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Congratulations! I had a bypass on November 5th. I was worried about pain and what recovery would be like. I spent two nights in the hospital and had plenty of pain meds while there. I also took pain meds when I got home but not nearly as many. Get up and walk more than they tell you to. It can be exhausting at first but it really does help with gas pains you may have. Follow your surgeons advice, ask lots of questions if things are not clear. I am 10 days out and get tired but my husband and I hung new blinds a few days ago so I figure I am not doing too bad at this point. Good luck tomorrow!

I gained too I was so shocked but now 10 days later and have lost 22 pounds

Wow.. Check with your docs to make sure you don't have a hernia. Are you lifting things that are more than 10 lbs?

So I was supposed to be at 9 cc's in a 10 cc band. I go yesterday to the doctor's for a fill and have him pull all the saline out to make sure I don't have a leak since I have no restriction yet. He pulls out 7 cc's. So he puts in 8 cc's and when he is pulling out the needle saline goes all over my arm so I don't really know how many cc's I have right now. I just hope that not too much came gushing out. I go back in a month and hope this mishap doesn't cost me so I don't over eat and it takes 2-3 hours in between my hunger pains. Fills are getting expensive and I have been going every month since Oct. Why can't I feel the gurgling and movement of the liquids or food going down my stoma like I read about. Where is my "sweet spot"? So that is my story for today and I'm sticking to it. :w00t:

Something new I tried after a 2 month stall - interval training. I watched some Youtube videos about interval training. What I gathered is that interval training is giving maximum effort for a short period, rest and do it again. Interval training does not allow your body get used to the exercise, like it does with normal daily exercise. And you continue to burn fat for hours afterwards - as opposed to regular aerobic exercise. I have no proof that it works but I noticed that my weight started falling again once I started walking the stairs at work as fast as I could. Here's what I am experimenting with: I try to climb 5 floors of stairs at the fastest pace I can. One time a day. It is really exhausting and my legs feel rubbery afterwards. I can't climb all 5 floors without stopping for 10 breaths on the 3rd floor and 10 breaths on the 4th floor. When I can do it without stopping, I'll move to doing it 2 times a day. But if I didn't have stairs, I would use a jump rope or Zumba or Insanity Workout - 3 minutes going full out then stop. Wait 1 minute then do it again. The goal being a 30 minute workout. You might check out this article: http://www.mayoclinic.org/interval-training/art-20044588

Actually, you can bash me, too. My doctor is affiliated with a research hospital and has a long track record of highly successful bariatric surgery. That's why I chose her. I followed her protocol for supplements. At 3 months my blood work was perfect. She said I could go back to my Multivitamin which I've taken for years. She does not treat sleeve patients the same as bypass. According to her, research shows that provided the sleeve patient is following a balanced eating plan they do not exhibit the Vitamin deficiencies that bypass patients do. So I take no special supplements. My 6 month blood work was perfect. If there is ever an issue, she said it would be addressed when presented. At 10 months out, down 88 lbs, I feel fabulous and have more energy than I've had in years. My hair hasn't fallen out and my skin is great. No supplements from month 3 has not caused me any problems. Here's the deal. I trust MY doctor. I listen to MY doctor. This is a discussion forum. I can read what others do and find it interesting. But in the end I follow what MY doctor tells me. If your doctor is telling you to take supplements... and most do... then take them.

Eat something with sugar over 25 grams and you'll experience dumping. The stuck feeling is the over stuffed feeling you get from eating protein such as steak and eggs. I couldn't stomach them at 9 weeks out. And now 19 months post up can eat very little protein...but I have lotsa of energy feel great and have lost over 130 pounds. I used protein shakes at 9 weeks out to meet my protein requirements.

I'd like to join the group, if I may. I am going to be 62 this month. On Jan 26 2016 I had the sleeve surgery along with my gallbladder removed and a hernia repair. A bit about me and my pictures: I was obese all my life except for 2 years in the early 1970's when I was in my twenties and weighed 170 and was wearing a size 16. Twenty years later at 320 I became injuried by a complete stranger and less than 4 years later I was wheelchair bound due to the injuries and the doctors not wanting to treat an obese woman. Early 2000's when I had reached 497 I asked my husband to help me reduce my weight as my health was horrible. I was still in a wheelchair and in so much pain. I had 4 herniated discs, spinal stenosis, radicular neuropathy, half of a right hip bone, frozen left shoulder, Carpal tunnel syndrome and ulnar nerve damage. He said no way would he help me as he was a Fat Admirer and loved me obese. We had a major fight about this and I started a weight loss program. Despite him doing everything in his power to tempt me with my favorite foods I managed to lose 90 pounds the first year. The next year I filed for divorce after I found out he cheated on me with women more obese than I was. That year I lost another 90 ponds on my own with a second weight loss program. For the next 10 years I bounced back and forth from 302 to 390 until June 2015 when I went to a surgeon about the hernia and gallbladder problems. Turns out he was also a WLS specialist and had taught other Doctors how to do the sleeve surgery. I saw him when I weighed 352 pounds. In Jan 2016 I went in for the 3 surgeries weighing 315 pounds. Today I weigh 220 pounds for a total loss of 277 from my highest weight. In June of 2017 I had a Breast Reduction and sometime within the next 3 months I will have excess skin removed from my arms. I have to get to my goal of 180 this year so my huge dropped tummy excess skin can also be removed. I need to get back to following all the rules and eating like I did when I first had the surgery. With many of you being in the beginning stages I am sure that will help me and I feel I might be able to offer a lot of help to you all.

Wish mine was that early!! Mine is at 1pm and I need to be there 2.5 gruling hours before at 10:30am. Ugh! LOL

One of the two people I told before surgery pretty much stopped being my friend, in fact I was hospitalized for 10 days (not WLS related) and she didn't even call once. She is overweight too, I considered that she was losing her "eating buddy", but over time I see it is more than that that. She has reached out to me again but there is an underlying hostility (anger?) that I just can't seem to ignore. Surround yourself with positive energy and love.

Please understand that I mean my responses in the NICEST possible way. You still need a lot of willpower for the band to be successful. The band does 1/4 of the work, you have to have the willpower to do the rest. Some people get the band because they're hungry all the time...I'm sure if you told a thin person who's hungry to stop eating, they wouldn't. Where I'm from a doctor will only approve a patient for LAP-BAND if they've tried everything else and failed. I'm assuming this is going to be different in other places, but I think it's a pretty important factor...I think that surgery should be the last resort. Lucky. For some reason appetite suppressants didn't work as well for me as the band did...I don't think you should regret the band until you get your first fill. I felt the same way :-) You need to do what's best for you. No judgement here on that one! Uhhh...I don't quite know how to answer your question then lol. I felt the same way as you did (except I may have been a bit more pissed off than you). I was in depression for a few weeks after the band because it wasn't supressing my appetite. After I'd had a fill I felt great and everything went fine. I know how agonisingly annoying it is to hold back from food, but it gets easier. So far I've lost 15 kilos in under 2 months. That's 33 lbs. I didn't really start losing my weight until I got a fill. I exercise for 10 hours a week and don't eat refined sugar or carbs. For me that's been as tough as hell to overcome. I remember sitting in my bed thinking about the full fat yogurt downstairs in the fridge and crying to myself. Yes, crying. I then remembered eating a giant pizza right before my surgery and crying AFTER that...I think knowing how bad I'll feel after eating it is my greatest motivation to keep away from food. I really hope this works out for you. I know this isn't something you wanna here but...It gets easier :-P

Hello, Are there in Mentors in Jersey City, NJ looking for a pal to exercise with; I will be sleeved on July 10, 2012?

Hello! Please help me! I was told by my NUT to drink 2 shakes and a healthy meal (high protein low carbs) or 3 shakes to help me lose the 10 pounds I needed to lose. The problem is she recommended Ensure which has 40gr of carbs / 22 g sugar. I followed her advise and gained 2.8 lbs in about a week! Can you please tell me what shakes have you tried (and liked) that can help me achieve the ultimate goal of losing the remaining 8 pounds I need to lose before my next appointment in 12 days! (My surgeon will not schedule my surgery until I lose the weight!) Thank you in advance for your help.

I found this site last week, but just decided to sign up last night. I went for my initial consultation with the surgeon this past Monday. I have my appointment with the psychologist next Monday. After that, they told me that I should have all of the paperwork needed to file with my insurance. I have BCBS Federal. They are pretty slow with their processing, but I am hoping to find something out in early July. It has been very helpful to see all of the positive comments on this site. I got a little scared because of some of the problems that I saw posted, but I know that everyone is different and it seems for every problem there are 10 others who have had good experiences! I'm glad that there is a site like this one to help me know that this is truly the right decision for me! I can't wait to be skinny again, and be able to wear cute clothes again! :ihih: Thx..... Sam

No worries, this won't be a full recap of my life. I just feel that my story is one that should be shared because of how the band changed my life and then unfortunately had to be removed 4 years later. Before I jump into the story I will say that if you are feeling ANY unusual pain - not necessarily in your port area or stomach - see your surgeon. We have a foreign object in our bodies and it's not unusual for our bodies to try and reject it... Before the band: I've been overweight my entire life. Like many others I couldn't latch onto the right tools to lose that unwanted weight. My level of discipline is something that I continuously struggle to build up - especially when it comes to food. I was an anxious kid who turned to food in times when I needed comfort or was under stress. Although I was always active - playing multiple sports throughout life - I couldn't seem to maintain a healthy weight. My junior year of college was spent abroad in Italy. It was there that I gained a new confidence in myself and my abilities. I've always been an outgoing and confident person but it took experiencing another culture to make me feel like I had the control to make a change in myself. When I got home I went to the initial lap band seminar to get an overview. From there on it was a whirlwind of appointments and all that pre-op stuff we all had to go through. Four months after that seminar I was in for surgery - November 2009. At the time I was one of the youngest to get the band - only 21 years old. Life with the band: It felt like the weight was melting off of my body. I barely worked out the first year with the band and had lost the first 40 pounds with almost no physical effort. I changed the way I was eating, that's for sure. The band did its job - it restricted how much I could eat, how quickly I was eating and just made me more conscious of the choices I made. I noticed that every time I was getting a fill, I could barely eat for the following days. Looking back, I don't think that's the right way to do it but in my mind I was thinking, "great, here's an easy 3-4 pounds gone." I became a better me. As the weight fell off, I became even more confident in all areas of my life. I had my first serious relationship, I was fiercely going after my career goals and just felt happier and healthier of course. It became harder to lose weight as I got closer to my goal weight (which by the way, I'm still not quite there). I added in exercise and it helped me shed more pounds. As of summer 2010 (year and a half post-surgery), I wasn't able to get anymore fills. I had a fill where almost immediately after the solution was injected I started to feel back pain. They sent me home anyway and told me to come back if it worsened. Oh boy did it ever... it turned into radiating pain throughout my entire body. My jaw, neck, legs, everything. I couldn't even drink water. So, they took the last fill out and I returned to normal state. They couldn't really explain why the pain was occurring other than maybe my band was at its max capacity at 10cc's. So needless to say after that experience, I stayed away for a year. I didn't want to go through that pain and felt that my band was telling me that it has done its job and now its my turn. After a year of unsuccessful weight loss, I went back for another fill but had the same experience. The doctor took even more solution out this time just to see how my body would react. It was around summer of 2012 when this back pain really began. It was the same pain I was feeling when I had the fills that needed to be removed. It's pain that starts in the mid to upper back and then radiates throughout my lower back and through my sides...almost always coinciding with nausea and after I ate something. In the back of my mind, I knew it had to be from my band. I was only 24 years old and shouldn't be feeling that kind of pain. But of course, like many of us do, I dealt with the pain for months hoping it would go away. I altered my desk and computer at work thinking it was my posture. I tried changing how I was sleeping. And by this point, I was on a serious workout regiment - a lot of weight lifting and hard cardio so I thought it could be from that. The turning point: During Fall and winter of 2012 I had back pain every single day. Some days it was so debilitating that I'd have to leave work. The only remedies were laying down on my back and wait for the pain to subside or occasionally ib profeun. The pain and frustration brought me to tears. It was affecting my life at work and my social life (not fun having an episode while