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I want to thank all you for the wonderful support and comments last night while I was anxiously awaiting his arrival. His name is Lucas John and was born at 10:33 this morning and is 8lbs and 21 inches long. I believe he is quite beautiful and perfect in every way! Spoken like a grandma! :) This right here is one of the reasons I wanted to get the sleeve.......To play with my grandchildren!!

Today I was at a community party with lots of yummy food. I prepared my typical plate, you know, the plate with tablespoons of food dotted around it (90% plate and 10% food). As I started to eat, a very nice lady I knew sat down with me. Last time i saw her was November and she was considerably bigger then. Today she was heavy, but not really really heavy like before. She immediately commented on how thin i looked, and I responded in kind. She had lost 70 lbs since November, Hmmmm i'm thinking..... So here is the interesting thing....her plate looked just like mine! I did not want to ask her and be rude, but i was mighty curious!

My desire for lapband surgery began in the fall of 2006. I'd struggled with being fat for over 10 years and had many health problems including: PCOS, diabetes, hypertension, arthritis, sleep apnea and depression. By doing my research and speaking with my doctors, I'd learned that it was the PCOS that caused my massive weight gain of 100 pounds in a year. It was also PCOS that made it damn near impossible for me to lose weight. My desire to be healthy and to be able to have children further cemented my resolve to have lapband surgery. I'd done the research and knew all the risks involved. These risks were nothing compared to the ticking timebomb of a heart attack that I'd surely have if I stayed at the weight I was. We went to a seminar and shortly after I was already done with my surgeon consult, nutrition class and psych evaluation. My family doctor and cardiologist were both on board and had written my letters of support for the surgery. Now the only road block was our insurance company. Blue Cross/Blue Shield of California had a BMI restriction in their policy. My BMI had to be 49 or less in order for them to approve coverage. Well, needless to say, my BMI was over 49. I struggled to lose the 15 pounds necessary to qualify for the surgery. If it was easy for me to lose weight, I wouldn't have been trying to get the surgery in the first damn place. After almost a year, I'd just about given up. Thankfully, my husband checked the insurance policy again and discovered that they had amended the restriction. So, in November of 2007 we called our insurance company (whose named changed to Anthem Blue Cross/Blue Shield) and they confirmed the restriction had been lifted. We then contacted our surgeon to get the ball rolling for approval. We explained to them that the policy had changed and we should now meet approval for coverage. They stated they would submit the paperwork right away. But...instead of listening to what we told them, they simply reviewed the printed policy they had in their office and sent us a letter stating the BMI requirement. So, we had to call them and reiterate the amendment in the policy. Due to their lack of attention, this set us back two weeks. Finally, they submitted the paperwork as they had originally promised and we got our approval. My surgery was scheduled for March 3rd, 2008. In preparation, I had to spend 4 hours at the hospital for various exams: Upper GI, barium swallow, chest x-ray, blood tests, etc. The week before was spent gathering everything I would need post-surgery. We also cleaned out our fridge and cabinets, tossing out most everything that would not be allowed on my menu. My pre-op consult was on February 28th, only a few days before the surgery. He asked if I had questions. I really didn't. We had done so much research that I felt fully prepared. The truth is that for the two weeks prior to the surgery, I was crying every other hour. I was so worried that something would go wrong. I was envisioning the worst - that I would die during surgery. My concerns revolved around leaving my husband and parents behind. My father has emphysema and COPD and my mother is not as strong as she used to be. I wanted this surgery so that I could be more help to my loved ones - not leave them behind. My hugs lasted longer. Late at night, tears would roll down my cheeks as my husband slept. I made a point to tell my friends how important they are to me. I tried to make sure everyone knew how much I loved them. I had a wonderful time saying good-bye to the foods that I loved. T-Bone steaks are one of my first loves. I was also a Coca-Cola addict. Being asian, jasmine rice was a staple at every dinner...this is probably one of the most difficult habits to break. Luckily, I'd become tired of food, so saying good-bye wasn't difficult. Ultimately, I knew that this was what I needed to do in order to take control of my life and my health. As scary as it was, I was ready.

