many reasons I chose the Band vs the GP, music, is the weight gain is not scaringly dramatic! I'd rather lose steadily and moderately...if I don't do it that way, my body will look sick and saggy ...especially at my age (a young looking 59 so I am told)

Laphappy...congrats on your surgery and don't get discouraged by the weight gain as it is due to the surgery. You'll loose that pretty soon...just think of all the fluids they pumped you up with! Those fluids don't flow easily out until you're up and about walking around. I had bruising as well and although my port site was sore at first it healed rather quickly. For me it was the incision that is up on your left by your ribs that took forever for me to feel ok with. I asked Dr. Jones and Angi why it hurt so much and they told me that's because that's the site that most of the work is done through in regards to moving your liver out of the way and putting the band around your stomach. There is alot more in and out motion in that area and that spot took me over a month and a half to finally feel normal. I had a hard time getting up and down for about a week and a half as well. No surgery is easy peasy and your body thinks it went through a train wreck lol. One day at a time. Hello my other BIDMC gals! I went to see Dr. Jones today and met Scott. DH and him hit it off both being military of course. My DH was on Submarines for 9-10 years so they talked alot about that stuff. I liked the fact that he asked alot of questions and gave me answers for stuff I had. Example...I sometimes have acid reflux. Seems mostly when my period is due and that is when my band is tighter too. Dr. Jones says....if I get that 3-4 days in a row I need to probably have a little fill taken out as it's not good and can cause other problems. If I throw up too much it causes something that brings on memory loss too? I told him I seem to only throw up once a month and again it's usually when it's close to my period and I think it's because I don't realize how swollen my body is...eat like I'm used to and BINGO too much too fast BLECK. I need to learn still to slow down even more. Anyway....Jones was very happy with my weight loss and said he doesn't need to see me for another 6 months unless I call them with a problem. I asked if I felt I needed a fill could I call he said yes but, if I'm getting acid reflux that could be that I have too much fill and if I lose more weight and it adjusts itself so I'm not getting it anymore then that means I'm at the right level of fill. Soooo I stay where I am fill wise...and see him in 6 months Ohh and OMG I hit 75 pounds lost today Yippee Skippee.....3 more pounds to ONDERLAND!

I agree with the post surgery swelling. Give your poor body a chance to recooperate. Try not to feel like you should have woken up from surgery all of a sudden "skinny". I'm 33 days post op. I was on a 2 week stall, then I gained 5 lbs, started my period and turned into overweight psycho lady. That was last week. Woke up this morning and have lost 6lbs!!! Don't stress over a lb. Don't even stress about 10 lbs!!!! Stress causes weight gain! The best advice I can give you is to stick to your surgeons post op plan and walk walk walk walk. It gets better!!! I promise.

The sleeve really does help keep portions in control. I promise I did not diet during my maintenance time, but I was conscious of my food choices. I eat anything and everything I want. Grant it, about 85-90% of the time I still eat Protein first, but I enjoy all foods. I drink soda, alcohol(not in pregnancy), enjoy a lot of social gatherings which revolve around food. So, I do feel I live a pretty normal little life with food. BUT, I put in the work early out when really didn't have room for a lot of other foods. I remember even getting into maintenance, and being perfectly content with a few chips/crackers. Now, I can sit around mindlessly eat an entire "Big Grab" (those 99cent) bags of Funyuns.or half a sleeve of crackers without restriction. Those are the habits that I was talking about in my first reply. The sleeve really does help us not gain the weight back, but the sleeve doesn't stop ice cream, Cookies, carby/fat/fried foods from sliding right through. None of the WLS options stop carbs and sliders. So, we still have to be mindful and diligent in our food choices. My weight gain was over the holiday season last year. From Halloween to New Years, we attended a bunch of parties, social events, get togethers, etc etc and they all involved alcohol in copious amounts, party foods, Snacks. Seriously, every other weekend, I had somewhere to be and had food and booze in hand. Over those 3 months, I had a solid 7lb gain. I saw the scale gradually go up, and thought "oh it's Water weight from the booze". Low and behold, the new year came and those pounds were still there. I went back to just my normal eating habits, not dieting, just protein first for my meals, and I dropped those pounds in a little over a week. I admittedly hate working out. It's no different than scrubbing toilets. I could probably have more laxity in my food intake if I worked out more. However, I don't want to work out, I don't want to go to a gym, I really just hate exercising. That is a big part of my pregnancy weight gain. I'm eating 1700-1800( about 400-500 more calories than what I ate in maintenance) calories a day with a minimum of 100-200gr of carbs, and 80-100gr of protein per day. The sweet/junk food cravings are unbelievably difficult to fight at this point. I've never dealt with this level of head hunger, or cravings in my life. So, I know that it's pregnancy, and the fact that my eating habits have changed in pregnancy. The lack of physical hunger really is my #1 contributor to my success. I know my sleeve limits, I also know how to cheat the sleeve so it is still all on me to make the best decision on what goes in my mouth for every meal, every day. I can still go several hours without eating. I still never get a stomach growl, or any physical sign that I need to eat. But, I can eat every hour on the hour if I choose. That's the part that is very hard to overcome for me. I know I can eat a meal, and then an hour later I can wander into the pantry and eat more. I wanted to just put it out there that losing was easy, and maintenance is where I (and many others) struggle. That was my issue before surgery as well. I could lose on WW, or any other "diet attempt", but life would happen and I'd gain back what I lost and then some. For me, the most successful sleeve patients out there are the ones who made major behavioral modifications, and really adhered to a solid plan post-op. I have read 100s of topics from people who experience several stalls, slow weight loss, and/or their weight loss comes to a complete halt because they think that the sleeve will do all the work. Sadly, those same patients post how they don't want to diet, how they want normalcy. Well, I hate to say it, but most of us are NOT normal. If we were, none of us would have sought surgical intervention. Pretty much if you are diligent with food choices, and allow indulgences in moderation, the sleeve works. I can still suck down a milkshake, or eat an ice cream without issue. I really do live by the mantra of "just because I can; doesn't mean I should". It's not always easy, but the sleeve helps tremendously.

