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My surgery has been a personal journey. No family, friends, work are aware. Only my husband outside of medical staff. Therefore, I cannot share pics but wish I could. I started out in a size 16, BMI 35. Now I am able to get into some 10s, 12 very comfortably. As you must be aware, this choice is not exactly main stream accepted...yet! It comes with criticism about being lazy and just not trying hard enough, or taking the easy way out. This far from the easy way out. In one of the pre surgical meetings another patient said I didn't need the surgery. Granted her bmi was much greater than mine. An attitude I dealt with from many others during the pre surgical process. According to every weight chart I did qualify and I was the one willing to take the necessary steps to admit, and correct the fact that I was unable to lose and maintain weight loss on my own. Humbling. Having had enough, I looked her in the eye and told her it really wasn't a very fair judgement since I did not judge why it took her so long to make the decision for surgery. Borderline BMI or under 40 BMI patients face criticism from society and are not as supported for their decision both socially and by some medical staff. We tend to have to keep our choice for surgery hidden. Not fair, but true until care givers become more supportive and less judgmental. This surgery is becoming a very healthy cash cow so I anticipate a major attitude change in the next 5 years or so. Hopfully you are getting all the support you need and the criticism is minimal and easily ignored. Some criticize because they do not have the courage or the ambition it takes to do this. If you face any of those people, consider them jealous and stay on track. We have to stay diligent for the rest of our lives for lifelong success. I did this for a better health. If it is a choice for me between improving my health or someone else's opinion...they lose!! My almost 30 lb loss includes the lbs lost pre surgery. Post surgery it has been 20 & climbing. Stay off the scale daily. I was just stressing myself out. Once a week now. I have stalled in the past week but I know plateaues are to be expected. Eating all foods now. You will find what works best for You. Immediately following surgery egg drop Soup worked best. Goes down easy & high in Protein. I had trouble this week with chicken and pork tenderloin. Both came back up. Cooked the pork in the crock, shredded and chewed a lot but just too dense. Chicken was dry and just got stuck. I accept responsibility that I have to eat much more slowly. Lesson learned. Don't be scared to try things when it is time. Everyone is different. Even if it comes back up I is not like when your are illness sick. It comes back up, you feel better, done. Those 2 times are the only 2 times. Are you thirsty? I am and so was every other VSG patient in our post op group meeting. I believe this is different than the other bypass surgeries. Keep up the good work! I am thrilled I had it done. Hope your results are similar.

I'm 10 days post op. As for me, this happened to me as well. I would say give it time. Mine went away within a week post op. Hope it helps.

In order to stop something, you have to start something. This beautiful brave soul's name is Kaycha Baez from Florida, and her story speaks for itself. Kaycha's Weight Loss Journey has now turned into a Journey of Justice and wants to take action to help make a difference in taking the first steps in perhaps paving the way for others. Kaycha needs to go to Mexico and file a complaint in person against Almanza and Weight Loss Agents. According to the existing laws in Mexico, a victim must file in person with the appropriate authorities to open an official Mexican Government investigation against Almanza and Weight Loss Agents. As of today, there are no formal complaints against Almanza/Weight Loss Agents and that is why he continues to operate with impunity. The Mexican authorities are aware of the problems posted on online, but without a formal complaint, it's all hearsay. Let's all work together to help these victims get the justice they deserve. In Mexico, the authorities are looking for both civil and criminal charges against Almanza and Weight Loss Agents but without proof and a formal complaint, they can do nothing. Anything to help Kaycha get to Tijuana, Mexico would help, $5, $10, $20, etc.., so Kaycha can be the first victim to file a formal complaint against Almanza and Weight Loss Agents in Mexico to help save others from potentially suffering from what Kaycha is going through, or what other families are going through, or worse, like death of a loved one. For the victims with leaks, nicked intestines, nicked spleen, cut liver, infections, or medical problems caused by this butcher named Almanza and Weight Loss Agents, please contact me and let's organize to file formal complaints, to put this butcher in jail, and stop the this human slaughter. Please click on the link below, read Kaycha's story, and help if you can. This is the fundraising campaign for Journey to Justice: http://gofund.me/KaychaBaezDiaz There are many good surgeons in Mexico, but Almanza is not one of them. http://www.10news.com/…/team-10-investigates-agency-respons…

Hello, I too am in Canada, Windsor Ontario, and am flying out of Detroit. Can you tell me how you felt on your flight home? Were you nauseous at all? I am getting sleeved on sept 10 and wondered how I will feel on the long flight back. thanks

It took me at least 10 months to lose 60 pounds aT a year out I'm down 98 pounds. we all lose at our own rate. 60 pounds is excellent!

Wait what? You are disappointed to have "only" lost 60 pounds in 4 months?!?!?! That's an average of 15 pounds a month! I didn't even lose 15 pounds my first month post-op. And after that I averaged about 6 pounds per month for the next several months. Now I'm happy with TWO pounds a month! Sounds to me like you set some very unrealistic expectations for yourself. Can I ask you a very serious question? Why do you feel you need to lose the weight so quickly? I lost weight MUCH more slowly than you have and now I'm only 3.6 pounds from goal. Even though I lost weight "slowly", I'm still reaching my goal. I'm still way happier and healthier than I've ever been. Why does it matter how long it takes you to get there, as long as you get there eventually? This isn't a diet. Once you are at goal, you won't be "done". Your WLS is forever. Ten years from now when you are enjoying your happy, healthy life, is it going to matter that it took you 18 months to reach your goal weight instead of 12? NOPE! PS: Just did the math. It took me 10 months to lose 60 pounds....

I wa there for about 1 hour. had to have blood tests no food for 10 hours before bloods being taken only Water. so was pleased when i could have a cup of tea.. had a ecg which to monitoir the heart. to see if it healthy enought for surgery. blood presure taken. then went to see nurse she asked load of questions and that was all. cant wait for the 30th then i can start to lose even more weight!!! already lost 2 stone since dec o7.. hope this helps :thumbup: Ann x

@@2goldengirl - Wow! Gymnast and windsurfer! How cool! I a not that brave. I have had the A/C reduction also on my right shoulder (and bone spurs removed and capsule shift as shoulder was dislocating). Took 3 surgeries. Wrong dr the first 2 times obviously. I was 32 at the time and had pain in that shoulder since I was 19. Appeared to just be some sort of genetic thing because I was never a sports participator. Then about 5 years ago I had a rotator cuff tear on my left shoulder which had to be repaired. Again, no specific injury so they don't know what caused it other than the bone spurs which they removed / reduced. Good news is I mostly have no issues now. I have noticed with weights and certain machines I have to shift the way I do the movement to reduce the stress though. Glad you have sought help for it. That arthritis is tough! My rheumatologist gave me Voltaren Gel for random joint aches. It really helps. Best of luck on your search for the right resistance exercises!

I am interested if you do something starting January 2017. I just had surgery 4 weeks ago and I'm not yet released for anything too strenuous. Had lapband surgery 10/12/16

Well, I must have been the luckiest bandster ever, or the doc just managed to deaden some nerve in my tummy - because I have had so little pain that it hardly bears mentioning. The gas has been present - occassonally a little pressure, but not painful or problematic. I have been reading about new bandsters with pain for a long time and I was quite surprised NOT to be one of them. I am generally such a wuss!:knockedou I went on Tuesday (2/21) to my two week post-op visit with Doctor Fox. While I haven't lost any weight officially, I know that my measurements are still catching up to the 16 pounds I lost on the pre-op diet. My clothes fit again - and my face is visibly thinner. I forgot about that pointy chin I have... While this makes me happy, I still need to get up and get back to the gym. Work has been so crazed lately that I have been very bad - I haven't been to the gym since prior to surgery! This weekend - it's the Treadmill or Bust. I have not been very compliant on the food side, either... I started eating things consistently a day or two prior to when the doc's diet said I could... Bad me. I have currently eaten everything except steak - including bread. I had a fish sandwich for lunch. I have the Vanguard band - and while I have some limited restriction during the day, I have little or none at night. So far, though, this has not distressed me too much. I am practising my chewing skills. Knowing how much I have to concentrate on this act, now, I guess I spent the last 40 years swallowing my food practically whole. Considering how fast I used to eat, that's not impossible. :yuck: I have to guard against getting hungry - since that is when it is very difficult for me to get the food fully ground up before swallowing. There have been several times when I knew that some not-quite-well-chewed bit got past me - and I was waiting for the pain - but it never came. The big band means that the food is pretty much just Pausing - and then moving right by. So far, I haven't had any major portion control issues - maybe just slowing down is enough that the stop signal gets hit. I am on the fence about getting a fill. My doc says I can have one after my one month visit on the 7th - but I am afraid. I mean, geez... I have no pain and I can eat anything I want if I chew it well. My bathroom scale said I was down a couple of pounds today - so do I really want one? But, on the other hand - I have already said that the food is only pausing - the big band is mostly worthless without a fill... and the danger of being able to eat anything is that I will eat everything. No restriction is too much temptation. I think I will have to get a small fill - whether I want to or not. I got this surgery for a reason, and no matter how nice it is to be spoiled, I better take the next step. *fear* I hate pain and I don't want any PB's!!! I really am in this for the long haul, though. I don't want to lose weight so fast that my whole body sags and I get that big wattle under my chin. I am doing what I can to stave off the panni problem - I wear a girdle 24/7. A comfy one to sleep in and a tougher one during the day. I started wearing it about 2 days after surgery. My belly flopping around was way more uncomfortable than wearing the girdle! I wish I had started doing it 10 yrs ago when the panni first started to hang!! I know I will have to have PS if I ever want to have a flat belly. It's just a fact. I am wearing a sports bra to lounge and sleep in, too. I don't want the girls getting bruised on my knees!! It's an adjustment to sleep with garments on - but I guess it will be nicer if I ever have to run from a fire in the night or anything. LOL! Thank goodness for Bestform. They make a lovely cotton-spandex sports bra that slips on over your head in big-girl sizes. No tags, no hooks, just soft support. Again, I should have started sleeping in one when I was 14. Oh well... I will never mess with the girls - not even if I have to roll them up to get dressed in the morning.... So far, this thing is working... I have evolved a little bit now that I have the official ok to eat real food. I was eating yogurt & cheese and soft things all day at work and then eating a little bit of whatever DH cooked for dinner. These last couple of days I have just been drinking my breakfast shake (min. 40 grams of protein + vitamins & calcium) and eating some small thing for lunch. Yesterday, I had a cup of Chili. Today I had the fish sandwich. I am pretty sure that my calories have gone DOWN by doing this... I was parcelling out about 800-900 calories worth of protein shake, SF pudding, cheese, yogurt, etc and just nibbling all day long - which was GREAT for keeping me from getting hungry - but with just the shake and one thing for lunch, I am probably at 700-800 calories instead - depending on the day and the phase of the moon. But DANG - you could eat a lot of stuff, if everything comes in under 70 calories! I think that I will never properly count calories - I mean, I hate that crap - but I need to keep in mind what the calorie counts on my food are. I imagine after my fill, everything will evolve again - which is fine, too. Ruts are bad. I don't ever want my body to "get used" to anything, except for exercise! I think I will have to boil myself up some chicken breasts and do like I used to do when I did Atkins - low carb during the week, anything on Saturday. Maybe banded, I can carb on Sundays, too. It's hard being pure around my beloved. But, I do lots better when I don't have to worry that I have the right foods. Chicken & cheese sticks with dipping sauce were a staple during the Atkins days. I just need to make them up again. If the food is here, and easy access, I will eat it... most of the time. I also know that, even with no fill, exercise would make the difference. It takes A LOT of calories to move my beautiful bulk... Now, if I could just get work under control again, so that I could consistently get to the gym, life would be good. The biggest problem is that before I was banded, I would work until 7 - get home at 8 - run to the gym, come home and eat at 9:30 or 10:00. That won't fly any more. Not only will I drop from low blood sugar; but I have to eat before 9 so I can go horizontal without a pouch full of food. I *might* have to try going *GASP* in the morning before work. (ICK!!! Did I just type that?!?) I am going to have to do SOMETHING - cause I have to get to the gym at least 3 times a week - and there are only two days in the weekend! LOL. Maybe a snack in the late afternoon and coming in a wee bit earlier to work. Hmmm. A little earlier to work seems easier to accomplish than actually working OUT before work - and the whole showering in public thing has never really worked for me. Yeah, that's the ticket. If I get in earlier, SUPPOSEDLY I can leave earlier. We'll see how that goes. I got here just after nine today. For me, that was early - by almost an hour! If you are not me, and you have read through all this blather, I love you too. I figure you must love me to read through all this personal sorting out. Hope you are having a great day, and that something more exciting than this entry happens to you, soon. (in a good way.) :]

Hey everyone, I'm researching the Lap Band procedure and any info is appreciated. I do not have insurance, however, I have access to the fees it will take to get the procedure done, so anyone out there who also did not have insurance and you have any info, also appreciated!!! Please share with me your thoughts, your progress, your feelings...... I am 48 years old, and I am emotionally and physically drained. I can't go on at this weight I carry around. I isolate and avoid social situations, and of course this is why I have not enjoyed a relationship with a man for the last 10 years. I know this sounds silly, but I don't want to die alone. I have no children, the sense of loss and feelings of regret and time lost haunts me every day, and I need to, well, "get a life." I look forward to sharing with you....

Rules for 2008 Make realistic goals for yourself, write them down, pray about them and try to achieve them! Go through your cell phone, caller id, calendar, and email addresses and discard all the people and events that mean you no good or don't benefit your life! Stop making excuses about your life and make changes! If you are involved w/a person, job, or circumstance that is doing more harm than good, do yourself a favor - LET IT GO! Stop being someone’s mistress; especially if you are aware that you are!!!! If you a re between the ages of 22-35 please start listening to more than Hip-Hop! Take care of your kids and devote a weekend or two when you spend "quality" time with them. Who cares if you miss out on a "mix"! You can party anytime! Get your debt in order! Eventually you'll want a nice home and car in your name! Stop spreading senseless rumors and try to get your own life in order! Listen more! Talk Less! Give without worrying about it! Tell him no for once! Tell people you love them before you hear about some great tragedy in the world or lose a close friend! Speak clearly and not ignorantly! Anyone can be a fool. If you are married, stop cheating. If you're guilty of this, ask God to forgive you and don't do it again! Remember the Ten Commandments. Stop waiting on Tax Season and Save Now! Eat what you need and not just because you can! See how long you can go without checking your cell phone wh en it's not ringing. Be more positive and stop being a grouch! I didn't do it to you boo! STOP HATIN! If you don't like my style, kick rocks! DO YOU! Start telling your children that when you're having a "grown folks" conversation, they need to go play. Remember they are like sponges. Appreciate everyone. WHY do we put each other down for the most ridiculous things?!? If you are a person of color and you live w/or work in a white environment don't be the one showing the latest dances, singing the new Jay-Z or teaching Ebonics. Be better not bitter! Men and women! Cry more! It's therapeutic. Stop tripping about not being where you want to be! What have you been doing to get there?!? If you aren't in relationship, it's not the end of the world! Self love is more valuable! Keep your opinion to yourself! We all know what others should do, but what about you? If God delivers you from a messy relationship, friend or situation, why do you keep PULLING THEM BACK? Let it go! FORGIVE! FORGIVE! FORGIVE! All of us have been forgiven for some low life things! So open your heart! Remember - God forgave you. Men, stop trying to be so hard when it comes to relationships. Let that guard down before you lose the one that's meant for you! Speak up for yourself! Learn a new hobby! Broaden your mind. If you're single, start going on more dates with different types of people. Don't just stick to the same type of woman or man! Stop forwarding all the text messages you receive; everyone doesn't have unlimited text messaging!! Stop replying to ALL! Live like today is your last day, love like God taught us, and laugh like you've never laughed before! You'll live longer. Lastly, if it's only 5 minutes a day have a little talk with Jesus! Let Him know you want to be better today than you were yesterday and watch Him turn things around for you! Top 10 Predictions for 2008 The Bible will still have the answers. Prayer will still work. The Holy Spirit will still move. God will still inhabit the praises of His people. There will still be God-anointed preaching. There will still be singing of praise. God will still pour out blessings upon His people. There will still be room at the Cross. Jesus will still love you. Jesus will still save the lost. God whispers in your soul and speaks to your mind. Sometimes when you don't have time to listen, He has to throw a brick at you. It's your choice: Listen to the whisper, or wait for the brick. Author Unknown

I am on the praise team at our church and sang 10 days post op. I was a little winded but it was nothing major. Within a month I was fine.

Hi Perez! The Low Sodium broth is what you want. Pacific is nice because it is organic, but if you want you can use Swanson low sodium chicken broth for much less money. I bought unjury Chicken Soup flavored Protein and returned 3 unopened containers to them for a refund because it has a lot of sodium in it. I also bought the chocolate flavor and just didn't like and they let me return the unopened containers as well. The unflavored Unjury Protein is good if you have to have it. I don'[t like the Protein powder much, but is much better than buying Protein shakes. They are gross. I tried several and even the ones the doctor's office gave me as samples were sickening. I like the unflavored the best. I am one of those people that can taste the difference without being told if something has a sugar substitute in it. I have never been able to drink sugar free sodas or drinks for that reason and that is the most challenging problem I have. I drink Water all day and soy Silk Milk, but I don't like it too much either because I can taste "soy" and after a while in cream Soups, become sick of the soup because of the aftertaste. I found Pacific brand Red Pepper and Tomato Soup to be a life saver. Found it cheaper at a Bi-Mart store in Oregon. Just under $3 for 32 oz carton. They have other flavors, but this is my favorite. Just know that if you buy Unjury, it took me over 1 1/2 weeks to get it, but they also have an easy product return policy, but you pay to ship back. I was pleased with them. Order the unflavored to try. There are 17 or 19 scoops in each container and the cost is under $20 per container. Note: Milk may not sit well on your stomach after surgery. That is why I went to Soy Silk Milk. I bought some 1% milk and am trying it out now, 4 weeks after surgery. Still hurts a little drinking it straight, but good in my soups and no tummy ache. Good luck. I just started on Soft Foods this week!!!! Yay... Was on liquid diet for 2 weeks prior to surgery and 4 weeks after. I had Gastric Sleeve as outpatient day surgery, stayed in the area for 2 days then home and I did really well. My surgery was on 12/3/12. Contact me if you have any questions.

A liquid is technically anything that can go up a straw and at 10 days out they can be quite thick. There isnt any need to live on shakes. You could blend up a decent Soup - one that contains meat and Pasta for example. If you need to thin it, do so with some chicken stock or a canned tomatoes, Water or milk, depending what it is. You can also blend fruit, yogurt and an egg with some flavouring, it doesnt have that horrid soy-ish Protein shake taste. You can put bran or other Cereal in it too. You can thin anything to a liquid, even a roast dinner. Just make it into a savoury soup with stock. Just keep it to healthy, energy giving foods and dont eat them in solid form until you are allowed to.

I worry about the skin. It I'm hopeful that with toning it won't be so bad. My surgery is Friday and I follow up in 10 days. Hopefully at That time he will let me know when I can start working on toning. I think it's really a hit or miss genetically. My sister lost about 120 lbs a few years ago and had a lot of excess skin and surgery. I am praying that I have better skin but if not, I know what I'm in store for. My concern is that I'm self-paying for my surgery so I worry that insurance might not cover the ski. Surgery. Good luck and positive vibes coming your way!!

Hello Sorry to hear you are having problems with your liquids! If you can't get your Protein down, focus on your Water. With only 11 oz you will become dehydrated. For me, "small sips" were so small I could barely tell I had anything in my mouth. What I was taught was "an ounce every ten minutes"... because that's 6 an hour, times 10 hours a day= your min. To do this the straw was just about attached to my mouth! It took me a good couple weeks before getting my water in wasnt a struggle. Also, are you drinking everything cold? Cold is generally bad for sleevers. Cold KILLED my sleevie. Do warm liquids, broth, bouillon, decaf coffee (IF you are allowed), tea (again, IF you are allowed).... warm tends to go down MUCH easier. Some people use a candle warmer to keep their drink warm since it takes us so long to drink them. Good luck!

