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Its going to be well worth it! I was 304 5'2 in a tight 24 size pants. I am now in a very loose size 8, 6 is better but I feel my skin issues show in a six more than an 8. Try hard to break any old habits and you will get far! I know its the one thing that has helped me in my journey!!

can you eat the skin on a salmon fillet

I agree so much with the other posters. I finally broke down and bought some new pants since nothing fit except sweat pants and I had absolutely no idea what size to buy. I started with a 14, too big, size 12, too big and to my shock and delight I fit comfortably into a size 10. But every time i am putting on the size 10s I can't believe how tiny they look and still have anxiety that I'm not going to be able to pull them up over my thighs. I am still surprised every time that they fit. Only bought a couple of pair because hoping to still loose. Life is great! The sleeve is the best health decision I have ever made.

Wow...ok.This is so good to hear. Every thing i see and read almost everyone has 100 plus lbs to loose. What was your starting weight? Thanks for responding. I am very discplined with my eating and working out but as mentioned i have to extremely regimented to see any change and when i do it's so small. Tired of the yo yo. I definitely do not think this is the easy way out, i am using as a tool to help me do what i have been unable to do on my own. So when is your surgery?? Sent from my SM-G920P using the BariatricPal App Hey there, I just had my 3rd nutrition class in Dec , so I'll be done in March with the classes, I've already had an EGD and a sleep study , no sleep apnea, my surgeon said I didn't have to get the colonoscopy, thank God! I have a support group meeting to attend and I have the papers for my psychiatrist to fill out I see her on Feb 1st, and I'm also done with the psychologist meetings until after surgery. Everything is getting done steadily crossing off every step. I have everything posted as they are in order to be done so it just seems that time flies by normally until you want to do something and then everything comes to a slow stand. Sent from my 0PM92 using the BariatricPal App Sent from my SM-G920P using the BariatricPal App

My band was to loose then to tight Dr. Kuri loosened it and said he thought it was to lose, but I still cant eat Pasta, bread, most meats, cereals, grains and a lot of vegies like broccolli, carrots no salads at all or I PBing..Ive been drinking juiced vegies and boiled chicken thighs and sometimes they wont go down..I cant eat eggs no matter how they are cooked. I had kidney stones because of the band also....Ive lost 17 pounds since Dec. 2004 and fight to keep that off....I joined curves and go 3 times a week, haven't lost any inches, and Im having a problem with my heart beat now..because of electrolites...if it didn't scar me more Id have the band taken out. ..I feel like my last hope of a easier way to lose is gone now....I realize it was a tool to help me lose, but in my case the tool didn't work....I'm so happy for the ones that it did work for...maybe Id been better off with a bypass..to late now...I spent every penny I had on the band.........Guess I'll just be a big girl and keep doing the best I can do with a very low metabalism its going to hard.....Good luck to everyone and God Bless..

Congrats to you! I hope you continue to loose. What will that 35 pounds be?

I very much agree with OTR... However I had VSG on march 20, best decision I ever made. I am a snacker and if I taste something really good. I won't stop until it is gone. However, since my surgery (in Tijuana with Dr Ariel Ortiz...who is amazing along with his wonderfully amazing staff!!!) I can actually feel when I am getting full and it makes me not want to take another bite because once I pass that threshold fun things do not happen. I also never feel hungry. While this is different for everyone, I have to actually make it a point to eat at the proper times. It is also hard because I really do not crave anything anymore. I am a floor nurse and I returned to work 5 days after surgery. I was a little fatigued at first but after my first week back I was ok. I have had zero complications and i am so far very pleased with my results. i had a lower BMI but i have lost 23 pounds so far.I know nothing about RNY except all the re routing stuff. I did not want any of that. However I met a couple in Tijuana, who had VSG a year ago. Both were over 300 pounds and now look amazing. They were there to have their extra skin removed. They both were extremely happy with their outcomes. You both have some seriousI medical conditions make sure you research and get as much information as possible. Also, make sure all your questions are answered to YOUR satisfaction. hope this helps.

