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For me, the envasive nature of the other options amde this MY only option. I was banded last week and have been up and walking around since day one. This is completely reversable, which also appealed to me. It has been used in Europe for about 10 years with reduced side effects over the other surgeries and reduced side effects with the newer bands over the ones they originally used. There is a TON of great information on this site - every subject that you could imagine and tons that I am sure you couldn't imagine. start reading through old threads, ask any questions - the support here has been great. By the time that I went in for my first appointment, I already had so many of my questions answered from lurking here. Good luck and I know you will make the right decision for you!

Hmmmm...I need him at the moment..lol If he doesn't give me the go ahead after this next test, it is going to get ugly and fast! I have an appt with my surgeon and the last appt with my NUT on 10/2 and then I'm to be scheduled for surgery shortly thereafter. So, he has one week to get her done..or it's going to be WWIII!

I'm a Registered Dietitian and was banded about 10 months ago. We (the few RDs where I live who see lap band patients) tell folks no fluids 30 minutes before, and 1 hour after meals. Others in this discussion have stated the reason for waiting an hour (or more) after eating well -- helps the food stay in your pouch longer, which makes you feel satisfied longer. From personal experience, when I follow this guideline, it is much easier to stay on track with portions. As far as how long to wait before eating after you've had fluids, I think it depends on the person. If you "fill up on fluids" right before a meal you won't be able to hold the solids your body needs. And considering the small portions we are supposed to be eating, every bite counts as far as meeting your nutrient needs. Plus, you will probably get hungry sooner if you don't eat the portion your MD and/or RD suggests, especially in the beginning. If you can drink something, wait 15 minutes, eat a 1/2 cup portion and stay somewhat satisfied for about 4 hours, then that obviously works for you. I personnaly need to wait 30 minutes before eating. Otherwise, I can't tolerate the solids very well. And that has been true from the beginning for me. It is not an exact science (like many things in the medical field). The guidelines are certainly there for a reason, but I feel there is a little wiggle room to find what works best for you. Keep up the good work!

hi all i get my first fill 4-19-06 very excited can wait to see how it feels and what i will lose congrats on all the weight loss i will log in on wednesday and let u all know what is going on with me thanks for your support

I chose the band for several reasons. 1. I didn't want dumping syndrome. I wanted to be "normal" and getting the shakes when I eat anything with refined sugar didn't appeal to me. 2. I've heard of too many people with bad GI issues after RNY 3. I wanted something adjustable so 2-3 years down the road I can get the band tightened if I need to and 4. I wanted something adjustable so I could get the band loosened if I need to Another consideration was this: I know that as people age, they don't remove the nutrients from food as efficiently. That is another reason re-routing my intestines just seemed dicey. I know they say to just supplement with B-12 but as I reduce the intrinsic factor I make, I am afraid B-12 supplements won't be enough. The band can be removed if I have issues. I'm 53, so who knows where I'll be 10-20 years from now? I may NEED that bit of intestines! :confused_smile: RNY Bypass was just too drastic for me; didn't want my innards re-routed. It would be great to lose a ton of weight really fast, but looking long term, the band was the best solution for me.

My dr said that it was my gallbladder. It was working less than 10% so we thought that removing it would help and it hasn't ???? went to a different doctor today and we will see how his medicine works

Sleeved 10/30 and I am now just able to open the refrigerator door without wanting to vomit! It was way worse the first 2 months.

As this week I am 11 weeks .. Last week when I was cleared I was 10 weeks ???????? how far along are you?

Greg, I am 10 weeks out and one of the hardest things for me so far is pacing myself when I am not paying attention to my meals. For example, if I eat lunch at work and am reading or doing something on the computer, I forget to pace myself and will end up with overfill discomfort. Sometimes, it just won't go on down and I have had to "evacuate" it by throwing it up. Makes me mad because it is my own fault. I have wasted my meal time, wasted my food and then I have to make up my Proteins. I am sure we will learn this lesson sometime...just not sure when...K

I had lap band surgery 10 months ago. I start weight was 257, as of today, I weigh 195. My surgeon is Dr. Adeyeri. My concern is that there are no support groups that meet during the day, and I'm starting to get off track. Any suggestions.

