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LaBella, It's great to hear from you. I absolutely went through the same thing. This really is a journey and it doesn't end when we reach a normal weight. I call it Banded Living. Now, in my fourth year, I am finally starting to understand that this weight loss is the real thing. Like so many other people who decided to get banded I spent much of my life yo-yoing; I lost a lot of weight before, I just never could keep it off, so it was really hard to believe that this is different, BUT IT IS DIFFERENT. For me getting my band and learning how to use it has made that difference. I have to remind myself that I've been wearing the same jeans for 2 years, and they've never gotten too tight! For me, that seems nothing short of a miracle. That being said, I still have days when I feel fat. My friends tell me that means I am now normal! My doctor gave me great advice that calmed my mind a bit. He gave me a 10 lb weight range to try to stay within, so for me it's 140 - 150. I got below 140 and everyone thought I looked sick; I try not to stress at 149, because I have the tool to help me get back to the middle of my range where I am most comfortable. As you approach your goal weight you may also experience a strange phenomenon. People are getting used to how great you look, the compliments slow down and you are no longer dropping sizes quickly. That was a hard adjustment for me; coming off of the weight loss high and getting used to my new body. For me that was the time when I really needed to surround myself and learn from other people who had been through this journey. It's scary and wonderful to learn to love your body and trust your appetite. Would love to hear more from you. Gloria

It took me 10 days to really feel like myself again--but I was incrementally better each day after surgery. My son had his tonsils out on Day Three, and I had no problem going with him to the hospital, walking the long halls, waiting in recovery, etc. I think a day in court after 8 days is likely to be fine.

I would: 1. Pay off students loans and other miscellaneous debt. 2. Buy my parents a home to retire in. 3. Set up college funds for my younger brothers and nephew. 4. Get a tummy tuck, breast, thigh and mons lift. 5. Make DH quit his job to pursue his dreams. 6. Buy tri-coastal homes; Hawaii, San Diego, east end of Long Island. 7. Start an event planning company, animal shelter, and free tutoring service. 8. Go back to school to be a Vet or Marine Biologist. 9. Build a dark room. 10. Travel.

I was sleeved on 10/11/12 and I could care less to ever eat. I make myself but I can't eat more than 1/4-1/2 cup of anything and that is pushing it. Things don't taste the same. I was a big water drinker but now it tasted like metal.

Hi Josh! First CONGRATS on your lap band surgery. You will love having the band! Your concerns are typical for your stage of the process. First, the rapid weight loss is terrific. And yes, it's fast but great! You being a guy, 19 years old and on liquids are all contributing to your fast loss. As to being hungry, I'm afraid that happens to all of us. Your tummy is healing fast and the swelling is going down from the trauma of the surgery. The band has no fill in it yet, so that's why you're starving. Make sure you keep sipping your Water throughout the day... As for the burps, they are a bit worrisome at first. That they hurt? I never had that. You might want to call your doc and have him reassure you that it's ok. I get a bit of a gurgling noise now that I have really good restriction. Sometimes, I think we trade one noise for another just to keep this all interesting! LOL Make sure to check the forums, they contain a lot of information about the experiences of us all. There are no dumb questions. We all have been uncertain from time to time if things are going normal. I wish you lots of luck on your journey to a healthier you! Keep in touch and let me know how you are doing. Katja

Sounds to me like you're a bit too tight. I've become committed to the idea that this process should not be torture - if the weight loss takes a bit longer, so be it. I want to eat normal normal portions of normal foods - so far so good. I cup per meal, 4 meals per day, has gotten me down exactly 1 lb per week since 4/26/10 (began @ 236, BMI 37). If I eat too quickly or don't chew, I throw up. Happens maybe once per week - more frequently right after a fill. Not that this process should be fun, but it shouldn't be torture. Fills are trial and error - its not a failure if your band is too tight. It happens. Get some Fluid removed, follow the rules, go easy on yourself. Hope that helps. Good luck!

I'm with you all. My stomach has been looking like balled up homework for 10 years....

I want to take my nephews to the NY State Fair next August. I want to take them to Darien Lake (a big theme park). I want to be able to watch them and know I can keep up with them. I'd like to be able to jog, maybe even run, one day. I hope to have less pain and better control of my type 1 diabetes (already have success in these two areas!!!). I'd also love to be able to wear tall boots and have them fit! I want to able to move better and have more stamina. I'd like to not need oxygen at night while I sleep and to ditch my CPAP. I want to not be afraid to fly on an airplane because of the size of the seats and to not worry about offending other people because I take up "too much" room so I can think about going with family members to Disney (and to them go on rides and walk around freely!!!). I want to die of old age and not because of weight-related causes. I want to be able to go out dancing till dawn. I want to feel good enough to take classes if I want to, good enough to work full-time, good enough to know that I am not going to need to go sit in the car while out shopping with my sister. I'm 12 days out from gastric bypass surgery. I haven't stepped on a scale since the follow up appointment on day 8 post op where I was told I had lost 19 pounds so far -- weight that day was 320 pounds. Already have reduced my basal insulin rate by 33% and my correction factor improved to 1 unit of insulin per 15 grams of carb from 1 unit of insulin to 5 grams of carb (type 1 on an insulin pump). Still using U-500 insulin (concentrate), but may very soon change over to U-100 strength insulin (non-concentrated). Using less than half the amount of insulin I was using prior to surgery. Blood pressure medicine discontinued. Lasix discontinued.

I am 7 wks post op and I have to say being able to go on rides with my 6th and 19 month olds is the best thing ever an amazing feeling for sure.

I don't think you should stress that your surgery will be canceled or delayed because of this. Most people who were dieting and exercising prior to the liquid diet don't lose as much water weight on it as people who were just eating crap and being inactive up to the start of the diet. Since you had already been dieting and exercising and lost a fair bit of weight, then you can't expect to lose as much on it. Assuming you are burning around 2000 calories a day through normal activity, at 800 calories you only have a deficit of 1200 calories a day. That totals up to an average of 2.4 pounds per week. Since you didn't have the water weight to lose, you aren't going to see a 10+ pound drop like a lot of people do. You are only going to lose real fat at a rate of about 2-3 pounds per week.

Do Not over pack. One bag should be fine - carry on size preferred so you don't have to fuss with baggage claim or walking around larger airports with a bunch of stuff. Call the airline beforehand to ask how wide their seats are (usually 17-19 inches wide) and how long their belts are. You might need to buy a 2nd seat or request a belt extension. Bring chewing gum (at minimum for on the way there) to help pop your ears when you're reaching altitude. Bring a soft pillow to hold in your lap on the plane. Turbulence won't feel good after surgery. Don't wear pants if you can help it. Just a dress. You don't need the band digging in. Bring earphones and music or earplugs. If you don't hear the noises as it's preparing for takeoff, it will help your nerves. Ask your surgeon for an extra dose of nausea meds for the trip home. Use your incentive spirometer on the plane during the process. It will help focus your breathing and calm your nerves. Smile and be nice. When you're a doll, they'll all usually be much more accommodating for anything you might need. HW: 328 (02/21/17) SW: 271 (05/24/17) CW: 262

I was banded on 12/19 I bought a treadmill been using it, but I need to tone my stomach and my arms bad so I took the first step and called to set up an appointment(they will go thru all the equipment and set up on excises for a good workout on your problem areas) today for a wellness center, I go next tuesday at 4pm want to go at least 3 times a week. I am down 27 pds so I am happy about that.

I had all my pre-testing done Friday afternoon and was running a low grade fever. I'm recovering from a bout with bronchitis and not completely over it evidently. My PCP put me on 2 different inhalers. Her comment when she came back in the room after checking my chest x-rays was..."Well, there's good news and bad news...the good news is, it's not pneumonia, the bad news is, if your not significantly better by Monday, you need to contact your surgeon :phanvan. Anyway, that's where I am today, and kinda bummed out. However, I know it's definetly for the best as far as my health, don't want to take any chances! UPDATE: Surgery Rescheduled for DEC 20! 11:00 a.m. Have found another lap band patient and 2 rny bypass patients at my Church!!!! Back on the liquids and down to 234!....Thanks for all y'alls kind words and encouragement By the way, on a scale of 1 to 10, how BAD is the pain after surgery?.. such a wimp here, I'm all for the miracles of medication....

my last meal was the 18th been on liquid seems like forevery lost 10 pounds so far i am with on the 26

Hey, everybody! I am 5 weeks post-op, and have had absolutely no problems since surgery, aside from doing so well, that I felt like I never had surgery! With that good comes the bad, though. I have had no restriction it seems, whatsoever. I won't bore you with that part any longer:notagree , but only mentioned it, as it might pertain to my first ever issue: Yesterday morning, I was enjoying mostly just the inside of a ham/egg/cheese Lean Pocket for breakfast. I did eat a little of the crust, but not much. About 20 minutes or so after eating. I began to feel queasy, broke out into a sweat and felt a little pressure. Then, it went away. Then, it came back. This went on all day. I never did vomit because it just never reeached that point. Then, later on yesterday, I began to feel very gassy. Tons of belly gas, intestinal gas, pretty noisy, too! Never any pain, though. I was able to get fluids down just fine, to stay hydrated, but I didn't dare eat anything else all day, for fear of doing any further damage. Last evening, I felt better, and a bit hungry. I ate 3 or 4 saltines, and had no problem. I continued to feel queasy, gassy, and some pressure (just a little) in my belly - but alway got relief as I heard the air move, and belched. I went to bed last night. I felt perfectly normal when I laid down. I slept fine all night. No problems. i woke up this morning feeling better. My cup and a half of half-caff went down just fine. I then ate most of a scrambled egg, and was fine until about 10 minutes after I ate it. Then, the same thing as yesterday. As I type this, I can feel gas pressure building, the noises in my belly and intestine, the pressure, etc. No pain, though. I am keeping on the fluids. I had two cups of decaf herbal tea - no problems. I am concerned if I have a blockage or slippage. Maybe I'm just paranoid, though!:violin: Then again, maybe this is just restriction after 5 weeks??? Can that happen? Any advice, or similar experiences out there would be helpful. Thanks!

Same here as jenbaby. I was on a 10 day pre op diet and was constantly hungry. But now, 2 days post op, food is the last thing on my mind.

I had an ulcer about 2 weeks or so after surgery and had to go back in the hospital for four nights due to internal bleeding. No pain, though. Then 7 months later I had another one. Just stayed overnight one night for that one. It’s been almost 10 months now with no other ulcers thankfully! Hang in there!

I too am a band (2012) to bypasser (9/19), and the thing that I have been most amazed by is the need to fight the “head hunger”. I am not hungry like I used to be, so my head starts playing tricks on me, like hey you should really be eating something, don’t get too hungry. It is definitely a different lifestyle than being banded and at 6 weeks out still trying to figure it out, but good luck.

@bgtribble We have almost the identical stats. I am also 5' 6" and my heaviest weight was 259 pounds. As an adult I had always maintained a healthy weight for my female frame - about 145 - and was a lifeguard, canoe trip instructor, avid backpacker... never a 'small' person but fairly 'trim' and definitely healthy. I got married and had a baby and then the weight started to creep up on me... 10 pounds heavier, 20 pounds heavier... and over the past 15 years, I ballooned up to 259. Now that I'm back in 100's again I feel I have regained my 'old' Self. I'm not at goal weight yet, however I am feeling SO much better even at this interim stage of the process 65 pounds down! Like dear Bandista above (she is a guru - listen to her!) I also love food and cooking, and am able to still enjoy beautiful food and meals out... but in smaller portions. The best thing is having the background of satiety constantly there. The "Hunger Monster" that derailed my weight loss attempts in the past is no longer there. Now I have a can of tuna & mayo or a small piece of tender steak or 5 Tbsps of egg salad and that's it. Give me three slices of roast duck, a few spears of asparagus and no starch (potatoes, rice and breads are out for me) and BOOM. I'm sated. No desire for anything more. Happy for you, jiggyjiggy120 - you are about to embark on getting control back and feeling better. It's a tremendous thing!

