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Well, I am due for my follow up in the morning...My ob said to not worry if they didnt call me before then cuz that would mean that nothing was wrong...Well, when I got home from work I had a message to call the nurse for some results...Of course I called back and got a machine and they never called me back so I guess I will find out in the morning..I am hoping that its nothing of course and that they were just not aware of what the dr had told me...Its still driving me crazy not knowing tho...I havent lost anymore weight lately...I have been kinda stress eating, guess its time for my next fill if I am capable of doing that...Usually just the smallest amount of food fills me up to a point of feeling ill and lately have been able to eat more food...So the next fill wont get here soon enough for me!! I am keeping my fingers crossed for my appt in the morning and hope that everything turns out well, right now I am really worried about it tho...Will check back in tomorrow with the outcome of that visit!!:phanvan

SECOND DR VISIT TODAY 5/15/07 DOWN 5LBS TO 349:heh: FEELING GOOD. EXCERCISING AT CURVES AND LOVING LIFE AGAIN AS I FEEL MYSELF GAINING CONTROL AGAIN. RCVD FILL OF 1CC....NEXT VISIT 5 WEEKS

I am going to be banded the end of Oct. and need to know what me life will be like after surgery. You see I am retired living in Fl. with my husband and right now my health is such that I can do very little. We came to Fl to have fun and meet new friends, which we did. We like to have parties, go golfing with our friends, out to dinner, people over for cocktails and hors d'oeuvre. How will my life change????? Do I want this LAP-BAND®,absolutely, I just want to know if I can still go out to eat without worrying about getting sick. Can I still have a glass of wine or two when we have people over. How about a nice cold beer after playing 9 holes of golf. Will all this come to a holt? I know I have to eat in moderation, I don't have a problem with that, I just want to know my life won't change that drastically. Can any retired person out there with a life similar to mine help me and answer my questions? I need to know ASAP as I see the Dr. tomorrow. Thanks everyone. I am not a nut case, just someone who needs desperately to lose weight and enjoy what ever time the Lord gives me in this world, I don't want to walk into the Pearly gates, I want to slide in.

Okay...the gas has gotten a lot better. I did walk, walk, walk. The strips are starting to come off of the scars and the area where the port is hurts and itches. I go for my follow up on Monday. Oh...I'm down 14lbs. so 354 on the surgery date and 340 today. Must be all water weight because I don't see a difference. My goal is -5 for next week.:cursing:

I was also sleeved on July 23. Stalled at 197lbs. Starting weight ideas 227lbs. I am happy but wish The scale would drop a little quicker.

I am so close , I can taste it. I was sleeved on July 23rd. Weight loss has been a little slower for me but my Dr says that patients that start out where I did usually go slower & not hot get discouraged. I've been trying on old clothes and have been so excited to see what fits and what's agree too big! My husband and I are going to a wedding in a couple weeks and I can't wait. So glad keeping Ll those dresses I was hoping to fit in again paid off. Just thought I'd share a happy post

Zumba will kick your hiney. It's fast paced, high impact movement with lots of moving. It's great cardio. I did love it, but hated the instructor. Zumba will help with endurance and stamina as well. Don't try to kick ass and take names at first, ease into so you do not hurt yourself or burn yourself out. Do you have a local YMCA? Usually they will do an assessment with you, take measurements, and then teach you to use the machines and weights. That's what I did when I joined the Y, and it rocked. They set me up on a weight lifting program that isolated certain areas of the body on different days. Cardio is great for weight loss, and building muscle mass really helps keep you tone, and losing inches. Remember a pound is a pound so when you start working out do not freak out over the numbers on the scale. Take your measurements at your calf, upper thigh, waist, hips, bust, neck, bicep. When the scale doesn't move, remeasure because fat is lumpy, bumpy takes up lots of space in our body, while muscle is lean, and takes up less space, so you'll be gaining muscle mass, but losing the bulky fat.

