kyotosong

I had my band removed in 2011 and soon I'll have surgery for the gastric sleeve. I had my pre-op appointment with my surgeon on Friday and he mentioned something I didn't know or realize - that my surgery will take more time because I've had a band, due to scar tissue. And because of that, I have a higher risk of developing a leak near the top of my stomach where the staple line will start. He said that when band surgery is performed, they sew part of the stomach over the band (pars flaccida technique?) but when it's removed, it's not 'undone'. And that area has scar tissue? Or maybe it's the band itself that causes the scar tissue but he also has to undo that area stitched over? I knew my original surgeon did that but I had assumed the on-call surgeon undid it to remove the band. He was a HUGE jerk who treated me like an idiot and talked over me when I asked informed questions (anything that seemed to question his authority, it seemed). I just stopped asking questions. My current surgeon seems to think since it's been so long since the band was removed (and I haven't had any issues) that the scar tissue will have softened quite a bit. (I know he mentioned it to drive home the sipping of water as opposed to gulps but I'm surprised it didn't come up in our original consultation). ANYWAY, have any of you gone years after lap band removal and then had gastric sleeve surgery? If so, what was your experience? This bit of info threw me and I didn't think of follow up questions right then and there. I'm just over a week out from my surgery. I'm getting nervous about this and the added risk of complications. I'm a worst-case-scenario kind of person, so... =/

I was sleeved on the same day as you. I have not had the same experience with liquids as you did so soon but I can drink like I did before now. I wasn't a guzzler though and I consciously slow myself just to be careful. I don't know how much you're eating where you don't feel restriction but I'll tell you I don't if it's 2 oz, even meat. But I do feel it between 6-8 oz. I also didn't lose the sensation of hunger. It gnaws at me throughout the day. I'm losing but you lost more that me in the same period. I've lost 18 lbs as of this morning. My surgeon hasn't chastised me for what feels like a very small loss (but the nutritionist was out sick that day, too, so who knows). I'm glad I don't really know anyone that has done this surgery because I would hate to compare myself to someone else and end up feeling like a failure because I'm not losing as much/as fast as someone else (and I limit my time here for that reason - I have to catch myself for feeling badly I'm not as successful as someone only to realize they've had gastric bypass not the sleeve, for example). Every body is different as every person is. Statistics are statistics - you may fall in line or be an outlier (positive or negative). Obviously, you can only control what you eat (and don't) and how much/often you're moving. Keep in mind scale numbers are one thing because your weight can shift. Muscle weighs more than fat, you can be retaining fluids or not, etc. How are your clothes fitting you? That's a big indicator. Do you wear fitted clothes? I do for work and I notice a huge difference in the fit, even my old smaller clothes (they're too big! Yay!). I hope nothing is off and I hope your test puts your mind at ease.

Wow, great job! We're close to the same starting/surgery weights (you beat me by a few pounds) though different starting dates. But I'm losing very slowly now...I'd like to mirror your success but I'm trying to stay realistic for me. I wore 28 pants now I'm down to 24. I'm hoping I can fit into non-lane bryant size 24 pants (haven't tried yet) because I'm not having luck at goodwill/thrift stores and don't want to spend $60+ for trousers if I'm going to keep getting smaller! (for work-not a dress/skirts person) Tops are easier to find for less!

