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I am not at my goal yet, but have a ton of loose skin. I will definitely need surgery and am working hard to get to goal so I can get it off! I have worked out steadily for 4 years now...cardio and lifting. Of course, with as much weight as I have to lose, it is not surprising that I have loose skin.

i'm not at goal yet. I was lapbanded 12/20/07 & have lost 75 pounds. I do the treadmill 5 days a week, mall walk 1 day/week, and do weight machines 3x/week. Just this past week I noticed a little more "wrinkly" skin. Prior to that, it didn't look much different than usual- since having a baby I always carried the skin weight around the lower middle. I also went into this thinking I don't want to do plastic surgery- it would be fine, it wouldn't look much different than I've always looked. But, now I'm starting to reconsider. Even with the weight lifting I haven't noticed much shaping. I read an article yesterday that said you need to focus on an area 60-90 minutes at a time to "shape it". I know me- I'm not lifting weights 60-90 minutes to tone the arms. To sum up, there looks like there is some bounce back but not all- I'm 39.

HI I have BCBS of MN I have done everything they asked. I did the 6 month diet with my last appointment being on the 16th of this month. I have a BMI of 43.. It started at 41 but I gained a few pounds because during this past 6 months my dad died and life has been very very hard. I was told not to loose any weight or I would be denied. Anyways So now its getting close to the day to file and I am sooo stressed. I am worried that I will be denied even though I did all I was supposed to do. So I want to hear from others that may have done all they were supposed to then were denied. Right now I am in the dark because my Doctor I am using is HORRIBLE and the people in his office do not help me at all!! I dont have many options though so I am sticking with them I just want this surgery over with. Anyways someone help calm me down please :wink2: I am thinking to sue the insurance for emotional distress they caused for this 6 month wait lol

I think you are doing great with your weight loss - I too was a June '09 bandster and have not lost that much weight - about 25kg for me - I too struggle with the emotional eating. I dont do a lot of exercise either which doesnt help, I go through bursts for a few weeks and then stop for months - I have had quite a bit of port pain during and after exercise - apparently using the muscle can pull a bit on the port, plus doc told me it maybe the tube between band and port moving more during exercise that pulls. She told me not to worry but I assume that depends on how servere the pain is. Anyway, good luck and I think you are doing a fabulous job - am quite jealous to be honest :-)

My surgeon's office just sent them my medical records from a doctor's appointment in March 2008 and their own records from an appointment at their office in September 2009. Just 2 weights. One from 2008 and one from 2009 and this was sufficient. So, I think the answer is 2 years.

First of all 80lbs is fantastic!! I was banded in May 2009 and have lost about 67lbs, so your ahead of me! I also have been working out recently as I am the same - if I don't exercise, I don't lose any weight - banded or not! I have experienced the same pain port side sometimes (especially when I am working out hard), it really just feels like a "stitch" and does go away...I think it's expected to feel a little pain sometimes afterall the port/band is a foreign object inserted in our bodies and attached via stitching etc to our stomachs/muscle/esophagus. I did ask my surgeon about this and he said pretty much the same thing.

I've always been a Vitamin taker. After surgery, my thought process didn't change, but I went a couple of months without taking Calcium because I just was living life, going, going and going, and hated being tied down by taking 6 fricken pills a day on top of my 2 multis. I had a long "come to Jesus" talk with myself. 1) I put my body through hell with surgery and major weight loss to gain health, right? Why in the hell am I half-assing taking my Vitamins? ? ? 2) Did I really want to end up with deficiencies that take months to get back up to normal levels after working my ass to get healthy? ? ? 3) Is it really fair to my body to make it suffer long-term out of pure laziness, and lack of consistency with my calcium? Those the top three questions I asked myself, and then I really got serious about my vitamin regimen. I only take 4 chewables each day. 2 multis and 2 calcium citrate, both from Celebrate vitamins. I pop a sublingual b12 about 3-4 days per week because my last levels were double the high normal range so I was able to cut back on that one. I'm an extremely logical person. For me, and me alone, I could not find a good enough reason to let the vitamins go if I had gone through surgery to attain better health. There are tons of published studies out showing that even a "normal" person's body can not get enough of the macro and micro nutrients from food. So, I figured if I'm barely getting in 1500-1800 calories a day, and the majority of my calories come from meat and dairy, how in the hell is my body truly getting enough of everything it needs? ? ? Taking vitamins for me is just as important as brushing my teeth, or bathing every day. It's a habit, and while I don't personally like carrying spare vitamins with me every day of my life, I do it because I know in the long run, it's going to have more a of payoff.

