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Hi Ann, I am from NSW too, I had my surgery 13th Feb 2014, My family were I wouldnt say against it but not for it either, they dont understand, simple as that and my mum was just being my mum. I am going into my 4th week post op, I have to say I have had a few hiccups and sometimes I miss eating too but I am 43 and yo yo dieting and exercising my ass off for the rest of my life just wasnt an option for me, I have too many co morbidities that needed addressing ASAP. I am grazing though, I am one of those that still feel hunger and still want to eat, I just cant eat that much at a time, so therefore I find an hour after I eat I am hungry again, Im still off work so I do think that once I go back to work this will settle down. My 19 year old daughter has joined a health fund and plans on doing this surgery herself next year and i will be there to support her when she does. This operation is an individual choice, no one can make this big decision for you. sometimes the pros of having this surgery outweigh the cons if you dont have it

I am 21 months out from surgery and have gotten pretty comfortable. I have fallen back into old habits and have gained about 10 pounds back. I know it is not much but I am scared it will spiral out of control if I don't get it under control. BUT, I am struggling with getting back to basics and getting the weight loss rolling again. Any advice on how to get back to basics and restart is appreciated. The bad thing about being almost 2 years out from surgery is that you can eat more than right after surgery and you are not as diligent and focused. I know I just need to do it but don't even remember where to begin, what to eat, what to do, etc. It feels so foreign to me... Please help!!!

10 days post op and last night was the first night I slept on my side, and even a little bit on my stomach. I am a lifetime tummy sleeper but was unable to sleep on any other position then on my back unitl last night, even with a pillow under my tummy all my attempts resulted in a tugging sensation on my stomach and pain, but last night I didnt sleep on my back at all and just woke up with the slightest feeling of soreness (very tolerable and a minimal sacrifice to sleeping well).

"My Dr forbids NSAIDS, smoking, soda pop, and caffeine" The first two are medical necessities (smoking can cause ulcers for some reason, with the band). The next two are purely lifestyle changes packaged with the medical necessities to have the appearance of being "required." Personally, I used to drink 3-6 sodas a day, and I haven't touched one since being banded. The carbonation wouldn't feel good, and by being off of them for three months now, I do not miss them. Even being next to someone drinking one, I could care less. Now, steak I miss. The caffeine I never dropped. I have three kids under age 5, an 80 minute commute each way, and I work as a project manager. Caffeine is the only way I function most days. Diet Red Bull has only 10 calories as well.

I had surgery last Friday week ago tomorrow, in a small country Hospital in Clinton Ill. John Warner, My experience was great, My surg for lapband was to be at 12noon, I had told my husbund that they would just have to put me under as soon as I got there needed to eb there at 10AM, well I arrived, this sweet kin nurse by name of Diane came to get me, I walked to my room, single room, she was very up beat, thank goodness, there were 4 other before me, some were already out in the hall walking, which I thought was encouraging!!!.She started my IV, then My antibiotic, because I had my knees replaced in May, so I have to have a dose of a strong anti. before any type of surgery. well then we watched tv talked Diane was in and out talked about everything, then about 11:45 Got a shot in stomach,blood thinner, to help with blood clots, oh forget to tell you ,one of the first thing they did when I got there was put those blow up tube like things on your legs, to help with circulation. Right at 1200 they came in, ask if I needed to use the bath room, which of course I did, tthen was off, I remember going into surgery, they were all talking with me, had me move over , anithesist said now I want you to just close you eyes and relax, the lights are really bright in here, the next thing I remember someone was calling my name and asking how felt, and on a scale of 1 to 10 what would I gage my pain,I can remember asking if I could go over 10, nurse laughed and said would like to keep it in that range, said ok, a big 10. She gave me moraphine twice, was in surgery 11/2 hours, recovery 45min, and back to the room by 2pm, by this time was awake,would kind of go in and out, not a deep sleep just sleepy and dizzy. not much pain at all ,very bad sore throat,from the tube I am sure. and the port sight was alittle sore about a 6 out 10. very dizzy, I mean I really had to concentrate on one object to keep the room from going crazy, no nausea, but they had given me something extra for that because I told them that I have been known to come out from being under, vomiting bad, so they addressed that. Had 4 inch size areas, and the port which is about 3-4 inches long on the left side, now that has been the one that has caused my the discomfort but not that much, Got liquid loritab,which with liquid tyl took pretty regular for about 24 hours,then started to take the tyl during the day and stronger at night. Had the surg at 12 noon Friday 25th, home on the couch at 8:30 that night, had aabout 90min drive from Hospital to my Home. and was back to work on Wed. 30th. I am a triage nurse for Family Practice Dr. so my job is a sit down. but I was so tired when I came home didn't know If I would make it through the whole day or not, took today 31st off I have my 5 day check up at 1pm, all in all it wasn't bad, I know we are all different, each of us has a different pain level, I just made my mind up that I had faught so long and hard to do this nothing was going to make it a bad experience. Becky BELIEVE.

