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I felt that way a week before my surgery... the morning of I was questioning my sanity and my choice. I started self doubting. Could I really be successful? What if it doesn't work for me? Today I am 19 days post-op and I feel really good. I am learning to listen to my stomach and not my brain. Well and the fact that you can truly only eat so much...getting that actual "full feeling" is something I've never really experienced. It's still a bit scary but I know in my wart this was the right choice.

My hubby is also the Nervous Nelly of our house. Remind yours that you've both been through this type of surgery before. Try to get him to focus on the future, not the present. What the two of you will be doing in a year, in 5 years, in 10 years. How does that future look without the surgery? Best of luck with your surgery!

I know just what you’re talking about. I’m up for surgery on the 11th her in San Diego, CA. I too have thought about this long and hard. I first heard about Gastric Bypass back in 1994 and thought I might want to do that. I am so happy that I didn’t. Knowing what I know now and all of their complications and that it are not reversible. I'm very happy that I didn't do that surgery. I wanted something that would take time. I didn’t want an immediate lose of weight either. I wanted to learn from it, have a chance to tone up and w/a family of 6 I needed to teach them about good eating too. I too have been healthy all my life. It’s only w/in the last year that my Rt knee has been a problem and I’m hoping that it will be solved w/the weight being gone, also my lower back issues that I’ve had every since 2000. My latest issue is I need to have my gallbladder out at the same time. I was just told this week about that. If there are any complications in the removal (leakage) they will not band me and I’ll have to reschedule. But the doctor assures me that they’ve done this many times and w/out complications. So I’ve been fighting that fear of failure and I don’t want to start this stupid 10 day liquid diet again. I has a small set back because of the news and ate food. Of course my body said “what in the hell are you doing to me” and w/in 2 hours I was visiting the bathroom w/the runs. I’m dealing with it better now and am on the right track again. Talking to people like you really helps. I too love this site and all the people from all over. A moto that another bander has “faith not fear”. Find you faith and stomp the fear and you will pull through this with flying colors!

I watched a movie a few years ago and will never forget the following scene: Picture a man on a bike carrying load in a basket in the front of the bike. His son about 10 years old is walking along side him as they travel home. Someone they encountered on the journey yelled at the dad that he was a bad dad because he was making his son walk. The father got off the bike and his son started riding. Another person they passed yelled to them that the son was disrespectful because he was making his dad walk and since he was younger and had more energy he should let his dad ride the bike. This time they both got on the bike and another person yelled that they were wicked for putting so much weight on the bike. They both got off the bike and just pushed it home but yet another person had something to say. He yelled that they were both silly for walking when one of them could get on the bike....as you can see, EVERYONE WILL HAVE SOMETHING TO SAY. Do what works for you and tune out all the people you pass on the way to your satisfaction.

My doc's only requirement was that weight wasn't gained. I'm not allowed to gain anywhere over 5-10 pounds of my starting weight. Does your doc require a pre-op diet? That will probably get things moving in the right direction!

Well, I had my first doctor's appointment yesterday! I am excited, anxious and nervous about the future, but I know it's the right choice. Apparently my insurance, UMP (Regence), is pretty good about approvals, but I have to do the 6 months pre-surgical plan first. The clock started yesterday. I am going to Northwest Weight Loss Surgery in Everett, WA, and my doctor is Dr. Michaelson. He was great in our consult, and explained everything very thoroughly. I had already done a ton of research and decided that the sleeve was for me, but he concurred and stated that it would be best for me, considering my age, lack of diabetes, and no tobacco use. I will have to lose 5% if my weight over the first six months (11 lbs), and my BMI is 43.4 right now, but they will be looking over the last 2 years of my medical charts. The insurance coordinator stated that if my BMI was below 40, they may be looking for co-morbidity and will send me for a sleep study. I do think over the last two years my BMI did drop below 40, so not sure how they will deal with that. Pre-Op is a 10 day/10 lbs lost diet, I will find out more at my next appointment with the RD in 3 weeks. I cannot gain weight now over the next 6 months, but obviously can lose prior to surgery. My out of pocket won't be more than $2500 as that is the max, and I'm saving my FSA amount to pay that out of pocket. I don't know how those that pay the full amount do it! I also have to schedule a psych appointment as part of the 6 month criteria, and will have the endoscopy closer to the end of the pre-surgical period. My final appointment will be 7/31 and they will submit for insurance approval on 8/1. Excited but a little impatient too!