I am just wandering is anyone else gets the dapo birth control shot the one you get every 3 months, I am considering getting the shot only problem is that my obgyn says weight gain is a side effect.

I have been on DepoProvera for more than 10 years. I have had no side effects. If there is weight gain, it is minimal and mostly Water. I also don't have to suffer with having periods. In the beginning there were some spotting and breakthrough bleeding issues but they went away fairly quickly. I have had no depression or anything else...mostly bliss since I have no periods and don't even have to go to the dr's office for shots. My niece is an RN and gives them to me. Whatever you decide, good luck! Happy Banding, The Pool Girl

Definitely do it! At 71, 100lbs overweight, in pain constantly, both knees destroyed by arthritis, peripheral neuropathy in both feet with hot burning pins and needles when standing and walking, back pain. My journey started in orthopedics with knees, steroid injections, worked well most of the time, but didn't stop the occasional fall [3 to 4 times a year]. I knew sooner or later something would break. I would have had knee replacement sooner except for covid & elective surgeries were cancelled for two years [socialized medicine ***]. No weight gain, but developed hypertension. Researched weight loss thru ***, and because I had obstructive sleep apnea, I would qualify, and found this bariatric surgery should be first before the knees. I researched, attended classes, youtube videos, surgeons, after care, supplements etc. I wanted the Roux-N-Y but at my age surgeon said no, VSG. The surgeon recommended to me, is EXTREMELY strict and no BS kind of guy, he canceled my first surgery date because he didn't like something I did, so I really buckled down to his protocol. I knew I would have nausea and vomiting from anesthesia so I told EVERYONE, to give me whatever so this didn't happen. Well...it happened, no medication, and postop recovery the uncontrollable violent projectile dry heaves started, nurse good, gave IV Zofran, the IV Reglan and within a few minutes it stopped, but it was bad. I went home the next day. I had all my foods for week two, supplements etc. I am keeping up with supplements and fluids but not hungry. Dr said eat 1/4 cup every 2-3 hours otherwise your body will try to hold on to everything and the metabolism shifts. I'm going to add the vitamin patches from Bariatric Pal to my daily regimen of chews and capsules, [ I am very fatigued] for a while and see how this works. I use Mira Lax/:axa Clear equivalent in my morning water bottle and use a stool softener at night. Find whatever works for you, the stool softeners alone did not work for me. Trying to find my new normal, I knew it would be a process. I have NO regrets, and would tell anyone considering surgery to 'go for it' and FOLLOW directions strictly. Once I pass the phase of full liquids and get into pureed foods it will be another advancement. During surgery found a hiatal hernia and did the repair. Who Knew?! I didn't, glad it's done. My significant weight loss will help me in recovery for total knee replacement. I'm looking forward to repairing the rest of my body in my older age. Best wishes to you. Surgery May 15.