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I have read that people even name their tummies...My cousin who had the sleeve is 10 months into the sleeve and she says that her stomach still growles, not as much as in the beginning but it still growles and she burps alot.

One word: percoset. Do not be shy about taking the pain pills the doctor prescribes. I was on morphine while in the hospital (ugh) and percoset at home. You need to be as pain free as possible to help you heal. A body stressed by pain has a harder time. I was off the pain pills by day 6. In all honesty, my pain level was never above a 5 (1-10 scale) the whole time. Good luck to you!!!! -Kendra

For those of you who are sleeved and started with a bmi 39 or less, how much did you lose In the first 10 weeks?

My cross fit box is going to start a 1 month weight loss challenge on Monday. Basically it is to encourage folks to crack down on their nutrition and, perhaps for some, increase the number of times the workout every week. There is a nominal cash prize. Nothing to write home about. Here is the thing. I am competitive and want to participate. The only issue is my weight is currently 172 (5'11") and losing 10-12 lbs would, well, I am not sure what it would do to health. i feel good about my body right now. Feel healthy. Sure dropping 10-12 lbs could get me more defined like a bodybuilder at 7% bf or it may turn me into a zombie guy. Lol. Who knows. I am in pretty good athlete shape right now. All I would have to do to win this is cut out 1 or 2 meals a day. I am already eating 7-8 times a day and scarfing some 2000-2500 calories. Down 8 lb from last week only because i have been busting ass in the work outs. I eat very well already. Lean proteins, veggies and some low carb, low fat meals my wife makes. I already do cross fit 5 days a week and I am not going to add a day. Sorry, no way. Should I do this challenge? It seems like an easy win.

Hi I will be banded on 2/1/10 and I need options HELP Ericka

You don't have any help yet, the band without fill is like a car without gas. Relax, practice your new eating skills (if you are on food yet), small bites, eat slowly, chew, chew, chew and start walking if your not already. :devil_smile: Everyone went through this, as a matter of fact I gained weight before my first fill. Then I started getting help from the band and lost 2 pounds a week until I had the last 15 and now only a pound every 10 days or so. It will be fine, practice your band skills and it will be fine.

I was banded Monday morning and have been very bloated since. I know the gas and bloat are normal at first, but was so bad last night I decided to step on the scale. It says I am up 10 pounds from Monday morning pre-op weigh in. Is this normal? Should I be concerned?

I tried reaching out to forums as much as I could. I feel as though people she hear about these risks if their serious about getting it done. And for those of you who thinks my post was elicit your the type people no one wants to deal with. My fiance we be posting stuff if she wasn't in an ICU room with 10 incisions an ng tube through her nose and an immense amount of pain. However she is doing better and is walking around the room. Her infection is gone and this monday she getting it clamped. Thank you so much everyone for your wishes god has blessed us dearly. I hope her story is very informative and helps you make ur decision wisely.

I feel your pain! After surgery 5/2, I ended up in ER with a leak on 5/10. In hospital for 2 weeks. Now home with IV's and drains. No quality of life. Haven't had a bite of solid food in over a month and will probably be another 2 months before I do. I'm kind of in shock that I'm losing days of my life. But I'm grateful to be alive. I had massive infections as well and Dr's also say I'm lucky to be alive. No one has been as hard on me about this as me. My family and friends have been frantic. I second guess every decision. Today, I'd take back every pound and live with it. At least I was living. I'm trying to change that -- be more positive, this happened for a reason, etc. -- but it's hard. Assuming my stints are doing their job, when they come out, I will constantly live in fear of another leak. I know there are former leakers on VST that recovered and are now happy with their sleeve. I hope to join their ranks one day. In the meantime, everyone please keep those of us with leaks in your prayers... it is a very grueling process. Health to All!

Ok so I know its a little TMI but I haven't gone "#2" for 10 days now. I read on the previous forums that this may be pretty common but i just wanna make sure that everything is still ok. Also, since I haven't "#2'd" I have gained a total of 4 lbs. What am I doing wrong? I am now currently on my 2nd stage diet and eating soft foods. Any advise will be greatly appreciated. Thanx in advance...

So, I am 10 weeks post op & when I went in for recent checkup they drew labs. Apparently, my potassium is low, as well as my Iron. I had to see a hematologist who has now put me on a liquid potassium & I have to have a series of iron infusions done. In between everything, I have to have labs drawn to keep track of my levels. Has anyone else had these issues & is this a long term problem?

LMAO!!! I love the title. Yes my period was hell I was in so much pain I ached horribly from the waist down and it lasted 10 days. That was my first period post op

Wow you lost 19 lbs in 9 days that is awesome!!! Good for you. I have lost 8 lbs and I had surgery on Nov 1st!! Maybe you should stick to your liquids a little while longer jk! Sounds like we are doing about the same we are very fortunate. I hate it when I hear that others are having troubles because I know that could have been me!

