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Since my surgery I have followed my post-op diet to the T. I also developed pneumonia on Day 4 although I used the spirometer faithfully. I'm currently on breathing treatments every four hours, steroids, oral antibiotics, cough syrup in additional to a HUGE shot of Rocephin. I see my surgeon on Thursday and I am not happy. I haven't lost a single pound. What am I doing wrong?

Here's the deal..........you already lose hair every single day of you life. You regrow it and don't even notice. Things get a bit off kilter during rapid weight loss. Hair may not regrow as fast as you normally do during this phase.....but you will return to normal rates afterwards. Don't sweat it.......lose the weight....and deal with the issues that may or may not present themselves during the process. It's all good.

Your daughter is well within the guidelines that physicians look for when performing weight loss surgery on teens. If you can help her now - great. Here's a couple news articles: Lap Band Surgery Helps Bremerton Girl Be 'The Kid I Want To Be' : Top Stories : Kitsap Sun Lap band surgery effective in combating obesity in adolescents The top article is about a young girl in New jersey who went to Mexico with her mom and Dr. Ariel Ortiz did the surgery. At his website, he has the story of Cassie - a young teen he performed surgery on who has turned out to be quite a glamorous young lady - as well as, effective spokesperson. Here's an interview with him I have posted on my site. My apologies for the blog pimping: YouTube interview with Dr. Ariel Ortiz I think Dr. Van Wagner does some teens, but I don't remember the full story. I do know that he has smart people who answer the phone and answer your questions very directly. He has some videos up online. You can get a real sense of whether he someone you're interested in. He's the only physician in the practice, so you always see him. He does all the adjustments and follow up care for his patients. It's small and personal. Heart of America Bariatrics, LLC Video Website Best of luck. I think you're doing a wonderful thing for your daughter. Set that child free and let her be the young woman she really wants to be. This forum has a sub-forum for teenagers, so she can communicate with other teens.

And a grand hello to you as well! This is a great place for information and support from people who are experiencing life with this great weight loss tool. Take the time to look all around and you will find a wealth of information. Be sure to look on the front page of this forum and read the postings under Pre/Post surgical questions and the FAQs. Glad you have you aboard! Jo Ann

I have chronic fatigue and fibrolmalgia. During this onset I had my thyroid stop working, developed shingles, and other autoimmunue failures, including prenecious anemia. I was scared to have the surgery because I was afraid that my body would reject the band. I came out of surgery with more energy and have never looked back. Its 7 months and counting. I had a easy recovery and was back to work from home that afternoon. I worked home for 4 days and then into the office I went. It has been great for me. You can't let down your guard. Take all your meds and preserve your energy. I am finding I feel much better since the surgery and the weight loss has really helped. Good luck

I have fibromyalgia. My doctor said he had patients w/fibromyalgia that got better. I had the surgery 2 months ago and haven't had as much pain/"bad days" as I have had. I am excersizing more, which helps fibro. so I think it is a combonation of weight loss and excersize. The only thing is that I can not take anti-inflamatory drugs because they cause a higher risk of erosion. I can live with that though for the benefits of the surgery.

Hi Antliz, Well I am only 7 months post-op but I have lost 65 pounds since being banded and so it is very possible that I will hit the 100 pounds loss mark by my first band-aversary. I am only 4' 10" tall. My pre-op weight was 248 pounds. I have had a wonderful experience with the lap band and I hope you do also. Best of luck to you.

Protein helps keep hair loss to a minimum I was told Sent from my iPad using RNYTalk

RoRo: What to expect? You can expect to hate yourself if you don't do something. You shouldn't hate yourself for losing weight and gaining it back. That's what happens. Very few people have a problem losing the weight. The problem is losing the behaviours, and emotions connected to the fat. Morbidly obese (doesn't the word "fat" sound better?) people have such a small chance of keeping weight off that it is statistically impossible. Has it been done? Of course. Every rule has it's exception. You can expect to lose and gain a few more times in your life, if you keep trying this way. Don't be so hard on yourself. Do you expect to be perfect all the time? Sorry, none of us are. Everyone here has lost and gained, and then looked in the mirror and saw a face they hated. Everyone. It's a tough decision. Discussing it with family and friends will be educational, but not helpful. Especially if they're thin. You will encounter all sorts of reactions. Few will be helpful. Some might even be harmful. Listen to yourself, and your troubled heart first. Look at your feelings and you will know what you need to do. Then, come here. Because whatever you decide, the people here will understand. We've been there. If you do decide on surgery you can expect more to happen. The unsolicited comments of family and friends will be your gift. They won't hesitate to tell you horror stories (mostly urban legend), or to seem to criticize. You'll talk to your family doctor. Get him/her to write a note asking a WLS surgeon to see you. You'll see that surgeon. You'll be sent for a battery of tests. If you are trying to bill insurance they will be contacted. You may have to fight for your rights with the insurance company, or you may have to pay your own way in this journey. If you are a good candidate, and if you are determined, you will move on. If you've decided that you are worth the effort, that you truly are a person who deserves a better life, the surgery will be scheduled. You will be mildly sedated then anesthetized. You'll wake up a very short time later and you'll have a new friend. You won't have as much pain as you think. Some in the shoulder, neck or back from gas. You'll be encouraged to get up and walk, use the bathroom, sip ice chips. You'll recover. You'll have to watch what you eat for a few days or weeks, gradually working back to regular food. When you're healed enough you'll be given a fill, a painless procedure that causes "restriction" thereby reducing the amount of food you can consume. That fill may have to be adjusted over the next few weeks. Don't be in a hurry now, this is a life commitment to health and happiness you've made, not a moment's whim. Your loss will mirror your gain. The pounds will drop as gradually as the sun rises. You'll find the beautiful core of you, hiding deep within your protective layer of tissue. There will come a time when you weep still, but you'll weep for joy, and for the lightness of being that comes when this burden is lifted from your spirit. You'll slip up from time to time. Backslide. But thanks to your band you'll not slide as far down that slippery slope as before. Minimal damage. No strain. You'll come here often, and read, and laugh, and maybe even cry a bit. You'll read someone's story and recognize their pain as your own. You will be in awe at how many beautiful spirits can gather together here. Then, one day, you'll answer a question from someone new, someone full of fear and hope. Someone who's afraid to hope for a better way, a better life, a better shot at all that life offers the thin. And you'll realize it is you who is gaining from this, from telling others what to expect. So you will have come full circle, and paid it forward. Good luck. There is a lot of info in this place, and you'll be able to research to your heart's content.

Hey there! I haven't been sleeved yet so I can only answer part of your question. I told based on instincts. There were some people I just KNEW would not understand or would be negative about it so I haven't told them. That being said, I felt comfortable telling my immediate family, most of my close friends, and all of my coworkers (except my boss). Everyone I HAVE told, has been extremely supportive and excited for me. There are only about 3 people that I haven't, because I just feel like they wouldn't understand. So my point is, follow your instincts. If you feel like they wouldn't understand, they most likely won't. As for after surgery, if the people I haven't told ask me how I've lost the weight, I'll either tell them the truth (depending on how I feel they will react) or allude to the truth like your father did. I also told people at levels...worked my way up to it. And sometimes, the conversation came up about weight loss or surgery which opened the door for me to tell them. Good luck!

I too had the same question..... so asked my NUT. My hair(although I am 54) is past my waist, and very thick. She said if I don't get my protein in the first 3 months I will lose some of my hair. She said it will not show up until after the first 3 months. So will make sure I will get my protein or more in and hope for the best.

Hey amykins! I think i've seen you around the forum. :-) Imabear: i had it pretty easy. I was one of those whose doc did a long postop diet. It was about a month before I ate solid food. So when I did, I was ready. I've never overeaten, have never hurt my tummy or sleeve. I do eat something every 2-3 hours bcs I get hungry. And I am back to eating my pre-surgery pace. It doesn't take me long to eat. The only issue l had was 6 weeks post-op my gallbladder had to come out. That slowed down my weight loss a bit bcs I couldn't exercise. It's a great life, being a sleever.

