WLS Veteran's Forum

fellow Bandsters.....it slipped by without my realizing it.... Officially now ONE DECADE postOp....10 years ago had my Band installed. New Year/New DECADE begins.... ....and the thrills just keep rolling along..... Cheers and Joy to ALL

I'm not really sure what is going on with me right now. As long as I can remember, I've wanted to be skinny, and now I am. I think I used food as a crutch before when things got rough. Now, I'm starting to drink every day. I sometimes feel like my husband is uncomfortable with how attractive others find me. Everything just feels off right now :/. My one year bandiversary was Oct 1st of this year, so I'm new to being a veteran. I'm just wondering if others have struggled with these same issues.

New Year - for the past 41 years I told myself this was the year. This was the one where I was going to lose the weight once and for all. 2014 WAS THE YEAR... I am 3 pounds from my doctor's goal weight - I reached my goal of a size 8 last month. So my questions / comment - now what? Other than maintain the weight and tone....I almost feel lost. I mean I've had the same un-reached goal for 41 years... This is the first year since I was 11 years old that the new year doesn't bring a new start feeling. For those of you that have reached or are close to goal do you have new goals? Did you have to get used to not having that weight loss goal? If you didn't set any n…

A friend of mine had the sleeve she had it on the third of December. She is so depressed she left her family for the day and checked into a hotel. Is this normal?

I am nearly 2 years post op and I am at a holt with my weight loss. I have 18lbs to go and Its been the same for the past 4 months. I can't lose weight at all no matter what I do or try. I have a lot of extra skin that could be the problem but I still have body fat that has to go. Veteran sleevers help me out what can I do. I can use all the help and advice I can get. On top of all that my boyfriends mom said that I am getting fat. Mind you no one knows I had this procedure not even my boyfriend and for her to say I am getting fat has caused me extreme depression. I starting to feel like the old me before surgery; depressed, down. hating my body and wanting to eating ever…

Hey Everyone, I haven't posted here in some time. I'm still dealing with the loss of my husband. It has been almost 6 months. When he was diagnosed in January I was almost at goal but now I've gained 40 pounds back. OH LORD.. I'm so ashamed but I swear. I don't eat a lot but I take in a lot of liquid calories and I can't seem to stop. Three cups of coffee every morning made with my Keurig which I use milk in each cup. I do use skim milk but I would think that each cup of coffee has around 250 calories. Milk, creamer, etc. I drink a shake for Breakfast, and lunch, then I eat a meal around 5 pm. I don't have trouble with food. I never eat fast foods at all. B…

Ive gained about 10 pounds in the last part of this year and am SO not ok with that. By the way, Im over 2 years out. I'm wondering if its ok for me to take the Pelux Pri Bio 5 because my daughter is starting to sell it and thinks it's very healthy for you but when I took it for 2 days, it made me feel like my little tummy was swollen and going to explode, That scared me and now im wondering if I should have taken it at all. Does anyone know if it's ok for us to take a probiotic?

Happy healthy me STAYING at the same weight for years!

Another year without making the same old NEW YEAR's RESOLUTIONS..... For the second year in a row, I have not made a resolution to start a diet on January 2 or to join a gym on January 2. It's so damn liberating to have that monkey off of my back..... and 150 pounds too.

I'll be two years out from surgery in a month. I've been maintaining for over a year. About a week ago I started having a lot of stomach gurgling. I'm also nauseous and feel like I have a hangover. I keep getting hiccups, which in turn cause burping. No fever or other symptoms but I'm now afraid to eat because it makes me feel worse. Tried Prilosec and tums, but neither seems to help. Also tried cranberry juice because I thought that maybe the pH of my stomach is off. It helped a little bit for a short time. Planning on going to the doc next week if I'm not better, but was wondering if any of the vets have any good ideas?

Has your Dr told you you can't donate blood ever again? One of my friend's bariatric dr told her no because our bodies need all the Protein it can get. We fired or bariatric dr so we can't ask him. Curious what yours have said. We wouldn't be able to until next July anyway.

Surgery Oct. 2012, lost 60lbs and now I've gained 20 lbs back in the last six months. Anyone getting back on track?

