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I went from band to sleeve, and haven't regretted it for a moment. I made it to my goal in 6 months. I'm under my original goal, and in a size 4/5. My goal was to be in the single digit sizes, now everyone says I'm "tiny". It's crazy. I talked to a plastic surgeon, and he wants me to gain 10 pounds before he will even consider a skin reduction.

I was banded 10 days ago. I see the weight coming off but if I do too much out and about,I feel weak. Also, starting yesterday, I've had the worst hunger pangs I have experienced. Anyone else?

Hubby was approved yesterday, me still waiting. BCBS of NE. received approval on 10/31 made decision 11/7. The associate told my hubby that his approval was dated before mine, so hope to hear today. I am soooo happy for him.

@@Riz2006 I am so glad you are better - I just got done with a Fleet enema, oy ( -- I haven't tried Miralax, but heading to Walgreen's soon to get some -- I'm almost 10 weeks post-bypass and doing really well -- EXCEPT for this miserable, painful, horrible, no-good constipation, UGH UGH UGH!!!!! I was this-close a few days ago from going to ER -- I started on raw veggies recently, so having salads and black bean Soup last 2-3 days and praying the Fiber helps -- it's no consolation when you're straining till you're traumatized, crying and red-in-the-face, but you are most definitely not alone.

Hi everyone, I'm Gena and I'm still kinda new to this forum, even though I registered a while ago. I found this forum when I first started to check everything out about being banded about a year ago. But I decided to try 1 more diet before I did anything more. So I went on the Atkins Diet in April of 2007 and stay on it till the end of Feb. of 2008. I lost around 40 to 50 lbs till October, then from November to Feburary I wasn't losing anything. I kept telling myself that I was in a slump and I'll start losing again, but nothing. So on Feb. 23rd I stopped the diet and I have made an appt. with Dr. Clark in Ellis Hospital to go to the orientation for the lapband( before I gain the weight back). I need this, about 14yrs ago I had to have a hip replacement due to a car accident and it was only suppose to last 10 years, then I was to need of a new one. I am overdue and I have gained alot of weight through the years. I can't wait till I go to the appt. April 10th but I'm really nervous that I might not be able to have this surgery, I've been told that the Ins. Co. won't pay for the lapband but they will pay for the bypass and I will not have the bypass. I really can't afford to take a loan for it. I just found out last week that there is a woman from work that is being band on April 7th. She doesn't know if the Ins. will cover it. So I was wondering if I could get any info, if anyone has any? If I get my Hip surgeon involved does anyone think it will help with the Ins.?

Good job Tom! 90# and 19" is awesome!

My son is 10. He has known about this from the very start. I knew that this would be a challenging and emotional time for me. I told him that when someone you love is feeling weak that we need everyones strength to help them be strong. Once he realized that he was going to be a pillar for me, he told me it made him feel grown up.

My high blood pressure was normal THE DAY AFTER THE GASTRIC SLEEVE WAS DONE! I am no longer on meds. It has only been 19 days since my sleeve. Sent from my iPhone using the BariatricPal App

I just had my sleeve on the 19 .. I'm still very soar and very gasy been up and down all day and trying to sip all my liquids I'm getting there hopefully tomorrow is better

Hi there...I did not have a pre-op diet either, I just could not have any food after 10:00 pm the night before surgery. Every team is different in their requirements. Just keep asking your doctor questions for your concerns, you said he has good reviews but is lacking in communication so trust him and ask all the questions that you need to. You will be just fine, follow your plan. Congratulations on your up coming surgery and I wish you all the best!

For me the thing that kept my mind of cheating was the thought of being sewn up and sent home if my liver wasted small enough lol. I have to do three weeks and I'm on day 19, surgery is Monday! I did the usual 5 protein shakes, low sodium broth, sf popsicles, and sf jello (only made one box, not really a fan of jello!) you'll be fine! Just remember why you have to do it!

Nancy - we have the same surgery date! Good luck to you and let us know how it goes - mine is at 10:15 so you'll be all done when I'm just get started

My future ex wife? Category: Blogging Brandi and I have a running joke about how, later in life, I'd try to marry her (because she's hot, she can cook like crazy, and she's one of the few people I feel comfortable with). Well, as amusing as this little joke is, I was suddenly struck by the fact that it will probably never come to pass. Why? I glad you asked, dear reader. Without further ado, here are the top 10 reasons B & I would never last as a couple: 10) - Ches and Cissy will probably live to be 120, whereas I only have, like, 60-70 days until that massive coronary hits. 9) - B is not a music lover. That, my friends, is blasphemy. BTW, I don't consider Flo Rider music. 8) - "Heart O' Stone" Liles is unaffected by my romantic poetry. 7) - The time it takes to go from being amused by my weird trivia recall to being weirded out by it is approximately 14.7 hours 6) - B is a social butterfly....I'm as social as the unibomber. 5) - I don't have any qualities that B would consider attractive (ie, I'm not rich, short, dark, or gay). 4) - Although I intensely dislike Chris Simms, that whole "Chris Simms is a p*ssy" shout kinda weirds me out. This leads me directly to: 3) - B can drink me under the table 2) - She has weird cousins (totally unlike mine) And the number one reason why Brandi and I would never last as a couple... 1) - I know sexual techniques that would blow her Lutherian mind, and might possibly cause her to be excommunicated. So, as much as it saddens me, I have to be realistic about these things. Ladies, I'm now taking applications (yes, you're gonna need references).

My future ex wife? Category: Blogging Brandi and I have a running joke about how, later in life, I'd try to marry her (because she's hot, she can cook like crazy, and she's one of the few people I feel comfortable with). Well, as amusing as this little joke is, I was suddenly struck by the fact that it will probably never come to pass. Why? I glad you asked, dear reader. Without further ado, here are the top 10 reasons B & I would never last as a couple: 10) - Ches and Cissy will probably live to be 120, whereas I only have, like, 60-70 days until that massive coronary hits. 9) - B is not a music lover. That, my friends, is blasphemy. BTW, I don't consider Flo Rider music. 8) - "Heart O' Stone" Liles is unaffected by my romantic poetry. 7) - The time it takes to go from being amused by my weird trivia recall to being weirded out by it is approximately 14.7 hours 6) - B is a social butterfly....I'm as social as the unibomber. 5) - I don't have any qualities that B would consider attractive (ie, I'm not rich, short, dark, or gay). 4) - Although I intensely dislike Chris Simms, that whole "Chris Simms is a p*ssy" shout kinda weirds me out. This leads me directly to: 3) - B can drink me under the table 2) - She has weird cousins (totally unlike mine) And the number one reason why Brandi and I would never last as a couple... 1) - I know sexual techniques that would blow her Lutherian mind, and might possibly cause her to be excommunicated. So, as much as it saddens me, I have to be realistic about these things. Ladies, I'm now taking applications (yes, you're gonna need references).

I hit the 30lb mark today! Hurray!! I am still planning on getting another fill next week. I do not feel like I have found my sweet spot yet. I am at 4.5 cc. Surgery was December 4, 2008 2008 was a very eventful year for me. In Jan 08 I found a lump in my left breast. I had 2 surgeries, 4 months of chemo, lost ALL my hair. 6 weeks of radiation. Last chemo was 07/24/08. Last radiation was 10/15/08. Then I decided to lessen my chance for reoccurance of BC by losing weight. Lapband sugery 12/04/08.

I hit the 30lb mark today! Hurray!! I am still planning on getting another fill next week. I do not feel like I have found my sweet spot yet. I am at 4.5 cc. Surgery was December 4, 2008 2008 was a very eventful year for me. In Jan 08 I found a lump in my left breast. I had 2 surgeries, 4 months of chemo, lost ALL my hair. 6 weeks of radiation. Last chemo was 07/24/08. Last radiation was 10/15/08. Then I decided to lessen my chance for reoccurance of BC by losing weight. Lapband sugery 12/04/08.

