Search the Community

Surgical techniques have significantly improved to help reduce slippage. My surgeon is the chairperson of a bariatric center of excellence and holds an officer position on a national bariatric association. I trust his confidence in the band and the surgery techniques he performed. That does not mean there is a guarantee that I won't someday have an issue, but the possibility of issues exists with all WLS. I'm losing 10 pounds a month and feel great. I don't have any regrets about my decision. Lap-banded and love it!

I had total buyer's remorse on days 2-5 post op. I felt lousy from the anesthesia the first three days and when I got home from the hospital, I was overwhelmed by having to keep to sipping schedule. I just couldn't wrap my head around what I had done to myself at that point. I also had major head hunger for the first week. But, by the end of the week things began to get better each day. I feel amazing at 10 weeks post op. I'm thrilled with my weight loss and I'm thrilled with my sleeve. It is a magnificent tool for weight loss. At this point, I only regret not having done it sooner. Good luck to you!

My dermatologist told me that whey Protein frequently exacerbates acne in those who are prone to it, and can even cause breakouts in people who've previously had clear skin. Dairy products can also worsen hormonal acne in some people, so using milk as your base can compound the risk of a breakout. Fortunately, for me I can use milk, kefir, and yogurt in shakes without fearing an eruption on my face, but it's definitely something to be mindful about. This helps to explain some of the reasons for why whey protein can lead to acne: http://www.acneeinstein.com/whey-protein-acne/ I've had better luck with plant-based Protein Shakes rather than whey. I also loved GENEPRO. It's a Protein powder that has been heavily criticized on this forum for it's "too good to be true" claims about having 30 grams of protein for a small serving of easily dissolvable, tasteless and odorless powder, and for being so processed, but it's been fantastic for me. I used it for four months without experiencing any ill effects. I only stopped using it because I was getting adequate protein from food sources once I was fully healed. My husband is a physician, and a friend of his who is an oncologist told him that some of his patients going through chemotherapy have sores in their mouth that make eating difficult, so they have used Genepro as a supplement to add in more protein to their diet. He approves of it, which made me feel a bit more confident. It's definitely not an ideal food source, or something to make as a staple for your diet, but it can be useful as a supplement when your options are more limited. It can be added to broths, hot and cold drinks, and various foods. If you look on YouTube you can find videos by a bariatric surgeon named Dr. Matthew Weiner who advocates what he calls a "set point smoothie." It's made of high-protein, low-carb Greek yogurt (such as Fage), frozen fruit, and kale or spinach. It's a bit too much for immediately post-surgery, but a week or two down the road you should be ready for it. He encourages his patients to only consume protein powders in the first few months post-surgery when they cannot yet eat better, more natural sources of protein. Vitamins and supplements can also cause breakouts. I took Biotin a couple of years ago when I was regretting a hair cut and hoping for more rapid growth, and ended up with a war zone on my face because of it. I have PCOS and am very sensitive. Excessive B-12 also lead to painful breakouts. I do not take an additional B-12 supplement because of that, but do take a Multivitamin that has it in a smaller quantity. The vitamins I've responded to the best are Garden of Life's Vitamin Code Multi-Vitamin for Women, and Flintstones with Iron (one or the other, not both). As for topical treatments, my esthetician I see for monthly facials (and can recommend to you if you happen to live in LA) as well as my dermatologist recommended La Roche Posay's products, and specifically their Effaclar System. It's usually $29 for the set, which includes a face wash, clarifying solution, and treatment, but I spotted it at CVS earlier this week for $19. If you buy it, start off slowly because it can lead to peeling if you use it too often. I wash my face with the cleanser at night, and use the solution a couple of times a week. I put a very thin layer of the treatment on spots when needed. In the morning I either use Lush's Let the Good Times Roll, or simply rose Water. This routine has definitely helped my skin. My dermatologist told me to stay away from any anti-aging products because they are way too heavy for my skin. I turned 30 last year and freaked out about it, and went overboard on products. He said that water is my best anti-aging "product." It's true that any wrinkles I have go away once I've gotten properly hydrated. If you're older, that might not be the case, but regardless of age water can help to improve your skin's clarity and tone. You might also want to be careful about any laundry detergents, shampoos, conditioners, and toothpaste you use because fragrances and ingredients like Sodium Lauryl Sulfate can trigger acne in some people. I use Seventh Generation's fragrance-free detergent for sensitive skin, and no fabric softener (white vinegar works just as well, and doesn't cause your clothes to smell like you might think it would), and I change my pillowcases three times a week. I stick with SLS-free toothpaste that doesn't have whitening ingredients (Tom's has one), and SLS-free shampoo and conditioner (Loreal has a good line). Best wishes to you!