I started out at 355 with the program (end of July), was 320 on my surgery date (mid December), 312 at my 2 week post op, 306 at my 1 month post op and I'm 304 today (about 6 weeks out). I'm 50 lbs lost (total), which is great, but I'm really struggling now. I'm on soft foods so I can eat tender meats, which is great (finally!) but I'm making bad choices (no bread or rice but a few pretzels here and there, as well as potatoes very occasionally and fruit greek yogurt with sugar sometimes). My calories are under 1000 per day but I'm struggling to drink enough and get in enough protein. I'm one of the unfortunate that never lost my sense of hunger - pangs, growling, the works. The PA said to eat smaller meals more frequently but it's not helping unless I'm eating. I don't drink before eating nor after for 30 mins but as soon as I start drinking water, the pangs come back. Also, I can eat more than I feel I should be able to at this point - like 6-8 oz at a time. I hate feeling the hunger - I never felt this when I was pre-op and I was losing much faster than this while consuming around 1500-1700 calories/day. It's nearly constant and the gnawing is hard to ignore. It just makes me think about food too much! At work, I bring a portioned breakfast and lunch (meat and/or eggs) but after I've eaten what I've brought to work, 2 hrs or so before I leave, I get famished. A few times I've had 2-3 larger pretzels (costco tub they keep at work) because I know they'll sit there for a bit and I can focus on work. And yes, I know it's just straight worthless carbs. I don't even like salty snacks but it really helps stop the gnawing. For a bit, at least. I wish I had the loss of appetite like many have so I could just focus on scheduling my meals, eating for fuel, etc. But that's not how my body is handling this surgery. At least I haven't had any nausea and haven't thrown up, so that's a good thing.

Oh my gosh! That's amazing! I don't think that's in the cards for me but maybe...hopefully!

Hi all. I should probably wait until tomorrow to reply as that's when I finally have my first follow up. But I'm not haha My surgery was on 12/18 and all seemed to go well. I had some nausea the couple of days I was in the hospital but I think it was more from the pain meds than anything else. I have the nausea meds and I took it one day when I got home when I had pain medication. I only took it once and realized the pain medication AND nausea medication gave me a migraine and I stopped it all. I'd rather have an achy stomach (incisions & heparin injection spots) than a migraine! The first week or so I had actual stomach pains occasionally, randomly, that felt like my stomach was spasming and that was a bit sharp but it hasn't happened since. Like KCRN, I'm SO TIRED of the liquid diet. I've gone off the recommended choices (cream of chicken and mushroom soup (strained) was allowed but pea soup isn't. nothing about strained clam chowder but I'm sure it's a no, too, but I've had both.) As such, I've only lost about 10 lbs since surgery day. I'm struggling getting protein in. Pre-sugery, I had 3 shakes a day (I needed it to keep my mind off food). I was able to drink them fairly quickly but now, I can't. They get gross when you're nursing one for 20 mins! As a result, I'm only drinking 1 on average (only 20 g protein per). I know this is negatively affecting me as I am sure I've had more muscle wasting than I should. I'm not taking in much food wise and I'm worried my metabolism has quickly slowed to a crawl (I've been the same weight since 12/28). And all I want to eat is meat. Not pureed meat but chewed up and swallowed delicious meat (can you tell the holidays were difficult? ) I'm having lots of hunger pangs between meals but I've been reading this may be due to acid production, even though I'm taking prilosec twice a day. So I'm not sure and not sure what I'll do. But it's not like I can squash the pangs with actual food like pre-surgery so I kind of ignore it now. I did ask my surgeon afterward how big/small he made my stomach and he just smiled and said "same as I do everyone else." I will clarify tomorrow to see if he had issues with scar tissue and if mine is slightly larger or if the years and years since the band left me with scar tissue that was soft and easier to work with. Maryiam, this is so much better than the stupid band. No more feeling stuck! You shouldn't have any vomiting and no more port pain! Plus, you could eat your weight in softer foods like pudding with the band but your new stomach will only hold so much of that junk (not that I recommend it!) Samore, you look great! I'm happy it's going well for you, especially since you had such a bad band experience!

I had a rough time with the band. I wasn't banded in Mexico. I was banded at a Bariatric Center of Excellence in Scottsdale, Arizona. I was told, 3 bites of Protein to every bite of vegetable. I was told, avoid beef and pork. Eat what walks on two legs or swims. Don't use sauces, gravies or dressings because you're adding unwanted calories. I'd eat chicken/turkey and it would get "stuck" and I'd have to get an unfill. And there I would be told, "Yeah, chicken is hard for a lot of people to eat. It gets stuck. You should probably avoid it." I'd eat fish (salmon usually) and sometimes it would get "stuck" and I'd have to get an unfill. And there I would be told, "Yeah, fish can be a problem because it's flaky and gets stuck. You should probably avoid it." I was told yogurt can be okay but it's easy to eat too much because it's a "slider" food so I should avoid it (even when I said I was eating plain greek-style stuff that was 24 grams of protein per serving! "When you eat yogurt, you won't feel full because it goes past the band. And the band is there to make you feel full.") But I was continually told, "3 bites of protein to every bite of vegetable." So...avoid beef and pork. Check. Chicken/turkey can be a problem, avoid it. Check. Fish can be a problem, avoid it. Check. Avoid yogurt. Check. BE SURE TO EAT PROTEIN! check!!! I got to the point where everything was getting stuck (except the "bad" stuff - sure I could eat pudding and Cookies and usually cake!). I could eat runny eggs (not scrambled and certainly not hard boiled). I could eat yogurt. I could eat cheese. And I could drink protein. Basically, the only Proteins I could eat had to be soft or liquid. And that was what I was supposed to eat most? How can anyone live that way? Yes, I lost a bunch of weight - because I wasn't eating much! I couldn't! I couldn't eat healthy foods! I was miserable! My surgeon had left that Bariatric Center of Excellence where I was banded/maintained. In October last year, I had a big problem (couldn't sleep, couldn't drink, let alone eat) and the Bariatric Center of Excellence in Scottsdale had no one available to do an emergency unfill. No NP or PA, the surgeon was out of town but I could go to the ER (not covered by my insurance because they weren't contracted with that hospital) and a non-bariatric surgeon who wasn't really familiar with fills/unfills, on call with the Bariatric Center of Excellence, could help me. No thank you. I found my original surgeon practicing elsewhere (finally! he wasn't for a while), he was able to get me in. He had me do an upper GI at the hospital right then - my band was prolapsed quite a bit. I was only at maybe 3.5 cc in a 10 cc band. He was aggravated when I told him about my fill/unfill/fill stuff with the other office - especially when the fills were very, very small. He said they should've known there was a problem because I was barely filled. He deflated the band completely (relief! I could drink Water again!) and told me I needed it removed. It wasn't an urgent thing unless I couldn't eat or drink, so I went home. He told me he wouldn't reposition it because if it happened like that with me, it would happen again. Starting sometime in Spring 2011, I started having "stuck" issues again. More bringing up the food. One night in July, I had cooked a burger patty (after deflation, I was able to eat most everything again). Ate it plain, no bread (of course), no veggies. I had eaten too much. I didn't know I had until it was too late. Unknown to me, my band had prolapsed again. It was allowing me to eat much more than I had before. This night was just too much. I tried to wait it out and I went to sleep after a while. I woke in the middle of the night and I vomited. I didn't bring it up, I vomited. Retching, stomach acid, etc. After that, I couldn't really drink. I "slept" upright. All day the next day (thankfully a Saturday), I didn't eat. I just tried to sip water. I had no improvement. After the next night of waking, coughing up water over and over again, I drove myself to the ER. Unfortunately, my surgeon was out of town. His partner in the practice was on call. He wasn't very nice to me but...I had the band removal surgery and that was that. (I'll say healing was much better with this than when I had it originally - no port/muscle wall stuff to deal with) Was it the worst decision I've ever made? No, because I needed to do something. And I did lose weight. But I was miserable most of the time. So very miserable... I'm still over 100 lbs overweight and gaining. I have PCOS and I don't know what to do. But weight loss surgery is no longer an option for me. And I'm really worried about my future. To the OP - find a local surgeon. Fork out the money. You need an upper GI. You could have a prolapse and you are risking erosion. This is your health and your quality of life at stake - be proactive.

