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OH BOY!!! NOW YOU'VE GOT ME NERVOUS ABOUT POST OP-PAIN. MY SURGERY IS 12/22/10. THEN AGAIN I HAVE TO REMEMBER THAT EVERYONE IS DIFFERENT. I SURE HOPE TOMORROW YOU WILL BE FEELING BETTER, IN FACT I KNOW YOU WILL.. CONGRATS ON YOUR NEW JOURNEY TO A SUCCESSFUL NEW YOU.

Think of it this way, we'll be avoiding future health problems that would come along with waiting! or, would you rather lose excess weight you've been carrying for 5 years or 10 years? Surely most people would pick 5 years because that means there is less damage to your body right?

Dear Amber, my BMI was "only" over 34 when I got sleeved, but I wish I had it done 10 years ago (I am 30 now). I would have saved myself a lot of health troubles. And I would have been happier. It does change your life, but before the sleeve I lived for food, right now I have so many other interestests! Like my skinny friends I eat and drink just a little bit and have more time for other stuff. I really wish I had it done before...

Me and you are in the same boat; I too am 19 and getting sleeved in May. I don't have any weight-related health problems such as back pain but I can see myself having some later on, plus I have a bad family history of medical problems, so I'm hoping this surgery will spare me from most of that

I am 19 years old, I have been overweight all my life, and have tried time and time again to lose weight. I am having surgery in May and it is a life changing experience, but think about what will happen if you don't. All of the health problems as we get older, I am 19 years old and I have back and knee pain daily! I'm not trying to push my decision on you, just giving you my side. Good luck in your decision, message me if you want to talk

Yes she is not listening to you, I would try to get another one. I don’t think mine is terribly bright either, but it also their education and training is out of date. I do think you need to follow the guidelines as far as water goes. The #1 cause of re-hospitalization is dehydration. Maybe you could just drink an ounce of liquid every 10 minutes and that will help you tolerate it better. I wouldn’t worry about loosing to much weight, it’s normal, it’s also normal that you will gain some back after a year or two, so just let it happen. As far as dairy goes our bodies don’t really need dairy, but you do need the protein it provides. Have you tried ISOPURE PROTEIN POWDER (0 carbs)? You can put it on or in anything, one scoop is 29 grams of protein, you can spread out through the day. Even if you just sprinkle some on whatever your eating will give you extra protein. I have problems with constipation too and it is perfectly safe to put MiraLAX in some water everyday which will eventually keep things moving.

Yes it is amazing how many patients eventually revise to a sleeve or a gastric bypass, the band seems to be a quick grab for cash costing around 8K, in actual theatre and equipment cost is less than 3K, 10 of those is 30K and that would be a weekly work for WL Dr in NSW

After almost a year of jumping through hoops and all that crap.. I finally got my approval and my surgery date!! May 3rd 10:00am!! I'm so happy I could crap smiley faces.

