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I just got banded Thursday the 13th, and went back to work on Monday the 17th for about 2/3 of the day. Worked over 1 hour on Tuesday, and worked 10 hours today. But, I work at a desk, it makes a huge difference on what you do. I also had a textbook surgery, no problems. I didn't have alot of sick time, it is a fairly new job. If you have the time, take it to heal as best you can! Good Luck! Jodie

Thank god I've been doing soo soo good! I even went back to work on Monday and during lunch I go the mall and walk for an hour. I've been drinking lots of water and I don't have to sip.. I can actually drink a lot. Today I decided to go the gym and I only went on the treadmill for 50min and lost 200 cal. Tomorrow I see my but for the first time after surgery. I hope he lets me starts my second phase since I've been doing so well. If not, I can still wait till Monday ... I am so motivated to lose weight and of course heal... I even motivated my co-worker who is struggling to lose weight to go the gym makes me feel good.

Wow... so sorry you endured that!! I never had it done. I decided to take meds for it and still am till this day. I also decided NOT to do bypass. I'm so glad I didn't do it. I still have some issues. Some spasms but not as nearly as I was. I will be 4 years out in May. I'm losing again and am so proud I kept off the weight I have. I still suffer but realize that some of the acidic foods I was eating like tomatoes bring the spasms on. The spasms were and are the worse pain I've ever felt. I take Levsin and Dexilant and it really helps. I decided I didn't want to cause more issues for myself having the bypass. I see so many complications with that surgery 10 years out. I'm not saying everyone will have issues... but I couldn't take the chance since my husband died of cancer and I'm alone here with no family to help. Blessings and prayers for you! I hope you don't have to have the bypass.

I got my lapband 9/22/10. I am wondering if my scale is broken. I got my last fill on June 7, my doctor felt I didn't need a fill but I told him I was very hungry at night. So he gave me .2 cc's under flourscopy. I think I have a total of 5.0 in a 10 cc band. He gave me the right amount to put me at my sweet spot. I really have to make myself eat, I don't get as hungry as I used to. The reason why I think my scale is broken is because the first week after my fill i lost 3 lbs. I went to my primary dr. and he has not seen me since i got my clearance to have the surgery. He was very happy with my weight loss. He was not happy that I had stopped taking my high blood pressure medicine and my blood pressure was high 130/100, he told me to start taking my medicine again and don't stop taking them. So that was a downer. This morning I got on the scale (I don't know why) it's friday and i usually only get on the scale on Mondays. What a surprise I lost 7 lbs. 5 more pounds and I have lost 100 lbs. Never thought I could do it. I am so pround of myself. I just need to make myself exercise more to tone up the flab. I do walk a lot. I hurt my shoulder a few months ago so that has made me stop. I have to start going to therapy, but going on vacation so will start when I return. At this rate I may be at my goal weight or close to it by 9/22/11.

So I get my first band fill on Thursday and I'm a little nervous but mostly excited. Just a little nervous of the unknown I guess not really the needles. I'm a pediatric nurse so I guess I have that to thank. Anyway still stuck at 26lbs hope this will help boost the wt loss again.

Hi I am about 19 days out and am on puréed foods. I just feel like I should feel better than I do. I still get nausea but I have IBS and that is one of the symptoms I use to get. I have tried canned chicken with low fat mayo- didn't feel good after. I have tried refried beans, green salsa-no good, cottage cheese-real bad, added chicken breast to refried beans and puréed no good. Getting frustrated!! Still drink protein shake every morning cause I know I need protein! Any suggestions? I am going to call NUT on Mon.

This was sent to me in a private message by one of our members who wanted to stay anonymous but thought the information might be useful to other BariatricPal members: "Alex, I realized my drinking was getting excessive. Particularly when I woke up with my hands shaking. It was quickly going from drinking after working out, to wanting to take nips to quiet the nerves during the day. There are two schools of thought out there when it comes to alcohol - the AA/total abstention model and Harm Reduction model. In my typical fashion, I started researching it and realized that sudden withdrawal could be very dangerous. Just stopping drinking if you have been doing for an extended period of time can create bad withdrawal symptoms, the worst being known as Delirium Tremors (DT's), but it also can spike your blood pressure, elevate heart rate, night sweats. If I went into a medically supervised system, my options all involved sudden withdrawal with benzos and other anti-anxiety drugs. And at the same time you risk loss of professional licences, reputation, gun rights etc. Not a great solution to a problem. And it is a problem. Not only is it stalling my weight loss, but if I was in a accident, the hospital is not going to bring you a bourbon as medicine, instead you get to go through DT's. So I didn't want to risk being dependent on alcohol, the dangers are too great. Then I found these articles: http://journals.plos.org/plosone/article?id=10.1371/journal.pone.0022994 https://hamsnetwork.wordpress.com/2010/10/09/more-on-tapering-off-alcohol/ One of the benefits of controlled tapering of alcohol is avoiding a syndrome called "kindling." Some people who have repeatedly gone through cold turkey withdrawal without tapering off become more and more likely to have bad withdrawals from even small amounts of alcohol. This phenomenon is referred to as "kindling". People who have undergone kindling can suffer withdrawal seizures from drinking as little as a six pack of beer. Some decades ago some detox facilities forced clients to undergo cold turkey withdrawal to "teach them a lesson". Not only did this fail to stop people from drinking, it resulted in many people suffering from kindling. I used this system over three days and the result was a controlled landing. I've now been able to go through the last week alcohol-free without really bad withdrawals. Can't say it wasn't without discomfort. It did goof with my sleep and I have been agitated and muscles are a little sore, but it was bearable. Used a portable breathalyzer to monitor my BAC and home blood pressure monitor to make sure nothing spiked. My goal is to stay alcohol-free for the next month and re-evaluate. I need to re-learn my relationship with drinking, and make sure I bring my BAC down to 0 between drinks so I don't get back to that level again and make sure it is not an everyday activity. But that is my goal, not a recommendation."

They did not perform a leak test. They did send me home with a drain which I had for a week, Just had that removed Thursday, thank God. I can now wear normal clothes. I feel like I have been wearina a moo-moo for a week. There was a follow up after 1 week. Ny next appt is 1 month out, then 3 month, 6 month, 1 year anniversary then annually. Smart move going right for the VSG. I wish I had done the same. My wife has a friend getting a band in the next week or so. I would LOVE to tell her not to do it but she has her mind made up and I have to respect that. Keep in touch and let us know how you do. I am 10 days out, down 12 since surgery, back to work and feeling great.

I was banded Nov 19, it has been 7 days and I am in pain alot. I keep liquids down for about 5 hours than it comes back up. Any ideas?

My surgeon never questioned me about which surgery to have. He is thrilled with my 60% BMI gone in one year. Do what you feel is right for you not what the doctor wants you to have, Your body, not his/hers. A band can be removed, sleeve-stomach gone forever and by-pass, almost everyone I know has regained after 10 years and blame it on the surgery not their over eating. Also, you need to be comfortable with the doctor you choose.

I'm Southern California Kaiser and I had to do a 12 week class, plus all of the testing and had to lose 10% of my body weight before surgery. My process was much longer than most - start to finish I waited 17 months.

Update : Had surgery on 9/24/09 lost 25 lbs went for my first fill to find out port is tilted had a revision done on 1/14/10. On date of surgery was 230 lbs now weighing 222 lbs. Feeling ok but kind of scared again I do not want to go through another revision. Does anyone have any suggestions of light exercises that I can do or should I wait until after my visit on 1/22/10?

Wow! Thanks for the update. And a job well done to you! I did my band/plication in July of 2011, and have lost 110 lbs. since then. I had my gallbladder removed at the same time and had my severe hiatal hernia fixed as well--not fun, but looking back, I have no regrets whatsoever... I started at 253 and I'm down to 143 now which is about 10 lbs. below my goal. Again, great job & thanks for the update!

I'd go see a new doctor who has fluroscopy and barium and get my fills from someone who knows what they are doing.. That's nuts that you are a year into this without decent restriction. I go to mexico for my fills but i live in california. I had 2 fills and I"m 8cc in a 10 cc band. I'm tight but not excessively.. warm tea opens the band most times if i really feel too tight. but the bottom line is i was banded feb 9 this year.. have lost 40 pounds.. and don't see any reason not to get to goal by september 5th ( my birthday)..

Some of the individuals on this website did have that condition and it caused them problems. It is important to get this condition treated before surgery. According to the internet: Therapy for H. pylori infection consists of 10 days to 2 weeks of one or two effective antibiotics, such as amoxicillin, tetracycline (not to be used for children <12 yrs.), metronidazole, or clarithromycin, plus either ranitidine bismuth citrate, bismuth subsalicylate, or a proton pump inhibitor. Another article says: Nausea and vomiting are the most common complaints after bariatric surgery, and they are typically associated with inappropriate diet and noncompliance with a gastroplasty diet (ie, eat undisturbed, chew meticulously, never drink with meals, and wait 2 hours before drinking after solid food is consumed). If these symptoms are associated with epigastric pain, significant dehydration, or not explained by dietary indiscretions, an alternative diagnosis must be explored. One of the most common complications causing nausea and vomiting in gastric bypass patients is anastomotic ulcers, with and without stomal stenosis. Ulceration or stenosis at the gastrojejunostomy of the gastric bypass has a reported incidence of 3% to 20%. Although no unifying explanation for the etiology of anastomotic ulcers exists, most experts agree that the pathogenesis is likely multifactorial. These ulcers are thought to be due to a combination of preserved acid secretion in the pouch, tension from the Roux limb, ischemia from the operation, nonsteroidal anti-inflammatory drug (NSAID) use, and perhaps Helicobacter pylori infection. Evidence suggests that little acid is secreted in the gastric bypass pouch; however, staple line dehiscence may lead to excessive acid bathing of the anastomosis. Treatment for both marginal ulcers and stomal ulcers should include avoidance of NSAIDs, antisecretory therapy with proton-pump inhibitors, and/or sucralfate. In addition, H pylori infection should be identified and treated, if present.

This is all new to me. I am hoping by keeping this journal I will be able to stay on track. I have been banded 10 days now. Basiclly, I feel good. Usally I'm alway on the go but now I get tired very easily - have been needing naps. Incisions are 99% healed and the port area is the only place that's tender. I still get shoulder pains though. I'm able to eat now and that scares me. I am only 10 days and can eat almost normally just less of it. Does this mean soon I will eat more and more and MORE....... Today, I was at a meeting where I ate lasagna, bread and brownie. :think I feel guilty and horribe!

I really must agree also about the clear liquids. I am 8 days post-op and I must say that even though you will get extremely tired of them you must hang in there. The pain doesn't last forever. I am still not totally pain free. Just make sure no matter what you stay hydrated even if you have to take a single sip of Water even 10-15 min or so. It will make you feel better. Then after a few days try to atleast get in 1/4-1/2 of a Protein shake in the mornings that will help with your inital energy. I know you may think that you know what is best for your body cause I thought the same thing but you really should listen to some of the advise that others are giving you. We have gone through it. Your doctor may be the expert but nine times out of ten he or she has not personally experienced the band and they can never truely know what you are going through.

My insurance company stated that they needed more information in order to approve or deny my surgery. My PCP did not have a weight for 2009 and they needed that. Thank God my OB doctor had it! My insurnace is also required 2 more worksheets for the Phych eval, so I guess I will have to go see him again! The insurance also need to see the comorbidities, we sent them the first time! The one thing that really worries me is the fact that I have not lost 10% of my body weight. I have lost 19 lbs though, go me! I am not sure that elevated bp, elevated lipid panels, sleep apnea and shot knees are going to be enough to get around that. I need a prayer yall. My surgery is suppose to be April 9th and if we don't get all these things in and get them to look at it stat I will have to reschedule. I am trying to put this in the Lord's hands, but I am a worry wart! My insurance said with the first one that they have 7-14 days to give an answer. It took 7 days. I am running out of days. I am almost 2 weeks out from my surgery date.

Actually compared to some of the deals I find on beautypedia those prices are kind of steep. I can get a 16 oz bottle of 10% AHA lotion from acne.org for $33 and the MUAC lotion is $25 for only 8 oz. But it looks like it has a lot more ingredients than just AHA and a very low pH. So perhaps I will give it a try.

Hi bandsters Thought I would start a new thread that shows what happened when you get off track with the stress in your life. For the last 6 months I have beening caring for my 85 year old mother, who died in the end of January 2011. I gained 39 lbs in that time period, by not eating the correct foods and stopping my exercise. Now I'm going to fight my way to one-erland. If any of you would like to join me please tell of your struggles which caused you to gain and then everyday we will post the positive things we are doing to get this weight off. I'm starting today using my little tony 3 times for 10 minutes each. I am also going to drink 8-8 oz glasses of Water.

Since 10 days post-op I started with walking (faster and faster) One and a half hour everyday until it started to rain so I joined a gym near my work place where they have a few dancing workout classes so it became my workout regime. Monday - L.I.A. (Low impact aerobic dance) 1 hour Tuesday - rest Wednesday- Sh'bam 45 minutes, Body balance (yoga&pilates) 1 hour Thursday- rest Friday- Zumba fitness 1 hour Saturday - Sh'bam 45 minutes, weight lifting 1 hour Sunday - Zumba 1 hour The rest days I try walking around (shopping lol) to get 10,000 steps per day. Now I'm addicted to dancing workout. If I couldn't go to the gym on my class day I feel so upset!