Search the Community

Hi everyone, I am 4 days post-op from having a Gastric Sleeve. The decision to go for the sleeve was a very easy one, "the band was completely awful"! I was originally banded in May 2012, the band slipped & adhered itself to my liver in around March 2013. I persisted with it for a few months (where I couldn't eat or drink anything without vomiting it back up) & eventually had it replaced in June 2013. There was no improvement in the pain I was experiencing or the reflux either, two weeks later, I had it removed completely. Although the weight loss was amazing - 40kg in 13 months, the constant battle with 'right amount of fluid' was a nightmare for me. So I was flying solo for 10 months & it was so hard to keep the weight off. If I wasn't literally starving myself & exercising 14hrs a day, I was gaining weight. Then my gallbladder packed it in! I had been passing gallstones for a couples of years & they never bothered me until now. I was kept heavily sedated in hospital on Morphine, Ondansetron & diazepam for 11 days (due to long wait lists & surgeons being on holidays!). Finally got a ERCP & they perforated the Common Bile Duct , which lead to Peritonitis & then waited a further 2 days to have the gall bladder removed. After this saga, my poor body was hurting & just grabbed out at everything I ate & stored it as fat (in case it got starved again). A trip back to my surgeon was booked & I was excited! It turns out that in the 11 months that I had no band, I gained all of my weight back & a bit extra (this was not good). Total weight gained: 43.8kg. My surgeon wanted me to get another band put in & I refused (there was no way I was going to re-live that painful reflux nightmare)! So a Bariatric Sleeve was booked. Pre-surgery, and in particular, the week before my surgery date, I did not sleep, at all. I constantly had all the risk factors (that were discussed with my surgeon) running through my head 24hrs a day. Three days before my surgery, I actually thought that I was going to die in theatre, I proceeded to make a will!! When surgery day finally arrived, I was still terrified of dying & leaving my husband & young daughter behind. When I was wheeled in to the Operating Room, my surgeon turned around & asked "how you doing?", all I could say was " please don't kill me", to which he replied "I'll make you a deal, if you don't die, I won't kill you". A few seconds later I was out. To my relief, I actually woke up!! I am day 4 post-op now (only 1day at home from discharge), 4kg down & I haven't had any of the horrible pains associated with the laparoscopic surgery that I had in the past, even with having a lot of adhesions severed from my liver (due to lap band damage). My tummy is constantly grumbling & have some diarrhoea, but that is pretty much it. Compared to the band where I experienced port site pain, shoulder tip pain, immense pressure in my chest, migraines & incision sites busting open, this last surgery/recovery has been a breeze so far I am able to drink a descent amount of Water (finally) & feeling pretty great! I do get tired & require an afternoon sleep, but it's early days. That's my story so far

I too see a weight gain when I eat too many carbs. Thanks for the explanation joatsaint!

Boy I have missed so much! Florinda I am so glad we heard from you. You know I am right on the coast. Are you going to come up the coastas far as OR after you leave Northern Ca? Bill and I just made that trip, going up highway 1 and 101. You know I would love to meet you . I go to Eugene all the time! did you meet this guy through an online dating type site? I would love to hear how you two found each other!! Sheryl, I am as far out as Susan.I don' t have the problems she has. I know people farther out than me who don't have problems either. We can run into problems if we don't take our Calcium citrate. I do the chewables from Bariatric advantage. I don't care about the calories. I feel my health is more important. They taste like Tootsie rolls. I have them on auto ship so I get 2 bags a month for 20.00. I would like to meet you too, but you have never answered whether that would be possible. I go to Portland all the time. Georgia, I know how you feel. I'll be 62 this fall and I don't feel like it, except when my back really hurts. Getting the sleeve has made me so much healthier! Cathy, I am so glad you're in your house!! As far as adding anyone, I am totally against that. I want us to be able to read and post without feeling stressed that I am missing posts because I don't have time to read them all. If gamergirl wants a support group , she should start another group. She can call it anything she wants. Peole close to goal, People close to being a vet, whatever. She can PM the people she likes, and start a group. Sorry if I have missed anyone. I haven't been able to get online. Bill is really sick. It's 2:30 am now, I need to go to bed. I'm having trouble too, with weight gain. Bill is such a bad influence, as far as fasting goes. It's a lot harder when there is someone eating around me.

