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mmmmmm YUP there they are yummieeeeeeeeeeee ok so i had a half of one today took the box out side and fed the birds and squirles . guess they liked them to they were gone in an hour!

I too had some concerns about the weight loss. My husband married me as a full figured woman. I had a convo with him prior to surgery to tell him how much i needed him to tell me he loves me as the thought of losing weight made me feel insecure even though my husband is of average weight. I have always been heavy but also have always gotten attention from men. The difference when I lose weight is the men approaching me are progressively becoming more and more attractive. But I will handle them the same as the others. Say thank you to the compliments and don't engage any further...if they persist tell them to get the h$@# out of your face bc you are married! Lastly, although my husband married me full and likes me this way he has enjoyed the perks of my sleeve from better intimacy to cheaper dining bills...ha ha. You may have to point out the perks to him. Im sure he will appreciate some things about your sleeve as well!

My boyfriend is a truck driver and when he needs to drive all night he mixes a bottle mountain dew with BC powder and he is wide awake all night..... I know it has sugar so maybe u can try diet mountain dew. It does the trick everytime when an energy drink never gives him energy.

I'm not sure how BC works but another driver recommended that to him and he's stuck with it since. Doesn't give u wired energy but it keeps u awake and alert. As far as recovery , I would wait a month before being on the rd cause it's a tough job out there. Mine is an owner operator and if you're a company driver, then they really don't care about u, just the load getting where it needs to.

Silviamom, We have talked before,was your erosion to the interior of your stomach?. I have been looking for stats on this, and find in some journals that some say we should be healed by 6weeks to 3months. I'm having a hard time understanding why I was told 6months?. When they staple and remove your stomach you are completely healed within 6 / 8 weeks. I'm a nurse and to tell you the truth I can understand 6 months, to a yr if the erosion was to the inside of the stomach and Dr had to retrieve the band and then repair the damage, and in those cases there would most likely be infection, which is life threatening. I have read about this very thing, but mine was just under the band and not to the interior of the stomach, and no infection. I have read that when they make their staple line its up to the placement of where the band was and then around it they go anyway, because scar tissue is porous and not very viable tissue (its not fed with much of a blood supply). Pegsinthewoods, I did read about your troubles and man you had it ruff, I think I touched on it slightly above, and I surely sympathize. Somehow I think in my case my Dr was / is just overly cautious? Any other thoughts? maybe I'm trying to hard to reason this, because I'm impatient?

Your post made me laugh...looking at the serving sizes now just crack me up. I saw a box of Pasta has 7 servings ... OMG ... I thought it barely fed 3 people! But I now rethink everything...I use to just pop something little to satisy my cravings but it takes me 40 minutes to burn off 300 calories on the treadmill...I'd rethink that brownie!! But we all have to enjoy life...my enjoyment is ice cream! Instead of the huge Cereal bowl with 4-5 scoops...I use alittle bowl for 1 scoop, I'm interested in the applesauce instead of oil...please post if you know the measurements!

NYU split up their surgeons by insurance coverage and Dr. Fielding was the GHI Dr., unfortunately as of June 18th he dropped it, so you need to find out what your alternatives are. My approval came very quickly becoz with BC/BS you don't need the 6 months supervised diet. First step is a physchological eval with one of their Dr.'s and it was $250.00 out of pocket. Then I had to go for a nutritional assessment and evaluation another $325.00 out of pocket. Then thru my coverage I had to go for clearance for surgery thru my cardiologist. Was all done by end of January and was scheduled for March 6th surgery. Process can be as quick or as long as you make it!! Once again good luck as your journey begins!

