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1. Were You Named After Anyone? Yes grandmother 2. When was the Last time You Cried? Long time ago 3. Do You like Your Handwriting? when Im not in a hurry 4. What Is Your Favorite Lunch meat? grilled coldcuts 5. Do You have Kids? yes 1 6.If You were Another Person, Would You be Friends with You? yeah 7. Do you use Sarcasm a lot? not really 8. Do You still have Your Tonsils? yes 9. Would You Bungee Jump? umm maybe 10. What is Your Favorite Cereal? kellogs corn flakes 11. Do You untie Your Shoes when You take them off? no 12. Do You think You are Strong? mentally not physically yes 13. What is Your Favorite Ice Cream? vanilla with hot fudge 14. What is the First thing You notice about People? if thier dress is clean 15, Red or Pink? pink 16. What is The least thing You like about Yourself? my stomach 17. Who do You Miss the Most? my grandma 18. What Color Pants and Shoes are Wearing now? denim jeans 19. What was the Last thing You Ate? coffee with chocolate 20, What are You listening to now? jewish music 21 If You were a Crayon what Color would You be? purple 22. Favorite Smells? fresh roses 23. Favorite Sports to Watch? skating 24. Hair Color? brown 25. Do You Wear Contacts? no 26. Favorite Food? ice cream 27. Scary Movies, or Happy Endings? happy endings 28. Last Movie You saw? Last Chance Harvey 29, Color Shirt/Blouse You are Wearing? red tank top 30. Summer or Winter? spring 31. Favorite Dessert? ice cream with hot chocolate 32, Favorite Place ever Traveled? Key West Fl 33, Where would You like to Travel Next? Switzerland 34. What Book are Reading now? Just between friends 35, Where were You Born? Brooklyn 36. Big Band or Rap? Big Band 37. Interesting Fact about Me? I have brown hair dh too and dd is blond 38. What did You Watch on Televison Last Night? didnt watch 39. Beatles or Rolling Stones? rolling stones 40. Do You have a Special Talent? Love making puzzles or paint

1.Were You Named After Anyone? nope 2. When was the Last time You Cried? last night 3. Do You like Your Handwriting? yes 4. What Is Your Favorite Lunch meat? publix sweet cooked ham 5. Do You have Kids? yes 1- christopher 6.If You were Another Person, Would You be Friends with You? of course 7. Do you use Sarcasm a lot? daily 8. Do You still have Your Tonsils?nope 9. Would You Bungee Jump? hell to the no way 10. What is Your Favorite Cereal? pre band- coco puffs after surg- shredded wheat strawberry 11. Do You untie Your Shoes when You take them off? no 12. Do You think You are Strong? mentally yes- physicall- getting there 13. What is Your Favorite Ice Cream? ben and jerrys chubby hubby 14. What is the First thing You notice about People? their smile 15, Red or Pink? neither 16. What is The least thing You like about Yourself? my current weight 17. Who do You Miss the Most? my g'ma 18. What Color Pants and Shoes are Wearing now? jeans and tennies- blue 19. What was the Last thing You Ate? ensure yum yum 20, What are You listening to now? key board strokes 21 If You were a Crayon what Color would You be?violet 22. Favorite Smells? the ocean, a baby, cool water perfume 23. Favorite Sports to Watch? ultimate fighter and U of Miami football 24. Hair Color?dark brown reddish 25. Do You Wear Contacts? nope=- must wear glasses 26. Favorite Food? pre band- pizza, cheeseburgers... post band- cottage cheese, string cheese, chicken 27. Scary Movies, or Happy Endings? def happy endings 28. Last Movie You saw? no idea 29, Color Shirt/Blouse You are Wearing? black 30. Summer or Winter? winter in florida 31. Favorite Dessert? pre band- any now- not too much 32, Favorite Place ever Traveled? st marten 33, Where would You like to Travel Next?anywhere 34. What Book are Reading now? how to loose weight with meditation 35, Where were You Born?dubuque iowa 36. Big Band or Rap? rap 37. Interesting Fact about Me? I will tell you like it is... i dont hold back 38. What did You Watch on Televison Last Night?big brother 39. Beatles or Rolling Stones? beatles 40. Do You have a Special Talent? thats a secret :tongue_smilie:

