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I had to post pone my surgery 6 months because the only day available to me I could not find a flight out early enough that did not conflict with my work. So 6 months later when my next vacation was approved for is when I booked. Sometimes I wonder how much weight I would have lost if I could have found the right flight and had my surgery in August instead of February. The 19 days will fly by and you enjoy that ohh soo buttery popcorn in the mean time. I am salivating thinking about it. I will have some someday just not for awhile.

Don't knock it but I think asdas own protein shakes work just fine. For me any chocolate, strawberry or latte shakes just all end up tasting the same as each other. Sent from my HTC 10 using BariatricPal mobile app

I have Psoriasis, which causes my body to break out in incessant itches from time to time. From what I've experienced the best way to relieve the itchies, is to take a cool to lukewarm shower, Cold or Hot Water will irritate your skin. After your shower, take some oatmeal, mix it with warmish water till you have a goopy sort of consistency, and spread it on the affected area, leave it for about 10-15 minutes, then wash it off with lukewarm water. It's gross, but It works.

Exactly 10 days after mine in fact I have an appointment my first follow up appointment that day. I will be sending out prayers for you.

Yes, it feels great to be able to go down in sizes! From a size 28 to an 8/10 and 5 pounds to go. But, sadly, for me, I have become somewhat of a shopaholic (online). It is really ridiculous, especially since I am currently really only able to get to doctor's appointments and out for some quick grocery trips on Saturday. I mean, with my now extensive wardrobe, how often am I really going to wear all of these clothes? I really came to grips with my clothes buying problem a few weeks ago. Yes, it is true, food addiction can be replaced with shopping addiction, gambling, alcohol, etc, etc. Along another line, I am really pissed that I bought so many of these tops that billow out and make me look pregnant! Why did I buy them? Those are the style of clothes that I used to buy when I wanted to hide because I was so overweight. Is anyone else tired of all the billowy styles?

Sheesh I'm so sorry to hear that!! I know once I had my mind made up I couldn't have my surgery fast enough. Just try to hang in there and keep your mind occupied as much as you can. If you do that the time will go by a little faster for you. No worries, your day will be here and it really does come and go really quick. Set up a countdown ticker, I did and I found it helped when I'd look at it and see the 10... 9... 8... 7... etc. Hugs!!!

I had my surgery 11-19-08 and I remember being starved for the first 2 weeks. I thought I knew what it was like to be hungry and found out I haven't been hungry a day in my life up to that point. I have lost 47 pounds since surgery and I am due for 2nd fill on 2-25-09. Can't wait cuz I don't feel any restriction and I am hungry right now.:biggrin:

lizrbit I am also a patient of dr.st.laurent..How is your experince been. so far mine has been good. I just had my surgery on 6-19. I have my check up tomorrow. did you have your surgery at journey-lite? I thought everyone there was so nice a helpful..take care

@@Chi2Htown, I live in the Chicago area as well. This forum was a Godsend while I was going through the process. I binge read for three months before surgery, I even went back and read post from years ago. Educate yourself. The sleeve is permanent so you want to make sure you have no regrets. This was the absolute best decision I made. I honestly never had one second regret, even immediately after surgery when it was hard because I knew it would get better. I'm 52 & wish I had done this 10 years ago. Wishing you the very best possible outcome.

I had surgery on 8/16. I read and read and read entries on this site. It made a world of difference for me. I was on a 2 week pre-op, almost harder than the surgery itself. On that morning, I was scared and apprehensive. Praying did calm and center me. When I came in, they asked a lot of questions I answered 13 times already...lol. What meds am I on? What's my name and date, checking the wrist band. Met with various nurses and Drs that "prepped" me. Got my IV. Surgery was done about 2 1/2 hrs after I arrived. It took about 1 hr 15 min. Woke up in recovery room, felt kinda like hit by a Mack truck, just confused, out of sorts, thirsty!!! Once in my room, got the pain pump. Used more in the first 3-4 hours and tappered off to maybe 6-8 "hits" per day. Pain went from a 9 to a 6 in a matter of a few hours, then down to a 4. I asked for no bladder catheter, I get bad UTIs. So schlepping all the stuff (IV and pain meds stand) in and out of the bathroom was a nuisance. I walked around the unit twice that day. I stayed 2 nights because I had issues with my heart rate dropping. The 2nd day walked 4 times around the unit. Ate minimally while I was there. Rested on and off. Was very bloated. I had to keep mindful that the first week wasn't about weight loss, but recovering. Detoxing from the anesthesia and meds took a few days too. Now feeling really good. The "worst" is behind me and I can't wait to getting better and better and more "normal". It's just a couple weeks of inconvenience, sacrafice and being uncomforatble for hopfeully a lifetime of better living. Good luck, we're all here for you. Keep us posted. Melinda Sleeved 8/16/10 by Dr Lynch HW 333, pre-op diet start 323, surgery weight, 309, weight today 300! Yippee!!!

Well Hello. Let me know if you have any questions. I am now 10 months out from my surgery. If you have any questions please just ask no matter what. I have had some good success in that I've lost 80 lbs so far and I'm still losing. I have gained 2.5 lbs this week due to 2 deaths in the family but hope to finally get back on track starting tomorrow. Where are you having your surgery? How is your surgeon?

I was banded 10/2011, I have lost sixty eight pounds. I'm a slow loser:( mainly because my first year I couldn't find enough time to work out as I should. Now I work out twice a week in a.m and then once in evening. I will say I've had five fills and 2 unfills but that's because my stomach is so sensitive. I have to watch every calorie. I don't lose as much as many banders, my journey is slow. I try not to focus on pounds because it drives me nuts when seeing others lising double than me.This is the first time being on liquids this long because three weeks back they had to take out my last fill plus some because my stomach got so irritated after eating leftovers:( but I'm very happy I did it, it changed my life. I think about everything pertaining to food differently now and i think thats whats important- changing our thinking.Congrats!

Had the exact same fears. I have a 19 month old and 4 year old twins. I figured it was time to roll the dice. I thought the 1-3% risk of something happening was better odds than the 100% risk of leaving them early due to my weight. I was sleeved 10/23 and honestly the only issue I have is the lifting. The pain was pretty non-existent for me which in a way was bad because i forget and still lift the baby. It's really impossible not to (in and out of the car seat etc). So far no issues but holding my breath I don't pop a hernia. Good luck!

I was out of work for 1 week. I ended staying in the hospital for 4 nights because I was constantly nauseous and couldn’t really tolerate liquids. However, once I got home, I was ok because I was sure to stock up on all the liquids, broth, etc. that I needed for the first 2 weeks. Fortunately I didn’t have any incisional pain, so getting up and moving around wasn’t an issue for me. The gas pain and stomach spasms were rough at first, and they eventually faded after a week. FYI, I work as a nurse practitioner and I walk throughout the day to round on my patients within the facility where I work. I don’t do any heavy lifting or anything like that. I felt weak the first few days after returning, but it was mostly related to lack of calories and trying to keep up with my workload. After my 3rd day back to work, I was fine. I’m guessing I would have benefited from taking 10 days off, opposed to 7.

I had my surgery on 6/19 Friday and was discharged that evening... Saturday and Sunday I just kinda hung out around the house and rested...but I really didnt have much pain at all and I could have went back to work Monday. I have a very easy desk job, but Im going back Thursday which is the day my dr and I agreed on, Im still getting use to my liquid diet so Im ok with that. I also have a 3 year old and she doesnt understand the procedure I had done, but she does know that my tummy is sore and she has to be careful not to jump on me and she cant be rough. Good Luck, this website is amazing, any questions you have can definatly be answered here!

Sunday, March 13, 2005 By Dan Fitzpatrick, Pittsburgh Post-Gazette All Murrysville dentist Michael Gigliotti wanted was a relatively cheap, last-minute flight from his mother's house in Florida to a natural-gas auction in Texas. But a $552 bill for the late-Februarytrip quickly went up when a late-boarding passenger complained he could not fit in the seat next to the 5-11, 300-pound Gigliotti. A supervisor from Southwest Airlines boarded the plane, crouched next to Gigliotti and said he would have to pay for a second seat on the return flight, claiming the dentist's large frame would not fit entirely in the 17-inch-wide space. Gigliotti did not feel humiliation -- just rage. "This won't hold up in court," he told the Southwest supervisor. "It already has," was her response, according to Gigliotti. The exchange captures a touchy topic in aviation -- how to deal with larger passengers as the nation's waistline expands. More than one-fourth of Americans are now classified as obese, and in an industry obsessed with fitting as many people as possible inside a giant aluminum tube, airline seats have shrunk to 16 inches measured from arm rest to arm rest -- narrower than an average-size computer keyboard and a tighter fit than the typical office chair or general-admission movie seat. "The airline seats are simply too small for a high percentage of the flying public," Gigliotti said. "We are getting bigger, we're getting taller, we're getting wider." Southwest is not the only major airline with a large-seating policy. US Airways, Northwest Airlines and America West Airlines all can require an overweight passenger to pay for two seats but said they do everything they can to find a pair of empty adjoining seats on the plane at no additional charge. Midwest Connect, which serves Pittsburgh from Milwaukee, requires that passengers unable to fit in one seat buy two; if there are other seats available on the same flight, they will be refunded for the second. But other carriers serving Pittsburgh, including United Airlines and Delta Air Lines, have no large-seating requirements. Hooters Air, an airline featuring slim, scantily-clad "Hooters girls" as flight entertainment, has no such policy, either. "We love large people," said Hooters Air President Mark Peterson. Hooters, which flies from Pittsburgh to Myrtle Beach, S.C., has never charged for an extra seat, he said, and fitting a larger passenger onboard has never been an issue in two years of operating the airline. While critics of Southwest's policy acknowledge that other airlines do the same thing, some said Southwest deserves to be singled out for its rigidity. "Southwest really expects its employees to enforce it, " said Mary Ray Worley, a board member on the Sacramento, Calif.-based National Association to Advance Fat Acceptance. At other airlines, she said, "it seems to me their employees exercise a lot more of their own judgment in enforcing or not enforcing their policies. A lot depends on the prejudices of the employees involved." The large-seating policy is nothing new for the Dallas low-fare carrier, considered one of the industry's most successful companies, having made a profit 31 years in a row. It initiated a "customer of size" policy in 1980, requiring a larger passenger unable to fit in one seat to pay for two. But the airline, saying it could no longer ignore complaints from slimmer passengers, began enforcing the policy more vigilantly in 2002, requiring passengers to pay for the extra space even if others were available on the same flight. A refund is made available if the flight takes off with empty seats. Each case is a judgment call. There are no scales at the check-in counter. The test appears to be whether a passenger can sit in one seat without lifting the armrest. The increase in enforcement, leaked in a 2002 memo from Southwest President Colleen Barrett, sparked a few lawsuits and criticism from fat acceptance groups as well as jokes from NBC "Tonight Show" comedian Jay Leno. The negative attention was unusual for Southwest, used to glowing PR. Leno, in one of his monologues, stuck it to the Texas company, saying, "Boy, Southwest is cracking down on overweight passengers. Now any fat people standing in front of the terminal for more than 15 minutes will be towed." In another joke, he said Southwest had "been overstating each passenger's weight by 80 pounds so they can sell more fat ass seats." Southwest spokesman Ed Stewart attributed the controversy to "entertainment value." He mentioned the jokes from Leno and said "the reason you do it is because you think you can get a laugh out of it and it is something that affects everybody." The constant attention has "nothing to do with news value." It is little more than "people liking to make fun of other people." Most passengers, he said, like the policy. "For every 10 letters you get, nine of them will say they did not enjoy their flight because someone was sitting on them." Stewart said. A few, though, were upset enough to sue. New Hampshire businesswoman Nadine Thompson filed a lawsuit last year claiming she had no problem fitting into a Southwest seat but still was asked to pay for a second seat on a Manchester, N.H.-Chicago flight. When she refused, she was escorted from the plane, according to her lawsuit. Another woman in Spokane, Wash., filed a suit last year saying Southwest humiliated her in front of other passengers on a Orlando-Spokane flight, and that she spent the ride home in tears over her experience. But no one yet has been successful in overturning the policy in court. In 2000, a California judge ruled that Southwest's policy was "reasonable and not discriminatory" after a woman weighing 300 pounds sued. The woman's civil rights were not violated, the court said. But "I still think it's discriminatory to make me buy two seats," said the 5-foot-1, 350-pound Ray Worley, of the National Association to Advance Fat Acceptance, who often will call ahead before booking flights to make sure there is enough room. "I believe I am entitled to the space I take up. It's a basic civil right issue. A lot of people believe it is within my control to be whatever size I am. That is completely false." When Southwest began enforcing its policy more strictly, it went before the National Association to Advance Fat Acceptance's annual convention in Atlanta to explain it. It did not go well, according to Ray Worley, who was there. If Southwest hoped to make the policy more palatable, "They completely failed. ... The impression I got was they do not want fat people flying their airline. They don't want our business. They want us to go away." "What would make me want to fly Southwest?" Airline industry expert Terry Trippler said his biggest problem with the policy is its lack of consistency. If gate agents on one end of a round trip allow a large passenger to pay for only one seat, then the gate agents in another city should arrive at the same decision. But it doesn't always happen that way, Trippler said, and "everybody doesn't always have twice as much money for the airline ticket." "It's a tough call." Gigliotti, the Murrysville dentist, also has a problem with the way the policy is applied. "I think there has to be a measurable standard," he said. "The standard should be, can you put the arms down?" Gigliotti, who said his shoulders are wider than his waist from weightlifting, claims that he was able to get his arms down "without undue stress." The company, on its web site, said the armrest is the "definitive gauge." But in a Q&A about the policy on its Web site, Southwest said employees can still question the passenger "if a concern exists. ... Condoning an unsafe, cramped seating arrangement onboard our aircraft is far more inappropriate than simply questioning a customer's fit in our seats." Asked about Gigliotti's experience, Stewart, the Southwest spokesman, said, "I am sure he is a very slim 300 pounds" and it is "always going to be a judgment call." But every time the policy has been challenged, in court, "we have prevailed." Gigliotti was not charged extra for one leg of his trip, from Tampa to San Antonio, but he was charged for a second seat on the return trip to Tampa, despite the presence of other empty seats on the plane, he said. He was able to get a refund by calling a customer service number, but the experience is still with him. He fired off a letter last week to Southwest calling its policy "arbitrary and capricious." He vows never again to fly Southwest, even after its starts service from Pittsburgh in May. "I just want the public to realize what can happen to them if they fly Southwest."

