Search the Community

I grew up with a horrible self image from as long back as I remember. SIt began with my family - always referring to my sister as "the pretty one" and I was the klutzy, goofy, homely one. I was teased and laughed at in school for having ugly haircuts, glasses, braces, weird clothes, etc. My first husband was extremely critical of me and even though I was actually 30 lbs UNDERweight at the time, he told me on our honeymoon how fat & dumpy I was! The list goes on - and before long, I didn't need others to insult me, I did it quite effectively to myself. It is still very difficult for me to find anything that I like about myself physically. I am less than a week away from my surgery and though I hope to look a little more attractive when I lose weight, I am mostly focusing on the things I will be able to DO. I've accepted that I will never look like a fashion model or even someone who will turn a head (in a good way!) but I very much miss being able to do a lot of the things I really enjoyed when I was healthy.

@@turnaroundtina Good for you for going for it! I'm going to wait for you to tell the world that it was the best decision you ever made! As for the downside of side effects, yeah they come. NOT right away, but a few months down the road. And if it's going to happen (and more than likely it will), it doesn't seem to matter if you take all your supplements and Protein. Your body is sending the nutrients to the vital areas of your body, and the hair on your head just isn't one of them. It passes. Biotin will NOT prevent hair loss. Read up on it. It just makes what you have look great. And sagging skin is also part of the deal, but what you have to remember (and I think you already know this) is that your health is so much more important than hair and saggy skin. I have found great 3/4 sleeve tops that conceal my saggy arms, and cool capris pants that conceal the saggy inner thigh area. All look great, I FEEL great (now in a size medium), and this is the greatest thing I ever did for me! I think you'll feel the same! I wish you the best on your new journey!

Well, I've completed the 6 months of supervised weight loss with my dr and I've completed my psych evaluation. My insurance company is waiting for the last piece of info from the dr's office and they're ready with an approval. My dr's office is saying that even if they get an approval this coming week, it'll still be at least 2 more months until surgery! Anyone have any luck with it getting scheduled sooner than expected? 8 months just seems like a loooong time to make people wait [emoji53]

Does your nut work for your surgeon? If yes, why would he get mad? Two reasons for the pre-op liquid diet: 1) to shrink your liver to make it easier for the surgeon to perform the sleeve surgery; and 2) get you ready for the post-op liquid diet where you will NOT BE ABLE TO SUBSTITUTE other Proteins for the liquids. Well, not unless you want to blow a staple or 2. Some other sleevers have said that their surgeons didn't require a pre-op liquid diet. Or maybe just a few days. Others have said that day 3 of the liquids are the worst -- because you are going through carb, sugar and caffeine withdrawal by day 3. I sure wouldn't want to be going through withdrawal AND recovering from surgery at the same time. I am not a perfect person. I did 2.5 weeks of liquid diet before surgery. I did have a few bites of chicken about 1 week in, but then back to the liquids. My withdrawal wasn't too bad as I had given up sugar and caffeine years ago. My surgeon said my liver was really small, and he had no problems during the surgery. Indeed I had no complications, no vomiting, no nausea, no real pain. I followed the post-op diet well. I couldn't handle the puréed diet, so because I was complication-free, my nut let me go right to soft foods. Whether or not you tell your surgeon about your pre-op diet is up to you. I wouldn't want to hide anything as I was putting my life/health in his hands. But definitely I think you should go to all liquids starting NOW. Good luck on your journey. It's going to be amazing!

Long time member but i haven't posted anywhere in ages, but I used to be on the Lapband board. I was a long time very successful band patient i was orginally banded in Jan 02 (in Canada, pre FDC approval) lost weight at a great rate. My first band (Innamed) slipped a total of 3 times before it came out for six months, I also had surgeries to move my port and another because my tubing disconnect. Next we went to the J&J band and it was great until it slipped badly, I had it for about 6-7 years and it worked like a charm, restriction was great most of the time, lost to my goal size and then it self tightened and i left it there because of travel, personal stress etc and i thought it would release on its own when i went for a defill it completely slipped around my esophagus and it was horrible. With the J&J I had a port revision surgery in there too. Then we tried a 3rd band it never worked right, I couldn't get restriction because if we did more than i had instant reflux etc. I revised to the sleeve last week with a new surgeon in Philadelphia who told me the band was basically around my esophagus and i had no pouch which is why I had no restriction and why I could not be tightened any more. But I lost about 150 lbs in 12-16 months and maintained that loss for 10 years plus, with little to no effort. In the meantime because of the band with no restriction, some prescribed evil steroids that I had to take that put 30lbs on me in a matter of 8 days... (they change your brain chemistry in weird ways) hashimoto's disease (hypo thyroid) fluctuations for the last few years and a few other things I gained about 70-80 lbs that I could not lose weight I tried. I went gluten free and dairy free, nada, I tried the HCG diet lost 20 lbs gained it back and generally I don't eat more than 1500-1700 calories per day including when I am drinking wine, eating out 3 meals a day etc. I hired a trainer, almost went paleo not quite. Now in talking to my surgeon he has said there are new studies showing band patients 9-12 years out who suddenly gain weight they can't lose for love nor money. They try everything and it won't come off more restriction, calories restriction etc. So we made a joint strategic decision to go to the sleeve since I knew the risk, what type of lifestyle change I was in for, portion control etc. wouldn't be a problem since i had it already. In our conversations we talked a lot about Ghrelin which is produced in the stomach and it makes you hungry, when you are feeling that craving to overeat or binge typically it is ghrelin and obese people produce more ghrelin than non obese people typically with some exceptions. We also talked about leptin which makes you feel satiated and is produced in the brain. With the sleeve, about 70-90% of the ghrelin produced is surgically removed with the part of the stomach they remove. i am curious have you noticed a difference in how hungry you get, cravings and the satiation of cravings ie: I can eat two bites of cake vs. I want the whole cake now? Have you also noticed the full feelings getting different than before from the leptin. My surgeon has said in his conversations with his patients they noticed their cravings reduced which helps them with portion control and in making better choices which helps a number of other things. In other words the brain and stomach don't conspire to make cheetos seem like a great dinner choice or ben and jerry your best friend. Overall I eat very healthy without a ton of junk food in my life we cook at home, we make our own stocks and Soups etc. to help get me through the liquids phase. But we do eat well and drink wine, we might be foodies (we are told we are, I just like trying new things). I have never eaten out of control even with the last band and no restriction just trying to lose weight has been terrible, depressing and frustrating. Especially after my first experiences which was I lost well, ate well, exercised and it worked like it was supposed too. I am a consultant and I travel for my job excessively so hence the eat out three meals a day most of the time I don't have a choice in that, but you can make healthy choices even in eating out and I do. I look at fats and calories along with Proteins and make good choices. Any thoughts you have I would appreciate and any advice you have I would love to read. Thanks for reading and good luck

I thought the guidelines were pretty much the same for Cigna in general minus the fact that employer could opt out, this is the one they kept reading to me when I asked for the their policy https://cignaforhcp.cigna.com/public/content/pdf/coveragePolicies/medical/mm_0051_coveragepositioncriteria_bariatric_surgery.pdf I searched through the whole thing and I didn't see anything on weight gain or loss during the 90 day nutrition, when I called several times I asked the representative as well (although they can't be 100% trusted with exact details) but she said I should try not to gain but she didn't see anything in it that stated I had to lose. I actually already had my weigh in on Saturday and I did gain 3 lbs from my last weight from water weight for certain reasons, so I guess we'll see what they say as she was supposed to be resubmitting tomorrow or the day after.

you cannot rush perfection or weightloss. personally, mine slowed down after about 5 months post op. i am still losing, but it's just a slower rate. i don't stress about it. i work out 3-4 x a week (running) and do some body weight exercises a few times a week. i eat pretty good, sometimes i get sloppy. when i want to re-focus my efforts, i cut out almost all carbs, and do Protein protein protein. also i mix up my workouts and do more hills/ sprints. this shet takes time. from a health perspective, the most you should be losing is a pound or 2 a week.

So interested in this. 4 weeks this Wednesday, however I have higher tolerance to my mashed/puréed foods but feel like drinking shakes are a chore. But a mentor idea sounds really good.

Im 4 weeks out and have only lost 20. I was excited until my story group last night. Some people who are the same time as me Were down 30. I wanted to cry. Then I remember I have not been at 280 in 6 years! I know I should do more, get more Protein, more Water etc. But I can't. The nausea stops me dead in my tracks, the random diarrhea makes me nervous to go out nevrrmind go to the gym. Also I have fOund doing A 600 calorie diet then av day or 2 og increaSing it had helped.

@@Miss Mac - so you stalled at 3 or so weeks post op? That's what I thought the 3 week stall was when I referred to it earlier and was told something different. I am 3 weeks 5 days out and the scale hasn't moved since last Thursday.

Yep.......and so do a lot of folks. But be aware that stalls are like lovers. Your first will probably not be your last!

My surgeon said during my 4 week follow-up appointment, "As you move forward please keep in mind to puree with your teeth, my friend, chew things very, very well". Made perfect sense to me then.....and I followed accordingly. I don't chew as much now as then......and it's something that I should get back to. It slows down eating and you'll enjoy the flavors more......and actually eat less. It's a good habit to get into now.

I have Cigna great west and no one has said anything about weight gain. I've been on and off prednisone and with my meds it's so hard to lose weight (my lupus meds) so I'm praying they don't consider my yo yo weight an issue bc I hopefully file this week. I follow the diet 98% of the time and try to get my steps in and I've quit smoking!

I had my band out on 10/27. I had some strong gas pains and tenderness the first 5-7 days, but really saw them disappear by the end of week 2. My doctor had told me no more restrictions from a day to day activity after week 2, including no weight restrictions but to take it slow. At about 2 1/2 weeks post op, I had a fairly active day, running errands, walking, etc. I did scrub a couple floors and did lift a box that probably weighed close to 40 lbs. That night I noticed when sleeping if I attempted to roll to my side, it instantly felt like I was ripping/pulling something in my stomach. When I got up the next morning, any movement had the pain sharp pull/ripping feeling in the middle of abdomen, very close to my largest incision (believe this is where the port was). I gave it a couple days and when it didn't improve I called my surgeon. They indicated it is probably just scar tissue or maybe I pulled something and to take it easy. To call them back if the pain didn't decrease over the next 2-3 weeks or if it became acute, or if I developed a fever. It has now been an entire week and the pain has not decreased. I called again yesterday and they still are not concerned. Told me to give it another 2 weeks and take it slow. I haven't been doing anything beyond day to day and walking my dog. Gave me the same guidelines to call them if the pain became acute or if I developed a fever. I haven't developed the fever and frankly, struggle with defining "acute". I tend to have a very high pain tolerance and threshold. What concerns me most is that until a week ago, all pain/discomfort had disappeared, and then suddenly a week ago, abdomen pain when I move, which isn't improving. And now the last 2 days, heartburn is back. Thoughts? Any one experience anything similar?

I am 3 1/2 weeks post-op and I went to a festival today. Thanks to my having just moved and forgetting to pick up sunscreen, I ended up with a pretty bad sunburn. I don't remember my surgeon saying anything about staying out of the sun. I can only imagine that I'll probably end up with a fever at some point due to this. Anyone else have any experience with getting a sunburn early post-op? I'm going to try to spend the rest of the afternoon getting my fluids in, since I know I'm dehydrated.

Saw my Dr. yesterday and got the results from a blood draw last week. My A-1C(blood sugar average for 3 months) was down to 6.9. It had been 7.7 last year, 7.2 early this year, and 7.1, 4 months ago. That doesn't sound remarkable, except all of the 7 numbers was when I was taking 120 units of insulin and 2000 mg. of Metformin a day. The 6.9 has been since I have been taking 10 units or less a day and no Metformin at all....1/12 the dose.:rolleyes: My good cholesterol was up (40) and my bad cholesterol was down (62) and my dosage of the statin drug has dropped to 1/2 the regular dose every other day (so 1/4th of what I was taking). I didn't have any idea what my results would be........but I am sure one happy camper. The VSG did what I wanted it to.:lol: I also had been plateauing between 190-192 and yesterday that was broken as well as I hit 189. Which makes my weight loss at 47 pounds on the sleeve and 98 total. I am re-enthused!!!:P:P:P:P:P:P:P

Mine stayed on like a week!!

Yep, each week is an improvement on the last. Hunger was a problem for me - I thought my sleeve had "failed". Hunger is not a problem now. I have to remember to eat!

Here is my 2 cents worth: I work out 6 days a week, 3 days 1 hr. cardio (HIIT and Medium mixed), and 3 days weights with 30 min moderate cardio. I eat about 1900 cals a day and it breaks out to about 30% carbs, 50% carbs and 20% fats. I found that this is a 40% deficit in cals, based on my activity levels, and have been at same scale weight for 30+ days. I have seen lower fat levels and slow muscle growth, so I am not too concerned. I have 15 lbs. of fat left to lose, and plan on cycling my calories/carbs soon and I feel my scale stall is partially associated to some metabolism slowing. (Been in big calorie deficit for 9 months now) My revision seems to be much looser and allows me to eat much more than many with RNY do, so getting this much food in is only a little challenging with 5 meals a day. I mostly focus on getting in proper protein, and making carbs fibrous, except right after training, so I am not too concerned with the totals values. My fats come from clean sources only, mostly coconut, flax and olive oils, and lean meats, and I feel high fat levels of the right fats is OK, if we can handle it. It has taken me a while to get to this point and a lot of trial and error to get the right fit, and I am sure you will need to do the same. I suggest tracking your diet and any changes and measure the affect every week or so and adjust again as needed. No trainer know you like you. Best on your journey. . .

Stick to it girl! Don't let anyone tell you you shouldn't do this. Keep it up and good luck with all your insurance info. i had to do 3 months of diet appts. and got approved! i am now recovering from surgery 2 days out with no regrets! :crying:

Over all I am very impressed with BMI. I really like Dr. Cottam and feel really good about him doing my surgery. He demonstrated caring and spent more time with me than I would have anticipated. He was eager to answer questions. I arrived in the morning with about eight other patients. There was a quick tutorial on bariatric surgery. We were each then separated out into our own room. I met with a dietician, exercise therapist, psychologist, a medical office assistant, the financial lady and Dr. Cottam. I had a metabolic rate test and a H Pylori test. I also had pre-op blood work done so I had been fasting since midnight. This (my very first time even stepping foot into his office) was on June 6th. The appointment took about 2.5 hours. I really like Dr. Cottam, I didn't get the best vibes from the finance lady, she seemed a bit skeptical about my qualifying and just wasn't very friendly. I needed a physical and a letter from my primary physician stating I was healthy enough for surgery. My paperwork was submitted to insurance about two weeks after my appointment and took about 9 days. I am now doing a two week pre-op diet of clears and protein shakes, I am scheduled for surgery on the 24 of July. The whole process was very smooth and went much quicker than I anticipated. I am very excited, yet nervous for the weeks to come. I hope all goes well for you and that you will have a similar experience regardless of who you choose. I know having an in network provider really makes a difference.

I live in SD and the snow fell here for 2 days. This really sucks. But I guess it better that 3 more months of snow. Is there anyone else out there that is from South Dakota, would love to talk to you.

Saw this on another forum and thought we could lend her a helping hand. ---------------------------------- A couple of weeks ago I was diagnosed, but the doctors know very little about how cancer acts during pregnancy. I had a masectomy six days ago and they are still confused by the results. The doctors believe it is stage 3 inflammatory but the pathology keeps coming back with no invasion. I am trying to get my story to the front page on Digg, which will allow it to get seen by at 100 million people worldwide and hopefully get me in touch with other survivors. Please digg my article and ask everyone else in your contact circle to lend a hand by voting for my story (copy and paste the link below into your browser): Diggers Help Pregnant Cancer Patient, She Names Son Digger Thank you very much, Natalie Regoli Future Cancer Survivor