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I kept a pillow on my tummy the first few days, and my 10# cat could lay on that just fine. My 70# dog who thinks she's a lap dog was my biggest concern. I stayed in the recliner and she would put her front legs and her head on my lap (not belly) and just gave me sad eyes for a few days.

My surgery is the 18th, and I too have a little 10 pound dog. I know nothing will keep her off my lap, it's the 48 and 50 pound kiddos I have to worry about!

Yes, it happens, especially if you are on a very strict plan. Some are more strenuous than others. I only lost 10 lbs on my preop, but I literally have an almost zero metabolism as my adrenal glands were burned out from years of medications. However, post op, I'm now down 50 lbs at 9 weeks. Hello!!! Best. Decision. Ever. Good luck!!!

Of the mainstream procedures, the sleeve will be the most benign of them when it comes to supplement needs and the amount of trouble one can get into by ignoring them and the labs. Supplementing with the sleeve is largely an individual thing - there is much more influence by individual variations and dietary habits than there is from the surgery. I've never heard of B1 being a particular problem, but given that the primary dietary source is from the grain complex, and many people are into low carb dieting (Atkins, Keto, etc.) that minimizes that food group, it isn't surprising that such deficiencies would be showing up - not from the procedure, but from the chosen diet. My wife is chronically low in Potassium, but that is just her, not her WLS (as DS in her case.) That is managed by checking levels periodically and adjusting supplements as needed - just as if she had never had WLS. I have heard it hypothesized that there might be some iron absorption issue with the sleeve owing to the somewhat more rapid transit times of food through the stomach, but I haven't seen any validation of that concern. The malabsorbing (RNY, DS) procedures specifically do malabsorb minerals such as iron to varying degrees as much of the mineral absorption happens in the duodenum which is bypassed entirely (in the RNY) or partially (in the DS) so iron levels can certainly be more of a challenge with those patients. I had a bleed a few years ago that sapped my iron/ferritan levels, but was able to restore them to normal in a few months by doubling my oral iron supplement; most with an RNY or DS would need iron infusions to recover from those levels. I tend to lose a bit of D normally so have been supplementing that since before my VSG and continue to do so at moderate levels (2-5k IU) both from that perspective, and also our surgeon prefers to see us in the higher end of the normal range on the blood levels; some in the malabsorbing camp will use 50k IU supplements to keep things in line (particularly the DS folks who specifically malabsorb fat soluble vitamins such as D) I know quite a few long time DS people (10-20+ years) and have seen very little problem as long as labs are regularly taken (annually usually) and responded to; however ignore those at your peril as weird things can happen if you don't. And that's with the DS, which is the fussiest of the procedures in that regard. With a sleeve, you are much more likely to get into trouble by something that you bring to the table - whether that be intrinsic or behavioral - but that is good reason to keep up with periodic lab checks just the same (my labs are a lot simpler than those of a typical DS or RNY person, as there is less that is needed to be monitored with the VSG.)

My first fill was 5.5ccs. I don't have any problems eating any type of food, But the fill killed my hunger. I could probably go all day without eating if I had to. If your doctor has a fluoroscope machine he can measure how much you need in your band. It saves time, trust me one fill is better than 10. It's not exactly about restriction... after a while you start to be less hungry, and desire food less, and are full longer. But remember you have to control what goes in, it won't stop you. That's the hard part.

