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I had to do the 6 month diet attempt. It was required by my insurance. During that time I read everything I could find about the band, joined this web site and obesityhelp.com. By the time I had surgery I could almost perform it myself! (just kidding) My insurance paid the entire hospital bill, but for reasons unknown, they do not cover fills, after the 90 global period, where everything was covered under the surgery. So unless you have $10-15,000 sitting around doing nothing (you could send it to me--really :biggrin2:) you will have to jump through the required hoops. I also started going to support group long before surgery. A good place to learn the good, bad and maybe ugly.

I was just sleeved on Tuesday 10/2, came home yesterday. It makes such a difference to be able to recover at home! I've been feeling much better at home, but let it go a little too long today between taking my pain meds, won't do that again I guess. But it's not really my incision sites that are sore, it's all my stomach muscles around that, they feel so tight. I'm also having trouble getting my gas bubbles moving sometimes, sounds like the heating pad is the answer, I'm gonna have to try that! I had a little trouble at first getting in my liquids in the hospital, scared to drink too much, was having some nausea, etc. But I think my nausea was caused by my own nerves. =) Just continuing to sip away and hope I get enough in. Congrats to all the new sleevers, here's to becoming part of the 'losers club"! P.S. I had to do that swallow/leak test too, and that clear liquid did not taste good, and they had me standing upright first on the table and then had to lay me flat, that was not a fun "ride" to take on that machine the morning after my surgery and feeling nauseous, but I know it was a necessary test!

HI EVERYONE WELL YESTERDAY I WENT TO MY FOURTH APP, TO THE DIETIAN ONLY TWO MORE TO GO,:smile2: ANYHOW THE NEWHAVEN BUS BROKE DOWN ON THE WAY I GOT THERE THIRTY MINUTES LATE, IT WAS NO PROBLEM BUT THE BIG SUPRISE IS THAT I,VE LOST 11LBS:lol: CAN YOU BELIEVE IT WITHIN A MONTH WOW IT SHOCK ME, I,M PROUD OF MYSELF. IT,S CRAZY WE RIDE FOR A HOLD HOUR JUST TO SPEND 10 MINUTES WITH THE DIETIAN. BUT BELIEVE ME IT,S WORTH IT.I,VE GOTTWO MORE APPOINTMENTS TO GO.MY DAUGHTER TOOK THE TRIP WITH ME.SHE,S WITH ME ALL THE WAY,SHE HAS A BIRHTDAY COMMING UP THE 29TH OF JULY SHE WILL BE 18 ANY SUGESTIONS AS TO WHAT TO GET HER AS A GIFT.THANKS SIL.

Today makes day 4 that I have exercised. Yay. I woke up at 5 am and finally made it the gym. I know that I won't tonight so I did get up this morning. Now I don't have to worry about it because I have my exercise in for the day. I'm so happy I did it. My eating has been GREAT since Monday. So far, no slips, except 1 peanut butter cookie that I ate over a two day period. Wt was up this morning, but I know thats what I usually do when I first get to the gym, so I'm not worried about it. I feel skinnier, I feel better and thats what counts. This morning, did the elliptical for 30 min, 20 min of HIIT. I will also go down at 10 and don another 15 min on elliptical and probably at 3 will walk a mile. Thursday I plan on going to the gym in the am, and also in the pm. I need to do my lower body workout Thursday. Well, off to work I go............... Menu today Bfast Low Carb yogurt with low fat granola Went to wally world to get some deli meat, was very hungry ended up eating a slice of the hickory ham and a slice of the mild chedder cheese as I was waiting for the lady to finish slicing my turkey. Lunch 3 0z of talapia with some grilled squash and mushrooms. Dinner Exercise 5 am - 30 min on eliptical (20 min of HIIT) 10:00 AM - 15 min on eliptical 3:00 pm - 30 min brisk walk in my office spine wt - 170.8 - grrrrrrrrr - I DO NOT want to see the 170's again! I know I have not gained, my clothes feel lose on me, so I'm not going to worry about it!

I was banded 1/10/11 and have lost 21 pounds. My first fill was 6 weeks later and they put in 4cc, I felt some restriction for a couple of weeks. My second fill was 6 weeks later and supposedly they put in .5cc. I went back yesterday after 3 weeks because I was starving. Dr said I had 4ccs so they did not give anything at my last fill. Yesterday they put in 1 cc for a total of 5. I havent really been able to eat much to see yet. Hope things get easier for you. Just hang in there and be sure to exercise. Keep me posted on your progress. Michelle

I'm 50 and about 6 weeks out. About 10 days postop I hit a tough spot where I couldn't make it through more than 3-4 hours without needing a 20 min nap. I'm over that but energy levels are not better than preop... Yet. I expect they'll get better as I lose more weight and continue to exercise.

I am at 700- 800 calories per day. So 10% of my calories going to these pills is weird. I tried Metamucil and it wasn't working as well. All of the fiber supplements have calories. What is surprising is how high in carbs the calcium chews and multi Vitamins are. I guess once you move to pills they don't have as many calories.

Welcome! I'm relatively new too, and only two people responded to my newbie post, LOL, so I wanted to make sure and say hello! I am approved for insurance-covered surgery on August 19 (can't come soon enough!) and right now am trying very hard (very, very hard) to eat better and do daily exercise so I'm in the best shape I can be before the surgery. Feel free to contact me directly if you ever want to talk or need support! Congrats on starting the process!

Anyone else? Pre-op diet starts this Thursday! I am so nervous and excited! I have three boys (7,5, 10 months) and I'm most scared of a surgical complication. I am looking to lose around 150 pounds. I'm 6'0 tall and have always carried a lot of hidden weight. In 2009-2010 I lost over 100 pounds on my own, but I have gained a little more than half back. So ready to get it off and keep it off!

So I am on Day 6 post op and will return to work on this Thursday. I am a little nervous about what I should take to make it through this second week on liquids. My first week was Clear Liquids and starting today I can progress to full liquids. That is to include my Protein Shakes, strained pureed foods, Soups,etc. I need suggestions on how others have gotten through this. Interestingly, I am not suppose to lift more than 10 lbs and am also struggling with how I am going to carry my purse, laptop case and lunch without exceeding that amount. Funny huh?! I just need help!

How long before you were able to sleep on your stomach? I'm a stomach sleeper and have been struggling to keep myself from rolling onto it at night. I'm 10 days post op.

The 10 days is for NSAIDS.

I like to read the longer, more detailed stories so I know EXACTLY what's going to happen, and so that's what I think I will write now. So... I got to the hospital at 5:15 am for my check in. They took me to a room, gave me the sexy hospital gown, took my vitals, asked me a ton of questions such as, "are you pregnant?"... Then came the shot. I told her that I heard it hurts, and she said "no way, look at the needle! it's tiny!". I admitted that yes, it WAS in fact little and thin and how could that hurt? She gave it to me in the stomach and then said, "see that wasn't bad!". I agreed! She turned to walk out and by the time she got to the door I was doubled over in pain. :biggrin: It wasn't the NEEDLE, it was the actual medicine (heprin, to prevent blood clotting) that hurts! But good news, it didn't hurt for too long. Maybe about 5-10 minutes. After a little bit they came and got me and took me down to the pre-op room, where I met the anesthegiologist. She said I have terrible veins (thanks Mom) and she had to use a baby needle to get an IV going. She said "don't worry, when you wake up you will have a second one, this is just to put you to sleep... I'll give you a better one for the meds but it would hurt too much to do it awake". (hmm, don't worry, eh) The surgeon came in and said hello, gave me some post-op instructions and then they both left to get ready. My OR nurse Jill came over and introduced herself and then complimented my little stuffed frog that I had with me. My daughter told me to take it for good luck, and it's her prized loved worn out little frog. I told Jill that, and she said, "tell you what - I'll let you take him into the OR with you then since he's so special". Awww! So, Little Froggy went to surgery with me. :crying: A few minutes later they took me down to the OR, and then that's when everything got cold and busy. There were 80 million people walking around in the freezing OR, doing 39 million things. Someone was putting a "seat belt" (what he called it) over me, someone was putting my arm on a board to tie it down or something, they were talking about getting some feet boards to tilt the bed where I'd be leaning up during surgery (!)... Someone said "I just gave you something to make you sleepy" and that's THE last thing I remember. Suddenly I was in the recovery room and WOW, the big incision (port) HURT. I felt like I couldn't even talk though... there was so much going on in that room, several other people that were coming out of surgery too, and my nurse was helping this lady who had eye surgery and it was her 69th birthday. She came over after a minute and asked me some questions, what my pain was (I think I said 8), gave me some morphine, the surgeon came over and said some stuff to me... I remember the one thing I was really flipping out over was the things on my legs that prevent blood clotting. WOW. I was hot and sweating all over, and these things on my legs that they put on during surgery were pressing all over the place and they kept tightening and loosening and they felt plastic. The very first thing I said was, "I dont want to do this any more" and someone laughed and said "too late, you are done!" and then I asked for my boyfriend and they said he couldn't come in until I was out of recovery... THEN I said "what is this on my legs?? It's so hot in here" and they took them off and said "oh wow, they are soaking wet - you're sweating!". Someone got a big box fan and turned it right on me and yay, I was so happy! Fan + morphine = YES! She gave me another shot of morphine, and I chilled there for a bit. I started to feel more human and become more aware of things, such as the old lady they were yelling at to stop bending her knees. LOL! I guess she had surgery on her knees but they said "we're going to take you back to the OR if you don't quit!" and she was yelling about how it hurt, etc. MAN that got annoying. Luckily I faded in and out, and finally it was time to go back to my room. I kept trying to make myself wake up some and feel better because I knew they'd let me leave there if I tried. Sure enough! Radiology was not ready for me yet, because they didn't think I'd recover that quickly (it wasn't even fast... my surgery was over at about 8:20ish and this was at 10am) and so I had to go back to my room I was in first thing in the morning. I was never so happy to be back in there with my mom and boyfriend! (As a side note, I remember as I was waking up in recovery someone saying, "what is this frog" and someone else said "that's her daughters, he was in the OR with her" - that made me happy) So we chilled for a bit, then they came at 10:30 to go down to radiology. I had to swallow this gross chalk stuff while they did x-rays. I asked to see, and they showed me my band, my "new stomach", the port, etc. It was cool! The only super uncool thing was having to move back and forth from the bed to the xray bed and back. THAT sucked but they said take your time, so I did just that. My stomach was so sore that it was hard to move. I also had to turn on my left and then right side for another xray, which sucked too. After a few minutes the doctor looked at the xrays and cleared me and they took me back up to my room. Then I got juice! I was soooo thirsty that I couldn't have been more excited about the juice. But then came the bad news. It made me feel SO sick. I had them get water, and that was way better. I think the juice was just too sweet. The nurse said in order to leave and go home I had to drink a certain amount and keep it down, I had to go to the bathroom a certain amount, and the bariatric coordinator for the hospital had to come in and talk to me. That was motiviation!! I could only drink a medicine cup of water every 5 minutes, which was so weird - but they said my stomach is the size of a golf ball! That kind of freaked me out. I started feeling pretty sick when I stood up to go to the bathroom and I thought I was going to throw up - I started dry-heaving, and the nurse went and got me something for that. It helped some but it was a slow fix. I just kind of chilled out for a couple of hours, drinking water, going to the bathroom, sitting in the chair... dozing off some. Then the coordinator came in and started going through this HUGE packet of information. I mean seriously?? I was EXHAUSTED and feeling sick and she was talking all about eating and chocolate flavored calcium pills and oh man, it was just way too much. They should have her come before the surgery. At one point she said, "don't get bored, I am just telling you this stuff because you need to know it all". I wasn't bored, I was tired! That kind of annoyed me, but finally she was done and she left. Whew! They said the last thing I had to do was walk with that coordinator down the hall and back to make sure I was okay and then they'd let me go. We did that, and she asked how I felt. I said still a little sick, very sore, and very tired. She said the gas is what makes you sick and the best way to get it out is to walk. I didn't know this, but when you walk around the gas gets absorbed in your body. Otherwise it just sits there until you can "pass" it. So we got done with our walk, she cleared me, and I go to go home! My surgery was at 7:15am and I left at 2:30. I felt pretty dang bad when I got home. I kept thinking, WHAT did I do this for? I took some stuff for my stomach, and that helped some. I was so sore that I couldn't walk much, and I am sure the gas was just building up inside me. I was almost regretful of what I had done but I got reassurance from another MAYO BANDITO, Bethany. She reminded me that some think the gas is the worst part of it all, and some do regret doing it for that reason. Just to know that the feelings I was feeling were normal helped me so much. So, thanks again Bethany! I guess that's it! That's my story. I want to always remember how it went and how I felt so that I can motivate myself to make this work! I will be a happy person if I never have to go into an OR again. :cool2:

I'm not hearing anything that is making me change my mind. R.E. Preeclampsia.. had it with my first pregnancy, when I became pregnant when I was 169lbs. I did make it full term, but induced when I started dropping protein in my urine. Baby and Mom were fine. My next 3 pregnancies all went fine with no complications, with starting weights at 180lbs, 225lbs, 245lbs. I gained 40lbs with each one, except #2 where I gained 65! Do you see a trend? After each pregnancy, I did drop the pregnancy weight gain each time, but some of that weight always made its way back after weaning, in time for the next pregnancy. I didn't develop gestational diabetes, but 10 years after the last pregnancy, I became prediabetic. What the surgery does is clean up old metabolic issues and gives you a clean slate. (At least, that's the hope.. works for some, but it's not guaranteed). What you do with that clean slate is up to you. After you get surgery, you really have to be on a "diet" the rest of your life. You can always gain weight back, the same as anyone. But, the surgery is a one-time opportunity.. and I'm SOOOOO glad my family was complete before considering going under the knife, so my clean slate can remain that way. Maybe you can talk with your doc about how risky they believe a pregnancy will be (before or after surgery).. a lone voice on the internet shouldn't necessarily sway you one way or the other, but I urge you to get as much information from your own network as possible. Many people here get the surgery so they CAN get pregnant. Without it, they are infertile. For those people, they only have one choice if they want to be parents, and I wholeheartedly support them. For you, it sounds like you have options. And if slow weight loss is discouraging enough to stop your diet attempts... it's a bit concerning to me, since postop it is nothing but dieting. What I would love to see you do, is try one of the diets again (and I can give you one if you like), work on your mind game and nutritional status.. drop a few pounds, and when you're ready, get pregnant, have your baby, and after a couple years get the surgery. Sure, you'll be a few years older, but you'll use those years to learn more about the surgery and practice healthful eating, so when you do get the operation, you'll be completely ready.

Thought some of you might find this interesting... 5 Ways Vitamin D Could Save Your Life 'GMA' Medical Contributor Marie Savard Explains the Best Ways to Get Vitamin D By RAQUEL HECKER Aug. 3, 2009 — Vitamin D is known as the sunshine vitamin, and it has a lot of sunny benefits, but most Americans aren't getting them because they aren't getting enough of it. Between 50 percent and 75 percent of Americans get suboptimal levels of vitamin D, according to a study published in the Archives of Internal Medicine. Now a committee at the Institute of Medicine is meeting to determine whether the recommended daily intake of vitamin D should be increased. ABC medical contributor Dr. Marie Savard came on "Good Morning America" today to offer five ways vitamin D can aid your health and tell you how to get more of it. Why People Are Vitamin D Deficient Nature gave us only one good source of vitamin D, and that is the sun. We are meant to absorb vitamin D from the sun through our skin. When we lived closer to the equator and worked outdoors, we were OK. But that is not the case today. And food is not a good source of vitamin D, not even fortified food. Five Ways Vitamin D Can Save Your Life Promotes Weight Loss - You need vitamin D to effectively lose weight. Your insulin works better, and vitamin D helps you lose belly fat. Diabetes is also related to low vitamin D levels. Reduces Risk of Death - Your overall mortality is reduced. Fewer Bone Fractures - Without vitamin D, Calcium can't be absorbed. But if you get enough vitamin D, it can help you avoid osteoporosis, bone fractures and falling, which is a cause of morbidity among the elderly. Reduces Risk of Heart Disease - Vitamin D improves blood flow by relaxing the blood vessels and lowering blood pressure. Helps Fight Cancer - Vitamin D improves the functioning of your immune system, and that helps fight cancer. Five Ways to Get Vitamin D 15 Minutes of Sun 3 Times Per Week - You can get 10-15 minutes of high-noon sun exposure in warmer climates a few times a week. In the South you can do this all year long; but in the North it will work only in the summer months. But this is unrealistic for those who already wear sunscreen all day, or have been warned to stay out of the sun by their doctors. Fatty Fish and Cod Liver Oil - If you are one of those people who have been warned to stay out of the sun, another good natural source of vitamin D is fatty fish. In food, vitamin D is naturally found in fatty fish like salmon and in cod liver oil. Fortified Dairy Products - You also can get vitamin D in fortified dairy products. But you need to be careful. There are only 100 units of vitamin D per cup, so kids and most adults would need at least four cups of dairy products per day. You could drink four glasses of milk a day, but most people choose not to. Multivitamin supplements - Most Multivitamins have a substantial amount of vitamin D. Vitamin D Supplements - I recommend 1000 to 2000 international units of vitamin D supplements every day. It's cheap, there are no side effects or down sides. Although D3 is considered more potent and longer lasting, both D2 and D3 are acceptable. Copyright © 2009 ABC News Internet Ventures

I had my first fill June 24 with 2 cc placed in a 10 cc band. My fill was exactly the same, sitting up with a huge needle sticking out of my stomach. Freakin' weird! There was absolutely no pain at all (and I have a very low tolerance for pain). My doctor said to come back in a month if I haven't lost 6 pounds in that time. I'm calling tomorrow for that appointment already and see if I can get in sooner! I can still eat like a lumberjack! I felt the water restriction during my fill in the office but not so much after. I know it may take a few more fills to get it right but I've had no weight loss since surgery. Sadly I've actually gained a few. I won't give up. My time will get here....just wish it was sooner than later!

