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Hi Marlajones, I am no doctor but this sounds much more medical than mental. I wouldn't risk my health on something like this. Maybe you could reschedule a visit with your PCP or Bari doctor in a few days and not wait four weeks. I think you need a medical opinion and here we can only give you moral support or at least that is my opinion on the matter. Either way do take care, we got your moral back so maybe you can take care of the medical and if anyone else has gone through something like this maybe they can chime in. Depression too is serious and needs to be treated which it sounds like you've addressed but dehydration is more of an immediate issue. All my best to you now!

Thank you all for your time to read through my plight! I pretty much got the responses I expected, so a meet with my doctor is a must hopefully they can get me in for this week. The only problem with anti-depressants is that they start to take effect after 3-4 weeks of commencing the treatment, so it's a catch 22 I guess. Thank you again for your comments, I will try to keep you updated on my progress.

I don't think you will have any problem at all and honestly when i went to Mexico for my surgery a few weeks ago, they don't even stop you...they just wave you in. It's getting back into the states that takes time. Just out of curiosity...how come you didn't just fly into TJ?

Hi all, I was wondering if there are sleevers out there who flew to mexico/ are flying to Mexico from another country other than the States? I'm having my surgery with Dr Garcia in TJ and I'm flying from New Zealand to San Diego and getting picked up to cross the border. I booked my flights/applied for visa already and I'm just wondering what people went through as they went through customs/border. Can I openly tell them about my surgery? Will it matter if I'm going to be picked up from San Diego? My mother will be coming with me and we want to stay an extra week in San Diego post operation just to make a mini holiday out of it. Any comments/suggestions will be greatly appreciated thank you!

Hi, I was just banded on Monday the 27th. and for the first week I am to be on Clear liquids only. Talk about starving lol. I am having runny stools because of this. Is anyone else experiencing this? Next week I get to graduate to "thicker" foods like, yogart, oatmeal, Protein shakes. Of course I don't feel any restriction right now but will go for my first fill in 6 weeks.

Well, I guess it has been a few years since i wrote in this blog. So, I am having a revision from lap band to sleeve tomorrow. 9 Feb 15. I am excited but nervous. I would like to write every week. The exception will be this week. I will write after surgery and again over the week. See you on the Loser Bench!

So I'm not so great about sharing my journey or talking about myself. I am always the advice giver, caretaker, and listener... so you'll have to bare with me through out my long winded discussion of my massive lifestyle changes. I've yo-yo'ed with weight since I was about 18. Between stress, depression, anxiety, and life... I managed to pack on 330 pounds at my heaviest (as seen in my largest photo!). In 2012 I was diagnosed with Pseudotumor cerebri (Intercranial hypertenstion) which also caused Papilledema. What is Pesudotumor cerebri and papilledema, you ask? (Well, I'm gonna tell you even if you don't want to know.. mwahaha!) Pseudotumor cerebri is a condition common in women of child bearing age (and women with a long history of birth control as was in my situation) that causes the body to create excess spinal Fluid. Why is extra spinal fluid in the head so bad, you might ask? Well, your sinuses, eyes, brain, and skull are already full.. in fact, your head is already full of spinal fluid. Adding MORE pushes everything in your head together causing horrible pressure and forcing it out of your skull in the most painful way possible.... here is where the patient would get regular SPINAL TAPS AND/OR A SHUNT TO RELIEVE THE EXCESS PRESSURE! There is no real cure for this and being overweight makes it worse as your body compensates by creating even MORE fluid due to the excess weight. Papilledema is the pressure that the excess spinal fluid from this condition puts on the eyes causing blindness and other serious eye injuries. Fast forward to 2015... I broke my foot at work and was rather sedentary for a few months, gaining about 30 lbs. This set on my pseudotumor and issues with papilledema. I was back up to about 320 and miserable... OH SO VERY MISERABLE. This condition just about caused my death twice in 2015 and my doctors told me I needed to lose a massive amount of weight quickly. The neurological medications I was on to treat this sort of negated losing more than a pound or two per week, and that wasn't enough weight loss to help the condition and pain. So I began changing my entire diet, went to counseling, and also decided to pursue RNY Gastric Bypass after a great deal of research, classes, and educational information about various options and long term benefits/downfalls of doing such drastic procedures. On January 27th, 2016 I went in to St. Luke's in Phoenix with my amazing and steady surgeon, Dr. Rob Schuster and was up walking to dull the pain as soon as the anesthesia wore off that day. My recovery was really best case scenario all around because I binge watched "My 600 lb Life" before going in and didn't want to be miserable while in the hospital for a few days and also wanted to kick my butt in gear to get on with this second chance at life. It was a massive lifestyle change. To anyone that thinks or feels surgical weight loss is an "easy way out" or in general isn't difficult has no idea the months and months of work people must go through, the hoops insurance puts you through, plus the amount of will power and motivation someone must have through good and bad to ensure they stay on top of all of it both before, during, and after surgery. You are forced to change your entire lifestyle, you change your relationship with food permanently, and learn to make far healthier and wiser choices as you can literally only put 4 oz of anything in you at any time and it MUST be seen as fuel or your honestly doing it wrong and hurting yourself in the process. I've dropped close to 90 lbs so far with another 50-60 to go to reach my goal. I feel better now than I have since I was 18. I am so much happier, healthier, and in general just more motivated to take on life. My life in the past two months has literally crashed into perfection. I can't think of a better way to sum it all up. My goals in life are to live simply, be happy, love honestly, and just be myself. I'm extremely blessed and grateful for how my life has crashed into perfection recently and wouldn't change it for the world, even with the nuances and odd things life may bring my way. I'm all smiles these days!