Congrats! I hope your success is all good.I have had my surgery on May 2nd/2011 and I am doing fantastic.I lost 14 lbs with the pre-op diet and have lost several inches since then.I had my first fill yesterday and they only filled with 3cc.I hope the next three weeks I loose a few more pounds.I have had great success after my surgery and never got sick.I only get heartburn if I eat too spicy foods,I hope we can stay connected with our weight loss journey

Two Weeks Pre-OP Weight: 304.9 BMI: 45.5 Let me first begin by introducing myself. My name is Leslie, I’m 29, and have been overweight pretty much my entire life. I am a customer service manager at the local grocery store chain in Chicago. I have had two back surgeries in the last 4 years and have foot & joint pain. I decided to start this blog because I thought it might help me to put my feelings into words. I also hope that maybe someone reading this will get know that what they are feeling is normal and they aren’t alone. I know that reading about other people’s experiences has helped me along the way so far. Bariatric surgery was first suggested to me after my first back surgery. I’ll be honest, I was insulted. I thought it was an easy way out of losing weight and for people that had given up. A year and a half later I had to have a second back surgery because my disc has degenerated, mainly due to my weight. I started serious dieting, lost about 40lbs, and got stuck. Getting stuck caused me not to try so hard, and as time went on, I gained all the weight back plus some. The surgery was suggested to me again. This time I took some serious thought about. It took a year, but after another trip to the back doctor, where I was told that another disc was beginning to degenerate. If I didn’t lose weight I have another back surgery in my future, and probably more after that. That’s when I started the process. I realized that going down this road would not be easy. That it probably may be the hardest thing that I do. I had my consultation appointment in October of 2013. I decided that I would have the sleeve gastrectomy. And then I got the laundry list of things that needed to be done before the surgery can even be processed. Blood tests, ultrasounds, sleep studies, checked out by multiple doctors. But finally the surgery was scheduled: May 19th. So here I am, two weeks until surgery, when the real fun begins. The start of the pre-op diet. A mainly liquid diet with one “real meal” a day. The meal consists of 2-3oz of protein, 2cups of veggies, and the optional 1 serving of carbs. Not something that I have been looking forward to. In addition to the diet, I had to discontinue the anti-inflammatory that helps with the foot & joint pain. This morning I woke up and had the feeling of a kid on Christmas morning. I woke up 45mins then I had to, and usually have to drag myself out of bed. But not today. I knew that today is the beginning…the beginning of the rest of my life. I’m ready to change, and I’m excited to experience the journey to the new me. I won’t lie, today was tough. I was hungry most of the day. But I got through it. And I know that with each day, it will get easier and easier. And before I know it, the day of surgery will be here.

One Week Pre-Op Weight: 296.7 Weight Lost: -8.2lbs BMI: 44.7 Before I get into things, I would like to stay how touched I am that so many people have taken the time to read my blog. I never imagined that I would get so many views, and am overwhelmed by the support that I have received. Thank you to all my friends, family, loved ones, and other Bariatric patients for reading about my progress and the support. It means the world to me. Alright, so it’s T-Minus 7 days until surgery. This past week was pretty rough, I won’t lie. I’ve had a head cold most of the week, which did not help the adjustment to my new diet. For the first few days I was hungry most of the day. Everything that I saw I wanted to eat. And when you work in the grocery store, you see A LOT of food. A few times the thought “If I just cheat a little, that would be ok…” crossed my mind. But then I told myself that if you cheat once, you will continue to cheat. And that this pre-op diet is for a reason, and if I stray from that it could cause complications. Mostly, I told myself that I really want to succeed at this. To succeed I need to change the way I think and the way that I handle situations in my life. Up until now, I have dealt with stress, sadness, anger, and being sick with food. Food has always been a comfort to me, and this week I have started the process to changing that. I didn’t put anything into my body that I was not supposed to have, and I feel a great sense of accomplishment. It may seem silly that such a small feat is such a big accomplishment to some people, but to me it was huge. Later in the week, I started feeling extreme weakness and exhaustion. I wasn’t quite sure whether it was the cold or the diet that was causing it, or a combination of the two. I was pretty miserable though. Had to call into work one day, and the next day found myself using things around me to hold myself up. I slept plenty too. Pretty much every chance I had I was lying down and dozing off. Thankfully, by Sunday I was feeling much better. I’m no longer starving most of the day. I haven’t thought about cheating in a couple of days. This morning when I stepped on the scale and saw that I lost a little over 8 pounds I was delighted. The suffering paid off, and I feel good about myself. This week is going to be a long week. A few doctor appointments to get through. My feet are starting hurt pretty bad, and the only thing that I can take it Tylenol. It doesn’t do much for me. Mostly I think that the waiting for the day to come makes everything seem longer. I am blessed to have people around me, especially my boyfriend, to keep me distracted. He has been truly wonderful through this whole process. He’s so supportive and wants me to be happy. I struggled through week one….and I’ll make it through week two.

I am going friday for my first fill. I'm excited and nervous. I'll be glad to have it done because I used to be glad to be hungry because that meant I could eat, but now I don't like to feel hungry. Weird huh? I still get full pretty fast but I am really hungry at times. I hope this fill fixes all of that. I am not getting enough excerise and I am having trouble sleeping. I'm not sure why I am having trouble sleeping but I'm sure if I would get more exercise that would fix the problem. I'm still losing weight so thats a good thing.

March 23, 2009 191.8 Spring break is indeed over. My...how time flies! Yesterday at church, a lady who was probably twice my age, testified that she finally realized the secret to weight loss -- DISCIPLINE!!! She stated that she was now focused on being more disciplined and less reliant on a quick fix. As I sat and listened to her testimony, I silently prayed that I would not struggle with weight loss for the rest of my life. I want to be disciplined and focused. I want my outside to manifest what I feel on the inside. So as I prepare to return to work after a week long break, I have to remember to be disciplined. 1. Drink more water. 2. No eating out!!! I will continue to lose weight and feel healthier if I remain disciplined.

March 30, 2009 189.8 lbs. This morning I weighed and was happy to discover that I am continuing to lose weight. I really feel like I am at the "sweet spot" that everyone refers to. I am trying desperately to meet my three goals. 1. 10,000 steps...this morning I walked three laps (over two miles) instead of my usual two laps around our subdivsion. 2. I am working on my water intake. 3. I am eating my protein first and decreasing carbs. For breakfast, I had a shake and for lunch I had grilled catfish. So...I am on my way!

A WOMAN'S WEEK AT THE GYM This is dedicated to everyone who ever attempted to get into a regular workout routine. Dear Diary, For my birthday this year, my daughter (the dear) purchased a week of personal training at the local health club for me.Although I am still in great shape since being a high school football cheerleader 43 years ago, I decided it would be a good idea to go ahead and give it a try. I called the club and made my reservations with a personal trainer named Belinda, who identified herself as a 26-year-old aerobics instructor and model for athletic clothing and swim wear. My daughter seemed pleased with my enthusiasm to get started! The club encouraged me to keep a diary to chart my progress. MONDAY: Started my day at 6:00 a.m. Tough to get out of bed, but found it was well worth it when I arrived at the health club to find Belinda waiting for me. She is something of a Greek goddess - with blonde hair,dancing eyes and a dazzling white smile. Woo Hoo!! Belinda gave me a tour and showed me the machines. I enjoyed watching the skillful way in which she conducted her aerobics class after my workout today. Very inspiring! Belinda was encouraging as I did my sit-ups, although my gut was already aching from holding it in the whole time she was around. This is going to be a FANTASTIC week-!! TUESDAY: I drank a whole pot of coffee, but I finally made it out the door. Belinda made me lie on my back and push a heavy iron bar into the air then she put weights on it! My legs were a little wobbly on the treadmill, but I made the full mile. Belinda's rewarding smile made it all worthwhile. I feel GREAT-!! It's a whole new life for me! WEDNESDAY: The only way I can brush my teeth is by laying the toothbrush on the counter and moving my mouth back and forth over it. I believe I have a hernia in both pectorals. Driving was OK as long as I didn't try to steer or stop. I parked on top of a GEO in the club parking lot! Belinda was impatient with me, insisting that my screams bothered other club members. Her voice is a little too perky for early in the morning, and when she scolds, she gets this nasally whine that is VERY annoying. My chest hurt when I got on the treadmill, so Belinda put me on the stair monster. Why the Hell would anyone invent a machine to simulate an activity rendered obsolete by elevators? Belinda told me it would help me get in shape and enjoy life. She said some other s**t, too. THURSDAY : Belinda was waiting for me with her vampire-like teeth exposed as her thin, cruel lips were pulled back in a full snarl. I couldn't help being a half an hour late, it took me that long to tie my shoes. Belinda took me to work out with dumbbells. When she was not looking, I ran and hid in the restroom!! She sent another little skinny thing to find me. Then, as punishment, she put me on the rowing machine -- which I sank. FRIDAY : I hate that Belinda more than any human being has ever hated any other human being in the history of the world. Stupid, skinny, anemic, anorexic little cheerleader. If there was a part of my body I could move without unbearable pain, I would beat her with it. Belinda wanted me to work on my triceps. I don't have any triceps! And if you don't want dents in the floor, don't hand me the darned barbells or anything that weighs more than a sandwich. The treadmill flung me off and I landed on a health and nutrition teacher. Why couldn't it have been someone softer, like the drama coach or the choir director? SATURDAY : Belinda left a message on my answering machine in her grating, shrilly voice wondering why I did not show up today. Just hearing her made me want to smash the machine with my planner. However, I lacked the strength to even use the TV remote and ended up catching eleven straight hours of the Weather Channel. SUNDAY : I'm having the Church van pick me up for services today so I can go and thank GOD that this week is over. I will also pray that next year my daughter (the little s**t) will choose a gift for me that is fun -- like a root canal or a hysterectomy. I still say if God had wanted me to bend over, he would have sprinkled the floor with diamonds!!

