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Travelling down was not great, my compression band was really irritating! It is heavy, and it creases, and put pressure right on the ends of my incision! While I was in Texas, I went shopping, and found a firmest control type of high waisted compression he told me I could move to after 2 weeks, and let me tell you it made a HUGE difference!!! It is made of soft sleek material, as opposed to the other that was stiff. I bought 1, to see how it did, and have already been back to buy another! I am allowed to move to less firm control after 4 weeks.....so will see what I do then. Other than that the trip was uneventful. I was concerned about weight gain! I am on antibiotics---so have to eat 3 meals a day with the pills to avoid making myself sick at my stomach. Since we were there such a short time, we didn't really open up the house much, so did not turn on appliances---so ate out the entire time, or with relatives. But I only come home 2 pounds up, and when the swelling from the heat went away so did the 2 pounds. But that means I am still sitting at 177----time to get busy I guess!!! I did end up with some infection, which he said was highly common when the fat necrosis begins, due to the moist areas. It was grown and only shows a strept type infection, no staph type grew. It is still oozing, and has some open areas. My incision is not curved, it is more angled, following the angles of my body. It begins on one hip, and goes down on an angle to the "corner" of the pubic bone, then straight across, way low, right at the pubic hairline, then when it gets to the other side it angles back up to the other hip bone. From the edge of the pubic bone on both sides up to the hip bone it looks awesome! Healed almost invisibly!!! BUT the straight across part looks horrible, oozy, and has a couple of holes in it. He says it is ok, but I am concerned, and looking forward to my appointment Wed. to see if it should still be this way. I want it better!!! It does not hurt. There is no real pain left. Occasionally I stretch further than before and a muscle twinges, but nothing bad. I went for a motorcycle ride last night!!! It felt wonderful! Didn't go far, just a maiden voyage since surgery!!! DH said he sure could feel the difference in room on the bike! My size 12's are still what I am wearing, they are loose enough to be comfy and yet look like they fit. One of the biggest differences in the compression garments is how my clothes work with them. The old one was made with this ace bandage kind of like texture, so it helped hold up clothes that were too big. The new one being slick----does not!!! Almost lost a pair of pull on capris! I was walking in a store in Brownwood Texas, and felt like the crotch was twisting----nope, they were almost falling off!!! I would have been so mortally embarassed!! LOL!!! Anyway, gonna go check on the girls coming up!!! Just wanted to let you know, the travelling was fine----I did get my Dr.'s ok first though!!! Kat

@@Dub Love the pictures lol Mine is my pre-weight gain clothes. Right now I have a closet full of stuff that doesn't look like anything I could possibly ever wear but I'm less then a month post-op, so it's going to be a while. Congrats on your progress!

I had an issue like that but my coordinator assured me that it just has to show steady weight gain not that you just recently got overweight and decided to get wls. Sent from my iPhone using the BariatricPal App

I was 81 Kilos when i did my operation, was not obese but was fat because im only 158 CM! so i was fat and round! I did this because for years i have been struggeling with weight gain and loss, i would loose then gain them in a second, i have no control over myself, i just LOVE food in any color or type, i just LOVE food! So i did the operation, did it on June / 08 and now June /09 i lost so far 15 Kilos, im very happy, a slow weight loss in one year, but very happy that it is slow, i can now control what i eat and how i eat, im the last to leave the table and the least person to have something in their plate! I love my band (When i am not tight enough LOL) and i think this was the best investment i did (i paid myself also) Good luck with wahtever you decide.