A few days with no loss does not a stall make. My weight loss since surgery has averaged out at about 8-10 pounds a month at three months out, so while 20 is an awesome thing to hope for, do not get upset if it's not reality. Congrats on your awesome success so far! You are doing fantastic.

Wow, you are a smart one. Everyone should schedule an appointment DAY OF surgery, or even before, for a 6 week fill. AND a 10 week fill AND a 14 week fill. Don't wait until week before or anything. Being on time, everytime is the key to the lapband system. Don't need to keep the appointment? Just call a day or two in advance and cancel it...but not the others.

Hi Debby... I see Sheri answered your question... Hi Sheri!!!... Yes.. I am a special needs mom... I have a 10 year old with Spastic Quad CP... and you? TTFN

I was just sleeved on 12/10; but I'm sure hoping it works. My husband said squats would help with my thighs as well so I'm starting that tonight. I feel like they told us some vitamin or supplement pre-op that helps also...I just can't recall right now; when I get home I'll check my notes and let you guys know!

For the first time in our 12 year relationship (10 years of marriage), I weigh less than my husband! I still have a lot to lose and he could stand to lose a few, too, but I have always been at least 20 pounds heavier. He actually seemed genuinely excited for me, too. I think he's looking forward to being able to pick me up and carry me around. Still got a long way to go before I get there, but a girl can dream. I told him to start hitting the weights now, though.

Everything went well!! I was sleeved yesterday @ 0730. Just started my 2oz of water every 1hour. If all goes well ill start with protein at 10:00

Haven't posted in a while but just wanted to share. I am almost 10 months post op and down 55 pounds. While there are days I hate this band (like now as I'm trying to eat chicken breast) the positives definitely outweigh the negatives!

Okay...I am really curious. Since I have been able to graduate to "normal" food and increase my portion from 1/4 cup (2oz) to 1/2 cup (4oz)...I feel like there is tons of food on my plate. 4 oz is actually quite a bit of food. I never finish it...I have had one fill so for. So here is my question. Are 1/2 cup measurements truly equal to 4 oz measurements? For example - I weighed out scrambled eggs, 1 turkey sausage link and half piece of hard toast and it came out to 3.7 ounces...which is right in line with my guidelines...however visually looking at that on a plate...I know that will not fit into a 1/2 cup measuring cup. Or maybe it will if it was all squished up. I just want to make sure that I am not stretching my little pouch without realizing it. Also - does that limit apply to Protein shakes? I drink a 10-12 ounce Protein shake on my way to work every day. It only takes me about 30 minutes to get to work....should that be split to 4 ounces as well. Just curious....Thanks in advance for your feedback.

i'm not sure who the reply is aimed at, but my gym is planet fitness. They have a huge section of weight machines that are targeted at all of the major muscle groups. I do that entire section 3 times a week, alternating with an hour of cardio on the non-weight days. On the weight days, I do half an hour at least of cardio. I was doing twice daily cardio, but that did a number on every muscle in my body, so I've scaled back a little bit. In the beginning, I did 2 pound weights every other day: biceps curls, front arm raises, skull crushers, and triceps kick backs. I started with 10 reps per exercise and built up until I can do 80 reps of each one with a 5 pound weight. It's working.