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I was sleeved a week before you and I had a 3 lb weight gain at about 5 weeks post op. At first I kind of freaked out but I relalized that I really hadn't done anything wrong and that my body is just going through major changes. I have kind of come to the conclusion that as long as I am eating right and getting excercise this body will loose how it wants too. If you haven't started taking measurements I recommened doing so it is an easy way to see the physical changes that are taking place on your body even when the scale isn't moving.

I gained 3 pounds post surgery. I felt like I ws 9 months pregnant. Don't weigh yourself until you feel less bloated otherwise you will feel bad. You will know when it is time to weigh yourself. I think I wated for 5 days to weigh myself after I was devistated by the weight gain. I am 10 days post op and I have lost the blat weight plus anpother 10 pounds. I was getting headaches at the beginning too but I found that I needed more liquid. I drank a ton and it made my headaches go away....even on pain medication.

I had my surgery on 22 July.....I have started getting a little concerned as I have gained 3 lbs......Is this normal? Here is my weight loss so far: February 22: 233lbs May 22: 219 July 22 (surgery day): 219 3 week post: 198 Aug 12: 194 Aug 29: 198 Does anyone experience the roller coaster with their gastric sleeve?:tongue_smilie:

Codeine can, indeed, cause headache. Switching to Tylenol, if it does the trick for you, is a good idea. If your codeine is plain (not already compounded with Tylenol), you can take the two together--the Tylenol will offset the side effect of headache. Do be sure, though, that you're not doubling up on the Tylenol---that can be really dangerous to your liver. It's really common to experience weight gain immediately postop. The combo of anesthesia, IVs, and meds causes you to retain a great deal of Fluid. It will come off quickly. But in the meantime, if seeing the gain bothers you, stay off the scale---it can be really frustrating, when you're only drinking fluids, to see a gain!

Good morning everyone~ Sorry for my lack of posting but I have had dss and dsd over. The house was crazy! Michelle-I am so sorry that you are in pain. When should you get to see your dr? Kat-I love green chiles...especially in cheese dip Jenn-depends on how cute he is :wink3: Suzanne-when are ya'll gonna be in this area? When are you leaving for your trip? You gonna call me? questions, questions, questions...lol (if you have answered these questions, please forgive me and reanswer them) Terri-sorry you are hungry but it will pass. My stomach used to growl all the time. You will be so glad you went through this! How is the weight loss going? Cindy-so tell me...how ya liking this HEAT! omg, it has been unreal, right? I am so ready for winter it is not even funny. So signs of fall in the south!! Angela-I saw about the creme broulee (sp).....ummm, have you made it yet? Everyone...well, I have done FANTASTIC since I saw that HUGE weight gain and I have lost 11 pounds. I am very proud. It has not been easy, but I am doing it. And today I will strive to have another good day :thumbup: Detoxing from ice cream is not easy. For those of you who do not know me that well, ice cream is my drug of choice. Last week I had some and I told dh when i was done "I can honestly tell you that I did not enjoy that AT ALL". I meant it too. So, while detoxing, I am just remembering that bowl and how I was not pleased. That has made it easier (somewhat). On a happy note, I found out that icees (which I am also addicted to) are only 65 calories for 8 oz. WHEW! :w00t: The great thing about that is I do not have an icee machine. lol, I have to drive to the store to get it. Icees are SO refreshing in 100 degree heat. So, I am rambling now so I will just go.... OH...one more thing...dh has lost 2 pounds too. We are rockin' this thing! Have a great day ladies (and gent)

Hi, My husband is allergic to codeine, and gets wicked headaches from it. As far as your weight gain- don't worry about it- your body has just been through surgery and is in the process of healing.

I don't mean to be gross but one of the side effects from the medication from the general anesthesia is that it slows down your bowels. That, along with the stated water retention, could be playing a part to the weight gain. In any case, don't worry because all of a sudden you will be down like 5 pounds and feel better! Post op, I was on liquid Tylenol and Motrin and I was in little discomfort with that. Good Luck!

