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Sam - As Sue said it will get easier. I found if I got up and walked that helped me out a lot. I am now walking 3 miles a day and I really need it. The energry level will increase in time. I was banded on 3-24 of this year and am almost 7 weeks out. I feel so much better now and I move faster then I have in the last 30 years. Let your friends know when you get home. You just might be surprised they may be of help. You will be just fine. Remember why you did this and what you are trying to achieve for yourself. Good luck to you.

i am eating now like i did before surgery! I have not had a fill yet! My band is unrestricted.I want the doctor to fill it up! I cant wait till Jan 29th .Thats 6 weeks since i have had the band put in! Thanks to all who write to me.it makes me feel good that some one is reading and caring. Lisa

Lap band is placed laparoscopically on the vast majority of people. Some do have to be opened up, but its rare. I was home four hours after my lap band surgery. I was back to work four days later. Some people need more time than that. The most I have seen someone take was two weeks to return to work. Some docs keep their lap band patients overnight at the hospital, some don't. Gastric bypass is, from what I understand, much more invasive and does require more down time...about six weeks on average I think before returning to work from what I read. Its also, again, from what I read, several days in the hospital.

I have the list below of clothing that I just cleaned out of my closet - I live on the Eastern Shore of Maryland. Please message me if you are interested. I would love to swap for some size 18 clothes if possible but I know we are all losing weight and smaller size clothes are what we all need!!! Dress Barn – size 3X – burnt orange sweater with brown underlay ¾ sleeve Size 18/ 20 – brown tone paisley dress Dress Barn – size 22/24 sweater – burnt orange Dress Barn – size 22 turquious dress with black print and black shrug HIllard & Hanson size XL – red sparkly turtle neck sweater Lane Bryant – size 22 / 24 black cardigan sweater Old Navy – size 20 khaki pencil skirt George – size 22 / 24 blue long sleeve button up Size 18 black skirt w/ pockets – elastic waist band Size 2X black skirt Size 18 plum sport jacket Old Navy size 2X black tank top (qty 2) Size 18 Navy blue sport jacket Dress Barn size 22 / 24 wine scoop neck sweater with black underlay Lane Bryant size 16 black turtle neck dress Dress Barn size 22 /24 blue geometric pattern button up Dress Barn size 22 black skirt – below the knee with a while polka dot ribbon around waist Old Navy size 2X brown sun dress CJ Banks – size 2X floral skirt Dress Barn size 3X black and purple plaid short sleeve button up Dress Barn size 22 / 24 khaki color button up – ¾ length sleeve Dress Barn size 18 / 20 brown scoop neck ¾ length (this shirt fit me when I was wearing 3x) Size 24 – Brown plaid full length skirt Leslie Fay – size 20 navy blue dress pants Dress Barn – size 22 / 24 black button up ¾ length sleeves Size 2X plum shirt – short sleeve George – 2X black skirt Size 18 Jeans Leslie Fay – size 20 sport jacket – green with floral pattern LL Bean – size 20 khaki pants Hunt Club – size 20 light green pants Dress Barn – size 22 / 24 red button up ¾ length sleeves August Max Woman – size 1XL Light green cardigan Faded Glory – size 22 /24 pink button up ¾ length sleeve Dress Barn – size 2X long skirt – blues and green vertical strips – very summery Dress Barn – size 3x – sleeveless paisley shirt – wine, silver and black Fashion Bug – size 18 / 20 black floor length skirt Dress Barn – size 3X – cream colored shrug Lane Bryant – size 20 New with Tags – Sleeveless dress – black and gray colors – price on tag $49.99 George – size 2X Charcoal Skirt Lane Bryant – size 22 /24 gray sweater – never worn Other Items: Three 22 /24 swim suits: (1) one piece and (2) two piece Two old navy floor length sun dresses size 2x Three t-shirts size 3X Some pajamas

I have been wondering how people feel when you go back to work. I have a desk job but do a lot of twisting and turning and running to grab this or that......My doctor says to plan to be off a week. I plan on scheduling it just as a 'vacation' so that I don't have too tell too many people what I am doing. Anyway, hang in there Rebecca! You are doing great already!!

Hi Lisa, Bandster Hell is tough. You have to really focus and stick to the rules given by your doc. Don't pay any attention to those who tell you that you can bend the rules because they're doc lets them. You're only accountable to your doc. My doc reviews for a fill every 4 weeks. Some docs are 6 or 8 or even more weeks than that. It took me 4 fills to get where I had lasting significant restriction. So for me that was 4 months! But this varies for every person. Some people maintain great restriction immediately post op and never even get a fill. Others it takes 4, 5, or 6 fills to get good restriction. It just takes a lot of patience. Focus and keep your eyes on the road every day. You may fall off the wagon once and a while - we all have - just dust yourself off and get back on immediately. I actually eat much more than three meals a day, but that's a topic for another time. You have enough to focus on right now. The band is tough! It's no miracle, and it's not easy weight loss. You must eat right, exercise lots, and stay focused. Good luck! Brad

mine came off witih in the first week but mine was single insion so since it was at my belly button my pants were rubbing on it

I'm one month post op and by week 2 I was hungry but once I drank a protein shake or ate cream soup the hunger was gone.

Oh yeah I'm so exited I go Wednesday to check incisions and maybe get out on mushies. But I've already lost 25 lbs from pre diet and this week. This is great so far I'm scared to go through banister hell as everyone calls it.

I was in 5 days, and saw my surgeon two weeks after the surgery.

I am a 75 yr. old female--I had RNY in December of 2012. I am mobility challenged, so my weight loss has been slower than someone who can walk or run. I have lost 70 lbs. and am on a bit of a plateau. It has been a great adventure. My first 3 weeks were unpleasant, but since then I have felt wonderful. Hang in there and get plenty of protein. mmcgee610@cox.net

So ive been under the assumption that im having the sleeve surgery done. However when i logged into my patient portal I saw under my upcoming appointments and procedures this: Planned Procedures Bypass operation of stomach using an endoscope Does that mean it was changed to bypass without me knowing it? Or is that just a generic term posted for it? I plan to call but he is out of the office this week.

Yes! But Oct 4th is just 2 weeks away! Hello All you SBDN People! Im glad you found this site & this group! I was sleeved on Aug 16th. I was orginally scheduled for Nov. 1st but I called my surgeons appt # with Kaiser in Rdelands & asked if there were any cancellations. At that she said No but would put me on the top of the list for a call back. 2 hrs later she called me back with the Aug 16th date! So now I made my 5th week today & down 22lbs. Im 5'1" & 62 yrs old. My HW(heaviest weight) was 240 " SW( day of surgery weight) was 211 but the day after surgery I weight 216 becauxe of the gas & fluids + Anathesia. " CW ( current weight) 195 " GW (goal weight) 150 I wish all who havent had they're surgery yet all the best & hope we will keep in touch! Sent from my SM-T530NU using BariatricPal mobile app

Well, obviously something you're doing isn't working. Change things up. Whether it's upping your excersise, upping or lowering your intake of calories, lowering carbs, sugar or processed food, something needs to change to shock your system enough to get things moving again. Sometimes just doing liquids for a few days will do the trick to get things moving again. I'm a perfect example. Although I'm below my goal weight, I had basically stopped losing a few months ago and thought my body had settled where it wanted to be without doing anything too different. Well, over the holiday season I had let too many carbs and sugar back onto my diet while allowing my excersise to decrease a little. I didn't gain luckily because I apparently was still moving enough to offset it. But I had decided to detox from the sugar and carbs and get back to basics for the New Year not really to lose weight, but to feel better and get back on track. Between cutting out sugar and white carbs and eating nothing but clean, healthy Protein and veggies and picking up my excersise again, I have lost 2 pounds the first week. I also feel better, and noticed my restriction has increased, too. I think as we get further out, we let things slip a little without even realizing it. We may think we aren't doing things too much differently, but when we start to really be honest and really track what we are or aren't doing, we can see where we are being hindered.

