Search the Community

My first fill appointment is for 5 weeks from the date I was banded. Once my staples came out (1 week post-op) he told me to come back in 4 weeks.

Yes its normal. I didn't have one for almost two weeks. My dr told me if I felt like I needed to take something to help it. But he wasn't worried. Eventually it came on its own.

So I have been a little bit down the last couple of days due to a stall that I am in. I know that it will break and I will continue to lose but it is hard when you are in one(those who have been there can sympathize). Anyway having lost 30 pounds my clothes are getting big so I went out today and bought a few more items that fit(size 14 pants if you can imagine). So when I came home I had a few pairs of pants in my closet that I have been waiting to get into. Well guess what they ALL fit, and one pair is already a little big!! I am so thrilled!! Everybody talks about losing inches and they are right! I exercise everyday too and I am sure that has helped. To all my sleeve buddies, don't give up, keep pushing along............and don't forget to try on any smaller clothes you have; you don't want to miss out wearing them!! CHEERS!

Good for you!!! It still hurts to wear pants w all my incisions. I look like I've been in a knife fight. Lol. I've def been a slow loser. (10 pounds in 8 weeks!). But last week when I was being prepped for my gallbladder surgery, my surgeon looked me over and said, 'there is NO way you've only lost a few pounds. You are def losing inches. For some people the scale just doesn't ring true.' That comment made me feel so good!! Keep up your spirits! Don't be bummed. Come on here and we will cheer you up!!! Big hugs!

Welcome and cograts on getting sleeved. Keep up on liquids Its very easy to dehydrate in the first couple weeks.

I am 3 weeks post op and get that same gurgling but I don't have any belly pain. I get Gas X chewables (cherry) and it gets rid of it quickly =) But the pain combined with the gurgling may be something more serious so I would contact your doc. Better safe than sorry!

Don't be discouraged! I had my first fill last Friday. Before the fill I felt the same thing you are describing-could eat anything without problems (week 3 and 4 after banding). I have much better restriction for now. I know, though, that it is only 5 days out and this may change. If that happens I will get another fill...and so on. I think this is a common occurance. I used to think that you get the band and lose the weight- (before surgery and LBT) but it is more of a process than that. From what I've read the most successful banders listen to their bodies, overcome the obstacles and persevere! Good luck. Try not to give back any of your loss. I'm trying to enjoy the process instead of fighting it. Thanks to the collection of wisdom and advice of all the great folks on this board. Good luck. Let us know how it goes! Kim :kiss2: 223ps/217s/202t/135g banded 1/30/07 first fill 3/09/07

I have BCBS as well and was approved in 2 weeks. My BMI at the start of my 6 month required diet was 48, BMI by the time I got approval was 44. I was banded on 5/8 and am in the healing process. Even though this has been a huge adjustment so far (mentally more than anything), I am happy I did this.

I take two centrum 50+ multi vitamins. 600 mg of calcium with 400Iu of vitamin D and 2000 mcg of vitamin B12 a week. I was told not to take kids vitamins as their not as sufficient

