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Have you tried cortisone shot for the knee? I had to have that last week as I couldn't get the swelling under control and it worked like magic! In my regular vitamin rotation I take Turmeric supplements by New Chapter to control inflammation (I have Rheumatoid arthritis) and for the most part this a enough to keep joints under control. Also If your knee started acting up did you up what you take for pain or did you start taking something for pain because pain meds can stall weight loss. Make sure you're getting more than 60g protein, and up your water- that helped me. Good luck and try to keep your chin up, your weight will move

I think that is correct, I was 450lbs ( bmi=67 ) on 1/28 the day of my surgery. As of 2/15 I was down to 416lbs (bmi=61.4) That's a loss of 34lbs in 18days...... I know I won't lose like this forever but I am enjoying it while I can........ My goal weight is 220-200lbs

Dr. Castaneda performed my gastric bypass surgery in December, 2010. Even pre-operatively I was amazed that Dr. Castaneda was always available by email and promplty answered all of my questions. Once I arrived in Mexico Dr. Castaneda continued to be available for any questions before and after surgery. I was nervous about having surgery in another country, but by the time my surgery day arrived, I felt extremely confident with Dr. Castaneda's surgical competence. I had no surgical complications and continued to heal well once arriving back home. As an RN, I was very reassured by the process Dr. Castandea used both during surgery and post-op to ensure there were no surgical complications or leaks in the surgical incisions. The two aspects of my surgery that were necessary, but less pleasant, were the surgical drains required to be in your abdomen for about 4 to 5 days post-op and the contrast dye I needed to drink one day post-op to check for any leaks in my surgical incisions by x-ray. The hospital and staff were very attentive and caring. Some of the nurses and other hospital staff did not speak fluent English but they were always patient while we figured out what it was that I needed. I can not end this story without saying how caring and truly engaged Dr. Castaneda is in ensuring a positive outcome for obese patients. Even though I am more than 4 months post-op I can still email anytime and receive a prompt response and enquires about how I am doing. I would recommend Dr. Castaneda to family, friends or anyone contemplating weight loss surgery.

Thank you for answering my post about depression. So sorry you have to go through this too. It is horrible. I have my good days and bad days I do take wellbutrim and t does take the edge off. I am lke you without my faith that there is a living God who loves and cares about me that I can talk to everyday I would not get out of bed. I have had my Band 2+ years and the Band helped with the weight but not the depression. The weight is not the cause of the depression but a side affect of the depression. But my husband and I agreed the depression is not something I can cure myself but the depression and the weght were too much for me. I was 251 and am now 169 a tight size 18 to a loose size 10, so that does make me feel better. I am still believeing God will not make me live the rest of my life living like this. I am waiting for healing, I know He can and I want it. So you are thinking about the Band? It Is a good thing. I might would have done the Bypass but I was self pay and could not afford it. But now I am glad I went with the Band. With the Bypass I could have lost even more weight but too many risks. I have really had no problems with the band, too tight twice but no biggie they just take some out and I do throw up but always have and no slip or problem. I have been married for 31 years to a wonderful supportive man and have a great son and a wonderful daughter-in-law and the most beautiful grandbabies Olivia 5 and Isabella 2 both blond hair and blue eye and both left handed like my son. They all are the joy I have in this world. I fear my depression will ruin their lives too. I spend a lot of time faking happiness as to not ruin their time. But it is hard sometimes. But I would never want to cause my grandbabies any unhappiness or set a bad example. The oldest one Olivia does know that grandma does get sad sometimes but that it is okay. She is more concerned about my Band, she tells everyone, people in the store, or when we are out to eat everyone, does not bother me. She thinks she can feel the band because she can feel the port really easy. (it is by bra line). She always ask me if I am going to eat something “Is that healthly grandma”. She is so funny. So you see I have a wonderful family my husband and I made, but really no relationship with my family. They are all into drugs and drinking which I do not do. My daddy died when I was 10 and my brother who also suffered from depression overdose last Christmas on prescription drugs, his and someone elses. It was a terrible death he would have never wanted people to see him like that in a coma on life support for 2 days it was terrible but he was one of the saddest people I have ever known but would not accept help. I have been throught 3 years of counseling and learned a lot of coping skills and that I have probably been depressed my whole life but was too busy being a mom to care about myself and kept it all inside. When my son married I kinda lost my identity and it opened the door for the depression to surface. I am gonna stop writing now as I have written a book, more than you wanted to know I am sure. So sorry it took me a few days to answer you but like I said I have my good days and bad days. Cheri