1. Were You Named After Anyone? 2. When was the Last time You Cried? 3. Do You like Your Handwriting? 4. What Is Your Favorite lunch meat? 5. Do You have Kids? 6.If You were Another Person, Would You be Friends with You? 7. Do you use Sarcasm a lot? 8. Do You still have Your Tonsils? 9. Would You Bungee Jump? 10. What is Your Favorite Cereal? 11. Do You untie Your Shoes when You take them off? 12. Do You think You are Strong? 13. What is Your Favorite Ice Cream? 14. What is the First thing You notice about People? 15, Red or Pink? 16. What is The least thing You like about Yourself? 17. Who do You Miss the Most? 18. What Color Pants and Shoes are Wearing now? 19. What was the Last thing You Ate? 20, What are You listening to now? 21 If You were a Crayon what Color would You be? 22. Favorite Smells? 23. Favorite Sports to Watch? 24. hair Color? 25. Do You Wear Contacts? 26. Favorite food? 27. Scary Movies, or Happy Endings? 28. Last Movie You saw? 29, Color Shirt/Blouse You are Wearing? 30. Summer or Winter? 31. Favorite Dessert? 32, Favorite Place ever Traveled? 33, Where would You like to Travel Next? 34. What Book are Reading now? 35, Where were You Born? 36. Big Band or Rap? 37. Interesting Fact about Me? 38. What did You Watch on Televison Last Night? 39. Beatles or Rolling Stones? 40. Do You have a Special Talent? My answers will be in the first reply....:tongue2:

1. Were You Named After Anyone? no 2. When was the Last time You Cried? a few days ago 3. Do You like Your Handwriting? sometimes 4. What Is Your Favorite Lunch meat? salami (don't eat LM anymore) 5. Do You have Kids? yes 3 & 4 grandkids 6.If You were Another Person, Would You be Friends with You? yes 7. Do you use Sarcasm a lot? who me? never! 8. Do You still have Your Tonsils? yes 9. Would You Bungee Jump? not on your life! 10. What is Your Favorite Cereal? Multi Grain Cherrios & Frosted mini Wheats 11. Do You untie Your Shoes when You take them off? sometimes 12. Do You think You are Strong? Mentally yes most of the time, physically, not any more 13. What is Your Favorite Ice Cream? Black Cherrie Choc. Chip 14. What is the First thing You notice about People? Eyes 15, Red or Pink? neither..green 16. What is The least thing You like about Yourself? the big scar I have on my stomach from exploratory surgery yrs ago. 17. Who do You Miss the Most? my parents and my best friend. (they are deceased) 18. What Color Pants and Shoes are Wearing now? none, in my nightie 19. What was the Last thing You Ate? ham salad 20, What are You listening to now? the hum of the computer and moniter 21 If You were a Crayon what Color would You be? green 22. Favorite Smells? wood burning,honey suckle, fresh cut grass and pine trees 23. Favorite Sports to Watch? ice skating 24. Hair Color? brown with red highlights 25. Do You Wear Contacts? no 26. Favorite Food? cheese and mashed taters 27. Scary Movies, or Happy Endings? both 28. Last Movie You saw? can't remember the name of it 29, Color Shirt/Blouse You are Wearing? pink nightie 30. Summer or Winter? spring and fall 31. Favorite Dessert? hot apple pie ala-mode 32, Favorite Place ever Traveled? Lake Misstasinni in Canada and Atlin British Columbia 33, Where would You like to Travel Next? I would love to go back to Canada and B.C. But I would also like to travel around the world. Can we say I need to win the lottery! 34. What Book are Reading now? Bible 35, Where were You Born? Mansfield,Oh 36. Big Band or Rap? big band 37. Interesting Fact about Me? because of my height I am legally considered a "little person" 38. What did You Watch on Televison Last Night? nothing 39. Beatles or Rolling Stones? both 40. Do You have a Special Talent? I can decorate cakes. thats sort of a talent

I had the same symptoms as you. I am almost 2 years post op. I had a tightening and couldn't keep anything down and it was about 2 months after my last fill. I had an upper G.I. done, there was no slip, but my docs are very conservative and they took fluid out. I did gain about 10 pounds, had to weight 6 - 8 weeks to get another fill, but have now taken most of the weight off. It may not be a slip, but you may want to get a slight unfill. Best of luck to you!!!