Thank you so much Lissa and Sharon for the helpful replies. Now that I know that Prilosec (on top of the Famotidine) helps you, Sharon, and Tums helps you, Lissa, I am going to pick up some of both! I was hoping it would be fine to take somethiing on top of the Famotidine (which I take twice a day already as well), so knowing that taking Prilosec has helped you, Sharon, I am sure it won't kill me! Not that I tho't it would but.... Anyway, another question: Are the "foamies" where you feel acid rumbling / building up into your throat? I have read about people on this board experiencing "foamies" but haven't had it defined as of yet. If that IS what it is, I DEFINITELY have the foamies, especially if/when I take pills earlier in the day! I will start watching the clock more closely to time my gut feelings. I also get hungry sooner after exercising (which I am happy to say, I have been walking 30 minutes per day, at least 5 days per week since the middle of week three post-op and it kicked my weight loss into a higher gear). I am down 41 lbs in total. 10 pre-op and 31 post op since sleeved on 10/17. So exciting! I have been using the MyFitnessPal.com app on my phone daily and it is a great tool. I am shooting for 50 to 60 g of protein a day and trying to keep the carbs low-ish. You are on there, aren't you, Lissa? I love being able to keep track of everything there. I finally think I am OVER utilizing the pen and paper routine to track, but must admit, I do miss not being able to see a whole week or more at a glance. I had created an Excel spreadsheet of everything I ate and drank and tracked cals, protein and carbs plus fluid intake and exercise for the first 4 weeks. But using MyFitnessPal is just SO much easier and less time consuming that I know I'll be more likely to continue tracking for the long term with it, whereas with paper, I always quit eventually because of time constraints. Lissa, I looked at a bunch of protein bars at The Vitamin Shoppe but they all had 35 or more carbs per bar and that worries me a bit. I am trying NOT to be paranoid about carbs but I do want to do this right and I DON'T want to screw up my losing streak, IYKWIM! I get to come of of soft foods as of Tuesday and am glad to be moving on to the "permanent" stage of eating on this journey. I just have to figure out what to purchase and fix so I won't get burned out on all the soft foods I've been eating (mostly eggs, cheese, cottage cheese, ground up chili with beans, refried beans and the like). I am SO ready for a REAL bite of REAL chicken (not ground down in food processor til it looks like baby food!' Thanks for your help. Hope your Thanksgiving weekend is relaxing! Leah p.s. Sharon - love your new picture on the board. It's lovely!

Wish I could provide some good insight. At 5 weeks out I can't honestly tell what is true hunger and what is acid. It's so strange. I think I feel sort of, I dunno, desperate (for lack of a better word) for food when I am having post surgery hunger. The feeling that I THINK is acid makes me feel more like the OLD hunger feeling I used to get pre-op. That feeling seems to be more of an "I'm having a rumbly hungry-ish tummy". So I'm thinking the "if I don't eat something now I am gonna get really shaky and weird" feeling, is true post-op hunger? It's just bizarre to me that I can't figure out what is acid and what is real hunger. Sorry you are in the same boat but glad to know I am not the only one who is confused on this issue! Good luck figuring it out. I'll be interested to see what the seasoned vets have to say about this. Leah

I'm having to do the same thing and still am not getting all my Protein or fluids in. I am almost 8 weeks out and STILL can only do 3 or 4 bites before I'm full. And seems the further I'm out from my surgery, I can't tolerate the shakes because they are so flippin sweet. My weight loss is doing great (down 41lbs so far) but I'm so tired and weak because I'm not getting enough protein and fluids in. *sigh* I'm getting frustrated lol

thank you, I need 2 knee replacements decided to do this first and thensee how the knees go. I will remember what you said no nutrients don't consume .congrads. on your weight loss, hope i do as well..hopefully this site and lap support at docotrs will help a lot I am sure... I also have a hard time getting around have to use scotter at stores, cannot walk a distance, or stand very long.. doctor says for me to loose 30 lbs before using step machine at the Ymca because of my blood pressure... so I use a floor pedal bike at home for starters, can't wait for it to warm up so I can use my pool.. should be April... Hopefully hubby will support after surgery, but he is not going to stop me, I take care of my motherinlaw who lives with us she is 83 and in a wheelchair on some days and a walker the other, also is on dialysis 2 times a week so I have o get better to take care of her better and hubby has a pacemaker defib. so I am needed by both of them.. have to do this for many reasons health being the first and looking and feeling better after that... so thank you for your support and advice !!!!

YES. Even if you weren't banded, eating too little can slow your metabolism down as it will adjust to whatever the calorie intake you are eating. If you are under 1000 a day, try adding an additional 200-300 calories with a lot of extra grams of Protein like a Protein shake after you work out. If you are in that range, try going back on the liquid only high protein pre-op diet for a few days to shake it up it bit and continue drinking your water/broth/crystal lite or whatever 600-800 calories a day. Maybe do this one day a week. Also, eating smaller meals/amounts of food more often through the day to feed continuously should help also. Good Luck :frown:

It sounds good but I was told to say away from corn. I'm almost six weeks out.

And I'm so glad I have the band. I'm a male that started my pre-op diet on March 28, at 319lbs and now I'm down 243lbs yeilding a 76lb weight-loss in 3.5 months. I still haven't had a fill at my doctor's request. I think part of it is due to a smaller band installed by my doctor and my change in eating habits. I've become so enamored with exercise, healthly eating habits, and maintaining a mentally-strong mindset that I haven't stumbled yet. My doctor doesn't want my results to suffer from a change in habit caused by a fill. As conceded as it sounds, everyday that goes by I become stronger (mentally and physically) and the stumbling blocks become easier to traverse. I'm winning and the margin of victory is increasing!:thumbs_down: I hope those of you considering the band take into account all the advantages and disadvantages. I also hope you realize the high success rate of the band if its used as a tool in your fight against weight problems. You have to chose which team you want to be on, the band or your weight problem. You're the swing vote. Team up and work with the band and the weight-problem will lose. Team up with the weight-porblem and work against the band and the band will lose...it's really that simple. Good Luck to Everyone!

I am losing inches. I lost about 2-3 inches since my last appointment. My size 13-14's are no longer in my closet because they were too big, I now have 11's and 12's but those are starting to get a little loose. So yes I am seeing a difference in inches. I also do lift weights, 2xs a week for about an hour. I am getting really close to goal. about 25 to 30 pounds, give or take so I suppose it gets really hard at this point, the weight doesnt just fall off at this point? Idk?

I second speaking to your nutritionist. I assume you will have to pay since it’s been a while but it should be worth it. I would log what you have been eating for a week or two first so she can tell you where to make changes. I do see people on here do it so it can be done.

I had my sleeve done December 13th 2012. My highest weight was in September of 2012 at 377, the morning of my surgery I was 349. This morning I weighed in at 168!!!!! I have lost 209 pounds…..I pinch myself everyday. There is no secret to my success, my sleeve has been my greatest tool. I would have never gotten to this point without it, I know that! However, the 3 other legs of the stool to help me achieve this have been: 1) Myfitnesspal.com 2) Fitbit 3) Exercise, Exercise, & more Exercise The sleeve did not fix the cavernous space between my ears. Even with the sleeve I would not have lost the weight if I was not ready to tackle the reasons I overate the way I did prior to surgery. I was finally mentally in the right place to take on this challenge, the sleeve was the extra edge I needed to stay on track. I can guarantee failure if you are not ready to combine mental toughness along with a life dedicated to exercise. I fear it everyday, fear that i will give up on my exercise routine and let a few pounds sneak back. I use that fear to force myself out of bed and on to that treadmill, or elliptical machine. Many days I workout twice a day. Many of us are in the same place for the same reason….lack of will power, poor genetics, and we can be just plain ole lazy. Those things DON'T go away….they just lay dormant and you have to fight to keep them where they belong: buried deep inside of you. I see my surgeon this coming week and I can't wait to see my lab work, I am really looking forward to see how much it has improved since prior to my surgery. I had high cholesterol, high fasting sugar levels etc…. In two weeks from today I will be in my hospital room recovering from my circumferential body lift. I am so anxious to let the healing begin and get back to my workout regimen. I have a 10 mile race under my belt, I finished in just over an hour and a half. Mind you, when I first started my workouts back in January I was barely able to walk at 3.5 mph for 30 mins. Now I run twice a day for 40 - 60 mins at a time and average 6.5 mph in preparation for my plastic surgery. In 2014 I have scheduled a half marathon and a full marathon, they are things I would have laughed at back when I was 377 pounds and because of this life altering procedure they are a real possibility. If you are reading this and thinking of surgery or just had it completed or have had it and things are going well, know that it is tough. The sleeve is a tool and that tool is only as effective as the owner of it. This is not popular…..you can cheat the sleeve. You can put weight back on….you can eat more and more over time. It is up to you to use it properly and rehab your mind, train yourself to be mentally strong in your fight against food addiction and abuse. I do not deprive myself of things…..I have had……pizza, ice cream, french fries, and diet soda. I just don't have a whole pizza, I have half a slice and a small salad. I have a spoonful of ice cream instead of 2 pints of ben and jerry's like i did prior to surgery. I steal a french fry or two from my son instead of a super sized order from mcdonalds with my two big macs and two cheeseburger with a large regular coke. You can do it! But, you have to be ready to do it. I wasn't ready for 13 years! I gained almost 200 pounds from 1999 to 2012 when i had my procedure. just about every monday during that time i started a "diet" and by thursday afternoon i was done. I had some success a few times losing close to 75 pounds at one time but it didn't last long. i wanted to take time to let anyone know who wanted to listen that this is not the end all be all to your success. you are the key to it working!! i wish you all nothing but good luck in your personal journey, it has been my greatest accomplishment in my life. there are so many things we are expected to do and do well: be a loving and caring spouse, be the best parent you can be, work hard to provide your family what they need. you don't have to be healthy, you WANT to be healthy but it is not a requirement so when i look back at what i have done, i truly feel its my greatest accomplishment!! good luck everyone!

