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Surgical drains are common. Their purpose is to remove fluid/drainage that may accumulate under the skin or in the intra-abdominal cavity. They keep swelling and bruising down and can reduce your chance of infection. The most common type is bulb-type drain called a Jackson-Pratt (JP for short). Here's some reliable information about them https://medlineplus.gov/ency/patientinstructions/000039.htm

sounds like your doing well 40 lbs loss is great!!! everyone looses differently, sounds like You know what your doing wrong , so make some necessary adjustments and keep it pushing !!! Congrats on your weight loss that is Fabulous !!!

Actually - this is something that I have struggled with over the last 3 months....and it took ME awhile to realize why I was doing what I was doing to myself. Do you know what I finally realized? I was doing it cause I was scared. Believe it or not that was the reason. I don't know if I can exxlain it but I will try. When I was fat - things were comfortable. I blended in or was barely noticed. I had a husband but no friends and everyone accepted me the way that I was - but me. That was the reason that I chose to have the surgery. I may have seemed happy but deep down I wasn't. I couldn't get in and out of bed without my knees hurting and I couldn't go into was what perceived as a "normal" person's store to go buy clothes and my social life was nonexsistant! Then after I had the surgery and I started loosing weight people started noticing me. I wasn't the wallflower that I used to be. I started getting asked to go places and all of a sudden people wanted to be my friend. I developed newfound confidence that I guess I always had but was buried under all the layers of fat that I had. I was getting everything that I wanted........and it scared me!!! I started eating and grazing and snacking and I was doing it subconciously and it wasn't until one of my kids pointed it out to me that I had realized I was changing back to the old me, the comfortable me. I've lost 98 pounds and still have between 40 and 50 to be at goal but loosing 100 pounds is like loosing a person and I got scared that I would loose myself. I know that all of this may sound crazy - especially to someone who hasn't had surgery or ever had a weight problem but I'm hoping I explained myself to all of you that you all understand. I am finally back on track and I know it my heart that I WANT to loose the rest of the weight. I just had to get past that roadbump to realize it!!

This will make or break my decision for this surgery...(I've been approved and been to seminars and all. MD encourages the surgery.) I have 85lbs to lose. I am 5'6" and weigh 250 now. I have terrible back problems, hypertension that's only getting worse, going thru a diabetic scare a while back, yadda, yadda, you guys know the list. My question is this; how many of you have HAD so much excessive skin at a comparable weight and height to my own that you have had to consider PS? Thanks in advance! Anita:unsure:

I'm a little on the tired side.... I know this is not very good and I need to seriously take my vitamins... I'm naughty about that. If I was to self "doctor" myself, I would say my iron might be low.... Still I'm down 11 lbs from a week ago, not bad huh? I slept a little better last nigh not too many episodes with the coughing up of residual food... I even think I took in more water yesterday. My skin is snapping back, so I'm not dehydrated thank God. I have a serious craving for Watermelon, so I think I'll swing by Vons this morning and get some for breakfast yumoh!:w00t:

I had a dream journey with the band, no surgery problems and my weight loss was text book. However, a year on and I don't know what to do. Except for breakfast which is. Usually porridge topped with yoghurt and seeds everything else I eat seems to come back. I would say not everything because I am only losing weight weight (and believe me I don't want to lose more) very slowly 5lbs since Christmas. I went back to the surgeon and he took 1cc out it made no difference. I am afraid to take out more because I don't want to put weight on either, and I am not even convinced that this is not my fault. I ask myself did I eat the wrong thing, did I eat too fast? Is it my fault? I can't even manage a starter at a restaurant and alcohol is completely out. Should I just try to live with this, I don't want to be fat again, I am so happy with my body lose skin and all.

July 16th.. I start at 215 . Pre op 172.. Now at 3 weeks only 160.. I lost only 12 pounds in three weeks.. This is normal ? Or maybe because im only have to loose 50 more pounds is taking slow? Im 4'11 height... Can somebody help me? Is like 2.5 pounds a week.

Sleeved on 3/30. With two week pre-op and post op loss, Im at a 43lbs loss. Protein is no problem for me not getting in 64oz of water is my issue. I never get that much in a day and my skin shows it. It's so dry [emoji853][emoji853] I can't tolerate eggs which sucks because it's a big part of the soft food stay I'm on now. Just started my soft food stay on 4/20 and I'll be on it for 6 weeks. Learning to eat slow and listen to my body. Ready for the 30th to come so I'll be able to go back to the gym! I wouldn't trade this decision in for the world. I'm 28 and able to live my life again! [emoji4]

Hi! I had band to RNY in March. I think what your feeling is pretty normal. This is a REALLY tough surgery. I have had many and this was the hardest recovery by far. Maybe with the exception of having my tonsils out in my 30's! That was a bad ride too! I know how craptastic you feel now but, I promise it's worth it! Having had such a downer of an experience with the band, its great to have this and actually see results! I would say the first three months are the worst. You'll feel much better in a few weeks but, month three seems to be the turn back to normal for most. I know it was for me. Also, yes, your GASTRO habits will be out of wack for a bit! The loose stools are super common. They really messed around with our intestines so, they need time to reset, but they do. Now, I eat and drink pretty much like a normal person. I don't have to overthink every food move anymore you know? you remember how it was getting used to the band, this is sort of the same but, no constant food being stuck or always regurgitating. It will feel more normal soon, I pinky swear! lol You just have to hang tough for a bit, it will calm way down very soon. I wish you all the best and a speedy recovery!

Thanks for asking Sreeves, actually, my gas has changed. TMI alert. Instead of gas, I'm getting 'rumbling' in my lower abdomen, resulting in a small, but noticeable, loose stool. How could I have stool when all I'm doing is drinking? I drink warm decaf tea w lemon, beef or chicken broth, skim milk and SF Koolaid. Not in any order. But I'm scared I'll try to pass gas when it's actually something else. I haven't taken the gas-x yet. What's worse than the pain, is being scared a possible symptom means this and/or that and you worry, worry , worry. Like I am now. ????

Everyone is different. There is no way anyone could tell you for sure if you will have loose skin. I know I would rather be healthy with loose skin than be overweight with a saggy belly. Funny to me how people become 400 pounds overweight and are all of a sudden so worried about how they will look if they have this surgery.

So I have a few questions for those of you that have already had the surgery or have the knowledge. These are just questions which are zipping through my mind constantly. 1. Scarring. What kinds of scars to expect and the location of the scars. 2.How long does it take for the incisions to heal? How many incisions are there normally? 3. Excess skin. Is there a lot of excess skin after weight loss? Is there a way to avoid it? 4. Exercise. What kinds of exercise besides walking is good for post-op 5. When they say liquid diet pre-op, is it all liquids or only clear liquids?

