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All I can say is I'm sorry for your experience. My father in law had an infectious colitis and it took him wasting away and getting very ill to get the correct diagnosis. It's been some time, but I believe a few rounds of antibiotics and he recovered fully. I can't recall exactly how long it went on but his biggest issue was actually diagnosing the problem. It's been a long time but he's absolutely fine now and has no problems. How far are you out from surgery? The only real issue with medication comes if you need it to spend a long time in the stomach or if it's something (like B12) that needs to be absorbed there. I've taken several rounds of antibiotics and many people take anti-inflammatory meds (we have a few folks here with lupus and other autoimmune disorders) without any problems. Wishing you the very best with your treatment and a speedy recovery. I know that your fear right now is gaining weight on meds, but if your case is infectious colitis it will clear up and go away, and you will only need the meds until it's gone. Colitis can be serious if left untreated, so I'd simply do what the doctor suggests (once your colonoscopy confirms what you've got going on) and worry about losing any possible weight gain once it's over and done with. Your quality of life with colitis will be crap. With a sleeve, there's no time limit on weight loss and you can easily take off any pounds gained on a treatment cycle afterward. Put your overall health first. ~Cheri

I don't know how to fix the header but I obviously meant weight gain!!

Yep! The weight gain progression there is so familiar it's a stereotype. And boy howdy is it familiar!

Hi all, I'm Audie. I was banded May 2, 2007. I have the 10 cc band. My starting weight was 326 lbs ... my highest weight EVER. I had a series of traumatic experiences that led to emotional eating and subsequent weight gain! I am now down in the 240s and still losing. I just got my third fill ... and let me tell ya, this site kept me from panicking about it! :clap2: At the doctor's office, the Water went down without any restriction so I really thought I had dropped a lot of money on a fill just to be able to eat whatever I wanted again. WRONG! The next morning I woke up and I could feel the restriction. I have been pretty miserable. I can only get two bites and truly only sip water or else I end up throwing up. I am a very sensitive person, so I'm pretty sure my tummy is very irritated. He also withdrew all the liquid to see where I'm at. I'm over 4cc's full in my band. So after reading the forums, I decided to give it another week or so. As if I sip, I can get a glass of water and Protein shakes down. Takes a long time, but hey, that's ok! I've lost quite a few pounds, though, in the past couple days. However, there are a few issues going on that I haven't yet experienced. My acid reflux became non-existent after I was banded. Now all of the sudden, I had a case last night! Isn't that the weirdest? And I have trouble sleeping, so some nights I take a tylenol PM. It went down friday night, but not saturday night ... so it's weird my tummy fluctuates that much. I've been losing weight all along, so that isn't an issue for me, but this is the first time I've felt this much restriction. I don't want to go for an unfill because if I keep dropping weight, the restriction will lessen. How long can a person's stomach stay irritated from this activity? I went from like 3.25cc's to over 4cc's. I know everyone's bodies are different. :woot: Thanks! And this seems like a great forum. I was excited to find it last night! Audie

I would ask your gynecologist what it best. I know there are lots of options, I had an IUD in a long time ago which worked fine. It was removed when I had my tubal. The non-latex condom option could work, but clear that with your husband as he may not like the idea of having to wear a condom. Some people have a depovera shot, however, some experience weight gain from it.

I had RNY gastric bypass in 2002 with Dr. Callery in San Diego, ca. My insurance will not pay for a revision. In the last 3-4 years I have gained 45-50lbs. I want to have a revision, my pouch made smaller again and possibly more intestines removed. I had the surgery open and have a large scar. I had minimal to no issues with my first surgery. I have had a chronic back injury that now limits my exercise, hence the weight gain. (also, my poor choices at times). I will need to pay myself and need info, reviews on revisions any doctors in Tijuana have done. Thank you starting weight 9/2002 332lbs 9/2014 160lbs current 203lbs

Thanks for your response everyone, I think i'll enjoy being pregnant and try and maintain a normal weight gain and I'll see how early I can get it after having my baby. Thanks again :thumbup:

Never really seen this side of it, but friends of mine that want to put on weight will use those weight gain type of shakes/powders you see at GNC and other health stores. Maybe those could help with maintenance calories that are easy to take in without having to eat junk. Edit: check this example I found out--Patients trying to regain wieght from illness, cancer treatments, etc use this. http://www.suplimednutrients.com/ Seems like you could modify the quantities or amount for maintenance vs. gain as well.

