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I feel your pain big time!!! I also have 4 week clear liquids. I get to move to mushies on january 9! but then I have a month of just mushies. So I don't get solid foods until february 6th! It sucks but our doctors have us do this for a reason.

it's super glad you are here and posting to everyone. The thing that rings most in my ears from what everyone says here is..... It gets better! Maybe you are still having the effect of being put under? Those drugs are heavy and effect people in different ways! Take it slow friend!! Rest sip walk repeat. The nurse told me that flexing and pointing my feet 10 times in a row will be important those days after surgery. And if anything- I'm going to need your cheering on for me next week when I am where you are! Hold fast!

I was banded in 2008. About 2 years later, I was told my band/stomach was dilated, so Dr. unfilled me completely. I have not been able to go back to Dr - insurance/financial reasons. I have been having issues at least TWICE a week where, after I eat (no matter what I eat), within 10 minutes, I get excruciating pain in my upper abdomen, more towards the right, radiates to my back and I feel just miserable. Sometimes it feels like gall stones...however, my gall bladder was removed in 1995. The pain is so bad, it hurts to take a deep breath and sometimes to even move. I already take Nexium for acid reflux. There's more.....I have chronic kidney stones (for 9 years now) and had a stone blasted last week, with 9 still sitting in both kidneys. I notice when I get this pain, I get flank pain also. It usually lasts for several hours and I am miserable. When I went to urologist for follow up xray, I was told my band is still in place, but dilated...I'm completely empty. We just moved so I am looking for a local weight loss surgeon/dr, but am still trying to figure out insurance issues. I'm thinking next time I get this, I should make a trip to the ER, tell them EVERYTHING and see if it can get taken care of sooner rather than later. Any advice? Suggestions? Anyone have these issues (probably not all at the same time). I would so greatly appreciate it. I cannot go on like this. Thank you so much for your time. God Bless. Andrea

Glad to see these posts. Not drinking with my meal will be my biggest hurdle (2 weeks post op). I'm okay if I can just take a small sip or two during the meal, but I will actually stop eating because of not drinking. My family has become the drink police everytime I sneak a drink with my meal. I have no fill at this moment so its probably not going to effect me, but I'm still not doing it just because I know its a habit of mine.

Hello, my name is Holly, I am not really sure where to post this, feel free to move this post to a more appropriate area of the forum. I am nearly four years out from my original lapband surgery. I have had a few physical problems with my band starting with my port falling seven months after my surgery. Then again three months later. And very slow weight loss. Finally things seemed well and I lost 87 lbs (started out at 249 and got down to 162) after about two years post op. Last summer I had a full abdominoplasty and my weight loss surgeon did that procedure. He fitted me with a new low profile port while he was in there and I kissed him after my surgery because I was so happy with how much he has changed my life. Fast forward to this past spring. The area where my port was located had been bulging and tender. We thought for sure it fell or flipped again. Scheduled my surgery for May 3rd. When I woke up from my surgery I had bad news given to me. There was an abscess around my port and he had to remove the port. I would have to come in again for surgery to replace my port once the abscess had healed. At my two week follow up to the abscess surgery he walked in the room and said he wanted to take the band out because he thinks my body does t like the port and he is running out of places to put the port. I was all ears, however the insurance coordinator burst my bubble by saying that even though I had gained some weight back, my BMI wasn't enough and my insurance doesn't care if the band is killing me, they won't convert me unless I meet criteria. I went in this past Monday for my port replacement surgery and I had made a comment to my surgeon about how I was very defeated as I felt like I was starting out back at square one. He contemplated what I said and gave me a reassuring squeeze on my arm and said he'd see me in the OR. Now a little back story in regards to my surgeon and myself. I work for the health system that I had my surgery done at. I gather surgical costs for surgeons when they are performing new and sometimes trial procedures. I work closely with my surgeon on a professional level and we know each other very well. So that being said, when I came out of surgery from having my port reinserted, it wasn't a surprise to me at all that he informed me that he reinserted my port, this time in the sternum area to avoid it falling again. And that he performed a Plication and that he is confident it is exactly what I need to give me the desired weight loss I want in a more rapid timeframe than I had before. I was very happy he made that choice for me. So far I am 6 days out and I am 6 lbs down. I had no pain from the plication, more discomfort from the sternum placement of the port than anything. I am hoping that the plication plus the lapband will compliment each other for the course of my weight loss journey. I wanted to post this so that others who have had slow weightloss and are stuck or have started to gain weight back, know that there is another option out there that they could consider adding to their lapband. Good luck to you all!

Today I have had two eggs and a small package of oatmeal for Breakfast. I had wendys chili at lunch... Would u consider that soft enough?

I forgot to mention that a weeping wound happens with any type of surgery. My friend had a major breast reduction and leaked for 8 weeks. I leaked for 8 months. First, the original port got infected so they removed it. Then I got a new port, but they put the port in the same old infected wound, so that 2nd port got infected, too. I had the 2nd one removed in January. I need a new port, but $$$ is an issue since I'm still paying off all these complications.

