Search the Community

Just called UHC and they said once they get the request they respond to it within 10 days... I'm tninkg that it's the test that are going to take long...

amen! i went to fashion bug last sunday. they are going out of business here and have everything marked down. they carry big sizes of everything. i bought 2 pair of fashion jeans that fit now....size 16! and then i bought 6 other pairs of jeans sizes 14 down to size 10.....get this, all of the jeans that are normally 50-60 dollars were only 6 dollars each! i couldnt help myself. not only did i buy jeans but they also had nice capri pants that were only 2 dollars each, and sexy lacy underwear that were 1-2 dollars each. i spent 80 dollars and walked out of there with 450 dollars worth of clothes. it felt great. the lady at the check out had a weird look on her face as to why i bought all of those different sizes, but i explained that i have lost 70 pounds and plan on losing a lot more and if i can get them at this price why not buy it now! plus having them in my closet just waiting for me to fit into them is an inspiration all on its own. they also had all of their jewelry marked down as well and for the first time since i was a teenager i was able to buy a couple of those 3 layered necklaces that used to be either to small for my fat neck and ended up being chokers, or just didnt plain reach around my fat neck at all. i too those home and tried them all on and no problem. i love it! get stuff that makes you feel good now! it is a wonderful thing! im glad you posted on this raine

I tAke Paxil and Buspirone. I have lost 26# since 11/19. 10# on preop diet and 16# since sleeved on 12/3..getting them down is a bear...eventually I will be able to swallow them with water. Right now Im.blending them with my milk and protein drink...yuck..I dont believe they have anything to do with successful weight loss

Hi-- I was also banded on 10/07 and these first five days have been a bit of an emotional rollercoaster! Last night I was in tears, I think just because of a combination of discomfort, hunger, and emotions-varying from excitement, fear, shame... and I don't know what else...... However, this morning I feel better physically, and the scale shows 10 lbs lost since surgery, so I feel renewed. Anxious to make friends to share this journey with--- and equally anxious to have some cream of wheat or applesauce or scrambled eggs! LOL Going to go look for how to add a ticker!

hi, not sure if the Schwan Company has a truck that visit's your state or area...you can order online. I found a yummy treat too. Trim Creations chocolate Fudge Sticks serv size: 1 Calories: 50 Total Fat: 0 Cholestrol: 0 Sodium: 45 mg Tot Carbs: 14 g Dietary Fiber: 5 g Sugars: 4 g Sorbitol: 2g Protein: 3g Calcium: 10% They are a creamy chocolate, they come in a box of 24 for $9.99. Made with nonfat milk. They are also a good size about the size of frozen fruit bars. :smile2:

Hi Audrey, I have Regence Blue Shield and they just changed their policy on Jan. 2 to include LapBand, BUT you have to have one year suppervised diet. That's what got me! I had 10 months of LA Weight Loss. No good. Hope this helps. I finally bit the bullet and just got back from Mexico :clap2: :clap2: Megret