I gained a lot of weight after the band was removed. I still continued with the nutritionist at the surgeons office. I did the diet pill route for a while, lost a few lbs but was never able to lose like with the band. Finally after my last weight gain when my BMI got up to 30, my surgeon resubmitted, and with a peer review was able to get approval. I had over 40 visits to the nutritionist with records of weight gain and loss etc.

Hello everyone, here's where my story begins.... 1994 is when my weight started becoming a problem for me. I already had both of my children, one in 1990 and the other in 1991. I was about 189lbs after I had my second son and things were pretty much stable at that weight for me. I wanted to lose weight but it didn't become a serious problem until about three years later. I put on about 30lbs from 1991-1994, and it just continued to increase from there. Of course I decided to begin taking weight lost pills (phentramine/and the other phen). I both pills for about two months and quickly lost 50lbs. I thought the battle was over at that point until I gained the weight back about 6 months later (as I stopped taking the pills). I tried some of my own remedies like exercise and all types of diets. I walked and did lots of activities with my children but the weight just wouldn't go anywhere. Looking back at my weight lost journey there were a total of 11 years that I have been trying to lose weight with all types of attempts. I've taken so many diet pills and shakes that I can't even count. My husband and I attended a seminar for day one surgery in Chicago Illinois in March of 2008. In April of 2008 @ 232lbs, I decided to start working on a supervised diet plan with my doctor, I told her that I wanted to attempt a lap band procedure and she let me know that most insurance companies require that you have at least a 6 month history of a medically supervised diet. In addition to that my doctor had just started seeing a patient of hers that had the procedure done, she called her and let me speak to her to see how she felt about the surgery. I decided to go with the same doctor (Dr. Klem out of Central Dupage Hospital, in Winfield IL.) that she has since here experience was so positive. So the 6 month program began. That included Phentramine, water pill and a 1200 calorie diet plan. I lost about 10-15lbs over the 6 month time frame, which wasn't very sugnificant to me. Once I stopped taking the pills I was right back at square one.... back to 230. In September of 08' I began seeing Dr. Klem, he has been performing this type of surgery for the last 17 years, he gave me all of the pro's and con's of the procedure and told me I was a candidate for either surgery, the bypass or the lap band. My husband and I decided that the lapband was the best choice for me since I didn't have any pre-morbid conditions. The process began the next week after being catagorized as morbidly obese. By the way when I started seeing Dr. Klem I was up to 242lbs, this was barely enough to be considered for insurance (why I'm not sure...). By the time my scheduled appointment for nutritionist came I was a all time high of 247.6lbs. That was a depressing time for me, I cried when I left the office and spoke with my husband about the weight gain that I was experiencing. We decided the I should try Weight Watchers to try and work on the problem immididately, as I had developed high blood pressure by this time and my doctor decided to put me on blood preasure medicine. I began Weight Watchers which I started doing very well with and dropped about 15lbs. Unfortunately I put the procedure off because I thought maybe this would be the fix that I was truly looking for. That did not last for more than a couple of months because of the high amount of sodium that was in so many of the meals. By now it's December and I'm right back in the same visocus circle that I've been in and now my weight has really gotten out of hand. by January I was a whopping 252lbs and had a very low self esteme. I didn't want to go to any social settings and couldn't fit any of my clothes. I was up to a size 18/20...I'd never wore this size clothes even when I was 9mo pregnant with either of my children. Life seemed very glomy for me. In January I decided to get back to business with Dr. Klems office and get the show on the road. As most of you know this can be a very long process because of all of the steps you have to take to be qualified for surgery. By March of this year I was finally finished with all of the steps that I needed (so I thought). My Information was submitted to my insurance company and I thought it was complete but of course my insurance company Blue Cross Blue Shield of Illinois denied my case. They claimed that I didn't have enough previous documented diet attempts for at least 5 years. When I submitted 7 years straight of failed diet attempts with one diet (Dr. Greenspon) doctor. My case was taken on by the Attorney that handles lap band denied cases, which took almost two months to get resolved. Finally got approved (this was a very stressful time needless to say).:tongue_smilie:As I was waiting for the approval I decided to try another dietary option, Weight Watchers (This was so costly, but my husband wanted to make sure I tried absolutly everything.....) by June of 09, I was finally approved... Now to set the date...July was full for my doctor so I opted to take August 12th. I'm now scheduled....:thumbup:... Kept doing Weight Watchers for a minute until I ran out of thier food and I'm now at 239.5. My liquid diet starts July 29th, which does consist of some food. I am to have a protein shake for breakfast, a morning snack (which will be a fat free yogart without fruit), Protein shake for lunch, mid lunch snack (which will be sugar free jello), and then a dinner (I've opted to use a Smart One's meal which is approved by my nutrutionist as long as it has meat in it.) and I can have up to two sugar free popcicles or fudgecicles. This doesn't seem like a liquid diet but the doctor knows best and it's ment to be 1000 calories. My nutritionist said it was good that I've been on the Weight Watchers diet because it's comparable to what I will be doing except it's 200 calories less. I will continue to post after my procedure but I can say that I'm happy that it's all most time for me to get this part over with....It's been a long time coming.:confused: Start Weight: 252lbs Pre Op Weight: 239lbs Pre Surgery Weight: ??? Goal Weight: 145