My desire for lapband surgery began in the fall of 2006. I'd struggled with being fat for over 10 years and had many health problems including: PCOS, diabetes, hypertension, arthritis, sleep apnea and depression. By doing my research and speaking with my doctors, I'd learned that it was the PCOS that caused my massive weight gain of 100 pounds in a year. It was also PCOS that made it damn near impossible for me to lose weight. My desire to be healthy and to be able to have children further cemented my resolve to have lapband surgery. I'd done the research and knew all the risks involved. These risks were nothing compared to the ticking timebomb of a heart attack that I'd surely have if I stayed at the weight I was. We went to a seminar and shortly after I was already done with my surgeon consult, nutrition class and psych evaluation. My family doctor and cardiologist were both on board and had written my letters of support for the surgery. Now the only road block was our insurance company. Blue Cross/Blue Shield of California had a BMI restriction in their policy. My BMI had to be 49 or less in order for them to approve coverage. Well, needless to say, my BMI was over 49. I struggled to lose the 15 pounds necessary to qualify for the surgery. If it was easy for me to lose weight, I wouldn't have been trying to get the surgery in the first damn place. After almost a year, I'd just about given up. Thankfully, my husband checked the insurance policy again and discovered that they had amended the restriction. So, in November of 2007 we called our insurance company (whose named changed to Anthem Blue Cross/Blue Shield) and they confirmed the restriction had been lifted. We then contacted our surgeon to get the ball rolling for approval. We explained to them that the policy had changed and we should now meet approval for coverage. They stated they would submit the paperwork right away. But...instead of listening to what we told them, they simply reviewed the printed policy they had in their office and sent us a letter stating the BMI requirement. So, we had to call them and reiterate the amendment in the policy. Due to their lack of attention, this set us back two weeks. Finally, they submitted the paperwork as they had originally promised and we got our approval. My surgery was scheduled for March 3rd, 2008. In preparation, I had to spend 4 hours at the hospital for various exams: Upper GI, barium swallow, chest x-ray, blood tests, etc. The week before was spent gathering everything I would need post-surgery. We also cleaned out our fridge and cabinets, tossing out most everything that would not be allowed on my menu. My pre-op consult was on February 28th, only a few days before the surgery. He asked if I had questions. I really didn't. We had done so much research that I felt fully prepared. The truth is that for the two weeks prior to the surgery, I was crying every other hour. I was so worried that something would go wrong. I was envisioning the worst - that I would die during surgery. My concerns revolved around leaving my husband and parents behind. My father has emphysema and COPD and my mother is not as strong as she used to be. I wanted this surgery so that I could be more help to my loved ones - not leave them behind. My hugs lasted longer. Late at night, tears would roll down my cheeks as my husband slept. I made a point to tell my friends how important they are to me. I tried to make sure everyone knew how much I loved them. I had a wonderful time saying good-bye to the foods that I loved. T-Bone steaks are one of my first loves. I was also a Coca-Cola addict. Being asian, jasmine rice was a staple at every dinner...this is probably one of the most difficult habits to break. Luckily, I'd become tired of food, so saying good-bye wasn't difficult. Ultimately, I knew that this was what I needed to do in order to take control of my life and my health. As scary as it was, I was ready.

I’ve been a single mom ( sole custody no other parent) since I was 4 months pregnant. My son now 19 months has an auto-immune illness. I work 10 hour days and am in my Masters program. So finding time to workout eat right and all of my doctors appointments on top of my sons weekly ones has been challenging to say the very least but hopefully worth it. I don’t have my exact surgery date yet but December is the target. I want to go to cedar point again, buy a bathing suit (which I haven’t done in almost a decade). Wear shorts instead of pants when it’s 100 degrees out bc I don’t like the way I look. Sit comfortably on a plane. But most important of all be around to watch my son grow up.

Hi- my guess is you probably shouldn’t be doing all that lifting and bending! Did you have any physical limitations from your surgeon? I had surgery on 6/11/18 and I was advised no lifting more than 10 lbs for 4 weeks.