I'm right with you! Surgery date 2/19. So excited, good luck to you and I wish you tons of sucess on your new journey!

1 lb lean ground beef 1/4 cup chopped onion 1 (1 1/4 ounce) package taco seasoning mix 1 egg, beaten 2 cups cooked rice 4 -6 bell peppers 1 (19 ounce) can diced tomatoes 1 (15 -16 ounce) jar salsa shredded cheddar cheese sour cream Directions: Combine beef, onion, seasoning mix and egg in a large bowl. Add rice and mix well. Cut peppers in half lengthwise; remove seeds and membrane. Spread tomatoes on the bottom of an ovenproof 12 X 9 inch baking dish. The liquid from the tomatoes will reduce during cooking so if (like me) you like lots of sauce, add about a cup of Water. This also helps make the peppers softer. Place peppers, cut side up, on top of the tomatoes. Spoon beef mixture into peppers, mounding as necessary. Top each pepper with salsa. Bake in preheated 375°F oven for 40-45 minutes or until beef is cooked thoroughly and peppers are soft. Cover each pepper with cheese and return to oven, under the broiler, until the cheese melts- less than a minute, so watch carefully! Serve with sour cream and additional salsa

I had it really bad for a couple of days, about 7-9 days post-op. And it was BAD. But it subsided, and now at 10 weeks out, I have the reverse issue

The best thing to do is go to your health insurance provider’s website and email them requesting a copy of your plan’s requirements for an approval for WLS. They should email you a copy within a couple days. But odds are good that if your doctor is telling you it’s required, it’s required. I’ve worked in medical for a LONG time. If your a specialty medical provider, you’re going to be incredibly familiar with the requirements for every health plan you accept at your office. I never trust a basic representative from a customer service line when it comes to healthcare. They usually have no idea when it comes to anything other than regular pcp and rx care. Anything with a specialization and they tend to not know. HW: 311 CW: 258 SW: We’ll see on May 10! First goal weight: 191 lbs Second goal weight: 159 lbs Goal weight: 142 lbs 5’6” 34 yo female in NC

I don't mean to scare you but you asked for honest answers about what to expect from breast augmentation... All I can say is that a C-section, nose job, tummy tuck and lab band surgery that I've all had are all a piece of cake compared to having a breast job! I had it done 10 years ago and it was the most painful thing I have ever gone through! Again, I don't want to scare you but help prepare you for the reality of what you are going to endure. The put the implant under the muscle therefore just by lifting your arms to your chin is like pulling teeth. Would I do it over again? In a heartbeat! It just was so painful and the recovery was very intense! Beauty is pain. Everyone has to determine how much of it they are willing to go through to achieve it. I wish you the best and beautiful breasts!

I have a pretty reliable cycle...10-12 days of fairly rapid weight loss, then 10-12 days of "adjustment period". I tend to lose between 6-8 pounds per cycle, and lose inches (or parts of inches) when I'm not losing weight.

Hey Congrat!!!!!! I probably was to nervous to feel anything.....I go back for a 2nd fill on August 17. I can not wait tio start droping more lbs myself...... I really wish I could lose about 10 to 15 more by my birthday October 6, I will be 30. I would love to be looking sexy around that time...lol..... Keep up the good work, and continue to encourage yourself...Its hard not to play into what you hear other people do or what they are not gettiing, but we don't know there full story....So keep the faith!!!!

Hi all.. my name is Wendy. I had the lapband surgery on 05/31/11 and had done really well until about a month ago. My highest weight was 286 and my weight as of Saturday was 141. I started throwing up blood about a month ago. My stoma was becoming eroded from acid reflux. Long story short, I ended not being able to hold anything down and got really dehydrated. I ended up having an emergency revision this past Monday. I am unfamiliar with the sleeve. Can you tell me some of your experience with it?