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Bayugirmrsc, Thanks for sharing Jake.... by the way, Jake is one of my fav. names....js. anywho... My friend and "lapband" mentor had to have her band removed last month and she opted for the sleeve. I talked with her yesterday as a matter of fact and she is SOOOOO happy with the sleeve. I hope and Pray that you have great results also. Please keep us posted. _________________________________________________________________________ As of May 4, my band is out and I was sleeved during the same surgery. My sleeve doctor will do both removal and sleeve if there is not a large amount of scar tissue and if the band/stomach is in good shape, where other surgeons will not do two in one. All went well for me. What I can say is that for me, this one was quite a bit more painful than the initial lapband install surgery, but, my doc warned me. The incision where he removed the port was the worst as far as pain! But then, It was like over night and the pain got better and manageable. I'm down 23 lbs. already which includes the 2 week pre-op diet til today. I'm at the gym again at turtle speeds and feeling great! I needed to tell someone and you asked if I would keep you posted and I went forth, Thank you for that. BTW, Jake is my middle name and I use it because I also like it very much. If you noticed I've changed my display name from jakealta to NoMoBand making it an official name change, but, jake is out of the name :-( So, so far so good, Thank God!!!! Should you ever find yourself in a predicament with a possible revision and have questions, please do ask. I'm here to help. God Bless and thanks again. Jake

I had to have someone change the kitty litter for me (well, for my cats, I don't PERSONALLY make use of kitty litter because I was on a lifting restriction for the first four weeks. Other than that, nothing at all.

I went to Europe 3 weeks after surgery and was totally fine.

Sunny Greetings! I'm new to this and have a few questions I hope someone could help me with. I am 1 week away from meeting with the surgeon and then hopefully scheduling my surgery once insurance approves it (Fingers crossed) BUT I still haven't decided on a surgeon : X. I was wonerding has anyone on here had surgery @ BIDMC and are there any recommendations you could give me? Also, how long did it take to get approved by your insurance company? I have a Blue Cross Blue Shield (PPO) through my company. Thanks in advance! Any questions you guys can answer will be greatly appreciated! Nicky

Mine is IL & they told me to submit everything after my 2nd dietary counseling session so they can have time to look over everything pending my 3rd visit. I'm already penciled in for the surgery the next week so just praying it is swift & everything goes accordingly. The countdown is on lol

I was on clear liquids for a week post-op.

I am 1 week post op yesterday and any pain I have right night I can manage by Tylenol. They do say that everyone's bodies are different and some heal faster than others. If you are worried about you could always just contact your surgeon for reassurance

I'm just about 4 weeks out and wondering if any of u have tried a healthy cereal bar when on the go for a meal? I have some and wondering if that wud be a good food choice for us?

After speaking and meeting with my surgeon he was very kind to speak to both me and my husband. He asked about my eating habits, weather I ate large quanities or more of a grazer. I wanted a surgery with least amount of risk that would be a good fit for me. He suggested that he thought the sleeve would be best for me. I believe a good surgeon will help you with that decision. 2 weeks post surgery and very happy so far with my decision. Good luck.

The one thing I will add to the above is foam rolling. It is a wonderful way to stretch and release tight muscles before and after a workout. It's basically like a massage and stretching all rolled into one. I wouldn't hesitate to foam roll any areas that are giving you discomfort. It's uncomfortable at first...but over the course of a couple of weeks it really starts to feel good....like a self inflicted deep tissue massage.

Just met with my surgeon yesterday. Told me to loose the 15 to 20 lbs before surgery. Mat with dietitian who told me what I could and couldn't eat before during and after. My biggest eye opener was she said no carbonated beverages of any type. This will be a tuffy. I love my diet Pepsi and occasional beer, Yes occasional, 1 o2 two every other week. How am I going to cope with this one and Is she correct is saying NO CARBONATED BEVERAGES:frown:

I was holding off grocery shopping for my post-op diet until I saw my NUT...I am planning on doing that shopping this weekend...it's about time, since my surgery is Monday I have been taking notes from the message boards for several weeks now, and I am merging those notes with the packet my NUT gave me Wednesday...I could use a little advice and guidance please My post-op prescribed program is Clear liquids for the first two days...that includes a clear Liquid Protein drink--60 to 70 grams of protein each day...the brand my NUT recommended is New whey liquid...they come in 3.8 oz liquid vials, and each vial contains 42g protein...that means I would drink (sip) 1.5 to 2 vials each of the two days...she is advising I just sip about a third of each vial in a "sitting," which means it would take six sittings throughout the day to get it all in...plus of course the rest of my fluids...I am tempted just to buy the 4 vials of what she recommended--it's only 4 two days post-op, and I think I could drink them very cold and tolerate them for just 2 days...any feedback on this? I am more concerned about shopping for the next 10 to 12 days when I will be on a "full liquid" diet...the NUT says that the New Whey Liquid used during the first two days aren't sufficient nutritionally for this full liquid phase...she gave me a list of suggested brands with her personal recommendations highlighted...here are the highlighted options (in this phase I need 70-75g protein daily): --EAS Myoplex Original ready to drink; 17oz has 42g protein --Oh Yeah! Nutritional shake from GNC in powder or ready to drink; 32g protein in 14 oz drink --Optimum Nutrition 100% Whey Protein from GNC in homemade vanilla ice cream flavor; 23g protein/scoop of powder --Pure Protein Shake from Walmart or GNC; comes in chocolate and vanilla with 35g protein in 11 oz drink --Unjury Whey Protein Powder (comes unflavored; also in a chicken Soup flavor) each scoop has 20g of protein From my notes from the message boards, I have these recommendations: --Syntrax nectar shakes --Matrix (mint cookie flavor) --Premier Protein (choc and vanilla) ready to drink has 30g protein per bottle --Isopure fruit flavored (orange, grape) --EAS dark chocolate with PB powder My NUT says during the full liquid phase, I can mix the protein powder with low-fat milk products if I desire; also I can have cream Soups (like cream of chicken, cream of mushroom, cream of celery) and I can add unflavored protein powder to the soups my other two options on full liquid are low-fat cottage cheese (which I don't like now) and light yogurt (not sure what "light" means here) I must complete my shopping on Sunday--any advice, feedback, guidance from those who have "been there" will be appreciated...at this time I am not even planning for the soft food stage, since I won't be there until after my follow-up NUT visit two-weeks post-op