From: http://www.ahc.umn.edu/news/releases/weighing111605/home.html Study Suggests Daily Self-Weighing Should Be Emphasized In Messages About Weight Control MINNEAPOLIS / ST. PAUL (Nov. 16 2005)--University of Minnesota researchers found that people who are either trying to lose weight or avoid gaining weight do better by weighing themselves daily. Study participants who weighed themselves daily or weekly had better weight outcomes than those who weighed themselves less frequently. Daily self-weighing should be emphasized in clinical and public health messages about weight control, according to the new study published in the December issue of Annals of Behavioral Medicine. Previously, clinical and public health recommendations for better controlling body weight did not emphasize weight self-monitoring. In addition, well-known weight-loss programs do not widely recommend participants weigh themselves daily; instead, many programs recommend weekly self-weighing. Public health recommendations from the Centers for Disease Control do not include self-weighing at all. “Our study showed that higher weighing frequency was associated with greater weight loss or less weight gain after 24 months,” said lead researcher Jennifer Linde, assistant professor in the University of Minnesota’s School of Public Health. “If people notice that their weight has increased, they may try to make that small correction rather than try to compensate after gaining a larger amount of weight.” The research team evaluated self-weighing practices of more than 3,000 people participating in two different groups—those involved in a weight-loss program and those in a weight-gain prevention program. Both groups received the directive to weigh themselves at least once a week. The first study group consisted of 1,800 obese or overweight adults enrolled in a weight-loss program. Participants all had a body mass index (BMI) of at least 27 and were randomly divided into three groups: a telephone-based weight-loss intervention, a mail-based weight loss intervention, or a usual-care control condition. The researchers weighed them every six months for two years. The average 12-month and 24-month weight losses of 1.3 and 2 BMI units respectively, were in the clinically significant range. The second group consisted of 1,226 adults enrolled in a weight-gain prevention trial, all with a BMI above 25. They were randomly divided into an educational weight-control intervention, the same educational intervention plus a reward for returning self-monitoring postcards, or a minimal-contact control condition. The researchers weighed the participants at the study's outset and every year for three years. In this group, the researchers found that the control group decreased weighing over time, and both intervention groups increased weighing over time. Even though weight maintenance was the goal for this group, daily weighing also led to weight loss at the 12- and 24-month time points.

Same. I have a acceptable 5 lb range. I also weigh myself every day. If I am over the upper limit for 3-4 consecutive days, I cut calories/watch what I eat until I hit my lower limit. I've done this 3 times already in the past 1.5 years. Each time took progressively longer (1 week, 3-4 weeks, 3 months). Mind you, I was also progressively less dedicated each time, lol. This is one of the reasons why I am a daily/regular weigh-er. I have read too many times how others "suddenly", gained weight, that I don't want to not keep an eye on it myself, so I'm not surprised at "sudden" weight gain. P.S. This is not to say that your "acceptable" weight range is permanent...this can change as things change ❤️ (i.e., if I get over my upper limit again too soon, I may up my range by 5 lbs...its not worth it to me to have to keep watching my calories...i'll take the 5lb hit. But so far so good.)

I am a slooooowww loser too. Getting burned out on Curves, had to go back on birth control, and my insulin resistance med. I am hoping the Actos will counteract the weight gain from the Junel. Last visit to doc I had GAINED 4 pounds upped my fill to an 8 now. Now the doc is talking about weight loss meds. Damnit, I mean if I knew I was going to have to go on Adipex or something else, what was the point of banding? ARRRGHHH!:smile2:

Before my weight gain, I was a 32B. I thought having big boobs would be nice. I've had these big boobs for 15 years (38DD), and can't wait for them to go away. If I need surgery after all of this so be it. I just hope that the doc can keep em small. lol

I'm thankful that due to my sleeve journey I discovered I have severe sleep apnea! Restless leg syndrome, tired all day (over-caffeinated to compensate!), weight gain, etc. all the symptoms were there! My study was a horror-show! I selected a sleep clinic right in my small town (weird, never knew what the red door on main street went to...now I know!) Only one staff member there all night (scary!). There was another patient who arrived when I did so I waited from 10:30 pm until 11:30 for him to hook me up (meanwhile I had to be at work at 7 am -times a tickin'!) The TV was broken, whaa! Finally fell asleep only to need to use the restroom 50 times! I was told to use the TV remote to "bang on the side table" if I needed help! Hello-are you kidding me?!? No intercom. Just bang and yell in the middle of the night! I was so creeped out by the place, by the tech. Everything! I felt like I was in the next installlment of Saw-so scared! Results were horrendous! Guess what? They need me to do another study! Nooooooooo!!! This almost caused me to cancel my sleeve! I refused to go to that so-called center again so I had to change pulmonilogists-reschedule a consultation then had my 2nd study done at the sleep center in the hospital where my Bariatric surgeon's office is too. Where I should have gone in the first place, but tried to cut corners! PS-I hate using my CPAP machine! I go to bed with it on, but get claustrophobic and rip it off my face during the night! I have no idea how long I use it, but I know for sure it's not the 4 hour minimum! It dries out my sinuses and mouth soooo bad! I can only hope my weight loss reverses it sooner than later!

Sugar will just slow down ur weightloss. The whole point that I was given is your 1st year is your golden year. U want to lose all u can. Cutting out sugars, starches and bread until u meet your goal weight is critical. Then u have to slowly re-introduce them making sure they don't cause weight gain. But as they say it's a life style change. I have easily given up all of the above but I'm just 2 weeks post op. Good Luck to you!

You should be physically capable of eating pretty much anything eventually. Some people do develop sensitivities to some foods post-op, but that's not the norm. However, you obviously want to be smart about what you eat in order to lose weight and maintain that loss. Can you have pizza and cake every once in a while? Sure! Should you eat it every day? Obviously not. You should forever be putting Protein first and striving to meet your protein goal every single day, whether you are a month post op or 10 years post-op. Doing so will leave little room for the crappy, carby stuff. I'm 17 months out. Have been maintaining at goal for 5 months. I eat pizza fairly often (maybe 2-3 times a month?). I can usually eat one whole small piece with the crust and then the cheese and toppings from another piece or two. Crust (or anything with yeast) fills me right up, so I usually can't do more than one piece with crust. I'll certainly never be sitting down and eating a whole large pizza at one time! Last weekend was my mom's birthday and I had white cake with white frosting. It was delicious! But only after I'd eaten my chicken at dinner and waited a good 45 minutes to an hour. So, yes, you can have treats on occasion in the future. You just have to be smart about it like any normal non-WLS patient does. Think of yourself as a skinny woman trying to maintain her weight. She can have the occasional indulgence, but doing it every day will lead to weight gain.

I think most of us that are here are... Otherwise we wouldn't do this radical surgery. Some (very few if you ask me) just don't understand proper nutrition... So that could be the case for some. Here a some general guidelines.... 1. Increased Consumption Over Time. Have you been steadily increasing your food intake over time? For example, do you eat significantly more on a daily basis now than you did 1 year ago? A food addict will have gradually increased their intake over time, particularly of the refined foods. 2. Tolerance is when you need more and more of a substance to achieve a desired effect. Often the desired effect in food addiction is emotional, such as calm or relief from anxiety or depression. A sign of tolerance is when you begin to notice that you can consume amounts of food that are much larger than most other people can in order to feel “satisfied.” 3. Withdrawal is when you experience negative symptoms when you are unable to eat. Although we all feel a little uncomfortable when we are hungry and unable to eat (e.g., light headed, stomach growling), the difference with food addiction is that you may experience symptoms of anxiety, panic, and/or irritability. 4. Preoccupation. Addicts spend more and more time obtaining, consuming and/or even thinking about food, to the point of spending less time doing usual activities including social, work and recreational activities. 5. Unsuccessful Attempts to Cut Down. Addiction is also characterized by unsuccessful efforts to cut down. However, just because you have not been successful at dieting does not mean you are a food addict. The difference with food addiction is that dieting attempts are short-lived and end in out-of-control binge eating episodes. 6. Continue Despite Consequences. The food addict will often continue to overeat in spite of physical, psychological and/or relationship problems that develop. For example, one might develop type 2 diabetes or gain a large amount of weight in a short period of time (e.g., 50 pounds in a year) but still persist with their eating habits. Eventually the individual may even refuse to change their eating habits or may seem unaware of or very resistant to acknowledging health problems or the weight gain.

Good read.. Compulsive overeating, also sometimes called food addiction, is characterized by the compulsive eating of food. Professionals address this with either a behavior therapy model or a food-addiction model.[1] An individual suffering from compulsive overeating engages in frequent episodes of uncontrolled eating, or binge eating, during which she or he may feel frenzied or out of control, often consuming food past the point of being comfortably full. Bingeing in this way is generally followed by feelings of guilt and depression. Unlike individuals with bulimia, compulsive overeaters do not attempt to compensate for their bingeing with purging behaviors such as fasting, laxative use, or vomiting. Compulsive overeaters will typically eat when they are not hungry. Their obsession is demonstrated in that they spend excessive amounts of time and thought devoted to food, and secretly plan or fantasize about eating alone. Compulsive overeating usually leads to weight gain and obesity, but is not the only cause of obesity. While compulsive overeaters tend to be overweight or obese, persons of normal or average weight can also be affected. In addition to binge eating, compulsive overeaters can also engage in grazing behavior, during which they return to pick at food throughout the day. These things result in a large overall number of calories consumed even if the quantities eaten at any one time may be small. When a compulsive eater overeats primarily through bingeing, he or she can be said to have binge eating disorder. Signs and symptoms.... Binge eating, or eating uncontrollably even when not physically hungry Eating much more rapidly than normal Eating alone due to shame and embarrassment Feelings of guilt due to overeating Preoccupation with body weight Depression or mood swings Awareness that eating patterns are abnormal Rapid weight gain or sudden onset of obesity Significantly decreased mobility due to weight gain History of weight fluctuations Withdrawal from activities because of embarrassment about weight History of many different unsuccessful diets Eating little in public, but maintaining a high body weight Very low self-esteem and feeling need to eat greater and greater amounts. Addiction During binges, compulsive overeaters may consume from 5,000 to 15,000 food calories daily, resulting in a temporary release from psychological stress through an addictive high not unlike that experienced through drug abuse. In bulimics, this high may be intensified by the act of purging. Researchers have speculated there is an abnormality of endorphin metabolism in the brain of binge eaters that triggers the addictive process. This is in line with other theories of addiction that attribute it not to avoidance of withdrawal symptoms, but to a primary problem in the reward centers of the brain. For the compulsive overeater, the ingestion of trigger foods causes release of the neurotransmitter, serotonin. This could be another sign of neurobiological factors contributing to the addictive process. Abstinence from addictive food and food eating processes causes withdrawal symptoms in those with eating disorders. There may be higher levels of depression and anxiety due to the decreased levels of serotonin in the individual.[2] There are complexities with the biology of compulsive eating that separate it from a pure substance abuse analogy. Food is a complex mixture of chemicals that can affect the body in multiple ways, which is magnified by stomach-brain communication. In some ways, it may be much more difficult for compulsive overeaters to recover than drug addicts. There is an anecdotal saying among Overeaters Anonymous members that "when you are addicted to drugs you put the tiger in the cage to recover; when you are addicted to food you put the tiger in the cage, but take it out three times a day for a walk."[2] The physical explanation of compulsive overeating may be attributed to an overeaters' increased tendency to secrete insulin at the sight and smell of food, though medical evidence supporting this is controversial.[3] Research has found a link between the sugar and fat content of foods and bingeing behaviors.[4]

During my pregnancy I didn't gain any weight until I was 38 weeks pregnant. Then I gain three. Then I gained 2 pounds making my pregnany weight gain of 5 pounds. If you are overweight from the beginning they don't stress out if you lose weight. My doctor didn't.

Congrats on your surgery and the baby. Myou did great with 100 down within 7months I wish. Sometimes I wish I had the other surgery because maybe I would have hit 100 mark or further. But I had my surgery jan. 2010, beame pregnant 6 month after had no clue, diagnosed with PCOS in 2005. I miscarriages that baby and another in dec. 2011, and now I'm pregnant again, 3 months. I am so worried about my weight gain because it is a coming, literally. Since finding out this time I have gained bout 7-10 pounds. I jus started walking with the advice of my doctor, I am trying not to gain no more than 15 more, I would cry. My blood pressure issues came back over the summer and it feels like its happening all over again, weight, medical issues. I Am excited about my baby never thought I would have any but here we are, yayyyyy!! Biggest concern is weight gain, how have you been doing with your weight gain? Signed scared and worried ladyl99

I'm a bariatric baby, but I love this comment. No one becomes morbidly obese and qualifies for weight loss surgery unless they have a problem with food except for the rare person with a medical issue that can only be solved with severe calorie restriction (I have PCOS and depression but I know that is responsible for only part of my weight gain, not all or even most of it). It bugs me to see how quickly people forget their pre-surgery life and become judgemental. There are people on this thread questioning this man's mental health because he ate a small amount of protein. He didn't eat an entire cake or a gallon of ice cream.

So I am almost 3 weeks post op now. My incisions are healing great, and I don't think the scars will be too bad. My visit with my surgeon was pretty quick, and unfortunately I did not get a fill, that will be at my next appointment. Basically went over how I was doing, what kind of foods I can start introducing, and answering all my questions. I really like my surgeon he's an easy going guy, who is very patient. He was pretty impressed with the weight I had lost, but informed me that the weight loss is going to slow, and I may even gain weight as I introduce food into my diet. I was kind of bummed out by that, but so far no weight gain. On the down side no loss either. I have gone down a size though. Now I need to learn how to sew. I would hate to buy more clothes until I go down at least a few sizes, and I have some clothes I just hate to give up. Last couple of days there has been stuff posted on the forum that really kind of has me worried about my decision. I am reading so much about how that years after people get the band they start having problems. I knew going into this that there were possible complications, but the numbers seemed so low, but on here is seems the numbers are very high. The other surgery I was considering was the sleeve. And on here it seems that a number of people have converted to the sleeve, and have had much better results with no complications. Its a bit depressing reading these things, and it has me kind of freaked that 3-4 years from now I am going to end up with some major problems. I wanted a life change, but a good one. Now everytime something feels a little funny or when some pain kicks in I am wondering if its the beginning of something major. I have to keep reminding myself that I am only 3 weeks pre-op and I feel pretty damn good considering. I also have to keep reminding myself why I chose Lapband over the sleeve. There is no getting back that part of your stomach they take away. If I do have problems with the band I can have it removed. But all the talk about has gotten me pretty discouraged about the whole thing. I already am dealing with some serious emotions of loosing food as a comfort, and quitting smoking. So I guess I need to stay away from the threads that shed a pretty negative light on banding, and has posters bashing eachother left and right.:thumbup: I started comming here for support, because there is no support group where I am at, and the nearest one is 2 hours away. So I will just stick to the threads that are more supportive, even though the ones that become a day time soap opera can get interesting its hard not to want to see what is next. But those threads just aren't productive. I like this site a lot though, and it has been very helpful so far.

I had muscle cramps that dissipated on post-op day 4. My doc said it was totally normal. As for weight gain, you are likely retaining fluids from your hospital IV. That weight will be gone in no time!

Hi Libby63, I just had my surgery 11/4. Yesterday on Thanksgiving....I stayed home---just as self care, mentally and physically. I'm not to soft foods yet, and yes, it was tough--but as the others mentioned above, its just this year. I'll be able to enjoy foods again in the future. My goal is to restore my health and enjoy my 3 little granddaughters for the next hopefully 20+ years. My weight problem started when I was late 30's, working night shift as RN and then developed depression. Medications added 30 lbs immediately, and working off shifts escalated weight gain. Through the years, shifts in medications, divorce etc etc and I can't believe it happened to me--the weight gain. I did a lot of research on bariatric/metabolic surgery and the positive changes it will bring. I made the decision in June 2019 and went ahead with strong mind. No regrets. You're right, it's not easy. Being 250 lbs and 5/4" wasn't easy and I didn't want to live that way any longer. I felt myself retreating and isolating from social gathers. Working all week, and isolating on the weekends. My mother died at age 48 of ovarian ca. I don't want my health to deteriorate any more to not be able to travel to my daughters home and play a major role in her life and her family. Obesity is a pile on disease...the co-morbidities pile on and underlying it all is the disease of obesity. I wish you the very best in your decision. You can do it, and the health changes it will bring will be worth it. God Bless! Gloria

First of all, you look great! But you're correct on the assumption that your habits will eventually cause weight gain, because they will. There will come a time when we will be able to eat closer to normal portions again, therefore the math speaks for itself. Also, most people I know who have kept their weight off years out stay very active moving or do have a steady excersise routine. In my opinion, the easiest way to break the sugar habit is to just stop the sugar habit. Sugar causes cravings. No sugar, no cravings. I eat very little to no processed sugar and food for that reason alone. It's not because I'm so disciplined, I just find its easier to stay away from if you don't have it. And I HATE having to detox off of it. I feel like a heroin attic when I do, lol. Being aware that your habits could be better is the first step. Just tweak a few things and you'll feel better and more in control. And yes, get additional help if needed whether it's from books, therapy, support groups, or whatever.

Hi Jessi, You sound like you've really been through some challenges -- major bummer. And with three little boys! But you're still trying to take care of yourself -- good for you. Is it that you're trying to weigh enough to convince a doctor to do the surgery or that you're trying to qualify for insurance to pay for it? Being only 30 years old, you don't have the co-mordibities yet that all us older folks have. Once you become hypertensive, diabetic, have GERD, stress incontinence, joint pain (you'll eventually have all of these if you're really overweight), you'll more easily qualify for VSG without being at a BMI of 40. I was at at BMI of 39, but the co-morbidities made it a slam dunk with my insurance company. (I am also 58 years old.) Are you working with any doctor closely enough that he would support your need to lose weight so that your back and knee would likely be less of a problem? That's probably your best way to go. As far as putting on weight (ouch!), it probably wouldn't be that hard to let yourself gain. And you might only need to gain a few pounds for real -- I know if I eat a few big meals in a row AND I'm somewhat constipated, the scale will reflect a pretty hefty weight gain until all the food "moves on". Good luck, Jessi!

I got great news today; I emailed my PCP yesterday that I would like her to send me to a bariatric specialist and she emailed me today that she referred me to the Bariatric information seminar. I didn't even have to go see her again. WE had discussed my weight gain at my last visit in February for a physical and lab work. I think it would be best for me to stay on my Kaiser insurance and not switch to my Blue Shield option. I guess that is step 1, I am on way down the Kaiser WLS roller coaster. What should I expect at the seminar? do they weigh me there?

