Search the Community

I was told by my PCP that the only kind of oral bc that I could use was jolivette the mini pill because it doesn't contain estrogen. The surgeon ok'd it but reading your posts makes me wonder if it's effective. Is anyone else on it?

Ok feeling better...24 hours since surgery. Was laying at the hospital today, feeling very crappy, and I had a great nurse that told me to get my ass out of bed and walk! I am so glad she motivated me bc I did feel much better. Never thought it would be hard to sip an ounce of water, but you learn quickly not to gulp! Only major complaint is the gas pain that has settled in my shoulder area! Ouchie! Hope everyone is doing well!!

I have BC/BS MI PPO and saw my surgeon last Tuesday and they scheduled my surgery for Oct 9. They sent in my insurance papers after the apt, and I had call yesterday from their office telling me what my co-pay would be. I asked her if I was approved and she said "of course," like why wouldn't I be. I was surprised because I thought that someone would call and tell me that I was approved.

Cool idea! Especially for me bc I forget all the funny things my kids say.

Is it like just below your shoulder blade? I have one too! Plus my mid back just aches all over many times. Tips I've gotten include waking/running with my thumbs pointing out bc it's hard to slouch doing that and to try and keep my head back against the headrest while driving (same reason) and yes of course core work. I thought yoga would be a bigger help than it's been, though. I go 2-3 times a week and have for months and doesn't seem to help!

And not to make anyone lose their breakfast or anything but it has now ruptured twice tonight! It was like a volcano of rancid smelling puss and wouldn’t stop....the nurses are great it was all over my gown socks bedding floor the wall! The one said in the twenty years she’s been here she’s never seen one rupture like this! Still a huge amount of fluid so still having surgery tomorrow. All I can think is thank god it didn’t happen at home bc my husband would have puked or passed out lol.

I am trying for the 2nd time to get approval from bcbs illinois..for the lapband procedure. The last time, they said I needed 1 yr of documented medically supervised wt loss attemps, and more co-morbidites. I am now another yr of high blood pressure, ..I tried to do the wt loss for a yr..but failed.( ONLY DID 4 MONTHS) I got THOSE records, got a cardiologist to do tests on me, which show damage from PHEN-PHEN, got a letter from him and from my Orthopaedic surgeon, saying has I would benefit from the surgery, because of my severe arthritis and risk factors for cardiac disease, Listed everything possible I have wrong with me, weight related...and now I am waiting to hear. My question.....DOES ANYONE HAVE EXPERIENCE WITH BCBS OF ILLINOIS? HAS ANYONE BEEN APPROVED?? I ANXIOUSLY AWAIT. THANKS!!

I went out of the country and had an excellent experience. I think it is important to remember that we are not going out of country because we want to, but rather because the health care system has failed us...specifically here in BC. Obesity is a serious health problem that leads to other health problems that the province will treat...that makes no sense to me. Also, these dr's who won't treat patients who are done in Mexico, in my opinion, make themselves look bad by being close minded. Dr. Ortiz is a top specialist in his field, the Dr's in BC do about 4 lap bands a month...he does 5-6 a day; so why would the Dr here discredit his...except for $$$$....hmmm. What is important is YOU, do what is best for you and the rest will always fall into place. I have no regrets. Best wishes.

OMG yesterday and today were awful! I told you guys yesterday that I had a new protein shake from GNC, the one that tasted like cherry cream soda- well it didn't agree with me. Actually nothing has been agreeing with me! I talked to the nurse and she said to try switching my birth control pills to nights and try to get down as much protein as I could. I told her that I just couldn't do the shakes right now.. did anyone else get sick during the pre-op diet? I was sick with a little 36 hour stomach bug 2 days prior to starting the pre-op diet and I think the illness and the protein shake just don't agree. I will not be drinking those GNC shakes again.. I HATE throwing up. Yeah, I know might need to get used to it for a while but here is the deal- I have had three kids and with each of my kids I had morning sickness that lasted all day (and night) for 8 very long months. Yes, each kid! So while I can do it, I prefer not to! Anyway, on my pre-op diet today I had a steak with steamed broccolli and lots of tea and water. No protein shake. I took my BC pill tonight. I guess we will see how it goes. I feel like something is wrong. In October (when I was going to do the lapband), I was on the shakes for a week- no problems.. I mean NO PROBLEMS! This time it is just different. It is like my stomach knows I am getting ready to get rid of it and it is trying to punish me. Did anyone else have issues like these? The nurse said to stay low fat, low carb, high protein this weekend and if I can't keep a protein shake down on Monday to call the office. I have a pre-surgery appt with the surgeon on Wednesday to go over everything. I am so nervous that with all that is going on they will postpone the surgery or worse we will go ahead but they will find that my liver has not shrunk enough to do the surgery. I am private pay- I can NOT mess this up, you know? Just hoping that with a break this weekend, maybe it will all fall back into place , my stomach will settle, and I can do so well during the next week that there are not issues with the surgery or my liver! Thanks for listening, if you have any thoughts I would love to hear them!!

Hey guys, it sounds like for the most part everybody is doing good. Like, Mferra (same doc, same day) I'm only 5 days out. I feel like a total rookie compared to you guys! What a difference 20 days can make. Chrissie, that bagel...oh I'm so envious! Er, I mean, I'm so dissapointed in you. No No, seriously, it's ok. You don't even have restriction yet. It was a little splurge. Don't be too hard on yourself. Everyone keeps saying 'the band is a tool' but the tool hasn't been engaged yet -- so you're working on will power alone. And we ALL know how totally impossib;e the will power game can be. I kinda let me BC pill linger in my mouth too long before I took a swig of water. No it's all burny in my esophagus. I used to do this by accident pre-band too - but now I'm all hyper tuned in to everyting little thing trying to feel for the 'soft stop' and all. I'm sipping some warm water. Beat it, pill residue - get outta my esophagus!

I exercise because I enjoy it. I've always been very active especially growing up and played lots of sports, danced, and cheerleading. I've always been active in the gym and I feel at home there. My weight ballooned when I stopped going to the gym and the reason why I stopped is because I was very depressed. Now looking back I realize that I need the gym even more when I'm feeling depressed because it lifts my mood. I keep my workouts short and sweet now, whereas in the past I would do cardio for an hour and then lift weights for a hour. My body seems to be responding better now that I shortened them and I retain less Water. My friends don't exercise at all and I honestly don't get it because exercise is so enjoyable for me. I did try the personal trainer route for about 6 sessions and didn't like it at all! I don't like being told what to do or being pushed to muscle fatigue. I like doing what I want to do and if that involves walking instead of running one day, then that's what I do. I workout alone and find working out with a partner very distracting because I'm very social and will just talk and BS the whole time. Sorry for rambling. The main reason why I exercise is because it suppresses my appetite and I am less hungry on days when I workout. It controls my appetite and cravings and I figured if I can sit on my butt and watch TV for hours, I can definitely fit in a 20 mins cardio and 20 mins weight lifting session.

My friend is the same age as you, and she had diabetes to the point where she was taking insulin 3x a day. She had the RnY bc it is known to eliminate diabetes whereas with the sleeve, you still may or may not have to take the medication. She's doing great and had lost over 100 pounds. It's just something to consider when you have diabetes. Good luck with your decision. Sent from my iPhone using the BariatricPal App

Hi Ladies, I haven't been sleeved yet but do suffer from Hoshimoto's disease, PCOS and insulin resistance. I just want to throw out my two cents. I have been dealing with it for about 14 years and was Levothyroxine and Synthroid...metformin....you name it. I never felt good. The thyroid symptoms were unbearable even though my labs were within "normal range". I finally was fed up with 'umpteen' Endocrinologist s and even my original PCP. I researched everything and came across Stop the Thyroid Madness http://www.stopthethyroidmadness.com/. They mentioned T3 and T4 and all this stuff I had never been tested for. Then they mentioned Armour Thyroid as a medication. It is made from pig thyroid and had to be perscribed. My PCP refuse to prescribe anything other than the two main name brands so I fired him. I have since be on Armour for almost 3 years and it changed my life. I have the occasional flare but it has been the difference between night and day. Before I was sooooooo fatigued I slept through my 1 year old crying in his crib in the morning...I would wake up at 11am when he had been awake since 8....it was the last straw. I also found a doctor that treats based on SYMPTOMS not blood test alone. NOT EVERYONE feels great at 3.5 even though its within " normal range". Be your best advocate. I went through 4 docs until I landed on my current PCP of 3 years. Another big contributor....processed food of any kind. Whole organic foods have made a HUGE difference. I've lost about 13lbs without changing anything but quality of food. If you would like more info PM me....I don't want it to seem like I am pushing websites or anything...just information. Best of luck gals!

My heaviest weight is 386.4, my starting weight when I began the VSG journey was 381.6. I had to do a 3 month supervised weight program bc of my insurance. The day of surgery 10/14/15 I weighed in at 348.1, this morning I weighed in at 332.5. I have a bad habit of weighing in daily. It is what it is. It keeps me on track. Im well aware of stalls but I like seeing the numbers go down!

You don't need to weigh everyday, you will be discouraged, I weigh every two weeks. Also just bc you had this surgery doesn't mean your going to lose 10 pounds in a week every week. You didn't gain all your weight over night, your not going to lose it over night. Sw 256 Cw 185 Surgery 3/17/17

I have BC/BS of Iowa..the lap band is covered on my policy but only if your BMI is less than 50 and mine is higher. Even though my doctor has presented tons of evidence that after 5 years the weight loss for that and RNY is the same. So..i am attempting to get my bmi down by losing about 41 lbs. It stinks!

Have you tried the 5 day pouch test? It is possible that you have stretched your pouch out and are eating more than you should be. That could be part of why you are not losing. If you have 10ccs in a 12cc band you should be feeling a pretty great deal of restriction. Day 1 & 2-The first two days are all liquids. You can have as many low-carb protein shakes as you like to satisfy hunger or cravings. In addition drink at least six 8-ounce glasses of water each day. The purpose of all liquids is to break any snacking, grazing or processed carbohydrate habits. In addition the liquids will work to cleanse your system and prepare you for the following three days. Try to reduce your caffeine intake as well, but do not stop caffeine cold turkey or you will feel sick and frustrated potentially losing the desire to continue with the pouch test. It is very important to drink a minimum of 64 ounces of water each day. This will prevent dehydration, will help curb cravings and will flush your body of toxins and fat. Sufficient water intake improves kidney function and cell processes. Day 3: Soft proteins- The next three days you get to eat as much as you want as often as you want! But there's a catch: it has to be solid protein and you only get 15 minutes each time you sit down to eat. No drinking 30 minutes before or after meals and no drinking with your food. A dry pouch will hold your soft protein longer helping your to feel full and fed longer. Protein Recommendations: canned fish ( tuna or salmon) mixed with lemon and seasoned with salt and pepper, eggs cooked as desired seasoned with salt pepper and/or salsa, fresh soft fish (tilapia, sole, orange roughy), baked or grilled, and lightly seasoned. This starts your program with "soft" protein. Measure your portion (1 cup volume or 4-6 ounces weight) and eat only until you feel full, not overfull. Remember, no water for 30 minutes before or after you meal, and no fluids with your meal. We are going back to the beginning and fluids will prevent you from feeling the pouch. If you need to add a moist condiment ( Miracle Whip or mayonnaise) to the canned fish I understand, but keep it to a minimum so the meat is not too moist. One reason we lose the sense of tightness in our pouch is that we eat "slider foods" -foods that are too moist and do not stay in the pouch very long, they slide right through the stoma. Cottage cheese is a good protein and you can include it on Day 3. To firm it up a bit you could add a chopped hard cooked egg to your cottage cheese. And yes, during the liquid phase chicken boullion with added protein is great. Day 4 Firm Protein- Protein Recommendations: ground meat (beef, turkey, lamb) cooked dry and lightly seasoned, shellfish, scallops, lobster steamed and seasoned only with lemon, salmon or halibut steaks, grilled and lightly seasoned. By now you should be experiencing that familiar tightness that will reassure you that your pouch is working. Remember to drink plenty of water between meals. Take some time to meditate and rediscover the wonder of your pouch. Often we don't like that uncomfortable tightness of the pouch, which is why we gradually move toward slider foods that don't make us uncomfortable. It is always my preference to eat moist protein so I don't get uncomfortable, but doing so allows me to consume more than I should. Rediscovering the pouch with this 5-day plan reminds me of how the tool really works. I hope by now you are rediscovering your tool and enjoying the hope and excitement because your pouch still works. Day 5 Solid Protein- Remember to chew chew chew. Measure your portion (4-6 ounces) and eat only until you feel your pouch tighten. Remember, only 15 minutes per meal, so you'll have to work fast to chew your food completely. By now you should be out of any carb cycle you were in and perhaps you have lost a pound or two. You will have new confidence in your pouch and your ability to work the tool for your health and emotional well being. Don't go hungry! Remember, you can eat as often as you want as long as it is solid protein, consumed without liquids and measured in 4-6 ounce portions.

I have read a lot of people on here say to take Prevacid or something like that bc it could be stomach acid making u feel hungry when your really not. I hope that helps.

I would like to say that taking a protein drink with you to the gym is a great idea, and also having a Quest bar as well. Once you start getting that feeling of having low bs you will want to take in the protein. It should help stabilize you and definately help you feel better. I know it does me.

