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Hello, This is my Monterrey Mexico story which began on April 27th, 2006. I am going to keep and refer back to this when explaining what has happened to me when I went to go get the adjustable lap band done. I have done lots of research this last year about the adjustable gastric band. I have lost all personal hope of ever keeping my weight off. I feel that if I manage by a miracle to lose it, I will gain it back again eventually. I was interested in a way to keep it off permanently, but was afraid of the gastric bypass, which its main function is by malabsorption of the food you eat. That surgery as worked well for many, but I wanted something less dangerous and less invasive. So I found the lap-band which causes a person to feel full and eat much much less. I wish I had been prepared for what Mexico looked like. I have never been out of the United States and was quite naive. I went through Dr Roberto Rumbaut, who has done many many more than any physician I can find her in the states. He has a very low complication rate. He is located in Monterrey Mexico. He had drivers to pick us up and take us everywhere we were supposed to be. Hardly any of the drivers spoke much English, but they still got us where we needed to go. As they brought us into Monterrey, I was not prepared for the slums. Trash everywhere, and just homes that look like pieces of boards slapped together of all different shapes and colors. As we drove into the main part of Monterrey it was ok. The mountains are beautiful. It is a city of over 4 million. I like the states bette.... I was not prepared for how people drive. There are no stoplights, and they all drive very fast and ride each others bumpers, honking their horn and pulling out in front of people continually. It was a scary ride every time. As I spoke with other patients of Dr. Rumbauts, some from the states, and others from abroad, they said they drive like this everywhere in other countries, not just Mexico. I was amazed. Another thing that scared me were the police along the roads holding fully automatic machine guns. HELLO! Anyway, yes again, I have never been out of the US. My driver said, yah he liked it cause if he gets pulled over by the police he can pay them five dollars, and get out of a ticket I think I would rather be able to trust that the police were honest and doing their jobs, not that they are all that way here in the states!! It just feels safer here. We certainly have our own corruption. We were taken from the airport straight to the cardiologist for pre-op tests. He was very kind and seemed very competent. He spoke enough English to carry on a conversation. We then were taken to our Hotel at Hampton Inn, which was very nice. Later in the evening we were taken to see Dr. Rumbaut and his staff. I spoke his nutritionist, dietician, and Dr. Rumbaut and his assistant. My husband and I were impressed. Dr Rumbaut told me he has had his own band for 8 ½ years and has maintained a 110 pound wt loss. The next morning I went to surgery. I was very impressed with the hospital, it was beautiful, nicer than any I have seen here, and the medical equipment was excellent. The surgery went well, but they kept me in recovery for a lot longer because I was in so much pain. I remember just crying out in pain. Dr Rumbaut said to the nurses to get my pain under control before I could go to my room. All I could think of is I wanted my husband, but no one could understand me. And they wouldn’t let him come back into recovery. So finally in the evening they let me go to my room and I was so grateful to see my honey. I had terrible pain throughout the night. They told me it was gas pain. I couldn’t drink much cause it hurt and also made me feel like vomiting. I certainly didn’t want to do that after a stomach operation. So the Dr. that was their, I don’t know who he was, had them give me more meds, which helped, then about 1am, the nurse came in and shut off my fluids and my pain medicine, and left. I was like OH MY GOSH! So I layed their for about an hour then went out and asked for more meds. I know they understood me, I asked three different times. They knew I was upset. They didn’t care. It was crazy. Then at 445 am I called and said in English, Please Please bring me medicine.!!! They came right in like nothing had happened and gave me medicine. So when the DR. and his surgeon came in around 730, I was crying about what had happened and they were so upset, my husband thought the surgeon was going to cry with me. It was nice to see compassion. They had given us before they left their personal cell numbers, but we didn't think to call them. They said we should have and they would have taken care of everything. Oh well, So they got me all fixed up and told me I was dehydrated and that I had to drink and walk. So after I felt better, I did do those things. And the nausea was gone. Anyway the hell went on into the next day as I checked back into my hotel room. The gas was getting less, but still bad. Feels like a heart attack sorta. Really I didn’t feel better until two days later. As I talked to some of his other patients that had surgery the same day, they had no problems at all. Thought it went smooth. For some reason this old body took in a lot of the gas and couldn’t get rid of it. My pain was so horrible. Dr Rumbaut told me my pain was unusual, but to be assured my surgery went beautifully. No problems at all. So now I am writing this four days later and I feel much much better. I am going back to work tomorrow. Still slightly tired, but doing well. And what is so so funny, is that I have restriction. Usually you have to wait for six weeks to get a fill into your band, so it will be tighter and make you full. I am on a liquid diet for two weeks, then a soft mushy diet for two weeks, then normal foods. At this point, I cannot eat over 6-8 ounces of any liquid or I get too full. It is great, I have been on liquids for five days now.. Dr. Rumbaut told me The band was a little tight, and that I would like that. Well so far I sure do. Dr. Rumbaut came to my room the last day and checked on me and answered questions. They will be referring me to some Dr. in Kansas City to do my fills. If I ever have any problems though, I will go back to Dr. Rumbaut. I feel they definitely are the specialists that they appear to be. So all in all, I am happy. I was not prepared for the gas pain, but I am through that now. I am losing weight. I don’t know how much, I can just tell. I am trying to eat well and am taking liquid vitamins. Dr. Rumbaut’s dietician will guide me through this during the year via email. Helping me know If I need and adjustment on my band or not. And helping me eat right. I pray everything continues well, and this time next year I will be minus 100 pounds or so. I will keep you updated.. Love Michelle

