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Thanks for this! My daughter has been diagnosed with adhd autism spectrum v. Severe reactive attachment disorder. Ocd anxiety to name a few. I stress eat, so in the last 8 years. Since she came to live with us, i have put on 75 pounds. I need the sleeve as a tool to help me remember to eat reasonable portions and think about what I put in my mouth. The moe stress the more i eat the worse i feel a out mself which stresses me out more. I need to stop the cycle, i need to feel better about myself, feel healthier so I can tackle this lifetime commitment befor me. I am just now sitting in the psychiTrists waiting room in an emergency visit as my daughter appears to be decompensating.

My daughter is adopted, she is high functioning, but has OCD, anxiety disorder, and reactive attachment disorder. Everyday is a challenge, everyday a little more detached from reality. But it is the path set before me, and with love and patience and all the help I can get, we go forward. She also has a weight issue at 10. I hope that, once I start losing weight, I can be a model for healthy eating. Unfortunately her medications have a big impact on her weight.

What do you use to mix them with? Could it be a reaction to juice or milk? I have some reactive hypoglycemia, but I can trace that back to carb intake. When my BS drops, I get the shakes and lightheaded feeling. Do you have a BS monitor?? Maybe check your numbers...

I read all the threads and see the newbies saying they are getting the band because it's easily reversed and want to yell HELLO!!!! It's not that easy kids!!!! I mean, in the grand scheme the surgery (both getting it in and getting it out) was fairly easy but I know my doc is guilty of glossing over the long term consequences even now! But this is the same man who essentially chewed me out for having a slipped band (truly, I think it's because it hurts his stats....) and would not even consider the possibility that it was anything other than my fault, can you tell he makes me warm and fuzzy??? I was not the perfect band patient, I should have exercised more and I did occasionally hit the ice cream for dessert with my son but the first year I followed pretty much all his rules to a T and was having issues even back then. But I also wasn't a bad band patient. I didn't eat the stuff I wasn't supposed to eat, i ate small portions, focused on Protein, small bites, and chewed my heart out. I can only recall getting truly stuck once (cheese stick about 6 weeks post op, scared the hell out of me!). My issues seemed to be more reactive or inflammatory in nature. Allergies or sinus drainage killed me, the week before my period was horrible, my son gave me a GI virus that was almost the death of me (this is actually where I think the slip started), stress tightened me up and sent me back to liquids as well. I stopped posting a few years ago because of the animosity amongst the posters. I came here for support post-op when I was starving to death and couldn't figure out what was wrong and left because of the band nazis who knew everything and anytime there was an issue it was your fault, always your fault, never a chance that sometimes stuff happens. I've been reading the bypass and sleeve boards as well and just don't see the hostility there that I see here sometimes. Makes me sad that when we're supposd to be supporting each other sometimes we chose to tear each other down instead.... Thank you all for your kind words, I will be fine. I always am! I don't know if any of you remember my story or not but I'm the girl that 8 1/2 years ago walked out on an abusive husband with a 5 day old son and $50 in my checking account....and now I have just the most amazing young man and we have such an amazing life. This is simply a bump in the road. Sometimes the bumps hurt but they're there for a reason and hopefully make us stronger in the end.

I started my weight loss loss journey in may. All of ny pre op paperwork is done and approved. Im sad because I have gained weight instead of loosing. During the exams the doc found out im hypo thyroid.Dont know if weight gain is due to hypo or me not really eating.

having hypo thyroid certainly has made things harder for you, im sorry to hear that your thyroid isnt working up to scratch. Ive bought some MACA root powder which is extremely good for thyroid and adrenals and ive used that. you could do a search online for it. i bought it from australia but i believe its grown in peru. let us know how you get on with this.... its not an easy road that you are on.

HiI Everyone! So I went to my nutritionist today to ck in and it'll be 3 months since my surgery nxt wk. Ive had a 1cc fill about a month ago and I've lost 10lbs (I was careful to NOT say ONLY 10 lbs bc it's a loss nonetheless!) anywho in reviewing some bloodwork I did about a month ago she said my thyroid is out of control...(hypo).. I'm going back to see the MD nxt wk to see if medication wb required but I've been diagnosed before (2010) as "intermittent hypothyroid" most annoying diagnosis ever.. However THC levels have only gotten worse post surgery.. I read that having surgery, stress and other factors can trigger the hormonal imbalance.. Has anyone else experienced this? Where you put on meds? Had surgery to remove thyroid/did it help? Change of diet? Any info would be helpful.