Thank you everyone for the advice. I try staring at myself in the mirror but i can only do a few seconds at a time. I talked to my husband yesterday evening about my posting here and he said "you can't see it? Let me show you something". He found pictures of me the day of surgery that I had forgotten about. There was a series of like 10 photos in good lighting from different angles. At first i thought i looked the same. Then he took 10 new pictures of me and we compared them side by side and while i still don't look THAT much smaller to myself, i could see a different. My double chin used to be super pronounced, but now it's a small lump. The shirt doesn't gap open across the chest anymore, i guess because my back is smaller. My torso is smaller too. It's still a journey, but seeing those pictures really did help a lot.

The supervised diet period is to accomplish multiple things: - shrink your liver. - lower the amount of fat around your stomach. - prove to the insurance company you are willing to change your eating and exercise habits. - prepare you to modify your eating habits for the rest of your life. 10% is far from extreme over a 3 - 6 month period. It is not difficult to lose a pound a week. Just cut 500 calories out of your daily diet or else eat the same thing and exercise 30 minutes more a day than usual. I think most surgeons have patients logging their daily caloric intake and exercise routines. Use these to make even the smallest changes every day. You can't get upset when you don't lose or when you gain a little but don't try to justify it either.

Hi Friends, I haven't been on here in a while, but I've run into a little problem. OK, it's a pretty big problem. I have an autoimmune form of arthritis called AS. I had the LAP band done two years ago in order to reduce the strain on my joints. Though I was at the lower end of the weight continuum, I needed to lose weight permanently in order to slow down the crippling effects of my AS. The pain from the AS causes me to lose sleep at night, so my rheumie prescribed me Cyclobenzaprine. It has been a God send, and it has changed the quality of my life. I now do not need 10-12 hours of sleep at night to be safe while driving to work the next day. The only side effect is a big one, though. I am waking up from this reflux/vomitting in my lungs sort of thing that happens. I don't know if it's from the medicine or if my band is too tight (5.5 cc in a 10cc band) or if the reflux comes from one of the other meds. I suspect it's the Cyclo, though, because I've tried to isolate it so that it's the only variable. I'm wondering if it's possibly getting caught in my pouch and dissolving close enough to the esophagus to cause the reflux. Cyclo's not supposed to work on the muscles like that, but taking a half a pill one time, the cut side rested against my tongue long enough to make it numb in that little spot. I know this is odd, but does anyone out there have any experience with this or a similar situation?

I am going through the same, I had my surgery Dec 28 lost 20 pounds most of that from the low carb diet prior to surgery. I have only had 2 adjustments so far and am up to 5.2 cc's, I can eat anything just have to chew longer and not drink while eating. I asked what the average fill should be in order to be in the green zone. They told me it varies with each person, anywhere from 5 cc's up to 7.5 cc's, I'm not discouraged yet but very anxious to start seeing results. Hello... I had my Lap Band surgery on 8-16-10 and lost 20 lbs within the first 3 months and I feel great, however, I have not lost anymore weight. I have had 3 fills since September and have very little restriction. I can actually eat whatever I want, as long as I chew it well. I have been following the SB diet, only using splenda if I need sweetness. And I keep active. My Dr advised me not to drink Protein shakes anymore as he feels they are additional calories that I don't need. I am going for another fill this week and this time I will ask how many cc's I have had so far. Is anyone else struggling after the Lap Band surgery?? I am getting very depressed, especially after reading other posts from people stating how much they have lost in the first 6 months. I would appreciate any suggestions/information that I could get.

Hello... I had my Lap Band surgery on 8-16-10 and lost 20 lbs within the first 3 months and I feel great, however, I have not lost anymore weight. I have had 3 fills since September and have very little restriction. I can actually eat whatever I want, as long as I chew it well. I have been following the SB diet, only using splenda if I need sweetness. And I keep active. My Dr advised me not to drink Protein shakes anymore as he feels they are additional calories that I don't need. I am going for another fill this week and this time I will ask how many cc's I have had so far. Is anyone else struggling after the Lap Band surgery?? I am getting very depressed, especially after reading other posts from people stating how much they have lost in the first 6 months. I would appreciate any suggestions/information that I could get.

