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Sleeved October 6, the only issue so far is hunger. Hasn't been that bad but I am really looking forward to solid (albeit soft) food at the end of the week. The gas pains have gone away but it took longer than expected--probably 10 days or so. No issues drinking. I can put away about 4 ounces in 15 minutes without issue. Down 29 pounds from surgery date and 63 total. I think about 50 of those pounds were in my neck, because I looked ridiculous when I put on my shirt and tie for work this morning. I can fit a whole fist in the collar. Another thing too: I cannot believe how well I'm sleeping. I haven't slept through the night in years until about a week ago. It may have been that my cpap needed to be readjusted and I just didn't realize it. I took a nap without it a few days ago and my wife commented that I didn't snore at all. It makes me think that I'll be waiving goodbye to my sleep apnea shortly on down the road, which I am very excited about.

Hi all. I had my revision sleeve on 10/16 from a band. I was only in the hospital 1 night, and it was very restless with the nurses pushing me to get up and move when I just wanted to sleep lol. My doc says clear liquids for the first week, then I can move on to protein shakes, milk, and cream soups. I am excited for that day! I had a hiatal hernia, which was the only complication, and made surgery take 3 hours. No reflux, but I have crazy gas pain in my shoulders. I can drink normally, it took a few days, but I am getting my 64 ozs in. I can walk easily now that I got some rest, it was hard in the hospital because I was just tired, but I can walk the kids to school and back, go around the block, even took a few trips to the grocery store. I lost about 10 lbs on the clear liquid preop diet, and about another 5 postop. I won't see my WLS until 4 weeks postop, so I'm hoping all continues to go well.

I know what you mean. I had to lose 10 to 15 pounds before they would do surgery. I was put on a low carb diet for 7 months prior to getting a date. Aroseofbeauty

It definitely is a small world. I also private messaged you too! Hopefully it went through to you. Yes that is the reason for the liquid diet. That I know. Just was checking to see if you would have to do it also. Mine says 7-10 days prior Not looking forward to that at all! But I'll do what I have to. Been picking up things I will need like 2oz cups to measure stuff and protein shakes and waters and different bars to taste ahead of time. Also some different foods I've seen people post on here. I may go purchase one of those bullet machines to process my foods and blend them up. May be a waste. But also could be much easier. I'm just trying to get somethings now and also taste some things so I know what I like and definitely don't like. I got a fruit flavored protein powder at target the other day and omg!!! It was the grossest tasted stuff ever!! No way will I ever use that stuff!!! My next apt is the same day you go back also. Kinda neat. Ya I'm thinking I'll have my surgery April/May. I'll be done with my last visit in April. I actually don't need 6 visits from my insurance. It's the doctor doing this timing

Good question I to want to know. I started at 272 went up 7 lb come down 24 lb went up 10 lb and now down to 257 lb I wonder about my food logs I keep them every day but it not always good. but I am trying maybe with out the logs I would be going up. I am 4 1/2 months in hoping for the end of July for my sleeve. Stress me out .

I'm a tough stick for IVs too and mine collapse after about 24 hours, so during my 6 days in the hospital (got readmitted for pneumonia) I had 5 IVs. I was a complete wreck about that! I asked for the house doctor once and he just happened to be a pediatrician and he was fine with tiny little veins and crying patients. I also requested and got a PICC line nurse (I think they're called) -- the ones who have to put PICC lines in if you need them. She wrapped my arm in a hot, thick wet towel and put a plastic bag on my arm and left it there for about 10 minutes before attempting a stick. That worked really well. I've also asked for the anesthesiologist before and that worked well. When I was readmitted to the hospital they sent a girl in to take blood and she had "STUDENT" on her name badge bigger than her name. I very politely told her she was probably a great student but I'm a tough stick and she wasn't going to practice on me. I feel like such a PITA when I do it but it's my body and IVs and blood draws are one of my big phobias, so they can just deal with it!