Hi All! Before I start, I would just like to advise readers that this post is being written just to get some things off my chest. Please do not criticize or judge... because this past month has been stressful to say the least. A little background, I had my surgery on June 26, starting weight on first visit was 207, surgery day I weighed 195, and 1 1/2 weeks ago I weighed 181. I do not have a scale in my house because I don't want to get into the habit of stressing about loosing pounds, so I weigh myself at my grandmother's house every 1-2weeks. The day after surgery I was released from the hospital, no complications or problems, and I did not take any pain meds from that point on, which I am very proud of. I really wasn't in much pain at all, and I'd rather have the little bit of pain then have my stomach get upset from the pain pill, so I opted not to take them. I am very happy with the weight I have lost so far, as my old clothes are fitting me very nicely, and when I shop not I don't have to shop in the plus size section!!! I am, on the other hand very upset at myself for not working hard enough to get the required fluids and protein in. (as I am literally wiping tears from my face because this is how upset it makes me) I really don't know what my problem is, maybe depressed cause whenever I think about it the tears just start flowing. But anyway, I know I can do better, the motivation just isn't there.... and this really bothers me because I DON'T WANT TO LOSE MY HAIR!!!! So mad cause I know by not getting the required nutrition I am not putting myself in a good position to be healthy. On a good day I will get 20 or so oz of liquids and proteins, ha! maybe 10-20 a day.... I know, I'm not doing this right!! Again, PLEASE don't bash!!! I've been going to sonic daily to get slushees, cause I am able get those down with no problem, but that's like 20 oz... and I also try flavored water, and sometimes can drink a bottle, but that's about it.... I also eat greek yogurt with 2x's the protein, chicken, cheese, and anything else I can with protein in it cause, though I love the taste of the protein shake I have... I struggle getting 1 20g bottle down. BTW, Core Power, strawberry banana is delish!! So, these are my stresses. Just venting, and don't mean any harm, just wanted to get it out. Oh, before I end this, just want to add that I am on regular food. I eat maybe 3 times a day, love string cheese, tried pizza 1 time and it went fine, now no problems with any food I have eaten so far... Good luck to all of you!!!

It's best to take anything someone says in one ear and then right out the other! You're doing what's best for you and it's not anyone elses decision. I'm having the same problem with peoples negative comments. Especially my sister. Oh she knows 10 people (yea right) that have had surgery and they all gained weight back! I just laugh. I'm being banded on April 10th! That's one day after you. I'm excited! I've lost 46 pounds since November doing the treadmill everyday and LA Weightloss. I'm still doing the lapband so I have a tool to help me lose the rest and help keep it off. I've lost weight before only to gain most of it back. My husband is getting gastric bypass soon also. Just waiting his visit with his surgeon. We'll be eachothers support. Don't need peoples negative comments! Good luck to you on your surgery! Take care. -Dawn

well went for my second fill which he wouldnt give me said i had some restriction and that i was doing great lost 10 pounds in between appointments and went down four sizes also have been getting stuck pb once was disappointed but have another appt dec23rd so hopefully i will get one then my friend lost 7 pounds he gave her a fill but she hasnt been getting full and is always hungry i on the other hand can go 4 or 5 hours inbetween meals i feel bloated especially after i eat he said thats part of restriction

i had gastric bypass a little over 10 years ago and the weight is back and then some. i'm looking for other options, as it's unlikely that my bypass would be revised (it's not broken, just stretched). i've seen lap band commercials, and since i believe everything i see on tv, i figured it must be worth a look :thumbdown: has anybody around here had lap band as a second weight loss surgery? to which section of the forum should i venture for this info? thanks! ffff

