Search the Community

That's great to know. My appt with the surgeon is next week and the psych eval 3 weeks after that. I just didn't think it was fair to have to wait for the eval for my insurance process to begin. Thanks.

Day 8 of the pre-op diet and I am not hungry at all. Very weird. Today I drank a Vitamin Water Zero and a RockStar no calorie but ate nothing until dinner. Then I had 3 ounces chicken and some veggies as directed. I've already had to toss my favorite jeans because they were falling down. If this keeps up, I will be buying new pants every two weeks. It's a nice problem to have but hard to absorb mentally. My doctor said my goal weight was 105 at 5 feet tall. No one weighs 105 in my universe! I am also "nesting" like pregnant women do. This house is going to be so clean and tidy! Wednesday is the big day. Can't weight, umm wait! Freudian typing!

I've read it here often that the lapband is one leg of a three-legged stool. The other two legs are diet and exercise. We need to keep them all in balance in order to achieve success and stay balanced ourselves. I've been surprised to discover how much I am enjoying exercise as my weight comes down. It was really hard getting started when I was heavier, but now I find myself rolling out of bed before the alarm goes off so I can have a few extra minutes on my morning walk. And checking the weather forecast on weekends and days off to see if I can get in a bike ride. I'll never be an athlete as such, I'll never win a race etc, but I am exercising at last. Yesterday I heard a speaker (business, but it resonated with me) who said: "You can have excuses or you can have results but you can't have both." Good luck with your journey.

Wow I never knew time could be so timeless lol. I still cannot believe that I got sleeved four weeks ago! N not to be silly but there r times that I do forget lol.. I am loving my new inches my down sizes everything!! I can't even get it in my head that my new shoe size is 8 1/2 from being a 9 1/2 w or a ten.. I can now officially wear a size 12 from 14,16,18 . I have a long way to go but I am confident in my success! My first day back at work was a hit everyone noticed my weight loss.. its a secret so shhhhh. Congrats on those who were sleeved with me n the rest who are hanging in there because like they told me "it gets better" it does get better!!! [ATTACH]2791[/ATTACH] [ATTACH]2790[/ATTACH] Loving crystal light new Margarita mix lol .. n me trying on Sofia vergara 's collection at Kmart size L woop woop

All I've required is the support I'd want in any other venture of my life. It wasnt a very big op to get over, in fact my DH went fishing for 9 days about a week after I'd had my op, lol. I was fine on my own with 3 kids. And our family lifestyle hasnt changed a lot - nor has our diet, it was always good. I dont avoid foods, I dont "diet" so we eat what we've always eaten only I eat less of it. I really had a problem with portion control but I guess we do eat less takeaway and stodgy Pasta dinners than we used to, but still normal family fare. If anything, I guess its my passion for running that's affected my DH, he's now exercising quite regularly too although he's frustrated that he just cant keep up with me - he's a little overweight himself and would have to lose a bit to hope to get as fit as I am, but not having a band himself, its not so easy for him. Weight loss is a personal journey when it comes right down to it. Its really great to have your loved ones supporting you, but you have to do it for yourself. So I guess as the non banded one of a partnership, just be prepared to be loving, supportive and answer right when she asks "does my bum look big in this?".

I was banded in Monterrey, Mexico, which is a really, really clean place, except for the smog, on Thursday, May 11, 2006. This is Sunday and I'm still sore, but getting better. I am drinking something all the time. I like milk a lot since it seems to soothe my stomach. I have big bruises on my stomach and, boy, I never knew air could hurt that much. But it's going away though many people prefer to avoid me at the moment since I'm passing a whole lot of gas. I just wanted to check in on this forum since I finally actually got the lap band. I just hope it works. I've already lost 4 pounds in 3 days. I think after a week of Jello, I will never want to eat Jello again. But I'm getting along pretty well. Any advice would be appreciated though. Thanks.

