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Welcome Domi366! You have come to the right place. We are all in the same shoes! Hope you will love your sleeve as much as I do. I'm a little over 10 weeks post op and life is great! Welcome!

Hi. My name is Mary and I found you guys by typing in a problem I was having in a search engine. It must have been fate I have been watching and reading your stories for a couple days and you have all been quite helpful and inspirational. I started my journey at 301 pounds. I knew when I crossed that 300 line that was it for me. I was a insulin dependant diabetic with liver and thyroid problems and high cholesterol. It was time to change. I went to the seminar in February and started working out and seeing my surgeon and a few other docs regularly. I got down to 283. I started my liquid diet on July 20 and had my surgery on July 27. Life sure is different I am only 10 days out and down to 264. I am on puree and tolerating it well. I have not taken any insulin since the liquid diet started. I feel great I'm glad this forum is here so I can talk to/listen to people going through the same things as me. Thanks for being here!

10 lbs in 2.5 weeks ?!! Psssh that is rapid weight loss !! Good job !!!!! My surgeon says to go for 2 lbs a weeks so I think you are doing great !

I went to a seminar for lap band, the hospital employee checked my insurance and told me the insurance plan picked by my employer doesn't cover lap band. Seeing how there are only about 200,000 bariatric surgeries in the US (1/1500 of the population per year) and maybe run $15k that works out to maybe $10 per person per year to cover obesity surgeries in the US, so on paper it shouldn't be much more for insurance to cover them. Despite that, I think these surgeries are something an employer has to pick to get covered under their plan. I also live in Indiana, I thought in Indiana insurance companies had to cover the surgeries. Anyone know for sure? I may try self pay. The cheapest I've seen in the US is about $10,700 at two places, one in southern California and one in Michigan. I found this place in Colorado offering it for $8950. Not bad, considering my deductible and copay would be $3600 even if insurance covered it. http://www.lapbandrockies.com/our-fees What are my other options?

My suggestion would be try to do a little each day. Maybe just 10 minuets a day. Work your way up to an hour a day. That seems like a lot in the beginning, but really, once you get into it, it isn't!!! I look forward to my workout everyday now and could not imagine saying that 6 months ago. I HATED EXERCISE!!! Once I put those shoes on and walk out the door, I am so glad that I did!!! The more you do, the more you want to do! It is so amazing when you really see how much you can do! And when you see the benefits you get from it, you WILL want to do more. Start with a 10 minute walk today and tomorrow and try to do more next week! One day at a time! Good luck! Kelly

So, I'm curious what you all lost on the preop liquid diet (I'm doing 10 days starting next week) and in the first 2 weeks post op. Partially pure curiosity and partially because I'm supposed to get fitted for new uniforms at work tomorrow and I'm wondering if I should just tell them to make a size smaller than I am now. I wont be into the new ones until after I come back from surgery. Surgery should be 9th (tentative), returning to work the 26th.

Banded May 15th, down 25 pounds total, including 10 pre-op. Had 2.5cc in 10cc band at time of surgery, plus one fill for total of 4cc two weeks ago. Seeing doc this Thursday, maybe for another fill...? Had a glimpse of the green zone for a few days, possibly because I was at high altitude. Have gone back to normal/yellow since. Still happy: could ditch my blood pressure meds and down one size. Also, have no side effects/stucks/PBs...great win in my book Slow and steady wins the race :-)

Hi Lisa, I was sleeved Jan. 7. My signature lists everything my insurance required me to go through. You are going to get a lot of different answers about what everyone had to do to prepare for surgery. For me I had to loose 10% of my weight prior to surgery. I don't regret the surgery at all, but that's not to say it's been easy. I would have never imagined something so simple like drinking Water could be so difficult. Or making sure you are getting in your Protein. Foods I loved pre-op I can no longer tolerate post-op. It definitely is a life changing surgery. I have stumbled a lot, but I am more conscious of carbs, sugar and protein (but not obsessed, yet lol). It does begin to get a little easier with time. Everyone's time frame (recovery) is very different. Congrats on your decision! Enjoy your journey.

