Search the Community

I would for sure take the initiative and call. You are having the surgery and you are paying the premiums. Had I not continually called I would have never known that, the office sent my claim to BCBS of Texas and not BCBS of CA. Be proactive not reactive.

"This stall is why I always failed at diets in the past - when they inevitably occur, it's just so demoralizing!" The great thing about being sleeved is that a stall will not make you fail at this. Like you, in the past it was really easy to fall off the wagon when it seemed like good behavior wasn't doing any good anyway. But now I eat a certain amount and that's it, no more space. So it makes it a lot easier to ignore a stall, at least w/r/t engaging in negative reactive behavior. It seems like the stall question is the one that is most often asked, by far, by us newbies. I can't wait to get to the point where I look back (several stalls later) and realize how much energy I wasted worrying about them. Rick, that was a super well considered, well written post, thanks for sharing it with us.

I read the whole post and all the responses here is what I can share and hope it helps: I had thyroid cancer so I don't have a thyroid, my TSH levels must be kept at hypo (slow) rather than normal or hyper. This has Always caused weight gain or extremely slow weight loss. I went to many seminars listening to every dr and after awhile they all sounded like used car sales people! Then I met a dr who said the band is not the cure all its not magic and if you do this you have to think of it as a marriage, you must love me and I must love you but above all that we must work as a team. 2011 June I got my lap band from then till now I am down 110 however that is a number. Not every plan works for every person, I decided to stay on weight watchers and go to weekly meetings. This kept my focus and my sanity. It also kept me eating healthy. I eat my Protein first, then my veggies last my complex carb. I only eat on a appetizer plate. I weigh and measure all my food, I take Calcium supplements. I work out, Pilates has done wonders for me. I finally after 54 years put myself first. If I'm hungry in between a meal I will eat an apple or some small fruit or yogurt. If I was in your shoes the first thing I would do is get all your medical records and see another doctor, I would then see a nutritionist. Finally I will say that I am married to a professional chef and the one thing he has taught me is every calorie is not the same. Just because your only eating 900 calories a day does not mean they are the right calories that are going to burn the fat not store the fat. Hope this helps you, please remember when you put something out there on a public forum your going to get many opinions the hope is that you can get some support where you need it. Good Luck

Sorry to hear of your struggles! I think the recommendation that you see a nutritionist is a good one. Maybe once a month to start, then quarterly. PCOS is very reactive to carbs, so limiting refined carbs is a good first step, even before you see your doctor. It's amazing that you conceived with BC, since infertility is common with PCOS, but not unheard of. This is one of those conditions where your ob/gyn, bariatric surgeon and nutritionist need to work closely with you to achieve your goal of regaining your health. Think of it as you managing the condition, rather than the condition running your life, etc. Best of luck, keep us posted!

I went in for my EGD or Upper GI scope because I suffer from Gastric Reflux. As many of you probably know most or all doctor's require it as part of the pre-surgical workup. They do these to check for several different issues. I was diagnosed with Reflux in 2010 but had been suffereing from daily boughts of reflux before that. It had finally reached a point where I couldn't sleep because of it. During my Upper GI my surgeon found severe irritation and a hiatal hernia. He took biopsies and found it to be Barrett's Esophagus with highly reactive cells (pre-cancerous). He mentioned doing a bypasss instead of the band now. Has anyone had this issue? If so how did it all work out for you? I go on Feb 7th for a consult with a Gastroenterologist and to have further testing done. My wls has been post-poned until my esophagus has been taken care of. Any and all input is greatly appreciated.