Am so excited! I was very nervous two weeks ago when I headed out on a two week cruise. I am a cruisaholic and always enjoyed the food! One of the main reasons I had WLS was because my husband and I love to cruise, but it was getting to a point where we were not enjoying it as much because all we were doing was eating because I was not able to get around and enjoy the locations we went to. This time, I was able to getoff the ship and do some touring. I worked out twice a day! We even went to the gym onboard the ship together! We upgraded to a new program on the ship that had us eating in a healthy restaurant every night. It was actually fantastic. I even had a taste or two of desert each day. Because I am a scale freak also, I weighed myself each day in the fitness center. By the time I left the ship I thought I was down 1.5 pounds. I arrived home on Saturday, my normal "real" weigh in day is Monday. When I hoped on the scale Monday morning, I was down 7 pounds from my last weigh in the day we left on vacation! So I am ecstatic! I enjoyed great food, kept a daily journal of my food and exercise, worked out twice a day and lost 7 pounds! Yes, you can enjoy life working your band!

I'm getting ready to go home from the hospital today. I am doing great. No surgical pain or problems to speak of. I logged three miles on the walking track in less than an hour this morning; for a grand total of 6 miles post-surgery. The only thing that has bothered me are esophageal spasms. This is monstrous pain. My doc said mine was worsened by some of the meds I have to take on a regular basis. He told me that it should ease up over the next couple of days (thank God!). I have GREAT restriction. I can barely even sip. My Nae-Nae is a very tight 32 French. I am very pleased, it will just take adjusting to. I have also received some nice gifts while here; an extra large mixed spring bouquet from my mother, a card and bouquet from the youth department of my church and last but absolutely not least, an exquisite SEVEN Diamonds set in white gold ring and a beautiful card from my sweet hubby :0)

Hi, I have been on a clear liquid diet now for 5 days. My surgery is Dec. 10th (2 more days). I have stuck to the diet most of the time, but the last couple nights I've had to have some protein, so I've had a can of tuna with mayo. How bad is that?! Tonight I'm working some overtime and they pay for my dinner. I'm so craving a ribeye sandwhich. :hungry: How screwed would I be if I had one? Is my doctor going to notice? I've been able to pass up food and avoid it all week, but this sandwhich is my weakness. Did anyone else cheat on their liquid diet? :help: Charly

Good work! I thought I'd give it a dry run today and failed miserably... I tried an Ideal Protein vanilla shake for Breakfast. It was absolutely foul, but I choked it down. I managed, mostly by distraction, to make it to lunchtime and had an unjury chicken Soup. That was surprisingly good, but was way too salty. It has 770 mg of sodium. They could easily halve that and still be plenty salty. Then a couple hours later, I tried a Douglas Labs Natural chocolate Almond flavor pea protein formula... that got dumped. After that, I ended up eating a packet of oatmeal. I tried again with an About Time Cinnamon flavor powder... also got dumped. Then, of course, I felt like I was starving to death by the time I got home, so I ate more than I'd planned, but overall, I don't think I overate for a normal day. Clearly, I need to get the protein supplements figured out before I have to do the diet for real. Good thing I have about 3 more weeks to figure it out!!! Good luck! Let me know how it goes! I have the endoscopy tomorrow, so that's my last step before the big wait. Have a good night! dd

Hello July 2nd sleevers! Just recently got my date of July 2nd and I've been too busy to post for a bit. My doctor put me on a low carb high Protein diet pretty similar to the Atkins induction diet- 20 carbs/day max. I've been on it for two weeks now, and the first few days were TOUGH. I love fresh fruits and veggies and my morning fat free milk Cappuccino and I was cut off! I thought if I saw another egg, I would hurl. Constantly it was just meat, eggs, cheese....yuck- I like these in moderation, but I needed something green and fresh. I found out that if I was careful budgeting my carbs, I could have 5 grape tomatoes a day, or 2 small strawberries with breakfast, or a cup of streamed broccoli with dinner. Pure heaven and I enjoyed every single bite I had- that has kept me sane since then. Now, it's not bad and I know I'm luckier than most of pre-sleevers that have to do liquids only. Less than a week to go!

Hi, all - I have a 1 week pre-op diet. It consists of 3-4 Protein shakes plus a small dinner, total of no more than 870 calories. I started a day early to get a jump start, and so far I've managed to stay on track. How is everyone else doing?

