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Ditto on the above post. My body hangs on to water, any bit of salt I consume can stall the scale. That has always been the case for me, and even now four moths post-op, if I indulge in just a few crackers I will not be happy with the scale, this is no fun for a crunchy-chipaholic.

i was banded a week ago... i got to the hospital at 630 am, went into surgery at 715am, and i woke up from my anestethia (spelled wrong, sorry!) at around 9-930. i made two trips the the radiology floor (shoulda been one, but it was two due to the incompetence of some "doctor" who didnt even no what he was looking for om my floroscope...*sign*) took a nap in recovery for 2 hours, and left at around 5pm. it was a one day deal, but o man.. i still feel it! yesterday and today are really the first time ive felt even remotly normal again. got up, walked around, drove a bit.. the first week will be rough, but after that every day you will feel better and better. ...just make sure you have someone to help you get up when you need to, your going to be sore. on a scale from one to ten, one being effotless, 10 being a major what the hell did i just do pain in my ass, id rate my surgery and post op week at a 7. coulda been worse, also coulda been alot better.. hope this helps, and dont be scared!!!! the first day is the worst, once you get through that, youve gone thru the worst part (pain wise) and remember, the doctors give you pain pills for a reason! no point in suffering when you can just sleep the pain away. thats what i did o, and good luck!

ALERT!!! This company is in Mexico but scheduling from the United States! If anyone is contemplating surgery with WeightLossAgents.com/Sleeve and it's affiliates you need to look on the web and on YouTube to find out about the allegations that patients are dying who have had WLS at this clinic! There is a video of Angie D. Stidum, from San Diego California in a coma who died in January of this year and three others who have died before and shortly after leaving this facility. They themselves or the families of the deceased have expressed to the channel 10 team, that several other patients from the United States who say that they have been left at the border on their deathbeds! Please go on YouTube and punch in the owners name, Jarred Cohen, his wife Alexis Cohen as well as Dr. Almanza and others affiliated with this clinic! This is a scary prospect and people need to have the full story! I don't have all of the facts but this is the report rendered by the news team at channel 10 in San Diego California. Be informed, be diligent and please be wise! Sent from my iPhone using the BariatricPal App Sent from my iPhone using the BariatricPal App

After months of contemplation, I went to my primary doctor to begin my supervised weight loss visits. I attended a seminar with the bariatric surgeon back in November and scheduled my intake appointment in January. However, due to insurance rollover, I would have to pay over $800 that first visit since I hadn't met my deductibles yet. The office gave me the go ahead to begin my doctor visits while I wait to get my deductible met (one test - I can't remember the name of it just yet - was normally $30 or so dollars with my insurance but I was having to pay $400!) I had all my tests ran today and my doctor literally looked at me and said, "You are so healthy minus your weight. Your cholesterol, sugar levels, blood pressure - everything is normal. It really doesn't make sense since your BMI is so high." He put me on a diet pill of sorts because he's very anti-weight loss surgery for two weeks. I'm interested to see how it works. Like most, I have yo yo dieted my entire life, losing over 40 pounds in the last year by pure "clean" eating and exercising. Due to job changing, stress, lack of routine and motivation, I gained it all back. I just told my entire life story for one question - any tips on a pre-op diet? Are most of you just paleo/clean eating?