1) How relatively easy it was to recover from the surgery. I was prepared for the worst because I'm always the one who has complications. My experience was smooth (so far). Yes, the first few days sucked, but it got measurably better each day. 2) How I would need to remind myself to eat. I was told that I might not be hungry after surgery, but I didn't really get what that meant. It's much easier to eat and drink regularly during work days because I pack my Snacks and lunch. It's much harder on days off when I sleep in a little later and don't have all my meals planned. 3)When you hit a stall, measure yourself. You've probably lost inches and clothing sizes. Not all loss is measured by the scale. Molly

I agree with Miss Mac - total crap shoot. You may lose a lot, you may lose none. According to my doctor there isn't anything you can do to prevent losing - your body thinks that hair is optional (I disagree). You can help the regrowth however...she approved Biotin and Folic Acid for the regrowth. I used Nioxin shampoo, again for regrowth. I used Toppik to cover the thin spots. Getting in my Protein minimum was never an issue. I started losing my hair at 2 months...not a lot, but noticable when I was in the shower. By the 4th month I was losing copious amounts of hair daily - my hands were covered in the shower and the floor was covered after drying and styling. I truly thought I was going to lose all my hair. There was hair everywhere - my pillow, under my desk chair, on my clothes, on the couch, etc. I cried, I worried, I lamented. I went for a short cut to hide the really thin spots. At 6 months, the loss stopped and I started to see regrowth. I'm sticking with the short cut for another couple months as the new growth is slowly catching up. My stylist the other day said, "I don't know how this is possible, but it seems like it's growing back thicker!" I don't know about that, but I can see it's growing back and for that, I am thankful. At the end of the day, would I do this all over again knowing I would lose so much hair? Heck yeah! Totally worth it.

Does anyone know why we are required to have a shrink evaluate us before we have any weight loss surgery??? Do they think we are all crazy?

Brandy, How do you attach the Weight Loss Ticker to your signature? I can't figure it out!!

Once I reach my ultimate goal, have the PS out of the way; a head to toe spa treatment including hair and makeup, then an ultra sexy dress for an ultra sexy weekend with my husband.

Hey all! Just wanted to share my experience so far... I was down 55 lbs when I weighed myself at exactly 7 weeks post-op!! I have severe PCOS so I was afraid my weight loss would not be as efficient as I wanted. I have had zero complications, and no more cholesterol/blood pressure/sugar/period issues! Not only that but I feel that this journey helped me open up a little and actually share myself with others and accept help from people. My life has significantly improved and I am so happy I decided to go through with this. The only weird thing is, I don't actually "see" a difference, though my friends/family swear there's been a drastic change. I'm still experiencing some depression from the "grieving phase" of missing food as comfort, but now that I'm actually opening up to people, I find that I'm not so emotionally vacant anymore. Thank you everyone who helped answer my questions along the way, wish you all the best of luck with your journey!

Oh yeah, the appetizers. More and more that is all I order from when I eat out. Sliders without the buns, shrimp cocktail etc. if I'm in the mood for fish I order from the regular menu and ask that they not provide whatever rice or potatoes. They look at me oddly and some will state " you know it's the same price, right?" To which I nod my head yes and smile. I also get odd looks when i have what looks like an entire meal wrapped up to go. My husband laughs when they keep walking over to me asking " are you sure everything was ok?". I am truly enjoying my weight loss and this (I hope) forever way of eating

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Only a handful of people in my life know I had surgery and some of them aren't the happiest for me so I need to share my celebrations somewhere haha I posted about a stall 3 weeks ago... I feel so silly for worrying now because not only has the scale has begun moving again (-15lbs since the post!), but as I'm nearing 2 months out I've officially passed 50lbs lost (22 pre, 35 post) and moved into a lower BMI class!! I'm going to see if my doctor will send me my past weight information from my medical records but I think this might be the lowest weight I've been since I hit my teens. I'm still in the "obese" range but obesity class 1 sure feels a lot better than morbid obesity. I feel in control for the first time in a long time. I've been able to go out with friends and make smart choices, and even still being fat I've definitely been getting more positive "attention"--I went out with someone from tinder yesterday without chickening out because "what if he doesn't realize I'm fat???" and it was without a doubt the best date of my life and I'm so excited to go out with him again and so glad I didn't let my weight hold me back. 8 more pounds and I'll be halfway to goal Though I'm wondering... my dream is to hit goal by my birthday. That's 73lbs in 6 months (3/28). I know weight loss slows down after the first couple of months, but is that too unrealistic? I won't be too upset if I don't manage it but I'd like a time goal just to keep me on track. (eta: my first appointment and highest weight ever was the day after my birthday, but I spent a lot of time between then and surgery having "food funerals" and eating all the crap I can't even imagine eating today so my pre-op weight loss was a lot slower than it could have been--I basically lost enough for insurance approval and then ate terribly until I had to stop for the pre-op liquid diet, so 73lbs is more than I've lost in the past 6 months but I think it would be more accurate to say it's been like 3.5 to 4 months of active dieting.)

