samuelsmom

I'm sorry to hear you are going through a rough time. Hang in there. I'm not a therapist, and I haven't played one on TV either, but I feel confident saying that rough times will come but they don't last forever! Good luck to you!

This is a tough decision. Since the band is still in is there any reason it cannot have small fill? You are obviously motivated and doing the 6 month program, maybe that would give you the help you need without another surgery. Good luck to you with whatever choice you make.

I have this problem too sometimes. It might help to do a food diary for several days so you can see exactly where the pitfalls are and exactly what and how much you are eating. After that, there are several strategies. Planning meals and Snacks can work really well, so that when you are hungry you already know what you are going to eat. I am not sure from your post if you work during off hours or are just finding yourself eating late. If it is the latter, maybe "closing" the kitchen at a certain time might be the best options. Hope these ideas help!

In re-reading my post above, I want to clarify that I am not suggesting anyone not follow their surgeon's advice. I did say that I would not follow it.

Good Luck on your journey. I turned 55 12 days before my surgery. It's been 3 months and I am down 68 pounds and feel good. This is not an easy road to follow. However, it does work, and is worth it. I started in July, 2014 and I could not walk for more than a few minutes without foot pain. It impacted my quality of life as a fairly young person thinking about where the benches were in the mall so I could sit. Now, I actually enjoy the mall walks, can go to the gym and overall have a lot more energy.

Excellent advice from Blerdgirl. Definitely follow it. Also, they might want to know what you are doing currently for fitness so be prepared by making a list of your activities.

Unless there is some unknown medical reason, I don't think this is a healthy diet and 6 weeks to shrink the liver is completely unnecessary. Personally, I wouldn't follow it. What I would follow is a HEALTHY diet with lean Protein, fruits, and vegetables. I also think that regimen is potentially unsafe as you would be severely limiting calories for an extended period of time, then having surgery, after which you will be severely reducing calories. Perhaps you can call the doctor's office and talk to the nutritionist? Here is what the American Society of Metabolic and Bariatric Surgery says on their FAQ page: http://asmbs.org/patients/bariatric-surgery-faqs Will I have to go on a diet before I have surgery?Yes. Most bariatric surgeons put their patients on a special pre-operative diet, usually 2 or 3 weeks just before surgery. The reason for the pre-operative diet is to shrink the liver and reduce fat in the abdomen. This helps during the procedure and makes it safer. Some insurance companies require a physician-monitored diet three to six months prior to surgery as part of their coverage requirement. These diets are very different from the short term diets, and usually are more about food education and showing a willingness to complete appointments and to learn.

This is a great article. I think each person has to determine (HONESTLY!) what works best for them. There are folks for whom snacking will just lead to grazing and it is best for them not to go down that road.. For others, snacking is great as it helps them get the appropriate Protein and calories. What I really like about this article is that it gives the reader tools to determine what is indeed best for them. Good Job!

This is too long! Address it today. I know the teas can work. There's alway Milk of Magnesia which also works quite well.

How terrible. I'm so sorry this has happened to her. I am no expert so cannot advised the best course of action, though I have already said a prayer for her.

If the insurance company has a web site you should find their book with all of the coverages and requirements. If not, call the insurance company back and ask for the bariatric surgery policies in WRITING. Good Luck. It is never fun wading through insurance requirements.

Keeping it from teenagers and lying about where you will be??? BAD IDEA on so many levels. First, it tells them you don't trust their confidentiality, second it tells them it's ok to lie and cover things up. There's more but I think these are enough. Mine are a little older at 19 and 22 and what I did was talk to them about my journey and how I came to this decision. I also asked for them to keep it confidential as I just didn't want to talk about it to everyone and told them who knew. My older one who is a complete extrovert and tells all, did not tell anyone. It was to be kept just "among us." My kids liked the idea that they were being told and trusted with privileged information. Also, I would say it is impossible to hide your eating after surgery and frankly I don't see why you would want to. You need their support and cheerleading. If one day you are just sipping broth and losing weight, they're either going to think you are on some weird diet or have a terrible disease. Good luck!

@ kcdavidson42 I had the exact same experience. Little to no pain yet unable to get comfortable in bed. The good news is that is normal and very common for side or stomach sleepers. The bad news is there is not much you can do about it. I used a recliner in the hospital and a day or 2 after I got home after being in a chair all night went to the Salvation Army and got the most comfortable recliner there for $50! I was happy. I slept in that thing for 2-3 weeks and then went back to bed without a problem.

Reflux is a common problem after the sleeve, especially for people who had reflux to begin with. I read one article that said that 9% of people who did not have reflux developed it after the sleeve. It is thought that the new tube like shape was the culprit. Hope your friends start feeling better soon.

As has been stated on several posts on this site, the surgeon operated on your stomach, not your brain! Those feelings and insecurities don't go away just because you lose weight. Take time to get to know and love that person in the mirror. If you can afford it, counseling may help. I have been a nurse for a long time and I have seen one illness destroy peoples appearance, whether from cancer or some other terrible disease or surgery. After observing this over a number of years, I realized that our appearance just doesn't matter all that much. A cancer patient with no hair and 90 pounds was still an attractive human being. why? Because she was a caring and loving person. Looks fade, skin sags, and stretch marks linger. But they have nothing to do with how beautiful someone is. That comes from WITHIN. Good luck on this journey...

The doctor's office called me within a week after the paperwork was sent to schedule a date. However, if I hadn't heard from them I would have been calling!

Great post!

Just found this article on snacking you might find useful: http://www.bariatricpal.com/page/articles.html/_/healthy-living/food-nutrition/to-snack-or-not-to-snack-ask-your-dietitian-the-question-r358

I enjoy my Snacks. For me, if I don't snack, I get very hungry and eat more than my sleeve wants me too and then I don't feel very good! A morning and afternoon snack keeps me comfortable with good energy. My favorites are an apple, greek yogurt, Peanut Butter, or a small Protein bar.

My surgeon also prefers that his patients use food instead of Protein shakes. I do use them because they are convenient, help me get my protein in, and are not harmful. As another poster said, stalls are common. You lost a lot of weight in just a few weeks. It will pick back up in time. I know it is hard to be patient but you will see more results. Also, with snacks- some doctors are not fans because of the dangers of grazing, however, if you are not getting your protein in, a cheese stick in the afternoon might do you a world of good- easy to get down and a good source of protein. I also think it would be a great idea to talk to a dietitian. As much as I respect surgeons for the work they do, dietetics are not their specialty. Hope things improve soon!

I can't imagine everyone here not identifying with this post. Here's my 2 cents: 1. How do you get past those feelings of anger/ depressed/annoyance etc of not losing each day? Easy! Don't get on the scale! But seriously, I think of it as "normalization" time for my body. I lose, my body takes time to get used to it and then goes down some more. For most females there will also be small increases too. The lesson here? Be happy you're a guy! 2. Is it better to weight weekly at this point , I do worry than by not weighing in daily I may miss some key piece of information that i need to keep my weight loss moving forward.? At this point you know what works for you as a post-op sleever. Every dietitian I've met does not recommend daily weights as they commonly become counter productive. That being said, if you have a heart condition daily weights are good to show Fluid retention. Or if you just like to weigh yourself a lot that is up to you!

Great advice on this thread. I think the important point is that this is a marathon, not a sprint. The pre-op period really helps you prepare for the surgery and post-op period. Also the lower your BMI is pre-op the safer the procedure and research indicates you will be more successful with weight loss post-op. So for all of those with long waiting periods, hang in there and use the time well!

I understand that she is frightened for you because she has had problems. Every surgery has risks, however, there is no reason to think that because she has had a complication you will also! That makes no sense. Good Luck!

Glad you're getting an endoscopy. Once the doctor has a look it may shed some light on this. Hope you have a quick resolution and feel better soon!

@@kbitty If you had diabetes would you feel like a failure for taking insulin? Obesity is a disease. WLS is one treatment option for those who are morbidly obese and/or have other health issues related to obesity. I also think it has nothing to do with anything. Who cares?! Will you really not be happy when you feel better and achieve your goals? You have a disease that obviously needs treatment or you wouldn't be on this site. I would recommend that you start attending weight loss seminars and really investigate this option. Good Luck!