Hi everybody, I've been lurking on the boards for so long that I felt it was time to come out of hiding and say how much inspiration you've all given to me without knowing it. You are a great source of information, comfort, and camaraderie -- it feels wonderful to know that I'm not alone. My real name is Michele. I'm originally from St. Louis, MO but I've been living in the Houston area (The Woodlands to be more exact) for 14 years. I'm 49 years old and I have a host of problems that I hope are going to be greatly improved by the surgery -- diabetes, high blood pressure, low thyroid, high cholesterol. Diabetes is the main one. My mom was about 100 lbs. overweight and died when she was 62 from the complications of diabetes. It's taken several of my friends too, and I just don't want to go out that way if I can help it. It's funny, I'm a conservative Republican but I tell everyone "Thank you President Obama!" If it weren't for Obamacare I don't know where I'd be. Because of the PCIP program which is part of the Affordable Care Act, I am able to get insurance and I couldn't afford it previously. I was turned down for other insurance and the Texas Risk Pool insurance was twice as expensive as what I pay for deductibles now. Anyway, my insurance covers bariatric surgery. I had to be on medically supervised weight loss for 6 months, then they approved me. Because of previous surgery I had on my ears this year, I've already met my out of pocket maximum so this surgery is free for me. I have been truly blessed. This past year has been an epic saga trying to get to this point. After doing everything I needed to do for six months and gaining approval for the surgery on the first try, I found out my surgeon was out of network because the medical group he was a part of fell apart and he joined with a new group and my insurance couldn't find him on their network anymore. Finally my insurance suggested that I find a different surgeon so I looked around and found one who has a lot of good reviews online -- and this is going to be my hero - Dr. Dexter Turnquest. My surgery is scheduled for Monday the 19th at 1:00 pm. I'm so excited that it's finally happening yet I'm feeling more nervous and I have more trepidation than I thought I would. My surgeon allows only Clear Liquids for the first week (yep the week of thanksgiving - maybe i can find some turkey broth). Then after that I go on the soft diet. He said he wants his patients eating their Protein, not drinking Liquid Protein, so I'm glad I won't have to be on the Protein Shakes -- I'm sorry, they're mostly awful. I worry what it's going to be like to be at home and not chowing down. I wonder what it's going to be like not to eat certain things, not to eat as much as I used to eat. I wonder if I'll get really depressed because that's been my coping source all these years. But I know that God is on my side and He has brought me to this and He'll help me get through it. But I can't help wondering and worrying a little if it's going to be really hard. Can anyone recommend things I should have on hand for that first week when I'm home that I would regret if I didn't get? My friend is going to spend the night with me the night I come home (which will be Tuesday afteroon) but after that I'm mostly going to be on my own sitting in my little apartment. Please let me know if there were things, medicines, food items, that you were really glad you had around. Anyone else live in The Woodlands area? I would love to go to a support group and make some new friends. I think it would help me get out of myself and help me take the focus off ME. There's so much more I could say so I'll just leave it at that for right now -- thanks again to all of you for being here!

So last week I turned thirty and celebrated by drinking and eating all week. For the most part I was eating a little more than normal. However the alcohol seems to have speed up my weight gain to six lbs. I pretty much only worked out twice last week. Point I'm trying to make is I thought since I hadnt gained weight I was good. Served as a wake up call that this is a lifestyle change I must make and adhere to otherwise it'd be easy to gain it back. Oh we'll back to the gym and healthy eating =-)

LOL, I love my doctor. I dont understand why you would think I need another one...bc he lets us eat bread? He is had done over 500 lap band surgeries, and I am lucky enough to work at a hospital that is a bariatric center of excellence. Bread is allowed. It is stressed that for most patients, they dont tolerate bread very well bc no matter how good you chew it, it can feel stuck and just balls up. I cant think of one single thing that is off limits to us except carbonation. I have been on this site for about 5 months now and find it very helpful. I also drink tons of water. I read where sometimes it takes awhile to feel your fill. Thats why I waited two weeks the first time. I will admit though...I like immediate gratification. SO patience in some matters is not always my strong suit!

The fact that your doctor even asked you about a sandwich is a shock! Bread is one of those things I was told was off the list. Very dry crackers or such are ok, but bread is a no no. I was banded on 10 Feb, not too long after you. I have cut what I eat by at least 2/3. Sometimes I do get a little hungry before it is time to eat again, but I try water first and if that does not help then I go for a bite of something to hold me over. Please do some research here with others who are more knowledgeable than I am. I would say you need a different doctor. How long has he been doing bands? I was reading someone who says that it can take up to a week for you to feel the full effect of the fill. I don't think you are giving yourself enough time and I too worry about you being overfilled. Good luck and keep us posted. You would be surprised at how many people here care!

I lost 19 pounds the first two weeks and about 5-6 pounds a week all total. I am five weeks out as of tomorrow and have lost 29 pounds.

Hey you... Dr. Kwon apparently feels I am drinking too fast which is causing my band to spasm. So I am slowing it down and I will see how that goes. I am on another week of liquids. (Isopure) Kristen is doing fantastic! Dr. Kwon put her on 2 weeks of Protein shakes. I am a little bummed today because I was expecting to feel better than I do. I am trying to keep a positive attitude though... I am glad I have Kristen and all of you at support to go through this with. I will talk with you soon... Have a good day! Lisa Marie

Rhonda, The liquid Protein diet I was on was a pre-op diet required by my surgeon prior to surgery. The goal is to get in a lot of protein and absolutely no sugar. During that two week period I was allowed to have: *Protein shakes made w/ Water or diet soy milk only (No slim-fast or anything like that; they have too many carbs. The best one I have found personally is unjury. You can buy on-line at unjury.com) *Water *Low sodium chicken, vegetable, or beef broth *sugar free popsicles *sugar free Jello That's it. I know it sounds really bad, and yes it was difficult. However, I found after a couple of days it became much easier. If I cheated and ate a tiny little bite of something then I just wanted to eat more so I quickly learned it's easier just to stick with the diet. I would check w/ your surgeon, though. Each surgeon tends to have different requirements.