Wow . Amazing! So happy you are cancer free and that you weight loss is working. Very inspiring ! And may god keep you smiling always like that! “There will be obstacles. There will be doubters. There will be mistakes. But with hard work, there are no limits.” —Michael Phelps

I just watched a video on youtube by Dr. Matthew Weiner that might be helpful to you. The title is "How to Prevent Your Stomach from Stretching after Weight Loss Surgery."

I read many posts here from day to day...and every so often I feel I need to get my story out there...if anything, a declaration for my own edification... Before this WLS, I literally had one foot in the grave, there were so many medical issues and my prognosis was very bad...I'll not get ino it now, but I have in the past...in the 3-5 years prior, I had to bury my Sister, and my Brother...both who died too young from complications from being Obese...and I was walking right in their footsteps... My PCP seriously talked to me, more as a friend, to be sure I had some funeral plans in the way of expenses, and also asked me if my family would be Ok and taken care of.... ANY type of WLS, (in my case it was Lap band), was a LAST RESORT....DO OR DIE (maybe that explains my aggressiveness...no fooling around, dam the torpedoes) That was 3 years ago, I am now 100% successful with my body determining what my weight should be....very low body fat %, in the "Athletic" range...I simply have no more excess weight of fat to loose...any more would be unhealthy...a true starvation mode not unlike the psuedo one everyone talks about. ALL my medical conditions have completely reversed, (other than the permanent damage to my heart muscle from a heart attack), no more Med's, all bloodwork #'s perfect right down the middle.... I am a Poster Child at my Bariatric center, often asked to talk at support and first time introduction meetings...(I'm careful to explain ALL people are different and choose their different weight loss paths) I'm 61 soon to be 62, run 5 miles a day...go to the gym 5 days a week...I feel like I am 30 years younger... I have NEVER had a single complication....I DO NOT consider this a "TOOL"...I consider this corrective surgery...I cannot over eat no matter how hard I may try...I am never hungry 24 hrs a day with no cravings and actually, have very little interest in food altogether....It's a mental thing for me because of the placement of the band.... A "TOOL" is something I can control...I cannot control this, it has complete control of me....If I was in control, and can "Use" this as a tool, I would surely screw it up and fail.... I DO NOT count calories, measure portions, keep logs, etc...in other words, I have been set free from DIETS!! I now live a Normal LIfestyle, I eat, work and play the way a person is supposed to do, not the abnormal gluttonous lifestyle I once used to live that made me sick and fat... But now, I find this the easiest thing there is..absolutely No work or struggle.... of course, during the first post-op phase, which took me 4-6 months of adjusting, was pure hell and frustrating to say the least...but I did not back down, and fought through it...it was that important to me......it has now become day to day, a way of life I do not think about that much anymore...as if I had my gall Bladder taken out 3 years ago... Of course there are things I need to know and certain rules I must follow...but they are new habits...no longer a list....I don't have to think about what foods I can or cannot eat...I just know...I don't have to remind myself how to chew and take my time...I just know..and if I should forget, the band is there to immediately warn and remind me... IF I should ever encounter any complications, I will deal with them when and if they come.....better than being dead! One thing I have noticed to be a truth...the lap band is adjustable, and it seems all people have different levels as to where they want to be with this...for me, nothing less than maximum "Green Zone" life will do...and my Dr. understands....IMO that does not mean one person is right or wrong...as long as you're successful in your path, that's all that matters....I HATE IT when someone says the way they are doing it is the ONLY WAY, then goes and instructs people just starting out...doing more harm than good...no matter there are so many confused people....all anyone should ever do is give their own personal experience in any given situation...if they have none, then keep quiet and let someone who has experience speak...I love it when someone who has been banded for 6 weeks is going to tell me how I should be doing things... Anyway, It's 5am, I'm off to the gym soon when they open at 6 on Saturdays. ALL THIS because I chose to have the Lap Band Surgery....it could have been one of the other procedures, I don't know...this is he only one I have any experience with....so this is the only procedure I can talk about....