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My operation day s set for Jan 27th and I couldn't be more excited. I have told very few people about my surgery and I cannot help but feel a little embarrassed about people finding out. I live in a very small community and I can already feel people judging me. Has anyone else felt this way? If so what you suggest is a good way to get over what other people think? Also hoping for some advice for the first few weeks after surgery??

Well I'm only down 40 pounds since surgery but I've had my own issues with the band...some due to the band, some due to me...but I'm still happy with 40 pounds. Right now I'm only losing 1 lb per week and I'll take it and not complain. .

Nicole, I've said it before, but it bears repeating... "People" (like this Nurse friend of yours) suck... For the record, none of what you repeated from him is true at all. I'm -- I believe -- 13-14 weeks out now. I've stopped counting.. Eating: I eat what I want, but strongly make every effort to eat right. I just eat very small bits of it, so if I go to Ford's Fish Shack and order a Smoked Salmon dinner, I already know I'll get 3 to 4 meals out of it for the same price I was paying before. Most economical, and most incorrect on his part. Shots: Ok.. A given. For most of us, there are about 2 weeks (14 days) post surgery where we have to give ourselves injections of Lovenox, which is a blood thinner. I'm TERRIFIED of needles, but they made me do the first one in the hospital and I realized that the needles they use now are so incredibly tiny that you don't even feel them... I'm really a big wimpy baby where pain and shots are concerned, so please believe me when I say that for *me* to be able to do it, absolutely anyone can do it. "it messes up your entire gastric system": K? Say Wha?!? What a declarative BS, idiotic, non-statement... It's like the WLS equivalent of "bringing up Hitler in a forum debate".. WLS surgery is a big deal. You may only see the 5 little cuts, but your body takes several months to adjust. That being said, nothing is "messed up". If anything, your gastric system is put to right, where you are then restricted from eating badly. food also becomes like the number one focus of your life for a while as you learn how to eat right. Something that most of us NEVER knew how to do pre-op. The benefits of WLS for "people of size" are extremely well documented. Major, MAJOR benefits which -- depending on your surgery -- are usually long-lasting. Otherwise, the number crunchers at the insurance companies would fight you tooth and nail before spending a dime of the money they've already taken from you... The end result, and I mean this very sincerely is that your "friend" is an idiot. At least where Weight Loss Surgery is concerned. While I absolutely understand your hesitance to share your intent with others, as you've discovered, not everyone is an idiot... My "learn to be quiet" moment came during the 6-month mandated insurance wait when I told a co-worker who instantly said "oh, you'll never qualify for that, you don't need that, I'd never approve you for something like that", etcetera... Now I'm 60 pounds lighter than when I started this process and I have absolutely no regrets... The funniest thing happened though. Ever since my bypass, my aforementioned co-worker has become like the first one in the room who "notices" and compliments me on my progress, so there's hope.. Anyone that gives you negative? "Show them the hand" and just truck on with your bad self. We're here for you, Wayne

206.1LBS! ...4.5LBS IN A WEEK I LOVE MYBAND! CHICKEN CORN SOUP IS VERY HELPFUL TOO. I'M HOVERING AROUND 600CALS A DAY GOAL 4LBS SHED A WEEK, 16 IN 4 WEEKS: 202LBS BY SAT 8/19 198LBS BY SAT 8/26 194 BY SAT SEPT 2 GOAL 194 BY SEPT 2 178 BY SEPT 30 162 BY OCT 28 146 BY NOV 25 FAI'S B.DAY 140 BY DEC 9TH

I just called my Dr and left a message. They did labs last week, but haven't called me with any results yet.

I have BCBC, but my approval paperwork was sent right before 4th of July, so I had to wait 10 days. My advice would be do everything to disctact your mind. I couldn't focus or sleep for the 10 days, but after week had passed from submition, I was calling every day On a positive note - I hear that other people with BCBC are approved in couple days, one girl here got a call within 2 hours Good luck!

