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I had my first fill on 7/3/13. I went to Jamaica for a week, 7/21/13 thru 7/28/13. I did not gain or lose weight. I ate almost within the guidelines. After my fill, I am starving most of the time, 4 ozunces just does not seem to do it. Thanks to support groups like this, is how I obtain information. How do you get in the required daily protein requirement? Should you still drink a protein shake? I was banded on 5/24/13 and have lost 45 pounds. I practice eating slowly and notice I do not get heartburn as much. I found out if i drink at least 64 ozunces of water it sometimes help with the hunger. Prior to surgery, I was taking insulin 4 times a day and oral medication. Now I take one dose of long acting medication and oral medication. sometimes i experience hypo-glycemic episodes. I planning to call my surgeon's office today. I do not have any idea how much is in my band. I have started to impiement an exercise program. I do have more energy. I appreciaate any thoughts or advice. I am so thankful/grateful for this site. My grand-children are happy,their grandmother can do things with them.

Oh, I guess I wasn't clear - I have no interest in the lap band. I've been doing lots of research and I'll be honest - I never thought I would ever be considering WLS. It wasn't until recently that I had even heard of VSG and what I've read about it makes me think it is a very viable option. I guess it just bums me out to realize that even though it seems like I am a prime example of someone who could be greatly helped by VSG (BMI of 48.something with high blood pressure, high cholesterol, pre diabetic, depression, and a history of sudden cardiac death in my family) but my insurance doesn't care about all that and would rather take a reactive rather than proactive approach to my health.

i have been HYPO thyroid since I was 16 (i am 44 now)... since surgery a year ago my level has been decreasing ....its down to 0.6 as of Monday lowest it's been in YEARS! ....(it has been up to 30.2 in previous years) and I am stable on my medication which is the lowest dose in 30 years! My dr told me just yesterday that she wanted to watch it close in the next 6-8 months because if my weight goes down more I may have to stop the meds....so I dont get hyperthyroid.

From: http://www.stopafib.org/causes.cfm In addition, atrial fibrillation can also happen to otherwise healthy people, especially when they are stressed or fatigued, have had too much caffeine or alcohol, have smoked, or have exercised too much. Other causes that are frequently mentioned include heart and other medications, recreational drugs, air pollution, chemicals and pesticides, and H. Pylori, which is often associated with ulcers. Another known risk factor is having too much or too little of some minerals in your body, such as Calcium, magnesium, or potassium. It is becoming more and more common at younger ages, including young people in their teens and twenties. Being overweight is often mentioned as a risk factor for afib, but normal and underweight people have it, too. One woman's doctor attributed her atrial fibrillation to weight, and it went away briefly after her gastric bypass surgery, but it soon returned, triggered by a sinus infection. We are now learning from a number of studies about atrial fibrillation in families as recent research has found genetic clues about why afib runs in some families. To learn more, see Mayo Clinic Finds Gene Mutation Responsible for Atrial Fibrillation That Runs in Families and New Genetic Cause of Atrial Fibrillation Found. About half of afib patients have obstructive sleep apnea, a stronger correlation than between afib and any other risk factors. There is also a high correlation between sleep apnea and other heart diseases, as sleep apnea is correlated with high levels of C-reactive Protein (CRP), a marker of inflammation that indicates the possible presence of heart disease. It's also possible that afib may cause sleep apnea as well. Afib, obstructive sleep apnea, and obesity all appear to be related conditions, so as we see a surge in obesity, we can expect to see more afib and obstructive sleep apnea, too.4

I love all of the advice from people that have no clue! LOL! PCOS cravings are kicking, not sure what has reactivated the pcos, but it defiantly needs to go away! Unless you have the PCOS cravings you have absolutely no clue what I am going through. It is a stronger intensity than what a pregnant women has. It is not an excuse it is a fact, so unless you have a clue don't give your snobbish opinions. I am still waiting to hear back about my port revision. My foot is healed and I can walk again and work out again. Since I don't seem to have restriction I am going back to protein shake diet. I need to loose the weight that I have gained this summer while I was not able to work out. If you want to read more here is my blog! http://tinkrisegrind.blogspot.com/2013/07/still-waitingcarb-cravings-are-huge.html

I'm confident it will come off and I'm very happy with how I feel and my progress. I am a post-menopausal woman with hypo-thyroidism who is almost 54yrs old. I've lost 29lbs in eight weeks and I can see a huge difference. I've gone from a tightly fitting size 22 to a comfortable fitting sz18 and hope to fit in sz16 by summer's end. I am not discouraged or impatient at all, merely curious. :-) I am curious if, among the other factors I mentioned, age or menopause has anything to do with the rate of weight loss. I see some people who lose 75-80lbs in the first few months and others who average 30-40 in the same time frame. I was wondering if there is a reason, or maybe several reasons, for the vastly different rates of weight loss. So curiosity and boredom (it's been raining) have been the reasons behind my question. :-)

I have hypo thyroid and I was sleeved on June 17 ad I have lost 37 pounds just in the first month!

