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Hi, folks!! So I returned to work on the Monday after my port replacement. Only phones on Triage (I'm a nurse) because I didn't want to overdue it. I actually felt really good. I saw my doctor 5/7 (it was the Bariatric Fellow who has been following me along with my doc because my doc had an emergency.) Everything looked good, no additional fills, appointment for next fill in 5 weeks. Liquids for one week (yuk!) So that was a Tuesday, and all was good. Then I returned to the floor on Wednesday, and we were soooooo busy, that I think I overdid it with bending, etc. I was in pain Wednesday night and noticed a bright red ring all around my incision area, and it was swollen and tender. Took pics of it, because it didn't look right. I had off Thursday & the area looked a little better but I figured I better call the doc just in case. He is such a doll that he let me e-mail him my photos. Said it looks like a possible seroma but to be on the safe side, he put me on an antibiotic for a week. The redness, swelling and irritation went away. But now I notice that if if overdue it a little (or actually whenever. . . there's really no rhyme or reason. . . the area under my incision will actually hurt, especially if I kind of hunch over like when sitting and then straighten out. It's really weird & didn't happen with the first surgery. I think I'll just keep an eye on it for now. As far as losing weight goes, I've lost about 25-27 pounds so far, depending on the scale, lol! I will tell you though, I thought it would be a lot easier, and that the weight would kind of just fly right off. I really have to "diet" (oh, how I hate that word!) and watch what I eat. I had 3 family members who have had gastric bypass, and their weight just flew off. My brother-in-law told me that he would weigh himself before bed & in the morning he would have lost 3 pounds! I understand that it was because they didn't absorb the calories or nutrients, blah, blah, blah, but I was hoping not too have to put this much thought into losing weight. I'm pretty sure I haven't hit the green zone yet, because I don't feel that restricted. Maybe 3 ccs isn't enough for me. Also, I can eat, and then be really hungry again 2 hours later. Not sure what I'm doing wrong. I know losing 25-27 pounds is great since March 1st, but I guess I was looking for an easier way out. Anyone have a food plan can follow for lap band?? The only downside about my doctor, is I'm not too crazy about his dietician/nutritionist!!! Later, gators!!

Yes, I was having the same issues. So, I started asking questions but what time does she work, etc. I also got her email address and starting sending emails. Instead of phone calls. After about a week, I got everything submitted to insurance and got my tentative surgery date today. I know my coordinator was out a couple days sick and I was trying to give them a break. I didn't want to piss them off. I think people respond quicker to emails too. I saw a different surgeon first. Their respond time was ridiculous in additional they charge a $1000 program fee. I still yet to hear back from them. True Results was definitely the best choice for me. Good Luck! 10/19/2009 - Surgical Consult & EKG 10/26/2009 - Lap work completed & Faxed Medical Records to Dr. 11/03/2009 - Dr. Office sent to Insurance for approval 11/06/2009 – Start Pre-Op Diet 11/10/2009 - Pre-Admission Testing 11/16/2009 - EGD 11/20/2009 – Tentative LAP-BAND Surgery Date

I was banded on 6/17 and lost a total of 21 lbs from pre op diet to 1 week after surgery. I am 4 weeks post op and have noticed a 2 lb weight gain in the past 2 weeks. Why is this? I gained weight moving from liquid phase to mushie phase. It's Frustrating! When do I really start losing?

