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I weighed myself this morning and after the fluctuation and stall for past week, finally down a couple pounds again. Making total weight loss 18lbs. Dos 10-18-12....

Whether it be spouse, parent, best friend...anyone who has considered WLS has had someone in their life - some more than others that were against them having the procedure. It's one of the first steps you deal with on this journey, welcome aboard! He obviously loves you or he wouldn't be concerned, so consider yourself a lucky woman in that respect. Without knowing your specific situation (how many WL attempts, how long overweight, any comorbids or risks) it's hard to help you with a more detailed "reasons to have the surgery" list, but here is my two cents: 1. Yo-yo dieting is more dangerous than never having lost weight. 2. You can lose the weight on your own, but are you able to maintain it? 3. There are more risks to staying overweight than in having WLS. 4. People who have deadly diseases have been "cured" through WLS. I was diagnosed with Type II diabetes in February 2013. Six months after my surgery, I am happy to say that my blood glucose levels are normal without medication. I was diagnosed with Severe Obstructive sleep Apnea only after my band surgeon required a sleep study prior to my surgery. I have likely had it for years and it could have killed me, quickly...it certainly reduced my quality of life. Six months after my surgery, I no longer need my CPAP, I don't snore and I get the best sleep I've had in my life. I also need a lot less sleep than I did before. My blood pressure was starting to fluctuate in crazy numbers. After I lost 20lbs. my blood pressure stabilized and is back to 120/80 or less each time I check it. 5. Being overweight affects your psyche. Your self esteem, outlook on life, drive and ambition climb with each pound lost. 6. Being smaller feels good. 7. Being smaller looks good. I thought I was the cutest thing walking the earth at my highest weight but I didn't do it for vanity. 8. It will increase your chances at living a longer and better quality life. 9. He will benefit in many ways: better nutrition, a happier wife and better sex (trust me on that) to name a few. 10. You want it. You go out of your way to make sure your loved ones have what they need as long as it is in your control. You should do the same thing for yourself. No one else can or will ever live in your body, therefore the decision is ultimately yours to make. Good luck in whatever you decide. I'm very happy with my decision, I don't miss anything (I can eat whatever I choose to) but have gained so much...things that I didn't anticipate. My only regret is that I didn't do this sooner.

Today 4 dresses that didn't fit 3 weeks ago fit me 3 18's and one 16, the 16 I probably shouldn't wear until I lose another 10 but hey it went up over my hips and zipped this time so I'm counting it. That's my brag what's yours?

Worry not! Your weight loss will slow to a more 'normal' pace after your initial large losses at first. The weight always comes off fast at first, then usually your body puts the brakes on in the form of a stall, then the losses even out a bit. It's actually pretty rare for people to lose 'too much weight'. Most of the complaints are they can't seem to get the remaining 10-20 off the closer they are to goal. You'll be just fine Good job!

I had people say the same things to me. I started out 236, and im 5'2, BMI was 41 making me morbidly obese. I was banded on Oct. 19 of this year. I only told my immediate family, a few extended family, and my lose friends before hand and they were ALL vey supportive. Now when I mention it to people that I had lapband they are like "why, you dont need to lose that much." Or they say "thats a bit extreme dont you think caz you dont look like you need to lose weight." My answer at first in my head is "what have i done." But then I look down at myself and say nope i did the right thing, it HAD to be done, I need to be healthy.

On an average I would say 5-10 days depending if there is lifting involved in your job. I have a desk job so I took off 5 days and went back to work knowing I could not bend at the waist or lift anything heavier than 5 lbs. I was weak and still only taking in about 600 calories aday when I returned to work.

I was open with my kids too (19, 16, and 8) ... For the youngest, I told him that mommy needed her tummy fixed because it made her want to eat too much. I showed him some diagrams and he thought it was kinda cool - but not very interested. What was funny was when I returned home. He had gotten it in his head that I would come home skinny. Boy! Did I disappoint him! But, now he makes comments like "I like hugging you and reaching all the way around". Makes me smile everytime!

You can do it, but remember you want to be at a stable weight before having skin surgery. If that means you need to wait another month or 2, so be it. You dont want to lose 10 pounds before surgery to just put it back on and start stretching out the new skin.