you're out to dinner with friends). So in April 2013 I decided it was time to just make a call to my primary care doctor. I needed to start somewhere. I was in the middle of an "attack" at work and walked outside to call my doctor because I was so fed up. They couldn't see me that day so they sent me to the night clinic the next day. I explained my situation and also happened to mention that many of the women in my family have had their gallbladders removed. While he didn't seem to think it was my gallbladder (because of my young age) he decided to "rule it out" by scheduling an ultrasound for me the following day. I had the ultrasound. The tech was awfully quiet and wouldn't share my results with me. They had me wait as the results were sent to the referring physician. Then, they told me the doctor was on the phone and needed to speak with me. "You have huge stones!" he said. "And we need to remove your gallbladder immediately." I couldn't believe it. At that moment, I was relieved that I knew something was wrong and that I followed through to find the solution but I was scared too. So I thought that the gallstones were the cause of all my pain. But then, I scheduled a pre-op consult with my bariatric surgeon so he could perform the gallbladder surgery. He wanted to remove my gallbladder the next day. "No problem, see ya then" type of conversation. But before he walked out of the room he happened to ask how my band was doing and I said, "eh." I told him my suspicions for the cause of back pain were initially due to the band. Because of that he insisted that while I was there they should just see how much fluid is in the band. Thank goodness he did! What went wrong: The doctor pulled out brown fluid from my band. "Hmmm..." he said. He tried again just to be sure he made it into the port and didn't collect fluid from stomach cavity instead. I've never seen him lost for words or for explanation. He sat down and stared at the brown fluid and said he had never seen anything like it. The brown fluid suggested that there may be an infection somewhere but that would mean that somehow there was a puncture in the band itself and therefore stomach fluid was leaking inside the band creating a bacteria. He sent the fluid for culture testing immediately and shipped me down to radiology for a CT scan so he could see a full picture of the band. Hours later, he came in the room and said that the band looked unharmed. Therefore, he had no idea what was causing the bad fluid. We discussed taking the band out. And since I felt like it wasn't working for me anymore anyway, he was most comfortable with taking the whole thing out. Back in the OR: So 10 days from my first call to my primary care, I was back in the OR. And not only was my gallbladder being removed, we were also taking out my band in the same surgery. I was scared of course but also praying for pain relief. And it was unnerving that the doctor wasn't even sure what he was going to find when he got in there. When I came to, I was in the exact same recovery room that I was in just 4 years ago! Itching like crazy again because apparently I'm allergic to morphine and a little more uncomfortable than when I got my band in. The doctor came to explain what he found and how he removed the band. Gallbladder was no issue, he removed it and moved onto the band. He found that the band part that is wrapped around the stomach (the part that restricts your intake), had eroded into my stomach lining. The CT scan didn't show him this part of my body so he was surprised to find this. In his thousands of patients, I was the first he had seen this happen to. There was no research to back up his findings. We're still not sure how this happened or why. Even better, the way he took the band out... he cut it into pieces and then removed it through my mouth. Yuck! Needless to say, the recovery process was more difficult because of the two surgeries and complications with removing the band. They had me there for almost 2 full days because of all the follow-up tests they needed to provide to be sure my esophagus and stomach weren't leaking. Another CT scan, a barium swallow a JP drain and 2 days of itching from pain meds later...they let me go home. Life after the band: I can't believe it's no longer part of me. For so long I felt like it was my safety blanket. I'm disappointed that it didn't get me further and that it caused me so much pain. The gallstones were just a coincidental find that led to finding the real issue with my band. I'm almost 4 months out from surgery and have adjusted fine to life without a band. It's what I learned while I had the band that is making me maintain weight. My discipline is stronger than it's ever been but needs to be even stronger when it comes to nutrition. The back pain has subsided and I no longer anticipate feeling like that on a daily basis. I'm still working toward my goal weight and almost there! Moral of the story: LISTEN TO YOUR BODY! I waited too long to see my doctor about the pain. I suffered for months and months because part of me didn't want to know the truth. I was scared that it was the band's fault because the band had given me so much and I didn't want to believe it. So if you're feeling any unusual pain, anywhere, just talk to your doctor. And tell them everything. If I hadn't mentioned family history of gallstones then I might never have had the ultrasound and therefore never have gone back to bariatric surgeon when I did.

