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I agree with LosingItForMe, I have never heard of this either. Maybe your doctor could suggest what you need to put into the letter. But I'm pretty sure 10 pages would be way too much LOL!

Good job. You are taking it slow and moving. That is great. Congrats on your 10 lbs so far!

Heading south tomorrow (Sunday)! Packed my super tiny light weight suitcase (10 lbs packed!) so no lifting issues for me and nearly ready to go. I live by myself and am going solo so I've been in a cleaning frenzy today. Yard work and laundry done and everything sparkling clean. Now my distractions are done and it's time for me to just be anxious! Only downside is the border crossing into Mexico is at a high alert and is taking lots of time due to the horrible manhunt we have going on in Southern California. Ex cop killed several people and is on the loose. Uhm, so yeah, it's safer in Mexico. Looking forward to being on the other side!

Hello all, I was just banded on 10/3 and started my soft food diet this weekend. I am having a hard time with it. Everything I swallow it seems I can feel going down and it is not a pleasant feeling. I chew like crazy but I almost want to go back to liquids because this feeling is awful. I have even gotten stuck a few times and the sheer desperation of it is terrible. Do you all experience this? Will it go away?? Any suggestions??

banded on the 16th. also had problems in the same dept! colace doesnt always work but I still take...I have lost 10 lbs since surgery. It has been slow coming off but I am trying to be patient. I had my first fill last wed.

Hi everyone! I was banded on 9/2/10. I have had 1 fill of 1cc with 2 cc added during surgery and had been doing great. For the last few weeks though, I have been getting a pain by my upper right abdomen and about every three or four days the pain gets so bad I have to vomit (sorry, gross). This happens about an hour after I eat and it has been different types of foods (not band friendly--bread, rice, peanuts). Is this what stuck is? I don't feel it right away like I have read others that take a few bites and feel it. I eat and I feel fine and then it hits me...and it hits me hard. I am in pain for about an hour or more. The pain travels to my back. I am going to call the doctor tomorrow. But since the pain goes away and I feel fine, I have waited. I have tried to read other posts about getting stuck, but none seem to describe what I am feeling or the onset of how I feel. I have tried papaya enzymes, the chicken dance, grabbing my ankles, but none have worked. Any advise/suggestions will be appreciated.

I used the one that dissolves on the tongue. I started right away because that gas was really, really, bad. It woke me during the night. I would get up walk around the house for 5 or 10 min. and go back to bed. 3 nights like that, no other pain or I wouldn't have made it.

Amazing how fast the last few months have gone. I am finishing up grad school this week (last test is Tuesday woot woot!) and soon thereafter I will be embarking on another huge undertaking – getting sleeved. I’ve complained about this on the boards a couple of times but will say it one more time…the pre-op classes are simply ridiculous. I can honestly say I got nothing out of them. The only semi-interesting class was a one-year post-op RNY patient who talked about the challenges and victories he had experienced. The rest were beyond lame. But, it’s over now Once I completed my last class, the surgeon’s nurse navigator got my paperwork submitted to Aetna and exactly 7 days later called to say I was approved! I was really expecting it to be more difficult than that. I met with the Surgeon 6/1 (before this, had only seen him at the seminar in December 2010) and had a good conversation in which he answered all of my questions and made me feel 100% comfortable with my decision to move forward. After we were done he had me talk with his scheduler, who got me on the roster for June 20. Sweet! I probably still won’t believe it until I’m driving to the hospital that morning. Since I don’t have a PCP the surgeon will just do my H&P the morning of surgery. He doesn’t do any type of pre-op testing. Interesting because here on the boards some people need sleep apnea studies, testing for hernias or h-pylori, etc. He does not require any of that. Which is cool because I am pretty sure all of those are negative for me and I hate when unnecessary testing is done. I have to go to one more nutrition class on June 9, which revolves around how to eat pre- and post-op. I actually start the pre-op diet June 10…the first few days will be challenging because I have visitors in town that I rarely get to see, and usually we eat out and drink wine, etc. But I will manage. The good news is that from the literature the surgeon’s office has given me, I think it’s pretty good as pre-op diets go. It’s only 10 days and I get mushy stuff, am not restricted to liquids like others sometimes are. Emotionally, I feel great. I feel ready to kick fat in the ass. I am not nervous at all. This may change as the date approaches, but as of now I feel at peace with my decision. The main issue on my mind right now about two weeks out is, whether or not to tell anyone. I do have a great family but truly just want to keep this private. Maybe I still have a little shame, I don’t know. My mom is a true supporter of me, however she has been through a lot the last few years (cancer, heart failure) and has developed a pretty significant amount of anxiety. I rarely see my siblings due to distance and they are great people however…skinny people. And I don’t think they would understand. Co-workers, I absolutely do NOT want to know because I feel they will forever scrutinize what I eat. That leaves friends. There are a few close ones I have considered telling. Despite the fact that they are thin I think they’d be on board with my decision because they have seen me fluctuate so much over the years. Anyway, still not sure. As surgery approaches I’ll decide what to do.

Do you have to take Vitamins for the rest of your life b/c of the sleeve gastrectomy? If so, how many different pills do you have to take and how frequently do you take them? I am pre-op now, and in looking through what is requried for the post-op diet at least for the first couple of months, it looks really rough and tough. Is it as tough as it seems? How tough would you rate it on a scale of 1 to 10, 10 being the hardest thing you've ever done in your life. How have you managed to get through it? Thanks

On a scale of 1-10, I'd say postop life was a 3 for the 1st 4 months.....WAY easier than some of the crazy diets I've been on and with much better results. Really the only hard part was having to eat and drink when I wasn't hungry.... It was such a chore. I also developed a bad C. diff infection causing severe diarrhea for 2 months, but that wasn't related to my surgery.....got it from a dental procedure. But After 4 months everything was back to normal and Life has been easy. As for Vitamins, it's not a one size fits all. You need to do regular bloodwork and adjust accordingly. For example, I was taking a Multivitamin, calcium, Iron, Vitamin D3 and B12 sublingual immediately postop. My 6 month labs showed that my calcium and iron were high so I stopped taking those. 12 month labs were all good. I will recheck again when I am two years out and make any necessary adjustments. Studies on gastrectomy patients revealed that 90% developed deficiencies within 10 years. (iron, D and B12 were the most common, but folate, zinc and calcium show up, too). So yes, bloodwork and supplementation are important to prevent serious health issues. And taking daily vitamins Is really no big deal.

I was off completely for one week. Limited duty 6 weeks. Post op follow up 10 days. Have a physically demanding job so limited duty necessary. If I had more vacation time I would have taken whole time off because I had to take heating pad with me to office.

I just got word that my insurance approved my surgery!!! This has been such a long road beginning 6 years ago when I initially wanted gastric bypass. My insurance through my job won't cover WLS, so I finally got creative and added my hubby's insurance as secondary insurance effective 1/1/10. After completing my 6 month supervised diet last week, I am scheduled for my surgery on Monday, May 17. I am so excited, scared, shocked, and giddy all at the same time. I am so ready for this next stage of my life. This board has been an inspiration to me over the past few months. Thank you to everyone for taking the time to post, respond, and encourage others.

The pre and post op diets were hardest for me too. But they are extremely important. The pre-op diet gets your liver under control and to shrink back down to a normal size. If it's too enlarged, they can't get the band in properly. Not trying to scare you. Just want to make sure you know how very important pre/post op diets are. That being said, try not to stress over your 1/4 cupcake too much. In the 10+ years my surgeon has been doing this, he only had 1 he couldn't complete. Take care!

That is awesome! Go to the grocery store and pick up two hand baskets. Go over to the baking section and put a 10# bag of sugar in each one. Walk around the store for 10 minutes like this returning the bags to their shelf. Walk out of the store with a huge smile on your face knowing you never have to carry those around again.

Do you have to load and unload too? Do you drive a big rig? I'd think AT LEAST a week because you have to be clear headed.... no anesthesia, no pain meds beyond tylenol still on board. I know when you are down you aren't earning money...but 10 days and you would probably be good to go. Getting into and out of the cab might be a little painful before then....

I have been reading for a couple months on this site and find it so helpful. I gave myself the past 12 months to make this life changing decision, and I am ready! I have started the paperwork/insurance process (wow! what a process!!....the stress eating from that alone probably added another 10 lbs!!). Just wanted to see if any of you are in the area....so we can do this together!

I'm thankful I am almost 100lbs down from my highest weight back in Aug 2019. From now on, I'm taking all pics like this!!!

Welcome and good luck to you! Just a caveat...don't get the surgery until you go that extra 10%. Take whatever time you need to get your questions answered and decide if it is indeed the right step for you!

AMEN!!! With that sort of attitude, you will be VERY successful with your surgery and everything thereafter! I too have been the FAT girl of my friends. I wasnt always the fat one, but the past 10 years I have been. In 2000 I was the skinnier one getting all the attention from guys. Now, if I walk into a store and patiently wait for a clerk to finish with their current customer and a pretty, skinny girl walks up with a question (even though I had been standing there for 10 mins), I get ignored while that girl gets help. It is annoying!! But, I look forward to the day that I turn heads again, particularly my husbands.....lol. Best of luck with everything!!! You will be just great!:cool:

That's encouraging that you were approved w/ similar #'s. hopefully my file will be submitted tomorrow. I have supplied all my weights for the past 5 years and are all in the range of plus or minus 10 lbs. It is all I can think about.

ichthyology The reasons you stated are the reasons I was banded.. I have lost 110 lbs - I feel 10 yrs younger have tons more energy.. I live in So Cali where Mexican Food is the food of choice I still eat chilli - salsa - I cook with jalapeno's - I can't say I eat super hot but I do pretty good for a white chick since I have grown up hear and mexican food is what I grew up on.. I have read were some pple can't tolerate spicy food - but for me I can still eat it - my doc didn't say I couldn't... Heck I still drink coffee - there are pple here who's doc's dont allow it... As you will find out the longer you are on this board that every doc has diff instructions... Good luck on your journey.. Heck 100 lbs for a guy is a walk in the park - go to the guys room - they lose that in like 6 months - You men seem to lose it fast than us girls :cool2:

That's awesome!! I had a nearly orgasmic moment when I got into a size 16 this weekend....i can't imagine a 10.

So far so good. Unfortunately I went back to my old eating habits (inhaling my food) but after a couple bites I remembered to eat slowly. I was sleeved on 7/19. On the good side since all I do is talk all day it makes me drink lots more water. How was your first day back???

OK I'm gonna vent a little. I'm a person that never gets sick. And I can set up an alarm w my TOM it's always on time. As I am preparing for my surgery April 10 my TOM disappeared, (no chances of me being pregnant at all) I only spotted. Then I feel like I'm getting a cold. And now that I'm doing my preop diet I'm waking up w bad headaches and I can't take meds. Maybe I'm stressing too much. I've never had a missed TOM.

My doctor didn't specify an amount I needed to loose before surgery. My liquid diet was strictly to shrink my liver. Any weight I lost during that time was a bonus. 19 pounds is good. That's a lot of weight. Don't get too bent on "is this enough", because then all your progress won't feel like enough. Trust me I've been there. Everyone is different. But you're doing good!