Hello everyone! Wow - it has been quite the eventful past almost 2 weeks. This blog is dedicated to those who are pre-op Everyone is different, but I hope if I give you my story, it will help some of you to be a little more prepared for what you're about to undergo! 1st, I did my surgery in Egypt - so far away from most of you...but the surgery is the same, albeit the administration a bit different... Soooo....(drum-roll!) I started my surgery at approximately 253.9 lbs. May be a bit less than that, but I was too nervous to go wandering around trying to find a scale! The operation was last Sunday... Everything was smooth in the operation - they knocked me out peacefully and happily and although the operation was only 45 minutes in total, I was out for around 5 hours. The torture happened the minute I was being transferred to my hospital room. I was screaming in pain (still out of it from the anesthetic), and vomited blood 4-5 times. Warning!!! For those of you who have sensitive stomachs to medicine, especially hard-core medicine like Morphine, be ready to have to make a tough decision....you will be in an incredible amount of pain..and will NEED strong pain-killers...but if you tend to throw-up fairly easily, taking those strong pain-killers may mean that you end up in even more pain. Throwing up after a gastric-sleeve operation, as you can imagine, is not fun. The doctors had to torture me with medium-strength pain-killers to avoid my throwing up to prevent further bleeding. OUCH! I was quite embarrassed of myself - I was in so much pain over these 2 days in the hospital that I created quite a scene. I don't remember most of it, but I remember getting the nurses and doctors all flustered with my carrying on. Oh well, not much I can do now The actual surgical pain - is more than manageable. Hopefully (touch wood) all of you will be just fine with that. I had two issues - 1) the gas issue - this pain was ridiculous. You have this constant feeling of just wanting to "deflate" and the pain that goes with it is indescribable....but, par for the course. It took me 6 days to "deflate" enough that I wasn't walking around looking 7 mos. pregnant and the pain was mostly gone. 2) the drainage site - you will have a drain for 2(ish) days. This is extremely painful and unfortunately I had developed cysts internally around the incision of the drain, and this was also an incredible amount of pain. I couldn't sit, lay down, stand from pain. When I went back for my 7 day post-op appointment, I yelped enough that they gave me an ultra-sound and CT scan and found multiple cysts formed in this area. A 5-day course of anitbiotics/anti-inflammatory cured this - I am now feeling almost normal. Writing this, I feel like I was such a baby...but I've delivered normally 3 babies (2 without an epidural, so I KNOW pain), and I was up and changing the babies the same night and taking my mom on a tour of my area the day after..in pain yes...but I was proud of my pain theshold. In my opinion, that means that this is one seriously painful operation (but hopefully none of you will develop the cysts which was the cause of at least 50% of the pain). So, now - I am now at 236.0 lbs (17.9 lbs less), 12 days post-op. Great!!!!! I am feeling very weak and I feel like I've done 5000 crunches and the incision areas are drying and itching like crazy, but I feel great compared to just a few days ago. I'm back home and back at work. It's hard figuring out how much I can drink before I'm full - the feeling of fullness doesn't exist in me yet - but when the juice starts bubbling back up (a weird feeling), I stop drinking for 10-15 minutes or so. POPSICLES rock!!!!!! I feel SOOOOOO much better after munching on a popsicle.. I've started putting all my juices in the freezer. It makes me feel like I'm eating, but it does nothing but soothes my aching tummy. Stock up on popsicles!!! I'm still on a full liquid diet - soups, jello, juices, and popsicles Working my way up to the thicker soups, protein shakes and will transition into mushed food. My tummy/esophagus controls me on this issue...I get a really yucky uncomfortable feeling and it lasts quite some time when I try eating something I'm not ready for yet.... ohhhh - one thing I had read up on before I went for surgery.... My doc requested my husband crush all of my meds. YUCK! When I was a kid, my mom had to chase me around with the medicine syrup...imagine how I was with crushed tablets? Super yuck! So, after suffering for around 5 days, I googled around on the internet and finally broke the tablets in half and swallowed those as normal. No issues whatsoever. Now I can swallow them whole (probably could the whole time, but I was being careful). So guys - there you have it. If you have any questions, I'm happy to answer!!! Looking forward to the days to come!

Once upon a time, I was an egg. 8 months later, I was born, yay! 5 lbs. I was so cute. A few years later, I was a kid. I wasn't as big kid yet, but I saw my really big Mom, and really big aunts, and put two and two together. When I grew up, I was going to be fat. Fast forward to High school. I was at 160 lbs. I thought this was fat. I thought this was my fate, and did my best to accept it. I didn't think I was ugly, because I still had pretty good success dating. I was a resolved and proud BBW. At the time, my younger sister wasn't far behind. I just thought it was something to be accepted. It was in our genes. Onto College years. I was a starving artist with no car, so I got down to a nice 140 lbs. Too bad I didn't appreciate it, because I had a roommate with body image issues that rubbed off on me. In pictures, I see that I looked amazing, but I didn't feel amazing then. In fact, I was in such a bad place mentally, I had to leave college early and take medications. Then, I moved back home from college. Yes, home to Mom's and Sister's cooking. Combining good food with different mental medications, I went up to 170. I thought, "Okay, this must be me fat now. I'm gonna be okay with this, accept it and be proud to be different." Then, I got a job in a cubicle. The money was great, but my weight was not. I got up to 210 lbs. I was very upset. I busted past 200. But I was in a very committed relationship, which helped me accept it. My fiance was wonderful to me, and called me beautiful every day. Notice I said fiance? That's right, a wedding was coming up. And we were both quite overweight, so we counded calories for the months leading up to the wedding. He lost 25 lbs, I lost 10, but it was something. It was just enough to make me feel beautiful again for our wedding. The year following our wedding, things went to hell. My mental illness got incredibly worse, what I thought was just a couple stomach bugs due to stress turned out to be a full-blown permanent problem, adding more medication to my list. I went through tests after tests, and they found nothing. So they blamed my weight. Then I had another medical scare, a bump was found and they had to do a biopsy on it. And, since I missed so much work because of all the medical crap, I lost my job. Back to my parents' house. Back to 210 lbs. Back to misery. Then, my husband met a guy at work who had the Lap-Band surgery a year ago and lost 100 lbs. He learned that the guy was very happy, and that the same health care we had paid for it almost in full. My hubby brought this information to me and asked me if we should do this together. The only time I ever said yes faster in my life is when he proposed to me. I didn't pause, I didn't mull it over. I wanted it more than anything. So we made our first trip to TrueResults. The people there are very nice, and very informative. Sadly, I was 2 BMI points under what qualified according to our health insurance. I had to gain 16 lbs. I thought it would be fun. I started by having an extra treat here and there. But I wasn't gaining the weight fast enough. Eventually I was eating candy and fast food every day, drinking more soda than I could stand, and I will hate Twix for the rest of my life now. But after 6 weeks, we went back, and my BMI read 40.7. I did it. But then my mother suggested we see other doctors too and learn more about things. Around this time, I started walking every day with my mother and sister. My husband and I went to a few other doctors and found one who was less nice and harder truth. And instead of gaining weight, they want us to lose weight before the surgery. We were given a strict diet and careful directions to follow. This was good, because I ended up gaining more weight and was up to a 41 BMI. And that is where my journey began...

Has anyone, men in particular, suffered with bladder retention since lap band surgery? I am at goal (180 pounds from 305) and surgery was 5/19/07 but this past March I went to the Uroligist because going to the bathroom was really becoming a big problem. The doctors say my bladder is streched and the result is that I have to self catherize to empty my bladder 3 to 4 times a day. This problem of a slow and dwindiling urine stream started a month or so after the lap-band surgery and now has resulted in my not being able to go on my own at all. Part of me believes that the band has something to do with my problem but the doctors say no but yet they can't really tell me why I am haveing this problem.

It's August 1. This is the day I said I would quit smoking. I was going to like 2 weeks ago, but changed my mind. I hafta quit no matter what, but it is like 2 days before the Dr. said...I figured the 1st was an easy day to keep track of....So I'm smoke free. Taking it one minute at a time. I still haven't lost any more weight - other than the 6 lbs. That worries me - in an off handed way. I want to lose at least the 10 the DR. said to - and any more would be "cherries on top". I'm following the Atkins diet, but I think I'm munching more than I should - its that whole "this will be the last I'm going to have in a while". So even though I am staying low carb, I'm eating too often. To solve that, I'm at work with 2 Atkins shakes - its almost 2:00 and I'm not hungry and I don't have a headache, so that is a good sign. Didn't walk yesterday, but did do 1/2 mile the day before. Flat at 3.0 MPH. I was in a hurry, so didn't do the mile. I'm still trying to figure out what - other than SF Jello and broth - qualifies as clear liquid, but I guess the Nutritionist will let me know for sure.... 10:00 p.m. Update so I keep track. I walked just over 1.25 miles at an average of 3 MPH. I added an incline the last quarter mile, but only 1%. Walked for ALMOST 30 mins including warm up and cool down. Also pure honesty and accountability, I came home and ended up having 2 and a half cigarettes. Shit! I have this 2 day buffer, but I really wish DH didn't smoke - if they weren't here, I wouldn't have cheated!

Rimonabant hcl is fda approved. Not on the doctors lists so theres no kick backs for him to push but if you ask for it it is available. My wife quit smoking in a week because it made her. Heres the true background information: Rimonabant also known as SR141716, is an anorectic drug primarily used for comprehensive anti-obesity treatment. It is an inverse agonist for the CB1 cannabinoid receptor.[1] The primary method of action is through reduced caloric intake, due to the anti-hunger effects of rimonabant. An inverse agonist refers to a chemical that binds to a receptor and, when compared to a known agonist for that receptor, shows approximately the same affinity and exhibits roughly inverse effects of one or more primary effects of the agonist.[2] One of the primary effects of cannabinoid receptor agonists is an increase in appetite; rimonabant reduces appetite, demonstrating an inverse effect. Some effects of rimonabant are admittedly under-studied or not well known or explorer; for example, rimonabant-dosed mice reduced voluntary wheel-running behavior when compared to a control group.[4] Rimonabant does have other uses besides weight loss; though the mechanism is not well understood it has been demonstrated to increase probability of quitting smokers by 50%: From the preliminary trial reports available, rimonabant 20 mg may increase the odds of quitting approximately 1(1/2)-fold. Adverse events include nausea and upper respiratory tract infections; the risk of serious adverse events is reported to be low. However, there is current concern (August 2007) over rates of depression and suicidal thoughts in people taking rimonabant for weight control. The evidence for rimonabant in maintaining abstinence is inconclusive. Rimonabant 20 mg may moderate weight gain in the long term.[5] Researchers hypothesized, in keeping with the inverse-agonist nature of rimonabant, that (because cannabinoids nearly univerally impair memory), rimonabant may improve memory; this is borne out thus far in rat studies: The positive influence of rimonabant on performance indicated that the action of endocannabinoids was to reduce SmR code strength, resulting in trials that were at risk for errors if the delay exceeded 10 s. Thus endocannabinoids, like exogenously administered cannabinoids, reduced hippocampal encoding necessary to perform long-delay trials. The findings therefore indicate a direct relationship between the actions of endocannabinoids on hippocampal processes and the ability to encode information into short-term memory.[6] Researchers speculate that due to the pervasive role of the endocannabinoid system in the reward (and therefore addiction-perpetuating) system, rimonabant might be successfully used to treat other addictions besides nicotine.[7] Rimonabant has been demonstrated to successfully block the psychological effects of cannabis use without interfering with the physiological effects.[8] Respective excerpts follow: Recent studies have shown that the endocannabinoid system is involved in the common neurobiological mechanism underlying drug addiction. This system participates in the primary rewarding effects of cannabinoids, nicotine, alcohol and opioids, through the release of endocannabinoids in the ventral tegmental area. Endocannabinoids are also involved in the motivation to seek drugs by a dopamine-independent mechanism, demonstrated for psychostimulants and opioids. The endocannabinoid system also participates in the common mechanisms underlying relapse to drug-seeking behaviour by mediating the motivational effects of drug-related environmental stimuli and drug re-exposure. In agreement, clinical trials have suggested that the CB(1) cannabinoid antagonist rimonabant can cause smoking cessation. Thus, CB(1) cannabinoid antagonists could represent a new generation of compounds to treat drug addiction.[7] Single oral doses of SR141716 produced a significant dose-dependent blockade of marijuana-induced subjective intoxication and tachycardia. The 90-mg dose produced 38% to 43% reductions in visual analog scale ratings of "How high do you feel now?" "How stoned on marijuana are you now?" and "How strong is the drug effect you feel now?" and produced a 59% reduction in heart rate. SR141716 alone produced no significant physiological or psychological effects and did not affect peak THC plasma concentration or the area under the time x concentration curve. SR141716 was well tolerated by all subjects. CONCLUSIONS: SR141716 blocked acute psychological and physiological effects of smoked marijuana without altering THC pharmacokinetics. These findings confirm, for the first time in humans, the central role of CB1 receptors in mediating the effects of marijuana.[8] Citations: [1]Fong TM, Heymsfield SB (September 2009).Cannabinoid-1 receptor inverse agonists: current understanding of mechanism of action and unanswered questions. Int J Obes (Lond) 33 (9): 947–55. [2]Kenakin T (2004). Principles: receptor theory in pharmacology. Trends Pharmacol. Sci. 25 (4): 186–92. [3]Suicide risk fears over diet pill. BBC News. 15 June 2007. (URL: http://news.bbc.co.uk/2/hi/health/6755665.stm). [4] Keeney BK, Raichlen DA, Meek TH, Wijeratne RS, Middleton KM, Gerdeman GL, Garland T, Jr. Differential response to a selective cannabinoid receptor antagonist (SR141716: rimonabant) in female mice from lines selectively bred for high voluntary wheel-running behavior. Behavioural Pharmacology 19: 812–820. 2008. [5] Cahill K, Ussher M. Cannabinoid type 1 receptor antagonists (rimonabant) for smoking cessation. Cochrane database of systematic reviews (On[line) (4): CD005353. 2007. [6]Deadwyler SA, Goonawardena AV, Hampson RE. Short-term memory is modulated by the spontaneous release of endocannabinoids: evidence from hippocampal population codes. Behavioural pharmacology 18 (5-6): 571–80. 2007. [7]Maldonado R, Valverde O, Berrendero F. Involvement of the endocannabinoid system in drug addiction. Trends Neurosci. 29 (4): 225–32. 2006. [8]Huestis MA, Gorelick DA, Heishman SJ, et al. Blockade of effects of smoked marijuana by the CB1-selective cannabinoid receptor antagonist SR141716. Arch. Gen. Psychiatry 58 (4): 322–8. 2001.

Hello all, I had my surgery on June 5th and the weight I have lost so far is mostly from my pre-op diet and I have been stuck on only 10lbs weight loss since surgery. I am still on purée, I am barely hungry but I make sure I take my Protein drink if not, I will feel like something is missing. I have been walking about 10 mins from train to work, 15mins during lunch time and 20mins to the train station. Am I not doing enough? I actually do not have the energy but I just push myself cos I know I will see results eventually. Why is it taking so long? Almost a month and only 10lbs? I know someone that did not exercise until they got to a 50lb weight loss. Why is mine different? By the way, I was so upset that I decided to be getting my weights at my surgeon's office instead of home so I have not weighed myself in a wk but I don't think it's going to make a difference. I will see my doc next Friday and I hope and pray that something will change.

Hello.... My surgery date is 2/22/10 im excited however, I am on a 2week liquid diet and it is VERY HARD! I did good for the first 2 days and I broke down and had a small order of fries from mcdonalds. Do you think that's going to harm me?