Mine just ask me if I had ever had anesthesia before, what kind of surgeries, if I had any trouble with it. He had me open my mouth wide, tip my head back, and take a few deep breaths for him. They check on any dental work---removable plates, partials, spacers etc. Question if you have any latex allergies. Nothing major. I was not weighed when I had to go meet with an anesthesiologist. It was not however for my band---the Anesth. come to my room and did the same exact thing!!! And it was included in the cost. With my thyroid surgery, I had to go to their office, and pay a co pay......took all of maybe 10 minutes, and I have had several surgeries, and health issues to list!! Don't worry---it is an easy one! Kat

Another 10 vote for Mr. Hobbs. What an adorable dog!

My doctor requires all patients to lose 10 - 15 lbs prior to sugery to make sure we don't have a fatty liver when we go in for surgery. I went to my siminar 2 months before my surgery date. I didn't do the two week pre-op appt. because I lived out of state, so I knew what he said I must lose and started to 'practice' what my life would be like. I didn't cut portions a lot, but I cut out ALL Snacks, I cut out all chips and all bread. The only bread I ate was when we went out to eat, and I'd nibble a little on what they bring to the table. I rode my husband's stationary bike a couple of times a week, not hard rides, but I got up to a mile and a half, I rode for ten minutes. Just these few changes and I lost 23 lbs by the morning of surgery. Wow! I started using a smaller plate, (salad plate) and I used (and still use some times) a small seafood fork. You'll be surprised what you can do!

I discovered this site when I was trying to find other people like me, who are converting from the lap band to the sleeve. I was amazed to learn just how many of "us" there are! For so long I felt like a failure, and that I just didn't work hard enough, or that I just never learned how to use my tool. I got my lap band November 1st, 2010, and lost 17 pounds during the 2-week pre-op stage, and then another 5-10 pounds the first week post-op. But from there, I really had to work hard to lose anymore weight. I was going to the gym at least 3x per week, I was careful to follow all the rules about not eating/drinking, chewing slowly, but didn't have any restriction and was always hungry. My surgeon was only filling my band with .5 cc's of fluid at a time. Before I knew it, it was 3 years later and I'd only lost a total of 40 pounds (but that includes the 25 I dropped at the very beginning during add-on and the immediate weeks that followed), and I had about 8 cc's of fluid in my band that only holds 9 cc's! I couldn't eat hardly anything and was constantly getting food stuck. I was absolutely miserable, and too embarassed and frustrated to go back to the surgeon so I just dealt with it. Then, my employer added weight loss surgery to our covered benefits as of January, 2014 and I decided to look into whether it was possible to get the band removed and convert to the sleeve. My first appointment with the new surgeon /bariatric office was early March, and just yesterday I got the call from the hospital coordinators that I received approval from my insurance company. Now, I am just waiting for the surgeons office to finalize my chart, and I will have my surgery scheduled. I am both nervous and excited, and my biggest fear is that this procedure will also fail...but the more I come here to this site, and read all of your success stories, the more confident I get.

Hello folks, This is my first post, although I've been lurking around since the end of last year when I met a woman at my hair salon who was 8 months post-op from a gastric bypass. I just happened to mention that I've tried all that I could with my weight and felt helpless, then she let me in on her secret. I'm an owner operator travel agent and I'm originally from NY living in the DC area. My family is from Jamaica. I'm married with two lovely girls who will be turning 2 and 5 soon. My husband and his family are all tall and slim. Thankfully our girls look like they've got dad's genes. I have PCOS, but luckily enough, we never had a problem conceiving. Hubby says he has the "rod of correction" -- yeah he's very into himself! I haven't told many people that I'm planning to have surgery this fall. But I have prepared them for my lifestyle change. I started some of the guidance given to me by my nutrionist and I've dropped 20! 248lbs confirmed at my last nutrition appt yesterday. My coworkers have noticed already. They'll be freaked when I really start shrinking. I'm pretty far in my process. Just waiting on the ins required psych eval to be sent to my surgeon's office and we're on to insurance sunmission. I've had a lot of ups and downs in life but I've always prevailed. No matter what I can solve issues and that's why my family nickname is "Champ." The only thing I can say I really failed at was my weight. The last time I was in the 260's I had balloon up 40lbs and was diagnosed shortly thereafter with PCOS at 25; I'm 32 now. I've been fighting this fight a long time and I never felt successful. So bad that I was thankful to be 38 weeks pregnant during my 10 year high school reunion -- hoping they'd figure it was baby weight! I know it was alot for a hello, but I'll be here for while! This is highschoofigure and I approve this message!