What doctor did you go to? I'm in Northern NJ and am looking for a good physician. I have had two gastric bands erode through my stomach and would like to have the gastric sleeve vs gastric bypass this time. I'm not sure about going to my past physician, or possibly trying a new doctor. I have Horizon Blue Cross Blue Shield of NJ and am thankful to hear that you were approved for the sleeve. Would possibly like to go to the same physician as you since you were approved for the procedure. Thanks "I have Horizon Blue Cross Blue Shield of NJ and they got rid of the 6 month wait right when I went through the process to be submitted (dec 10). Before that time my friend had a revision from a band to sleeve and after 3 denials did get approved and didn't have to do the 6 month wait. Be sure to call because requirements change and you may not be aware. I was approved very quickly. Within a few days of submitting and approved the first time. I was very surprised. Good Luck"

I had surgery exactly 10 months ago. The last few months, I've really stayed about the same, maybe lost a few pounds total in 3-4 months. But... when I take my measurements, my waist measurement is INCREASING!! I can't understand why this would be. I've started working out with a trainer, but that shouldn't cause my waist to GROW, right? My other measurements (I only take chest, waist, and hips) are about the same, maybe a little smaller. Am I changing the way that I measure somehow? (I'm not pregnant LOL!) Did this happen to anyone else?

Habeas Fascismus: The Terrorists Win By Michael I Niman ArtVoice (etc.) 10/5/06 Last week was one that will go down in infamy as one of the most important and shameful weeks in western history. While future Americans might not be allowed to freely discuss such subversive topics as history, school children in other countries will learn what happened in the last week of September, 2006. A mere five years after a band of razor wielding two-bit terrorists declared war on America by destroying the World Trade Center, both houses of the US Congress finished their job and voted to end all pretenses of democracy and begin the transition to an imperial form of governance backed by state terror. Habeas Corpus: 1215-2006 On Wednesday, Thursday and Friday of last week, while most Americans were busy discussing the possibilities of the new football season, the US Senate and Congress voted on and passed the Military Commissions Act of 2006. Of course, unless you’re reading The Christian Science Monitor or Al Jazeerah, you probably weren’t even privy to the proper name of the bill that ended our 791 year-old British-American legal tradition of Habeas Corpus – the foundation of all human rights legislation since before the Magna Carta. Habeas Corpus, which is Latin for “you may have the body,” is, according to the US Supreme Court, “the fundamental instrument for safeguarding individual freedom against arbitrary and lawless state action.” It is the basic requirement, formerly at least rhetorically respected, by almost every legal system on earth, that states that people who are arrested must be charged with a crime, and eventually have their day in court to defend themselves. The British Parliament adopted Habeas Corpus as the law of the land across the empire in 1679, while historians trace the first appearance of Habeas Corpus in British law to 1215. The Military Commissions Act of 2006 ends all of that, placing the United States at the bottom of the dung heap when it comes to legal protections of the most basic of human rights – the right not to be “disappeared” by one’s own government. On the subject of disappearances, it seems all references to The Military Commissions Act of 2006 were preemptively disappeared before the bill was voted on. Talk about obfuscation – according to a Lexis/Nexis database search of all major US newspapers, only five articles mentioned the bill by name, and of the five, only two mentioned it before it was voted on. Quisling Genuflection to Fascism Bill of 2006 The rest of the US press, according to another Lexis/Nexis search, made up euphemistically loaded names for the bill, such as The Detainee Bill, Interrogation Legislation, or the Terror Bill, as if this law would only affect “terrorists.” Of course, all this confusion made it quite difficult to locate a copy of the actual bill before it was voted on, and to locate a roll call for the vote after it was passed. It shouldn’t require a sleuth to find out something as simple as the name of the bill that essentially ends our pretenses toward democracy. In any event, I’ll join the rest of the press corps and rename the bill for my own purposes as well, hereon in calling it the Quisling Genuflection to Fascism Bill of 2006, which I’ll simply gloss as the “Quisling Act.” According to the New York Times, the Quisling Act (s3930) creates an undefined category of people called “enemy combatants,” a designation which can be arbitrarily doled out by the Bush administration or their minions. According to The Times, once designated as an enemy combatant, a person can be subjected “to arrest and indefinite detention with no hope of appeal.” The bill strips the legislative branch of government of any oversight over disappearances ordained by an imperial presidency. According to The Times, All Mr. Bush would have to do to lock anyone up forever is to declare him [sic.] an illegal combatant . . .” With the elimination of Habeas Corpus, the Times points out, the disappeared “would lose the basic right to challenge their imprisonment.” And while in prison, the Quisling Act allows for the disappeared to be tortured and gives the Bush administration the legal authority to decide what does and does not constitute torture, while