Obviously, patients should not violate dietary restrictions imposed by hypo- or hyperglycemia. However, barring these medical conditions (most of which go into remission after weight loss), there is absolutely no empirical evidence to support the effectiveness of abstinence from certain foods in weight loss and weight loss maintenance: NONE. Barring the aforementioned medical conditions, rigid abstinence from certain foods, such as a hamburger or piece of cake, is a psychological issue, not a medical one. I can write this with confidence as a professor of psychology who worked in the field of addictionology for over 15 years. The problem with abstinence is that it leads to the well-documented abstinence violation effect: I must abstain from doughnuts. If I break down and have just one, then I must have 100. This effect is psychological, not medical. There is no more evidence to suggest that compulsive eating is a physiological addiction than alcohol dependency is a disease. Porting over the AA philosophy of disease and allergy to overeating is a psychological travesty. I challenge anyone who disagrees with this to present empirical evidence to the contrary that has been published in a referred professional journal. You won't find any. Granted, abstinence may be temporarily working for someone (although it won't over the long haul). However, this does not mean that those wedded to the abstinence model should try to shame those who are trying to learn how to eat in moderation. The underlying premise of abstinence is unfounded, shaming and chastising are never helpful, and that kind of post is entirely self-congratulatory. If I were unable to eat, for example, one hamburger without obsessively craving more and more of them, I'd see a cognitive-behavioral therapist who specializes in eating disorders. I would not be attempting to shame those who are able to successfully eat just one in an attempt at denying and avoiding my own highly conflicted relationship with food. Doing so may not rise to the definition of Nazism or fascism, but maybe we can all agree that it's not very nice.

Thanks for all the support everyone! And my surgeon is Dr. Chu. The process for me was a little different than others. I started this journey last year February I attended 2 seminars and then met with the nutritionist and surgeon. But after that I wasn't too sure if I wanted to get the surgery so I decided to try one more time on my own but failed! So by November I decided this is the best thing for me and I called Bariatrics but had to get my referral reactivated witch took about a day or 2. Then they called me once they got the referral to set up an appointment over the phone with my surgeon. I had the over the phone appointment and next had to lose 5 pounds to be within 5 pounds of my surgery weight to see the psychiatrist and do blood work. I saw the psychiatrist and she said she was going to give all my paper work over to my surgeon and in a week I got a surprising phone call that I was all good to go and my surgery date is February 6th and pre-op is January 25th.

I adore shepherds. I had one when I was very young. I couldn't have her inside due to allergies. I have to stick to the hypo-allergenic breeds now because I firmly believe dogs belong inside. I'm doing fine - my incisions are starting to itch a bit but I think that's normal. ~Sabrina

Hello fellower sleevers and sleevers to be, i am waiting to see the heamatologist but have still not got a date I saw my diabetic specialist last week and it was very encouraging, i am 3kg down since July, my last appointment, my blood sugar readings are good, and even though it is not his field he said that as far as he could tell i am borderline lupus and this shouldn't cause any probs with my op. I was able to ask him questions about when i stop injecting victoza and he reassured me that i won't go hypo after the op because i will have stopped the victoza. I am going to reduce the dosage when i get a date and do the pre op diet again so that i won't have hypo probs on 800 cals a day. I came home much relieved. I got weighed yesterday and was shocked at the scales, good job i was starting to cut cals and eat healthier that day. Hope all are well and loosing or maintaining weight, bye for now, x

I was 199 when I decided to be sleeved. I'm 5'2". I've been fighting my weight battle for more than 10 years. I was extremely depressed and unhappy. My knees hurt, my back hurt, and I was pre-diabetic. I've lost 20-30 and gain 40+ more times than I can count. Both my parents are extremely morbidly obese. I could see my future in them and it wasn't pretty. I could guarantee that my weight would only continue to escalate so I decided to be proactive rather than reactive. Why wait and waste more of my life? I needed a weapon for my weight battle, and the sleeve was it. Today I am 138 and feel like I am living for the first time in more than 10 years. I feel healthy, mentally and physically.

I also had to have one shot of insulin in the hospital during the night of my surgery date (4th). Sugar came down and has since stayed within the 80's and 90's so I haven't taken any diabetic meds. Pre-surgery I was taking 1000 mg of Janumet 2x daily. They told me to test 4 times a day post-surgery (which I haven't been doing), although I do test..just not as often. I've had two episodes of hypoglycemia but realize now that my ingested carbs might have been too high which later caused the sudden drop. Obviously, something I ingested was a little too high in carbs. So I am now being more diligent. There was a history of reactive hypoglycemia that preceded my diabetes. Guess it will revert back to that if I'm not careful. So are you to take your medicine regardless of your glucose levels? Seems to me like you should only take it if your glucose is staying elevated. I'm sure either way it won't be much too long that you will needing any of the diabetic meds. Glad to know you are doing well. Your recovery seems to be going well, so far! Thoughts are with you!

