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Hi everyone, I've been reading for a while but never posted. I am currently 3 appointments away from completing all my pre-surgery requirements. My Dr. says I need to drop 14lbs before surgery. I was wondering if any of you have had their thyroid removed? I had mine taken out about 7 years ago and my weight gain just escalated from there. My concern was the 14lbs but so far I'm doing great. I don't have a surgery date yet and have started seriously cutting back. No sodas, very minimal carbs, Protein drinks during the day and a very light high Protein meal for dinner. I've lost 8lbs in 6 days. I worry about how I'll do after surgery and if anyone has heard how those with no thyroid do after surgery. Its typically extremely hard for me to lose even a few pounds. Thanks for any feedback and good luck to everyone.

The thing that led to me cinsiddering weight loss surgery was my last failed diet and weight gain that followed. At 346 lbs I was feeling doomed. After all my research this is what most strongly made me say "the band is for me!" 1. My Dr explained that there are different body types-- mine is the type that holds fat reserves and craves the kinds of foods that tend to put it on. My ancestors were the type that probably did hard labor, had lean winters or long boat trips and needed food stores to survive. Thusly there are high metabolism people with ancestors that wouldn't have survived those things. 2. I belong to a very large, supportive weight loss group that has many people who have successfully lost 100 lbs or more with dieting/life style change. They FIGHT the good fight against food every day. It can be done, BUT I'm so tired of FIGHTING so dang hard. I need some help. That's what the band is for me H-E-L-P. I want to hurry up and get with living!

Hi guys, Im now 22, but have always been a fit and active teenager. At ages 20, I developed narcolepsy and the amount of exercise I could do in a day dropped dramatically thanks to always been insanely tired, and the medication I've been prescribed has side effects of weight gain. I'm now BMI 35, but since I developed narcolepsy I've tried to get back into my sport (which I do enjoy), gyms, personal trainers etc but I just can't do enough exercise to keep up with how much I eat and I'm worried that if I don't change something, I'll keep getting bigger and have worse health complications like diabetes etc. Has anyone got narcolepsy and has considered weight loss surgery? Thanks!

Hi! I am 7 months post op and 14 lbs away from my goal weight! I just found out on Friday that im pregnant! This will be my 2nd child and I am very excited. This was not planned, especially only being 7 months post op. Im not excited abt weight gain, nervous abt being healthy for the baby.. i guess nervous in general too!

I have been recently diagnosed with hypothyroidism. A symptom of hypothyroidism is weight gain and difficulty losing weight. I have gained significant weight recently that I can attribute to this disorder and have had more trouble taking it off than in the past. However, I have always been heavy and was only diagnosed about a 2 months ago so I would not begin to blame this entirely for my weight issues. I have learned of this in the midst of scheduling my surgery and I have a fear that this disorder will hinder my weight loss after surgery. I am curious if anyone on the forum has hypothyroidism and if it effected their success. I would think at least one person might as it is a fairly common disorder. Any input would be appreciated. Thanks everyone.:thumbup1:

Aha..that is so interesting. Good to hear that it's a natural process when it works. Ive heard all these horror stories about weight gain afterwards. Im still working on my new eating style and trying to get rid of falling back to my old ways.

Hi! I have Aetna as well and just had my surgery on Monday, make sure you do not gain any weight! Aetna has a new policy about weight gain that my doctor wasn't aware of

I do apologize for not having come back sooner...but I also can't promise that I'm back. I don't like the atmosphere of this forum. Too much hatin' going on here. I had managed to get from an all time high of 285 down to 225 within the first 8 months, but then my dad died, and that sent me into a tailspin. I started eating the wrong foods (comfort eating) and started gaining back...then I did something colossally stupid. I went in for a fill because of the weight gain. That made me too tight, but I was in denial about that, so I just kept eating the wrong foods. As you well know, the wrong foods do not get stuck. Whenever I did try to eat properly, I ended up being stuck. Every. Stinking. Day....until I quit trying so hard. Eventually, I went in for an unfill with a promise to myself to re-evaluate when I'm ready to try again. This resulted in me regaining all but 15 pounds back. About two months ago, I got on the scale and it read 267. This is only 18 pounds lower than my original pre-surgery weight. Do I regret getting the band? Absolutely not. See...when I went in for pre-op testing, I found out that I'm diabetic, I had high cholesterol, and high blood pressure. I have never had to take any meds for any of those conditions because of the band. I have been to the doctor every 3 months for the past 3 years, and all 3 of those conditions are "Perfectly Controlled" through diet and exercise. Every pound I've put back on is because of a bad choice or choices that I've made. Maybe in the near future I'll be able to make the decision to re-commit myself to the bandster lifestyle and go back for a fill. Until then, I'll just keep slogging along, trying to eat better and exercise every day. Thanks for reading. I hope this finds everyone healthy and happy. :redface:

Oh man! What a night! My Mom came & spent the night with me last night. She was started on Ambien CR 2 weeks ago. Despite saying that she was sleeping great, she was still complaining of being tired & also complaining of having a unexplained weight gain. When my Dad dropped her off last night he chuckled & told me that Mom had gotten up yesterday morning & chewed him out for eating her piece of cake (she likes the middle pieces). He proceeded to tell me that he watched her get up at 1am & eat a huge piece of chocolate cake. She is sleep walking & eating in her sleep!!!!! How scarey is that? :der: It doesn't end there. I had about 8 hours sleep in the past 2 previous nights. We went to bed at midnight. At 1:30am she woke me up asking where my chocolate & Cookies were. I said, "MOM. I don't have any chocolate or cookies." She insisted that I had to have something in the house. She ended up making cinnamon toast in the microwave! (I have a oven & a toaster oven). :help: So after she eats she calms down. I went back to bed. 2:15 - She wakes me up & says, "Here's the flashlight." At this point I know what's going on so I just say thanks. I layed it on my night stand & fell back asleep. 2:30 - She wakes me up & asks for the flashlight. :censored: sometime between 2:30 & 2:45 - She climbs into bed with me (Lonnie's out of town). I wake up to her talking to someone. She has the phone. I hear her say, "HI! What are you doing? Are you ready to get up & go to work?" (she thinks she is talking to my Dad). She dialed the wrong number :bored . She hangs up & says, " I don't know who that was! It was some woman!" I explained that she dialed the wrong number. She insists that I dial her number so she can talk to my Dad & find out what's going on! I did. I hand her the phone & hear her say, "May I speak to Reggie!?" Then she says, "Who was that woman!?" I hear the callwaiting beep - the woman she woke up has caller ID & has called me back. I don't know what Dad said, but she handed the phone to me. I explained what was going on & he just dies laughing. He tells me that she called him at 10:00, 2:00 & @ 2:30-2:45. I found out today that she also called him at 4:00 & 6:00.:eek: My Mother also has a unique gift. She can make a clicking noise with her mouth while it is closed. She did this ALL NIGHT LONG!!! She sounded like she had F***ING CRICKETS IN HER MOUTH!! I even asked her if she had crickets in her mouth. She just smiled & proceeded to click. We call her & my Grandma "Clickin' & Lickin' ". Grandma has a annoying habit of licking her lips loudly. CONSTANTLY! We named them this after riding with them in our backseat for 10 hours to & from Illinois. But I digress............ After that she stayed in bed & EVERY TIME I TURNED OVER SHE ASKED ME IF I WAS READY TO GET UP!!!!!! I finally told her that I wasn't getting up until 10:00am. At 8:30am she asked me if I was ready to get up. I asked her what time it was. She replied, "10:00." :puke: I got up. I'm out of cigarettes. I get dressed & tell her where I'm going. She decides she wants doughnuts & coffee. We get home & she eats a half of EACH of the doughnuts in the box. I bought her one of every kind that they had ( I didn't want that arguement if I had gotten the wrong kind - 12 total). She was saving the other half of each for me.:puke: After this she passed out for about 4 hours. She got up & got ready just as happy as can be. I told her what happened last night & she threw the Ambiens down the toilet. Beware of Ambien CR!!!! It's funny now, but I was ready to choke her.

Oh, boy, does regain happen. The "long-term" research on WLS reveals that three to five years after WLS half of the people who had WLS are "successful" -- and that's defined as having regained no more than half of the weight they lost. That means half of the people who have WLS in three to five years post-op have regained MORE than half of the weight they lost. Obviously, some of those have regained all (or even more) of the weight they lost. So that's why we hear over and over and over again from our surgeons, at support groups and on online forums aphorisms like these: * WLS is only a tool - you have to build other tools to be successful long-term. * They operate on your stomach, not on your head. * Losing weight in the first 6-12 months is easy for almost everyone. After that, if you haven't built new eating / exercise habits and lifestyles you will very likely be struggling again with food and weight issues. Of course, some people are very successful -- and some of them are long-term members of this forum. They have dealt with their eating and weight-gaining issues. They are disciplined. They've built new lifestyles that support normal weight and good health. Many of them are people some newbies make fun of for being "so rigid."

you are worth the changes we need to do. we became obese because we never said stop to food, right? now you have a new challenge, you are worth it. take one step at a time, take a breath and see what happens. walking will help you get your mind off the weight gain, start now. keep in touch with the forum. we want to see you succeed, you can do it. drug addicts and alcoholics stop using, so can you. I have been drug and alcohol free for almost 29 yrs. if I had looked at stopping everything past one day or even one hour at a time in the beginning I would never have made it. the best thing I did was get and use support of a group. I trusted others who had gone through the same issues, it works. smoking is not good for you, it is a drug. take care of you, you are worthwhile!!!

Hello! I have recently gained weight and I'm only 3 weeks out of surgery, I have been at the gym for the past week and I've been eating all the correct foods so I'm confused as to what is going on and getting quite worried. Any help would be amazing Thanks Xx

Well, I'm sorry that you've noticed a change since your weight gain. I think you will definitely notice a difference in how he treats you after surgery, not just in public, but I'm not sure you will resent it--especially if you can think of it as a celebration time--you're feeling better, looking great, enjoying your life more, and you're probably going to be sending out a lot more positive energy in general. It would be really odd if your life partner didn't notice that and treat you a bit differently (not because you're "not fat" any more, but because you're feeling and looking and acting so much more energetically, if that makes sense). Long story short, of course it would be amazing if people didn't treat us differently when we were heavy--my DH loves me no matter what, no matter what size--but I can tell you that our relationship is stronger, better, hotter, closer in every way since the surgery--and this was a guy who loved me like crazy before.

I opted for sleeve surgery a few months back because my weight gain had been large enough that it was compromising my mobility. I had always had success with weight loss, the most being ten years ago when I lost 100 lbs. IN four years I gained it back and another 50 over the next few years after that. I knew I can lose the weight while dieting, but I was uncertain I could maintain it. The sleeve offered me the option to physically restrict food intake and calories. While it's only been three months, I am ecstatic with the results so far. It is hard work and tales perseverance, but I needed this change and I could not have accomplished what I have so far by dieting alone. You should takl a look and decide what works for you.

Thanks Thinoneday. Your story you shared with us sounds exactly what I just went through. Except my stall and slight weight gain went on for 6 months. During that time I was going through the fostering process to get my nephew out of foster care and into my home. I stopped betting down the munching monster. I too gave myself a stern talking to and decided I was NOT going to throw away the thousands of dollars I paid to have this tool. I was going to work it for all it's worth. I am back on track now and slowly loosing again. The bad eating demon is going to be a constant monkey on my back. Thanks again for posting your story. Will

Seroquel was actually the only thing that helped me sleep through the night. Unfortunately, it does cause weight gain. It made me crave carbs like crazy. I hate to start taking it again because it's quite a powerful drug. The same goes for Trazodone. I think I'll be weighing the benefits against the risks if I continue feeling like a walking zombie during the day. I have gotten a little better about what I choose to eat at night. It's usually cucumbers or lettuce with vinegar. It is possible for me to eat a whole head of lettuce throughout the night. When I confessed these habits at my OA meeting, everyone looked at me like I was crazy or needed professional help. If my weight is still stable, despite these habits, then why is it such a big deal? I do tend to eat less during the day when I eat at night. My recent labs were nearly perfect. I'm questioning the OA abstinence program because its just a big ball of guilt for me.

First of all, I'm so proud of you for reaching out to get treatment. That is truly the hardest part! As a fellow anxiety sufferer, I can tell that it DOES get better. As someone who also had WLS I will tell you, from my experience, any amount of weight my meds may have contributed to is NOTHING compared to feeling healthy and strong and not carrying the burden of chronic anxiety. I was on treatment prior to WLS so its hard to say what impact, if any, it had. But even if I were starting today, knowing it might impact me weight, I would absolutely do it in a heartbeat. YOU ARE WORTHY OF GOOD MENTAL HEALTH. That being said, Zoloft may contribute to a ~1% weight gain over the course of the first year of treatment, which is pretty negligible. And its helpful to remember that the med itself doesn't cause the weight gain, the changes in habits it can lead to are what cause the gain. So if you stick to your good habits (hit your protein, drink your water, move your body) you will be just fine. We are rooting for you!

I really love my para guard. No hormones or added weight gain, down 89 pounds since last July

Yep same thing here and I was devastated. It is coming back off. As long as you are following the rules - Protein, Water, etc. - you couldn't have done anything to actually cause a real weight gain. Your body is just adjusting. It will come back off.

I know why I over eat... I LOVE food, I love cooking food, I love eating food and I love sharing food. I too watch The Biggest Looser and love the show, but I'm sorry, when they do that "root problem" thing, I just laugh. It has nothing to do with my weight issues. I have people in my life that have suffered unbelievable pain and sorrow and nope they're not fat, nor alcoholics or drug adicts, and I have friends that have the greatest life in the world and they're fat, so, to me I believe it's about will power and the ability to change your eating habits and no longer indulge in wonderful tasting fattening foods. I frankly LOVE food, I love butter, whipping cream, cream cheese, and that will never change. I need to be held accountable for my own weight gain and poor eating habits, it has nothing to do with my life issues. There is a member on here that was on "The Biggest Looser" and the world watched her loose all her weight, but soon as her life and reality started again, she began gaining, so was recently sleeved. I haven't read anythig from her lately, so I hope this has helped her.

See my stats... 30yrs old about 9 weeks out. I increased my consumption this weekend to 4 oz at each meal per my NUTs instructions, and I ate kroger deli albacore tuna salad for lunch and dinner... stuck with one egg and a laughing cow wedge for lunch. Woke up this morning and popped up 3# from Sunday to this morning. Did you guys ever pop up like that? I had a little bit of broth from a pot roast my wife made, and I am telling myself its just Water weight from the salt content of the broth. I was on a good run too... down from 229-223 in about a week or so after being stalled at 229 for a week. Thoughts?

Thank you all so much. I just had a full blown, hyperventilating panic attack. I'm almost certain it's the Wellbutrin which I won't take again. I'm getting back on my regular medication even though it does cause weight gain. I just have to trust that the sleeve will help me battle against that. Logging on here and seeing these encouraging messages was just what I needed. THANK YOU. Really. Sent from my iPhone using the BariatricPal App Oh and my surgeon called me today and told me after 6 mos I can take pills again. Sent from my iPhone using the BariatricPal App

Ok so I typed up a big long response, then hit some keyboard combo and there it all went bye-bye. I'll try again, a little shorter. To answer your question re: removal, it was a piece of cake. The worst part of it for me was the sore throat from the tubation & such... easily a few times worse than strep. And it lasted like 4 days. But that's not the surgery, that's ancillary. As for the surgery itself, a little sore where the port had been put in (they really want to make sure those things don't move around), but I expected that. I also ended up with an infected incision - but again, that's ancillary. Overall I would rate it just slightly more painful than having the band put in, which was EASY. There were no specific dietary requirements after that. My restriction stuck around for about 2 weeks, but only in terms of not feeling hungry & getting full quickly. Starting the day of, I could eat what I wanted when I wanted. And after a few years of living with a slipped band, I can't begin to describe how awesome it was to be able to drink in the morning if I was thirsty. As for 1 vs. 2 surgeries, my thoughts/experiences below. I'm not factoring in $ since I was covered under insurance, and the $ is all you. Just my thoughts... The risk of complication for a well-healed stomach going into a sleeve is just slightly higher than a "virgin" stomach. The risk of complication for a back-to-back procedure sky rockets to about 30%. I have the exact stats at home, but it's right around there. My surgeon requires 2 months between procedures. That's the timeframe at which he thinks there's the best blanace between risk mitigation and more negative things like weight gain. By "well healed" above, I mean 2 months between. Most leaks that aren't detected at the time of surgery are "hidden" by swelling. The swelling can artificially close gaps that wouldn't otherwise be closed. So as the swelling goes down, a leak can occur. The less swollen you are, the better. You're going to be swollen either way, but you're going to be more swolen if you've just had your band removed a few minutes ago. So it is directly tied to risks. Scar tissue cen truly be a factor. In back-to-back procedures, I'd think there always has to be give & take between scar tissue/adhesions, and sleeve. My sleeve was my 4th abdominal lap and I knew I had pretty major scar tissue. For one, I could see/feel it from the outside. For two, it actally caused be discomfort if I put pressure on my abdomen in the wrong way (like when I would read a book in bed and try to rest it on my stomach). My surgeon removed a _lot_ of tissue, and spent a little more than double his average surgery time doing it. All in all, I'm now glad I had to wait. My 2 months turned into more like 7 because of insurance. But although I initially wanted a back to back procedure, after reading up on the risk rates, seeing what I was like with scar tissue, etc. I'm truly very glad I had some down time in between. I had my band for about 6 years. The length of time you and I have had our bands (yours way longer than mine, but we're both well above the average band lifespan) plays a roll too. The longer it's in, the more adhesions, etc. can form. It makes sense that your surgeon is now indicating a 2nd procedure might be a good idea. All that said, there are lots of people here who had back to back procedures, and are doing just fine.

One thing my doc gave me a new medicine for nerve pain. Been taking them for 3 days. Side effect for this medicine is weight gain. I can tell because after taking it about an hour after I feel like a bottomless pit

Reading the comments is scaring me. I am getting banded on May 17th. It was my understanding that you will basically always measure food and the lapband helps suppress the appetite. Reading this, it looks like everybody is really hungry and struggling with weight gain. Does the band not help???