Beth Pets

When I had my sleeve done about one third of the other folks on the Bariatric wing were originally banded and had to go through getting it taken out in order to be sleeved. Frankly, I think she's right. There may be some successes with the band but the lower rate of loss and the even more rapid rate of regain seems to indicate that, in general, it isn't the optimum choice if you want to lose weight and keep it off.

When I quit smoking I went through almost a year of depression and anxiety. Finally, my body became adjusted to the intense change I had put it through by breaking an addiction. I fully expect to face the same problems with weight loss. If it were easy to break an addiction, everyone would just toss their cigarettes, drugs, alcohol and chocolate cake and take up knitting! Even if you can mentally adjust it takes many months, even years, for your body chemistry to calm down. I would not be surprised to hear that there is an increase in chemical imbalance after weight surgery but I have not found any legitimate studies that indicate an increase in suicide. Can you please provide a link to these studies that you mention? Otherwise, it seems a bit irresponsible to drop a subject line like that on a message board like this.

I cannot wait to fit into all of those beautiful shoes that I bought but never wore because they were just too tight. Yes, I kept them enshrined in my shoe closet...soon they will walk back into the world!!!!!!!

Dr Schmidt is one of the five surgeons at Advanced Laparoscopic in Paramus. My surgeon, Dr Doug Ewing, is also with AL. I haven't had my surgery yet but the group has an excellent reputation among the doctors in the area and Dr Schmidt is the one my cardiologist and PCP recommend. I chose Dr Ewing because he recently sleeved 3 of my clients and they loved him. He is very low key and kind. Dr Trivedi is also supposed to be really good. I have met at least 20 of Dr Schmidt's patients in the past three months and they all have had glowing reviews. I think the whole group and their support people are very good.

Why don't you just keep up the good work and decide when the 6 months are up? I assume that you are losing weight now, so see how it goes. Have a long talk with your PCP and get a realistic idea of how long it will take to lose the weight without surgery and what your track record on diet and regaining is. That should help you decide one way or the other. Either way...congratulations on starting your journey and best of luck with attaining your goals!

Hi, I am in the exact same boat and my Endo is taking me off of some piils 2 day before, some the day before and he cut my insulin (I take a very small amount) in half before surgery. I was told to bring a detailed list of the medications I take as the hospital will provide any drugs I need while I am there. I am guessing that most folks going out of the country need to take their meds with them. I have an appointment with my PCP 10 days after I am scheduled to come home and he can help adjust my meds if necessary. Since I check my own blood sugar I can easily adjust my insulin or even eliminate it (I sure do wish). I hope this helps you decide how to deal with your meds.

I have a very high BMI and I was only asked to reduce my intake by 20% and not to eat a giant meal the night before. Then the usual 12 hours of no food before surgery. So far I have lost about 20 lbs.

Why don't you check out the Health Care Exchange at WWW.GOV. You sound like you are eligible for a help paying for your premiums and most Silver plans cover this. If you are low income the out of pocket and deductible is very low and in some cases zero. You may find that under Obama Care your surgery will be fully paid for.

Can you provide a link? I'm sure more people would visit if they could click on a link instead of searching around the site.

I was planning on filing the freezer with stock reductions. I have just about every fresh herb in my garden and a good relationship with my local organic butcher. I ordered plenty of unjury unflavored Protein powder and a nice warm (140 degrees) cup of home made Soup fortified with 20 grams of protein should be great in the fall. Much better than an artificially flavored, sweet shake.

Have you considered getting the band removed and getting sleeved? I have met quite a few people who have and they are very happy.

I'm going to sound like a broken record around here but....Yoga. You need to find a gentle yoga group. It will help with your anxiety and depression and it incredibly energizing! Just make sure the class is held in a climate controlled studio.

My date is September 16. I have all of my approvals and pre-opt testing done and I have lost 20 lbs since June. Now All I have to do is wait for the phone call on the 15th telling me the time to be at the hospital. I'm lucky that HUMC (a center of excellence) is only ten minutes from my house and my best friend and favorite cousin are coming with me to keep me entertained. Now, if my nerves don't fray through in the next four weeks, I'll be all set!