So I'm 1week post-op... I have been doing really great!!!:-) heeling fast and amazingly great! went on clear liquid diet 3days post-op than full liquid on the 4th day but didn't ever find that fullfilness in that so I called and my nurse told me to switch straight up to purees see if I tolerate it... WHICH I DID!!!:-) unlike some other ppl I NEVER experienced pain or nausea eTibg or at any time post-op. I also ate what was recommended and keep it down without a problem. I even tried 6days post-op hard food and had salmon with salads!:-) yet AGAIN no pain, no nausea...! So I was happy!:-) thought I was on great track healing pretty fast and without complications...until Today I went for my 1st 1week post-op apointement... I lost 12lbs in 2weeks (both including pre and post-op) my surgeon was happy but when I said I was on puree fast and was about to mention proudly I even had started hard food when he started yelling at me!!! telling me: " NO NO NO who did u talk to??!! I WANT U TO LOSE WEIGHT AND U NEED TO STAY ON LIQUID DIET!!!! DONT DO THAT AGAIN AND DON'T PUSH UR LUCK!!!!" I felt so lost and confused and terribly imberresed like a child being reprimanded!!!:-( Than he told me to keep walking and to see him again in a month for my 1st filling!!!0_O I couldn't believe it and didn't understand none of all this!! Honestly I am glad I did the surgery!!! Couldn't be any happier and glad it went smoothly but HONNESTLY regret doing it there!!!:-( The customer service IS HORRIBLE!!! they never take the time for u and never gladly take a one on one apt to make sure all is clear and explained to me!!! I found out much more before and after surgery through this forum than with my surgeon!!!:-( and for $13,000 out of MY pocket it really sucks!! Every time I call to ask questions everyone treats me like I am a child and keep telling me to " RELAX CALM DOWN EVERYTHING WILL BE FINE!!!" like if I was a damn child!!!!! Well now I dont understand the whole deal of keeping on the full diet for 2more weeks when I thought this whole process was just to help u heal...!!!! But WHAT IF IM OK AND HEALING GOOD!!!! I know I have to lose weight but it'll happen at it's paith like it already is weather I'm eating hard food or liquid!!! It's funny how well they can BUTTER U UP to pay up to get the surgery than once done... U just become a number rAther than a patient!!:-( im really Sid and don't know what to do! I dobt feel like following my doctor's advise cause he really pissed me off and to me really made NO SENS!!! I have one month before my next meeting for my filing (which I'm really getting very nervous about)... I don't feel comfortable with my surgeon or the place yet I am forced to stay cause all my feelings and emergency interventions are included in that price which I dont wanna pay more somewhere else!! Idk what to do...:-( I thought I was doing so great and now he really bumped me out yelling at me like this!!!:-( At what point am I concedered OK to eat hard food? When can I start working out a lil more intensive than just and ONLY walk/power walk...??!!! What should I expect with the 1st filling?? Pain? Nausea? Right now I'm able to eat about 1 1/2 of my fist... It's not 4oz or 1cup but DEFINITLY 10000X LESS than what I used to eat per meal before the band!!!:-) I'm watching what I eat and only "cheated" twice very little with 1tiny peace of chocolate once and 6small fried calamari when out once with hubby!!! Yet seems I'm STILL loosing...!!!! UUUURRRGGHHH ALL THIS IS JUST SO FRUSTRATING!!! what should have been a HAPPY check up turned out to bump me out and confuse me even more!!!:-( Sorry this post was so long...I just needed to vent!!:-( Thanks a million for reading!! XoXo

Smiley, my surgeon never talked about a goal weight. The program nurse noted I would be at 70% weight loss when I reached 125. I'm 57 so I would be happy with 125. I've lost 28 lbs since surgery on June 26. I had two surgeries to remove hernias 7 days and 14 days post op. I'm still having problems eating and drinking. Getting an upper GI in the morning and I really think I have a stricture. I did have a 2 week stall in which I didn't lose an ounce, but that's normal. Wishing you the best!

I have not been lost any weight in about a week and I am almost 4 weeks out from being banded. I am on soft solid foods and have been ok with it. I have tried to stay away from high carbs. I usually walk about 2 miles everyday. So here is what I didn't realize, I am not getting a lot calories throughout the day and I thought I must be getting to many. I just logged my food intake into Daily Plate and I only got 691 calories today. Is this ok or is this a reason I am staying at the same weight? I didn't weigh today because my next weigh day is tomorrow. Do I need to be getting more calories? How should I go about this without snaking. I am so lost in this process. I want to lose the weight and I know they say focus on healing at this point and I am but I have cut back on how much I eat and I am not losing anything.......HELP!!!!! Thank you in advance for reading and commenting!!!!

I'm only a week out and I gave in my Dr said to wait 3 weeks to have sex but I couldn't my husband was like WOW where did all this come from....does your sex drive increase or decrease?

I too am low bmi (just under 35) and just starting this search. physical & seminar scheduled for next week. Family history of diabetes and high blood pressure (not here yet). Considering Mexico since going self-pay but that thought is scaring the hell out of me. 1. I hear alot of good things about doctors in Mexico -- but would like to hear who you didn't like and why? 2. Also, do they have BMI restrictions like the states? 3. Considering combining with a vacation - but how long before I can go back to work? I can't take off more than 2 weeks. I'm a secretary, so non-strenuous. 4. I am a "high pre-diabetic", anything I can do to ensure I go up 5 points for the test? If so I could be approved for a local surgeon and insurance coverage. 5. Anybody that had complications with Mexico surgery - does US insurance ever cover complications? (How long does the drain stay in?) I know I have alot of questions but very anxious to get things going. Still sorting through the forum but working two jobs doesn't leave alot of free time.

