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Hello all, My journey began last October, while in nursing school(LVN Nursing) I realized that if I am going to do the job I plan for, I needed to lose a lot of weight. At the end of a 10 hour clinical day my back and hips hurt! So I contacted Kaiser, and they signed me up for the Bariatric program. After 12 weeks of attending their night classes during my lunch break from school, I finally completed the program last March. I scheduled my surgery for the first available date, April 14th. I took my NCLEX test while on the liquid pre-op diet required for surgery. I'm glad to say that I was still able to pass my test, even with the tummy distraction:) Anyways, the week before surgery I began to get sick, and woke up the day before with a temperature of 102. So I had to call my surgeon, and he cancelled my surgery. I took some time to think the surgery over and try to lose weight on my own like my family begged me to do. Then I saw the pictures of the girl had her surgery a few days before mine was scheduled to be. She had lost 50 lbs. and looked amazing, healthy, and happy. As I looked at her pictures, I was reminded of why I want this for myself. So I called my surgeon and met with him. Set my surgery for the soonest available date (Sept. 8). Well, my husband's birthday is September 4th, and he wanted a Harley. We went to pick it up August 28th, so we could go on one Harley ride before surgery. Well, I wanted to get on and take a picture with it, and burned my leg. I didn't think anything of it for a few days. August 30th I woke up because of a pain in my leg. The blister from my burn had come off, and it was a painful red mess. I just put a bandaid on it and went back to bed. The next morning, I could tell it was infected. I cleaned and bandaged it, and yesterday(Sept. 1) it was finally starting to look better. Went to my obgyn today, and she noticed my bandage, so she asked to take a look. She said it still looked like a very slight infection. She notified my surgeon, and now he is thinking of cancelling my surgery. I am so disappointed. I will not know until next Wednesday if I'm having surgery or not. I have an appointment scheduled then so he can take another look at it. If this is cancelled, it will be my second surgery cancelled for unrelated acute medical conditions. LAME!! Praying that it heals up well by Wednesday. Thanks for letting me vent. Sarah

I had pain in that same area. Walking helps a lot. To sleep, I had a backrest propped behind me so I was elevated a bit, and put a heating pad (on low) on top of the area that hurt. Gas X strips also help to some degree. If you still have pain meds, take one before bed. That would get me thru til about 4 am and then the pain would wake me up. Walking around a sitting up a bit would help. I hated that abdominal gas because it was a good week or 10 days before I could lay on my side, which is how I prefer to sleep.

10 weeks and 60lbs. But I had an endoscopy today because I'm still not tolerating solids and they found that the hole leading out of my pouch was smaller than a pea. So I've been starving.

Well since I forgot to put up a picture at 9 months picture, so technically it's a 10 month picture. I have currently lost 131#. I haven't updated my status on here and I will correct that shortly. Thought I would post some pictures from beginning until now. This tool will work for you! I am not saying I didn't have set backs and everything wasn't perfect on my journey, but it is working. I am thankful I took the leap. 12 hours before surgery: 6 months post op: And today at 10 months post op 131# down:

I wasn't sure that I could see a difference between the 6 and 10 month picture and then I realized my black running pants..they only went down to mid calf at 6 months..now they are down to my ankles..lol!

I'm having surgery on June 25. Things have gone fairly quickly, I was quite surprised that it took my insurance company only 1 week to approve me for lap band surgery. I'm going to be out of town the whole 10 days pre-op where I can only have liquid protein so I'm packing my suitcase with Slimfast. This is going to be one fun business trip!

HI- I started out a 44 DDD - F before my lap band July 25, 2007. I'm now at a 38 DD with about an 80 pound loss give or take a couple of pounds. I would have to agree with your doc. If you're fat goes, the fat in your boobs does too. Have you always been larger breasted? I've been at least a C cup since I was 10 years old. By the time I was 13 I was a D cup. I've never been below a D in the last 23 years. That is from 150 lbs all the way up to 282 lbs. I guess what I'm saying, is if you have alot of breast mass and not just fat mass, then you could have the tissue removed and not get too small. If they're big because of your weight, then you should wait until your close to your ideal to have them taken down. Hope this helps, cause I'm going to have mine lifted after I hit my ideal.

