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I had surgery November 19th 2013 and I've lost 100 pounds the more weight I lose the more pain I have in my back! It's terrible I cry eveynight bc of the pain it's located where my bra line is down to my lower back! Does anyone else have this problem?

Hello there and welcome! I am just about 6 months post op and I am down 110pounds!!! It has slowed down significantly but I think that may have to do with starting on my BC again. I started at 348lbs and am at 238 as of this morning! Can't wait to reach my goal (170) if you have any questions please ask? This is the friendliest bunch of people I've ever had the pleasure of chatting with!! Good luck

I'm 29, 5'7 and at my initial consult my weighed in at 296lbs but I am now 308. I'm not on my pre op diet, but I have been instructed to substitute a meal w/ a Protein shake and to walk at least 30 mins a day. I also had knee surgery about 10 wks ago (due to a car accident). My ortho surgeon recommended WLS bc I've had horrible knee and back pain for the several years. I also gained 50lbs since the accident, but before accident I never had any back or knee problems. I would pretty much do any to relieve of this everyday pain. After all the preliminary testing, I also found out I have sleep apnea and gastritis

Wow 5g seems so low to me. Each office is different. I was told nothing higher than 15g per serving... Most times its less than that. But there have been a few occasions it's reached 15g and I've been fine. No dumping. I have yet to try anything gummy bc of that concern and I'm four months out. I guess I'll continue with my meats, shakes and bars. Seems to help a lot anyhow.

things happen.....good and bad with any WLS it just how it goes....we all take the risks...and why its vital to do what our own doctors advise.. and hearsay and the world wide web opens the doors to let the moths of BS stories (real or not or embellishments) run wild.......any questions about erosion, band issues (or any WLS issues) is best left to your doctor to answer.. why?....because it depends on who you ask (and where they are in their journey)....those who have had neg experiences tend to post that.....and those who have success tend to post that and it turns into lapband butterflies vs lapband bats........try to not worry about things that could (or very low risk) of happening...always ask your doctor

Same here. Just got released about an hour ago. I'm wearing a binder bc one of my incisions is just causing a burning pain. Stupid pharmacy has yet to retrieve their voice mails so they haven't filled my prescription for pain meds. Dreading the next few hours. Little gassy but overall ok.

You might want to pay close attention to the nutrients component of Lean Cuisine and other frozen entrees now that you are banded. I started doing this and found that a lot of prepared meals may be low in calories but they are high in sodium and low in vitamins, minerals, fibre, and the other good stuff. I am not a cook but there are a number of things that you can make on the stove top or in the microwave or eat fresh which will be tasty and healthier for you. I guess my favourite microwave meal is two beaten eggs with milk (eggs are loaded with vita Bs, protein, vita E, selenium, the omega oils and have only 70 calories per egg), a finely chopped tomato, a little salsa, and some cheese. Put this in a bowl and nuke it, then eat. Oh, yah, season to taste. I also keep around the house those little cans of Clover Leaf flavoured tuna; these come in such flavours as spicy peanut satay, dill&lemon, and have a pop top lid. They are low in calories, taste good, contain protein, and although there is some cholesterol it is better than eating a bag of chips. I also eat a lot of tzatziki which I buy from the store. I don't have much of a sweet tooth and this is a thing which the Greeks do with yogurt; they mix it up with garlic and slivers of cucumber. If you can get over your fear of the stove top you might consider getting into stir-frying fresh vegetables and chunks of expensive beef/pork tenderloin or chicken. I use the expensive stuff because it chews up nicely in my mouth and because it tastes better. The leftovers nuke up nicely the next day. However, if you cannot get over your fear I would suggest that you make a point of chopping up fresh vegetables and adding these into every item which you microwave. I say this because I shocked to note that even Gardenay soups (which allowed me to survive the full fluids weeks post-op) are surprisingly devoid of the vita Cs, etc. I have to say that I really was surprised when I began to study those nutrient info labels! I also rely a lot on salads and I often incorporate chick peas into these. They are a good source of complete protein when combined with cheese and they are fibre rich. I add diced onion, red, yellow or orange pepper, and fresh parsley, dill, or coriander. I make my own salad dressing by mixing together dijon mustard, cider vinegar/lemon juice, extra virgin olive oil and a few drops of balsamic vinegar. Because I like spicy I add a bit of hot sauce. And when the season is right I substitute avocado for chick peas. Avocados are kind of fattening but they are loaded with nutrients. As for the salad dressing, I learned how to make this when I was living in France. Olive oil has the good kind of cholesterol, and both apple cider vinegar and lemon juice are good for you, they say. The sweetness of the balsamic vinegar cuts the acidity of the dressing and the dijon mustard binds the vinaigrette together and gives it zest. This dressing takes 2 minutes to make and is less fattening, less expensive, and pretty much free of additives. Another lazy thing which my husband and I have gotten into is that we buy these pre-roasted chickens which are available in our local supermarkets. They haven't been deep-fried and they don't come with the Kentucky crust. We buy 'em, put 'em in the refrigerator, and eat 'em cold. This works out well for us, particularly so because I like white meat and he prefers the dark. It is another source of protein for the non-cook, eh. I know that this is an awfully long reply to your question, grrl, but I am anxious that you understand that surviving on a diet of Lean Cuisines and Healthy Choice Meals is probably not going to cut it. We are subjected to those Campbell Soup ads which mention that their soups contain full servings of vegetables when in fact nutrition-wise they are lacking. At the same time I, while I am not phobic, do not derive any joy at all from cooking. Eating is where I was at! It strikes me that you have got to figure out a new and creative way to deal with your food issues, one that does not necessarily mean that you ever have to go near a stove. I have provided you with a few of my thoughts. There are other things which you can do in order to get your food needs in order. Eating a lot of fresh fruit is one of them. You will need your Bs, and your proteins, of course. Beat an egg or two and then nuke it, and buy those pre-cooked chickens. This should cover most of your nutritional needs. And do what most of us bandsters are doing, take your vitamin supplements as well. I take the chewies and because I live in a northern climate I take an additional 1,000 IUs of vita D. I think my answer is really boring but I hope that it helps.

