Search the Community

:thumbup: My name is Julie, I'm 37. I got my lap band 2-5-08. My starting weight was 258. Now I weigh 205.My surgeon is Dr Michael Lara at Del Sol Bariatric Center in El Paso Texas. I am thrilled I did it. I have to admit the results aren't as dramatic as I had hoped, but it has helped me quit a bit. I guess I was thinking in the back of my mind when they were lecturing about the diet and exercise I thought to myself " I won't need to try that hard !" And even though I'm not really deprived, I do have to work harder than I expected. But as I said I am happy I had the surgery and would absolutly recomend it to anyone struggling with a weight problem.

Hello all I live in OC Cali and I am 38 and Banded. Wed the 3rd of June was my big day. So far I have been very uncomfortable with all the gas and now diareah and I still havent had food since monday. Just on starvation alone I have lost weight about 16 lbs, I have felt better but I cant wait to see the new me again. Well I have studied for two years on the pro's and con's of both lap and bypass and realized that Im still learning, it's not an easy road but a journey Im looking forward too running. :blushing:

I had my wls april 17 I went to go see my doc n I lost 20lbs I was happy hurrayyy! I started going to the gym atleast 4 times a week atleast for maximun of 2hrs I work out as hard as I can I do toning n cardio. My doc said to tone better cuz that help loose weight and burn more fat n that what I do I also do steps dancing classes kickboxing n zumba in the gym I sweat my butt off lol I feel good well I weight myself today n im in the same weight I left about 3wks ago from seen my doc. Omg im scared im eating properly I havent been eating carbs at all I stay away from it no pasta no bread I eat my protein first then veggies n I do have a sweet potato on the plate but I dnt eat it cuz dnt fit, I drink lots of fluids and im doing it the way my doc said I should but my weight stood the same whats going on???

Good luck to you, JamieLynn! I have found this site to be a great source of information and support. I was sleeved on July 13th and as of this morning, I am down almost 75 lbs from my first pre-op visit to the surgeon. I lost 15 lbs pre-op and have lost almost 60 since the surgery. I have no regrets and this has been the best decision I've made in a long time. I am a single parent too, having lost my wife to cancer in 2007. Although I was concerned about what would happen to my kids if I should experience any complications from the surgery, I ultimately came to the conclusion that my weight was putting my health at much greater risk that the surgery would. I would encourage you to read as many posts as possible and don't hesitate to ask questions. Again, good luck! Brian:thumbup:

Hello. I was banded Feb 7th 2011 by Dr. Ali Orange Coast Memorial in Orange County, CA. Doing well. Lost 15 pre surgery and 15 or so after surgery. My blood pressure is already normal and it was high for years. I feel tired more than I did before banding. I'm learning what it feels like to feel full and how awful it feels to eat that extra bite or two. First fill in 2 weeks. Find I burp more now. Very glad I got banded. Had tried everything else. I do have some joint pain from weight and without Advil now I really feel it, so exercise is slow. For now riding a bike. Thanks and glad to be here.

well, whats happening to me is also rare, according to my doc, and in his opinion i shouldv gotten the bypass, my surgery was 4 years ago, for the 1st 2 years it was all good, i lost 85 ponds, and then problems began to develop, with my esophogus, every night before i went to sleep i would throw up, and it didnt matter if i ate late or not, drank late or not, i always had the feeling that somehin is stuck in my chest, and i had to throw up, to atleast sleep at night, this went on for a while, close to a year. I understood that it wasnt normal, and i had to tell my doc. Doctor said that i have a lazy esophogus,and its tired of pushing, the only solution was to empty out the band and let my esophogus rest. it rested for about 3 months, ive gained 20 pounds,and since then in the span of maybe 8 months, i have regular monthly fills, very little ones, cause im scared to go back to the throwing up state, so instead of loosing, i just keep gaining, i gained 40 pounds now. very scary, dont know what to do

My family and best friend know the facts. I have one close friend I haven't been honest with mostly because although I know she'd support me, she has been known to have a big mouth and I don't want it to get around work etc. Strangers or people at work I'm not friends with - I have said "I don't really feel comfortable discussing my weight with you". I'd rather stand up for my decision and tell them it's none of their business than make something up.

Hooray for you!!! It really IS amazing, isn't it? The weight just seems to evaporate. Way to go Lily! Cinderella

I've been losing weight as part of my pre-op plan and telling people that "I cut out the carbs" really seems to work well. The response is usually a weird look and something like, "Oh...I can't do that, I have to eat bread!" and they never ask me about it again. When people comment that I look like I lost weight I also say, "Really? I don't think so...I hadn't really noticed.." and that stops the conversation as well. Technically, it's not lying!

Hi to All, I was banded yesterday in S.F. by Dr Cirangle. I was so scared. The night was alittle rough, but today I feel good. My stomach is sore but only feels as if I worked out hard. That's been years. Was anyone else banded yesterday? I would love to hear from you. My support group is very small. My spouse and son are the only ones that know of my decision. I come from a large Italian family:hungry: My start weight was 261 we will see how it goes!

The standard have fun with inside soccer ballcontinues relevant to 4-6 mere seconds. After that, you recruit a market ofyour respective to recuperate and therefore accomplish ever again. But if yourguide causes one to deliver steady-condition symbolizes the best education andlearning Three or four situations in a week, she's doing amazing injustice. Theprimary aspect to recognize will be work with a teaching project that will fitcurrent considerations belonging to the particular type of pursuit.At the timeopening a fabulous hardiness combined with demanding fitness process you needto definitely are aware of the idea of nature of education. In the same mannermy favorite program improve some of our experts "athleticism"? Areyou ready for components of just like a nice sportsman? Exactly results in apeople footballer significantly more "sports" in contrast to onemore? Are good professional athletes first crawled the beachas a substitute for reached?Exactly like a lengthy-time snowboarding guide, Iactually have held the chance investigate quite a few great sportsmen enjoyfantastic are employed. Regardless of whether the project was initially seem tobe and so the fundamental principles appeared to be experienced with the finestwith regards to attentiveness. The particular main difference contained in theproblems and successes on the remarkable play scaled like"athleticism". Hence,national football league cycling jerseysinternal,karate, a new thought I just questioned other people as soon as theoff-season ran in existence, is just how does a person serve a sports peopleimprove by placing appears schooling methods?Encourages begin from most wholesale jerseysof theelements: effectiveness, ability, swiftness, and consequently agility. Shouldthese types various factors help your players produce highest proficiency thatwill provide keep up benefits for the general bet on nfl football?I reallybelieve a critical for which will real question is the perfect resoundingYup!Muscle is described as the capability to grow a good solid highest range ofamount of pressure over muscle / tendon contraction without having cut-offoccasions. I remember when i arrived at an actual effectivenessand therefore building up hospital, along with one of several people sentapplications for the entire members to be able to understand robustness.Subsequent to in regard to 9 units connected with sifting on the assortedallergic reactions, the aforementioned def appears to be what you need.Energysource means allow you to create the top group of hassle in the minimum ,phrase. Nfl football is the performance name of their time this includesrepetitive, mind-blowing jolts while in the 4-6 moment choice.Pace will beutilization of ability. Almost all experts often hear the actual key phrase"speed kills". You simply will not develop your players full velocityby letting each of them actually do steady/condition longer, slow-movinginstruction extends. nfl jerseys chinaRealistically you can go with building another look....settingup ones own sportsperson "reduced".Speed is the having access to fullspeed. At basketball, all of the sportsperson will be modification supervisionvery rapidly, travel along with reduce. Vertical rate job doesn't always havean on the spot carryover to make sure you speed. Will we place emphasis on every aspect regardingathleticism within a precise same carry out or routine? There is a fantasticChinese language courses praoclaiming that methods this-- "It's aparticular imprudent sportsman what person chases not one but twobunnies"! Leading america within the aforesaid ideal "specificitymost typically associated with coachingInch. The very best goal in mind isalmost always to cause a convert related with face lift cream drained extraweight home from what typically the jogger will do around the perimeter oflocal area.In the end, players try not to be shy to petition your reason fortrying to learn an important course of action. This excellent mustn't becarried out a fabulous disrespectful technique, but alternatively a methodwhich inturn will mean you're the one merelyNFL jerseys wanting justification and exactlyhow it can cause your family gaining better sports speed.Establish objectiveson your own. In that case get a thinking about how you will need accomplishyour entire dreams. Goal with no plan is simply a aspiration. Adhere to it!Look for requests, teach as being an sportsman and even make your own workoutrelating to improving the A number of different parts of athleticism. Based onitems 25 numerous throughout workout, Relating to noticed the fact that"athleticism" is an activity that may be evolved that has beenenhanced.

you could try a local weght loss clinic. If it is md supervised. Usually you see the dr the first visit and the nurse from then on. its cheaper than seeing your primary md all the time. plus sometime bcbs will reject a primary md assisted weight loss program.

Hi all, I'm from the beaches of Virginia but left my bikini body behind some 30 years ago! My appointment with the surgeon is this Wednesday, so I guess I'll find out then if I can be banded. I sure hope so. Been fighting weight all my life; and now I have diabetes, heart disease, and a host of other lovelies. God blessed me with a loving, supportive husband of 24 years and a wonderful 19 year old son who is currently in college. Life is good and full; in more ways than one! I've been reading for several weeks; learning as much as I can from you fine folks. My surgeon is Anthony Terracino if anyone is familiar with him... Well, other than the fact that I'm retired on disability since 1995 due to complications from a craniotomy (lupus related); that's about all there is to tell about me. I enjoy gardening when I am able, our church family, and we like to travel but haven't been able to this past year because of my loss of mobility. And I have a ton of great friends! They really keep me going. Looking forward to sharing more with you soon. Hugs, Susie

So I'm going along pretty much okay I know what I can and can't eat and how much ... I am getting bored with my choices though and I miss bread big time .. I also miss being able to have a meal out but I keep telling myself i am only 14 weeks out so things will get better. :-) I haven't lost any weight for 2 weeks now but that's okay I have been pretty steady for a while so a few bumps here and there are okay I am glad I'm not going thru this in summer though cause that would mean it was christmas and Christmas is my favourite time of the year and while I know this year at Christmas time I will be 9 months post op and won't be able to eat all the foods I did last year I should at least be able to enjoy a bit more than the 50g I manage now

Howdy, all. I'm Lissa from Florida. I'm 44 and I've been heavy since I was 23. I did a major injury to my leg at 9 months pregnant and, since I was having a c-section, the injury went untreated. It's difficult to walk on crutches when you've been cut from hip to hip. So, I spent two years barely walking and gained a TON of weight. I've never been able to get it off and, instead, I've added a bunch more so that I'm now over 330 pounts. I've been exploring Lap Band Surgery for about six months, including going to a seminar and talking to a surgeon. I lost 50 lbs on Atkins and then quit smoking. A week after I quit smoking, I ended up in the hospital with drug-resistant pneumonia. After steroids, russian roullette with antibiotics and enough other drugs to kill a mule, I emerged from the hospital still sick. I lost another 40+ pounds in about 7 days, then gained it all back in 7 days, plus more. THEN I developed blood clots in my legs and a couple of pulmonary embolisms. Now I'm on blood thinners to take care of the PEs and not allowed to do any exercise except "gentle" walking. Not sure what that is.... I finally got into the weight loss surgeon and he is agreeable to doing the surgery, even with me on blood thinners, but he wants to do VSG instead of the lap band. I'm cool with his reasoning and it makes sense, but I need more information abotu what happens after VSG, which is why I'm here.

Congratulations on the weight lost.

Lets see I had my surgery March 12, 2012. As of today I have lost 16 pounds. I have been walking daily and feel great, but I lost more before surgery. I know it is going to take awhile for the weight to come off. Cannot wait to see it in the scale, my clothes feel lose. I read more pages and by now peop le seem to be losing more. PLEASE TELL ME WHAT ELSE I CAN DO! I know I cannot snack. My doctor stated that by now I can eat anything and he wants me to stay away from sweets, carbs. Protein Protein Protein. I am so constipated at times.

I am not in your situation, however I did consider briefly, Gastric Bypass. I say briefly because I really feel it is a personal decision. I have struggled with losing and gaining the same 100lbs. over and over again probably 8 times in the last 20 yrs. Never able to maintain longer than about 2 months. I know what I am supposed to do, I just can't maintain. (I was also a candidate for Bypass) The only health issues I had going into this (blessing) was severe Osteoarthritis, and borderline HTN. All which is managed when I lose the weight. When I researched the lifestyle changes and recovery....The band took it, hands down! AND....if need be, it can be adjusted OR removed. Speak honestly with your surgeon and do your own research. Good luck on your decision!:scared2:

Hi, Lismivel! Don't be discouraged! Others here who are further post-surgery than I am will be able to give you good advice on how best to keep up your intake, as my experience is limited, since I am still in the clear fluids stage. Just so you know you aren't the only one worrying about your weight loss, when I was weighed at my first follow-up appointment last Thursday (9 days post-op) I was one kilo more (yes, more!) than I had been on the same scales two weeks previously - after four days of no food while on the IV, six days on clear fluids only and a huge portion of my stomach having been removed! Of course, I had read the average weight loss statistics and was therefore doubly disappointed. The surgeon said (from what I can remember between my tears!) that all sorts of things could be responsible, but that in days of yore I would have been ideally positioned to survive in periods of famine, as my body is so good at hanging on to what it has accumulated during times of plenty! He warned that it could also mean that I can expect long stalls as I move through the weight loss process, but for both of us, if the loss isn't showing at the moment, once it does show, it should be well worth seeing! Keep your chin up and all the best!

If you're talking about vertical sleeve, then it's very successful for patients with 35-55 BMI. My starting BMI was just over 49 and I lost all my excess weight plus some. Vertical sleeve is the first stage of the 2part surgery duodenal switch, and the reason it became a stand alone procedure is because patients were having great success without having to have the actual switch performed, and the sleeve was enough of a tool to get them to or below their goal weight. Vertical banding (lap band or realize) does not have as great success with higher BMI patients and usually only lose 50% of the excess weight over a 5-7 year period.

If you don't want to read the whole dang story just move onto the colored text at the very bottom of this post. I am so conflicted right now! My husband and I have always planned on having a large family. However I'm starting to feel like I'd be the dumbest person alive to actually INTENTIONALLY get pregnant after getting WLS and reaching goal. Especially considering how much it costs out of pocket for us to get pregnant without insurance for my infertility issues!!! We can certainly afford both......but I can't help but feel like maybe I'm being stupid not waiting to get the VSG. But then, when the thought of waiting occurs to me.....I feel like hell because I know that we will have to wait at least 2 years (as usual) to even begin TTC, and with my infertility/pcos it'll be more like at least 3 years to actually fall pregnant. That is so long to remain unhealthy and unable to enjoy my life with my children. I fear becoming diabetic and getting hbp and high cholesterol as I'm already bordeline...and it's only getting worse the longer I wait to lose all this weight! I also feel like if I waited for the WLS, I'd be stealing a further 3 years plus from my children to have a normal healthy mom who can do everything with and for them that a mom should! UGH! So confused. The thing is.....Both times I've been pregnant, I have had IUGR babies due to my severe loss of appetite coupled with the first two trimesters of nausea. I lose 20-30 lbs everytime I become pregnant, and that effects the growth of the babies not getting enough nutrients like they should. I always thought that even if I wasn't getting any food, the baby was supposed to be fine as he would just take from my body, and the ill effects would just be mine, and mine alone! That is what the doctors told me the BOTH times. But apparently they changed their minds after I had my second child the same way! This last pregnancy I had gestational diabetes, which wasn't even a concern the first time. Both babies weighed approximately 4lbs at birth, and had stopped growing at 37 weeks, and were always measuring 2+ weeks smaller during all of the ultrasounds. Proving that they were not getting what they needed to grow properly. Thank goodness they are both incredibly healthy now and are doing exceptionally well and are not only caught up, but hitting milestones far ahead of their age groups! But the problem still remains, because of my weight and the ever looming PCOS, and pregnancy hormones making me severely ill and causing my loss of appetite due to the PCOS....it's a never ending cycle you know? I know that if I lost the weight, I'd no longer have PCOS, my hormones would be healthy and normal for once. And any pregnancy from then on forward could only be healthier. My doctors say the same thing. However, we are simply not ready to get pregnant so soon yet as the little one is only 8 months today. However, if I do get the WLS and hit goal by 1 year and maintain for the 2 years after, and THEN decide to get pregnant, I fear that I might just actually GAIN all the weight back trying to EAT and KEEP THINGS DOWN this time around. I know that any time I become pregnant in the future I am dedicated to eating ALOT, whether I can keep it down or not, and eating very healthy despite weight gain or whatever else. I CANNOT have IUGR babies any longer, and my doctor agrees that I am one of those women who absolutely need to eat twice as much in order to keep the growing child healthy. Because of this, I feel like I may ruin all of my success after WLS. Basically.....I just wanted to know if any of you knows what the likelyhood of gaining all of my weight back and becoming unhealthy like I am today after the procedure is? I don't want to get the procedure now, and have a pregnancy throw me off and back on the train to imminent disease and early death! But, I don't want to not have any more children either. That is just not fair to my husband, and not to myself. Very selfish of me if that thought ever even occurred to me, which it wouldn't! I know some of you will say that I simply should not have any more children, especially since I have 2 already and my pregnancies barely go well. But my doctor's have pinpointed the actual problem and are willing, as am I, to do anything (even if it means to become hospitalized for the first 2 trimesters in order to keep an eye on my food/appetite and the babies growth) to keep the same from happening again. My doctors have both suggested that WLS would be the best option for me, for my health AND for the health of my future pregnancies and children in so many ways. But............why can't I shake the fear that if I end up pregnant after the procedure and eat like I'm supposed to, and successfully gain weight (albeit 11-20 lbs only, since that is the goal my docs have for me since I always lose weight during pregnancy) that I won't be able to get rid of it and then I'll eventually be back where I am because my stomach will have stretched due to the eating!!! Am I losing my mind here (my doctor sure thinks I am) or are my fears legitimate and rational? In a nutshell: I am afraid of gaining the weight back if I fall pregnant 2-3 years after the procedure. I have a habit of losing too much weight DURING a pregnancy, and gaining it back plus some immediately afterwards when I regain my appetite that was suppressed due to my reaction to the hormones during gestation. I can't decide if I should have the surgery now or after I'm through having children. My dilemma is: If I have all of the children I want than I will be waiting 5+ years to have the WLS, and will be in a much much worse place health-wise by then, than I am now. I feel like I'll have stolen those years from my children's lives as well, they deserve all of their mommy...not just what she can barely give. Not to mention the fact that who knows where we may be financially in 5+ years, yes we do have it well planned....but goodness, in this day and age of recession ya never really know do you? Insurance so far, isn't an option, who's to say it would be in the future. I just want to know if you guys think what I fear is likely? If so, how likely is it? Has this happened to anyone after the VSG and having fallen pregnant? If I exercise and keep my calories/carbs down will that help. I just fear that the extra eating I'll have to do to gain enough healthy weight during a pregnancy will stretch my stomach and it will be a never-ending cycle afterwords.