i've lost nearly 100 lbs and have about 100 lbs more to go - gah, trying not to think about how long that will take but no matter - i'm going to be a fit woman in the skin of a super morbidly obese one. currently, my upper arms are disgusting. huge bat wings and my arms are still fat. there's a bit of fat/skin right near my underarms that is really dimpled and ugh...it's not nice to see. i really, really hate it. i have a fat-filled roll above my waist and lower stomach is still big (obviously not as much as before) but the skin is saggy there, too. i also have fat on my back, fistfulls i can pinch near each side of my back (low, near my waist). that will be a saggy problem later. skin on my thighs is awful...when i'm standing. ick ick ick. i was never one to really carry my weight in my face too much - sure, my cheeks were full but i didn't have a double chin (or triple or whatever). now my face looks like that of a normal weight person (most days) and i've got a bit of a turkey neck now. it's not a lot but there is some more to lose there and that's disheartening. i've always looked younger and the turkey neck definitely ages a woman! but really, aside from my upper arms, the WORST is my calves. i got so fat the fat had to go to my calves, too. i had (and still have) a bit of big fat pockets at the front-side of my calves. they got HUGE. i had beautiful legs when i was younger but no more. i have no hope for my calves to ever, ever look nice. which makes me sad because i'd love to be able to wear dresses and not feel so self conscious. i know they'll get thinner as the rest of me does but i'm pretty sure i'll have a lot of saggyness there as the skin feels thin like my super-saggy thigh skin... *sigh* i don't know if i'll ever be able to afford plastic surgery - ever. i figure i'll want/need upper-arm lift, breast lift (maybe implants), tummy tuck, whatever to take care of back skin, and a lower body lift. maybe a neck lift, too. that's a lot of PS and a huge amount of money! but i just want to look okay naked, you know?

i have no idea why i started to get fat - normal weight kid, active (as much as asthma allowed) and then i hit puberty. around 10, i got chubby and it didn't stop. food habits in my home did not promote overeating or soothing troubles with food. we ate meals at the table, we didn't eat fast food, my mother stayed at home and cooked (no processed meals). hardly any sweets around the house - ice cream and cake were reserved for birthdays, pies for the holidays, things like that. by the time i was 12, i was in a plus-sized 14 (avenue store, not regular store). no one in my family had a real weight problem - my mom put on a little in puberty but evened out by the time she was in high school. i think she hoped it would be the same for me. but she still had me at the doctor - because she knew nothing had changed with my eating. i didn't all of a sudden start eating more, i wasn't hording or binging and i was more active as my asthma started to subside. thyroid tested countless times...always normal. there were no answers. i was in size 24 jeans in high school. by the time i was out, i was close to 300 lbs. at that point - i had a job, i had my own money, i ate fast food with my friends. treats whenever. i was fat already, what did it matter? at that point, i never dieted. the memories of gaining weight eating less than my scrawny friends were far too fresh. my thinking was that i'd have to eat barely anything to lose weight. how could i do that? i gained while eating healthy foods... so for a decade, i just...ate what i wanted and hated myself. but unlike some people who are obese, my portions were decent - bigger than some of the tiny women i knew but always smaller than all the men i knew. all the while, my period was never normal. i started growing hair on my face and my hair started to fall out. i went to my doctor and saw a NP that was filling in, she asked a few key questions and suggested i *may* have poly-cystic ovarian syndrome. wha? what the heck was that? some research later and it all started to make sense - at least i had the majority of the symptoms. gyno confirmed it, tried metformin but couldn't tolerate the gastro-side effects at even 1/4 of a pill, so i gave up on that. more than a decade of letting myself eat simple carbs galore with the PCOS and i just...had enough. found out my insurance covered the band and i went for it, with help from my family. i've had to relearn a lot of things and the band probably wasn't the best surgery for me, as i am more of a snacker and didn't have large portions when i ate meals. and i love sweetened drinks (can't tolerate artificial sweeteners thanks to migraines). weight loss has been slow, band has been fickle but i'm close to 100 lbs lost now and while i'm not happy with myself, i'm happy i'm not still that 100 lbs more i was last year. best thing the band has done for me is to make it far too uncomfortable to eat bread, pasta and potatoes. rice scares me too much so i just avoid it, too. once those foods were taken off the table (literally and figuratively), the weight came off much more quickly. i still have PCOS symptoms - i'd like to see an endocrinologist to be sure of what i "have". i'm not sure if i'll ever be a healthy weight but i'm trying to get there. i still harbor a lot of resentment and anger for whatever it was within me that had me go from a normal weight, pretty girl to an obese girl with a "pretty face" in the matter of about 2 years...and bigger from there. i know i can't change it but i never had a teen or adult day where i wasn't fat. every now and again i weep for that girl who could have had a much easier life, if she just never put on that weight - maybe a husband, or at least been loved, maybe a kid or two? that girl who wouldn't have such a hard time finding a job because she didn't have to worry about not looking "professional" enough because of the size of her body...blahblahblah. *sigh*

