Leaderboard

I want to say first & foremost, there are so many people the Lapband has failed. You, like me, blamed myself. If it was such a success rate, there would not be so many complaints about it. It has been successful for some but STOP blaming yourself. I had mine removed last week and got Sleeved same surgery. I was excited about my Band at the time and being a transparent person, I shared what I was going to do.....then later felt like a public failure. This time, I did not do that. I told 5 friends and my family. I told my friends to NOT share it with anyone and eventually I will in my own time. My point, I set my parameters. So if you tell no one but your husband & your bff, it is your right. People are used to me being transparent and I'm used to being transparent but I told myself, I will share when I am ready. I need to see success and plus not feel the self inflicted great expectations of others. Good luck.

How scary for you. First of all, I would like to say that at your age, you shouldn't make a dnr decision while you are depressed. I can completely empathize with you and hate this for you. It sounds like a terrible ordeal to endure. But, please consider that aside from how hard this is, making a death decision while depressed is not ideal. I feel confident to tell you that I have faith that you will somehow overcome this. I know that there may seem like not even a flicker of light to look forward to, but that is usually the case when we are facing extremely horrible and depressing things...but, they almost always improve and I'm praying now that this will for you. It is unfortunate that some people have such horrific side effects, but we all go through with this decision anyways in hope of a better quality of life. I know it makes it worse to look forward to only to end up in misery. Please call your doctor's office every day that this is not improving in order to make them fully aware of the seriousness. Don't wait for things to change, call them everytime you have a problem so they can assist you before you become so dehydrated, etc. again. I feel so bad and wish there was more I could do or say. As for food, have you tried nibbling on mashed potatoes? I know they are carbs, which is not ideal after surgery, but this seems to be more about survival at this point and getting over this hump. When I have been sick at my stomach in the past and struggling to eat, these are a few things I have tried: Gatorade, mixed with water in order to dilute. It is full of electrolytes which can help plus you will be mixing with water which can aid in fighting the dehydration, but you don't want to get too much sugar. I'd probably try G2 mixed with water now that it is an option and there are several flavors so maybe you can find one that is tolerable. Mashed potatoes. I was able to nibble on these a little easier than almost anything else when I was severely sick. Another thing you may try is a light yogurt (this may be hard bc it is thicker, but it is full of protein so it's worth a shot.) There are some meal replacement drinks I use bc I can't drink anything thick (as it grosses me out). It is called Advocare meal replacement shake. It mixes with water and doesn't have the after taste or smell of most meal replacements and it's loaded with protein. What I love most is that you can mix it with less water than required so that it isn't so much to drink and it's still relatively thin. It may be worth a shot. It is a little pricey so I had to sign up as a distributor bc I need the discount as I am drinkinig this every day for my protein, but it is well worth it for me. Here's the site: www.AdvoCare.com/120531202 You can just go to shop and type in meal replacement shake in the search bar. I always use the chocolate bc I like that flavor in general, but I have heard the other flavors are good as well. I am so sorry for what you are going through and I am happy to lend an ear to help get you through this. I just have a strong feeling that you can and will get through this. Hang in there sweet girl. Rach

So I am 10 days post op and I've lost 9lbs since surgery, making it a total of 24.6 lbs total with pre-op. I am feeling great and have been following my diet. I can eat creamy soups, mashed potatoes, apple sauce and yogurt. I get full really fast and will stop as soon as I get that feeling, I don't want to overdue it. My surgery and hospital experience went good. I had no complications and was up and walking that same night. Dr. Verboonen and his staff are great, specially my nurse Ana Maria. She is very knowledgeable and took care of me very well.

Honesty, I would stop. It is really important that you do, not only for your overall health but for your recovery. I was banded in 2009 and I smoked a pack a day, it was hard but for the recovery and overall health it was worth the quit! To answer your question, I don't think they would know or be able to tell by blood work, but they would most likely be able to smell it. Good Luck!!

You're never too old to do this, KristiKay. In the very first informational meeting that I went to, there was an 80-something woman who was one of my surgeon's patients and she had it done about 10 years prior. So, don't rush into something that you are not sure of. That said, you could enjoy many, many more years of svelt, active life and do a LOT of things you probably can't or don't now because of weight. That's the way I looked at it. Not to mention, it's a good way to head off those sure-to-come health problems that result from the obesity. If you need a recharge of motivation, I suggest 2 things: 1. Go onto YouTube and search for Gastric Bypass Success Stories. There are many there and seeing their stories is motivational. 2. Go to www.obesityhelp.com and look at all of the before/after photos on their home page. They change them regularly and there are LOTS to look at. Every one of them is impressive and many are truly inspiring. Hang in there!

Hello everyone! Well, I don't even know how long it's been since my last post. I know i haven't been the best at documenting my journey or updating on my status. 10 months into post-op surgery there are many things that have changed in my life. Not just the dropping of over 70lbs, but I also got married And, I wont' be looking back at my wedding photos 10 years from now cringing at how big I am. I started off this journey weak and tired. I was so frustrated and angry at myself that I've actually let myself become so overweight. I was 5"6', 31years old, and weighed right at a whopping 270 lbs! I decided to get the surgery after my friend went through the process and was successful. I decided 9 months before my wedding that I better do it now if i"m going to do it. Since then, I've had to learn how to live a whole new life. Although I feel like i went through a fairly easy recovery stage, eating in and of itself is still a challenge for me. I am stronger and healthier than i've ever been 10 months after surgery. With that said, my "i'm full, STOP!" receptors aren't as strong as I thought they would be. I go through daily occurrences of being overly full. I have battled extreme cases of acid reflux (which I new take a daily medication for). Today I am at 197.00 which is only 22 lbs away from my final goal! I have no wedding to look forward to, but I have my whole life to look forward to. Kids...anniversaries...new homes...all that seems a bit brighter now that I have been through this process. I love me now and that's probably the best benefit that I can see coming from having the Vertical Sleeve. Enjoy the picture...that is of me and my new husband

Gurgling and burping...all good things as it's my indicator that the restriction is there. I couldn't burp to save my life before, now...I burp like a teenage boy (I have two of them). Air has to come up for the food/drink to go down...think of it like a funnel. You'll get used to it. I love feeling the gurgling with my morning coffee, reassures me that the Band is helping me today! -BG