MerryHearted

For me, I don't think my antidepressant (was Luvox, now Lexapro) contributed to weight gain. If anything, it helped, since I was/am an emotional eater. Back when we were trying to find a med that worked well for me, I loved Wellbutrin for the energy boost I got (works on your dopamine levels, which regular SSRIs do not). Unfortunately it did nothing for my depression, so I just cried more energetically. Weight loss has done nothing for my depression, which really does seem chemical rather than situational or related to some past trauma. I had kind of hoped that I'd be able to get off meds once I reached goal; that maybe in some miraculous way, losing weight would adjust whatever chemical imbalance is occuring, in a similar way to how my hormones are starting to balance out with the weight loss. Granted, I'm still quite a ways off from goal, but just the fact that I will probably need to up my dosage at my next re-prescription time rather than decrease it tells me this is pretty much permanent for me. In the early days, I tried several times to wean off them, but always ended up deeply mired in depression again and had to go back on. My doc pretty much told me to forget ever going off of them, that I'd likely be on them for life. It's been 12 years now. And yes, I've tried therapy. :redface: Therapy was helpful for dealing with some of my issues, but not for the depression. :grouphug: BTW, I had a friend who went on Paxil and she did have issues with weight gain. She ended up bulimic as well as obsessive about exercise. :biggrin: I think some meds do cause weight gain, or interfere with losing. Or maybe it's a combination of the med and how certain people respond to it?

It's normal to get some minor hair loss - nothing drastic. It's not from the band itself, it's from having surgery (according to my doc). It's a shock to the system. Post-banding, after the first couple weeks of healing, you'll be eating a normal, bialanced diet. All you should really need is a good Multivitamin just to make sure, but otherwise there's no reason why you can't be getting in all the nutrients you need -- there's no malabsorption with banding. So there's no nutritional reason why you'd lose hair with the band. Weight loss, once you get your band adjusted right (and that may take a few months after banding before you get a good fill level), averages 1-2 lbs per week. So you are looking at 1-2 years to reach goal, if you don't have any long stalls along the way and you are willing to do the work. The big question though: if you don't get banded, what will you weigh 2 yrs from now? Your pattern of trying to lose weight but you end up just gaining more is familiar to most of us. You'd probably do great with a band!

It is work, but I'm mostly enjoying the process -- at least during times that I make progress toward goal. :grouphug: I don't obsess about my weight, but I do set mini-goals to keep myself moving forward. So yes, there is a certain amount of: "if I lose at this rate, what might I weigh in 2 months?" as it helps me set goals. I wonder if it will be different at goal...then I will probably start setting fitness or sport-related goals instead. (improving running times, or whatever)

For me, seminar day to surgery date was about 5 weeks. From first surgeon consult to surgery date was under a month. I think the real bottleneck for most people is how quickly their insurance will approve them -- that includes how many hoops they make you jump through. Some insurance companies require a 6 month physician-monitored diet before they will approve you, for example. Other insurance companies try to deny you and force you into multiple appeals before they give in and pay for it. Isn't insurance fun? :grouphug: You'd think they'd want you to get slim so they could avoid paying for things like CPAP machines, blood pressure meds, diabetes meds, etc.

Yes. Although I suppose if you were self-pay you could find someone to do it. The big question: why would you want to? If you remove it you'll almost certainly gain all your weight back, unless you convert to another weight loss surgery type, like the gastric sleeve or RNY. If you take all the Fluid out of the band, it's very similar to not having a band (although not completely the same). So for pregnancy or whatever you could just remove the fluid and be able to eat more, if that's what you were after. Are you worried about it being permanent for a specific reason? i.e. if you get it and then don't like the sensation when you eat, or if you get freaked out about having a foreign object in your body after it's already in there?

Depends on a few factors -- sometimes we all have normal weight fluctuations due to TOM, for example. We'll have to hear more about how you are doing on following the standard bandster guidelines. Otherwise, the obvious answer might be that you are still eating too much and you need another fill. :grouphug: It usually takes a few fills to get good restriction, although there are a lucky few who take off with the weight loss right away. One thing that has worked for a lot of us is food tracking. You don't have to do it forever -- even a few days of tracking your food on TheDailyPlate.com or a similar site will give you a good idea of whether you are eating too much. Are you getting all your Water in? How about exercise? My motto: "5 minutes is better than 0 minutes" - gotta start somewhere with the exercise. Have you managed to eliminate junk food and high calorie condiments?

The pain is not too bad and they give you pain meds. It's for a very short time. And once you drop the weight -- or even half of it -- you will feel a million times better! Do make a comprehensive list of why you want to lose the weight. Be specific -- i.e. not "for better health" but "to get my cholesterol into normal range", "to get my HA1c into normal range", etc. Besides all the reasons you want to lose weight, is there emotional pain associated with the excess weight? How bad will some minor physical pain for a week or so after surgery be compared to the long-term emotional pain of being unhappy with your size and/or health? How about the pain of having to have heart surgery down the road? (if that runs in your family; it does in mine). Whenever I hear of a diabetic person having to have a foot or leg amputated I cringe -- that's got to be awful. I was headed down that road in the long term. Or gout. Or joint problems from carrying around 100 extra lbs. Then there's another thing: have you been consistently 100 lbs overweight and holding for a long time? Or is a steady creep upwards, a few lbs per year? Without the band, how much will you weigh 5 yrs from now? 10? For me, it was a "lose 20 lbs, gain 40 back" scenario, with my weight rising year after year as I desperately tried to diet back to normal. But diets just didn't work long term for me, and they do not for most people. Not trying to be scary here or anything -- just suggesting looking at all the ramifications of long term obesity vs. a small amount of short term pain that will give you an excellent tool for getting into a normal weight range.:grouphug:

Yep, just get back on the diet and stick with it. If your liver is too large for surgery, your one little bout with solid food won't have changed anything. They'll close you back up and try again later. But Post-Op is a different story: do NOT eat solids when you are supposed to be on liquids. If you have to, just go take a nap and sleep. You can do it! :ohmy:

This is one of those things that different doctors have different opinions on. My doc says it's a great idea to drink right before eating. Water just runs right through anyway, so it's not sitting in your pouch taking up room you need for food. Just don't drink while eating or for awhile after (again, different times from different docs: 30 min, 60 min, 90 min....) I've never had an issue with water making me have trouble eating enough. I suppose if you do have that problem then drinking right before you eat is something you shouldn't do. Otherwise, water is a good thing. Especially if you are feeling like you described. Does your doctor say to not drink for a certain period of time before eating? You should talk to him/her about your issue and see what he says if that's the case.

Welcome Stephanie! This is a great place to learn about banding as well as find support while you go through the pre-op & post-op. One thing to remember as you read through the board: a lot of folks get worried because it seems, from reading the board, that most people have complications of some sort. That's not really true -- it only seems that way because people come to the board for support when they do have complications. Especially if you are reading in the Complications section of this board. The band really works for dimming hunger and controlling portion sizes. I also had borderline diabetes and PCOS. My glucose levels have been normal since a few months after banding, I started ovulating and having regular periods a few months after banding too. Still hairy though. Oh well. That's what laser removal is for, right? :ohmy: Now I'm working on my cholesterol, which is just a tiny bit high lately although it was normal for awhile. It definitely came down since banding but I'm still overweight and my doc thinks that once I'm in my normal weight range it'll correct itself. I'm not so sure, since sometimes it's a genetic thing. Good luck with your research! Do you have specific questions, or are you wondering more whether this would really help you? Here's a fun thread: before and after pictures. A big PCOS thread: http://www.lapbandtalk.com/f175/those-who-have-pcos-44999/ although there is a whole PCOS section of the forum that you have probably already discovered. There's a big thread on "would you do this again" that I can't find, but it's worth reading! Maybe you'll run across it while you are reading through the board.

Welcome, Jill, and good luck!

Welcome Linda! I was banded at NWWLS in Everett too, with Dr. Montgomery. Maybe we'll run into each other at a support group night! :redface:

Hahahahahahaha!! I'm laughin my butt off here. My "shart" experience was at work a couple weeks after banding. :smile: Thankfully it was only a small amount. But that horrible slimy feel between the cheeks as you waddle as fast as you can to the nearest bathroom... oh my!!:redface:

My guess is that you might still be a little tired, as your body is still healing up. But remember: lots of folks get banded in Mexico and travel home by plane shortly afterwards, so travel itself should be OK -- i.e. there's not really a problem with flying. I'd be more worried about getting over-tired and making sure you have the right food on hand since you'll probably still be in your post-op liquids or just starting mushies phase. Is it a short trip or will you be away from home for awhile?

Some people find that a couple weeks on liquids -- particularly if you are talking about a Meal Replacement program like Medifast - works great to jumpstart. When I tried to do it, I only lasted a couple days.:redface: So I'll make an alternate suggestion or two: One thing I've found helpful is using TheDailyPlate.com to track what I'm eating. Instead of doing liquids you could commit to two weeks of daily food tracking. Once you figure out your approximate daily calorie intake, you can decide if you need to change it. I aim for 1200 a day and have been losing well on that. Is it possible that you need a slight fill? Sometimes even just a tiny bit can make a difference in your hunger levels and how much you can eat. Especially if you've been on a plateau for awhile. And how is your exercise and Water intake? Congrats on the 50 lbs!!

Welcome Tristessa! Will you be doing a pre-op diet or just hanging in there til November? Feel free to join one of the challenges going on if you want to start dropping some weight or working out now. Losing now means less to lose later, right? :redface:

Not good. Do try to sleep elevated, if you can. Either prop yourself up on pillows or try sleeping in a recliner. Make sure to not eat for a few hours before going to bed. I hope the Nexium solves it for you. If not, then you need to get a small unfill. Reflux is bad news.

Along what BrandyII suggested, I've heard also of looking in the mirror and just telling yourself "I love you.". And when you mess up and are feeling bad about it -- looking at yourself in the eye, in the mirror, and saying "I forgive you." Assuming, of course, that you do. :redface:

Along the same lines as the wardrobe check -- for me it's not necessarily brighter colors, but taking the time to style my hair, maybe apply a little makeup, do my nails, and dress neatly -- i.e. not just jeans and sneakers, but wearing a pretty sweater or blouse with painted toenails and pretty sandals, for example. Taking a little time to look pretty. A short walk -- even a brisk walk as short as 5 minutes can pep you up! Get the blood pumping a little. Chit-chat -- I find that making small talk is a pepper-upper too. Asking the cashier or barista how their day is going, complimenting them on a new hairstyle or their outfit -- just going beyond the normal transaction of hi and thank you. If you have kids, chat with other parents at the park. If you work, be nice to your coworkers, even the annoying twits. :redface: Do something nice for someone -- small stuff anytime you have the chance. Like if you get a piece of mail for your neighbor, walk it over to them instead of sticking it back in the mailbox for the mailman to handle. If you grow flowers in your garden, snip a few to give to a neighbor. In busy traffic, let people in, or let someone turn left across your lane if they are stuck sitting there forever waiting for a break in traffic.

Stick with it Brandi! You can drop those last 6 lbs. Also, you might want to check with Walter Lindstrom, the lawyer who helps with these sorts of appeals, if this next appeal doesn't work. I hear he's good and that it is cheaper than paying for the band yourself if he can get you covered by your insurance. (not to mention if you have complications, it's way better to have insurance coverage than being self-pay) I hope the liquid diet works. Seriously, something like Medifast might be exactly what you can do to take off 6 pounds safely in a short time.

My faves were Sweatin 2 and Sweatin 3. They were great when I was really heavy and out of shape. I bought Disco Sweat but never got into that one. He's got so many DVDs after those old ones, but by that time I had moved on to other workouts. But do try 2 and 3, if you like the first one -- they are good!

Did your doc give you guidelines on how much to eat per "meal" at the mushy stage? I know I was eating that much when I was on mushies -- the swelling had gone down from surgery and the band was wide open, so everything fell right through. (i.e.-- there is no harm to your band to eat a cup of mushies if there's no discomfort -- it's just going right through your stoma and not stretching your pouch) By the time I was on solids, I didn't feel like I was banded at all. Boy was I glad when it was time for getting fills! Just watch your overall calorie intake if you want to keep losing.

I usually have fruit at breakfast, and then at one of my planned Snacks -- either in the afternoon because the gap between lunch and dinner is too big, or in the evening. Your overall calorie intake is what matters. So having a planned snack is fine as long as you are taking into account the calories you are eating at that time. Of course, if 3 meals a day only is working great for you and you aren't at all hungry between meals, maybe you want to add fruit in at one of your meals.

Really, clear liquids for 2 weeks? You should call your doctor, explain that you are having difficulty following that, and ask for advice. Either he tells you to stick to it or he lets you advance on to regular liquids (like tomato soup and meal replacement shakes).But you need to stick to what your doc told you or you risk screwing up your band in the long run -- you do not want your stomach churning to digest solid food like cheese when you've just had surgery.

They will give you something that makes you not care, and you are asleep by the time they put in the breathing tube. They can even give you something before getting you on the table if you are very anxious on the day of surgery. Also, don't be afraid to discuss these fears with your surgeon and/or the psychologist. (most surgeons require a psych consult) A lot of people are afraid of surgery but it is really very safe. Good luck with your decision! And feel free to come chat about your fears here -- everyone's been through it to some extent or another.