Hello everyone, I would just like to say if you find this forum helpful it really is. I believe that while I was a part of the forum using another screen name I was constantly losing weight each week, and I was always motivated to keep up with other sleevers losing the weight. When the weight loss was going good, I dropped back thought I could just do what I want, and now I wish I could turn back the hands of time and get this weight back off. I have only gained back 20lbs but that’s a lot to have gained back in less than a year. I pray that I will be able to get back on the losing side of things. I have so many issues and hardships going on its kind of hard just to stay focused on losing the weight. I don’t regret getting sleeved and I have no one else to blame but myself but I need to really get a hold of what’s going on with me. There’s no point to my post I just wanted to rant a little bit about how I’m feeling about my weight gain. Good luck to everyone that is considering having the surgery it is worth it just make sure you stay on top of what your doctors and nuts tell you.

So I just found out I am 5 weeks pregnant, I'm currently 8 months post op and in total has lost 81lbs....oh yeah just gained back back a few in the last few weeks alone. Not sure what the average weight gain is & if the weight was lost quickly after? If anyone has had their baby, can you tell me if the weightloss continued on after the baby was born......

Well the good news is you will be well prepared for the change in eating and your liver, heart and gallbladder will be happier and healthier before surgery. I do not have to do 6 months but I was told weight gain will disqualify me from surgery which make sense and the doc also said it is recommended to lose 5 to 10% prior to surgery. I am going to start a high protein, low carb diet now so I am more prepared. I have also started timing my eating and sipping my drinks. Sipping and not gulping is hard for me but I will get it I hope. Best of luck to you throughout the journey!

I look to forward to being a healthy mommy and not being afraid of that I won't be able to keep up or be active with my son. I look forward to having another baby but this time at a healthy weight. I was so uncomfortable the first time due to my weight/weight gain. On a less serious note, my husband looks forward to more room in our closet- I've kept all of clothes, a range of about 4 sizes, because of my weight fluctuations. Goodbye fat clothes! For good! I wish all of us the best of luck!

Wow this takes some getting used to, had my first fill on May 2nd had no restrictions now all of a sudden today I'm having restriction, for the last couple of weeks I have been at a plateau with my weight gain one pound lose 1 pound I am just hoping that I am finally getting past bandster hell

Same here, I did gain some weight back, up to another size but with the edema, we're not sure if it is true weight gain or edema that's making the problem. My legs and feet swell and my belly is starting to go like the kids you see on TV.

If they told you that you can't have the op, how will you feel? Because honestly, if you don't get it together now, they might turn you down, especially with a weight gain. My pre-op diet was a lot stricter than your...it was all liquid, with some Jello and some bouillon. Yes, it's tough, especially when you're cooking or eating with others. Personally, I think that for me it was those losses that kept me spurred on. I kept telling myself that each time I lost weight, it was going to be "gone forever" ans a step closer to my goal. Keep busy....get creative with your shakes...buy Davinci sugar free syrups and add them to your shakes to get new flavors...or freeze them. Another thing I did was buy smaller clothes as an inspiration and motivation...that put big smiles on my face when I got into them. Hope you get it together soon so we can see you on the losers bench....good luck. Xxx

I am only 18 years old and was just banded on Thursday. The reason I got the band is a little different than most but i am still grateful for the opportunity. When I was 14 I was diagnosed with a some medical problems that no normal 14 year old should have to worry about. I was diagnosed with Polycystic Ovarian Syndrome, or PCOS, Hypothyroidism, and very high cholesterol. I grew up in a very active family; my mom is a personal trainer and dietitian so I was definitely a healthy active kid. However, for some weird reason, I was very over weight despite being on my school's swim team, soccer team, and having a personal trainer. I got on medications for the problems in hopes that it would take care of my weight issues. They helped a little but I continued to struggle all through high school with my health despite my activity level and healthy eating. It was so frustrating! Then I went off to college and it got even more difficult in the fact that I was being a dumb college kid and not eating like I should since mommy wasn't there to tell me what to eat (you would think I would have learned after 18 years of it, but alas I did not). I got to a really low place with my self esteem and my health and was very discouraged and very down. I thought that I would have to struggle and be over weight for the rest of my life and that got me really down. Then I heard about the lap-band. I did my research and found that the lap band has helped a lot of people with their PCOS (which is my biggest issue in terms of weight gain)!! I was thrilled! I knew this procedure would be life changing for me and I am so grateful for all the support I have received throughout my journey. This procedure is a blessing for me. I know it will be hard but I know I can do it and am looking forward of a healthier future! I'm only 6 days post op and it has been a hard 6 days but I am getting better everyday. The pain is not pleasant but it is getting better. I do have quite a bit or soreness at the port site but that was expected. I can't wait to see what the band does for me.

@@tekjr1 weight gain Water, exercise???? maybe, maybe like you said "not too worried" you are losing 4.5 lbs a week - thats so great!!! 2 lb weight gain??? it does happen to some at times but the weight should start coming off again but sounds like you are following all the rules - exercising, drinking, watching intake tracking MFP can't get much better than that btw - please stop scratching your head you might lose some hair soon enough 25 lb loss since surgery keep up the good work for the rest of your healthier, happier, longer life kathy congrats

I agree with southernsoul above, I don't think you should worry about weight loss while sick at all. Also, I bet you are actually losing weight, but due to being sick are holding on to water weight. Your weight "going up a few ounces" every day is NOT real weight gain and you need to learn to not be affected emotionally by the daily fluctuations of your body.

PA told me if I get too many sinus infections or asthma issues and i have to use Prednisone my band mmay have to be removed due to the excessive weight gain I have with this drug. Used to gain about 5 pounds but after band I gained 7 pounds in 3 days. It went away in a week after stopping the drug, but scared the heck out of me. That is usually the treatment all the docs give me for sinus and asthma problems.

The process of tearing down and rebuilding muscles (strength training) requires Fluid retention. 2-3 pounds of weight gain is common for me from intense workouts OR just hormonal fluctuations which result in fluid retention. Keep in mind 3,500 calories = a pound of fat. That meandering 3,500 calories you are and did not use. So unless you are drinking milkshakes, juice, and eating slider crap all day long... Don't fret a couple pounds that show up from time to time. They are temporary visitors. Don't let them ruin your day!

I have read articles about this as well. The first couple weeks of exercise can slow or even result in weight gain. I have done light workouts with little effect, but did an advanced body pump class followed the next day by an intense 90 minutes session with a personal trainer. I gained 3 pounds on the scale in that 48 hours... But I know it is my sore muscles swollen and holding into extra fluids trying to heal. Don't let the scale discourage you, after your muscles acclimate the excess fluids will be shed and the fat loss accelerated. The inches and fat loss are far superior to the typical loss without exercise. The more sore you feel, the more you will see the impact on the scale, but it is temporary. Just Fluid retention caused as your body adapts towards becoming a leaner stronger machine.

I'm not so sure failing at the supervised diet is the plan. My surgeon made me sign an agreement that I would lose on this diet to show that I was ready for the lifestyle changes necessary to be successful and any weight gain could potentially delay surgery.

As a dietitian I often find myself instructing patients to lower their intake of carbohydrates, in fact I’ve said it so many times, and to so many patients, that at times I feel like a broken record. Previous genetic studies into obesity have tended to focus on how genetic variations alter our appetites and food behaviours. However, a new study recently published in Nature Genetics piqued my interest as it suggests that there may in fact be a rather novel genetic link between metabolism and obesity. The study authored by Dr. Mario Falchi from the School of Public Health at Imperial College London investigated the relationship between obesity and a gene called AMY1, the gene responsible for an enzyme present in our saliva known as salivary amylase, the enzyme first encountered by food when it enters the mouth that begins the process of starch digestion. "We are now starting to develop a clearer picture of a combination of genetic factors affecting psychological and metabolic processes that contribute to people's chances of becoming obese. This should ultimately help us to find better ways of tackling obesity," Dr. Mario Falchi says. The number of copies of a gene that a person carries can vary throughout their DNA, although people usually have two copies of each gene. Yet, Dr. Mario Falchi and his team found that the number of copies of this particular AMY1 gene can vary greatly between people. The researchers examined the number of copies of AMY1 present in the DNA of more than 6,000 people from four different countries: the UK, France, Sweden and Singapore. And according to their results, it is those who have a lower number of AMY1 who are most likely to become obese. They determined that AMY1 was the gene that had the greatest influence on body weight and then counted the number of times the gene was repeated in each individual and how this affected their obesity risk. The chance of being obese for people with less than four copies of the AMY1 gene was approximately eight times higher than in those with more than nine copies of this gene. The researchers estimated that with every additional copy of the salivary amylase gene there was approximately a 20 per cent decrease in the odds of becoming obese. This new discovery highlights a strong link between metabolism and obesity and suggests that goes someway to proving that our bodies react differently to the same type and amount of food, leading to weight gain in some but not in others. How we deal with carbohydrates and hence, how much carbohydrate we should be consuming, must be adjusted for each individual. This research indicates genetics may play a role in obesity, and carbohydrate metabolism is very much involved.

As a dietitian I often find myself instructing patients to lower their intake of carbohydrates, in fact I’ve said it so many times, and to so many patients, that at times I feel like a broken record. Previous genetic studies into obesity have tended to focus on how genetic variations alter our appetites and food behaviours. However, a new study recently published in Nature Genetics piqued my interest as it suggests that there may in fact be a rather novel genetic link between metabolism and obesity. The study authored by Dr. Mario Falchi from the School of Public Health at Imperial College London investigated the relationship between obesity and a gene called AMY1, the gene responsible for an enzyme present in our saliva known as salivary amylase, the enzyme first encountered by food when it enters the mouth that begins the process of starch digestion. "We are now starting to develop a clearer picture of a combination of genetic factors affecting psychological and metabolic processes that contribute to people's chances of becoming obese. This should ultimately help us to find better ways of tackling obesity," Dr. Mario Falchi says. The number of copies of a gene that a person carries can vary throughout their DNA, although people usually have two copies of each gene. Yet, Dr. Mario Falchi and his team found that the number of copies of this particular AMY1 gene can vary greatly between people. The researchers examined the number of copies of AMY1 present in the DNA of more than 6,000 people from four different countries: the UK, France, Sweden and Singapore. And according to their results, it is those who have a lower number of AMY1 who are most likely to become obese. They determined that AMY1 was the gene that had the greatest influence on body weight and then counted the number of times the gene was repeated in each individual and how this affected their obesity risk. The chance of being obese for people with less than four copies of the AMY1 gene was approximately eight times higher than in those with more than nine copies of this gene. The researchers estimated that with every additional copy of the salivary amylase gene there was approximately a 20 per cent decrease in the odds of becoming obese. This new discovery highlights a strong link between metabolism and obesity and suggests that goes someway to proving that our bodies react differently to the same type and amount of food, leading to weight gain in some but not in others. How we deal with carbohydrates and hence, how much carbohydrate we should be consuming, must be adjusted for each individual. This research indicates genetics may play a role in obesity, and carbohydrate metabolism is very much involved.

Do the surgery don't delay any longer, my husband had 3 heart attacks on July 3,4&5 my surgery was on July22,2013 I thought about cancelling but husband said no do the surgery & I don't regret it because stress from any situation can cause more weight gain. It's your health on the line...

Being a vegetarian... I would have to say yes. some days not.... not sure what does it! I need to go through the underware again for sure! I remember seeing a study that showed a chart where gurd and weight gain went hand in hand after three years...not for everyone.

I was diagnosed with pcos a little over a year ago after noticing significant weight gain over the course of 4 months. Im nearly 300lbs today and im considering the sleeve as well. Ive heard lots of success with the sleeve and pcos. June 1st my insurance will be siruated and on the 3rd I will officially I have my first appointment. =)

I had gained more than a few pounds at my last weigh-in and I was terrified that they were going to delay my surgery because of it, but the CRNP didn't say anything about the weight gain and I surely didn't bring it up lol. Afterwards, someone else told me that as long as you didn't gain over your original starting weight, it wouldn't delay the process, so hopefully it'll be the same for you. I'm sure you'll be fine. Good luck!

@@sjidaho Drinking is discouraged for a couple of reasons. First, it allows the food to slip through your sleeve. This means you will be hungry sooner and your food will not fill you up. This leads to overeating and eventually leads to weight gain, especially after your honeymoon is over and your appetite returns. This is where you see people who have lost 100 lbs. start gaining it back in year 2 or 3. Take a look at this video that shows what happens when you drink with your meal. For me personally, when I eat my solid Protein first, the liquid piles up on top of it and comes up my esophagus. Really gross. Drinking with sliders, like Cookies, is even worse for me because the drink just liquifies the carbs and sugar so they flow right through. This is a path to the dark side I was always a big drinker with meals. 4-5 glass of Water. It's taken time but I have completely conquered the eating/drinking thing. You can get over it, just stay committed. Unfortunately, I have no tricks to offer for this particular issue. It was just willpower and a vision of the fat coming back that kept me on the straight and narrow.

Yes, my doc said the pill can cause mild weight gain at first because of the hormones.