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Hi Noosh, I did have my surgery on 12-29-08. It went well, and although the incision where the port is was a little more painful that I expected, it hasn't been bad at all. I've lost about 15 pounds (not surprising, since there's not a whole lot that i can eat!), so I've got about 60 more to go. The first week was a little rough, between some pain (though not bad) and wanting to eat. Since then, it's been easier. I will be getting my first fill on 2-11, and I am looking forward to being able to eat real food again soon. As far as the process went with Aetna, it was really painless! The insurance guru at my surgeon's office did basically everything, and the fact that I had been seeing my primary care physician for about 6 months (and had 3 consecutive monthly visits...make sure you get those done) and had tried other way to lose (Meridia, Pfen-Fen, Weight Watchers, etc.) really helped. My out of pocket expenses were about $2000, including my co-pay and the classes that I took through the Bariatric Program that works with my surgeon. I've submitted the fees for the program to Aetna to see if I can get reimbursed, so we'll see how that goes! Good luck to you, and if I can do anything to help, please let me know!

Yep 6 weeks, my doc just cleared me. Be careful you don't wanna rip your innards.

I just moved up to mushy food.....I am eating only around 1/4 cup of food for each meal. Still supplementing protein with shakes. I have been walking everyday for 20-30 min. Still getting very tired and need naps occasionally. I have noticed the scale going up 1-2 lbs. I am freaking....what's going on??

Google "three week stall".

I will be starting my pre-op liquid diet soon. November 28th. My surgeon requires 3 weeks of liquid diet before surgery. Yikes. I am worried about that chew urge too. Maybe I will invest in some sugar free gum? I am watching your blog for inspiration. Take care, Jen

Hi Patti, I don't know what you are basing your idea that most people don't lose weight. The average banster does lose between 1-2 pounds a week. The first month, six to eight weeks is NOT for losing weight, it is for healing. Any weight lost during this time is bonus. Some people lose, some don't, but that isn't what this time is for. You should be able to drink an 8 ounce glass of Water without any problems. If you are too tight, then you are too tight. You might or might not be able to gulp, but that's something that no one will be able to tell. As for whether you will find someone to do you fills, well, you better figure this out before you have your band. The band surgery is only the beginning, the real work is in monitoring the fills. You need to find a fill doctor before you even have your surgery. I cannot stress how important this is. You might check the threads dedicated to your two states to see if anyone know of a fill doc in your area. I can't offer any insight to insurance questions. I know what mine covers, but that's mine and not yours. Sorry Even as so as my journey has been, I would have it done again in a heart beat.

I have been taking a photo every three months since my Surgery on May 6th. I was sure the 9 and 6 month photos were not going to show a difference because I've only lost a few pounds a month in the last three months. Well, I was wrong! There IS a difference, and I can't wait to see what 1 Year looks like!

Keep in mind that some of this may be in your head too. One bad experience, and your mind could play tricks on you and "close up" before you get a fork near your mouth. Try some deep breathing before you eat. Also drink something about 30 minutes before to tell yourself that you're fine and the food WILL go through. But if you find something is giving you trouble (even if you've eaten it fine before), lay off that for a week and go on to something else. There were foods that I suddenly couldn't eat anymore a YEAR after my band. Give yourself time to adjust after those fills. You'll react differently to each one, so it's going to be a lot of trial and error.

Thank you for sharing. I am 4 years out also. I lost about 100 pounds. In the past 2-3 years, I have let it creep back up. I need to lose at least 30 pounds now. I do not exercise much at all. I have realized that I have to get control or it will all come back. I have lost 7 pounds in a week by portion control and smart food choices. I’ve got to keep going.

I think about surgery day. It's weird, but I worry more about surviving the surgery itself than the actual complications you can have from it....I feel guilty sometimes, like I could leave my kids motherless because I want to be thin again...but my nut told me I deserve this and death is rare...I have decided to believe her. I don't even want to worry about it. I push it to the back of my mind most days. Sometimes it comes creeping up though.... Also, I am worried about what I will be like coming out of anesthesia. Like, I guess we get either super chatty,tired, or cry...when I had my wisdom teeth out years ago I was told I cried...I hope I follow suit again lol....because I don't remember....I think it would be less embarassing to cry. I watch too many youtube videos lol....I cheated on my diet yesterday! I ate three Andes mint chocolates oh my and one today...I fed the rest to mykids so wouldnt be tempted...I have three kids so they each got like three a piece..... I was doing so well smh. I think it liquifies too and will be out of my system and not cause my liver to enlarge lol.....man I miss real food....but getting on the scale this morning and seeing 200.4 made me tear up. I am almost afraid to get on the scale tomorrow. Onederland is a huge milestone and to be under 200 is significant for me...I never imagined in a million years I would be over 200lbs.... or eat a whole box of mac and cheese in one sitting either but here I am lol....striving to be a better me

I got word of my approval last monday. My paperwork had been submitted the monday before. So, exactly a week! Good luck! I'm getting sleeved dec 6th. They were going to schedule as early as nov 8th, but I too wanted a dec date for work scheduling.

TL; DR: this is a post about 12-step recovery. Your mileage may vary. food was never the problem. Food was the solution. The problem has always been the build up of normal human emotions. This is not an original thought from me, JWM. I heard this in an OA podcast. The speaker, Harlan G., discusses the twelve step recovery program of Overeaters Anonymous in detail, and at length, and describes how he has recovered from compulsive overeating, giving him 17 years of abstinence and several hundred pounds of weight loss, from a high weight of 700 pounds. I am blessed to have had the resources to get WLS and my LapBand nearly two years ago. I am blessed to have found my way back to OA and am vigorously working a program of recovery that addresses the physical, emotional and spiritual aspects of my disease of food addiction. I need both. Since my surgery in March of 2014, I filed for divorce and moved out of my home with my college age daughters, leaving behind an abusive and controlling spouse who will not let go. He continues to be openly aggressive to me and our daughters and we have gone "no contact" as much as possible. The divorce should come to a conclusion three months from now. This two years had been, by far, the most stressful of my life. I began therapy for my divorce shortly after moving out, and my therapist recommended Codependents Anonymous. CODA helped immediately. From there, I soon found my way back to OA which I had been in decades before. I began working the program, and finally got a sponsor in December last year. Working the OA program with a sponsor and attending lots of meetings gave my weight loss the kick in the pants it needed. I found myself addressing the daily emotions head on instead of hiding in the food. I was now able to make the changes I wasn't willing to make the first year and a half after my WLS. I put down the fried food. I put down the alcohol. I put down the prescription pain pills that I "needed" for my knee pain. I put down the buckets of movie crapcorn I was eating every week. I put down the Thai noodles that I would fantasize about during my work day and run to like a lover at 5pm. I put these things down and I felt so much better. I didn't feel good. I "felt" better. I felt pain better. I felt sadness better. I felt anxiety better. I felt worry better. I felt like a walking, talking rubber band wound up tight and ready to snap. And sometimes I snapped. I went to OA and CODA meetings nearly every day. I went to my therapist every two weeks. But once every two weeks isn't enough for the daily buildup of normal human emotions that is life. And that is where my OA sponsor and the people in these 12-step programs come in. I have a network of help that I can rely on daily. Whenever I need it. The miracle of modern texting allows me to vent to an understanding person 24/7. And sooner or later that person replies and I get a perspective on my problem or situation I didn't have before. I reach out and get out of my own head every day to help somebody else. And I am recovering. One day at a time, I am recovering. I no longer think about food all day long. I plan it, I commit it, I log it, I stick to it. And consequently, my LapBand miraculously is now at the right level of fill and works perfectly. I also practice self care in other, important ways. I listen to meditation recordings. I pull out my markers and I color in adult coloring books. I get foot and shoulder massages monthly. I meet with friends weekly. I give my dog his nightly Raindrop oil massage and it relaxes us both. Food was never the problem. Today it is no longer the solution. This has been my path of recovery. I expect I'll be on a path of recovery for the rest of my life. That's cool. Today I have a life.

