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Here's a strange request - my boss wants me to find a live play for him and his dgtr to attend between June 25-June 28 (she is pre teen). I've found several local theatres including the Children's theatre (but they are off season)- does anyone have a local paper or know of any plays during that time. Of course I need it today and I"m researching like mad, but they also have 10 other activities I'm looking for plus the hotel, well, you get it...so any help from my fellow bandster pals is MUCH APPRECIATED. THANKS! MARY

I had my gallbladder removed years ago and I always told people it was the easiest surgery I ever had - I was up and walking by 10 pm that night. I would have to say that my VSG was comparable. I was up and walking within hours. I know many people complain of shoulder pain afterwards (and I had that with my Lapband surgery also) but I did not have it with the VSG surgery. I had pain meds prescribed prior to surgery and took it only a few times afterwards. The two days I was in the hospital though they administered it pretty regularly and I did not balk at that. They also gave me shots in my stomach to avoid blood clots. I was taken very good care of at Flagler Hospital in St. Augustine, FL through the US Bariatrics program. They really are experts and I think that definitely contributed to my overall positive experience after surgery and beyond. I've had numerous other surgeries - cesarean section (comparably the worst of all), Lapband, tonsillectomy, gallbladder, both elbows, etc. My VSG experience was better than my Lapband one also. Hope this helps.

Oh I remember the first few days I just kept saying "What did I do to myself?!? But a week later I felt much better and two weeks later ouside a little port incision discomfort, I felt great. It took a full week, maybe 10 days before I was able to sleep comfortably in my normal position. As far as burping, I have not been able to burp since surgery...I hiccup a lot now. Did not have the leg tingling. Start taking vitamins as soon as you can tolerate them. Just take it one day at a time. This period will soon be just a memory. All that I went through was well worth it!

I am 3 weeks out and I feel great. It took me about 10 days before I felt great. and I can sleep on my side now that took about 2 weeks. I know how you feel about if you did the right thing I felt the same way but didnt say anything b/c I didnt want to hear any I told you so's. I did not feel that way after about a week though. I am now going through a depression which is very normal. I was reading a series of books my first week and a half, but when I finished I got depressed. I didnt have something to pre-occupy my mind. I know I will get through it and my dr recommends me see my family dr to get something to help with depression. He said it could last up to 6 weeks but It does get better every day. Just keep up the good work.

Oh don't get me wrong I am happy they are willing to cover most the surgery. When I had the band done 4 1/2yrs ago my insurance wouldn't cover it and I had to take a 13,000 loan out. Still paying it back. Just frustrated that the doctor is requiring me to spend the $450 with his people before he will allow me to have the surgery, then at that point will have to pay 10% of the surgery. Also I was hoping to be able to have it removed sooner, I'm just so sick of throwing up, the GI issues and pain.

Down 18 pounds since surgery 10/2. Yahoooo! :-)

Hi All! Before I start, I would just like to advise readers that this post is being written just to get some things off my chest. Please do not criticize or judge... because this past month has been stressful to say the least. A little background, I had my surgery on June 26, starting weight on first visit was 207, surgery day I weighed 195, and 1 1/2 weeks ago I weighed 181. I do not have a scale in my house because I don't want to get into the habit of stressing about loosing pounds, so I weigh myself at my grandmother's house every 1-2weeks. The day after surgery I was released from the hospital, no complications or problems, and I did not take any pain meds from that point on, which I am very proud of. I really wasn't in much pain at all, and I'd rather have the little bit of pain then have my stomach get upset from the pain pill, so I opted not to take them. I am very happy with the weight I have lost so far, as my old clothes are fitting me very nicely, and when I shop not I don't have to shop in the plus size section!!! I am, on the other hand very upset at myself for not working hard enough to get the required fluids and protein in. (as I am literally wiping tears from my face because this is how upset it makes me) I really don't know what my problem is, maybe depressed cause whenever I think about it the tears just start flowing. But anyway, I know I can do better, the motivation just isn't there.... and this really bothers me because I DON'T WANT TO LOSE MY HAIR!!!! So mad cause I know by not getting the required nutrition I am not putting myself in a good position to be healthy. On a good day I will get 20 or so oz of liquids and proteins, ha! maybe 10-20 a day.... I know, I'm not doing this right!! Again, PLEASE don't bash!!! I've been going to sonic daily to get slushees, cause I am able get those down with no problem, but that's like 20 oz... and I also try flavored water, and sometimes can drink a bottle, but that's about it.... I also eat greek yogurt with 2x's the protein, chicken, cheese, and anything else I can with protein in it cause, though I love the taste of the protein shake I have... I struggle getting 1 20g bottle down. BTW, Core Power, strawberry banana is delish!! So, these are my stresses. Just venting, and don't mean any harm, just wanted to get it out. Oh, before I end this, just want to add that I am on regular food. I eat maybe 3 times a day, love string cheese, tried pizza 1 time and it went fine, now no problems with any food I have eaten so far... Good luck to all of you!!!

