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DH is gone till Wednesday nite, I'm alone with all my food thoughts, Oh my what will I do.:help: I'm going to go to the movies with a friend this afternoon. Tomorrow I will watch my grandson for awhile and take a walk I hope. Tuesday my sister wants me to come up and see a couple of our cousins. Then its Wed. and my DH will be home in the evening. I never get a chance to be bored or alone very often, always something going on. I weight this morning and was done a couple of pounds hope it stay down. I seem to like to play around with a couple of pounds before they are really gone. It was been raining again and talk that it will rain off and on all week long. Hope it nice in the mornings so Dana and I can walk. I really don't mind going if I have some one to go with me. We don't even walk together, she is much faster than me. Shes also twenty years younger than me. I'm thinking some of clothes are beginning to be to big, but I hate tight clothes so will wait for a few more pounds to come off before I go down a size. They were way to tight before I started this journey, so I must be patient with myself. It is going to be a great week. Hoping to get some more scrapebooking done. Not feeling so hungry today, hope that stay with me for a long long time. Have to work on drinking more water or crystal light. Just have a problem getting fluids down. Never have figured out why I don't drink like other people do, but sometime I figure out that it has been serveral hours and I haven't drank a thing, I don't really feel thristy most of the time. I think its a problem and I need to get in tune with my thrist. Almost time to go to the movies, that will be two movies and two play within one month.:clap2::clap2::clap2:

I am an ER nurse and took off 10 days. I could have gone back sooner. I felt great by day 3. I just took the next week as my me-week, got my hair cut, nails done, gardened, shopped, etc.

I'm starting to get nervous! I've already been trying to cut back and watch what I'm eating and slowing down on sodas. I know this is all things I'm going to have to do, so I'm taking the steps now so I don't go into shock when I actually HAVE to do it. I know I get to skip a couple steps like sleep study and gallbladder since I've already had my gallbladder removed and am already on a CPAP machine. I'll have to go through a 3 month Dr. supervised diet for my insurance. I just I'm just rambling on and on. I keep thinking...what if I do really good on this diet and the insurance says, you can do it on your own??? I've got over 200 lbs to lose and I've gotten to the point where I KNOW I can't do this alone. I've started and dropped Weight Watchers more times than I can count... My husband doesn't really approve of WLS, but keeps saying he will support me in any decision I make for myself. But I have noticed that he is not very open to me talking about it. He doesn't stop me, but I can just tell he's not really listening to me. Although I do believe he is making an effort. I will have a big support system in my niece, who is hopefully coming to live with me before my surgery. I also have a cousin who had lapband about 10 years ago, and she's a big support as well, although she lives 400 miles away but is always a phone call away. I know this surgery (or any other WLS) is not a cure all and that it will be like a walk in the park to lose weight afterwards. I know I will have to work harder than I've ever worked at anything in my life. But I worked very hard to have my son. And if I went through that, I can go through this so that I can be the mother I want and need to be to him. I don't want to be a mother on the sidelines. I want to be right in the middle of it!! Right now, I don't go to movies or concerts or ballgames or anywhere like that. I'm too big to fit in the seats. I can't go into a store and buy clothes. I have to order my clothes online. I have a horrible time finding shoes due to my feet being so wide and fat. I even have a hard time finding socks for goodness sake!! Those are all the reasons I'm doing this and more. I want to be off my CPAP machine. I'm afraid I'm beginning to have high blood pressure. I don't want to go on meds for that. I want to be able to go in a store and buy an outfit. I want to be able to take my son to the park and actually PLAY with him instead of sitting on the bench watching him. I want to be able to go to a concert and not worry about fitting in the seat or crowding out the person next to me. Thank you all for your time in reading this and letting me vent. I actually feel better now that I got this off my chest!

I am not on ANY Protien right now... just Clear liquids, Apple juice, SF Popsicles, SF/FF Jello, crystal light... but this afternoon I heard back from teh clinic and she said to drink somePedialyte... as I have had a nasty headache yest and today... This seems to be doing the trick as I am feeling better as I write this... I can make it until Sunday at noon.... down 10 lbs.

I went shopping this morning and picked up size 12 because my 14's were getting a little big. I tried them on and had to go back and get size 10's!!!! I did a little happy dance in the dressing room!!!! I am so happy and feeling so much more like living life finally!!!! I am going on 12 months and am down 98 pounds trying to hit the 100 pounds by June 16, my dr's appt. I just wanted to celebrate with someone and you guys are so supportive!!!!

Preach it! I don't know what to do with myself either when food is not the focal point of my life. I'm 10 days post op.

Thank you all for your responses. PdxMan and LindafromFlorida you are right she is not done with me. She texted and called me all day. I ignored her. True to form she even asked me to try again and that was very painful for me. It was a difficult day. I did start the morning by clearing out my refrigerator of all leftovers and sweet drinks. I don't buy snack or junk food and keep it in my house so that part was easy. Fortunately for the first day in awhile I didn't feel like eating and I guess that is the emotional part. I had been on an emotional roller coaster and eating every feeling that I had: happiness, sadness, pain, you name it, I ate it. Fortunately I do have someone to talk to but I spent a lot of time focusing on her and I need to shift the focus back on me and what I need. I had my gastric sleeve on December 2, 2013 and lost a lot of weight because I was afraid to eat anything. I had a lot of problems with keeping food down, especially Protein so the food I was eating were those soft slider foods and by February 14, 2014 I went from 368 lbs to 281 lbs. I was tremendously excited and perhaps overly confident about my success. My surgeon was happy albeit concerned that I really wasn't eating and losing 8-10 lbs per week. We talked about developing an eating disorder because of my food aversion but I didn't care. I thought the sleeve had solved my problem - eating - and I would deal with the fallout later. So when I met my ex and began to eat small amounts of food, I was relieved not to be throwing up any more after about 2 weeks. I was on several nausea meds that made my throat dry and I couldn't seem to quench my thirst. That's when I started drinking sweet drinks like lemonade, it helped. No excuse. Eventually I could eat anything including small amounts of steak. Of course, I have to take Miralax everyday to digest what I eat so that is stupid but technically I could eat. Before I could barely eat chicken breast. We were going to different restaurants 3-4 times per week and each week the pounds started to slowly climb back on. I remember when I first tried alcohol, my stomach couldn't handle it. Then I tried again and it wasn't so bad. I have never been a drinker really 1-2 drinks socially maybe once or twice a month, but I was drinking a couple of times per week which also contributed to the weight. I stopped drinking two weeks ago on my birthday. Things were strained between me and my ex because I decided not to be around her at all when she was drinking and took all alcohol out of my house. I took some time reading other posts yesterday where people talked about the sleeve being a tool in the weight loss journey. I realize I need to find a happy medium with eating and develop a healthy relationship with food. I know I can't go back to not eating at all or eating everything there is so just figuring out where that place is will help. I will try listening to my body and trying to see when I am actually hungry or just filling a need. Also making sure I am not eating too much. I will go back to my small plates and see how that works.

This might seem really odd... and maybe unrelated to the band but the only way to know is to ask. I was banded on 10/20/08 and since banding I have been having absolutely bizzare dreams...almost everynight. I don't know if its because of the diet changes and cutting out sugar or what! But has anyone else experienced this? Its not seeing myself at a lower weight or anything its been weird...like moving to a farm was friday night, last night I dreamt about a cousin's wedding that see showed up and it was the wrong groom... truly weird stuff... Hopefully I'm not the only one! :thumbup:

My heart hurts for London The strange thing is the dates....9/11/01 and 7/7/05

Thanks for all the words of support and encouragement. It is 10:00pm, and I am now an official member of bandland. The procedure went smoothly and the doctor said I had a fine smooth liver, guess those 12 days of Optifast hell did the job.:clap2: The gas pains aren't too bad, not yet anyway, it's the nothing but Water on the first day that has me down. Maybe I'll call midnight tomorrow and have some juice, low acidic of course.

I just had my first fill and it was 2cc in a 10 cc band. I know ultimately that the goal is to not be hungry, but right now, between meals or if I go too long between eating, I am starving. Is this normal? I eat the right amount protein and veggies until I am satisfied, but about 2 1/2 - 3 hours later I am so hungry.

I am 10 1/2 po..still only getting 4 to 5 bites and get full. They scared me with the dough ball getting stuck line so I don't go there. Point being I do get full after few bites..

I too am waiting to be banded . Waiting for the money . I will be self pay as well. Your BMI Is similiar to mine , Im 5'4" 240 and my BMI Is 40.1 I have PCOS and sleep apnea. but otherwise I am in good health . I debated for quite some time about lap band. I have tried the Exersise , the diets ect. With the PCOS I knew the wt loss was going to be tough . I put off surgery because I thought surgery would be tough to loose wt with PCOS as well. Then i started to research more. The only thing that I can tell you is that once I decided I decided and NOTHING WILL STOP ME NOW from gettnig this surgery . I have the will power of a NAT . or so i thought until now. lol . I have smoked for 15 yrs at least a pack , pack and half a day . I quit cold turkey a month ago . I decided i better do it now before surgery , healing is better when you dont smoke and if i gained wt it would be better to do it before the surgery . My surgery WILL HAPPEN . Im not keen on Mexico the more i read about it . Im staying in the states. What im trying to get at is .... For me once i decided this was for me and I KNEW I COULD Do this and I COULD loose wt with the band that was it . Sure i had my doubts , i still have my concerns , it is surgery , like someone else said its natural to have concerns. But Im educated about my conerns and know what im getting into. I have a friend who is banded and is not doing as well , with wt. I firmly believe that is because her DOCTOR Did not educate her enough about the band and she didnt educate herself enough about the band. I know more about the band than she does and I dont even have one yet. Its up to you to learn as much as you can about it . Then if you decide to do it KEEP Learning. Almost every question I have had is on this board answered and at least 10 people have gone through it. So bascially I think if you KNOW the band is for you... you KNOW . if that makes sense lol At least I did . Mindy

Hi Mangojoy, Like you, I had to seriously ponder this difficult decision. I started at 5'2", 206 pounds & age 44 and completely healthy. Insurance wouldn't cover me and so I didn't even bother. I went to Mexico for surgery with Dr Ortiz on 9/29. You are right to be cautious, surgery is a risk and not something you should not take lightly. I have the tools to lose weight. I have no job for one, I have an elliptical, I have exercise tapes, books, recipes, supportive family, etc. I was doing the elliptical for an hour every night for a good long time but hardly lost a pound. I've adopted a lot of good eating habits - splenda, light dressings, chicken w/o skin, lean cuisines, etc. I often exercise - but I'm not always good at dieting. Or I'll do great at dieting but would not exercise. I'm especially weak around sweets. Could I do better? Yes absolutely. Could I keep up a good diet and exercise pattern long enough to lose 80 lbs? Absolutely not. I really struggle and can't even lose 10 lbs on my own. I've been fighting this battle for 20 years now. I keep trying but instead of losing, I've been gaining over the years. The fact is, very few people are successful at losing significant weight and then keep it off with diet & exercise alone. It takes a LOTs of drive and determination. My dad has diabetes. I thought about my 5 yr old daughter and weighing all the risks. I need to be there for her for many years to come. I realized that my greatest health risk is not the lapband surgery, my greatest health risk is continuing at this obese weight. One way or another, things had to change. So I was banded just 10 days ago. I'm down 6 lbs. Hopefully the wieght will continue to come off and I will have added years to my life as a result. I'll believe it when I see it. Good luck in your decision! Let me know if I can be of help. Susan

I agree that a lot of this probably has to do with starting weight. It's like any other diet, the bigger you are the more you lose at first. Whenever I would start a diet at my heaviest I'd lose up to 10 lb the first 2 weeks, but when I was starting from a lower weight I'd lose less. On my usual calorie counting diets I consider 5lb/month to be a win so I'm just hopeful to beat that # after surgery.

Gastric bypass patients have pouches...whereas gastric sleeve patients have sleeves. A sleeve is not synonymous with a pouch. Anyhow, your sleeve will relax over time to accommodate a higher volume of food as it heals. This is the natural progression of things although it saddens some people. During the first few months postop I could tolerate about 3 ounces of food. Nowadays I'm almost 3 years out and can easily accommodate 8 to 10 ounces (more than half a pound). A fully matured sleeve's normal capacity is anywhere from 8 to 12 ounces. At this point I wouldn't worry about stretching your sleeve. Just focus on high protein foods and meeting your nutritional goals. Good luck to you.

Did you check your policy if it includes WLS?? If it does, make an appointment with your PCP and let him or her know what your goal is. I had to quit my awesome Doctor of 12 years, cause he has always discouraged me to have WLS. I finally made a wise choice, and switched Doctors, I really like my new PCP, he is really supportive, and if he would have told me no, I would have kept on until I reached my ultimate goal!! It took me 10 months to get here, but it's here, I'm on my 2 week pre op diet and scheduled for the 24th!! Good luck to you!! Let us know how your progress goes!! Sent from my iPhone using VST

What you are feeling is perfectly normal. Its a scary and life change thing, to get sleeved. If I can offer a few word from a veteran (as of March 6th, I'm a year out so I qualify) It will be the best health decision you could ever make. life is back to normal now. A new Normal? Yes. And I love it! There is nothing I can not eat. The only taboo thing for me per my surgeon is carbonation. I can eat and drink anything and everything. Not a single thing disagrees with me. That said, yes I can eat or drink anything, most of the time I just don't. The success I have achieved encourages me to eat healthy. I do eat very healthy 80% of the time. I eat better 15% of the time and I eat GOOD meaning anything goes 5% of the time, on average. Some days and weeks are perfect some days are not so much. I have succumbed to chips and salsa. I have eaten a few bites of the most decadent Desserts (only a few bites) but mostly because there is no more room I have wine every weekend. We are big wine lovers. I go to parties and social events where food is the focus and am just fine. I enjoy a few bites of this or that but always try to stay Protein focused. You will too. Life is not over after the sleeve, its just better. Way better. I still have 13 pound to go to my realistic goal and 23 to my ultimate goal. Although the last few months I don't think 130 is best for me. I don't think I would look or feel my best there. I think 140 is real for me. What I can tell you is, if I do not lose another pound, ever, I will consider this surgery as the best health decision I could have ever made. Where I am now is healthy, well, energetic and full of energy. I may not be a size 2 and that is fine with me. I am currently wear a loose 10 and snug 8. I I were 20 years younger I'd probably not bother with the 10. Med tops. It's not about the size but the health and all the amazing things that go along with new found health and energy! Your fears are real and normal. Take the step, it won't be easy. This is in no way "the easy way out". You will struggle, we all do, it's not all unicorns and rainbows. It is SO worth the journey and the end result is priceless. That's my 2 cents. Best of luck to you!

Hi there...I also had the "ball in my throat." It kinda felt like you are being strangled from the inside and only lasts a few seconds, at least in my case. I spoke with the nurse and turns out it is a normal feeling since I also had a hernia repair. I was about 10 days post op when the pains subsided.

Great advice and thank you again for your input. I'll try to check in more often...as I know it does help. P.S. Does weight loss come in spurts? The reason being...as I've studied the topic of "SET POINTS" and once you break your set point barrier....all of a sudden you can lose like 10-15lbs in a week. I noticed that when my brother lost....he could lose it in spurts...and was wondering if if I'm hitting a wall because I haven't busted through my current "set point" Thoughts?

The most important things you need to have are Water and protein! Even if you're not hungry sip water all day and you should have at least 60-80g of Protein a day. My nut and doc made this very clear! I would check on the pudding thing also. My diet for the first 10 days is water, Protein drinks, broth, milk, sugerfree Jello, and that's it! Evie- I was banded on Wed as well and I gained 3lbs since then. I asked my doctor and he said that is all the swelling that my belly is doing. I can tell my belly is swolen still. I'm hoping to see the weight fall off soon!

Honestly it is not worth risking a natural remedy. In the big scheme of things you only take a PPI for a very short time. I took some maybe every other day for like 3 to 4 months. I'm 19 months out and I haven't taken any in over a year. GERD when you let it get out of control is painful and mimics hunger. Most of the people post-op that are claiming to be starving are suffering from GERD and by not taking a PPI they are just self sabotaging. If you are really concerned about taking a PPI, then have RNY or no surgery at all. Having your body chopped up isn't exactly a natural solution to obesity.

Rules for 2008 Make realistic goals for yourself, write them down, pray about them and try to achieve them! Go through your cell phone, caller id, calendar, and email addresses and discard all the people and events that mean you no good or don't benefit your life! Stop making excuses about your life and make changes! If you are involved w/a person, job, or circumstance that is doing more harm than good, do yourself a favor - LET IT GO! Stop being someone’s mistress; especially if you are aware that you are!!!! If you a re between the ages of 22-35 please start listening to more than Hip-Hop! Take care of your kids and devote a weekend or two when you spend "quality" time with them. Who cares if you miss out on a "mix"! You can party anytime! Get your debt in order! Eventually you'll want a nice home and car in your name! Stop spreading senseless rumors and try to get your own life in order! Listen more! Talk Less! Give without worrying about it! Tell him no for once! Tell people you love them before you hear about some great tragedy in the world or lose a close friend! Speak clearly and not ignorantly! Anyone can be a fool. If you are married, stop cheating. If you're guilty of this, ask God to forgive you and don't do it again! Remember the Ten Commandments. Stop waiting on Tax Season and Save Now! Eat what you need and not just because you can! See how long you can go without checking your cell phone wh en it's not ringing. Be more positive and stop being a grouch! I didn't do it to you boo! STOP HATIN! If you don't like my style, kick rocks! DO YOU! Start telling your children that when you're having a "grown folks" conversation, they need to go play. Remember they are like sponges. Appreciate everyone. WHY do we put each other down for the most ridiculous things?!? If you are a person of color and you live w/or work in a white environment don't be the one showing the latest dances, singing the new Jay-Z or teaching Ebonics. Be better not bitter! Men and women! Cry more! It's therapeutic. Stop tripping about not being where you want to be! What have you been doing to get there?!? If you aren't in relationship, it's not the end of the world! Self love is more valuable! Keep your opinion to yourself! We all know what others should do, but what about you? If God delivers you from a messy relationship, friend or situation, why do you keep PULLING THEM BACK? Let it go! FORGIVE! FORGIVE! FORGIVE! All of us have been forgiven for some low life things! So open your heart! Remember - God forgave you. Men, stop trying to be so hard when it comes to relationships. Let that guard down before you lose the one that's meant for you! Speak up for yourself! Learn a new hobby! Broaden your mind. If you're single, start going on more dates with different types of people. Don't just stick to the same type of woman or man! Stop forwarding all the text messages you receive; everyone doesn't have unlimited text messaging!! Stop replying to ALL! Live like today is your last day, love like God taught us, and laugh like you've never laughed before! You'll live longer. Lastly, if it's only 5 minutes a day have a little talk with Jesus! Let Him know you want to be better today than you were yesterday and watch Him turn things around for you! Top 10 Predictions for 2008 The Bible will still have the answers. Prayer will still work. The Holy Spirit will still move. God will still inhabit the praises of His people. There will still be God-anointed preaching. There will still be singing of praise. God will still pour out blessings upon His people. There will still be room at the Cross. Jesus will still love you. Jesus will still save the lost. God whispers in your soul and speaks to your mind. Sometimes when you don't have time to listen, He has to throw a brick at you. It's your choice: Listen to the whisper, or wait for the brick. Author Unknown

go for it. I was banded3/13/10/. No regrets. NYU great staff. So far between 30-32 lbs lost. good luck!!

Just wanted to thank you all for your kind words and advice. I wanted to post my appeal letter... I think it came out well. My goal was to appeal to their sensitivty... we'll see if that works : P Dear Sir or Madam; I recently received a denial of benefits for the proposed Laparascopy, a longitudinal gastrectomy (i.e. sleeve gastrectomy) based on the fact that I have not been at a BMI of 40 or higher for 5 consecutive years. I am appealing this decision and hope that based on the facts that I present in the following letter, that the decision will be overturned and I can be approved for surgery as soon as possible. I have attached a copy of the denial to this letter for your records. I understand that the policy states that I must be at the current BMI or higher for a minimum of 5 years, however I firmly believe that in 5 years, not only will I be much heavier, but I will also have a long list of comorbidities to add to my current morbid obesity. In 2005 I weighed 193 lbs. In 2010 I now weigh over 230 lbs. At the rate at which I am gaining weight I will easily weigh 280 lbs by 2015, which far exceeds the title of morbid obesity. It is this hypothesis that has led me to the option of bariatric surgery, which for someone like me, will literally save a life. I come from a long line of obese individuals. Not one person in my immediate family is not classified as obese, and many of my extended family member s are morbidly obese. I have a cousin who died of morbid obesity in 2005 at a weight of 650 lbs. She was living life in a wheelchair because she had lost mobility and eventually had a heart attack and died at the age of 35. Diabetes also runs rampant on both sides of my family; my father, sister, uncles, aunt, grandmother, and grandfather all have been diagnosed with type 2 diabetes. I tested borderline for gestational diabetes for both of my pregnancies and one of my biggest fears is being diagnosed with type 2 diabetes. In addition, hypertension and high cholesterol also permeate my family?s medical history. My mother, father, sister, aunts, uncles, and cousins ALL have hypertension so severe that they are on medication. My grandmother, mother, and father all have high cholesterol, also severe enough for medication. I see myself as next in line. Currently, I have chronic heartburn which I fear will transition into GERD in no time. And I have begun snoring, which has the potential to turn to sleep apnea as time passes and my weight increases. You see, I simply do not have 5 years to wait and see how sick I become. I am attempting to be proactive and save my life. If not for myself, for my 2 young children. My daughter is 2 and a half, and my son is 9 months old. My prayer is that I can have this surgery not only to lose weight, but to bestow upon them proper eating habits and nutrition as well as the love of exercise. As it stands right now, my mobility is affected by my weight and it breaks my heart that I can?t be the mom I want to be simply because of how heavy I am. I am essentially dragging around at least 100 extra pounds with me every single day, which makes it difficult to do simple things like walk up the stairs in my home. I don?t want to write a research paper about the benefits of the sleeve gastrectomy because I do trust that you are an informed medical professional. But I want to explain why I am choosing this surgery over all of the other options out there. The reason why I am not simply accepting gastric bypass (e.g. Roux-n-Y) or gastric banding (Lap-Band? or Realize?) is because both have very high rates of long term failure. And the reason why I have chosen not to apply for the Biliopancreatic Diversion with Duodenal Switch is because I feel as though the surgery is A) extreme for someone with my BMI and also leads to nutritional deficiencies and high rates of osteoporosis as the malabsorptive properties of the surgery are almost ?too effective? and can lead to malnutrition. I do believe that the vertical sleeve portion of the DS surgery (sleeve gastrectomy) is the best option for me because it is a highly successful restrictive procedure and I can still absorb the essential nutrients that my body requires without extreme amounts of Vitamin supplementation. Supporting Literature A systematic review of the literature covering LSG through January 2009[1] was published in June last year. Conclusion: From the current evidence, including 36 studies and 2570 patients, LSG is an effective weight loss procedure that can be performed safely as a first stage or primary procedure. From this large volume of case series data, a matched cohort analysis, and 2 randomized trials, LSG results in excellent weight loss and co-morbidity reduction that exceeds, or is comparable to, that of other accepted bariatric procedures. The postoperative major complication rates and mortality rates have been acceptably low. Long-term data are limited, but the 3- and 5-year follow-up data have demonstrated the durability of the SG procedure. A handful of additional work has been published since that literature review concluded, with additional long term durability data and adding considerable support to the efficacy of LSG in resolving diabetes.[2],[3],[4],[5],[6],[7],[8] Two International Consensus Summits for Sleeve Gastrectomy have been held, the first[9] 10/25-27/2007 and the second[10] 3/19-21/2009. At the second conference, during the consensus part, the audience responded that there was enough evidence published to support the use of SG as a primary procedure to treat morbid obesity and indicated that it is on par with adjustable gastric banding and Roux-en-Y gastric bypass, with a yes vote at 77%. In conclusion, I ask that you please approve the Sleeve Gastrectomy surgery for me based on the medical information that I have provided as well as personal consideration and kindess. I truly need this surgery to save my life, and I pray every day that it can happen. I appreciate your time and sincerely hope that you can assist me in changing my life and my children?s lives. Kind Regards, Alexis