it wont fail! As long as you consume the propoer nutrition and exercise if possible. The stalls are expected.. I suggest you weigh no more than once a week.. Our bodies fluctuate with water weight too often and will drive you insane. I have weighed once a week on the same day since surgery and have always experienced a loss even if it is 1 lb.. The ont time i weighed in the middle of week it showed a 1.5 weight gain. I jumped off the scale so quick it was like I was standing on fire LOL.. but when I weighed again on my normal day, it was 1 lb loss.. whew..

Surely though with the small amount of pizza and Chinese you say you have had would not result in weight gain ? Just my view .

So now that I have "officially" accepted responsibility for my weight gain over the years, now I'm trying to figure out what led to this roller coaster life I lead! My last blog, I talked about being on phen-phen and loving it... then getting married and 2 kids later - poof I'm topping 259.6 lbs! But there is a lot in between that time span that I need to reflect on! So - in my late 20's and early 30's - newly married, fabulous job, living in DC - smoozing with the politicians, climbing the work latter, away from my mom.... hmmmmm - can't think of a single reason emotionally that I should have gained weight... I think I stayed a size 10ish - wavering between an 8 and 12 probably - so not too bad. Though, again, I thought I was HUGE! But honestly, other than eating out, and enjoying an adult beverage (oh and not working out) - I'd say life was even for me during this time! Moving into my 30's - 2 kids now! Moved to Atlanta - lived in the burbs with the white picket fence (literally, a white picket fence)... hanging in the cul-de-sac in my sweater sets.... I gained about 40 - 50 lbs with each kid - though I lost "most of it" each time - but stayed in the 170s - 180's for the most part. I played tennis on the neighborhood tennis team - and in my late 30's, started running... I got down to a size 8 - 10 again and looked and felt good! Then BAM! It hit! My daughter is in kindergarten - teachers think something is "not quite right"; tests begin... nothing unusual - but still something "is off".... she enters 1st grade... and now the fun begins.... without going into the details of how we got there... we found out my daughter was dyslexic! The end of the world!!! We thought we had to brightest (her IQ by the way is 1 point below Genius), most perfect child... oh my god... what are we going to do? What did I do? I went into Mamma Bear mode.... started looking at private schools that specialize in dyslexia, started taking her to special tutoring sessions (driving an hour home from work to pick her up, then driving another 45 minutes to the tutor, waiting an hour, then driving an hour back home (rush hour). We started eating in the car - snacks on the way there, dinner from Mickey D's or Chick-fil-a on the way back... 3 x per week!!! I stopped running - who has time for that when you have a full time job, 2 kids, and this new "the world has ended" weight on my shoulders? My daughter was accepted in the top school - whew!! but that meant commuting 1.5 hours each way every day... but I was willing - because it was only supposed to be for 2 - 3 years (a transition school, where there is remediation and you go back to the "real world"). So we ate in the car...ALOT!!! My daughter isn't gaining weight because she is active (see a pattern from my mom here?)... but she is also on ADHD meds with acts as an appetite suppresent. I however, am gaining weight... not on the tennis team anymore, and definitely not exercising! Now add in my son - the pre-schools are saying he has some issues too - oh here we go again - at least we know what to look for this time - right? But we have him in a pre-school that is for advanced kids - and he is falling behind - and the teacher is bullying him - yes bullying a 4 year old. He went into a depression - 4 year old!!! He was the happiest kid - every day is a good day - and then boom - depressed! We pulled him out of that school and went to another school - he was happy, but not learning - but happy :-)! In Kindergarten - we decided to nip it in the bud - have him tested and boom - he is dyslexic too (it is hereditary and I probably had it but