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I am 3 years out of surger, I have lost 240 lbs (started at 444 lbs). I recently gained 80 lbs back in the last 2 months. I had an endoscopy completed last week, now I am just curious as to what is next now that I found that my band has erroded into my stomach... I didn't even notice till I started to see the weight gain. I know this isn't normal but I want to know if it is correctable? does this mean that I will need the other surgery rather than the band? :confused2:

I am 3 years out of surger, I have lost 240 lbs (started at 444 lbs). I recently gained 80 lbs back in the last 2 months. I had an endoscopy completed last week, now I am just curious as to what is next now that I found that my band has erroded into my stomach... I didn't even notice till I started to see the weight gain. I know this isn't normal but I want to know if it is correctable? does this mean that I will need the other surgery rather than the band? :confused2:

i bought this protein powder at GNC a week and a half ago. it is multi fractionated whey isolate complex. i drink only one scoop a day of it. i don't do the recommened two scoops. anyway, it taste great but is pricey. i don't plan on buying it again but i was wondering if anyone has used it and does it cause weight gain? i have gained 3 pounds in a week and it is the only thing i have done differently. just wondering if it could be the powder. i mix it with skim milk. i make and drink 2 cups of it mixed with the milk and 1 cup ice. and i just had my 3rd fill and still healing from that and i have still managed to put on weight even though i have been eating less. but getting in 1300 calories a day. not sure what i am doing wrong. help..... getting down and out about it....i was banded 11-30-2007 and have lost 33 pounds. is this slow for the band? guess i just need some support and suggestions from those who know how it feels...

Julie, Don't be too hard on yourself about the weight gain. With all that you are going through, it would be unusual if you didn't gain weight -- it is a very stressful time. Also, please let us know what your DH finds out today. You have been in our prayers.

Makes sense to me...I LUV compliments; Hubby on the otherhand is extremely sensitive about his weight gain / having the Lapband / and now losing weight. This woman is the same person that told us what did we do to get fat over a yr ago....So I felt the compulsion to B*&^H slap her, but I let my tongue do the wagging:tongue2: BTW - Her husband has screwed just about every single woman in our social circle (which I'm SURE she's aware of)...reason I pegged her about her marriage...heee heee

I'm not with ICE. I'm happy that you CBP guys are getting 6c. FLETC's always been a zoo. When I was there along time back, I stayed in the townhouses - which are now offices. Since then, a bad injury, a slow recovery and a lot of weight gain. It's coming off now though. Good luck to you guys.

I am exactly 6 months out and I have lost 34 pounds (48% of my goal) so I feel pretty good about it. Now starting to exercise more. I lost a pound a week, no exercise, no weight gains, just slow and steady. I started with a BMI of 38 so my dr warned me that the weightloss would be slower. Word to the wise - dont compare to others, you will be miserable, I was and I have finally started to be happy for others and be grateful for my losses.

In order to gain 2 pounds of body fat you need to consume just over 7000 calories in excess of what you burn. The weight gain is likely due to glycogen stores rebuilding (what your liver stores for fuel - this can weigh up to 6 pounds) as well as the weight of the food in your body. Unless you are consuming excess calories you are not buring, I don't think you should be concerned or obsess.

Gloucester, I didn't read all the responses to your thread because there were so many after I read yours. My own daughter is 19 and getting a gastric bypass in May and I'm sure she'd be thrilled to know that I was writing about her right now! Anyway, she too was always a head taller than her classmates ever since she was in Kindergarten. She's now six feet, possibly a little more. Being tall and overweight is a double burden. I guess because you stand out for two different reasons and it can be quite a burden. It's also a burden on the mother who feels every pain her daughter feels because she feels in some way it's her fault. I never thought of her as overweight but a tall tot when she was a tot. But the pediatrician had me take her to a weight doctor when she was a tot and that started the spiral of dieting when she was so young. It's an awful thing to deal with. I was an overweight kid but when I look back at my pictures as a child I was not as overweight as I thought I was in my own head. There's something I think that happens when we put youngsters on "diets" that ends up screwing them/us up in the end. It also seems that large weight gains tend to happen around puberty also. My daughter is a beautiful, super intelligent and very artistic girl and for the life of me I'd do anything for her. I never wished this on her but as she is now 19 and she does have insurance coverage and with the assistance of therapy etc... has decided to do this surgery. It breaks my heart that she has to do this drastic thing even though sometimes I wish now that I had done it instead of the lap band but it's my baby, it's not me this time. But if she didn't do it I don't know what kind of life she would have. So it's her decision and I'm behind her 100%. I know I've kind of gotten off the track of the original post but I just want you to see what has happened to me and I had the tall 10 year old at one time too. I don't know the answer and don't know if there is one answer. Get the best help you can get though, and read the books that people have suggested. There has to be something out there that will help you. But loving yourself and loving her for the way she is now is really important but listening to her hurts and wants is important too. She's too young to deal with the kind of decision my daughter has had to deal with and hopefully never will. Best of luck to you both, brandyII.

