Search the Community

OH my God! SaraMoss, That Pre-operative list is frightenning. Seriously bandster, YOU DO NOT NEED them at all. At the end of the day, it really is down to common sense and it really is NOT that difficult to follow. Just like anyohe going for any operations, you just have to take it easy for a couple of days. After the op, there WOULD NOT BE a great deal of restriction as yr doc wud hv just insert the ring band around yr stomach. U will need a few FILLS before you will feel any restriction, and that would be in the duration of a least 6months before you will feel your weight seriously going down. The doc did say it will be a duration of 1-2yrs before we will lose 80% of our overweight weights. Just be careful because you just had an operation. Stay off solid food as instructed, stock up on liquid low calory drinks, non-fat yogurts, light clear soup for the 1st couple of weeks. Stay off cabonated drinks. By week 2, I was already on pureed food and creamy soup. The hosp you going to should be giving you some chewable pain killers when you check out of the hosp anyway. Yr wound should heal in a week's time. It's more scarry than it is painful, truthfully. Good luck to those going for the op. And to answer yr question Sara Moss, I have lose 24pounds since Sept. I suffer from my underactive thyroid which means I should celebrate even if I lose 1 pound cos I have a non existence metabolism and weight gain are usually associated with this disfuntional thyroid problem. I went underactive 3yrs ago and put on 3stones, which wont buldge despite all my exercise & diets. Thats why I finally seek the banding option.

Well, if you go to OH which is a anti-lap band website you will hear nothing but negativity about the band. Anyone who post there nowadays are seeking revisions and are very bitter about their band experience. Also, you have to take into perspective the type of complications that occur with the band, most are simple things, like vomiting, reflux, heartburn, port leaks and tubing leaks, these are the majority of issues that occur with the band. Frequent reflux/vomiting is a symptom of lap band problems, such as slippage or dilation. Some people live with a slipped band for years, who don't have good aftercare, and end up needing emergency surgery to remove the band. Port and tubing leaks are not dangerous, but annoying and can get costly if someone is self pay and don't have money to fix or replace the band, this is why many people who are self pay should have a rainy day fund for any unforeseen lap band issues. However, these things can get severe if not treated promptly, like food obstruction can get life threatening and cause repeating vomiting and dehydration if someone does not seek medical attention by a lap band surgeon immediately. There are many people that do not have aftercare with their bands, many went to Mexico and don't have a surgeon to see them regularly in the US, some people have very poor aftercare with the surgeon that sees them in the US also, some lose their insurance, and no longer can afford the aftercare with their bands, so if you dig deep in how most people suffer complications, they are usually not really caused by the lap band. Also things like food obstruction which usually can be easily treated easily, can turn into a horrible complication if the patient does not see their lap band surgeon immediately to remove saline from the band. Also, everyone's body reacts differently with the band, some people have a weak or short esophagus and are not good candidates for the band, and they can't stand the pressure of a tight band and sometimes this will cause esophageal motility issues long term, but from all the studies I've read even people with a weak esophagus and motility issues return to normal after the band is removed. , Also I agree with the above poster Lellow, Australia have better lap band stats than the US because they have better aftercare surgeons, many surgeons in the US do not like offering aftercare and filling the lap band-- many surgeon view aftercare with the lap band to be annoying, many in the past have pushed them to Primary Care Physicians for fills, and other fill givers that do not fill the band properly, who know nothing about the band. Many of these surgeons were Bypass surgeons and only did the band as a "side project" because MOST people WANT the lap band and the bypass surgeons would do a bait and switch on patients, not fill the band properly and many people never get to the green zone, either too tight or not enough and patients would get so frustrated and remove the band, and the Bypass surgeon would gladly remove the band and revise them to the bypass, and that happens WAY too much in the US. I've had a lap band for almost 8 years and I would not change to any other procedure, I could have revised to the Bypass or Sleeve last year when I got my band replaced due to a hiatal hernia, but I see too many Bypassers and Sleevers struggling with weight gain long term, and dealing with other long term health issues such as reflux, Vitamin deficiency and hypoglycemia. I will risk lap band complications any day before I would risk Sleeve, or Bypass complications. Also check out the revision forum on OH, many people are desperate and seeking help from weight gain with the Sleeve and Bypass, many long term Bypassers are NOW seeking bands over their bypass, my surgeons also says many Sleevers are asking for bands too, but they can't because they don't have enough stomach left, but their small stomach has stretched too much to be effective without serious deiting, but some surgeons are putting some type of mesh bands over Sleeves, never let negative people fool you some have other motives for band bashing. Good luck.