I'm only 3 weeks post op and I feel like I'm hungry all the time because It's that time of the month soon. I don't always give in but I can't wait for this to pass. I've been on the same weight for about 10 days. Hate it. I've also been having tons of mood swings. I feel bad for the hubby sometimes

I had a rough recovery in July 13. I kept reading on here how people didn't even need painkillers post op and thought I was the only one. I was on IV Dilaudid for 48 hrs and liquid Vicodin for 12 days. It was the worst surgery I'd ever had, my lapband was easy peasy compared. The dr took an extra 30 mins to dig my band out causing more pain than normal. After the first 2 weeks I started feeling more normal. It was a long 4 weeks of liquids only and I was literally starving after the first 10 days. Ull get thru it, I promise. So yes, there's others out there that had a rough recovery. Take the IV pain meds that they offer cuz the stuff at home isn't as good. And the liquid pain meds theyll give u are good stuff! It'll all be worth it soon. As soon as u start seeing the difference in ur jeans Go od luck!

Rimonabant hcl is fda approved. Not on the doctors lists so theres no kick backs for him to push but if you ask for it it is available. My wife quit smoking in a week because it made her. Heres the true background information: Rimonabant also known as SR141716, is an anorectic drug primarily used for comprehensive anti-obesity treatment. It is an inverse agonist for the CB1 cannabinoid receptor.[1] The primary method of action is through reduced caloric intake, due to the anti-hunger effects of rimonabant. An inverse agonist refers to a chemical that binds to a receptor and, when compared to a known agonist for that receptor, shows approximately the same affinity and exhibits roughly inverse effects of one or more primary effects of the agonist.[2] One of the primary effects of cannabinoid receptor agonists is an increase in appetite; rimonabant reduces appetite, demonstrating an inverse effect. Some effects of rimonabant are admittedly under-studied or not well known or explorer; for example, rimonabant-dosed mice reduced voluntary wheel-running behavior when compared to a control group.[4] Rimonabant does have other uses besides weight loss; though the mechanism is not well understood it has been demonstrated to increase probability of quitting smokers by 50%: From the preliminary trial reports available, rimonabant 20 mg may increase the odds of quitting approximately 1(1/2)-fold. Adverse events include nausea and upper respiratory tract infections; the risk of serious adverse events is reported to be low. However, there is current concern (August 2007) over rates of depression and suicidal thoughts in people taking rimonabant for weight control. The evidence for rimonabant in maintaining abstinence is inconclusive. Rimonabant 20 mg may moderate weight gain in the long term.[5] Researchers hypothesized, in keeping with the inverse-agonist nature of rimonabant, that (because cannabinoids nearly univerally impair memory), rimonabant may improve memory; this is borne out thus far in rat studies: The positive influence of rimonabant on performance indicated that the action of endocannabinoids was to reduce SmR code strength, resulting in trials that were at risk for errors if the delay exceeded 10 s. Thus endocannabinoids, like exogenously administered cannabinoids, reduced hippocampal encoding necessary to perform long-delay trials. The findings therefore indicate a direct relationship between the actions of endocannabinoids on hippocampal processes and the ability to encode information into short-term memory.[6] Researchers speculate that due to the pervasive role of the endocannabinoid system in the reward (and therefore addiction-perpetuating) system, rimonabant might be successfully used to treat other addictions besides nicotine.[7] Rimonabant has been demonstrated to successfully block the psychological effects of cannabis use without interfering with the physiological effects.[8] Respective excerpts follow: Recent studies have shown that the endocannabinoid system is involved in the common neurobiological mechanism underlying drug addiction. This system participates in the primary rewarding effects of cannabinoids, nicotine, alcohol and opioids, through the release of endocannabinoids in the ventral tegmental area. Endocannabinoids are also involved in the motivation to seek drugs by a dopamine-independent mechanism, demonstrated for psychostimulants and opioids. The endocannabinoid system also participates in the common mechanisms underlying relapse to drug-seeking behaviour by mediating the motivational effects of drug-related environmental stimuli and drug re-exposure. In agreement, clinical trials have suggested that the CB(1) cannabinoid antagonist rimonabant can cause smoking cessation. Thus, CB(1) cannabinoid antagonists could represent a new generation of compounds to treat drug addiction.[7] Single oral doses of SR141716 produced a significant dose-dependent blockade of marijuana-induced subjective intoxication and tachycardia. The 90-mg dose produced 38% to 43% reductions in visual analog scale ratings of "How high do you feel now?" "How stoned on marijuana are you now?" and "How strong is the drug effect you feel now?" and produced a 59% reduction in heart rate. SR141716 alone produced no significant physiological or psychological effects and did not affect peak THC plasma concentration or the area under the time x concentration curve. SR141716 was well tolerated by all subjects. CONCLUSIONS: SR141716 blocked acute psychological and physiological effects of smoked marijuana without altering THC pharmacokinetics. These findings confirm, for the first time in humans, the central role of CB1 receptors in mediating the effects of marijuana.[8] Citations: [1]Fong TM, Heymsfield SB (September 2009).Cannabinoid-1 receptor inverse agonists: current understanding of mechanism of action and unanswered questions. Int J Obes (Lond) 33 (9): 947–55. [2]Kenakin T (2004). Principles: receptor theory in pharmacology. Trends Pharmacol. Sci. 25 (4): 186–92. [3]Suicide risk fears over diet pill. BBC News. 15 June 2007. (URL: http://news.bbc.co.uk/2/hi/health/6755665.stm). [4] Keeney BK, Raichlen DA, Meek TH, Wijeratne RS, Middleton KM, Gerdeman GL, Garland T, Jr. Differential response to a selective cannabinoid receptor antagonist (SR141716: rimonabant) in female mice from lines selectively bred for high voluntary wheel-running behavior. Behavioural Pharmacology 19: 812–820. 2008. [5] Cahill K, Ussher M. Cannabinoid type 1 receptor antagonists (rimonabant) for smoking cessation. Cochrane database of systematic reviews (On[line) (4): CD005353. 2007. [6]Deadwyler SA, Goonawardena AV, Hampson RE. Short-term memory is modulated by the spontaneous release of endocannabinoids: evidence from hippocampal population codes. Behavioural pharmacology 18 (5-6): 571–80. 2007. [7]Maldonado R, Valverde O, Berrendero F. Involvement of the endocannabinoid system in drug addiction. Trends Neurosci. 29 (4): 225–32. 2006. [8]Huestis MA, Gorelick DA, Heishman SJ, et al. Blockade of effects of smoked marijuana by the CB1-selective cannabinoid receptor antagonist SR141716. Arch. Gen. Psychiatry 58 (4): 322–8. 2001.