Amazon has it but they are out if stock right now... I googled it and it is available through pro ade... Black cherry, strawberry kiwi and orange are the flavores. I read the reviews and it doesn't sound too bad. I just finished my 6 month supervised diet and will be starting the rest of the requirements in the next couple weeks so I've been doing as much research as possible and this is a great site...

I did not have the pain but did have the bloatness for at least a week or more, hope it gets better if not call your doctor back. God Bless

Well I guess I'll respond first! LOL. The link was very helpful in regards to many of our concerns about discussing weight with our kids. It can be a very slippery slope and as parents or caregivers we have to take caution when having these conversations because our kids are very sensitive to what we say and it may stay with them for the rest of their lives so we need to have positive words and not negative. I myself have been guilty of negative words like "oh you're shaped like your dad" or "I didn't see (insert childs weight here) lbs until I was 7 months pregnant with your brother!" These words only lead to additional feelings of unworthiness and unnacceptance and does not help the child at all! The link provided some very common dillemas amongst parents and children including situations and scenarios when talking to your kids about weight can turn into a positive and impactful moment. It's a touchy subject and those of us who are dealing with an overweight child be it your own, or family member, neighbor etc. and I'm constantly in pursuit of how to tackle this issue daily! My daughter now 12 is in the 90th percentile for height and weight. I've become desperate to get her weight under control and looked into camps I could send her away to, or even signing her up for weight watchers. Both I felt although the intentions were innocent, the outcomes could be damaging and set her up for a lifetime of failure. But how do I get her to listen to me without her feeling that I'm putting her down about her weight? it's a thin line. I've learned that leading by example is one of the greatest gifts you can give your children. Since my WLS I have been eating healthier meals and Snacks, decreased portion sizes, Zero sweetened beverages, fast food etc. As a result I cook more-- and decided if I won't eat it why give it to my kids? I've encouraged my daughter to go to the gym with me-- she loves it and it makes her feel more grown up. Something her friends aren't even doing! She plays softball (she's darn good at it too) playing up a level with an older age group and more than keeping up. She made her Jr high school girls basketball team so she's been engaging in 2 hours of practice after school 5 days a week. Softball practice one day a week and games on Sunday. We meal plan throughout the week, get up early or go after softball practice and do our shopping and on Sundays we meal prep. She takes her lunch every day todays lunch included a salad topped with cucumbers, strawberries, turkey breast, boiled egg and light raspberry vinaigrette. Sides include 6 Strawberries, Greek Yogurt, Colby jack cheese stick and a Zero calorie Steaz tea. I allow and encourage her to pack 1 sweet treat last week were 9 pumpkin spice yogurt pretzels. This week will be Pepperidge farm Milano Cookies (2) 120 cal. I am trying to encourage moderation not deprivation. So far-- it's working well. Since school has begun 9/6 she has lost close to 10lbs. She's blown away by how fast she's losing and I tell her it's all her hard work and of course her youth! Its also reinforcement to continue the healthy behavior. I have her weigh weekly to maintain accountability for her choices and make tweaks in her plan as needed. She has a short term goal that she is very close to and a long term goal that we hope to achieve by the end of the school year. Reminding her that 1-2 lbs a week is normal and that stalls will happen along the way. She is rewarded with things that matter to her. A new shirt, nail polish, sleepover with a friend. the most important thing is we're doing it together-- and she's guiding the ship. I asked her do you ever feel like I put you on a diet. She said yes! but then she took it back saying " well-- not really we've made a lot of changes though. No McDonalds or wendys everyday or ever now! But it's ok I don't get headaches as much as I used to and I like making the food that I eat. I feel like I used to eat without even thinking about it and now I understand more about serving sizes, calories, sugars and Protein. I understand how easy it is to eat way too much without even realizing it! and now I know better."-- out of the mouths of babes. I'm on a mission for my health and I couldn't imagine leaving her behind.

They just moved to WV -she had her LB done in Beaumont. She has been a great source of info. We are both about 5'1" and have started this journey above 200. She was right at 240 at the time of her surgery and is down by 75 pounds - but she has not had a fill in over a year. She is actually waiting until life is settled now that they have moved. I am meeting with my surgeon next week and will weigh in at 230. Good luck with the guinea pig thing. I would think being part of the "team" they will do everything they can to make sure your procedure is picture perfect. Not they won't for every other patient but being one of the own has to count for something.

Please call your surgeon ASAP. Even if it is nothing bad, he can prescribe some pain killers. I had no pain but from what I've read here, most have no pain after a week, 2 at the most.

I'm a month out and still cannot even think of rolling onto my stomach because of port pain. I can FINALLY sleep on both sides, though I sometimes will get a twinge from my port in the readjusting. My doctor did not seem concerned by this though it was certainly not usual-- he had me in for a fill at two weeks post op (the normal time for his patients), but since I had the port pain issue-- not even side sleeping at that point-- he didn't give me a fill and put me off until next week. If mine were as bad as you're describing, I'd definitely call though. Are you stomach sleeping?

I was throwing up coffee ground material several weeks ago. But since my deflation last week I have not thrown up anything. Yes, I told my doctor that plus the fact I could not keep anything down is why he deflated me. I am feeling much better, I guess I will just have to wait and see. I am going back to him in 2 weeks. Thanks

Is there anyone else here who leans toward natural medicine? Here's what I mean: After my mother almost died from stage IV cancer 2 years ago, then was cured using natural methods (because NOTHING could be done for her medically), the only doctor my family sees is a Naturopath. No more immunizations, no more antibiotics, no more x-rays... you get the point. But here I am, decidedly overweight, and scheduled to be banded in 2 weeks. The idea of swallowing Barium and having x-rays on a consistent basis is really bugging me. But I feel like I don't have any other choice. I need to be thin to be healthy, but I don't want to compromise my otherwise good health with all this crap. I'm hoping to hear from others who lean this way, but made the decision to be banded anyway. Thanks. Lizzie

Poor bb! I'm sorry you're hurting, but you definitely just answered your own question! I understand how it can be impossible to avoid picking up a child mid-tantrum, but you shouldn't be lifting anything over 10 lbs until after 6 weeks post-op. I found this out the hard way, myself. I went back to work within 2 weeks after surgery and lifted a series of "totes" filled with prescriptions to get them ready to be delivered in vans to local long-term care facilities. Big mistake. The next morning I hurt so bad I felt like I'd been hit by a bus and I literally could NOT go to class. Luckily, it was only the second day of classes or something, so I wasn't missed and they hadn't started to count attendance.

Am waiting for surg consult too. Had the psych consult already and am gathering medical records. I want to have everything ready when I see the surgeon. Three weeks until my appt. Feels like it might as well be three months, or three years. My BMI is 40 and I have no co-morbids so for the first time in my life I'm not trying to lose weight, but I feel so uncomfortable. Counting the days and hoping insurance will approve....

Diane, I'm experiencing the exact same thing right now. Everything sits in there like lead. I'm trying to do what Alex recommended. I take my first bite and then get up to walk around for 5 minutes. It's frustrating because everything but the first bite gets cold, but It seems to be going better when I really stretch out my first couple bites. I'm still only getting in about 1/3 of a cup of food tho. I'm going to give it a few weeks to see if I adjust a little before looking into an unfill. Good luck, and congratulations on your 25 lb loss!

I'm a teacher and am doing two weeks. Planned only a week, but there was no way I was ready to go back.

I was required to provide three years worth of weight history for approval from my insurance. I said to the surgeon when I met with him that my biggest concern is that I will be rejected because I have been such a yo yo dieter and depending on the time I weighed in at the doctors my weight could be over 40 BMI or under 40 BMI. I just received my history from my doctors and three years ago I was at a BMI of 37 and two years ago at 39-- under the required 40 BMI that I am at now. I have no co-morbidities. Just a question- have any of you had this be your situation and how did it work with insurance? The surgeon said that he may need to fight with the insurance company, but that what he is looking for in a surgery candidate is someone who has been overweight for an extended period of time and not someone who just happened to gain weight after having a baby etc. Unfortunately, I don't know if insurance will care. Thoughts?