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Just sitting here waiting to take my son to the dr so I can go to my follow up again with the ob...I hope that she has some good news for me today...I am really anxious to get back on some type of birth control...My dh and I are not use to going without some type since we havent had to worry about it for over 10 years now...The dr wouldnt give me anything on my last visit thinking that it might make things worse if she did...We have messed up 1 time in the last week and had sex without anything and I am totally concerned that it might only take that 1 time to do me in...Thats all I need right now since I just got the band in June is to become pregnant...I think I would just end up pulling all of my hair out...Besides we just cant afford another child right now at all and our only child is about to turn 11 and I am not wanting to start all over again with late night wake ups and feedings and diapers....I WANT BIRTH CONTROL TODAY!! And I have been stuck on my weight for the last week or so too and am really wanting the 17th to get here so I can go get another fill...I feel like right now it is hitting me from every angle, band and all...

March 6th had arrived. I was so freaking excited!! My parents had decided to take the boys to the lake for a week so I could recover. The only thing that was giving a twinge of worry was the drain. I am not good with medical things. I even hide my eyes and gag a little when a doctor gives a shot on TV. So this drain is a huge source of panic in my world. My surgery was scheduled for noon. I had to be at the hospital at 10 am. That gives me time to sleep in a little, spend a little time with my family, and reassure my husband that this is what I want to do. I am going to a side note here, but this is not a sillly observation, it is a sincere one. My husband is someone that I can say truely loves me. Not who I think I am or who I want to be, just me. He has loved me at size 12 (when he met me), size 18 (when he married me) and size 22 (when he followed me into the hospital that morning) and all the ups and downs in between. He has never made me feel fat or ugly. He is truely a beautful human being. When I made the decision to do this, I saw the panic on his face. Not because of the money or time, but because he said he is scared to live without me. I have had to give my brother my medical power or attorney because my husband said he won't pull the plug. He said he can't be the one to kill me. He did assure me that he respects my decision and will not fight my brother; he said he just can't be the one that makes that decision. So, at 9:30 we dropped my boys off at daycare. With tears in my eyes, I kissed them each good-bye. I knew that I was going to be fine, but there is always that chance. Telling your kids good-bye is a little scary when it might be the last time. I sent my step-daughter a message telling her I loved her. Then, we started out for the hospital. I was chatty and my husband was nervous. He did not feel like talking so we fussed at each other. I took it with a grain of salt. I knew he wasn't mad at me. When checked into the hospital, we were immediately sent to the pre-op (no time to change my mind). I weighed in there and I had officially lost 20 pounds before my surgery. Woo-hoo!!! I was put in my room, changed my clothes, and met all the pre-op nurses. My parents and mother-in-law joined us and helped me pass the time. I cherish those moments. I guess when you are in a situation like this, you sit back and thank God for the little things that make us happy and my family is it. The nurses came in and tried to start an IV. Because I had been on a liquid diet for a week and clear liquids the day before and NPO since midnight, I was a little dehydrated. It took two nurses one hour to find a vein they could use. They kept saying, "Your veins are so deep". (Sidenote: If any of you are nurses reading this, when you say something like "your veins are so deep" what your patient hears is "You are so fat, your arms are even carrying a load. Stop eating cake, fat butt" Well, they finally got the IV started in my hand using a baby needle. If that didn't solidify my decision about having this surgery I don't know what could have. The time had come and they were finally wheeling me to the OR. The nurses are just talking away. I finally looked up and said "You know I know what you are saying". The nurse looked at me in shock. They apparently forgot to give me the wacky juice I was supposed to get before they carted me off. When I got to the OR, a line of nurses was waiting for me. They even did the wave as I passed by. I said "They forgot the wacky juice, I am soooo going to remember you doing that!" Everyone laughed and began talking at once. I was able to help them get me to the operating bed. I talked to the doctor that was going to put me to sleep (Side note: I know what the name is and no idea how to spell it, so don't judge!) I mentioned to him that I was going to remember speaking to him and I BETTER NOT remember any of that surgery. He promised me that he hasn't had a patient remember in 18 years, and he promised not to blemish that record. Thankfully, he was right. Unfortunately, when I woke up, I did not like him or anyone else very much. I HURT!!!!!. . .