I too had EXTREMELY bad morning sickness with this pregnancy. My doctor has had me on several different sickness meds and we've tried alternating them and now i'm taking Zofran twice a day and i still throw up atleast once a day. I am now 14 weeks and it is startin to ease up a lil thank goodness. I just had a little taken out of my band several days ago and it was more because my stomach was a little irritated from throwing up so much i think i was a little too tight from all the irritation. Other than that i had no problems. DEFINITELY talk with your doctor/surgeon first to see if he has any concerns. Hope all goes good for you!!

Gall bladder issues ARE and CAN BE related to ANY weight loss surgery, it's a FACT. Now as far as waiting to have surgery to get the lap band, ASK your Doctor ...GB surgery recovery is usually 2 weeks There are some foods that should be avoided after gallbladder surgery. Generally, any foods that gave you pain before surgery will need to be avoided. It will take awhile for your body to learn how to digest fats so you should stick to a low fat diet for at least a few weeks after surgery and reintroduce them very slowly. Dairy products and too much Fiber can also cause problems. The BRAT diet (Bananas, Rice, Applesauce and Toast) should be avoided if you are having problems with constipation. However, if you are having diarrhea you may want to eat more of these foods. Every one should avoid these: Fried food Dairy Products Especially cheese Peanut Butter Red meat Greasy Foods Raw Vegetables Caffeine Alcohol (especially if you're on prescription pain pills!) It's not uncommon for a Doctor to do a H. hernia repair while doing the Lap Band, seems like gall bladder could also be removed at the same time BUT....most surgeons aren't going to do that due to insurance limitations, especially when they get have the surgeons do 2 surgeries and get paid double

I am 7 weeks post-op, the last 2 weeks I have had pain in my neck and down the center of my chest...along with nausea and burping.... Has anyone had a problem with this? I am planning on calling the doctor when I get back from vacation. I have tried to connnect it with what I ate or how much I ate, but there is nothing in common. HELP:blink:

Hi all, My Cardiologist took me off Spironolactone (diuretic) last week and I've already put on a pound. I expect it will stop, but it's really frustrating when I've only seen the scale go down this year. Has anyone else come off the medication? What was your experience? Thanks.

What is everyone doing post-op in terms of vitamins? I am scheduled for surgery on the 27th and am trying to get as much in place as possible. I've read people saying that they had to wait two weeks to start taking vitamins, other people are taking them 5 days out? Can anyone tell me what you took and how soon? Also HOW, did you have to crush them up, get liquid ones, etc? There is so much conflicting info on this topic, any guidance would be much appreciated!!

I'm 9 weeks tomorrow, I should be about 11. But my babies measure small so my doctor moved back my due date. I have morning sickness all day. But hey I know all this is worth it Sent from my EVO using VST

Hi! This is my very first post and the beginning of a new chapter. I have jumped through most of the insurance hoops and am almost ready to make the appointment with the surgeon. My psych eval is October 14th, after that, all of the paperwork gets turned in to insurance for approval. I did have to do the three month medically supervised diet. I am so nervous/excited/anxious for this part of the journey to be over. I have no idea what the next steps are, but I believe that it is possible to have a surgery date by the end of November. Am I being too optimistic? You have all been so inspiring and helpful to this newbie. I know this is the right thing for me and no matter what the naysayers tell me, I would never be successful without this opportunity. Thanks for listening!!!

My program was called Options and is through Kaiser Permanente. It took nearly a year, including 24 weeks of classes and having to lose 10% of my weight. Having waited so long it's kind of surreal that I'm finally so close to my surgery date! I actually live in North County, but Kaiser, in my particular area, contracts out to Pacific Bariatric in SD and all bariatric surgery is done at Scripps. I am only required to do one day of liquids. I think that might be because of already having lost the 10%. But it does make things easier. I feel exactly like I did when I first made the decision to have surgery, in equal parts elated, nervous, hopeful, eager, and above all else, happy. As I've never had surgery I'm, of course, a bit apprehension about the unknown from time to time. But I am 100% certain that this is the right step for me. And as I've overloaded on research this past year, I honestly feel I couldn't be more ready! How about you? What led you here and how are you feeling? ????

I went in yesterday for my 3 week post op visit(had to be hospitalized) and the surgeon told me to start trying crumbly meats like ground beef and turkey. I almost said lady are you crazy. I'm afraid to try anything. I've only had egg drop soup and pudding. I was afraid to do scrambled eggs this morning. I don't know when I will be able to move on.

I had my 1-month follow-up and was moved to soft goods. I was a bit taken aback because I thought my notes said liquid, puréed, then regular good. I'm learning that my tummy probably wound heal fully for another 2-5 weeks. I see people on IG eating all kinds of things so I guess I'm not as anxious. I don't want to bust my staples.

DO IT.... DO IT... DO IT... I had my surgery Nov 22nd so that was just almost 2 weeks ago and I feel GREAT. I went back to work this last monday I was a little tired but nothing I havent done before ( gone to work tired). I started out at 210 lbs and now weigh 194. I can already tell the weight loss in my face . My recovery went pretty well I flew to Tijuana and had surgery at OCC with Dr. Ortiz( who by the wasy was great as was the facility and staff would highly recommend them) I honestly havent been hungry my tummy will rumble then i go drink protein drink or water and it goes away. I will say I am ready to eat some food but have to wait until Dec 13 for mushies, I am sure those mashed potatoes will never taste soo good. I had my 14 year old daugter for support but honestly my recovery was very easy , never had nausua , YOu will get through it great just do what they say Drink and walk alot.. dont chicken out you will regret it if you do. Good luck. Stay positive..

I'm pretty sure it's a combination...but mostly a deprivation of carbs that shrinks the liver. I mean...if you fasted for two weeks, your liver, among other things, would shrink. It's just that most foods fall into two catagories or a combination of the two...carbs and Protein. I know it stinks...I hated my pre-op diet...but here I am 9 months later and it's all a distant memory. Hang in there...it's worth it

Is it the high protien or the low carb piece of the puzzle that does the lilver shrinking? I know that most high protien diets are automatically low in carbs... but is it the protien or the lack of sugar really doing the work? I am so freaking tired! In the last 3 weeks I have given up my Pepsi addiction so to add the low carb on top of that is just draining me! I'm not asking for a piece of cake just throw me a wheat thin for goodness sake! Grrrr!

Well exactly one week til surgery I am so excited for my new life!! Any suggestions or advice would be appreciated!! Thanks

No worries! It is expected, I weighed more for a week or so after surgery. Don't forget you have internal swelling and bloating. I will be better soon!

I had bypass surgery on jan 19. I lost 18 lbs on my 2 week preop diet. I came home from surgery the next day. I was super bloated and had gained 18 lbs..took 3 days to lose it..walking and even burping helps w the gas

I'm with Kaiser Fremont. Most people (including me), advance to Stage 4 at 6 weeks, which includes basically all foods. I was advanced last Thursday and so far have enjoyed raw bell peppers, lettuce, and carrots. I've also had corn on cob. Yum! I am so full after eating my Protein that I haven't had room for much else, so it's been 1/8-14 cup max on the veggies. Kaiser seems to advance faster than many Dr.s programs. Clears last less than 48 hours, Full liquids (which includes greek yogurt, cottage cheese and cream soups) lasts till two weeks post-surgery, and soft foods (soft fruits, cooked veggies, all soft Proteins except beef) lasts till six weeks after surgery. Lynda

Change things today. Not tomorrow. Right now, get up from your desk or computer or wherever you are and go walk up and down the stairs twice. Get a big glass of Water and drink it. Plan supper and make it Protein heavy and low/no carb. I was in a slump for FIVE months. The holidays were three months ago. Don't let that turn into five for you. The only way to change is to change now. Finish today strong and make an appointment with your doc and NUT for a back on track visit and plan. If you can, get outside and walk when you get home today. Think of all the reasons you had WLS and all the benefits you've already gotten. Think of where you could be one month from today with doable changes if you start *right now*. This is how I am breaking my slump. Never ever ever give up on yourself!

I had my first visit with them on June 6th, so next time I go in a few weeks i'll have to ask them what they have down. Thats a good idea!