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I also have a cpap machine and have lost 33 pounds since being banded and have notice that Iam not tired etc any more. I notice I take it off a lot at night and my setting has been changed. I will be seeing my doctor next week to talk more about the weight loss and if I should do another study. I had one 7 months ago. Once I know more about what he says next week I will let you all know. Chris

7 months out and gained an 1 1/2 back in my waist. I've been stuck for a month? Any one else expereince this?

Don't sweat the little stuff, LeslieLee. We are bandsters and we are losing both weight and clothing sizes. From time to time there will be small set-backs but try to remain focussed on the big picture.

Hi feb 23 here. I'm down 50lbs. Almost off my insulin for diabetes and down 2 sizes in clothes. The weight is not coming off as fast as I would like. I not in the gym like I should be but I am very strict with my diet and Water. I don't know if it's good to lose slowly? Maybe I won't have as much sagging skin? I get in about 750 calories, 70-90 grams of Protein, 60-75oz of water. Prob around 20-25 grams of carbs, rarely any sugar.

8 pounds already! YGG! You are really gonna lose weight when you get banded. Good JOB!

Hi! I am starting my testing on 3/18 to start the process for sleeve surgery. Has anyone gained their weight back after sleeve surgery? Or do you know anyone who has? What are your challenges on a daily basis after surgery? I am doing as much research as I can. I want to make sure that after I go through this that I make it work. I don't want to Gain weight back or fail and I am wondering what the chances are of that with the sleeve. I am 45 I have hbp, sleep apnea and fatty liver. I'm scared for my health more so than my looks. Any help you can offer would be most appreciated. I will be using Dr. Ahmad in Port Jefferson,️NY for my surgery.

I haven't had my appt yet with my surgeon - doing my mental health and such in two weeks. I attended one of his seminars, and it sounded like he doesn't put his patients on a pre-op diet. He said he just wants you to lose any weight you can before surgery so the procedure will be less risky. I've done my research and this guy is great and I really like him, but I WANT a structured, pre-op diet. I might have misunderstood him and he might put me on one when I go to my appt, but if he doesn't, does anyone know a good resource so I can do my own? I'm shooting for surgery in late June.

when did you have surgery? how much have you lost? not much in your profile so im wondering if this energy is because of weight loss?

I have no health insurance, and have been checking into surgery in Mexico. I would totally do it as I have been researching forever. Problem is I am waiting for SSI to approve or deny my claim *this could take up to 2 years! In the meantime I cannot work not only because of my health but because if I bring in any money I will be disqualified for SSI! I cannot so far get financing as my hubby and I are one year out from a bankcruptcy. So my question is...what is someone like me to do? I know people think this surgery is just plastic surgery or really not needed. But, without going into long details I have 2 medical disorders that have caused this weight gain to begin with...and this is just about my only option according to Doctors. I am soooooo frustrated I could just die! Dahlia

Sandy_pants, it is a frustrating thing to have to wait after you have made up your mind to do something. I think it does make the wait a little longer being on a Medicare list. Though to get my insurance to cover the procedure it took me over 15 months, so you are NOT alone. Have you given the office a call? It is a good idea to check in with them every week or so and see how things are progressing. Have you found out from Medicare or from the doctors office what the requirements are for Medicare to pay for the surgery? I have no idea what they are, but I ask because most insurances have a requirement of some sort, be it a number of years of documented morbid obesity, monthly visits to the doctor for weight loss for a specified time frame, a certain BMI, comorbid factors, etc. Make sure you've got those things in place or you will be waiting even longer. One other option is to self-pay and head to Mexico, there are a number of wonderful band surgeons there. There's loads of threads here about how to research them. Don't just go for cheapest, because you do get what you pay for to a degree. The good ones average about $7,000-$10,000. There is a lap band doctor in Denver who does bands for $11,000-Dr. Kirschenbaum. There's a thread here devoted to him, too. Ya know it sucks, it really does, to be frustrated and be waiting, but be pro-active while you are waiting. Do loads of research. Find out what to expect after banding. Practice life as a Bandster now. I did and it helped immensely. I started eating my lean Proteins first, then my vegetables, then if I had room I'd eat fruit or some complex carb (whole grains, NOT white bread or white potatoes). I gave up ALL carbonation and caffeine, I started eating (when I wasn't in public) with baby utensils to practice taking small bites. I practised chewing, chewing, chewing before swallowing, I stopped drinking with my meals and for 1hr after (or as long as I could make it). I got rid of all the refined sugars I could from my diet. I started reading labels and if it had high fructose corn syrup or enriched flour in it, I wouldn't buy it. I started drinking Water. Not lots of water, but I never loved it in the first place, so I experimented with True Lemon products so that I could drink something WITHOUT artificial sweeteners like Splenda or NutraSweet in it. I tracked EVERY bite and EVERY sip of anything I put in my body on a FREE intake tracker like fitday.com, mydailyplate,com, sparkpeople.com, etc (there are so many out there). It was eye-opening. I lost 44lbs making these simple changes, and I didn't feel deprived or stressed in any way. It has made at least the first couple of weeks (so far) after banding go fairly well. You can do so much to get yourself ready for this, take this time and DO IT. The band is NOT a magic fix, it will take work and committment to do it's job, it is merely a tool to help. It is up to us to make it work to the best of it's ability. I think we get into a bad trap if we sit and wait for the band fairy to come and place the band on our bellies and assume that's all it takes. I wish you luck and hope you get a date soon. Remember you are not alone, we are here and we're here to support each other.