I think it's hilarious that they think we would rather have plump fat unhealthy bodies than skinny healthy bodies with some extra skin. Who cares what they think! It's our bodies!!! Unless they are you or married to you and have to look at you it's none of their business. Plus there is always plastic surgery which I had too!!! Lol

I think you overpacked! I stayed in the hospital gown and wore a second one on backwards when I walked the halls to keep from flashing everyone. I didn't use a speck of makeup, read anything, text anybody or do much else. I assume you are going to Mexico for your surgery though and I went only a few miles away from my home and was in the hospital just one night. You probably will want something to read coming and going. Be sure you take something very loose and comfy for your trip home as your abdomen will be swollen and it is uncomfortable to wear something across it. Remember you are going to have to pull/carry the suitcase after surgery unless you have someone going with you. Good luck with your surgery! Post when you can and let us know how it went.

I'm 6 days post op and still in a lot of pain. More pain than I anticipated. I'm not a baby about pain at all. In fact, I had 2 c-sections and a spinal fusion, and bounced back with no issues and hardly required pain meds. This sleeve surgery however, has been different. Two of my six abdominal incisions are so painful. The large one in my upper right abdomen is where the surgeon explained that he used some long loop of a suture that he anchored to something inside (details are sketchy, because I was on strong IV pain meds when he saw me the day after surgery and explained this) and he said this was "so I didn't get a hernia". That is my largest incision, and the pain there seems to be subsiding slowly. The site is about an inch wide and seems to cause an indentation on my abdomen that the other incisions aren't doing. I guess whatever he anchored it to is pulling it inward causing the "dent" in my skin. The most painful incision is the one on the far left of my abdomen, the lowest incision. It burns so bad every time I twist my body, bend over, lift my leg, touch that area, etc. I know that burning can be nerves regenerating but this pain is very severe and seems to be getting worse instead of better. I'm doing a little better with eating and drinking, although I do get sharp, stabbing pains in my sternum with most every swallow. I assume this is just post op swelling and will subside...? Any thoughts from any of you further out in your journey than me? I'm just checking if these things seem normal to those that have had surgery. I'm definitely in the "what was I thinking" stage right now.

I recently had PS and was given some very good advice on how to help reduce scarring post surgery. I only wish my surgeons from previous surgeries (band, gallbladder, c-section, etc.) had given me the same info. What he said was after the first 2 weeks you should start a massage routine over the incision sites, even the smallest ones. He recommended a cream called Nutri-E from CVS or any Vitamin E lotion that contained a minimum of 10,000 I.U. of vitamin E. He also said you should be able to it for around $4-$8 per bottle without having to pay for some of the more expensive name brand creams that can cost as much as $30 for 1/2 the size. But even more important than the vitamin E lotion according to the doctor was the massage. He recommends massaging the incision in FIRM, small circular patterns, spending 1-minute per "circle" (i.e. a 2-3" port scar might take 2 minutes). And you are to do it twice a day though I'm not sure for how many weeks. It seems the firm massage helps break down the build-up of internal scar tissue before it can take hold. Sorry, but I don't know if this would help for scarring 6 months or further, but it couldn’t hurt. Oh, and one more tidbit for anyone out there that hasn't had the band yet. I don't know if it would be possible but now that I've gotten to the stage of PS I really wish I'd had the foresight to have tried to talk the band surgeon into placing my port incision a little lower. Not the port, just the incision. Even if it had meant a larger incision if he could have placed it closer to my belly button and reached up in from there to place my port then when I'd had my TT the scar would have been completely removed with the rest of my excess skin. As it was, the scar was about 3" too high and very visible. Although the Plastic Surgeon said that when I get my breast reduction next year he may be able to re-open that incision and "re-seal" it better than it was done the first time so I might have a chance at a less visible scar.

Do you have to be put under for fillings? Is the port linked to the outside of your skin?

I have been banded 13 months and have lost about 40 lbs. The reason I haven't lost as fast as others, and I have no regrets at all because I take responsibility, the band is a tool. If you put high caloric things in you mouth you will not lose as fast. Yes it restricts you but instead of gaining by over eating you can just not loose by not eating properly. Also consistant exercizing helps too. I know if I did not have the band I would have gained this past year. 265/225/160 goal. Good luck

Yes..you must shrink the liver or they might not complete the surgery..but I'm sure you know that. I'm on straight Optifast and 4 cups of low starch veg per day..I'm hungry a lot of the time but we're so close...don't loose the momentum now! You're almost there...🙂

My surgeon said you loose the most weight with RNY and not as much with the sleeve. I wanted to get be best results and that was the RNY. My down time was 7 days, I had surgery on a Monday and I was back to work the following Monday.

possibly and allergy to the adhesive on the steri strips/tape. I know after I became diabetic Soon after I started having very sensitive skin and now just about any adhesive breaks my skin out. I usally get all the adhesive off with alcohol then put cortisone cream on it.

Three days after surgery I got hives real bad. I thought I would scratch my skin off. I am now allergic to band-aids and tape. I had to get a shot of predisone and used some sort of cream. I hope you feel better. JP

I have the same thing and per my Dr he stated it was from where the band is placed under the skin. Mine even pokes out some under my skin. I always have an uncomfortable feeling where it's at, especially if my pants are tight around my waist. Hang in there!!

Its my 6 day i did the sleeve surgery and i barely eat broth or shake i don't feel hungry is that normal? Also can i eat loose boiled eggs

What a complete and total waste of my time and sanity. I was banded in October two years ago, and in that time, the only thing I lost was my mind. I feel lied to and cheated, and wish I'd never had this horrible band put in me. I lost 30 pounds the month of my surgery, and then every single time I went in to the Dr, they would take my "weight loss", divide it by the number of months that passed, and tell me how wonderful I was doing. These "doctors" ignored me when I told them the band wasn't doing anything for me. Eventually I lost a total of 50 pounds, but let me be perfectly clear on this. The weight loss was from pure strength of will, the band did NOTHING! I went from yellow to red zone, from eating too much to throwing up every single bite that went in me, with no green zone in between. My body went into utter starvation mode while I was in the red zone, and rather than loose weight, i stayed completely the same, and eventually started gaining it. I exercised, I DIETED harder than I have ever dieted in my entire life, and I got to the point where I was having a psychotic episode over the stress and failure I was faced with every single day that passed. They told me I wouldn't need to diet. They told me the band would regulate my appetite, therefore "dieting" wouldn't be unnecessary. They promised me, no more fad diets, no more stress, just nice, easy, appetite control. What a load of bull. I kept going back to that sham of an office, and every person I talked to would give me a totally new hard-core diet to take. Protein shakes, low fat, low carb, low calorie, point systems, counting calories, eat more cheese, don't eat cheese, eat nuts, stay away from nuts, you name it, someone there told me to do it. Every single time I walked in there, I was given different instructions. Not one single bit of continuity between all the dr's and nurses. All smiles, all "you're doing fine! I know you haven't lost any weight in 7, 8, 9, 10, 11, 12, etc months. I know you can't eat. I know you're stressed out and angry. Don't worry, here, try another diet. Go home now, must get more patients." My hair became thin, and eventually started falling out in clumps, and that's where the psychotic episodes came in. Every night sitting up stressing, pulling out wads of hair, crying in fear and anger. And they said, "Don't worry, you're doing fine. Try another diet." And so they took Fluid out and i went from red zone to yellow - no restriction again. And I gained back 20 pounds. On top of the failure of regaining that weight, it didn't go back to the spots where I lost it. Nope! It focused around my chin and my stomach, so I look like a demented weeble wobble toy now. I wish I'd never had this surgery. I wish I'd had more self esteem and been happy with my extra weight. I wish my life wasn't ruined with the knowledge that I've stressed myself and my family with two years of overwhelming obsession with my weight. And where do I go from here? There is no where to go from here. I'm stuck with a piece of equipment in me that failed - IT FAILED NOT ME - my so-called DOCTORS failed, not me! I've never worked so hard before in my life, exercise, diet after diet, and nothing! What a great life I have to look forward to now. Thanks for nothing lapband.

Thanks all for all your incite. It really does help to get an outsiders opinion. I went over to my parents house tonight and they had just gotten home from Wal Mart. She had bought some plastic Margarita cups for the grandkids for ice cream sundae cups. They were really cute. ANyways, she told me that when she got to the check out she told the cashier that she doesn't drink but thought that the cups were cute for ice cream.. She said she went on to tell the guy that she was a Christian and she does not condone drinking. I mean I am a Christian too but PAAALEASE!!!!!!!!!! Let it rest already!! I swear I think she is loosing her mind. So I just rolled my eyes and said nothing. I figured she was just trying to get to me. Whatever!! I am done talking about this subject and as soon as we are by ourselves I will tell her that. Pick my battle, that is what I am going to do and I am not going to pick this one.

Hey news flash , I think I am ready to diminish a size, only took how many pounds? if you go back to my highest till now, 90 pounds ? Went from tightly wearing a 26-28 to loosely wearing a 26-28. And that tain't fair, I know I have lost weight, when I look in the mirror, my face to me looks gaunt, remember I lived at Chubby&Tubby a LONG time. I have no more double chin, my neck is looking like a turtle' s emerging from my shoulders, my collarbone stick up further, I am looking my A**Padding, some chairs I can sit on only SO long. Yeah, exercise freaks "Get Up and Move Around" would if I didn't burn up my calorie reserves, meager as they be, I fear keeling over, falling and busting a bone or 2. Look how pew poor and slowly I am healing, do I really need fractures also. My stomach is even flabbily decreasing in size, I no longer get stuck in chairs with side arms, that was embarrassing having Tomkitten pull and pry me up , and some even made a sucky noise as I released. Of course there are still some the wrong height, New homes thresholds I have to have help getting in , not so much weight as 2 knee replacements, 85% as good as natural and NO PUSHING POWER to lift me,up. Told Landlord I am going to need new steps , porch or a landing to accommodate me. Gonna give him a couple months, no motion and I sick the Ohio Department of Aging on him. Maybe first of December I buy myself a grab bar for the bathtub, a rubber mat so I don't slip, that way I don't HAVE to sit on my shower chair. I would like a stand up shower again. I think they must have re-glazed that tub. Oh well only been here a week and half, how much do I muddy the waters? At least it isn't an upstairs apartment , that would have been worse!

When I started my preop diet on 4/18 I could hardly wear anything in my closet. I never bought anything above a 20W and just got by with super stretchy leggings and jeggings, loose tunic tops and open cardigans. I now can wear many things I could never get into and have actually sold brand new with tags clothes on eBay that are too big. Clothing sizes are so variable that it helps me to try a bunch of stuff on that now fit that lets my brain know I am getting smaller. I still get frustrated when I am out shopping and some things are too tight even though I have other things in my closet the same size that fit.

Catherine you look marvelous. I have a personal question for you. You lost a wonderful amount of weight and you look terrific in your after picture. Do you have a lot of extra skin? Is doesn't look like it in the picture. And if you did how did you tone it up?

The excess skin is a big concern I have. I'm not super worried about what I'll look like in public, clothed and all, but worried that my sweetheart husband won't find me attractive. Not saying he won't of doesn't love me, but to be attracted to me. He's always loved my plush-ness, and to be true, I like the way I feel (to the touch)--the softness, not so much with the aching knees/legs. I can't see me (or him) feeling the same way when I feel and look like a hairless shar-pei with poking bones.