I was done on 18th.. 10 pounds pre op and then 15 post op. But nothing in 11 days.. If i don't drop a pound by Monday, I will have weighted the same for my 2 week post op visit and my one month.. So, yep. stall, but doing it all right. Healthy food. Tracking it all. MUCH fewer calls than my 235 pound body requires. I'm fine, although it does suck, since so many talk about that happening.

wow... you guys have totally described everything that I have been experiencing.....No loss in over a week... down 20 pounds total. Sleeved on Sept. 17th....lost 10 pounds prior to surgery and 10 pounds after. Praying to see that scale start moving down. Working on increasing my water intake; for some reason I am finding this hard to do. I wish you all well. Thankful to have found others who were sleeved the same day that I was and to know that I am not alone with this "stall" thing.

Please only respond with encouragement and positivity. I feel like I am isolated, alone, bored and stuck in a monotonous rut, in my life as well as my workouts and have few options to change this. The last time I posted a topic like this, someone even had the gall to say it was amusing!! NOT helpful!! Looking for mind games & tricks to help me feel more positive and keep things fun & challenging. I am working out at my maximum ability 70 minutes each morning, 7 days a week. EVERY morning, I wake, put on workout clothes, leg braces and ankle braces. Then 17.5 minutes recumbant bike, 17.5 mins treadmill at 10% incline (the highest it will go) at 3.2 mph (the fastest that I can go) Then drink my coffee while I check e-mail. Back on the treadmill for 2 more 17.5 min workouts. These small increments work well for me as I get bored easily, and start thinking of what ELSE I could be doing, lol! In warm weather only, as I have severe Raynaud's caused by ankylosing spondylosis, I enjoy walks on the back roads near my house. The rest of the day, I am either alone in the house, helping a friend for 3.5 hours a few day a week in her deli, shopping/couponing, cooking or watching TV with my sis (who would really rather just be alone) Her & I are polar opposites, she prefers to be sedentary & alone while I prefer to be busy & social. Where I live, the only social opportunities are bars I am on a waiting list for an apartment complex for disabled & elderly people. Hopefully that will provide more opportunity for socializing and staying busy. I may even be able to help people with errands, plus there will be places to walk to providing more exercise opportunities. In the meantime, I'm trying to stay motivated, challenged and not sink into a depression that I feel coming on. Watching movies on DVD's helps somewhat with exercise boredom as it eliminates my perception of time and provides distraction.

I have been a big girl all my life. You know, one of those tall "volutuous" types. At 6 feet my senior year I weighed 183. That weight haunted me till after my hysterectomy 5 years ago. Then the weight really started to creep on. My own GP said "236 isn't a bad weight for your heigth". That is when I knew I had to do something more. I chose the Sleeve and have done all my pre-op. Now I wait the 10 days to hear if the insurance is on board. Then I get my surgery daye and my new life starts! I am studying all the info and buying the vitamines and eating the food so when I have the surgery I will be ready! I hope to learn from you here in this forum to live well with my choice.

My surgeon had me take 4 servings of robard which included pudding. I was allowed to eat sugar-fee jello.. I did add sugar-free pudding too. I had my surgery on 10/2. It went fine. Good luck!

An EGD is when the doctor goes in with a camera in your mouth, down your esophagus, stomach and part of the small intestine. It is to check that everything is looking good and in good working order prior to having the sleeve done. It's a pretty important test considering a good portion of your stomach will be removed. They put you out completely. The last think you remember is the anesthesiologist putting a ring in your mouth. After that, you wake up in recovery. A procedure that takes literally less than 10 minutes. The anesthesia takes all day to get out of your system, though.