Hi Rhonda, Welcome to LBT! I would get clarification. I don't know for sure about your particular insurance company but a lot of companies will require you to lose 10 percent of your EXCESS body weight. For example, if you are 100 pounds overweight you would need to lose 10 pounds. I think most of us have yo-yo dieted in the past. We get the weight off somehow, but end up putting it all back on. This scenario is a little different in that if you lose the weight and have surgery while you are at the insurance companies target goal, you will not gain the weight back and will continue to lose. I lost 15 pounds during my two week liquid Protein diet prior to surgery. There is no way I could have done that long term, but it got me to where I needed to be for surgery. Good luck to you!

I had a week vacation one time when I was unfilled to 2.0. I gained 4 lbs in a week! You are lucky that you haven't gained. Good job.

Today is my one month anniversary of being banded, and I have lost 37 pounds so far. Although I will admit my results are vastly different than others I have seen (partly because I've heard the Basal Metabolic Rate of being male is higher), I'm hoping others will have similar results as well. It CAN be done!! Here is what I've done in a nutshell: 1. Followed 95% of the diet requirements (I ignored not drinking caffeinated coffee...need my go-go juice) 2. Pack all three meals every morning before I go to work, and eat only what I packed...nothing else. 3. Do 30 minutes of cardio 6 days a week, and 4 days a week do strength training (I just started the strength training this week) 4. Because I don't mind it, I stay pretty much on a full liquid diet during the week, with the exceptions being 1 hard-boiled egg and 1 hard-boiled egg white in the morning and tuna at night. On the weekends I expand my menu a little. :whoo:

Sounds like you are right on track!! Do you go next week for your first fill. Stay positive and try to drink fluids as much as possible to deter those hunger feelings. I wish you the best!!

I am almost 5 months post-op and my answer is YES, I would do it again!! My band has been my motivation to be better. My kick in the butt to get off the couch. My constant reminder that I need to eat to live, not live to eat. I don't remember the first few days post-op being horrible. I remember the air pain was uncomfortable, but keeping the heating pad close made it better. Walking helped. Obviously I wasn't in too much pain if I don't remember it very well!! My band was the kick I needed to get my journey started. Even though I haven't lost a single pound the past 6 weeks (darn plateaus!) I'm SO extremely thankful for the 50+ pounds I have lost so far, and that alone gives me the inspiration to keep at it.

Hello! I know everyone is different, and I am not asking to compare anyone's weight loss, I am just looking at averages. How much did you lose on average each month for the first year? How much did you lose the first two weeks after surgery? I know this answer varies greatly, I am just looking at what individual experiences were like. Thanks!!

I gained 10 # during hospitalization (water weight from IV). Took me 2 weeks to get back to baseline. I lose from 1 to 3 # per week (and am 5 months out from surgery.

Hi! Been dreaming for years about how am I to afford WLS. Almost over forty, diabetic, hypertensive, sleep apnea, arthritis, and asthma, incontinent is not my idea of healthy. So now I am insured, I aim to take action!!! I decided on the sleeve after years of research. I can do this! I can loose weight! However loosing 10 lbs a year is not going to reverse my other diseases fast enough to possibly save my life. Maybe post surgery I will feel more confident in keeping it off with the sleeve! Have numbers for the Nutritionist, Cardiologist and Surgeon. Have appointments with the PCP, Pulminary, and Phsych. for this month. Just got insurance effective last week! I am soooooo excited!!! Any tips on how to go forward, PLEASE SHARE!!!

Hi Kevin, I too have the large band (banded 8/02/05). I found that I never had problems eating foods and continued to feel hungry. After my first fill (total of 5ccs) I still had no restrictions and was hungry every three hours -- which led me to test the waters. I even went so far as to order Dominos (medium) thin and crispy cheese pizza -- ate the whole thing in two meals. That was my panic point and I called the Dr's office and said I needed a fill right away. I went yesterday 9/14/05 for my second fill (lost 17 lbs total) -- whoopee ;-( . I'm up to 7cc now and I hope it restricts better than the five. This should be my "sweet spot" the Dr. likes to call it and will begin to feel restricted and not hungry. He did say that he had one patient up to 9ccs which was pretty scary. Sometimes, I wish I had the smaller band. What about you?