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<br /><br /><br /> Have you found out yet? I am trying to keep busy and not think about it, but it would be nice if I could find out this week!

I've had my band just over three years and have had no serious complications. There have been effects and some irritation/reflux symptoms that required testing, but the tests all showed that my band is in good shape and good position. I've had no infections or surgical complications at all. It's not realistic for anyone to expect the band can be installed and then forgotten about. It inflicts significant changes on our eating habits and requires attention and followups with doctors. But it's also not true that most people have complications. In my experience, MOST bandsters don't have what I would call "complications."

Dear Andre- Its really important to do some walking everyday. Even if its just around your house. You can do some laps up and down your hall. In the hospital they had me up to walk 4 or 5 times during the day. This is to prevent blood clots from forming. The risk of blood clots is greatest during the 1st month after surgery. My Protein drink of choice is Syntrax Nectar: Fuzzy Navel and Capuccino flavors. I buy it from vitacost.com. I don't know if it is available in South Africa. If you are not lactose intolerant Syntrax Matrix is also a good choice. It is important to get in about 70 grams of protein every day while you are losing weight. This is because the body will draw on both muscle tissue and fat to make up your calorie deficit. In order to get it to burn more fat and less muscle is the following: 1. High protein intake - 70 grams/day 2. Weight lifting/strengthening exercises - do this to the point of muscle fatigue. Rest one day. Then repeat the next. If you do weight lifting everyday, it will actually break down your muscles. The one day rest is needed to increase/maintain your muscles. I do lower body strengthening exercises (abs on down) one day. The next day while the lower body is resting, I do upper body. When I exercise the abs, I don't do crunches. I lift feet with knees bent, lift straight legs, put legs up on wall and lift off the wall. This way you are not compressing the area of surgery. Doing the lower body exercises is quite a challenge because I have a lot of pain in my knee. But - there are different ways to exercise each muscle and I have found ways! I too slept about 20 hours/day the first week after surgery. I was very weak for about a month. My stamina is much better now. I will be 8 weeks out tomorrow. Be sure to consume only Protein drinks for 2-3 weeks. You wouldn't want to risk a leak. solid food can cause the staple line to rupture. After that, I had pureed chicken Soup, non-fat no sugar yoghurt, scrambled egg, and cottage cheese for several weeks. I could only eat 1/4C before I was full. If you eat too much (this is easy to do if you eat too quickly,) you will vomit. So now my routine is three small meals (now I can eat about 1/3C) and 2 protein drinks per day. This gets me up to about 500 calories, 70 grams of protein. I do count my calories, protein, carbohydrates, and Water. As soon as you aren't counting (or at least estimating - which you have to do if you eat away from home) your calories, you will surely consume more than you intended. Stay away from carbohydrates as much as possible. These break down in your stomach really fast and absort really well. They don't give you the same feeling of fullness that a protein meal does. Be sure to take your Vitamins regularly for the rest of your life. Be sure to get at least 64 oz of water/fluid each day. (I wasn't able to drink more than about 40 oz of Fluid during the first week, but after that 64 oz was no problem.) I did feel some nausea for a long time after surgery. It wasn't too bad. Diarrhea is also very common during the first month after surgery. Give yourself about a month. You will be feeling a lot better. Congratulations on your surgery and hope you are feeling better soon.

Hi Everybody, Quick introduction, my name is Andre, I reside in South Africa. Am I band to sleeve revision and I was sleeved 2 days ago on Monday 19th at 4pm. Tomorrow I need to go for a leak test as a safety check and then it's up to me to create my destiny. Since discharge from hospital I have stuck with only clear liqueds (mostly sports drinks) and today tried to sip down my second cup of tee this week. I am not aware of Isopure in South Africa and will look for a replacement to drink from next week. Only real pain I have is when ever I need to "burp" more like air escaping than burping. Has any of the more experienced sleevsters got a tip for this problem. Other than that I am incredibly tired, sleeping approx 22 hours out of 24 but I trust this will also dissapear pretty quickly. Any advice that members might have would be appreciated. Regards Andre

So I've been super stoked about my consultation appointment tomorrow. I get a call from the clinic and they were talking about how my insurance wouldn't cover a fill. I had to patiently explain to the lady that I don't even have a band yet. So she fixes the mess up in the computer and then lets me know that they don't have all their contracts in place yet with my insurance. So it will cover my initial consult but nothing further until they get the rest of the contracts in place, which will be a few weeks. In the meantime I'm asking her if the nutritionist and the psychiatrist that they use is a part of the group or if they are independent, hoping that maybe my insurance will cover those appointments and I can keep the momentum going until they get their contract issues worked out. I have no patience, I know this. And when I finally make up my mind to do something I expect it to be done right this minute. My Mother always said that if I could put my single mindedness to good use then I would have had this weight issue taken care of years ago. Well that's what I'm doing now and the powers that be are not cooperating with me!

Three days can seem like forever, but it will pass and you will find yourself sitting on the loser's bench before you know it. I'm scootin over!

I had LB surgery in 7/2011 and have so far been extremely pleased with the results. I have lost nearly 70 pounds, found a lot of confidence, and the love of my life. I also got a super great job. Life has been very good to me. My only question is whether I should visit my surgeon one last time?? I am moving out of state to join my fiance. I will be changing insurance companies and my surgeon will be >500 miles away. I am not in need of a fill ( I had three and have a decent level of restriction; my last fill was in November of 2011.) and I am not having any problems other than the occasional left shoulder pain when i over do it on my food intake. My current insurance runs out at the end of the month when I move away. I don't know if it would be beneficial just to see my surgeon for a check up??? Also, does anyone know of any surgeons in Columbus OH who sees out of state lap banders?

I had to have my band completely emptied two weeks ago i have gained back 14 lbs so far. I can't get any fluid back in until the 22nd. I need help on how to get back into this thing before i gain all my weight back. If there is anyone out there with words of wisdom and encouragement i would greatly appriecate any help. thanks so much

I had to be completely unfilled due to gallbladder surgery. I was completely empty for three weeks while I was healing and had to start over again. I gained 5 pounds. It was a stuggle, but I measured my food like I always did, and tried my best to stick to it. Once I got my fills going again, it fell off in record time. I've lost 7 pounds since my last fill 3 weeks ago. Hang in there. It will work out fine.

When I first started and got the list of all the things I had to do to prepare I sat down and cried and almost gave up. Then I took a step back and just did things one step at a time and it was much easier than I thought. I am 3 1/2 weeks out now and feel like this is the best decision I ever made. I have lost 30 pounds and feel amazing. I have so much more energy and for the first time actually WANT to exercise, although I can't do anything except walking at this point. I do have cravings for little things like toast with peanut butter but can't eat solids yet. At this point eating more than a couple of tablespoons is uncomfortable so I have no desire to binge or eat things I shouldn't. Take some deep breaths and try to relax and just go one step at a time. Good luck!

How many calories a day are you taking in. You should be taking low side 800, high side 1200. You should be losing at least 1 -2 lbs per week. Also, increase your physical activities. That should help. I always have a 30 gram protein shake for breakfast followed by lean protein at lunch and dinner. Good luck.

I was really bad before I started my pre-op diet! I was feeling this "seperation anxiety" I guess you could call it from all the food I was felt I was going to be giving up. I took about three days and ate everything I wanted, as much as I wanted. The strangest thing happend...I did not binge at all, I guess because the food was not off limits my body and brain got together. Anyway...I do not think there is a thing wrong with what your feeling, have your Cheetoes and be happy!

I bet you are not eating enough. I was stuck for almost two weeks with not a budge on the scale. Then I had a day where I pigged out (well relatively. I had 900 cals where I could usually only get in 500-600). The next day I was down 2 lbs.

Just an update. I joined WW 3 weeks ago. I am suppose to eat 27 points plus 35 points a week free. Well, that is too many calories. After going down to 20 points a day and 35 extra the weight is really coming off. That is becuase that is 1k a day plus about 200 extra which is 1200 calories. Bandsters typically take in 800-1k no more than 1200 so my guess is you MAY have to lower your points if they give you too many. I have perfect restriction, still stop when I am full and am really enjoying the program now. It really keeps me straight throughout the day as far as consumption goes. I did tell the Leader that I had bariatric surgery and she didn't say anything about me not being able to make lifetime. Also, given the fact that the success rate with lapband is 62% of your excess weight my doctor is fine if I go 20 lbs above goal weight of 162 and hit 185. I would still be considered overweight but truthfully speaking I look terrible at 165, not thin. With a doctor's note I can still become lifetime. I however, would not be able to work for WW if I hit the 185 goal because it is not there standard weight. Let me know how you do. I weigh in this Saturday and I know I am down at least 2 lbs this week eating most of the day. Its nice to implement more fruit and vegies into my diet!

I suggest you make an appointment with your NUT and go back to basics. Focus on getting in all of your Protein and Water every day. Are you tracking your food. If not, start tracking so you know that you are meeting your protein target. It's never too late to start over. Embrace the Stall! http://BariatricPal.com/index.php?/topic/351046-Embrace-the-Stall

its definitely NOT a PB... ive been really nauseated lately and it was dry heaves then throwing up. i'll put a call into my band surgeon tomorrow morning. im just going to eat mushies (3 bites of DD's pancake this morning). i went in for an unfill a few weeks ago and she took too much out (done without x-ray assistance), so i'm actually going in for a slight fill Tuesday. thanks!

Wow, your lucky.... I wasn't allowed to eat cottage cheese until my 4th week out (I had to do liquids for 3 weeks)... hang in there.

My doctor decides based on how much weight I've lost. He put off my first fill because my loss was really fast. When it slowed down he gave me a small fill (1 cc), and said if it wasn't tight enough to come back in four weeks for another 1/2cc. He did ask me about my restiction level before he decided on a small fill. I'm glad, because after about 10 days, the fill kicked in, and I have had to force myself to eat to get in 800 calories since Thursday. No slimes or PB's; 2 golf balls. I'm just not hungry. In 2 weeks since that fill, I've lost 8 lbs. I trust him.

I called my doctor's office the week before Thanksgiving and asked how i needed to go about making an appointment for my first fill. The lady told me that the longer I can do it on my own without a fill the better. I am still losing weight gradually and I am still eating small portions, but I don't know if it is because of the band, or because I am using self-control. Has anyone's doctor told them this? Should I wait? Have a blessed day! Lesley

You should have a followup appointment around 6 weeks out at which you can then discuss with your doctor if a fill is warranted. Most people need to go through 3-5 fills before getting properly restricted. Then, a new fill should be given a good 4 week try to see if it's working (restriction isn't really a "feeling", it's more a result...proper weight loss (1-2lbs/week on average) and your sensible bandster meals (3-4 oz solid Protein, 1 serving (1/2 cup) nonstarchy veggies and up to 1 serving (1/2 cup) starch if there's room) are making you full (full = not physically hungry anymore, not discomfort/tightness/about to puke/stuffed) and not get physically hungry again for 3-4 hours. No office person on the phone should be refusing to let you have an appointment. Even if you're still losing, if you're experiencing hunger and lack of satiety, you need a fill. Proper restriction results in both things. Nancy -156

Well it is official on dec 11th I am going under the knife. For me it was prettty quick. I m 6'3" 335 lbs my insurance aproved me within 1 week the whole process took about 4 months start to finish mostly due to the wait time between doc visits. I have been going to the gym and getting ready no soda or cigarettes in about 1 week. My goal weight is 230 by the end of next year and then try to get down around 200 in the end. I am 27 and finnally starting to feel like I have a chance to be a normal weight. ...... Anyway thanks for the support.

Your weightloss is fine. 23lbs in 2 months is great. I lost around the same amount in that time. You need to remember that with the band your doctor expects a weightloss of 1-2 lbs per week.

Anyone have this problem before? I was fine until I sneezed this morning & I'm 5-6 weeks out from surgery. Not a sharp pain, just a dull ache. Hoping I didn't damage my sleeve!!! So much to do today & a little worried.

roro, welcome. As usual Whippledaddy has written what I would have written had I but the gift of expression he has. I saw myself in what you wrote. I, too, lost 100 pounds and gained it all back and hated myself. I, too, settled for less because I didn't think I deserved more. For me, the surgery itself was very simple. It was a day procedure, I went home that evening. I never had any pain. I took a week off work, but I could have gone back sooner if I needed to. But having a week off was probably a good idea. Leatha is right. Research. Don't look to friends or family members for advice. If they have never been fat, they know nothing. And even if they have been fat, they may be at a different stage of fatness than you are. Meaning perhaps they have not hit bottom yet and realized they are powerless to fight this without help. For me, being banded has been both a physical and a spiritual journey. The physical part involved learning to work with my band, rebelling against the bandster rules, but eventually realizing they are there for a reason. Losing a lot of weight, stalling, then losing quickly again. Learning that even with the band, I have to eat right and exercise, the difference being that with my band to help me, I will never regain the weight and all my effort will not be for naught. The spiritual part of the journey has been much more interesting and rewarding. I am not yet near my goal weight, but my life and my relationships have changed dramatically. I no longer battle depression and self-loathing. People treat me with the respect I deserve. I have never had to demand respect. There is just a subtle change in how I present myself and people respond to it. I no longer feel old and like I am just waiting for the end. I have hopes, dreams, goals. And a lot more physical and psychic energy with which to make them happen. Honestly, I could go on and on, but I'll restrain myself. I researched for two years before I decided to have the surgery. Your research does not have to take that long, but please read until you understand how the band works, what changes you will have to make after the surgery, foods that you will no longer be able to eat. Learn the bandster rules. Research your surgeon. Etc. I wish every obese person could have what I have with the band. But it is a very personal decision. Good luck with your research. Nancy

RoRo: What to expect? You can expect to hate yourself if you don't do something. You shouldn't hate yourself for losing weight and gaining it back. That's what happens. Very few people have a problem losing the weight. The problem is losing the behaviours, and emotions connected to the fat. Morbidly obese (doesn't the word "fat" sound better?) people have such a small chance of keeping weight off that it is statistically impossible. Has it been done? Of course. Every rule has it's exception. You can expect to lose and gain a few more times in your life, if you keep trying this way. Don't be so hard on yourself. Do you expect to be perfect all the time? Sorry, none of us are. Everyone here has lost and gained, and then looked in the mirror and saw a face they hated. Everyone. It's a tough decision. Discussing it with family and friends will be educational, but not helpful. Especially if they're thin. You will encounter all sorts of reactions. Few will be helpful. Some might even be harmful. Listen to yourself, and your troubled heart first. Look at your feelings and you will know what you need to do. Then, come here. Because whatever you decide, the people here will understand. We've been there. If you do decide on surgery you can expect more to happen. The unsolicited comments of family and friends will be your gift. They won't hesitate to tell you horror stories (mostly urban legend), or to seem to criticize. You'll talk to your family doctor. Get him/her to write a note asking a WLS surgeon to see you. You'll see that surgeon. You'll be sent for a battery of tests. If you are trying to bill insurance they will be contacted. You may have to fight for your rights with the insurance company, or you may have to pay your own way in this journey. If you are a good candidate, and if you are determined, you will move on. If you've decided that you are worth the effort, that you truly are a person who deserves a better life, the surgery will be scheduled. You will be mildly sedated then anesthetized. You'll wake up a very short time later and you'll have a new friend. You won't have as much pain as you think. Some in the shoulder, neck or back from gas. You'll be encouraged to get up and walk, use the bathroom, sip ice chips. You'll recover. You'll have to watch what you eat for a few days or weeks, gradually working back to regular food. When you're healed enough you'll be given a fill, a painless procedure that causes "restriction" thereby reducing the amount of food you can consume. That fill may have to be adjusted over the next few weeks. Don't be in a hurry now, this is a life commitment to health and happiness you've made, not a moment's whim. Your loss will mirror your gain. The pounds will drop as gradually as the sun rises. You'll find the beautiful core of you, hiding deep within your protective layer of tissue. There will come a time when you weep still, but you'll weep for joy, and for the lightness of being that comes when this burden is lifted from your spirit. You'll slip up from time to time. Backslide. But thanks to your band you'll not slide as far down that slippery slope as before. Minimal damage. No strain. You'll come here often, and read, and laugh, and maybe even cry a bit. You'll read someone's story and recognize their pain as your own. You will be in awe at how many beautiful spirits can gather together here. Then, one day, you'll answer a question from someone new, someone full of fear and hope. Someone who's afraid to hope for a better way, a better life, a better shot at all that life offers the thin. And you'll realize it is you who is gaining from this, from telling others what to expect. So you will have come full circle, and paid it forward. Good luck. There is a lot of info in this place, and you'll be able to research to your heart's content.