I feel your pain on the wine thing. I am a home brewer (beer). My friends, my social life, everything has been brewing and beer. Beer club meetings where we all share our latest creations, brew fests, micro breweries, this was what I did when I took a night off from being a mom. The day I found out I was approved was a Friday. We got a sitter, and all my friends and I went to a beer bar where I said goodbye to all my favorites ... I explained to my Maharajah IPA(my favorite beer) it was not him, it was me ... and had one last glass. And I have not had a beer since. HARD to do. Unfortunately, I have had to separate from spending time with most of my beer buddies as that is just what we did together. Now I work out at least 1/2 an hour every day ... usually more, but that is my minimum. It keeps me motivated to stay away from the no no foods when I just burned off calories. I do not enjoy working out. I do not enjoy giving up beer. I miss laughing with my friends while tasting an awesome new release beer. On the flip side ... I have lost 40 lbs in less than 3 months!!! My first fill was 10 days ago, I had no restriction before, and almost none now. I eat three times a day. 4 oz of Protein, 1/2 - 3/4 cups of veggies with every meal. I even puree spinach, bell pepper, and fresh basil into my eggs before I scramble them in the morning so it will make a bigger portion until my fill. For me, this was a life changing decision and I am in 100%. The thing that helps me stay on track with not drinking alcohol or eating the wrong foods is journaling. I journal on line, enter every bite of food i eat. I have been at 800 calories a day since two weeks prior to surgery. 800 is ot a lot of food (tons of veggies help). I'll be damned if I'm going to have a couple of drinks and blow a third of my calories for the day doing so. Butter, yea friggen right! I would NEVER waste those calories on a full fat condiment either. Start journaling, every bite. It is totally what keeps me on track. If it's truly what you want, to lose the weight, make the decision. Best of luck!

It's the little things really that mean so much to us. Congrats!! you should have seen me when I discovered I lost 11 lbs - not too big of a thing normally but for the last four years I've never lost more then 10 lbs before regaining it.

I know this is hard - but it can be done - I am a firm believer in tough band love (operative word being love) I just don't understand why someone would get banded and not do their very best to follow the rules.. This may be due to my age as I know that I have less year ahead of me than whats behind me and I really wanted to have a longer life with more quality.. I can tell you I feel 10 yrs younger and have so much more energy. Also - I had to have tons of test and at my age this was major surgery - It's my last ditch effort to lose the weight - and I just made that commitment to myself to eat healthy and exercise. You are a baby still - you have your whole life in front of you. Losing the weight will improve your life - it will make you a happier person - you will have so much more energy - self confidence etc. You just gotta make the commitment to yourself - before you stick that bite of food in your mouth - think why am I eating this - do something to distract yourself - get on the computer come here it's open 24/7. Go clean out a drawer or bathroom. Losing the fat is losing the barrier between you and your world - that's what you are afraid of food soothes your emotions - you are going to have to learn new coping measures. It's doable - you just have to make up your mind. I wish you the best - Good Luck...

Check with ur doctor. I wasn't allowed any dairy products first 10 days post op Sent from my Galaxy S III using RNYTalk

I can relate. I've done many closet/drawer clean-outs throughout my weight loss journey. I began in 22/24 and got rid of things as I started to go down in size. I told myself I'd hang onto anything size 12 and smaller, but just this weekend I decided that I needed to clean out my 12's too. I have a pregnant friend who is an 8/10 normally and I told her I'd bring my 12's next week so she could have them instead of buying maternity clothes. I NEVER thought I'd be at a place where I'd get rid of this size because it's too big:-) Good luck with your yard sale!!!

Cindy, my ankles are thin too! I must say, that's a really cool thing. My summer shoes are finally not pinching! I think you'll do absolutely fine tomorrow. Remember, the mushy food thing at this point isn't to avoid food getting stuck or PBing or anything nasty like that; it's to continue to allow your stomach to heal. You've been out of surgery for 10 days now, and mushy food won't be a problem at all. Have a good day at work! I'm looking forward to going back myself. Three days at home with the kiddies and I'm ready for a good long snooze at my desk.

Whoa!!!! Cardiologist says I'm clinically stable!!' I do have the start of CAD I'm sure from all the butter and deep fried foods. He states that's I can turn the clock back yay surgery is a go 10-22-13 thank god and you guys support!!

I weigh myself anywhere between 1 - 3 times a day. I have a weight watchers scale and once I got on it and though that morning I weighed 192lbs, the scale said I was 185lbs (in the evening nonetheless) so I'm a bit paranoid now. I also use my husband's scale to verify mine. I weigh to keep myself accountable and to keep an eye on my weigh fluctations. when I don't drink many fluids my weight tends to be higher because i am retaining Water. also heavier in the evenings or when I'm on my period. I used to weigh myself like once every few months which is how my weight went from 150lbs to 2i45 lbs in 10 years.

My doctor and I discussed it and leaks aren't entirely common. Out of everyone he has banded he has had three. I would much rather band myself a million times and know that if I ever needed to I could remove it, than go with a more permanant method. To each their own. I can tell from all your posts that all you do is flame those who have had lap band complications, so I am not really concerned with your comment with it having to be done again in 3 years. I don't see that as the case. For those who would like to focus on the positive, I am two days post op and everything went great. It was a small leak and he replaced the band with a newer, more updated version. I also went from a 5cc to a 10 cc band so I am wondering how big of an adjustment that would be. I can tell I have a lot more swelling this go around. After surgery, he had to remove some of the priming liquid because of how tight I was and changed my post surgery clear liquid diet from 2 to 4-5 days. All in all I am doing well. A lot of sleeping because of the pain meds but dont feel overly bad except for the dang gas pain in my right shoulder.

I was sleeved on 8/15 at Brigham & Women's Boston. The recovery in the first day or two was definitely difficult - if I am honest it was harder than I expected and I've had 3 c-sections! The first day I was in a considerable amount of pain but I had button I could push to get medicine when I needed it and that helped. It also kept me from getting a good night sleep though because I could only doze for 10-15 minutes and then wake again. Day was also difficult - I was pretty out of it but I did get up and walk and go down for my x-rays. They said I did not have a leak but that my stomach was not draining into the intestines as quickly as they'd like. I had to slowly sip water and I was not allowed to go to stage 2 until yesterday (day 3). I did tolerate the food for the most part on day 3 and by the evening I felt pretty good and asked to go home when my husband came to visit. I was discharged and came home to a great night's sleep. Today, my first day at home, I am going to concentrate on sipping, walking and resting. Good luck to all of you!

I asked this same thing about a week ago.I was sleeved on Dec 7, so I am 9 days out. For me, I would say the gas lasted about 4-5 days. Day 3 was when the left shoulder pain began. They say that walking helps as well as fluids. As for the bloating....I am bloated whenever I drink one of my Protein shakes. I think the bloating might last about 4 wks. I had my post op today and that is what they told me. Also, it's not just bloating and gas. You are also swollen from surgery. When I went back to work yesterday, I could button my pants, but I had lost almost 10 lbs. It's due to the swelling. My dr said it could take 4-6 wks for the swelling to go down from the surgery. I was on my pain meds for 6 days. Day 6 was just to help me sleep. As far as pain on day 9, I am sore...maybe uncomfortable depending on which way I move. It gets better every day. Everyone is different. I hope this helps. Hang in there.

My surgery is next Monday, 10/28. I'm on the two week pre-op diet, 9 lbs down. It's not easy, sometimes you get tired, and when you are surrounded by food, it can be very difficult. Only twice was a really "surrounded" by it. At home, when my husband and son eat, it's not bad. Getting excited but also nervous and scared. It's been a long time coming (I thought about it for years, was about to start the process in early 2018, but another health issue was taken care of first). Once the process started, though, while it seemed to drag, it's also been rather quick. Having all the feels....

Hi. My name is Melissa. I had the gastric sleeve on 11/11/19. I am new to this as well.