Hi Matilda, I hope you are doing well. I had my first fill today so hopefully it will be the end of Bandster Hell. Even though I didnt gain weight I definately suffered. But now I am super restricted and so ready to get started with the weight loss. I would love to hear how you are doing.

Happy Anniversary! I'm jealous that you are through surgery AND moving on to pureed foods. What's the deal with a 2 pound gain, anyway? That makes no sense. If your doc explains do share for us "almost" banded so we know why. Good luck!

It's my 3-week bandiversary today. I saw my surgeon on Friday, and he said I could start on pureed foods, so I went home and scrambled a couple of eggs with low-fat American cheese. I realized that was probably too much to eat at one time, so I only ate half. It was delicious! He said to stick to things like yogurt, scrambled eggs, etc., for the first 4-6 days, then move to things like refried beans, chili, etc. In the few days since I started pureed food, I've gained 2 lb. What the heck? I'm logging my food intake on Livestrong.com (I love that Web site!) and never go over about 550 calories in a day. Yesterday was the first day I was able to get in 60 grams of protein. It's pretty hard to get all the protein in when I'm not eating much. He did say to supplement with protein shake if needed. I got rid of all the leftover Easter candy...way too tempting for me! I went back to work on Saturday and Sunday and had no problems, didn't even get tired. I just work at my computer all day anyway (I transcribe medical reports for a hospital). Going to take my dog for a couple of long walks today...time to get some real exercise in. No more dreams about food!

No I haven't had what you described. I do know that as we lose weight, the port moves. Maybe your abdominal muscles are reacting? Could you give your dr a call? Maybe he has some advice for you.

Had to do a upper GI test yesterday. Not to bad but the barium drink is wanting in texture (uuggghhh). Drank one bottle as told and all was fine. Then you have to wait for your stomach to release so they can see the mix go into the intestine. But of course since they said no eating or drinking after midnight I was very dehydrated. So we wait and check, wait and check, wait and check. Nothing just sat there and would not move, told ya I needed a drink of water. So the say just a minute and they mix up another bottle of plaster of Paris ( that was the consistency). Wonderful! Yuck! Yuck! Finally, about 5 more minutes the stomach releases an I can now go. Thanks alot. My stomach feel like a brick, only good part was for the rest of the day no hunger and did not even eat. Yall might want to patent that drink. If you can get it down you would be sure to lose weight. Of course one would have to like drinking Spackle.

Well skipped some days as we had a death in the family and had to travell up to New York for a couple of weeks. My lovely Neice passed after 20 days in a coma from a terrible car wreck. Only 15, had her whole life ahead of her. Anyways, I met with the Nut and had some eye opening experiences. Of course weight was expected to be where it normally is, only lost a couple pounds. But here is the kicker, i have been 6'2 all my life and she measured my height and it only said 6 foot. Huh!!! Well long story short, not only is my spine compressing but because the weight from my belly is pulling on it the spine is curving. Oh come on now!!! I can accept I am overweight but to lose height, I was shocked!

anyone have bmi like mine? i really cant loose weight before surgery. they told me if i was under bmi and on the operating table they would not pay. catch 22 really. i have to do a 3 month program thru them and for insurance. its such a fine line to walk. excited and scared.

I'm 38, married for 19 years in Sept. I have a wonderful husband. I have 2 children, 12 and 14 years old. They are my world. I'd love to be able to do more with them. I have Multiple Sclerosis so the decision is possibly harder for me to make. I am only considering Lap Band. Because of the MS I don't think RNY would be a good choice. I can't afford Malnutrition or the effects major surgery from RNY would put me through. I think it would be too taxing. Fatigue with MS and pain are my biggest problems. I'm afraid major surgery would be too hard to recover from. I feel rotten most of the time and I'm hoping the weight loss will help me feel more human. I've also been dx'd with Degenerative Disc Disease c5 c6 c7, bulging discs at L1-2, I have horrible hip pain worse on right side but both sides hurt everyday. My elbows hurt, my feet hurt. I have GERD. And I suspect sleep apnea. I've never been tested but am planning on asking when I see Dr. Geller. I will feel better about getting a sleep test before surgery. I get breathless going up one flight of stairs... my bedroom is on the 2nd floor and every day I think that eventually I will not be able to climb the stairs because of my knees.... and when I get to the top I'm breathless and wonder if I'm going to wake my husband with my heavy breathing. It's embarrassing. The least I've weighed in 6 years was back in 2000 after 6 months on FASTIN. I got down to 224 from 254. Since then I've gotten up to 274. Would love to be in the 100's again. 8-20-2006 I rescheduled to go to Dr. Geller's seminar on Lap band surgery for the 22nd of Aug. I was scheduled to go last Monday, but I for whatever reason wrote down it was for Tuesday. So I missed it. I was very upset. When I emailed Dr. Geller he told me to call in and get signed up for the seminar on the 22nd. I was lucky. I got the last two seats. My husband is going to be able to go with me. I'm excited and nervous. Well so far I have told my husband of course, my daughter who is 12, my very very good friend Betty who had RNY a few years back. I got brave and told my mom. I had been worried about telling her but she wasn't negative. She just wants me to be sure to get a doctor that has done this many times. I told my brother today. I had no idea what he would say. But he surprised me and started talking about a guy he works with that is interested in it and wishes he knew how to ask he's wife about considering it. My brother also told me about friends of his that have had the RNY. So he was, and will be supportive. I haven't told anyone else. I don't know right now if I will or not. The majority of my friends would be great about it I think. I have some family that I'm not sure about. I feel like some of them would try to just rain on my parade. Anyone else... just passing people I have no interest in telling. Maybe after I lose weight if they ask.... There are so many negative people out there and I'm just not really in the mood for them. 8-22-06 Today is the day I go to the seminar. It's not until this evening. I have tons of questions to ask the doctor. I'm happy but nervous. I will write about how it goes later.

Today I'm getting soo tired of everything I have being sweet or void of flavor! Juice, chocolate protein shakes, and broth are what I've been living on and it is getting frustrating..I just want something spicy or homey tasting...but its just a bad day and I will get over it..and a year from now I will be happier than ever before for losing the weight...down one more pound this morning!! Yah!!

well i havent lost any more weight since i got my first fill :rolleyes2: and to make matters worse i have been so hungry i cheated and had salsa and chips a couple days uggg mad at my self for cheating and disapointed to.

wll think i had my first time of getting food stuck last night. I was eating a burger and didnt get through half way and i felt a feeling in my chest. I got up from the table and just walked around my house grabbing a pepermint tictac and sucking on it. Had my daughter throw my plate out . I couldnt even look at it. The feeling lasted about 10-15 minutes and then after several tic tacs and pacing around the living room the feeling went away. So I am pretty sure that i had my first restriction thank god i did not throw up. i dont think i have lost alot of weight either :rolleyes2: 1 maybe 2 lbs since my last fill if i am lucky i sure do hope i have. Keeping my fingers crossed cant wait till Wednesdays fill :bye: