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Thanks.. I also got my period today so I think my emotions are all over the place lol. I would LOVE to do a 5k or something of the sorts.. however, I have shin splints at the time from running so I am allowing myself to heal. It has been a couple weeks since I injured myself and I am wondering how long it will take. I am also on a bowling league so every Wednesday I feel like I set myself back a bit with recovering because my shins are awfully sore by the time I get done. I do need to buy some good running shoes because that was part of my problem in the first place, the shoes I wore were bad. I have not run since volleyball in high school which was 10-11 years ago.. I slowly started getting back into running and I thought my shins were sore from being out of shape but after I got home from an evening run my legs were in so much pain I was in tears.. they've been sore ever since. Just when I feel like I am able to go for a run, the pain comes back instantly. I think I need someone to teach me how to run again lol. I feel like I'm damned if I do, damned if I don't. But you are right.. the first 6 weeks after surgery are the hardest part. I had no restriction even a week after surgery. I thought for sure the swelling would last longer than that but not for me. I was thankfully able to get in for my first fill after 4 weeks but it took me 3 fills to feel anything. I am now at 6 cc's and feel some restriction but may need to go in again, I'm just trying to figure it out still. It was extremely difficult to follow the orders when it came to diet right after surgery. I was always hungry and my doc said to progess as I felt I could, so I did and never had any problems. Some people dont need fills, others do. Try to hang in there.. your time will come. Patience is key with this surgery and sometimes I lose mine, but I know I am still trying to figure things out for myself. It's just hard getting there.

I was sleeved on 10/23, I had no complications (knock on wood), getting my water and protein in, gas was decreasing, somewhat regular BM,, pain was steadily decreasing. However, yesterday the pain became worse and steadily increased. Today was no better and it got worse. I went in to my PCP, (who btw had bypass be same surgeon), from there I was sent to the ER (at surgeon's request). They gave me pain meds which only took the edge off the pain and conducted CT scan. They said no leak, no hernia. The CT scan was all clear. So they are thinking it is muscular pain (only hurts when I move), and sent me home with more pains meds. I am very relieved it was nothing serious; however, I am curious if anyone else has experienced anything like this?

So I had my second fill last 4 cc's in a 10 cc band Wednesday - I started to feel different Tuesday, filling up quicker and staying full longer. Is this in my head or have other experienced this??

well its here, surgery eve... sipping on a cup of hot apple cider. I had clear liquids all day today which really was not as hard as i thought it would be until now. I could really go for a snack. I sure hope the anesthesia doesnt make me sick. Last time I had surgery was 19 years ago and I was so ill when I woke up. I had to stay overnight because I could not stop dry heaving. So of course Im a little worried about that with the band. I bought chicken broth, beef broth, LOTS of jello, apple juice, white grape juice and hot apple cider. Hopefully that will get me thru the first week. Anyone has any suggestions on what else I can have that is clear liquids? Wish me luck!

I'm currently 10 months post-VSG and still losing weight with no exercise at all. When will the weight loss stop? I'm starting to look a little like a starving person...Suggestions?

After a stall at about 143 I'm finally at my personal goal weight in 19 weeks post-op. It looks like I'm having no trouble keeping my Kcal down so I expect to go lower. I know I'd never have accomplished this without the sleeve! My surgery is a secret so I cannot post photos but believe me.....it's amazing! What kinda of fitness goals do people set? It's nice to be working on something. I have no: fatigue, reflux or complications. My only compliant is hair loss which obviously is considered normal.

You will feel 16 again. I do!! My daughter is 20 and she gave me her size 8 rain coat and it fit OMG. I am a size 10/12 in most things. Well, I could not button it completely but I could get away and wear it, not buttoned for sure. My daughter is so proud of me and I feel like a new person. No more pain meds or any meds except for a daily vitamin and calcium. Your journey will be what you choose to make it. You will follow the rules and visit your Dr. and take care of yourself. I had a BMI of 40 when I started my journey and I was so unhappy. I would do this again if I had too. I have lost 110 pounds and it has NOT come back. I have kept same weight for about 4 months. I love how I feel today. Take one day as it comes and keep healthy. I had a little cold the day of my surgery and I had no problem. Best wishes on your journey sounds like your journeys has had a jump start imaluckydog

For the past week I have been thinking of what to write for my one year update. Firstly,I dont regret having the sleeve as far having lost the weight and the way I am looking.It feels good to be thin even though I have loads of extra hanging skin. But,and I am so sad that there has to be a but here... I went into menopause at the age of 45 3 months after having the surgery.At the time my dr said it might just be because I am losing a lot of stored estrogen and the symptoms might disappear,but it didnt quite go away.I now have a period every 4 mnths or so and hotflashes,as they please.Horrible to be dealing with this now.Anyway,I am dealing with it. I am bruised black and blue the whole time.Bruises that is clearly not casued by bumps as they are in such strange places.My bloods are all out of wack,different ones every time I have it done.The amount of pills I have to take is unreal.This would be fine if it wasnt affecting my stomach the way it does.I now have to add carafate to the PPi I am taking.As for the bruising,no one seems to know why this is happening and I am due for more tests in the next couple of weeks.The one thing that has also changed drastically is my lipid profile.My TC was never high,I had great HDL and LDL was normal.Now my HDL is super low,my LDL is super high and my Tc borders on high.Who knows how the heck that happens while losing 137 pounds? About a month ago I started having symptoms of peripheral neuropathy.I dont want to comment on this too much as I am still inshock dealing with the burning,tingling and pain in my hands and feet.I hope this will go away with the supplements I am taking as I have no idea how one live with this indefintely without going stir crazy. Just to top all this and make it more interesting,my neck,back and tailbone is giving me hell.I seem to be growing a hump om my upperback and the kids tell me I am bent like the moon.I have a lot of upperback and neck pain but the bad thing is I cannot atand for longer than a couple of seconds before my lower back is killing me.I can sit and I can walk,no problem.I just cannot stand. I am extremely sad that things are not as straight forward for me as for others as it would have been nice to enjoy being at goal at this point.To have dealt with my fears about having plastics as I am almoat ready to so it I dislike my arms that much...lol. However I am constantly trying to deal with some health fallouts at the moment.I am so scared that this will be my life now.Hands and feet on fire,a back that cause for me to have to sit down all the time.A neck that keeps me awake all night and to top that I look like I was in a bad accident or fight,all the time. This all sounds so negative.But I might have gotten sick just from being fat if I didnt have this surgery.If only dealing with these issues werent so complex.If only there were some easy answers and fixes.I am a fixer.I am a doer.If something is wrong,fix it and most of my issues I cannot only not fix,I can hardly manage them. Maybe in a couple of months I will find myself healthy.Painfree!Burn free!Free of bruises!Taking less than 15 pills a day.But for now I am a little fearful about my future. And then I want to just delete this post as it isnt what I want things to be like and about. But then I will leave it to read in a little while when things are better and the problems have been resolved. Part 2 will talk about all the nice stuff...like wearing a size 36B bra..hehehe!And having bought a size 10,yes a size 10 broadshort, yesterday!Not all is bad and life does go on!

If your insurance will pay Chantix really helped me. I have been smoke free for over 10 weeks now. My surgeons requires a pulmonary test and I did not pass it. Now it is a waiting game until I can take it again. I was a smoker for 30 years.

Band broke after 10 years went from 12stone to 16stone had op cant lose weight 16.3 spent £6000 feel a failure had abroad need help support wish got another band gutted Heather from Scotland op in latvia too expensive here Sent from my SM-G960F using BariatricPal mobile app

I don't have either of those surgeries. I have the band and I'm happy with it. I'm averaging 10 lb a month. I'm going with slow and steady. I've not advertised my WLS and people are noticing my loss, but not going "oh you have lost so much weight you must have had WLS." For me I'm happy to be constantly losing each month instead of gaining. Banded 10/12/16

I had heartburn alot and I contribute most of it to being overweight. When I was thinner, I never had it. I was sleeved Sept 19 and just this past week as I moved to mushies, I started noticing it coming back. I didn't have it for the first 2 weeks after surgery. I started taking prilosec once a day and when that didn't work I started taking it twice a day. That didn't stop it either, so I called my doctor and he told me to double it and take two prilosecs in the AM and two at night. So far so good. There are a lot of stong prescription acid blockers and reducers that you can get to help and honestly, I am curious to see what happens when I get thinner, maybe it will go away on it's own. If not, I will just stick with what the doctor prescribes and if that doesn't help, well, the good news is I can always revert to the RNY. I have heard of a lot of people having trouble at first but then it goes away after awhile. I guess you won't know until after the fact. Wish I could give you better advice, lol. Good luck!

Im 18 months out too. I can eat more than I could at one year but just barely. I dont try to eat more. I just eat till I am full and then stop. I am eating about a cup of food at a time, depending on the density of it. I still dont eat bread because it takes up my room. I can not eat very much meat or shrimp. Maybe 2 oz if I have a bite or two of veggies. If I only have meat, then I can only eat about 3 oz. I would say I can eat just a little more than I could at one year. I was eating about 6 or 8 normal bites at one year and now I can eat about 10 bites. If that makes sense. From 1/2 to 3/4 cup went up to about 1 cup and then I am uncomfortable. My husband says that in the last few weeks, I am hardly eating at all and I noticed myself getting fuller faster.. Guess my restriction is still excellent. I was maintaining at 135 or less for three months and then I had my plastics done three months ago and my restriction was very good during the iniital weeks and I lost about 5 pounds- down to 129, but I have since bounced back to 132. I have been holding 132 since December 2012. I think this is the weight my body likes so I am in a routine that is good for me. HTH.

I have a BMI just over 29 and am getting sleeved in Mexico on January 11th. Like others, I'm not morbidly obese, but if I don't do something soon, in 5 or 10 years I'm sure I will be.

I also had a hiatal hernia repair at the same time as my surgery (3:00pm 10/20) and cannot drink enough protein. I feel full and am afraid to force too much in. Does anyone else have this problem & is this normal? The shakes i have are 27 grams protein, 170 calories & lactose free, 14 oz. How many ounces should i be drinking this soon after surgery?

I am not sure why you have not lost more weight in 9 days...make sure that you diet has little or no carbs. If you are consuming protien shakes as your pre-op diet, I wouldn't use any milk and use water instead. If you are buying your shakes, then make sure you are buying the "lite" brand of shakes you are doing. I have been on the diet for about as long as you have and have lost nearly 20 lbs. I would also buy a nutrition scale and weigh out your foods to ensure you are only consuming the amounts allowed by your diet...plus it will come in handy for your new life style. My pre-op diet consists of a Muscle milk lite (morning), 1 cup fruit, NO Bananas (10 am.), 4-6 oz. lean meat (Fish,Chicken, Beef) and all you want of green vegtables (avoid potatoes & carrots), and Muscle Milk Lite (5-6pm). Drink only water, Unsweet tea or Crystal lite...NO DIET SODA. I don't see a couple of crackers and cheese holding you back...either that or your scale is broke???:w00t: I hope this helps

I would not get frustrated. Give your body time to adjust. I was banded in jan 08 and have lost 60 lbs, I walk 2x /day gym 3-4 x week. I had weight loss every month but this last one, month 8. So I got another fill, got another coming up next week, lost only 2lbs this month. very slow the further you get down the road. It seemed as if I hit a plateu about every 10-15 lbs for a week or so. We had a support mtg on this topic, advise was to use the FITT technique. Change only one of these to break that plateau (Frequency, Intensity, Type or Time). I may only lose 1 lb per week, but my body is changing still every day it seems, everything fits differently each time I get dressed. It is wonderful. The inside stuff has to change as well. So it all has to catch up together as well. Learn to use the band to your advantage and don't work around it. The tighter you can tolerate the better, Hey that is what I signed up for. If I put in too much food, it should punish me, I have to learn to do the right thing , to make "good food choices". If we don't we will end up dissatisfied or worse ,where we were to began. This is a lifetime journey. relax and try to enjoy. I was banded in Pinehurst NC. Whoo hoo! No regrets!! Keep up the good work and don't be hard on your self. Marsha:thumbup:

Good Morning Jan. 10, 2014 begins a confident journey for me. Finally doing something for myself not the husband or children. I will be delighted to have others who are doing this journey and have did this journey to encourage me. For I am a little bit tensed. Thanks in advance

That's the way I felt too - and still do a lot of the time and i'm almost 19 months out! I used to go from one meal to the other, wondering what I would have... now I go from one meal to the other wondering what I CAN have...

My husband has been with me from day one. He has come to every single seminar and up to including day of surgery sitting and waiting with me until they pushed me into the surgery room. He sometimes might make a remark how hot I look, even at my age and that somebody might steal me and I feel very pleased with myself when he says that. But...he also knows we have been together 32 years and nothing on this earth would make me leave him for another man whether fat or skinny. I am off all meds and even though he is 10 years older than me and heavy he is on no meds either ( good genes in his family). I explained that even though his mom is 99 years old, the people in my family have died by the time they hit 70 because of weight issues. Good luck and just keep reassuring him that you are there for him. If the marriage falls apart, I do not believe it would be because of the weight but because there was problems from other things that just came to a head after you getting the weight off. Time will tell and I for one believe in fate, which is to say that some things cannot be controlled. I never regretted the surgery and you will not either.

I'm new too and felt exactly like you before my surgery on Dec 3rd. I now understand already what people are talking about! My appetite is just not there anymore which feels like such a blessing and that is how I am able to be on an all liquid diet for the last 10 days without cheating or any cravings. It is actually amazing! Before surgery I was on the pre-op diet for 10 days where I had 3-4 Protein shakes and a small meal. That was so much more than I'm eating now and I was starving. I too, was never able to stick to any diet plan in the past but with the grehlin greatly reduced, my appetite is now completely manageable. Yours will be too and that, my friend is how you will be successful!

Feel free to reach out if you want. I had my surgery 10/28/2017 with Dr Illan 5' 5" HW: 259 CW: 235 GOAL: Healthy and hard 140-ish?

Apart from the cost of actual surgery, the cost of fills here (along w/ most other healthcare) is ridiculously cheap. A fill at the Dr. I consulted w/ is less than $10!

Ok so feeling better...I DO have a funny story about my stay.....they listed me as a regular diet....the nurse said it would be easier for me to stay on my pre-op diet thta way so I could pick and choose (fruits plus veggies etc) so my lap band buddy brought up my shakes..hospital didn't have them and I ordered off the menu for example I would order a chicken broth...extra hot water...2 crystal lights.....an apple....and a skim milk....and this would do for breakfast/snack.....well the 287lb girl only ordering like this must have put up some red flags......dietary keep sending up ensure shakes to me....I would send them back...and sure enough 10 min later the girl would be knocking on my door saying "the dietitian says you have to get something in your body or you won't heal" so i would show her my shakes in the room and tried to reassure her....no luck, they kept sending them....lol when I left there was a pile by the door!!!!

Had mine 4 years, no issues. Told this would be good for life. Know people who've had theirs over 10 years w/ no replacements.