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You ladies are going to hate me. I feel like i have had surgery on my skin, but nothing done to my stomach. I am sore... but i havn't thrown up, not much restriction... no nausea, no burping... i can't wait for my first fill. I wont be able to eat solid food until dec. 22nd. But, im ashamed to admit... i have had small pieces of turkey. Ive lost 10 lbs already. Getting stir crazy in this house

If I eat too fast I get a feeling similar to the stuck feeling but it's different. I can't describe it. It happened twice, I ran to the bathroom and slightly dry heaved and I was fine. With the band, I would be pacing for 10 minutes and then would dry heave. When I'm FULL, I feel slightly nauseous instead of the feeling of the food stuck in your throat like it is with the band. I still get anxiety eating with people because I'm still afraid from all those stuck episodes I had with the band. I'm only 2 months out , I know there are others who have been very successful with the sleeve and will give you some great feedback

My psych eval was about 10 minutes long. I couldn't believe it. He asked me things like "have you ever hallucinated or had delusions?" I don't know if it was like this because I'm a psych nurse, or they are all like that at this place. Maybe it was because I emailed the vice president of surgery in the corporation and let him know that I had been getting the run around from the bariatric center for 3 months, so they had already made up their mind ahead of time.

Thanks for the replies everyone. Kristy- at least you only have those 15-25 to get off, right? I eat sweets every now and then too. I allow it . Coops - I think you're right about the number on the scale, it's not the most important thing. I still want to lose at least another 10-15 pounds though. Not because I'm vain but because I'm still fat. Also, I miss the days when I could really see my hard work paying off quickly. I miss those pounds just dropping off. Like the other poster said, I'm going to kick up my exercise this summer. Thanks to everyone who replied. You all are understanding and encouraging

Hi I am 10 days post op and im on puree food at the mo. Every time I eat something at the moment I am getting a very painful stitch in my left side. Whan I wake up in the morning it is still there. The pain goes in the day time but come back souble in the evenings. Im a little worried this is becasue maybe im eating too much not sure. Can anyone relate to this at all ????

3 weeks post op and having a drink, I am 10 weeks and way to scared to have a drink! Just be careful and enjoy

Hi Laura, Here's my story. I was banded 11/09. Lost 107 pounds in about 10 months. Howeve the band hasn't been the tool I hoped it would be. Restriction was elusive. I would be very hungry, get a vey small fill and then not be able to even keep shakes down. I was in a good spot for a few weeks here and there. When my band was tighter I wasn't able to eat Pasta, rice or bread. Everything else went down fine and I experienced significant hunger. If I could do it over, I would give the high protien diet a chance, I hadn't dieted in years when I decided on WLS with the encouragement of my mother. This is just my story. As you have probably read, there are many success stories. It's a big decision, do thourogh research so you can make an informed decision. Good luck!

Thermos intak hydration Water bottle $10 at target helps keep track of how much you are drinking. I also add MIO to my water also at target by the crystal light. Good Luck

I understand your concerns. I talked with my surgeon, because after reading lots of information, I had decided that I did not want the smaller bougie sizes. I was anxious about an increased risk of strictures, possible osteoporosis from overly rapid weight loss, GERD, and difficulty eating some foods. He laughed when I told him that I did not want a stomach the size of a Bic pen. (He had not seen the photos comparing bougie sizes to pens and markers until I brought them to my appointment.) Anyway, my surgeon said that he typically uses a 40f to reduce the risk of those problems (although he was willing to change that if I wanted him to)--but what he also explained to me in a diagram, is that the bougie is used to determine the size of the upper portion of the sleeve, but that you still have a small "pouch" type area at the bottom that is larger than the bougie size itself. He said that there is a lot of surgeon judgement that affects how this area at the bottom of the sleeve is measured/shaped, and the amount of food it will contain. So even though the bougie size is important and causes you to feel restriction when you eat, the bougie size alone is not the only thing that determines the stomach's capacity. Some surgeons use the smaller bougie sizes in hopes of improving weight loss/reducing the risk of regain. Those things are important to me and I would love to be thin, but at 54, I am equally concerned with overall quality of life issues. For me, a 40f was a reasonable choice that would reduce my anxiety about possible problems. It's possible that at some point, I could wish he had gone smaller, but at 10 weeks, I am satisfied that my surgeon did a good job. I am eating small, but satisfying amounts of food. I haven't had any problems with reflux/acid (and I'm not taking a PPI). I'm losing satisfactorily--and would lose more if I were exercising more. I advanced my diet slowly, and thankfully, I haven't found any foods that I can't eat comfortably. I don't think it is unreasonable to be concerned about aging issues. For me to get adequate Fluid intake, I have to pay attention/work diligently to drink 64 oz a day. Alzheimer's runs in my family--and watching my mother last week made me very much aware that she would not be able to "sip sip sip" all day. At this point, she's doing well to know when she needs to go to the bathroom. It may be that some aging people with gastrectomies do very well, but I don't think there is enough research for us to know how this may affect those of us who develop problems with dementia/Alzheimer's. I had to make a judgement call. Is it better for me to be slim and be able to enjoy the years immediately before me, while taking the real risk that it may complicate nutrition/hydration problems if I develop Alzheimer's as I age...or is it better for me to stay fat and miserable now, so that I can insure my ability to eat and drink at some point when I am older and may not even know my name? For me, it was an easy choice. Let me LIVE now, and if I have to be rehydrated with IV fluids when I'm older because I can't remember to drink fluids, then so be it.

So, I'm down to a size 10 in jeans, and my hubby commented last night that I look even better now (at age 35) than I did at 19, when we met. He doesn't give gratuitous compliments, so I can rest assured that he certainly thinks so! But I've been worrying (when do I not?) as I get further post-op, and my weight-loss slows, and my appetite increases. I also have to face the sad reality that I'm not going to be able to get back into running--I've got too much spinal arthritis. What really freaks me out is trying to figure out to maintain a stable weight long-term given the realities of my past physical injuries catching up with me and making it difficult to get regular exercise without paying for it later in terms of having to take muscle relaxants and prescription pain medication (it's really that bad ). I guess it's back to the old 'celery-carrots-and-string-cheese' snacking, instead of nuts (no matter how raw they are). And various other tricks I learned as a diabetic...that's the one that really freaks me out, is the idea of having to go back on insulin.

I got so sick of hearing skinny people complaining that they couldn't lose that 10-20 lbs they needed to lose. Big f------- deal. I've got over 100 lbs to lose. Let me tell you, the first 104 were easy compared to the last 15! In the past 2 1/2 yrs, I've gone down from 248 to 144 right before getting married in Dec. In the past 4 mths, I've managed to gain about 6 lbs, making me 150. The scales move up and down everyday by a pound or 2.The last 15 lbs (my goal is 135) are so hard to get rid of. I know I need to step up the exercise some to get me off my plateau. Now I know exactly how those people who just need to lose 10-20 lbs feel. They are truly a b---- to get off!!! My goal is to be in a size 5/6 by my birthday (June 23). Guess I need to get back to basics.... Marci

Size 10 jeans from gap Loving life...

It's Feel Good Friday oh Sleeve Talk world... so... tell us, when your surgery date is and how much you've lost to date! You are not allowed to say "ONLY" in pretext to your statement. Sorry, this is MY thread and I'm callin the shots here. BWAHAHAAA!!! Me: 9/15/10 so I'm just shy of 11 months and I've lost 90 Lbs!!!! :bananalama:

I lost 10 lbs every month about 2lbs a week and until I got on this site never realized other people didn't, maybe mine was just mental, but I believed I couldn't eat more so I didn't. I ate what they told me I could eat and stopped when I felt full, often leaving some on the plate,,, I always ate protein first and was so tired from chewing that I just stopped. I am glad I didn"t know about bander hell.........But everryone is different .

Hey everyone! I've just downloaded this app. I am 8 1/2 years post surgery. I've definitely been through many ups and downs! I started at 267 and lost 115 lbs my first year. I remarried and the following year had a baby. Needless to say I put on about 15 lbs throughout my pregnancy. 2 months later my little brother died tragically and I went through a really bad period. I completely lost focus. I think I've put back on about 10-15 lbs over the next 6 years. My doctor says I have actually done great and my stomach has not stretched out very far. But I do bend a lot of rules. I'm hoping this site and reading all of your experiences will help me get back on track! I can speak from experience that no matter how far post surgery you are, you can always use support. Hopefully, I can be of some help to y'all too. Thanks for reading!