drawing the line only at rape, murder, waterboarding and a few other of the more vile acts American interrogators have recently been accused of. Of course, if someone else, say the “democratic” government of Iraq, waterboards a prisoner, the Quisling Act states that any testimony obtained can be used as evidence in American courts. The bill doesn’t specifically mention beating detainees with pikes, stretching them on racks, or feeding them to lions – so the ultimate determination as to whether those forms of interrogation would be prohibited lies with the imperial president. A Law to Negate the Rule of Law The Quisling Act brings the US into uncharted legal territory. It essence, it is a law to negate the rule of law. According to legal scholars, the Bush administration can designate US citizens as enemy combatants using purposely vague guidelines under which someone can be disappeared for lending an undefined sort of material aid to a group or person unilaterally determined by the Bush administration to fall under the “terrorism” rubric. The Bush administration can also determine someone to be an enemy combatant for “purposefully and materially supporting hostilities against the United States.” Of course, this term is not defined. And if you are disappeared for allegedly providing such support, you will not have the right to argue that you didn’t. It gets worse. Recent laws have attempted to define terrorism in corporate friendly terms so that anyone protesting against commercial activities could be designated a terrorist. Utah, for example, passed a “commercial terrorism” bill that identified anyone picketing a business with the intent of discouraging people from entering it, as engaging in terrorism. Under this law, for instance, the now celebrated 1960 sit-in at a segregated North Carolina Woolworth’s lunch counter would be considered terrorism. If that law and the new Quisling Act were in place in 1960, the four black civil rights heroes who demanded their right to be served lunch along with white patrons would have simply been disappeared off to gulags. A federal court struck down Utah’s law in 2001 and many people are certain that the Supreme Court will strike down the Quisling Act. But, in case you haven’t noticed, the courts are a changing. The Supreme Court has nine members. Four of them, Antonin Scalia, Clarence Thomas, and Bush appointees Chief Justice John Roberts and Samuel Alito, have already shown themselves to line up with the Bush junta even when this meant undermining the rule of law. One more Bush appointee, and this could happen if the Republicans retain control of the Senate, and the Supreme Court could swing to becoming a 5-4 rubber stamp for whatever insanity the Bush administration sends their way. Predictive Assassination So lets go back and revisit what constitutes a terrorist supporter – someone who, under the laws passed this week, can be disappeared into a system of secret Gulags. Journalist Robert Parry points out that in a recent speech given by George W. Bush in the lead-up to the fifth anniversary of the 9/11 attacks, he blamed the Russian revolution and the rise of the Nazis on the fact that no one took out Lenin when he first stated publishing pamphlets on communism, or Hitler, when he first started writing about Nazism. Hence, it appears, Bush is now advocating preemptive strikes against speech – what Parry calls, the end of free speech and free thought. According to Parry, Bush’s fantasy of “wiping out some future Lenin or Hitler would require killing or imprisoning anyone who wrote about political change in a way that rulers considered objectionable at that time.” Such “predictive assassination,” Parry argues, might kill, along with a Hitler or a Lenin, a Mandela or a Jefferson. And if you’re wondering who the new targets for predictive assassination might be, you don’t have to look too far. In the same September 5 th speech (available at whitehouse.gov), Bush warns that intelligence evidence shows “al Qaeda intends to [launch], in [bin Laden’s] words, ‘a media campaign to create a wedge between the American people and their government.’" Bush goes on to explain that such a campaign would paint the War on Terror as causing financial losses and casualties, ultimately, with the aim of – and he explains that these are bin Laden’s words – "creating pressure from the American people on the American government to stop their campaign against Afghanistan." Duck and Cover Get it. It’s the free press, reporting ridiculous notions about the costs of war, and perhaps its ineffectiveness at making us safer from anything, that are out there supporting hostilities against the United States by spreading what Bush deems as al Qaeda propaganda – or more accurately, by reporting the news of the day. How much more clear does the writing on the wall have to be? Why were we supposed to think it was a joke when Bush, early in his judicially imposed presidency, said that things would be a lot easier if this was a dictatorship, as long as he was the dictator. The Quisling Act isn’t about locking up terrorists. We’ve always done that. It’s about locking up innocent people. People who can’t be convicted of a crime because there’s no evidence that they committed a crime. This is the only new class of people who will be detained under this new law – people who were never, nor would they likely ever be, convicted of a crime. This is a bill about locking up innocent people and terrorizing the population by holding the threat of disappearance and torture over our heads. The Senate approved the Quisling Act 65-34, with 12 Democrats joining in with an almost unanimous pack of Republicans. The Congress approved it 250-170, with 34 Democrats supporting the Republican mob.

:redface1:The surgery took about 2 hours, (I'm told) and it went well. My Doc likes to put his patients in delux accomodations, so I am living the sweet life while I recover. WARNING! TMI SECTION: I am very gassy, and have been encouraged to belch as much as possible.. So I've been walking around burping like a 10 year old boy does for fun VERY unladylike!.. I am still having bouts of nausea and spitting up plegm.. that's the most uncomfortable thing..., that & the dry heaves.. They are going to keep me cathed for a couple more days until my "output" increases... (looking forward to losing that thing, I can tell you) Over all I'm feeling pretty good. There was a little spot on my leak test that the doc thinks is just a curve.. but they're holding me a couple extra days to get another look. He doesn't seem worried, so I'm not. And hanging out here won't be a burden. I'm looking out a 14th floor window at the East River in Manhatten, a truly gold-plated view. So now I'm playing a waiting game.:biggrin2:

I was banded on 2/13. Just had my first fill this morning. Water went down fine but felt burpy and gurgly. Came home and had 2 cups of Soup with no problem. I am anxious to lose weight and want restriction. My doc said my band was the small AP band that holds up to 10 cc's. He put in 3 cc's for my first fill when I told him I could eat a cadillac on a bun! What is your experience? Marie

Hi I was banded on 10/19/06. I just got back from McDonalds and had a grilled chicken salad. I ate the chicken first, very moist. After I ate about 50% of the greens. Don't forget, they have yogurt parfaits,skip the granola.

Hi All - I am having surgery on May 19th and my daughters big b-day party and our Memorial Day Party (same day) on May 29th - that is 10 days after surgery - will I be able to eat anything that day do you think? Also On june 25-27 we are going to NY for the weekend and have dinner plans - will I be able to eat something sensible then - that will be over a month after? thanks in advance! Stacey

Well, I needed to correct my last post. I must have been majorly retaining water the first time I weighed myself b/c I checked again and I have gained 3 lbs., not 10. Whew!

Wow! I came on today, to express the same feelings!! I am hoping to be banded in late September..I actually have my preop nutrition, PT, psych eval tommorow! And I put my down payment down...hooray! I have to wait a couple weeks to set my surgery date though. Anyway...since I found it all was good and I would be having the surgery, I've been eating worse than ever...EVER! I feel horrible. One good thing about my program is that they will not allow you to gain more than 5-10 pounds from you initial weigh in at the seminar till surgery time. I haven't gained anything, but my overall choices have been 100% HORRIBLE. It's almost like a panic state that I need to eat everything I will not eat the rest of my life. I've been eating out more than ever and even if I haven't gained, I feel like a slug. I think I feel like that dude who ate mcdonalds for a month straight!!! I'm completely ready and commited to the change that will happen in my life next month, but I'm completely out of control at this moment. One positive is that I'm going to start weining myself off carbanoted beverages and coffee before my preop liquid diet starts...less soda seems to make me feel better. Just wanted to let you know you are not alone, and I'm glad I'm not the only one. I think it's a pychological issue...knowing you are making these total life changes and it's almost like you are scared and rebelling while you can.

That name, Mrs. Pac Man, says it all for me! I am having the "Long Farewell to Food." I've gained 10 lbs. since my initial appointment July.2:eek:. I know very well that I will still be able to have many of the foods I am pretending to say goodbye to now after the surgery, but really it is more than that. I'm tired of the years of trying to control my weight. I'm being very lazy now. I will put up a great effort when the low-cal prediet starts, but until then, I am being a slug. I suppose it will irritate me when I have to relose those pounds soon, but I've stopped trying to understand my reasons for why I do what I do. I don't want to go into this experience already worn out and mentally starved. Stupid reasons, maybe, but I am just being honest. The good news is that my Medifast begins next week, so my screw up days are limited and I will have some structure again in my life, which will be a good thing. Good luck to you!

Hi Sharon, I am supposed to go in to surgery at 10 am but of course like they told you, that can change. I am so anxious for this to get moving. I know we will be on a strictly liquid diet. I was so ticked on this one...first few days had nothing but liquids, then found out that I could have vegetables and salads (of course nothing except vegetables on the salads). I just use lettuce and tomatoes and a spritzer salad dressing on it which satisfies me just fine. I have a protein shake in the morning and a salad at night with a lot of crystal light and green tea during the day and evening as well as a few sugar free popcicles in the evening. Now that diet after the surgery....hmmm! Of course I may not feel like eating anything. My main problem is drinking enough fluids and exercising enough. I have a problem with one of my feet and it sure makes it difficult to exercise and I cannot go swimming until it heals. Hopefully if I get enough of this weight off, it will heal enough to allow me to be able to swim in a public pool. I haven't had the privilege to speak to anyone who has had the surgery except those on these message boards and for the most part, they don't seem to think the pain is too bad. I am not thinking about that too much, I am concerned about how I will be about eating and keeping the food down or getting it down. I detest throwing up. That is my biggest fear. We must keep in contact as much as possible ok? I have only been to one support group meeting...hospital is a few towns away and with this foot (my right foot, wouldn't you just know) it makes driving a problem. I can call you if you want. Jodi