Lots of people cannot tolerate codeine... I personally find all narcotic drugs to make me feel like crap the day after... for that matter even Benadryl. Most bandsters are fine without the heavy duty pain meds a few day out so stick with the Tylenol.... As far as the headaches they could also be from carb withdrawal if you didnt go through it preop.... as far as weight gain- yes probably from water retention....

Hi girls, I'm up in the middle of the night, too.... Went to sleep about 11:00 in my chair, but woke up at 12:30 with pain... I thought I was going to get off easy tonight, but no such luck...... I took an easy day today.. Went with DD and Mimi for a little shopping in Bismarck this morning... Was looking for a black slip and bra to go under my MOB dress... We went into Dress Barn and DD started looking at black dresses for me... I already bought my dress a while back and she approved of it then, but now she isn't sure it's fancy enough.... MOB is to be fancy like the bride she says!! Well now I'm not sure what to do.... Thought I had it all under control.. I didn't find anything I wanted today.... So now I can add that back on my list.... And I didn't find a bra or slip.. Lane Bryant had no slips... Told be to go to Herberger..... Anyway, Janet it is 9/9 for my Mayo appointment... A week and a half to go..... I'm starting to fear that they won't help me either and I'm doomed to do this forever.... Gotta keep a positive thought but it gets hard when this happens every day..... Love the before and afters............... what you wrote sounds just fine... and just like you.... Good luck.... I'm sure you'll be a great spokesperson..... Cheri, hugs on your niece.... Gosh I hope they can figure things out.... I love the way you describe yourself...... I would love to be talk and regal rather than tall and misshapen....... You take a break this weekend and rest up now..... Melissa, glad to hear you are on the mend.... just stick with it so you don't have a relapse... You need that rafting party... sounds fun..... Laura K, sounds like a fune weekend again with your family...... I have never made salsa.... Well, once, and it was too watery.. do you can yours then or just have it fresh in the fridge?? Those darn chips... I have found that I like those little flavored rice cakes.... dont' care for the big ones, but these little ones that come in a bag are very good... and low on calories... I try to keep these around, but I did buy some crunchie cheezies one day and had to have some..... Didn't hurt, just didn't help either.... gotta do some of that occassionally just to feel normal..... I'm eating a grape popsicle right now.. It feels so good on my mouth that is still so ucky these days... I think it might be getting a bit better since that Flexeril is getting out of my system... No more dreams and no more weight gain... Actually have lost a few that I got a while back... Hope to be back to my norm by Vegas.... Linda, gosh I hear you about kids..... some days it seems like they will never not be our responsiblity.... If I took all the money we have spent in the last 3 years on our 3 kids, DH and I could have one helluva month long vacation abroad someplace..... And he wouldn't have to work 15 hour days like he has been lately just for some extra cash....... He has worked 77 1/2hours this week.... At least he doesn't have to work tomorrow and they are about done with wheat which is the big push right now.... Yeah..... I could use having him around home more...... I've spent some very alone days and would rather have him around moe.... Merry's pictures look great.... DH I presume????? He looked good, too... Merry will be running like a pup soon..... that is wonderful for all of you. Good luck with the hip replacement parts... Hope it turns out to not be an issue for you. Phyll, you and DH look so nice... glad you are having a great day.... Dance a little for me... Pretty baby... but aren't they all.. enjoy.... Eva, I hate the accumulations of cat hair...... It gets into everything.. And I try so hard to keep a clean house... I hate to see what comes out in the dryer lint trap when I was blanket/throws that we keep by our chairs in the living room...... But that's the breaks when you have cats..... Off you go to Baltimore... you are the travelors... and not afraid to just go any old time.. Wish my DH was a bit more like that.... I have to work on him for a while to get him to decide to do something fun... Have a great time... See you back here with a report on Tuesday..... Arlene, sorry your local boys didn't make it to the finals..., but what an accomplishment anyway... Walking with a 2 year old will be a challenge... Do you have one of those cute little backpack leashes??? They have them at Walmart... I tried that with Mimi a couple times, but since I couldn't lift her I was at her mercy if she wanted to stop... Had a terrible time getting her off the playground... and pulling on the lease was harder on my than lifting her... Good luck and let us know when that baby arrives.... Well our other girls must all be out enjoying life... I want that !!!! Instead of sitting awake at night with pain... I'm wondering about Judy and her puppy.... She seems to be pretty busy these days...... Do you suppose she'll want to "foster" this one???? time will tell... Well I should try to get back to sleep... Mimi is staying over and she asked to go to bed in my bed with Papa...... This is just fine.. I spend so much time up stairs in my recliner that a night without my bed is no big deal.....Today is DF's birthday so DD and some friends drove down to Bismarack to meet him after work for a nice little celebrations... I'm so happy with the life my daughter and fiancee are leading right now... I prayed and prayed that life would give her good things one day... I think that day has arrived and I couldn't be happier......Aside from the piercings and tatoees, we couldn't have picked a finer young man.... So we just look past the piercings and tatoos and see the good man and father that he is.... What a blessing... Night ladies..... Hope we all can get some rest ..... so we can enjoy our Sunday... Love you all very much, oh and welcome to the new gal.... You'll love it here... Just jump in and share about yourself... We are very open and honest around here... Hugs and prayers............ Julie

I wrote him back , he wants you to adversitse your before and after pics for ANOTHER company . So basically they want you to use your pics from another doc to promote another docs its deceiving . I thought it might at first be for a "general" lap band deal or something . But its not its for lapband411.com . THEN He wanted me to send him my before nd after pics THEN he would send me a model release yeah I dont think so !!! RUN !!! Mindy I got this message from him : Hi Mindy...GREAT!! It's really amazing to see results like yours. I've had my own weight gain and loss issues but nothing like all the battles I've read about over the last two weeks. Lap-band is amazing and really happy for you. The ad is for a b4 & after, such as yours and it is for lapband411.com's future campaign. We would even love to have your energy shown through a short testimonial of how it has changed your life. Feel free to email me a good before and after showing the dramatic change and I'll provide the model/image release form. We will be selecting the final 3 individuals by monday, next week! Best email for sending attachments is matthewbsteiner@gmail.com as it allows for large image attachments.

Janet, I still can't beleive that the 'before' pic was you. You looked good then, but 'wow' your 'after' is know down gorgeous. Your short story is perfect, there is a spelling error in the 3rd to last paragraph where you say 'bad' instead of 'band. But you said eveything perfectly. So you have a 'slip' with the cheeto puffs, Toss the rest of the bag and drink lots of fluids this weekend to get rid of the extra salt. With that much salt, naturally you are going to show a significant weight gain. But is will ge Water weight nor 'fat weight'. Hugs on the furry issue. Miss Molly wakes me up on a regular basis. Needless to say, I am tired this morning, typing with my eyes closed. Well Janet, enjoy your workout. I'll think of you trapped at the gym. TTFN

Most doctors recommend a year after placement of the band. The reason is because you need time to be healthy, establish new eating/cooking habits, etc. Not only that, but the weight gain from becoming pregnant can mess with a newly banded person's mind. Talk to your surgeon first since you're wanting it to happen so quickly.

I know it's been a few weeks since I posted. I have just recently moved AND had an out of town visitor for a week so little to no time to come online. I am going to be 3 weeks out tomorrow. I saw my doc 1 week post op and he gave me the go ahead for mushies. About a week after that I moved myself to soft regular foods (chewing thourghly) and now am on to regular food. I haven't had any problems. The "suggested" diet was just way too slow for me. I kind of feel guilty about moving forward to quickly, but I chew my food very well, and use my teeth as a blender so everything is "pureed" before going down (gross, sorry). I have not had any problems, everything goes down really smoothly. I have been working out for an hour about 4 times a week(treadmill and elliptical) and feel fabulous. I am really happy with my weight loss, about 20 lbs so far and my clothes are feeling looser. Waiting to get my 1st fill next week though, and boy do I need it! I feel that if I let myself go, I would be able to eat just like I used to at this point. I have zero restriction, which I know won't come until the first fill. I am in a weird point right now. I am on to regular foods, with no restriction. What does that mean? Yeah...weight gain. At one point I gained about 3 pounds. That really freaked me out. But I was able to curb my eating and get it back off. But it was a reality check. I need a fill. That is what this whole LAP-BAND® thing is all about right? Being able to limit what we can consume.

Hey Esin, you are right, there is A LOT of support on this forum and it is really nice knowing when you need that boost or support you got it..right here. :-). I'm sure everything will turn out great for you and in my opinion i am finding out that there really IS no easy way out. I've noticed something in these last few days..since i have been working out everyday.. i definitely have A LOT more motivation, energy, and it's easier to stick to a healthy diet. I know that once i get down to my optimum weight, the band will help keep off the weight gain... i think thats what they mean by it being a "tool" someone posted on here a very useful website.. BariatricEating.com - BE, Inc. The number one bariatric website for Protein, Vitamins, and success. i am grateful for finding it, there are soooooo many yummy recipes.. I wish you well and let us know how it all turns out!! P.S. weather was rainy the last few days here in NY ..but today the sun is shining and it's going to be 81 degrees... too bad i am stuck in a box (my office) at work

Hi Ladies- first hope all of you are well! It's been a while since I posted but now that I am post delivery (my little girl is 2 months old already!) I wanted to share my experiences being pregnant and delivering with the band should it be helpful at all: - My 10cc band was filled to 5.5 cc at the time I learned I was pregnant - My surgeon suggested we leave the band filled as long as I could eat- subsequently I never had an unfill throughout my pregnancy - Food: Before I got pregnant I had not eaten any bread/crackers or other types of carbs since my surgery. My first trimester was filled with daily nausea and I got through it by turning to carbs to settle my stomach also ginger ale which I would let go flat first. - Weight Gain: I gained 50 pounds during my pregnancy- most of it in the last 3 months. I did notice that as I grew so did my appetite and most days did not feel much restriction At delivery I was over 300 lbs and suffered no complications- in fact my entire pregnancy was pretty uneventful (thankfully!). I had the normal swelling in the last weeks and some carpal tunnel in my hands but that was about it. - Delivery: My daughter was 2 weeks late...and after 17 hours of labor we ended up need a c-section to finally get her out! Now post delivery I have lost 30 pounds from delivery but find my appetite and sweet spot gone. My surgeon would not do a fill without an upper GI first to make sure the integrity of the band was intact after pregnancy and delivery. Happy to say the test went well and have had my fill (6 ccs) and feel the return of the sweet spot! All in all, I experienced NO complications with my band during pregnancy and delivery. The only thing I noticed was that the port was VERY easy to feel as my belly was huge towards the end and many times it was mistaken for the baby's foot :-) Would also like to add that I have NEVER vomitted either post surgery or throughout my pregnancy. Good luck to all you ladies and am happy to answer any questions! Have happy and healthy pregnancies! xoxox abby

The scale really isn't the sole measurement of success, especially when it comes to weight-loss. You said yourself that you're having to buy smaller clothes: that's a great hint of success. Look at how you feel. Take pictures to compare. Measure yourself. Make note of any comments you get. I've been called 'hot' two times today; very new to me! If you're running, you may want to up your calories. It's common to lose quickly in the beginning, but it does slow down; remember 1-2lbs a week; you can't expect the same rapid weightloss because well..it won't happen. On the days you aren't running, keep your calories sort of low; when you're running, up them. For me I eat 950 calories on the days I do heavy exercise; on days with weights/stretching/sculpting I eat around 850. Try messing around with your calories, maybe add in a little bit of weightlifting or just stretching when you aren't running. Hope this helps. PS. I doubt you aren't losing weight due to cardio/weight gain in muscle. Women don't gain muscle easily and in the end while it does weigh more, there's no way you're gaining more muscle than you are losing fat.

Hi Lyndsey, I can relate to how you feel, I felt the same when was due to fly to Brno in the Czech Republic for my sleeve. All worked out really well and I am sure they will look after you like a queen at Southampton hospital. It's not so far from home and getting this done will enable you to retake control of your life. I firmly believe that us fatties have a wrong setting that makes us perfect for stone age hand to mouth existance but prone to weight gain in the 21st century. As we are unlikely to experience stone age conditions (hopefully) getting the offending part of the stomach snipped off seems logical to me. I have been amazed at how much this operation changed my food mindset, I don't like sweet things any more and I am pretty indifferent to most food except when I feel real hunger. Like a normal person eh? No wonder they can stay slim, it's completely easy when you don't want to eat, no great moral high ground really. So bottom line stop feeling down about yourself, we are all on your side here. And let us know how you get on. And post if you need to chat or PM me. Jane x

My name is Carlie. I am 27 years old and I have struggled with weight my entire life. I live in Tucson, Arizona. I love to travel, volunteer, dance, workout, run, exercise, hike, rock climb, play the violin, go to movies, listen to music and spend time with my family. I was banded two weeks ago. I am trying to change old patterns. I love eating anything unhealthy (donuts, Cookies, candy, ice cream etc.), but up until now have maintained a decent weight. Recently, since December I have gained 70 pounds, which is the most I have ever weighed equalling 192. My weight gain was extremely rapid. I have a scary family medical family history. I am excited to have the band, but I feel I am not following all the rules. I don't think I am doing everything I am supposed to. Please help. Sincerely, Carlie:eek:

Hi All, Let's see I am in my fifties married 20 years to a wonderful support man am 5'2" and weight 200lbs. I have always been overweight I can remember at an early age not understanding why I was overweight or what it was just that I was overweight and the only one in my immediate family that was. I don't think there has ever been a time when I wasn't dieting or at the very least conscious of the things I ate that should not have not that that had ever stopped me. My biggest issue is that when I eat I just plain eat too much I only feel satisfied when I feel full and it takes a lot to get me there. To make matters worse somewhere along the line I developed the habit of eating once a day. In my twenties the only time in my life when I was actually thin. I discovered walking and love it to this day, yes I have been walking for the last 30 years not as much as I did when I was younger but I still walk 5 miles a day 5 days a week with hills. And yet over the years the pounds crept up. I think the walking has kept the weight gain in check to some extent. Anyway the walking has given me a false sense of security calling my self "fat but fit" thinking I was keeping any potential weight health issues far away. Then a couple of years ago my blood pressure started climbing along with my cholesterol and I really could not fool myself any longer. I know that if I do not do something my health will start failing no matter how much I exercise. I know I have trouble getting to my feet not just when I am on the floor but also rising from a chair. I also know that a life time of dieting has not worked and that I could not convince myself that somehow history would not repeat itself. That all my efforts keep me running in place I never go anywhere. So I have decided on the sleeve not for vanity sake though I know there is some vanity involved but mostly because I realize that I can either have my stomach under the knife or in a few years my heart. I had a bit of a wake up call with my pre op ekg it was considered borderline with the possible beginnings of major issues. I have to do something and this is my choice. Tomorrow 8/24 I go in for surgery. I am scared out of my mind about now. Scared about surgery, scared about recovery, scared about complications and most scared of it not work. Nancy

When I got pregnant, my band tightened. It became hard to eat so I had to get a slight unfill. I had 1.5 cc's taken out. I had lost 10 pounds in a month without much morning sickness. It just depends on you and what your surgeon thinks. My surgeon told me they don't normally do unfills unless there is a problem. I definitely had a problem. Especially since I was already at goal. For me to lose more weight wasn't good. Now I am on a normal weight gain path with my pregnancy and am still eating healthy. Just make sure you keep your surgeon and you OB in the loop with everything. They can both be amazingly helpful! Congrats on your pregnancy!

How are things going with the weight gain? I have been having similiar issues. You are a few months ahead of me, just wondering how things are going?

I think what you are experiencing is normal. It took me about 6 months for my mentality to change about desiring food, even if I wasn't truly hungry. Desiring to chew, taste, swallow and feel full the old way. The lap band changes your relationship with food in my experience. That change does take some time and you will "challenge" the band and not be able to keep it down. Eventually, you will tire of this and learn to live with your band, physically and psychologically. I had my band put in March 2009. I lost 115lbs the first year and have since maintained that loss (I'm 145lbs, 5'7".) Currently, I can eat just about anything if I eat a bite or two and then wait 15 minutes to eat another bite. That's ok for the taste and act of eating, but I feel it's hard for me to get my nutrition that way. I bought a vitmix blender...IT'S GREAT!! For me, my strategy is to make sure I get my fluids, protien and vitamins in first, then I dabble with eating bites at a time. I feel so much better and more energetic since I've began using my vitmix blender. It will liquify ANYTHING. I really missed my veggies with the lapband. I can't tolerate the skins of veggies. In this blender I can put in any mixture of veggies, skin, stalk and all and always a bit of kale, to make a liquid veggie drink. I add a good quality chicken bullion for taste and my powdered protien and I have a vitamin, fiber, fluid, protien packed tasty drink. I've done yogurt and blueberries as a smoothie and can tolerate that too. I thank GOD for this machine. These drinks don't replace all other foods, but they are the base to my nutrition. Everything else is extra and for the act of eating, chewing, and enjoying a few bites of regular food. For me, this works and it quite satisfying and certainly health boosting. Of course, I still enjoy a dilly bar whenever I want one and haven't had any weight gain what so ever. I remember the dietitian saying you shouldn't have to puree foods to be able to eat, that you were too tight if you had to do that. But they tell you to stew, or slow cook things until they are mush....whats the difference? The difference is cooking out all the nutrients is not good. The vitamix blender liquifies raw veggies, retaining all vitamins and fiber. I don't have stock in this company, I am truly just very excited to have come across this. It's very expensive 350-400 bucks, so I thought about it for 6 months before I broke down and got one. Best investment I've made since I got the lap band. I love the lap band!! Us bandsters just have to figure out how to have optimal health with the restriction that has allowed us to achieve our healthier weights.

I'm thinking a lot about this September. I'm finding it motivating to get to goal weight. An online program says that I will get to my goal weight on October 19th, which would be fine, too. I wish some of us could get together. I can't afford to travel far from the west coast. I belong to TOPS, and I noticed they are having a retreat in Arizona in March, 2011. I'd sure like to be there. I've been reading a lot about rebound weight gain. I am unable to exercise much because of a spinal disease, etc. But it sounds like I really need to work on the lean muscle, so I'm going to pick up some exercise bands my next trip in town. I do a lot of little walks, and I'm going in next week for an injection that will hopefully make it easier for me to take more aerobically based walks. I hope to hear how all of you are doing. Especially if you are having difficulties! This year hasn't been easy, and I keep working on the rules. I have to log to know that I'm getting enough protein and water. And fiber....

I had my surgery on Aug 16th and everything went well. I do not have any gas pains, just the normal incision pain. In fact today I am feeling much better. My only concern was that i had lost 15 lbs during my pre-op diet and i weighed 241 on the day of surgery. When I weighed myself on Wednesday I was at 251 lbs. I called my doctors office and they said this weight gain is due to IV fluids. I am not able to drink much but I am trying hard. Have my first post op appt on Tuesday Aug 24. Wish everyone good luck and speedy recovery.

Well I went in Tuesday and got a really nice fill. It's working nicely! I did drop 2.2% of body fat but went up in water weight so the scale showed 2lb gain :biggrin: but Sue said not to worry about it cause its not real weight gain. Have anyone else met Sue.. She's the new NP and really very nice. Anyone have anything interesting happening this weekend??