Did your surgeon permanently remove those listed foods from your diet or for a short period? Week by week things will get better and you will eventually return to a normal routine but I understand completely. It is very hard giving up foods you like even for short periods of time. Hang in there! Glad you are doing well and recovering after the complications ❤️

Thank you everyone for taking the time to respond. That’s really helpful to hear. My doc is very conservative I guess as the no solid food till 12 weeks post op is standard for their patients independent of the bowel obstruction complication. Plus pretty rigid on the 15 minutes between 1-2oz bites or sips (haven’t bitten anything is 4+ weeks!). It’s just a lot to accept but I know at this point I have no choice. Just hopeful things will normalize in a few months. One day at a time as they say.

Hi JRT Mom, my first set of ulcers were related to H Pylori. This time around they tested for H Pylori but it was negative. I don’t use a lot of NSAIDS so I’m not really sure what the culprit is. I had my gallbladder removed shortly after I was told I had Ulcers in 2011 (sludge). The MRICP revealed no pancreatic or duct complications but it did reveal I have Hepatic Steatosis (non alcoholic fatty liver disease). In 43 and so finding this out was a shock & that is why I have really decided I need to do something about my weight. I’ve already been told my cholesterol was high and was diagnosed with Hashimotos Hypothyroid about 2 years ago. I will definitely make an appointment with my gastroenterologist to discuss bariatric surgery and to get his input.

May i ask what the complications have been that you've seen? Im so nervous..oct 25 ahh!!

I agree, you ARE a SUCCESS! Your pics show just how far you've come. I hope you can look back at this complication as just a bump in the road.

I do miss food. But I miss that refreshed feeling of drinking water. I had some complications so that also contributes to my feelings.

I take Protonix RX for 6 months now. this is a new symptom....long history of complications. I am asymptomatic which is good and not at risk for esophogeal issues at this point. not eating - tube feeding, which my body is handling just fine. who knows?? it is just yucky.....(10# to go, but i might change it from 140 to 135 when i get healthy.)