Thanx for the response Kristen. Were you approved by your insurance and if I may ask what type do you have? I have GHIand Empire BC/BS, my DH is a city employee so I hope if my PCP gives approval I can be easily approved . I am going to go online to see if NYU is having seminars now. I checked into a local hospital here in BK but NYUis superior. Thanx again, Dee

I KNEW hair loss was coming. I did my research, I read every post there was along with tons of research beforehand and I had prepared myself. I knew it could be little or lots, but of course, like anyone I hoped for a little. I'm young and healthy (minus the weight issue) so I hoped for the best. Had my surgery 9/4 and just as was predicted my hair loss started the first week of December. I have long blonde (fine) hair that has been my staple forever and it's falling out BADLY! I am so sick I do not know what to do. I'm getting in my vitamins, protein, biotin (which I started months before) and I'm at a loss now as to where to go. It's getting so thin I can't hide it much longer and I'm starting to become self conscious. It's only been a month and everyone says it can last for up to 6...I will be a 30 year old bald person if I keep losing hair at this rate. When it first started I just stayed calm bc I knew it was coming and I just kept telling myself it would be ok. But, today when several large handfuls came out I just stood in the shower and cried. I wasn't prepared to go bald. I want to lose weight and be healthy, but NOTHING about my hair falling out feels even the tiniest bit healthy. I know I've read everything there is to read at this point, but this feels like a moment in my journey that I need support and encouragement even if I already know what everyone will say. Am I going to go bald and is this going to start turning around? My NUT told me to cut my hair. Please don't tell me that. I have been growing my beautiful hair out for 4 years. I'm not ready to hear that. So sad and discouraged right now.

Actually I haven't bought any Protein supplements with the exception of Premier Protein RTD because of the ease of use right after surgery; however IF I were going to purchase a Protein powder I would choose goat whey due to the easy digestibility in comparison to cow milk, lack of any unnatural additives (assuming you are purchasing organic, grass fed) and the increased level of healthy minerals, nutrients and beneficial digestive cultures. I will be using our own goat whey to make my smoothies as we always have quite a bit left when my husband makes cheese. Whey, sealed tightly in a clean jar, lasts approx 6 months if refrigerated. We don't purchase milk or cheese as our goat provides all we need for our family. We currently use the whey mainly to Water our garden and feed our chickens, but since I've had surgery, we will be making smoothies with it now as well.

Happy Sunday & Happy New Year's Eve Folks!! Got sleeved on 12/27 {finally} and just returned from MX today. All in all feeling pretty good. Little itching/tenderness at one incision site. No nausea until my 1st protein shake today. Worst pain was actually from the constantly full bladder caused by the non-stop IV drip all night post-op. Once they took that out, oh sweet relief...! But, I digress...On Friday I went back for my leak test. It showed no leaks but they said there were two small areas that looked a little more narrow than the rest. I could see the screen, and yes, I could see what they meant. Below the esophagus, leading to the stomach, were two small areas that were more "gray" than "black" as the rest of the barium filled areas were coming up black. They asked if I was having difficulty taking fluids? I said no, I was taking 2 c of chicken broth per day, almost 2 sugar free popsicles, 1-2 bottles of water, and a bottle of electrolytes (also a small cup of watered down apple juice, at the nurse's recommendation). So yeah, Obviously I was getting my fluids! So he said, no issues at all? Oh, well then I told him I was experiencing gurgling when I swallowed - not severe - not exactly painful, just uncomfortable and a little annoying. He showed me the screen again and said that gurgling was the esophagus trying to push what I consumed down into the pouch and it was gurgling bc it was taking longer than it should, causing some back-up. He showed me on the screen where some of the barium was still sitting in my esophagus and I could see it and also feel the gurgling in my throat a little. He said the area around the stomach/diaphragm was just swollen still and that's what caused the narrowing. He said sometimes they do a steroid injection to help bring the swelling down, but they don't like to do steroids if they don't have to. So, the question was, did I really need the shot or would this get better on its own? I said I would defer to his expertise since I wasn't really sure what to do...I have plenty of experience w/steroids for back pain, but not applied to this situation. So he said they would give me a small dose of the steroid and he felt that should reduce the swelling and open the area up for normal passage. The shot was in the bum (they never tell you that til right before it goes in...), and it did sting for a while. I didn't notice any huge improvement in gurgling right away, but now, two days later, I guess I would say I feel about how I would expect to. There may be a small amount of gurgling if I swallow too much at once, and then too some slight discomfort (or if I have to swallow a pill, bc a few of my meds are time released and can't be crushed, so they said to just take as usual as long as I am able to). I think I'm feeling how I should be feeling at this point, 4 days post-op, but how do I know for sure? I'm back home in PA now, so I hope it's all good.. Just wondering if this is considered stenosis or a stricture, or if those are different things that would happen down the line? Also, has anyone else experienced this and does it sound like this was handled in the proper way and would you feel comfortable at this point if you were me? Just want to check in with some of the vets...