@@erinkath you are certainly not alone in your dislike of the pre-op diet. I think that Kinda was spot on in his reply, too. I used pre-mixed shakes on work days.....just easier to handle and mixed my own using powder and Water on my days off. I had 3-4 a day. I did use unjury chicken Soup flavor powder some, too. When mixed with warm-hot water it was a nice savory change over the other shakes. Water....water....water. It was my friend. I did not go caffeine free on my plan....surgeon was okay with that. I was not allowed salad, milk or anything like that. I'm glad....as I'd have been chomping on stuff and surely add in items that I shouldn't have. One thought keep resonating around in my skull during the pre-op liquid diet......one main thought. It was a tremendous fear. It was the visions of watching the surgical videos from our seminars. Seeing the part of the surgery where the liver is lifted out of the way was scary. Both times I went through this seminar (two different bariatric programs prior to my surgery....as I switched surgeons....switched bariatric centers)....both times....the surgeons stopped the presentation with this image on the screen......they drove home the point about easily damaged the liver can be from raising it up and holding it there throughout the process. They emphasized how critical it is that we remain vigilant during our pre-op liquid diet in order to shrink the liver as much as possible. They each recounted having patients that they had to abort the surgery up getting to this point due to their assessment of the patient's liver at this time. I did not want to be that guy.....the one who wakes up in recovery to find that his surgery was aborted. Now....the above scenario was a worst case scenario that the surgeons portrayed.......but it hit me like a hammer. It was a singular reason to adhere to the liquid diet. It was enough. My pre-op liquid diet was 14 days. I lost 10 pounds during that time. This followed losing 45 pounds in the four months prior after starting my bariatric program. That is a big change in rate of loss and was a very pleasant byproduct of adhering to the diet. It had me rolling into my surgery with confidence and momentum. Please.....consider this your way to take action.....to own your safety.....to do your part to ensure a safe surgery. You will find the same liquid diet is a piece of cake to adhere to after surgery. So easy, in fact, that I stayed with it for 4 weeks vs the normal 2-3. I had no desire to do the puree phase as I was completely satisfied with the liquid and the rate of loss. I didn't then......nor do I now....have any type of hunger. None. If I get the urge...it is in my head and not real. I wish you the best and know for certain that you can do this.

I have multiple disabilities. A month out from surgery, I can assure you: a smaller stomach is not a disability. (The first few weeks, as your body heals, yes: you're disabled. You're a little extra tired. Maybe there's pain--though by the second week, it's really minimal for most of us. In my case, I'm still, for a few more days, not allowed to lift 10 pounds or more. But when that rule is lifted, I won't have any surgery-related disabilities anymore.) Also, with the sleeve, you can take NSAIDs after ... 6 months? I think? My doctor gave me a date, but it was far enough out that I don't remember. Anyway, they aren't off the table forever, so I wouldn't worry overmuch about potential future pain issues. This is a surgery, and like any surgery, there are risks. The risks of this particular surgery are lower than for gallbladder removal and for joint replacement. Only three people out of a thousand die within the first month, which is still not a number I took lightly, but I chose my surgeon carefully, as I assume you did as well. I'll be honest: I wouldn't have taken the risk if I didn't have a comorbidity that was going to continue to degrade my quality of life without this intervention. That's how my math worked out when I weighed all of the pros and cons, all of the risks and potential rewards. Only you can do that math for your own situation, and I hope that, whatever decision you make, it brings you a sense of peace and confidence that you're making the right decision for yourself.

Just put together a nice salad.. Cubed avacodo, can of black beans, cubed tomatoes, sliced olives, jalapeño, low fat cheddar cheese, lemon juice and a dollop of fat free sour cream!! (10 weeks pre-op)

@@CaptainJohn I'm a year and a half out. No complications after surgery. I still have no complications. I bounced back quickly. There is pain with every surgery...I had good perspective going into this.... I watched my mother struggle with serious pain dying from stage four cancer. The least I could do is to buck up and get my life back. I made the choice to have surgery. I have absolutely no regret. Here is my video from my high weight to goal..Its dedicated to my mother: http://www.bariatricpal.com/videos/view-10-goal/

10:30am I will be rolling back for my Roux-en-y... Excited. Nervous. Starting to feel real...

Meganliz0824, I feel ya man. I am 10 days post op and for four days I have stepped forward a week and have been having yogurt and cream of wheat. I am supposed to still be on Clear Liquids. I am thinking that since I tolerate it it's ok. I'm not sure if it's a good or bad thing. I just wasn't satisfied and was hungry. I would love to hear everyone's thoughts. I have felt great through this whole process I am sick of isopure drinks. I have also had premier Protein shakes and not supposed to yet. I don't know the answer and I really don't want to screw this up. Liamnatx, thanks for the great ideas!!!!

I agree with the posters above you may need a little unfill, or you may need to chew more slowly and take smaller bites. Not that I'm an expert, I'm only 2 months out and not restricted yet, but that's what I've read here on other posts. For motivation to exercise, check out sparkpeople.com. There are several 10 minute exercise videos on the website. Its all free. Maybe you can commit to 10 minutes a day at home and work your way back up from there.

I had the lap band on 10/27. Like you, I have been very emotional. I think in some strange way, I'm mourning the role food played in my life. I haven't cried, but I've been irritable at times. I know it will get better!!

Seems like each adjustment has a learning curve.....Congratulations on being problem free for so long. You might end up needing a small unfill, but I believe when you learn what this fill will let you eat/not eat you will be fine. I had a fill the other day that is different from all prior fills and I am taking it slow as long as I can get liquids down and pee 3-4 times a day. It seems like it is at this point that I will lose the 10 pounds I keep losing and regaining. You might want to do liquids for a couple of days and let any swelling settle down. Best wishes, Mimi

I was just banded on August 26, 2011. My insurance paid for everything and required the 6 months of pre op therapy. I have never had any type of surgery before so i'm healing very quickly but my appetite is also coming back fast. I'm not due for my first fill till sept. 20th. I'm not eating very much when i eat, i'm just eating more frequently. Is that normal? I've been eating pudding, cream of wheat, yogurt, soup and protein drinks. Today i'm allowed to start having bananas and strawberries. I'm craving something more solid but am afraid to try anything in fear of being miserable or throwing up. I haven't thrown up even once, but people have told me that happens sometimes when you first start out on solids. Is this true? I've lost 20 pounds and am so happy to finally have my band.

