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Hi, Everyone calls me Cyn. I had my sleeve on 01/03/2011. Great way to start the new year . I will be 59 years old this year, so making this decision took a while. I've been overweight most of my life and probably know more than any dietician about losing weight. I have also come to the realization that I am a compulsive overeater. Food has been my drug of choice. I'm an ex-hippie, ex-nun, I'm married 27 years and have 3 children and a wonderful support group. Gratefully, I am fairly healthy. I've had none of the medical problems associated with obesity, except for what I've done to my feet and ankles. I'm 4'11 and my highest weight has been 420lbs. (about 7 years ago.) In May of 2010, I was 394 lbs. when I started the classes to prepare me for having the sleeve. I was 361 going into surgery. As of today I weighed 340 lbs., so I've only lost 21 lbs. since my surgery, which is disappointing me a little, but I'm feeling defeated. It's really helpful to have found this site and I plan on visiting quite a lot. Thanks to all of you who have gone before me and can give your insights.

first of all you Look Fabulous! I have not gone public on FB, but will at some point. I work in a school so all my co-workers know, but I told my students I had a Hiatal Hernia repair (which I did as well). I am waiting to see how long it takes the kids to notice - they are 10 and 11. They noticed my haircut. Many people have asked questions and everybody but 1 was excited for me. The other was concerned - but not negative. I am a breast cancer survivor as well and was very oen about my health during that so I have become an open book. If it helps someone else get healthy - then I am happy.

It took me about 10 months to finally get a surgery date. Unfortunately I work for a hospital and with their insurance you are forced to stay within their facilities, forcing me to way long periods of time for some appointments. Requirement wise I had to fulfill the following: -weight loss of 5% of body weight -night oxygen saturation study -2 support groups -2 dietary appointments -psych evaluation -multiple appointments with a bariatric nurse practitioner -multiple appointments with my surgeon -pre operative class -chest X-ray -ekg -blood work I think that covers it all! Don't get discouraged by everything you have to do before surgery, it is all for a good purpose and helps fully prepare you. Best of luck!

Hi, I was sleeved on 8/11/14...so about 10 weeks out. Typical day: breatkfast: coffee, oatmeal with a little trailmix in it...nuts, seeds and dried fruit or a scrambled egg with spinach and a laughing cow cheese wedge...cooked in a little canola oil and garlic salt snack: cheese stick or a couple slices of roasted turkey lunch meat lunch: chicken, tuna or imitation crab...with a little egg, onion, pickle relish and lt mayo. eat it on special k crisps. or refried Beans with cheese and taco seasoning or a small salad with lean meat, cheese and egg snack: greek yogurt dinner: lean meat and veggies. sometimes veggie burger or wendys chili. and sometimes I have a few bites of whole grain Pasta or brown rice snack: fudgecicle...40 calories and 5 grams of sugar! or if I need Protein I mix a scoop of unjury chocolate mix in with sugar free pudding

You sound dehydrated. I am 10 days post op and I needed to get 2 bags of fluid today. I can keep everything down but I just haven't been able to drink what my body needs. I went to my PCP and she is the one that sent me to get fluids. I feel so much better! Can you try going to your PCP instead of your surgeon? I hope you can get some answers.

Our "Team of Experts" here in Portsmouth, NH requires .... Initial group seminar. Fill in paper work. Meet with RN a few weeks later and she tells you to loose 10% of body weight. Diet ...Meet with RN again, go see Shrink one on one and then once a week for 5 weeks with a small group. Meet the nutritionist twice, go to physical therapy twice. THEN .... if you have met all the requirements you finally get to see the surgeon. Go for an upper GI testing, EKG, chest x-ray and tons of blood work (that is where I am). Then it gets insurance approval, meet with surgeon again and get surgery date. I bet in a few years this procedure will be so common that all these hoops you have to jump through will be cut in half ... or they will come up with a magic pill that does what the lap band does now. This is the second time doing this. Last time I was just not committed enough and didn't know what I was getting myself into with all these appointments. How can people with a full time job / family get all this done? It's like another part time job. This takes many months depending how long it takes to loose the weight and when you can fit all these appointments in. I started again in March 2009. Surgery will probably be sometime in July. I'm one of the "quick" ones cause I worked my ass off to loose weight and wasn't made to take the 5 week course again.