i know there may be tons of posts on this subject here but i'm on stone-age internet (dial-up) and this site is slow enough for me as is... a bit about me - i was banded in july 2009, had some too-tight issues and had an unfill a couple weeks back. my starting weight was in the 300's (i'm 5'8) and being active just...hurt. my short term goal has been to lose some weight to where it doesn't hurt so much to exercise. now with the unfill, i've gained about 5 lbs and i don't want to go over 300 EVER again so i know i need to do more than just control my calories - but i have no idea where to start! i grew up with really bad asthma so as a kid/teen, exercise=not being able to breathe/scared i could die, so i still have a big mental hurdle to overcome there and well, aside from walking around with friends occasionally, my exercise has been...nada. so how do get yourself to go from...nothing to getting active??? i know i SHOULD but i don't know HOW and i certainly don't know where to start! money is a factor for me - recently unemployed, can't afford a gym membership or trainer, can't even afford decent shoes to walk in or a swim suit (if i could even swim/exercise in the apartment pool with all the crazy children that fill it every day...). ack! :smile2: what have you guys done? looking to hear especially from the bigger folks or those with weight related pain, like in knees and the back...

well, a couple weeks ago, i went in and had an unfill. they took 2 ccs out of my band. while i was in the waiting room, i was only drinking water and was having really annoying heartburn (not normal for me) but after the unfill, it was instantly gone. since then, it's like i don't even have a band - which is very frustrating! i've gained about 5 lbs but i think some of that is fluids and most of it is probably because my metabolism slowed due to my very small intake of food for a couple months. so frustrating! i'm going for an upper gi this week to check the placement of the band. they're thinking it was just way too tight but of course, have to make sure there isn't any slippage or other problems. i'm hoping for the best, as i've had ZERO problems since the unfill. i think i remember my surgeon telling me they do something like stitch something (part of the stomach?) over the band to reduce the chance of slipping. but i could be mistaken! unfortunately, dr. sprunger is no longer with scottsdale bariatric since scottsdale healthcare took over the practice. so i can't ask him... but dr. blackstone is still there and she is great bariatric surgeon, highly regarded here. (i would've had her do my surgery but she was booked farther out and i wanted it done asap after i was approved.) anyway, yeah. no pb-ing/vomiting since the unfill. no heartburn or reflux either. but also, more of an appetite and the ability to easily eat much more. luckily, i'm not a binge eater but i have tended to graze, and with no restriction from the band... :smile2:

sherry - your post scares me so much. gosh, i hope that i don't have any issue with my band other than i'm too tight. :laugh: i called my surgeon's office 2 days in a row to let them know i've been having issues and what they think i should do - someone was supposed to call me back but no one did. i did get an email saying the NP wanted me to go on clear liquids for the weekend and schedule an appointment for an unfill... it doesn't seem as though they're as worried as i am... i'm nervous about having an unfill because i don't want to gain any weight. at all. but i think i'd rather gain a few than to have a slipped band? i only threw up once (i think) this past week and it was thanks to a (homemade) smoothie and drinking too much - i just got annoyed and i wasn't able to focus at work. nothing solid came up (duh, didn't eat anything solid) but it did help. *sigh* i was able to eat things like tuna salad and turkey breast (with gravy) for lunch this week and had no problems keeping it down, so that's good, right??