I've struggled with my weight since puberty. When I was younger, I was always in state of weight change - I was either losing or gaining. I never learned how to maintain my weight. I'm in my early 40's now and I have been losing and gaining the same 25 pounds for over 10 years. Like many of you, I have tried so many diets - Weight Watchers, Atkins, Jenny Craig (on which I gained weight), Slimfast. I've tried walking, Pilates videos, gym memberships. The only physical activity that I enjoy is swimming/water aerobics. I can stick to a diet plan, but not to an exercise plan. I have learned so many ways to talk myself out of exercising. In the recent past, I have had the most success with an appetite suppressant which my PCP prescribed. For many good reasons, he will not prescribe it for more than 3 months; nor do I want to be on a dangerous medication. I recently changed jobs and my new health insurance may cover WLS. Since I did well with the diet pills, I think that the Lap Band will be finally be a solution for me. If my physical hunger is under control, I can overcome the mindless eating due to boredom, the emotional eating, and stress induced carb binges. Next week I have a sleep study to confirm a diagnosis of sleep apnea. (My prior health insurance's meager contribution to that test had made it unaffordable.) The morning after the test, my husband and I are attending the WLS surgery seminar at Cleveland Clinic - Florida.

Most doctors recommend 12-18 months after banding before getting pregnant. I definitely agree. I was banded 10/06 and the first 6 months were a breeze! Then the next 8 months were really difficult with band related acid reflux. I am newly pregnant and very happy that I had a full year and a half of getting to know the band before adding the craziness of pregnancy to it as well.

It's DELISH! LOL the whole thing from start to finish, prep to plated, 30 min.. it takes longer to prep then to cook.. because you are using cutlets and then pounding them a little thinner, they cook pretty fast... maybe 10 min... but I also put the lid on the pan too... I like to use Provolone because the smoked flavor is great... the friend who gave me the recipe likes to use Parm.. just depends on what you like.. let me know how it turns out!!

Hi, Welcome. I was lap banded in 2006.. Here is a link to some resources that you may find helpful - recovering from lap band surgery. Let me know if this helps. You may also want to check out and download "The 10 Lessons of Successful Lap Band Patients." The download is only going to be available for a few more days. Let me if this helps!

Hey wolfpack girl, I just had my initial consultation today. I was a little bit discouraged after. I felt like just a check off my surgeons list. He didn't ask if I had questions, I practically had to stop him on his way out the door to ask if I was going to talk to someone who would answer my questions and felt like I was being a pain in the butt. How was your experience at that office? I know at the beginning of this process there are a lot of new patients to deal with for them, but it would be nice to feel like they care a little about you as an individual. A BIG question I have is about the emotional or habit eating part of my problem. I don't just eat when I'm hungry- sometimes its because its "time" to eat or because I'm about to watch tv, or if I'm really emotionally stressed. When I asked him about if the surgery will help with any of this he said something like 'you wouldn't look at a fire and just decide to play with it- that would be dumb.' (talking about eating carbs). I felt like he wasn't acknowledging a big component of my problem. Before I decide for sure to go through with this surgery, I want to know that I will still be maintaining my weight loss 5 or 10 years down the line. I've lost a lot of weight before, but haven't been able to keep it off. I need to know that if I go through the process of having surgery that it in some way or at some point in the process I will learn to deal with it or that the sleeve will help me to maintain a healthier weight. So anyway, kind of discouraged after that consultation. Maybe that's a question I should be asking here anyway to other people who have been through and had more similar experiences with food to mine. Also, I found out I have to have 6 months of physician monitored plan per my insurance - so it looks like I'll be waiting until Christmas break to have surgery. Hope all is well with you!

I was luck enough to be approved on the first try (which shocked the heck out of me). I will pay 10% of the doctors charges and nothing on the hospital and pre-op testing. :biggrin:

I also gain somewhere between 5-10 pounds. It stinks!!!!

I was banded by Dr. Ali on 4/22/10. He did a great job -- I had absolutely ZERO pain. Very small scars. He's also a very kind and compassionate person, with great bedside manner. And unlike some surgeons I've read about on this forum, he is patient and understanding during the "bandster hell" time, when you don't have good restriction yet. He has always been very supportive and positive. He give nice generous fills: my first was 5.5 CCs and the second was 1.5. This has put me at perfect restriction. I am thrilled with my band and would recommend Dr. Ali to anybody.

I was told to get one with at least 20 g of protein and less than 10 g of sugar. I went to GNC and the guys recommended Amplify. I got the Creamy Chocolate flavor. They let me taste it in the store and I was surprised that it wasn't completely gross. I blend it with fat free milk and a couple of frozen strawberries and it is really good. I think it would be really good with part of a frozen banana but I didn't want any more gas than I already had. The 32oz. bucket was about $35. It has 120 Calories, 2g of Fat, 20 g of protein, 4 carbs and 1g of sugar.