I'm the same! I had my orientation at Kaiser a little over 2 weeks ago, where they told us to start on the pre-op diet. I had a BMI of 35 -- I'm 5'4" with a SW of 215. I've already lost 12 pounds, which drops me down to a BMI of 34. I have my first meeting with the surgeon tomorrow... I'm hoping to schedule surgery for July. If I keep up the weigh loss, I have to imagine I'll be at least at a 33 by then. Thankfully, I'm told that Kaiser goes by the orientation weight, so it shouldn't matter. If anything, I want my body to be as healthy as possible by the time I have surgery in order to reduce complications. But I'll also see what the surgeon says tomorrow when I meet him!

Okay, so here's a quick rundown of what's been going on. My dad wasn't informed about this surgery until after I got insurance approval and that is the route that I decided would be best because my dad doesn't like it when things are half assed. After checking this route with my mom, she agreed with me. That way, after my consultation and all the tests I would be able to answer his questions. And I decided to wait until after getting insurance approval because if I got denied by insurance, there wasn't any point in getting him all worked up about it. Well, he wasn't happy with that decision, or any other decisions I've made for my life, especially those regarding this surgery. For the past two weeks, we have been fighting nonstop. Calm talks turn into screaming matches and then I get upset and then we'll go days before talking again, and then the cycle repeats. He went as far as to say he would pull me from the insurance policy if I continue to say that I would go through with this. But at the end of yesterday's conversation, that threat was mentioned and I think he's relenting because he said, "Cate, you're going to do whatever it is you want to do anyway." Our relationship has always been rocky and complicated. He was never around when I was growing up and recently, because of my mom's declining health, made more of an effort to be present in the last three years. But I will stand by how I feel and that's that he can't just decide to waltz back into my life and stop me from making major decisions for my life. He's never been to a single doctor's appointment with me. Which brings me to my next point. He called all my doctors - my PCP, my endo, my gyno, my gastro, my neuro, my suregon - who all spoke to him, except my suregon, and not only did they speak to him about my medical records without my written or verbal permission, but my endo told him inaccurate and incorrect information! My suregon, the gentleman that he is, requested a meeting with both my parents and myself to answer any and all questions that they may have, (I went to my consult with a friend because my mom is disabled and homebound, except in cases like this, and my father was still in the dark at that point.) and also asked for my permission to speak to my parents about my medical history. It just makes me crazy. If I don't get pulled from the policy and I do have surgery next Thursday, I'm going to be going to the hospital alone. I have one parent that supports me and can't be there and one parent that could be there but doesn't support me. I just hate how friends that I known for my whole life and even those that I've only had for a year or two support me more then my own family. I'm so tired of fighting with him and I'm sorry that he doesn't like what I'm doing but I'm doing this for me. One thing for me and he needs to understand that. And I know that, regardless of how 'in' my life he was, he's still my parent and he's still concerned, but he doesn't want to know anything about this. He is so stubborn! So, if things go as planned, I will have surgery on Feb. 9th. I'm just so completely stressed out. Thanks for letting me vent, I needed to get that off my chest.

If you don't mind my asking, why did you have to be rebanded three days later? Did you have serious complications?

Ok, allow me to give you some background info, bounce my problems off you and see if you can sort this out for me... I was banded 9/18/2006. I've lost 100 lbs give or take depending on the day. Since mid December I've not lost much of anything. I had a .50cc fill 2/2/08 lost 4 lbs then totally stopped loosing again. At first I chalked it up to too many Holiday treats, now I'm getting worried. It's March-there's no more Holiday treats to sneak! I told my Doc I only wanted a .25cc fill. I thought .50cc would be too much. I feel tight, but I'm not sure it's too tight. I have a coffee & yogurt for Breakfast, salad w/grilled chicken for lunch, and most of the time I have a Protein drink for dinner. Granted I have a wicked sweet tooth, and I usually have a chocolate snack around 3:00pm. But that's nothing new, and it's usually very small, like a chocolate pudding cup, or a couple kisses, or hot cocoa. I don't think I eat enough not to be loosing anything. My God, if thats all I can eat to maintain 180+ lbs, I'll never make it to 120! What would I be eating, a rice cake every-other day??? I slipped my band 1/16/07, and I now live in constant, consuming fear of another slip, or other complication. I digress... For all of you still reading my ramble, thank you, now allow me to get to my point. Since my fill, some days I feel like I can only drink my meals, somedays I can eat everything in sight. I always gurgle. I have HORRIBLE burping fits. I sound like an 85 year old man with no manners left. I sometimes scare my 5 year old, he thinks it's a monster coming to get him. I get the shoulder gas pain often. It doesn't feel like my slip felt, but I don't know. Am I just mental? Am I normal? Is there something wrong? Any of you get the burps this bad? Can I do anything about it? Honestly, my coworker came to my desk the other day to tell me, and I quote... "What are you doing over here, it's the grossest thing I've ever heard!" I need help!