Hello everyone. I just wanted to relate my surgery success. I'll start off by stating that I am not the norm when it comes to surgery. Results vary with everyone. I have many relationship es and friends that range from 2yrs to 5yrs post op. They're all amazed at my transformation. I'd like to think it's due to the extreme motivation I've had. My sister passed away at the age of 42. I was turning 42 in February of 2014. I weighed in at 397lbs. I consulted with a surgeon that month and was instructed to lose 20lbs prior to surgery. I lost 51lbs prior to my surgery date on 4-25-14. To say I was motivated is understating it. I was scared I was going to die like my sister did. She was overweight and had a massive cardiac episode during her sleep. I didn't want to leave my wife and children. I am truly blessed. I had the surgery and started walking the hospital halls non stop 3hrs after recovery. The nurses thought I would wear a path in the floors. I didn't sleep well and I had an issue with my blood pressure dropping too low. I was taken off my BP med while still in the hospital and never went back to them. My BP was around 98/50. It has stabilized now. Normally around 108/64 or so. I was released after 2 days and went home to start my new life. I was and am very strict about my diet. I followed everything my doctors and nutritionist told me. The surgeon stated that I would lose 100lbs in a 100 days. I thought, sure buddy. Well the pounds just started melting off. I was exercising religiously. I started by walking 6 minutes twice a day for the first week. I quickly realized that I could do more. I started increasing my time every walk I took. By the end of the first month I was walking 45 minutes twice a day. The length of the walk was lnt the only thing increasing. My rate was too. I started walking faster and faster. I then started to enjoy yard work. I used to hate to mow the lawn even on my riding mower. I went out and purchased a simple walking mower with manual controls. No self propelled wheels or anything. The rider sat abandoned in my yard. What used to take me a half hour on the rider took me 45 minutes walking but it was great exercise. Every week that time went down until it only took me 23 minutes to cut my lawn. Well that's no work out I thought so I brought it over to my parents house and started cutting their huge yard too. So now I was upto 2hrs of lawn cutting and I was itching for more. I st at yed doing all kinds of landscaping jobs in my yard and theirs. Still not enough. I would pack up my mower and drive it a half hour down the highway to do my younger sisters yard. She needed more than mowing too. I did field clearing in her yard as a full acre was covered in brush. By July all of this was easy. I was down the 100lbs my surgeon said I would. At 245lbs or so all things became easier. Especially breathing! That's when I decided to ask my surgeon if I could go to the gym. I got clearance from him and I was off. I started a little shy because I was still that fat guy in my head. I quickly got over myself. I set goals. One goal was to be able to run a 5k this spring. I started on the treadmill but just walking at a 3.5mph clip. I increased that speed to 4.0 by the end of my first week there and went for 3 miles. Then I st at Ted really challenging myself. I started to increase my walks 1 mile a day over the next week. I kid you not, by the end of the week I got on the treadmill and walked 10 miles. It took me just over 2hrs but I did it. I had the bleeding nipple to prove it. I learned my lesson there. Always protect the nipple. Lol. I then started running at a 5mph clip every other day. 1 mile then 2 then 3. Of course I was elated to have hit my 5k goal so soon. I have increase the distance over the winter to a 10 mile run so yes I will be running a 10k next month instead. Now I have cut back on the running as I've developed a major addiction to weight lifting. The last day I took off from the gym was Christmas morning and that was only at the kids request. I only work out with low weight exercises as I'm not looking to bulk up. I've been bulked up all my life. The gym is my second home now though. I do know my limits though. I've been studying the science of exercise and am using the OPT techniques. I also know when to say when. Some days are easy days and some days I flat out get after it. I listen to my body. I am now working towards my certification to become a personal trainer. NASM certification was my choice. I have multiple job offers already on the table and I'm deciding which to take. My ultimate goal is to work with post op patients or people that were in the same situat I n I was in. Ok, I'm sure you're wondering about my stats. If you've taken the time to read this long winded diatribe then you deserve to know. This is no B.S. either. I started my journey at 397 lbs on 2-6-14 at my first weigh in at the surgeons office. I was 346 on 4-26-14 at the St Elizabeth's Hospital on surgery date. It's now 3-28-15. 11 months later and my weight is 186. I went from wearing 52x30 pants to wearing 30x30 and they are a little loose in the waist. I was wearing 4xl shirts and now wearing mediums and smalls in some cuts. Here are some pictures of my journey. IT CAN BE DONE! Be healthy, your life may depend on it. Mine did.

Same experience here before pregnancy. I am the world's worst morning person. Seriously, I'd rather slice a person's throat than get out of bed in a good mood. I used to sleep 10+ hours and barely function. For the last year or so, everything has changed. I wake up with my husband around 6am, make coffee, take care of our 2 large dogs, switch over laundry, pack his lunch, and then I lounge for a couple of hours. I still enjoy my quiet time in the mornings, and started getting up with him because the kiddo was still asleep and I could have some alone time without the mister or kiddo asking for something. I typically crash out around 11-Midnight, and I'm up and moving by 6pm. I never stop once I'm up and running. I'm typically out of the house no later than 9am, and pack my day full of activities to keep myself busy. My husband says that I lie still, do not snore, and don't have that weird breathing pattern I had while I slept at 270lbs.

The first day was horror . Gets easier . OMG you could eat:scared2: After 10 days i had some soup and was sick . well lost 16 on diet . It showed me i was eating too much when i thought i was eating ok.

Rob, you are not alone. I was banded on 10/22 also. I have not lost a pound since, OMG, I don't know when. For a minute I really thought my scale was broken. Like the numbers were stuck or something. As I read some of the post op forum comments and blogs, it's normal. Once you get a good fiil, you'll start loosing again. Just hang in there. I go for my 1st fill on Friday. Now, since I am able to eat with no problems, I AM EATING....LOL

i was banned on 10/24 and have weighted the same now for a week but i get my first fill tomorrow and hopefully will start losing again! Good Luck!

I had my final visit this morning with my surgeon before surgery 10/9. I was surprised too as he said the only day I would be doing liquids only was the day before surgery. These next 2 weeks will be low fat low carb. He sad he didn't do the liquid diet because it's not good to put your body in shock like that right before surgery.

So it’s been 3 weeks since my VSG surgery. And can I tell you, WHAT a 3 weeks it’s been. I feel like a completely new person!!! I have energy, I willingly take my kids swimming (in a bathing suit… gasp!) and I look forward to the gym. Now for the (impressive, if I do say so myself) weight loss stats: I have lost a total of 22 lbs in 3 weeks!! I have stalled for the last week or so, but I’ve lost inches, so I’m not super concerned. In fact, I’ve more than 4 INCHES off of my waist in 3 weeks. So yeah, awesome to say the least!!! And I've experienced literally ZERO hunger since surgery. food just isn't exciting to me anymore. I did the 2 week pre-op diet, had surgery and had to modify my eating after surgery and I had to deal with my husband and other family members. I’ll go ahead and describe each of those items in a bit of detail. First, the pre-op diet: I had a strict 3-4 Protein shake menu, plus 1 small “Lean Cuisine” type meal per day. All in all, my diet is less than 1,000 calories per day. Since I had done the HMR diet in years past, which was surprisingly easy for me, I just went ahead and did that diet again – 5 shakes and 1 small pre-packaged meal. Very easy. I’m not saying that I never got hungry or had cravings, but with the volume of protein that I was ingesting, it was hard to stay hungry for long. And I had a big goal in mind – my surgery date of 8/8/11. Right after starting the pre-op diet, I attended the pre-op class. It was ALL DAY and went through blood tests, hospital check in, the post-diet surgery, the hospital stay and all post-op prescriptions. It was very thorough and thankfully they gave me a binder with all the info in it, because there was a guy in my class who (I kid you not) was the most annoying person on earth. He interrupted the doctor and nurse about every other minute with some personal concern (I knew his entire life history after this class), and he asked the same question multiple times. Now, I GET wanting to get your questions answered, but I made sure that I had asked all my personal questions ALONE with my doctor during my individual appointment. Anyway, it was hard to listen to what they were saying when that guy kept talking – I sort of stopped listening. But when I got home, I made sure to review the binder in detail. The day before surgery, I was allowed to eat a REAL Breakfast but only liquids after that. I was too nervous to eat honestly, so I just had my normal Protein Shake day but I skipped the “real food” dinner that night. I also had to shower the night before with Hibicleanse antibacterial soap, sleep on clean (washed in super hot water) sheets and PJ’s, and then take another Hibicleanse shower the next morning. They weren’t taking any chances with infections, thank goodness. I was scheduled for surgery at 8 am the following morning and I had to arrive at the hospital at 5:30 am. I ended up having a coworker drive me to the hospital and drop me off (she’s totally awesome, like an older sister that I never had). My husband had to get our 2 little girls ready for preschool that morning, so he was going to come to the hospital when I was still in surgery. So, I arrive at the Sharp Memorial Hospital at 5:30 am and I’m called back to the “S.P.A.” area to get prepped. Basically, I took off my clothing, they made me take another pregnancy test and they hooked up my IV. Then I sat and waiting for another hour or 2. The anesthesiologist came in to talk to me. Now, the one thing I made SURE to do was to tell him that during my last (and only) other surgery, I felt awful for about a day afterward because the anesthesia had made me so nauseated. Like I couldn’t walk without barfing – think seasickness or morning sickness times a thousand. And with a surgery on my stomach, I imagined that throwing up was NOT a good thing. And thank goodness I did that – no nausea at ALL after surgery. It was night and day different from my last surgical experience! Then my doctor came in, made sure I had no questions, and we were off to the operating room. I then moved over to the new bed in the room and the doctor told me he was giving me something to make me calm down a bit. Boy did it ever! I felt a bit drunk for about 2 minutes…. Then I woke up in recovery! Recovery: Now this was weird. I knew where I was and what was going on, I could hear everyone talking (nurses and doctors) and my brain felt like it was working OK… but I couldn’t open my eyes. Very weird! I lay like that for a few minutes before I was finally able to open my eyes. Then I got some pain medication, even though I wasn’t in pain, and fell asleep again. I woke up while being moved to my new room. And let me tell you, my room was AWESOME! Totally private and in the new wing of the hospital, and it was a corner room with ceiling to floor windows that overlooked pretty much all of San Diego. I totally lucked out with the room! My nurses were great, too. I was up and walking within an hour or so of getting to my room, and I had little to no pain. It was very surprising and, like I said before, a completely different experience from when I had my gallbladder removed 2 years prior. I had 5 very small incisions that really didn’t hurt. I was able to suck on ice chips for the first day with no problems, and then I was moved to Propel Water the next day. I did manage to disconnect my IV line (there was a connection in the middle of the line from the bag to the needle in my arm) while in the bathroom. I didn’t notice until I saw blood everywhere on the floor. That was a bit scary! But the nurse came right away (like within 10 seconds) reconnected me without having to run a new IV and I was as good as new. I was discharged the next day. OK, now for the family drama. I didn’t tell anyone about the surgery with the exception of a few people – my husband, my awesome coworker, my boss and my Aunt who has gastric bypass a year ago. That was it. I didn’t tell people because of my husband’s reaction. He was 100% completely and TOTALLY against the surgery. We fought about it for over 6 months, and he went so far as to schedule a shoulder surgery the WEEK before my surgery in an attempt to get me to cancel. (A side note, he’s needed shoulder surgery for years, but he decided to do it right before mine at the very last minute). Poor guy – not only did I not cancel, but he was left taking care of 2 preschool girls with one arm in a sling. That backfired for him badly. Anyway, now that the surgery is over and I’m not dead (that was his big concern obviously) and he can now see how great I feel, how much more energy I have (especially for certain “things” that I didn’t have much interest in before.. wink, wink) and how much better that I look, he’s much better about the whole thing. He’s turned from 100% NOT supportive, to completely supportive. Thank GOD! The other family drama that I had was with my Aunt. She knew I wasn’t telling anyone – I made it a point to tell her right off the bat that I wasn’t sharing with ANYONE until I was ready- but what does she do?? She calls my SISTER and tells her. So my sister was frantically trying to reach my husband to find out what’s going on with me, how I’m doing, etc. So now the cat’s out of the bag. My sister is very supportive, and I was going to tell her, but I wanted to do so on my own time, and I kinda wanted to surprise everyone in a few months with the “new” me. Now I also have to tell my parents because they would be devastated if they found out second hand. But, whatever… nothing I can do about it now. Anyway, that’s my story in a nutshell. I really can’t believe I’ve done it, and it was SO incredibly easy for me. I was expecting some problem, some complication or lots of pain, but I got nothing. No energy loss, pain, nausea, nothing. I was back to work a week early (after only a week) and I actually worked from home starting on the Thursday after my Monday surgery (I was bored and I’m a bit of a workaholic). This whole process has been a dream. I just wish that this DAMN 3 week stall would let up!!!