overcame it with my intellect and my dad is). We enter him into the same private school as my daughter - and now have $50,000 in tuition plus uniforms... plus the commute... and eating on the go! But - it was only temporary - right? So we did it... and then.. came the time for my daughter to be retested (every 3 years) and to start thinking about the next school..... I remember it clearly... I had just started a software development leg of my company... I was 30 minutes from walking into a board room filled with CEO's and CIOs from major companies (7 of them) to pitch my latest product.... and the psych called.... "Hey Krista - just wanted to let you know I'm coming up with some "weird" results for Natalie".....pause...."I'd like to run some additional tests"....pause...."I think she may be on the autism spectrum...and by the way I think she comes by it from her dad"! THUMP!!! OMG!!!! Did she just say AUTISM? OMG!!!!! So I compartmentalize that, and do my presentation... them come out and just CRY!!!! Turns out... after the initial testing and 2 second opinions... she is on the spectrum... and my husband is accepting that he may be too - but what is he going to do about it at almost 50 years of age?... Now my world is crumbling... AGAIN!!!! I have to find a new school, I have to put her in a "social skills" class (she was "shy" all this time - not autistic), I have to rearrange my life... AGAIN!! My world ended during this time - how can this be? So I started taking Lexapro to "deal" - and I probably drank way more wine than I should any given week... and I most definitely ate out every meal and did not exercise! OK - so, I found a school - only it is 2 hours from our house... my son is still at the dyslexia school - the complete other direction... so now what? Oh - sell our house and move closer! We also decided to go ahead and move our son to this school as it is a school for all types of learning differences! So - we move, move schools, and I also decide to sell my businesses.... I had to make changes - I had to do something!! But selling my business turned out to be a VERY bad idea (I'll write more on that another time)... and turns out, my son has Asperger's too - OMG - TWO KIDS on the spectrum!!!! Though actually with my son, they don't know how to diagnose him - so they just gave him that DX - he really has more working memory issues and his IQ is on the low side! So - moving from my past - I think I did very well overcoming my mother and childhood stuff... I did very well with moving up the corporate ladder, and I did well early in the childhood raising area.... My weight gains - major weight gains started when trouble hit my perfect little life! I turned to food (and alcohol - though I wouldn't call myself an alcoholic) to solve my problems - to comfort me! Food was the one staple that was there - no matter what - I could count on a drive-thru... I could count on a good sushi meal (I mean like $50 - $60 of sushi for me alone)... I could count on a bottle of wine! I can see the crisis that hit - I can see how I used food - but what I don't know yet, is how will I overcome the "next" crisis?????? More to come as I figure out this journey! Look for my scary boss story coming next - this is when I hit the top of the scales!!!

Well, I had a fill today post op after my port had flipped and I had corrective surgery on May 10th. I went for a follow up today. I gained two pounds! The doctor took one look at me and he said I had a fluid build up. He drained almost 16 oz of fluid out of me! Anyway, he said he gave me a fill during my surgery and I said I felt nothing, he decided to give me another fill today. Anyway, I was only able to hold down 1 Cup of food before I felt like I would start regurgitating. It was a good feel, not a restrictive feel but enough to let me know I'd had enough. My doctor is very conservative on fills and this time I think he hit the green zone because I'm comfortable and feel good that I can stop eating when I feel full. Before the band I would have eaten everything on my plate. Hopefully, a loss will show up on the scale. The doctor said that the fluid build up post op was a contributing factor in my weight gain of two pounds. A gain is a gain so I have to log that down and remind. Myself not to get discouraged.

Thought it might be worth updating my report from more than three months ago. Weight loss numbers are very encouraging. I busted through the 300 lb mark into the "2's" this past weekend and am now down 121 lbs, since I started the journey about a year ago, including pre operation nutrition, pre operation liquid diet and post operation sleeve diet. I was sleeved on Aug 29 at 371 lbs and now at 299, just shy of 5 months later. Call it 20 weeks since the sleeve, with a average weight loss of 3.6 lbs/week since the operation. I am just 59 lbs from my basic goal of 240 lbs and have erased more than 20 years of almost continous weight gain. I can basically eat 4-6 oz of any kind of food I want to eat...have not found any limitations whatsoever. I have a very happy sleeve. I am staying with a regimen of a 300 calorie breakfast including eggs and some sort of meat and or cheese based protein, a protein shake twice a day, sometimes with a little other protein added and a fairly light 300-400 calorie meal in the evening. Probably averaging 1100-1300 calories a day with pretty restricted carbs. Have ramped up the walking a good bit for aerobic exercise. Numerous small victories...some new clothes at MUCH reduced sizes and being able to travel by air without asking for a seatbelt extension among them. All blood work is spot on with only a couple of very tiny deviations. Vitamin absorbtion is going well. BP and blood sugar are doing better than they have in 25 years. Early post surgical fatigue is gone completely.....I now have more energy and feel better than I have had in many, many years. Let me say again that my experience with Dr. Kim and his great staff has been stellar.I know there have been some criticisms about Dr. Kim only seeing a patient once or twice during the process, but in my opinion, it is more important for him to be helping as many folks as possible and getting them started on their path to better health and a much improved life. My experience with his staff has been excellent and due to that, I do not feel slighted at all by any lack of direct doctor attention. I hope everyone out there has as great a result from their sleeve as I have had so far. Good luck to all!

Hypothyroidism is a condition in which the body lacks sufficient thyroid hormone. Since the main purpose of thyroid hormone is to "run the body's metabolism," it is understandable that people with this condition will have symptoms associated with a slow metabolism. The estimates vary, but approximately 10 million Americans have this common medical condition. In fact, as many as 10% of women may have some degree of thyroid hormone deficiency. One of the symptoms of hypothyroidism in weight gain or increased difficulty in losing weight. Because the body is expecting a certain amount of thyroid hormone the pituitary will make additional thyroid stimulating hormone (TSH) in an attempt to entice the thyroid to produce more hormone. This constant bombardment with high levels of TSH may cause the thyroid gland to become enlarged and form a goiter (enlarged thyroid). Left untreated, the symptoms of hypothyroidism will usually progress. Rarely, complications can result in severe life-threatening depression, heart failure, or coma. Goiters and some other thyroid conditions can be treated with radioactive iodine therapy. The aim of the radioactive iodine therapy (for benign conditions) is to kill a portion of the thyroid to prevent goiters from growing larger or producing too much hormone; I feel that rather than focusing on the weight gain, the better focus should be correcting the enlarged thyroid. I recommend you discuss this issue with your doctor.

Lots of good advice given by the previous poster! Given the mental health issues and how they tie into weight gain/loss I second the suggestion to find a counsellor to help you walk through issues as they crop up and creating a support network to give you encouragement and motivation when things get tough. I'm sorry about your brother and hope you are confident in the care he receives in the group home, so that you can focus on taking care of yourself now

Yes, I know that it ultimately boils down to my eating and exercise choices. I lost 250 pounds and kept it off for 8 years so believe me, I've lived it. What I'm saying is that the "tool" that the lap band provided me which helped me achieve that is no longer working. The "tool" being two things: (1) restriction, without unmanageable acid reflux, and (2) cessation of head hunger. #2 went away first, lasted maybe 3 years. #1 lasted until within the last year or so the acid reflux has become such a severe problem that I had to have the restriction taken away to manage the acid reflux. My question should really be directed at bandsters who have had their bands for 7+ years. Every other long-term bandster I know is also struggling with acid reflux and weight gain. Julie, are you struggling with acid reflux at all? Good suggestions about protein bars. I have maintained my morning tradition of a green protein shake since my surgery up until today so I know I am getting plenty of protein. My biggest problem is evening snacking. I switched to an apple in the evening to keep me full with less calories.

we dont eat them in our house. this was an issue with my nutitritionist. she was really pushing them. i am 7 days post opt and doing fine. everything tastes weird from ketosis anyway. lol i use a natural Protein shake (plant fusion) and plain yogurt. i have small amounts of fruit. i'm not really into super sweet things anyway. i love chocolate.. eat the dark stuff. use small amounts of maple syrup and honey. bought coconut crystals to sweeten my ice tea after surgery. it has a low GI. growing up, my dad was fat, drank tons of diet pop, used saccharine in his coffee, even sprinkled it on french toast and pancakes. lost weight, gained it back, died at 56 from a second massive heart attack. they dont help much.