Can anyone tell me exactly what info they want from the weight loss program I attended? Us there a form that has to be filled out? Please help getting discouraged!!!!!

I have finished the weight loss program but the office is not sure what they are suppose to be giving me.....they gave me Progress Tracking Sheet which consist of my attendance, weight, BMI, & waist. Then I was given a written note saying that I was a candidate for bariactric surgery.....is there something else I need before submitting this

You keep using the term "lies", like I'm saying she should tell them she's the queen of Egypt or something. (I dunno, maybe she is the Queen of Egypt.. but we'll assume she's not). I think we have all had an epiphany of one sort or another that made us get wls. We all got scared of what might happen if we didn't do something to fix the weight/health issue. So all I'm saying, is take those facts and feelings, embellish a bit if necessary, alter the actual timing, throw in the doctor prescribed diet, and voila! Suddenly it makes sense that she comes back from surgery, and is now eating these tiny quantities, and as time goes on she's dropping the weight, and it all makes sense.

I had a total thyroidectomy in 2004 after having thyroid cancer. I have been on synthroid since and it was the first question that I asked my doc before I even considered surgery. He told me that they were safe and small enough to take after surgery however, I was very worried about them being absorbed properly. I take my faithfully every night and I break them up with my front teeth and wash the bits down with a sip of water. I have read that if you do this or dissolve them in water they will absorb better and I don't want to take any chances. I am 16 days post op and I have lost 18lbs. So, I think my weight loss is probably average. I however am going to make sure that I keep a close eye on my TSH in the coming weeks and months to make sure it stays where it needs to be.

I don't know about this gym.. I belong to a rock climbing gym that also holds lots of classes and has weights and such. Its just so nice, and interesting to watch others climbing and tightrope walking and stuff. I mostly just take the classes. There are several in the SF Bay area and surrounds...

Oh, they also won't (usually) count things like Weight Watchers as a supervised weightloss attempt, even though it's supervised, because it isn't medically supervised. For this to count, you would have had to go to your doctor's in conjunction with the weightloss plan, because the insurance company is still looking for those obesity procedure codes...

At 2 weeks out, it was discovered that I had a small absess with a leak. I spent 17 days in the hospital with no food or fluids going into my stomach. I was fed TPN through a PICC line and gained weight during my stay. I went from feeling like I was on top of the moon before surgery, to feeling like I was actually going to do this after surgery, to going downhill for two weeks after surgery, to passing out, being weak, not being able to eat or drink much of anything and internal pain by the time I was admitted into the hospital...on my birthday. After numerous tests throughout my hospital stay, the leak partially closed and my idiot doctors (not my surgeon) felt I should just go home and eat, hoping the rest of the leak would heal in time. But if I get sick again, just come back. Horrible advice, in my opinion and the opinion of my surgeon, but thankfully I have not been back to emergency and I seem to get better as time goes on. I still worry daily. It been about 3 weeks since I've been out. But I lost the weight I gained and then some. Stay strong. My story may not be as bad as yours but I do know some of the struggles you are going through. I spent a majority of my days worried I was going to die and crying more than I thought possible. I now thank God for helping on this journey, for bringing me back to my family (I have a 5 month old baby girl) and for the 40 lbs I've lost so far. ((((hugs))) to you and everyone else who's had complications.

