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AfterbThe 1st surgery, the doctor concluded that I had blockage inside my small intestine so they had to open my stomach to clear it. They had to insert 2 tubes and over 30 staples. After 1 week and 2 days of misery in the ICU and normal room I'm out of the hospital. Currently on stage 2, full liquid diet and lost 26LBS since the beginning of my surgery (March 16th). I get the staples taken out on the 7th and the last tube gets taken out early next month. So, this has not at all been an easy journey for me. I've been very weak and I feel dehydrated even tho I drink clear liquid alot! I'm going to my 2nd infusion Monday to help with my dehydration. If I could say I regret the surgery, I would say absolutely. How ever I've been very over weight and no matter the diet I couldn't loose anything, especially having the medical problems I suffer with. I wish you all good luck, I know I need it. Keep your head up and know there are and will always be someone there for you. God bless. °Engaged° Daddy of 1°•°•°•°•°•°•°•°•°

ok so i have sent the past two days reading as much as i can about peoples experiances andhow the surgery works and my mintal soaz about dr.s cutting my skin is about gone. im getting excited. im seeing comercials and thinking...im gunna look like that! so i tried contacting my insurance company to see how much they cover but the otomated answere thing gave me the run-around then disconected so il going to try some more monday! wish me luck! ps: help me stick to this. i tend to make excuses and then crap out of stuff and never do it. i am bad with half doing things. my thing right now would be that im moving and blah blah blah but help me stay on track! i always need that! thanks

I have not had that but it peaked my interest so I was doing a search and someone said it can occur when the body is releasing the toxins through the skin. Honestly, I have no idea if that is true or not so I know I am not much of a help. Sorry.

I never even knew this app existed prior to today, but I'm so glad I came across it. My sleeve was performed on 11/23/2011 in which I was 230. Year to date, I weigh 175. I'm starting wonder if I've stretched my pouch because I feel like I should be a little smaller like maybe 155lbs. I did some research on the sleeve to find that the procedure itself only guarantees patients will loose about 55 to 60% of their excess fat. However, one of my former coworkers said her Dr told her she could loose as much weight as she wants. Although I honestly don't know how true that is. After reading about the success of others, I'm starting to feel like a failure. I'm sure of what to do at this point.

Congrats!! I have had the same compliments, the face seems to slim the quickest. I think I am loosing my baby cheeks...

Hi everyone, so this is my 5th week post op and I only lost weight the first week and a half. I've been stalled since. I tried the upping my calories, lowering my calories, just liquids, just protein and all the advice I got from both here and my kaiser Rn. Today, the clinic where I got my sleeve (in Mexico) called me to see how I was doing and I told him that I wasn't loosing weight. His advice was---"Do not drink anymore protein until 3 months post op and then just do it everyother day. Do not eat as if you were on a diet, just eat whatever you want and since you can only eat a little bit the weight will start dropping super fast". It just seems to be against everything I've heard so far, any advice???

Hi @@taracutch I'm 4 weeks post op and I feel like I gain 1 pound instead of loosing, I believe I'm doing everything right and this is so disturbing to me . What can I do different please? Sent from my SM-G928T using the BariatricPal App

First off you don't want to push the issue of "feasting" . The idea of this surgery is to help him loose weight and not make him eat. After his surgery, it is really important to follow the doctors rules and regulations. I don't think you want to be the reason if he has a leak or other type of problem because you felt he should "enjoy" thanksgiving. It's not about the food, it's about family (new way of thinking now). As long as he is with his family that should be all that matters. If he is just starting on mushies that week, then mushies is what he'll have (the doctor will give him a plan to follow). But follow the doctors advise. . .that is most important for his health. However, again, the choice is yours. . . Good luck

As I read your post I was wondering if in my sleep I had typed this and forgot. Most of what you said sounds just like me. I had my band on 08/05/08 and 4 weeks before surgery if it wasn't chicken and tuna and water I didn't eat it, I hit the scales 1 week after surgery and had lost 25 pounds. I know that was from the preop diet. I have lost a total of 39 now but i have only had one fill in and that was in Oct too and since then I just have not had the money to go get another one. I had my band done in Mexico and the nearest fill center is 6 hours away, the one that was 2 hrs away closed down. I'm depressed, I hate chicken now, I can't bare to touch tuna anymore, I'm now addicted to sweet tea when I barely touched it before, I have started drinking cokes again, with no pain, I eat whatever I want. I need something, I just found out that my medical insurance will pay for the surgery if I would have waited 6 months the $300 dollars a month I have to pay the bank for surgery loan is more than I can just about handle with everything else. On top of it all my stomach is always sore, I can't lean up against a desk anymore or reach over the desk to get anything because its too painful, I can't sleep on my stomach unless I get in a certain spot, and now just this week i feel like i have eaten way too much and its stuck in my throat. I get hungry I eat it goes down ok but the after feeling is like it hasn't gone down and it feels that way even after sleeping all night and just drinking water. I now know why some people dont tell when they have it done, because i'm so sick of everyone asking, how much have you lost? or gosh you dont look like your loosing? Truth is I haven't been on the scales since Jan and that's just because I'm too scared to, I'm afraid I have gained weight!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!

Just to add my story to this thread... I started taking thyroid meds about 6 months after banding(back in 2000) when I was in the middle of doing in vitro cycle. I was also seeing an acupuncturist at the time and going by some symptoms I had (cold hands and feet, sluggish in the morning, dry skin and hair) she suspect low thryoid. She knew my reproductive endocrinologist, so called her and suggested she run a TSH on me..the RE kinda balked at it but then agreed. It came back at 4.75..and at that time..the lab values known for normal range were .05-5.03 so I was considered high normal. Well..the acupuncturist still felt I needed some thryoid adjustment and wanted the RE to prescribe a low dose. In the meantime as they disussed it, I found an article at that time that said the Association of Cliinical Endos had just LOWERED the ranges of what is considered normal to .3 to 3.0..so I was really now in the "abnormal" range. Unfortunately..even though they changed this back in early 2003..many labs and docs still use the old higher values..so many people are really abnormal who could usehelp. So..I presented the article to the RE and then she started really thinking about it and that there are links between low thryoid and miscarriage and since Iwas undergoing an IVF, it was really recommended my TSH be between 1 and 2..so she finally agreed I shoul dbe on thyroid! She first prescribed Synthroid, but I had an immediate bad reaction..broke out in a rash on my stomach, headaches, dizzy..so she switched me to Levoxyl and I have been fine. SO..this was around April 2003. In June 2003 when the IVF failed and we decided not to move with more attempts..I needed to find a regular endo to care for me. The one I had seen in another county who treated me for my PCOS I hated. SO I found another endo and had him take over my "maintenance" I initiall saw him October of last year..he checked my TSH..he asked about my symptoms..and we agreed we would work towards keeping my thyroid in the 2 range..basically that kept me from not having cold extremities and not being sluggish in the morning and everything on even keel..so we tweaked with the dose..upping it, lowering it. I saw him again 3 months later..I seemed to be stable on the dose..and then he had me wait 9 months to see him again..I always go to the lab a week before my appt to get the TSH checked..we both get the results faxed to us (I always cc myself on labs so I can keep a copy of my own records!). I carry my results in just in case he didn't get his(he usually has it) and then we look at the results..any other tests he may have run for other issues..and then decide if the dose is still good. I see him again after a year unless I am feeling out of whack..and think I need a check. So..it is important to get checked on a regular basis..and weight loss can effect the dose..AND if you have been tested and are in the new "abnormal" range..talk to you doctor..here is the link to the article about the new ranges: http://thyroid.about.com/cs/testsforthyroid/a/newrange.htm Patty 8/13/02 Dr Kuri

I will be one week post OP tomorrow. having lots of diarrhea, loose stools. anyone else have this?

Well yesterday was extremely busy, I had to drive :car:all the way to Gainesville from orlando, well it was not really all that bad. I had my pre-op visit today . I met with the dietitian, surgeon, anesthesiologist and the admissions people so it is really official because I have all of my admissions paperwork done for Monday. The surgeon is really nice and confident :scared2:, he really made me feel at ease. I expressed concerns about me not loosing the entire 30 pounds that they had initially requested but he did not seem to mind he said I lost 20# and he was fine with that but at my consult they made it seem like , don't loose thirty and no surgery :w00t: so I was relieved and mad at the same time cause I kinda felt tricked. Is thirty pounds the magic number that they tell every one? Well at least I am down about 20# pre op so I guess that's good and then I told him that I was concerned that my liver may be toooo fat and I might wake up not banded and he said that he has done numerous of bands and he has never met a liver that was to fat for him. :eek6: WHAT?!!! WHATS REALLY GOING ON? So all of this time I have been stressing over nonthing. Well, I did say that I work best under pressure. So after seeing the surgeon I was fine until I talked to the man who is gonna put me to sleep. Why did he have to tell me the risk associated with anesthesia and everything (step by step )what they were gonna have to do to put me to sleep? YOU HAVE TO DO WHAT AFTER I AM SLEEP?!!!) :crying: WOW!!! What you do not know wont hurt ya. So now I am back to square one I am a worry wart. But the other side of me says girl stop trippin you know you are going to do just fine, so I think I will listen to the other side. :sleep:

Hi all, i am a bandster since 17th march 2011...I lost some weight in the first 4 months....now I have good restriction, but I have not been careful about my diet...hence not loosing.. exercising is another problem for me...I have arthritis...but thats just an excuse...there are so many exercises that I can do....If I wish to .. someone please motivate me....I need to loose to be able to walk...

I went with Dr. Garcia in Tijuana and i had a wonderful time. Everyone was nice and professional and i am 6 months out no complications no extra skin, hell i havent even had a cold and i stay in Wisconsin! Good luck on navigating the site and gathering opinions. Remember to choose whats best for you. Take Care.

I have read that after Water, Protein is the most plentiful substance in your body. It does in fact keep you full and help you heal in the early days after surgery, but your metabolism is also regulated by protein. Protein regulates cell division and replenished damaged cells with healthy cells. Proteins are abundant to hair, skin, muscle and other organs and tissues, strengthening them and they also help turn food into fuel/energy which is how they help keep you full, so basically you cannot function without protein. I am nine months post-op and still drink a Protein shake every morning. I don't know if you have GNC in Australia, but could always order online. I drink their chocolate Wheybolic Extreme 60 with a cup of skim Fairlife milk for a total of 33 grams of protein. It's a learning/trying process, so I wish you the best of luck. I think I tried 6-7 different kinds before I found one I enjoyed.

I totally understand what you are saying. I saw an immediate improvement in my skin, with it being more soft, no blemishes, and generally looks 100% better and more healthy. I am day 6 post surgery and I had comments from hubby about it too. Small wins.

Hello all. I recently had a fill so I know bruising can result but I don't think this is from the fill. The same attendant did my fill as she has every other time. She pulses the site to find the port but never presses very hard and one stick and she is done. I have recently began sleeping on my stomach again and have shed quite a bit of my weight from my abdomen could the port getting closer to the surface of the skin be a reason for this bruising.

oh ya. my pattern has been to loose 3-5 pounds and then go up 1 or 2 pounds and then down again. but the overall trend from month to month is downward. it is a lot easier for me to be patient with it once I got below 200 before that I thought, well there you go, I'm the exception. I do think slow and steady is the way to loose. when I get concerned I track my food a few days to make sure my diet is spot on, and if it is I just trust my body to do what it is supposed to do.

FAT if you don't...so they say! Well I have been stuck at this freakin' plateau for at least 2 months! So I decided to start exercising, because after all with diet and exercise you should loose weight. Right? Well I have been going to the park walking and jogging...yes me jogging, panting, sweating, dying, and jogging. I have been jumping on the scale and guess what. It ain't loosong no weight. To be honest I can't say inches either. So this is my thought process, if I sit around and not loose any weight, why work out. I think that I may be the sorriest excuse for a bandster. I am almost a year out and I have a grand total loss of 45 pounds. I must admit that I have not been following the bandster guidelines to the "T" but I am restricted enough that the only thing that I can get down that's bad is star buck frappacinos, milk shakes, and ice cream; which I don't indulgen in that often. What is the deal!!!!!!!! I am getting so discouraged! Well let me back up. I have been doing the walking, running, jogging thing for about 2 weeks. Out of two weeks I have exercised 9 days. Does anyone have any suggestions. I am getting desperate. I am ready for the weight loss phase to be over....I am ready to move on to "maintain". I am open to any suggestions! :cry

Dec. 5th, 2008 was the day of my surgery. I knew at that time that things were changing for me and that I was going to live a healthier and happier life but even since then things have changed more then I had ever expect or thought would happen. Of course the normal things have changed like my diet and exercise but I have already seen a major change in what I can physically do. Before it would wear me out to walk over to the mail box in our apartment complex and back but now I walk so much further and even for enjoyment. When I can I even get out and walk twice a day just to push myself that much further. A huge change in my life that I did not expect this soon has been my blood pressure. I can hardly believe that it has dropped so much that I am no longer on any blood pressure medications when before I was taking two, Atenonol and Benicar. Now I feel better and really enjoy not having to pay for those perscriptions on a monthly basis and that I know I am living healthier then ever. Of course clothes have already become loose and some even to large for me to wear anymore. Can you believe it! After 30 days I am already down a size or two in clothes and still losing the weight. Another big change came as a surprise to me is my wife told me that with the way we are working to live a healthier life and that we are both losing weight she wants to try for another child this fall. This is very exciting to me. I've made no bones about it to her that I would like two children so that our 15 month old son doesn't grow up as an only child. Nothing wrong with having an only child but I still would like to have a brother or sister for him to grow up with. I just am amazed at how much better I feel both physically, mentally, and emotionally. Life seems so much brighter now and the future does look bright. I am very thankful for the Lap-Band and to everyone here who has been apart of my support in taking steps forward for a better life.

Well I was banded on oct 19th. I have not gotten my first fill yet. But I know my Dr. told me that whenever I get hungry and stop loosing weight to come in right away. As far as your menu I think you should cut down on your carbs and add more protein. Especially in the morning. Try a boiled egg and fat free yogurt to start you off. For the next week just try no carbs and that should jump start your loss again. I have stuck to this as well as excercise and have lost almost 30pounds in 4 weeks. Try also keeping a food journal. That really helps me stay on track. I am consious of everything that goes in my mouth. If it has no nutrional value I dont eat it. oh yeah wendys chili has lots of protein so try that for lunch. I hope this helps. Good luck on your journey.

I'm set for surgery Monday and wondered the same thing. I want it to come off a little slow so I can tighten my skin. I don't want the sag.

Hi..I am having surgery this week. I am down to 212 pounds and am 5"3". I am now down 20 pounds on my own. I am so nervous to be cut. Has anyone had the smaller port put in? I am thinking I should just have that put in first. I am pear shaped vs apple, so most of my fat is in my rear. What do you think? They might have to do the fills under floroscopy I heard, but wouldn't I be better off in the long run after I loose the weight? Thanks, k

Congrats! on your surgery. I don't remember eating some of the foods you are eating so soon. I was told no grapes because you can't digest the skin or the membrane from the oranges. Did you get a list of foods? I find that protein shakes made with ice are very filling. Have you tried any? I still have them for breakfast and stay full 3-5 hours. Sugar free Popsicles and sugar free fudge type are good. Maybe try calling your hospital and they can help. Good luck!