I gained 12 pounds in the hospital, from IV liquids. It took me two weeks to lose that and get back to where I started. Then I hit the dreadful third week stall and stayed there for two weeks. Then finally the weight started coming off.

About three inches below my left breast. Like B52, the more belly fat I lose the more prominent it is. It sticks out a lot actually. Oh well. Not baring my midriff anytime soon.

has the reflux and other issues gone away since having band removed? please tell me yes. I am 2 weeks post op and still have horrible acid reflux. I also had an ulcer and gastritis prior to removal so not sure if ulcer is causing problems or still from band.

I developed acute anxiety disorder after I had my surgery and though it is getting better with the help of medication, I am six weeks out and still have some symptoms. The one symptom that I struggle with now is the breathing. I start to hyperventilate by trying to take too deep of a breath which causes me to panic because it feels like I should be able to, but when I stop and remind myself to take slow, deep breaths the problem resolves. It eventually comes back throughout the day, but it is much better than it was. I was having full on panic attacks. Racing heart rate, difficulty berating, tingling in my neck and hands, dizziness, feeling faint, and extreme fear. Since taking my meds, those have subsided significantly. Based on what I have heard from most people is that it will subside over the first several months and typically not recur. Since I am only 6 weeks out from my surgery I think I may have a little bit to go before I am symptom/anxiety free. I just hold on to the knowledge that the anxiety and depression will eventually subside. If you’d like more information on my emotional struggles post-surgery, I have a blog on this site under “The Weight loss Journey of VegasBusby”. I wish you all the best!!

First question : I'm about 4 weeks post op and have hit my first stall. I have lost 21 pound so far but that was all in my first two weeks. I haven't lost any weight in the last two weeks. How long will this last, and what can I do to jump start it? Second question : I must admit I haven't be exercising as much as I should. I brought a treadmill and low and behold there were no screws to put it together, so right now I'm In the process of waiting for the company to send me new screws but I don't want to sit around and wait to much longer. So how long did u guys wait before you went to the gym? I don't wanna just go to get on the treadmill I will like to do other exercises as well. My doctor said at this point I can lift up to 10 pound. Thanks in advance guys!

Hiya Heartfire, thanks so much hun. I am feeling more positive each morning I wake. I need to go to the doc this morning as 3 of my wounds are weeping but I have the best GP. I have started the whole liquid mushy faze again, The one great thing is that my surgeon basically said that I know what I can and can't eat to do the best for my band so im on a diet between mushies and liquid. Im not really hungry. I think im a bit sore to be hungry. I'm not to worried I went 6 weeks before the band not eating much..I am just elated I still have my friend!! I call it Kekona it means second born in Hawaiian and I guess thats how i will feel in a few days!!! xoxoxox

That's awesome! I actually had my surgery the day before you... and I've lost about 28 lbs. so far! It is exciting... i have a question for you though... have you already had your first fill? and also do you feel restricted? I just had my first fill at my 4 week follow up appt. and I'm suppose to stick to 2 oz. meals... however... I find myself still able to eat way more than that... and I keep catching myself testing the waters a little and going beyond my 2 oz portion size. Just wondering how your experience is going. I'm still on mushy foods for the next 2 weeks... and then I graduate to "textured" foods. thanks for the post! Kayla