I don't have kids but I can share what I went through. I was thin until high school and then I was only 15 - 20 pounds over weight. My mother wanted me to lose weight. I wanted to lose it too but it wasn't killing me. She actually put me on diet pills. By the time I graduated from high school I was 105 pounds. At 5'1" I was right on target and felt great. Of course, I started gaining again in college and I gained even more back. College didn't work out for me so I was back at home. My father died when I was 19 and we had a hard time with it. She was always on my case about what I was eating and always offered to pay for another diet plan. I lived with her and didn't want to here her telling me how bad the food was I was eating so I hid it. I would be angry with her and eat just to spite her. I wanted to be thin and I would try different diet plans and lose some weight but would always gain it back plus some. Her constant harping about my weight really bothered me and I am not blaming her for my weight gain because it was my choice to eat. I know she wanted what was best for me. However, I got to the point where I would drive through some where on my way home from work and get a small cheeseburger so that when I ate my small meal I with her I would be full and not suffer. We've discussed this in the last few years and she finally learned that the person has to want to lose weight and change or it won't happen. She gained about 20 pounds a few years ago and it bothered her so I told her to join WW. She did and lost the weight and now works for them. She loves her job and is much more understanding. She sees people that lose weight and some that just can't succeed. She has been super supportive of my LB journey. I don't know if anything would have kept me from reaching 221 pounds but I feel it definitely didn't help. I was 15 pounds over weight but that wasn't good enough, I had to perfect. That attitude is not healthy. Be sure to let her be a part of the decision making in her weight loss journey. It sounds like you are doing the right thing and I wish you all the best.

I was very afraid....and I did gain. When I started the mushies phase I gained 3 lbs starting week 2 po. It happens, but it will come off. My surgeon told me to expect some weight gain bc the metabolism is adjusting from liquid to mushies to solids. I was so mad at first, but realized that it quickly came back off.

Hi Slimmy Ive been taking Lustral for a long time (I think that's sertraline). It can cause weight gain after the first few months because it causes carbohydrate cravings. Mind you the band restricts the quantity you can eat so that will take care of that. If your band is tight dont take the pill on an empty stomach at night as it can cause you to throw up (dangerous for your band). Instead take it several hours before you lie down and with food. Ellen

Doctor put me on xydep 100 - which is a sertraline anti depressant, he knows i have the band, said should not be a problem he doesnt think. Any ideas? does it cause weight gain, going through stressful time not because of band but other personal problems at moment, do they put on weight?? that way know must deal with less calories , or more excercise, any reasearch help on this much much appreciated!!

Hi ladies. Thanks so much for the good thoughts and prayers. I am back home. Yesterday was quite the day. Rich and I traveled up to Flagstaff first thing in the morning and arrived around 9am. We checked in at the office and were told my Endoscopy was scheduled for 1:15 in the afternoon. I ended up spending most of my morning on the phone trying to figure out insurance. They needed my PCP to write a referral since the GI Dr was out of network. Well I have only seen my PCP once ever since I moved to Tucson, last September when I had a double ear infection. She isn't even aware of my recent surgery. Oye. What fun it was trying to explain about my surgeon Dr Kirshenbaum in Colorado, my new surgeons Dr Berger and Dr Aldridge in Flagstaff, my emergency CT scan records at NW Medical from the ER visit, and why exactly I was in Flagstaff to see Dr Trujillo for the Endoscopy. Big mess. Needless to say they could not get pre-approval for the procedure in time, so we are thinking this is going to come out of our packet. The staff at Dr Trujillo's office was wonderful and very very helpful. If it ends up getting denied they will work with us on a payment plan. We decided to go ahead with the procedure since we were in town and I didn't want to wait days for an authorization that may never come through. Dr Kirshenbaum and Dr Aldridge seemed to be in agreement that the Endoscopy should be done right away to rule our erosion. The procedure went ok. The medication they gave me to knock me out... didn't knock me out. Go figure. I always seem to fall into the lucky few category that have averse reactions. I am still thankful that I didn't wake up during my surgery. That would have been something that would have happened to me. heh. So I was awake and gagging through the whole procedure. It wasn't horrible, but it wasn't exactly pleasant either. I guess my body does not respond to "twilight" sedation. I had the same thing happen to me when I had a HSG years ago The "twilight" sedation never kicked in and I felt everything. No fun. I was practically jumping off the table for that one. At least this one wasn't as much painful as it was awkward. I have a big gag reflex and it was in full swing. Dr Trujillo determined that I have acid reflux, swelling, and irritation. He prescribed Nexium to help with the reflux. I was surprised to say the least. I have no symptoms at all of reflux, and would never have thought that I had it. Dr Berger did mention during my fill last month that I was refluxing the contrast. I didn't feel it refluxing and told him I didn't have any heartburn. Go figure. So the reflux thing was diagnosed and will be taken care of with the Nexium. I do not have a hole in my stomach or any indication of erosion. *big sigh of relief* However, Dr Trujillo mentioned that when he went down into my stomach there was not really a pouch above the band. He thinks it may have slipped. So now I am waiting for Dr Aldridge to look over the results of the Endoscopy since Dr Berger is out of town. I have been sitting on pins and needles all day waiting for him to call. I have been reading up on slippage and have found a lot of contradicting information as far as symptoms. I had a lot of pain, weight gain, no restriction, and acid reflux. All of which could be signs. Then again... other people report severe restriction and the inability to swallow even saliva. So I really don't know what to think. For now I feel good. My weight has leveled out for the most part which has been very frustrating. I am afraid to eat... worried that I may have a slipped band. I am still scheduled for a fill next week and plan on keeping the appointment unless something changes. I am hoping that the pain was from the acid reflux and the non-restriction and weight gain is nothing more than needing a fill. I am also hoping that Dr Truillo may not have looked at enough bandings under Endoscopy to know what the pouch should or shouldn't look like. Please may that be the case. So for now I am still waiting. Waiting for the all clear. These last few days have been frustrating and trying. I am ready for it to be over.

Hi Michelle, I seem to be in the same boat. I have not lost any weight for at least a month. I cheat all the time and seem to get away without gaining any weight. I really want to get down to my goal, so have recommitted myself. Frankly I have not found this that easy, as it really does require dieting. I still feel I am in the cycle of dieting or binging allthough the binges are small and don't cause weight gain. Anyway, I am recommitting myself to not cheating and excercising. Rose

Did you lose the 30 pounds prior to surgery? Have you lost any since surgery? It's still odd to me that your doctor will not fill you. My surgeon or fill person has never asked me if I was hungry. They assumed that if you were still eating and not having that tight feeling that you needed more ccs. I have the 10cc band and only have about 4ccs right now. I've felt the fullness from the band but I've also had cravings a lot for sweets etc... and now am focusing on Protein and am feeling full. I could get a fill in the next two weeks and will try it again. I know weight gain or weight issues in general can have some psychological issues attached to them but it seems that physically you're not feeling it the restriction and I don't understand your doctor's position on this. Therapy is great but the therapist might also help you to get the message across to your doctor that something is not right and he needs to check it out. It's definitely puzzling to me! Good luck, brandyII.

All of you are so inspiring. I have done the research and now trying to find the right facility - will go to the 3rd and last seminar this weekend, then make my choice. I am ready! I won't feel guilty or ashamed. I HAVE tried, many times, as have all of you. I have reached the point where only the most drastic of diets will help me lose weight, and the subsequent "maintenance" plan leads to weight gain almost immediately. At some point I just give up. Keep trying, but without real hope. Those of you in your 30s and 40s are in the perfect position. I am 65 - no lifethreatening co-morbidities (thank God), but very severe arthritis that limits me physically. As my doctor said - can't exercise without losing weight, can't lose weight without exercising... I have a very active, very supportive husband, but I feel like I am holding him back and keeping him from enjoying those things he loves to do. No more. I count my blessings that he is healthy, and I don't yet have the really bad stuff that comes with being overweight. We have a chance. Please don't feel guilty about saving your life - and don't allow ANYONE to make you feel that way. Many of you have kids to play with and raise. Kids take a lot of energy and strength. You are taking the steps to make sure you have what it takes to make life good for you and your kids. As for me - I'm making plans with my wonderful grandchildren! I wish all of you great success.

First your band has to be adjusted properly and then YOU have to work WITH your band. So see the Dr. and discuss with them the kinds of food and the quantity of those foods you are eating and then discuss together if a fill is needed. Then do your part to help your band. If there are unhealthy foods in your house, get rid of them and bring healthy foods in. Start counting your calories to see how much your consuming and track your protein to be sure you are getting enough. Get back on the band track. I would not be afraid the Dr or staff is going to be mad at me. Just talk to them honestly. Tell them you need their advice and help. That's what they are there for. Many people fall off track, it's unlikely you will be their first patient that came in with a weight gain.

kamicola, thanks for all the info, you sound like you know what you're talking about. I was originally sent to an endocrinologist when my gen practitioner thought I had pcos and also was found to have high blood sugar at that time but she said my thyroid was "normal" and put me on metformin and said "don't think that you're going to lose weight on this drug". I was like well I didn't but okay???? She had a really bad bedside manner and I had this feeling she hated fat people, I don't remember why I got this impression because it was a few years ago but I remember the feeling. Anyway I ended up losing about 20 pounds after that because I went on a diet drug that I don't remember anymore. Went back to her and she didn't change anything but they did take a blood test every time I went in and that was a big twice! My gen pract. had then written the Rxs for metformin. Then, probably about 5 years later I decided to have lap band surgery and my surgeon was pretty thorough and he sent me through all sorts of testing. It was the blood test that I had done through them that caught the thyroid issue. I've heard there's a thyroid test that is very expensive and many don't have that test done, maybe that's what the one that caught the problem. I did a follow up with their endocrinologist and she's the one that put me on synthroid and I told her how I had been on metformin but my gen pract. took me off and didn't renew my prescription because I had lap band surgery (still hadn't gained it back yet) and she's the one that thought that was weird and I also told her how I never tested my blood sugar because no one told me to or how and was never given a kit. Anyway she whips one out and shows me how to use it and tested it right there so now I have one. Unfortunately she never wanted me to follow up with her but did order some tests so I made an appointment anyway. Probably because I went there for pre-op to lap band and she possibly thought I'd see another endo or something, I have no idea but my script from her for synthroid runs out in a couple months so I'll have to find another doctor because she moved to another office much further than I want to travel. Sorry for making this so long and I hope I'm making sense and not just rambling. OKay, I had surgery the end of last August and have put back all the weight I had previously lost on Medifast prior to surgery. I don't know why I totally screwed this up but you've said and so have others that I need to see the endocrinologist. I understand that I should take this into my own hands and find a new one, which by the way, there aren't that many endos here for some reason, but do you think this could be related to my weight gain? I can get on the scale one day and be five pounds heavier, it's awful. I tested my blood sugar yesterday and fasting was 125 but I kept it down most of the day with just one spike in the 250s and that was 2 hours after lunch which was mostly Protein. I don't drink any sugar drinks and rarely alcohol. Anyway hate to lay this all on you but you seemed to know a lot about this and God knows when I'll get an appt. with a new endo. Thanks for listening, brandyII.:regular_smile:

congrats on your weight loss! I can't hardly wait til I can say the same. I don't have a surgery date yet and I really just got started with the process. I've wanted to have the lap band surgery for a few months now. I did WW and lost 83lbs. but I have really struggled to keep it off. I have gained 60lbs. of it back. My PCP knew I was doing WW at the time but I only saw him 1-2 times during the diet. My last check up ( last July), he was concerned about my weight gain since he saw me last. I hope he will be supportive since he knows I have tried in the past to lose the weight. It seems the older I get the harder it is to lose it. ( I'm 34).I go for my seminar and surgeon appt. in 2 weeks.

So this last week has been a busy week. I had my nutritionist consult at Starbucks. She was nice I guess, but looked at me like I was out of my mind when I said I was going to self-pay. She literally stopped talking, put her papers down, her eyes got big, her mouth hung open a little, and she just stared at me for what felt like 3 hours. I know a lot of people (my husband and mother-in-law...) don't understand why I would go that far in debt for this, but I guess I can't really expect them to understand. They haven't lived their whole lives like this. Feeling like an outsider all the time. And now that I'm older (ripe old age of 25), and heavier, the daily physical pain, lack of energy, not being able to really be "me." My heart breaks when I can't play with my daughter more than a couple of minutes without being exhausted and winded. She deserves better than that, and I deserve to be able to be the kind of mom I want to be. Ah well, I'm rambling... So I had the nutrition consult. Took maybe 30-40 minutes. She had the nerve to drink Starbucks in front of me. I've cut Starbucks out cold turkey. I almost asked her if I could just take a sniff of her coffee. But that would have been weird... Then Thursday I had my first appointment with the surgeon's office. $150 to watch a video explaining the lap-band surgery :biggrin:. That was pretty much it. They weighed me, and I found out I weigh 5 lbs more than I thought I did. I thought I was at 405, but no, I am at 410. Sigh. Then I had to watch that video for an hour. Then, the lady gave me a paper with how much the cost of everything will be and the loan amount I need to take out. Yipee. Stupid employer exclusion... Friday, I had an appointment with my family doctor. I love him. He is so supportive of this decision. He had his letter recommending me for the lap-band surgery already written and typed up before he even came in the room. He also ordered the bloodwork, x-rays, EKG, upper GI, etc that the surgeon's office needs. I was so happy that he ordered it for me. That means my insurance will probably cover those tests since he ordered them, instead of my lap-band doctor. He completely understood and was very happy to do so. He said that he has several patients who have had the lap-band and been very successful. One lady was actually around my current weight, and is now down in the low 200's. He reminded me to be saving my money for plastic surgery as I lose the weight. The most interesting of all the pre-op appointments on my checklist, was the psych eval. It was on Friday too, after the family doc appointment. The psychologist/psychiatrist was very nice, and really funny. He cursed like a sailor and had really funny stories to tell (including one story about a man that liked to have sex while wearing his CPAP machine :crying:). He picked at my brain a little, but I think he could tell I'm ready for this surgery and fully aware of the physical & non-physical risks. There was only one thing that stumped me, and I've been thinking about it ever since. He said he has lots of patients that have been banded and aren't successful with it. They either don't lose much weight at all, don't lose any weight, gain weight, etc. Basically, the band just does not work for them, usually because they aren't sticking to the program, exercising, etc. He asked me, what about me makes me different from any of them. I told him that I am super-motivated and I'm going to do my very best. He replied that that's how they all felt in the beginning too. That kind of hit me hard. There are lots of bandsters that were just as motivated as I currently am with all the intentions to do everything right and lose all the weight, but they failed at it. What is going to make me different? I didn't know the answer to this and I couldn't answer him. I still don't know the answer to this. I wish now that I had thought to ask him if he had any suggestions of what could make me different from them. This question is kind of getting to me. What is going to make me different? So the only thing I've got left on my checklist is my upper GI stuff. I think that's usually done at a hospital. Someone is supposed to call me for a date for that. Even though I don't want the surgery until the last week of May or the first week of June (so DH, the teacher, will be out of school and can help out with our 2 year old), I feel so relieved to have pretty much everything done and out of the way.

So this last week has been a busy week. I had my nutritionist consult at Starbucks. She was nice I guess, but looked at me like I was out of my mind when I said I was going to self-pay. She literally stopped talking, put her papers down, her eyes got big, her mouth hung open a little, and she just stared at me for what felt like 3 hours. I know a lot of people (my husband and mother-in-law...) don't understand why I would go that far in debt for this, but I guess I can't really expect them to understand. They haven't lived their whole lives like this. Feeling like an outsider all the time. And now that I'm older (ripe old age of 25), and heavier, the daily physical pain, lack of energy, not being able to really be "me." My heart breaks when I can't play with my daughter more than a couple of minutes without being exhausted and winded. She deserves better than that, and I deserve to be able to be the kind of mom I want to be. Ah well, I'm rambling... So I had the nutrition consult. Took maybe 30-40 minutes. She had the nerve to drink Starbucks in front of me. I've cut Starbucks out cold turkey. I almost asked her if I could just take a sniff of her coffee. But that would have been weird... Then Thursday I had my first appointment with the surgeon's office. $150 to watch a video explaining the lap-band surgery . That was pretty much it. They weighed me, and I found out I weigh 5 lbs more than I thought I did. I thought I was at 405, but no, I am at 410. Sigh. Then I had to watch that video for an hour. Then, the lady gave me a paper with how much the cost of everything will be and the loan amount I need to take out. Yipee. Stupid employer exclusion... Friday, I had an appointment with my family doctor. I love him. He is so supportive of this decision. He had his letter recommending me for the lap-band surgery already written and typed up before he even came in the room. He also ordered the bloodwork, x-rays, EKG, upper GI, etc that the surgeon's office needs. I was so happy that he ordered it for me. That means my insurance will probably cover those tests since he ordered them, instead of my lap-band doctor. He completely understood and was very happy to do so. He said that he has several patients who have had the lap-band and been very successful. One lady was actually around my current weight, and is now down in the low 200's. He reminded me to be saving my money for plastic surgery as I lose the weight. The most interesting of all the pre-op appointments on my checklist, was the psych eval. It was on Friday too, after the family doc appointment. The psychologist/psychiatrist was very nice, and really funny. He cursed like a sailor and had really funny stories to tell (including one story about a man that liked to have sex while wearing his CPAP machine :thumbup:). He picked at my brain a little, but I think he could tell I'm ready for this surgery and fully aware of the physical & non-physical risks. There was only one thing that stumped me, and I've been thinking about it ever since. He said he has lots of patients that have been banded and aren't successful with it. They either don't lose much weight at all, don't lose any weight, gain weight, etc. Basically, the band just does not work for them, usually because they aren't sticking to the program, exercising, etc. He asked me, what about me makes me different from any of them. I told him that I am super-motivated and I'm going to do my very best. He replied that that's how they all felt in the beginning too. That kind of hit me hard. There are lots of bandsters that were just as motivated as I currently am with all the intentions to do everything right and lose all the weight, but they failed at it. What is going to make me different? I didn't know the answer to this and I couldn't answer him. I still don't know the answer to this. I wish now that I had thought to ask him if he had any suggestions of what could make me different from them. This question is kind of getting to me. What is going to make me different? So the only thing I've got left on my checklist is my upper GI stuff. I think that's usually done at a hospital. Someone is supposed to call me for a date for that. Even though I don't want the surgery until the last week of May or the first week of June (so DH, the teacher, will be out of school and can help out with our 2 year old), I feel so relieved to have pretty much everything done and out of the way.

Hi Karen! I am a grandma (of 4 - oldest is 23, youngest grandson just turned 1 year old yesterday) and a great-grandma of a 15 month old girl. We all have the same incentive - being active and able to enjoy these wonderful children! I also love to quilt and enjoy cooking. I think so many of us on the 60+ forum have a lot in common, and good shared experiences. I, too, began the serious weight gain because of severe arthritis and knee surgeries which restricted my ability to exercise. I'm back in that situation with the other knee now. Doc recommended injections in that knee to help stave off replacement. The injections seem to be working and I have begun to exercise. The lapband and subsequent weight loss will make all the difference. I am determined to make this work. I am still in the researching stage, just trying to find the right facility that accepts medicare assignment for hospital charges AND the doctor's charges - AND does not have a 2 year waiting list for medicare patients (as one of the nearby facilities has). I am attending a seminar on April 12th that I believe will open that door for me. I am READY! I love your parents already! What a wonderful gift for you - please accept their gift with love and appreciation, and begin to plan how you can pass their love on through you to your children and grandchildren. I believe that's what we are all here for... Good luck to you Joann

Fran: If you are eating right don't worry about the weight gain. You are probably retaining fluids from the major shock your body is going through. I haven't had plastic surgery yet, but after I was banded I gained 9 pounds in 3 days and I was only on liquids. It took about ten days before it started to come off. Chin up and drink alot. Weird how drinking makes our fluids flush, but that's what they tell me. Take care. Sue

I was taken off metformin by my primary prior to surgery because he assumed I wouldn't need it because I was going "lose weight". I have most of the signs of pcos and he thought I had it but was never told definatively that I did have it. I have facial hair, but I'm blond so I'm lucky and shave. Have/had type II diabetes Have so many skin tags that I can't count and want to wear turtlenecks all the time! My periods are six weeks apart give or take a day or a week or whatever but I'm almost 48 and don't plan on having anymore children anyway Can't go on the pill because I get/had blood clots in my legs Really bad dandruff Had a few uterine cysts but got an oblation Forgot on meds for anxiety and depression clonapen and cymbalta Naturally I have a weight problem and have put 20 pounds plus since surgery Anyone with advice. I was put on synthroid for an inactive thyroid that was just discovered prior to surgery but still gained back all my weight and feel like a loooooser!!! but not the right kind of loser!!!! Never lost weight after being banded 7 months ago, lost it during the medifast phase. I see my surgeon on the 22nd of this month so I don't know what he's going to do with me:confused: Thanks, brandyII