My paperwork doesn't go to the insurance company until I meet with the nutr. a few times and the psy. a few times, loose 10% of my weight and then they send it...boy what a drag:thumbdown:

I had my preliminary seminar in August 2007. Met with doctor in September. Did all the required preop appointments in October. And I'm still waiting for insurance approval. A decision is due by June 19, but I'm not holding my breath. The point is, the length of time you wait depends on your doctor and insurance.

Hi Susie, I was diagnosed with diabetes over 25 years ago when I was 22 and was also put on insulin immediately. That is to protect your health ans the insulin will work immediately to bring your blood sugars into normal range. I then started to lose weight and went to oral meds, but not ever got off them. I lost 95 lbs. I of course put back the weight over the years. I continued on the orals but 10 years ago when I wanted to get pregnant I had to go on insulin because you can not take those meds when trying to conceive or pregnant. Well, I nevef went off insulin after that. I have not yet been banded, but I am hoping that this time when I reach my goal I will be able to go back on the orals. If not - no big deal. I am very used to taking insulin and monitoring my blood sugars. You may be able to go off meds, but it is likely that at some point in your life (when you are older) you will have to go back on or take insulin. I know this not what you want to hear but diabetes just does not go away like that. You will always be insulin resistant and will always have to be vigilant. You are doing the BEST THING for your health by getting banded and losing weight. People don't die of diabetes, they die of complications from diabetes which can be avoided with good blood sugar control. Don't panic, get as much information as you can. Feel free to PM me anytime. I will be glad to help as I have walked in your shoes. Susan

I was diagnosed 10 years ago. Tried dieting intitialy eventually had to go on oral meds, tried one made me nauseated. Then I went on another and was okay for awhile and then started getting nauseated every day for 2 years until I could not get the script filled and the nausea went away. I was then put on insulin in '05. I was taking hemalog before each meal and then 65 units Lantus in the evenings. My A1C in Jan before my surgery was 5.7 (non diabetic). At that time my PCP took me off the hemalog since I was going to be banded and I continued my Lantus. I just had my A1C checked again and it was 6.3 not bad. I figure I will eventually be off the insulin all together. Also if I had to do it all over again I probably would have wanted to start off with the insulin verses the medications, not because they made me sick but because insulin is more natural for the body. I was told by a couple of Doctors that insulin was better because the longer you are on the oral medications the more your body/pancreas come to rely on them andeventually you wind up on insulin and would not be able to come off the insulin no matter what. Whether they told me this as scare factor or not I have done much better with the insulin. Good Luck to you and hopefully you will not need to be on the insulin long.

I did the same even though my NUT didn't recommend it LOL I was at the 9 week mark (10 week with preop) and I kept bouncing between these 2 pounds. It's finally coming off and I've lost those 2 and another 2. It took two weeks though. The stall happened as soon as I bumped up my cardio and started jogging.

I'm on day 4 of my 2 week liquid pre op diet, and I'm having similar issues with digestion and stomach cramps. I've also had 2 really intense charlie horses since being on this diet. What are you having for liquids? My diet is 3 Glucose Control Boost drinks and 2 100 cal ff yogurts. The thought of Boost and yogurt is making me gag at this point, and I still have 10 more days. I am sooooo hungry, but I want to make my liver as small as possible. I just hoping that the hunger goes away post op.

Hi all--- I think there is a group at Point West Kaiser this Sat (10-30) Point West is located by Cal-Expo off of Research Drive. You do NOT have to be a Kaiser member to attend. I will NOT be there though...I have prior engagements... And on Sunday, I will be going to Richmond. I want to meet you guys..... Pam

SUPER MAJOR VENT IN 5.......4.......3......2........1! I'm about to scream! I finally got the approval from my psychologist to proceed with the surgery. He told me he faxed over the papers on monday. I called today just to check and make sure things were in order and see if it's been submitted to UHC. First I was put on hold for 10 mins while she searched for the fax.:Dancing_biggrin: No they don't have it. I told her who it was faxed to...she says oh maybe it's in the pile on her desk and by the way she's not in today.....:Dancing_sad: So she tells me to call back tomorrow. But before she hangs up she tells me oh by the way we still need your 5 yrs medical history. I told her it had been faxed over 3 weeks ago. (I made sure my PCP faxed it that day and I called 2 weeks ago to make sure it was received.) She then says....Oh they only sent us one year of medical history.:Dancing_biggrin::cursing::Dancing_biggrin::cursing: And you didn't call me within these 2 weeks to tell me this???? I had to hang up before I lost it. Why oh why did I pay a program fee if I'm the one doing all the damn work?:Dancing_biggrin: This has been going on from day one. I've read all the horror stories about others going through this and now I get to experience it myself. Sorry people...that was a super vent! I had to let it out before I took it out on the innocent. :Dancing_biggrin:

I feel the same as you. I had my sleeve on 10/23 and am having a really hard time taking in my fluids. I had to stay in hospital an extra day because of being so nauseated. That has gone, but just having a hard time. I am DEFINITELY trying though! Don't want anything to go wrong! Good luck to you!

My husband was more afraid for me than I really was! He thought I was going to die. I was not afraid. I trusted my surgeon. I even told him my husband thought I was going to die. he told me 1-2% of people leak. Besides trusting my surgeon, I took pain medication, rested a lot. I walked around my hospital floor. My surgeon wanted to discharge me after the first night but I asked to stay another night and he said ok. Don't lift anything, don't cook or clean for anyone. My family was so understanding and pampered me for two weeks. Don't eat what you shouldn't. My surgeon has me on liquids for six weeks post op. This gives the stomach a chance to heal. It will be swollen and sore so give it time. Drink fluids so you don't get dehydrated. Once I got to two weeks post op I was pretty confident I was not going to leak. But if at anytime you just don't feel right or your pain cannot me on trolled with oral medication, call your doctor. I had a spirometer in the hospital. I used it 10 times every hour I was awake. This helps prevent pulmonary embolisms. Walk as much as you can. Oh, and if you are nauseated ask for medication. don't be uncomfortable if you don't have to be. Lastly, I am not overly religious but I asked the Lord to be with me and to keep me calm. I think it helped. You will do fine and you will be so happy with your new life. It's worth it. Good luck and keep up the great work!!

Thanks for the reply! I feel much older than 38 as I have had 3 back surgeries and also suffer from severe fibromyalgia, but I'm hoping I will muster through it. I live at a constant 5-6 out of a scale of 10 pain rating, so I am used to dealing with pain. My husband can help in the evening, but goes to work super early and doesn't get home until 7:30PM. I really don't want him to take more time off of work if possible because his job is actually offering overtime for once and we could use the money.

So...today I was supposed to be discharged from the hospital. My RNY was on Friday evening around 4:30pm ever since my release to Post-Operative care, I never got proper pain relief. The nurse didn't notice that my IV was 'infiltrated' and thus the medicine wasn't going directly into my bloodstream as it should have. Then they insist on giving me the 'doctors' normal prescription' of Roxycontin, which causes a severe allergic reaction of itching all over my face, scalp, eyebrows, and thighs. I wish I had been discharged today...but my surgeon said he won't send me home after two days after major abdominal surgery (RNY) with ANY narcotic pain medication. REGULAR Tylenol only. (Which never works for me, if I even had a head ache in the past I would use 2-4 Advil!) So my doctor arranges for me to stay one more night in the hospital with narcotic pain relief...only 4 milligrams Dilaudid, which for me, barely takes the edge off the pain. (I was told before by a podiatrist that I 'metabolize pain medication very, very quickly' as he had to give me more and more local injections in my toes when he was slicing out my ingrown toenails years ago...can you say OUCH? haha...the only thing I metabolize quickly, how ironic! This afternoon around 4pm they decide to 'close the wing' I'm in and move me to another room a ways away...a room that is very HOT and SMELLY (many can relate to being VERY sensitive to odors after this surgery!) and the young, inexperienced tech grabs my purse and suitcase and loads it onto a cart, leaving me in the original room while she moves 'my stuff' into the new room...where she promptly abandoned it, complete with a wide open door and curtain...needless to say I started to feel anxious and when I opened up my wallet, $60 cash had been removed and the contents rifled through and moved into the wrong areas of the wallet. So, I'm understatedly upset...haven't slept in two days because they won't give me the Ambien I have been prescribed for sleep due to concerns about me being oversedated...never had pain relief better than a 6/10 on the pain scale...and now to top it all off, because she strangely insisted on moving my purse before moving ME to the new room, I've been robbed. I'm upset about being robbed so I call the security guard at the hospital and file a report...he suggests I call the local police to make a report as well, so I do. Cop says she isn't sure she can do anything but asks if she checks the security video footage and sees someone entering the room unauthorized and thus is the obvious suspect for stealing out of my wallet, will I file charges? And I say yes, because that person (hospital employee ostensibly) is preying on vulnerable people who are hospitalized and in pain. Cop leaves. I wait, as usual, for more than one hour PAST my scheduled 4 milligrams of Dilaudid dose...walk up to the nurses's station after making a nurse's station page twice asking for my pain medication and noting that it's significantly overdue...to overhear the male nurse going ON AND ON about how I'm a 'drama queen' because I 'claimed' that money was stolen from my wallet (which it 100% was!) and that I 'think I deserve to be treated like a queen but I'm not a queen...even the COP was calling me a drama queen' He's poisoning the new night nurses' mind against me before she even meets me! He was ENTHUSIASTICALLY savaging me verbally, which was surprising because the brief interaction we had together in my room was pleasant, we were talking about traveling to Vietnam and learning other languages. Long story short, I go back to my room in severe pain and in tears...thank goodness the Charge Nurse for this evening was very kind and helped get me my overdue meds quickly...and the nurse who had received the diatribe against me was also polite...but needless to say, I think I've been through it. It's now been an hour past the time I took the 4 mgs Dilaudid and still in severe pain whenever I move...anyone else have a WORSE experience? PS Forgot to mention I saved up for years and years and borrowed over $20,000 for this surgery...so I paid a small fortune in cash to be neglected, robbed and verbally assaulted...how's that for 'drama'?

Eight months post op, 35 lbs lost since 9/4/12 and I have gained 10 back in the last three weeks:-( I am so bummed, I feel so weak to my temptations! I am getting married on the 18th if this month and I am praying I fit into my wedding gown:-( why can't I just make the right choices?????? I'm at 8cc in my 11 cc realize band and the doc doesn't really want to fill me more. I'll take any suggestions or encouragement ! I know what to do, I just can't stick to it:-(

My surgery date was 02/17/10 and have lost 70 lbs! I love my band! Lots of work, but it can be done!

Yes, you can drink as you can with any WLS type. It's typically recommended to wait until you are goal, or at least 3 months out to allow adequate time for your stomach to heal. Plus, staying hydrated is key during the first 2-4 weeks so adding alcohol to the mix is just wasted calories, and is a diuretic essentially it's just wasteful to drink early out. Your surgeon will have guidelines. While some surgeons are super conservative, they'll tell their patients 6-12 months wait for alcohol. I was cleared for alcohol at 3.5 months. I was advised to avoid red wines due to the tannins (acid), and have been drinking since around 6.5 months out. I was below goal. I will tell you that the first time I drank. It hit me hard and fast. One glass of wine, and I had slurred speech, numb lips, and overall not pleasant after just one drink. I sobered up quickly as well. Today, at 19 months out, I drink extremely socially. My alcohol tolerance is back to what it was pre-op. The one thing I have noticed is that I urinate 4 times the amount I did pre-op. Once I break the seal, I'm in the potty every hour. It runs right through me, and I have to really drink heavily to get drunk. Catching and maintaining a buzz is much easier now, but early out, 1-2 glasses of wine and I was pretty buzzed then it'd leave me pretty quickly and there was no fun in that.

That is great cknorte, keep up the good work. I'm so proud of you. I just found out I have to lose 10 pounds on a supervised diet before my surger so I'm joining weight watchers next week. I hope those 10 pounds come off fast, but to me now ten pounds seems like a 100. lol

I eat a protein bar between lunch and dinner, my favorite is the Pure Protein Smore's Bar... and a plus is its packed with 19 grams of protein. I eat it about 3pm, and holds me over till dinner at 7!!

Probably a .5cc fill. What size band do you have. I don't think I would have been able to take a 5.0 cc in my 10 cc bandthe first month, my first fill was at 6 weeks 1.0cc . I was tight after each fill. Lost gradually. I have had 9 of them. Currently have 9cc in a 10 cc band and very tight in the morning till about 11. Excellent!! 14 months out 8 lbs to goal.