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Hi there! I' also in San Jose, sleeved 10/12/13. Loving my sleeve. This looks fun! I'm the world's slowest walker (short stride), if that wouldn't drive u crazy, I'm interested!

I had my surgery about 5 months ago, January 29, 2019. I'm about to get tested Monday. My eyesight which is usually great, is changing for the worse; I'm also losing a lot of hair, having memory issues and a major problem concentrating. I heard that the eyesight could be because of a vitamin A deficiency. I've been bad about taking my vitamins for a couple of weeks and I still have problems eating enough to reach protein goals. I started the shakes again to increase levels of protein. Good luck and have a great weekend!

Tuesday for me too! Thank God my dr didn't do the 10 day clears. 1 days clears starts rt now!!

Okay so I’m pretty sure everyone has a stall between weeks 2-4. Mine happened at 12 days post surgery and lasted almost 3 weeks. So here’s how it went: I lost 22 pounds in the first 12 days, then I lost 1.8 pounds over the next 20 days. There were a couple of times in that 20 days where I gained a 0.5-1 pound, then lose it, then regain. After week 5, I started losing again at the rate of 2.5 pounds/week average and 10 days ago I hit my 3 month stall (I was sleeved on 2-6-19). This time I’ve put the scale away and refuse to step on it for at least another week or two. Oh and during these last 10 days when I’ve lost zero weight I’ve managed to fit into a pair of pants that were really tight on me at the end of April so I’m not panicking. The weight will continue to fall off and the scale will continue to move down accordingly

This is hard to explain without telling my whole life story. Long story short I was a skinny person before I am where I was now, about 120 pounds ago. Not in a healthy way- I was diagnosed with bulimia about 10 years ago when I was 16. Since then, I have taken a lot of steps to better my relationship with food, although I have gained so much weight. I think that ultimately screwed my metabolism. Anyway, going through all of these clearances, I'm terrified to have this psych eval. I am so much better than I once was, and I am not just doing this without knowing how much work it is going to take for this lifestyle change. I have trouble lying- I'm an open book. So to not mention this part of my life may be hard for me. My PCP is also aware of my history but I would hope that he knows I am much (mentally) healthier now. So what do I do? Not mention it, mention it and hope it doesn't mess up my chances? Sent from my iPhone using the BariatricPal App

I made a warm slaw of shredded brussel sprouts, grated apple, crumbled bacon and cranberry wensleydale cheese. It was awesome. I had about 1.5 oz and my husband ate the rest. HW 385 SW 359 CW 335 (50lbs down!) Sleeved 10/5/16

For me personally it was A LOT cheaper to go to Mexico. Banding in Mexico cost me $6,500. Average number of fills is 2-5 for a person, but lets even double that...and say 10 fills. Ten fills would be $2,500 for me. So that would be total cost of $9,000. As far as loss of wages, I work in Higher Ed so loss of wages is not an issue. So that is still A LOT less than 16k, almost half the price even with fills. I am not saying Mexico is the answer by any means!!! Though it definitely was the best choice for me.

I had my lap band surgery on 2/8/10 and now I am having problems with my port incision and two others opening up? Anyone else have this problem? I may require more surgery this coming week or so. I am afraid to go to the ER as it hurts very badly when the dr cleaned them the other day and now they are draining fluid, pus and smell terrible. He tells me that he may need to go in and remove my port and clean out inside and then suture me back up and then at a later date go in and put in a new port. I have lost 28 pounds in 2 weeks but it has been a long, hard road. I just wish I felt better. I am so nervous!

I still feel like I am in a dream........ The paper work was sent over to my insurance company on Tues (7/22/8) & I was told to expect 10 biz days at least for approval. I actually RECEIVED MY APPROVAL on Thursday 07/24/08. I am so excited it is really going to happen. Still haven't gotten a surgery date yet but with what I have left I say within 3-4 weeks I should be banded!!!!!:thumbup::w00t::w00t::w00t::w00t::w00t:

I was banded on July 26 and I'm on a pureed diet. I've been watching what I eat, but today I had 12oz of split pea soup and felt that I could have had much more after I was done. I'm reading on here that people have been told that they shouldn't be eating more than 4-5 oz at a time and now I'm scared that I'm doing something wrong or that my band has slipped or something. I felt a lot more restriction the first week. I have immense fear of being a failed lap band patient.

Ack! I seriously feel your frustration, kcg. I have lost about 30 lbs post op (all while starving), and had a fill last week that didn't do anything! I went into support group last night literally scowling because I'm actually pissed at my band that I am doing 150% of the work and it's not doing anything right now! I just want it to do it's job! Are you exercising? Doing cardio on a regular basis? I'd actually check with your nutritionist about doing any kind of diet while banded. I have heard some of these diets can do more harm than good, which is why the results are not typically long-term. Your next fill is 10 days away. Perhaps wait it out to see if the third time really is the charm and if not, you could talk to your surgeon and/or nutrition to get creative on how you can jump start the weight loss again? Please let us know what you decide. Hang in there!

