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Hi! I'm having my lap-band removed September 13th and once healed I will have the sleeve done. I have been banded for 10 years and I am so nervous. I am nervous that a million things could go wrong and that I might not be able to get the sleeve. My surgeon told me that it would be a two step process so I know its not going to get done in the same day but I am just so worried I would be able to get another bariatric surgery. Before I was banded I weighed 295. My lowest weight with the band was 164. Last Summer I started having issues where my food was getting backed up in my esophagus and making me vomit. My band can no longer take fills. I actually gain weight still with fills. I now weigh 214 pounds. I was hoping maybe somebody is in the same situation as me or have done this as well and can be my support. My family is a great support but obviously they have never had a bariatric surgery before so none of us know what to expect.

Hi! I have been banded for 10 years - and September 13th my band is coming out. I am happy - yet I am sad. It's been in my body for 10 years and I have lost a lot of weight with it until this past year. When I first was banded I weighed 295, I got down to 164 and now I'm at 214. I was rapidly gaining even with fills. I had several barium swallow tests which showed food stuck up in my esophagus. My port has been bothering me as well as its right under my rib cage. Once the band is removed I will give my body time to heal and I will have the gastric sleeve. At first I was against having my band out but now I know I have to get this out as its just causing me more problems

I had a root canal today and I'm supposed to start my two week preop liquid diet tomorrow.. I'm on antibiotics for 10 days and my surgery is on the 28th.. Will the antibiotics mess with my surgery? I'm going to call tomorrow but now I'm worried I won't be able to have my surgery on the 28th. Sent from my SM-N950U using BariatricPal mobile app

I had my surgery at 10 am today it went really well!! When I woke up I was very nauseous and threw up/coughed up blood a few times (sorry tmi but wanted to share my experience) they stated that was normal because of the tube in my throat. I also had bad chest gas pain so I started walking about 45 minutes after surgery in the recovery room. The nurses were pretty surprised so I guess that’s good 😀 then they moved me up to my room where I walked again, since then I have switched between walking and sleeping most of the time and I am having very little gas now and my stomach pain is very small, about a 2 out of 10. I am so happy with my experience so far! I felt bad for my neighbor as they had the surgery as well and were begging for food or water. I am not sure they understood they wouldn’t be eating today. But I haven’t felt hungry yet! I brought dry mouth spray and that has been a life saver!

I just found out that my insurance approved surgery!! I won't be able to have surgery until October because of my work schedule. Anyway, I really wasn't getting my hopes up in case insurance didn't approve it, but now it's real omg. I'm nervous and excited and would love someone to be buddies with through this. Any takers? I'm 37. I have 4 kids (14, 11, 4 and 2) and I'm a teacher. I am starting with a BMI of 40 exactly with no comorbidities. Anyone out there with similar stats? Even different stats but you are having surgery in October? My date is 10/4. Sent from my SM-G892U using BariatricPal mobile app

Would love to know what others have done. I had my surgery May 10 down 43 lbs total. SW 275.6 I am losing hair like crazy. My hands are full in the shower then after my brush and throughly the day if I run my hands through. I have long hair as well and am contemplating cutting it short even though I don’t like the look on me.

I had help from my hubby for about a week. The main thing I needed assistance with was the blood thinner shots I had to be on for 10 days. I could have done them myself, but I preferred to have someone else do it.

I finally got my surgery date for Oct 29th. [emoji1430][emoji1430][emoji1430] I'm so excited! Looking back, would you do/buy anything different to prepare yourself, family, or household? Any insight is appreciated! Sent from my SM-G930P using BariatricPal mobile app

I'm 10 weeks out and usually getting between 700-900. Like many of you, I'm struggling most to get in enough fluids - water is now making me nauseous. I've tried it flavoured, unflavoured, warm, room temp, iced - you name it. I keep at it, but I'mlucky to get in more than 45 ounces, and that is with counting all my other fluids, too. (Protein shakes, milk, etc.)

