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So still having the issue. Way less diarrhea (probably 3-4x/day) and not to have TMI but it's not all watery persay but it's very soft but still feel pressure and have an urge to go with very little coming out. And it's an urge... I mean I pretty much run! I did do an enema, drank some m of m, taking marilax, sitz bath. Still no solid poop but maybe I'm expecting too much? I did go in yesterday for blood work and give urine sample. Dr office is closed today but I was able to see my results online and all my numbers seemed to be in the normal range. I have zero pain(more pressure then pain) other then in my butt. I know I have hemorrhoids so I'm wondering if that is my pressure feeling? I was reading online and it (butt pressure) can be brought on by anxiety which I have horribly. It almost seems if I'm busy I don't notice it. I'm going to go back on my anxiety meds and see if that helps. Going to try to start back on some mushies (I have been on them for a week but haven't eaten any bc I didn't want to get backed up more) to see if that helps with the loose stool. I'm going to call Monday and insist on X-ray or u/s if I'm not better. And maybe this is all a "normal" feeling after surgery?? Don't know. Just frustrated! I felt like my old self (minus the 42lbs) last week and just want to feel like that again!

Just free weights. I own 1lb., 5lb. and 10lb. ones. I used to have a weight bench and curl bar so I could add weight onto it. You can google curl bar and see what I mean or I can point you to some links. I had to sell the weight bench and curl bar, unfortunately, bc I have tendon and ligament issues and am only allowed to lift up to 10 lbs. That's why I now use free weights. Oh, and these tendon and ligament issues have nothing to do with the DS. They began long before I had it done.

Ok - What I should have said was "Did you listen to bull-shit like that when you were fat?" I mean telling someone who is overweight that "Just because you can eat a lot does that mean you should"... is bull - did you listen to that crap pre-banding? Overweight people have a problem and the band is supposed to help us not "eat a lot"... that was the original posters point... is "why can I still eat a lot".... she didn't say "Should I still eat a lot?" Obviously, we shouldn't eat a lot with or without the band! The band is a tool to help us not eat a lot.... Yes it still takes the head to make decisions about not eating Ice Cream! (or milk-shakes or candy) So I agree it is a combination of the head and the band.... I just don't think BS "sayings" are helpful!

The kids were complaint so we googled and that one was a natural way to deter mosquitos... Haven't got any fed back from the kids if they tried it yet... We're just starting to mosquitos season here in NY... They have been doing lots of aerial spraying as there is a fear of Zika virus being spread so maybe that will cut back on them... Keep me posted if it works... Happy dog walking, my dog loves walking too Sent from my iPhone using the BariatricPal App

Sitting at Dr now for my week check up, im only taking vitamin d bc I was deficient . I got the glue too, no staples and they gave me a nausea patch behind my ear so my recovery has mostly only bothered me at the incision sites. Any one else’s having their stomach actually growl and rumble as if you’re starving?

I guess I wasn't approved Bc I never received anything.

I was wondering , if I am the only one here who got wls done at a young age .Im 19 and almost 7 months ago I got a gastric plications done. So far I have lost 42kg ( my biggest weight was 127kg, and now im 86kg) If there are people here my age , how do you deal with various situations infront of your friend,relatives,co workers. Cause i feel like my friends dont want to hang with me anymore bc I dont eat junk food or (as I say) I am on a strickt diet. Sent from my SM-J730F using BariatricPal mobile app

orthostatic hypotension. was told to drink more and add salt to everything I can. but I blacked out at Walmart this weekend so I am demanding a prescription to fix this. I drink a ton. unacceptable bs. Sent from my SM-G930R4 using BariatricPal mobile app

So for my 2 week pre op diet.. I can have 2 - 3 protein shakes and one small meal a day that consist of 3 oz of protein, some veggies and starch. What do most of you eat?? Im guessing alot of grilled chicken, maybe some tuna and brothy soups and salads? Tomorrow starts my diet and im nervous!!! Im a stay at home mom with 3 kids so i eat alot bc im bored and its in front of me!!!

You're my hero. I only ever go on one thread now for Aussie sleevers and that's only because they are now dear friends. Everyone else is talking about the same old things all the time and I have a short attention span. I'm bored of this whole site and rarely post on any other threads. I believe I have an interesting story, I got very sick almost immediately after my sleeve and ended up at goal after only 3 months. I've tried to help others who want it but am now just a bit fed up. I will stalk the forums occasionally, I'm glad I stumbled across you're rant.

