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I had surgery Tuesday afternoon. 268 and 6ft tall may not be that big but I have a big spare tire around me. I've been trying to lose weight for about 7 years now and it's been lose 10, gain 20. My best friend had it done and she was 5'2 170. She was thick but I didn't think she was a good candidate for the surgery but now she looks like a model. I'll post pics of both of us.

Hi Jason, I was banded on 2-12 with a HH repair. I am just now getting back to LBT as it has been a long recovery and certainly one I didn't expect. I don't think I have seen any posts similar to mine so I thought you might like to know what mine was like. I was banded with the medium size band (10) and had the HH repair in the AM and was feeling pretty good by afternoon. My surgeon requires a barium swallow test the next morning before release. I knew I was tight but the barium slammed me shut. I had severe swelling in the chest/abdominal cavity. I spent the next four days in the hospital on an IV not able to swallow anything, including saliva. I was very uncomfortable because the only tolerable position was sitting up straight. Beds are not made for sitting and chairs are not made for sleeping. My first few days at home while a blessed relief from the hospital were worrisome because I still wasn't getting enough fluids and I was vomiting 2-3 times/day. I always felt like I was extremely full all the way to the top of my throat, I had a lot of pressure on my chest, and I had that overfull belly feeling: all a disincentive to drink anything. The liquid pain and nausea medication made me sick so they weren't much help. 7 days after surgery I had a break through with hot tea, finding that was going through. For all that time, the only thing I consumed was Water. I am doing much better now but my one week off work extended to two and I am only working half days this week. My surgeon told me that he debated about putting the smaller band on me but chose the medium sized one. He also offered to replace my band for a bigger one (while I was still hospitalized) but I decided I was already a couple days down this road so I would see it out and I am glad I did (even though my misery index was running pretty high). I know many people on this board have had both the band and HH repair without any significant side affects so I am sure I am an extreme case but I am sure I am not the first or the last extreme case. Good luck with your banding and HH repair, I believe you have a lot of confidence in your doctor and he seems to be very cautious about what he promises you. Good Journey, Terri

I am 31 years old, have been with my husband for 16 years(will be 17 in Sept) and we have been married for 12 years(13 in June). Ever since I started dating my husband I noticed his mom was not quite normal. He told me she had "attempted" suicide several times, she would get angry with him and kick him out of the house for something like failing to feed the pets. My husband was adopted by a very nice man who had a daughter from a previous marriage. She told me when she was living with her dad and step mom(my husband's mom) that she witnessed her get angry with her brother(my hubby) because she was helping him with his homework. She was HELPING him NOT doing it for him, his mom came in the kitchen, saw her helping him and proceeded to come back into the kitchen with a 13 inch tv and throw it at them. Their father promptly told her she would go to rehab or she could pack her things and go. My hubby was 12 at the time, his sister was 16. His mom was drinking at the time. Anyhow I am giving you a little background to get to this. Three weeks ago she called my hubby's cell phone and our oldest daughter(13) answered the phone. She first asked for me, which was odd considering she has my cell number(we only use cells, no landline), my daughter told her I wasnt home. She then asked for my hubby and my daughter told her that he was busy(he was cooking dinner), well my psycho mother in law proceeds to tell my 13 year old daughter that she is tired of this and that etc and that she is planning to kill herself and hung up on my daughter. Of course my daughter freaks out and my hubby tries to call his mother and she wont answer the phone. He isn't terribly worried about her and honestly I couldn't care less what she says she is going to do. The reason for such attitudes from us is because over the last 16 years she has "tried" to kill herself no less than 20 times(seriously). OK. Now most people who really want to kill themselves actually do it. She is what I call an attention whore. If the spot light is not on her she can not stand it and must do something to get the attention she craves. SO this last time she actually stabbed herself in the stomach in front of a police officer, was taken to the local hospital and the MENTAL HEALTH worker LET HER GO!!!! WTF!?!?!?!? So I have blocked her from emailing or sending me instant messages as well as doing the same for my children. So now she is ticked at me for this and is threatening to call her attorney(for what I am not sure) and she is threatening to send my work some info on me from 10 years ago. Does anyone else have a nutjob like this to deal with?? Oh and for those of you reading and wondering the info she is referring to is this: 10 years ago she lived with us for about 3 months and she had an account with Fingerhut and she told me I could order some stuff, so I foolishly did. THen she got mad and moved out, called the cops and told them I was ordering stuff in her name without her knowledge etc. and I had to pay for the stuff right then, which I did. I was NEVER charged with anything and I guess she thinks she is going to send that to the company I work for.