I feel the exact same way! Why did I wait so long?! But we are doing it/done it now! Congrats you look 10 years younger too!

Update I did go to my 55th reunion as planned, since I haven't had my surgery, everyone. did recognize me. One old semi-friend said " Oh you look like you always did,only more so" Didn't have to put it on the p.a. system after all, second person I asked said she would be "honored" to do Tim First person, had an air-tight excuse- --'her D.H. is having,open heart surgery the end of August and she hopes to be helping him recover that week. So my childhood friend Kathy will be doing it although it does mean she'll have get up at an ungodly hour to do it. Said to expect her at sometime after 3 AM, maybe towards 3:30. I honestly did not think I was liked enough to find someone. You see, I was a chubby nerd-ette who would rather read than to run around with the cliques that formed. Wasn't a cheerleader, majorette, flag corps member or dated a handsome jock,from the football team, thought I appeared faded back like part of the woodwork. Funny thing, people who cut me dead at,18, were hugging me, acting,like I was really somebody. I would be flattered, but at my age, you seem be thrilled to find someone besides youself still breathing , that remembers some,of the same,things you do. I was born just before the Post-War baby boom, so my class wasn't as large as the 3 years following, still we numbered over 300, and now,if we counted right,maybe there are a 100?, Some died in Vietnam and the ensuing police actions the USA. was prone to participate in, but we lost 10 in the last year. So Kathy,my cancer survivor friend who has kept her sense of humor through it all, I think the only disposable organs she has left are her gall bladder and tonsils, everything she has given up 1 or both to medical science. But like the old commercial for aTimex watch's "She's taken a licking and,keeps on ticking!" So temporarily, I'm not annoyed myself but I'm sure something will turn up soon!👈😝👉

Wow newlife! Sounds like you have got this covered! Congratulations on the pre surgery weight loss! I am a soup person (I can have soup literally anytime 110 degrees or -10) lol. Are you having RNY or sleeve? I am having RNY on September 13. So excited to be sharing this journey with you! I am in Charlotte NC. Keep in touch!

Hey all, this is the 2nd 12 pack I have bought at Sams that Premier Protein Caramel shakes are chunky! The exp date is Oct 2019...anyone else getting this or do I just have bad luck?

Sure. I usually eat a homemade egg frittata for breakfast. I mix up what I put in it so that I don't get bored. I also do egg muffins that I can reheat for on the go. https://kalynskitchen.com/cottage-cheese-and-egg-breakfast/ My snacks consist of: -Greek yogurt -Cottage cheese -Raw veggies with Greek Yogurt veggie dip (and I eat a lot of dip LOL) -Hard Boiled Eggs - Turkey roll ups -Tuna to-go packets -Edamame -*New* favorite is Chia seed pudding yummmmm -String cheese - Guacamole and whole wheat or black bean chips. - Avocado toast (usually a half of a half, as a snack, a whole half as a meal) -Apples and peanut butter -Berry mix with some Greek yogurt and stevia to take the bitter edge off. - Brussels Sprouts (3 small ones hits the mid-day snack spot) - A cup of FairLife Milk, with SF chocolate syrup. 13 grams of protein For meals: I make a lot of meat. And I accompany my meat with veggies. Mostly Brussels sprouts, because they are my FAV. But I will occasionally mix it up with broccoli, cauliflower, asparagus, ect . - My go too is different seasoned or marinade chicken and veggie Kabobs. - I do frozen wild salmon patties with a lemon garlic, minimum butter sauce - I will make stuffed peppers with cauliflower rice, lean ground beef/turkey, shred cheese, sour cream, salsa, ect. I can usually get two meals out of one pepper (so long as I'm digging eating the pepper). - I make lots of things with WonTon wrappers. I make little lasagna cups, taco cups, chicken cordon bleu cups, ect. And these are great for reheating! https://www.barilife.com/blog/10-single-serving-meals-you-need-in-your-bariatric-life/ -I will make chicken legs on the grill that go a long way. I can easily make on here or there for lunch or snacks. - I eat A LOT of soy meat. I haven't mastered cooking with soy, but I buy the Gardein brand and make that for a lot of lunches. I started doing this to naturally lower my cholesterol, and it has seriously WORKED. - I make this tuna macaroni salad, that is a good cold version of Tuna Noodle Casserole. I use tuna, protein noodles, capers, tad bit of olive oil, lemon juice, Greek yogurt, sugar free sweet relish, and green onion. - I make protein pasta a lot. My mom buys me this amazing pasta that is made from black beans and edamame (22grams per 1/2 cup) and I make a really meaty pasta sauce. She finds it from this specialty store in Chicago. I could go on and on.... I'm still a foodie at heart! LOL. But I don't use any protein supplements unless I'm extremely busy and know that I won't be able to get my protein in. So I do keep a couple single serve powder packets on hand for those days.

I got to put my wedding ring back on--it fit! My husband put that on my finger when I was 19 years old and we had a whole life in front of us. We will have our 25th next year in June!

Just had surgery and have United also check i did not need all the supervised visits etc. But they did require 5 year of previous weight records. Also to make sure my dr. Made me do 3 months of nutrition visit plus some test. Paper work submited July 10 approved July 13 and surgery July 25. Congrats on the journey. Good luck with insurance. Sent from my SM-G955U using BariatricPal mobile app

Monday 8/13/18 Starting my last week of pre-op diet then two days of liquid diet then surgery day will be here. I decide to get on the scale this morning when I said I would not until day of surgery but I did and I’m down 19 pounds. The beginning of the diet I was fine but come the weekend I was about ready to throw in the towel then I read some folks post and it had kept me going. Thanks have a great week.

10 months 70 lbs. I don't think I can get much smaller than I am now but we'll see what happens. I miss having an a**.

I waited 6 weeks. Started off slow with stationary bike for 30 min then gradually increased to stairs and treadmill. Just remember to take your time and do what you can. I wouldn't try pushing myself hard in the gym until 6 months post op. I'm 10 months post op and a size 4. The weight will come off.

I have the exact experience as yours... I went to my first post-op appointment (10 days post-op) with 13 lbs down. 3 weeks later i'm still only 15 lbs down. Buuuuut, I've noticed a change in my body, I can see that my neck and shoulders look slimmer, my upper belly has gotten smaller, so have my thighs. So, don't worry about the weight, just keep focused on your protein and water intake and really do make an effort and get some walking into your day, it made all the difference for me. Good luck!

I'm almost 3 months out, and I've had a few NSV the past few weeks. I took a 40-minute run and didn't want to die. I actually felt like I could have kept going. I learned how to swim after 19 years because I finally felt confident enough to go to the pool. My (very thin) best friend asked if I wanted to have some of her clothes because she's moving and needs to cut down on her closet. Everything I tried on fit me! I had to buy size medium shorts! (I was wearing 3x at the beginning of this journey). I'm very happy!

Oh no I hope this doesn't go further I honestly think it’s just me introducing foods back into my diet. My doc said things could get sketchy with new things. I would think once we are back on normal food it will pass. My sis-in-law has bypass 10 yeas ago and she has developed some food issues. She cannot have dairy and some other foods cause her issues. So, I think it will be trial and error for us. Best of luck to you! I hope we both get some relief soon.

I’m not allowed steak or any beef products until the 6th month mark.. grr it’s rough but I too have felt like I stalled as soon as I started real food.. I have stuck with chicken, tuna, and eggs. I may have a bite of something here and there but I have not cheated like I could have.. I have even been walking over 10000 steps a day for the month of August. I had the sleeve procedure on July 10. Help!!

Been quite a day for me. Surgery is Tuesday. My daughter who is 19 woke me up crying in pain. Thank God she was the only patient in the ER waiting room so we went straight back. So much pain ended up that she has a kidney stone that has now made it to the bladder. Poor kid. Glad I there to take her to the hospital. Back at home now and ready for my surgery.