I decided to address some issues with the speed of my weight loss. Not because I'm disappointed or frustrated but to offer perspective and to garner your perspective to help those who are frustrated. On May 6 it will be 3 months out for me. I'm certainly no subject matter expert. Daily I see a new post regarding the speed of weight loss. Usually it is regarding a stall. Heck, I think I even posted one. We've heard and read every one hoping to get a different answer. But that new perspective never comes. So it appears that stalls are reality and normal. Slow weight loss is a reality and normal. Fast weight loss is a reality and normal. I've learned that just because you're in a stall or your weight loss is slow doesn't mean nothing is happening to your body. I slipped right into a size 14 jean at the end of my last two week stall. 1. Help I'm in a stall? What do I do? Look at your journal. Are you getting 60-100g of protein a day? Are you staying within your carb limit? Are you drinking all your water? Are you journaling? Be honest about staying on plan. And understand that even if you do everything right you will stall. 2. Why are others losing weight so much faster than me? First refer to the answer number 1. If you answered yes to all those then you are probably like me. My husband swears I can live on air:-). My weight loss is slow and I have had many stalls in my short three months. In between stalls I'll lose 3-4 lbs then stall again. There are benefits to being slow losers. That lotion you put on twice a day to nourish and heal your skin actually has some time to work. Don't forget to dry brush your skin before climbing into the shower. My skin looks great and I'm nearly 50! Did you expect the weight to just disappear and you're feeling disappointed? By choosing the sleeve you chose one of the slowest of WLS suite of choices. Yep, weight loss can continue for up to 2 years after surgery. Most people who succeed get to goal sooner. In spite of that I feel like I've made the right choice. I feel great, I'm looking pretty great and there is no way I could have dropped 36 pounds in nearly three months any other way. Your frame of mind is important to determining your satisfaction with WLS. In other words,don't look at your daily weigh in as an emotional roller coaster where on loss days you're happy and in stall days you're bummed. You can't eat 800-1000 calories a day and not eventually lose weight. Don't worry, be happy. You will have stalls. Now I've had more stall days than success days and am thankful for them. The misconception is that this is an easy fix to a problem of laziness or lack of self control. Every one who has done this will testify that this is a lie. This is not easier. It's damned hard to make the decision to surgically limit your body to 4-6 ounces of food at a time. Sometimes it sucks when you've made a rockstar meal and want more. Like that amazing, wild Alaska salmon I made last night that I'm also having for lunch today. Yum! After all that work to get to a successful surgery date now is the time to celebrate the successes and the stalls. They are our new reality. Why not make it your new normal. Take care

Oh no!! This has been a big fear for me also mine is quite loose. I pray u find it!!

I'd take some professional advice on it. Havent had PS, dont really plan to but I can tell you the last 20lb changed my entire body WAY more than the first 80. The only think I'd do is my boobs, and believe me, 20lb ago, they still looked like they had, only a little smaller. Since then they've completely and utterly deflated. I now need to be looking at a lift and implant rather than just a lift. I dont particularly want to restore the size, as I find a C perfect, but I need the implant to fill out the stretched out skin on the tops of them. So for me personally, I'd say wait but I know loads of people have found tummy tucks a different thing and it of course depends on your problem in the first place.

:wub:I am 18 days postop. I am so grateful for the surgery and also the removal of a hematoma that was a complication from a previous surgery ( the hematome, about the size of a baseball) I have lost 12.5 pounds since the day before surgery. I am eating about 1100 to 1400 calories. This may sound like alot to some but I know if I eat less than that my body thinks it is starving and holds on to the weight. I excercised to "Zumba" today for a full 20 minutes. It is a totally fun latin dance excercise dvd. I felt I hit a mini goal. I am hopeful for 1.5 to 2 lbs a week on average. If I loose 6 lbs a month I will be at my goal by my band aniversary date. My first goal will be 170 and my second goal will be 140. I don't want to loose too quickly. I have seen people loose too quickly and they look horrible and unhealthy. Eating a balance of fats, carbs and protiens will keep my hair and skin healthy. Being over 50 that is so important to not let the weightloss age me anymore than I already am. My restriction is very comfortable right now. I am about 3 cc's and I go for a fill in 1 week. I am not sure I want too much of a fill I will need. My attitude is this band is a tool. I will not look at it as a "cure". I am grateful I can sit down with a small meal and not be hungry afterwards. Wow! that is awesome. One of the main things that has helped is not eating until I am physically hungry. I am finding other activities when I have head hunger or deal with the root of the head hunger. That is such an important difference than before. Well that is all for now!:rolleyes2: Best wishes for all on this journey! Lee Anne

You are doing so well and with no exercise! I can sympathize with the slow down but just imagine loosing anything during the holidays is a huge success. Keep up the good work and great attitude.

Barely noticeable, one thin white line, the littler ones are gone. I did need to move port and reduce te profile though, that was like a walnut under my skin.