The pain is intense whenever I move, not gonna lie. I have ice on my side and crotch right now. And yesterday after surgery I had to go to the ER because of extreme bleeding from my rear incision. Fortunately my doctor met me there, checked everything, and assured me it was normal to have leakage especially in the first few days even though I have drains. It has subsided since then but is not completely done. But I had my binder off for the first time and I cried with joy at the sight of my flat stomach and the fact that I could see my hooha without lifting up a pile of fat or skin. I will take the pain for a lifetime of flat tummy any day! Time for my meds! Sent from my XT1635-01 using BariatricPal mobile app

Hi there everyone, I only joined the forum a couple of days ago, I live in England and was only referred for surgery last Monday (11th) so I haven't seen any of the surgical team yet. I am on here for info, inspiration and advice and also love reading everyones success stories! I cannot wait for my surgery but am told it could be another six months before I actually go under the knife as it were. My question is about skin folds. I was told that vertical sleeve surgery generates very rapid and sudden weight loss (sounds good to me!!) but that skin folds can be an issue because of the speed of the weight loss. Soooooo, any advice on how to prepare/avoid skin folds? Anything I can start doing now to get skin folds to a minimum? And how are people who have lost lots of weight coping with their skin folds? I am just a fraction under 5 feet tall and I weigh 119 Kilos (sorry, don't know what that is in pounds but it is around 19 stone). Any advice welcome!!!! Pip x

Earplugs, Chapstick and a toothbrush. Good luck! Molly 10/2/14

Forgive me in advance, I am copy and pasting this so I can keep everyone informed, and not spend all night typing. Manda was readmitted to the hospital with a positive MRSA test. They are seriously thinking she might lose her ear...and are VERY concerned with the proximity of this infection to her brain. They readmitted her today, after releasing her yesterday. But sure enough the infection originally called staph, has morphed into a MRSA and is not responding to the 4 antibiotics previously tried. So that was the story through til tonight...... OMG girls the night I have had.....I hate to come here and do nothing but complain and monopolize things, but you just have no idea. Manda has now got a spot on her leg and one on the right rib cage they are watching. She is getting IV antibiotics, vancomyicin or something, 2 times a day. So I was stressed with that, and Kinsey was getting antsy, so we come home about 7:30. She ate a bowl of ice cream and wanted a bubble bath, so I had her in the tub. I usually sit on the floor next to the tub with the lap top, and just hang out. She decided she was done, and I reached for her towel and realized I left it on the hamper outside the bathroom, by the linen closet. So I told her just a second, and got up, and turned away to sit the laptop away from the Water, and to get the towel, and I heard her scream. She tried to get out on her own, and straddled the edge of the tub, with the rail for the slider doors and fell! I turned, I was right around the corner, and she was covered in blood from her crotch to the floor. I screamed for Rick, and grabbed her up and rounded into her bedroom and laid her on the bed. She is dripping wet, and pouring blood from inside her. He come barrelling in, and about passed out. I am trying to tell him what happen, and he handed me a towel. We kept trying to stop the blood so I could see what was happening. Finally deciding to just take her to the hospital. Kinsey had quit crying, and was only worried about getting "pokes" at the hospital. So I got some panties that were left here from Lindzie, and were big, and pulled them on over the towel, and got some big jammies, and tried to get them on her, it is 20 some degrees, and she is wet....and then I called her Mommy. I held it together until I had to tell her that I let Kinsey get hurt seriously, she is of course upset, although not with me. Kinsey talked to her, and I checked the bleeding, which had slowed a lot. We decided to give it 10-15 minutes and see if it would stop. It slowed considerably. So I talked to Manda again. To touch her, to clean her up, and for her to walk etc. was not hurting her. So we decided unless it began pouring like it was to wait. OMG the amount of blood was unreal. I know that is an area with lots of blood flow and she had been sitting in a hot tub, but nothing prepared this Granny's heart for seeing that. Nothing. We sat for awhile with her on my lap, and finally I took her and laid her back on the bed, Rick had stripped it....and we removed the towel, and cleaned her up. I cannot see where she cut/tore herself, it is up inside. It cannot be deep inside, but inside out of view. And I was not going to go hunting, which is what I was afraid the ER Dr. would do. I got her cleaned up, and of all things, I put a pad on her---left over from my TT bandages! She is still oozing a bit, but not much. I gave her a bottle of water and told her she needed to drink as much as possible, so the urine is diluted and won't burn so much. She has actually peed twice, and it makes the bleeding worse, but it stops quickly. I gave her some Tylenol, and she fell asleep in my arms just a bit ago, so I laid her in bed. I cannot believe how bad it was. Rick is still pale as a ghost, he is in shock from it, I think we both are. She is chatting away and wanting pop corn and being normal Kinsey. I was right there! If I had not forgot the towel I would have lifted her out of the tub like I always do. But she said when I went to get the towel she heard the phone and thought it was her Mommy and she wanted to talk. It was not her Mommy, and in fact I have no idea who he hung up on....hadn't thought about that til just now! My poor baby....both of them! Manda's ear is horrible, and she is stuck in a hospital knowing her baby is hurt. And the little baby was hurt, very badly! And now I have finally relaxed and started crying and cannot stop....I am just so thankful she is ok. I am taking her to see her pediatrician tomorrow, and let her look at it. I know she will be gentle, and Kinsey knows her. Unlike an unknown ER Dr. who may have been rough with her. Manda and I have talked again, and thought this way would be less traumatic for her. Thanks for letting me pour it out.....again. I am so glad y'all are here. Gonna go check on her again....only been in half a dozen times while typing this post, she is sleeping soundly......I will check her bleeding off and on through the night. Rick and I decided tho, that if it starts up heavy again we are calling an ambulance, so we go straight in to ER. Will keep you posted. I am being very careful, I don't even hug my own DD, and don't let Kinsey. We blow kisses. And we wash when we go in and out. But ya know her Dad is worthless, and we are all she has, I have to go. My head feels totally wierd, lotsa hive bumps! Odds and end ones, I am surprised with the panic I am not a mass of them.....they may be yet to come!!! Hope not. OMG I cannot believe I let her get hurt like this! I feel like such an idiot. I know to never leave a child in the tub---but the water was draining out....I needed her towel. The poor thing is going to be so sore. She will never want a bath at Granny's again. Will be in touch some time tomorrow, will be at the hospital most of the day...and Kinsey's Dr. hugs~~ Kat

