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Hello, I'm Tracy. I've been lurking here for some time, but I've decided to come out of hiding :confused:. Yesterday, I got the call from my doctor with my surger date, March 12. I'm excited/scared/nervous and more then ready to get my life back. Because of my weight, I sometimes feel invisible when I am in public and although I am not happy about this, I am used to it. I often wonder how I will react when I don't have my "fat shield". Scary and exciting at the same time. :confused: I have enjoyed lurking here and I hope to participate more in the future. Thanks everyone, Tracy:smile:

Proud Grammy Wow another BC survivor! YAH! I thought I might be the only one. Now I don't feel nutty for thinking about this. I have Kaiser Permanente Insurance they cover weight loss surgery, as long as you have 2 of the co morbitites and your BMI is 35 or over. Lucky me! My mother was over 300 pounds when she passed and I can never remeber her not being over weight. She always told me my day would come and I would be fat too. : ( I managed to stay at a decent weight until I hit 45. Then it's been a losing battle ever since. I really packed on the pounds after my bilateral mastectomies and reconstruction. I wasn't allowed to do anything active for 5 months. Thank you helping me get my perspective right. CA reacurrance down 50% when not obese.......NO BRAINER!

I also get achy pains in my hips. I assume it's my body adjusting to not carrying around as much weight.

hehe Okies sounds silly but I wanna see belly buttons! Esp if they have button rings! My belly button seems to frown meaning I have that hangover skin a lil bit on the top, I see girls with smiling belly buttons and get jealous I have been wanting one but I feel I'm still too big for it Even though I have lost weight I still see the 264 pound me in the mirror... I wanna see some cute bellybuttons to motivate me on deciding if I want it or not! Also I want hip tattoos anyone out there with hip tats? just wondering... Back to the belly buttons...If you have the rings did it hurt much? Do they get caught on clothing? Healing times? do they still ooze? crust? hurt? Nana~

I completely agree!!!! I haven't told mine and I"m super nervous about it. I have been a huge person my whole life. I have also been an athlete until my late 20's so I fear that they may try to use that over my head by saying, "how can a person that was an athlete all their life end up needing weight loss surgery". That's my biggest fear. They don't understand. No one in my family is even close to my size. I am a freak of nature that is no longer a great athlete. I need help and this program and surgery is gonna help me with that. I sure hope they understand. Time will tell. I sure wish you all the best of luck with your surgery and start of your new life. Go Git'm!!!

Hi. Thank you for replying. I'm sorry to hear about the pain you had to endure. But I'm glad you're ok now. I gained about 40lbs back. So my plan is to have it removed. I just hope that the surgeons grant me this change sooner than later.

Hello. As the title says I am beginning my lap band journey. I made and went to my consultation appointment last week. I am 41yo, married for 19yrs. Mother of 3, (15yo girl and a 10 & 5yo boys). And today I got a call today to start my pre-O P orders.. I have to get the typical blood work, Need an E K G , then have have a cardiologist clear me. Psychological evaluation, and a Upper G I ....(oh yay!!) Current pap and mamo ..(not sure why they need this). So I decided to post a hello instead of being a creeper. I am nervous and excited. January 1st I was at my heaviest weight of 350lbs.and decided to do something about it. Currently I am 333, and trying. I have scheduled most of my tests for Thursday and Friday, next week need to do some others. I was told, my insurance Co.covers cost up to 90% but since I met my out of pocket deductible,it's 100%… I'm hoping for no surprise $$. Hmmmm...think that's it... If I forgot something ask me.. -Deb

Who is familiar with SkyMoon1982 on YouTube? (She's back, BTW) she has a video of a 24 hour "holiday" detox on her channel, and I'm wondering if anyone has tried it.... The weight that comes off is more likely than not Water weight, but I AM retaining some water & would like to try it.

I totally understand I went 2 weeks with no loss then I started eating more and weight started coming off again. Don't worry!

I was diagnosed with insulin resistance probably 15 years ago and have been diabetic for about 5 years. I was banded September 2008. Happily, my weight loss has not been slower than usual. I've lost about 50 pounds in almost 5 months. So that is right on par for about a 1 to 2 pound weight loss per week. Good luck to you.