I believe I'm getting enough Water, but today I'm tracking that as well. Just because I *think* I'm getting enough of something (or not too much of something else) doesn't mean reality matches up. Thanks for asking Paula, and yes, uhm, every thing is coming out all right, as it were. I have not checked recently to see if my meds cause weight gain. I am not currently on prednisone, but I was prior to being banded. I can't think that previous use of steroids would impact my current weight loss. But one of the very first things they want ot do to you here in SE ID is put you on a course of prednisone if you come into the ER with an asthma attack. If my oxygen is below 90%, they put me on steroids.

What!!!! Now I have heard of water weight gain but not because you've lost to much. Hummmn

Laceemouse, I was 324 when I had the surgery, and 372 when I started the process. I'm wicked happy about the progress trust me! I am just a little concerned because of the weight gain. Wasn't sure if it was something to be calling the Dr about. I know I can't keep up the extreme weight loss, but wouldn't that be nice still have about 100lbs to go! Thanks for the input guys. I called my NUT earlier and she did recommend increasing my calories a bit and not working out as vigorously as I have been, so I'm going to try that. I'll let you know how I do

Our stats are very similar. I'm 4'11 and I'm at my highest weight of 218. 70 extra pounds is a lot to carry around on our small frames. Thinking back to when I was a healthy weight: I had the energy to be involved socially and participate in activities I was more present in my relationships and that made me a better wife, mother, and friend Since the weight gain, I've experienced back and joint pain, and now mobility is starting to be affected. Like you, I also have a few comorbidities. The progression has been predictable. First no symptoms, next from mild to moderate, and lastly severe. These are a few critical questions I asked myself when deciding to pursue surgery and the answers are what keep me moving forward: How satisfied are you with your physical health? How will that satisfaction be affected if other comorbidities develop? Is there a chance I will lose the ability to remain independent or care for myself if I continue on this path? As others have said, it's important to ask if the risks of obesity such as high cholesterol, cancers, heart disease, stroke, gallbladder/gallstones outweigh the benefits like freedom from or reduced impact from diseases, a longer life span, improved personal relationships, and better mental health. Self-reflection is important. Maybe along the way you've forgotten what your motivation is or it's changed. Why did you start this process in the first place? Is what motivated you then still relevant now? Whatever you decide, please don't punish yourself, it will erode your confidence.

Melody-- Thank you for being so positive--I've had people post me that pretty much made me feel guilty for getting pregnant so close after surgery, but I know this baby is God's will for my life, so I rejoice in that. I also believe that God lead me to get the lap band, so I'm confident that all will be well after the baby's born, and I'll resume my weight loss then. Sparkling, I know what you mean about the fatigue and lack of exercise. Before I was pregnant, I was jogging up to 2 miles/day and walking 2. At about 6 weeks pregnant, I was so tired, I couldn't do it anymore (and I have three children under the age of 5, so that makes me tired in itself ). Don't worry about your weight gain--just eat healthy foods and do the best you can... I think there are some signs to look for when dealing with a slipped band--more or less restriction (which I don't have much of at all because I have no fill), heartburn--I think that's the most obvious ones. I don't know. I just hope my band stays in place and works. I hope that I'm not stretching the top part of my stomach out too much...we'll see. Did you get a fill before you found out you were pregnant. I never made it that far...

Ive gained like 3 pounds. I dont know if I should be happy or worried. LOL. Usually by this time in my previous pregnancies I would have gained at least 20 lbs and another 20 in the next 10 weeks. I'm 29 weeks now, so I have 11 weeks til term but I am high risk because I have had a still born at 39 weeks so I am usually able to cry my way in to an early labor...I usually get induced at 38 weeks, so I am about 9 weeks away from D-Day. I have been so tight lately and worried about baby's weight gain so I will go and get about 1cc taken out tomorrow. I cant wait to actually eat