Congratulations @Fluffy Grandma, you have ,made it to Surgery Eve and I am envious. Why envious? Because your day is coming tomorrow and mine hadn't come yet. Last night,was my high school reunion. It was, TaDa, 55 years ago as a young 17 year old, on May 28, 1963 I had my high school graduation . And although I have returned to my home town, many of these people I have not seen for the whole 55 years. And many traveled a very long way to return here. Oh there was sadness, over 10,of my classmates have died in the past 5 years m One of my classmates had gone b through the past pictures, the casual ones people had,,of those days, as well as showing each of their graduation pictures, where we all looked so solemn, he had done a beautifull video collage. And there were tears, at 72-73 we are more prone to cry than we were when we were young, but there was also laughing, some of us were caught clowning around. I saw two, Janice from Maryland and Leslie from Oregon that I had gone clear through elementary school also with. We had started Kindergarten together in September 1950, and especially with Janice the years just faded away. We had been in Brownies together, I was the first friend Leslie had when she moved here a couple years later And she remembered I introduced myself, and we went out to the playground and teeter-tottered. And they said I hadn't changed much, bless their 👭💕. I have been very concerned about how I am going to get to Columbus. You see I must be at my hospital in Columbus at 5 AM for my surgery at 7AM on September 5th. We no longer have a 24 hour transportation service in my little town, I was an only child, so no siblings, no car and I don't drive. Uber and Lyft, they may have heard of Columbus, that city's population is perhaps 750,000, but Mount Vernon at just under 20,000 pffft! I was a chubby nerd-ette in high school, no large clique I travelled with, actually pretty timid, wasn't a cheerleader or majorette, never dated anyone,on the football or basketball team. But in the ensuing years I have learned love and be proud of ME. I learned I don't have to walk anyone else's path, only my own. So I resolved to speak to a few people about my upcoming surgery, if that didn't work I would grap the microphone and do a P.A. about it. I live 48 miles NE of my surgery site, no place closer does RnY surgery, which is the right variety for me personally. To make it to Columbus by 5 AM you must leave my town at 3:30 am, 4 AM at the latest, even if you can jump on the Interstate.What kind of 72 year old person asks another person that when to be at her house by 3:30 AM and what kind of person agrees to give up their sleep for me? At 70 sleep does get MORE important not LESS. The second classmate I asked agreed in a heartbeat, I have known her since age 6, although we attended 2 different grade schools we've played together, known the ups and down,of each other's lives, have both had a son die in the prime of life. And I admire Kathy greatly, she has lost 2 breasts, an uterus, both ovaries to cancer but she is a survivor. Joked, "well here I am flat-chested" yes but SHE has a perfect excuse for it. She is one "tuff"broad! So a big worry if odd my shoulders, we exchanged phone numbers, cried a little on each,others shoulders, my husband 6 years ago on the 4th of July, hers is slipping into Alzheimer's pretty fast, accompanied her last night but kind of sat on the couch in the meeting area. Sad, so sad, he was an Industial Engineer when he was younger. So tomorrow when you have your surgery I WILL be thinking about you, sending prayers to HEAVEN upon your behaft. Knowing, 3 weeks from Wednesday I will be facing my,own REBIRTHDAY, my Wonder Wednesday. Fears, Anxiey, ASORROW, not having it in my life. Since 2000,started I have lost to death my mother , my mother-law, 11 aunts and uncles, a best,of classmates & friends. my husband at 70, my first son at 31 to a heart defect no one, even his doctors suspected. I have lived with obesity too long, list several jobs I lived through no fault of my own, it hasn't always been a wonderful life but it has been mine. I am certain that I will not die, so many other stresses haven't killed me, so pffft if I do die, I will wake up in Heaven with my,Lord and Savior, and that will be a WIN also. In the meantime I will love as hard as I can everyone and every thing I can , for that is truly the" Frustr8 Way!"