Hi SL I sent you an email previously today through another site, but not sure you got it. I clearly still don't know what I'm doing. Thanks for your well wishes. I hope you're doing wonderfully well on your diet...I am still not focused yet. All of the possible, but rare complications appear to be hitting me, quite literally, in the face right now. The bruising is down, do I don't look so much like Panda anymore. The swelling, visual disturbances and now a small scar tissue tumor behind my left lower eye lid are quite troubling. They are supposed to work on the "granuloma" next Wed. They also told me not to fill my eye glass prescription yet, because changes in vision often occur. When one signs the list of complications on the release form just before surgery, one seldom has to worry about all of these things...It's just like the lapband was to me...I seem to encourage odd and unusual occurrences, Sky It's July 4th -- Independence Day here in the U.S. There will be fireworks and celebrations tonight, but only in the places that aren't under a ban because of the drought we are experiencing. We have forest and grass fires in multiple locations. It seems like the whole world is experiencing natural disasters and tragedies of one kind or another. Take care of yourself, my friend, and do well on your high Protein, low carb. I know you can succeed. let me hear from you!! Grandy

Had you not seen Dr in those 3 mos with complications? Sent from my SM-G900H using the BariatricPal App

My 30 pounds overwieght became 80 pounds overweight w/in 5 years. The problem is that many people can lose 40, 50 and even 100 lbs. The big question is, Can you maintain that weight? I can lose 40-45 pounds but I have never lost more than that. I knew that lapband would be the best tool for me to lose my weight and maintain it. That's what I'm hoping for. I feel very positive about getting the weight off more so than I ever did pre-band. I keep saying to myself that I did something so major as LapBand that I'm not about to screw it up. I can't think about the "what ifs". I just know that if I get the most out of my band and lose the weight, I have won the battle. There are risks and complications with almost everything we do in life. As you know, being overweight is a risk in itself. One that I'm not willing to take. The risks of lapband are far less riskier than being obese. You have to be extremely comfortable with your decision. I expected this to be so life altering as far as my eating habits. So far so good. Of course I haven't had a fill yet. So we'll see what happens after that. My advice to you is to talk to patients who have had this surgery by your surgeon. There is probably a support group that you can attend. I found once I attended the support group with patients who have had the surgery with my surgeons group, I felt much better about my decsion. Every person in the support group was thrilled and excited with their new life. Some people on this site are on it for good reasons. They may have minor or even major complications and need answers. But look around more. There are many people on this site who are very happy with their decision. Wishing you the best of luck with whatever you decide. Keep us posted.

Hi there people, The more i stay on this site the less positive i am about being banded. My banding date is October 18th but.. Im not sure if all the " adjusting " being banded will be worth it. You see i,m 6,1, tall ( 185 cm )and was about 260 lbs (120 kg).BMI 36 So i do look big though it,s more of a belly, BUT since seeing the surgeon i have been on Optifast VLCD and lost 22lbs (10kg) and by surgery time i will have lost another 22lbs (10 kg) and my goal wieght is about 200lbs (90kg). So i will almost be there any way. After banding i will have to change my eating habits , exercise ect so why cant i do that without being banded and avoid all the hassles.And possible complications and disapointments the some of you have. I have been overwieght for the past 25 years and have yo yoed up and down most years Am i making sense or just confused. HELP............ Mark

