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I turned 43 today. I'm three days into my pre-op diet--I'm on the road to a thinner, healthier me. This is the best gift I can give myself. It will last the rest of my life. I'm sticking pretty much to Isopure protein shakes, chicken, tuna, cheese, cottage cheese, and almonds. I'm getting in about 100 grams of protein a day; my minimum is supposed to be 70. I'm doing great. My carbs are supposed to stay under 30 a day; this is soooo not a problem. Hubby took me out for dinner to celebrate. We went to Outback Steakhouse and I got the center-cut filet (medium rare) with a Caesar salad. I enjoyed every single bite, because I know it will be quite awhile before I can eat another steak or salad. It was delicious! We're looking to buy some riverfront property on the San Marcos river here in Texas. I went out and stomped around on the piece we're most interested in--most likely it's in the flood plain. I wish it wasn't. It's gorgeous. We so want to live on the San Marcos river after I graduate from dental hygiene school in May 2008. George retires from the phone company after 30+ years in December 2009. Life just keeps getting better for both of us. We celebrated our 3rd wedding anniversary on July 4. We've been together for almost seven years. After several failed marriages between us, we took our time getting to know each other. We are perfect for each other. Anyway, back to the lap-band. My sister had a band placed five years ago and has done very well, despite having stretched her pouch. She's lost all of her weight and has been training daily and running marathons for about three years now. I started investigating different weight-loss surgeries for me about a year ago. At first I thought I'd do the vertical sleeve gastrectomy with duodenal switch, but since I have Crohn's disease, my gastroenterologist wouldn't approve it for me. Then I thought the Rouen-Y--same response from my doctor. Well, then I figured that the lap-band would be okay, because it could be reversed, if I had a life-threatening flare-up of my Crohn's disease. My doctor said he thought that was a great idea. In April, I went to a bariatrics seminar held at Seton hospital here in Austin, Texas, and Dr. Mark Sherrod presented all of the information, pre-qualification factors, etc. and he was so personable. I enjoyed the presentation and spoke with him for sometime afterward. My husband came with me and enjoyed it as much as I did. He really liked Dr. Sherrod too. I made an appointment and saw Dr. Sherrod for the first time on a doctor/patient basis in May. With a BMI of 43, I was definitely a candidate for the surgery. There was a ton of paperwork to fill out, questions to answer, future appointments to schedule, etc. that kept me very busy. I went back on June 25th for a meeting with anesthesiology (for an EKG), the psychologist (to make sure I had realistic expectations), an exercise therapist (to give me ideas on what kinds of exercise was reasonable for me), a nurse with the bariatrics team (to discuss the actual surgery, possible complications, etc.), and a dietician (to discuss my eating habits, the pre-op diet, and post-op diet, and lifetime eating habit modification). My gallbladder decided to go bad, and after a couple of gallbladder tests, that came back strongly indicating a malfunctioning organ, Dr. Sherrod was kind enough to take it out for me on June 29. Whew! I feel so much better. I had my gallbladder removed at the Central Park Surgical Suites on 38th St. here in Austin. And I had such a terrific experience that I've canceled my lap-band surgery at Seton hospital, and have scheduled to have it done at the Central Park Surgical Suites. Dr. Sherrod raves about the staff there, and I can certainly understand why. I had my very own nurse who made sure that I never felt any pain. She was priceless! I don't really have any misgivings about the upcoming surgery. I know that I will mourn the loss of my best friend (food), but honestly, my best friend has let me down for 20 years. It's a sick, sick, sick relationship. Food doesn't make me feel better about myself, it hasn't made me healthy, it turned my mom into a type II diabetic, and I know I'm next. If I had a human friend who treated me the way food has, I sure wouldn't have kept that friend around for 20 years! So, the lap-band goes on July 19. It's a tool to help me control how much I eat. And since I will have such a tiny stomach, I will have to be super smart about what I put into my body. It's no different than when George stopped smoking four years ago. He used the patch, the lozenges, and the gum. They were tools to help him curb is addiction. The band will help me curb my addiction. I'm very excited about starting my new life. I'm only 43, if I treat myself well, I could live another 40 years and enjoy my grandkids and their children, and maybe even their childrens' children. How cool would that be? I'm going to commit to posting here once a week. I sure I can do it once school starts up again. We shall see.:kiss

I am very happy and excited today! 6 days out of surgery and I have already lost 10 lbs!!! Yup im kinda hype! lol sw: 403 Day of surgery: 382 6 days post op: 372

I haven't had so much hunger during day 1-10 of the diet but today I've been feeling hunger throughout the day comes and go... Now it's too late (night ) can't sleep- can't eat... What should I do? Any suggestions???

Heyo folks. I've been obese my whole life (40 years now), and finally made the decision to really do something about it this past spring. The funny thing is, I was scheduled to have the surgery on May 7th of 2001. I backed out because I was 25, arrogant and a know-it-all. I thought I could beat this thing myself. Well...I did beat it, and it beat me back 10 times since. This has been a decision I have been struggling with for the past 15 years. Now...I am well on my way to surgery. I'm a couple of weeks away from my final appointment and meeting my surgeon. Looks like my surgery is going to be the week of Christmas. I'm scared of a few things: Death due to anesthesia. Death due to blood clotting. Death due to complications. Thing is...I don't want to die, and that is why I am having this surgery. I want to extend what's left of my life. Would be nice to have grandchildren one day, watch my kids get married, grow old with the woman I love. Just scared of not even getting out of the gate. It's keeping me up nights. I wake up and can't get back to sleep. It's a veritable hell I am going through on this. It's started to depress me and make me irritable. It's overwhelming fear sometimes. I've almost talked myself out of it. Sometimes I think the lengthy process makes you process too much at times. The time drawn out from classes, appointments and insurance approval almost makes you wait too long, and sit with your thoughts and anxieties. If it were August or September and you told me I was having my surgery tomorrow, I would jump with joy. Has anyone else experienced this? How did you deal with it? Any pointers or suggestions? Thanks O

Let me start off by I'm 31 and I was sleeved on 10/20. My preop diet weight was 225, day of surgery 217 and 8 days out I'm already at 208. I got the sleeve after being over 220lbs for the last 12 years. After countless diets, meal plans, workout regimen, you name it I tried it and did and and failed it. VSG was suggested to me after it was discovered I had extremely fatty liver while testing was being done on my gallbladder. My liver was so advanced that it was projected within the next 5 years I could very well be in liver failure. VSG was the safest and most effective way to help reverse this disease. Having two small children this isn't the future I saw for myself or my family. I have to admit I've been stepping on the scale everyday to track. And it isn't without guilt that I see a lower number everyday. I feel like it isn't fair that I was blessed with this gift by "default" because I had other medical issues going on. My husband is extremely supportive and doesn't want me to feel guilt he wants me to remember of how this could have gone the complete opposite direction. I've been emotional because I've identified as an over weight woman my entire adult life. It's who I am. Or who I was. I've learned to not be confident because I was always put down. The idea that in the next year I can easily be 150 or less is not something I can comprehend. AT ALL. The thought of not being a size 18/20 is insane to me. How to you mentally adjust to this? I intend on asking my surgeon for advice at my 3 week follow up if I am still feeling this way. I have been told by friends it does get better. But I've also been told by a friend 2 years post op that she still has a hard time believing this is the new her... Advice or words of encouragement would be greatly appreciated.

I wondered the same thing! And if I'm only getting in a tiny tiny amount of food right now shouldn't I try for the 50 calorie Jello rather than the 5 or 10 calorie sugar free one? I just got popsicles tonight and I didn't get sugar free. I figure I'm not eating really anything anyway, it can't hurt. Maybe my mentality is wrong with this but the only "food" I got in today were the popsicles. I'm still on clear fluids and on day 5 post op.

So, first of all, 10 lbs in two weeks isn't that shabby, that's 5 lbs/wk, 20 lbs/month etc. I kind of get your surgeon's concern, if you're breaking the rules this soon, then what about 6 months from now. But, you are still recovering from surgery, there's internal swelling and the effects from surgery, so he's jumping the gun and should be more encouraging as you begin this transition. So, objectively, has he been supportive, neutral, or critical? Surround yourself with a healthy and considerate support system and BP is a good start. Just don't forget, this isn't a magic pill, it's going to be hard work, its going to take all the determination you've got and you'll have to learn to live a healthy new lifestyle. The sleeve is all yours now, learn to use it, it can be your best friend or your worst enemy, get to know one another and learn to listen to it and you'll be in a much better place a year from now.

Aw, Karla. I am so sorry to hear of your difficulties. My DS had casts on both legs from the knee down last year. He was 10 and it was really hard. Can't imagine how it must have been with your DD being only 4. How wonderful that you are adopting twin boys. From what I can see in the picture, all three of your children are beautiful. You sound like such a loving person. Time to turn some of that love onto yourself! You absolutely deserve it! Teena

A couple things. 1) As far as I know you can only change your profile stats from the web application (not the app). To do so is Under your profile (Link). This is where you can update for your surgery and add your weights if you choose. 2) I believe the newbie stat (and all those stats) are a function of how many posts you have made (I think it changes at 10 posts)

Well the only problem was I was sitting at the table when I discovered no soup. Lol. It actually wasn't bad I had water and an enjoyable time with my mom and dad. Didn't even have a hard time ignoring the fresh rills that sat on the table for 10 mins while I sat there waiting on them to arrive. Tuesday morning I will be heading across the boarder and getting my sleeve.

Don't freak out! I have BCBSVT, so I am sure it is similar. As long as you have completed the 6 month required doctor/ nutritionist visits, had your psych evaluation, and any other test your doctor requires you should not be denied. It took about 3 1/2 weeks for me to get my letter. The one difference is my Bariatric doctors office sent all info to the insurance to make sure everything was completed correctly. You should be able to search BCBSMN Bariatric Policy and it will tell you all you need to know. I had the RNY on May 28. I chose RNY over sleeve, because the sleeve is still new and so many people seem to get the sleeve and then end up having the RNY anyway. Of course it hurt some, but you are going to have pain killers in the hospital, and will be given some for when you leave. I used them for 3 days only. The main thing is walk, walk, walk! Luckily my husband was with me so I walked the hospital halls every two hours. The pre op diet was the worst, after surgery was a breeze because you don't really feel like eating. It is very hard to get all your Water and Protein in at the beginning, but by week 3 it gets easier. Trust me you will want to skip food stages, especially the puréed/ soft to regular food but don't. You want to be gentle on your new stomach so it can heal and you do not want to stretch your new pouch. In regards to work, you will lose energy at the beginning because of less food, surgery and recovery. Personally I was not worth anything for the first 10 days. I slept most of the first five, so I would recommend taking 2 weeks off. You should be given louvenox ( blood thinner shot) to use for ten days after surgery to prevent blood clots. So you should have no worry there. Good luck and just keep your mind on the end result you want. In 4'weeks I have lost 30 pounds.

My husbands outside pressure washing the front deck, the lawn is mowed, the house is cleaned, the kids had baths, and last and most importantly (jk) I lost another pound!! yes! I ate over 1400 calories yesterday and still saw a markedly lower number pop up on my scale. Exercise is the key! Im pretty much getting used to my portions now and have learned pretty well what I can/can't eat, and what pace I have to eat at. Yayyy, the band is great. 7:30 am Breakfast: 13 oz. Chocolate calorie countdown milk + 1 scoop unjury. 10:00 am Snack: SF chocolate pudding. 12:00 pm Lunch: 1/4 Cup egg salad, 1/2 cup tuna salad, 1/4 of an Avacado mashed, 15 Kashi crackers. 5:00 pm Supper: A few bites of ribs, 1/2 cup mashed potatoes, a few bites of broccoli. 6:00 pm Desert: My husband begged to go to DQ, bad bad I gave in and had 1/2 a fudge sundae. Water: > 80 oz. Vitamins: 1 flinstones, 2 tbs liquid multi, 1500 mcg biotin, 1 calcium chew. Exercise: 25 Min. 3mph treadmil + 5 Min. 4mph jogging. Goal: Exercise! I think its key, you don't even have to lose a lot of weight to see a big differance in how you look and feel.

Wow, what a day bootcamp was today. We did intervals of cardio and weight training. Didn't do too bad with the weight training BUT the cardio OMG, I about passed out. The goal of today was to run for 5 minutes, do weight training for 10 minutes, run 5 minutes, etc.. I don't know what in the world I was thinking. Here I am 190 lbs, carry my weight in the middle and have small legs and she expected me to RUN......... C'MON. I could not wait for her to blow that darn whistle so we could move onto something else. Apparently I was not breathing correctly because my side and back started to cramp up. Bright side of today is that it's proof that I need to drop weight and do more cardio aside from bootcamp. I CAN NOT WAIT FOR MONDAY. FILL DAY! Go back for yet more exercise tomorrow. Oh joy! :smile2:

Hi, I haven't seen any info on this. I have severe anxiety/fear of flying. I have taken Xanax when flying for probably the last 10 years. Considering I live in Alaska and have to get surgery in another state, I am wondering if I will be able to take the Xanax when flying home, 4 weeks post surgery. Does anyone know if this is an okay med to take after surgery? I will of course talk to my surgeon about it, but any info I can have before would be helpful. Thanks!

I'm not complaining at all but I get so full after one or two bites. Is this normal? It takes me over an hour to eat 3 ounces of protein.

Hi Dana, Thanks for your update...WOW - 10 pounds in a week...That's amazing. So, you didn't have a 2 week Optifast diet before surgery? Your profile pic looks fantastic...And you need to lose weight? Has it been a hard adjustment? With all the chewing and eating slow? I worry about things like being able to swallow a Tylenol when I have a headache or being so thirsty and not able to drink water (really chug it down)... I guess it just takes time to get used to. I'm at my all time high of 230 and would like to see 135.

I live in eagle river and have surgery scheduled on February 10 2018. Would love to get together with you.

Hello all! I was sleeved 12/10 and am down 17lbs since surgery. I'm looking to see if there is anyone that lives near me and would like to become occasional work out buddies or attend support groups together. I live in the East Bay of Oakland-San Francisco area.

Apart from the initial cost of surgery, fills are less than $10!

I followed my pre-op diet from my doctor's office. 3 - 8 oz Protein shakes a day, 1 non-fat yogurt, 1/2 cup of fruit, 1 lean cuisine or similar and 1 cup of salad with 1 tbsp of lite dressing. Example: 8 am - Protein shake 10 am - yogurt 12 pm - protein shake 2 pm - 1/2 cup of fruit (if using canned fruit, make sure it is in lite syrup) 4 pm - protein shake 7 pm - lean cuisine and 1 cup of salad w/1 tbsp of lite dressing What is your doctor recommending? Or is he just saying lose weight?

I was walking normally the day of, but it took about 10 days to be totally off pain meds. It was a sudden improvement.

I attended my seminar 12/8/2008 and am being banded 6/19/2009 so exactly 6 months, 11 days! It flew by so fast with all the things you have to do prior. It might be faster for you if you are self pay!

I had a massive fight with the old biddy at Weight Watchers a few years back who measured me at 5 ft 9. I'm 5ft 10. that of course made me even more overweight. She remeasured me about five times but I kept getting 5ft 9. When I decided on lapband surgery, I also measured in at 5ft 9. I decided I must have shrunk but at a BMI of barely 36, I think that shrinkage saved me, made me eligible for the surgery! I happened to mention it to the nurse about two years later, and she remeasured me, sure enough 5ft 10 AND a half. She laughed and told me my bum was much smaller and now I could stand close to the wall.

HERE'S MY CARD TO ALL OF YOU --- http://www.lapbandtalk.com/members/4...cture28446.jpg I'm almost in week 5 of my surgery. I've lost 19 pounds so far. I had my fill yesterday. They put 2cc's in. I'm so glad I did.

I'm now 9 days post-op. Gained about 10 pounds while in the hospital and didn't start getting it all out until the day I got home. I think in the first day and a half I lost all those pounds and more just from going to the bathroom. And Jeepchick42, I did a reality check what felt like every moment leading up to my surgery. I'd wake up at night and freak out because I couldn't believe I was having it done. Best wishes to both of you.