Hi, I'm Selena, I have had my band exactly 3 years this week. I have had several fills and unfills. I sometimes wish I had gone with the bypass surgery since those people seem to lose all their weight and not struggle like me. I started at about 285 lbs. I have gotten down to around 235, but Ib know it is my own fault I haven't made my goal of 183. I don't eat right, but I have enlisted some new buddies and goal systems to finally move forward. I joined CURVES in May and have lost over 10 inches and 10 lbs. I just started their 6 week challenge to boost metabolism, do more exercise and have both group and leader support. My discouraging thoughts come in when one woman who started last year and then had the gastric bypass instead of banding has already lost over 100 lbs. I know that she had more to lose to begin with, but I feel like maybe I should have done it to. Has anyone felt like me?:help:

Hi, my name is Shelly and I am in the beginning stages of my journey. I have a scheduled surgery date of 10/30/06 and am awaiting approval from Blue Shield of CA. I knew that I wanted the banding done but wasn't real clear on how the fills worked and these forums have helped tremendously. I am very excited to begin this journey and look forward to "banding"with all of you. :nervous

Hi @@Phoenix40! So last Thursday I went for my Nutrition/Surgeon/Coordinator appointment. I'll describe each appointment below: First you are weighed in and your height is taken Nutrition: The nutritionist is a very nice lady and she will ask you about what type of diet you have been on (I started following the 1200 calorie diet after orientation). You will have to describe what you usually eat for Breakfast, lunch, dinner, Snacks,etc. She also talks about Vitamins and what type you will need post op (this will depend on if you get the sleeve or bypass) and what to expect as far as diet goes in the first weeks after surgery (i.e. liquids, soft foods, etc) She also informed me about the different types of Protein drinks and answered any questions I had. Surgeon: Dr. Hahn was very patient. He went over my BMI, co morbidities, medications, etc to ensure that I would be a good candidate for surgery. He said it would be my choice whether to go for sleeve or bypass as I would be great candidate for either (I don't have acid reflux). We talked about the differences between sleeve and bypass (right off the bat he discouraged from the lap band so we were in agreement about that). He reiterated that regain was possible with either surgery and so is dumping (so it really comes down to the patient being willing to put in the work to not only lose the weight but keep it off). He went into detail about possible complications withe each procedure (ulcers, reactive hypoglycemia, reflux, etc). He then set a weight loss goal for me. Normally they ask the patients to lose 10% of their body weight but Dr. Hahn only requires a 7-8%, of total body weight, loss. For me 7-8% was 19 pounds (I had already lost 9 pounds since orientation and he credited me so I needed to lose 10 pounds to get a surgery date and 5 pounds to get a psych appointment). The only other requirements Dr. Hahn set out for me, besides weight loss, is attending at least one support group, and an EKG (I already finished my bloodwork). Coordinator: She was very pleasant. She informed of what my next steps to surgery are (support group, psych appointment, etc) and that to be sure I call monthly to update them on my weight and progress. Before the psych appointment each patient must fill out a surgery quiz (located in Chapter 9 of the Bariatric binder) and send it in before the appointment. Overrall it was an interesting yet quick appointment. I was told to expect to be there for 3 hours but for me it was more like 2 hours. Sent from my SM-G925T using the BariatricPal App

I had my surgery on 10/12. I'm almost 8 weeks post op. My daughter has food allergies so our foods within our home are lil different to begin with. However she eats brown rice Pasta, it's delicious. I no longer buy anything else. I have no pain or discomfort when I eat it. I can drink with no problems. However, I've lost the taste for crystal light and Mio.

I had bypass 10/21. I can drink comfortably with no problem. At first it would take me hours to drink a protein shake, now I can drink a premier protein in about 30-40 minutes. Some days I prefer something flavored like propel and other days just plain H2O. My program does not allow rice, bread, pasta or quinoa. They have more low carb/paleo program.

I believe bc of my weight I don't get my periods have not had one since April and that was on the 10 day pills to make me have one. I am sure after I lose weight it will come back and I'm sure that day will look like a shark took a bite out of me haha... But Im sure it's normal bc the fact our body is going through changes Sent from my iPhone using the BariatricPal App

My first appointment with my surgeon is on July 14th, so I have a good 5 weeks. I would like to use this time wisely. I don't feel the need to go on weeks of food funerals, though I am sure I will have 3 or 4 favorite meals during this time. But how else can I best use the time til mid-July? Here's what I am in the process of doing now: I have read several books and am well versed on the different surgery types, am uncertain btw. sleeve and RNY, will rely on physician input once he sees the whole health picture. I am seeing my primary care doc on this month to officially record starting weight, and let them know I am getting WLS. I will attend support group meetings. Am getting my psych eval done this week. Trying out different protein products. So I guess the big question is, do I start serious, low carb, dieting now, in the meantime? I am the type who can lose 20 pounds fairly easily, but then....I stall, and I stall HARD, and then I usually get sloppy and start slowly regaining. So I am a little worried about losing my 20 easy pounds, showing up to the surgeon mid-July and he says, hey lose 10% of your body weight before surgery please, and then I am stuck "starting over" right in the really hard part of every diet I have ever been on. Maybe I am whining here? I would like to do everything I can to get a head start before that first surgeon appt, since I'd like to do the surgery as soon as I can bc of work cycles (I work in college administration). I supposedly have no mandatory diet and exercise waiting period (we'll see on that....). I figure that starting to lose weight now will just mean it's some weight at least that I don't have to lose later, so maybe I should just jump in and diet? Try bariatric recipes? What do you recommend? Thanks for any input or advice.

Hi all, just a little update! I have been sleeved and am officially home to heal! The process was quite quick, my hospital has it down so it was a super easy process. I checked in at 9:45am, they called me in at 10 and had me changed into my gown and hairnet, shortly after I took a pregnancy test and they weighed me. For those ladies on your period, they give you sterile underwear and a pad, so no worries there! From there I was sent to preop area room "F" where my pre-op bed was there waiting for me. They quickly prepped me, asked me a million questions we've all been asked before (do you drink, smoke? Have had surgery before? Etc.) about 20 mins into the process, the nurse started prepping me with my IV and some of the necessary drugs, but I didn't get the happy stuff till about 10 mins before my surgery (which was maybe an hour after I got there). In a very brief time, the anesthesiologist, and the surgeon came and had a brief chat with me and explained their process. Literally after our chat I met the woman who was going to be with me post op then I was wheeled into the or. There was a super thin table waiting for me and the room was really bright. They had me scoot on to the table myself and they secured me on with a strap, from the the surgeon confirmed my name and the procedure I was going to get done. They soon placed an oxygen mask on me and told me to take deep breaths, I don't remember anything after that till waking up in recovery, where I will not lie, I was in pain, not from the surgical sites but from GAS, it felt like my stomach was going to explode. I didn't cry but I began beating on my chest area between my ribcage, they soon gave me some pain medication which helped relieve it somewhat. I slept a good chunk of the day only waking up when someone came in to ask me some questions or needed to take my blood pressure. I didn't get up about about 6pm, which was a hassle. But the nurses helped me as I had to pee really bad. The moment I sat up I felt instantly nauseous, and threw up two large mouthfuls of mucous-y blood. It hurt expel them but felt so good when they were out. I peed like 5 times last night due to the IV drip, so it was a little annoying and painful to get out of bed each time. I threw up blood two more times (only happened when I sat up, completely normal). My nurses were the best and always made sure I was comfortable, always gave me something for nausea and pain when I requested it. There are two things I cannot stress enough to have with you: Gas X strips and Biotene mouth wash. My surgery ended about noon and I took my first gasx strip about nine, let me tell you, I was a burping demon, it felt SO GOOD to get that pressure out of my stomach. I took another one about midnight, each time I sat up to use the bathroom, I would belch (gross, but the best feeling in the world too lol) and mouth wash helps lubricate your mouth and throat. I swished it and gargled it periodically through out the evening and it made me feel human again. Getting sleep last night was hard because people kept coming in through out the night to check in on me, coupled with all my bathroom breaks, it was a tough night for rest. I slept on and off till about 8:30 when I started getting visits from anesthesiology, my surgeon came in to check on me, and finally the nurse came in with six 1oz cups of Water and told me I needed to get through that in order to get discharged. I started at 9:10am and finished my 6th around 12:30, not going to lie, it was difficult and I struggled to get through them all, but I did it LOL. I didn't get discharged till about 1:50, where I was wheeled down to my car in a wheel chair (I've never been in a wheel chair before, I thought it was a little exciting lol) I got home around 2:30pm. I've been sleeping off and on since and my stomach has been growling non stop, I've been burping a lot as well. Currently sleeping on my couch because I can stack the cushions to sleep a little more upright and can use the back of the couch to get up. I don't have any bloating, but I'm burping a lot and my right side is hurting from where they removed me stomach. Because their pain meds have started to wear off, in feeling a bit sore all over, particularly in the legs, stomach, and throat. Sorry for the long post, but I hope it helps someone. I'm probably going to try and sleep again, let my body do some more healing lol. Good night all!