STARTING WEIGHT (256.6) I went on a 10 day pre-op diet with which I lost 16 pounds. My 5th day post op I had reached 28 pounds lost. On the 26th I had gone back to 236 pounds. My coordinator with whom I still speak with has told me that it can be excess Water. I'm in my second week post op. What should I be drinking/doing to see some significant weight loss? PLEASE HELP ME!

I've been on the pre op liquid diet since before thanksgiving. Almost 6 weeks now. In the time between May and December, I lost around 30lbs which is 10% of my body weight. I'd say half has been while on the liquid diet and the other half has been from changing my habits over the summer. Sent from my iPhone using Tapatalk My surgeon didn't require any specific amount of weight loss - although he said that if I gained weight, they would restart the process all over again. Sent from my iPhone using Tapatalk

I work nights, 13 hour shifts just about. I eat my dinner around five pm. I eat a light snack around 10:30 pm or 11:00 pm. I take my meal break if I’m lucky around 3 am and eat left overs of what I have made earlier in the week....chili, soup, chicken items, etc. I try not to eat when I get home, but if I am hungry I will eat a little snack then too. My snacks are usually 130-150 calories and my meals are between 250-300 or so. It can be hard on nights because you are already fighting your body’s natural rhythm. Stay away from high carb senseless items like cereals and chips and such. I see ppl eating this stuff all night long but they can’t figure out why they gain weight. One lady eats almost a whole box of cereal every shift plus her meal....

My highest weight was 248. I was required to lose 10% and by surgery date I was 216, so I lost a bit more. My insurance encouraged me to lose as much as possible as a pre op. Good luck!

I'm glad it's not just me. I am only 10 days out but have no desire to eat anything. Only thing I like is a few bites of sugar free applesauce, fat free refried beans and maybe some yogurt.

I do. This is the reason my plastic surgeon recommend I gain weight cuz I have extra skin and only enough fat to fill my boobs. In other words I don't have enough fat to transfer to my butt & places to curve me up. So come April I have 4 months to gain 10/20 pounds you won't notice since it will be sucked out.

Give it time, i also thought i had too much skin , but as it turns out i went from a size 24 to a size 10.... I had surgery 10/3/12........ Only time will tell.....

Hi Gayle, wow congrats so far on your losses!!! You're rocking your sleeve girlie!! Next, usually for the larger sizes you will stay in them much longer than you will the smaller ones. I went through my first sizes a little fast, but I literally stayed in 18's for about 40 Lbs I think. Now in my smaller sizes they are lasting around 7-10 Lbs each. I hope this helps! Don't feel discouraged. You will get there. Time will pass the inches will melt away into smaller clothes.