My surgery was yesterday. They pushed me back frommarriving at 6 a.m. two arriving at 8:30 a.m., so that's what I did. They had me taken to pre-op at 8:40, where I was supposed to get an IV and all of that and then my husband would come back and hang out with me until they move me to holding and then he would head for the waiting room when I headed for the OR... But I ended up in pre-op until sometime after 10... without my spouse.. because I had a complete and utter meltdown. :-( I have no idea what happened but the minute they came at me with that IV, I thought about what my husband said as we walked into the hospital which was "last chance ... are you sure you want to do this?" And I just started bawling! Sobbing and sputtering& scared to death that I was going to end up regretting doing this! And it took four different nurses, my surgeon and his helper, Amy anesthesiologist to come in and get me calmed down. I have no idea what came over me. One of my best friends had this surgery about a year-and-a-half ago ... and she works for a lighter me ... so I called her and she helped me a lot and eventually I did sign everything get my IV and agree to go into surgery. I was out of recovery and in a room by around 3:00 pm. My husband and my son came to visit me after I got into a room. They stayed until 8 p.m. and then headed home. Around 6:30 I had them help me get up and I sat in a chair for a while which felt better I hadn't really had a lot of pain at that point... but man was I bloated and that gas is very uncomfortable! I have not had my week test yet, so I haven't been allowed anything to drink... I keep getting a headache off and on it feels like a dehydration headache even though I'm not dehydrated because I'm on IV fluids. Maybe it's a lack of food headache because I haven't eaten anything since the day before yesterday. I walked one time around the ward, felt very tired, and decided to lie down. Around 9 or 10:00 last night the gas became very very painful... at that point they had given me Toradol around 6 p.m. and I had a pump for morphine that I had not used it all yet. I used it like 3 times and it did not touch the pain so I had them get me out of bed. Once I was sitting up in a chair it was better and then I decided I needed to walk to start getting this gas moving... I walked around the ward twice, took a break, walked around the ward three times, took another break, walked around the ward twice, and didn't really get back into bed until around 3 or 4 this morning. (I I'm unable to sleep without taking my Seroquel and I'm unable to have my Seroquel because I'm unable to swallow anything). I dozed off in a straight backed chair for a few, then slept in the bed, partially on my right side, until about 6 this morning... it is 7 a.m. now and I'm hoping to go for another walk very soon. The only gas I have moved has been a few very small burps... and they won't take my catheter out until after I've had my leak test. I am using Gas-X strips they're just not helping much. At this point the gas is uncomfortable and a little painful but the only pain I've had from my stomach has been when I cough which I've done, thankfully, just a couple of times. Also a stomach sleeper so my back and hips and butt are killing me :-P That's about it for now I'll come back and update more after my leak test which hopefully will be in the next few hours. Sent from my SAMSUNG-SM-G900A using the BariatricPal App

I was losing a pound a day, and then suddenly one week out, I was losing four pounds a day! Three days of that, and I didn't lose anything for three days... this morning I weighed myself after a three day stall, and lost another 3 pounds. I think it is a strange hormone/pms/bowelm chain of events which cannot be considered on a daily basis. Think holistically in the greater scheme of things.

I'm only 4 months out and I can pretty much eat anything. I thought I would have more problems. I'm happy in a way but worried in another, I had a leak one week after my surgery and ended up in the hospital for another week. Not good but I have lost 63 lbs so far. I'm worried though because I had a piece of birthday cake yesterday and had no problem. Yikes! I was hoping it would make me sick. Tonight I had steak and again just fine. I want this too much though to just allow myself to go backwards. Going to get into some groups or something.

Ahhhh! Now I'm kinda scared for the first few weeks...I know it's worth it...but still nervous for tuesday...

It will totally get better. I was sleeved a day before you on the 21st and I am the least sore today but still get the gas pains when sipping. I already have an earlier post on this and everyone says that it is normal and will go away once the swelling goes down. I decided to take two weeks off though. Just like Nana said, be sure to get your protein and clears in no matter what. I noticed a huge difference when I was able to finally finish a whole protein shake (took 2 1/2 hours). Now if I don't get that in, I feel like I am exhausted and have no energy.

My periods went really wonky after surgery. I got my period 5 days post op which was about 2-3 weeks earlier than normal. Then my period came 4 weeks after that (I was used to 6-7 week cycles) and there was spotting a couple days before it came. Also once that period started the bleeding was heavy. I was bleeding through overnight and maximum pads every 3-6 hours which had never happened before.