Hi, I am just a little north of Charlotte in Salisbury. I had my surgery by Dr Roc Bauman at NorthEast Medical Center in Concord. He is wonderful and has a great reputation. I started out at 256 and am as of today 232. I am loving the weight loss and am having no problems. I feel like I could eat just about anything though and i am HUNGRY most of the time. The Dr wants me eating 2-3 oz every 3 hours and drinking 60 oz of liquid a day. Is it normal for me to be hungry already? I am due for my first adjustment on 10-13 and i am hoping that helps with the hunger :smile:

Leslie - Let me start off by saying that I can only wish I would have done as well as you have. I am 19 mos out from banding and have only lost the 10 pounds I lost on the PRE-op diet! Although I am not bipolar, I have family that is, and I do take 40mg of Paxil for depression. I'm not going to say I know how you feel, because I have watched people suffer thru the ups and downs of being bipolar, but have not had to experience it myself. I know it's easier said than done, but try to pick yourself up - you have made great leaps and bounds since being banded. Many people, including myself, could only dream of the successess you have already had. I know how depressing and frustrating this can be - I'm there. Some people say "take it a day at a time" - I say "take it an hour at a time" - I can do a lot of damage in a days time! It is overwhelming for me to look at the big picture - I still have a good 100 pounds to lose, and haven't found a good way to do it. It is very upsetting - I feel like I have not only let myself down, but my family as well (they are pretty supportive of me, with the exception of my dad and sister). I've had 3 back surgeries and am 33 years old - I am certain that I will face more, especially if I don't get some of this weight off. You most certainly do deserve the band - you've shown that by the weight loss you've had so far. However, I sometimes feel I don't deserve the band either, as I have never allowed it to work the way its intended to work - as a tool - I wanted it to be the miracle answer to weight loss, and it's not. Hang in there! This is not an easy journey, and medications affect everyone differently - your meds may have A LOT to do with your feelings. (The closest my sister-in-law has ever been to suicide was when she was on Wellbutrin - but for some it's a God sent) Hopefully, your doctor will find the right medications for you - ones that will not only make you feel better about yourself, but ones that don't have terrible side effects. Good luck to you - and feel free to vent anytime you need to. We're here for each other. You can even Private Message me, if you want. Stephanie

Sitting on the tarmac, that's a great analogy! My process has been long, for lack of a better word! I decided while visiting family July 4th weekend that it was time to pursue bariatric surgery, after considering it off and on for 20 years or so. Did some research, found a doctor that I felt looked super credible, asked my endocrinologist for a reference, and they referred me to the doctor I had already picked. Called the surgeons office to get the ball rolling and found out our insurance didnt cover the surgery. I went back and forth about just doing self pay and getting the surgery asap, but instead opted to change our insurance to a plan with bariatric coverage during the next insurance enrollment period, which thankfully was in August. New insurance started 10/1, and I called the surgeon that day and got the initial preauthorization and an appointment for the following week! My insurance requires 6 months of medically managed weightloss, and nutrition classes. At first I was bummed that I had to jump through all the hoops to finally get to the surgery but in retrospect Im so glad I've had to 'practice' eating healthier, moving more, etc. I've been to all of the nutrition appointments as of last week, and I've only got two more surgeon appointments left (net week, and March 17). I've already had cardiac clearance, and psych clearance, but need to get primary care physician clearance still (going to see him in March, for that, and prescription refills!) It just hit me last week that I'm almost done with all those 'hoops' and surgery is coming up faster than I realized! The past 4 months kind of sped by, probably because of all the holidays packed in there! I've had good luck with the change in diet. I basically just stopped eating fast food and chocolate, donuts, Cookies, brownies, ice cream, etc. i have a major sweet tooth, so I've substituted fruit for desert. I have apples/oranges/pineapple/bananas/etc after or with almost every meal Using the myfitnesspal ap helped out a ton when I first started too. I stopped using it religiously around Thanksgiving and have just been mindful of each meal being somewhere in the vicinity of 500 calories, as well as ensuring I am eating enough Protein and vegetables. I've managed to continue to lose weight regardless, but I need to get back on track with the ap in the coming weeks. I'm down 30lbs from my initial surgeon visit, insurance required I lose 25, surgeon wanted me to lose 33. So I have 3 more pounds to get off in the next 6 weeks. At the rate Im dropping weight I think I'll bypass that! I hope! This is probably waaaay more information than you were expecting! Fingers crossed for your appointment and a quick surgery date!