Hey are located in Santa clarita California when I started with them around 6 months ago I was 236lbs 36% body fat 12cc in my band first day I ran a mile in 12 minutes did 15 pushups 10 situps 10 box dips 10cirls with15lbs weights and was completly exhausted now I am 207lbs 18% body fat 5cc yes I took the Fluid out run a mile in 8 minutes do 68 pushups per minute 55 situps 50+ box dips and I curl both arms 50+ with 15lbs weights last week I climbed my Whitney from portal to submit and back down in the same day at this point I have control of my health and my weight I can not be stopped

Just take it slow and build up. If you rush things, you'll probably get injured, so take it easy, but increase everything 2-3 minutes every week or so. Give it a bit, then worry about weight training.

Get to your Dr and discuss the reasons why in 3 years you have only lost 20 lbs. Obviously you need a fill but there may be other reasons why you arent losing weight. I am 10 months post op and have seen the Dr every month since being banded and will continue until I reach my goal. I have had 4 fills to get to my sweet spot.... but the more I lose the more filled I need to be. I couldnt be as successful as I have been if I didnt see my Dr every month. Best of Luck to you.

Greetings to all!!! My name is Silvia! I am just beginning my journey. I'm not sure how far I will get. Here are my stats......I am 5' 0" and weigh in at 198lbs. I have been fighting with high blood pressure for at least 8 years now. And last year I was diagnosed with severe arthritis in my foot. The arthritis is so bad that the joint is completely worn out and needs to be fused. The pain in my foot leaves me unable to excercise. I also have arthritis in my lower back. I have been battling with a weight problem since childhood. I am the chronic "yo-yo dieter". So I have decided to try to get the Lap Band System. I have an appointment with my primary care physicain on Monday morning. And I have Aetna Select PLan PPO for insurance. I am very, very worried that my doctor is going to tell me that I don't weigh enough for this procedure. My BMI fluctuates between 35 and 40. Right now I'm at about 38. Does anyone have any suggestions or ideas on what to expect at my appointment on Monday? Any and all advice appreciated!!!

:help: Hi Everyone, I havent been here in a while and I hate to rain on folks parade, but I am seriously contemplating having my band removed and having revision surgery to something else. My first two years of banding, I was very successful. I started with a BMI of 54 and managed to get down to a 28 BMI which equates to a loss of 155 pounds. After two years, I quit smoking to have plastic surgery and gained 13 pounds. I had plastic surgery in August 2005 and left the hospital at 189 lbs. MY lowest weight was 180 ever from a start of 334 lbs. During my plastic surgery, the saline was accidently removed from my band by the plastic surgeon. My problems started before this with lack of restriction, so I dont want to say this was the cause of all my issues with lack of restriction, but I am sure that this was a contributor. A month later, I visited my original band surgeon to get my restriction back and was informed my band was bone dry. I was given 1 cc and sent home and told to wait a few months and he would up it back to the 2.5 I had before. He wanted to do it slowly since normally patients who have their bands refilled usually need less than before to achieve the same level of restriction. I was worried about regain and told to just comply and keep portions small. Two months later, I now have gained an additional 10-15 pounds, so I go to get a fill from a doc in Dallas who takes me to 2.25. THings are fine for a short while and then I start losing restriction. By August 06, I have now gained 38 lbs. I go back for another fill and I am told I have pouch dilation. All the fill was removed from my band and I am put on a liquid diet for a month. I go to a lapband surgeon who was not my original surgeon due to insurance change and he tells me that I have a concentric slip, partial prolapse and that I will need a new band. I go for a second opinion with another band surgeon who does an endoscopy, tells me that although my pouch is a little large, I dont need a new band though and refills me to 2.00 CC. One year later: I am still gaining weight. I have moved to GA and no one here will take me as a patient because they did not band me. My new insurance does not cover my band at all, nor will they cover a removal or revision. I will have to pay for fills. This is not a problem, but I am reluctant to start again here and have someone fill me and then have dilation or slippage problems due to a too tight band. I fear I have dilation issues again and getting another fill wont help me anyway and a saline removal will just result in starting the process all over again. I am not looking for someone to just do a fill. I am looking for a doc who can tell me if my band is fine and I am looking for someone who can really take care of me due to the fact that I have had problems in the past. It never ceases to amaze me that the docs here have no interest in me as a patient because someone else banded me, only want cash for fills or that my new insurance wont pay for a removal, but they will pay for me to have a gastric bypass. I am not obese enough for this to be an option anyway and my provider is notoriiously bad at making people jump through hoops to qualify anyway. I dont have comorbidites and my BMI is not high enough anyway. I am obese but not obese enough with a 34-35 bmi. I am really sad that my band is not working for me. I have had 14 fills and several unfills. I am tired of trying. I also refuse to blame myself. I have been compliant and clearly I have the ability to stick to the plan when I have good restriction. Its like the cart before the horse. Some folks here might say the the dilation was caused by my overeating. THis would be partially true because to gain weight, you have to be eating too much. But if one does not have the ability to overeat with a properly working band then they cannot overeat. I make healthy choices, but I dont have any restriction and can eat a very big portion. Its easy to say only eat 3-4 ounces when you have restriction, but when you dont, then its a problem. So then one would say the solution is to get more fill. What if everytime you were filled, it was either too little or too much with really small increments? The most I have ever had in my band was 2.6 and this was too tight. The 2:00 I have now is too little. I have been at 2;25, 2.3 2.4, 2.5 and these amounts have resulted in too little or too much. All were done with flouroscopy. I dont have a leak, but clearly dilation is an issue and has been in the past. I am really sad and worried that if I get a fill and its too tight, then I will have to go for more fills and unfills at my own expense. Worse, if I had a medical emergency that required band removal, it would be at my own expense. I feel like maybe its time to move on. I am now considering the gastric sleeve and removal of my band as a self pay. No post op hassles, no maintenance, no fills . Whaddya yall think?? I would love to hear from newbies and oldies. Babs in GA 334/180/225?