There's a very good possibility that I may be on my period the day of surgery. Only 10 days left. Does anyone know if this is a reason for surgeons to reschedule?

Hello everyone. I just wanted to relate my surgery success. I'll start off by stating that I am not the norm when it comes to surgery. Results vary with everyone. I have many relationship es and friends that range from 2yrs to 5yrs post op. They're all amazed at my transformation. I'd like to think it's due to the extreme motivation I've had. My sister passed away at the age of 42. I was turning 42 in February of 2014. I weighed in at 397lbs. I consulted with a surgeon that month and was instructed to lose 20lbs prior to surgery. I lost 51lbs prior to my surgery date on 4-25-14. To say I was motivated is understating it. I was scared I was going to die like my sister did. She was overweight and had a massive cardiac episode during her sleep. I didn't want to leave my wife and children. I am truly blessed. I had the surgery and started walking the hospital halls non stop 3hrs after recovery. The nurses thought I would wear a path in the floors. I didn't sleep well and I had an issue with my blood pressure dropping too low. I was taken off my BP med while still in the hospital and never went back to them. My BP was around 98/50. It has stabilized now. Normally around 108/64 or so. I was released after 2 days and went home to start my new life. I was and am very strict about my diet. I followed everything my doctors and nutritionist told me. The surgeon stated that I would lose 100lbs in a 100 days. I thought, sure buddy. Well the pounds just started melting off. I was exercising religiously. I started by walking 6 minutes twice a day for the first week. I quickly realized that I could do more. I started increasing my time every walk I took. By the end of the first month I was walking 45 minutes twice a day. The length of the walk was lnt the only thing increasing. My rate was too. I started walking faster and faster. I then started to enjoy yard work. I used to hate to mow the lawn even on my riding mower. I went out and purchased a simple walking mower with manual controls. No self propelled wheels or anything. The rider sat abandoned in my yard. What used to take me a half hour on the rider took me 45 minutes walking but it was great exercise. Every week that time went down until it only took me 23 minutes to cut my lawn. Well that's no work out I thought so I brought it over to my parents house and started cutting their huge yard too. So now I was upto 2hrs of lawn cutting and I was itching for more. I st at yed doing all kinds of landscaping jobs in my yard and theirs. Still not enough. I would pack up my mower and drive it a half hour down the highway to do my younger sisters yard. She needed more than mowing too. I did field clearing in her yard as a full acre was covered in brush. By July all of this was easy. I was down the 100lbs my surgeon said I would. At 245lbs or so all things became easier. Especially breathing! That's when I decided to ask my surgeon if I could go to the gym. I got clearance from him and I was off. I started a little shy because I was still that fat guy in my head. I quickly got over myself. I set goals. One goal was to be able to run a 5k this spring. I started on the treadmill but just walking at a 3.5mph clip. I increased that speed to 4.0 by the end of my first week there and went for 3 miles. Then I st at Ted really challenging myself. I started to increase my walks 1 mile a day over the next week. I kid you not, by the end of the week I got on the treadmill and walked 10 miles. It took me just over 2hrs but I did it. I had the bleeding nipple to prove it. I learned my lesson there. Always protect the nipple. Lol. I then started running at a 5mph clip every other day. 1 mile then 2 then 3. Of course I was elated to have hit my 5k goal so soon. I have increase the distance over the winter to a 10 mile run so yes I will be running a 10k next month instead. Now I have cut back on the running as I've developed a major addiction to weight lifting. The last day I took off from the gym was Christmas morning and that was only at the kids request. I only work out with low weight exercises as I'm not looking to bulk up. I've been bulked up all my life. The gym is my second home now though. I do know my limits though. I've been studying the science of exercise and am using the OPT techniques. I also know when to say when. Some days are easy days and some days I flat out get after it. I listen to my body. I am now working towards my certification to become a personal trainer. NASM certification was my choice. I have multiple job offers already on the table and I'm deciding which to take. My ultimate goal is to work with post op patients or people that were in the same situat I n I was in. Ok, I'm sure you're wondering about my stats. If you've taken the time to read this long winded diatribe then you deserve to know. This is no B.S. either. I started my journey at 397 lbs on 2-6-14 at my first weigh in at the surgeons office. I was 346 on 4-26-14 at the St Elizabeth's Hospital on surgery date. It's now 3-28-15. 11 months later and my weight is 186. I went from wearing 52x30 pants to wearing 30x30 and they are a little loose in the waist. I was wearing 4xl shirts and now wearing mediums and smalls in some cuts. Here are some pictures of my journey. IT CAN BE DONE! Be healthy, your life may depend on it. Mine did.