I have Tricare Prime. I was interviewed by my PCM when I asked to be referred to a weight loss surgeon, and I was basically asked about my weight issues over the years. I explained all the things I'd tried, and how I had been unsuccessful keeping weight off. That was good enough, and I got my referral. I was more than 100 pounds over ideal weight for my height, and I had at least one of the co-morbidities Tricare asks for. So I was pre-qualified before being referred. At the consult I was sent on with the weight loss surgeon, I was asked very specific questions about how much I weighed at this or that age, how long I'd had weight problems, what diets I'd been on, and so forth. Then they did a physical exam, confirmed the BMI and such, and scheduled me for lab work and an Endoscopy. All that was done within two weeks, and they submitted the request to Tricare for me to have surgery. Three days later I was approved. It was literally just that simple. If you have questions, contact Tricare and confirm the current requirements. Tricare Prime does not require a six-month managed diet, or repeated visits to a Nutritionist, and whatever. They are very specific about what they will and won't pay for. If you are qualified to have surgery, you will be approved. It is very specific. But it all starts with a referral from your PCM. So you should start there. Good luck! Dave

Hi, thought I would chime in with my story. I too have been overweight most of my life, definitely since high school - LOL 33 years - wow time flies. I have dieted, lost some, gained back more - the usual story. My wakeup call was ending up in the hospital with Atrial Fibrillation. I have had HTN for 10 years, borderline diabetes, not too much joint pain luckily. Since the hospital last October, I really had to look at things for real. My cardiologist basically told me I needed WLS or I would probably die. My heart valve is enlarged due to the weight and if it gets much bigger it will mean uncontrolled A Fib. My PCP suggested a Lap Band, but I am Miss Allergy personified and I felt that having a foreign body left inside was a really bad idea. Besides I did a lot of research, I am a Medical Technologist and I understand all of the medical jargon etc. So, I decided on the VSG. Lo and Behold, my insurance has an exclusion for WLS. I did not even get my sleep study done in a very timely manner as my cardiologist wanted it in Nov, and I had to wait for Feb - it was excluded under last years policy but allowed this year. The sleep study results were if anything scarier than being in the hospital. I have complex sleep apnea - stopped breathing 34 times an hour and oxygen saturation dropped to 66%. My brother went into respiratory arrest with a Sat of 80 - he has very bad asthma. I really did not expect the sleep study results to be that bad, I don't even snore unless I have a cold!! But, got put on a VPAP Adapt, and have actually gotten more than 4 hours of sleep at a time - YAY!!! So, I knew a girl at work who had gone to Mexico for a Lap Band, and I talked to her about her experience. I have lived overseas, so the prospect of going to Mexico was not too daunting. I did some research on doctors on this site and at Obesity Help, and decided on Dr. Kelly. As I am self pay (am going to use my FSA) I knew I needed to go outside the US. So, saved my tax refund money, and with that and my bonus from work I am scheduled for 3/25/11. I am going alone because my options for travel comapnions, brother and father, both hate hsopitals. My mother was not an option - she can darken a room with her negativity. Last thing I need at this point, she knows I am having the surgery - but has so far not commented. My brother and his daughter live with me, and he is very supportive. His girlfriend had RNY maybe 5 years ago. She lost the weight, but also a lot of her hair, and is constantly struggling with the whole vitamin deficiency thing. She has been a really good example of why you do not overeat after WLS - I have seen her in misery after too much consumption. Unfortunately, my atopic dermatitis has been going crazy - and I have been on prednisone since March1st. So, decided to just deal with very little weight loss on the pre-op diet - probably will lose a ton of water weight when I am off the prednisone, but I need my skin - especially the belly to not be rashy and inflamed before the surgery. It is looking good right now - everyone keep their fingers crossed for me - only 5 days to go. You know, the weight kinda creeps on and you think - well I'm doing OK - I will get around to dealing with it - at some point in the future of course. Then you get that wake up call - I was really mad at myself for a while. But I am going to counseling and need to focus on the positives - this is a tool that can help me acheive better health. The pre-op diet (2 weeks) has not been too bad. I rarely get hungry now, so hopefully my liver is nicely shrunken, and the surgery will go well. My PCP, is in favor, but a bit leary about the Mexico aspect. I saw her last week and she was supportive, but concerned that she would get to deal with the complications. I told her I did not plan on having any complications, I know she is watching to see how it goes - maybe they will refer people. I did have to educate her about the VSG, and she understood my reservations about the band. So, my journey has begun. Highest weight 335, current weight 315, pre-op loss so far 9 pounds - with no excercise beyond work at the moment. If I get hot I get itchy and start scratching...bad bad idea. But, the skin really is much better and I will start excercising again post surgery. I am trying very hard not to stress, because that can cause the itchies as well. Got to have a very quiet week - it is spring break ending here and my brother went to his girlfriend's and my neice went down to her Mom - they are back tonight. I should be able to cope, am off tomorrow - work Tues and Wed, then fly on Thursday. Have an appt with Rorry (counselor)on Wed before I go. Sorry I know this is long, but the venting has been good. I have really enjoyed reading about everyone's stories so here is mine. I will keep you posted on progress.