Mine was approved in 10 days. Submitted on 7/11 and appoved 7/21with UHC Choice.:biggrin:

​I was just watching a repeat on TLC of Say Yes To The Dress. The bride lost 115 pounds with the band. Her future husband was there with her through the whole thing. Congratulations to the both of them. The bride's mother is thin, discipline and opinionated. The bride tried on so many form fitting dresses and loved a tight fitting that showed off her 'new' figure. The mother hated everything and the poor bride left Kleinfeld's without a dress. Why can't mother's say nice things. It is not 'her' wedding and 'her' dress. I had a cousin that was like that. When her daughter married for the second time the bride did everything her way. Sad but her mother had died. My mother did my wedding my way and when we planned it I was just 19. I got married 1 month after I turned 20 and I am still married. If that bride, Victoria, is part of this site, I hope you finally found your dress and not your mother's.

I have a 4cc band too. I got my band 1/19/07 and that was what was out at the time. So I have what is considered an "old" band. I currently have 3.25 cc in my band. I have never been told there is a cut off below the 4cc.

My nutritionist said that its actually a Protein deficiency and to dbl scoop your protein. Also there is an awesome lady on here I think here name is RaleighNC that's around 10 months post op that said the same thing. She said once she doubled up her protein the hair loss quickly subsided. Possibly ask your Dr to check your protein levels. My Doc does it routinely because protein is so very important to our success as bypass patients. But I always says prayer won't hurt either! ....and a good scalp massage everyday... Sent from my Nexus S 4G using RNYTalk

I'm almost 3 months out, the only difference I've noticed with my PCOS is weight loss. I do get periods since I've had 10% of my ovaries removed though, so I can't really say on that. Google "ovarian drilling for PCOS"; I had something kind of like this. That made my cycles become regular for the most part, it did not cure my infertility. I don't think you would need metformin after this surgery at all, since your body learns to work with such a small amount of food I'm sure that your insulin resistance will regulate. You can probably expect your cycles to regulate, but as far as the other symptoms disappearing...that's a long shot. I've been a "thin" PCOSer; I've been very thin at points in my life for very long stretches and I've never had my symptoms disappear. I worked out for 3 years when I was younger, I had excellent muscle tone; my periods returned to normal for two years but none of my other symptoms went away. Working out is supposed to lower overall testosterone in PCOS women. I'm lucky to not have horrible symptoms, I do get irregular periods, facial and body hair, overweight (hopefully not anymore after the sleeve!), and skin tags. I don't get the dark Patches and I'm grateful for that. I can honestly say my hair growth has not slowed down at all since my surgery, and my skin tags are still in abundance. My periods have been kind of wonky also, probably due to the weight loss and exercise. I think the best bet for the embarrassing PCOS symptoms is laser hair removal, I'm planing to get this at some point. I can live with the skin tags. As for infertility, that's usually not to hard to deal with if you don't get periods, usually all that is needed is something like Clomid or Femara to induce ovulation. The weight loss is a big one but I've done the sleeve for that YAY! You wanted to know if I feel better in respects to my PCOS? Well that would be yes, I do. I think that is just based on weight loss though, the PCOS made it hard for me to lose weight and let me tell you that 38lbs makes a huge difference on how easy it is to move!!!!!! I think you will feel a million times better with a sleeve, and once you lose some weight your periods should get normal. It usually doesn't take long, maybe 2 months after the sleeve...possible even 4-6 weeks. Should be about the same amount of time that it would take the Met to work. Feel free to message me if you have any questions