Yes, we do get into it here sometimes. There are posts and comments that cause our hackles to rise. We are from different states, countries, cultures and have different values systems, experiences and opinions. We respond to different approaches in different ways. Some of us need a "kick in the pants" or "tough love" and respond well to that, others are more responsive to a gentle hand and softer words. There is no one size fits all in these forums, which is what makes it stronger for the differences. One thing is obvious to me at least, and that is we all share a common experience and passion. We are planning to, or have been through vsg surgery and we are at times scared, excited, thankful, ashamed, proud, angry, apathetic, and countless other feelings. This is an emotional process. It is mentally stressful. It is academic in our search for information. It is very physical. For some it is even spiritual. We do not have to agree on everything. We are here to share our thoughts, opinions, experiences and questions. Since it is a public forum, it is also open to anything from anyone at anytime. That may be more challenging for some than others when they read a response that they interpret as offensive. Some react strongly, others are not as emotionally invested in what others have to say. There is no right or wrong way to feel about this. We do all need to remember that we are working through a framework of a shared experience, though we may process our thinking about it in different ways. Definition of Reactive Thinking Reactive thinking is crisis-based thinking, coming up with solutions after problems develop. Reactive thinking responds to the situation. A reactive thinker often spends too much of his time fighting fires. A reactive thinker is easily blindsided by circumstances. A crisis-driven reactive thinker may be more prone to feeling stress. Definition of Proactive Thinking Proactive thinking, on the other hand, involves foresight. To be proactive means to think ahead, in anticipation of future changes or problems. It means covering your bases to include all possible scenarios. A proactive thinker will have several contingencies in mind. A proactive thinker sees the likelihood of crises before they happen. Ref: http://www.ehow.com/...e-thinking.html

Thanks. I need to be proactive about this. Reactive is what got me to 300lbs!

To Floridays: I really don't who to blame. but I think all 4 factors come into play somehow. I blame myself for getting angry and giving up too soon, I blame the doctor for not being understanding enough or listening to me when I told him in all honesty that I was following the rules, I blame my slow metabolism because it can interfere with weight loss. I didn't want anyone to baby me. I wanted someone who would listen to me (even though we disagreed) and not to accuse me of things that I was not doing. And I do not have hypo/hyperthyroidism at all. I was misdiagnosed. As for calories. I kept a food diary and logged in everything I ate in my fitness pal. I was consuming 600-900 calories a day. There were days when I would consume 1000 calories. I followed each stage of liquids, mushy foods, and so on. I drank nothing but Water and when I got tired of water I mixed in crystal light. Don't assume that just because I didn't include my food intake and calorie intake that I wasn't following the rules. And I never said I ate until I was full, in fact, I never mentioned that at all. My portions were eaten out of a 1 cup tupperware container. Everything I ate was baked, boiled, broiled, grilled, or steamed. And there was always food left over on my plate. Just because you were extremely successful doesn't give you a right to be pompous and throw the fact that you lost LOTS OF WEIGHT, especially at the faces of those who weren't successful at all or not as successful as you were in your weight loss journey. Kudos to you though for losing all the weight and kudos to your tenacity to keep going until you reached your goal, but please understand that everyone is different, that everyone's body works differently, and that the lap band does not work for/or as well for everyone. Please understand the frustration that comes with not losing weight with the lap band because it is a real thing that many lap band patients go through, but are reluctant to admit out of embarrassment and people like you who are quick to assume that we didn't work hard enough or don't exercise enough. I did work my butt off just like you did and would lose then the weight I had lost would come back despite eating right and exercising, changing the exercises and changing the amount of calories. And I wanted it as much as you did but apparently you were more successful. Please don't forget the frustration that comes with losing weight and gaining weight. I know you are thin now but don't become a mean thin girl please. And I think a new doctor would help and for you to tell me otherwise is ridiculous. I'm pretty sure you have changed doctors in your life time and have had family members or friends who have needed a change in doctors. And if you say that the band does 70% of the work then you better believe that I was contributing that 30% to lose the weight but I wasn't as successful as you were. I also want you to know that I am trying to turn this around and that in this process I am trying to reassess what went wrong and trying to work on those wrong things. You were overweight once too and please don't forget the pain and frustrations that come with that. I'm not coming on here to get "babied" I'm coming on here to receive support in continuing my lap band weight loss journey.