Me and my family were at Christmas party i ate there and drank about 1/3 of a burbon bottle. That was around 6pm. i went home and was watching TV late and i had a snack around 1am. i went to bed abound 2 feeling fine. woke up at 5 to go to restroom and my abdomen was hurting so bad. i been stabbed in the stomach and this pain was way worse. i didn't know what to do so i called up my brother and he told me to try to throw up and i did. after throwing up the pain stopped. this never happened to me before. Could someone tell me what could have happened. I have been banded for about over a year and lost 100+ Lb. Does anyone have an idea what happend to me last night?

Hi Veterans! I am 13 months post lapband operation and I've lost 62lbs and I feel FREE!!! But besides that, I cleaned out my closet on Friday night and I have two very large bags of mostly size 18W and 16W that I will NEVER need again. I know many are losing and don't want to spend money on that size knowing they will only be in them temporarily - so how and where do I post them to get rid of them? Most are comfy jeans, corduroys, some shirts, some dress pants (mostly black) a few dresses and skirts... at least 10 pairs of shorts - I live in Georgia so shorts are worn from April til October. I really would like to offer them to this forum - how do I do that? And if …

Hi, All! I am 13 months out and I'm only 3 pounds away from my goal of being in a 'normal' bmi range. At this point, I'm calling it good. The thing is, I have been in this mental weight loss mode since I was 7 years old; that's 27 years of constantly monitoring how/what I eat in order to lose weight. I have never, to my recollection, not had constant thoughts of "I want to be thin." Well now I am and I'm not sure how to get out of that head space. Of course, I'll be talking to my therapist about it, but I'd like to hear from other bariatric patients as well. Keep in mind, this isn't an issue of not thinking I 'look good', or not seeing my progress or anything like …

It has been 3months since my surgery and ofcourse I have lost over 60lbs. I am thinking of purchasing the nutribullet but the last time I was with my nutritionist she stated no juices. Which I did not ask her why wishing I did because I really thought that y would be ok to make healthy drinks can anyone tell me why no juice or is it ok for me to get the nutribullet.

I've been assuming that sipping was the way it is with the band, but starting to wonder if it's just too tight. Maybe I need to go to the doctor and see about having Fluid taken out of the band. Drinking Water in the morning hurts. I have to take tiny sips spaced out for over a minute per sip. Even at this pace it hurts a bit. Later in the day, I have to sip and drink slowly, but the pain isn't as bad. For me, I've come to believe that the band means pain, but then I remembered some people on here seem to have great weight loss success and never mentioned anything about pain eating or drinking. I want to think it through carefully before getting an unfill as I'…

Hello all, Had surgery 2 & 1/2 years ago. I went from 373 to 212, very happy. In the last 3 months or so, I've become hungry all the time. Just wanted to know if this is common and tricks to deal with it. Thanks in advance and good luck to everyone.

I am just starting my 6 week post-op and ended up with a stricture and the dilation was done this morning. Who has had this done and how long was it before you were able to eat and get back to your post-op diets?

I am 3 years out and maintaining a major weight loss (I went from 308, got as low as 140 and am hanging out in the mid 150s right now). Anyway, I have been having more trouble with hunger, cravings etc and I think it has alot to do with my boys living at home again so I have food in the house that calls my name (bread, potatoes, sometimes junk food) again. Also, I am steady dating someone and for reasons i cannot grasp, that seems to be fattening - well, I am not going out dancing and stuff as much as I used to. Final issue is that I am suffering some physical issues that have interferred with my working out so i thought it would be good to get a tune up with a good N…

Hello fellow veterans, Ooh. It feels good to be a veteran! Hello! Hello! Just wanted to say "hey". I've been away for a while. All is well and I am still loving the fact that I made this decision. Hope all of you are still kicking butt. BEST, Amy

I am on antibiotics for a sinus infection and reality is, I will be about twice a year I am having major Acud reflux. Looked in The Lapband Book, nothing mentioned about antibiotics. Anybody know of any tricks? Cures?

I am nearing my two year mark, and am constantly thinking about whether or not I will be one that starts to regain. Life is getting stressful right now. My husband is deploying for a year. I am facing a move in six months, just me and my teenage daughter, so that I can set up house for all of us. Yesterday my response was to forget to put on my Fitbit, so when noon came around and I realized, I decided I'd never get my 10k steps in, so I didn't even try. Top that with poor food choices and constant snacking and I am afraid I am condemning myself to realizing that weight regain fate. Here's to better choices today. Susan

What advice can you offer new bypass patients who are from brand new, up to a year in??

Hi All, I had my 4th anniversity this past August. I still feel the stricture but do need to keep from grazing. I am about 10 lbs from my low so I am happy with that but I gain if I am not careful. I lose any creep ups easily. I do have a problem with my Protein and carb balance. The surgeon wanted me to get about 120g a day based on my age and activity level. I find that I need to stay below 1400 cal a day to maintain my weight. My problem is I frequently end my work outs in ketoneacidosis. To correct this I need more carbs but I am not sure how to get them in. Any suggestions? I continue to drink Protein shakes daily.

I had a RNY done 11 years ago. Until March of this year I had no complications. In March I started to experience problems with my bowel movements and developed heartburn. I also started to have problems keeping food down. I started to drop weight again and because some days I can't keep food down I don't know how to keep from losing any more weight. I'm wondering if anyone else has experienced this and can give me some advice on what I should be doing and not doing to fix this problem. Thanks in advance for your help

I had my lap band surgery in June of 2011. I went from 275 the morning of surgery to 193, but in the last year have slowly went up to 220. I haven't had a full in 2 years. I am scheduled for an appointment with the dietician tomorrow morning and a fill on Jan 7th! Ready to get started again and go back to the basics!!! Anyone else been in this position or going through it right now?

Hello everyone I have had gallstones which caused a horrible case of pancreatitis and I had to have my gall bladder removed has anyone else experienced this? I was completely healthy before I got banded and my friend that recommended me get a lap band is also having these issues I'm just wondering how many others experience this. Pancreatitis is the worst thing I have ever experienced and if I would have known this was going to happen I would have never got banded

Hi, I've been banded for 26 months and have been extremely successful loosing a total of 80lbs. In January 2014 I lost my job and insurance so I wasn't able to go to the Dr for maintenance fills or checkups needless to say I've gained back 20lbs. I recently went to the dr and had a small fill which helped slightly but i'm still not in the green zone. I've gotten a little lax about my food choices and would really like to get back on track to loose this 20 and possibly 10 more. I relied almost 100% on my band to tell me what I can. I don't have as much restriction but would like to rely on making better food choices and incorporating exercise. I would like any words of …

When you read the word Ego…what do you think of? Some arrogant self-righteous holier than thou person? OK you would be right, that’s me. That is also YOU. We all have an ego, it’s that part of us that we identify with that can be good or bad but mostly it keeps us contained. It’s thoughts of what is good and bad what is right and wrong are rigid. They are set in opposition to enlightenment and growth. Perhaps we do this because we need the challenge and who better to challenge us then ourselves? After all do we listen to our parents, our children, our teachers our Doctors when they tell us to do this this way or that way and that there is no other way because they said…

I am 1 year and 1 day out from my surgery! Gastric sleeve has been my saving grace. After struggling my whole life with diets and weight problems (almost all related to over eating) I have gotten myself now to an acceptable weight and much healthier state! I have lost 94lbs total now and am not quite to goal. I would like to be under 200lbs and after that I'll be satisfied with wherever I settle after that. I am getting married next year and am so excited to feel good about myself, ESP for that day. This was the best decision I've ever made. Ht: 5'10" HW: 297 SW: 287 CW: 203 Goal: to be under 200! So close!

It's now been over a year since my surgery and I have been really lucky not to have a lot of loose skin. I do however have loose skin in place I didn't expect, the worst being my butt (which I can live with) and unfortunately my face. I'm 42 and I suddenly look much older than that! Has anyone had surgery on their face after their sleeve? I know 42 is young to think about a facelift but it's very visible and it really bothers me. I would love to hear your thoughts and experiences. TIA

Thank goodness for more rain in northern California in a week or so than we had all of last year☔️☔️ harder to get around ... but better for water rationing. Happy to be cozy and dry

Help me. I am almost 2 yrs out. For the past 6 months gas has been terrible. Every time I eat or drink anything I have terrible gas and belching. It is quite embarrassing at times. Then out of the blue last week I vomited what looked like coffee grounds. I called my dr the next day and he told me to go to the emergency room. They did blood work and a fecal test and all came back fine. They told me to go to a gastrointestinal dr and have an upper GI because it could be an ulcer. Naturally it takes more than a week to get in. I have an appointment next Monday. Has anyone had this gas issue?

Hi all. I haven't posted here in a while. I'm sure 17 months out and 120lbs down. I was about 28lbs from goal and then I'm not sure what happened. I feel like I've just stopped caring. I've actually GAINED almost 20lbs. I hate myself and I feel like I've failed. I know I've come actually long way, but I can't help but feel like actually complete failure. How can I kick these carb cravings?

I had to sleeve done just over a year ago now and I have lost an incredible amount of weight – I can't complain. At my worst I was at 335 lbs and now I'm at 235 lbs. I stopped losing weight at about 9 to 10 months. To be honest, I haven't exercised at all. I am disabled and I have multiple pain conditions where it prevents me from exercising. I'm trying to get my medication straight so hopefully I feel a bit better and am able to at least do something. Other than doing basic things around the house when need be, I'm pretty much in bed80 to 90% of the time. I also don't eat like I should. I'm pretty good about not eating too many carbs. I probably do have more than I shoul…

Life is pretty good, work is good, lots of friends and a fun social life, overally I am happy with life and yet I am finding myself eating WAY too much. I am still maintaining under goal, but the pounds are piling up. I don't get it, it is like s switch was flipped and I want to eat all the time. I think i just need to buckle down and get back to a more disciplined approach and then that feeling will likely subside... but for now, I don't like it!

CG poked me, so I thought I would just take a minute and check in. Just a tad shy of two years with Mistress Band, My weight has been rock steady for over a year now, and although I wouldn't mind dropping another 10-15 pounds I am very comfortable where I am at, Still riding bikes, although they are put away for the winter. But I have never been able to complete a century yet, something always seems to get in the way. This year it was prostate cancer and the surgery came right in the middle of my prime riding time, but both the prostate and the cancer are gone, with no lasting health concerns. I am dealing with the winter muchies, and have been having extreme carb cr…

Just wanted to let y'all know I have a blog you guys may be interested in reading! I also have a YouTube channel but I don't use it as much as the blog right now. The blog goes into great detail about pre op and post op life. I put all my stats on there and I'm super open about everything. The blog is meant to help answer questions and support other WLSer's. As a community, we are the only ones who truly understand each other. Hope you guys read and enjoy! -Dimand Girl http://dimandgirl.wordpress.com https://m.youtube.com/channel/UCoxON6VS58kjL1a8J3mXang

As always the pre contact with the hospital just happened where they take down allergies and meds and the whole nine yards about you before you have your surgery. She implied that my Bariatric surgery had nothing to do with this surgery. I told her she was mistaken. That is when she started to ask questions. Out of the blue she asked if it was all worth it and I said YES. She said then we don't have to talk about it do we. I said I guess not but this surgery is because of the surgery in 2012. Oh she said. I thought you said it was worth it. It was I said but it was not something I planned is it to have s**t left in my a**. she said oh well lets get on with the questions…

I have gained 10lbs smh I swore this wud never happen to me smh it came so fast smh I have lost all control of my diet and it's hard to stop it. I sometimes feel like I have stretched my sleeve but I'm praying not. I think I'm trying to feel normal again and thinking I can't gain this weight back but I clearly see I can . I feel like this 10lbs is 50lbs I'll be 30 in 22 days and I want to be back at 130lbs and feeling sexy again. I know 142 is not big to some but to me it's huge compared to how I felt comfortable. ..