I think its realistic. You have 5 weeks. Just stay focused. I would like to lose 40 bye christmas, but I know this is probably wishful thinking. Good Luck to you!! Consultation: May 19, 2008 Banded 8/27/08 1 st fill: 10/4/08 2 nd fill: 11/3/08

I am not sure why you have not lost more weight in 9 days...make sure that you diet has little or no carbs. If you are consuming protien shakes as your pre-op diet, I wouldn't use any milk and use water instead. If you are buying your shakes, then make sure you are buying the "lite" brand of shakes you are doing. I have been on the diet for about as long as you have and have lost nearly 20 lbs. I would also buy a nutrition scale and weigh out your foods to ensure you are only consuming the amounts allowed by your diet...plus it will come in handy for your new life style. My pre-op diet consists of a Muscle milk lite (morning), 1 cup fruit, NO Bananas (10 am.), 4-6 oz. lean meat (Fish,Chicken, Beef) and all you want of green vegtables (avoid potatoes & carrots), and Muscle Milk Lite (5-6pm). Drink only water, Unsweet tea or Crystal lite...NO DIET SODA. I don't see a couple of crackers and cheese holding you back...either that or your scale is broke???:w00t: I hope this helps

I am 19 days post surgery and I have not lost any weight. I am taking in between 600 and 800 calories per day. I really try to hit the 800 because I am feeling lots of hunger now. I believe I am making wise choices--protien shakes, since I am on mushies/soft I have had 1/2 a packet of cream of wheat for Breakfast, adding half a scoop of protien powder in it to boost the protien content. lunch is cottage cheese or a 4ounce smooth greek yogurt, for a snack I have a sf pudding cup or a motz cheese stick, dinner is usually a cup of pureed veggies with a scoop of plain or chicken flavored protien powder added to it, and maybe a few sf popsicles throughout the day as well as my Water. I am getting 64 ounces of water in between meals. I was losing steadily before surgery and I am feeling a bit like maybe I am doing something wrong? If you have any ideas toss them my way, please!

Hi I'm going thru the steps now to become banded... I have sleep apnea and high blood pressure.. I've been on meds for 2yrs now.. I am 5'3 215 with a bmi of 38.1.. On 2/25 I had my lab testing, pscy and nutrition evaluations.. On 04/01 I meet with Dr and the nutritionist, she wants me to lose 2-3lbs.. If all goes well he'll submit everything to the insurance company and I'll be able to schedule a surgery date.. I have to be around 207-205 date of surgery.. I think you have a chance..Check with your insurance and make sure they cover it.. Trying other diets and failing really helps your case.. Go for it

Ooo I do too 8 months out so I drink coffee and wait 10 min and is usually good by then!