I had my Banding done by Dr. Fernando Miranda at Twelve Oaks Hospital in Houston. I chose this doc and this hospital because they are both certified by Bariatric Centers of Excellence. Dr. Miranda is awesome. He told me ahead of time that he takes his time during surgery (mine was over an hour) and has a liberal fill philosophy. I did have to do a 10 day liquid pre-op diet to shrink liver, on which I easily lost mucho pounds. The only thing I did not like about Dr. Miranda's procedure is that immediately after surgery, they woke me up and wheeled me to an xray room where I had to swallow barium and then stand in front of the xray machine... with no meds. I was beggin for meds, but they told me that I needed to be awake enough to stand. So much pain, almost unbearable. I had to do TWO barrium swallos and TWO xrays before they gave me a shot of morphine and took me to recovery. For this reason, I cannot reccomend this surgeon. But maybe if you talk to him about this (I didn't know this would happen) you can work something out so that it is done a different way. No one else I have seen on this board had to do such a test immediately after surgery without any meds. As for Twelve Oaks Hospital. In no way can I reccomend it. They messed up on everything from pre-op to discharge. When I was there for pre-op testing, I had to wait for HOURS because they had no orders from my doctor, who was not in his office that day. Then, I overheard a nurse telling the addmissions people that for Bariatric patients, there are standing orders, so no individual orders necessary. I was furious! Getting all the testing done was a huge hassle- no one was ready for me in any department. The nurses during my overmnight stay for surgery were great. But when it came to discharge, I had to wait HOURS because they misunderstood the orders. This hospital is a dump. The rooms are dumpy, even the OR was dumpy. Again, just to clarify, the only problem I had with Miranda was the barium swallow. He is an excellent doctor and such a great bedside manor! This guy needs to get to a real hospital though! There are so many nice hospitals in Houston, I cannot understand why he goes for Twevle Oaks. Please PM me if you need more information about anything I have written here.

I'm only 10-15 lbs from my goal, down some 100 in just over a year. I fit in a 34 waist jean, medium shirt. I -still- think of myself as fat. When I see news reports about obesity in America, I identify with the MO crowd. I'm not sure what will finally fix this. I know my current discomfort lies in unrealistic expectations and media images (ever seen a cover of "Men's Health"?), but I'm not sure what the next step is. I too blog, and belong to a WLS group over at livejournal. This apparently isn't an uncommon issue at all. Most recommend therapy, but I don't think a normal counselor would do. You'd almost have to find one that specializes in post-obesity trama. Good luck!

I'm almost two weeks out (banded 10/30) and just in the last day or so I feel like I've been able to eat more than I have been. Tomorrow is my first post-op appt and I'm wondering if I can go ahead and ask for a fill. I'm not eating anything that's not on the post-op diet list, I can just tell that I've over-eaten once or twice.

Sure, here is the recipe. It makes a whole pie or quiche dish. 8 oz crab 1 cup shredded natural Swiss cheese 1/3 cup chopped onion 2 cups nonfat milk 1 cup bis quick baking mix 4 eggs 1/4 teaspoon salt 1/8 teaspoon pepper Heat oven to 400 degrees. Grease ( Pam) 10 inch quiche dish or pie plate, 10x1.5 inches. Sprinkle crab, cheese and onion in plate. Beat remaining ingredients until smooth, 15 seconds in blender on high or 1 inure with hand beater. Pour into plate. Bake until knife inserted between center and edge comes out clean, 35 to 40 minutes. Cool 5 minutes. This serves 6 servings for normal folks. It would probably serve 10-12 for those with sleeve. Plenty of left overs if you are eating by your self or small family.

Genepro doesn’t claim to have 30g of protein, but it claims to be equivalent. People often call it a scam yet fail to mention that part. I will say this, while some may be completely against it, my doc has followed the lawsuit and still highly recommends it. I know this may be coincidence too, but I recently ran out and tried to get my protein by food alone. As I am only 10 weeks out, my protein levels dropped and I immediately saw a huge increase in hair loss. I decided to order more and started taking it again, and within about a week, the hair loss lightened up. It didn’t stop and I don’t expect it to, but there was a huge difference. Now that may be coincidence, but I am listening to my body first. By the way, there are several currently lawsuits pending that claim many of the protein brands we drink don’t actually have the amount of protein they claim. That comes with the industry, it is not regulated enough for any of us to really know. So my point it, find one that works for you and listen to your body.

It’s been a busy two days. Yesterday morning I had my Psych pre-op visit. Now, I’ve been a little nervous about this one…probably because I’ve never been before…or maybe it’s because of that somewhat dysfunctional family (or was that fun family?) I grew up in. Anyway, I Map Quested the directions downtown and I set the GPS up in the car. Even with all this technology I realize I need to start asking for landmarks. I turned on the final road, which happened to be a one way square with four lanes of traffic (about a block long on each side). The GPS is yelling at me that my destination is on the right, I’m looking for the address to no avail. About the third time circling around the square I’m feeling like a lab rat in a maze…is this part of the Psych test? I’m not going to find it…so I call (fun to do while you’re in the giant circle of traffic). Landmark “church”…NOT on the right…stupid GPS…and NO address on the front of the building…it’s on the side facing the parking lot…OK, by the time I know which parking lot to pull into, of COURSE I know I’m at the right address…stupid signs. Glad I cushioned my time to get there…my Psychiatrist looks like he stepped right out of a Psych book…Brown hair with a beard, dressed all in brown with a brown tweed coat...all he needed was a pipe. Yes, he had a couch, but I chose the chair. We signed a few forms, he showed me the form he’ll send to the surgeon, I waited while he filled some more forms out (are you asleep yet…maybe that’s what that couch is for?). He asked me a list of questions for about 20 more minutes, I answered honestly (luckily he didn’t ask too many hard ones) and we were done…it probably would have been quicker, but I tend to babble when I’m nervous. Piece of cake…whew! It was ALMOST disappointing that he didn’t bite on anything, not even my labels in the pantry, apparently NOT OCD. I think it’s good you now know someone to call if you’re having issues after the band, especially for someone like me who wouldn’t know where to find help. Today was the surgeon consult. Mr.SA took the day off to go with me, and since they rescheduled it, unfortunately it was a noon appointment. We arrived early and by the time I was done completing paperwork and waiting it was 45 min. later. Mr. SA noticed that most of the waiting room had loveseat size chairs, and many there needed them…I count myself lucky I’m getting help while I can still barely squeeze into a regular chair. More deadpan nurses (Does no one enjoy their job these days? Better than 'bedpan'! Ha!) and I’m on the scale…wow…it’s a huge scale…whoops, I’ve lost a few pounds, I’m only 5# from the minimum BMI, with shoes on. I didn’t lock my knees completely and I made the 5’8” easily (I’m shrinking in my old age). More waiting in the exam room…I took this opportunity to babble endlessly to Mr.SA, as I do when I’m nervous. He asked me how they fill a band that’s already in you…Was he not at two of the three seminars I attended? Maybe he was just trying to keep my busy…so I humored him and explained the port…then I explained how it feels to be heavy…imagine someone strapped 10, 10# bowling balls to you and asked you to carry on. About that time the surgeon (Dr. Colella, which was good, so now I’ve met both of them), the woman (Susan I think) who runs the pre-op class (I’ll need to attend a few weeks prior to surgery) and the head resident came in. After a few greetings he asked what questions I had about the surgery…the woman commented on my typed and highlighted sheet of questions (a little OCD…I’m telling you) and that she liked it. I rapidly went through my questions and he confirmed I could chose the LB, and we confirmed my port site being slightly to the left, between my ribs and belly button line (the default, if you don’t care, is the right)…he acted a little surprised that I cared (I’m right handed, I sleep only on my right as my left shoulder is bad, I care), but he had no problem placing it anywhere as long as it’s not too far from the band. He listened to my extreme nausea with anesthesia issues and will give me preventatives as I had with my last surgery (actually, the resident will handle this with the anesthesiologist). He’s asked me to do a cardiology MRI and then I’ll see the cardiologist for clearance, so two new things to schedule (I’m not sure if this is routine, or if it was because of all the heart issues in my family history). I just realized I forgot to tell him about my allergy to surgical tape (the adhesive actually) so I’ll have to call about that. It was a good, positive meeting and he gives you complete confidence that everything will go smoothly. If you’ve made it this far without falling asleep, I applaude you my friend, as I wanted to remember the major points. So now, for the great part!!! The insurance lady, Patty came in next to go over my questions. I asked if I could lose more than the 35 BMI min. and her answer was "If you weighed less than the 35 BMI then you wouldn't need the surgery now would you?" Got it...nuff said. Apparently Highmark PPO Blue is the ‘cadillac’ (her words) of the insurance companies in our area. She confirmed that my insurance will cover their percentage of everything, and my doc even includes 6 fills (I think ins. will cover them as well). When I discussed all the extra work I’d done with my PCP; my own form, education every month, and then asked if I could supply a personal letter to the insurance co. she told me if I had another ins. co., that might be needed, but all I needed to do was have the PCP fill out the very basics on their form and it would be fine for Highmark. She said they usually get back to her with approval within 72 hours. Then she confirmed my wildest dream that I truly only have to do 6 visits with my PCP, not 6 months/7 visits. That means if I can get all the cardio visits done I could have everything into the surgeon by early April. She said I might even be in for surgery by the end of April! Hooray!!! With two kids graduating (college and H.S.) this spring, an earlier date is so much better! Hey, I might even make my original goal of having this done by my 49 7/8 birthday (yes, and holding) on the 27th! Whoot!!!