Let me/us know what happens with the weight gain and surgery date. I am on the diet and am worried also,,,thx.

I guess I look at my overweight being that I was always more willing to take the easy route and that led me to more weight gain. Even at my thinnest, I was still looking for an easy way to cheat the system. My cheating and falling for the easy way led me to gaining even more weight over the years. I will be honest and tell you, I am also one who chose not to tell many people about my WLS. I chose only a few people I knew would hold me accountable as well as give me positive feedback on choices I make for my new life ahead of me. I have a very encouraging group of honest friends and family that I trust will not share my journey, as for the rest, I will not lie, I will tell them I have decided to make better food choices and exercise more! You are right! There are so many people that will snub their noses at you for the mere fact of thinking of having a WLS, but the way I look at it is "It's not taking the easy way out"! I once read a book with a terrific truth to those who say by having WLS you are just taking the easy route. NO, there is nothing easy about preperation for the surgery, having the surgery, nor life after the surgery. I can say there are times that because we eat less and have been encouraged to exercise more the weight will come off faster but there isn't anything easy about it. The book made a suggestive: When there is negative feedback, or derrogotory comments, remind those by asking; "Do you still go out back and beat your laundry with rocks to wash?" "Do you have still hand wash all your dishes?" "Do you still hang your clothes out to dry?" I am quite positive the answer to at least two of these questions is NO. Well, does that mean they took the easy route out? NO, they found a more efficeint way to wash clothes and dishes so they aren't slaves to chores, they found help. Well, we found a way to help us not be victim to food addiction with a little help! Honestly, I chose to weed out the negative people in my life. I do not like to be involved with people like that! I think they are just envious. What we choose to do with our bodies is our choice, nobody else matters!!! As far as me, I am in my three week stall and I dislike it! I thought I would shed the weight faster, and I did the first two weeks, and then there is this nice hill to climb, "Three Week Stall". I've read much about it and I will do all I can to stay motivated and positive about moving through and climbing up out of the valley! I want to be on the top of the mountain, not in the foothills!! =) Wishing you a fast next few months!! Keep in touch! Christie

Hi everyone, I am not yet banded but after thinking about it for the last year, I want to do it and I am working on insurance approval right now. I am doubtful that they will do it, so if I have to self pay I am sure that won't stop me. I have a 37 BMI with Acid Reflux, depression from the weight gain (I am sure that covers a lot of us and I was gestational insulin dependent diabetic when I was pregant (3yrs ago). I check my sugar and I have had numbers in the 200's-300s at time but it goes pretty low like 78 after eating too so my A1C is I belive .1 away from being considered Type 2 Diabetes but I am taking the Glucophage to keep it down currently. I have Priority Health and you have to have <35BMI and two comorbidities. I am not real hopeful that I will be approved, although my Dr. is.... Anyway I was wondering if anyone is in a similar situation and my biggest battle with keeping the weight off is hunger - the glucophage is helping with that - but I feel hungry all of the time and fighting with that is very hard. Do you feel the banding does a good job with reducing hunger after a while? I have a son turning 3 and a supportive and loving husband that I want to be able to keep up with. I find that my body image/self esteem keeps me from doing so many things that I did before. Well, I hope to learn a lot from everyone here. Thanks and I hope everyone is enjoying their holiday weekend:laugh:

PAT!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!! Whew... You are aliveeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeee!!!! :confused: Sorry about the DS... It's unfortunate that a man's "wand of procreation" isn't a better judge of character. *sigh* One day he will come to his senses... hang on till then! Sorry about the weight gain... we'll kick your butt and you'll be back on track by Monday. :party: Yup... gaining the amount I have back has been devastating... BUT... there's no use crying over spilt milk! :party: Well... My DD and I took the pups for a 45 minute brisk walk. THe walks are a part of Ava's behavior modification program and she is doing really well! I can walk her with her leash draped over my shoulders most of the time and I can stop and talk to people without her flipping out. :party: We can walk by most distractions without her even turning her head to look... she looks at me instead. :party:

talk to your endocrinologist and listen to your instincts. it sounds like you found the cause of weight gain and it is resolving. you can always do the surgery later if you stall out!

The same thing is happening with me I lost around 15 lbs from my six month med. Diet now people tell oh you dont need the surgery but but the same thing always happens lose a little weight gain alot more back

I was afraid of what would happen if I didn't get banded. At 43 years old I managed to avoid a lot of health conditions that run rampant in my family. My eating and weight gain was out of control and it was starting to affect my quality of life. My mobility was at stake and I was afraid of what my life would be like at 50.