Hey All! I'm a newbie here, but I've finally decided to start the process and get information about VSG. I feel mentally ready for it and that it's time, as I've been going round and round with the decision for years. I go back to my new PCP on 3/10 of this month to discuss it more and get bloodwork. I gave her a head's up at my initial consult that this was something I wanted, and she said let's see if you are a candidate at your next appointment. I already made my appointment with the weight loss center for the information center on 3/25. They advised they do not need a referral from my PCP, but to have my most recent labs sent over. When I called the weight loss center, I was advised that after the information session, you will be contacted within a week for the actual consult with the surgeon. I've been doing a ton of research so far, and I see a lot of folks have a 6-12 month supervised diet mandate with the insurance. After contacting my insurance company, they sent me the policy and advised that they have lifted their 6 month restriction. My policy states the following is needed for approval. BMI 40 and over or BMI of 35-39 with co-morbidity. Individuals should have documented to respond to conservative measures for weight reduction prior to the consideration of bariatric surgery and these attempts should be reviewed by the practitioner prior to seeking approval for the surgical procedure. HOWEVER, following that statement, it says "As a Result, some centers require active participation in a formal weight reduction program that includes frequent documentation of weight, dietary regimen, and exercise. However there is a lack of evidence on the optimal timing, intensity and duration of non-surgical attempts at weight loss, and whether a medical weight loss program immediately preceding surgery improves outcomes." HELP- what does this mean? Psych consult I'm pretty clear on the other first and last requirement, but the 2nd one has me spinning my wheels slightly. When I called my insurance to ask for clarification, I was advised that a letter of support from my PCP would likely suffice. My only hesitancy is that I just started with a new PCP, and I'm wondering if she will approve me off my BMI alone, or want to try conservative measures first since I am new patient there. If she doesn't provide letter of support, will the nutrition classes that the surgeon will inevitable require satisfy the letter requirement, can he be the one that writes it or does this text indicate that it needs to come from my PCP? I plan on calling the center during their business hours to ask if they've encountered this insurance wise tomorrow, as they were closed today. Any one run into this issue with their insurance policy? Any insight or perspective offered would be awesome.

I came home from the hospital on Friday after gastric bypass revision from lapband on Tuesday and I had gained 19#'s. I know that it is from all the fluids given to me while in the hospital, but it still feels like a set back. I was very swollen and that has gone down and I have lost 17 of the 19#'s. but it looks like at my one week f/u on Thursday I will probably just barely be below weight day of surgery? Did anyone else experience this.?

I'm almost a year and a half out from surgery and I've almost reached goal weight- have completely changed my lifestyle, and I'm pretty proud of my progress. I went from a size 22 pair of jeans to a size 8 (I'm 5'9"). I walk close to 4 mi./day. People that I knew from before will walk right past me in the grocery store without recognizing me. Talk about a NSV... Then, a couple of weeks ago, I fell and broke my jaw! Ugh! It was competely wired shut for 2 weeks. Hello liquid diet again! Fortunately I had previous experience with that, so I knew to make home made chicken and beef stock, Protein drinks, and I ordered powdered supplements from Celebrate. I knew that RNY peeps are not really supposed to use straws, but, what choice did I have? I lost an 10 additional pounds, which I didn't really need to lose... Now, they have replaced some of the wires with rubber bands, so I can barely bit a baby spoon between my jaws. So, on to the puree stage! Can anyone say deja vu? Again, I knew just what to make/buy for this stage of my recovery. Next week, I move on to mushies. Needless to say, I can't wait until the final stage of this, but it will be a while before I eat anything crispy or chewy again. Then I will buy a 3 oz. portion of filet mignon, season it, sear it in a pan, and rip it apart with my fingers and teeth (I adore meat lol). So, I had a little set back but, ironically enough, my RNY experience has helped me to successfully and HEALTHFULLY navigate this episode.