I think the traveling part would be fine if your doctor is ok with it. I agree though that with the limited food choices you will have at that time a cruise may not be the best option. I am in Texas and going to San Diego next week. I cannot wait for the 70 degree temps there! If you do book a trip it might be good to get something refundable or purchase the insurance that allows you to cancel. Just in case you don't feel up to going or in the super rare case you have a complication.

In only 3 weeks, exciting!!!! Sent from my SM-G920T using the BariatricPal App

Has anyone else needed physical therapy after gastric bypass surgery to regain their strength. My mom had surgery 1 weeks ago. She went into the surgery with existing back problems and the pain Meds masked the back pain. Now that it’s worn off her back is starting to hurt. She says her legs are weak and she’s unable to put pressure on her legs and can only walk short distances. She mainly lays in the bed because it helps her back and stomach not to hurt. I Don’t know if the weakness is due to effects of surgery or her back problems. She needs to be able to walk to help her heal and get rid of gas and prevent blood clots. Think it would be a good idea to have PT come in the house to help her regain her strength? Thanks

VerticalSleeveTalk Newsletter Hey, Sleevers!Happy New Year! It’s time to leap into 2013. You might have slipped a little during the holidays, but January is a great time for a fresh start! Of course, VerticalSleeveTalk.com is here for you as you work to lose weight and get healthy. Allow the January Newsletter to motivate you to get back on board if you lost your focus in December, or to inspire you to keep up the good work if you were able to stay on track during the holidays. Here’s what we have in this newsletter. Looking Ahead to 2013! Member Spotlight: Meet Velena! New Year’s Resolutions that Work! Sleever Challenge: Make Your New Year’s Resolutions! Casting Call: Looking for VerticalSleeveTalk.com Members to be in a Book! As you get back into the swing of everyday life and your commitment to your health, we hope you continue to make VerticalSleeveTalk.com a regular part of your day. So, enjoy the newsletter and then talk about it or anything else on the forums! See you there! Sincerely, Alex Brecher Founder VerticalSleeveTalk.com Looking Ahead to 2013! 2012 was a phenomenal year for VerticalSleeveTalk.com. The forums grew tremendously and we came out with mobile apps for the Android, Kindle and iPod, iPad and iPhone. We have plenty more changes in store for 2013! Keep watch for even more improvements. We’ll be sure to let you know in the newsletters and on the forums, too. 2013 will be an exciting year! Thanks to you, our members, for continuing to support the community. Member Spotlight: Meet Velena! We’re delighted to start off 2013 by shining the spotlight on Velena from Madison, Alabama! She says she spent most of her adult life obese. She didn’t want to spend “second half” of her adult life obese, too, and set the goal of weighing under 200 pounds by her fiftieth birthday. She lost about 25-30 pounds through dieting, doing fitness DVDs and taking weight loss pills, but was still 30 pounds short of her weight loss goal. She wanted to lose weight to be able to enjoy life instead of being limited because of her obesity. Velena wanted to be able to ride a motorcycle and enjoy hiking with her husband; the final straw for her was on a hike when she couldn’t follow him down to the falls because of the steep stairs. She had high cholesterol and high blood pressure. In addition, Velena has diabetes and needs to eat well to control it. She says she always ate healthily, but portion control was a problem. When Velena started looking into weight loss surgery two years ago, her insurance didn’t cover it. This year, she attended another seminar and found out that now her insurance would cover the sleeve. She didn’t like the idea of bypass “rearranging my plumbing,” and a friend had had a bad experience with the lap-band. Velena did like the idea of the gastric sleeve, and got her surgery in September of 2012. Her top weight was 264 pounds. Now, Velena is down to 197 pounds! She feels light on her feet and her balance is much better after losing so much weight! Velena now has her own bike to ride around the neighborhood. Some of her great moments have been buying a jacket in the Misses section, instead of the plus size section, and trying on a winter coat at costco and finding out that it was too big. Of course, stepping on the scale and seeing a number under 200 was a thrill for her! She faced some challenges along the way, such as having trouble swallowing right after surgery. She got dehydrated and had to get hooked up to an IV! Eating slowly enough and ending her meal before she’s too full are still challenges for Velena, but she’s working on them and it’s paying off. Velena uses Vertical Sleeve Talk daily to catch up with friends, get ideas and encouragement and provide support. She says the forums keep her focused on her nutrition. We’re sure that you’re keeping up with your nutrition because you even managed to lose weight during the holidays! Congratulations on your success so far! Thanks for being in the Member Spotlight, Velena! Welcome to 2013 and the second half of your adult life! The Member Spotlight Forum is the place to go to nominate another member to be in the spotlight section of the newsletter. You can also nominate yourself – everyone on the boards will be pleased to meet you! You can even send Alex Brecher a private message telling us that you want to be featured. Everyone has a great story to share. Thanks! New Year’s Resolutions that Work! What are your New Year’s resolutions? Whatever else you’re resolving to do in 2013, your resolutions almost certainly include losing weight or maintaining your goal weight. Too often, we stop following our New Year’s resolutions pretty soon and fall back into old bad habits. How can you make New Year’s resolutions that you’ll stick to so that you can meet your goals for 2013? Try out these simple tips as you make your resolutions. Make them specific. You want to get healthy and lose weight. Those are great goals, but those resolutions aren’t specific enough to be helpful. Instead, choose resolutions that will help you meet those goals. Resolutions to help you get healthy might include exercising at least three days a week and choosing olive oil instead of butter for your servings of fat on your bariatric surgery diet. To lose weight, you might resolve eat at least 80g Protein per day so you feel more full. Make them doable. Keep your resolutions realistic so you’re not setting yourself up for failure. Nobody’s perfect, and your resolutions’ success shouldn’t depend on you to be perfect. Instead of resolving to drink more Water, resolve to drink an extra 8 ounces of water in the morning at least 5 days per week. This resolution gives you some room for error just in case you forget your water a couple of times in the week. Plus, the resolution is specific, so it fits with the first tip! Make them controllable. You can’t control whether you lose a certain amount of weight within a certain amount of time. What you can control are resolutions such as sticking to your diet or exercising to burn off an extra 300 calories per day, 3 days per week. Keep these tips in mind when you’re making your own New Year’s resolutions. Solid resolutions together with your best intentions can help you make 2013 a great year for your health, weight and happiness! Sleever Challenge: Make Your New Year’s Resolutions! This is the part of the newsletter where we challenge VerticalSleeveTalk.com members to take a step forward by doing something new. The experience can help you grow and gain confidence when you do something you hadn’t even thought about before, or you find out that you can do something you hadn’t even realized that you could do. This month, we’re sticking to the theme of New Year’s resolutions. The challenge for this newsletter is to make one or more resolutions based on the advice in this newsletter. We challenge you to make your resolutions specific, doable and controllable – and we’re eager to see what you decide to do in 2013! Tell us about your resolutions in the Sleever Challenge Forum. We’d love to hear about why you chose those resolutions and how you think you’ll do on them. When you post, you get to help other members who may need ideas for their own resolutions. Of course, if you ever miss a challenge, you can always go back to the archived Newsletter Forum to check out the old ones. It’s never too late to try – or retry! – a Newsletter Challenge! Casting Call: Looking for VerticalSleeveTalk.com Members to be in a Book! Are you eager to have your gastric bypass story published in a book? This is your chance! Our first book was focused on the lap-band, and it is called “The Big Book on the Lap Band: Everything You Need to Know to Lose Weight and Live Well with the Adjustable Gastric Band.” It was inspired by our sister site, LapBandTalk.com, and we’re so pleased with its success that we’re going to add a vertical sleeve book to the series! If you want to have your story published or you have advice, tricks or recipes to share, let us know! All you have to do is contact Alex Brecher (username Alex Brecher) via VerticalSleeveTalk.com’s private messaging system. We’d love to hear from you no matter where you are in your sleeve journey, even if you’re just thinking about the surgery. Thanks! That’s it for this month’s newsletter. We invite you to head on over to the forums and get a head start on a healthy 2013. Again, Happy New Year to you and your loved ones! May 2013 be the best year so far. Take care of yourself and each other. Sincerely, Alex ============================================================== If you no longer wish to receive this newsletter, you may unsubscribe by going to your Control Panel and clicking on the Newsletters tab, or clicking on the following link: {unsubscribe}

7 weeks out and down 42 pounds.. Your doing great

To me the most important part of your post is that you are only 7 weeks post op. 1) I agree, follow your doctor's rules first. 2) My personal experience, don't sweat the details if you are feeing great. My program prefers the higher end Vitamins, but if something like Flintstones works for you now, use them. Just check every 7 to 10 days to see if you can take the "better" ones. As your sleeve matures you will be able to handle more mature foods and supplements also. 3) As long as the liquid is caffeine free, don't worry about not being able to take plain Water. You will stay hydrated. I was lucky, I could tolerate water from the start but not everyone can. It's another thing you'll need to test occasionally because there will come a time when you can handle plain water again. Everyone has a point where their sleeve matures. I think I was a little late on that but since 5/6 months, I have been fine with everything except sugar. I have wicked dumping. Otherwise, the only concern I have in with certain meds. For instance, I am dealing with depression and started on an antidepressant. It is taking longer to kick in than for a "normal" and I'm pretty sure that's due to the stomach issue. Yet, if I take it with a bit of food and sip of water so it stays in my stomach longer, it comes right back up. So that's the only long term challenge I've had. Good luck. Glad you are feeling great.

Last week I attended a seminar about LAP-BAND® hosted by one of our local weight loss institutes. I was very exciting. They provided a lot of information including just a quick blurb about cost and that at the first visit the financial counselor would review your insurance one-on-one. That makes sense, everyone has different insurance. They did include that there would be: $500 – program enrollment (includes pre-authorization testing), $400 – psychiatric eval, and $1,000 for the three year nutritional/exercise program. That all seemed reasonable to me. I also knew that my insurance had a $1,000 access for bariatric surgery. When I got the appointment today they said it would be slightly over $8,000. In addition to the costs listed above they use a second surgeon who is out of network (out of everyone’s network) which is about $5,000 and some miscellaneous fees. My husband has been active duty military for over 20 years and I have not seen a “civilian” doctor in a long time. I knew it would not be cheap but I was really surprised at the cost. Is this similar to what your fees were? I know each insurance is different but I had serious culture shock! :scared2:I was going to use my insurance through work but now need to look into TriCare referrals.

I just got sleeved on Dec 15. I've lost 22 lbs. ..my time of the month started and I gained five. Since then....I haven't been able to loose like I was at the begining....has this happened to anyone else?

My Dr says 4 weeks - I work from home and have a very flexible schedule and he said he might consider 2. Most everyone I have heard say they went back after 2 says they were really tired the first week back so I am thinking 3...we'll see I guess!

@@amz85 No, no I did not "breeze" through recovery...it hurt...a lot BUT after a week it was much better and 5 months later it's forgotten Along with 65 lbs so....keep your chin up!

My favorite quote this week is from Winston Churchill. "When you are going through Hell - keep going!"

Has anyone had a long term stall, I’ve been stalled for a while. I have not hit my GW. I have about 40 more lbs to lose! I’m 2 yrs post op.

You can definitely do keto, but it might not be especially high fat for a while--most bariatric nutritionists seem to favor a low-fat, low-carb diet for new patients. And very few people get through the first few weeks without something artificial. (I relied on sugar-free jello, sugar-free popsicles, and SO MANY PROTEIN SHAKES.) If you're really dedicated, though, you could probably minimize most of that. For instance, Eggface suggests "double milk" (1 cup Milk mixed with 1/3 cup Nonfat Dry Milk Powder = 16 grams of protein per 8 oz. serving) as one option. Most plans won't force you to eat beans or fruit or high-carb veggies, though; the focus is very much on protein sources, mostly animal-based ones. If you're worried about dumping from high-fat keto, you might consider discussing the option of the sleeve instead of the bypass with your surgical team. (There are people with sleeves who experience dumping, but it's pretty rare.) But like Matt said, not everyone who goes bypass has a dumping problem from fat, either.

Hello:tongue: I'm a 49 years old lady I had my lap band 2 weeks ago ..I feel great :yikes:.. I lost 5 kilos ..but I'm confused:confused: about my diet and exercising:unsure:.. any help ?

OOOH! I feel like i ate a bit too much tonight. I'm frustrated w/ myself lately & the scale. I weighed a week ago & I was 173. somethng. Then a week late i'm 180 ish?!?!!?? i did not change anything!! Can a women fluctuate THAT MUCH!!!!!>!>!>!

Sorry it took so long for a reply! I went on vacation after my 3 week checkup! Tomorrow makes a month sleeved for me. I asked my doctor if there was such a thing as "drinking to much water" and he laughed and said he would never tell me something that wasn't true and told me to drink as much as I wanted. I have absolutely no problem hitting my goal of water unless I make it a problem and just don't drink enough that day lol

Last week I had consultation with Dr. Salamatari. He seems to be a very down to earth person. I just wanted to know if anyone had a bad experience with him. My endoscoptomy is scheduled for Friday and my Pre Op will be scheduled right after but i have not been approved for the surgery yet. Is that the normal process? Please help!!! :biggrin: