mrsto

I'll preface this by saying that I am not a doctor or health care provider.......

I never took blood pressure meds until I was very heavy....at an older age. When I dropped my first 20 pounds, I was able to get off the meds. But I didn't have an extreme blood pressure issue; definitely obesity related.

Your issue sounds genetic. If you've had high blood pressure since the age of sixteen at 118 pounds, then it's certainly not weight related. The reading you had this morning is low, but I wouldn't rush to stop taking the meds. I suggest making an appointment with your cardiologist. Let him do a current work up, and make any changes he sees are necessary. Given your family history, I would definitely proceed with caution. Yes, weight loss can definitely effect blood pressure (as many of us know), but it sounds like you may have some other things going on.

Please let us know the outcome :-)

I agree with labwalker......you need to see the doctor as soon as possible.

Regarding change in stool color, if you've taken anything like Pepto Bismol, it will turn your stools almost black. The first time I had that happen, I sort of freaked out; didn't realize that Pepto will do that. On the flip side, if they're really pale in color, it could be gallbladder issues. See your doc.....he or she is the only one who can diagnose.

I hope you feel better soon.

One more comment..... When I'm really constipated, my port sticks out more than normal. When everything is backed all the way up, it puts pressure on that area. But it doesn't sound like that is your issue.

Hi Den,

I have the band with plication, and those painful hunger pangs are normal. I was freaked out by it too, and the nurse at my doctor's office told me that they hear it a lot......from plication patients. The GOOD news is that is does go away. To me, it felt like my stomach rebelling against being folded and sewn - LOL. But I promise.....it does stop within a few weeks; maybe less. But you will still go through bandster hell, which is what tmf explained above. Once you start getting fills, the the band will start doing its magic.

Hang in there..... It's a huge upset immediately post surgery, but in time this part will be a distant memory. As mentioned above, follow your doctor's orders, and don't eat! You can do a lot of damage if you don't follow the diet protocol to the "T".

I can only add to what others have said. I decided on the band because it wasn't permanent and could be removed if necessary. I'm fairly certain this is the reason why people choose the band over other WLS because the band is also alot of work for most. What I mean is that there are fills, and the 'green zone' can be very elusive at times.

But...if you are dedicated and compliant, the chances are very good that you will find the success you are looking for. I was morbidly obese at 267 lbs. on a 5'1" frame. My BMI was over 50. I am now 123 lbs. I used to wear a size 26 slacks and a 4X top. I'm now wearing 6/8 slacks and mostly medium tops. Oh...and I look terrific in dresses again and wear them quite often though I do need support garments because of the excess skin. I'm 56 and it is what it is. I'm healthy and that's more important than wrinkled skin.

I'm also vain again. I wear makeup every day, have shoes to match my outfits, and get my nails done every week. I take care of myself and it makes me feel great. My co-morbidities are under control. I no longer need a cane to walk around and I have the ability to move around in a way I wasn't able to for many years. I'm enjoying my life again.

Whichever surgery you get, my thoughts are with you and here's to wishing you a very successful journey to good health. Please keep us posted on how you're doing.

Ditto...ditto and DITTO!

@@loser2014 congratulations on your surgery tomorrow! Very exciting. We have a lot of similarities -- I have shrunk a half an inch but was 5'7" most of my life -- and like you I was a very healthy eater, just way too much of it! Having my appetite dimmed has allowed me to not be a finisher, to be able to enjoy a small portion and be done. Kind of miraculous, really!

Ugh.....shrinking I was 5'2" all my life, and now, as of my measurements at the doctor's yesterday, I'm 5'1.5". I put in my requisition with G-d; my next life I want to be 5'5" with long legs - LOL

After being banded for a year and a half, I would choose this same surgery all over again. For me, knowing that it's 100% reversible was the deciding point. There are so many things that can go wrong with our health as we age, and I didn't want any permanent changes for which I could pay a high price for at a later date. I chose plication with the band, and all has worked out wonderfully. Sure, it would be great to have a surgery where there was little to no follow up care. But ultimately, that could bite me in the ass. I feel more in control of my destiny with the band/plication. I have zero regrets.

You are doing the right thing by reaching out and doing all of your research. Everyone is different, so you will make your decision based on what you feel is best....for you. As Sandy above mentions, you can eat around, and gain weight back with all of the surgeries. Whatever the surgery, the work still has to be done by us. Surgery is just a tool, and doesn't do anything for our addictive brains. I struggle more now that I did in the beginning. But thank goodness for this surgery, because the one thing that is different than pre-surgery, is that I have a fighting chance to maintain the weight that I have lost. Even on a bad day, there is no way on earth that I can eat as I did before surgery.

I wish you all the best......

If you've had this pain since the beginning, it almost sounds like the port was placed in a way that is irritating a nerve. Once they rule out infection or any other acute problem, maybe they can move the port to a different spot?

Sometimes I'll have sensitivity around my port, but it goes away. Like Lisacaron, mine is placed right where my desk and the waist of my pants hit it. Every time I sit down, I have to pull the waist of my pants up over the port. I considered revision surgery (lower profile port placed on the underside of the muscle), but didn't want more surgery at this point. If I lose anymore weight, I may bite the bullet and have it done.

Good luck to you... I hope your surgical team is able to figure this out.

Congrats! I know how happy you must feel!!

There isn't anything that I cannot eat since surgery. Believe me.....I wish there was! Depending on my mood, I can eat right past the signal to the point of discomfort. I don't do that on a regular basis, but it can be done. 4 cups of food sounds like a lot; way more than what's usual with the band. I would definitely talk with your surgical team. It's possible that you may need a small fill. I went for a fill yesterday, and had a long talk with the nurse about my recent eating. Though the GI swallow showed that I do need more Fluid, her comment to me was "just because you CAN eat more, does that mean that you should?"

I know that everyone is different in their eating plan, but something that jumped out is the granola bar for Breakfast. Those are pure sugar and carbs. I'm wondering.....if you start the day with pure protein; eggs, turkey, tuna salad.....something other than carbs & sugar, if it would set you up better for the day? If I so much as add a slice of toast with my egg, I'm hungry within 2 hours instead of 4. Carbs in the morning make me crave carbs all day long. Just a thought.....

Though I do not have the sleeve, the post surgical eating plan is pretty much the same for all of us....

Pure vegetable Protein is not complete. It lacks certain amino acids that aren't found in any combination of plant based foods. People still do well, but I'm just sayin'. After you go through major surgery, your body will need good sources of Protein in order to heal. I also think that you'll find, it helps with satiety on less food for longer periods of time. When I start adding starchy carbs back into my diet, I'm hungry a lot sooner, and it doesn't make the best use of my "tool". That being said......

My surgeon is also one who thinks that our "western diet" is too high in animal protein. Aside from the fact that our bodies do need protein, they push push push it to bariatric patients because they want to get them off of carbs. Also, given the dramatic drop in capacity, we need to make sure to get enough of the "building blocks" in, first. Once I'd gone through my months of post op, he said he's fine with me having 45-50 grams of protein per day. He's big on protein and veggies, period. I am, and have always been, protein driven. I'd give up all else to have meat, chicken and fish. For me, getting in enough protein isn't an issue. I don't think that eating fish, chicken and meat got us fat. We're obese because of the volume and all else we eat in addition to protein. 2-3 oz of good lean protein at each meal, is healthy.

My last thought is..... You're just starting out on this huge life change. Try not to bite off more than you can chew (no pun intended), right out of the gate. You will have a lot of healing to do, and if you've always eaten animal protein, is giving it up right now a good idea? Have you tried before? If so, were you happy with it, or miserable? Just don't set yourself up for anything negative from the start. As you get used to what will become the new normal, see how you feel & tweak it from there.

The best of luck to you!

Labwalker - I completely understand your feelings. I loved the old Lap Band Talk site, and though at times there was bickering about various things, it was never about which surgery, who's doctor has better credentials, etc. It was a lap band group, and we were all part of that same "club". I too wish the surgeries weren't combined, but now.....it is what it is. Though very frustrating at times, it's still a good place to come for support. Even if not support, just nice interaction with others who share the struggles, fight the fight, etc.

A few of the comments by sleeved patients in the thread were ridiculous. Worthless, actually. It makes no sense to trash others surgical path, who are seeking to improve their health, etc. The babble about archaic procedures and lack of personal research, can only come from those who are insecure at their core, and have to beat their chest like a gorilla in the wild. As I stated in my above post, there is absolutely no debate. We all moved forward with the surgical route, and chose procedures we deemed the best for us.....for WHATEVER the reason.

Lab - please stick around. I get into moods like this too....like you feel this morning. It is frustrating at times, but there was bickering on Lap Band Talk, too. Get a lot of different people together, and it's going to happen. When I start to feel the bile rising after reading some stupid s-hit, I click to a different thread; just walk away :-)

Anyone who makes their WLS decision based solely on "Rosie said..." should maybe consider a lobotomy instead of WLS, IMHO.

LOL!!!

Yes, I have been dealing with knee issues, too. A couple of years prior to WLS, I went to a knee surgeon who looked at me like "you're obese.....what do you expect!?" Anyway.....I won't go back to him, but the fact remains that my knees are damaged from carrying around so much weight. I've lost most of it, but the damage is done. I talked with another orthopedic surgeon who also said...."yes, great that you took off the weight, but at my age, the damage IS done". Knee surgery is in my future (I'm coming up on 60 years old), but I will hold off as long as possible.

Please let me know what type of knee brace you use for walking, hiking, etc. Many days I'm perfectly fine. But other days I'm miserable.

Aside from the political rants above, there are two actual issues raised by Rosie's comments:

1. She dissed the lapband's effectiveness, angering lapband patients who found and/or still find the band successful for themselves (whether they still have the band or have had it removed). Should she have done that?

2. She "divided" the WLS community where (I did not know this until Rosiegate) that it's politically incorrect to say that one WLS procedure is less effective or desirable than another. Did she cause a division?

My take on Rosiegate is that it's illogical to deem off-limits debates about the relative effectiveness of WLS procedures within, of all places, the WLS community. Every prospective WLS patient has to deliberate about and decide which form of WLS is appropriate for them. It's one of the biggest decisions about WLS we all made.

FTR, I'm 6 1/2 weeks post-VSG-op. I've never had a lapband, but it was the procedure I first explored with my surgeon, since I had thought lapband and gastric bypass were the only two WLS options. Until he described the sleeve, I had never heard of it.

My surgeon (who has done thousands of all three WLS procedures--and supports his past lapband patients) discouraged me strongly from having the lapband citing these facts, based on his education and experience and the experiences of thousands of his WLS patients over the past 10 years:

* The lapband wasn't designed to be a permanent fixture in the human body,

* Fills / adjustments can be difficult to get right,

* The band works imperfectly for many patients in helping them to lose weight,

* Patients find it easy to game/cheat the lapband, obviating the lapband's efficacy,

* Most lapband patients regain their weight when the band is removed, and

Those of us who are sleeved have met online many banded patients who wish to transition from the band to the sleeve. Some of their stories of banded life are horrific, particularly about stomach damage caused by their bands that sipped or eroded.

Therefore, this forum and its members don't want to discourage anyone from discussing WLS procedures' pros and cons, their continuing / changing utility, and their risks.

And now that I know more about the three WLS procedures, I agree with the gist of Rosie's comments about the band. What would be very interesting to me would be a civil discussions about which procedure is appropriate for whom and which one(s) are NOT. The decision tree can't be that complicated.

Geez..... This thread is like the gift that keeps on giving.....

I chose the lap band/plication because it leaves me with an option at a later date; the choice to reverse it if something changes in my life. I have ZERO judgement on what others have chosen for themselves. ZERO. I was scheduled for a bypass, but cancelled two weeks prior; too permanent for my personality type. When considering all surgery options, and forward thinking about illnesses that could arise in my aging years, I did not want to remove most of my stomach because I may need it for absorption of nutrients. AGAIN, no judgement on those who chose to go that route. Believe me, I love the idea of having surgery & being done; no fills, no whatever. But I'm very cautious when it comes to permanent changes to my body, and what I chose is what I can live with. To each his (or her) own.

Lets give this a rest already. I cannot stand Rosie O, and chalk up the crap that comes out of her mouth as her personal "agenda". Lets all live and be well with our choices. After all, we've lost weight, reversed co-morbidity health issues. There is no debate here. Live....and let live.

You are in what's known as "bandster hell". It's the time between surgery and when you start getting fills. Most all of us went through it, and at this point, you essentially have to "diet". It's very difficult, but you will get through it. Once you start having fills and your band reaches its sweet spot, this will all go away. It's pretty miraculous :-) But for now, you just have to white knuckle it.

When you get hungry between meals, try having a ½ Protein shake or some Greek yogurt; something to hold you until the next meal. Another type of food might work better for you, but just eat enough to carry you through. I had my first fill at the 4 week mark, and it made a big difference. Subsequent fills were done in two week intervals, until I was in the green zone. But for me, the first fill made a difference. I hope it does for you.

Just curious..... How close to the surface is your port? Some have lost so much weight, that the port can actually be seen.

My first thought is.....did you possibly do something to upset that area; bend over an odd way.....something that could have pulled the muscle the port is sewn to? I've had port pain at different times, but nothing so horrible that I called the doctor. This may sound weird, but if I'm constipated, I'll have sensitivity at the port site. It's nothing with the actual port, but when everything is so backed up, it puts pressure on that area. Mine is sewn at my waistline; a little bit to the left of my bellybutton.

You will probably get a lot of responses, but at the end of the day, your doctor is the only one who can tell you if there is an issue. You've had the band for quite some time, so if you've never experienced this before, definitely......see your doc. Does he/she have a nurse you can see sooner than he or she is available?

Congrats on your surgery! You are in what's known as "bandster hell". It's the time between surgery and when you start getting fills. Most all of us went through it, and at this point, you essentially have to "diet". It's very difficult, but you will get through it. Once you start having fills and your band reaches its sweet spot, this will all go away. It's pretty miraculous :-) But for now, you just have to white knuckle it.

When you get hungry between meals, try having a ½ Protein shake or some Greek yogurt; something to hold you until the next meal. Something else might work better for you, but just eat enough to carry you through. I had my first fill at the 4 week mark, and it made a big difference. Subsequent fills were done in two week intervals, until I was in the green zone. But for me, the first fill made a difference. I hope it does for you, too.

My next door neighbor recommended my surgeon; he did an adjustment surgery on her RNY. When I started seriously considering WLS, I asked my gastroenterologist and internist for recommendations. They ALSO recommended the same surgeon. And as it turns out, he did lap band surgery on my gastro's wife. That was good enough for me!

I used to have a very high sex drive.....no longer. After menopause it seemed to just disappear. I don't know if it is coming back or not. I'm only halfway to my goal so I'm holding out hope that at least a little of it will return. If not, I'm not even going to think about re-entering the dating scene.

Yeah, menopause really puts a damper on sex drive. I used to be in heat 24/7. Now? Ugh... I'm like.....what the hell happened?!

I've lost 140 pounds + husband's lost 60 pounds = revived sex lives.

I don't know if hormonal changes are added to this equation, but whatever it is....... thank GOD!

We've been married 26 years, raised/raising four kids and we unfortunately put ourselves on the back burner for far too long.

Not anymore.......... Revived energy from exercising, sooooo much less body fat, and more time on our hands....... YIPPEE!

Love it!!

She talked about it after keeping it on the down-low (as was her right) for nine years post-op.

http://www.today.com/health/star-jones-her-weight-loss-i-wasnt-plus-size-i-1C9381962

I didn't realize that so much time passed before she opened up. And as you say, it was her right to do so.

Insurance covers mine, so my copay is around $50. The cash price is $250.

Mine are $0 for life(or his retirement) through my surgeon.

Wow.....niiiice

Now Star Jones tho she denied it, she is super thin last time I saw her

Star Jones had a bypass a few years ago. It was no secret; she talked quite openly about it.