Here's what my benefits says I have BCBS FED Standard Option: Gastric restrictive procedures, gastric malabsorptive procedures, and combination restrictive and malabsorptive procedures to treat morbid obesity – a condition in which an individual has a Body Mass Index (BMI) of 40 or more, or an individual with a BMI of 35 or more with co-morbidities who has failed conservative treatment; eligible members must be age 18 or over. Benefits are also available for diagnostic studies and a psychological examination performed prior to the procedure to determine if the patient is a candidate for the procedure. While it does not mention anything about the length of documentation my surgeon took six months worth so I would check with your surgeon's office. I have a surgical coordinator who is very familiar with their requirements so I am sure your surgeon's office should be too. I would explain the situation and tell them about what you have now and what you are considering and go from there. I used to have NALC and they were an absolute nightmare. I am so glad we switched during the last open enrollment. Everything that I have done already has been paid for minus my responsibility. I was told that they I would pay out 10% after they pay out 90% for the procedure with no co-pay. The 10% is not based on what your surgeon charges. It is based on what BC pays out. The same pay out for anesthesia and $100.00 per night in the hospital. Here's the link to the site choose one option at a time to see the difference it's for this year: New Members Index

I am five days post op and I am having a lot of gas pains. My in sis ions are doing good don't hurt. But the bowel movements are bad. My suggestion if it's bowel movements get laxitive. My surgeons nurse told me to get it bc they wanted all the gas to get out of my body. Hopefully I feel better tommorow. No more laying around gotta get things done

If an alcoholic had to serve and prepare alcohol for others and go to bars and watch their loved ones consume their favorite drinks while remaining sober would that be easy? Just switch us out for the alcoholic and food for drinks and this is what we go through all the time. Watching my family eat chocolate cake from the best restaurant in town the other night (on my birthday!!!) was not easy but worth it. There are many challenging moments like missing the annual Greek food festival bc there is no way i want to watch my friends eat gyros and baklava. And right now I can't sleep bc I've got a piece of chicken stuck and it hurts!

I have always had a love/hate with clothes shopping, mostly bc I've always been just a bit too chubby, even from childhood. Shoes were a great compromise, until 2 years ago when I got a stress fracture in my foot. I can't wait to LOVE shopping again! :} 347*294/285/135 (*347HW/294SSW)

I can't wait to... Shop at Victoria secrets Go to a normal store to buy clothes Have skinny sex:) Go to a resturaunt and not ask the hostess 1000 questions about the booth to see if I will fit in it Not to be the fat person in my group of friends Being able to groom myself without without huffing and puffing bc of the position I have to get myself into....sorry tmi:) There are more but these are the biggest ones.

I had a little soreness and felt like I had a terrible flu afterwards. I think mostly bc my doctor doesn't let you drink after your surgery until you have the leak test the next day. The feeling doesn't last too long. Everyone is different.

Wow that was an old post of mine!! So much has happened since then. I ended up getting Gastric Bypass from Dr Berger in Flagstaff on January 8 of this year and couldnt be happier. I am now down 87 pounds as of this morning! BC/BS of Mass ended up being a breeze. Most importantly I picked the right surgery for me. Good luck to everyone here!

I was originally going to go to Bridges orientation but they scared me off by telling me I needed to be on a 6 month medically supervised diet. When I called WLIA they told me that according to BC/BS of Mass. that there was nothing stating about a 6 month medically supervised diet, (though it would be in my best interest to get to a primary care doctor and get started on a relationship with her and talk about the lap band and my goals etc) I just have to have documentation of my weight over the past 5 years. I also asked Bridges when I called when would they actually look into what was needed to be approved and they informed me they would process everything when I was done with the 6 month diet. Maybe I just need to call them again and see if I get a different answer?

I had a BS scheduled as a routine f/u, this is15 months post LB. I had not been having any problems, it was just to check it out. The night before the BS I took 2 pills before bed. It felt like they were stuck. I took small sips but and the feeling didn't go away. I woke up a couple of times during the night, a little uncomfortable but not in any pain. I could not have anything to eat or drink after midnight because BS was scheduled for 7:30 am. I did feel like the pill was still there when I woke up, almost like a little acid reflux but I could not drink anything to make it go away. I also started post nasal drip the day before. All I wanted to do was to take some medicine for my sinuses but I couldn't have anything! My head was ready to explode from sinus pressure. Well, I had the BS and the barium could only trickle through the band, I watched the screen and saw that I had a bulge above the band and the band was tipped in the wrong direction. I found this so interesting to view. My surgeon is present for the BS so he said I was way too tight and needed to be unfilled. He did that, another swallow and films showed the barium go straight thru. When I told him of my symptoms he said if I had not been there I would have been calling him over the weekend be cause I would have become more uncomfortable. He said the PND irritates the small pouch and was probably the culprit. Now I need to be real careful while eating as I don't want to gain what I have lost. I must say though, if I had not had that appt. I probably would have just taken some pepto bismal and called it a day. I was not in pain or that uncomfortable so I probably would not have thought anything was wrong. Lesson learned, my surgeon said I should never feel acid reflux and if I do to call right away as that is an indication that something isn't right. Well this ended up longer than I thought, but hope it helps others.

hes def insecure..an he is scared at least it sounds that way to me an he's uneducated on this subject an pride. once he sees this working for you theres a very good chance he'll hop on board. I hate that your dealing with him an this mental an emotional struggle bc its hard enuff going thru the changes you will encounter. some ppl have no problem my first month Im going to tell ya it was brutal on me. I had some days of crying out of no where. I was dying for a pizza or a big juicry hamburger. but I got thru it. my surgeon told me the first months the roughest an it was for me. he said if you can get thru the first month you'll do great! it was right , for me. so please prepare yourself, you'v gone this far your on the right track an you have your mind set an your doing this for YOU! I sure hope it backs off. you might just have to tell him to just STOP an for him to do his loss his way an you will do yours your way. I have 2 dear friends are in their 300s an have been for 40 plus yrs...they enjoy their food(who doesnt right?) we all do! but he doesnt want to lose or change an he feeds her as well an so he keeps them so called "happy" that way. but I dont say anything its none of my business. when ppl decide on their own when to get healthy they'll do something about it. lord I wish I would have done this yrs ago! I am happy for you! keep us posted dear! hang in there! come here when you need to..

((hugs)) No advice. Scary Larry stuff though! Some might have an enteric coating (requires stomach acid to dissolve it). VSG does cut away some of the areas that produce the most amounts of stomach acid. Also VSG, allows for food to exit your tums much quicker--possibly before enteric coated pills are fully dissolved. So I'm thinking that's why. I know in my doc's practice, she cautions all of her baby-maker patients, to use alternate means of BC. It's mandatory for 18 months with her. On both kinds of surgery.

I see now that your surgery was ten days ago. Have your bs been normal and just today started going up? For me I have been keeping my daily carbs less then 30g mainly because of just focusing on protein and I haven't had a reading above 110. I would keep an eye on your levels and report it to your doctor if they don't come down.

Zen, I have never been able to find triggers for my migraines. But I will certainly find out if my diet affects them. I do take topamax. Funny you should say that, my husband researched them online was calling them dopamax. I have had some memory issues but they have gotten better. I was on it my first round for about a year I came off it for 9 months then decided I needed to give it another try bc the migraines were getting so frequent. It hasn't been as bad this go around. Thanks for sharing.

I would call bc/bs and find out what will qualify you for the band I have bc/bs of mass ppo and for me it was 35 bmi with co-morbids ( I have high blood pressure and type 2 diabetes) or you have to have a 40 bmi. Not sure if joint pain is included in the co morbids. If I were you I would call and get your answers you need. Helena