Today was a grand day. I cleaned house ( including furniture moving) all day and didn't even get tired. My kids were playing in the toy room, when my 4 year old daughter hurt her finger. While hugging and kissing her booboo better, she hugged back and practically yelled, " mom!! Look!!! I can touch my hands together when I hug you!!! I haven't seen my best friend since surgery ( about 3 months). She didnot support me in my decision for wls so I didn't want her around until I was fully healed and able to eat well enough in front of her. I finally got the nerve to ask her over for dinner. Her hubby ( also my hubby's best friend) was flabbergasted!! He just kept complimenting me. She never said a thing. Which is fine. I don't need her to say anything. It was nice to be normal around people and NOT have them ask Oh!! And yesterday I ran for 10 straight on the treadmill!!! Yay!!!

my name is Kristy and i just started my process! :cursing: i am overly excited and day-dreamy. lol. i went to meet the surgeon today and he was telling me the important stuff to do after the surgery and just said a few things about it. it was SOO quick. crazy. it took 2 hours to get into the patient room, but once he came in...psshh.. 10 or so mins and we were done. i got the info and i need to make dietitian appt. very excited. the room was crazy, one wall was window and ...they have you in a chair facing it. i was like..whoa. better not fall forward lol. my mom went with me and as you can see, she's thin. she lost 150. :cryin: she had gastric bypass. in the pic, she is pointing to Angel's Stadium. perrrddyyy craaazyy. the doctor was impressed with how much i had with me lol. i had my letter, my years of records with primary doc. and my weight loss attempts. my mom joked and said that i want it done tomorrow and the doctor said .."you got cash?..haha" ......PFFT. lol. i told him 20 cents on me. he said to add a few zeros. hahah! HA. hahah. crazy. then he said with a smile, "i see you have a list of questions for me....." haha. i was too embarrassed to ask most of them HAHA. he covered the rest, so i only had a few. lol. cool stuff. i can't wait. :sad:

Usually an employer offer EAP (employee assistance programs) this includes visit to see a therapist and consulattaions to se an atty. I'm not married so I won't weigh in on your situation but just know there are low to no cost options to seek help of any kind. Most employers EAP plans offer 3 or 5 therapist visits free per yr and after that its on a sliding scale - as little as 10 bucks a visit. If both of your work check with each employers HR department

Hi. I really need help. I had my sleeve on Aug 10 2016 and i have lost 17.6 kgs. Its great ive lost that amount i know, but i am soooo miserable! I cant tolarate anything. I havent eaten any form of food for the last 4 days. I can only drink Water and just recently tea! My stomach hurts and i am just so worried. Today i have broken down and cried during work. I cant handle it. I really feel that this is the worst mistake ever and ill never be normal again. ! Sent from my SM-G935F using the BariatricPal App

I am getting more and more excited about the end results of this journey I am embarking on. I have always been a large guy with a few moments of moderate weight loss. I keep going through the things I want to do with my new life. 1. Skydive 2. Wake up with energy 3. Buy Cloths that don't have X's in the size 4. Play at the park with my daughter 5: Bend over 6. Not have a need to customize a chair I sit in 7. Not size up the strength of the chair before I sit down in it 8. Have enough room in the small stall of a bathroom to wipe easily 9. Be able to have the toilet paper on the wall hanger in my bathroom 10. Shop for cars easier (I'm 6'5" so this still may be tough) 11. Wake up not in pain 12. Be alive for my daughters graduation, marriage, Life! 13.Ride all the rides at an amusement park, not just the fat friendly ones 14. Be comfortable in a coach seat 15, comfortably keep both arm rests down in a movie theater 16. Be able to clip something to my belt (like a phone at work) 17. cross my legs easily 18. Not have the nick name "Big Guy" 19. Hop a fence 20. Be able to comfortably wear sandals for a day. So here are 20 of my can't wait to's. What are yours?