I'm 11days out & 26lbs down and up until now have been feeling great. Today however I am exhausted and so weak. I had to take 2 breaks just while blow drying my hair, as I couldn't keep my arm up. I've been trying to keep my liquid intake up, but I'm finding it so hard still, so I can't imagine I'm even close to the 64oz recommended. I'm also not getting anywhere near the sufficient amount of Protein in. It's my goal as of tomorrow to pay close attention to my liquid/water intake and sip, sip, sip all day... but is there such a thing as a good tasting Protein powder? I've tried so many & gag with each sip. I just started full liquids today & thought making shakes with milk would be so much better, unfortunately my gag reflex didn't agree! :lol0:

Yay for the stall being over! I have noticed it's my waist that seems to be really defying the weight loss I see on the scale. My jeans are huge everywhere but still fit my waist. It's weird. It'll all even out some time, right?!

Well, loosing your hair will NOT: Give you diabetes Give you heart disease Give you sleep apnea Possibly contribute to COPD Keep you from fitting into your clothes Keep you from doing many activities because you can't physically do them And a host of other things. But being 150 pounds overweight likely WILL. You will NOT lose all your hair because of this surgery unless you develop some weird complication that no one else has. SOME hair thinning may be POSSIBLE but not necessarily an absolute probability.

Here's a list of questions (with recent updates) that I posted quite some time ago. Since you're coming up on your last appointment you'll likely have answers to some of these already but hopefully you'll find others that will prove useful. What are the risks? How often do patients have complications following surgery? What side effects are the most common? What are the benefits? What should I expect after surgery? Realistically, what weight loss should I expect following surgery and over what period of time? What are "stalls" or "plateaus"? How long do they last and if I do experience them, what can I do to shorten their duration? Will any new technology be used e.g. robotics? Is the hospital and surgeons office accredited by the Metabolic and Bariatric Surgery Accreditation and Quality Improvement Program (MBSAQIP)? This is a combination of the programs formerly offered by two highly respected surgical societies - The American College of Surgeons (ACS) and the American Society for Metabolic and Bariatric Surgery (ASMBS). Beginning in 2012, this accreditation replaced the former Bariatric Centers of Excellence. Are you board certified in bariatric surgery? How many roux-en-y gastric bypass surgeries have you performed? Have you experienced any surgery related mortalities? Do you have patients that are willing to share their weight loss surgery experiences, positive and negative? What types of support groups and counseling will be available post-op? What information can you give me to help family and friends better understand the surgery? How often do you see your patients following surgery? What is the significance of Protein following surgery? Does your practice offer support services for psychological needs? What assistance is available for helping me secure insurance approval? Who should I speak with regarding insurance related questions? What pre-op testing will be done? What post-op testing will be done? Will I need Vitamins after my surgery and if so, what types? When can I start exercising after my surgery? How likely is it that I will regain weight after surgery? Think of the meeting with your surgeon as an interview. You're looking for an answer to "Why are you and your team the most qualified for the job?" You're gonna love the new you!!

Congrats! I had my 3 month follow up last week and was told that 30% of excess weight loss at 3 months and 50% at 6 months was the norm so it seems fairly similiar/standard. My loss was at 33% so I had that same feel good feeling you have right now but I'm just 3 months behind ya!

I made a March fb group ... search March 2015 weight loss surgery

I agree it would help with weight loss. Every diet I had been on pre-surgery fell apart when I stopped logging my food and drinking lots of water. That's a must for me, I know some people don't need to log.