I am a single mother of two wonderful boys. I have been divorced for 2 1/2 years now. I have battled my weight my entire life. FINALLY, there is a way out!! I have tried just about ever diet out there: slimfast, weight watchers (4xs), cutting calories, metabolife, trim spa, hermal remidies, ect.... I have also bought so many exercise programs - i could make my own : the firm; walking off the pounds; turbo jam; windsor pilates, gazelle, billy blanks circut training, jazzercise, ect..... so this is my last resort! I have to do something now or i know i will just continue on this distructive path and end up so large ~ my health will suffer much more than it already is. I attended the SCOR Lap-Band Seminar April 18, 2006. My weight is 210 and i'm 5'3. I had researched online and spoke to family before even committing to attending. Luckily my family was behind me 100%. I was excited before i ever got there. I had looked into my insurance policy before even going also ~ it's not excluded however i've been on plenty of diets but none of them have been medically supervised. So, that was my biggest fear of not getting approved. There just is NO possible way i can self-pay. I made my inital consult w/Dr. Powells office for April 26th, 2006. My insurance pre-determination said i needed 3 years of physician supervised weight loss attempts. I told them there way no way that was plan specific ~ so we continued with the consult anyway. I was told i was a good candidate for the surgery and i had to get my psych and nutritional evaluations done and then we could sumbit to insurance. I had already gotten all of my medical files for the past 5 years before coming to this appointment~ i didn't want any delays My psych exam was May 5th ~ seemed easy enough, just a bunch of questions and a computer test. May 10th met w/ psychologist for review of my psych results ~ it was a student and she told me she was going to suggest my surgery be placed on hold until i seek Pyschiatric help to re-evaluate my current depression meds and further counseling. I was OUT RAGED!! What did she think has been causing my depression all of these years? OH well, i called Myra (Dr. Powells nurse) and we decided for a second opinion. However, the nutritionist did clear me and said she saw the medical neccessity needed for the surgery and her report. May 17th~ I went to Dr.Howard Smith - a psychiatrist - and he cleared me on the spot after 30 minutes of talking to me. Thank Goodness~~i was getting worried. Friday May 26th ~ my paperwork has been mailed to my insurance company~~it was too large to fax - LOL. June 1st ~ insurance has received my paperwork! I am gonna call every other day until i hear something probably. I'm just afraid that it will just sit on someones desk. Not likely w/my insurance - they are pretty on top of things. However they said it could take up to 28 days for review..uuuugggghhhh! June 19th ~ WWWHHHHOOOOO HHHOOOOOO!! I just called insurance and i am APPROVED! I am blessed to have such a great insurance company. I was afraid i would have some of the same issues as i have read about here and other boards. I am glad that i didn't. I talked to Myra(Dr Powells nurse)- and she was very excited for me and said as soon as she gets the letter she will call me and we can get set up to see Dr. Powell and get a surgery date :Dancing_biggrin: So, i called the office responsible for sending out the approval letter and she's not in..but the secretary said she'll e-mail her and try to get it printed and faxed to Dr. Powell's office by Wednesday :confused_smile: I am SO excited it seems sureal. I know it's not a quick fix ~ but a very valuable tool to help me get back to a healthy lifestyle. June 22, 2006 ~ met Dr. Powell today and got my lovely Myocel and surgery date :behindsofa: It is July 6th, 2006 @ 7:30am. I am SOOOOOOOOO excited. I'm sure i may be nervous the morning of, but right now it is a wonderful feeling knowing it's really gonna happen! June 25th, 2006 ~ OMG, that Myocel (vanilla) is AWFUL. I thought since i am used to drinking Slimfast that it would be alright. Well, after adding chocolate pudding mix (sugar free) it wasn't so bad. Tolerable atleast. I know i have to do it~ so i will. Went to Beth Moore Living Proof conference in OKC this weekend..it was SO awesome. All i could do was praise our God b/c he is GOOD. I prayed so much that this surgery would be his will and i could get approval. Well, obviously~~ it was and its great! June 26, 2006 ~ My surgery is ONLY 10 days away...i have to go get blood work done today-ewwww. OH well, just a means to an end :rolleyes2: June 28th, 2006 ~ atleast i'm getting used to drinking the protein shakes, but i'm pretty sure i will get the cholocate myocel next time! Kinda afraid to weigh myself ~ it's that time of the month...and it's probably better if i don't anyway. I'm still excited about surgery date ~ just trying to stay realistic though and not expect results too fast :lightbulb: Well, only 6 days left until surgery! I can hardly believe it's actually gonna happen. By no means am i expecting any miracles. I know this will be work ~ i am just gaining a very effective tool to help me. I am ready to be healthy! I want to be able to play with my kids as they grow up and grandkids when the time comes! God willing ~ i will be able to make this work. Better hit the sack :rolleyes5: :notagree June 30, 2006~~Ok guys, only 5 days until surgery! I have still been reading posts n this site and some others. There are some very unfortunate omplications that have risen from this band. I am trying to be optimistic, but not naive to this fact. So many people have lost weight in the first 6 weeks of healing, and some are having trouble losing even after fills. I know everyone is different. I also know its just a tool. I guess i'm just venting concern. I am still excited and wanting this surgery ~ just a little freaked out by what some have said here and there!!! Well, only 3 days left :rolleyes5: Yesterday i went to a family gathering and a friend of the family was there. She'd had the lap band back in May 2003. She almost died. She was following the post-op directions to the 'T' and lost 60lbs. Then all of a sudden she couldn't keep anything down. She got so ill~~~so many hospitals~~~ just awful. Fortunatly, God wasn't ready for her to come home yet. After removing the band and much rehab ~ she is alright now. I completly believe that the lapband is not for everyone. Don't quite know how to "know" who it is right for~~guess i'll find out. I belive in my heart that this is Gods will for me. Going to the store today to get post-op foods and such. Guess i'd better be going....update later :thumbsup: December 5th, 2006 I got banded July 6th, 2006 -so i have a new birthday! I haven't done so well with weight loss though. I am only down to 202 - so that's 10 lbs in 4 months!!! I now have a 2.4 cc in my band and i have major restriction. I'm really going to start trying to walk on the treadmill more - i have run out of excuses! I am not giving up ~ NO WAY~ never!!!! I will make this work!! I have to remember the band is just a TOOL... not a miracle worker by itself. So...i'll try to keep up - ttyl __________________ :)Jessica Stevens Dr. Powell 7-6-06 212/202/120