When I went to the doctor last for a case of bronchitis, I had a huge shock when I stepped on the scale -- 204!!! I'm 4'11. That gives me a BMI of 41.2. I've been maintaining at 170-180 for about the last 3-4 years. My highest weight ever was 244 when I was 19 and on birth control pills. When I wasn't in a relationship I decided to just throw them away -- they were costing me money and it wasn't like I was in danger of getting pregnant... my allegedly underactive thyroid got into the normal range within a month of coming off of them. I got down to 145 over a year, then have crept back up. The thing that changed me from the 170-180 up to this was dislocating my kneecap nearly two years ago. I've had reduced activity -- it still hurts to walk through Wal-Mart. When I saw the scale go up over 200, I wanted to cry, and not just for physical pain. I know to some I don't have a huge weight problem. People say I "carry it well". They don't want to offend me, I'm sure. And I even admit it's not as bad as it used to be. But I'm terrified. My mother had gastric bypass at 265 lbs, she now weighs 120 but has had major complications -- says she doesn't regret it a bit tho. Four of her cousins had it. My paternal grandmother should have had it, but at the time Medicaid didn't cover it. She died in a nursing home at 62, weighing 600 lbs needing double knee replacements but too heavy for them to do them. I don't want to live that life. I don't know if I have severe comorbidities because I've not checked. I haven't had a cholesterol test, sleep study, EKG, anything else like that -- almost too afraid to. I do have asthma and my knee, but I have Aetna insurance and I know those don't qualify. But am I crazy to be thinking about the Lap-Band when I'm only 29 and only a 41.2 BMI? (If the pre-surgical diet takes me down much, and it doesn't take much at 4'11, I might not meet Aetna's qualifications for the surgery from what I can see....)

Six months post op following gastric sleeve and thought things were looking up. Finally got in for my 3 month checkup 3 months late due to complications) and asked if my PPI could be increased because of all the burning pain in my stomach and throat. The nutritionist said he would ask. Received a call from the MDT to say that a surgeon on the team thinks that I may have an ulcer and wants to personally do a gastroscopy urgently. The soonest he can do it is the 16th of December. Problem is that the burning has gotten quite a bit worse in the past few days. Using the prescribed lansoprazole and Gaviscon, not eating trigger foods etc. but I recently started taking the bariatric supplement Forceval (prescribed) everyday. This is new because I had previously been too ill to take them. I am going to lay off them to see if that will help. I hate to stop my supplements because I am nearly bald as it is but this burning, gnawing business is no joke! I will go back to Clear liquids (fourth time lucky lol), then full. Any other ideas to get me through until the 16th? Sent from my iPhone using the BariatricPal App

First of all, this journal won't be specifically about lapband surgery and weight loss. I'm on this site every day more than once usually, and I need to start journaling again. So, it's just common sense to use this space. Secondly, I like to write. Last year, 2005, was the toughest roughest year I have yet experienced. My mom had surgery, stayed in hospitals for 5 months due to complications, and a septic infection finally ended it. Her funeral was on what would have been her 73rd birthday. There will be more about this in other entries. Part of this journal's purpose is to work through this grief. So, the first half of 2005 was spent in hospitals. I decided to face this weight problem and the health problems associated with it and had lapband surgery in July. In November, the day following my 50th birthday (THIS was the highlight of 2005 - my 50th birthday...go figure!), my beautiful, wonderful 92 year old grandmother passed. She had a stroke that led to a coma and she passed peacefully. Yeah, she had a great, healthy long life, but dang! My mom and my grandmother in one year? I told you it was going to be about other stuff. Attitude of gratitude - well, that's just a reminder! One way to handle loss is to try hard to see the good stuff you have. Seems like that might be a good idea for us "lapdancers"...that's what my DH call us...to have the attitude of gratitude, too. I'm sure I'll explore more of that idea, too. I'm grateful for this journal space, and the invitation to use it. I'm grateful for the blessing in disguise offered by the dr. who told me I was too heavy for him to realistically treat my ankle...and suggested this lapband surgery. I am grateful for my little girl's unquestioning, unconditional love (if you don't count being held hostage by the desire for more Polly Pockets!) To be continued...