I know ive seen other posters refuse because of the possibility of dumping... i would ask them if i can get out of it... maybe u could get a home monitor n test instead for say 2wks... i believe thats what she did... id tell them ur OBVIOUSLY not in gestational diabetes! And have done 2 that should be sufficient... Also i wouldnt worry too much about the 67... hopefully if u get a monitor, you'll have it to be safe... but it sounds like reactive hypoglycemia... i assume u dont eat a lot of carbs, being a sleever... so all that sugar in the drink (esp on top of a pastry ) just threw ur system for a loop n it got over excited and made too much insulin... id think the WORST thing u could do is go shock it again! Try explaining that to them n see what they say... i wouldnt risk ur job but if they understood more maybe theyd b satisfied In the mean time... no carb binges for u! Lol Good luck!!!

Dont be dissapointed in yourself you are doing so well...the pcos and hypo may slow things down but they arent going to keep you from losing. Stay positive girl...youll get there!

Your story is exactly like mine! My name is Michelle too.. Are you me?! I'm also wondering what life with hypo is like after surgery.

Hello all, I was sleeved in May and have lost 62 pounds. I was hypo as well and feel great. My doctor has taken me off all meds, including blood pressure and colesteral, amd synthroid. I do get my labs checked and everything is great! You all might have to come off the meds too.....its wonderful! Good luck!