Congrats! I am about 10 months post op with a loss of about 50 #. I also view my band as a friend! My biggest fear right now is losing it! Stories such as yours are encouraging to me! I have had only one fill so far and am close to my goal. I am enjoying eating whatever I want (just not overeating) and living a "normal" life. I wish I had had it done 25 yrs ago! Here's to the next 4+++ years!

my fills we as follows: Banded 10/16/08 weight 316 lbs I have a 14cc band First fill 12/16/08 ~ 7cc's no real restriction weight 300 lbs Second fill 2/04/09 ~ 2.04 cc felt it weight 285 lbs Third fill 7/20/09 ~ 1 cc weight 216 lbs. This is my fill I am working with now and today 8/14/09 weight 194 lbs I have 11 cc in my 14 cc band I hope this helps Rae :thumbup:

The shots are to prevent blood clots. I had to do them too 10 days seems to take forever. It’s better when those are over.

I too am on a six month plan and hoping to get the band early December! I do not have a percentage of weight to lose before my insurance will pay for my surgery but I do have to follow the plan for 6 straight months. My husband is also getting the band... his insurance allows him to do a 3 month plan! Lucky bum get's his first! Anyway, I am suppose to be following a diet such as weight watchers or South Beach but I just can't seem to get motivated! I know it's horrible, I need to get started or they may just say I am not motivated enough for the surgery :rolleyes2: Good luck with your 10%

I'm 9 or 10 weeks out. Mine are super light colored. Yellow or tan. Sent from my SAMSUNG-SM-G935A using the BariatricPal App

Sleeved October 6, the only issue so far is hunger. Hasn't been that bad but I am really looking forward to solid (albeit soft) food at the end of the week. The gas pains have gone away but it took longer than expected--probably 10 days or so. No issues drinking. I can put away about 4 ounces in 15 minutes without issue. Down 29 pounds from surgery date and 63 total. I think about 50 of those pounds were in my neck, because I looked ridiculous when I put on my shirt and tie for work this morning. I can fit a whole fist in the collar. Another thing too: I cannot believe how well I'm sleeping. I haven't slept through the night in years until about a week ago. It may have been that my cpap needed to be readjusted and I just didn't realize it. I took a nap without it a few days ago and my wife commented that I didn't snore at all. It makes me think that I'll be waiving goodbye to my sleep apnea shortly on down the road, which I am very excited about.

I got a slight unfil. I was mistaken. Before my last fill on Friday I had 6.2 cc in my 10 cc band. So, .08 cc was added on Friday to make 7 cc's total and made me to tight. I was trying to wait and see if it'd wear off but, I didn't think I could sit at work sliming all day. Gross! My husband said he was going to get me a spitoon! So, I went to doc's ofc first this morning and got about 1/2 of my last fill out. I'm about 6.5 cc now. I think I was really getting dehydrated and was starting to get really fatigued. I feel better now, getting fluids down and even had some soup. Hopefully, I'm at my sweetspot. I still think I'm alittle on the tight side but, as long as I'm getting fluids down, I'm ok!

Hannah, you are now in what's called "Bandster Hell." This is the period between swelling going down and reaching restriction. This is the time to establish new eating habits and self control/willpower. When the swelling goes down in your stomach after surgery, you are left being extremely hungry. You will continue to feel this way until you reach restriction. And trust me, it sucks. Some people reach restriction quickly, others, not so much. Also, since you're only 10 days out from surgery, make sure you follow the post-op eating plan your doctor gave you. Deviating from this can cause problems, including band slippage. Once you are able to progress to the fuller foods, you will start to feel full longer. You will still get hungry, but not as severe. You can do it chica!