Agreeing with he posts about metabolism above. Our guidelines would help some people - but not people with other stuff going on. Post-op, my diet is not that different from pre-op. I've been vegetarian since I was about 8, I have been logging food and exercise daily in MFP for 7 years and keeping to a calorie deficit, I drink the same amount that I did before (124 oz or more a day). My calories are a little lower right now as I was going on 1300 or less a day for the years before surgery, but not much difference. When I went home for the summer, my old friends didn't notice much of a difference in the amounts I eat now and the amounts I used to eat. But I have PCOS and my hormones were beyond messed up - I really believe that surgery was the only thing that was going to work for me. Even with that, it's taking ages for the weight to come off - I was told to expect extremely slow loss, but it was still a bit of a shock how slow compared to others. So now I try not to compare, LOL.

I am still very new at this and by no means am I loosing as quick as I would like. However I do believe that the band will work if you find out what works best for you! Of all the research I did all of it said the band was a tool not magic. I am learning that meat (grilled, broiled, baked) fills me way faster and way longer than casseroles. I know that mashed potatoes should not be put into my mouth very often unless I want to keep fat belly fat. I think its going to be kind of a learning game. It’s a slower weight loss but a long term weight loss, not a fast off, and faster back on diet that most of us have done lots of times before.

Good for you! Twice I've had people stop me in stores who said they've seen me at the gym and wanted to tell me how proud they were of my weight loss. Definately makes your day.

Hi Everyone, Today has been a banner day because this morning I saw my Primary care doctor for the final time required by my insurance . Let me step back in time 6 months . Like so many others on this board I have a lifetime of being plus sized. I have many reasons over the years not the least of the is that I have a congenital disorder that requires me to live on steroids. This has always made weight loss difficult but not impossible. So over the last 2 decades i would go up and down more up then down. Then this strange thing happened called menopause and the ups kept happening and the downs got harder and harder . Hours in the gym would result in weight gains. I felt like as long as I was healthy and active then I would be okay not everyone in this world was meant to be thin. I have a great life so i was content with the state of this for a really long time . Then I Quit Smoking and changed medicine and the menopause at the same time and I gained a lot of weight very quickly. This tipped my scale so to speak . I Started having serious medical problems . i kept saying to myself I am only 4_. This will get better but it did not . Then 6 months my insurance changed and I had to get a new Dr. She did a physical and a full on battery of test to "see where I was" . 2 weeks later She called to tell me i was diabetic and needed to be on medication asap. My Grandfather, My Father and My partner of 12 years all died of complication to diabetes , I know that road. i hung up the phone cried for 10 minutes . Picked up the phone and made an appointment for a consult with a surgeon. i was not letting that disease control my life. I was ready or at least I thought I was. My Insurance company had a few things to say about that. They have had me jumping thru quite a few hoops. I have never seen my primary care doctor so much in my entire life!!! I have had go and talk to her about diet and exercises once a month for the last 6 months. The Funny thing is as far as the insurance company is concerned I have to go and get on a scale talk about diet but if I do not loss a pound that confirms for them that I "NEED" the surgery. Whereas My surgeon will not do the surgery unless i loss between 10-20 pounds. In the middle of all of this my original doctor Dr Jossert left the practice and I had to switch to his partner.Dr Cirangle. What made today a banner day is that the day i called I had no Idea what i weighted because my scale only went up to 330 and I was over that. The day I arrived at LapSF I weighed 327 pounds . Today I weighted 314 pounds . I lost the last 3 pounds over the weekend and because i did i got a Surgery date of Nov. 29 today. As long as the insurance approves everything that is my date. So that is my story to date... more to come i am sure

I have been following the 5:2 intermittent fast for about a month and it helps my restriction. Google it for some info. Basically to give you a simple summary, I eat regular healthy food aiming for 1200 calories five days a week. Two days a week on Mondays and Thursdays I do a modified fast. That means for me, nothing at all but water or coffee up to 1pm. At 1pm a lunch of 500 calories, heavy on solid protein. Then nothing but water or coffee until my normal breakfast the next day. That's it. Two days of 500 calorie days. No snacking. It snapped me out of a rut I was in and my weight loss started up again. I also feel much better restriction with doing this. Good luck.

While I certainly sympathize about the scheduling problems, I'd be thrilled to be losing at the rate you are and from what I've read, there are many others on this board who would also wonder what the problem is! For me, if I was losing weight without "suffering" -- that is, being hungry all the time, feeling deprived, etc. -- then I'd feel like the band was working perfectly and I couldn't care less how much saline was in it. You didn't mention how you're feeling, just that you feel like you need a fill. Some people lose with no fill at all and others are filled to beyond official capacity of the band so there's little value in comparing fill numbers. There's also not a lot of value in comparing weight loss numbers because some have a little to lose and some have a lot; some are exercising; some are dieting in addition to the band while others are relying more on the band to do the work. I'd be really depressed if I felt like I was competing with others in any way because I've pretty much lost that race (though I WILL finish! :grouphug: )

There is no "track." It's whatever works for you. I would say 10 pounds a month is great for the first few months after surgery, and 15 would be fantastic for me. After that I expect to slow way down. I look at my band as a safety net. I know from previous experience that I can key into a diet and lose weight, but then several months in I hit a plateau, hold it for a couple of years, then gain everything back. My band will stop me from doing that. I'm not looking for it to make me lose 10 lb a month indefinitely, and I can stick to a low calorie way of life for a while without it. Just a note off topic, somewhat: I went in for my second fill this week, and the doctor had trouble getting through to my port. He asked me, "Have you lost too much weight?" When I asked him what he meant, he said that with rapid weight loss the scar tissue from my incision can shift and cover the port, making it difficult to get the needle through. After bending that needle all around, he gave up and said he had to get a bigger needle. I had visions of a stake and hammer! He was able to access the port with the thicker needle, but I was pretty sore the day afterwards. Anyone else have the problem?

hi I was banded oct 19th and I am really starting to notice hair loss now. I too not thick hair but so much that it seemed thick. people have asked if I got a haircut but have not mention hair loss. it's not like I have bald spots. I do worry through my head feels weightless!!

I didn't lose any hair with the band, although I had it in for only 3 months. I began losing hair around 3 months post op and still am...but it's not terrible. Good Luck with your surgery.

I know people who have gone through this surgery and had little to no saggy skin. I think there are a lot of factors that bring that into play. I have the same fears, beyond that I am terrified I won't get enough protein and start loosing my hair. Petrified because my hair is already thin and I hate it. SO think the things you don't like about yourself prior to surgery stick around post surgery it just morphs. I so want a breast augmentation because I nursed two children. If I could go out to California to do it I might be more likely to follow through. We are broke though so I may never have anything done. The biggest thing for me is, I need to loose this weight to be healthy and be able to be around for my kids. Overall, I will look better, no matter what.

I was banded on April 3rd and lost 20 lbs. We are about the same with our weight loss. That is a good rate at about 3 lbs per week. We are just getting started on this journey. Slow and steady we go.

HI ! I am scheduled for surgery 2/7 so in a about a week and a half. I am debating on changing my surgery to having the RY (Gastric Bypass) because I am worried that I will not be happy with the results. I have severe PCOS, with insulin resistance that is crazy bad I take metformin and 100u of lantis insulin and about 30-60 u of novolog insulin a day. I have tried every weight loss program out there and lose a few pounds nothing substantial and then i stop losing and stay at my weight. I also have mild bi-polar disorder which could be caused by the pcos, diabetic neuropathy, and bulging disk in my back. I wonder if there is anyone out there who has had the surgery who was severely diabetic (Insulin Resistant) and how your weight loss is going because I heard that the Bypass is more promising for PCOS people. Candace in Menifee CA

I have PCOS. I was sleeved august 26th and have only lost 40 lbs. It's been extremely slow and it upsets me. I'm just praying that as I lose my hormones will normalize and I will pick up the weight loss speed....

HI ! I am scheduled for surgery 2/7 so in a about a week and a half. I am debating on changing my surgery to having the RY (Gastric Bypass) because I am worried that I will not be happy with the results. I have severe PCOS, with insulin resistance that is crazy bad I take metformin and 100u of lantis insulin and about 30-60 u of novolog insulin a day. I have tried every weight loss program out there and lose a few pounds nothing substantial and then i stop losing and stay at my weight. I also have mild bi-polar disorder which could be caused by the pcos, diabetic neuropathy, and bulging disk in my back. I wonder if there is anyone out there who has had the surgery who was severely diabetic (Insulin Resistant) and how your weight loss is going because I heard that the Bypass is more promising for PCOS people. Candace in Menifee CA