Hello all! I just had surgery on 10/15/13! SW 342lbs. I had an ileus post surgery, but Thursday night, I had a major "breakthrough" lol. Now, I'm dealing with chest pain....especially when I breathe and lay down. Not sure if it could be from my boobs (42h) or something else. Anybody else having these issues? Any other October surgeries? Any suggestions on getting comfy on the couch or in bed with the scars?

3 and 5 year studies show that RNY and Lap-Band have virtually the same success rates. around 55 to 60 % and again those are just averages. RNY looses more and faster, but tend to regain about 10% after the first year and a half to 2 years.

I had a couple of vodka's 19 days post my surgery.(with OJ). I had cleared it with my surgeon. Was kind of down so to cheer me up my wife suggested we have a drink. Felt much better and was a perfect 'pick me up'. The funny part is I was a Bacardi drinker but after one sip - hated it and switched to vodka! Highly recommended if you are feeling low!

I just found out about this site and heard many positive things about it. I was banded on 6/10/04 and did not know any other bandsters. Because I didn't know anyone, I would call the doctor's office with all my concerns. My husband told me that if they got tired of me calling, they would take my band out! He was just kidding, but I'm glad I have others who I can talk to about some of my concerns.

I had my band unfilled on 8/5/13 and had my sleeve surgery on 10/25/13. I was able to maintain my weight within 2 pounds until my pre-op diet. I didn't try to lose weight during this time. I do agree though it was nice to not have to worry about food getting stuck and the visits to the bathroom to dislodge stuck food. I am 7 weeks out and down almost 25 pounds since surgery. I started out at a BMI of 35 so expect to lose slower since I don't have as much weight to lose.

Omg! I start my liquid diet on 09/19!!!! Thank you for posting this!!!! Sent from my iPhone using the BariatricPal App

@@gowalking - Thanks for pointing out this article. This actually tics me off. It stigmatizes all of us. But what they are pointing out the same results that happen to those few who win the lottery. They have problems too: http://www.thedailybeast.com/articles/2010/02/19/lotto-death-curse.html. Sudden good fortune is a blessing or a curse. It depends. And when I look at the whinny videos of people who have had WLS but eat crap and then bemoan their magic wand didn't work it really makes me mad. Well that's not completely true, I feel for them. But when people who self soothed through food are suddenly cut off of their only source of pleasure, what do you think is going to happen? You don't think anyone can see that? The morbidly obese are killing themselves. They don't have the coping skills, no support network what do you think is going to happen? But bunching me and the vast majority in that group with the crap stat "twice as likely to commit suicide" which is what everyone takes away from the story stigmatizes a potentially life saving procedure for many. If they broke it down into demographically true numbers you will find that those who are in the group that kill themselves are probably no more likely to hurt themselves as others in that demographic. So I'm ticked at JAMA again.

21 weeks pregnant and up 10 lbs. Sounds like this is pretty average but I was hoping I'd gain less than the average, obviously just want what is best for baby though.

The Mint Chocolate Chip is pretty good. You are supposed to let it sit out for 10 minutes or so, otherwise it can taste icy.

I was able to get off of my depression/anxiety meds about 6 mo post op. I had been on them for 2 years before surgery. I did lots of research & knew what to expect each step of the way after surgery. I never hit a depression & never really mourned the loss of food. I just always looked at it as I can't have that right now, but one day if I want to in moderation I can. I was sleeved 1/22/13 at 241 lbs & I'm at 165 lbs now. I went from a size 20 to size 10. I'm also 32 yrs old & had the same worries going through my head. Is this the easy way out? I'm way too young to do this. I have a long life of complications if it doesn't work out. I'm happy that I did it & so far I haven't had any complications. My family finally respected my decision & now they are happy for me. I did "train" my husband before hand on things that I read just to prepare him for how to support me. You do go through emotions as your body changes, but nothing that the support of family & friends can't get you through. I think alot of people end up depressed when they think it's a magic fix, cause it isn't....I still have to calorie count & think of every bite or drink I take. Good luck & stay strong if this is what you truly think will make you happy.