I just had my 3 month post op follow up with my doctor and things are going really well. I've lost over 75 lbs. since surgery with little or no problems, I am wondering if any of the vets encountered any setbacks/problems during the 3-6 month time frame. I made my 6 month appointment but am wondering how important it is to keep it. The reason I ask, is that my surgery was self pay and my follow ups are no longer covered by my self pay payment. I need to pay out of pocket for all future visits with the surgeon. I am hoping I can just transfer to my PCP and have insurance cover the visits. It was hard enough paying for the surgery so I don't want to keep paying out o…

I have had a herniated disk in my low back for a year and have been prescribed narcotics for it. I hate taking them and they work less and less for me each month, my world revolves around the pills and wether my pain is tolerable enough to function. I can even describe how brutal my back pain has become, I cry on a daily basis. I am hoping this rny surgery will resolve my back pain or at least diminish it so I can get off these awful meds and not suffer as much. Have any of you had chronic back pain go away after losing you weight?? How much weight did you need to lose before you felt improvement.? I am 34 yrs old, 5'6 and currently 238 pounds

Please help me to get back on track I am absolutely horrified with what I have done to myself. I had surgery a little over a year ago and now I am gaining weight. It is all because of my poor choices. I know that this surgery was a tool and I have not used it properly. I am worried sick that I have stretched my sleeve (and or stretched the stoma). At this point, i can't do anything about that. But I refuse to just admit failure and give up my dream of being healthy. I spent way too much money and went through way too much hell to fail at this. Which leads me to my question: If you were in my position (basically ground zero), what steps would you take to get bac…

Hi everyone! New to the site. I had my RNY 4 yrs ago, lost 100# and within the past couple months have gained 10#. Anyone have ideas on how to jump start my metabolism again? I admit I've been stress eating and need some help getting back on the "road".

....been a long time since I've posted but was thinking of how much several of you on this forum helped me while I was both considering the sleeve, as well as when I was newly sleeved. I hit goal about 10-11 months after surgery and have been maintaining that plus a 4-5 lb drop since then. I started at 230 lbs at 5'5 and decided I was at goal at 152. Most days, I veer between 147-151 now. I'm somewhere between a size 4-6 in pants and an 8-10 in tops (wide shoulders!) I have a tummy tuck (skin only, no muscle repair) coming up Dec 16th and I couldn't be happier about all of it. My husband has also lost almost 100 lbs since we started and is healthy and happy. Anyway …

First, I have my feed days and my non feed days. There are days that I can eat almost an entire cup of food in one sitting, and some days where I can barely eat 1/2 cup. There is no pattern and I never know what the day will bring until I try to eat. My runny nose trigger doesn't always happen so I may be going along fine, eating slowly, chewing thoroughly (kind of) and BLURP, it's revisiting. Anyone else? My NP says that I have probably reached my max capacity, too. I am 18 months out, is this all I am going to be able to eat? (I sure as sh!t hope so!) Second. I have NO slider foods. I get full on crap as fast as I get full on Protein ounce for ounce. I am …

Hey Ya'll, I had Rue n y Dec 2002. This year has been tough. sudden onset of boughts between constipation, then diarrhea, bloating and the most foul smelling gas ever experienced before. pain and distention of abdomen. doctors have checked and can't find anything no obstructions or hernias or masses. It has so far lasted for two weeks before relief in the form of multiple trips in 24hr period to bathroom with solid then to gaseous, diarrhea bowl movements. abdomen then goes down and all fine untill a few weeks later same thing. my neighbor had her bypass done a few years prior to mine and she has had multiple surgeries removing pieces of intestine and this year now diagno…

Last week I went to my three year surgery follow up at Kaiser Fremont. It was a group appointment that took a couple of hours and included talks by our Bariatric Medical Doctor, Bariatric Psychologist, Bariatric Nutritionist, and Bariatric Surgeon. If you needed one on one appt, they scheduled those after. Kaiser does a great job with education. There were a lot of good handouts and good information shared. Some highlights: From the Surgeon: When people get a revision, weight loss is only around 10 lbs., which the surgeon credited to the liquid diet followed before and after surgery. He said they don’t know why there is not substantial weight loss with the revision…

Im 3 weeks post op and 20 lbs down. It was so easy at first to not over eat and really, I didn't have an appetite at all, but now I fund myself not wanting to eat too much, but eat things that aren't actually good for me!! I hate my brain. It drives me crazy. I think about food all the time!!! I don't work, I'm on disability due to, two back surgeries, fibromyalgia, diabetes, arthritis and just general poor health. I have a lot of time on my hands. I try to walk when I'm not in pain. I can't do weights because my fibro, is attacking my biceps, I've never felt so much pain. I can barely lift my arms over my head. I want to get motivated. I want to walk everyday atleast a m…