If it wasn't for bad luck, I wouldn't have any at all...Saturday was one of the worst days I've had in a while. It started well...pedicure, excited to go to a friend's bridal shower, but quickly went bad. I had my first post op meltdown yesterday as I was trying to get dressed to attend the bridal shower. See I've always prided myself on my appearance and clothing. I was a plus size fashionista of some sort. I had my ensemble planned out in my head and was excited since I hadn't really dressed up in a while. I'm a teacher who had her surgery right at the beginning of summer vacay and its been a lot of sweats, tshirts and elastic. Yesterday my clothes were too big....not just "oh there's a little extra room" too big, but falling off my shoulder too big. AND my bra was too big. You could see the cup collapsing under the clingy shirt. I tried 4 different bras and 2 shirts before I broke down. I had a full on temper tantrum. Of course I'm happy, but who wants to look a mess? I finally compromised with myself and headed out the door. Because of the meltdown I was running late for the shower. Then I was even later because the hall sat back from the street, behind another building and I drove past it back and forth for 15 minutes. Finally made it, go in and....I FALL DOWN the last 6 or so steps. I didn't kill myself, but I could feel my ankle throbbing. By the end of the shower I knew it was going to be bad. At home, the swelling and pain picked up. It's painful to walk and all I can think about is I won't be able to work out.... I'm only 6 weeks out and am losing at a ok rate, but when I work out, of course I'm pulling down some pretty damn good numbers. I already was going to see my reg doc on Monday so I'll have her take a look at it and pray for the best. THEN...guys this is your cue to leave. Ladies tmi coming. Then after 1.5 years my cycle starts! My cycle was purposely stopped in Jan 2011 because I have large fibroids. I was given hormone injections every 3 months, but had to stop them in preparation for surgery because of the risk of blood clots. So while I haven't been searching for my cycle I had been a little concerned because the last injection was Feb 2012. Well aunt flo showed right on up yesterday with a wrath....crimson tide! I'm feeling better about everything today. The swelling on the ankle is going down and I'm controlling the pain. Have an luncheon to attend today and I already tried on the dress lol. Can't wear the shoes I had picked out, but I'll be fine. I still am angry about the cycle though.... Thanks for "listening" to me fuss! *kisses*

I'm now 8 weeks out feeling Happy but I take st John's wort tea on work days.

I understand the eating thing completely!!:help: I will do good for a few days and the scale (yes, I weigh every day) looks like it is going down and when WHAM I could eat the a$$ out of dead rhino...Nothing is enough. Or I will do well during the day and then at night, I am starving! I am waiting till the Dr. hears from my insurance co., then I have the phychological done and set up the day to be banded. It already seems like a long time and the Dr. office didn't get my test results back and ready to go to insurance until last week. I have no idea how long it will take for them to get back to the Dr. In the mean time, I am suppose to be losing 15 to 30 lbs before surgery. I keep going up and down the same 5 lbs over and over. Another of my problems is the way I work. I have 2 jobs and I wind up taking something to my evening job to eat. It is too late to eat at 9:30 when I get home, and too early before I go in, at 4:30. I usually get a salad to take on nights I work, but that gets old. Then I wonder what I will eat after the band. I usually take a Lean Cusine to school for lunch but they have to much rice and pasta in them to eat after the band. I need to make large quantites of food when I'm off and then eat on it all week. I don't know how this will go after the band. My grown son lives with me, for now. He cooks occasionally, not much though. Then my mom lives in an assisted living place and when I'm off I try to go to see her and take her out to eat. I don' t have time to get anything done, I feel like I'm going crazy!!! At least when summer gets here, I will have a little more time off of school. But then again, I agreed to work summer school for 2 weeks...It never ends.... FunnyDuddies you are not the only one venting here tonight I guess! Best of luck to all of us.

some days everything goes down others it is throwing up all day same with the wieght first it comes off then it stalls then it goes up does this make any sense?

I am just now 6 months. I have been in the 18os for over 2 months now. I have been going up and down the same 3 lbs for atleast 5-6 weeks. Has anyone stalled this long? I think that I may be at a point that my body won't let go of anymore of my weight. I'm curious to know how long you guys have stalled?