Landed right where I took off last week. 10-17: 240.5 10-24: 240.5 The previous week was my best ever (7.5#), but I went up and down over the week. Big party with too much to drink and too much to eat and not enough restriction (or restraint). I got up to 244 on Sunday, had a fill on Tuesday, took it down to 239.5 on Thursday, and I back at 240.5 again. Hopefully, with the new fill I'll be back on a losing track. Bryan

Hi Everyone, I decided that I would make a list of things for new people who are thinking about having WLS that might be helpful to them. This is long so please PRINT THIS OUT TO READ if you don’t want to read it all at one time. This is my point of view after having surgery with Dr. Aceves , in Mexicali, Mexico. First thing is to start asking people on the board you are on all kinds of questions—make of list of things you want to ask and keep coming back and ask more questions as time goes on. The more questions that ask the more you educate yourself about WLS and the process and what doctor they liked. Don’t rely on just one source of information. It is really normal to have all kind of feeling and emotions when trying to decide if you want to have Weight Loss Surgery. I must have talked myself in and out of doing this at least 50 times during my 6 months of research. My only regret is that I didn’t do it sooner. This is a big step. But if diet and exercise worked for us then we still wouldn’t be fat and would have lost the weight a long time ago and never regained it. It takes a lot of courage to have Weight Loss Surgery. I am very proud of you for looking into this. Don’t give any more days of your life being overweight, and your body hurting along with being unhealthy. WLS really is your answer. How do you select your surgeon? First of all this is NOT a time to price shop for the cheapest doctor to do your WLS—that is just the wrong way to go at this. There are a lot of doctors who advertise on the Internet doing sleeve surgery for a lot less than some other doctors. I found one posting from a person who had the following concerns after having surgery in Tijuana, Mexico. (a) They put NO name band on her to be able to ID her when giving medications or anything else. ( NO one asked if she had any allergies to foods or medications—thank goodness this person didn’t have any. ( The lab did NOT label tubes of blood with the person’s name on it—very dangerous. © Day after surgery they gave this person ice chips, tea and apple juice. The next day (day 2) they gave this person NOTHING so this person asked why and the nurse said this person wasn’t allowed to eat anything. Well, this person then said I had Clear liquids the day before and they wanted to know WHO gave it to this person?? (d) This person was told that they would get a copy of the operative report on their discharge to take home with them—This person has not received it yet and that was about 2 weeks ago. So make sure have positive feedback about the Surgeon and Staff and Hospital that you choose. There are some good doctors out there and there are so NOT so good doctors out there. My choice after 6 months of research was Dr. Aceves in Mexicali, Mexico. What I can tell you in my opinion is that he is the very best you will ever find to do your surgery. I can only speak about my experience and my research that I did before I made him my choice for a surgeon. I am sure there are other people out there that feel the very same way about their doctor too. Pack lightly for your WLS. So many of us have gone to Mexico, so you want a small suitcase with wheels, a laptop & a cell phone. The clothing that you wear to Mexico are the same ones you can wear home—slip on shoes work great too. Make sure that the clothing is loose fitting. Something just comfortable for your ride home. While in Mexico—that is if you go to Mexico for WLS make sure you take GAS-X. They have nothing in Mexico that they give your for gas, and the use gas in your abdominal area during surgery. It is painful after the surgery, so GAS-X STRIPS are easy to use by just placing them on your tongue. Take a couple of boxes with you—you will be glad you did. If you are going to use a credit card make sure you tell your credit card company and your Bank if you use your debit card or credit card. Sometimes if you DO NOT let these companies know you are outside of the US they block your charges. Use a credit card or debit card vs cash it is much easier to use. Take small amounts of cash for tips—I took $45.00 in 1’s for tip money for various things. If you go to any hospital anywhere leave ALL jewelry at home –just a watch and no rings or other jewelry. I never had any problems at all leaving my purse and computer& cell phone in my room while I was in surgery, but they recommend that you leave all jewelry at home. If you are a lady please remove all nail polish—they need it removed to see your nail beds during surgery. The first month you do after surgery is the HARDEST month you will ever have to do. You do 10 days of nothing but clear liquids to start with—that means you have to be able to see through the liquid. Do not panic if you can not get the Protein they want you to have the 1st 10 days—I couldn’t find anything I liked that was clear during the 1st 10 days. They want you to try to drink 64 oz each day, and I don’t think I could ever get that much Water drank—just do the best you can. Your new stomach has just had major surgery and it is swollen and will only hold something about the size of your thumb. The next 10 days gets much better—you are now on creamy liquids for these 10 days. You can now have some creamy Soups, yogurt, and pudding—sugar free and find a Protein Drink that you like. For me it is Premier Protein Drink and I get mine at costco. When looking for a protein drink, make sure they are low in calories, high in Protein—Premier has 30 grams of protein in each drink box and make sure you have low carbs too. I know there are a lot of other Protein drinks out there that people like. When it comes to carbs I tried to keep mine at no more than 20 carbs per day. Ask others what kind of Protein drinks they liked and where they get them. The last 10 days are mushy foods. So this is a bit of a challenge. How