Since surgery I have had major cramps in my feet. They are so painful! Tonight it started about 5:30 pm and didn't stop till 10 pm! Any suggestions?

Valdosta, I'm right there with you. Having a hard time getting all my Protein and Water in. Just taking a shower wears me out, dont have any idea how you handle two sick kids. Congrats on your loss so far. I'm 5 days out and my loss is more like 10 lbs. Actually gained a lb yesterday, I'm sure since not getting enough protein. Today working really hard to get everything in, but it's all consuming. I need to be outside starting exercise, but just no way right now. Hang in there, we'll do great!!! Shannon

I was 20. At work. Getting situated into my morning routine. coffee, then Logged onto yahoo news about 845 and saw a pic of a plane going into the tower. I thought hmm i knew one day those skyscrapers would get in the way. Read the report then got up to go to the copy room. That's when i found out the other plane hit. I felt something was wrong at that point and I couldn't focus. I tried calling home and all lines were busy. They sent us home by 10. It was a beautiful day. Eerie. Sent from my SM-G900P using the BariatricPal App

I'm 5'9" -- was 5'10" in high school, but have apparently lost an inch somewhere along the line... LOL. Let me just say... some charts say I should weigh 145 as well... and the people who made those charts.... ARE HIGH. When I was just out of high school, I managed to maintain 160 for about 8 months. Running 2 miles every day and watching every bite I put in my mouth. I looked REALLY hot, but on the verge of being too skinny. Another 15 pounds would have been TOO THIN. I was able to maintain 165-170 really well for a long time way back when. I've set my goal at 185, and when I get there, I'll see if I can squeeze another 10 pounds loss out, but 185 would make me ecstatic. Bottom line, you know where you will look and feel amazing, don't let some stupid chart tell you what you should weigh.

Today I weigh 180! My new goal is 170! This has been the best thing I have ever done for myself! Check out my gallery to see some before, after and during pics - the change is amazing! My husband is taking me shopping this weekend - for size 10's!!!! Check out my signature below to see my progression - some months were slower than others....but there was always a loss.... If I never lose another pound - I am perfectly happy with where I am at now. My hair is getting thicker again, my skin isn't too bad....I mean, I have had 3 kids - those are my tiger stripes - right?? If you are hesitant - don't be - Go for it! I didn't think it would work for me - I didn't think it COULD work for me..... It is amazing - Best thing EVER!!!!

Congrats!!!!! I am a US 18 - 20 and can't wait to be a 10 - 12!!!! I hope, in a small way, that I have the same problem as you!!! Not seeing myself as thin!!!!

Yes, I had bypass. I cannot say that I don't recommend it, stories are diff for everyone. I'm just at the point where I wish that I didn't do it. I hope I feel different soon. I can't eat, hardly drink, how do you survive like that. Thank you for the well wishes. converted from Lap-Band to RNY 10/2/12

Hi all i had my surgery on 3/19/13. so i am 6 days post op. its so funny how all dr. have so many diff. rules . I left the hospital to start stage 2 mushies or pureed foods. i am so concerned to get all in and its so damn hard . i have to work on my liquids but everyone is saying to me just do what i can . i have already eaten scrambled egg ,,yogurt, and i did make my GVS LASAGNA!!!!!! i used cottage cheese mixed in one egg then some sauce some shredded cheeses , a dash of garlic powder and oregano and topped with parmesean cheese. i microwaved for 3 minutes.. it smells great and tastes delicious, u just have to eat slowly... i still have to figure out how much i can eat..it does hurt a bit more with the solids,and i notice i burp more with the solids .its like my new stomach is makin the room or something. i also have to figure out when its telling me it is hungry... this is the hard part for me but hopefully its gonna get better... good luck all

Yea,it was def 10 ozs of nastiness. Made me want to be sick,but the up side is,I agree,no more hunger feeling,I'm too grossed out!!! LOL Gettin REALLY excited now!!!!!! Woot!!

Follow your guidelines of course but for me I was cleared to try anything I wanted at four weeks. I found cucumber to REALLY fill me up and it felt like it sat in my stomach for hours. Bought bags of baby cucumbers and would have one with either a dab of cottage cheese or French onion dip.. would be my dinner or lunch for quite some time. But like anything I eat too often I burned out on them. Still have one now and then… my main dinners are usually cold cuts and some cheese, or I’ll have a bite of whatever I make for my kids, so I’ll never have anything pretty to post in the before and after meals thread. I’m fortunate that I still have good restriction and zero hunger (10 months so far) and I’m riding that train as far as it’ll take me. But until I got to that true solid food phase I was in a similar situation and if it wasn’t for the photo of my removed stomach I would have been worried they didn’t really do anything because the mushy stuff just didn’t make me feel full at all.