I found this information and I thought it was good to post it's something that some of the long term sleevers have concerns about even some of the newbies have concerns about what if: Weight regain after bariatric surgery can be an uncomfortable subject and one that both surgeons and patients want to avoid talking about, but can’t. To be sure, weight regain happens – the real question revolves around the cause. We understand that the choice to have weight loss surgery was a big one and the return of weight (in any amount) is disappointing. But understanding the way our bodies work and what may be behind the weight regain can help us address the issue more effectively. First and foremost, don’t get down on yourself. In all likelihood, your surgery did work and you are doing the right things, but our bodies change. As our bodies change, so too do our needs. Natural Regain: Some weight regain after bariatric surgery and especially gastric bypass is normal. If you regain 5-10% of your excess body weight after a few years of losing consistently, don’t fret. Speak to your surgeon, but it is likely no problem at all. Diet modification: Many of us tend to overdo it in our diets. It is tempting to over-diet, but the results can be counterproductive. Crash diets can even cause us to retain more fat than a diet of moderation. Be sure that you follow your diet plan closely and work with your dietician to ensure the very best results. Exercise habits: As with diets above, there is a fine line between good and bad exercise. Understanding the exercises to which your body responds and working with an exercise physiologist can help ensure that your exercises are doing good and not harm. Pouch or stoma enlargement: The stomach pouch and/or stoma (the opening into the stomach) can in fact stretch over time. This can cause mild or significant weight regain and can be corrected with one of several simple outpatient procedures. Revision Surgery can be effective, but ONLY as a last resort. Simple outpatient procedures and even major surgery can be used to revise an unsuccessful primary procedure. While revisions are generally effective, they do carry a higher risk of complications and all other solutions to the weight regain should be implemented before considering a revision procedure.

I had shoulder pain bad after surgery for about 10 days. It waa just trapped air that would not move. My friend that was banded same week had back pain. We both took Advil 200 mg or liquid. It helped a bunch! Try heat and warm/hot showers. If that does not help Call your doctor! You might be sleeping wrong too? Hope you feel better!

I think I posted this before, but I've been fat since I was 10. If I could have done it just by dieting, I would have already. I needed the help, something to get me going. If your sister won't go and won't learn about the surgery, then I think that's too sad for her. Is she overweight, too? Is it jealousy? Or is she thin, and doesn't understand about being overweight? As always, in the end, you have to do what's best for you. No one else can make the decision for you, and they shouldn't think that they can.

Rebecca, don't despair. Luscious is right, your "blues" could very well be due to the anesthesia. I have had a few surgeries for various things through the years and I have a reaction like this every single time to general anesthesia. The first time it happened it worried me and everyone around me because it caused an abrupt change in my personality, but I was back to normal within a week. Drink as much Water as you can to help flush those powerful drugs out of your system, and if it at all possible, do some light exercise, like walking. Congrats on being banded!!! This Band is an amazing thing and trust me, it won't be long before you too will be a success story! :cry_smile::smile::crying: Crazy Ates April Exercise Challenge 17/30 Exercise Sessions (10 Cardio, 6 Core Strength and Flexibility, 1 Weight Training) Banded 8/07/07 Dr. Miguel Zapata, Monterrey Mexico

A lot of my back pains stem from a crooked spine and inflamed muscles that never die down.. so I normally take 4-10 advils daily (pre-op). Tylenol does not help the muscle pains at all.. I was told not to take NSAIDS, so I've just been 'toughing it out' and hoping with weight loss it will get better.. only really bad part is at night in bed, it hurts a heck of a lot to lay down, so I take liquid tylenol night time stuff to help me pass out and not feel it. During the day when it flares up really bad I take some of the liquid lortab I was prescribed from post-op. I only have about 1 dose left, and I tried liquid tylenol for the pain during the day with no result, so not sure what I'll do! I guess pray I lose enough weight to reduce the pain rather quickly

Prayers for you today! We are sleeve sisters- mine is today as well at around 10:40 am pst. As you can see, I'm still up at 1am...hard to sleep!

I told myself I wouldn't call until the end of the day. But I called an hour ago. STILL Pending! The lady said it ususally takes about four days with Aetna. The wait is the worst! I did go to a support group last night. A woman there has lost 143 pounds in 19 months. That's so great.