Hi everyone! Like many others, I too have read this site for some time now. This is my first post because I've been a little apprehensive to post--but then I thought, "what the heck" and decided to introduce myself. I'm 19 (young I know) and I decided to begin my lap-band journey in June of this year. Basically, my main reason for choosing to have this surgery is because this really is a last resort. I know some of you may be thinking that I'm awfully young to have to move to a "last resort" but, hear me out. I've been overweight my whole life, seriously, my mom started watching what I ate at age two. Anway, at twelve I was diagnosed with dismetabolic syndrome with insulin resisitance. We hear about this a lot now, well type two diabetes in children now but when I was diagnosed my case was actually just surfacing. In one of the leading children's hospitals in the nation, I was the only patient with a condition like mine in the whole hospital. Anyway, sorry to go on and on. So, now at 19 I am at risk for PCOS and have normal blood pressure but it's abnormally high for my age. My mother and gradmother are also overweight--so I guess you could say it runs in the family. I am experiencing things that a fifty year old woman should be dealing with--not a nineteen year-old. I'll give a few more details about my self, just so you get the idea---I promise to make it short! :eek: I also have lower back pain and joint pain in my knees. I did tae kwon do for three years and while I was healthier, the weight never seemed to come off. Oh, I almost forgot my diet! Since about twelve I have been eating low carb but have not cut out carbs completely. And last but not least---my weight and height (for the whole world to see) I am 5'7 and about 330. OK, so now you know a little about me. Let's see, what else can I say...ah yes, surgeons. I have United Heath Care (primary) and Coventry (secondary) insurance but am having to go through conventry. My primary won't cover the surgery until I am 21 so...secondary insurance it is. As far as the surgeon...really my only option is Dr. Hohen from the Bariatric Center of Kansas City. Coventry only has Dr. Hohen in their network--at least that's anywhere close to where I live. I like in the KC metro area but go to school in Springfield, MO. While I am mentioning school--I'm an English Education major and I love literature---Go English! :biggrin1: Anway, this is getting to be a novella...so I'll end it here. I look forward to meeting all of you and have enjoyed reading the plethora of information on this site--it's amazing. Oh, and as of now, I am still in the beginning of this journey. As of Friday, my file is being referred to the person in charge of the psych. consult! Finally, after 3 months the ball begins to role!:clap2: Lauren :kiss2:

I found a good challenge for myself. Im going to train for a Duathlon. It's a event where you run, bike & run. It's on Oct 19. I will be setting myself some more specific time/mileage goals soon also. :thumbup:

I've been doing weights since the day I came home from the hospital. I got permission for 10 pounds or less. I walked for the first two weeks then went back to the gym but was told no twisty moves (like elliptical or dance classes). So it's been walking or treadmill mixed with light weights until I got clearance for full workouts (4 weeks? 6 weeks? I can't quite remember).

Hi, Im going alone for my surgery and hoped to find someone else who is to Tijuana, MX the same day.

Ok I am wondering if that was you leaving while I was in the waiting area. My appointment was at 11. I was there around 10:40am today. Gray scarf on my head? Yeah, that was me. Did she give you samples of Protein shakes/powder and Multivitamins?

From: Mstanton161, Hi DASHLY, I was banded two days (on 9/10/09) ago at Bajanor my experience there was wonderful the staff made me feel at home I was really impressed with the whole experience. I must say that I was a bit nervous at first but after looking around and seeing how clean and equip the facility was. After talking to the staff, I knew immediately they were competent. The pain after surgery was very minimal. I actually walked from our Hotel to Mall and back with my daughter and best friend the next day. I did have alot of air in my stomach and that was bothersome but the gas-ex I brought with me gave some relief. I'm so happy I did this and would do it again in a heart beat. I can truly say that Bajanor exceeded my expectations. :tongue2: I was given a take home packet full of helpful information/tools needed to be succesful.

Hi there! Now, I don't make "gourmet" food or anything like that--I basically eat what "normal" people eat minus the fat, sodium, tons of carbs, and in smaller portions. No rocket science needed--I promise! If I can do this, you can do this! :girl_hug: The first thing I do is eat out of plastic containers that hold only a cup of food at the most to control portion sizes or I use a dessert sized plate rather than a dinner plate. It's a psychological thing! I usually aim for 1/2 cup of Protein at each meal then add in veggies, etc. Some people can eat more than a cup of food at a sitting which is fine--everyone is different. As long as you're still losing, it's all good! I eat three "meals" a day and I try my best not to eat at all after 6 PM. I don't snack between meals. Instead, I drink Water in various forms and strive to get in 64 ounces a day to flush out fat, keep from retaining too much water, and to stay hydrated. I don't really like plain water, so I got a PUR water filter and flavoring cartridge that I attached to my faucet. I either make flavored water by the glass or keep a pitcher in the fridge to fill up my water bottle. For dairy foods, I'll usually eat the low-carb 4 oz. yogurts although I find that yogurt does not do a very good job filling me up! I do still make Protein shakes with store brand skim lactaid milk (I'm still working on my bottomless container of Champion Nutrition whey Protein powder from a year ago)! I usually make it with about 8 ounces of liquid, 1 scoop of powder, and enough crushed ice to raise the volume to 10 ounces. I buy fat free cottage cheese and eat 1/2 cup with different things mixed in. I might add a teaspoon of sugar free strawberry jam (10 whole calories!) or a tablespoon of yogurt just to add some flavor. My doctor advised me not to add fruit like applesauce to it to avoid eating too many carbs. I eat string cheese sometimes with about 4 whole wheat crackers. I tried the lowfat version once, but wasn't too crazy about it. I also eat Egg Beaters for Breakfast often. Some stores sell flavored Egg Beaters--Southwest/Garden Vegetables, etc. Those are pretty good. I usually buy the plain kind and add something to it (chopped scallions, salsa, a sprinkle of cheese, chopped onions, peppers, and tomatoes, etc.). You can also play with spices as well. I eat refried Beans pretty often. I take a 1/2 cup of fat-free refried beans and combine it with a tablespoon or so of different types of salsa just to make it more interesting (peach salsa, pineapple salsa, etc.). Sometimes I add a teaspoon of fat free sour cream or a little sprinkle of shredded cheese on top (emphasis on little sprinkle--cheese can have a lot of fat). I also eat canned salmon a lot. I'll take a 1/2 cup of canned salmon and stir in different things (chopped scallions, chopped onions, chopped tomatoes, dill, etc.). If you buy a couple of plum tomatoes instead of the big ones, that makes enough to mix in without having a lot of tomato left over to spoil. I add to that fat free mayonnaise or a fat free dressing that goes well with salmon. I do the same with canned tuna. I always rinse tuna (packed in water, not oil) in a collander to wash off the salt, too. That's an old habit I picked up from my dad's diet plan after he had a heart attack years ago. I also season salmon steaks with lemon juice and pepper and broil or bake it and then serve it with non-starchy veggies. I enjoy other types of fish as well (bake tilapia topped with salsa or canned chipotle peppers with adobe sauce which is very spicy, bake any white fish with a can of chopped tomatoes over it, etc.). All of these fish ideas can be split into smaller serving sizes and frozen. I make stir-fry often with chicken or shrimp and frozen stir-fry veggies. It's very quick and easy, and you can freeze the leftovers in small portions for another time. I find it's too salty if I use regular soy sauce, so I usually buy the low sodium kind. I make a basic soy sauce, ginger, garlic, and cornstarch sauce found in most cookbooks. I usually cook rice for my son, but I don't usually eat any because I eat the meat and veggies first in my little plastic container and I get filled up. For chicken, I have the best luck if I use chicken broth to cook it. Dry chicken and I don't get along well! Blech! Sometimes I'll cook a whole package of boneless chicken breast in my pressure cooker with 1 1/2 cups of low sodium chicken broth or a can of diced or stewed tomatoes to keep the meat moist. Once the meat cools, I'll chop it up and freeze it in 4 oz. serving sizes. I'll mix the cold or hot cubed chicken with all kinds of things. For warm meals, I'll heat the chicken up with some salsa, chopped tomatoes, or frozen non-starchy veggies. I'll add the cold chicken to salads, add fat free mayonnaise and scallions to make cold chicken salad, or grind it up with FF mayo and eat it on a few whole-wheat crackers. I use turkey the same way. I haven't quite mastered making pork easy to eat yet. I'm still working on it. I can't eat shake 'n Bake pork chops anymore. Again, if it's too dry, I gag on it! :puke:I do have beef on occasion, but I make an effort to eat fish, chicken, and dairy more often. I do purchase frozed meals sometimes (Lean Cuisine, Healthy Choice, etc.). I try to buy the ones that have just meat and veggies like steak tips and broccoli or turkey and veggies. If it's too much, I'll save the rest for another meal. If I buy a salad, I find that it lasts me for a good 2-3 meals. I dip my lettuce in the dressing as I eat rather than pouring the dressing all over the salad. It stays crisp a bit longer that way. You'll notice that I didn't mention the words bread or potato. I do eat some of these, but sparingly. I'll have a toast with Peanut Butter on occasion for breakfast. I can say now that I no longer eat doughy foods like doughnuts or cinnamon rolls. I avoid processed carbs as much as I can (chips, Snacks in the cookie/cracker aisle, etc.). I don't know if any of this babbling helps at all, but at least there's a few ideas in there that might appeal to you! Part of learning to live with the band is changing your thinking--the hardest part of this journey is overcoming what your brain is telling you from years and years of bad habits. If you make the food taste good and look good, you won't miss junk food at all. I feel like I'm a successful bandster not because I lost 100 lbs. in a year (which I most definitely haven't), but because I'm focusing on the good things I can eat and not bemoaning all of the foods I really shouldn't be eating in the first place. I'm choosing to lose weight at a slower pace than some folks--I'm not in a race with anyone but myself. I'm trying to make good choices to be healthy in order to change my lifestyle. I want to make lasting changes, not fall victim to the "fad diet" quick fix mentality if that makes sense. I didn't spend money to get banded and go back on the cabbage Soup diet, if you know what I mean! My band is just a tool to help me curb my appetite--the behavior modification and exercise is all up to me! Good luck!!!!