Midnight shift is when the body really screams for carbs. I have gone through this myself. I think what your body really wants is energy. Why not have some tuna and hard-boiled eggs available to snack on. Energy from protein lasts longer than the quick fix from carbs which are really only complex sugars, I believe. There are tins of tuna which come with pop top lids - you don't need a can-opener. Eggs are rich in the vitamin Bs. And the advice to have to fresh fruit and raw vegies around is good advice.

It's interesting how we happily and with great anticipation track each pound lost, each inch gone, clothes getting looser and generally feeling better overall. Something I've noticed (besides the obvious) is that I find I'm getting 'leaner and meaner'. I don't know if it's my improved self esteem, but I find I'm less tolerant of the BS I used to put up with before. (Could this also be an 'age' thing??) I'm speaking up more for myself, my ideas, my opinions, etc. as if I wasn't really 'worthy' of being listened to before. Because of this (or in ADDITION to this) I find some friends becoming more distant. As if the new and improved me is not what they had in mind when it came to being my friend. Don't get me wrong, I haven't been downright ugly or abusive to anyone, just more standing up for myself type stuff. Has anyone else experienced this with 'fair weather friends' or as long as you were fat, jolly and happy they were 'ok' with you, but NOW...well it's a different story. I'm interested in hearing what others have to say about this. I have found (interestingly enough) that my TRUE friends, although they notice the weight loss and Celebrate it with me, it's never been about my weight with them. They just see me as me and don't care if I weigh 350 or 150. As long as I'm happy, that's all they care about. But the others...it saddens me... Thoughts anyone??:drool:

Hi Y'all I've Been Banded Since 1/24/07 And Everythings Been Fine. I've Lost 45lbs So Far And Had 2 Fills. I'll Be Getting Another Fill Next Week. I Was Feeling So Good About Myself And Life Was Going Great. That Is Until My Mom Decided To Get Gastric Bypass. She Had The Surgery A Week And A Half Ago. She's Back At Home And Doing Fine. The Reason I'm Feeling Down On Myself Is Bc She's Lost 20lbs In That Short Amount Of Time And It Took Me Almost 2 Months To Loose That. Now All She Ever Talks About Is Her Weight Loss, Things I Shouldn't Be Eating And Why Gastric Bypass Is So Much Better Than Lapband. I Feel Like We're Is Some Sort Of Race Now To See Who Can Loose The Most Amount Of Weight The Fastest. I Realize My Mom Is Happy About Her Weight Loss But At The Same Time I Think She's Being A Rude, Immature Brat!!! So Pretty Much I Just Wanted To Vent My Frustrations. Trying To Talk To Her Is Pointless. So Thanks For Listening And Any Words Of Wisdome Are Welcomed. Thanks Y'all

I attended my first information seminar and I am so excited!! I was tempted by the RNY surgery!! The immediate gratification monster reared its head briefly but reason came back to me. I have the info pkg with all the lab stuff I need to have completed before my appt in July. I was so disappointed that I had to wait that long. I was willing to take a week off to get it all done but alas, my dr will be away in June so July was the earliest. Oh well. I'm hoping that by August I will have a surgery date. I have Horizon BC/BS in New Jersey which the surgeon who conducted the info seminar stated is the best insurance to work with and almost always approves the surgery. So wish me luck!!

I am a little over 4 weeks out, and have been in "bandster hell" for almost two weeks. I have felt that I could eat any thing I wanted to if I let myself. I have been being very careful, and very hungry. I went into my surgeon's office, to have one of my incisions checked, because it started draining. The doc said the incision was fine, just a bit of Fluid trapped under the insicion. She then asked how I was doing with eating, and told that I felt I could eat a horse if wanted. So she said well lets see if we cha get a fill in. I was suprised, bc I had an appointment for a fill on Sept. 18. So I had 2cc's added, but really can't feel a difference. She said to wait at least two weeks before deciding if I have increased restriction. So I am being careful to take small bites, and chew really well. Jim

I called yesterday and confirmed that my paperwork is in the right place. Our BCBS is through the railroad and it is a bit different than most preapproval processes. It goes through 2 departments, the first make sure that all of the required information is there and then they submit it for review. I submitted everything friday and it has already been passed to the review department, woohoo!!! I guess I had everything I needed to submit together the first time. When do you all think I should start calling to check on the status??? I have heard that the squeeky wheel gets the oil, do you all agree with that? Is calling frequently going to make my chances any better or this process any faster? I dont want to make my review person mad and have them set my case aside for the full 4-6 weeks... what did you do???~Mandy

Well today I am 1 day away from being 4 weeks post op. I went to my gyn doctor today and talked to her about BC. I was so excited to go to get weighed and I was totally surprised, I had gained 4 pounds. Man I was so disappointed. I know I have been exercising 3-4 times a week anywhere from 30-40 mins a day. I am thinking I have gained muscle, but man Im still very disappointed. I was hoping to have lost some weight, but instead I gained. I know I am doing everything I am suppose to and I cant wait to get my fill on 10/01, that way I will have some restrictions with my band. The more restriction I have the less I will eat, and the more weight I will loose. My question "Is this normal??" I mean to gain weight while we are suppose to be losing. I wonder if my band has slipped....Im trying to figure out whats wrong and I am so worried. This band is a tool, but I never expected to gain. I total understand that all scales are different, but thats too much of a difference. I know I have read some posts on here and I feel like im in the same boat as others. Still VERY DISAPPOINTING!!!!:biggrin:

Well I wasn't fired but my second job really wronged me. I started working for torrid the plus size clothing store around the holidays last year. They run everything backwards there. They never trained me. They hired me on the spot..actually..I'm a loyal customer and the manager approached me and actually begged me. I went thru all the motions in beginning of nov 09. And then she would forget to start me forgetting to put me on the schedule. She finally put me on on black friday..worst day of the year. Didn't show me anything or train me bc it was sooo busy. I left there that 1st day in a haze. Then she only put me on 1 day a week..umm y did they even hire me? Odd. So anyways manager doesn't have a car so it turned into her closing night was the night she put me on so I could take her to the train station. She also would stand behind the desk all night while I did everything. And I have a full time day job so after working 9-10 hours I had to go there and pick up her slack. Long story short..I wanted to quit every week but I stuck it out for the 40 percent discount. Then I had it one day with having to always work with her and I cut my availability to only 1 day a week..her day off. I didn't care if they couldn't work around it. If they couldn't and let me go then that was fine. I kinda wanted that. So I told her and she basically said ok we don't need u. I said ok here's my 2 week notice then I guess and that was that. Then the next time I came in I was told she quit unexpectedly with a big scene and the other ppl loved me there and begged me to stay by adhereing to my availability. Well I opened it a few days after that and everything was fine. About a month later I got a promotion at my other job and had to give my notice for real this time. And it was the new managers first day. She said ok, she didn't put me on the schedule that week yet anyway but I"d be on the following week. I said ok then that's my last day. Week later I call for my schedule and I'm not on it. I was like ok. She promised. I called she said she"d put me on the following week if I wanted to stretch out my last day. I said ok. Well I went in on beginning of that week and I wasn't on again. I talked to the assist manager and she told me the manager was punishing me.and then since my official last day wasn't until 4 more days I asked for my discount. I was still in the system so I was a current employee still. They had to call the mgr at home just to cover their asses and she told them no I can't have the discount. I was soooo pissed that this new person and company handles their business this way. It was very very hurtful..bc this was a high school job and I'm 26 the oldest one there and worked like a dog and gave my all and they treated me like this? So anyway in the end. I paid full price..but jokes on them..I still get my discount on the website. So I bought it online and when that comes in ill return it with my store receipt. There! Got my discount I deserve! So that's my story. It wasn't stressful for me but very hurtful and made me very angry and bitter.

My doc has performed over 600 lapband surgeries and told me that he has NEVER filled a patients band to the max...there was no need. Yes. You need another fill. It took me 4 fills until I felt proper restriction. If your band works like it is supposed to, with proper restriction you will not be able to eat as much as you want (unless you are cheating the band and eating/drinking things that slide right down). You are able to eat more over time bc you are losing weight and thus losing the fat that surrounds your band. As the fat around your band decreases, you have less pressure on you band, allowing it to loosen up a little. Also, there is a small amount of evaporation of the liquid in your band over time. Dont spend your time and energy worrying about the What If's. Focus on the now. Make good choices and talk to your doc. When is your next fill scheduled? Can you call and get in sooner? After my first fill I didnt feel anything so I called and went back in 2 weeks later. I didnt feel anything after my second fill so I called and went in 1 week later. Same story...I called and went in again until I finally felt restriction! You can do this.

Yeah, I don't care what those folks say. It's BS. And in fact, if you don't eat enough calories most of the time your body goes into starvation mode and you won't lose weight. I mean, that's practically being anorexic for goodness sake. We didn't get this done to starve or survive on so few calories a day. I normally eat about 1100 calories a day. And when I stop losing I eat something naughty like a nutter butter or some chips and bam, I'll drop a few pounds. Because my body says "oh, right you're not starving yourself, it's okay to lose now". If you've ever seen Biggest Loser even the trainers make them eat one bad meal a week to snap their system into shape and not go into this starvation mode. When you reach good restriction you are really not that hungry, at least I'm not, so sometimes I have to remind myself to eat, but my diet consists of mostly salads, Soups.. tuna.. chicken.. veggies... and so forth.. I'm sure there will be somebody to come on here and say "oh you have to listen to your dr/dietician".. whatever... you will do yourself more harm than good by eating so few calories and there are some old school doctors who will really tell their patients this crap, its very sad. Especially if you are working out.. your body needs fuel and it needs those calories.. and trust me, you don't want your body thinking its going to starve.. you want to talk about plateaus, you will plateau for weeks and not know why 'especially eating so few calories'.. I see it a lot on here "why am i not losing, i only eat 500 calories a day".. DUH.. eat something and maybe you'll lose.. this is what i want to say every time lol. Good luck.

That's what I was hoping to hear. I am getting banded bc I am absolutely exhausted with diets. I know EVERYTHING about nutrition and how certain foods are digested and used in the body etc...I have been on diets for 14 years and have never been able to keep the weight off. The band feels like my last hope. Even if it dominates all aspects of my life, I have to do it. But it's great to hear that things feel normal after awhile. Thanks so much

Yes! You can feel "normal" again. Early on, its very consuming, mentally, physically and emotionally. Many people I think arent ready for that, no matter how they've prepared, when you think about it, there's not very many ways in which we can change ourselves as fundamentally as completely renovating our health and appearance. My primary goal out of this was that I was fed up to the back teeth of being a fat person. I hated the way it consumed my thoughts, I hated the way I had to "resist" food, I couldnt help being always ready to eat and always consciously avoiding eating bad foods. I hated the routine of the Monday morning diet, I hated the abortive attempts at exercise programs, I hated all of it. I vowed once I was banded I was never ever ever going to "diet" again. I dont think that personally I would have coped well had I not had it done here in Australia where that approach is supported, I'm not saying a more structured routine is wrong, but I think i would have come to blows with almost every US doctor out there, with their nutritional views, rules and targets for daily eating. I will not do that ever again. I eat what I want when I want. So, maybe I had slower weight loss than others - it took me 2 years to lose 100lb and actually, I'm still losing at the rate of about 3lb per year, lol. That was a worthwhile trade off for me. I chose the exercise that appealed to me, not the latest craze I read on the net. I knew what bad things they say about long, slow cardio but I knew I liked running so that's what I did. That way, I actually DID it. I knew that yet another gym membership was going to have the same result - early enthusiasm, followed by life getting in the way and the rest is history. I like healthy foods. I have to force some healthy foods in (it really is a challenge to get enough fruit and veg when you're banded), but that's my version of swallowing Vitamin pills (which I dont take). I dont like Protein shakes, and I dont believe I need mega protein, so I ignore that particular avenue. Today, its the first day of school holidays, I've had a hard term as a graduate teacher, I fancy a bit of window shopping and a cappucino and vanilla slice (a gorgeous concoction of choux pastry and custard) and I'm damn well gonna have it. Why not? Its a once in a blue moon thing and I for one dont think that the occasional treat with food is dysfunctional or indicative of an eating disorder. Once I allowed myself that, I broke the "well, I ate a vanilla slice, so I may as well drink this milkshake, eat this ice cream, pig out on this chocolate" cycle. I eat more when good food is put in front of me, I sometimes dont eat when I'm busy, I have periods where I eat too much sugar and others when I eat really realy well. I dont really think about it or beat myself up over it. Hey? Guess what? I'm NORMAL. I never viewed normal as some sort of perfect eating, perfect exercising robotic life where you got x grams of protein, 100% RDI of every vitamin every day, etc etc. That's setting yourself up for failure. I saw normal as eat what you like, mostly healthy and dont obsess over it. To me, the band is a great tool for achieving that becuase it takes inappropriate hunger out of the question. I hate to say it, but I think many people who defend their more rigid regimes are really still clinging to the hope that if they do everythign right they will be rewarded. I think it takes a lot of courage to let yourself go and abandon that adherance to imposed rules and really listen to your body. It is a really really hard thing to do but I think THAT's the key to lifelong weight control. Otherwise, its just using your band to strangle your desires. Its your desires and mental processes that you really have to work on to really become free of your weight problems.

Well the odd thing about being 160 is it was after 12:30midnight, I was at the docs for something totally different the blood sugar just kinda came up after some tests. I hadnt eaten anything since maybe 5pm that night so what made my BS stay that high until after 12 is beyond me I only ate meat for dinner and nothing with it. Anyway I go back tomarrow and I will see and let ya know later

I had my surgery ay Highland Hospital and my doctor are Bariatric Surgery Center (Drs. OMalley, Johnson and Forbes). I recommend this practice. Important for you to get answer FROM Aetna whether they cover your surgey bc policies vary state to state and depends where your plan is administered. So, call Member Services at Aetna for that answer.

I tried breaking it up in paragraphs and for some reason I couldn't. I promise I'll try nxt time. I've been taking gas x and it seems to help. I think I overdid my afternoon walk bc I got tired and sore. Last but not least, I don't know if its my head playing games with me but I feel hungry. I haven't cheated but just saying, food smells so delish...

I have the same question... what they heck are all those noises!! Now I know FOR SURE that today my stomach was growling. Some on here say no, that is just some other noise. But I know it was....undeniably stomach growling bc I was hungry! Already!!

i weighed myself this evening just to see my progress bc i have been working out so hard and eating good but boy ol boy did i get a rude awaken, such a big disappointment (5lbs wt gain), hoping some of that is from the bloatness of my TOM, i am so stupid for doing that

I have the plication and think it really enhances the band. Just an opinion hard to tell, because I never had a band without plication. I did not have to pay extra for the plication. The dr has a grant for that. Maybe you can look into that. I don't mean to say the extra money isn't worth it, but your husband may be right. Ask if there are extra hidden prices. Fir instance because I fit a certain checklist I was able to go home day of surgery (live close to hospital. no other health probs, there was a list of things my dr considered). However he wants all his plication patients to stay overnight. If I had to pay out of pocket for that (being that insurance did not cover overnight stay bc I was a candidate to go home) my bills would be very high. Ask about other fees and if dr is subsidized by any grants. Are there other drs in your area who do plication? it can't hurt to get a second opinion/consultation, even if you don't do plication. I like shopping around for imot stuff like doctors. In the end, with or without plication you will probably lose about the same amount of weight if you work towards your goal!