I have fed bcbs and was approved in 1 week. Had my vsg on tuesday! Good luck! They are great insurance to have! Sent from my SM-G920V using the BariatricPal App

Hi! I was just approved by my insurance (Aetna) yesterday for an August 13th surgery date. I'm so nervous! I didn't want to start believing it was going to happen until I was approved by insurance. I started this journey in March and did nutritional counseling and other pre-op appointments over the last few months. Now it's all too real! I've never been in the hospital, never had surgery, never broken anything (lol) so this is all new. I started out with the idea of getting lap band but after some research decided that my lifestyle and needs are best met by this surgery. I start my two week liquid diet on 7/30. I have consent for surgery and pre-admission testing next week. I would love to have some teammates for surgery and recovery. BTW I'm in New Jersey. Best! Mira

I am so glad i found this thread. Phoebe, I, too, have been struggling so much, and beating myself up over it as well. I was banded on July 15th and the first two weeks, healing part aside, it was easy because i wasn't hungry AT ALL!! These final two weeks before my fill, my hunger has come back with a vengeance. I have really struggled not to overeat. I was so excited to get my band, I truly thought i wouldn't have problems following the guidelines (yes, i may have been in a bit of denial about my relationship with food ). What I've discovered is that addiction to food is one tough battle to fight. I have been overeating, albeit nothing like before surgery, but overeating nonetheless. I've beenfeeling ashamed and awful about it. I was a picture perfect patient the first two weeks and now I feel like all my hard work has gone out the door. My weight loss has stopped and I feel defeated. I have also been so worried I may have stretched out my pouch and now, even with my upcoming fill in five days, my band may not work. Am I being irrational??? I hope so. My doctors office hasn't been very supportive and I don't really have a strict diet to follow, which i think has been my downfall. Not that I want anyone else struggling like this, but it is comforting to know i'm not alone. For the last two weeks, I've kindof shut down and not reached out for help. I realize now that having support is a key factor in success and I need to reach out more. Thanks for listening