I haven't been around much since I had surgery. The site went nuts and wouldn't load properly for the "formative months" after surgery, so I kinda quit coming around. But I find myself really needing to connect with you guys on the maintenance issues these days. I hope you'll have me back. Before surgery, I was not a dieter. Diets clearly weren’t working for anyone else, not in the long-term, so I didn’t really bother with any certain plan. Instead, I exercised and tried to be aware of what I ate. Clearly, that didn’t work for me. I ended up, at my highest weight, at about 235 pounds on a 5’1” medium frame. On a recent Disney World vacation my hips, back, and feet hurt so much that the thought of going back made it clear that either I had to lose the weight or I’d be one of those people on the motorized scooters at the ripe old age of 34. The greatest gift of this surgery was the clear guidelines and the months following surgery in which, while unable to eat as I used to, I changed my approach to eating and understood that I can manage to eat anything I want, just not everything that I want. I recently celebrated my 1-year anniversary. In that year, I lost 100 pounds, with my lowest weight being 134.4. The upsides of surgery are undeniable and I have no regrets. This was the verry best decision I ever made for myself. I’m a bit of an introvert and misanthrope, but I find myself jubilant for days when I get some appreciative attention. No one has flirted with me for years and it feels great. I have become a bit of a clothes horse (LOL) and have a great time shopping and dressing, things I never cared about in the past. I generally just feel a whole lot better about myself and the world, I find. But learning to maintain my new habits, my outlook, my motivation, that is where I find myself struggling. I’ve noticed since I made it into the 130 pound range that eating has gotten noticeably harder. It could be timing, my weight, my body’s adjustment, my mental state, or any combination of factors. But suddenly I find myself in a place where my past handle on controlling my eating has become completely unhinged. I’ve tried the “let’s just get back to basics” approach a few times and then found myself right back to the bad habits. So, what are these basics and the bad habits? Here is the score: Daily 60-70 grams of protein daily – easy, peasy without fail 64 oz of water – I think I’ve been pretty good here, but I recently began to really push water I hopes that it might solve some hunger issues. Weekends are my only big concern and I’m actively working on it. 2 Bariatric Fusion multi-vitamins daily – like clockwork I exercise (cardio, strength, and core) 3 times a week without fail, shooting for a 500 calorie burn each time. I also use my heart rate monitor when I walk the dog and track what calories I burn. I track my food, even my crazy binge eating days, every day on myfitnesspal.com and my food diary is open to my friends. I’m “HeatherTakesCharge” if anyone wants to find me. I am still trying to lose, so I try to keep my net daily calories (after exercise calories burned) to 800-1000. I find myself well over 2000 calories too often. My ultimate goal is 125 pounds, though I’m not overly concerned with it. As long as I’m not going up, I’m pretty happy. My biggest scare happened last week. I woke up one morning and found my weight above 140. Something has to change. My blood work, taken every 3 months since surgery, has been perfect. No issues. I can comfortably eat a HUGE amount of food compared to the limited number of bites I read many of you saying. My restriction is definitely there, but not like I’d hoped. I’d love to go back to the days when I could only eat a handful of bites at a time. I feel physical hunger pangs as well as dealing with head hunger. For the first 6 months, I could easily eat a piece of candy and satisfy my sweet monster. Now, even thinking about eating something sweet sends me into a monster craving to which I too often give in and in a ridiculous, binge eating way. It is SO scary. I swore I’d never eat like that again, yet here I am. I have intense acid reflux without medication, but my prescription Prilosec controls it well as long as I don not forget to take it. I battle reactive hypoglycemia occasionally. If I get a handle on it quickly, I can recover. But sometimes it just ruins my day, both calories-wise and by making me feel ill for an extended period. My food intake during the day is usually exemplary. It is the time I am at home when I make the very worst choices. My partner is fighting some insecurity and self-esteem issues, leading to what I consider deliberate attempts to sabotage my eating. Her answer is, “You did this to yourself. I’ll do what I want. You make your own choices.” Therefore, at least at home, I am unable to keep out the foods that I find most damaging. And she is the primary cook. I try to make my own dinner sometimes, but if I do it constantly, this also becomes a point of contention. Her choice of meals or places to eat out NEVER consider how it will impact my diet. The sabotage extends to the gym as well, with at least one melt-down a month about how my trips to the gym are ruining her life. Seriously. But that is a whole different issue, I know. I’ve dealt with the relationship issues successfully in the early months, so I know I can continue. But it is simply one more strain on the bigger picture, you know? So that is it. My head isn’t in the game any longer. I feel myself becoming more and more depressed and fearful that I’ll slip into that old “I’ll eat what I want” person who can not find the motivation to get back on track.

I changed my thyroid medicine and wanted it rechecked b4 heading down there next month. I also included some typical chemistry panels and liver enzymes, also c reactive protein. I'm a member of Life Extensions and you can order the lab from them and go to certain facilities and have it emailed to you in a few days. It cost me about 150, but worth not having to try to get copy of my lab from pcp. I'm anal about keeping my records in chronological order (ha- first born of course).

I'm 40 years old, from Canada and am going in for my sleeve on October 16. I have followed my liquid diet completely, and am excited and very nervous about my surgery. I have PCOS and Hypo Thyroid, and am hoping that this will finally set me free so to speak. My top weight was 243, I am now 225. I wish everyone health and success!

1 pound peeled and deveined medium shrimp 1 cup fresh lime juice 10 plum tomatoes, diced 1 large yellow onion, diced 1 jalapeno pepper, seeded and minced, or to taste Place shrimp in a glass bowl and cover with lime juice to marinate (or 'cook') for about 10 minutes, or until they turn pink and opaque. Meanwhile, place the plum tomatoes, onion and jalapeno (and avocados and celery, if using) in a large, non-reactive (stainless steel, glass or plastic) bowl. Remove shrimp from lime juice, reserving juice. Dice shrimp and add to the bowl of vegetables. Pour in the remaining lime juice marinade. Add cilantro and salt and pepper to taste. Toss gently to mix. I love this on seseme tortilla chips 2 avocados, diced (optional) 2 ribs celery, diced (optional) chopped fresh cilantro to taste salt and pepper to taste

I finally think I have it figured out. Today I ate sushi and then ate a couple of fries. I mean I ate a small fry. It was one of those days when I was so hungry I just took what I could get. NEVER AGAIN!!! EVER EVER EVER! Basically I ate WAY TOO MANY CARBS...This is not dumping. I thought it was caffeine a few months back...but it isn't. So yeah...I will never eat a carb heavy meal again! Reactive hypoglycemia occurs in people who do not have diabetes. It's a different type of hypoglycemia than the one that affects people who have diabetes. Although the causes are unrelated, the symptoms of both kinds of hypoglycemia are the same. Symptoms of hypoglycemia: Trembling or weakness Lack of coordination Drowsiness or confusion Headache Dizziness Double vision Convulsions or unconsciousness What is the cause of reactive hypoglycemia? The exact cause of reactive hypoglycemia is still unknown, but there are several hypothesis that might explain why it can happen. Sensitivity to epinephrine, a hormone that is released in the body during times of stress. Insufficient glucagon production. Glucagon is also a hormone which has the opposite effect of insulin. It raises blood glucose levels. Gastric surgeries can also cause reactive hypoglycemia because food may pass too quickly through the digestive system. Enzyme deficiencies can also cause reactive hypoglycemia, but these are rare and occur during infancy. How to manage reactive hypoglycemia Limit foods with a high sugar content, especially on an empty stomach. For example, eating a doughnut first thing in the morning can trigger a hypoglycemic episode. Eat small, frequent meals and Snacks. Eat a varied, high Fiber diet, with adequate servings of Protein, whole grain carbs and vegetables, fruits, and dairy foods Carry pieces of hard candy with you, for those times when you feel your blood sugar dropping. What to do if you are having a hypoglycemic episode. Eat or drink something that is a fast sugar source, such as orange juice, regular soda, a few pieces of hard candy, or sugar cubes. This should relieve the symptoms within 15 minutes. Avoid choosing chocolate as a sugar source. The fat in chocolate makes it absorb more slowly and it won't raise your blood sugar up as quickly as you need it too. Make sure to eat a small balanced meal after the symptoms are gone. This will prevent another blood sugar spike and consequent drop.

I'm just one person, but I have Hashimoto's Thyroiditis (hypo) and I had lapband done in Feb 2011. I had a personal trainer I worked out with for 6 months and worked out at Lifetime Fitness with him twice, sometimes three times a week, and worked out at home also. I bought a Polar to monitor my progress. I started jogging along with my walking regimen. lost 30 lbs--that's it. No more. Not one ounce, not one gram. It is September of 2012 now, and I'm still sitting at 30 pounds down. I went through intense feelings of guilt, disappointment, every negative you can think of, that was me. It still is to some degree. I am now coming out of my funk, well over a year later, and realizing that I have to live my life anyway, that I might just be fat the rest of my life; but I don't have to be out of breath all the time, and I don't have to be tired all the time, so the working out has started up again. Just be prepared, and be informed. Good luck.

This was a hard thing for me too. I was a perfect eater for about a year after my surgery, and then I started bingeing out of no where. It got bad and I was scared that I was going to ruin my band. So I decided that I needed to be in control and decided to see a therapist to work on my binge eating disorder. It was something that was a problem before surgery, but sort of "magically" disappeared after, but then came back, rearing it's ugly head. One very helpful thing that made me feel more in control when I wanted to binge was a tracking sheet she had given me. It makes you write down on a chart the date and time, hunger level (scale of 1-10, 10=stuffed 1=starving), feelings and thoughts, food/quantity, place/context, if it was planned or unplanned, was the eating mindful or reactive, hunger level after, and feelings and thoughts AFTER eating. The hardest part for me was that you are supposed to start writing down the first 3 things (listed above) WHILE it's happening. For me, this made me feel like I might have the power to be in control because it made me actually think about it/face it WHILE it was going on. That then made me feel empowered to have something small and gave me the will power to wait the binge out and know that I would be okay. Maybe this would be helpful? I just know that it really helped me, so maybe my sharing this will help others. I will see if I can scan and upload a copy of the chart at work tomorrow if anyone is interested.