I am new ! I went to the surgeon in Dec. and just finished all my testing this week. I was able to move my date up from Feb. 3 to Jan. 26. I am heading back to the surgeon this week for all my clearances. I am having my fingers crossed I am approved! I was on the lower end of the BMI scale. Starting at 201 5'3. Over the past month I stopped going to the gym and have definitely not been eating right and have gained maybe 10 lbs. My endoscopy came back I had a hernia in my esophagus and gastritis. I have to have another endo. Jan 12 to be cleared. Anyone else have this issue?! I was prescribed prilosec and have kicked caffeine for about 2 weeks now so that I would not have the headaches while on the 2 week pre-op diet. FYI my insurance is Empire BCBS (MTA in NY) Anyone a lower end BMI with EMPIRE BCBS??!

I meant to give up smoking a month before my surgery, but just couldn't do it. In fact I had a smoke on my way to the hospital a few hours before the actual operation to 'calm my nerves'. This did not cause any problems for me personally, but the longer you can give up the better. Whilst smoking is undoubtedly bad, I would not worry too much especially if you have stopped for 2 weeks. Your blood pressure will be lower after just one day of quitting, and after a few weeks your lungs will be more efficient and will have started cleaning themselves. Quitting even a week before surgery has got to be better than not at all so don't beat yourself up over it. Just try to make sure you stay quit AFTER the operation too as smoking slows the healing process. Once you are banded you won't have to worry so much about weight gain after quitting either :thumbup: Good luck with your band!

Has anybody or know anybody that has had open heart surgery and be successful with getting weight loss surgery?

How long does the process take from initial consultation to surgery date? It really depends on your insurance, your surgeon, and you. Could be anywhere from a couple of weeks to a year, but for most people it seems to be about 3 - 6 months. Did anyone feel that people in their environment judged them for having surgery vs 'trying to lose weight' the natural way? I've told just about everyone who has asked about my weight loss about my surgery. Only one person has said anything negative to my face. Other people may be saying things behind my back, or thinking negative, judgmental things. I really don't give a rat's patootie what anyone thinks about me or how I lose weight though. That may be one of the benefits of doing this as a not-young person (I am 49 now) -- my IDGAF bone has definitely gotten stronger through the years. It's a medical decision, I made it in consultation with my physicians, anyone who feels like they have the right to an opinion on my medical decisions can bite me. How long was the hospital stay? My surgeon's standard hospital stay is 2 nights. Others do 1 night, 3 nights, or on an outpatient basis, it varies a lot. How long does recovery take? Again, this is all over the map. We are all such individuals when it comes to healing, plus different surgical techniques may result in longer or shorter healing times, some people may have complications, others may have hiatal hernia repair or gall bladder removal done at the same time as the sleeve. I was off work for two weeks and pretty much exhausted for four weeks after surgery. I've seen posts from people who bounced back a lot sooner, and others who took longer. But to be clear, during the two weeks off work, I was tired, napping a lot, and in occasional pain, but not bedridden or unable to care for myself and my household. I just needed to be able to take things slow and rest a lot.

<div>My yucky mouth was the part I didn't like post op. The next morning they said that I could brush with plain Water and not swallow. I gained 5 lbs. before I left. Now I'm in the hotel drinking some broth.</div>

Has my surgery yesterday at 12:30 in Concord, NC. I feel pretty good right now. Moderate pain just above my belly button. Unfortunately they just weighed me and I was up 10 lbs from yesterday right before surgery. I know this is a lot of water weight, leg compression pads, etc.....but still. Walked some last night and it felt pretty good. The biggest pain is not being allowed to drink anything yet. My mouth is so dry and pasty. They did give me some mouth swabs so I can swab with a little water. All in all, so far so good! Thanks to everyone for your thoughts and prayers!