I am a single mother of two wonderful boys. I have been divorced for 2 1/2 years now. I have battled my weight my entire life. FINALLY, there is a way out!! I have tried just about ever diet out there: slimfast, weight watchers (4xs), cutting calories, metabolife, trim spa, hermal remidies, ect.... I have also bought so many exercise programs - i could make my own : the firm; walking off the pounds; turbo jam; windsor pilates, gazelle, billy blanks circut training, jazzercise, ect..... so this is my last resort! I have to do something now or i know i will just continue on this distructive path and end up so large ~ my health will suffer much more than it already is. I attended the SCOR Lap-Band Seminar April 18, 2006. My weight is 210 and i'm 5'3. I had researched online and spoke to family before even committing to attending. Luckily my family was behind me 100%. I was excited before i ever got there. I had looked into my insurance policy before even going also ~ it's not excluded however i've been on plenty of diets but none of them have been medically supervised. So, that was my biggest fear of not getting approved. There just is NO possible way i can self-pay. I made my inital consult w/Dr. Powells office for April 26th, 2006. My insurance pre-determination said i needed 3 years of physician supervised weight loss attempts. I told them there way no way that was plan specific ~ so we continued with the consult anyway. I was told i was a good candidate for the surgery and i had to get my psych and nutritional evaluations done and then we could sumbit to insurance. I had already gotten all of my medical files for the past 5 years before coming to this appointment~ i didn't want any delays My psych exam was May 5th ~ seemed easy enough, just a bunch of questions and a computer test. May 10th met w/ psychologist for review of my psych results ~ it was a student and she told me she was going to suggest my surgery be placed on hold until i seek Pyschiatric help to re-evaluate my current depression meds and further counseling. I was OUT RAGED!! What did she think has been causing my depression all of these years? OH well, i called Myra (Dr. Powells nurse) and we decided for a second opinion. However, the nutritionist did clear me and said she saw the medical neccessity needed for the surgery and her report. May 17th~ I went to Dr.Howard Smith - a psychiatrist - and he cleared me on the spot after 30 minutes of talking to me. Thank Goodness~~i was getting worried. Friday May 26th ~ my paperwork has been mailed to my insurance company~~it was too large to fax - LOL. June 1st ~ insurance has received my paperwork! I am gonna call every other day until i hear something probably. I'm just afraid that it will just sit on someones desk. Not likely w/my insurance - they are pretty on top of things. However they said it could take up to 28 days for review..uuuugggghhhh! June 19th ~ WWWHHHHOOOOO HHHOOOOOO!! I just called insurance and i am APPROVED! I am blessed to have such a great insurance company. I was afraid i would have some of the same issues as i have read about here and other boards. I am glad that i didn't. I talked to Myra(Dr Powells nurse)- and she was very excited for me and said as soon as she gets the letter she will call me and we can get set up to see Dr. Powell and get a surgery date So, i called the office responsible for sending out the approval letter and she's not in..but the secretary said she'll e-mail her and try to get it printed and faxed to Dr. Powell's office by Wednesday I am SO excited it seems sureal. I know it's not a quick fix ~ but a very valuable tool to help me get back to a healthy lifestyle. June 22, 2006 ~ met Dr. Powell today and got my lovely Myocel and surgery date It is July 6th, 2006 @ 7:30am. I am SOOOOOOOOO excited. I'm sure i may be nervous the morning of, but right now it is a wonderful feeling knowing it's really gonna happen! June 25th, 2006 ~ OMG, that Myocel (vanilla) is AWFUL. I thought since i am used to drinking Slimfast that it would be alright. Well, after adding chocolate pudding mix (sugar free) it wasn't so bad. Tolerable atleast. I know i have to do it~ so i will. Went to Beth Moore Living Proof conference in OKC this weekend..it was SO awesome. All i could do was praise our God b/c he is GOOD. I prayed so much that this surgery would be his will and i could get approval. Well, obviously~~ it was and its great! June 26, 2006 ~ My surgery is ONLY 10 days away...i have to go get blood work done today-ewwww. OH well, just a means to an end June 28th, 2006 ~ atleast i'm getting used to drinking the protein shakes, but i'm pretty sure i will get the cholocate myocel next time! Kinda afraid to weigh myself ~ it's that time of the month...and it's probably better if i don't anyway. I'm still excited about surgery date ~ just trying to stay realistic though and not expect results too fast Well, only 6 days left until surgery! I can hardly believe it's actually gonna happen. By no means am i expecting any miracles. I know this will be work ~ i am just gaining a very effective tool to help me. I am ready to be healthy! I want to be able to play with my kids as they grow up and grandkids when the time comes! God willing ~ i will be able to make this work. Better hit the sack :notagree June 30, 2006~~Ok guys, only 5 days until surgery! I have still been reading posts n this site and some others. There are some very unfortunate omplications that have risen from this band. I am trying to be optimistic, but not naive to this fact. So many people have lost weight in the first 6 weeks of healing, and some are having trouble losing even after fills. I know everyone is different. I also know its just a tool. I guess i'm just venting concern. I am still excited and wanting this surgery ~ just a little freaked out by what some have said here and there!!! Well, only 3 days left Yesterday i went to a family gathering and a friend of the family was there. She'd had the lap band back in May 2003. She almost died. She was following the post-op directions to the 'T' and lost 60lbs. Then all of a sudden she couldn't keep anything down. She got so ill~~~so many hospitals~~~ just awful. Fortunatly, God wasn't ready for her to come home yet. After removing the band and much rehab ~ she is alright now. I completly believe that the lapband is not for everyone. Don't quite know how to "know" who it is right for~~guess i'll find out. I belive in my heart that this is Gods will for me. Going to the store today to get post-op foods and such. Guess i'd better be going....update later December 5th, 2006 I got banded July 6th, 2006 -so i have a new birthday! I haven't done so well with weight loss though. I am only down to 202 - so that's 10 lbs in 4 months!!! I now have a 2.4 cc in my band and i have major restriction. I'm really going to start trying to walk on the treadmill more - i have run out of excuses! I am not giving up ~ NO WAY~ never!!!! I will make this work!! I have to remember the band is just a TOOL... not a miracle worker by itself. So...i'll try to keep up - ttyl __________________ :)Jessica Stevens Dr. Powell 7-6-06 212/202/120

I woke up November 17th 2014 and desided that I am done with diets and getting LapBand, got approved on Tue 12/2 and my pre-op diet starts tomorrow and surgery on 12/19.

Well I think your diets are very restrictive. The purpose of High Protein / Low Carbs diet is to allow your Liver to shrink, giving the surgeon to work more comfortably in your operation, at the same time promote better healing of your wounds after your operation. But still 2 weeks of shakes and clear fluids, this emotionally detrimental. Most of us doing the Sleeve are binge eater, and they love food. So causing emotional stress on top of the stress caused by the idea of the operations is not fun at all. I had my operation on the 10th of August, and before that, I had 10 days of high protein and low carbs. The last day I asked if I increase my carbs as a good bye, and the doctor agreed, but not to give full throttle to my stomach. I even know some of my friend who went Berserk with food without any special diet and they are doing great now, with more that 30% of their weight reduced.

The DS world is a fairly small one, and most of the docs know each other, and most patients (like my wife, DS ten years ago,) tend to learn who the players are in that craft. Since most of the DS docs that I know don't need to do these "liver shrinking" diets, your stated diet and a surgeon from Montreal narrowed things down to a good guess. And, I know a couple other VSG patients who used Dr. Gagner as well. I prefer dealing with the DS docs as most have been doing sleeves, by way of the DS, for 10-20 years or more - which is part of why they tend not to get into doing the extensive pre-op diets as they have tools and specific experience that negates the need.

Thanks everyone for the encouaging words. Today is day 4 and I am doing so much better. I know I can do this for another 10 days! I just can't wait til it's all over, and i"m on the road to recovery!

Yeah, great posts Tiffy and Oregondaisy! I'm 16 months out and can definitely eat more than at six months. I think the way Oregondaisy put it is exactly right - at six months I was counting bites, not ounces, because it was a real fight to eat much of anything. I'm about the same as everyone else: 1 slice of very thin crust pizza with cheese and mushrooms 3/4 to 1 cup of Soup, unless it's very hearty like a stew or chili, then it's more like 1/2 to 3/4 cup 1 egg 2 to 3 oz of dense Protein like lamb, beef or sausage, 3 to 4 oz of soft chicken 1 hard shell taco 8-10 potato chips, 5-6 regular pretzels 1 slice of toast, if it's not too big (but I can't eat anything else if I do this, so I avoid it) I have a huge capacity when it comes to popcorn so I have to watch it - I can eat 2 cups before I feel full I still can't eat: Soft tortillas, especially flour - they gum up and expand, hurting my tummy Pasta - anything beyond one or two bites fills me up immediately Rice - I can sometimes get a few tablespoons of rice in, but it's not easy I'll say once you're past a year it's still easier than pre-op but it's definitely a little tougher to control what you eat. I can easily eat 1500 calories in a day if I choose to have a soda and eat carbs all day. I'd have to do it all the time to gain weight, but I have to make good choices or I'll go off track. But going back to eating half a dozen hot wings and half a pizza like pre-op just isn't going to happen! Good luck to you! ~Cheri

My dr had me on clear liquids for a week and then full liquids for another week...so when I was 10 days out I could have any "cream of..." soups...the cream of chicken was my favorite, and it was definitely an improvement over the chicken broth...I tried cream of mushroom but didn't like it..there is also cream of asparagus, cream of shrimp, cream of broccoli--really a lot of choices in that category...also, many people here in the forum have loved cream of tomato soup...I was hesitant to eat it because of higher sugar content (I am diabetic) and the acidity of tomatoes (thought I might get heartburn)...but many people have enjoyed the cream of tomato soup with no problems...good luck! just remember that this liquid phase is only temporary and it won't be long before you can move on to soft/mushy/pureed foods

So a little update I s'pose. I was finally able to get up the courage to do something progressive. I went to a free WLS seminar held by our hospital. I felt like a moron because I showed up the first time on the wrong day and ended up having to wait 2 weeks over the holiday season for the next one... But it was worth meeting all the amazing people there and also comforting to find out the surgeons have had 0 deaths in the 10+ years they've been doing WLS. Anywho, the seminar really helped my subdue my nerves since they provided everyone with a to-do list (which is what I need in order to get ANYTHING done, ever.) So on friday I have an appointment to talk to my doctor about having surgery, and to check up on my H. Pylori and see if it's gone now (which when I went to my first meet and greet appointment with my new doctor, we discovered the H. Pylori and began treatment.) And then our hospital also requires you take 8 classes before considering you for the surgery, so I was signed up for my first one while at the seminar. So I feel like I'm finally on some sort of path in the right direction. I hope this keeps up.