I have been on it since they removed my thyroid over 10 years ago. I have had it reduced once since I have lost weight. I am down 67 lbs. I am a slow loser but I am losing. Best of luck and take your meds.

It's all born out of the fact that most people still believe that diet and exercise are all it takes. Most people have lost 10 or 20 pounds at some point in their life using this method. They don't realize that if you're trying to lose 100 pounds or more, there is a very slim chance that it will work the same way. We all know that losing that first 20 pounds is easy. Then suddenly your body puts a stop to the weight loss. It's not just will power, your body puts up a fight to maintain the weight. And if you do lose the weight, it's even tougher to keep it off.

My insurances have language that I just had to follow the facility/program's "procedure" to be approved for surgery, but they don't require any specific time frame either. So if you go to a clinic that requires 3 monthly visits, 5% body weight loss, nutritionist classes, etc... then you will have that long of a wait. It depends on your clinic and your weight, comorbidities, tests you need/already have done, etc... Mine was more just how long it took me to get my new primary insurance to kick in as well as see 1) the nurse 2) a psychologist 3) the nutritionist. They recommend 5% body weight loss, but mostly just don't want to see any weight gain. Mine went like this: Late Oct. 2019: I sent in my interest paperwork online to clinic Nov. 20th: First nurse visit Nov. 21st: Labs drawn at my GP Dec. 4th: Psychologist Dec. 11th: Second nurse visit Jan. 2nd: Nutritionist They sent in the referral to the surgeon. Jan. 29th: Surgical consult, scheduled endoscopy and surgery! Mar. 2: Endoscopy (for atypical GERD) Mar. 16th: 2 hour group nutrition class Mar. 19th: Last pre-op appt. with surgical staff Mar. 26th: Surgery day (the day I wanted anyway so I could use Spring Break to avoid using too much sick leave)

10 pounds a month is average. Only more if you're doing a lot of exercising or have a lot of weight to lose.

Hi there. I was banded on Dec. 10. I am at the same stage as you but don't blender my food. I just try to chew the food really good. My doctor said it's ok as look as I am not having problems and chew it good. I love getting on the scales almost everday to see that I have lost another pound. I am just so afraid that i won't get down to my ideal weight. I haven't started exercising yet. I really need to though. I just have been very sluggish the past few days. I don't know why. I have been sleeping really good at night. I have been very good with my Water and no other calorie drinks. I eat chicken, chicken, chicken and fish every day. write back

This question has plaqued me as well. I am only 3 weeks out so I know my portion size will change (hopefully) after my first fill on 10/22. I just don't quite get how to get the right amount of protein in such small portion sizes.

Thanks everyone for your support and help. I am just starting to figure out what to do. I have had my band almost 10 years and it is time to come out. I am scared of what damage they will find when they get there and I am trying to select a new Doctor. I looked locally at what my insurance company recommends as Centers of Excellence and I also see that there are some top hospitals outside of my region, such as The Cleveland Clinic. I am wondering if it will be worth it for peace of mind, to see if I can go to one of these more experienced hospitals for a revision? It would be a 1 hour plane ride and around $200 from Chicago or a $150 train ride for 5 hours each way. I would not want to drive it, that would be about 6 hours. Am I being unreasonable or am I just reading too deeply into horror stories and assuming that I will have problems? Any recommendations for an excellent surgeon in the Chicago area...when I say excellent, I mean world renowned. I care less about personality than I do skills.

I think it all depends on how your body tolerates them. I was always a salad and fruit lover. I had to wait a full 6 months before I could eat any raw veggies. Cooked I could usually handle at around 3 months. I'm almost 10 months out, and still salads can bother me sometimes. Like today for example. I had a romaine and tomatoe salad with chicken for lunch, and my tummy is still doing flip flops. Dr. Chaisson VSG 4/7/2010 365 beginning weight 235 todays weight 75 more to go