i can't take any medication because my surgery is tomorrow morning (usually, i'd take excedrine or zomig (prescription, but i'm out of that)). i can't stand this and i just don't know what to do. i'm on the verge of tears.

i never drink during meals - i wait at least an hour after before drinking (dr recommends 30 mins). if i were to drink during, even sips, food wouldn't go down (i'm pretty tight, i think, either that or there's a problem :thumbup: ) but i DO drink before meals, i don't think it's been a problem. dr recommends i shouldn't because food can get through the band more easily but i haven't noticed that was the case. getting used to all this has been a crazy ride. especially no sodas. i see a can and want one but nope. none. i can't.

thanks for your reply, sherry. after i made that post, i had a decent food day - well, i ate soup and some cheese but i didn't have any problems. i had also taken some liquid childrens motrin but that was only one dose and haven't had any since. today i waited a while this morning before eating anything (had juice that went down okay) and i had some cheese and then a little later a few almonds and raisins. no problems, really? i mean, i burped a bit and tasted it for a while but chewed a papaya enzyme and then about an hour and 1/2 had some orange juice (though i had a bit of pain with it going down at first). i've had some more soup and a pudding since...things are okay. could this just have gotten so bad because of stress (losing my job) and then my period is coming up (i think? it should if it's going to be regular??). *sigh* i really don't want to have this band out! it cost so much money and it's the first time in my life that i've lost more than 10 lbs (because of the PCOS) and ugh :thumbup: :thumbup: :ohmy:

lately, i've been vomiting at least once a day (past month or so, before it was maybe once or twice a week). my last fill was shortly before christmas 2009 and i had to go back the next day for an un-fill because i couldn't even swallow saliva as the night went on. i was okay after that, for the most part. but the restriction really drove it home that bread, pasta, potatoes and rice are my enemies. i'd try something and get "stuck" for hours. and then i'd resort to making myself vomit because i didn't know what else to do. recently, the restriction is much, much worse. i am basically eating soups and soft cheeses and that's about it. i've tried the papaya enzyme, to help, but i don't know if it has since i'm scared to eat much food. i'm so tired of not being able to eat healthy things (lean meats, meat in general, veggies, etc) because they all get "stuck". i'm chewing well, eating small bites, not eating much at a time... even drinking stuff is hard. small sips often don't go down easily, i'm burping a lot, feeling some aching in my stomach no matter if i'm drinking OR eating. here's a few things: - work changed insurance because of cost (from AZ blue cross blue shield to aetna) and aetna covers NOTHING band related (hey, it was elective! :wink2: ). - cash prices for doctor visits are either $75 or $100, a fill is $150 - lost my job last month due to work slowdown but i still have worthless aetna via COBRA - i've tried protein drinks but whey protein turns me into an anxiety ridden mess (no kidding) and because i have PCOS, i'm reluctant to introduce any soy into my diet because of it can mimic estrogen (and i have that in bundles as is) sure, i've lost weight. almost 60 pounds so far. but i'm miserable. exhausted a lot. and tired of not being able to eat, especially when i know i NEED to for nutrition (esp. proteins). and i know i'm close to dehydrated if not actually dehydrated. (but when i'm eating, a lot of my food is in liquid form). i'm so tired of it. i kind of want the band out i just don't know what to do, as i cannot afford to see my doctor at all.

but how? :confused: i had my surgery july 27 and have had 2 fills - i think i'm at 5 cc now (in a 10 cc band). the weight i'm losing is going very slow (but my surgeon says that is good, 1-2 lbs a week). i've learned to avoid bread for the most part by trial and error so that's good, i just... argh. it's sugar. everything with sugar. juices, yogurt, sweets, etc i can't have artificial sweeteners because they cause me migraines, and the program doesn't recommend them because they tend to increase cravings for sweets. i want to be better at choices. i'm not eating huge portions but not much has changed about what i ate from before the surgery. and i can't not drink juices. my brain wont shut up and i don't know how to make it do so! before being banded, i never really was on a diet - ever. it seems a lot of you have been, have had some success with restricting yourselves for a while, losing some weight (not that it lasted). but i've never been able to do that. i've always been of the "all things in moderation" camp, which of course i still try and stick to. i learned that keeping a food journal made me think about food ALL THE TIME, making me crave more. i didn't eat huge portions but still gained weight (thanks in part to PCOS). i just...i don't know how to do it, how to have the strength...how to shut my head up when my body isn't actually hungry. i want this to be a successful investment in myself and it has been, i think, but i could be doing much better than i am. MUCH better. if only the head hunger would subside.