Has anyone had VS pushed through due to medical issues? My BCBS Fed requires 4 months of medically supervised weight loss and counseling, but I am an uncontrolled diabetic. From what I have researched a lot of my medical problems may go away very soon after the surgery. I would appreciate any info from the folks here. I am so glad I found this site. Carrie

Wow did you even get the surgery? I would go see the surgeon bc that is not right at all Sent from my iPhone using the BariatricPal App

Kalipso - I read your post and it was the closest one that came to possibly answering my questions about my situation. Ok its been since Sunday (its now Thursday evening) and I still cant eat, even small bites. Sunday afternoon I started vomiting. The sliming comes every time i eat 2 bites of anything. I have even vomited pumpkin Soup. Ive been drinking soy milk and Water since Sunday. Im just about at 5 months so your post was interesting to me. I feel Ive got a lump in my throat. When I ingest anything I notice a burning in my throat but its more like pressure than a burn. Right now I am trying to get a Protein shake down but ive taken 3 sips and it just not happening. The slime is starting. I started a new job and didnt want to ask off of work and have been trying to wait until Saturday to go see the dr. It has been fun to at least see the scale go down each morning. But this is a little troubling. Im not dehydrated bc i drink all day in tiny sips. So im drinking all day but its taking me hours to drink 12 oz. I cant possibly have something blocking, right? All these days and after vomiting so many times?! Thanks if you see this and respond.

Thanks 2BME...that spinach souffle recipe sounds really good. I have had quiche before and liked it. I even liked raw spinach in salads...just couldn't eat the cooked stuff. But I will definately try the souffle. And the Mexican dish is up my alley too. Thanks. Today for lunch I had some black bean soup with a little brown rice in it. Still looking forward to having the refried Beans. OTBT....You won't believe this. Another thing my Dr.'s office said asbolutely no to....Grits! They were very adamant about it. I just don't get it. Say, what does the baby food in general taste like? I never tried it when I fed it to my son 10 yrs. ago. (I'm picky, remember?) It never appealed to me. Just curious. On the positive side, got on the scale and noticed I lost 3 more pounds. I'm not going to be shouting it from the rooftops though...I consider my "true" weight to be the one taken at my Dr.'s office. My next appt. is in April when I get my first fill. Can't wait.

So it's been awhile since I last posted, but I'm still loving my lap-band! I had my second fill last monday, where she gave me .5ccs (my first fill was 4.4ccs). I was pretty disappointed when I heard how low she was going, but I agreed anyway, bc she didn't really want to give me one in the first place. I'm 3 months out and lost 50 lbs between pre-op and now, so she was really happy with my progress. Well.. I'm thinking i might be at green, or close to it. I can still eat and enjoy foods, but I'm noticing i get stuck if I'm not mindful of my eating. I've had 3 pb episodes, so I really need to focus on small bites, chewing well, and listening for my signals (usually a small hiccup). I'm still eating low carb, because it works best for me. Currently sipping warm green tea because i just had a pb episode with Quest Protein chips.

Appetite Increased By Action Of Ghrelin Hormone Leading To Accumulation Of Abdominal Fat 5/21/09 Appetite Increased By Action Of Ghrelin Hormone Leading To Accumulation Of Abdominal Fat The ghrelin hormone not only stimulates the brain giving rise to an increase in appetite, but also favours the accumulation of lipids in visceral fatty tissue, located in the abdominal zone and considered to be the most harmful. This is the conclusion of research undertaken at Metabolic Research Laboratory of the University Hospital of Navarra, published recently in the International Journal of Obesity. Ghrelin is a hormone produced in the stomach and the function of which is to tell the brain that the body has to be fed. Thus, the level of this secretion increases before eating and decreases after. It is known to be important in the development of obesity, given that, on stimulating the appetite, it favours an increase in body weight, explained Ms Amaia Rodr?guez Murueta-Goyena, doctor in biology and main researcher of the study. However, researchers at the University Hospital of Navarra have discovered that, besides stimulating the hypothalamus to generate appetite, ghrelin also acts on the tabula rasa cortex. They observed how this hormone favoured the accumulation of lipids in visceral fatty tissue. In effect, it causes the over-expression of the fatty genes that take part in the retention of lipids, explained Ms Rodr?guez. It is precisely this accumulated fat in the region of the abdomen that is deemed to be most harmful, as it is accompanied by comorbilities, visceral obesity being related to higher blood pressure or type 2 diabetes. Moreover, being located in the abdominal zone and in direct contact with the liver, this type of fatty tissue favours the formation of liver fat and increases the risk of developing resistance to insulin. It is associated with hypertension, high levels of triglycerides, resistance to insulin and hypercholesterolemia: visceral fat favours the metabolic syndrome, the researcher pointed out. Ghrelin can show itself in acylated or deacylated form, the difference being in the octanoic acid present in the composition of the former, according to Ms Rodriguez. Previously it was thought that only the acylated form was active in the process of weight increase, but many studies point to both hormones being biologically functional. Future development of pharmaceutical drugs This discovery of the twin action of ghrelin on the organism opens the door to future treatment for obesity and which, for the time being, is limited to in vitro studies in cell and animal models, the University Hospital researcher pointed out. This inclusive perspective of the functioning of a hormone is necessary in order to design effective pharmaceutical drugs. There are many hormones that intervene in the control of appetite in the hypothalamus and, at the same time, can act on other organs, such as the liver, the muscles or fat, for example. Thus, the medication developed should block the action of ghrelin both on the hypothalamus and on the accumulation of abdominal fat. At the same time, stated Ms Rodr?guez, it has to be taken into account that this hormone also acts on the liver and favours the capturing of glucose in the muscle. They observed that the concentration of acylated-form ghreline in the blood increases amongst obese persons and particularly when these, moreover, suffer from diabetes. Thus, obese persons with diabetes have greater tendency to accumulate visceral fat than normoglycemic obese persons. This is a little-studied field which has to be investigated in order to develop pharmaceutical drugs which annul this action of ghrelin. Blood analysis and stimulation of adipocytes The research undertaken at the Metabolic Research Laboratory of the University Hospital of Navarra principally involved the analysis of the blood of 80 patients, both obese and thin, and in the stimulation with ghrelin of the fatty cells from surgical operations. First they analysed the ghrelin levels in the blood. Then, based on the biopsies of visceral fat obtained from 24 patients subjected to various operations, the adipocytes or fatty cells were separated and subsequently stimulated with hormone, which enabled the researchers to evaluate the changes generated in the genes that favoured the lipid accumulation in these isolated adipocytes, explained the researcher. Source: Oihane Lakar Elhuyar Fundazioa

Since pregnancy should be avoided the first year or 2 after WLS I wanted to share this article about the bc pill recall: Well ain’t that some ****?! ONE MILLION PFIZER BIRTH CONTROL pills RECALLED! Hope you all didn’t plan on those really working! Surprise! One Million Birth Control Pill Packets Recalled Filed under: Adverse Effects,Women’s Contraception,Women’s Health — Mike Mitka Improper packaging of certain birth control pills manufactured by Pfizer and sold under the Akrimax Pharmaceuticals brand may leave women without adequate contraception, putting them at risk for unintended pregnancy. (Image: FDA) Pfizer is withdrawing a reported 1 million packets of birth control pills because errors in how the pills were packaged may put women at risk for unintended pregnancy. The company is recalling 14 lots each of Lo/Ovral-28 (norgestrel and ethinyl estradiol) Tablets and Norgestrel and Ethinyl Estradiol Tablets (generic), intended for customers in the US market. The tablets were manufactured and packaged by Pfizer and marketed by Akrimax Rx Products under the Akrimax Pharmaceuticals brand. These products are packaged in blister packs containing 21 tablets of active ingredients and 7 tablets of inert ingredients. Adequate contraception depends on a woman taking the proper pills in a designated sequence. The products were distributed to warehouses, clinics, and retail pharmacies nationwide. In an investigation, Pfizer found that some blister packs may not contain the proper number of inert or active ingredient tablets and that some of the tablets might be out of sequence. As a result, the daily regimen for these oral contraceptives may be incorrect and could leave women without adequate contraception and at risk for unintended pregnancy. Pfizer said that women who took the recalled pills should begin using a nonhormonal form of contraception immediately and urged patients who have taken the recalled medications to notify their physicians and return any unused tablets to the pharmacy. Any adverse events that may be related to the use of these products should be reported to Akrimax Medical Information at 1-877-509-3935 (8 AM to 7 PM Central standard time, Monday through Friday) or to the US food and Drug Administration’s MedWatch Program either online, by regular mail, or by fax. For regular mail, use the postage-paid, preaddressed Form FDA 3500; to fax, dial 1-800-FDA-0178 (1-800-332-0178). Information about the lot numbers of the affected packets of birth control pills can be found here.

There has only been one other person I've read about having a one year "hoop" on this board! I think there should be one set standard!!!! A year is a long time---if it is medically necessary, provide the required info and keep going! I asked my "coach" provided/required by my insurance, "how many people have life changing weight loss after having 20-30 minute phone conferences once a month for 12 months AND no longer need the surgery?" She referred me to BCBS. ????Why would she refer you to bcbs? I'm sorry I'm a little dense right now from a hard day at work and trying to get used to my new eating plan. She is contracted by BC/BS---she didn't have the stats I guess. However, the MD office told me no one ever finishes the program!

I'd be curious who your doctor is and whether he is recommending the traditional DS or the modified one that is more commonly done today. I was smaller than you 15+ years ago when I had the traditional DS. A couple of doctors didn't feel I needed it. After doing the research and a lot of thought, I believed it was best for me. But it's a very personal decision. One factor in my decision making process was I wanted a procedure that was known for letting you lose the most weight and have the greatest chance to keep it off. I have done that. However, there are negatives you learn to deal with. Such as when to eat junk and/or complex carbs. I don't eat either in public or during the day. Those are done at night so if I have gas or stool I can deal with it at home. What I appreciate is I eat every couple of hours. As a binge eater, this appealed to me. I eat protein (as much as I want). For a snack I'll have a triple cheeseburger with catsup. I don't eat the bun bc: 1. I always have to get in my protein first and the bun is too filling; and 2. I wouldn't eat those carbs unless I was at home. What I like about being able to eat much and often is I don't feel deprived. I constantly snack on cheese, nuts, cold cuts, peanut butter, etc. There is no counting calories w/the DS. Only protein grams (I average 125-150 day) and complex carb grams. That is what was and is important to me. but everyone has their own deal breakers of what they can't live with or live without. It took 2 years postop for me to decide the DS had been right for me. I didn't want WLS, I wanted to do it on my own but I finally realized I couldn't. I stumbled onto the DS at the end of 2004, when I was going to seminars at different hospitals in Manhattan. I'd never heard of it, but realized if I had to have WLS this was the one I felt would work the best for me in the long term. I do take 40+ vits/minerals day and have my bloods done every 6 mos. Some doctors require them done yearly. It depends on the doctor. Often after the bloods are done, I have to tweak my vits/mineral intake up or down. I've never missed a day of supplements as this is something you must commit to for the rest of your life if you have a DS. I'd suggest a Pros/Cons list to figure out which (if any) of the WLS is the best for you. I found it very helpful when making my decision.

I have aetna, and I was told aetna is one of the better companies to have. I agree 100% so far. I was nervous bec of all the bad hype on here about aetna, but SO FAR my journey has been super smooth! I have 1 month left of my 3 month multidisciplinary program. I do wonder, though, if anyone knows...when I first looked into this, my bmi was 38, but over the course of the summer, I've actually gained weight and now my bmi is 40...could I be denied bc of that? I'm really freaking out about that...

I was told by my NUT that it can push the food you have eaten down so it allows you to eat more bc you don't feel the fullness like you would just by eating. But I have heard a few different reasons.

@@mallnut Basically anything that isn't a dense Protein. When you are eating meat, I seriously doubt you will be able to eat 4 ounces. 4 ounces is an expected amount to be able to eat according to my booklet, 2-4 ounces. Don't listen to all the people that talk that 2 bites BS. We have no idea what 2 bites is, and it is useless anecdotal information, not a scientific measurement.

Oh, and from what I have read, you will only be off for a week unless your job description would require longer. That would be up to the doctor. I started the process at the end of January, and all I am waiting on, and have been waiting on, is the psych evaluation to come back. After that, I was told it only takes up to 5 days for approval from BCBS-fed.

My PCP had suggested WLS several times over the past few years but never pressured me and was always supportive with whatever I wanted to try next. My insurance (Anthem BC/BS) doesn't cover anything "weight loss" unless I am actually enrolled in an approved weight loss center's program. So, he would write other things on the chart when I was primarily there to talk to him about weight loss. Stupid system. He recently saved my life because I offhandedly mentioned to him that I was spotting (I'm post menopausal) - ordered an ultrasound and then called me himself with the results and made the appointment with the gynecologist. Turned out I had uterine carcinosarcoma ("unique, rare, and extremely aggressive cancer"). It was all contained within the uterus and appears to have been all summarily removed I have always used doctors as tools to get medication or procedures done that I thought I needed. With all that has happened recently I am rethinking our relationship - it should be a partnership whose goal is my good health. If your PCP isn't your partner, find one who can be.

yeah we have agreed that starting next year we are no longer buying into the materialistic nonsense of xmas anymore-this yr just finally did it for us-when you spend over $5000 at a holiday then something is seriously wrong in the scheme of things to us and this was it this year-next yr its going to be no more that $100 TOTAL-we need to get back to the basics of xmas-im so over this materialistic end of it.Tell your MIL to volunteer at the local soup kitchen for xmas then maybe she will reevaluate her selfcentered bs.