It has been almost 7 months post-op for me and I must say that it has been a rough go. When I first got banded I lost 20Lbs in the first 2 weeks and maybe 15 since then...I've always struggled with my weight, my heaviest was 349 back in 2005 when I was only 19 yrs old. With a bad report from the doctor I immediately changed my lifestyle as far as eating and exercising. and within that year I lost 60lbs. These last 5 years I've really been struggling with my will power and determination. I've always been an emotional eater and it seems like the last few years has given me a lot of emotion. After having the LB surgery i felt confident and when I finally decided to go with the surgery no way was I gonna mess this up or fail. And it just seems like that's what I'm doing is failing EVERY single day. My plans were to start this new year off with a drive that I once had but once again LIFE happens and this time LIFE was taken away from me. I lost my only sibling, my older brother 29 yrs old only 4 years older than me, we were close than ever to a very TRAGIC HORRIFIC BRUTAL accident on December 30, 2010. Two months later I still can't grab a hold of myself. I can't focus on this Lap-Band, I'm working against it...I'm full and I still eat...the same stuff I struggled with pre-op...Counseling really isn't working for me because my emotions are worry-free in there but when I'm home they come back. I REALLY want to do this and be successful with this surgery....I don't want to be a failure anymore...I have ALL the tools I need and I know how to use them, I just don't know how to keep my willpower/motivation for a WHOLE 24 hours. If you guys have any kind of suggestions PLEASE feel free to respond. My 26th birthday is coming up April 12th and I really want to be 10 to 20lbs smaller, if there are any Michigan Bandsters please contact me...I know I have family support to try to deal with the loss of my brother but I don't have anyone who knows personally what I'm going through with this Lap-band...

Thanks for the encouragement and reassurance Lara Saved, I mix two scoops of the vanilla Isopure with about 8-10 oz of Soy milk. I can't stand the taste some days so i also add a little sugar free Torani syrup to flavor it. I believe the Isopure is 50gm for two scoops and the Protein in my soy milk (8th Continent) is 6-8 grams depending on how much I use. It takes me about one and a half to two hours to drink it. My heartburn is wicked evil if I don't take my pill about 10 minutes before I eat or drink. I have also noticed that some Crystal light will make my heartburn act up too which it wasn't a problem before. I am on famotidine and everyone here says to get on a PPI but when I asked my doctor, he just said to stay on the famotidine and see how that goes. I wonder why - maybe it has something to do with PPI's absorbing your Calcium? I dunno.............................. if anyone does, feel free to comment.

Hi! I am new to the board and wanted to introduce myself. I had a lapband put in 11/06 and lost about 60 lbs. not nearly what I was hoping. I had trouble with the lapband and fills so I had to keep my band unfilled and in 5/10 had to have surgery to remove it. At that time I did not want to do a revision. I had not eaten for about a month b/c the band was so tight and I threw everything up, didn't sleep b/c of reflux, etc. I felt like such a failure and thought I would never lose. Fast forward to now. I have continued to gain weight and I cannot enjoy family activities b/c of my weight and decided I needed to do something ASAP. RNY scares me and so I began researching the sleeve. I will be sleeved April 27 in Mexicali with Dr. Aceves. He also did my lapband and my lapband removal. I am scared and excited. I am nervous. I have failed so many times. I want to lose and keep the weight off. I want to be able to go on vacation with my family and not hold them back and go on rides with my kids. Heck, I want to be able to walk out onto my daughters soccer field and watch a practice or game w/o being completely out of breath from walking. I have alot of weight to lose. It will be a long journey but I am glad to find sites like this to talk to other people who understand.

As far as my mini goals, I just looked at other people on here and how fast they lost after surgery and tried to come up with something reasonable. I assume I'll lose 7 or 8 lbs during 2 week liquid pre-op. That means I would need to lose about 10 lbs in the first month to get to my onederland goal. My next goal is 23 lbs in 3 more months, that may be too aggressive....I am typically a slow loser. But I'm not going to get too hung up on that.....I set the goals for it to be fun, not so I can get down if I don't quite make it that fast. I have hope and that sustains me.

I am an insominac. Have been all my life. The insomnia got worse after being sleeved as others here have stated. The fact that I am such a poor sleeper and was averaging about 6 hours of sleep a night with being awakened as many as 10 times a night with hot flashes was the tipping point. If I didn't have a stressful, thought required job, I still might have toughed it out. But I was actually at risk of losing my job due to the lack of sleep. I tried everything else first. I finally bowed to HRT when I started experiencing severe symptoms of depression and my primary suggested HRT prior to an anti-depressant. He was pretty sure it was sleep deprivation that was driving the depression and he was right. I'm telling this part just in case anyone else is in this boat. Severe sleep deprivation can create depression. So treat the root of the depression when possible. (And a sleeping pill didn't do anything as the hot flashes drove right though it. Actually made it worse because I was still so tired in the morning.) It's been about 4 months now and I am still surprised when I wake up in the morning and realize I've slept through the night! I can't tell you how amazing it is to wake up naturally -- no alarm needed -- having slept 6 hours straight. So it's a hard thing to think about giving up.

I would love for this to pass but he wasn't at all surprised. I read the insert w/ the pills and it says this might happen. So I knew it was possible, I just didn't think it would be quite as "normal" as it has been. Each month has become a bit more like old times. I called their office and they said they'd only be concerned if the period became constant, otherwise it was pretty normal as a "side effect". I didn't ask if it could be a phase, so I'll check on that. Apart from the hunger, I can live with the rest. After a few months of relief, I really don't want to have to go back to the old days. I actually realized after I stopped having regular cycles that it was hormones that drove the "binge" type days I had. I don't know why I didn't connect the dots that the hunger cycles could come along with the rest of the hormone package. But then when you are waking 10 times a night ready to combust, you're not at the top of your game "smarts" wise. : )

I am in Tujuana. Got here yesterday. Did all the pre op testing yesterday. Well, it is now 3:38pm and I am still waiting to have surgery. OMG! I am going nuts. I am actually getting pissed. I don't understand what the issue is. I had to be here at 10 am. There are 4 of us getting sleeved and I don't think they have even started yet.

You'll do great! My biggest surprise is how slowly I lost it. I was a "turtle" but after 1 1/2 years I went from size 22 to size 10's now! It's a long journey but well worth it! Just remember, one day at a time.:rolleyes2:

So I had surgery in July. So I'm about 10 months out. I'm down 88 pounds. I passed my goal weight and I'm hovering around 181-185. I went through some phases where I was very emotional at times. But I read that's just the hormones in your fat being released and that's just part of it. I've pretty well leveled out and feel normal. I eat pretty much whatever I want now. I avoid old bad habits. Don't eat hardly anything that's fried or much bread. I have a couple of beers from time to time when I get together with my friends. I don't push it though. I've lost quite a bit of muscle mass. I need to work out more. I wish I would have been taking in more protein shakes and doing more push ups, sit ups, and lifting weights over the past 6 months. I've also had some hair thinning. I think that's due to lack of protein. So drink/eat your daily protein! Super important. Vitamins are a must! Now I'm just trying to maintain my current weight. I don't want to lose anymore. Sometimes I wish I would have asked them to do a half sleeve or make my stomach a bit larger than they typically do. But overall I'm very pleased and don't have any regrets.

I had my surgery 9/10/13 and I'm having the same issue. I'm getting pretty emotional about it because I don't want to fail at this. My pre op weight was 297 and post op 270. I'm lost cause I been stuck at 270 for 2 weeks now.

I had my first appointment with Dr. Robinson and his Assistant on Monday, and I am shocked! This process seems like it is going to fly by! Here's how it went: I was scheduled for 2:30 but got there at 2:00, so they sat me down with paperwork to fill out. It included all the expected questions, including lists of failed diets, weights throughout your life, co-morbidities,etc. It took about ten minutes, and then they took me in early. The Physician's Assistant (to be called P.A. from the point on) took my blood pressure with a cuff that actually fits me, and it turns out my blood pressure is pretty darn good for a 300 lb. girl! 126/74. They weighed and measured me. We discussed the potential risks of banding, why I wanted the band vs. bypass, etc. It was all pretty straight forward. Then doctor Robinson came in. Dr. Robinson is a man of very few words, but I am not going to him for emotional support. I am seeking him because he seems intelligent, honest and open. He told me right off the bat that I am going to need a boob lift and lower body life after surgery. He also implied that if I mention later on down the road that my boobs sagging cause back pain, and the if I start getting rashes under my extra skin, that I will be able to get both procedures covered by insurance. He then laid me down on the table, looked at my belly, and told me to loose 20-25 lbs. beore surgery. He told me he wants to see me in four weeks for a follow up. If, at that 4 week followup, I have lost 10 lbs, then he will schedule me for surgery. I was told that we're looking at the first week of August, possibly!!!! I left with a to-do list that states which tests I have to have done, which medical records to have transferred, and how to pay the program fee. I have to get an upper GI, see the nutritionist and the psychologist, have a sleep study and have some blood drawn. All of those except for the sleep study can be done on the same day, I was told! Now I am just sitting here at home, waiting for the phone to ring with my appointment dates from his secretary. I am SO ready to go!!!!! :thumbup: Tomorrow is the lap band support group, and I am really debating going!