I'm 8 weeks out sleeve and am only able to get 3 T. Mashed potato a day. I can't tolerate real food yet. I'm going nuts.

All of a sudden I just realized how happy I am!!! I was banded on February 23. I was a little scared but really wanted this. For some reason I just realized it has not been a tough road so far. Its just so doable. I dont feel like if im starving. I was on a liquid diet for 7 weeks and got my first fill on the 8th week. Not even the 7 weeks of liquids were horrible. I figured ive been stuffing my face all my life why cant I just be on a liquid diet for 7 weeks. I think the attitude has so much to do with it. I Cook huge meals for my family yet dont feel bad if I cant eat what they are eating. There are days I wish I could have lost more by now, but all of a sudden people all over are noticing that Im looking SKINNY!!! What a great feeling. Im working out so that makes me feel better. Skin is really getting loose but that has motivated me to get into the gym so that things fall into the right place when I get to my goal weight. Any way just wanted to share how Happy Ive been feeling ever since Ive been banded and wondering if everyone feels the same way. I know some people feel deprived many times after weight loss surgery. I am currently at 193 lbs. I had not been under 200 lbs for over 7 years or more....so I feel Great!!!:thumbup::w00t:

My paperwork was sent on Monday and I received approval today (Thursday) Yay! Can hardly believe it only took 3 days! I'm glad it was so fast and very thankful because I know some here have waited for weeks. Next step is to schedule surgery. Unless they have an opening within 3 weeks, I won't be able to get it until October due to work. I don't care either way, I'm just happy lol. :thumbup:

So I haven't been on in a while but I did go ahead and get a fill... 1.6 cc's added to my 2.4 so i'm at 4 cc's in a 10 cc band. Honestly, this feels good. I know the first week can be tighter so the real test is on now. I got my 2nd fill on Thursday, February 24th. It's been 10 days. After only losing 5 lbs in the 4 weeks after my 1st fill, I lost 5 lbs in the ONE WEEK after my 2nd. Five pounds in a week is a lot - my goal is about 10 lbs a month so I know this week may be slower but it was encouraging, nonetheless. And while I know muscle weighs more than fat (thanks for the reminder ) it's still hard to swallow fighting the same pounds week after week when you're working so hard. But, accoring to my TANITA printout - my fat was down like 14 lbs and my muscle was up 3 lbs. I was also holding on to more Water (probably a result of mother nature.. lol). So again guys -- thank you so much for your continued support and talking some sense in to me when I get down on myself. It all works out in the end, we just need reminders. Some short-term goals: 1. Down another 40 lbs by vacation (July) 2. Down 50 lbs by my husband's school reunion (August) How great would that be :-) And by the way -- I'm the weight now that I am when I met my husband. Another 10 lbs and we are heading into unchartered waters. LOL

I am SO sorry to hear that you are having problems this far out from surgery, but I can certainly relate to it! I too had this bone deep, dead tired fatigue that seemed to plague me for weeks and weeks after my surgery. Since I am a nurse, and thought I knew so much, I only took 12 days off work to have the surgery. I am a Labor & Delivery nurse in a busy L&D unit, and for weeks, I lieterally had to drag myself to work and home again the next morning. (I work 12 hour shifts, from 7:00 PM to 7:30 AM) I was beginning to think that I would NEVER feel good again, and finally somewhere between 6 and 8 weeks post op, I finally started to feel better. I am sure part of the problem was my limited calorie intake. At first, after I started eating solid food I could only manage betwee 150 and 300 calories a day. It seemed that after 2-3 bites I was so full, and if I ate more, even one more bite, I was in agony for at least an hour or two. So I only ate a bite or two at each meal. I have never felt hunger since the surgery, but I sure do feel full quickly. Anyway, long answer to your question, I "turned around" somewhere between the 6th and 8th week. Hope and pray that this is your experience also! Keep the faith, It WILL get better!