I everyone. I am beyond happy that I found this site. Like many of you, I have tried to lose weight for the past 7 years(I'm 25) and I just can't seem to lose it. I lose the weight and gain it right back.. My sister got sleeved on January and OMG she went from a size 18 to a small .. Amazing I know.. So at first, after seeing her have some complications, I said I can't do this, forget it... But just 3 days ago, I was trying to wear something for work and it wouldn't for properly and after trying few other outfits, I said that's it, I will have the surgery regardless what ends up being. Not for nothing, but I have an amazing life, I have a awesome job, I go to school which I graduate next fall, but I'm not happy with my weight. This is where the problem arises, I weight 200... I could of swore I was more but I was too scared to weigh my self. So 2 days ago I wanted to see how much I weighted and I was disappointed lol.. I calculated my BMi and it's 34 Uhg so frustrating.. Now some of you may say well wtf are u doing here, but that's not the case.. I am very self couscous and I don't ever go on dates bc I feel like I am huge (which 200 is not small) I am 5'4 also... I am registered for a seminar for Wednesday 10/2/13... Not sure if I qualify? Would I? I mean I do wear a size 16 so you would think I do? Right? I was always a size 4 until I turned 19.... I know it's wrong but should I gain a little weight? I did have a heart surgery in 2010 and my heart beats more than normal peoples so maybe they can consider that right? Worse comes to worse and my insurance say No, can I do it anyways paying cash? Will they allow me even though my BMi is not 35? I really want to be at least 130 and I have tried almost every single diet on the planet.. I just want some insight since I really want to do it but my family won't really support me since they still think I have a heart condition which I don't anymore.. I have decided I am going to do it even if it costs my life in the end... That's how serious I am .. And I have read so many of your stories and I am inspired.

I started out with a 49 BMI, and I got the sleeve. I’m six months out and I just hit a BMI of 29. No complications whatsoever, but I also was very healthy prior to surgery. My only comorbidity was being super obese. I love that I feel the “same” for lack of a better description. I still have the cast iron stomach I used to have (just a lot less of it) and basically the only change has been my hunger doesn’t control my life anymore. Part of my reason for picking the sleeve was that I wanted the surgery with fewer long term complications- if something was going to happen I wanted it to happen right away so I wouldn’t worry about it. With that said, complications in either surgery are very low. I don’t think either one is the wrong choice. If I had it to do over again I wouldn’t change a thing.