Hi all, I am new to the forum. I am 9 days out from lap band surgery. I was banded in Tijuana by Dr. Ortiz. I'm still on liquids...start full liquids tomorrow. I have been following my post-op instructions carefully but it's killing me to fix my kids food and not eat, lol. My highest weight was 289 and my surgery weight was 213. I haven't weighed since the surgery but I feel lighter, lol:thumbup: I find so many of the posts here an inspiration to me!! Sylvia

Bariatric pal please fix the metric ticker it can not calculate weight loss it is using pounds when it tells you how many kgs you have lost lol please fix so us non Americans can use it :-) many thanks

Have your medications been adjusted after your weight loss? Mine have been cut to 1/4 of what they were and I am weaning myself off blood pressure med. Also are you taking your Vitamins? Have your primary care physician run all of your Vitamin levels -- Iron, B12, Vit D, Potassium and Sodium. Good luck to you.

Duno if anyone else attended a weight loss seminar but for those that did, how long roughy after the seminar did you get the surgery. I have yet to go to the seminar but really nervous/exited about my new life ahead xx

Hello family my names Lino I'm 28 live in new york my whole life. I've always been over weight since child hood. My surgery date is sept 21. I'm very nervouse yet excited about this new chapter in my life. Being on this I hope to make life long friends. Hsope to hear from you all soon. ????

From what I have seen and read you lose for a year to two. Depends. I am about 33 lbs from goal weight and I am 6 months post op.

I keep having this recurring feeling that WLS is going to happen and then when I wake up my surgeon tells me that I have something anatomically wrong with my stomach and that I despite having my sleeve, I will not lose any weight. [emoji20]

I'm pre-op, but I have in the past lost significant weight and had the same feelings. This time I'm arming myself with a good reality check tool...it's this website called mybodygallery.com, and all these women have posted pictures of themselves with their height and weight. It has helped me feel a bit more grounded. You can do a search and see what other women at your height look like at 308 and then go look at women your height at 178. So if you can't see it on you, you can see it on other people. It's very interesting too, to see the different shapes everyone comes in. And...I have to say, I've really gotten to a place in my head that I can see the beauty in ALL the body sizes. btw, from 308 to 178 is a significant accomplishment! Good job! Love yourself for it!