i've poked around here for a while but i'm just now, as i approach my surgery date, getting involved. i've gone through a rollercoaster of emotions in the past few months. i felt like i leveled out for the most part, until this past week. plain and simple - i'm scared. i'm scared of going through surgery, i'm scared of having something foreign in my body, i'm scared of what life will be like after surgery. i want to get to a place where i am excited about losing the weight i know i need to lose. i'm going through this with my husband. he will be banded a week after me, and he is nervous, but so excited about our future. i want that feeling, but all i can feel right now is fear. i know this is the right decision and that is what keeps me moving forward. i've been morbidly obese for most of my life (if not nearly all) and if i don't drastically change my body and my health, i will end up with the health issues my family has. i don't want that future. i want a better future. i just wish i wasn't so scared of how to get it right now.

Isn't this amazing? We are really going to go all ghe way to goal once and for all. Personally, before sleeve surgery, I had no vision of me ever reaching normal weight, and believed I would die fat, many years prematurely. YeeHaw! I love reading about everyones success!

Hello, my name is Annie, but I love the Beatles so I named myself Abbey I am 25 years old and I had weight loss surgery on 8/23/2010. My highest weight was 330 lbs and by that point I became really scared of reaching the 400lbs. I have always been overweight but I usually remained just 50lbs above my ideal weight (which for my hight it should range from 140 to 150). I began dieting one year before my surgery in hopes that I could lose the weight on my own, and I did lose about 20lbs. After a year of not being able to lose more I decided to have the vsg. My starting weight was 311lbs, on the day of my surgery I was 295 and currently I am 224. I used to be a size 28 and I am now size 18. I am currently at a stall and for the last three weeks I have not lost a pound. I am a big meat eater so my diet consists mostly of chicken or beef, I try to stick to the no carb diet. Usually I was eating three meals a day, but at the start of this month I began to snack still sticking to the no carbs. I believe that my snaking is the reason for me not losing this month. I exercise for about 2 hrs two or three days a week, I do cardio for 45 mins and the rest is weight lifting. I had my surgery in Laredo, TX at a hospital name LMC and it ran for about 8,500. I hope this is enough information but if you have any questiosn go ahead and ask I'd love to help. I also hope to have some of my questions answered I think it is an awsome idea that we have a forum to share info

Hello everyone!! I was recently banded almost 3 weeks ago and I lost 23 pounds. I'm not sure of a date for my first fill, I will find out at next doctors app. My weight loss is at a stand still and I cann't wait to get first fill. I can really notice that I am getting very hungry soon after meals. I am walking 3/4 of a mile in the morning amd the same in the evening. I am very excited about this fill so I can get this journey started.