Iam so disappointed in myself. I never feel full.i feel just like I did before the surgery. I can eat a complete portion of McCanns quick and Easy oatmeal. Today I was just so fed I had 2 snack packs of pop corn and nothing.. Even had a soda. None of it bothered me at at all. I have no discomfort just normal feeling. Did this surgery work? I am begining my 6th week and have lost weight but now that I am on regular food I still feel like a bottomless pit. I just want to feel full. I walk an hour a day drink plenty of liquids yet as far as food there does not seem to ge a limit to the amount that I can eat. Most of the time I just stop myself because I know I should. When I had the popcorn and soda it was like I wanted to see if anything would happen. Because while I know I had the surgery it seems like I could eat a whale. I just do not know what to do anymore..... HELP!!!

I have a bread craving, I'd kill my granny for a crusty loaf and lump of french butter. Maybe it's because I'm sort of disappointed. I know in reality you don't wake up a size 10 after your op but there in the back of your mind there's a glimmer of hope so I guess I feel my weight's not coming off fast enough. I seem to have stalled somewhat. I'm still not getting the scales out the shed until next month so I may be wrong but I just don't feel any skinnier and not one person has asked me if I've lost weight. Think I'm just fed-up.

food was never ever a hobby of mine! I love travelling and I am lucky to have at least a good couple of holidays a year. South of France in June this year and Cuba in November. Next year, the only one booked yet is a 3 week ride across Alberta and BC on a bike. Believe me I am NOT looking forward to being on a bike, Canada yes, bike ~ NO. I like to be with family and friends, read, swim, hike, do gardening. I don't have much time for anything else.

White gravy that belongs on chicken fried steak and mashed potatoes is simple. You use some of the pan drippings and make a thick roux (although we never used that term years ago) with flour. Then you use milk for the liquid and lots and lots of pepper. There is a fine line between too thin and too thick. When you wind up with the glob of glop, you've made it too thick. It should be the consistency of... letsee... hmmm, I can't think of a thing like it. Thicker than cream Soup. The stuff definitely goes straight to your arteries. Our chicken fried steak dinner is preferably accompanied by the mashed potatoes (Yukon Gold) and fried okra. A perfect ending is Apple Cobbler (top and bottom crust - lots of cinnamon) and Caramel Ice Cream. The whole meal is death on a platter. But it is quite addictive and I was force fed it as a small child, therefore it is not my fault. :hungry: Nowadays we have gone healthy by substituting chicken for the steak.:heh: Except that since the band, I can't eat chicken. And I do not give in to the addiction more often than about once a year (maybe twice) on my DH's and DD's birthdays.

future2bsn: I've noticed that many of my well-to-do friends who have never worked in a service job are the poorest tippers. I have never been able to understand how they can expect people to be nice to them with their attitudes. A former friend of mine (I finally got fed up too) used to embarrass me and my husband as well as her own husband every time we went out to dinner. Something was always wrong with the table we got, the food we were served, the drink, the dessert, the coffee or the after dinner drink. ALWAYS. It was like she just craved the extra attention or maybe she just liked to lord it over people. She definitely was a control freak. I always wondered if she was the type of person that the restaurant staff spit in their food. If I get good service I overtip a server. If I get poor service I try to figure out if it is from inexperience or because of a really bad attitude. I tip the minimum if it is attitude - and you have to admit there are servers with bad attitude, although they are few and far between. As for the hairdresser in Orlando who demanded a tip, I honestly was taught that the owner of a salon would be offended by the offer of a tip and that it was in bad taste to tip them. So I didn't tip him because I thought it was the accepted practice. This guy had become famous from doing several movie stars' hair when they were in town and he used to travel with one national TV news gal. He was a pompus ass, but he did my hair well and it was fun hearing all the gossip he blabbed constantly. As far as I was concerned, he could have asked me in a courteous way why I didn't tip instead of outright demanding one. Or he could have had his receptionist handle it, very delicately. Instead he chose to embarrass me and insult me in front of the other patrons and probably told the story to everyone througout the rest of the day. Frankly I don't put up with that kind of treatment when I am paying someone for a service. Know what I mean?

If you're taking BC pills you need to continue them for at least 1 year after surgery. The risk is too high to you and the baby if you get pregnant before you lose all of your excess weight. Plus it's very unsafe for a baby to gestate in an overweight mother. While those babies survive just fine, they have many issues as they grow up so it's to your advantage and your future child's advantage for you to get on birth control (no reason to stop taking it 4 weeks before surgery - say on it the entire time - talk to your surgeon about that) and stay on it for at least 12 months following or until you've lost all of your extra weight then about 3 months after you've reached your goal. Once you're at that point you'll know how you should eat. This is crucial because it's very likely you'll have your Fluid mostly - if not completely - removed if/when you become pregnant and if you already know how to eat you'll be able to minimize weight gain outside of the necessary 20-30 lbs for your baby.