My advice would be to start slow, pick one category of bad choices and stop eating them. I started with sugary foods and started chewing a lot of gum. Then work on portion sizes and then stick to healthier options. I take my son walking with me daily (15mths) First day I could only do 15minutes 4/week (5 warm up 5 moderate 5 cool down, moderate described to me by my physiotherapist as being able to talk but not sing) Now almost 10 weeks later am down 36lbs and walking 45minutes daily, 30 mod. It's really hard for first cpl weeks but it gets easier. Now I know what real hunger feels like...if I can do it so can you...Just make sure if you falter you forgive and start again.. You are stronger than you know! And we're here for you.

I would love that. Where in the valley are you. I live on the ASU poly campus. As for the first day. It was ok until about 10. I was starving. I only used one scoop and 8 oz of Water in my shake. I think if I use two scoops and 16 oz of water it will keep me full longer. My day starts at 5am, so it makes sense that 4 or 5 hours later I was starving. Gonna double it up tomorrow and see if that works. I could just make two 8oz shakes but that will be a pain when I am teaching, if I make one 16 oz and drink on it while teaching and I think that will work better, I hope. Now I just have to get my students in culinary to stop bringing me things like Peanut Butter banana bread! Lol

Amy single mother of 3, never married!! Was banded on 10/11/12!! Looking for someone to talk to!!

I just turned 21 last Monday I had a bud light with no problem I am 10 months post op. I guess everyone is different

Out of curiosity what kind of exercise are you doing? HW 341 lbs 07/19/16 - 298 lbs 08/09/16 DOS - 286 lbs CW 270 lbs

:clap2: Happy Holidays! I want you all to know that Jan 8th 9am will be my special moment. This has been the biggest and best decision I've taken for a long time. I'm not afraid, I only dread the Slim Fast portion of it (10 days)... But that's ok, cause I know you've all been there and are still alive and kicking. I've learned so much by reading your posts. It helped me gain the assurance I needed to follow through and because of that I want to thank you all. My weight in Oct was 334, lost 24 and aiming for 40 for my operation. I'm from Mascouche, Québec a little town outside of Montreal and will be operated on in Drummondville by Dr Steven Miller. Will let you know how things go. Bye...Gigi

I had RNY on 12/28 and I have had zero complications and I'm eating well. I had the lap band several years ago and I feel that has helped me understand the importance of small bites and chewing food to a soft consistency. I've lost 19 pounds in 10 days. Loving my decision Sent from my iPhone using the BariatricPal App

I started at 392, hon. And I haven't been below 259.5 since I was 18 (I'm almost 36, so HALF MY LIFE)..... I also didn't think I'd get "too far over 300" but didn't have a scale, got pregnant, ate All The Pie.... And there you have it. I could barely waddle, had a hard time wiping my own butt (wouldn't admit that except to anonymous strangers, hah) I nudged a few pounds off between Thanksgiving and Christmas 2013, and my surgery got scheduled for 2/10/14 with a pre-surgery check in on 1/27 (also the day I started my liver reduction diet).... On 1/27 I weighed 375. I was fitting into a size 28, kind of. On 2/10 I weighed 355 (20 lbs in two weeks, but 1000 cals a day will do that)..... It's been exactly 6 months since I started the liver reduction diet ... And not every day has been perfect of course, there are plateaus and drops and more plateaus.... But today I weigh 257. That's 118 lbs in 6 months. My size-20 jeans are getting loose. I bought myself two very glamorous dresses in size 14-16 and they fit delightfully. I have gone from 3x t-shirts to XL or L. And still going. I have 87 pounds to go. My thighs sag like a shar-pei puppy now and you know what? I freakin flaunt it. My belly sags and if I lean forward and tighten my abs, my belly creases from top to bottom. Weird. My lower belly looks like a butt. And I have promised myself a bikini at 250.... Not a "flattering two-piece suit" no a freaking bikini because I have earned it. You can do this.... Surgery will HELP.... And you can step into a more aware, more mindful way of eating. Because now it matters!!! Now you are stepping into being SOMEONE, not hiding behind food anymore..... and you will LOVE the changes that happen in your body.

I have BC/BS NJ PLUS which is the state employee plan, if any plan would deny it I would think the government one would and they approved me with NO problems. In fact it only took about 1 week to get approval. I had a BMI of 51 at surgery time and had no co-morbidities. Plus I didn't have any out of pocket other than a $10 co-pay. If you have a referral from your Primary Care Doctor the consultation I would think should be covered as well. Good luck