HiI Everyone! So I went to my nutritionist today to ck in and it'll be 3 months since my surgery nxt wk. Ive had a 1cc fill about a month ago and I've lost 10lbs (I was careful to NOT say ONLY 10 lbs bc it's a loss nonetheless!) anywho in reviewing some bloodwork I did about a month ago she said my thyroid is out of control...(hypo).. I'm going back to see the MD nxt wk to see if medication wb required but I've been diagnosed before (2010) as "intermittent hypothyroid" most annoying diagnosis ever.. However THC levels have only gotten worse post surgery.. I read that having surgery, stress and other factors can trigger the hormonal imbalance.. Has anyone else experienced this? Where you put on meds? Had surgery to remove thyroid/did it help? Change of diet? Any info would be helpful.

Hello new friends. I had a lapband 4 years ago and it has given me trouble from day one. It simply wasn't the best tool for me. My sister had full gastric by-pass the same day. Shes down 100 pounds. (she made the right choice for her). Four years ago I thought lapband would be best for me. My body has not responded regardless of amount of Fluid in I have had port pain- side pain- and choking and vomiting. I recently decided to go forward in my life and after prayer, research and counsel I have decided to have the sleeve. My doctors feel that I will be successful. I also feel that I will be successful, but I have to share that I am not willing to share with friends and co-workers. I don't want to continue to be the person they always greet with A. How you feeling? B. Have you lost weight? C. Wow Your looking great!. The only loss I had before was during the pre-op. After that I started gaining off and on throughout the years due to not able to get meat down (protein) and choking even on the smallest bites and frothing. Ugly story. My doctor shared that when you can't get Protein down, you live on carbs therefore- your body thinks its going to starve so you hold on to all the carbs and the carb results. Needless to say- I went up 25 pounds in 4 years. I just did'nt want to give up on the band. I wanted to be successful so bad. Now, things are different, I am tired of being tired, chaffed, taking blood pressure meds, the arthritis, swelling and uncomfortable in clothes, uncomfortable sitting, standing and walking. I want to be healthy. The same thing I wanted 4 years ago. I am ready to be bandless and to be sleeveful. :wub: MollyBsleeve wants to be sleeve- full very much. I do have a question and hope someone will have the answer for me. If you have Hypo-glycemia how do you keep from having sugar drops when you are so limited on getting nutrition in at the beginning. I had very few sugar drops after surgery but I know when I am weak and can't eat due to stomach virus or such I get sugar drops and it usually takes Peanut Butter - (small spoons at a time to get me back up). Blessing for a new journey for all.

Low for you may be in the 90's and that is why you are having hypo symptoms. I have a nondiabetic daughter who experiences hypoglygemic symptoms when her bs is in a "normal" range. I would talk to your endocrinologist about your symptoms and what your bs levels are when they occur. Good Lucke!

Thank you for your perspective. One thing I didn't make clear is the fact that I spent well over six months doing serious research into the surgery. I hold advance degrees in two different research fields so this was something that came very naturally to me. I even went so far as to read medical journals on the subject to get a full perspective of what I was getting myself into. I knew most of the risks that I was taking, including even death, when I chose this surgery. However, there is a lot that isn't told or glossed over. For example, at one of the seminars I went to when I asked about complications I was told that there is a chance of a leak but that was such a tiny percentage that it's nothing to worry about. What happens when you're the person with the leak in that small percentage? I knew my surgeon had an impeccable background and all of the information I could find on the group was positive in terms of their skills. And I'm not saying that my surgeon did a bad job with the surgery itself. I think my problem was that I trusted him a little too much. Unless you're a doctor, we all put faith in our surgeons to know what they are doing and that they are doing what is best for you. Therefore, when I asked him what sort of issues I would have after surgery I listened to him, took notes, etc. None of the above things were ever mentioned in my conversations with him. I am bothered when doctors ignore issues or don't feel the need to bring up things that may put the surgery in a bad light. For example, when I had a knee replacement done a few years back my surgeon sat me down and said this is what could happen and why. He knows better than I do. He is the one with the appropriate education and the experience to tell me what i may not find in an article or on the internet. I told my VSG surgeon I wanted to know everything that could go wrong. He told me that very little could go wrong and did a standard list of a few things. He also knew my health issues, including my depression as I'm never one to hide that fact from my doctors. Nothing about how this would affect my depression even came up. Yes, I would have some tummy troubles but those would settle down in a few months. I am still very proactive in my health. When my doctor ignored my pleas that something was wrong I took it in my own hands to once again do research and find a good gastroenterologist who deals with bariatric patients. I'm meeting with him tomorrow to see what is going on. I have a strong idea of what I think it could be (combination of bad reflux and gastritis) and it has nothing to do with the skills of the surgeon. Rather, yet another unspoken side effect of the surgery itself. The thing is that I want to be treated for it and get on with my life. My surgeon was not nearly proactive enough. I was very condescendingly told to make sure I "eat slowly, chew well, and space out [my] bites." This is something I had been doing since day one, including following all of their rules, and I told him but the way he was acting was that it was my fault for not following directions. I find it rather ironic that he only took interest in my issues once I mentioned I was seeing another doctor about it. As for the post-op care, once again, I knew exactly what my diet was supposed to be like. I stuck by the low-carb diet for as long as I could until I could barely think straight and almost passed out behind the wheel while driving. Once again, the doctor said this was no big deal, just take some time off of work. However, I found out from another doctor that not everybody reacts to a low-carb diet the same way and some have serious difficulties with it. My body was basically going into a form of shock without carbs (it's not carb withdrawal. This was something completely different). I was told me to start taking in sugars to help me through it. I also developed reactive hypoglycemia, which is something that once again is very common place yet no one told me about it (and no I'm not diabetic). I literally have to keep candies in my purse to keep myself from passing out at times. Once again, I did the research but the doctors are supposed to know more and help me through this. That wasn't the case. As for the psych clearance, my own psychiatrist did it. He's known me for over ten years and knew that I was mentally able to handle such a drastic change in lifestyle. As I said, my depression was under control. Also, I didn't have any food addictions or eating disorders which is one of the main reasons for the evals in the first place. I digress though...the whole purpose of this post was to see if there was something that you wish you knew beforehand that nobody told you. Once again, I'm not trying to discourage anybody. I just wish I had known people who went through this surgery and could tell me what it was really like. As I said, there's only so much you can get from reading.