FYI, if interested: Excuse its length, but here's the email blast I received of today's ASMBS' Connect: News topics of the week re: obesity and WLS. You might find some articles of interest to you. They sent: The following is a summary/brief analysis of the obesity and surgery stories making news this week: Company Seeks FDA Approval for Balloon System for Obesity… Retinopathy Stable After Bariatric Surgery…Sleeve Gastrectomy vs. Medical Management for Diabetes… UK May Seen Huge Increase in Bariatric Surgery… New Clues on How Metabolic Surgery Affects Diabetes…Sharon Osbourne Felt Like a Cheat After Surgery… Obesity Worse Than Smoking… Childhood Obesity Drops in NYC… Stigma Around Obesity Persists… Metabolic and Bariatric Surgery in the News… ReShape Submits Dual Balloon System Application to FDA (Bariatric News) ReShape Medical is seeking FDA approval for the ReShape Integrated Dual Balloon System, "the first and only dual balloon for non-surgical weight loss designed for people with a BMI 30-40." According to the company, the system is the first device to meet its primary effectiveness endpoints in a U.S. randomized, sham-controlled pivotal trial. Dr. Jaime Ponce, Principal Investigator in the so-called REDUCE trial, commented, “Meeting the primary endpoints is an important accomplishment, as it convincingly demonstrates the superiority of the ReShape procedure over diet and exercise alone. The ReShape procedure offers a new alternative to help patients kick-start weight loss and learn new behaviours. We are excited about what this new treatment option may do for millions of people needing to lose excess weight.” The device has been available in the E.U. since December 2011. ReShape Medical anticipates a launch in the U.S. in mid-to-late 2015. No Change in Retinopathy in Diabetes 2 Years After Surgery (Medscape) Results from the STAMPEDE trial presented at the American Diabetes Association 2014 Scientific Sessions show no change in diabetic retinopathy for patients two years after bariatric surgery. Lead author Dr. Rishi P. Singh commented that he was “pleasantly reassured” that there wasn’t a higher incidence or significant progression of the disease after surgery. He said the results demonstrate that regular eye exams are still important for this patient population. "This is the first time that a prospective, randomized clinical trial has shown that intensive medical management vs gastric bypass doesn't appear to increase the retinopathy incidence or progression, nor does it increase the rate of vision loss or changes in intraocular blood pressure (a sign of glaucoma)," he added. Dr. Bruce Wolfe, bariatric surgeon at Oregon Health and Science University, commented on the results saying, "The induction of remission or improvement in diabetes control is positive for the patient, but drawing conclusions about the many-year process of diabetic complications of diabetic neuropathy or diabetic retinopathy is premature." Additionally, he added that patients who are informed that their diabetes has gone into remission after they have had bariatric surgery may think, "I don't need to go to these eye assessments anymore," but that would be too hasty, he stressed. Better Long-term Diabetes Outcomes with Sleeve Gastrectomy vs. Medical Management (Healio) Laparoscopic sleeve gastrectomy helped adults with type 2 diabetes achieve better blood glucose control than standard care alone, according to research presented at the joint meeting of the International Congress of Endocrinology and the Endocrine Society. To determine long-term outcomes of diabetes in patients with sleeve gastrectomy vs. medical care alone, investigators reviewed medical records of veterans with type 2 diabetes, ages 18 to 80, undergoing the surgery at a VA medical center in a major metropolitan area. Two years of data from the charts of 30 patients treated with surgery were compared to 23 control patients. All patients had received medical treatment and been part of the MOVE national weight management program designed by the VA National Center for Health before being offered surgery. Significant improvements in BMI and HbA1c were seen in patients with surgery at one year, with improvements sustained through the end of two years; BMI decreased from 46 to 34 and HbA1c from 7.25% to 5.98%. These kinds of outcomes were not witnessed in patients without surgery during the study. At study completion, 76% of patients with surgery were able to discontinue or reduce their diabetes medications, compared with 26% of patients receiving medical treatment only. Thousands More to Get Obesity Ops on the NHS: NICE Calls for Huge Increase in Surgery - But Even Obesity Charities Condemn It (Daily Mail) New draft guidance from the U.K.’s National Institute of Health and Care Excellence (Nice) suggests that people with obesity who have type 2 diabetes should be assessed for bariatric surgery under the country’s National Health Service (NHS). At present weight loss surgery is given to patients on the NHS who have morbid obesity with a BMI score of over 40 or to those who have a BMI over 35 and who have another serious health condition - such as type 2 diabetes. But now Nice is suggesting that people with a BMI score of 30 to 35 should be considered for an assessment for surgery under the NHS if they have been diagnosed within the last 10 years. This could mean hundreds of thousands more patients could be considered for treatment. The draft guideline also recommends that people who have undergone bariatric surgery under the NHS should have a "follow up care package" for at least two years after their operation. However, opponents of the guidelines say it is wrong of Nice to recommend that the NHS offer operations costing £5,000 when the agency faces a £30billion deficit. Scientists Discover Clues Why Weight-loss Surgery Cures Diabetes (Medical Xpress) A study published in the journal Endocrinology found the actions of specialized cells in the intestine that secrete a cocktail of powerful hormones when we eat may help bring us a step closer to understanding why gastric bypass surgery "cures diabetes in most patients." The research team showed that gut hormone cells previously thought to contain just one hormone, had up to six hormones including the hunger hormone ghrelin. Study team leader Dr. Craig Smith, a Senior Lecturer in Molecular Cell Physiology at University of Manchester, commented, “Understanding the messages the gut sends out when we eat food and when things go wrong, as is the case in diabetes, is our next challenge and hopefully one that will result in the development of drugs which could be used instead of surgery to cure obesity and prevent diabetes.” Sharon Osbourne Opens Up About Feeling Like a ‘Cheat’ After Gastric Bypass Surgery (NY Daily News) In an interview with Entertainment Tonight, Sharon Osbourne commented that she has “secret shame” about having bariatric surgery in 1999. "I felt (like) such a cheat when I had that band on my stomach,” she said. "People are saying, 'You look wonderful! I'd go, 'Thank you, I just have to leave and vomit.'" Osbourne had the gastric band removed in 2006 and says she controls her weight through the low-carb Atkins diet, but admitted she struggles because she is still a food addict. Obesity in the News… Extreme Obesity Cuts Lifespan More than Smoking: Study (Reuters, CBSNews.com, Voice of America) Extensive media coverage of the “largest-ever study of the effect of extreme obesity on mortality,” which showed the “most extreme cases” may shorten a person's lifespan more than smoking. Scientists at the National Cancer Institute found people who suffered from severe obesity died 6.5 to 13.7 years earlier than people of healthy weight. A data review was conducted of 20 large studies from U.S., Sweden and Australian, which included 9,564 adults with extreme obesity and 304,011 of normal weight. Heart disease, cancer, and diabetes were mostly responsible for an increased risk of dying “at any given time” when BMI rose to levels of extreme obesity. The study was published in the journal PLOS Medicine. Severe Childhood Obesity Shows a Decline in New York City (Reuters) The prevalence of severe obesity among school children in New York City was down by almost 10% in the 2010-11 school year compared to the 2006-07. Earlier research had shown a decline in overall obesity among NYC public school children, but the prevalence of severe obesity had not been studied. The new study, published in the journal Preventing Chronic Disease, shows NYC rates “buck national trends.” Height and weight measurements were recorded for 947,765 children attending public schools in kindergarten through eighth grade. Severe obesity fell from 6.3% of the children in the 2006-07 school year to 5.7% in 2010-11. The change represents a 9.5% decrease. The prevalence of severe obesity was highest among boys, minorities and poor children. Additionally, while prevalence declined in every group, the greatest decrease was among white students and wealthy students. Many Obese Women Face Stigma Every Day, Study Finds (HealthDay) A new study found women who were overweight or suffered from obesity were likely to be faced with frequent, daily insults and humiliation from strangers, family and friends. Researchers recruited 50 women who were asked to log their “weight-stigmatizing” events in a diary during the course of a week. A total of 1,077 occurrences were reported including physical barriers (84%), nasty comments from others (74%), being stared at (72%) and others making negative assumptions (72%). Each woman experienced an average of three negative events over a seven-day period. Researchers found BMI was “the most significant factor associated with all forms of stigma except that caused by interpersonal relationships.” Ted Kyle, advocacy advisor for The Obesity Society, felt the study was limited due to the size and lack of data from other groups including males and other ethnic groups as most participates were white. He commented, “Most everybody struggles with some kind of health issue but obesity is something you wear on the outside.” The study was published recently in the Journal of Health Psychology.