i work in a very small office (maybe 10 people?) and i have only told my direct manager. i do not think she has told anyone else but one reason i chose to tell her was that she is pretty good at keeping private things private. but if anyone else in the office knew, the whole office would know almost instantly - because it is assumed everyone knew. i don't know how many times i've heard one coworker say to another, "oh! i thought you knew!" when discussing someone else's something or other... *sigh* the office manager is very curious and i know she wants to know but knows she can't have answers unless i tell her. she asked my manager what was going on with me because i had marked off a week off but my manager just alluded that i had something medical. apparently, the other girls in the office think i may be having a hysterectomy! (i've had female issues recently, too, with too many dr appts. thanks, PCOS. grrr.) now i don't know what to say when i go back, because people are going to ask... :thumbdown:

it's normal to feel excruciating, burning pain if you sneeze when it hasn't even been a week after surgery, right? for me, it's a burning, acute pain in the muscle to the left of my belly button (incisions are a few inches above the painful area) i keep trying to make myself not sneeze if i feel one coming on because it hurts so much. but sometimes i can't and all i can do is brace myself for the pain. it sucks so badly.

i was banded by dr. sprunger, too (on monday, 7/27).

i have a similar bruise in the same spot! (i was banded 7/27) it's right above my hip bone/joint. i also have some bruises where i received heparin (sp?) shots. and i imagine it's where my port is - there's a large bandage still covering it but there's a bruise working its way out from under it.

i have been struggling with my weight since puberty - it came on swiftly and somewhat without reason, based on my eating and activity level at that time. my ("normal" weight) mother was concerned, of course, but hoped i would "grow into it". i never did. as i grew up, i grew out. my thyroid was tested so many times, with nothing being wrong. when i got older, i resigned myself to being fat and then just let myself make poor choices. i'm fat already, why not? i put more weight on (naturally). a few years ago, i found out i have PCOS and that could explain my early weight gain. i've steadily put on over the years and it's really affected my life. i'm not married, i don't have kids (not sure if i am able, either, because of the PCOS) and i live in an area where being active and fit is really important (phoenix metro area in arizona). i've had some relationships but they were short-lasting and well, i'm lonely. not lonely enough to be with the jerk that's okay with me being fat so he can treat me like crap or the guy whose self esteem is so bad that he wants me to be fat so i don't leave him. and i'm okay with being alone if those are my alternatives. but i'm not okay with living the rest of my life alone. and at least here - girls that look like me have a very hard time meeting (let alone dating/having a relationship with) decent guys. and i'm SO TIRED of being told "you have a pretty face"! anyway, a few things motivated me to finally do it. i've been suffering from heal spurs and they limit my ability to just walk around with friends shopping, it's very hard to walk for exercise. my knees have also started hurting and i know it's weight related. the pain in my feet & knees has made me not want to go to concerts - something i've loved to do since i was a young teenager. and then there's just...i'm watching myself age. quickly. i tell my friends that i think i'm "hitting my wall." it's one thing to be very obese but still kind of cute and looking much younger, it's another to be very obese, physically limited and older, less attractive with thinning hair. a couple things happened that have allowed me to have the surgery - i have a job with insurance that covers a majority of the procedure. also, my parents received some extra money from a settlement and they offered to cover the costs that my insurance does not (to which i am so grateful). the very real possibility that i could lose my job (business is slow, economy related), motivated me to push to do this NOW. i had lap-band surgery because i'm ashamed i wasted my 20s being so damn fat and i do not want to be fat while i grow old. i want to have kids, and grandkids. i also did this hoping that if i lose enough weight, i will also lose most, if not all, of the symptoms of PCOS which have been messing with me for a couple decades now. i've felt i'm racing a clock that's all of a sudden sped up and i need to slow it down! i'm less than a week into this. i don't know what i've lost post-op, if anything, but the 20ish lbs i lost pre-op didn't even make a dent in how i look. so now is the time. i now have a wonderful tool to help me gain a body in which i can more easily move through this world in and hopefully be able to step out of the shadows to really enjoy life while i still can.