Hi Chris, I don't know any Mich docs but wanted to throw a hello your way since I had the same problem. What is your incision problem? Mine started leaking a week after surgery like a faucet and never stopped. Soon the area became infected. Leaking can be quite normal as long as the area stays infection free. What is your wound doing?

Mercedes, I understand the temptation to go look for the dog. I am not too sure I would not do the same thing. Is there no one else who can go look? How old is the dog? Dogs usually come home after a day or so. Or at least mine do. I have not read the warnings on pool chemicals. Read it and see what it says. It does not sound too good if the dog has not returned after a week. If you go be real careful and take it slow. I would call my doctor also.

I'm so sorry about your dog All I would say about the riding, is if you choose to do it be very careful getting on and of - I would use a mounting block for sure. I am about three weeks out too, and I think I could perhaps ride if I went slowly and was, like I said, REAL careful getting on and off. I hope you find your dog and he's ok.

Oh, how very sad about your dog! I don't know if you should ride the horse or not - why not call your doctor just to ask him/her if it is safe? I, personally, wouldn't want much jostling . . . and as they say, the first 6 weeks are really about healing.

How'd we ever get out of such a wonderful habit? The last 10 years my two sons were living at home we left the day after Christmas and spent a week in the Islands, then along came grandkids and no more Christmas trips. Hmmmm, maybe it was really due to my weight and the grandkids were just a good excuse, time to get back into that old tradition.

Wouldn't you think our surgeons would warn us about stalls? It looks to me like pretty much nobody's surgeon said anything about it beforehand, including mine. What the hell?

lil red raider makes a good point. You should check your inches as well as your weight and see where you are losing. You may in fact be building muscle which wieghs more than fat. So you would be losing fat and gaining muscle which you will see a difference in your inches and not your weight. Give it time you will get past this stall in due time. Lily

Hi Tanya, I just wanted to let you know that I have United Healthcare PPO, and they approved my surgery. (An aside: My doctor was out of network, but they paid well. I didn't owe him too much money afterwards. I did ask him, before surgery, how much money he needed to receive totally from the ins. co. and me combined. I'm glad I did that because, after the surgery, his office billed me for more that he had told me, and I questioned the amount based on what I had been told prior to the surgery. After letters back and forth, he decided to accept the original figure - whew!) Back to your question. My insurance approval was not without a specific glitch, however. But the glitch (and hence postponement of surgery) was for two reasons: 1.The surgeon's office was supposed to contact UHC one month in advance of the surgery date for approval. They only contacted them two weeks in advance, and when there was a question of eligibility by the ins. co., the answer couldn't be sorted out in such a short time. 2. The employer through which I have my medical insurance goofed on their end as far as their coverage of weight loss surgery. They told me that they covered it, but the ins, co. did not have it on their approved list of procedures. I had to get the patient advocate at work involved to straighten it out. Eventually, it was all OK'd, and everything was fine. So, be aware that it is not always the insurance company trying to be difficult. In my case the surgeon's office dropped the ball in their timing (They knew better, and yet they tried to blame the ins. co.) And the employer had dropped the ball, too. They had not given an accurate listing of approved procedures to the ins. co. Also, be aware that each employer has many options in the plan they purchase from UHC or any other health care provider. So your UHC and my UHC may not provide the same coverage at all. I hope this information was helpful to you. You should call UHC to find out if there is a problem in approving your surgery. Don't wait for them. You won't feel as frustrated if you are actively involved in the process. Best of luck, CandyB.

When i was 57, i lost a good amount of weight with diet and exercise. I had a core workout tape i liked and then walked on my treadmill. I started with only 15 min because i was not really into it at all. Each few days i would add 5 minutes until i got to a mile, then 2 miles. One day i thought..hum... I bet i could run maybe 15 seconds... So every few minutes i would break into a run for those 15 seconds. This went on for quite a bit because i still was at about 225 or so so had confidence that i could really run for a longer period of time. I finally realized it was not that hard to run since your stride lengthens so i gave a quarter mile a go... And boom... Started doing quarter mile runs and quarter mile walks for a week or so then bumped to half mile walk half mile run and then running the full two miles. Im sure true runners would call my pitiful run a jog, not sure how fast you go to call it a run or if it depends on stride length. Bottom line though... It was all about confidence and taking time to build up to the run phase. I do plan to begin the c25k program this time once i am cleared to do more than just walk (already doing at least a mile a day or more at 12 days out) and i plan to order a running book so that i learn more about form, the foot strike, etc. i also need new shoes, but from experience, know my foot size decreases with weight lose so i hate to get new shoes only to have them get too big in a short amount of time. Knowing you can run two miles or more is just the best. Self esteem soars. So yep, i am now 60, but know i will be back running soon. I want to feel that pride and see the amazing changes in my body. Oh yeah... When walking, i always did face and neck exercises, as well as when i was driving. I swear it made a difference especially in my neck. Good luck Grace. I wish you the best.

Looking for others experience. Almost 3 weeks post op. Yesterday and today have started to have mild cramping feeling in both my legs. Like I just did a workout on a spin bike or something (but haven't) Also waking up middle of night and the morning with very dry mouth. I am on a diet of pureed food. Including shakes, Protein injury Soups, I am managing around 48 ounces of fluids. I rarely seem to be able to meet the 64 ounces, but keep trying. I feel more fatigued then I did a week ago too. And as far as weight loss, it has not moved more than a pound for two weeks now. Anyone experience the same, or know what these two symptoms might be?

I posted before that I lost 50 pounds and then these past 2 weeks I gained 2 pounds....no change in diet.... I waited for that to change, but it's stalling for the 3rd week now..... I'm 3 months post op today... and I woke up with a strange feeling....very hungry.....ate a lot today as before the operation..... I'm getting hungry every 2 hours..... I just ate a whole plate of pasta, which if were a month ago I would have vomited instantly....I was actually waiting to see if I'm going to throw it up again, but I didn't....Oh God!!! I'm actually in tears right now.... don't know what to do ((.... I'm actually playing this horrible scenario in my head over & over... that I'm going to gain all that weight back again...I was so happy with myself and kept bragging about my surgery & weight loss to people I knew and also to complete strangers..... I wish I hadn't done that... I jinxed myself.... I am so miserable right now.....has this happened to anybody???

I tend to drink a warm cup of chicken broth. 5 calories per bullion cube, and it tides me over for a bit. If I'm still hungry an hour later, I eat something. I stalled for a bit because I started grazing a lot.

I can't answer the Medicare question but as far as meds go.... In the first couple of weeks after surgery, there is a good bit of swelling and it can be tough to swallow much of anything .... part of the reason for the post-op liquid diet. Most meds can be crushed but your pharmacist can tell you which ones can't. A good many meds are available in liquid form. Most of us discovered that once we were back to solid foods we could swallow pills but just 1 at a time. Starting the day of surgery, I am off all my medications. I was Type II diabetic, had high blood pressure, high cholesterol and was taking an anti-depressant because my doctor felt that an anti-depressant was an important part of treating Type II Diabetes. But if you've ever taken a Calcium supplement you know they have a good size to them and I can swallow those with no problem.

Hey Guys, Hope everyone is well. I haven't been around for quite a while due to being really busy at work, and just generally getting back into routine and "normal life" after my op. Everything has been going great, hit a two-week stall but finally came out the other side this morning which is a relief. I am now down 30lb! Hooray! I have noticed one thing though, which is that I have been feeling nauseous a lot over the past week. Like actually urging at the slightest thing, especially in the morning when trying to take my tablets. I had no trouble whatsoever with feeling sick until now, and as I am almost 8 weeks out I would have thought it would have affected me before now if it was going to. Then tonight I realised that my period is three days late... Now I realise that a) it isnt' VERY late yet, and I am probably worrying for nothing, weight loss can affect your periods, c) I have been on the pill and therefore highly unlikely that I am pregnant. But I still can't help worrying. I wish it wasn't so late in the evening so I could go and buy a test to put my mind at rest. Nowhere sells them at this time of night here. My body has been through a lot over the last couple of months, so I wouldn't be surprised if my hormones are totally messed up. Hy head tells me that my period will start soon and I am being silly, there is nothing to worry about.... but my heart feels like it is going to go pop. I know that no-one can tell me the answer, but I just needed to type it out. Somehow it helps! Thanks for listening. Cross your fingers for me! xx

I would advise finding a regular LOCAL doctor for fills & unfills & check ups. You will need after care on a regular basis. I have seen my doctor at least 7 times in the last 9 months. Plus they may have local support groups to join. As to your problem- Yes you are too tight & need an unfill to some degree. The idea of the band is to eat & feel full for longer periods than preband. Its good that you recognized this & know your too tight. It is always a smarter idea to be less tight than over tight. Yes it may be more work but you can & will adjust to working with your band. I had a slight unfill & struggled w/not getting it for a few weeks. I was much better when I got it but had to really work at not over eating again. Its a struggle w/your mind as well as w/your body in the beginning. I am 9 mnths out & finally feel I got IT! at about 8 mnths out. Be patient & please find someone local. You'll be happier in the end. God Bless you.

Had my band out in oct after almost three years. 10 days post op on sleeve. Majors jot difference! This one didn't seem as horrible as the first DVD do far i seem to be doing ok

My doctor never said it was off limits. He said one or two cups a day right after surgery was fine...if it was appetizing to me. I tried having coffee, but it didn't taste/sit good until 4 weeks out.

The gas pain can last awhile. I didnt take pain meds at all. It wasnt necessary for me. They make me feel worse. I just gas-ex and got up and moved around alot. I had gas pains on and off for almost 2 weeks. My back hurt so bad for quite a few days just after surgery. It does pass but if something ever doesnt feel right, call your Doc. Congrats and good luck.