keep up the good work,it can be done. i lost 100lbs and then set my goals 25 lbs at a time,already lost that 25(1 yr 10 days altogether)slowing down losing considerably but still losing none the less, now working on my other 25 then i'll only have 3 more rounds of 25's to go. 50 or a 100 at a time is to daunting for me.but to each their on. ROCK ON!!!!!!!!

II had went to my PCP today and had more blood work done, and my hemoglobin was up from Monday why my pre op blood work was done so my surgen said if I can get my hemo to 10 then I still maybe able to have the surgery in feb or early part of March. I go back for another blood test on Feb 8th hopefully I will be all set, keeping my fingers crossed!

I am disappointed as well, I can only dream, right? But........... what I do have is mine and it will stay just where it is !!!!!!!!! Regarding the Pannie thing....... I have already lost some 200+ lbs, and I just e-mailed the guy's @ fillcentersusa.com and asked for a Dr. that would do a fill for me, in North Florida. I just had one in NY 3 weeks ago. I went from 2 cc to 2.5 cc, it still ain't enough, as I can eat too much. I think I need another .5 cc to make it an even 3 cc in the band. I figure that if I lose another 100 lbs I will be ready for this Pannie thing. So........... I will only have to do this once, heck, once is enough for anyone. I have done some looking on this, and found some peep's that have had it done, and the big thing is the recovery time, something like 8 to 10 weeks, WOW that's some time. BUT............. seeing that I am 53 now, I ain't get'in no younger, and there is some stuff I would like to do before they throw dirt in my face....... thing's like..... see my......... feet? LOL:eek: . I wanted to get this done like a year ago, and I was still too fat, but I was being lazy (something new, right?) and wanted them to take the weight from me, then I started looking, and there was a lot more fat, a lot more places then in the belly area, so......... back to work, and I am ready for this, I wish the fill done in NY had worked and was enough. It kind of is enough to maintain, I can't "Eat like I was going to the chair", but I can still eat a full meal, and then some. I would be able to lose weight this way, but...... without exercise, it would take forever. So I am ready for another fill, in order to cut back on the food. I have been waiting for this for 3 years. I was not ready last year to lose the weight, but now I am. Off we go, into the unknown, I better keep my eye's on the Man Upstairs, he will be my guide. Thanks for the laughs guy's your great. Butch

If you have a desk job you could be back to work in a couple of weeks. If you have a job that is more manual labor or requires lifting you will need to take more time. I went back to work 10 days after my surgery, and though I was pretty well healed and feeling really good I wish I had taken the full 2 weeks off in hind sight. Gathering information is the best way to help you learn and make the most informed decision.

I am a type II Diabetic. Without meds my blood sugar is in the 300's. With meds my fasting is about 190...which is still to high for fasting. Before I decided to have the surgery I was put on three different blood sugar meds and that was my breaking point. Well - I have to report that I have been checking my sugars religiously all week. I have not been taking any meds and my fasting runs 85-109 in the morning!!!!! It hasn't been that low in 10 years even with meds!

I feel your pain. I am a registered nurse and make rounds to 19 different areas in the hospital. That's 19 places where visitors have "thanked" the health care team with cakes, donuts, cookie platters, bagels and creme cheese, cupcakes, etc. Unlike you, I have not told anyone at work that I was banded so I try my best to stay away from the crap food. I bring a "survival kit" to work with me consisting of 100 calorie snacks, low carb cup-a-soups, fresh fruit and a cup of dry cereal in a sandwich bag. Since I never know what I'm going to crave, having a selection on hand keeps me from binging on the junk foods.

Lets try and ask this without sounding stupid - I know there are different size bands. I have a 10-12 cc band and I get my first fill on 12/29. Doctor said he fills 3 cc's first time and sees how I do. Besides it being a larger band then others, is there an advantage or disadvantage in the sizes....Is this making any sense? Thanks for your help. Lana

I agree with you all. I use to love her show but I think she is getting so fake. It is definitely not the easy way out. I remember getting banded one year ago this month and I was at 275 pounds and I thought OMG next summer I'll be at goal and in a bikini, boy was I wrong. I went through 4 months of fills, unfills, no weight loss whatsoever. I had got to a weight I use to weigh for years and it wouldn't budge. Thank god in the last 2 weeks I've lost 10 pounds but it is not the easy way out. One year later I'm at 210 pounds still far from my goal of 155. I guess 65 pounds in one year could be worse but I'm very dissappointed but I have never drank and haven't picked up any new habits. I think that's bull. Good luck to you all. Wish we luck that this weightloss continues. I was getting my fills so tight I couldn't eat any meat and wouldn't loose an ounce. I was up to 3.25 in 4.cc's small 9.75 mini and now I'm at 2.0 and losing. Go figure. These things are weird but I can't eat anything now just not much of it.

Haven't actually posted yet, and figured I should because I want to strangle a pillow or something ._. I went to two seminars over the past couple of years and officially met with my surgeon in like... May I think. He got me started on the 6 month nutritional visits and resigned after the first month so I started meeting with his partner. I was supposed to have my last visit before everything goes to insurance to be approved 2 weeks ago, but they canceled and scheduled me for this coming Friday. Just got a call that he resigned now. He's the last one in that building so now I have to find another one. So been crying and kind of freaking out a bit. Trying to calm down and convince myself that this wasn't the bad thing I've been dreading after letting myself be positive and happy for once. I just have to keep reminding myself that it doesn't change how far I've come so far, and my biggest fear is having to start all over and be disappointed again. I started at 321 lbs, and that surprised me. I hadn't used a scale in years and I never thought I got over 300. Right now I'm at 271 and I guess I still don't see a difference. I know I haven't been at this weight since early in high school at least, so I feel like I've done something at least. The other problem I have is my father and sisters hate that I want to get the lap band and they try to talk me out of it at every opportunity. This forum helps, even if I haven't posted before. Just reading so many perspectives and hardships and successes reminds me that I can do this. So yeah... I basically used this post just to get everything off my shoulders. Also, if anyone has read this far I have a question. Do I need to lose another 10% after the 6 month nutrition class things, or do they count from when I had my first meeting? Maybe it's a dumb question.

