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I've never been under a size 16, I've dealt with my weight basically all my entire life, I've always been the biggest one in my family. I would try all types of diets, including seeing a physician, I would lose 10 to 20 pounds and gain that, that I took off plus 20 more. Lets cut to two years earlier, I was temping at the university of Miami as a medical assistant back in June 2010, then I was contacted by a physician that I knew and respected and trusted, we use to work together. This doctor was getting ready to open her own practice and ask me would I work for her. Cut forward I was going to be her office manager. That did not happen I worked for her for six months and then terminated. I was hurt I started eating then I couldn't find work. I search for a year no work. Now 2012 signed up with the agency worked for 3 months, April 29, receive a call get To the hospital Shon clasped ( my daughter) got to the hospital she is on life support, she coded 4 x's i was right there i never left her side she died the next day my world up side down now, April 30, a day before her birthday. I craved sugar I ate anything sweet, I had just lost my oldest and only daughter. Food became a way of comfort. I went into depression state I didn't want to talk to anyone, I was MAD. Mad at everyone and mostly mad at God. I felt like he didn't care about me anymore he took my child, my baby. I gained a long of weight and didn't care, my husband started to drink more, when I say in was tension in the house it was tension. I'm better now I ask God to forgive me for being angry with him. Know I've got work do. I'm 285 ponds for the last two years its been one thing after another. It has been hell. Now it's time to work on me. Sorry I was so long wined.

I am about 19 days post-op, and I'm having A LOT of trouble getting my protein in. I am super picky first of all, and I have a horrible gag reflex to textures and tastes. I have found that I really enjoy the NAKED PROTEIN ZONE drinks; however, after I drink even half, my heart starts racing, and for about 4-6 hours I feel like complete poop!?! I feel nauseated and exhausted, etc. Anyone else have this problem? Anyone have anysuggestions? I don't feel like this any other time except after consuming a protein drink... Thanks

I too have had two fills on 5/29 and on 6/26. Total of 6cc's. So far have had very little discomfort with or after the fills. Did not lose much weight the second month but look forward to this next month. The first fill did not have much affect, I was able to eat anything I wanted as well as practically as much as I wanted. Granted, I didn't want as much as I did pre-surgury. As stated before I didnt loose much but I did loose inches, between 10-12 inches in the waist. All good and I also would do it again.

dont feel too bad I thought I could have a last meal closer than what actually happened. I am on 2 Protein shakes a day one protein meal for either lunch/dinner. I was thinking god I would give ANYTHING to have 10 wings the night before my surgery.