I've been battling my weight since I was 6 years old. I've been big for as far back as I can remember. I did just about every diet there was and not a single one worked. Eventually I just gave up. I had looked briefly into WLS in my 20's but I didn't think I'd be able to change my eating habits so drastically. I didn't think I had that kind of willpower. Plus, potential complications scared me and the permanence scared me. So I stopped looking into it. When I was 21 in May of 2009 my eldest niece was born. I was still in pretty good health despite being over 300 pounds. So I didn't really have the determination to go through with WLS. However, when her sister was born in February 2019 my health was very bad. I was 389 pounds, I have two permanent back injuries (one caused by my osteoarthritis), high blood pressure, tachycardia, hypothyroidism, the aforementioned osteoarthritis, I was pre-diabetic, have EoE (an autoimmune disorder), and I'd had brain surgery in May 2017 for my trigeminal neuralgia. When I held my new niece I was hit with the realization that if something didn't change, if I didn't find a way to get myself healthier and lose weight, then I likely wouldn't be around to watch her grow up. I cried, because watching my eldest niece grow up has been my greatest joy. It broke my heart that I may not be around to watch her sister grow up. That made things more real for me, I suppose. It pushed me into making that change and taking it seriously. I was referred to a bariatric surgeon and had to do a 6 months of monitored weigh-in's per my insurance. I didn't actually have to LOSE weight. I was just told not to GAIN weight. But, I took the initiative to try and make myself as successful as possible by using that time to prepare myself for a new way of eating. I used the first month to cut out seconds and cut my portion sizes down. The second month I cut out soda. The third month I cut out rice. The fourth month I cut out pasta. The fifth month I cut out bread. The six month I cut out potatoes and beans. The last two months before my surgery (they were overscheduled and pushed me back) I just maintained that diet and on my surgery date I was 321 pounds, meaning I'd lost 68 pounds on my own. I'm still very proud of myself for that. For me, the final push was my family. My family is my strength. They are what pulled me through the absolute worst time in my life (August 2016-May2017 when I had a 10 month TN flare that led to my brain surgery) when I KNOW I would have given up without them. Since my weight loss surgery? I have a new niece (from my brother and his wife) and my first and only nephew (from my sister and her husband). Now that I've lost over 200 pounds I don't worry so much that I won't be there to watch them grow up. And when I see my 2 year old niece light up when she see's me I know I made the right choice, the best choice, to have this surgery because now I get to watch her and her brother grow up just like I've got to watch her 12 year old sister grow up and just as I'll get to see her cousins grow up. Everyone has a different reason for why they do this. Sometimes it's for family, like myself. And sometimes it's personal. Every person who goes through this has a different journey, different experiences, and a different story to tell. And I wish you the very best on your own journey.

Hey all, My name is Amy and I have had my band for a little over a year now. The day of my surgery I weighed 277 lbs and as of this morning I weighed 255. I was down to 249 but we went on vacation and I gained some back (although I don't know how because I threw up A LOT while we were gone). I originally decided on having the surgery because I tried EVERYTHING to lose weight. Every diet, every diet pill, exercise, you name it I probably tried it. I have diabetes, PCOS, anxiety and depression. My aunt who I was very close to passed away a few years ago from complications of diabetes. I am pretty much just like her when it comes to my health. I favor her in looks as well. As much as I love and miss her so much, I do NOT want to be like her and die in my 40's. I am 31 now and I have an 8 year old little boy who is my world. I know this is kind of jumbled up right now, I'm just typing as things come to me. I knew that having this surgery was just a tool and not a solution but most days, I feel like it was the WORST decision of my life. I have lost little weight and even though I don't always follow the rules of having a band, for the most part I stick to them. I am so discouraged and tired of throwing up. I told myself before having surgery that I would NEVER let myself throw up because I despise throwing up. And now its a weekly occurance it seems. I've had Fluid removed and then put back in and I am just now to the point where I feel FULL when I eat. I am a stress eater and this past year has definitely been stressful. My husband just returned from our second deployment in September and I feel like a failure. I had all this time to lose weight while he was gone and yet, I lost a measly 20 pounds. Sigh. Sorry for the rambling, but I guess I don't feel like I can really talk to anyone about all of this that REALLY understands. So I probably sound like Crazypants McGee, but I promise I'm not. I'm just a girl who is trying to regain her health and control of her life.

I had to do the at home sleep study test. The one i used was a small.machine by respironics. There are 2 straps. One goes around the upper part of your torso and the other goes over top of your navel. There are 2 wires that run from each band and connect to the machine which sits on the first mentioned band on your chest. Lastly there is a cannula (apparatus for the nose, i.e., oxygen patients) that hooks into the machine , also a small mic that hangs from your head (very small). Its sounds complicated but it isnt. The only thing i hated was that i had to sleep on my back as the machine rests on your chest. You push the kn button when you are on your way to sleep and push to cut it off in the morn when you wake up. Take it back to the doctors the next day and walahhh!!!! Your done. Insurance paid for mine. Hope this helps!

Stick with what the nutritionist says. This surgery/life change is to important too risk any complications.