Hi, I'm having my surgery with Dr Binenbaum at Monmouth Medical Center on 1/19

I love my fit bit. It is such a motivator. I earn " badges " as I complete certain levels. It updates my data via wifi to give me weekly stats on my computer. I also have my fitbit scale tied to this program. It is tracking my weight losses each time I weigh myself. Got my first 10# loss badge today! It presents a visual scale for steps, weight, etc. I don't track food cuz I am so limited right now having just had my surgery. I may update and activate that section later on.

I'm having surgery on June 25. Things have gone fairly quickly, I was quite surprised that it took my insurance company only 1 week to approve me for lap band surgery. I'm going to be out of town the whole 10 days pre-op where I can only have liquid protein so I'm packing my suitcase with Slimfast. This is going to be one fun business trip!

Need some help on what to do to insure acceptance, from someone who has already recieved approval from them. I'm scheduled to go to a Free Info night at Lehigh Valley Hospital on July 10 to get started. Any info on what to do would be appreciated. Thanks.

I am on day 3 of my pre op liquid diet and i am starving!! I have to do this for 10 more days, does anyone know if this gets any easier? Any suggestions on how to curb my hunger?

Hello All... Today I am 17 days post-op and it was the first day I did not vomit. I was able to get up and do some things around the house without having to sit and rest every 5-10 mins. It felt good to have some energy and be functioning like normal. I am down 22 pounds since my surgery day. Hot flashes are the worst, at least one every hour. I know that I am not getting all my water and protein in but I just keep trying. Looking forward to everyday for improvements! I had to push back my return to work day by a week since I have been struggling, hoping for next week returning to work. One good note, when I look in the mirror... I can see the loss in my face!!! Sent from my SM-T800 using the BariatricPal App

I just wanted to introduce myself. I had the surgery on June 3rd and am going in for my first fill tomorrow! So far everything has been going well, but I feel a bit in the dark as to what I should be experiencing so decided it would be a good idea to join a support group. The morning of the surgery I weighed 233 lbs. and so far (according to my scale) I'm down to 216. The surgery itself went really well (performed in Germany by Prof. Weiner), and I had lost 10 lbs. before I left the hospital. They didn't offer any supplements from the doctor here, just instructed me to follow a liquid diet for the next 5 weeks until my appointment for the first fill. So, I've been eating a lot of cream of potato Soup (only thing I seem to have a taste for). I didn't have any appetite at all for the first 2 weeks, but then suddenly I was ravenous. I've always been a bit of a calorie counter and it's a hard habit to break. I realized that the first two weeks I was eating less than 300 cals/day. The next week I ate around 500 calories, but felt like I was constantly starving. I pushed the calories up to about 700, but started gaining weight so tried to start doing a little more intense exercise. Still gained weight, which seems so crazy on just 700 cals/day! Talked to some nutritionists who recommended I go to 1,000 cals/day, counter-intuitive I know, but I figured it couldn't hurt to try so I did and wow...suddenly the weight just started coming off. I weighed myself every day for a week and was losing about .5 lb/every two days. I'm sure this is just like any other form of diet control where everyone has to find what works for them, but I thought I'd share what's working for me. Hopefully all will go well at my appointment tomorrow, but I'm a bit nervous as to how I will feel with the fill and also whether or not I'm going to go crazy once I start eating real food again. I hope I find the support I'm looking for here! Katie

Ok I am new to this site. I was banded on 1/10/11. It is hard to believe after all the classes and nutrition visits that the day after surgery I acted like I had no idea what I was suppose to eat. Almost 6 days out and I amj ready for some kind of food to chew. The liquids is killing me