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My surgeon actually gave me a card to show when I go out. It says that I have had a surgical procedure that limits my consumption to 1/10 of an adult meal and basically ask the to reduce the price of my meal to senior or child's meal. Not sure if all restaurants will honor it. I'm two weeks out and tonight is the first night I will go out to eat. I plan to have soup but curious to see how I will do

Not sure where you live, but you can find several doctors in the US that charge 10-11K. I chose to go to Mexico too. I've heard great things about Dr. Garcia on the forum, and I'm sure you'll be very happy.

Not being able to spend an hour in the grocery store shopping for food has led me to find something else to do! I actually have time now to spend 10 minutes in the magazine isle! I am addicted to the Tabloid Magazines all of the sudden! I was planning on taking up painting, but this is much more fun! J/K, I'll paint too! Wondering if you have found any new interests or hobbies?

Unified Group Services? The insurance card also has an HFN 10 logo on it. I am waiting to hear back from them, but also looking for someone else who has used them.

I'm a pear and despite my BMI being 19 and all my chest bones showing, I still have a fair amount of padding on the backside and thighs. People tell me all the time I'm too thin but as soon as I get enough weight on me to hide the ribs in my chest, I have a muffin top and saddlebags. I have to stay skeletal on top for my lower half to be anywhere near acceptable to me.

my sleeve surgery was done on 01/29/13 so 16 days ago. i started this journey at 370. lost 25lbs before surgery. so when i walked into surgery i was 345. when i came home from the hospital i was 355 probably from all the iv fluids. today i weight 328. but i've been 328 for like the past 2-3 days. i'm not going down anymore. is this normal? did i plateau ?? should i be exercising more?? i've been trying to walk 30 minutes daily in the gym. way too cold outside. i did start my stage 3 diet on tuesday any tips/advice is much appreciated. thanks

That is so great that your eczema has gotten so much better. I too suffer from severe eczema and completely understand the pain and embarrassment. My eczema was actually getting better during my first few weeks post-op but just last week when I was moved over to a regular modified diet all hell broke loose! I can't even sleep and Benadryl or topical steroids aren't helping I asked my dr about a wheat or gluten sensitivity and they kind of look at me like I have 10 heads. That was really the only difference between now and then. My allergist hasn't found and food allergies either. It's very frustrating! I've decided to kind of test this myself and cut all gluten out of my diet and see if there is any improvement.

It wasn't until my 3rd fill I felt the band was helping @ all....2 wks later when I got my fourth fill I FINALLY have restriction and I have to eat small portions & small bites....It is really hard, but when you the right amount you will be able to tell! Promise my total is 7.0 in a 10 cc band

had gastric bypass DS loop and my gallbladder removed on March 11th 2019. Since then I have gone from 297.7 down to 242. Total of 55.7 lbs. in 3 months and 13 days. But I’m the last 39 days I have only lost 10 lbs. is this a plateau? Is this still good since I have not gained any weight back? I’m feeling better in the last 2 weeks FINALLY.... I had surgery complications and medication changes and problems that caused extra pain and some minor depression, so recovery took longer than “usual” patients. I think? I don’t know how long other people take to get out and about, start regularly exercising (just walking and some 2 pound weights) But the slow down in weight loss worries me. Also, I have a HUGE fear of stretching my stomach back out. Every time I eat I get scared my stomach is stretching at the staples. I would love some feedback of your experiences, ideas, your suggestions, possibly re-assurance that I’m doing ok?? Also, I love to eat fruit, and I try to limit myself to 2 a day, but I worry about sugars... what do you all do? Thanks! Claire

So, I'm 7weeks post op and still having daily diarrhea, sometimes up to 6-8x a day. I'm lactose intolerant so those things will cause it, but sometimes it happens with meats and other non-lactose foods. I'm wondering if all this diarrhea will have an effect on the absorption of nutrients for me? Often the diarrhea follows a meal after only 5-10 minutes. So far my labs are fine but wondering if this is going to be a problem. My surgeon says no one really knows how long nutrient absorption takes and just wants me to take Immodium or Questran, guess I'm going to have to break down and fill the nasty Questran script:( Does anyone have any info in this issue?

I was banded on 10/30/06 and i'm new to the website also. Dr. Abkin Morristown, NJ

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HI, Today is my 7th week post surgery. I've lost 24 pounds but the last two weeks...nothing. I have my third post-op appointment next Thursday. My Dr. said he wanted me to loose 10 pounds by that appointment and I've only lost 3. I'm feeling a lot of pressure to "make weight" by next Thursday and it's really making me angry. I've spent my life being a slave to the scale and now that I've had the surgery, I just want to be good to my body and have a healthy attitude toward my weight loss and new eating habits. Thank you to anyone who reads this and has any wisdom or encouragement to share. I've never before participated in a site like this but I feel isolated because my schedule doesn't allow for me to join any support groups. Thanks again to all of you "out there"

Hello everyone my name is Tina otherwise known as breakingtheshell. I really want to share my story with you I am so glad that I found this website. I am sure that there are many others out there with my situation maybe somebody can help me understand this because I asked my doctor my dietitian and they just seem to give me short answers and then there in a rush to get away I started out at 347 during my six-month counseling sessions and the day of my surgery I was 327 my surgery was on October 26, 2012. I wore a size 5x tops and bottoms or a 32/34 and my bra size funny funny was a 54 Double D. I never wore jeans after my disability which was a big contributor to becoming morbidly obese. Oh this is funny, I used to wear a size 13 wide shoe now I'm in a 12. How did that happen?? The surgery was extremely painful for me and it took a great five hours for them to poke and probe me and rearrange things rather then the simple 2.5 hours. My liver was extremely enlarged because I suffer from nonalcoholic liver disease so they needed to go in other places it was hard for them to lift my liver to work around it. I have been on the highest strengths of morphine for so long that when I got into the recovery room I felt all the pain and there was nothing else they could do for me so I stayed at the hospital for three days straight crying and begging for help to get rid of the pain.........I felt like I was butchered. By the way I was on pain medication for so long because I have severe back injuries I need to have a Nother three surgeries on my back I have fibromyalgia rheumatoid and osteoarthritis degenerative disc and joint disease spinal stenosis sciatica And everything else that causes pain. This is how I got started on my venturers for a gastric bypass surgery my back surgeon had to do another surgery on me but because I was so morbidly obese he refused to open me up on the operating table for fear that I would die. He told me I needed to lose over 100 pounds and in order to do that I had to go have the gastric bypass done so I quickly did my research checked my insurance and was approved quickly after six months of counseling. I lost a lot of weight I'm talking about 85 pounds by the end of my third month. I felt horrible I felt lethargic and spent most of my time in bed because I was so tired. My skin dried-up like you would not believe my face looked horrible like I had aged 10 to 15 years and I still with having pain in three months in my stomach area. Oh and the hair loss ......it's still coming out!! My six-month mark was on April 26, 2013. I had lost 122 pounds and my clothing sizes got to an extra large top a size 16 trying to wiggle into a 14 jeans and my shoe size went down and my bra size is now at 38b. When I look in the Mira I see a totally different person I look like a skinny person but I know that I need to lose at least 60 more pounds!! my husband says I should be grateful for what I have lost but darn it I didn't go this far to stop here but the problem is it STOPPED!!!! I understand that there are times that you will Platau but mine has lasted two months now losing only 9 stinkin pounds. I started solids a little late because of having Strictures and having to be dilated three times but I noticed that when I started eating solid foods my hunger started and I always feel hungry again an hour after a meal. I can only eat 1/4 to 1/2 cup of solids. I mentioned this to my doctor and that was hysterically crying and he says to me well that means your metabolism is working again that's a good thing and then got up and walked out!!! Wtf???? This is my life. This is my dream. I am doing everything by the book I am drinking my Protein I am actually drinking the whey protein bullet (with approval) which is nice because it's only 3 1/2 ounces to suck down to get your protein and I don't know what else to do. I cannot exercise because of my back injury. I'm going to be having surgery again rods and screws put in my back and I just don't know what else to do. I've kept logs, drink my liquids,snack on a little fruit or fat free sugar free yogurt. UGH CAN SOMEONE GIVE ME ADVICE ON HOW TO KICKSTART MY WEIGHTLOSS AGAIN????? I don't want to be skinny because I love curves. I'm not being selfish! Thanks in advance for your input. Tina

So my stall started at week 2 and lasted almost a month. I'm on the heavier side and expected quicker weight loss as a result. My high weight was 422, pre-op 408, and I gained 10 pounds Water weight in the hospital. Yuck. I quickly dropped to 387 two weeks post op and stayed there. For almost a month! Luckily, I took the boards advice and kept measurements. In my 4 week stall I lost 33 inches and that's ok. However, I am super pleased to announce that, on weigh in today, I lost 11 lbs last week! Yay! My stall is over! I guess I just want those that are struggling with stalls to know that it does end and you do lose inches. Just stick with it and be patient.

I will have my surg. 01/12 and i am sooo excited but nervous at the same time!!!

Hi, I am a new member to the site and would like to see if anyone can help me out on some questions I have. I have considered having wls for over 2 years now and have finally made up my mind to do it! I went to the seminar to start that the surgeon requires. I know I was told there would be some pre-qualifications my insurance would require before approving the surgery. The insurance dept at the drs office sent me the paperwork saying I had to have 5 years of weight history with my bmi over 40 or my bmi greater than 35 w/co-morbidities. My situation is that my bmi has only been over 40 for 2 years and greater than 35 with NO co-morbidities for the first 10 years. Is there anyone out there who was/is in this kind of situation? And also with BCBS TRS activecare thru the school district, is there anyway to get around these "pre-qualifications? Thanks for any help you can provide.

Four days since surgery and I'm off to the races! Here are my starting stats: The day of my consult with Dr. Dunshee was 12/14/10: 300 Morning of Surgery (after a cruise and a 10 day pre-op diet): 292.4 Day after surgery (Dr. said gain of about 5 lbs. was expected): 294.5 Day 2: 293 Day 3: 289.5 Day 4: 286.8 I am so geeked!!!

I'm mom to four. My oldest is 17 and my youngest is 10. I really want to be around long enough to see my future grandkids! I want to be able to do everything I can with the family and be more invested in their lives. Wls is for me but they have been my motivating factor! My entire family is very fit. All of the kids play competitive sports. The older two are in incredible shape and swim, run, and life weights. They coach me in the gym. All 4 keep me honest. They have been with me every single step of the journey from when I first started thinking about this 5 years ago. When I was four days post op and had my "what have I done??'!!" moment, they were there. They all exercise with me and they have all learned to cook low carb dinners . The biggest change has probably been with my teenage daughter. She's seen not only the difficult decision I made but the work it took to get here. She sees a strong mom who took steps to get healthy. It deepened our already strong relationship in many ways! Sent from my iPhone using the BariatricPal App

I think a lot of us go through the same feelings. I lost 10 pounds in the month before I even saw the surgeon, just because I was so ready for the process. I was self-pay so I really had to think about it.... I'm going to spend $17,000 -- pretty much take on the equivalent of a car payment for the next 5 years -- when, look, I'm doing it, I'm losing weight... for free!!! I could take that money and finally get the new kitchen I want (funny how that's a food-focused dream too, lol). But like another poster said.... I knew that one reason I was finding the discipline and motivation to lose a few pounds before I saw the surgeon, was because I knew I was about to change my life dramatically by getting the lap band. Also, I know how to lose weight. I've lost 100 pounds three times in the last 20 years. My problem is, I don't know how to keep it off. That's where I'm really hoping the lap band will provide me with the tool I'm lacking in my own head.

My programs is a minimum 3 month programs that includes a set number of support groups, visits with a NUT and a Bariatric psychiatric nurse, an exercise component and an Upper GI. I was entered the program 7/19/16 and had surgery 12/30/16 but I pushed my surgery back a month from approval because I wanted to do it after the holidays when my time off at work resets.

I am eating around 800 calories and getting around 60-80g of Protein...but the scale is not moving. I am six weeks post op....do I have too many carbs....I think its around 30 or 40g carbs...here is my day Muscle Milk (225 calories, 25 g Protein) 2 Babybels (140) Calories 10 g Protein) 1 Single serve Hummus (63 cal, 6 g Protein) 2 oz Turkey Laughing Cow cheese, 1/2 Dr. Kracker Cracker (17g protein, 130 cal) 1 Babybel Light (35 Cal, 6g protein) 1 2.6 Tuna Pouch with light mayo (130 cal, 20g protein) 1 Wasa cracker (30 cal, 1g protein) Water with Metamucil (50 Cal). Walking 2-3 miles a day...just started adding weights.... Should I cut out something out????

Up your Water intake and lower your calorie intake and you will loose that plus more in the 5 weeks. The first 10 lbs is all water weight.. and it is pretty easy to loose, its after you get to the 10% when it gets very very hard.. Good Luck i am sure you can do it!

Is it close to your Tom? I always would put on a little water weight prior to my Tom. Then after I would have it I would drop all of that weight plus an additional 5-10 pounds! I came to look forward to my Tom! Lol I guarantee that those pounds aren't real...that it is just fluid retention. good luck!

I'm 8 weeks post op. I seem to have heck getting my first goal of 300. On monday I was 304. Today, weds, I'm 306. It's like my body is doing the same ol song and dance it used to. Not very promising seeing so many at the same timeline as me dropping like crazy. Anyone else have this problem? What do yall do to get going again? 5' 11" OP 9/16/19 HW 365 PO 343 CW 304