I had the same question when I was thinking of getting the lapband surgery. I had thyroid cancer 8 yrs ago, no thyroid at all now, but just taking meds. My Endo keeps me hyperthyroid which is overactive, hypo IS underactive. {to keep the cancer at bay} on high doses of thyroid meds. I've lost 50lbs in 5 mths, I'm 57, not a young 'chick' but still young. My Endo has been decreasing my medication each month as I've been losing weight and so far so good. I've plateaued for the past month but I believe it's due to my not working out due to the heat. I am back working out and know I'll see the numbers on the scale going down. Besides making the right food choices, exercise is crucial with keeping on the program losiing weight and maintaining. Good luck.

i was hyper and had every sign and symptom except weightloss go figure had to have it removed so now iam hypo and on alot of meds so i think i lose slower then most iam 5 mts out and have only lost 50 lbs.....

I have hypEr thyroidism, not hypO thyroidism. Hyper is low levels, which can effect weight loss. People with hypo have high levels, which is usually found in skinnier folks- high levels can cause someone to be thin. There are people who go between both types and there are bigger folks that have hypO thyroid conditions. I am on synthroid for mine and get checked periodically.

This may be kind of a strange topic, maybe not but I figure it's worth mentioning if any of you pre-oppers are in a similiar boat. So, about a year and a half ago I was in a car accident that resulted in pretty severe whip-lash (which I never thought was that big a deal until my ordeal) in the last six months I don't have so many problems any more and didn't really think to check off that I had "neck injuries" on the paper work for the anesthiaologist. Boy, I wish I had, but I don't know if it would have made a huge difference. But I'm now almost five days post-op and have been recovering very well and almost have no pain from the actual surgery it's self. However, I've been in EXCRUCIATING pain on the left side of my neck, and have been having severe migrains, I saw my massage therapist (who also happens to be a good friend) the day before surgery to help calm my nerves, and not because I was in any pain, but today she came over to see if she could help ease any of the pain when she discoverd that four of the vertabrae in my neck have been sublocated (twisted totally out of place). Our theory is my neck being in a weird position for a prolonged period of time and being moved around too quickly when they placed the breathing tube in for surgery must have caused this. To make matters worse I had been getting a pretty rough, shooting pain on the same side under my left breast making it hard to get up, or lay down or breathe very deeply, which I assumed was probably gas. But tonight it's gotten so bad I can barely breathe or lay down and we discovered I also have a sublocated rib (which probably came about from the neck vertabrae being twisted since it's all attached the same muscle structure) I don't think that this is due to any negligence on my surgeon and her teams part but it has really set off and reactivated previous problems from whiplash. Happily as far as any pain from the surgery itself I'm in tip top shape and feel great don't even need the pain meds anymore and feel like being more active - except for my neck and rib - they're excruciating and I'm not sure what I'm gonna do if I can't see a chiropractor tomorrow. Ugh! So, while this isn't directly related to being banded, and may seem strange if you don't have these issues, I thought it may be helpful to those of you about to have surgery if you DO previous damage from whiplash or whatever else so you can be sure to let your surgery team know so they can be extra gentle with you and hopefully prevent you from finding yourself in this position. Anyway, hope this cautionary tale helps some one!!!

I just set my date for surgery and got some blood work back showing a really high c-reative level. I emailed Dr. Alvarez's office to ask if I might not be able to have the surgery.... I was hoping for a " well of course you can still have the surgery!" email back and I didn't... I need to wait to hear what the dr says.. soo nervous now.. anyone else with high levels before surgery?

Thanks. Really appreciate the replies. I'm trying not to be so hard on myself I know it's not like the worst thing in the world what I've eaten, and I'm probably still in my calorie range...but it's that feeling of lack of control that's forcing me to take action. I refuse to let food control/beat me anymore. Wheetsin, thanks - good advice. My stats are current. I may avoid the scale until my normal weigh-on on Monday. I haven't been too reactive emotionally to what's been on the scale, so hoping I won't be this time either (regardless of the outcome). But, man, it's this lack of control feeling I'm having which is making me anxious and like I'm wanting to get out of the environment. The food gremlin is a nasty little sh*t!

I'm a revision and I have hypo-thyroidism. I'm 4 mos post op and have lost 52 lbs total and 48 lbs to go. I don't lose as quickly as some, but I also think it's because I have less to lose. This makes a huge difference.

Im not a diabetic however sine being banded 8months ago i have been dealing with low sugars. Its called RHG reactive hypoglycemia for me its when i would eat carbs an not include a protein. So for me i am sticking to a low glycemic index diet an it helps

Unfortunately we cannot change the behavior of others. She is probably very concerned and maybe even miffed that you "did this to yourself". I suggest you find a way in your own head to let these comments pass right by you without being reactive. It's sometimes the same thing we have to do with most negative comments people make regarding our choices. You've done something very proactive for your life. Be proud of that, and over time as you heal, you will be able to resume normal eating in small but healthy portions. Good luck on your journey!!

I don't have hypo I have hyper. I just find the timing strange. But it is what it is and i must deal with it. Having a scan on tuesday

I have hypothyroidism too. I can tell when doses are off. I am thinking its off now. Heart racing lately. I know the signs and symptoms of both hypo and hyper. Maybe this surgery jacks up hormones and changes occur. How long ago did you get banded?

the body will get sued to whgat you are doing- you must move around and switch the foods and cal intake, or you will not lose, Because of weight loss my dr just reduced my thyroid meds, I am hypo- and losing weigth is always an issue, but time for body change,,, cause I am in the plateou!

I'm glad I can help despite some long term medical problems I have had that were a result from the surgery....... Such as ulcers, and reactive hypoglycemia (which is the opposite of diabetes...... My blood sugar can get dangerously low if I eat the wrong things )...... I'm on a super strict diet........ I wouldn't change a thing! When I was once 365lbs, I was 23yrs old and I couldn't walk, I was always stared at, I had high blood pressure, high cholesterol, stress fractures, horrible depression. I couldn't even properly bond with my daughter when she was an infant..... I couldn't hold her. My husband took care of her. I missed out on so much. I studied this surgery inside and out, from top to bottom, right to left..... Weighed it..... And for me it was the answer. I thank my lucky stars. If you ever have questions.... I can probably answer them. Researching this surgery became my life for over a year. I still research it and try to help others because I believe everyone deserves a life of happiness....... It isn't about the number on the scale..l. It's about your health.

No weight loss surgery is perfect for everyone. One has to realize being overweight has its own risks for surgery. The band haters, they seem to focus on the fact that this "foreign obeject" is messing them up ( excuse me what are hundreds of titanium staples?). I have read enough profiles in seven years to read between the lines and figure out a lot of them ambushed themselves. For some reason or another if a sleeve or gastric bypass or a duodenal switch fails there is not as much hate. Even though a lot of them are ruined for life physically (and eventually mentally). Research has shown that a lot more disparaging things are being discovered about the sleeve. The stomach has a lot of nerves and hormones that keep our system in balance. Sleeve surgery was only used in the past for extreme medical emergencies. There must have been a good reason for this. All the yahoo about removing ghrelin, well it has been shown a lot more depression happens when ghrelin is removed. I have also read about a lot of sleeve patients groaning about hunger. The band reduces the size of the opening that food can go through. Gastric bypass does this, but over time it stretches. Also the pyloric valve is bypassed. Food rushes too fast through the digestive system. Reactive hypogylcemia can happen and this can result in seizures. Malnutrition in the bypass and duodenal switch, that is a whole other dissertation. Monthly iron infusions for the rest of your life, and how many times have I heard people who don't know any better go on about band maintainance. How about iron infusion maintainance. I can go on and on, but I won't. Take care everyone.