I'll fess up...I enjoy a cocktail or two (sometimes up to 4) a couple of nights a week...whether mimosas at brunch or a trip to one of Denver's many breweries. I know I am going to have to give up bubbles...so no beer or bubbly which I am just fine with. I also am prepared to give up alcohol for several months prior to an after surgery. However, I just got off the phone with my sister who is coming up for a visit this summer and one of the things she and her husband are looking forward to are brewery tours and festivals that will, of course, involve alcohol. I know I will have to be careful about how much I drink as it will effect me quicker than before and with less (I'm thinking similar to moving to altitude). I also know that most drinks are empty calories that can and will lead to weight gain if you over indulge. My question for you wonderful post-oppers is how many of you gave up all alcohol for 18 months as many Surgeons recommend? And if you didn't what was the result? Am I going to be the designated DD for the next two years?

The Mayo Clinic diet looks really good. How do you do the portions? Just follow bariatric guidelines set forth by your team and then follow the Mayo food plan? I am also looking for my forever diet... Fad dieting was part of what led to my weight gain over the years. Any tips?

I cheat and will continue to cheat, I know that sounds crazy to some but I know that this is a lifelong marathon and not a race. I also know that as long as I watch what I eat, balance things out and not get to crazy that I will be able to moderate any weight gain if any. I now exercise more than I have in a VERY long time and find myself taking the stairs, and simply moving more than I used to. I eat pizza, chips, crackers, and even desert from time to time. I also am sticking to drinking 2-3 protein shakes a day two of which are supplemented for meals. I know as long as I keep doing what I am doing (and weighing myself to keep track) I will be ok, I have support around me as well as several others that have had the surgery and we all keep each other on track. I have worked hard to be where I am at and I am not going to let anything out there put the weight back on me!

I'm really struggling with the decision to move ahead with surgery or not. Here's what I don't understand. How are you not destroying your metabolism by only eating 750 calories a day? Will you never be able to eat regularly again for risk of packing on the pounds? I did the HCG diet years ago (it's terrible. Never ever do it) In a nutshell... you gave yourself a shot every day that kept your body from realizing that it was being starved and then ate about 750 calories a day while your body worked hard to function as usual. The weight dropped off. I lost quickly over about 3 months and then stopped the injections and slowly eased back into a regular diet of about 1500-1800 calories a day. AND THE WEIGHT JUMPED BACK ON so fast I was floored. I was eating a healthy, well balanced diet on the low end of daily intake for my height and weight and activity. But I gained a pound a day until I was 20 pounds heavier than I was before the diet. Explain to me how this forced starvation doesn't do the same thing? My stomach will stretch. We know it does because we are told we can slowly eat more over time. Won't my metabolism think I've starving and halt? Am I really expected to only eat 800 calories a day for the rest of my life or expect to gain?? Thank you for sharing facts and experience.

Have you considered pregnancy? Food cravings and weight gain? You're probably not but just something to think about.

Because I am 68 it could be the case that I will be refused the surgery as one surgeon has already said he will not do the sleeve or bypass on me due to this. I am seeing a surgeon on 27th April so hope he will give me the go ahead. If not as a diabetic I can try Forxiga which aids weight loss or there is Byetta or Eraglatide which are anorectics. These drugs are only used in type 2 diabetes. I know the surgery is risky but so is being very obese as my BMI is 38 and rising. My gastric band was in for 15 years and a lot changed in Bariatric surgery during this time. If there had been a revision say 7 years ago there would be no problem re my age so my advice is if you are fit and well and have a BMI over 37 and a chronic weight gain problem WLS is the way forward.