Hi. I'm new to this site. It took me six months of diligence, but I finally got approval from my insurance company for my sleeve surgery. I had it on April 17th. I'm feeling remarkably well on Day 3 post surgery, much better than I had mentally prepared myself for (from past experience with C-section, tubal ligation, hysterectomy and two knee surgeries). At 7 am today (65 hours after surgery) I walked my dog around the block and had no set-backs from it. Later, I took a car ride (first real outing) to shop and came home very weary, but still ok!and, 3 days post surgery, I've already lost 10 lbs. That's what really impressed me! My motivation to have this procedure stems from my decimal history. Like most obese people, I am becoming diabetic, my joints hurt, and the GERDS is only getting worse. But, unlike most other obese people, my thyroid tanked about 27 years ago, which has made weight loss an even greater challenge. Add to that, I found out 5years ago that I have - not one, but TWO rare auto-immune diseases. Primary Biliary Cirrhosis ("PBC") and Nonalcoholic Steatohepatitis (NASH). Another name for NASH is Fatty Liver Disease. My weight continued a gradual climb over the years, despite my efforts to change my eating patterns and selections. I felt cornered. This surgery was my only hope to delay - and maybe even eliminate the need for a liver transplant someday. And, if a by-product of this decision is that my sweet husband gains 'arm-candy,' then great! I selected the sleeve over the other procedures because the full bypass surgery makes it impossible to receive a transplanted liver in the future (nix that one), and the Lap-Band is too easy to reverse. I wanted this decision to be permanent and never look back. I work with three people who had the Lap-Band, and only one of them has been successful at it. The other two have gained back all their weight and more. I know several others who have been successful at Lap-Band, but I wanted a permanent life-change. I'm so glad I did it. Pain and nausea? You bet! Unbearable? Maybe once or twice for five minutes, but I kept telling myself, 'this is normal. This, too, shall pass. The outcome of all of this is that YOU get to live to see your 3 year old granddaughter grow up.' There is so much stigma with gastric weight loss surgery, that I've chosen to not share it with more than my husband and two very close friends. It's no ones business why I chose to do this. I see people who have been skinny all their lives say, "Oh, I see.... No wonder you've lost weight," implying the fat person failed and had to "cheat." My coworkers, siblings, and others were told I'm having a procedure done to 'prop-up' my liver, give it some relief, and hopefully delay a transplant - all of which is 100% true. Maybe someday, I'll feel better about sharing the whole story with everyone. I am into Day 4 post-surgery. I've lost 10 lbs. I'm on the right track.

I started yesterday 10 days post op. I did great!! It was yummy for my tummy. Sent from my LGMS330 using the BariatricPal App

Thanks WhoDat, I've been thinking about this surgery for the last 10 years so my anxiety is pretty minimal right now. I'm just ready to get it over and start the journey. Thanks for the offer of advice... I will certainly keep you on quick dial for my many questions once the surgery is done. I feel so fortunate to have this opportunity. Congratulations on yours and your wife's success at this, I know it has added a whole new dimension to your lives. I wish I could talk my husband into this but he is not interested. He has diabetes and high BP and takes lots of medications and could really benefit from it. I am just a happy eater...no health problems and I don't take any medications. I think once I have lost weight my hubby may take a serious look at this option... sure hope so. Stay warm and stay off the roads. Thanks again.

Flowers, she stated that she is still on the 2 week post-op liquid diet! She is not to have anything other than liquids! It sounds like you are further along than that. Especially if you've already gone for a fill (I'm sorry your first fill didn't work for you :tt1: ). I'm so glad you didn't eat the sandwich sooner although you felt you could have. It's so important to follow the surgeon's guidelines. This stage before the first fill is for healing ONLY! NOT losing weight. Once we've healed and start getting fills THEN we can start worrying about losing some of these pounds we're hauling around. Unfortunately, I'm continuing on my shake diet for the 2 weeks after surgery (had to do them for 10 days before surgery). Although being only just banded on Monday, the shakes are fine right now. Come next week, I might change my mind! :thumbup: Flowers, I hope your next fill is better for you. I've heard that it can sometimes take awhile for the fills to start working. Sometime 4 or 5 before restriction happens. Hang in there! Sassymama, thanks for the warning. Crackers seem so benign. I'm hoping you feel better soon. Take care. And no more crackers!!

I just nosed around (very quickly) and that appears to be the case. Inamed originally marketed 9.75 and 10cc bands that held only 4cc's in them. They are the old style bands. Then there was an interim 10 cc band, and now they have the AP (for "advanced platform) bands in 2 sizes...one holds 10 ccs and the large holds 14ccs . Having read this, if I were you, I'd call my surgeon and ask why he used the older style band, and what he suggest you do since you still don't have any restriction? If it only holds 4ccs, then he likely won't be able to tighten it enough to help you. How odd, huh?

This may have too many carbs but I eat a 100 calorie serving of oatmeal mixed with a fat free fruit yogurt. You get about 10 grams of protein but I am not sure of the carbs. I also use unjury protein drink mixed in a blender with skim milk, sometimes frozen strawberry, or instant coffee and ice. Unjury has zero carbs and 20 grams of protein. Good luck!

My surgery was today at 2:20pm. I have had a great experience so far! Thanks to everyone for your thoughts and prayers! I hope my fellow friends sleeved today and recently sleeved are doing well also. :-) :-)