I was banded Feb 16 and didn't even weigh myself unless I had a doctor's appointment. My first follow up was in late March. I had only lost 15 lbs at that point and knew it bc I couldn't eat as much as I did pre-band but could eat whatever I wanted and more than anyone that would/should be dieting. I wanted to let the band do the work. I don't eat much junk food anyway but I really wanted to let the band do it. It wasn't until the first of May that I got an aggressive fill and it started to work where I could feel restriction. I lost another 10 lbs in less than two weeks and since then it's been a battle and struggle but definitley coming off better. I am at about 50 lbs lost now and trust me I wish it was more. I am a slow loser compared to others. My weight also can fluctuate 5 lbs up and down depending upon the time of day that I weigh myself. The morning it's 216 and in the evening with work clothes and shoes it can be 220. Crazy I know but my clothes are finally getting too big. I am so freaking fat and need to lose at least 100 lbs total that people can hardly notice hopefully that means they haven't noticed how much I had gained. NOT! Also getting to this point has not been easy...fills...unfills...even the dreaded ER visit bc I was throwing up hourly but it was all saliva. Awful. It has been a battle and it's a tool. I used to think about doing this as the easy way out. It is so not the easy way out. Try to stick to healthy food choices and relax. It'll kick in and then you will have to work with it. I kept searching this site for clues, answers and support. I am addicted to it and appreciate all I have read about. I don't have a support group - this is it. I hope this helps you too.

Surgery was October 25th and I wasn't doing great but I was doing alright until last week when I almost died. I had three abscesses under my one suture that were huge. My surgeon did not notice during my follow up visits! Now I had to endure two emergency surgeries and am hooked up to a wound vac with at home nurse care coming every other day. I am wondering if anyone else has gone thru this complication and can offer some light at the end of the tunnel. Weight loss seems secondary to surviving at this point.

I am the same way. I am a medical assistant and am on my feet most of the day too. And I agree last thing I want to do is walk some more. But I look at it this way, try exercise three times a week after work instead of everyday. Even sit ups and lunges can help.

Am 6 weeks post op and when bend over I feel a sharp pulling sensation in my abs. Anyone else have this??? What is it???

I am currently 6 weeks PO and experience left shoulder pain almost every time I eat. Sometimes it is a minor nuisance, while sometimes it is agony that has me screaming in pain. I've noticed that the bad ones happen when I have meat. It normally lasts about 20 minutes and the pains feel like intervals of spasms and nerve pain. I am aware this could have something to do with gas, nerves, and the diaphragm. Can anyone elaborate on this issue? Also how long is too long? Is there treatment?

Mine had said in seminar once a month for fills (didn't get first fill til 5 weeks post op which was today) but then today they said they have found the faster you get to green zone, the better you lose weight and keep losing so they now have changed it to once every two weeks until you're green. YAY I'll get there so much faster!

A lot of people have those "food funerals" like you said, so don't worry about it. I did a two week calorie-restricted diet pre-op for liver-shrinking purposes and everything turned out fine.

Hi everyone. I had my sleeve done in August last year and have been plagued by problems since. 4 weeks after surgery i had persistent vomiting for 2 weeks and ended up in hospital for 4 months and almost died twice. I had developed a hole in the upper part of my stomach and its contents had leaked into my chest wall cavity and around my organs causing my lung to collapse and develope pneumonia, sepsis and due to me being on lithium at the time, diabetes insipidus meaning my kidneys stopped working. I got transferred to a specialist hospital where i had operation after operation and a drain in my chest wall. I got out of hospital Christmas eve with a collection that might never go on my chest, months worth of antibiotics and an nj tube down my nose to give me fluid as i couldn't have more that 100mls an hour. I have been going well since then and my last scan a week and a half ago showed the leak is healed over half way through my stomach wall which means nothing is leaking out. But that brings me to now. For the past 24hrs i have been getting what for lack of a better way to describe it feels like soft contractions in my stomach. I thought they might be hunger pains but i still get them after eating or drinking. I am also getting a lot of integestion (burping) and sometimes the pain goes through to my back??? I'm petrified to call my surgeon or even see the gp. Has anyone else experienced this?

Thank you for your reply, i also have uhc choice plus and i had to do a program called Healthy Roads for 8 weeks, so as far as I know that is the only requirement the insurance has.

Losing slower (1-2 lbs a week I mean) usually means not as much skin sag and also statistics show you keep it off longer. Can you see about changing drs or bringing those kinds of things up to him? I wouldn't do well with that pressure and I'm working hard to follow every single rule.