Mrs. P, I hope your friend is all right!! It is, or should be, common knowledge in the banding community that ongoing and persistent reflux can lead to significant esophageal problems. This is why everyone recommends that reflux be cured, not just treated with medications. Loosening the band is something that a lot of patients don't want to face, since they assume it will lead to stalled weight loss or even weight gain, but if reflux is a persistent problem it must be done. And if that doesn't address the reflux, band removal is the next step. But even given that it sounds as though your friend had other issues going on. She must have been having serious symptoms if her esophagus is damaged enough to require removal! And it's possible that even pre-banding she may have had a compromised esophagus or been suffering from reflux. I'm not discounting that the band may have added to her problems, and the story dramatically points up the need to be alert to symptoms and issues post-banding. I'm just saying that for the situation to have become as serious as it sounds, medical attention may not have been sought as soon as it should have been. Once again, I hope her surgery goes well and she heals quickly!!

make sure u weigh in with heavy jeans on, lots of change in the pockets and anything else to add the weight .. if u are desperate, water weight too helps, load up on salt and water the night before like they have done on biggest loser. To be honest make sure u think this surgery is the only answer left for you

I have Kaiser in NorCal, but I think they may have similar approaches. I think any weight loss is good, and my doctors have been pretty good about taking me at my word about my weight loss up til now. Once I was at orientation they weighed me and the expectation is you go in to get weighed at least once a month usually when you're having any of your follow-up appointments. The other thing to keep in mind is that you generally get weighed every time you have a doctors appointment, so if you've had a doctors appointment at any time before for another reason, they can look at their records to determine how much weight you've lost.

I have been inadvertently overfilled to the point where I could do only liquids for the last two weeks. You do not want to go there; it's miserable. Plus you don't lose any weight at all.

Yes I have bcbsil. In december they told me I had have 6 months monitored weight loss and in feb the policy changed and I didn't need to wait 6 months after all. I was originally working with Beverley hills physicans and they told me i was covered but I'd have to pay 10,000 dollars because it was out of my network. Then I switched to the n.e.w program which was in my network so the insurance covered it and sent me the letter of approval with the surgery date and hospital location.

@@dhrguru - atta girl! "onward and downward" keep that thought in mind....I do the same thing lose 2-3 weeks in a row then may lose a 1lb or gain or stall ....then start losing again....its a journey