A hint, canned broth is so bad it's not really worth it yuck! If you can make a simple broth with chicken before, it would be so much better. I boiled a chicken in Water with just salt pepper and garlic, then took the chicken out shredded it and used for my family's dinner for the week, And then you skim a bit of the fat off the top when it cools and there you go a good flavorful broth.. Some people go to a local restaurant and by a brothy type soup to go and ask for mostly broth then strain it, that's good too

@Amberakamom - I thought about that. Maybe I need to change my intake and see if that helps. @Cleo's mom - My doctor's office is very encouraging regardless of the scale. I have been measuring myself at home just because I figured that would help to encourage me when the scale is letting me down. I know I shouldn't be a "slave to the number" but when you work so hard you want to see something that shows you how well you're doing. I need to measure. I was going to try to start doing so every month but I think I may skip back down to every two weeks. That way if the numbers are letting me down on the scale the measurements can help. It's been a month since my last measurements and I was down 12.5 inches in 10 days from the time before. I'm excited to see what a month will be. I guess I should measure before I get frustrated with the scale. It's just hard not to be upset/frustrated when the scale's not moving like you wish it would. Thank you both for the encouragment!

So I finally received insurance approval this week. My surgery is set for 2/26. I've gone through so many emotions now that this is all becoming reality. I wonder if I will truly be able to do this. I'm afraid of failing and just praying that this will finally be the end of this journey of losing and gaining. I'm not trying to be skinny....I just want to live!! My babies need me and I have to do this for them just as much as for myself. I'm looking forward to being able to be physically active enough to take them to the park, ride bikes etc. Even though I'm nervous I'm also excited at the thought of the new me! I've read so many posts here over the past few months and am so inspired by all of the inspirational and insightful posts. So since my family doesn't agree with my decision to have the surgery...this message board has been my source of support through this process. I'm looking forward to walking through this journey with lots of support from fellow sleevers! Sent from my ADR6330VW using VST

Well, a fill would be required if you are hungry all the time.. other wise maybe you don't need it. Before the fill it was just healing mostly, and you were on mushies and liquids thats why you lost more weight. Yea just make little tweeks and see if that helps. I'm more liberal on my diet than a lot of people. I want it to be realistic. I eat a good 1200 calories a day. I'm not one of those people that eats like 1 egg for Breakfast, and 1/4 cup of tuna for lunch.. and I'm losing 1-3lbs a week. It's all complicated! One week I go balls to the wall 5 days a week, INTENSE exercise and I lose a pound. Which I HATE, and makes it feel so useless when you don't lose much, and spend 6 hours in the gym. The next week, I do some walking, or an exercise video for maybe 4 days, not nearly as intense and I lose a pound or two. I'm trying to figure out the right balance. The body is just fickle I guess.

Hi Gang, Thanks for all the great advice re: being so hungry, you're right, I sure won't starve and a little suffering never hurt anyone and best of all, the weight I'm losing on the post-op liquid diet will stay off with the help of the band. My question is, I'm going in for my first fill in about two weeks. I don't know the size of my band but am wondering how much I should get it filled in terms of fractions (half filled etc.) I guess I want to be able to consume about a half cup of food per meal. I don' want the most restricted option but also not the most liberal. The middle road so to speak. I want to be able to eat somewhat normally (just much smaller portions) and take longer to lose the weight. I am a self pay who has to drive 2.5 hours to the Dr. and only get one fill included in the price so I can not afford to experimentplay with different fill levels. My Drs are also German and while their English is pretty good it is also nice to have a good idea of what I want before I see them so that I can better communicate this to them. THANKS!

My husband and I are doing the sleeve together. We had our consultations last week and have our appointments set for the psychological evaluation. Still waiting to hear back from the dietitian so we can start the three months of supervised dieting. Very excited!

I finally met all the requirements and my surgeon's office said they sent all of my info in on August 7. Then on August 18 they said they submitted a little more information. In the middle of September my DH called the insurance company and was told the information was received on September 2. HUH??? That was almost a month after the first submission! So he called the surgeon's office and was told that they sent it on August 25. Why did they tell me, to my face in the office, that it was sent in earlier? So he waits a week and called insurance again (Sagamore) and was told it was sent for outside review. It's been 12 days now! I'm so discouraged and fearful of being rejected again. (I was rejected 20 months ago because I didn't have 6 month supervised weight loss, which I have now, but I don't meet the BMI requirement anymore because I lost 16 pounds. I still have the co-morbidities.) I almost went the way of gastric bypass, and I think my journey would have been smoother and I could've had the surgery by now. I'm very frustrated and about ready to throw in the towel. Sorry, I just needed to vent.

I have lifting restrictions for 6 weeks-nothing heavier than a gallon of milk. I found that when I did more housework then what I should have done or loading/unloading the dishwasher, I would have pain in the stomach. Just a reminder you had surgery. Just be aware of how much you are lifting and be careful. I did have a hiatal hernia repair during surgery but I am not concerned of getting a hernia afterwards as I am following my restrictions. Just listen to your body...if you are having pain, slow down on what you are doing. Remember you just had major surgery and it will take some time for the insides to heal.