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Delarla, Thanks for crying, but I have had my band almost and year and was a size 22. So in a year when you are wearing a size 10 I will cry for you too!!

Welcome! I am sure everything will go very well. I too have two children. A boy and a girl ages seven and five. It is a difficult decison to make whether to have the surgery. I was banded on 4/10/06. I have been overweight my entire life. I was able to lose weight with Weight Watchers over the years, but after I had a total hysterectomy in April 2005 I kept gaining and gaining. Good Luck! Jess 35 down--------80 or more??? to go

It took exactly 10 days. Good luck!

Hi Penni - It's been just 10 days... I wonder if there is any reason I need to go back to TJ? I suppose I should, just to make sure all is alright. Sigh. Plus Dr. Carmen promised to get me some affordable Ectiva (Mexican equivalent of Meridia) to help me manage my hunger once it kicks back in. But it does creep me out watching the black threads disappear into never never land... lol

I am not feeling to bad was sleeved by Dr Lopez Corvala on 10/23. He was great and so was everyone on his team. I am only 3 days post op.

well my day 4 went ok ....i had my pre op app. today it was very quick in and out .Everything is fine and i guess im ready ....10 more days on this diet left and i know it wont be no walk in the park but i will make it .... i find it very hard to get 3 shakes down a day .and the sf jello too,i cant stand the sweetnes of it ....... i dont do sf popsicles cause i dont eat anything ice never have , ....love the broth tho its saving my day

I have on average 5 protein drinks per day (I have to have 100 g a day). I also eat sf Popsicles & fudge pops (my surgon said the fudge pops would be fine, I would check with your surgon) I can also have chicken/beff/veggie broth but it's a lil to salt for me so I don't eat that often. I'm on a 2 week liquid diet & I have lost 15 lbs sine 10/15 for a total pre op weight loss of 50 lbs my surgery is 10/29 & I'm so ready to be on the other side. My best advise is don't try a premix protien & expect the power version to taste the same. I did this with isopure I could tolerate the premix it wasn't to bad so I bought the powder & it's one of the most disgusting things I've put in my mouth, so $100 later & a cabinet full of isopure I had to go to Wal Mart in search of something I could tolerate. EAS & the bullets have been a huge blessing. I mix the bullets in my water because I have to get at least 64 oz a day so I'm getting water & protien at the same time. I hope this helps give you an idea.

I had been considering the Lap Band for a long time. I did alot of research and finally attended a Weight Loss Seminar. After going to the Seminar, I completely changed my mind. I am now going to have the Vertical Sleeve Gastrectomy. Several reasons have actually contributed to this decision. The VSG is MUCH more appealing to me. I do not want to have to worry about slippage, erosion, fills, etc. Nor do I want to have the foreign objects in my body. But what also affected my decision was my insurance company's lack of willingness to pay AND the Surgery Center's lack of compassion. My first choice for WLS (for the Lap Band) was Southwest Medical Center in Lafayette, LA. When I went up to the desk to register, I was asked for my ID and insurance card. When I showed them a Louisiana Medicaid card, they asked if I also had Medicare, and I said no. So she handed my card back to me and very rudely announced that Medicaid will not cover any weight loss procedures alone, and that I would have to be on medicare as well. Problem is, I am not old enough to have medicare, nor am I disabled. So I told her that I would consider cash pay if the price was right, and I walked over to the scales to begin my sign in. After attending the Seminar, I got a feel that these people do not have very much compassion. There was a lady in there that must have weighed about 500 Ibs and had a trachea tube in her throat. She was VERY sick and had a hard time even speaking. She struggled to ask questions, and the answers to her were just so blunt, no compassion behind it. I felt so sorry for this lady. She was informed that the waiting list for Medicare / Medicaid patients to even have their first initial consultation is about 10 months. I was flabbergasted! So she asked if there were any way that she would be able to be put on the top of the list due to her condition. She was told no, Medicaid has a list and you are put on the list in the same order that you apply. Nobody is given priority. So this poor lady could die between now and then, and Medicare / Medicaid couldn't care less. The next day, I received a phone call from a patient specialist asking if I'd made a decision about the type of surgery I was interested in. When I said that I had gone in to find out about Lap Band, she cut me off and said that I could not get that surgery because I only had Medicaid. So I stated that I would be willing to be a cash pay patient, so long as I just have the surgery. She said that I could not be a cash pay patient! My mind was blown! I asked her again... please repeat that? Are you saying that I CANNOT pay you cash for surgery? Like you will not take cash? Since when? She told me that Louisiana law prohibits Medicaid patients from having procedures that are medicaid approved, and paying out of pocket. In other words, Medicaid INSISTS on paying for the surgery if it is a covered procedure. Needless to say, I do not give up THAT easily. I made more phone calls, spoke to someone at the hospital itself and she explained the VSG to me in more detail. She also explained to me that the procedure is not covered by ANY insurance, so I will not have to fight with Medicaid to pay for my surgery. Needless to say, with all of the positives taken into consideration, I am 100% sold. I went yesterday and had my initial consultation with my surgeon and he has already scheduled my surgery! I don't have to worry about a 2 week liquid diet because I carry the majority of my weight in my legs and not my abdomen. I will only have to be on liquids for 24 hours, including Magnesium Citrate, and I'm IN! I'm SO excited. My surgery is scheduled for February 25, 2009. I would definitely recommend the VSG over the Lap Band any day! __________________ Originally posted at www.lapbandtalk.com

Thanks, I feel great and I'm healthy and my knees love me again I am about 70lbs away from my personal goal, but I'd be happy with the 160-170 range, I feel that I can do it just need a little hard work to finish it off! I just want to loose my 17 lbs so I can say I'm in the 100s and ten easy peazy, small goals will make it easier! How are you doing on your 10 month journey?

What you have to realize is that you have had major surgery, even though you have no big incision. As other have said the first couple weeks you may feel you got hit by a train. Once you go thru all the steps and get to solid food that will be the amazing time. Your sleeve will tell you in no uncertain terms when to stop and believe me it will be only after a couple bites. This is the time you have to be careful and use that space wisely. I am 10 mos. out and am down over 80#. Going on a cruise in Jan. and I cannot tell you how much fun to get clothes and look so good. The other thing is the energy level. You always heard people who have lost say they now have so much ebergy...WOW. My husband is on the phone telling family that he has no idea what I may have accomplished by the time he gets home. I am 66 and my only regret is that I could have had this sooner, but I am truly enjoying and have nver regretted this decision(maybe early on I got teary eyed when I passed the Chinese buffett) The buffett is out but every once in a while I get an order of something and it lasts me 3 days. So just go day by day and soon all these little problems will resolve and you will literally be amazed...

I am from upper northwest Iowa, although I am going to Des Moines to have my surgery done by Dr. LaMasters on November 8th. Super excited! 10 days to go....

Congratulations on your fabulous progress! 50lbs is fantastic! Stalls are pretty darn common and as long as you are following the plan, your stall will break. Everyone hates a stall but there will be many more I am sad to say. My longest lasted almost a month, my shortest about 10 days. I am typically a daily weigher although when I am in a stall I have to remind myself not to get frustrated. Just keep moving forward with your diet and exercise and the stall will break. I would also consider that you are working out a lot which is great but what might be happening is that you are building muscle which weighs more than fat. You might even notice that even though the scale is not moving your clothes might be getting loser. I would guess that you are losing inches. Hang in there!

I am currently 10 weeks post op and have lost 50 #. I have not lost any weight in the last 3 weeks, I have heard of the 3 month stall but did not expect it to happen so soon. I work out 6 days a week, all 6 days with some form of cardio(only walking), distance, intervals, fast pace etc. I also do upper and lower body weights 2xweek. I have not started sit-ups as I was told not to start them until my 3 month visit. Does anyone have any ideas to get me jump started? I am getting frustrated and have slipped back to my old ways twice. Please help me.

I keep asking myself if I REALLY need the surgery, too. My stats are similar as I am 5'3 and about 5 pounds more than you now. I am also 41 and have NO co-morbidities. Like everyone here, I have tried everything. I lost 88 pounds on WWs in 7 months one go around but was highly discouraged because I couldn't become a lifetime member as they felt I needed to lose 30 more. I was already a size 8/10 and that would have put me in a 2/4 and for my frame, I would have looked ridiculous. As I have on all my diets, I gained all my weight back plus a couple dozen of it's friends. I started my pre-op diet 11 days ago and have lost 13.4 pounds so I know what to do. I am physically active. I have no back pain. I have no joint pain. I have no reflux or high ANYTHING other than my hair. I am on no meds. I know I can lose it on my own, but I also know that I can gain it all back without a backwards glance. I need to do this before I get older and before my physical health starts to suffer. I know how bad it is for my heart to yo-yo diet and that's what I've been doing for the last 20 years. I want to be a healthy role model for my teenage girls. I want to continue being physically active and keep up with my kids. I don't want to be the "fat mom" anymore, nor do I want to lose weight with the thought in the back of my mind that everyone's thinking "here she goes again, wonder how long it will last THIS time". I am DONE doing it the non-surgical way because it is not long term for me. I am so excited about the 16th of May, I can hardly stand it. WOOOOOOOOT!

Dyros - I have not had many lows. I worked with my entire care team and specifically my endocrinologist. We had a plan in place and I'm blessed it worked! I went to 50% basal and 1:10 bolus on my pump. Of the two low's I've had, I have been using "glucose shots" by Dex.....liquid and easy to get down. I hope you are doing well...take it easy and try not to get frustrated. I had my surgery 12/1/14 and I still have days where I have an ache/pain or feel nauseous....one day at a time

Jen, Congratulations on your marriage! I would recommend calling your insurance carrier and ask, "Does my company have an exclusion on any weight loss surgical procedure?" If there is an exclusion, the insurance will not pay, appeals do not apply either, they simply will not pay. Calling will take approximately 10 min and you will not need to wait for an answer. My husband and I took out a line of credit and paid for my surgery, $13,500 all inclusive including one year fills.

I am also a social worker, took about 10 days off. I work at two different inpatient hospitals one is behavioral health and the other setting is medical. So I was able to kind of manage my eating and drinking in between patients. I will say that when I work at the big medical center there's a lot more walking so I have asked to be assigned to smaller units. It's kind of nice I've been watching over the babies and working OB. Even though I don't have a lot of lifting, I am finding that I'm coming home and crashing to go to sleep at about 730 at night and I wake up at 5 AM to go walk. I live in Arizona so you have to beat the heat.. Sleeved 6/16/15

I was off 2.5 weeks. I was totally pain free and by then I was just still struggling to figure out the eating and drinking. I was glad to get back to work so I could think about anything other than food and water! If your job requires heavy lifting, you would need to consider more time. My doctor told me I wasn't allowed to list more then 10 lbs for 4 weeks.

My name is Susi, and this is my first time here on this forum. I have not been banded yet, but am starting to take the first baby steps towards getting the surgery!. I am 47n yrs old, and I have 3 grown kids:Jesse,age 24, Jeremy,age 23 and Kaity, age 19. I am a kindergarten teacher by profession, but am not currently working because of health issues. Much of the weight that I have gained has been in the past 3 years that I have not been working. I have struggled with my weight ever since I had my first son. I've not done the diet thing, I always thought I would fail. I did lose a considerable amount of weight caused by the side effects of medications I was taking at the time which caused me to have a sort of anorexia. But I soon began to gain weight again, this time again due to medications I was taking. I am called an undereater by some because I really don't eat much, but others say that I am a grazer... so I don't know what category you'd put me in! All I know is that I am extremely overweight and want to do something about it! I have many questions, and I think I'll be able to get them answered here! I am glad that I found the forum!

I wish I had known how sensitive my sleeve was going to be post-op. I can't take Vitamins or medications without food now, or I am really nauseous and end up dry heaving for a good 10-30 minutes. So everytime I take medicine I crush them or split them in half and add to my yogurt or applesauce. I also wish I knew how I would feel post-op, but that we can't experience before hand. Going out to eat is a chore. I went with my sister to Red Robin and got Soup and barely ate a few spoonfuls.

I am glad I was told that the gas would be painful after surgery and to try to walk to release it. I think that having that knowledge is the only thing that saved me. The nurses sure didn't encourage me to walk. But the gas was so painful in my back and shoulders that walking finally got me to burping. So WALK WALK!! Wish I wouldn't of bought so much Jello and pudding! lol after surgery it was too sweet and I couldn't stand it. I had a easy recovery but don't be suprised at about 2 weeks out you freak because you aren't getting in enough fluids and it feels like a job to get them in. Try to stay off of work for 3 weeks if possible. I went back 10 days after surgery and felt great but was real overwelmed with doing my job and getting fluids in every hour!

I had a GSP in 10/2010 with minimal results. I am getting a sleeve. Dr #1 said that he may not be able to do the surgery, it would depend on the condition of my stomach tissue and could possibly require two surgeries and/or NOT getting the sleeve at all. He said that the surgery would require undoing/removing the original plication sutures and if there is a lot of scar tissue, that could cause problems/leaks when doing the sleeve.?? Dr #2 said that he would do a EGD prior to surgery to take a look at the previous surgery line but that he was not concerned about the previous plication? He would leave it in tact, creating the sleeve from the inside of the stomach, removing the previous plication/sleeve with the excess stomach? He further said that as long as he could do the sleeve without having to staple over the plication sutures/scar tissue that he was not concerned about leaks or problems. Two different doctors, two different approaches..

I was off two days for one of my jobs (I'm a therapist, lots of sitting.) My other job I took off ten days because that's a very fast paced, 14 hour day. The eating part is easy - clear liquids the first 10 days. Now I'm in the protein shakes phase. I just pack the powder in little baggies and add them to water at work. I plan to buy ready made shakes for emergencies.

I was just sleeved last Monday. Definitely stock up on Protein Shakes- I like premier brand 30+ grams of protein in an 11oz container. They have 5 flavors. The problem is though is I NEVER would have imagined how hard it is to drink after surgery. At 1 Week, I STILL can't manage 64 oz of liquid day- I barely get 50 they tell you to sip sip sip, and I understand why. They say you can only drink an ounce or 2 at a time, they are NOT joking! I can drink about 75% the size of a bathroom Dixie cup- beyond hat, I feel pain- like a heartburn. That's when I know I have to wait. I was on clear diet for 2 days- I got isopure drinks from GNC - they are 40g protein in a 20 oz. bottle. I could only finish 1-1.5 in a day. They are very sweet ( do not get coconut)- they leave your tongue feeling gritty - strange I know..... but high protein. my doc called and asked how I was doing- I said I have problems meeting the water quota- they said for first few weeks that is Normal, just try for as much as possible. Today is 8 days post op- the 11 oz premier protein container takes me about 5 hours to finish!!!! Granted I do sip water in between. my biggest suggestion- get all CHEWABLE pills. I have a combination of both. The problem is some of the pills are large- so I drink some water to swallow. The pill and the water pretty much take up 1/2 of my pouch!!!! So when I need refills going to get all chewables. On the full liquid, I am allowed blended soups.... if we go out, I dip my spoon and lick it to prolong/slow my eating somewhat. After about 10-15 dips, I am full! 1 bowl of soup = 4 meals for me. Take it home and put the remaining in an ice cube tray. WHen ready to drink, pop 1-2 cubes in a small cup and in 1 minute my soup is done! the pre-op diet was the hardest part. good luck to you

I think the thing we have to keep in mind is that most people view getting this band as 'taking the easy way out' because they are under the impression that the band does all the work. Given that impression, they probably don't 'get it' why we don't start losing the weight from the day of surgery. Heck, even some of the people on this forum who had the surgery don't 'get it' that the band is just a piece of plastic. Until you get fills and restriction, that's all it will be. I was Im'ing with one of my aunts this morning and she asked how much I'd lost so far. I told her that since my seminar (6 weeks before my 11/3 surgery) I've lost 45 pounds. She's been on WW (for the 4th time in 10 years) and said, "I've only lost 35 pounds in the same time, but I did it the hard way". I just laughed and told her that if that misconception made her feel good about her weight loss 'suffering' then more power to her. I don't let the ignorant or malicious get to me. .