I am 15 weeks pregnant and have gained 3 pounds. My OBGYN said he only wants me to gain between 5 - 10 pounds for the whole pregnancy. After gaining 55 during my first pregnancy almost 4 years ago, I thought 5 - 10 sounded unreal! I still have 1.2 ccs in my 10 cc band, but have not had it unfilled yet. I am doing fine. My lapband dr. said to come get it unfilled whenever I needed it, probably before the 3rd trimester.

Hi all I am so glad that I found this thread. I am 5 months pregnant and have not gained a pound. I actually go upa nd down two pounds depending on how much Water I drink, retain and swell. I had my surgery last July and was doing great. Then in Decemeber I had to have emergency knee surgery so I had to do a complete unfill because if they have to put a chest tube in they can't with the band. Well after that they don't just fill you right up it is gradual like in the begining. So after finally 8 weeks of fills to be at my perfect restricion I found out that I was pregnant. It was a total shock as we were not trying, but a very pleaseant surprise. I did fine for the first couple weeks but then the morning sickness really took over and between that and the tightness of my band I was keeping absolutley nothing down. Even water came back up at times so they had me get a complete unfill untill seeing both my lapband dr and obgyn. So my lapband doctor will only let me get a fill of half of my restriction which was 6.8 in a 10 cc band so I am allowed 3.4. I got my first fill and have no restriction and I go for my second fill next week, but that is all they will allow me to get. If I have any problems I am supposed to get it unfilled and then one month before I am due they say I have to get it completely drained in case for any reason I have to be put under or need a chest tube. Then I will have to start all over again. This is our first pregnancy so I am doing everything I am told. I am a little freaked out by everything, but trying to stay calm. Has anyone else expereinced little pains around their port site since becoming pregnant? Nothing major just twinges every now and then? My guess is it is just because everything is moving and just adjusting in there cusing pressure the port. What do you think?

@@CowgirlJane - your post resonated with me. I had lost more than 80lbs seven times in the past 20 years. Each time I did it I was pushing through the constant 24/7 hunger. Every meal was maximum quantity for minimum calories. I would eat huge bowls of Soup made with only the very lowest calorie vegetables, stuff myself with substitutes like konjac noodles. I always felt like I was holding an elastic band at maximum stretch trying to hang on. It was an impossible task and eventually there would be a situation or event that would prevent me sticking to the regime and I would break. Each time I put the weight back in at a rate of around 5lbs a week. This surgery has allowed me to lose weight eating actual food, food which has fat and Protein and actually tastes good. I am 4.5 months out and 93lbs down. I don't feel that 'just hanging on' feeling at all that previously would kick in after around 10 weeks. So far, this time around, I am feeling very positive about the possibility of long term success.

I have to admit I am with you. Although I didn't have a plate of brownies today I have in the past and today while I am sipping my medifast the office was having a bd party and passing around cake I wanted to cry, but I keep reminding myself it is worth it. I am scheduled 4/28 for my band and still have 10 pounds to lose but I am trying hard. I understand it will get better and as far as I know, no you won't be able to eat a plate of brownies post op, and if you do you definitely won't want to do it again. Remember...you are not alone... I for one am right there with you.

I am not far along now at only a little over 7 weeks. However, I know that I am continuing to lose and am currently down about 10 pounds since conception. I know it will start heading the opposite direction eventually. I am not trying to diet right now, only trying to eat healthy. I guess we will see. If I gain anywhere between 10-25 pounds I will be pleased with myself.