Started out at 138 lost 10 lbs during preop phase. Weighed 227 day of surgery and now weigh 173 lbs. Lost 54 lBS since surgery on November 17th. My last progress pic was about 2 months ago so I'm a little smaller now. My kids are very proud of me and my daughter (15 yrs old) has been a little inspired and is also trying to eat healthier as she is like me with slower metabolism and gains weight easily, while my husband and son(18yrs old) can eat anything and remain skinny. My husband still buys me chocolates and my son throws them away and reminds him of how far I've come. They try to be as supportive as possible, I'm lucky in that aspect. My happiest moment was being in old navy with my son trying on a size 14 and after being an 18/20 and the 14 was too big so my son suggested a size 12. I was nervous and after trying them on and showing my son he asked me if I was crying. It was an emotional moment for me. My weight loss has been slow as I hit a stall for several weeks now but im trying not to lose moral and take it one day at a time and look at the positive rather than the negative. Any advice on this stall is so welcome

I am 32 years old and have decided to have the sleeve surgery. After, having my sister begging me to have a weight loss surgery.I would always start the process and then i would quit. I have been overweight for about 10 yrs now...In August my husband cousin thought about having surgery and when she went they denied her due to she didnt have any health issues and wasnt overweight...anyways so she thought about me and brought the information to me. Well after reveiwing the information i decided to make a appointment. I saw the video and had been to seminars before. So my first appt was September 21, 2011. I thought this is a new journey for me. I was very nervous took my sister in law with me. After being there i decided i want to do it. Next step was nutritionist and mental doctor. on Sept 28 2011. Due to having gone to my first appt and they told me to drink plenty of water...i said ok no problem...yeah right i loved to drink soda and it was going to be hard. But i did it....I went to my appt on Sept 28, 2011 and the following day had labs,,,waiting on response i was getting a little upset. on wed Oct 19 2011 they called me to let me know that my doctor was leaving the practice and if i wanted to wait until he establish his practice of do my surgery earlier. i said earlier...so I will be sleeved on Oct 27, 2011.....a little scared and nervous. But as well excited to a new life, i thank my husband cousin for the supporting me and my family and my husband for being there for me before the surgery and i know he will be there after....will keep posted.

I was banded on Thursday, 10/11; Friday and Saturday were miserable-nauseous and sore and didn't want to think about food. Today I finally feel good (except for the soreness at the incisions) and I am starving! Full blown, stomach grumbling hungry. broth, popsicles, and Jello are not cutting it. My doc says I can go on full liquids tomorrow and can''t wait for an Atkins shake. Tried ice chips for some crunch, but ...nothing. Hope I can hold out! Sue:hungry:

I could use a buddy, Los Angeles, Ca banded 9/19/08:wub:

I just applied through Capital One. I needed a total of $13,000 and since my credit is good, I got a good rate to pay over 48 months, although I know I will be done sooner. My doctor was not registered with them and between the doctor's office, and the Capital One poeple who have been trying to sell their services to my surgeon's office, it has been a nightmare for me and the office. I am getting banded on 10/29 and since Cigna is taking their sweet time in making a decision, I decided I was not gonna let them come in the way of me changing my life. If Cigna approves me, then I will just pay back Capital One, if they don't, I will be glad I went ahead with the self pay. Good luck to you...being banded is turning out to be the bravest thing I have ever ventured out to do.

I am 6 days out and the pain is mostly gone. Yesterday I ate some cream of mushroom soup and It tasted so good. I ate more than I should have. About 10 teaspoons and the pain was almost unbearable. I have been eating 5 or 6 teaspoons tops. I couldnt help myself. It felt good and warm going in! lol I was miserable for at least an hour. But I did not throw up! I am having a bit of a problem with my bowel movements and the gas. Only a tablespoon full comes out and soft and chocolate, from my protein shakes. Will they ever be kind of normal again? I am afraid to go out because of the gas and What if its not gas. I have not got the two sorted out yet. Has anyone else had this? My jeans have elastic waist and they go up to where my surgery was and it is uncomfortable. I have been roling them down. I went to my family dr for my first checkup. My sugar was 89 with no medication and my blood pressure was low 80/60. So, we may have to cut out my Lotrel blood pressure medication. I go back in 1 week to see how that is doing. I did not get a b12 shot, but took blood and will call with results to see if they r needed yet. I think I am doing good. I am so blessed with no diabetes medication! So HAPPY! Take care all!