Hey everyone! Well, I'm with you Betty....I had the intentions of starting the diet and exercise. At least YOU and a reason, you were gonna get supplies. I did start though, I bought Protein powder, for whatever reason I havn't been getting in the protein and it shows...in the amount of hair on my bathroom sink/vanity and in my breaking brittle nails! (gotta get "right" again!) Speaking of exercise, Sherry, did you say you were starting an exercise thread? If so could you send me the link, if not...well, maybe we could! WTG with the hula on the wii fit and the step aerobics!!! (and the other equipment) I think I've gained about 10 lbs., from my lowest weight after banding!!! YIKES!!!! Pants that used to make me smile because I didn't have to "suck it in", are now only wearable if I do suck it in :thumbup: I've been "runnin' amuck" (with food intake) and gaining weight. Gotta stop, Gotta STOP, GOT TO STOP! I have a vacation in the carribean in March and my son's wedding in mid May!!!! You know I've been toying with the idea of a slight unfill. All the naughty foods have been going down r e a l easy, and lots of the "good food" (chicken, greens, some fish...) gets stuck *ugh*. Can't take generous sips of really cold beverages either...(spit, spit, spit) anyway, whatever it takes, I've just got to get my butt in gear!!! TTYL :thumbup:

It's comforting to know others have the same issue!!I do know that I have a lot of extra skin. My dr told me he could feel a 6 pack! I just have the extra skin over it. I am 28 and plan on getting pregnant very soon, so they told me to wait on a tummy tuck until I am done having kids. The dr also told me that if all the extra skin was removed, I would most likely weigh about 10 lbs less.. so I guess that puts me almost at my goal weight!