I am glad you posted this because I was starting to get upset/ "jealous" reading that most people lost or only gained a small amount during pregnancy. I am 10 weeks and have gained 15 pounds!! I am out of control. I am starving, and my band is empty because I was so sick at first I was throwing up. Now I am not sick, but eating everything! It scares me to death to think I might gain all the weight back. I guess I need to get a slight fill....???? Can you even do that if your pregnant?

I just found out I was pregnant a few days ago. I am so excited!!! I had my first child, a boy 4 1/2 years ago and it had taken me about 8 years to get pregnant. That was before the lap-band. I have had the band a little over a year now and have lost 108 pounds so this time, I was only off of my birth control for 2 months and it has happened already! I am so thankful. I am now worried about how much weight I am going to gain though. I am hoping to only gain 10-20 throught the pregnancy and then hopefully lose most of it quickly. With my pre band pregnancy I gained 55 pounds and that was in the last 4 months. I didn't even know I was pregnant until I was 5 1/2 months since my periods were irregular and I had pretty much given up on ever having a baby, now I am starting on my 2nd! Rebecca 278/170/150 Banded July 10, 2007

I thankfully only had to suffer threw 2 gallbladder attacks, the were 2 days in a row, & had an ultradound the second one. I had an ultrasound on a monday & was in surgery @ 10 on wednesday! I knew the surgeon personally so thay helps greatly U will so much better with it out! Plus your diet will improve b/c you'll b able to tolerate high fiber foods again... Hang in there!

If you're feeling good already I would go back. I took one week off and I had a quick recovery, just sore by day 3. Surgery Monday, back to work the following Monday and I have a physical job, bending, lifting, on my feet 10 hours. I'm an LVT and felt I could've gone bak sooner. I know what you mean by going crazy at home. By day 4 I was bored out off my mind. My mom stayed with me a few hours after she brought me home and came for a few hours the next day, but other than that it was just me and my dogs. Luckily 5 days post op was Christmas, so I went to my parents house (only drinking my Protein drinks of course), but at least I had some stimulation...LOL