My doctor was really stingy with narcotics, which I found irritating as a practitioner who was trained that God gave us drugs for a reason, and nobody should suffer when we have the medication to help them. That said, that was only immediately post-op and the day or so after. After that, I was able to control my pain with Tylenol and ketoralac (Aleve would be a similar, over-the-counter option), and was quite happy to do so to avoid the side-effects and the risks around narcotics. Make sure drugs like aleve, ketoralac and ibuprofen (NSAIDs) are okay with your doctor before you take them, though. If you don't have any liver problems, taking 650 mg of Tylenol every 4 hours whether you need it or not is recommended by some doctors, to keep an even amount of pain control. And "splinting", i.e. pushing a small pillow or a folded towel against your abdomen when you sit up or stand up is also very helpful in preventing that pain. Like I said, I am very pro-drug, but you've worked very hard to get clean and stay clean, and you're going to have enough challenges in the months coming up, you don't need to reactivate your addiction. In fact, if you haven't told your doctor about it, think about telling them now, so that there's no risk of them prescribing to you. If it only hurts when you sit up, splinting WILL help, and the pain will get better remarkably fast as your body heals itself. Congratulations on your recovery, and for looking for alternative ways to treat your pain. 4 years is no small feat. I'm impressed! If you can do that, you'll do great with the sleeve.

It's Reactive Hypo or Hyper Gylcemia

I've finally decided to write down how I feel, and it was NOT a fun time.. I'm 8 days post op down 13 ish lbs, and overall doing pretty good, but my mind is being torn into places I have never imagined. I've spent basically 1/3 of my life being obese, since I was maybe 13-14, and I TRULY HONESTLY don't know how I got here. I know some people say that to cover up a habit or an obsession but I swear to all that is holy I do not remember how this STARTED. I remember being "normal" at 13 and then I remember being "big boned" at 15 and I remember being 225-250lbs at 16. I hit puberty VERY early, between 9 and 10, and shortly after I developed huge boobs. Sorry to be blunt but I was 10 with a B cup and they've never stopped growing. Aside from the busty chest I wasn't big anywhere else. My family didn't have money to eat out, it would almost only be on special occasion. My mom would work nights as a cook (a damn good one) and my dad would work until 5 or 6 as a well driller, so when my mom left at 3 she would either have supper started or to the point where it just had to be put in the oven. And when I say she was a good cook I mean the kind that could make you cry. She ALWAYS had balanced meals, fruit, veggie, meat. A few typical meals would be spaghetti, green Beans, and watermelon. Or roast, potatoes, carrots. Or steaks(we are huge grillers), baked potatoes and asparagus. We weren't picky kids, aside from not liking onions or spicy food or little preferences like that. My mom is tiny, she's 52 and a size 7. She wears bikinis and looks smoking hot. No cellulite no stretch marks, she's gorgeous. My dad is the picture of health, aside from genetic thyroid problems and some hearing loss. He's maybe 180lbs and ripped. My sister was borderline anorexic through high school maybe tipping the scale at 150 when she was pregnant. And my brother got chubby about the same time that I did, but has since lost all extra weight (due to drug issues) and is "normal". We didn't have much money for Snacks in our house either, fruit was always accessible and vegetables were usually grown fresh so we had plenty. Every once in a while there were potato chips or pop tarts or Cereal but these things were eaten for Breakfast and only breakfast. It's just what you did. When wed get home from school we'd have a snack, an apple, a fruit snack, a bowl of chips, something. But never to the amount of excess because it just wasn't allowed. We regularly had pop available to us but my mom would only buy 2 liters so we had enough for maybe a glass a day for 3 days and then it was gone for a few weeks. School lunches I ate what was given and never took seconds (couldn't afford it), which were the basic meat veggie fruit bun milk lunches. Anyway, my story could go on forever but the point of me telling you this is because I just don't UNDERSTAND how I got this way, when MILLIONS of children had my exact upbringing and are of "normal" size. I had the sleeve surgery to help with weight loss. I had lost weight on my own before, but never enough to make a difference, to make me healthier, to get pregnant. So I got the sleeve as a TOOL to help me relearn to eat. I am 100% positive that once I get to a manageable weight I could get rid of the sleeve (impossible I know) and be a-ok for the rest of my life and stay on track with a healthy lifestyle. I have developed a hypo thyroid due to genetics, as well as PCOS, and high blood pressure, no doubt due to my weight. So for me, losing weight isn't as easy as those without the thyroid issue. No I am not blaming my thyroid but it is a big part of the problem!!! Since having the surgery I lay awake for 40-48 hours at a time and search (this forum) for foods like French fries, starburst, ice cream, and I try to reason and investigate why I got to where I am. I am completely closed off with the world. My husband has only known me as obese, my family is just as confused as I am as to why I got this big, and my friends love me no matter what but of course they're all stick thin so I don't bother venting to them. I am made sick at night thinking about WHY I had to resort to the sleeve. As happy as I am, WHY was this my only option? WHY couldn't I lose weight like others? WHY did I have such extreme options when it came to getting healthier. I need a friend. I need someone who can help me come to grips with WHY this decision HAD to be made (and I do believe that it HAD to be made). This is my last resort. I support the sleeve and I believe in it but how do I go on living my life with half a stomach and continue to have confidence in myself when I couldn't even lose weight by myself? I had to cut myself to pieces because I COULDN'T DO IT. Sorry for the long rant, hopefully someone will read this ridiculously long post and feel the same way I do. And maybe offer some support. SW: 324 DOSW: 322 CW: 311 surgery date-7/10/13 Sent from my iPhone using VST

Hello, my name is Audree. I was banded in January of 2007, so over 6 years ago. My surgery was done in Mexico by Dr. Ariel Ortiz. I am a self pay lower bmi bandster. I also have the Inamed 4cc band, low profile port. My highest weight before surgery was about 195. My lowest was about 160 and I am now a little up in weight at 175 or so. Its been a few years since I was able to go back to see him for a check up or fill, so I can eat with almost no restriction. The only exception to this is right before my cycle, if I am stressed or eat to fast. I had originally been on this board even before I got banded in 2007 under the screen name Babygotback. I tried to reactivate my old account but was unable to, so I created this new one. I recently got married and have a new insurance. I was happy to find out that I could be seen here for check ups and fills by my new doctor in the States Dr. Phillippe Quilici in Burbank. I had my band checked and they said it was fine. I got a .5 fill which supposedly put me at 3.5 I thought they said. I felt very little restriction. So, I am going back this month on the 24th to get another fill. I am excited to use my band again after all this time and finally get down to my goal of 150.

Jen, let me say thanks for doing that study! I think there are a lot of things that are still unknown about the band and why it works for some people and yet not for others. Part of the reason is that I think obesity is not just a physical issue it is a mental and emotional one as well. I am fairly new to the band, but I can tell there are days when it is not just the physical feeling of having the band. There are aspects to the way it affects the nervous system both the central nervous system and the parasympathetic nervous system or the reactive emotional nervous system. Finding that delicate balance for each of us is not an easy task. Everyone's "green zone" is as different and diverse as each one of us and seems to change as we do. So what worked for you before the study may have shifted a bit, and needs a little tailoring till you find that balance again. You're doing amazing and thanks again for taking the time and the challenge of that study to help all the rest of us learn more about the band and how it works.

I was hypothyroid and have been taken off my synthroid now. Weird because I was told I would be on it for the rest of my life... Just to be clear though, my hypo was NEVER due to any disease or malfunction of the actual thyroid gland, it had to do with how my body USED the hormone. It was like no matter how much my thyroid made, my body would scream for MORE because it couldn't use it properly. Now that I'm off WHEAT, my body is no longer suffering inflammation and is better able to use the hormone that my body makes. Being able to get off of thyroid medication is really rare, I don't want to give people the impression that getting sleeved or giving up wheat will heal their thyroid.

I have hypo thyroids and I'm trying to figure out would it help me or just be a waste of time?

I have hypo thyroid and i am 2 months out. I have lost 45 pounds so far. My doc is a debbie downer as he thinks that is slow, but ai m half way to goal so I am concidering it a win

Hi. I had Graves Disease & now I'm hypo, so I shared your concern. You will def lose weight. I'm about a month out & so far have lost about 24 lbs. I think that's pretty good! My hypo dose of med is 225 mg and I have to crush my pills before I take them & that's not as bad as I thought it would be. Talk to your dr about your concerns. It really might make you feel better. Anyway, good luck & see you on the "losers bench"!