Is this not something anybody is concerned about? Do most people realize that if you go SUPER low-cal, your body thinks it's starving and will fight for its life to hold onto every pound? I'm just curious. I totally forgot that I used to buy into the "eat as few calories as you possibly can" camp. It's very unhealthy. Perhaps I should "introduce" myself because I have not been around in awhile and I don't think I ever was that regular of a poster in this particular forum, anyway. I had LAP-BAND surgery in November of 2007. I lost 55 lbs in a 5-month period by eating VERY low calorie and low carb. I yo-yo'd back up by 13 lbs over the next 4 months due to stress from a dissolving marriage and also going back to school at the same time. I managed to get back down the 13 lbs, plus 5.5 more lbs over the next 3 months. Again - being VERY calorie-restrictive. I can't say I got a very healthy view of diet from my nutritionist or the class we had to go through. It felt like elementary all over again. "This is a portion size...." But nothing truly useful that STUCK. I have yo-yo'd around since November of 2008 with the same 10 lbs. I go down some, I go up some, I go down some, I go up some. Anyway - after doing some thorough research on what works...I discovered that very low calorie is NOT GOOD. Not only does it lower your metabolism (people get used to eating 800 calories a day and then "lose" their band...then what?), but if your body doesn't get what it needs through nutrition, it eats your muscle. Muscle also keeps your metabolism firing high. You lose lean body mass and you are left with what is often referred to as a "skinny fat person." Meaning your WEIGHT might be low, but your body fat % sucks. I'm just going to say - No, I have not been perfect. I have struggled to "get" this band thing. I have become major exercise monster. (It is IDEAL to exercise on top of eating better. Don't just rely on your band to get you there. Exercise ALSO fires up your metabolism.) Most recently, I ran a half marathon at the beginning of this month. There's NO WAY I would have the energy to run as much as I do if I was eating 800 calories. For instance - after this day is over, I will have logged 22 miles for the week, which included a 9-mile run yesterday. When I was doing super-low-cal before, I couldn't run that intensely for more than 3 miles at a time. I also have picked up strength-training 3 days a week to build up my lean body tissue. I have been running regularly since August of last year and I picked up the strength training in December. So why am I still at my 2008 weight? Because - I was eating very high cal. It's not easy to stay in super low-cal for life, nor is it realistic for most people. I feel like my body was trying to compensate for the "stealing" I did by keeping the calories so low. This is actually quite common for many people. I am now in a slight calorie deficit, calculated based on my basal metabolic rate (how many calories I use on a daily basis just living). The slight calorie deficit plus the huge amount of calories I burn through exercise (btw - it's MUCH better to burn the calories than to starve your body of them) is causing weight loss. And you know what? It's easy. I don't feel like I'm dieting at all. The band does make this tremendously easy because it's pretty much next to impossible to go over my calories for the day. I also have to add that losing weight at break-neck pace isn't good for anybody. It makes it hard for your body to adjust in many ways. But also, if you lose OVER a certain amount of weight per week, again, you're burning muscle to get that weight loss. It's not worth it to me. I'd rather keep the muscle and lose slower. So I have to agree with the thing I have read on this board MANY times: The band is a tool. Period. But it shouldn't be used as a tool for starvation if you want life-long, healthy results. I'm open to comment, discussion, insult (kidding). I am training for another race in October and probably December - lots of running. Still weight training, and keeping my calories at a slight deficit rather than a major one. I think I have about 6 lbs to go to get down to the lowest weight I have ever gotten with the band. But I plan to THIS TIME blow past that and keep going...losing the final 23 lbs below that to get to goal. I'm willing to admit I was wrong if I STILL can't get there. But I'm positive that this time I can because I don't feel deprived.

I also will be going to my pre-op appt tomorrow. I don't have that many questions but I did ask before the difference. My Dr told me that really it was a preferance and that sometimes that they use the bigger band for men. Or sometimes for really obese women that would need to lose weight like a man would. For instance. I am 28yrs old, 5'2" and weigh 230. I will be getting a 10 cc band. But for another women who was my age and height but weighs 430 she may get a 15cc band. Good Luck! Keep in touch!

I started my pre-op diet today. It's for 2 weeks. I have 3 protein shakes a day, 1 fruit and and 1 salad. I also can have 1/4 cup of walnuts or almonds instead of flaxseed oil. You know I chose the nuts. I was so concerned about losing weight before my pe-op visit to the doctor that I was doing 2 shakes and one meal a day. I lost 19 lbs. and he was pleased. So far today is fine and I haven't been hungry. I don't know how the weekend will be. We have the grandkids on the weekend and usually take them out to eat. If we do I'll eat my daily salad then I guess...Carole

I just wrote you a long reply that got eaten by the computer when I tried to backspace to fix a typo. The short version is, I am very sorry you are feeling the way you are right now. You are not alone in your feelings. My ex left me for a woman he'd known a week when I was 7 months pregnant with our 4th child; it was devastating. It's so hard to see someone we love going on in their lives without us. It sounds like your ex is an abusive, manipulative jerk, and I assure you his true self will be revealed to whatever women he's charming at the moment. Sadly, some of them will probably be so weak they will allow his mistreatment. I am SO proud of you for getting yourself out of that situation. My suggestion is to make a list of about 10 things that you can do rather than eat when the urge to emotional eat strikes you. Then commit to doing one of those activities for a minimum of 20 minutes before you allow yourself to eat anything. By that time, you'll either be distracted and not want to eat any more, or you'll know you're really hungry and you can make better choices about what you eat. I've been doing this myself since my pre-op diet started, because I was so hungry and hating going without food. It's helped me differentiate between real hunger and head hunger. Once you have some fill in your band, you will have the negative consequences of overeating to help keep you from doing it, too. But it's still important to learn coping skills to deal with the hurts/stresses in our lives.

What is wrong with me? I have been hovering g at same weight for about 7-10 days!!! I drink a shake for breakfast lunch and snack. Half a piece of salmon for dinner. Still not losing!

I would guess that a whole lot of people on this forum have tried Weight Watchers, NutriSystem, Jenny Craig, etc. I have. If I could just stick to the program I never would have needed surgery. This was supposed to be the tool that was going to make me stick to it. Now I feel like I don't have that. I'm so sad that I went through this invasive surgery for what seems like no good reason. I mean literally crying, sad. I'm losing weight now, but I'm worried about 5 years from now, or 10 years from now...

I had a similar situation when my son was two. I tried to play out side with him more, playing ball, go to the park, walking around to smell flowers, finding bugs, take him for a ride in the stroller, rode him on the bike. Sometimes it was hard and i only got a 10-20 minute walk because he was not in the mood after a long day. We would play head sholder knees and toes. I tired to think of thing that he would be interested in and that I could get some exercise as well. It is not the same as the gym but it felt better than nothing to me. Try jumping rope, great cardio even if for only a few minutes at first. Put some music on and dance around while you are doing laundry. I just try to get more movement in when i am at home doing chores. Best of luck to you!

I was banded on 10-13. I thought that the heating pad really helped, as did taking gas-X under the tongue strips. I feel much better today than I did yesterday.

Hi Tamika, That's exciting ! I just had my done last Friday 10/10. I didn't have any heavy nausea but very uncomfortable for the first few days. A few things I wish I knew ahead of time were that the scale went up 9lbs ( just from the fluids we're given during/after surgery). It came right off within a few days but I didn't know what is was from. The best advice I can give you is to follow you doc's instructions as closely as you can. What hospital are you going to? I live in RI now but originally from the Boston area and wish I lived up that way so I could have gone to a MA hospital and used the docs up there. My doc is good but I just always preferred Boston/ MA hospitals since I grew up there. Everything will be fine just know that you'll have a few slow moving / uncomfortable days. Make sure to walk and ask the doc what to take for constipation as you can expect that. Good Luck ... I'll watch for more of you're postings next week ....

You can make chili at home faster than eating out. This is just a crutch excuse that people use for bad eating. I don't buy it. Every walmart, and almost every gas station and grocery store has Protein shakes. There is no reason to eat at a fast food resturant, especially less than a month from surgery, except it is an active choice. 170 calories for 15 grams of protein is a crappy choice, more than 10 calories per gram of protein.

I love the Isopure as well. I mix half a bottle (10 oz) with matching flavored Water (10 oz). I've also just drank them as they are. I've tried most of the flavors and I haven't found one that I didn't like. The grape frost is the best!

During my physician supervised diet months I weighed myself daily, it helped me keep on track, but there were a lot of days where it'd be up, up, then back down. There were even a few days in there where I'd weigh 9-10 lbs more than I did the day before, usually it was just Water weight, and it'd be back down the next day. It's normal. =)

My stats are not at all similar - I'm 5'10" and started at a little over 400 - but in my pre-surgery research I found some charts that had good estimates. My weight loss has been the mid to high range for my category so far; 20 pounds in 10 days and 35 pounds at just shy of 6 weeks.