I think Libbe and E-Girl did a great job of answering your questions, but I had a couple things I thought I'd add. 3. Can I drink broth all day? Is there a difference between chicken and beef? Yes, you can drink as much broth as you want, but you need to be careful of the sodium content or you'll puff up like a toad. (Sorry.) I made broth with whatever I had on hand when I was in this stage and it agree with me a lot more. Leftover rotisserie chicken or any chicken bones, beef bones or bits, veggies. I throw bones and etc. into plastic bags in my freezer until I have enough for broth then throw it all in a big pot and make broth. I made hubby some wonderful onion Soup with beef broth I'd made when I was still on my liquid phase and I sat there and had my broth with him for dinner. It made it easier to eat together when I was on the liquid diet. 5. How do I keep the momentum going with the weight loss? I'm starting to feel hunger, but can't eat. I'm worried about going into starvation now that I'm actually feeling hungry and it working backwards for me. I'm also afraid that when I do start eating it will either stop the weight loss or go backwards because of the previous "starvation". Momentum, momentum, momentum, I want to keep it rolling. You won't keep losing as fast as you have been. You should drop to about 8-10 pounds a month and sometimes it will be less. This is better for your skin adjusting anyway. 6. I'm having a hard time watching my family eat. It grosses me out the food intake not so much with my growing boys, but especially with my husband who is going to have the surgery also. I feel like....."hey do you realize how much food you eat and I'm over here drinking broth all day long! Get control of yourself." Yikes, I know. So sorry, but it's true. This is emotional. You don't realize the emotions that you will go through in this life changing journey. You'll get your revenge when he's had the surgery!! (Insert funny, evil laugh here.) He still has all his ghrelin hormone making him hungry, so you could cut him a bit of slack. My hubby was eating things like chicken-fried steak in front of me, but he's not overweight. 9. Life evolved around cooking, eating out, social eating, etc. I've halted all of that and feel a little trapped. No one except immediate family, i.e. husband, sons, and girlfriend who went to hospital with me know that I have done this. I don't lie and would have a hard time explaining why I'm not eating, drinking alcohol, participating in the activities this early in my post surgery. So we are using our workload right now as a reason for staying home, etc. There's so much there for me right now. My husband is extremely supportive and wants me to do the same for him when he has the surgery. Sorry rambling but trying to get through the emotional/mental part of it. When you get to real food soon, you'll find that there's normally something you can eat on every restaurant's menu, although I do still avoid Italian restaurants and I'm four months (and two days) out. Smelling garlic bread makes me crazy. We went out for tapas last night and I was able to eat every dish we got (all Protein and veggies.) Main dish salads are my best friends, although I can't eat much of the lettuce. I just tell people like my 87YO mother who doesn't know I had the surgery that I'm on a diet, and she says, "Good for you dear, you're looking great." My other best choices are grilled salmon or fish and I totally love seared scallops. I also eat the middles out of sandwiches and if I get any weird looks, I just smile and say, "Dieting." If they say anything else, I tell them I've lost (fill in the blank) pounds. Works every time. 10. I'm still bloated and tend to bloat throughout the day. Is this normal or what can I do to alleviate this? Heck, I still have tons of gas at four months. I try to fart discretely. 11. I know I don't get enough liquids in as I can't drink Water. Any liquid suggestions would be great. I drink 32 oz. of Powerade Zero before breakfast and then the rest is a breeze. My favorites are the zero or low-calorie versions of Sobe, Fuze or putting Crystal Light in my water. I'm not wild about drinking plain water. 12. I can already tell that my absorption rate is super sensitive and high! Within seconds of trying something, I either feel sick, lightheaded or full or all of the above. Does this stay? When food is introduced will it be one bite at a time? This will get better. Eat teensy, tiny bites SLOWLY when you start eating regular food. Hang in there. It will get better!!! Carol

I have had a few emotional spots and I was sleeved on Dec 19 but have coped better than expected. I find the thing that gets me is watching people take a big 'normal' bite of a food I cant eat! But it bothers me a little less each day. Even going to the super market is hard for me as you see things you want to try or cook, but you cant. Its all a learning process for us I guess. We just need to hang in there! It was music to my ears when my nutrionist told me I didnt have to force myself to drink Protein shakes!!! She said she was worried if I did I would just not eat or drink anything cos I would make myself sick. Looking at getting my protein from other food and drinks. Will try Premier Protein shakes from costco though to see if i like them.

@blashlee I so agree with this "My frustration with seeing "plus size" models was that they were still a seemingly unattainable standard of beauty and size." It has always been puzzling to me to look through a plus size catalog and see the clothes modeled by someone 5'10" and size 10. I have noticed though that more catalogs and online store-sites are using models that truly look like they wear a plus size.

I was cleared for anything at 5 weeks. Not everything set well the first time I tried it and my doctor said if that happend to try again later. So far the only thing I really don't eat well is oranges. My doctor says the no drinking is to not take up space you need for solid food so I would think that the soup broth is as nutritious as the solids so I do eat soups. I have had no problem losing the weight either. Only 19 lbs to goal! yay

Thanks everyone. I'm down almost another 10 lbs.. Crazy ! Looooove my sleeve!! Sent from my iPad using VST

In my own experience, I didn’t have that many stressful delays or barriers compared to some WLS patients. Maybe it was because this was over 10 years ago, or maybe it was because I was too young to get anxious or discouraged (I was in my mid-20s), or maybe it was because I got lucky. It was probably because I was lucky; nobody and nothing really stood in my way. The way I remember it, I decided to get weight loss surgery after I found out that a formerly obese friend had gotten the lap-band and it worked for him. I made up my mind, found a great surgeon, and got my band. I didn’t have any real setbacks, so I guess as soon as I decided to get the band, that was my “Yep, I’m getting WLS!” moment. It sure felt good to know I may not need to spend the rest of my life fighting food.