Yeah it will be a 10 hr drive so split between us all we should be fine and if we have to stop over in vegas for the night well OH WELL huh LOL.

It only took me 4 days for the pain to go away, but i didnt get my energy back until i started eating the mushy foods... so about 10 days to feel completely back to normal.

Please don't beat yourself up. I was banded on 10-25-07, so far I have lost 80 lbs. We didn't get this way by being able to say NO to the food we love. It's what we do after we eat the candy bar (beleive me - we all have done it). I truly believe that we need to re-learn the whole eating experience, the road to success is paved with stumbling blocks. Again - please do not beat yourself up, pull up the straps and move on. You made the hardest decision of all, getting the band. From today on is the rest of your life. You can do it !!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!! 03-24-07 - 374lbs - Started Journey 10-25-07 - 349lbs - Surgery Date 06-03-08 - 294lbs - Still Working It

Im curious as to what your weight is present time? I was also sleeved 10/10/16.

Hello everyone! Wow - it has been quite the eventful past almost 2 weeks. This blog is dedicated to those who are pre-op Everyone is different, but I hope if I give you my story, it will help some of you to be a little more prepared for what you're about to undergo! 1st, I did my surgery in Egypt - so far away from most of you...but the surgery is the same, albeit the administration a bit different... Soooo....(drum-roll!) I started my surgery at approximately 253.9 lbs. May be a bit less than that, but I was too nervous to go wandering around trying to find a scale! The operation was last Sunday... Everything was smooth in the operation - they knocked me out peacefully and happily and although the operation was only 45 minutes in total, I was out for around 5 hours. The torture happened the minute I was being transferred to my hospital room. I was screaming in pain (still out of it from the anesthetic), and vomited blood 4-5 times. Warning!!! For those of you who have sensitive stomachs to medicine, especially hard-core medicine like Morphine, be ready to have to make a tough decision....you will be in an incredible amount of pain..and will NEED strong pain-killers...but if you tend to throw-up fairly easily, taking those strong pain-killers may mean that you end up in even more pain. Throwing up after a gastric-sleeve operation, as you can imagine, is not fun. The doctors had to torture me with medium-strength pain-killers to avoid my throwing up to prevent further bleeding. OUCH! I was quite embarrassed of myself - I was in so much pain over these 2 days in the hospital that I created quite a scene. I don't remember most of it, but I remember getting the nurses and doctors all flustered with my carrying on. Oh well, not much I can do now The actual surgical pain - is more than manageable. Hopefully (touch wood) all of you will be just fine with that. I had two issues - 1) the gas issue - this pain was ridiculous. You have this constant feeling of just wanting to "deflate" and the pain that goes with it is indescribable....but, par for the course. It took me 6 days to "deflate" enough that I wasn't walking around looking 7 mos. pregnant and the pain was mostly gone. 2) the drainage site - you will have a drain for 2(ish) days. This is extremely painful and unfortunately I had developed cysts internally around the incision of the drain, and this was also an incredible amount of pain. I couldn't sit, lay down, stand from pain. When I went back for my 7 day post-op appointment, I yelped enough that they gave me an ultra-sound and CT scan and found multiple cysts formed in this area. A 5-day course of anitbiotics/anti-inflammatory cured this - I am now feeling almost normal. Writing this, I feel like I was such a baby...but I've delivered normally 3 babies (2 without an epidural, so I KNOW pain), and I was up and changing the babies the same night and taking my mom on a tour of my area the day after..in pain yes...but I was proud of my pain theshold. In my opinion, that means that this is one seriously painful operation (but hopefully none of you will develop the cysts which was the cause of at least 50% of the pain). So, now - I am now at 236.0 lbs (17.9 lbs less), 12 days post-op. Great!!!!! I am feeling very weak and I feel like I've done 5000 crunches and the incision areas are drying and itching like crazy, but I feel great compared to just a few days ago. I'm back home and back at work. It's hard figuring out how much I can drink before I'm full - the feeling of fullness doesn't exist in me yet - but when the juice starts bubbling back up (a weird feeling), I stop drinking for 10-15 minutes or so. POPSICLES rock!!!!!! I feel SOOOOOO much better after munching on a popsicle.. I've started putting all my juices in the freezer. It makes me feel like I'm eating, but it does nothing but soothes my aching tummy. Stock up on popsicles!!! I'm still on a full liquid diet - soups, jello, juices, and popsicles Working my way up to the thicker soups, protein shakes and will transition into mushed food. My tummy/esophagus controls me on this issue...I get a really yucky uncomfortable feeling and it lasts quite some time when I try eating something I'm not ready for yet.... ohhhh - one thing I had read up on before I went for surgery.... My doc requested my husband crush all of my meds. YUCK! When I was a kid, my mom had to chase me around with the medicine syrup...imagine how I was with crushed tablets? Super yuck! So, after suffering for around 5 days, I googled around on the internet and finally broke the tablets in half and swallowed those as normal. No issues whatsoever. Now I can swallow them whole (probably could the whole time, but I was being careful). So guys - there you have it. If you have any questions, I'm happy to answer!!! Looking forward to the days to come!

well, if the protien shakes are getting a little much (because after two weeks of them I couldn't hardly stomach mine anymore), I did find a site with some samples of other stuff. I got my order today but didn't try anything yet. Thought I would have some Protein for Breakfast tomorrow. There were tons more flavors than those stupid shakes come in. Hopefully they aren't as thick. When I get my protein I stay full longer. I'm not GREAT at getting it in though. In my job I don't seem to be able to do that OR the amount of Water. I just forget to drink. All of a sudden it's noon and I haven't had even 10 oz yet. That is what is frustrating me. Keep getting your protein. Hopefully that will help. I know that at this point I just want to CHEW something. I miss chewing. I LOVE chewing. I haven't been perfect on my post-op because I just have to chew sometimes....and I can't spit it out after I've chewed it! Learn fro what triggered this response and try to keep yourself out of that situation again. Sometimes easier said than done, but if you don't put yourself in the position, you may find it not nearly as difficult to resist. Let us know how you're doing. Steph

Well, I finally did it. Phew! Roller-coaster of emotions.... !! I am two days post op having the sleeve. I was sent home with a drainage tube. How much drainage did you have? I am wondering because I seem to have a lot of drainage and the around the area where the tube goes into the body seems to be leaking a lot. I change the dressing before going to bed at about 7 p.m. and then now at 10 p.m. the entire gauze around the dressing is completely soaked. I know it's hard to to estimate or explain but I'm just wondering if any of you had a drain with active drainage that needed to be emptied about every 4 hours when you left the hospital. And also, how did you keep the area around the drain port entering the body clean and did you have a lot of leakage? Just wondering if this is normal and my doctors office is not open now. It is 10:30 p.m. at night. I would love to get some advice.