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Both my husband and I had that happen a lot initially. We couldn't even stand up out of our chairs without getting dizzy. And then it stopped, I'd say around the 6 week mark. I really thnk it's the very low calories initially and until our bodies get used to it, they want to pass out from time to time

I too start my 2 week diet on Monday, sleeve on the 27th .

The initial weight loss is Water weight. Most people will experience a large amount of weight loss in the beginning (even pre op). But once you're a month post op and on to solid foods, it's going to slow down, but it's still coming off! Someone mentioned that this isn't bypass and they're right. Bandsters average 1-2 lbs per week whereas a bypass patient averages a pound a day (my doctor said so). Just be glad you're losing weight! I've read posts where people aren't losing at all. Keep up with that you're doing. It's working , trust me

Not sure about the fingers as don't wear rings but have had to tighten my watch strap about three extra holes since the surgery, my arms are much thinner for sure. Seemed to be the first thing to slim down as I lost weight.

I would wait a few weeks before taking that Vitamin... ask your doctor, it seems too soon.

How are you doing now after going home? My surgery was a day before yours. I had a lot of pain and gas. A LOT! It's been one week today and I wa our walking and shopping. But I feel hungry all the time! Sent from my iPhone using the BariatricPal App

Yeah, I'd head over to the hospital. You might have pneumonia. That's how mine started - fever and shaking/chills. I had no respiratory symptoms until a week after the fever started.

Clear fluids/ runny fluids for three more days and then thicker Fluid s next week Sent from my iPad using the BariatricPal App

I know all about those damn stalls, I just a three weeker.. most only last about 4-5 days.. Hang in there !

So I finally done it. My health was really bad and even though I am not a heavy eater but my BMI was getting higher and higher. So had my surgery on the 13th of Aug, The procedure went smooth but felt very sick afterwards. This is due to the gases. Then went home that same evening. Was told to follow liquids for 2 weeks. First few days were really hard..I can feel every pain from the incisions and couldn't sleep at night coz no position was comfortable. Didn't feel hungry at all. Was drinking but even that made me full after 2 sips. I lost 3 kg in 5 days which is too much. By day 5 I started to feel hungry but the body aching was better. I spoke with my nutritionist and she suggested I can move into mushy food ..so went and had a potato and spinach Soup cream base ..and my body was not ready. Omg the pain..I felt so sick and nausea. Called my dr who told me off and told me to go back to liquids. Now I am on day 7 but I am finding it so hard to only drink. I get soo hungry in the evening and this morning I just couldn't do it so I had a baby food sort of porridge ...and felt good with 2 spoons. On Saturday we were invited to friends house...there was so much food and I couldn't ear any. But I am wondering if soon I will be able to have salads fruits and normal meals

Hang in there! It sounds like insurance is taking their precious time, as usual. You should definitely hear something from them by mid-week. If not, you can always call, call, call and then call them some more! It took my insurance about 4days to approve me, but I was really worried about whether they would or not as well. Now, I'm really nervous about surgery being less than a week away. Yikes!

Hello All, I had my 1st consult last week and was impressed with dr V. He seems commited to getting good results. Has anyone had him proform the procedure on them? Also any info on what kind of weight can be expected 6mos post-op? Thanks

Well one week in and a new fill. Thankfully no damage to the small pouch or slippage of the band. I went in on Friday and had the saline adjusted. I know a lot of the early weight is water and junk, but seven days on eleven pounds off is not too bad of a start.

My surgery is tomorrow morning 1/15 and I am a huge bundle of nerves right now. I can't remember the last time I was this nervous about something for so long. I haven't been sleeping much since I got my surgery date the week after Christmas Here's a little about me and my fat history: I was a little overweight in my childhood, but I was also a three sport athlete through high school(Football, wrestling and baseball), which helped keep me around 200lbs my senior year (5'11). I joined the Marines right after graduation and got down to 170 and maintained 170-190 for the 6 years I was in. I got out when I was 24 and finished up my last two years of college and got a desk job. That's when the weight started creeping up on me. Fast forward 12 years to 2010 after I had ballooned up to 340lbs, I decided to diet pretty hard and managed to lose 90lbs from 2010 to mid 2011. I was feeling pretty good about myself, but for some reason decided to sabotage it all and proceeded to put those 90lbs plus an extra 40 back on from late 2011 all the way to now. I decided I had had enough in June after years of yo-yo dieting and trying every diet in the book that it time for a change and looked into WLS. I considered the lap band at first for the usual reasons (not cutting up the insides), but after talking to another doctor and reading various forums about a lot of lap band removals, I decided on the sleeve. After spending six months on the insurance weight management plan for bariatric surgery, it's all happening really fast now. It's finally real. Anyway, this time tomorrow, my surgery should be finished and I'll probably be high on anesthesia/pain meds. I just need to keep telling myself that I'll be in the 99% of people that don't have complications.

Sorry for the delayed update, but I haven't been on the computer much since surgery. Here is how everything went: Surgery took longer than normal due to scar tissue in my belly. I have no idea why it was there as I have not had any other surgeries or injuries to that are. My recovery kind of sucked. Anesthesia and I don't get along very well and I am pretty sensitive to it. Apparently, I was pretty violent coming out of it and thrashing around. My surgery was over around 12:30pm and they didnt' allow family back until almost 2pm. I stil barely remember the fam coming back and was pretty groggy. I slept until 4-5pm when the nurses finally got me up enough so I could change into my sweats, pee, walk around a bit and hit the recliner they had in my room rather than the bed(the recliner was much better than the bed). I slept most of the night with various walking trips around the nurses station to help with the gas. I went home the next morning and just slept, walked around the house and sipped a lot for the next day. The gas is terrible and has to be the worst part of the recover processes. The nice thing was it pretty much was all gone by end of day two. I'm still pretty gassy, but I'm no longer bloated. Gas-X strips seems to help. I'm tolerating Water, Protein drinks, Vitamin water, zero, sf popsicles and the liquid tylenol and advil just fine. Due the Dr. Regimen of Liquid Tylenol and Liquid Advil, I've only taken one of the Oxycodone since I"ve been home. In fact, now that the gas is gone, there really isn't any pain at all unless I make a sudden move in the wrong direction. Each day gets better so hopefully I can start fitting enough in my sleeve to start hitting my protein numbers. I'm also down about 12lbs so far, which I'm sure is mostly water weight. I was feeling some regret the night after surgery and how bad the gas pain felt the day after, but once that nasty gas goes away, you feel like a whole new person. Smooth sailing now. I'm sill on full liquids for 2 weeks, then on to purrees.

Hi Bonnie - I had given up dieting and just decided I was me and that was it, however, I have had several deaths in my family that were diabetis related. I have always been happy and active, have a great husband and family and so I was not too worried about it all. I am not diabetic yet, but I do have pretty severe osteoarthritis of the knee and am looking at a total knee replacement and decided it was time. I researched for quite a while, talked with those that had both good and bad experiences and then talked to my PCP. He actually recommended my particular surgeon as the one he would go to if he needed surgery so I went and decided to go forward. Not knowing your specifics and if you have ever had surgery, this procedure was pretty easy for me, I am 4 weeks out, down 26 lbs and waiting for my first fill. I have had to work at it, I have always been able to lose weight, but keeping it off is another story. Allready I can feel amazing improvement in my knees and energy level. My advise is to check all your options and talk to people you trust and you will make the right decision for you. There are lots of options now and diffferent ones are best for each person so you and your doctor will decide what is best for you. If you decide to do the band I wish you luck, and know if I can do it you can.

It is one of the best things that I have done for myself. Many of the issues that I had, sleep Apena, High Blood Pressure have all gone away. I still have sleep apena but I do not have to use the machine and/or dental device. However I still use it once or twice a week. I do feel a lot better and able to do a lot more things than I have before. One thing I will say and you will notice on here is that everyone is differant on how much, fast etc. they loose the weight and keep it off. This is for you and your self and no one else. I can say that my New Years resoulation that I have been able to keep for the last 2 years and that was to loose weight and keep it off. I think a lot of people can atest to that. If you have any questions or need help with a letter just ask. I have some examples that you can use. Chris

i'm 2.5 years post-op and i have to be honest with you... in the beginning it's hard. right after your surgery (the first 2 weeks or so) you won't be hungry at all and it will seem impossible to get in all the required Protein but as your stomach heals after the surgery, your hunger will return and since your band will not be filled you will enter what is known as "Bandster Hell" because you're banded but have no restriction and all the familiar hunger pains will be there. you might not lose any weight the first month after surgery so that can bring on depression. after a fill or 2 you'll feel the restriction and that's when the work really begins... for me, one of the the hardest parts has been knowing when to stop eating. your band will tell you when its had enough but your brain tells you to keep eating because it tastes SO good. if you listen to the band, you'll be fine. if you listen to your brain, you'll throw up. the second hardest parts is dealing with the foods your band will no longer tolerate. for me, i can no longer eat bread... which includes pizza (my most favorite food EVER). i also can't eat hamburger or popcorn... other favorite foods. after time, you learn to adapt your eating habits. while i can't eat the bread from the pizza but i can eat the cheese and toppings which is the best part anyway. i still crave burgers and get extremely jealous when a friend or family member orders one but i don't like the consequence i have to face if i DO try to eat one. you become so much more in tune with your body that its amazing. i went from wearing baggy mostly black clothes to proudly showing off my curves with bold colors. i love the compliments i get. i love shopping now! i love feeling healthy which makes me HAPPY! it's a difficult journey but my happiness is worth it!

i'm a little confused....i received my insurance approval letter last week. Went & met w/ the new surgeon today & he asked if I had my PCP letter. I explained that I didn't need this from the other surgeon and insurance has approved. He seemed unsure that my insurance had approved me but I had my letter with me. The patient advocate that was helping me said that it is something they require for the hospital to stay accredited...or something like that. the obstacle is my PCP is out on maternity leave, she is actually a PA so I am scheduled to meet w/ the Dr over her on Thursday....i guess i'm praying he gives me a letter of consent or whatever it is since we don't need it for the insurance approval.

Hi All, I just got sleeved on Monday along with a hiatal hernia repair. I'm in much less pain than I thought I would be so I'm very hopeful this recovery will be fast! I lost 19lbs on my two week low carb pre op diet so I plan to continue that way of eating once I'm on solids again. I started at 367, was 348 on surgery day and want to get down to less than 20% body fat, whatever that scale number will be. Any tips on what I should start to do to be active when the time comes? I was thinking just walking to start with but your suggestions are welcome! Thanks [emoji4]

I don't have one multi-Vitamin that has everything like you are looking for. Bariatric Advantage has bariatric Vitamins that may but I don't like big horse pills so don't mind taking individuals. I take a multi and a D3 in the morning. I take Iron and chewable C with a meal when I am not eating dairy/calcium. I take the rest (D+K, B-12, B-1, and calcium chews after another meal or snack. I follow my surgeon's guidelines as to amounts. I have taken all of these, in pill form, since a week after surgery.

Well, I got a call on Friday from my PCP that they received the results from my sleep study that I had 6/13/07. It's about time! Bad news: I have moderate OSA. Partial good news: he doesn't want to bother putting me on a CPAP if I'm going through this surgery and just going to lose the weight anyway. Now I just have to hope my surgeon will feel the same way. If he decides that he wants me on the CPAP first then I have to go through the process of getting the machine, having another sleep study to set the pressure on it, and then be on it for two weeks before he'll even schedule my surgery. ARGHHHHH! :heh: But on another note, I spoke with Tangela from his office today. I had called to make sure they received everything on the checklist they gave me. She couldn't look it up in my chart because my surgeon still had it. But, she told me that if I DON'T hear from her tomorrow that means they have the 3 main things (nutritionist,MHC, and letter of medical necessity) to send it off to the insurance and she'll send it out tomorrow. So most like by this time next week I'll be approved! YIPPEE!!!!! :clap2: Next I have my appt with Dr. Ehrlich (my surgeon) on 7/16/07 (next Monday). We be discussing my gallbladder and probably now my sleep study too.:phanvan I just hope it goes well. I'll keep you all posted. Goodnight:notagree.

From your most recent post it sounds like you now have the information needed, but I'll copy and paste below what Tijuana Bariatrics sent me last year (it could have since been updated) in case anyone else is seeking it: Pre-Op Instructions Gastric Sleeve, Plication and Lap Band Use any prepared canned or powdered Protein drink. You may purchase these in any health food store or many grocery stores. Please be sure it contains at least 15 grams of protein per serving. 1 Protein Drink at Breakfast 1 protein drink at lunch Dinner: salad with Protein (chicken, fish, egg, etc), small amount of low fat dressing, or fat free dressing or olive oil and vinegar. 1 protein drink in the evening if needed You may also take 1 Metamucil capsule per day if needed for hunger. Start this phase the day before surgery: Do a light breakfast the day prior to surgery and take only Clear liquids after that. This consists of broth, Jell-o, sugar-free juice, any clear liquid You may have nothing to eat or drink after the midnight preceding surgery or 8 hours prior to it. If you are a Same Day Surgery arrive with an empty stomach and wear compression stockings during your trip. You may take needed medications (such as heart or blood pressure medications) with sips of Water the morning of surgery as directed by our Doctors. Do not take any aspirin, Advil, Nuprin, Aleve or any other non-steroidal anti-inflammatory medication for 7 days prior to surgery. These medications cause unnecessary bleeding after surgery. This includes baby aspirin and most arthritis medications. If you are not sure, please check with our Doctors.. For headache or minor pains you may use Tylenol. You may restart these medications the next day after surgery. Do not take any herbal medications for 7 days prior to surgery. Bring comfortable shoes and slippers to Mexico, you will be asked to walk several times per day. Please bring your medications in properly labeled pharmaceutical bottles for documentation of dosages. You will be on a liquid and soft food diet for two weeks after surgery. Stock up on sugar-free liquids: Crystal Light, sugar free fruit juices, apple sauce, yogurt, sugar-free pudding, sugar-free jell-o, thin Soups and caffeine-free teas. If you do not like the flavor of chicken broth, make chicken noodle Soup and strain out the solids. Avoid all carbonated beverages (fills the stomach with gas). Avoid sugar (extra calories that fight against weight loss). Caffeine makes you urinate more and can lead to dehydration. You will need to drink plenty of liquids to prevent dehydration after surgery. Sport drink bottles with measurements on the side will help ensure you are drinking enough liquid. You will need to drink at least two quarts (2,000cc) per day to prevent dehydration. You will not be able to gulp liquids so you will want to drink small amounts throughout the day. RNY/Bypass, Mini Bypass and DS Start this phase 2 days before surgery: Take a laxative (any laxative that you usually use). Take only clear liquids after that. This consists of broth, Jell-o, sugar-free juice, Gatorade and any clear liquid. You may have nothing to drink after the midnight preceding surgery or 8 hours prior to your surgery. If you are a Same Day Surgery arrive on an empty stomach and wear compression stockings. *Please follow the pre-op diet as instructed below 1. BMI’s 30 to 31 no diet-only clears liquids the day prior to surgery 2.-BMI's 32 to 39 - 7 days 3.-BMI's 40 to 49- 10 days 4.- BMI's 50 to 59- 14 days 5.- BMI's 60 to 69- 21 days 6.-BMI's 70 and over- 1 month

:biggrin:Hello Everyone!! I am considering the lap band surgery, does anyone have any advice? Does anyone happen to know anything about the surgeons in Asheville, NC?? I am schceduled to attend the information seminar next week and am looking forward to understnading this procedure more. I am really excited and cannot wait...but at the same time I am really nervous. This is a really BIG DEAL!! I am starting at 350lbs and am worried about side affects and what will happen after the surgery. Thanks in advance for any advice you can offer.

Today's the day. I am not nervous like I was for weeks anymore. I'm just READY and SUPER EXCITED. I'm up getting myself and boys ready to meet with my Mom and then head to the hospital. I'll keep you guys updated. Please keep me and all our other friend's here having their surgery today in prayer.