I gotta go on Amazon. I pay 9-10 at Wal-Mart. I'm in Alaska so we pay a couple dollars more for just about everything.

I would really appreciate any advice or insight anyone may have on this. I had very good restriction from 10/18 until two weeks ago. I was noticing a little bit of a difference like I could eat a bowl of chilli instead of a cup and I was hungry more often so I thought I would get a little fill. I went in on Saturday 1/26 and they put in .5cc For that week I was too tight and could hardly eat, I lost 4lbs! So I went in the following Saturday 2/2 and had .3 taken out. Now I have NO RESTRICTION! I can eat anything and as much as I would like. How is this possible? I'm having a very hard time becuase I was so restricted for so long I'm binging all day and I have gained back the 4lbs from last week. I'm very scared of what I could be doing to my band though honestly I'm probably not eating as much as I feel like. For example I did go to McDonalds yesterday and I ate 1/2 a big mac and about 1/2 my fries but for someone who has been so restriced it feels like binging. I go back tomorrow for a fill but I'm just so confused about losing the restirction completely and feel very depressed about the 4lb gain! Does anyone have any words of wisdom?

They told me too keep it clean and keep a bandage over it until I came in to see him. But if it hurt or had other changes to come it early. By the time I went in on Wednesday it had healed up again. I got my first on time. 3 cc's in a 10 cc band! All is well. Thanks!

I was in the same boat. I had my surgery on March 10. Waited 6 weeks for my first fill of 3 cc. The first few days I felt restriction but then noting. I became very frustrated but I had to remember this is only a tool! I started walking at least 3-4 time per week and tried to watch what I ate. This helped keep me focused even though the weight was not coming off I was making good choices and starting good habits. When I went back for my 2nd fill, I had lost 8 lbs. even though no restriction. My second fill was only 1.5 cc and it has really made a hugh difference. So, my advice, don't get discouraged. It will take some time to find your "right" fill amount. Keep up your part with good choices and good habits and it will pay off. Best wishes!

It has been a difficult 2 weeks but I am finally turning the corner and feeling better. I went in March 19th at 2 pm for my bilateral extended to forearm briachioplasty. Opened my eyes in recovery ay 6:45 and was home by 8 for 10 minutes when the ambulance was called. I was bleeding profusely from my left arm and had passed out in my recliner. Had to walk to the stretcher as they couldn't get it into the house. Got to ER around 1/2 hour later, Plastic surgeon from the Center (not the one that did the operation but had assisted with my breast reduction in June) came a looked at what was going on. Passed out again while he was there. He told me I had a hemotoma the size of a baseball and would need to go back into surgery ASAP. No operating room was available until 4:30 when he went in and did whatever had to be done and gave me a drain. Finally at 7:30 am Tuesday morning I was in a shared room. They tried to send me home Tuesday night started bleeding again. They did whatever had to be done. My blood count had dropped down to an 8 and my veins were blowing every time they tried to take more blood from my hands. I had an IV in each hand in case the right one blew. I was seen by the PS again Wednesday night and finally sent home on Thursday. From the hospital I was taken directly to the PS DR office on Thursday as when the hospital staff was loading me into the van I started bleeding again. The Dr and 5 nurses saw me immediately, did whatever they had to do and bandaged me back up and sent me home with all kinds of meds including iron as I was amenic. I had a horrible weekend with intense pain, not only in my arms but my back as well. I was itching like crazy because of the gauze and ace bandages used. When they discovered I had this reaction they came up with a different way of bandaging up my arms. This past Monday I had my 1 week followup and the drain was taken out. I was still way to swollen to fit into any sleeve compressions so I have just been bandaged. I go back tomorrow for my 2 week followup, hopefully will get some stitches out and into the compression garments. I have attached some photos showing the left arm hematoma area drain area and the right arm. I am so bruised, black and blue and swollen I have no idea of what the outcome will be. I have a feeling this is going to be long difficult recovery. I just hope and pray I will be happy with the final results.