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At 2.5, there isn't as much lifting involved as there is with a younger baby. If s/he is able to climb up to your lap, climb into bed, etc., I would not expect to need help for more than a day or two. My doctor did have a lifting limit for the first few weeks postop---but I think I would have been able to work within that limit when my kids were toddlers. The first couple of days, though, you won't be feeling terribly well. It's not horrendous by any stretch of the imagination--but it is nice to have someone around to help.

i flew the week after surgery

My doctor told me no lotion, whrilpool noswinning for 6 weeks. That's why i ask 6 weeks for everyhting?

How often are you eating and are you tracking your food with an app (e.g. MFP)? If so, what are your total calories per day and total protein? I wasn't eating all the food you've listed 3 weeks post-op as I was still on puréed food and 4 weeks later, I fill up very quickly on dense protein (2-3 oz) so there's not much room for anything else, even veggies.

Thanks I honestly feel fine and it was the equivalent of three drops of blood so I am not overly panicked. The dr will call me in the am and hopefully it is nothing just wanted to see if it happened to anyone else

Well in the last four months I have lost 12 pounds on this diet that my dietician gave me. Is there a danger in losing that much for the insurance to cover? I'm afraid the insurance will look at something like that and say oh well he doesn't need surgery. I do have my psych eval scheduled along with other appointments for Sept 5th. They said it takes over three hours to do it. Wtf? What kind of testing is this? I hate tests. I hate psychologists too. Lol.

A week ago me and my partner was in Salt Lake for Comic Con. A well needed vacation. We decided to go out to the bar the last night. We didn't have anything to wear nice so we went to the mall and went clothes shopping. Everything I tried was way to small. We finally ended up getting me measured and discovered I was up to 48 size jeans. Humiliating. I still can wear my 40s but I think they stretched and grew along with me. I am a 36 year old guy, gay, always had a problem with my weight. I was a fat kid. I achieved weight loss twice in my life, at 21 I was in school and just coming out, I reached as far as 175 lbs. Unfortunately I got into a bad relationship after that, gained back the weight probably to 320 lbs.. After 8 years I became restless and awoken, decided I was going to get out of this funk lose the weight and become better. I was still with this guy and within 8 months I was back down to 200 or so. He became more abusive and cruel and jealous so we had to part ways. After finding my current partner I discovered I was HIV positive. And my emotional walls came falling down and I started to eat my emotions again. After the weekend my partner looked up and found bariactric surgery was available with our United healthcare insurance. We just met with a doctor and they said that everything should be to go forth but not at their hospital. I had to call for some sort of six month program which I am still waiting to hear from. I am ready though. I hope I can do this. I am so tired of struggling. I am so tired of worrying that I'm going to die of heart disease, diabetes, etc. I want to be "normal" and live life to the fullest. I have so many things I'm up against. I would like it to be one less thing I have to deal with. I gather it is a tool. I gather it will be hard but I'm up for it. So how bad does it hurt? Anyone wish they didn't do it? What is with this 6 month deal?

Thank you!! Excited for you as well! 3 more weeks!! Eeekkk!! [emoji16] Sent from my SM-G950U using BariatricPal mobile app

Tomorrow will be two weeks of waiting to hear if I'm approved, feeling anxious...

My wife has been visiting her mother in Brooklyn for the past two weeks and so, of course, I overdid it here at LBT. So I am going on a vacation (from posting) to catch up on the housework. I have been doing my share of the work, some of her share and have had to baby sit my 6 year old grand-daughter Brooklyn, but my wife is going to expect a lot more to be accomplished when she gets home Tuesday, so I had better get to work. I have to get in the shower to get ready for church, go to church and then come home to start laundry, dishes, etc. Bye. I will miss my many friends and even those that don't like my "w:rolleyes:rds of wisd:rolleyes:m".

I kicked my major dr pepper habit a few months back. Then somehow I got a taste for Coke Fountain drinks. I threw those away a few weeks ago. I am now in my pre-op diet phase and I have to say, water definitely is my drink of choice NOW. I can't stand tea, can't stand fruit drinks everything is too sweet. I enjoy a bottle water over anything. Sometimes I may flavor it with water enhancers, but I find those seem too sweet too.

Thank you so much for your support, Newbeginning2014!! I typed my response three times, and then realized that my computer wasn't connected to the internet, so I apologize in advance if my response shows up multiple times here. It's so nice to know that you can relate to the struggles that I'm having right now. As much as I tried last night, my phone wouldn't let me edit my profile...it was actually sunflower seeds, that I was eating nonstop, not sesame seeds. I have found that sunflower seeds must be a new "trigger food" for me. It seems like every time I walk into the kitchen, I have to grab a handful or two (or more). I have learned that I can't have them in the house anymore. They sure do taste good, but they are VERY addicting to me. Thanks too, for being so honest about the gelato. I can relate to that 200%!! It's like I'm so torn... On one hand I know how important it is to shrink this liver of mine before surgery, but yet on the other hand, I keep thinking that this is the last time I can eat certain things, and I really don't like that part! I know that's not true, and that in the future, I can eat most anything that I'd like, just in much smaller amounts, but right now, my mind can't seem to understand that idea. It's like I'm in survival mode or something! I'm hoping that tomorrow is better than today (which was much better than yesterday), and that before I know it, it'll be Thursday, and then I won't have much of a choice to eat like this anymore. I guess, in a way, it just solidifies my decision to have this surgery...obviously, this isn't something that I have been able to do on my own, and I do need this "tool" to succeed. It's so nice to have the support of someone who can honestly relate to how I'm feeling! When is your surgery? I wish you the best of luck in your pre-op diet (starting on my surgery date of all days!!), and hope you stay in touch when you can. Take care and thanks so much for letting me know that i'm not alone in this journey!

Thank you both. I always start out strong in the morning, but it's like my willpower decreases as the day goes on. Like I said, I haven't had anything really "bad", but I've definitely had trouble keeping my carbs below 20 each day, especially the last few days. I'm wondering if I was doing better last week because I had better control of the carbs, and now that I don't, it's causing me to overeat (due to the carb cravings). Tomorrow is a new day, and I'll try once again. I appreciate the feedback. Thank you!

I drank liquids for two weeks and didn't add any fibre. I also didn't poop for about a week. My Docs office said, well there isn't much fiber in jello. Not to worry yet. I didn't feel really hungry until the last day of liquids. Trader Joe's has some awesome boxed soups that are sooo much better than Campbell's.

Hi Dawn, I think my original band was too tight from the start, too, though perhaps not as tight as yours. After three years I definitely started suffering regularly from reflux and heartburn, and unfills only helped for a while. My band was finally removed on 4/9 after a slip was diagnosed. Last week I had a new band put in, the new AP band. I don't know if I have the large size or not, but even the small one is a good deal larger than the original 4cc band I had. So far so good--I know it's early days but right out of the gate I am MUCH more comfortable than I had been after the initial surgery four years ago. I hear you about healing, and agree that's very important. Removal probably makes sense for you at this time. But don't close the door on replacement if it's an option for you. Good luck with whatever you decide, and I hope you heal up completely!!

I turned 43 today. I'm three days into my pre-op diet--I'm on the road to a thinner, healthier me. This is the best gift I can give myself. It will last the rest of my life. I'm sticking pretty much to Isopure protein shakes, chicken, tuna, cheese, cottage cheese, and almonds. I'm getting in about 100 grams of protein a day; my minimum is supposed to be 70. I'm doing great. My carbs are supposed to stay under 30 a day; this is soooo not a problem. Hubby took me out for dinner to celebrate. We went to Outback Steakhouse and I got the center-cut filet (medium rare) with a Caesar salad. I enjoyed every single bite, because I know it will be quite awhile before I can eat another steak or salad. It was delicious! We're looking to buy some riverfront property on the San Marcos river here in Texas. I went out and stomped around on the piece we're most interested in--most likely it's in the flood plain. I wish it wasn't. It's gorgeous. We so want to live on the San Marcos river after I graduate from dental hygiene school in May 2008. George retires from the phone company after 30+ years in December 2009. Life just keeps getting better for both of us. We celebrated our 3rd wedding anniversary on July 4. We've been together for almost seven years. After several failed marriages between us, we took our time getting to know each other. We are perfect for each other. Anyway, back to the lap-band. My sister had a band placed five years ago and has done very well, despite having stretched her pouch. She's lost all of her weight and has been training daily and running marathons for about three years now. I started investigating different weight-loss surgeries for me about a year ago. At first I thought I'd do the vertical sleeve gastrectomy with duodenal switch, but since I have Crohn's disease, my gastroenterologist wouldn't approve it for me. Then I thought the Rouen-Y--same response from my doctor. Well, then I figured that the lap-band would be okay, because it could be reversed, if I had a life-threatening flare-up of my Crohn's disease. My doctor said he thought that was a great idea. In April, I went to a bariatrics seminar held at Seton hospital here in Austin, Texas, and Dr. Mark Sherrod presented all of the information, pre-qualification factors, etc. and he was so personable. I enjoyed the presentation and spoke with him for sometime afterward. My husband came with me and enjoyed it as much as I did. He really liked Dr. Sherrod too. I made an appointment and saw Dr. Sherrod for the first time on a doctor/patient basis in May. With a BMI of 43, I was definitely a candidate for the surgery. There was a ton of paperwork to fill out, questions to answer, future appointments to schedule, etc. that kept me very busy. I went back on June 25th for a meeting with anesthesiology (for an EKG), the psychologist (to make sure I had realistic expectations), an exercise therapist (to give me ideas on what kinds of exercise was reasonable for me), a nurse with the bariatrics team (to discuss the actual surgery, possible complications, etc.), and a dietician (to discuss my eating habits, the pre-op diet, and post-op diet, and lifetime eating habit modification). My gallbladder decided to go bad, and after a couple of gallbladder tests, that came back strongly indicating a malfunctioning organ, Dr. Sherrod was kind enough to take it out for me on June 29. Whew! I feel so much better. I had my gallbladder removed at the Central Park Surgical Suites on 38th St. here in Austin. And I had such a terrific experience that I've canceled my lap-band surgery at Seton hospital, and have scheduled to have it done at the Central Park Surgical Suites. Dr. Sherrod raves about the staff there, and I can certainly understand why. I had my very own nurse who made sure that I never felt any pain. She was priceless! I don't really have any misgivings about the upcoming surgery. I know that I will mourn the loss of my best friend (food), but honestly, my best friend has let me down for 20 years. It's a sick, sick, sick relationship. Food doesn't make me feel better about myself, it hasn't made me healthy, it turned my mom into a type II diabetic, and I know I'm next. If I had a human friend who treated me the way food has, I sure wouldn't have kept that friend around for 20 years! So, the lap-band goes on July 19. It's a tool to help me control how much I eat. And since I will have such a tiny stomach, I will have to be super smart about what I put into my body. It's no different than when George stopped smoking four years ago. He used the patch, the lozenges, and the gum. They were tools to help him curb is addiction. The band will help me curb my addiction. I'm very excited about starting my new life. I'm only 43, if I treat myself well, I could live another 40 years and enjoy my grandkids and their children, and maybe even their childrens' children. How cool would that be? I'm going to commit to posting here once a week. I sure I can do it once school starts up again. We shall see.:kiss

Thanks so much for the encouragement. I am almost 7 days down on the liquids and 7 to go. I want a meal so bad and keep trying to quit and reschedule for September (also because of travel plans). I keep thinking I have 2 weeks on liquid after surgery too and it makes me really nervous. Hearing you say it is easier after really helps. I had a slip up and ate popcorn last night at a movie, so I have to call my doctors office tomorrow and see what they say. I'm sure it will be fine, hearing how a lot of people just have a few days on liquid. How long before you were eating normal food and protein? Anyway, yes we have horses. Both my daughters barrel race and I used too, but refuse to now because of my weight. My daughters are way excited for me to start competing with them (if my back allows) as soon as I lose some lbs. I am in Utah.

You have to use a lot more willpower in the two weeks before surgery. The two weeks after surgery are tougher in a different way.

I can tell you that the pre-op diet was the hardest part for me. I was mentally suffering every moment of it. Post-surgery, I never felt the same way about food again. The obsession and cravings for food completely went away. If I had to do the pre-op diet again, it would be a breeze - just because I don't "need" to eat certain flavors anymore. Hang in there, I promise that a few weeks after surgery you'll look back and wonder why you thought the pre-op diet was such a challenge.

Yes, as TexasMeg stated, the two weeks after surgery will be tougher in another way. You will need to look deep within yourself and find the strength you need to begin this journey correctly starting right now. Ask yourself and write down the reasons you are doing this! Remind yourself of those reasons every time it gets tough. You are not alone, many of us have traveled this same road...if we can do u can too!! It will get easier, and make sure you have a good support system at home to help you along the way, it makes things much easier...trust me!! Remember this process is to start your body on a new way of eating and thinking to help prepare it for the next stage to come. The more disciplined you are now, the easier it will be later on to continue this discipline in other ways. Be tough, you can get through this leg of the journey

I wasn't even cleared to be in the gym until 6 weeks. I couldn't drink enough fluids fast enough to stay hydrated in the gym until about 12 weeks. I couldn't eat enough to support a workout until about 8 weeks.Why not just walk?

I started back at the gym on day 4 slower increasing my time and incline on the treadmill. I was allowed to go back to swimming at 2 weeks.

Swimming was cleared asking as my stitches were healed and gym, was cleared week after that as long as there no pain or swelling which there hadn't been, and there hasn't been, before my surgery I would easily neck a pint or water or diluting juice but missing that ability I was up and walking fine pretty much the next day, on about 4000-5000 steps but I live in the north of Scotland, so it's freezing outside and walking on the treadmill boring, so rather the bike and rower Sent from my iPhone using the BariatricPal App

I have a large bruise also. I think it's from the slight extra pressure that they use to insert the needle into the port. Mine has been like that for a week. I just had it done again yesterday again, so I can imagine how I'm gonna look bruise-wise. I think you'll be fine.