So I had a terrible few days eating and gained a few pounds and needed to reset both my head and my pouch. So today, I started all liquids again. 3 protein shakes for the 3 meals of the day and then just flavored water in between. Has anyone done a sleeve reset or gone back to liquids for a bit to refocus? If so, how long did you do it? Thanks!

I was just listening to the old but good song that I thought totally applied to all of us. To everything, turn, turn, turn...there is a season turn, turn, turn...and a purpose for everything under heaven. A time to be born, a time to die..a time to plant a time to reap...a time to kill a time to heal...a time to laugh a time to weep...a time to build up a time a time to break down...a time to dance, a time to GAIN A TIME TO LOSE, etc, etc... We have went through a season of being over weight for whatever reason (i'm sure there are many different reasons we each have). Now it is time to lose the weight for all the right reasons. This will be good for our health and wellbeing...self esteem, etc... My surgery is Oct. 2 and I am so excited my weight will start FALLING OFF THIS FALL SEASON! I am anxious for this new journey and hopeful. Okay, while I am here I will say this: I love the chatroom here and have got so much good advise, etc...BUT, yesterday evening there was some argueing going on...back and forth, back and forth, name calling ect... I just think we all need to be sympathetic of each other and each others feeling. We are here to support each other during this difficult time in our lives. Not tear each other down. Anyway, just my two cents...you can take it or leave it. Blessings to you all...I wish everyone the best!

Wow I am a day away--tomorrow is finally my big day. I am more than excited I am over the moon. It has been a long struggle to get here and I am so ready! They did change my time from 7 am to 11 am. Bummer --- but at least they did not change the day! I am so happy. Been on my liquid since Thursday the 10 th...... My the weight is falling off -- I have been dropping 1pound a day so far. Since Thursday down 4 whole pounds -- go figure. I will keep everyone posted on my progress. Wishing all my May sleevers great success and looking forward to an uneventful recovery for us all !!! Hugs and prayers to us all, also.

Honestly, the guy I ended up going to was a rip off. I was back in my car in 8 minutes. And, his price doubled. His report (which spelled my name wrong) said my age, my history of weight issues, how I had good knowledge of the procedure and how I had a support system for immediately after the procedure. So I guess this was more of a drive thru psych eval - not a test at all. Sorry for any confusion.

Well I will tell you the process is horrible. Now that it is after June 1st I would recommend calling UHC and requesting a Care Cord. My Care Cord was Kathy Sweeny and her # is 1-866-534-7209 ex. 67391. I would may recommend contacting her if you do not get assigned to a cord. I also advise you to ask them to go thru everything with you about what will need to be done to get approved. I know I had to have a doctor recommend a weight-loss program bc you have to do one for 6 months. I did Jenny Craig. After the 6 month plan, the psych eval, nutrition class it took about 8 months. I didnt go to my consult with Dr. T until my last week of my 6 month program. That way everything was quick. I hope this does help. If anything else let me know! Good Luck!

I have been reading this new book called the Stubborn Fat Fix. It discusses all kinds of foods and how they affect your body. For example, think about the meat you eat- the animals were fed antibiotics that cause them to gain weight and it gets passed to us. So I am trying to make sure the meat I eat is antibiotic and hormone free. I think the ONLY way to know for sure is making it yourself. The lost goes on about so many foods.... I will post more later ...food for thought

Congrats on your weight loss so far! Awesome job! I know you're counting down the days! Good luck to you!

Search stall on the forums, and you will find that what you are going through is completely normal and expected. Just about everyone stalls somewhere between weeks three and six. Remember, your body has been put through a lot these last couple of weeks, major surgery, major changes in your diet, etc. Right now it is saying whoa, I need to take a break and adjust to everything that is happening. I promise you, keep doing what you are doing and the weight loss will start reflecting on the scale again. Also, I always like to remind everyone to keep track of their measurements as well. While your scale may not be reflecting any changes, you still may be losing inches.

I just had my 3 week post op. I have lost 27 lbs but they did specifically warn me that weeks 3-6 will not look the same. As body continues to heal and we graduate to more "food". The body goes into adjustment phase. I was told the steady, more consistent weight loss will kick in at 6 weeks.