10 days out for me all I was allowed was cottage cheese, greek yogurt, oatmeal, mashed potatoes and unsweetened applesauce.

My name is Lori and I have considered this surgery for a couple years. Funny, I was always scared of having such an invasive procedure done, but now that I have finally made the decision to do it, I'm afraid I will be declined. Anyone who has found a surgeon who would operate on them with a BMI of 29, 30, 31? I'm 5'5" and, through no fault of my own, my weight fluctuates between 183 and 198. The trouble is, I don't eat a lot of sweets, or fast food, or drink sodas. Most of the time, I barely eat. But why do I have to starve myself just to be overweight instead of obese? I'm 42 years old. I have had 3 kids, and five more for other families as a surrogate mom. I was a normal weight growing up until my 2nd child was born. I ballooned from 140 pounds to 205 in a couple weeks. Was eventually diagnosed with hypothyroid. I have battled my weight and blood pressure ever since. I am being treated for my thyroid condition with Levothyroxine 125 mcg per day. No the doctor refuses to bump it up any further. For 6 years, I kept a food journal, eating between 1200-1400 calories a day working out steadily for 6 hours. I walked 8 miles a day, plus I went to the gym everyday and walked an additional 2 miles at 3.5-4.0 mph, 1 hour on weight machines, and one class, usually the quick fit. I worked out religiously those 6 years at that pace 6 days a week. I never got below 165. When I left my husband, I became so sick and so depressed that I didn't eat at all. I was a dog groomer and on my feet for 9-10 hours a day, sometimes without a break. At that time, I think I got down to 158 before I was put on Prozac and began feeling better. I plateaued at 178 after that. Now I'm at a sedentary job with the State and up to 188 to 198, depending on the day. I try to eat healthy, and since I binge when I'm bored, I've began eating 3 small meals a day. Still can't below 183, and typically bounce back to 188. You guys, I'm just so scared I will be denied for this surgery and I don't know what else to do. I am so sick of feeling sick and tired every day. I cannot continue to look and feel like this!

I am going to have to get my lab band removed or revised. I am going to choose removed, as they are no longer performing the procedures around here and no one wants to mess with it if I have problems, which I have had tons. I have had mine for almost 10 years and was down to 115lbs. I have since gained 50lbs. While my insurance will pay for the removal, they may not pay for a revision to a sleeve. I have IU health plans for an insurance, and I can add my husbands insurance, which is ANthem premium, if needed. Does anyone know what the rough cost is for a revision to sleeve? What about just the sleeve portion? Anyone had any luck with IU health plans on appeal, as I am sure it will have to be appealed. I feel like I have worked so hard and put up with so much in the past ten years.

I am two months post op lap band. I have not listed but 10 lbs and kinda frustrated. My band has 3cc. I still get hungry

Measurements log sometime before surgery hips: 49 7/8 " waist: 41 7/8" chest: 45 1/2" 8/30 day of surgery following pre-op diet hips: 48 7/8" down -1" waist: 40 1/2" down -1 3/8" chest: 44 3/4" down -3/4" 9/18 hips: 48 3/8" down -1 1/2" waist: 40 3/8" down -1 1/2" chest: 43 3/8" down -2 1/8" 12/2 hips: 47 1/8" down -2 3/4" waist: 38 7/8" down -3" chest: 42 3/4" down -2 3/4" rt thigh: 26 1/8" lf thigh: 26" calf both: 15 1/2" bicep both: 12 7/ 8" 01/06/07 hips: 46" down -3 7/8" down 1 1/8" from last month waist: 38" down -3 7/8" down 7/8" from last month chest: 42 3/4" down -2 3/4" no change from last month rt thigh: 24" down 2 1/8" lf thigh: 24" down 2" rt calf: 14 3/4" down 3/4" lf calf: 15 1/2" down 1/2" rt bicep: 12 7/8" no change lf bicep: 12 1/2" down 3/8"

I usually have the same Premier Protein shake for breakfast every morning. It holds me over to lunch time. I guess my problem is with portions, still. I just had my 4th fill on 10/1 and I'm now at 7cc in my 10cc band. I think I'm really close to my sweet spot, but I still feel like I have to watch my portions so I don't overeat. Sometimes, after my 1/2 cup meal, I might still be hungry, which boggles my mind.

Sx 10/25/12 I started at 243 and officially down to 178..my doctors goal weight based on my body composition and height (5'6) is 168....my overall goal for myself is 140 ..I. trying so hard to reach my doctors goal by oct. I have 7.5 cc in a 11 cc band.