(I should note: My highest weight ever, in life, was 293. That number is listed on my profile information. I lost weight when I went Vegan, then had to lose more for surgery. I was 227 when weighed at the hospital the day of surgery. I am 227 this morning.) I had surgery on Tuesday, June 12th of 2012 at Buffalo General Hospital. My surgeon was Dr. Alan Posner. My situation is different for several reasons: First, I'm Vegan. I've been Vegetarian since the age of 4 (going on 32 now), and Vegan since 6.15.2010. Dr. Posner had told me prior to the surgery that he wanted to make my sleeve bigger than usual, because of being vegan. He also stated that he would not have considered me for a gastric bypass, because of being vegan. There were concerns about nutrition and absorption- so that choice was out of my hands. The only area that I have not been perfectly vegan in, is vitamins/medications. It is near impossible to avoid all animal products with the medications I take.. Second, I have other medical issues going on (I need back surgery as soon as I heal up from this, for starters). They found a hiatal hernia during the endoscopy that was a part of pre-op testing. When Dr. Posner went to repair the hernia during the sleeve surgery, it was apparently "stuck." Dr. Posner told my husband that it appeared to have been there for quite some time, and that he really had to yank to get it out (the part of my stomach that had slipped through a hole in my diaphragm- that is a hiatal hernia). Then, he said all my organs were "squished" together in an abnormal way. Additionally, my spleen was bigger on top than on the bottom, and not sitting in the normal position. He had to hold it to the side through the entire surgery, and due to that, the outer casing of my spleen cracked ever-so-slightly. (So, not necessarily his fault, my body is abnormal).. Usually spleens are hyper-bleeders, but since it was an itty bitty crack on the outermost layer, he claims there were only two drops of blood and they patched it right away with some kind of fibrous lining (I cannot recall the technical name of what he said). Besides the pre-existing severe back pain, the hiatal hernia issue, and the spleen incident- apparently my diaphragm muscle started to bleed on the opposite side of where the hernia was when the last laparoscopic port was going to be closed- so more stitching. Meaning, I got stitched on *both* sides of my diaphragm muscle (equates to more pain) because of the hiatal hernia and then the muscle bleed. Now, to be fair to the doctor and in respect of full disclosure- I had gained weight prior to surgery. My Grand-mother died unexpectedly. She had been in spectacular health; I fully expected her to be a centenarian. She was the woman who raised me, and my only real parent. I did not take her passing well at all (so-called family forced her to be dehydrated and starved to death and dared to call it a 'compassionate choice'. It was the most traumatizing thing I have ever been through to watch her be killed. I thank God, and her, that I was the one holding her hand and singing Amazing Grace to her when she passed). Emotional eating ensued. I called the office to tell them I had fallen off the wagon, and was told to just get back on program, and come in on May 29th to see where I was, and we'd go from there. I was prepared for that. But instead, a few days later I suddenly got a call from Leslie (Dr. Posner's secretary) informing me that my insurance company had approved my surgery and that my surgery date was going to be June 12th, that May 29th would now be my final weigh-in appointment, AND that if I was even ONE pound over on that weigh-in appointment, that my surgery would be CANCELLED. Needless to say, I PANICKED. I had worked almost NINE months to get this surgery- I couldn't let all that hard work and time be thrown away now! So, I drastically reduced food intake and began walking despite enormous amounts of pain (due to my back). I thought that I had to make a miracle happen if I wanted this surgery. Leslie told me that if I was so much as ONE POUND over, MY SURGERY WOULD BE CANCELLED. She did NOT tell me if it was cancelled that it could be easily rescheduled when I got the weight down. Dr. Posner believes and says that I made assumptions, and that the entire situation was misinterpretation on my part, and stressed repeatedly that "no one in his office told me to starve myself." Dr. Posner was so personally frustrated that he raised his voice and (I felt) demeaned me upon hearing I had starved myself prior to surgery (at my first post-op appointment). He got so loud and animated that he felt the need to shut the door at one point, and the nurse tried to console me and my husband after the encounter, telling us repeatedly that "You handled yourself beautifully" and "I'm so sorry." To his credit, he attempted to apologize on the phone when a question had to be called in. I did not even want to speak to him- I had my husband call, I originally had NO intention of ever speaking to him again and was fully prepared to seek alternate post-op care. However, after my husband called in the question, and then Dr. Posner called my cell phone. He did attempt an apology, but it was the kind of apology where the person says, sorry I got frustrated- but everything I said and did was really justified. Felt gross to me, though his tone of voice seemed sincere. ***Additionally in Dr. Posner's defense (this part added Saturday evening, 6.23.2012) .. He has the added pressure and responsibility that if something goes wrong it affects his practice- and if something were to go wrong because I was undernourished at the time of surgery without his knowledge; it would put him in a bad spot. I spoke with him again tonight. He called back within 5 minutes, and even took a moment to ask me how I felt and how my eating was going. I think the entire situation described earlier in this post was an unfortunate misunderstanding. I like his overall disposition. He takes the medical aspect of everything very seriously, but also usually has an upbeat demeanor with a few dry delivery jokes (endearing). *AND NOW* for the REAL insanity........ I GAINED TEN POUNDS WHILE IN THE HOSPITAL (OVER ABOUT 2 1/2 DAYS) WHILE ONLY CONSUMING ICE CHIPS!!!!!!!!!! Depressing much??? Beyond. Dr. Posner says this is because I starved myself prior to surgery. Okay, I can buy that to explain the crazy weight gain Feasible. However, I am now 11 days out from surgery, and only just now got back DOWN to the weight I was immediately PRIOR to surgery!!! SO*** that means I have literally not lost one net pound yet!!! And all the while, I am VEGAN and have been Only been ingesting a soy based Protein shake (prepared with light soy milk), pureed vegetable Soup (only since the post-op appt when I was told I could progress to pureed), real fruit frozen bars (in lieu of 100% fruit juice,because I couldn't find sugar free vegan frozen pops- so the nutritionists agreed that was an acceptable trade off).... So, I'm 11 days out from surgery, on all liquid mush, AND I DON'T HAVE ONE NET POUND LOST TO SPEAK OF AND SHOW FOR ALL THE PAIN OF SURGERY (AND THE NINE MONTHS OF WORK LEADING UP TO IT)! OH* AND- I *ALWAYS* feel hungry! Which was the MAIN reason I had wanted surgery- to NOT feel hungry!!! I thought that would give me a fighting chance... But no- I STILL >always< feel hungry. And my stomach FEELS HUGE INSIDE. Now, clearly that could just be a weird physical feeling- however, I'm really nervous since Dr. Posner said prior to surgery that he was planning on making my sleeve larger just because I'm vegan.. that maybe it IS too big. What if the part of the stomach that produces ghrelin (hormone that tells your brain you're hungry)- what if that part of my stomach didn't get removed?? (I will have to remember to ask this particular question at my next appointment). I'm desperately afraid that I've gotten this surgery for nothing- that I will still have to work as hard as ever to lose the weight with no ascertainable benefit from getting major surgery. I mean, I'm only on liquids and all I've been able to do is break even as far as weight goes! HAS ANYONE ELSE EXPERIENCED ANYTHING EVEN REMOTELY CLOSE TO THIS???

