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HI, Im getting mine done in one step by Dr. Ewing Douglas of ADVANCED LAP-ASSOCIATES in Paramus, NJ. Hospital Is Hackensack NJ in Hackensack NJ..201-646-1121 call him to get your consult tell him i sent you. Doing it in one step has to be determined by an UPPER GI and Barium Swallow Screening that he will refer you to. If all is good he will do it in one step if something is wrong (damaged stomach, stomach wrapped around band) he will have to remove band let heal for 6-8 weeks (depending on damage) and then do the sleeve. Good Luck. Have you been to a doctor yet for a consult?

I had my sleeve surgery 1/20/16 and I took a 3 day trip to Las Vegas on 2/11/16 (3 weeks post op). Now, I know everyone recovers differently but I was completely useless for the first 2.5weeks. I was worried about taking my trip but started to get some energy back a couple days before I left. I completely understand what you're going through. I apologize in advance, this may be lengthy, especially since it's fresh in my mind. I think the most difficult thing is going to be food. At three weeks I was supposed to be on a puréed diet. That was incredibly difficult while traveling!!! I am having trouble with Protein shakes post op, no matter what I try I just can't stomach them. That would have been my go to, but I just couldn't do it. I ate mostly yogurt and eggs and those 1 oz packages of peanut or almond butter (I can't remember the brand. It's all natural, no sugars or anything). But, I also ate things that weren't puréed. I didn't have a choice in some places. There just aren't many options on a puréed diet. I did get sick once from eating 2 French fries. I just didn't want to spend so much money on an entire meal when I really shouldn't have been eating any of the foods they had to offer and would only be able to eat a couple bites anyway, and I figured French fries were soft so I just took a couple from someone else's plate. Not a good idea! No more fried things for me!! It didn't help that our hotel room didn't have a fridge or anything, so I couldn't buy yogurts or anything to keep in the room. I did, however, make sure I had a Water bottle on me at all times. I'm not sure what stage of the diet you will be on during your trip, but I would definitely consider what your options would be. As far as rescheduling your trip, and I'm assuming that this is just for pleasure since you're wondering about postponing, I would do some research online or by phone. Look at where you will be staying and local restaurants and any outings you have planned. Most places offer menus online, try to find things that will work for your diet. Even call them and see if they will be accommodating. Also, look at who you will be traveling with. Do they know about your surgery and diet restrictions? Are they going to be supportive and understanding? I think if you will be able to find foods that will fit your diet you will be fine. I had energy back by that point and besides having trouble with food, I had a phenomenal trip. Good luck with your surgery and have fun in Hawaii!

It's normal and it would be unusual to have a ton of energy after the pre op liver cleanse, the surgery and then early recovery. I didn't get any energy back until after week six. Kate

Most people lose 80% of there weight with surgery myself included I now have to exercise and work on losing it . I lost 2 pounds a week faithfully with the exception on a few stalls then it just stopped . I wish I would have exercised from the beginning but I didn't so today was day one of exercising lol

hi all. I'm 3 weeks and 1 day post op. I am still having discomfort in my abdomen. Has anyone else had this for this long?

I know quite well what you're talking about. Despite and because of that, I shall not coddle you. Digging for some reality seems more the thing. The common wisdom is that people don't fear failure; we don't fear the familiar. It's fear of the unfamiliar that makes us break out in hives. What do you think the unfamiliar might be in context of what you've said? A week's fast on water? That's not too masochistic. What does it mean to "re-set my body?" It sounds like an orthopedics procedure. If you can't stick to a diet and exercise program, it's likely that you're not ready for surgery. The procedure isn't magic. Losing and maintaining weight loss is a matter of your doing the work. If during the psych eval you tell the psychologist that you can't stick to a program and want to rely on surgery for a cure, you will not be approved. A major part of getting approval is being able to say truthfully that you understand that. There is no magic in weight loss. Never make that mistake. You'll go through surgery and remain as you are or perhaps even continue to gain weight. Approval depends in large part in demonstrating that you're expectations are realistic and that you are capable of understanding and following doctor's/RD's/NP's and whomever else's instructions. "What if,"what if," "what if." Waste of time. Anxiety will see you locking yourself into a closet. One thing at a time. Tormenting yourself is not permitted on my watch. Do you really think you need a therapist? Why ever would you say such a thing? From my perspective and my own experience, I'll venture a guess that you sure do. There, too, the work is yours to do. The benefit can be invaluable in helping you sort out lots of things that need sorting out, the emotional and psychological as well as the pragmatic. Try sitting down with paper and pen. Real paper and pen, which I think will connect you more closely to the task. The task is to write down what you want. Not what you think you need or what you think you "have" to do. With very few exceptions, no one "needs to" anything. What matters is what one "wants to (fill in the blank)." Really wants. Make a list of what you want in broad terms, not only about losing weight. Then work on a list of all the reasons you want to lose weight and other goals. Keep them very specific. Example: "I want to be healthy" is far an excellent reason, but too broad for this exercise. Break it down into what you want to change, listing each health concern separately. You'll learn more, e.g., your values, priorities, et al., about yourself that you may have known. Lots of good information to have. Start by writing the things that come to mind immediately. You don't have to sit for hours until you think you have a complete list. Add things as they occur to you. You'll keep those lists because, when you do begin your journey, you'll still use them. As you accomplish each goal, you'll check it off. As new goals and desires occur, you'll add them to the list. Nothing is to unimportant or silly to go on the list. In fact, those things that seem small (and, when it comes to making changes, none is small) may be the first you accomplish. Seeing the check marks is a source of energy to stay with it. Bear with me. I don't have time to be brief. I hope I've helped.

So I finally saw my nut today. If I worked really hard and had a bit of luck I could get my surgery before the new year. But after some thought, financially it will be a it better to wait. So we are aiming for the first week of January. So excited to see some progress! However the Cleveland clinic requires 10% weight loss (roughly 20lbs for me). It's extremely hard for me to lose weight (thus the surgery). With my excess weight my knees and back hurt like hell and with my meds I'm always hungry. Anyone have any tips to beat hunger and exercises I can do that won't push my back and knees? My nut wasn't much help. ???? Anything but swimming for exercise please. I know it's best but the idea of a bathing suit at a gym pool terrifies me beyond belief.

Another thing to keep in mind - you may not be losing weight but you may still be losing inches. Measure the following locations and measure them once a week to see the changes (it only takes about 4 minutes to measure all of these spots): Neck Around the chest (widest part) Around the chest (under breast for women) Upper arm (always the same distance from the elbow crease) Forearm (same distance from elbow crease) Wrist Waist (narrowest area) Waist (at belly button) Hips (widest) Hips (at the dip, if you have one) Thigh (same distance from the crotch or back of knee) Calf (same distance from the back of the knee) Ankle You may not notice changes in all areas, but on those weeks where you have no weight loss you will very likely lose a half inch, an inch, or more. One final note - women gain between 5-10 lbs every month due to our cycles, so if you don't lose this week, you may lose a lot next week. If you're tracking you'll see these fluctuations. And even women who are going through menopause or who have gone through menopause will have fluctuations though they'll be a little smaller in the 2-4 lbs range.

In a week from today I will be 3 months post op and I have only lost about 26 lbs (6 lbs pre-surgery). I do not regret having the band, and even just the improvements in the way I feel are satisfying, but I honestly did not think that it would be so slow going. I am doing 30-40 minutes on the elliptical machine a minimum of 5-6 days a weeks (usually walking the other day or two) and I am journaling everything I eat and most days average about 800-900 calories and 60-90 grams of Protein. I feel terrific; I have energy, I am sleeping well, my color is good, BUT why am I not losing more? I did not lose anything the entire month of December but I felt that was a victory since my history was to gain over the holidays. Since 1/1/1, I have only lost 3 pounds and I am finding this very frustrating. I have had 3 fills and with the last one I did start to feel some restriction. My surgeon told me that at this point I should not have to write everything down, I should be able to rely on my "full" feeling, but I know that I can eat more than 4 ozs at a sitting so I am being very deligent about weighing and measuring right now. I also took measurements at the beginning of my journey and while I have lost about 15 inches overall, I have not lost any more inches since the beginning of December either. Has anyone else experienced this? I am hoping that if I just stick with what I am doing the pounds will have to start dropping off, right?

That's great. I didn't realize what I was getting into yesterday for my pre-op. I had a nutritional class yesterday morning. The nutritionist had her band for 8.5 yrs. the doctor told me to make sure I stay strictly on the diet for the next two weeks to shrink my liver. I'm ready. I guess I'll go to bed early to combat cravings. Today did not go badly.

Im two weeks out tomorrow and i still have three weeks till I get real food. Im starting three weeks of purees tomorrow. I have my first fill in three weeks. So I take it every doctor does it different. Im glade to here not everyone has issues w/ different foods. Im a total foodie.

Hi, I started in August 2015 and surgery is slated for 3/1. I also have BC/BS (Federal). Because of my age (52) I had to do some additional things: Endoscopy Colonoscopy (or proof of one within last several years) Cardiac Eval Chest X-Ray Stress Test LOTS of bloodwork sleep Study (or evidence of one within ten years) Pre-Anesthesia testing (EKG, more bloodwork) Psych Eval Six months of nutrition classes (one each month-mandatory) It is quite a bit to go through. I actually found that the most stressful time for me was the almost 3 weeks it took BCBS to approve the surgery....I was going crazy thinking I might have to start all over to go to Mexico (didn't know they had different requirements). So...here I am in the early days of my pre-op diet. Keep thinking about the new me and pressing on! Hang in there, one day (or sometimes minute) at a time.

I had my initial consult two weeks ago where I met with the surgeon and the dietician and set up several appointments. The surgeon said that I am a perfect candidate being that my age is 33 and even though my BMI is 41.9, I do not have many health issues but my BMI was high enough that insurance should find it acceptable. I have Blue Cross Blue Shield Silver Plus. What appointments and tests did you have to have prior to everything being sent to insurance for approval? I met with a psychiatrist and passed that part, tomorrow I see Physical Therapy, the dietician, and have an ultrasound scheduled to check my gallbladder. Friday, I have an endoscopy, At the time of the initial appointment, I felt overwhelmed by all of the appointments that were being scheduled and I didn't think to ask about a timeline of future appointments and tests.

Hi! I'm getting surgery next month. My plan is to take off from work the day of and day after surgery and returning the following day. Am I being too ambitious? I haven't even told my employer that I need those 2 days off and this is relatively a new job and don't know how hell react if I tell him I need the whole week. Initially my surgery was on Thursday and I was coming back on Monday giving me 4 days to get used to everything. Now I'm barely giving myself any time. Any opinions? Has anyone gone back to work as early as I’m planning?

I saw the surgeon in a group setting prior to being a candidate, I think twice. Once I was a candidate, I saw him one-on-one, and got further info about what I needed to do, what to expect, and a chance to ask questions. He made a simple physical examination and asked me a few questions about my health, then I sat with the admin and signed a medical records release so I could obtain short term medical leave at my work, and yes, got a surgical date, in my case a little more than 3 weeks out from that visit. This is a very personal decision as it will be a big change, But for me it's a change I know I need to make - I am mainly looking to head off the serious health consequences of obesity, but also want to look and feel better, be able to enjoy more activities like biking and kayaking. I can almost feel the wind in my hair now! Thank you for your response! I'm so ready to have control over my life for the first time l. I've always been overweight, and it sucks. There are so many things that I've wanted to do, but always told myself no because of my weight. Plus, I know now that I don't have any other medical issues along with the weight, but they are bound to come, so why not try to prevent them. Especially since I've almost met my insurance deductible already this year. Sent from my SM-N920P using the BariatricPal App

My doc wants higher bmi folks (which includes me and anyone over bmi of 60) to have the filter fitted AND have two weeks of the injections. I'm not swayed by the medical literature on the filters as I don't have any clot, dvt history nor has my family. I think I'm going to see if a compromise can be found before I refuse the filter. I don't want to have a pulmonary embolism or a stroke, and given I have nothing wrong with me apart from being very fat- I can't see the medical necessity of the procedure for me. That's not to say it's not worthwhile and doesn't prevent the two things I don't want...I just can't see the value in my case. So I'm really keen to hear other views and learn more- who knows I might even change my mind. Sent from my iPad using the BariatricPal App

What area of Phoenix did you live in? We live in NW Glendale near Arrowhead. Yesterday was our first 100° day and today was our first day to reach 110°! It is supposed to cool down to the 80's on Thurs and Friday. We are pretty used to the heat, we were complaining not long ago that it hasn't been hot enough to heat the pool up to 80! We will only be in GR for about a week. It is my husband's oldest daughter that is getting married. His relatives live out of state and if they can't make it to the wedding (because of health issues) we will also go there for a couple of days (in a neighboring state). So it will be a busy week! No one in his family knows I have had the surgery. They know I have lost some weight, but don't know how...LOL We used to live in Wyoming, MI near the library. Patsy