i meant only in the face of the lap band surgery, her reaction was silly to me because it was after i explained to her the process (laproscopic), what the band was and isn't and the stats for the surgeon i was going to. the risk of death/complications is higher (at the initial surgery) with gastric bypass, based on stats. i'm really, really sorry for your loss. i wish you luck in your weight loss & only success with the band.

my best friend is 'normal' weight and when i first told her about the surgery, she was upset because she didn't want me to die. (haha, i guess it's a valid reaction but it's still kind of extreme and silly) because of that, i invited her to go with me to the pre-op class, because she's the type that feels more comfortable the more information she has and i didn't want her freaking out unnecessarily. but now i fear that she's going to be a food nazi to me (i.e. nag me like my mother would). she said that she's here to support me and all that, help me make the "right" choices but also had to say in all the many years she's known me, she's "yet to see me push myself". um... that upset me to the point i didn't talk to her for days - i "wrote" her an extensive email, but it was only in my head. just because i didn't include her in my daily struggles or brag about every pound i lost pre-op, or she was there to witness my eating the first cinnabon i'd had in 6 months(this was years ago but man, she was disgusted w/me and had to comment, as if because i'm fat i'm supposed to be punished by eating bland and unflavorful food for the rest of my life and never, ever have a treat). she's just one of those "if you want it, you just DO IT" type of people - because she's never had to struggle. she can't empathize. she doesn't know what it's like to be depressed, and when i was (or when her ex husband was) she had the "why don't you just snap out of it?" attitude. it really bothers me. she also said that she'd help me come clean out my pantry/fridge to keep the craving foods out of sight (as suggested in the class), but when i told her it wasn't necessary, she looked at me like i was trying to hold onto a years stash of ho-ho's or something. because god knows, to be this fat, i must gorge myself constantly on fast food and pastries and ice cream and everything high calorie and fattening. that's the only way, right? she asked me again about helping with the pantry right before the surgery and i told her thanks but i don't need any help in that area. i didn't know if she pictured a "fat person's junk food paradise" or something because she sounded unconvinced...for the record, i have a pantry full of decent food that i have to get rid of - because it is out of date. i feel ashamed of that because i've spent money on food i never ate and now i have to throw it out and there are hungry/struggling people out there... she has been supportive, however. she was there for the surgery and brought me flowers and all that, i just wonder how things will change between us when i get closer to looking like her than i do now. because they will. i have the feeling that she'll include me more in her life because all of her other friends are "normal" weight and she does stuff with them so much more than with me. it's like my fatness is some how a reflection of her... ugh. yeah, we have issues. and i'm probably going to tell her how i feel (and have felt) sooner or later, and that may be the catalyst for us to grow apart or become closer. i just don't know yet.

i feel this way, too, although i was just banded on monday. i am one of those people that do not feel comfortable losing any part of their body and while i could maybe get used to it, for me, i did not feel there was enough time/studies/patients for the sleeve procedure. my surgeon does do that but only started doing it late last year. it still does sound like a pretty great surgery, especially if you have a lot to lose (namely because of the grehlin reduction, as brought up by another poster but in a more harsh/aggressive manner). it just isn't the one for me. hopefully i'll never need to consider it again. :juggle: i don't have any co-morbidities like a lot of people that have the more invasive WLS have, but i do have a lot of weight to lose. time will tell on what works best for me - and everyone else here. i just hope that i don't have any serious complications from my band (and i hope all of you don't either - whatever your WLS is!). good luck