Hi Mandi, I hope you dont mind, some of my post calls you argon and some mandi. I'm find it a little hard to keep everyone separate. I've met so many people here. I think your right, I'm gonna HATE optifast. I'm on it for 3 weeks, because of my size I think. I'm sooooo dreding it, starting in 4 more days, YUCK! I went out and bought a bunch of scrapbooking stuff, hopefully I can just stay in my room and do that when it gets bad. My family can cook for 3 weeks, it wont kill them, I think:) Take care, and keep us all posted how your doing:)

Okay, seriously, has anybody else felt that nesting instinct right before surgery? I've cleaned the heck out of my house! I'm practically seeing animated sparkles floating in the air...or at least I did until my kitty just threw up on the floor. Thanks, Mara. Also I'm totally diggin' this liquid diet. I feel really light and bouncy on my feet and have lost over 10 pounds. Another humerus aspect is that I'll be gone for 2 weeks as I'm staying with my parents and when I get back it'll be all dusty again, lol! So, the day after tomorrow is it! I'm so excited! And it's gonna go by fast, because I have to get up at 4am for work, then after I get off at 1pm I run on home to pick up the kitty and then drive 3.5 hours to my parents. Then we wait for my mom to get home, then we get in the car and drive 1.5 to the hospital (they have hotel-type rooms you can rent for $25) as I have a 7am check in time! Finally, surgery! Ya'll, life is plain peachy right now! Woot woot!

Wow, what an inspiration you are!! Its great to hear so many success storeys. My surgery is coming up, and I'm so emotional!! I go from absolutley excited to anxiety attacks and even nightmares. It's crazy. I start my pre-op diet in 2 weeks, then I hope it is just excitement. I just want the surgery to be over, so I can get on with it. How did everybody else control there nerves?

Hi- first take a deep breath- breath and enjoy life... now- make your lists... lay out your vits daily or weekly... done... make a list of meals B-L-D. post on fridge... done...\ the thing I found is some days I can gulp Water, no prob- next day not so good... so take it slow... while you are rehabilitating, is the time to get organized, clean out cupboards etc. make your house clean- eating wise. now plan a time to exercise... the way it works is how you work the program... like any program, you have to make the effort. you are "all in" on this- now that 85% of your stomach is removed... the game is to make sure you become healthier, by following the program. I have had a coupla speed bumps in my road -3 weeks out... my first move is to get over them... mainly eating... it's a physical problem - I still went out and enjoyed live music tonight and the sunset. now my spoon of cottage cheese and a spoon of yogurt are going to be consumed. Good Luck!

Because I have a very tiny abdominal aortic aneurysm that was discovered 3 years ago and has never grown (I'm so lucky it was found when it was), my GP ordered an abdominal scan (even though I only need one once a yr.) and it showed I have a smaller than normal liver, thus my surgeon says I need no pre-op diet to shrink the liver. I'm not yet to that stage where the surgery date has been set, but at least I know I don't have to shrink my liver and that is a blessing. It also doesn't give me grounds to be a piggy either. I am trying to follow bandster rules before the banding, so I will stick to Soups and mushies for the week before so I get into some good habits. You are all so supportive here. I read all the posts all the time and have become so informed that I have surprised my surgeon with my questions about erosion, port infections and band slippage. I just tell him I have a personal pipeline to some experts :puke:. As of yesterday I am now 64. Do any of you think I'm nuts having this procedure done at this age. I'm hoping to improve foot pain which limits my activity and some other medical issues that most everyone heavy has. Is 64 too old?

If you go to www.coolrunning.com it will explain how it works. You start off jogging small amounts, walking small amounts. The first week you job 60 seconds, walk 90 seconds...week by week you run more than you walk. At the end of 2 months the goal is to run 3 miles..or 5K. Everyone that I've asked about it says that it is very doable.

I had the flu the week before I went in.. I was still sick when I went Everything was fine for me.

The same thing happenned to me - and I still had a cough when I got the surgery. Unless you are seriously ill I wouldn't worry too much about the cold. Also this could be a little psychosomatic (I was thinking that when I got my cold 1 week before surgery) - you may have that little devil in the back of your mind "oh my god we won't be able to pig out anymore!". Just drink lots of hot stuff, get tons of rest and you will be as good as gold for the surgery.