Hello BariatricPal , I decided to create a new topic so we can all help each other by posting our favorite foods to eat now after having the surgery. food that we can tolerate, that are delicious . Lets post where we can find them, how to make them, and if its possible by Phase, etc. I know this will be so helpful not only for me but for our others pals in here who are having trouble finding something good to eat. I will start So i recently completed Phase 1-clear liquid FINALLY!! CANT BE ANY HAPPIER.. i think this is the hardest stage. I suffer so much lol but i know it will be all worth it so i wont complaint. I started Phase 2 yesterday and OMG heaven... My husband made this black bean Soup and omg it was super DELICIOUS... FOOD ORGASM.. seriously have to try it... here is the link.. http://www.onceuponachef.com/2012/01/black-bean-soup.html Below are the list of products i was told by my nutrionist i can eat... and this are items that i have eaten between yesterday and today and I LOVE THEM AND ENJOYED THEM SOOOOOOOOOO MUCH... hope this help.. and please share your food also... have an amazing day.. XOXO Gerber Graduates Lil' Crunchies, Mild Cheddar, 1.48-Ounce Canisters found them in walmart/shoprite-- STAGE 2 AND 3 Gerber Lil' Crunchies, Baked Whole Grain Corn Snack, White Cheddarfound them in walmart/shoprite-- STAGE 2 AND 3 Chocolate sugar free / Reduced Calorie pudding Snacks found them in walmart/shoprite-- STAGE 2 AND 3 Farina Mills® hot wheat cereals found them in walmart/shoprite-- STAGE 2 AND 3 Strawberry Gelatin Snacks FOUND IN WALMART- STAGE 1 AND ON POPSICLE sugar free Tropicals FOUND IN WALMART- STAGE 1 AND ON Swanson 100%natural vegetable broth FOUND IN WALMART- STAGE 1 AND ON Nature's Best® Isopure Zero Carbfound them in GNC- Stage 1 and on.. cant deff found cheaper online.

I'm in Sayreville NJ Dr Sadek was my dr last June. I'm having difficulty losing my last 10 pounds. Need to get back on track. Any suggestions on how to stay focused? Sent from my iPhone using the BariatricPal App

I always take my vitamins right when I wake up then start cooking my breakfast, so I probably wait about 15 minutes before eating. I'm 19 months out and don't wait to eat after drinking. I still wait 30 minutes after I eat to drink anything though.

Yes it does have iron, 10 mg. I hope I get used to them soon, it's no fun feeling nauseous. Thanks for sharing, it's always good to hear that someone else has been through it.

Well it has been 5-6 days wince my surgery!! I had to stay two nights in the hospital then went home in immense pain. Up until today I have not been able to get no real anything down. the most I got was 10 ounces of plain water yesterday. I can not take these lovely bariatric chewable vitamins, they made me sick immediately. I feel like a baby in that at 7pm every night I seem to get "colicky"!! I am 52 but am blessed to have a husband that does not mind burping me!!! :) This morning I am feeling stronger, I have talked with my NUT and gone over everything. I have taken two very long walks managed to get down 12oz. of water an some protein shake. I feel like I can see a light at the end of this tunnel. I am sure that I will have many more speed bumps but today I am strong!!!! Have a blessed day Everyone!!