hi, well i had my 6 mos post op (and final) appointment with my PS today. everything went well. he was happy with the scars since they are really very faint now. i was surprised by this since my scars after the lapband was put in..... stayed dark for a long time....weird right? my boobs are really starting to look natural since the swelling went away. i'm glad i didnt get implants. i was afraid they would be too small after the lift but for me...they are perfect. i gained 10 lbs since surgery. long story short...i had my band completely unfilled about 8 weeks after my PS because i was having trouble eating (not related to PS at all). plastic surgeon wants to see me in 6 mos to see if i need a little more lipo on my thighs. he isnt sure if the bulge is from the weight gain or that i need a little more. so i'm hoping i use this to get my act together to get the weight off. i'll be "dipped" if i went through all this (lapband and plastic surgery) to slip back into my old pattern. anyway i am soooo happy i did the plastic surgery since it really finished off the job the lapband started. good luck to all having surgery or are thinking about it. josie

Hi everyone! I could really use some helpful advice. I'm one year post band, and down 100 pounds! As great as that sounds, I'm having a very very difficult time with the loose skin on my arms. My arms had gotten very very big at the very end of my weight gain, and even with the weight loss I'm still having a hard time losing that flabby skin. I'm getting married in November, and I'm wearing a strapless down, and would hate to have these arms in all of my pictures for eternity. What has anyone done to help tone their arms? Keep in mind, I just broke my wrist in April, I needed to have surgery to fix it, so I'm not allowed to use anything with weights!