Hello All, Guess I missed posting my introduction here. So here goes..... My name is Barbara and I've been overweight most of my life. Not always alot but none the less overweight. My most recent and biggest weight gain came after my open heart surgery three years ago. Since then, I gained over 40 pounds all during a time I was supposed to be losing weight. My blood pressure was up, I developed diabetes, I couldn't walk without huffing and puffing. I was a mess. I decided I needed to do something and I'd better do it quick or I'd be dead before I turned 65. (I was 60 this past September.) I live in the Dayton area and worked in Cincinnati, so in May of this year I decided it was time to retire and take care of my health. I was working with a personal trainer, trying to diet...all to no avail. Then I saw an ad for lapband surgery. I had to check it out! It sounded pretty good. I had never considered WLS before because I thought it was too invasive. I didn't want my insides rerouted. Also, some of the people I worked with had a pretty rough time with it. And with my heart problems, I didn't think I could get my cardiologist to approve me for it. I attended an informational meeting for the Cincinnati Weight Loss Center, made my appointment and got the ball rolling. Well, my insurance would not approve them because they were out of my network. So it was back to square one. So I looked around somemore and found Dr. Shumacher at Kettering Bariatric. I made my appointment, attended one of his informational meetings and started the process all over again. It didn't take long and before I knew it, I had a date! October 11 is my new birthday! That's when I entered Lapband Land and became a Bandster! For me surgery was a breeze. I can't complain one bit. My stomach was a little sore but the pain was minimal. I was up and walking within a couple of hours of getting back to my room. And I walked and walked and walked. I walked for 30 minutes everyday for the first month. (Not real fast, but I moved.) How have I done??? Well, I've dropped nearly 35 pounds. I've had two fills and am scheduled for another one on Monday. I'm ready for another one. I feel restriction, but it's getting looser every day. So it's time. Do I regret having this done? No. My only regret is that I didn't do it sooner. My blood pressure is normal, my blood tests are normal, my diabetes is almost non-existent. I also have more stamina than I've had in years. And, I have ankles!!!! (I had trouble with endema before the surgery and it looked like my legs just sat on top of my feet....no ankles.) I would love to get together with other bandsters in the area. I attend the support group at Dr. Schumacher's but I would like to have a support group just for bandsters. We are not RNYers and have different issues. So let's get one started. I'd love to talk to anyone out there that's contemplating or has had the lapband. You can email me direct at bforman911@yahoo.com. Talk to you all soon. BabyBoomer Barbara

My cheating ways can get me in trouble quickly. I’m years out. It’s crazy that a few days/weekends in a row of indulging can bring weight gain on fast. Then its painfully sloooooow to come off. I’m maintaining a ten-pound weight gain up and down the scale. This is my cheating life after goal.

My surgery was 11/20 ...yea I might need to add more calories...i was getting around 800 but I think I've dropped again...i also try to eat like 5 small meals ...one of my faults and probably the biggest is I haven't been able to get out and walk as it's been so cold here...going to take the xmas tree down so I have room for my exercise bike for now ....it is frustrating seeing some of the others bigger weight loss..i try to remind myself not to compare cuz every one is different...also I'm sure I'm older than many on here....I'm 49...I've give thru cancer which eliminated me going thru menopause but I still have the hormone effects with weight gain...ugh!! I thoughT by now I would be down 40 lbs not 22! And yes I play that game with the same lb every day!

September 21st Current Stats: Nationality: Canadian Age: 26 Height: 5'3 Weight: 195 lbs BMI: 30+ Surgery: Gastric Sleeve Date: Jan 5th, 2016 Reasons why I am being sleeved 1. Digestive issues: IBS like symptoms 2. Fertility: TTC 5 years 3. Intolerances: Wheat, Dairy: Hard to avoid, so I figure if stomach is smaller I would eat smaller amounts so it may cause less havoc on my system. Reasons for my weight gain: I always been small all through school age, ate like a bird. Once high school hit a total different story. I don't over eat, I just eat the wrong foods, mainly fast foods and restaurants. I do not like a whole lot of fruits and veggies, I am obsessed with pasta; especially mac n cheese. And I am not active, And my thyroid is low. Now balanced with meds. When TTC I was put on a lot of meds because I been through 4 IVFs in 2 years. That also caused weight gain. It started to increase over the past 5 years. I was in the 150's 5 years ago, now in the 190's. It may not seem much but it shows. Especially since I am short. My mother was really overweight my whole life, Got the sleeve last year and lost 110 lbs . My sister is also doing the sleeve with me in Jan. When its my turn I hope you will follow along with my journey, and hope to inspire others to take charge of their health. I do not have the attitude that this is "The Easy Way Out" because its not! It is just as much as struggle as anything else. This surgery is a tool to assist, we still got to put in the work of eating healthy, eating the right amount, and exercising. I will continue this blog in January

First, always check with your doctor and follow his or her advice. That being said, I had my first glass of wine about 3-4 weeks after surgery. Neither my nutritionist nor my doctor ever said I had to cut out alcohol. What they DID say was to treat it like any other high-calorie/low-nutrient food and keep consumption low to avoid weight gain. I do find that since I'm eating fewer calories, the alcohol does go to my head a little faster, but I was a cheap date before banding, so it's not exactly a drastic difference. I'm 7 weeks post-op and I had a glass of wine with my dinner tonight. It was delicious