Another factor in daily fluctuation are inflammation reactions we have to certain foods. Google The Plan by Lyn Genet and you will get more information. When you are cleared for all foods, or if you already are, her 20 day plan is a good way to find out which foods are reactive for you. I did it and found that I am highly reactive to cabbage and tomatoes. Many of the foods that 90% of people are reactive to are on the healthy foods lists for most diets (oatmeal, turkey, black beans, tomatoes). It's very enlightening to read her book and go through the Plan. I was stuck not losing for 5 days when I should have been losing a half pound per day when I finally realized my salad mix had red cabbage in it. Well I checked the book and sure enough, cabbage was on the 85% reactive list. The next day I picked those little pieces of cabbage out and I was down 3 lbs the next day! I became a believer that day :-)

I had that too. I figured it was either from the steristrip adhesive or contrast used in a CAT scan. Benadryl gel applied topically didn't help. I pulled the strips off, replaced with non reactive band aids, and got approval from my doc to take liquid Benadryl. Two doses later, it faded considerably. Good luck!

My webpage documents my first year out only. }Have you gain any weight at all even if you manage to lose it in the 7 years? Oh boy! It is incredibly easy to gain weight. At one point, I was up 27 lbs! I worked really hard and lost it. Right now I'm up 8 lbs so I'm back to working it off again. It's way harder to lose now {Have you gotten preggo during the 7 years? No {Can you eat more then ever or do you limit your food intake? I can eat a lot if left to my own devices. I still need to use journalling to keep the weight off and to lose. I have to account for every bite. It's too easy to eat mindlessly. That's what gets me in trouble. {Do you exercise? I am extremely active. Mostly walking. 3 miles is a slow exercise day for me. {Have you had any plastic surgery? None. I've lost 140 lbs or so. I've learned to live with my wrinkles. I'm 42. {How do you feel now compare to 7 years ago body wise health wise mentally physically? Physically awesome. Health is awesome. I have some issues like osteopenia, reactive hypoglycemia and anemia but they are easily managed. To not get out of breath by simple tasks, to shop in normal stores, etc is wonderful. Body image is totally screwed up Dawn

If you still have some of the anaesthesia in your body, being in a hot shower or tub can reactivate it and cause you to feel faint.

So my nutritionist cleared me for surgery and I was told I would see the surgeon within 2 weeks to schedule my surgery which was super exciting. Today I got a call from my surgeon and they told me that since my most recent blood work showed that i was hypothyroid i could not proceed with seeing the surgeon. I had seen my pcp and he told me that sometimes thyroids just mess up (mines has done this more than once) and seemed not to think it was a big deal. he told me to get my blood work done again and if i was still hypo he would put me on meds but did not schedule another appointment until september, so i didnt think it was that big a deal. He also wrote on my referral to my surgeon that although my thyroid is acting up right now, since i have been fat since i was 7, he was pretty sure that wasnt the reason for my obesity. my surgeon said it doesnt matter, insurance wont approve me with an unaddressed thyroid issue. I went back to the lab today, but I am super scared of what will happen if i am still hypothyroid, i dont think that i will be able to proceed any further even though im so close to the finish line.

I am and have been since 6 weeks before surgery.I had half of my thyroid removed in 2010 for a nodule and when I had my pre surgery labs they came back hypo I am on 0.05 mg synthroid .

Don't think of losing weight as if it were a given symmetrical line going down for each day you burn more than you consume. Your body is a reactive machine and will retain fluids if it's TOM, or you consume processed flour/sugar, or too much sodium or simple carbs. Fluids can create plateaus that last months. If you're exercising, you will retain some fluids due to your body rebuilding torn muscles. If you exercise, you can lose fat but gain weight. Weight vs. fat are two different animals. Burning fat cells and replacing them with muscle cells will make many weight scales stop moving or even increase. This is a long long journey and one or two weeks or even months here or there are inconsequential in the long run. tmf

Yes hypo here and on 225mcg of synthroid.. My dr said this surgery more then likely won't change my levels n I will still have to continue the meds lifelong. When I don't take my meds for some time I get a goiter n the thoughts scare me right back into my meds loll

So sorry-its so frustrating!!! We're all going at a different pace, and I'm afraid mine is slow too. I've lost about 52. I was almost 240 DOS, am now 188. I was 186.8, but gained about 2lbs and stalled in the last two weeks. I know part is related to my hypo-thyroid, part to not getting in enough protein. I do exercise regularly but not super heavily. My caloric intake is steady at 900, but sometimes I get "the snackies" in the late afternoon/evenings, and it's not "good" food that I snack on. I think we go into this knowing it will be hard, hope it will be easier than what we've done before, get excited at losses, then when we face stalls it's even more disappointing.