I was banded in May 2009 and found out i was pregnant in August; with a conception date 2 weeks after my surgery!! I gained 36 pounds; going all the way back up to what i weighed when i first started everything. I was very nervous needless to say. I kept my fill during the whole pregnancy i think i had about 3 something in my band. Anyway at three months since the baby was born on March 7th 2010, i am breastfeeding and down 50 lbs. I just started exercising a week ago. The band has made a difference and i have had 2 fills since i had the baby, very conservative fills ; in fact i am just now feeling a real restriction at 5. Also i did not go gonzo during pregnancy ,but i wasn't an angel either !!:thumbup:) The pregnancy was the best of 4 and i felt the healthiest ever; i think this can be attributed to not overeating and gaining 50+ i usually gain. My son was healthy at 10 lbs. 3 oz. and i am looking forward to this summer and how exercise will play into my weight loss.... So do not worry is my advice ;;instead~~ eat healthy, get plenty of rest, enjoy being pregnant, and breastfeed! :smile:)

wow in 10 months u lost so much congrats on doing that. I also have the big fear of weight gain during pregnancy but in know that i have not been as strict as i should and have been using pregnancy as an excuse and im accually fitting quite a bit of food in. My first few weeks of pregnancy i accually lost like 8 kgs which i was so happy about because i wasnt budging on my weight for so long. But i lost due to having so much morning/ all day sickness.. now that i have passed that ive been eating n eating and have put almost all that 8kgs back on. I was very upset as i know it cant be all baby. People are telling me to stop being so effected by my weight while im pregnant, but i know i could do better.