Is it close to your Tom? I always would put on a little water weight prior to my Tom. Then after I would have it I would drop all of that weight plus an additional 5-10 pounds! I came to look forward to my Tom! Lol I guarantee that those pounds aren't real...that it is just fluid retention. good luck!

I too was banded 10/29...feeling alot of back pain and walking alot to eleviate the gas pain....hiccups for a few minutes the first day after surgery...doing better today but need to take lots of Milk of Magnesa...due to the anathesia I would assume...30 pounds is also my goals as my older children will all be home for the holidays, first time in 2 years and they do not know that I had the surgery, surprise.

I have PCOS as well ...this is one of the reasons I had this done on January 8th. My periods are erratic or non-existent. Mine started 4 days after surgery and lasted a week...heavy and crampy ...so I knew it was ovulatory. It was because my blood sugar was and has been very stable since surgery and about a week or two prior to that and since PCOS is directly related to high levels of insulin in the body it usually only needs a 10% reduction in your weight or less to kick start and ovulation or cycle.

Actually you did write a lot but it was all worth reading. You make many valid points. Just so you know I am 5' 1" so I do have at least 100 lbs that could be lost to get me to what is considered my "ideal" weight. But I would feel great at 145, i've been there before. I also do not have the $$ to be getting anything nipped and tucked and I know my stomach will never be bikini worthy because I had 4 c-sections and all of my boys were OVER 10 pounds. Again, a very valid point. As far as my surgeon goes, he is very familiar and does many, many band operations. He was even involved in a study for the swedish band and the new band that they recently came out with. He was also telling me that someone is working on a band that will automatically adjust itself so that you will no longer need fills. He's not sure what that technology will entail but that it will be a huge step for the band. I guess I have some more thinking to do, my surgery is scheduled for April 28th but I have to make a decision so they can submit to my insurance. Good luck with your surgery.

There is no better or worse between the two outside of each person's individual circumstances and lifestyle. Please don't think we're trying to argue which is better/worse. However, this is a BAND board, not a generic WLS board, so a lot of the responses you'll get are likely to be pro-band. I know many people who have had RNY, and it was right for them at the time. Some now regret it, some do not. I can say that the concern he mentioned about needing fills -- I'm surprised he didn't mention the RNY recovery time. Even laparoscopically, this is often about 6 weeks. With the band, it's often within one week. Just looking at it from logical numbers, fill appoinments (in over 2 years I've had a total of 5, one was for an unfill) take about 10 minutes at the most. So that's less than an hour I've dedicated to follow-up. Oh, plus the post-op visit to have my staples removed. Even after 2+ years, that's still a TON of saved time over an additional 5 weeks of recovery. The sweets - that's a very valid point. If you're an ice cream junkie, there's a risk you will not lose weight with the band. Unlike RNY, the band itself does nothing to prevent you from eating crap food. Even people who are overfilled and can only eat a few things often find it's ice cream, Cookies, shakes, etc. that go down the best. If someone isn't able to commit to the lifestyle & behavioral changes that come with needing to be responsible for their eating decisions, then the band may not be the best option. They call the band the "thinking person's WLS" for this reason -- we're still accountable. With some of the other procedures, including RNY, this isn't so much the case. You can expect some degree of hand-out weightloss, even if it comes at the cost of great pain. Best of luck inyour decision. :biggrin:

I am 7 days into my 2 week pre op diet and have only lost 6 pounds! I don't know if this is considered good or bad. I was actually hoping to loose about 10 pounds in the first week. I still have a week to go, so hopefully I can knock off 10 lbs by then. I work am a front desk medical receptionist, so I don't really do much running around. I guess that may be the reason why. I also am not a liquid kinda gal, I know I deffinatley do not drink 8 glasses of water a day. I guess i have to start drinking more water. How much weight have you lost during the pre-op diet if your on all liquids?