I know many pre-op patients have questions about the process. Each one of us is different but I thought I'd share my experience around the surgery and recovery in case it is beneficial to anyone preparing to undergo VSG. Based on my BMI, my doctor put me on a one-week pre-op liquid Protein diet. This consisted of three Protein shakes a day and otherwise Clear liquids. The first couple of days were tough, but by day 3-4 my system had gotten over its carb withdrawal and I tolerated the diet fairly well. I also used this time to wean off of caffeine since my surgeon didn't allow any for 8 weeks post surgery. During the pre-op diet phase I dropped 8 pounts, from 285 to 277. On my surgery day, I arrived at the hospital fairly early. The nursing staff prepared me (IV, gown, support stockings, etc.) and I met briefly with the surgeon and anesthesiologist. I was wheeled into the very cold operating room. Shortly thereafter I was given the IV anesthetic and was fast asleep. I woke up in the recovery area. This was easily the most uncomfortable part of the process as I was coming out of general anesthesia, hooked up to everything and now had a wonderful (not!) urine catheter placed. As I came out of the fog, I remember trying unsuccessfully to negotiate with the nurse to remove the catheter as it was very uncomfortable. After 20-30 minutes in this area I was moved to a wheelchair (a surprisingly challenging endeavor) and was wheeled to my room. Once in the room the PCA pump was attached. This helped greatly with my comfort level. I was also allowed to start sucking on ice chips. I did experience some gas pains but they were manageable. The nursing staff got me up to walk within a couple of hours. My particular facility was absolutely wonderful. It is a small satellite surgery facility of a large hospital and is in the same building as the surgical practice. I think most of the patients are part of the weight loss surgery program. On my particular surgery day I think my nurse had two patients, so I was able to get as much attention as I needed. One key item they were monitoring was my blood sugar which was running low. This was surprising as prior to surgery I was a Type-II diabetic with a normal glucose of 115-120. They gave me IV glucose a couple of times and were monitoring it closely. I progressively felt better throughout the day and evening and walked a few more times. There wasn't much sleeping as it seemed like every 10 minutes someone was in the room to do something. The day shift nurse had been bringing me ice chips in a small medicine cup. The night shift nurse brought a large cup of them with a spoon (what an angel!) By about 3am I was able to get myself out of bed and move to a nearby chair, managing all of the lines and connections carefully. I found that the more mobile I was the better I felt. At 5am I was told that we needed to begin preparing for my discharge. This involved giving me a glass of ice Water which I sipped on. It also involved removal of the catheter and the surgical drain, both of which were momentarily painful. I did feel better after that though. One more walk, a visit from the surgeon and his assistant, and I was discharged a little more than 24 hours after arrival. We stopped at the downstairs pharmacy for the liquid narcotic pain medication. At home, day 1 post-op involved mostly sleeping and relaxing. I had to sleep in a recliner for a couple of days to limit suture pain. I used the narcotic pain med a couple times that day. I began sipping and walking, encountering a little pain but nothing unbearable. By day 2 post-op I was feeling much better. On day 2 I stopped the narcotic pain meds and switched to liquid Tylenol. I had been told I could drive as soon as I was off the narcotics, so switching to liquid Tylenol meant I wasn't tied to the house. By that evening I felt well enough to drive myself to a meeting of an organization I'm involved with. Moving slowly but without much pain, it was nice to get out a little. I noticed I had real challenges with capacity of my new stomach for the first couple of days. It seemed like it would only hold a couple of sips or maybe a teaspoon of broth. On day 3 this got better, and by day 4 I was able to drink liquids and even broth and Soup without much restriction. I think this was the post-op swelling going down a little. My surgery was on a Tuesday and I came home Wednesday morning. My first venture out was Thursday evening. I returned to work the following Monday without any real issues but I have a fairly sedentary office job. I have to say that my recovery was quicker than I expected with relatively few issues and no complications. I know this isn't the rule for everyone. I think it helped that despite weight and Type-II Diabetes I was in generally good physical condition which probably made things easier. I'm now about 10 weeks post surgery. I successfully transitioned diet from liquid to pureed to soft foods and then to regular foods. I've experienced two stalls (one early and one now). I've dropped two shirt and pant sizes and am almost ready for a third. I'm still learning how to manage my weight loss and diet while traveling extensively for business. I have yet to get locked into an aggressive exercise regimen but am trying to do so. But overall this has been a totally positive experience and a decision I am 100% happy with.

I’m scheduled for Wednesday, 12/19!

no change of heart either (a little nervous), my only regret i too wish i had this done 10 yrs ago :crying: good luck with your surgery

Thank You all.. In the original post I had talked about how I was having pain in my left shoulder "above the left breast, bellow the collar bone" and how it was down in my left ribs. I had called my surgeons office about it and they said it sounded like normal excess gas pains from surgery "They have some patiants that complain with gas pains 3 months out" They told me to take it easy and if it didn't get better in a few days to call them back. That was Tuesday that I was finally able to talk to them. Friday I called back because I couldn't take them pain any longer. It was to much for me to be comfortable with, and I was already a big cry baby that day because I was hurting all week. Anyway off subject I called the surgeons office back and they told me that if its hurting still then I need to go to the nearest ER and get it looked at it didn't sound like it was gas pains any longer. The first hospital I went to was in our home town. We sat there and waited for hours before finally getting called back and after they took me back they stuck me twice to put an iv in. Finally i went back for what I thought was a complete CT Scan of my abdomin "boy was I wrong" They scanned my heart and the top part of my lungs for blood clots said everything was clear and perfect and that I could go home. The following night "Saturday" we had dinner with hubby's boss and co-workers. I felt ok "still in pain" so I sat back and listened to everyone chat around 8 I couldn't take it anymore we had to go home. By the time we left the restaraunt and got home my temp was 103.2 I took some tyelnol and a cool shower and went to bed. All night long I ran fever as high as 104.7 and as low as 102.9. Finally hubby was able to get ahold of my surgeon and thank goodness for that. He told hubby to bring me straight to the hospital he was calling ahead for test, but he wanted me here asap. That was around 9:30 we live an hour away so I got here around noon. Got checked in and the test started. First on the list was the chest x-ray which showed pneumonia 2nd on the list was blood work which showed elevated white blood cell count. 3rd on the list came around 10 that night and that was the Contrast CT Scan of my abdonimal area all the way down to my pelvis. That is what showed the fluid build up around the diaphragm and the absess on the outside of the lung. It was from that ever so scary OMG What if It happens to Me Leak!! I never knew I had it and never felt any pain in my stomach/abdominal area. It was always in my chest/shoulder and down my ribs all where the pain from pneumonia presents. I am not pleased with the hospital in our home town and will probably never use them again simply because had they found this Friday Night I would probably be typing this at home instead of in a hospital room over an hour away from my family,,

When I read people losing 10 pounds a week and look at my numbers, it makes me kinda sad. However, every is different, it might mean that my hair won't fall out )

Never deflect your loss as "not impressive." That is 10 pounds more than last month. So, congrats on the loss so far! [emoji3][emoji1474]

:hungry: OK bandsters...help me out. I am 15 days out (still on mushies) and I can't seem to get enough food in me to stay satisfied for more than 2 or 3 hours. I know that once I get my fill I will stay satisfied longer but this is driving me nuts!! I want to keep my caloric intake down to 1200 but I'm not doing a very good job of it right now. I lost 10 lbs the first week on liquids but I don't think I've lost anything since then, because I eat so often. Is it possible that my doc would do my first fill before the 4 weeks is up? Does anybody have any suggestions for mushies that stay with you longer??? Thanks

I am 10 weeks out from surgery and am happy to say I am down 42lbs! I get frustrated sometimes due to my impatience, but I have never lost this much weight so fast. My older brother just saw me this weekend and gave me a big WTG high five. My clothes fit me better and I am actually fitting in to stuff I havent for over two years. I thank God for his guidence in seeking out this surgery, Was it worth it? YES! I would do it again!. All praise to you Lord.

Wow Aries....that's a lot of metal! Lol...I thought I had it bad with my nose, navel, tongue, top of ear (already took out the 3 on each side). Ive had 3 past laproscopic surgeries (2 for female stuff and last one for gall bladder removal). I never took out navel piercing for any of those, even though they wanted me to. They ended up taping it. Just was curious if they were more strict on this one. If had it for 19 years and never taken it out.

Hi I found some great clothes at the Salvation Army as well as ebay I got new suits dress for as low as 10 bucks and get compliments on them everyday since I am smaller . I am more encourage to buy and wear wrap around dress and I get so many compliments , I admit I look great in them lol.

Losing weight in my feet would be AMAZING. I wear a size 11, and most stores here only carry up to a 10. I doubt it'll happen, though. My feet aren't really fat... Sent from my iPhone using the BariatricPal App

Mine is 190, which is what I was my senior year in high school. Back then, I could've lost 10-15 pounds, 20 at the most. So I figure at age 34, I would be pretty happy at 190. However, 190 sets me 40 pounds over my "ideal body weight'. I will reevaluate once I am closer, but I can't imagine anything under 170 as being realistic for my frame and body type (muscular).