Hey all. I'm 3 days post-op and can't feel the difference between trapped gas and being full. What should I be looking for? The trapped gas has improved a lot, but I still have an uncomfortable feeling under my left rib cage. I'm shooting for an ounce of liquid every 10-15 minutes. I also have to use a spoon full of applesauce to get some of my medication down.

I hope I can do mine at home, I have a 10 month old. And although he will sleep through the night, I don't want to have to find a babysitter just so I can go sleep lol

I’ll make this quick. I am 17 days post op. I see the dietician on 8/22. 4 days away. Zero complications after the surgery. I’m still on liquids. I’ve read other ppl are on puréed phase after like 10 days…etc. I’d like to start before Tuesday. I’m not hungry, just tired of only water and protein drinks. Thoughts. I have a feeling what most posters will say but wanted to put the question out there…lol Thanks!

Hootiebelle, I did have the band removed and converted to an MGB. I've had a great experience with the MGB and I have also had great success. I've gone from a size 20 to a size 8 in 10 months. I am very happy with my decision to convert.

Maybe your husband could be a little more sensitive and not eat them around you. Atleast during your early stages here where you haven't broken your bad eating habits and you are still learning how to eat with the band. I am lucky because even though my husband is thin, he prefers to eat healthy, which makes it easier for me. I'm only 10 days banded and just started mushies. But I didn't go through this surgery to not be successful. So good luck to you. Take care of yourself.

good luck with your ops,,,, i am 6 week post op.. apart from being fed up that despite my first fill i have no restrictions yet - my body is happy. I joined the site yesterday. I am learning that i am no longer alone in the world of lap banding.. hooray !!!!!!!!!! and it may take several fills for restriction to happen... so i have to be patient. now the op.. on the morning i was nervous and excited.. but it went so well.. i was back at work after a week.. i didn't drive for 10 days, and my scars have healed so well... bit of rubbing under my bra on the top scar which took a bit longer to heal.. but honestly i have felt so healthy. also a bit of a numb feeling but that has all but gone too. i get a little discomfort on my right side if i squeeze my body to pick something off the floor or do up my shoe. i guess its the port ? but its minor !!!!! i hope it goes well for you all..

Are you consuming sugar alcohols? Im 10 months out and dont really have that issue anymore unless I have sugar alcohols like malitol and sorbitol.

@antoinette85 How much you lose after surgery is basically based on you and how you eat/live. I have lost more weight with the sleeve than most people with RNY. That is because of my lifestyle choices. I was diabetic. Completely reversed it. The one person I know that had RNY with a family history of diabetes had cured their diabetes with surgery. Then they started eating poorly and regaining, and now they diabetes is making its way back. It is really a roll of dice if RNY will cure you of diabetes or prevent you from every getting it. It isn't a guarantee. The only reason to choose RNY over Sleeve is if you already have GERD and that GERD is not based on a Hiatal hernia. In the end you have to live with the choice not the surgeon. A lot of things that claimed to be guarantees with RNY don't always apply like dumping, most people don't dump long term. People with RNY supposedly lose like 10% more weight, but that 10% isn't really worth having your intestines touched. JMO

Hi all, My sleeve surgery is scheduled for May 8th. When I met with the surgeon last week to schedule the surgery, the first thing he asked me when he walked in the room was "so why the sleeve?" I answered him and he proceeded to tel me that he thinks bypass would be better for me because on the sleeve, I will most definitely get heartburn for the remainder of my life, also that bc i have a family history of diabetes, that with the sleeve I am more likely in 10 to 15 years to still develop diabetes, and lastly that with my height and weight and getting the sleeve, I will only ly lose about 5 lbs but with the bypass, i will lose around 60 to 80. I have foe a lot of research and found that the sleeve is the best option for me and I stuck to my guns, even as he stared me down waiting for me to change my mind. But now I second guessing my sleeve decision and thinking the bypass would be better for me. Anyone have any experience with this dilemma? Thanks in advance

How much pain do you have? On a scale from 1-10 I am a 3, that's because if this same gas bubble on my left side under my ribs. It SUCKS!