many foods can I make mushy? I even considered using some baby foods. Start thinking about what will work as mushy foods for you. Starting the 2nd month is quite an adventure. You can eat regular food. Here is where the relearning process takes place. You now will take tiny BABY BITES of food and chew each bit about 30 times or until it is like a liquid. From here on out you will need to take small bites of food and chew and chew and chew. I found out that chicken and fish were a lot easier to chew up. I don’t eat much red meat—your tastes will change and things you didn’t like a lot might taste good and something that you used to love don’t taste that great anymore. Keep track of what you are eating and keep your calories at about 800 calories per day and no more than 20 carbs per day—whole grain carbs are the best to have—NO white or refined carbs. I highly suggest that you keep track by writing them down or using some of the Internet sites that offers you this. I suggest this site it works great there are other sites to use this is just a suggestion. hair 3 or 4 months after having WLS. I would find a lot of hair in the shower after washing my hair. That is pretty normal for a lot of us—this does not happen to everyone. There is no magical cure for hair loss—some people use different shampoo’s or take Biotin. It happens and you live with it. YES, it will grow back. For me I had pencil straight hair and mine grew back natural curly and I love it now. I already had thin hair so for me, I got some cute wigs and wore them for about 9 months until my hair looked a lot better. It was worth the hair loss to lose 105 pounds. Because we eat a lot of protein we suffer from constipation. You need to have at least 70 grams of protein EACH day. So I mix my protein drink each morning with MIRALAX. It is NOT habit forming and is tasteless and it is just a good way to start off the day. I put the protein and a cap full of Miralax in the blender with about 5 small ice cubes and that is my Breakfast. 3 years later I still have this for breakfast and nothing else, it just works for me. You may have periods where you have what we call STALLS. You may be doing everything right and eating and exercising and you have NO weight loss for a week or more. This is normal—mine lasted 9 days. Don’t panic the weight loss will start up again, just keep doing what you are doing. Our heads play games with us sometimes it is ugly what our brain tried to convince us of—We call these “Head Games” and they really are tough times to work though, but you can do it. Your head is still thinking with your old brain and way of thinking that you have been doing for most of your life. You now are eating VERY small amount of food, but your head is used to you eating LARGE amounts of food and that is what your brain wants—so it tries to tell you the you should be eating more—NOT true at all. So you need to have a talk with yourself. Do I just WAN T to eat or do I really NEED to eat? You are not on a diet, but you are making a LIFESTYLE change and that is good because you can do this for the rest of your life. You will NEVER be able to eat like you used to. That is good because that is how we got fat. You will morn the loss of food—you will look around and see others inhaling all this food and you think to yourself—I used to eat like that. You will notice how fast people eat and inhale their food and talk and hardly chew what they are eating. That is pretty normal feeling to have—because you are now eating such small amounts of food and chewing and chewing. You will never be able to guzzle a bottle of water again—that is OK too. These are all good things. In time you will look at all the food people are eating and thinking to yourself oh my gosh I could never eat that much again—it is way too much food. When you have issues or problems come back to the board and ask others who have already done this. We are here to help and support you. Give or exchange all your fat clothes away. You will never need them again after they become too big for you. This weight loss is something you will be able to maintain for the rest of your life. You have earned the right to have new clothes. Make sure you have the VERY best doctor that has had a lot of experience with sleeve surgery and check his success rates out. Check the doctor for HIGH patient reviews from the people who have gone to him or her. I can NOT STRESSS this enough. Make sure that your surgery is being done in a hospital NOT a Clinic. One clue that it is a clinic is if they send you to a hotel room to recover—that is why they cost less, this is also dangerous too. YOU are worth the extra money that it cost to have this WLS in a Hospital and by the best Doctor you can have. You want to have a happy and GREAT life and having the RIGHT Doctor and Hospital are the key to this. Sorry if this is long, but it is intended to have as a reference and answer a lot of your questions that you might have. For some of you, you are very lucky because your health insurance is now starting to pay for Weight Loss Surgery. For many of us, we did not have your luck, so we are self pay patients. There are companies that loan money for this surgery—be aware that their interest rate is high. Once you pick your doctor ask them about these companies that give loans for surgery if you are a self pay patient. You know we never think twice about making car payments. If you have to borrow the money for this surgery just look at this as “body payment.” It will be the best money you have ever borrowed. Please PRINT this out to read later. If you have any questions for me please feel free to contact me. I had surgery almost 4 years ago, so I do have quite a bit of experience. I really am here to help you along your journey. It took me 14 months to lose this weight and I was 63 when I had the surgery, so it is NEVER too late in life to do this.

100 squats 90 reverse lunges 80 dead leg lifts 70 mt climbers 60 bridge lifts 50 calf raises 40 plié squats 30 crossover lunges 20 squat jumps 10 bicycle lunges

I've been worried about kindey stones, I've had more than I can count in the last 10 years. I really don't want anymore, sorry you are dealing that them I know how much they suck.