I had my first appointment with Dr. Robinson and his Assistant on Monday, and I am shocked! This process seems like it is going to fly by! Here's how it went: I was scheduled for 2:30 but got there at 2:00, so they sat me down with paperwork to fill out. It included all the expected questions, including lists of failed diets, weights throughout your life, co-morbidities,etc. It took about ten minutes, and then they took me in early. The Physician's Assistant (to be called P.A. from the point on) took my blood pressure with a cuff that actually fits me, and it turns out my blood pressure is pretty darn good for a 300 lb. girl! 126/74. They weighed and measured me. We discussed the potential risks of banding, why I wanted the band vs. bypass, etc. It was all pretty straight forward. Then doctor Robinson came in. Dr. Robinson is a man of very few words, but I am not going to him for emotional support. I am seeking him because he seems intelligent, honest and open. He told me right off the bat that I am going to need a boob lift and lower body life after surgery. He also implied that if I mention later on down the road that my boobs sagging cause back pain, and the if I start getting rashes under my extra skin, that I will be able to get both procedures covered by insurance. He then laid me down on the table, looked at my belly, and told me to loose 20-25 lbs. beore surgery. He told me he wants to see me in four weeks for a follow up. If, at that 4 week followup, I have lost 10 lbs, then he will schedule me for surgery. I was told that we're looking at the first week of August, possibly!!!! I left with a to-do list that states which tests I have to have done, which medical records to have transferred, and how to pay the program fee. I have to get an upper GI, see the nutritionist and the psychologist, have a sleep study and have some blood drawn. All of those except for the sleep study can be done on the same day, I was told! Now I am just sitting here at home, waiting for the phone to ring with my appointment dates from his secretary. I am SO ready to go!!!!! :crying: Tomorrow is the lap band support group, and I am really debating going!

Hi Dana, Thanks for your update...WOW - 10 pounds in a week...That's amazing. So, you didn't have a 2 week Optifast diet before surgery? Your profile pic looks fantastic...And you need to lose weight? Has it been a hard adjustment? With all the chewing and eating slow? I worry about things like being able to swallow a Tylenol when I have a headache or being so thirsty and not able to drink water (really chug it down)... I guess it just takes time to get used to. I'm at my all time high of 230 and would like to see 135.

Ok so I havent blogged in a while..... if I am honest with myself its because I was gaining a little weight..... I started solid food about 2 weeks ago and found that I could eat anything I wanted (except rice) and as much as I wanted. Needless to say Christmas was a treat!!! SO before I started solids I was at 246.6 and then I started eating and went up to 251 in 2 weeks....I guess it should be expected but it is still mentally hard to deal with...I got my 1st fill yesterday 12/29 ...3cc's (which my dr says it usually not enough) so I was back on my liquid diet for a day. I weighed this am and was back to 246.6 ....Just ate my 1st "meal" after my fill.... I had a grilled chicken sandwich from Chick Fil A... it went down easy (took about 10-12mins to eat it just to make sure). I dont really know how I feel right now...I can't tell if I am full to full or still hungry. I think that it is totally in my head, I think I am still hungry becuase I would normally have fries or coleslaw as a side and to not have anything but the chicken is a huge step for me. and no drink. I have cleareance to go back to the gym which I plan on going on Monday, and am looking forward to. I have to be firm and stay on a strict schedule it is so easy to say I dont want to go today. On a lighter note I got the x-box connect for Christmas and it is so much fun. Not to mention that it was a great workout!!! I worked up a sweat and my heart rate was up when I was done..guess I could fill in doing this when I don't feel like getting my stuff together to go to the gym

Friday, June 19, 2009 Sugery's Done, New Life's Begun Surgery went well. The Dr. fixed a hiatal hernia (common with overweight people) which should fix my GERD (gastroesophogeal reflux). That'll be one less pill right there. However, with laparoscopic surgery air gets put into the abdominal cavity. Every time I take a sip of liquid and I swallow some air goes into my stomach which pushes on the air outside the stomach which presses some nerve in the diaphram that sends referred pain to the shoulders. I should absorb that air in a few days. My stomach's a little sore, but so far, there are very few repercussions to me physically. I'm only allowed to drink clear liquids for the first 5-7 days, and believe me, that's all I can handle. I can't garden for a few weeks or take a bath or go swimming. There's a port under the skin that the Dr. will use to adjust my lap band (think inflatable doughnut.) He'll put a needle through that port to blow up the ring as my stomach shrinks and the band loosens. If I have complications, the band can be removed. I am quite mobile, I can walk as much as I want, I just can't do anything strenuous that might move the band out of place. I want to thank everyone for their thoughts and prayers. I was very at peace before the surgery that I was doing the right thing and that God was with me. I'm excited and scared about this new life but I know God is walking with me through it all.

Misty, I guess the best thing to tell you is that I weighed 326 on November 1st, 2008. I was banded on 11/19/08 and I now weigh 267 and I'm half way to my goal. The band is not a cure all and it does not do all of the work for you but it sure helps! Until my second fill I really didn't have a restriction and I thought maybe my band was screwed up or something. Now, after the second fill I'm just starting to feel the restriction. I've got rid of the weight by following the doctor's orders and did not eat like before even if the band does not restrict at first. I exercise at least an hour a day (I hate it too) but it is really paying off. So, hang in there and keep up the "I can do it attitude".

Hi I'm Carol. My surgery is scheduled for 12/19. I'm 85% excited, and 15% nervous. I'm not really nervous about the surgery itself, or my surgeon (Dr. Larson here in South FL). I'm nervous about the anesthesia and nausea. Everybody I've spoken to says I won't feel like eating after the operation, but confession time here: I'm afraid of being hungry. I won't be eating from midnight till the next day after the surgery. Like all of you who've had the procedure. But I hate being hungry, which is why I've not been successful on diets before. I am looking forward to eating right and not being as hungry after the surgery, though. I'm surprised at how many of my friends and acquaintences I've told are being supportive of my choice to do the surgery. I have a few friends who've questioned the wisdom of such a drastic step, but even though they've said have you tried ___ (the cookie diet, weight watchers, quick weight loss centers, etc)? I'm trying to remind myself that they are just looking out for my well being, and thankfully those people are still supportive, overall. There is one funny thing about the people who are surprised about the surgery: they are questioning why I'm doing it the week before Xmas. Now, I'm Jewish, so Xmas as a milestone date, or special celebration for me is not that much of a factor. My "xmas present" is that that's my last day of liquids. I'll be on soft solids for New Year's Eve, though but I don't have anything special planned at this point. I think I'll be able to cope for the one night. Then, I can start the year out eating healthy and losing weight! I like these ticker things I see on the forum and want to try to set one up for myself., so I'll sign off for now. I look forward to the support and to giving it when I have it to give. Right now I'm a sponge for it and I need to be a bit selfish in my life, so for a short time I may be a bit here, too. Can anybody think about a better word than selfish, though? Thanks for listening. Carol