I'm starting to get nervous! I've already been trying to cut back and watch what I'm eating and slowing down on sodas. I know this is all things I'm going to have to do, so I'm taking the steps now so I don't go into shock when I actually HAVE to do it. I know I get to skip a couple steps like sleep study and gallbladder since I've already had my gallbladder removed and am already on a CPAP machine. I'll have to go through a 3 month Dr. supervised diet for my insurance. I just I'm just rambling on and on. I keep thinking...what if I do really good on this diet and the insurance says, you can do it on your own??? I've got over 200 lbs to lose and I've gotten to the point where I KNOW I can't do this alone. I've started and dropped Weight Watchers more times than I can count... My husband doesn't really approve of WLS, but keeps saying he will support me in any decision I make for myself. But I have noticed that he is not very open to me talking about it. He doesn't stop me, but I can just tell he's not really listening to me. Although I do believe he is making an effort. I will have a big support system in my niece, who is hopefully coming to live with me before my surgery. I also have a cousin who had lapband about 10 years ago, and she's a big support as well, although she lives 400 miles away but is always a phone call away. I know this surgery (or any other WLS) is not a cure all and that it will be like a walk in the park to lose weight afterwards. I know I will have to work harder than I've ever worked at anything in my life. But I worked very hard to have my son. And if I went through that, I can go through this so that I can be the mother I want and need to be to him. I don't want to be a mother on the sidelines. I want to be right in the middle of it!! Right now, I don't go to movies or concerts or ballgames or anywhere like that. I'm too big to fit in the seats. I can't go into a store and buy clothes. I have to order my clothes online. I have a horrible time finding shoes due to my feet being so wide and fat. I even have a hard time finding socks for goodness sake!! Those are all the reasons I'm doing this and more. I want to be off my CPAP machine. I'm afraid I'm beginning to have high blood pressure. I don't want to go on meds for that. I want to be able to go in a store and buy an outfit. I want to be able to take my son to the park and actually PLAY with him instead of sitting on the bench watching him. I want to be able to go to a concert and not worry about fitting in the seat or crowding out the person next to me. Thank you all for your time in reading this and letting me vent. I actually feel better now that I got this off my chest!

so i asked the rep at my insurance co all the questions i was suppose to and i got really excited cause it does cover lap band and i am eligible but its for people 21 and over. I'm only 19. i hate that!!!! I'm only 19!!!! aw so she told me that if my Dr write them telling them that i have been obese for the past 5 years and such and that i cant wait i must have it now then i can but my Dr sucks and he wont do it. my Dr's office is like a clinic, they rush you in and around and back out and don't even bother with your name. I'm pretty sure he isn't going to understand and isn't going to let me do it. i feel so let down. i really don't know what to do. i have had my heart set on this and now i don't know what to do.

go for it. I was banded3/13/10/. No regrets. NYU great staff. So far between 30-32 lbs lost. good luck!!

@@healthymommy good news you have lost X amount of weight you gained 10 lbs, not 11+ you are here looking for help you are being honest with yourself admitting you want/need to get back on tract you have been drinking 8-10 glasses of beer could have been 11+ called doc, now taking prilosec better news all the above problems can be fixed you are ready, willing and able to get back on tract you are able to go to point A, and drink Protein shakes i know you can get back in the swing of things once again be the success you were meant to be good luck kathy

I am 2 years post. I have been eating and drinking horrible since the holidays. Drinking 8 to 10 beers twice weekly was a normal thing for me. Of course when you drink you get hungry, so snacking was normal too. I know what I have been doing was no the right choice. Now, I gained 10lbs. I am very upset and plan to get back on tract. In the last week I started having a burning feeling under my ribs and I burp more then I ever have before. Big burps! I called my dr today and was honest about drinking. He said that I have caused inflammation in my stomach lining and need to start taking Prilosec once a day. Has anyone been in my position? I need help I know. Did I stretch my tummy? I hope not. Any positive input would be great?

Most patients are on full liquid diets on day 10 postop. Your surgeon allows yogurt this soon? Are you eating fat free plain Greek yogurt? Or name brand, carb-loaded regular yogurt? Stats: 5'1", age 67, female. Highest weight: 245. BMI 41. Surgery Date: May 28, 2020. Weight at surgery: 211. VSG.

I was banded just 10 days ago. The feeling I have is one of tightness in my chest, and almost like I want to burp. I'm told that will go away.

I posted like that cause i feel to go to eat this weekend before my surgery 10/9/12 to the any of those buffet in town and eat like a cow. That will be my last.that day i will put on the side the siping and chewing well cause i wont be able to eat like a cow never ever again.