I feel your pain, I mean really feel it. I am having the same problem and have been since 3/19 which was just 4 days after surgery. When it started I was only on liquids it didn't seem to matter whether I had food or not. Hasn't changed much since I started eating so I can't figure out what triggers the pain. Pain isn't as intense now, but still have about 4 hours every day. My Dr and everything I have read says that it is referred pain from something irrating the diaphragm, make no sense how something in your stomach only affects the shoulder. I had a CT scan done 3 1/2 weeks after surgery, which shows no problems with the band, my Dr said it wouldn't show a problem with the diaphragm, so hopefully the test you are having will show something. He says the only thing that I can do is wait and see if the pain goes away or he will go in and do exploratory surgery and if he can't see anything wrong he will have to remove the band. I had my 1st fill today, not much of a fill because of the shoulder pain, the Dr. didn't want to tell me the amount of the fill, said it was only a number. I feel it was very small since I have no restriction. I told him that it wasn't an option to remove my band, that he needed to find someother way to fix if it didn't stop on its own or refer me to another Dr. I have waited to long to get to this point and the last thing I want after all of this is for the band to have to be removed. I have a realize band and the rep for the band told my Dr that he hadn't heard of anyone having shoulder pain. I told him to log onto this website to see how many people had problems with this. My Dr. did tell me that he had one other person who had this problem and that he had to remove the band. He also talked to another Dr. who had done thousand of lap band surgeries who told him it usually goes away after several months. So that is what I am waiting for at this time. I hope for us both something is found to make it better or it just goes away on it own. I don't think that I can live with it forever. Please keep me updated about what happens either here or you can send me a personal message. Good luck to you, hope things get better for you. Joanie

I don't get banded until monday ( 10/1 ) but I wanted to know of anyone saw a difference in the body about 3 weeks after the surgery. my mom is getting remarried 3 weeks after my surgery and I am a bridesmaid in the wedding. I have already bought the dress for the wedding . I am kind of scared that it won't fit right or that I will have to get alterations done to it because of weight loss .

I'm 37, wife and mom (to 4 boys...ages 16, 10, 2, & 1). I haven't always been overweight, but haven't always been thin. until i had my first, i was very tiny. i'm 4'11" and was less than 100 pounds! (my entire family on my mom's side is little...my dad's side on the other hand, are mostly greatly overweight!) i was a yo-yo for quite a while. i could get down, but couldn't stay there. pregnancy did not help at all. I divorced after a 10 year marriage and the some weight came off without a struggle, but i could never manage to get to goal. i stayed that way for a while. remarried, had migraines so bad i was put on seizure meds and other various meds, only to gain about 30 pounds. hated them enough to stop them, I tried and wasn't very successful at geting the weight off! I got pregnant with baby number 3 and when that baby was 5 months old, i was pregnant again! that just added to the weight problem. I KNOW i'm done with our family, and i have unsuccessfully taken the weight off, only added to it! I want this so much. i know what it is like to run ( I LOVE to run), to workout (i am one of those nuts that actually enjoy it!) to play with my kids, to be social (because right now, i want to stay in my house and hide!)..... and i want that again. On March 3, 2009, I will begin my journey to be successful at my dream. I don't weight to be an issue with my children, i don't want them to think mom has self image issues, I want my family to learn to be healthy. I want to be happy, because if i'm happy, my family is happy, my marriage is happy.... and i feel like this is the first step to taking care of me! (because as a wife and mom, i take care of everyone else and it's time for me to take care of ME first so i can take BETTER care of them!) whew... felt like a therapy session there! I hope i can find someone, or several people who are happy with thier decision to do WLS, are successful (or at least trying thier best), to help me through the struggles AND the good times! support is needed to make it through this, making friends and getting/giving encouragment is a bonus!!!

I'm so happy! we went away for the weekend and I was thinking since i didn't get enough Water in, that i would probably gain from eating 'out' and i'm sure that had lots of salt in the food.... I'm down!!! the scaled moved DOWN after a weekend away and not eating at home! 32 pounds GONE in 9 weeks!! 10 pounds from beating the 150's! (remember i'm VERY SHORT..... i have a LONG way to go still! 11 pounds until i'm considered JUST overweight! 29 pounds to be the weight i was when i got married! 39 pounds to the lowest i've been since having children and also my 'goal' weight. 44-49 pounds to my OMG goal!! I plan to have PS done. I'm not sure when i should go for my consult. that's a goal i really look forward to. I'm thinking about 20 pounds from goal i will go and see what they say.