hi pezo yes i did gain after surgery. it had to do with water retention, swelling, etc dont worry...i found staying away from the scale initially a good thing since it was making me crazy. i always felt if i didnt eat a meal i should lose 10 lbs (of course i am exaggerating) for the first 2 weeks i focused on getting back on my feet. the 3 main things my doctor stressed: 1. walk, walk, walk 2. do breathing exercises. 3. drink plenty of water. hope this helps....

Not reached goal - yes. Gained - yes. But not lost any weight - like the poster above, I've never encountered that one.

So, now that I'm almost 3 months out and down 37 lbs since surgery, 61 lbs total since i started in April, ppl have started to really notice my weight loss. So many people ask me how I'm doing it, and I hate that I feel so weird being honest that I had weight loss surgery. I always feel like they are judging me. I know I shouldn't care, but it bothers me that I do! Does anyone else feel this way?

I am 2 pounds from goal! I had my VSG on Jan 17, 2012. I have lost 98 pounds and am a size 8. Im curious how to stop losing also. My weight keeps going down and people are starting to tell me I look too thin. I am 5'7". When i increase my meals and or calories, I lose more. Very strange.

I had it bad before surgery but losing weight after surgery has really helped in my case. So I actually improved. Sent from my iPhone using the BariatricPal App

Sorry I don't have a respond but after reading your post. I was wondering if you lost a lot if weight what went wrong that you gain all the weight back? Did you stop eating healthy? Went back to fast food? I'm new with WLS so if I wrote something offending I'm sorry. I'm just wondering why ppl get WLS but the moment something goes wrong the pounds come back on. I'm on the diet before surgery May 30, 2012 I lost 10 pounds in 1 week. I'm not cheating & I had many opportunity since I cook 7 days a week & 3 meals per day but I'm commited to change my life & I don't want to continue being over weight after surgery. I want to do so much. I have really small kids. 3 years old & 4 years old. Then much older 15 years old all same hubby.