I was banded in April and my scars are fading...but still noticable--which is typical with my skin type. I am not planning on wearing a bikini top anytime soon so it really doesn't matter.

I finally had my surgrey on May 25th. Since then I have lost 17 lbs!! I am not sure if there is anyone out there who is having a really hard time emotionally. I have been real snappy with everyone, feeling like I want to jump out of my skin, crying more than usal. Really, really hungry... Anyone else going through this? I am going to a support group this week..but in the mean time I am not sure..I feel that I am not going to be able to lose the weight and that everyone is watching me to see if I will fail..anyways, having a hard time.

Hello VST Fam.... I am now leading into my 9th week (yeahhhhh...I'm getting there). Anyway, like everyone else was stating on here, I reached the dreaded 3 weeks stall. My stall lasted for 5 weeks...yikes! But it's true. I tried everything to break my stall, ie. working out more, getting in more Water, getting in more portein, etc. Then, one morning after my workout I stopped in a Krogers. I was craving.....FOR CARBS! So, I bought some Kroger brand French Toast. It has like 16grams of Protein. Only like...230 calories for 2 slices. Still being knew, I didn't know if my tummy could handle bread, but I was willing to try. Sooo, I went home and fixed me 1 slice of toast and 2 slices of turkey bacon. I had plenty of water after I had finished. Showered, got dressed and went on about my day -- monitoring the affects of the bread on my tummy. No side affects, great! Sooo, the next day I did the same thing. By day 3 -- I had dropped 5lbs after a 5 week stall!!! 7lbs in that today week. I had finally broke my stall, and lead myself into ONDERLAND!!! If you are further out (beyond 1month), and you have reached a stall --reintroducing a carb might be the trick. I have literally put carbs back into my diet. I have been exercising like crazy, and wanted to see some results. My body was going into starvation mode! I was loosing inches (and I have created a topic on this.. ), but not loosing lbs.. I personally, needed the lbs. *Note: Someone said to me, lbs are not that important! I informed her, when you are like myself and have high blood pressure, or other ailgments that you might be dealing with -- and you go to your PCP, your doctor doesn't say "Come over here and let me measure you. No! They say, please step on the scale". Soooo, in this case -- lbs are VERY IMPORTANT! Especially, if I ever plan to get off my medicine, permanently. -------------------- Ok enough said! Please, feel free to share your "Stall Breakers". Please tell how long you have stalled and what worked for you to get the scale moving again!!! (Congrats to all of you on all your accomplishments with VSG!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!)

Thanks for the responses. I contacted a bariatric program. I had to participate in a free seminar and fill out some forms. Once I return the forms they will contact my inurance and we will see what i need to do from there forward. It is so exciting even taking this small step! Quick question my bmi is like 56 and is my only diagnosed if you will reason so get this surgery. Is it safe for me to loose weight before this whole process is done? I would have to loose almost 100 lbs to be under the 40 bmi cut off.

I am 44 yrs old and have been over wight since 5th grd. so with diabetes & high blood pr i new the older i get the sicker i would get.so i did it.i am feeling better ever day:thumbup: but i have a knot under my skin right above my big Incision. dose anyone know what it is are if it will go away ??and buy my scales i have lost 16 lbs .. i hope it's right! thanks!!

There really isn't a lot you can do to prevent excess skin, but you can try to minimize it by making sure you stay hydrated and using a lotion with Vitamin E and Collagen and Elastin... I do yoga and stretching and resistance training to try and tone the muscle underneath as well, which helps a little, but I'm still pretty young so my skin should bounce back and at least be manageable until I decide to go under the knife again. That won't be for a while though - I want more children and I don't want to ruin my body again after I've already had it fixed. 278#

Wow...my surgery was Sept 6th, and I can barely lean to one side, let alone roll onto a side. The only thing i'm managing to do is open the binder off when sitting. I have it completely off right now for the first time, to get air to the wounds, and try and stop the skin irritiation on the stretch marks. Other than that, it's sit on desk chair, or recliner padded with pillows.