Ok...feeling back on track. Last week I had 1cc removed from my band due to being stuck. So after Christmas Day I decided I was going to go back on a three day clear liquid diet, then soft foods. Believe it or not the clear liquid was not as hard as it was before I had the surgery! Today I am adding back foods slowly. I get my fill back next week. THANK GOODNESS. :frown: I know my sweet spot and I want to keep it. So...on top of going on a liquid, I decided to take on a new workout routine. I purchased the 10 Minute Trainer with Tony Horton. It looks good on TV, but let me tell you....OUCH! Each 10 minute segment is kicking my B-U-T-T!:wink: It's like puzzle pieces so you do (3) 10 minute segments a day to equal 30 minutes. It contains Yoga, Cardio, Upper Body, Lower Body, Abs and Total Body. I promised myself for once in my life I was going to fully complete a program, so this one is 30 days. On the first day, I made it through----BARELY----then promptly cried. I swear, I thought it would be easier. I mean...I have been exercising on a consistant routine every since I had the band in May 2009. I use the treadmill up to an hour a day, I do water aerobics, Bellydance....etc. BUT NO....I am using muscles I did not even know I had! So today is Day 3 of the program and it's a small day. Instead of 30 minutes it only wants you to do the 10 minutes Yoga....I am afraid....VERY AFRAID! I will do it this evening!:w00t: I sure hope at the end of 30 days I will be able to report some serious inches lost! On top of all these crazy ideas I have had....I am now PMSing...BAD! And I never lose during this week. BLAH BLAH BLAH!:tt2: As the New Year approaches I have found myself reflecting on this year, personally and business wise. I guess all of us do. Personally....I am so very happy with where I am, I have never been happier in my life. I feel sexy, strong and beautiful. Business wise...well I am a Realtor and even though I had a good year it was NO WHERE near what I wanted it to be. This market has just got to turn! *sigh* So....with that in mind....I want to let you all know you mean a lot to me. I have gotten the support here that I needed before, during and after my LAP-BAND®®. I could not have asked for a better support team. So...until 2010! BLESSINGS!:eek: P.S. I am wearing size 12 jeans today....I feel so skinny!

You can do it!! It's a few days of discomfort in exchange for a lifetime of health. And every day you don't cheat makes you psychologically that much stronger as well. Good luck! I start my 3 week liquid only diet on Monday.

United Health Care denied my claim for not being obese enough for long enough. I have three co-morbidities (diabetes, HBP, metabolic syndrome) and they still would not pay. My insurance requires that you have a BMI of 40 for at least 5 years. I have gotten my final denial of my appeal so I am now deciding whether to sue. The denial was based on the specific language of my company's plan and if I sue, I really am suing my company (which won't go over well). I can't imagine a plan provision that says it would treat breast cancer but only after the lump in the breast reached an inch and sat there for a few years. I am in the process of collecting documents and then going to see a lawyer. I went ahead and self-paid and was banded on Sept. 12. I am glad I did it and lucky that I could afford to self pay. But I really feel for those who can't and get denied because appaently the insurance companies are afraid that too many people will want the band. It was a life or death decision for me according to my doctor and it's a major lifestyle change. It's not a diet. It's a medical procedure that addresses serious illnesses and conditions. Sorry to rant but I am looking at thousands in medical costs and a little irritable from not eating. Good Luck!

Your body is saying something--take it easy!!! Don't forget to read the sad stories of those who "pushed through" the pain. That works in many situations, but not lapbanding. Pamper yourself the next four weeks. It's healing time. Give your body the chance it needs to heal and be ready for a great life ahead!!!

I know exactly the uncomfortable pain you are talking about!! I will still get that exact pain if I let myself get too hungry or if I over eat. I have had my band for 5 1/2 years and I still hate that feeling!! I love my band though and wouldn't trade it for anything! Sometimes I will take a couple of motrin to help and it usually does. It will ease up soon, I promise and maybe you won't have that feeling anymore like I do. Most people say they don't after a week or so. Good Luck

With dialysis patients they are not poking fatty tissue and they are poking them three times weekly for years. You aren't going to be in the same boat by a long shot.

VSG four weeks ago, and am getting my molds made for Invisalign on Friday! This time next year, I should be a whole new person! I love this working on me stuff. When they said Invisalign is hard because your eating patterns get all messed up, I said I'm already in that boat, so I might as well get straight teeth out of the deal!!

I think that's my fear - Additional appointments or paperwork needed prior to next week's surgery, or even the day of surgery the hospital saying they're missing something. I'm trying to stay on top of everything to the best of my ability. Thank you!