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Hi Everyone, I'm Linda, from Greenwood, Indiana. I first saw a doctor on July 3rd, just a consultation for anyone who wanted information about weight loss surgery, one of those group meetings. I had already decided I wanted Lap Band, so I stayed and filled out the paper work for insurance approval etc. I expected two or three months just to get approval or longer, then all the test that follow and surgery in 5 or 6 months. I got a call the last week in July from the surgeon, saying they had approval, and giving me a surgery date of Sept. 8th. I was in shock all day! I've already had the psych. eval. and go for pre-op Diet & nutrition consultation on Friday. This is all moving so fast! I'm a teacher and go back to work on Aug. 18th, then three weeks later I'm off for surgery. Not the best timing, but I'm putting myself and my health first this time! I'm wondering how fast I'll recover and be able to go back to work. What were your experiences????

I don't understand the surgery, either. I've heard of gastric plication where they fold and suture the stomach instead of removing it, but I don't know of any procedure that combines the two. I'm a military spouse, too, and I completely understand not having a lot of options for surgery. I flew all the way from Germany to San Diego to use Dr. Aceves because doing it any other way wasn't a real option for me. I knew of no VSG surgeons in Germany that had enough experience to make me comfortable so it seemed my best best. I don't regret my choice one bit! I didn't work, per se, but I did stay at home with two year old twins after my surgery. I was tired and a bit run down for about a week after surgery but I was fine after that except for some occasional discomfort on my side. I didn't even need pain pills after I finished my flights and was back in Germany. So I'd say it's possible for you to do it but you might need to really take it easy when you're not working until you heal. I hope you have a safe surgery and a swift recovery. ~Cheri

It's been 6 months since my original gastric bypass, which I then had reversed to a sleeve about three months ago. I still cannot eat without vomiting and pain. Sometimes, some days, I can do yogurt or a pretzel. I sometimes can handle cheese and Soups. But there are many days I can't. I haven't had more than 300 calories a day in six months. With the sleeve everything hurts and feels like it gets stuck and I have to make myself throw up to feel better. Anyone else experiencing an inability to advance their diet at three months?

I am having surgery in a few weeks and I am wondering how long it took before you could go back to work. I was told 4-6 weeks but my friend had the sleeve and said she felt good after 1 week. I don't want to have my coworkers know so I am planning on only taking 1 week vacation time. Is this unreasonable? Sent from my iPad using the BariatricPal App

I did those three plus thigh and upper arm. My thigh is now smaller than my arm was when I first started!

I just recently starting feeling the heartburn and I probably have not been paying much attention to it really. I would be truly sad to even consider the Bypass surgery - I think it is too evasive and I did not want to deal with the malabsorption issues. Oh and by the way it was the Gastronologist that conducted the Endoscopy and my thought is that he is a specialist and would know this area pretty well, but I will speak with my Surgeon early next week to express my concerns

I have BCBSNC.... My paperwork was sent in on November 2nd. I have STILL not heard anything. When I called BCBS they said it was in 'review'. I'm also getting pretty nervous. How long had they had yours when you got approved. Its been 2 1/2 weeks so far for me. Running out of fingernails!!!! Cindy

So I wrote this for myself but I wanted to share with people who understand. I'm being banded on Friday this week! Dear Self, Why am I doing this? Why am I subjecting myself to this? Well mainly it’s for my kids. I’d like to be healthy and be a good role model for my children. I want to be with them for as long as possible. There are other more selfish reasons of course. I’m so freakin sick of having the sore back all the freakin time! I know it’s because of my belly and I’m hoping and praying that if I’m able to get rid of that my back won’t hurt anymore. Every time I go to pick up Little Stink or when we are in the rocking chair nursing and I go to put him in his crib it hurts SO bad. Bending down to clean up their toys is a nightmare. I’m also so sick of being scared that I’m going to develop diabetes. If I’m able to loss weight and keep it off, that fear will most likely be alleviated. Not to mention of course, the HPB which weighs on my as well. I’d like to be able to nurse my next child without having to worry about that medication at least. I’d like to be thin enough to attempt a VBAC for baby 3 so maybe I can even have baby 4 if I want! I also want to be able to run without hearing my belly flap. It’s more than embarrassing. I want to be able to run and play with the kids. Play soccer or baseball or tennis without being winded. I want to be able to ride my bike without fear of a hill. I want to be able to run and get my baby if he falls more quickly than I can now. I want to be there for them more than I am now. I want to be able to walk into a room of people I don’t know and not be looking around to make sure there’s someone fatter than me in the room. I want to be able to stop looking for the shock or disgust in people’s eyes when they see me (as a point of note, I’ve NEVER seen that though! I just look for it). I want to be taken seriously and included in circles that I’m currently not given the opportunity to join. I want to be able to ride my bike or take a walk without worrying what the teenagers are thinking or worse yet saying about me. I don’t want the day to come when my little boys say to me “Mommy, you are fat” and I simply have to respond, “Yes, Mommy is fat”. I want to see the looks on people’s faces when they see me thin FOR THE FIRST TIME EVER! I want to welcome my sister home from aboard having lost 100 pounds. I want to go to weddings or other family events and see all their faces when they realize that it really is me. This has been a dream since I was 10 years old. I’d like to finally see it come to fruition. I want my husband to be able to pick me up and swing me around like he does his mother. I want him to find me attractive. I want him to tell me he finds me attractive. What am I scared of though. I’m scared of not succeeding. That’s for sure. I’m scared that I’ll go through all of this and 10 years down the road I’ll be back right where I am now, and I’ll have to watch what I eat on top of it. That would SUCK. If I’m gonna be fat, then I damn well want to be enjoying it! I’m scared that life is gonna suck after the surgery. I’m scared I won’t be able to follow the diet. I’m scared I’ll lose my drive after too short a time. I’m SUPER scared I’ll have a recurrence of my anxiety problems. In the past this was enough to keep me from trying anything. But it’s been well controlled for around 7 years so I do think I’ll be ok. If I’m not, well then I’ll cross that bridge when I get there. I’m scared that life is gonna suck without good food. I’m scared of what I won’t be able to eat anymore. I’m scared of not nursing for 24 hours. I’m scared of not being able to lift the kids for a time. That will be hard. I’m scared that I’ll give up too soon. I’m hoping that the band will not let me do that! I’m hoping that the results will be such that I don’t want to do that. I’m hoping to succeed. I’m hoping not to be disappointed by my audacity to hope.

Wow, maybe I should stop complaining! Are any of you dealing with Kaiser? My sister has Kaiser and they have the same requirements. She has to take a 20 week course. I just did not want to go through all of this and find out that there is a catch to this. I have asked all possible questions with the surgeon and insurance and everything is just going too smooth. After reading everybodys different journey i feel a little at ease now. Thanks everyone.

I'm at the end of my lap band journey... I have completed all 6 months of dr. visits, dietician, and done the psych eval. The entire visit with the psychologist was, to me, a bunch of bullshit. We talked for about 40 minutes before the 700 question test, yes, 700 questions! and he basically just went over the same stuff the dietician went over. Exercise and crap like that. But, he told me something that really bugged me. He told me that for me to be this weight that I must consume 4500 calories a day. I told him that I didn't agree and that I know I didn't consume that. He did that stupid thing doctors do when they dismiss you... and I knew at that point that he probably thought I was some lieing fat person who really consumes more than what they say they do, but I'm not. After leaving I immediately decided to keep track of what I eat. I wasn't going to change a single thing either. I'm going to eat just how I normally eat as not to change the results at all. So far after three days, I average between 2,000 and 2,600 calories a day. Yesterday was a big calorie day with the 2600, because I had that stupid chinese buffet, but again, I didn't want to not eat what I would normally eat simply because I knew I was writing it all down. I even put the stupid mayo pack I used on my chic-fil-a sandwhich! and the cup of hot coco I drank.. can you believe that was 150 calories?? yep!, but I put that down too. I still have 4 more days left to go, but I have a feeling they will all be about this amount, because this is what I eat on a normal basis. When I'm done with this, I'm going to show him and say "see, not all morbidly obese people sit around pigging out all day eating 4-5 thousand calories a day". I'm so sick of people having this impression of obese people!! I sit right next to a vending machine at work and have never even gotten anything out of it! But, I'm sure people just assume that. My biggest worry is, if I'm 294 pounds and consume 2,000-2600 calories a day, will I lose much taking that down to 1200-1500 a day with the lap band? And, what if my metabolism is just big time slow?? and that's causing it... Ugg...

Have just begun my 2 week semi-liquid presurgery diet. I drink 1 Pure Protein shake at 7:30, then another at about 9:30. Each has 23 grams of protein. Is this too much protein to ask my one kidney to process in a short period of time? Anyone have any info on this kind of thing? Many thanks!

I am similar. I'm not sure that I could handle a 10oz meal but I do avoid carbs 90% of the time. I have moments, sometimes even a day where I am not as restricted as I should have been but I have never struggled. I have consistently lost and had no plateaus so I just try really hard. I am 6 weeks out today. I make myself stop at 3oz of meat even though I probably could do another ounce. I don't eat any fruits, even though they are on my list because I can't restrict myself enough. I'm allowed crackers.... I can eat a lot of those. I mean even my bad days were a good day in my past but I just make myself stop. Maybe the Lean Cuisines are more of a slider and just kinda go thru. Maybe find an alternative?

Well I'm losing kinda slow now but I'm swimming like crazy feeling amazing , thighs and legs looking incrediable! Lol can't wait to get my new boobs! I'm not conceited or vien, but no matter how much I get down too I'm going to look my best, because life's far too short to be unhappy! Yay me, good luck to everyone in your journey!

I get a significant sinus headache, the kind that no amount of Tylenol Sinus can help. I get it one eye or the other, never both, behind my eyebrow and slightly behind my eye. It's a very distinct pain. Within three days it rains, every single time since I was about 9. I'm a human barometer. Oh, and it also seems to rain every time I wear a pair of new shoes, go figure. Once in when I was in highschool I was getting out of my friends car, our school was on a hill... my new shoe slipped off and fell in the gutter and took off like a raft on a river.

Just normal 2 week our pain , I did get a IV with fluids and vitamins ,still just trying to get fluids and protein , dang though I eat like cream soup 2 oz and I feel so dam full like he made my sleeve to tight , I know still early and swallon just can't believe how tight it is , looking forward to tuna fish or chicken

I have an 11 cc Realize band. At 7cc I felt 'real' restriction tho I did lose weight before then. I just had another fill this week of 1cc, so now @ 8cc I think I'm at my 'sweet spot'. I always thought I had restriction, but I really didn't have much before I reached 7cc. I lost weight before due to me really trying to comply. I've had 5 fills total. No problems. Love my band.

After your surgeon's office submits all the paperwork for approval, it could be anywhere from one day to a month or so -- it really varies depending on your insurance company and your luck of the draw. If I were you I would just assume you won't get a decision for 3-4 weeks, then if it comes early you'll (hopefully) have a good surprise. Best wishes!

I was never asked to do this, but I have been full luquids for two weeks... I'm wondering should I just do this to clear the ol poop chute before surgery Monday morning...

I want to thank all of you for your comments and perspective. I have yet to be banded, I have lost my 10%, had my bloodwork, gone to the seminar, I have my dietician this week and my appt. with the psychologist the foloowing week. I am one of those people that if you are prepared this won't be as bad. I am thank you for those of you who poured your hearts out it really helps those of us that are just starting our journeys to have a better understanding of what we have to come. Thank you all, Amy:w00t:

You might consider waiting just in case there are any set backs. I'm two weeks out today. Went to work for the first time and made it only a few hours. I'm very tired. Probably because it's difficult to get enough food and liquid in at this stage. I'm not hungry so I'm having to remind myself to eat. I don't have any pain or other issues. But I wouldn't want to be taking a trip this week. BTW, I just got my drain out yesterday. If it had more drainage, it wouldn't have come out then. Not everyone gets a drain... I didn't know I would. But my hiatal hernia repair, band removal, and sleeved ended up taking 3 hours. Sleeve alone would be far less surgery/recovery time though.

I spoke to the doc's insurance person last Tuesday - so assuming she sent in my information by Wednesday - I was approved on Friday -- and she called me this morning! 3 days = surreal. 1st available surgery date is Aug 31st -- however I am scheduled to go to a conference (in Vegas) the week of 9/13-15 -- is that doable??? (not worried about not being able to eat, as I can back my Protein drinks and instant Soup.) OR should I ask for a date after the conference? WOW Donna Metro DC area Banded 7/07 and soon to be Sleeved !!

Find a nutritionist, a wls support group, a therapist, just start somewhere. Download an app for tracking food (Baritastic, myfitnesspal, LoseIt - all free), buy a new fancy water thermos, new sneakers, a journal for your feelings, clean the junk food from your cupboards, buy a week's worth of lunch food and divide it into containers...etc Stop shaming yourself, forgive yourself, and move on, success can be yours.

Hi! I'm 3 three weeks post op and have noticed that I go to sleep tired and wake up tired... I'm on thyroid medication dr is keeping it at the same dose from before surgery, was wondering if anyone else is experiencing this a well?

To me this is normal. I was banded on 12/14 and just this week the swelling on the port incision is subsiding. O have a small bump right under the port incision and it's still a bit sore but nothing to worry about!

Welcome Linda! I commend you on your decision to get healthy. I am 2 weeks post op and all I can say is even during the recovery period (about a week) there was never a time when I wished that I could reverse what I did. Let us share your journey...it really does help to get support from people who have been through this. Good luck to you! YaY Linda!!