I second the food tracking. I've read that tracking your food is one of the best ways to stay on course because you can clearly see if you start getting off course. Although it sounds like you don't really have a course, which sucks. I am not a doctor or medical professional in any way, but I can tell you what my plan is and maybe you can adjust it to suit your needs. I'm 3 months post-op, have lost 62 pounds, and am eating between 800 and 1,000 calories a day. I aim for 80 to 100 grams of Protein and no more than 40 to 60 grams of carbs. I try to avoid sugar and simple carbs like white rice, white bread, potatoes, etc. I don't really track fat, but I do stick with low fat in things like cheese because the low fat seems to have more protein. I typically have a premier Protein shake for Breakfast around 7, a snack like a boiled egg or 1/2 cup of cottage cheese around 10, lunch like chicken salad or lunch meat and cheese around 1, a light greek yogurt around 4, dinner like baked fish and steamed veggies around 7, then a small snack before bed that I usually choose based on whether I need more calories or protein or what by that point in the day. I do not drink carbonated beverages or alcohol, and I try to avoid what I call empty eating, like sugar free pudding, which may not be bad for you but also don't really offer you anything. After meeting with a personal trainer to plan a workout routine, here's what I do. 3 to 4 days a week, I spend 30 minutes on the treadmill or bike and 30 minutes doing the gym's circuit training. Then 2 or 3 days a week, I do some relatively light weight training. I hope this helps. If you want, feel free to private message me and I'll do my best to give you whatever answers I may have.

Hi there, Kaiser (SoCal) has a mandatory 24-week Healthy Options program pre-surgery where they teach you about the lifestyle from A-Z, and in that time frame, expect you to lose some weight. My Bariatric team specifically said that the 10% rule is out the window; and that Kaiser no longer requires that a medically supervised diet is followed. I am doing the full-food program since I already use a full-nutrition supplement 1-2 per day, and am adjusted to a partial liquid lifestyle. Currently losing about 1.5 pounds per week on my own, which puts me almost exactly at 10% total weight loss before my operation in late-December/mid-January. As I receive info, I'll post in the forums! Knowledge is power. Sent from my iPhone using the BariatricPal App

I can't believe how lucky I was. I see all these posts about extreme pain. I was hitting the morphine button pretty much every time I remembered it was there the day of surgery but I really don't remember any pain. Never had any of the gas issues. The worst part was no liquids. Surgeon said no liquids for 24 hours after surgery and I already been with no liquids for 12 hours prior. Day 2 I was taking liquid Vicodin but only had two doses. I was only able to get a few steps at a time but food was going down okay. Day three, there was that was really bad nausea and I had to take three different types of anti nausea medicine to get under control but that was it. I had one dose of liquid Vicodin in anticipation of a long car ride and a half a Vicodin when I got home but nothing since.One of the posters who was sleeve that pretty much the exact same time I was still needs Tramadol and Oxycodone to sleep. I do have problems with pressure in my chest when eating and often all day but nothing to the level of true pain. I've got to pray to the gods of weight loss surgery for sparing me some of the stuff that you guys are going through. You have my sympathies. HW 385 SW 359 Sleeved 10/5/16

I think it really depends on how much you need to lose. Bigger people ( 150 lbs or more) seem to loose more in 4 weeks than those who need to lose only 100, for example. I lost only 10 lbs my first month, 3 the next (Bandster Hell) and then 8. I have had 2 fills for 7 Cc and feel good but might get a little more fill next month if my hunger pangs get closer than 3-4 hours.

my info was submitted on the 18th of this month , im still waiting for approval. my bmi is 60 and i have no other corrids. i just called a few minutes ago they said its still under review and can take 5 to 10 business days . fingers crossed. oh and i have anthem.

I'm crossing my fingers for u and me. Mine was sent in on 1/10.... Waiting sucks!!!