Kind of a long story.....At the suggestion of my therapist, I went in to talk about getting a prescription for wellbutrin. My depression was only getting worse. About two years earlier, My PCP's wife had been struggling with emotional issues....they actually thought she was bipolar. At some point they discovered she had really low testosterone. After consulting with specialists at the mayo clinic, they started her on HRT and she is a different person. All of her symptoms of depression and fatigue are gone. She's kind of become an expert on HRT at this point. So hormone levels and their effects just happened to be something my PCP was familiar with. I basically lucked out, no one else would have thought to test. Like @ said, it's just not something they check in women. It's too bad because there may be a LOT of women out there struggling with depression, exhaustion, weight gain, and low libido that are misdiagnosed and put on an antidepressant and diet instead of checking hormone levels. Ironically, OB/Gyn's are the number one prescriber of antidepressants when they should actually be the most aware of the effects of wonky hormone levels on women. And, BTW, my estrogen and progesterone levels were perfect, so the "normal" tests they do on women would not have indicated a hormonal problem.

You know, I always feel like the odd one out when it comes to eating & these kinds of threads here. My problem never was overeating/being addicted to food or anything like that. Growing up, I was around a mom who barely ate, an older sister & younger brother who depended on fast food (they are sticks and can eat a houses worth of food daily) and a dad who was always gone at work. I ended up picking up my moms eating habits, because fast food always has completely grossed me out in every way possible, and I was too young to really make my own food when it started. It took my doctors a good 5 years of constantly running blood tests and me pretty much living in my hospitals lab work area to figure out what was wrong with me. But as soon as they realized that my weight came on from massively under eating, they were constantly trying to push me into nutritionists and getting me to eat what I should be. My biggest issues with nutritionists is that the amount of food they want me to eat, is way too much for me. I could not keep up with her meal plans without physically getting sick, by the amount of it. My weight gain came from the fact that I never ate enough. It didn't matter how active I was growing up, because anything I did eat, my body grabbed on to. It wasn't until I was 18 that I fully understood that myself, when my doctors started telling me how worried they were because it was seemingly impossible for me to lose weight until I started eating more. I have always eaten healthy, always. I can't stand sugar, candy, cake, ice cream, most Desserts, or anything like that. I don't do chips, or excessive amounts of cheese. I was the healthiest person in my family in terms of eating, and yet I was the only one with the weight issue. Early 2012 I continued with my healthy eating, but added more vegetables/etc to my meals, and then by the time my lap band surgery came around, I was eating enough for the weight to start coming off with my exercising schedules. I've been slower than most here with the weight loss (two years - 112 pounds), but my doctors are constantly reminding me that it's harder for me to lose weight because mine didn't come from overeating. TL;DR: I've been programmed to eat healthy, so I've had no will power issues at all. My main thing is just making sure I do get my three meals a day in, just to continue with the weight loss.

I originally wanted gastric sleeve. My Mayo primary care Dr. Suggested I have gastric by-pass. I had consultation with bariatric Dr. & he also suggested by-pass. My first nutritional class at Mayo was excellent. She went in detail all the options. Gastric by-pass is the most successful, you lose approximately 70% of your body went. Studies show after 5 years the average weight gain is 20% of weight lost. So if you lost 100 lbs most gained back was 20lbs. That's manageable to lose. Suffice to say I chose by-pass, surgery Nov 28. Sent from my iPad using the BariatricPal App

I was told not to have caffeine at all as it can slow your weight loss (that's all it took for me to give it up completely). I started walking in the hospital and regular exercise after 8 week check-up. The other questions don't apply because I do not drink or smoke. My advice is to adhere to the guidelines your NUT and Doc give you so that you can reach your goal quicker. Don't look for reasons to break the rules. I've seen people not follow the guidelines post-op and I've seen "slow" weight loss as a result. I've even seen weight gain in those that went back to old habits. We all loose quickly at first, you have to work it to keep it going. The sleeve is merely a tool to make it easier for you Think back to the motivation you had when you went into this and don't loose sight of your goals because you are focused on getting back to "normal" your "normal" is what got you here to begin with.

I use to stop at McDonalds 2-3 times a day... just to get a 32 oz. Diet Dr. Pepper. So was probably drinking a liter a day and had been doing so for the last several years. Caffeine withdrawal is not fun... I remember the mental "fog" and nagging headaches. Couldn't live without diet soda until now. I can not imagine trying to digest any type of soda diet or not..and like someone mentioned above its not good for you. I was researching and read somewhere that diet soda can actually cause weight gain and belly fat. I was always bloated and felt stuffed...not to mention the gas ( sorry t.m.i. I know). Disclaimer: (Personal Viewpoint) when I think of all that I have sacrificed ( the financial cost, physical cost, etc.) there is no way I want to chance the possibility of damaging my sleeve with carbonated drinks. There may not be any harm from drinking them...but I don't want to take that chance.