I buy myself a charm/bead for a Pandora bracelet for every 10 pounds I lose. My the time I reach goal, the bracelet will be full. I've also started with massages, manis, etc---but not attached to any particular weight goal. I just realized I deserved the good treatment :thumbup:

Hi FXA, I'm new to this site too. Congrats on your decision:thumbup:!! I started last Aug 09. I think you really need the time to get your head in the right place. My surgery date is 07/07/10:ohmy:!! I'm excited and can't wait. When is your date? I've already been encouraged by so many nice people:smile2:. Best of luck and much success!! Carol D' (just outside of Boston, MA) Where in US are you from?

Weight loss is a huge reason for irregular periods. I have an IUD, I am only supposed to spot every once in a while. Since, I have had surgery I have had a full period for about 10 days at a time. I went to my gyn 2 weeks ago and she said it is due to rapid weight loss. I did not think I was having rapid weight loss then I thought, I have lost over 30 pounds since 11/23! That explains why my hormones are going a little crazy! She said when weight loss slows things should go back to normal. We shall see!

Sleeved May 28. Lost 10# prior to surgery, 20# more by end of June, then up and down all through July. My daily caloric intake as a pretty sedentary person is around 3500 calories. My daily workout adds another 350 or so. I routinely eat around 1100 cals/day and never more than 1500 but the weight is not coming off. I'm tempted to go back to pre-surgery diet but I don't know how long I can last on that. Since surgery, I sometimes get very dizzy to the point of almost passing out accompanied by a partial hearing loss. I know my blood pressure is lower now but normal, not low. Wondering if any guys can input about whether I'm eating too much, not enough, or whatever.

Ahhh insurance work with them everyday ! Hoping they get everything settled with you! My process to exactly 3 months! My consult was feb 12th all my testing was on March 10. Surg is may 12th. This process is mentally draining ! Sent from my iPhone using the BariatricPal App

I think this may be because of the sticker shock...I mean, personally, I've tried other programs as well, and while they aren't cheap, they also don't require you to plop down $10-20,000 all at one time up front (in many cases). It's more managable to drop a hundred bucks here and there over the period of months/years and not really mentally absorb the overall cost of what we are trying to do as opposed to having to shell out thousands of dollars all at once. I think that really hits home for those of us who are self-pay. I know it was for me...having to pay out of my own pocket is a constant reminder of what I have commited myself to and really drives me to succeed. For me, it's about taking responsibility for the money I spent and trying to make sure I get every dime's worth out of the procedure. Of course for all of us there is an emotional and physcial investment we make, and that in and of itself is generally enough to motivate us to succeeed. Anyway, just a few thoughts as to why the cost of previous programs may have been easier to accept as opposed to the cost associated with the lap band surgery.

I have the same thing going on here, except I was banded Feb 10, 2008 and my surgeon wont fill until mid June (he insisted on the end of June but I will be on vacation). I totally hear you on the struggling part, and I am actually getting to a point that I am scared to eat, and I am very cautious on what I am eating. I have slipped up a few times and over ate, and the thought of throwing it up crossed my mind but I was scared to slip my band. I AM STARVING TO DEATH LOL (i dont actually believe I will die though). Keep up the good work, and I hope you get a fill as this struggling is not fun. I really hate it when people say that we have taken the easy way out by getting the band...

WOW congrats everyone!!!!!!! My 2 month is not until the end of JAnuary I just hope and pray I do as well as you all. My goal was 30lbs but now I am thinking I should push for 35 or 40. I seem to be loosing slower than others but I am happy I am loosing! If I could lose 10 lbs a month I will be at my goal this time next year! HAPPY LOOSING EVERYONE COME ON 2013!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!

I was eating similarly initially and then the nutritionist said that I should only eat when I was hungry outside of 3 normal meals. She did say if I needed more meals to hit protein goals I could do that too. Since I switched to that the loss sped up again. I'm often so busy during the day that I've only had 3 normal meals by 7 or 8 pm and then to catch up for protein I'm eating dense protein from 8 - 10. If I do a better job spacing things out I will often treat myself with something as an evening snack (like nuts or cottage cheese), which feels great.