It has been two weeks and five days since my surgery, and I am left in wonder and introspection. I have had my first post-op doctor's appointment and am scheduled to see him again in about two months. I am to lose 24 pounds by then. My scale and the scale at my doctor's are different by six pounds; I also weigh myself nude at home while I am fully clothed while at my doctor's (plus I think I had my car keys in my jeans pocket). I've realized I haven't been following the schedule that I am supposed to have set with my meals: 3 meals a day, 2oz each, and 2 protein shakes. I am still on a liquid diet; broths and protein shakes have been my meals. I've been nearly meeting my protein intake of 50g a day (I get around 46-50, depending on the kind of shake I drink). Along with my realization that I need to work on my food schedule, I also realized I need to be measuring my broth so I can get used to the 2 oz of food I am allowed, so when day 22 comes along, I will measure my soft foods out of habit. Instead of measuring my broth, I've been pouring them into my little toddler bowl and eating it slowly until I feel full. I believe that I was eating double of what I should, but then would not "eat" broth the rest of the day, but would focus on drinking my protein shakes. Even with the completion of my third week coming up and soft foods will soon be on my menu, I am still only allowed 500 calories. This is somewhat concerning to me in that a protein shake that I am loving automatically gives me 220 calories. I can reduce that by using just water to make my shake as opposed to a cup of soy milk and half a cup of water; though with the current way I make my shake, I get 33g of protein in. I'm considering having that shake as a "breakfast" and shake combo. I am also concerned about the 500 calories since I will be starting to exercise, besides the everyday walking that I do. I will start slow, but I also know that beforehand I could burn 400 calories with 30mins of cardio. I trust my doctor, so I just have to hold on to that while wrapping my head around the idea of small calorie intake and the addition of cardio and eventually strength training. With all these changes that I've been going through, I've realized that I've been focusing on the wrong numbers: instead of focusing on my number triad of 500/50/<40, I have been focusing on the number on the scale. and disappointed in that I see no difference in my body shape. Still, I know I am losing weight, and I tell/comfort myself with the idea that I may be losing slowly compared to others but that could be good for me skin wise and also, just adjustment wise. I've taken to keeping a food diary, and have set up a weight loss chart to remind myself that even if I cannot see a difference, I am losing weight and am on track. With all that being said, I am glad that I've taken this big step and am making progress on my journey. I've realized my mistakes and am seeking to correct them. I am working on my water intake, thought I do get my full amount of liquids in through the broth, shakes and bit of water I do drink. I know I need to get better at my water intake since I will be trying soft foods soon, so I will be including broth less and less in my liquid intake (and really, I am getting so freaking tired of chicken broth). I am making my way down this path and with each little step I'm realizing past mistakes in the way I ate and took care of myself, and I'm realizing the mistakes I was making now and am working on correcting those. Sometimes, things that are worthwhile must be worked for and earned so their enjoyment is that much sweeter. My life will be so much sweeter learning and meeting the new me. And for now, in the short term, the sweetness will come with my first scrambled egg!

Vinesqueen I read the WHOLE thing..Absolutely fasincating.. Seriously intriguing. In church (like you not bowing your head) I refuse to say "It is right to give him thanks & praise" instead i say"It is good to give him thanks & praise." I figure God is all forgiving & won't deny those who don't praise & always give thanks. But that he will reward those who do.. thats why I say its Good not necessarly right. Get it? Silly but I 've been like that since I was around 10. I was raised Catholic but practice Methodist for the past 8 years. I think how you have expanded your knowlege of so many religious beliefs is great & really really cool;0)

About 10 years ago, before the dean of our college would sign my for my graduation, he made me swear a solemn oath that I would only use me powers for good. Talking to several people from my program, NONE of them had to take the same oath. Anyone else have a similar story?

Hello everyone! How are you all doing? I hope all is well. I had my lap band put in February 10 and I haven't had any side effects... no vomiting, nausea. Just minimal pain in my shoulders if I eat a little fast and some pinching in my stomach here and there (i have am incisional hernia). I go in for my first fill tomorrow and I'm kind of scared. I ate solid foods a little sooner than what I was supposed to and I hope I haven't caused any damage that can potentially harm me in the future or cause a delay in getting a fill. I did not experience any difficulty when I did eat solid foods, but only the minor pain in my shoulders. I'm a little paranoid and wondering "what if" I did cause something to happen with the band. Also, I'm worried to tell my doctor and hope he won't be disappoint like I am with myself but what do you guys think I should do? Can he test me to see if everything is ok? Any advice would be great. Thank you

Just lovely! You look so happy and healthy. My surgery is 10/14/16 and you certainly are an inspiration. Thank you!

I’m less than a week from my SADI and I get stomach spasms when I have certain things. Water and broth is fine, liquid Tylenol and jello though both trigger it. It only lasts maybe 5-10 seconds then subsides. I just assumed that I’m still healing and that it will go away.