I'm 10 days out and still having shoulder pains, too. I'm down a total of 24.8 lbs since the pre-diet 1/5 and my surgery 1/10. Sometimes it's worse than others...as weird as it might seem...a lot of times...(not every time, though) when the pain comes...if I get up and start walking it will ease up. I try to keep my shoulders back and straight...for some reason that seems to take the pressure off of the nerve or whatever is giving me problems. Keep up the good work. I'm right there with ya'. : )

Got my band on 4/14/11 and am completely happy with it. I have about 3 lbs to goal and go between 8s and 10s. I recently got an until and happy to report that I am holding my own and not gaining.

I have lost about 75# in 10 months, I am hoping to be over 90# lost by one year:cool:

77 lbs gone forever and it feels amazing! surgiversary 10/09/12~235 lbs

We took the packaging and they sold it over the counter. My wife wanted Retin-A and her mom needed some blood pressure medicine. The Retin-A was $19 per tube, the BP stuff was $40 a pack ($560 at home). I also got some more PPI. They will sell over the counter unless it is a controlled substance.

I think many of us have that problem, this holiday season. I have an article on stalls that may help explain your problem if it's not like mine (too much food). Our bodies use glycogen for short term energy storage. Glycogen is not very soluble, but it is stored in our muscles for quick energy -- one pound of glycogen requires 4 lbs of water to keep it soluble, and the average glycogen storage capacity is about 2 lbs. So, when you are not getting in enough food, your body turns first to stored glycogen, which is easy to break down for energy. And when you use up 2 lbs of glycogen, you also lose 8 lbs of water that was used to store the "easy" 10 lbs that most people lose in the first week of a diet. As you stay in caloric deficit, however, your body starts to realize that this is not a short term problem. You start mobilizing fat from your adipose tissue and burning fat for energy. But your body also realizes that fat can't be used for short bursts of energy so it starts converting some of the fat into glycogen, and rebuilding the glycogen stores. And as it puts back the 2 lbs of glycogen into the muscle, 8 lbs of water has to be stored with it to keep it soluble. So, even though you might still be LOSING energy content to your body, your weight will not go down or you might even GAIN for a while as you retain water to dissolve the glycogen that is being reformed and stored. I hope this helps.

Hi everyone. I had my gastric sleeve surgery on Wednesday, 12/19/12. I came home from the hospital on Friday, 12/21/12. So far, I am still on liquids but I feel soooo full all the time. It's really uncomfortable. I have to force myself to get my Water and Protein in. I am doing my best. My follow-up appointment isn't until 01/03/13 due to the holidays. I live in Cleveland, Ohio and had my surgery done at the Cleveland Clinic. My diet is "self-advancing." So, basically, I have some guidelines and I move along as I feel I am able. I am supposed to stay with liquids for 1-2 weeks and then move on to pureed foods for another 1-2 weeks and then on to soft foods. I really enjoy reading about the menu/food options on this forum because they offer more detail than my guidelines do. Thank you, in advance, for that. So, just a couple of questions... Did anyone else here have surgery on 12/19/12? Did anyone else have surgery at the Cleveland Clinic? Did anyone else experience this fullness I am having? If so, how long does it last? Also, I have a blog where I have been writing about my journey leading up to surgery. Feel free to check it out if you would like... losercoop.blogspot.com Merry Christmas everyone!

I just had my lap band and a hiatal hernia repair done on Monday 8/19/13 and I'm noticing today Friday that I'm having a very hard time breathing walking to the bathroom knocks the wind out of me almost and I'm just wondering if this is normal or I should call the doctor???

Congrats! I have my date 10/20. I got approved immediately with bcbs but they sure made me go through hoops after approval. Please keep us posted on new updates. Sent from my iPhone using the BariatricPal App