good luck to ya kenny! I had similiar...my pre op started 3 days out with soft foods then on the day before liquids.... My doc explained that sometimes in bigger people it just makes life easier for them to have the small intestines and bowels a little empty...so go drop the kids off at the pool.... LOL ...if ya know what I mean! LOL ....sorry to be gross, just trying to help for post op! I was banded a week ago and have no regrets...by day 4 I was on liquid tylenol...and today I just feel as if I did a few too many sit ups.... I thought mine was too easy too, the whole process from seminar to band was less than 4 months... but I was wrong...just be prepared to have ur own experience...and if u got a minute a great book I would reccomend would be Weight Loss Surgery for Dummies...its been my bible pre & post op in giving a good sense of whats to come and whats normal and not.... hope this all helps and good luck today!

darlingkassy welcome gotta tell you girlfriend .....don't misunderstand, but........... you are "everyones" worst nightmare!!!! seeing a fellow sleever gain back their weight but.........its good to confirm/show us that it is possible to gain the weight back!!!!egads :ph34r: many/hopefully most people realize weight gain back is possible we tell ourselves it can't happen - but most of know better we have to work hard with all the rules we followed earlier so we can maintain i think its good to hear stories like yours, because it makes me/most of us realize that working with the sleeve is a must for the rest of our lives we always knew that - but i think many/some NEWBIES think once the weight is off - its permanent well it IS permanent - as long as we follow the lifestyle with water/protein et al that we've been taught I think many/most VETS are more aware/scared of gaining weight back knowing that there is/could be a prob with weight gain, is half the battle I/us most/all of us have always yo yo'd not able to keep the weight off now we are finally being given theis "tool" of the sleeve - we must abide by all the rules forever and a day!!!! guess i'm just repeating this to myself - because its so important - and i'm trying to convince myself of something i already know (about the possibility of weight gain) we've all gone through so much to lose this weight - KEEP it off my meds, comorbities are gone - i never want to go backwards!!!! I can't physically/mentally afford to go back to my old lifestyle I have in the past said this "spiel" to myself - to remind myself to stay on track!!!!! we/me still goof up sometimes - but hopefully/usually bounce back soon now............to finally answer your question darlingkassy :wub: my suggestion to you/and any of us in the future who fell off the wagon,,,,,,, go back to basics with the Protein shake drink as much Water as you can maybe stay on liquids only for a week - full liquids for another week this will give you that push, to start your weight loss again when back on solids - chew everything to death, eat very very slowly stop drinking about 30 minutes before you eat never drink with meals don't drink for about 45 minutes before you eat again drink at least 64 oz of H20 a day!!!! i'm repeating these essential rules in case you don't remember them, since its been a while since you were doing things correctly do some exercise - walking is great if you are just getting back into the groove glad you came here - we all do support each other, thats the name of the game the first step is the hardest and you made it by coming back here, realizing you have a problem, and wanting to go forward you can do this!!!! come back with any and all questions i'll be on the lookout for you glad you are here good luck kathy

I had my surgery scheduled for 20 Sep, but i got a call from the docs office, they said the doc will be gone for the week that I was scheduled. I not suprised when you are dealing with military doc (TDY, deployment, etc), Anyway now my date is 13 Oct. So hey to any October people out there and good luck to you lucky Sep bandsters.:blushing:

I think you are making a great decision! You obviously have the perfect mindset to be a bandster! I was impressed by the way you worded your forum when you said something about getting a band to assist you with changing your life. That is exactly what it does it only helps you there is still a lot of work that has to come from within. I was banded on the 25th of May, and my doctor requires me to be on a diet that consist of sugar free liquids, Protein shakes, popsicles, yougurt, pudding, creamed Soups for the first 5 weeks. All sugar free, and low sodium! It has been tough at times! You have to realize that the band doesn't get filled for the first time until 5 or 6 weeks post-op, there is some restriction that is from just putting the band on, but not like it will be after a fill. I think it is important to know that yes even after you get you band you will go through periods when you feel hungry, and you have to fight it off that first month until you start getting fills! It will take several fills (everyone is different) to get to that "sweet" spot. With that being said it is the best thing I've ever done. The hunger doesn't stay it just comes every now and then. I've learned to drink Water or some Protein shake, and it ususally goes away! It has been worth it I've lost a total of 18 pounds since I started with the 2 week pre-op diet on the 11th of May. Good luck with your decision!