I started out wanting a band. I did NOT want bypass as re-routing my intestines and causing malabsorption did not appeal to me. The "idea" of the band sounds great. A smaller stomach means you eat less food and therefore are full on less. However, as I researched the band, I learned about the vomiting (something I cannot deal with!) being stuck and not having food go down, yet still being hungry, etc. I started researching the VSG and while it is a big deal to lose 85% of your stomach, it sounded SO much better than the alternatives. It is purely a restrictive procedure, so you are full on less food. You still have to make good food choices, exercise, plenty of Water, etc. The one thing that I can say that has helped me tremendously is the fact that I do not have hunger. Not every sleever loses their hunger but a large majority do. It's amazingly easy to make good food choices when you are not driven by hunger. I also just had my labs pulled again at my 18 month checkup and everything is completely normal and perfect. My surgeon doesn't even think I need labs again at my 2 year based on my results. I'm almost 19 months post-op and I can't imagine having had any other surgery as I knew VSG was right for me.

I went to a bariatric specific hospital so my insurance advocate had it on her calendar to request my records from my PCP the day after my last appointment. She submitted it that day and she called me 2 days later with the approval. From there it took 2 buisiness days to get scheduled. My surgery ways 10 days from scheduling. I’m pretty sure my experience is best case senario. I would just make sure to be your own advocate and follow up and make sure records are getting where they need to go.

Thanks! First quick goal is to weigh less than my 19 year old son - he weighs 195 (he's 6 foot 3 but pay no mind to that!) Next goal is 180 as that will be 100 pounds lost. Final goal is somewhere around 160-170 - I will decide as I approach it! Go you! Awesome! Hooray! Go go go!

Krista, I don't know anything about Dr Alvarez since I didn't research him or use him. But I can tell you my experience with Dr Aceves was positive. My insurance did not cover the sleeve and even if it had I wouldn't have been covered since I was a lightweight. I chose Dr Aceves for many of the reasons that Tiffykins listed and also because I had wasted so much time researching the lapband and when I decided I the sleeve was the way to go I just wanted it done before too much more time had passed. I wanted a date without waiting too much longer or jumping through hoops. Money wasn't an issue for me (self-pay lapbad was going to be $20,000 locally and that didn't include fills or followup). So I knew I had to go out of state since at the time no one was doing the sleeve locally. Going to Mexico to Dr Aceves was a no brainer since the recovery was in a hospital and everything was taken care of - and he has tons of experience and great reviews/stats. I had briefly checked out some US physicians and wasn't 100% impressed. If I had wanted to wait longer I might have stayed in the US and gone to Cirangle or Jossart but like I said by that time I just wanted it done. I am a nurse so I am picky and not easily impressed. I would certainly recommend going to Dr Aceves for surgery. Good luck in your journey. Frankie VSG 03/22/10

Hi All, I was banded 07/29/13 and have since lost approx. 55-60 pounds (my weight fluctuates between 194-199 now). Anyways, I have monthly checkups with my doctor and have received a fill at every office visit. I am now at 7.5 cc in a 10 cc and STILL don't feel any restriction. I keep my portions small, but typically eat every 2-3 hours. Nurse said I am probably not getting enough Protein in my meals, but I am already eating at least 60g per day. I will try to add more anyways. Since my last fill (.5 cc from 7 to 7.5) I have not lost any weight or felt any different. So my question is, has anyone else had to have THIS many fills before reaching the green zone? I'm starting to worry that something isn't working for me, even though I have no pain or other issues with my band. I know every person is different, just want to hear if anyone else has been in the same boat before. Thanks!!

I AM amazed. YOU lost 120lbs in 10 months.....thats what I am seeing on your Current Weight. WoW.

I take the twice a day wellbutrin, it's the only anti depressant that has worked for me and also not increased my appetite. Only side effects I have are sweating, dry mouth and if I take the second one too early insomnia, otherwise it's fine. I cannot take the once a day wellbutrin because then I can't sleep at all. I've been taking it on and off for 10 years or more. Hope this helps.