JRT Mom

I started with a BMI of 35 also--204 lbs 5'3". Since I had the comorbidities of high BP and diabetes I was approved by Medicare. My 12 year old lap band had slipped and had to come out, and I knew if I didn't revise it my weight would go back up. If your weight is affecting your joints, take care of it NOW if you can...it'll only get worse as you get older, and you'll find it harder to lose weight as your metabolism slows. Good luck!

Wowza! You look GREAT!! Your surgery was two days after mine, and you've lost more than twice the weight I have! You've obviously been working this HARD!

I also had to have a hiatal hernia repair. I had a band removed and RNY also. Other than some discomfort in my shoulder, the pain wasn't bad at all. As soon as you can, get up and start walking to help alleviate it. Don't be shy about requesting pain medicine also, as long as you stay on top of the pain it will be minimal. If you try to "tough it out", it's harder to get rid of pain than it is to prevent it. Good luck, you got this! See you on the other side!

I don't know if Thai restaurants have this, but when we'd go out to Chinese I always got egg drop soup.

These are trying times for people trying to cope after WLS. Try to find a hobby that keeps your mind and hands busy. Get outside as much as you can safely. Just going for a short walk will help you feel more empowered. It's tough to self soothe when the use of food as a coping mechanism has been taken away from you. Hang in there--you GOT this!

Ahhh, it's hard to remember how self conscious you are as a teenager. When you're my age you don't really give a sh*t about what people think--it's one of the few advantages of getting old! Riva G, just remember that you've lost almost a hundred pounds and look GREAT! So try to focus on your accomplishments instead of what you think people are thinking about you. They are probably not watching you and thinking badly of you, but even if they are, you are doing this for YOU and your health! Good luck and hang in there--you GOT this!

Hey Mikeyy! Me likey! 😁 Seriously you've done amazingly well! Now don't get too skinny on us...😘

Kristieshannon, keep us posted on your journey! Your picture could be of me--my arms look just like yours! So when I see your "after" pictures I'll know what mine would look like!🤣

I had a coworker come up to me and wanted to talk about my weight loss. I'm a *ahem* mature age--66. She was afraid to bring it up-she worried that I was sick. I love it when people notice, but I just thank them for noticing. So if people are joking with you, take it in stride--it's their way of complimenting you for a job well done! You worked hard for it, own it!😁

I didn't tell many people when I initially got the surgery, but now I have everyone asking me how I lost so much weight and I proudly tell them. WLS is NOT a cop-out--it doesn't show lack of will power or laziness. It's still a lot of work and will power. What it DOES show is your commitment to better your life and health! It shows what means you are willing to go through to obtain it. Good luck!

Hopefully after seven years of life with your band you have learned good eating habits and portion control. As long as you continue to eat the same things you have been you shouldn't gain weight just because your band is gone. You are going to have to be super diligent not to eat larger portions just because you can. Good luck!

I was on Metformin before my surgery. I stopped taking it the night before my surgery and on my three month labs my hemoglobin A1C had shot up, but my PA said wait until the 6 month labs before panicking, and the six month A1C came back normal. They had me cut my BP medicine to half dose, and it shot back up again, but we are trying again on half dose. So far, so good... My knees were so bad with osteoarthritis I actually had to get one replaced, and the other was only a few years out. Now neither of them are bothering me! So good luck...keep us posted on your journey to better health!

Loriey, you will hear people say weight loss is difficult after revision surgery. I didn't find that true AT ALL. I started at 240 and only got down to 160 with the band. Then after I had trouble with it I got back up to 200. Seven months ago I got my revision and I am now down to 140. I found it much easier to eat small meals with the bypass than with the band. With the band, if the first bite didn't land just right in the pouch I'd feel nauseous and NEVER had that "ahhhh...I'm perfectly full" feeling. With the bypass there is NEVER that sickly lap band full feeling. It's just a nice "That's just right" feeling of fullness.

STOP!!!!! You're making me HONGRY!!!! Seriously, as a vegetarian I LOVE new ways to use eggplant and the one with peppers and rice and hummus sounds delish!

Add me to the list of people with lap band failures. Mine was 12 years old. It slipped upward around my esophagus and caused a large hiatal hernia. I had no fill in it and still was throwing up every other meal I ate. The surgeon I saw recommended a bypass--he said it was easier to do the revision in one surgery (which I preferred instead of two separate surgeries) and I also had a history of GERD. So I went that way and the only regret that I've had is that I didn't get the bypass instead of the lap band 12 years ago! Get that dang band out and save yourself a lot of woe!😁

Those are some beautiful arms! It's hard to believe a cream could do that, but you have youth on your side. I have the granny flaps from hell--I mean I could really hurt someone if I whapped them upside the head with them. But at 66 all the cream in the world ain't gonna make them shrink...

Dayum, girl! That's amazing..and you look great!

Three months for Medicare.

I started losing it alarmingly at about four months. So I just got it cut really short--think Carol on the Walking Dead--so now that it is growing back in it's not crazy with a lot of short hairs and long hairs-it's all short!

Welcome! You will get lots of support and good tips here on this board. You can read all you want about WLS but it's not nearly as useful as getting help from people that have been through it. And no question is a dumb one, so ask away!

If you do your own, you must find a special non-coring needle that will not core your port as it goes through. If you don't you run the risk of developing leaks in it. If it leaked badly enough you might have to get it replaced because you would constantly lose your fill over time. Also you must be thorough with your skin cleaning, and not just with alcohol. You run the risk of developing a cellulitis or port infection which could be bad enough that they would have to replace it. Good luck to you--I know in theory it's not too hard but can you stick a needle in your own stomach? Try to find a nurse that is used to accessing portacaths and maybe he/she would be willing to help you.

Sugar free popsicles. It helps you get liquids in.

Mine said carbonation is OK but had me wait three months to make sure everything in my pouch was totally healed. I still drink it by pouring it into a glass and stirring it well to get a lot of the excess carbonation out. And then I purposefully burp after every swallow to let the gas out. I also mix soda with something non-carbonated like sugar free lemonade to also cut down on the fizz.

I have to get a colonoscopy in a couple of months and the information sheet has no special instructions for the prep post-RNY. I wonder if the prep's gonna give me dumping syndrome? (snerk-just kidding on that part...) I have to drink 32 oz of miralax in gatorade the first day, and then six hours before the procedure drink another 32 ounces. Seriously, have any of y'all had one, and was anything different?

Be patient, trust the process--the scale WILL start moving again. The stalls are VERY frustrating but hang in there as your body adjusts to it's "new normal" (God I hate that phrase related to covid-19 but it's true here) and they will be temporary.