It is likely what you are eating. At three months, you should be on solid protein, chicken, beef, etc. if you are eating that first, as you should be, you will fill up after a couple of ounces. Softer foods are much easier to get down. Is that maybe what is going on?

have lost ,,, 120+ lbs,,, feel,,, friggin amazing,,, I have SO So,, much energy,,, I work in LV,,, and used to sit on my ass during lunch,, I now,,, make a point to get up and walk around the casino,,, or whatever hotel Im at,,, Im playing tennis,,, b ball,,, swimming like a fish,,, Ive worn out most of my friends,,, but who cares !! Ive made new ones,, keys,,, listen to your doc,, and most importantly your nutritionist,,, exercise as much as you can,,, and watch the caloric intake,,, Ive also,,, quit drinking ,,, cold turkey,,, if your on the fence on this procedure,,, its a game changer,,, it is a TOOL... a powerful tool,,, but crud will go in my body,,, I eat,,, 800 calories or less a day,,, have never had a ,,, slow down,, or weight pause,,, steadily,,, 12 to 8 lbs a week,,, but once you get the Protein correct,,, ammt,,, it will change your life !! WOW

Hi My doc requied a ten percent weight loss before surgery, that equaled 34 lbs for moi. I started the day after thanksgiving and did a sandwich type diet one week meat and veggies only and one week three Protein drinks made with one hundred cal protein, four oz of lite soy which was 25 cals and a banana and i dont know how much that was in cals cus i picked the biggest one, added a few ice cubes and it was good and after a few days i lost my hunger and went into ketosis which is what we do when we do high protein no carbs. Turned out i lost twenty seven lbs before the ten days of clear liq with three plain Protein Drinks and lost a total of thirty six lbs. He wouldnt have done surgery if I had not lost the majority of the ten percent. It wasnt fun for the few first days but it got the job done and I did it thru Christmas, ketosis is the key I think to loose the hunger, in my experience, sugar equals to hunger, so hopefully I can stay away from all the processed sugars. The bananna didnt seem to make a difference in my hunger. I have been banded since Jan 2, 2008 and its been kinda hard, gas, emotions, being tired, hurting. I had three ten lb babies naturally and I would have sixty more instead of feeling this pain. BUT in saying that I hope that the future will be healthier and that my butt will be smaller and that my knees wont hurt and that I wont be staired at because I am the biggest woman in the room. I pray that this thing we all did or will do is the best decision we could have made. Ask me next week when I feel better, for today I'm not so sure. Keeping hope alive Jo Ann

I had to do a 1 week liquid diet (but on my own decided to do almost 2 weeks) and lost 14lbs. I include that in my ticker. The first 3-4 days really sucked but once I got all the sugar and carbs out of my system, it wasn't so bad. It really jump started my weight loss and prepared me for the post-op diet.

Tomorrow is your big and CONGRATS and of course good luck!!! I was stuck on chicken and beef broth until just last week now I am on my mushy phase. Sorry I couldn't help more!

Praying for you. I had my band 8/22 and remember those feelings clearly. I can tell you that you will be very sore and have pain but the pain killers are sufficient to control the pain. Ask for more as soon as you feel pain, don't try to be strong. It will get better within minutes. Once you go home, take your meds on time religiously. Most people only need them for a few days. I used mine for three days. The one thing I wish someone would have told me about was the abdominal band that you can get to keep your stomach from moving around. You can find it at Walgreens

I got a liquid vicodin prescription (hydrocodone) and then bought liquid tylenol - amazon has it so I ordered two bottles online. Good thing too. The vicodin makes me a bit naseous so I only used it the first day or so. The liquid tylenol and tylenol PM have been great - but I've gone through one bottle of LT in about a week. Good luck MM