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Your not alone I am real sorry. I had mine done in Mexico and went to have fill. After three people trying no good. Found out one side of port came loose and the needle just pushed it away. I was very bummed and decided not to get a fill for two years. I can't do it I have not lost any weight and I fell bad. I am going to mexico on 9th to have fixed and finally a fill. Hope every thing is still ok. Any find out what is going on and get a fill you did the lap band for a reason use it. I wish you lots of luck

In my case, yes I white-knuckled it until the band started to work. I actually gained weight 2 months after surgery, where you only lost 2 lbs. My Dr. said not to worry. He knew I was not good at dieting, self control, etc., and explained to me just how the whole process works. That's why it's referred to "Bandster Hell" Also, the more you have to loose, the more you will drop in those early months.

I am super excited to be posting this and I made this thread to not only see everyone's nsv's but for people who aren't loosing to come to this thread to get encouragement! Lately my weight loss has slowed down I loose about 1-2 lbs a week here lately before I was loosing anywhere between 5-6 lbs a week.....anyways to make a long story short I've been in a size 16 for over a month now and I went and bought a size 13 before I was even in the 16's because I knew eventually I would get there well 2 days ago I was able to put on those 13's, granted they were tight and made my flabby stomach poke out at the top I was still able to get them on and button and zip them!!! I won't be wearing them out in public for awhile until I can more comfortably fit in them but I just had to share this experience with all of you!

Everyone looses the weight at a different rate but the main thing is people should be proud of even the smallest amount of weight lose as its an achievement that may not have occured without the band. I had my op on 9/3/07... Lost 3kg on pre-op diet and now 5kg in the past 2 week liquid diet phase.

I have found the more weight I loose the more prominent the port becomes. Its all good though. I can deal with it. It is a constant reminder of the positive changes I have made in my life.

I was banded on 3/20/12 and the day after my surgery I had fluid coming out of the corner of my port incision. I called my doctor and he said drainage sometimes occurs and as long as there's no swelling and it's not red it should be ok. It would stop and then build up and drain again. Last week I made an appointment because I was concerned of it getting infected. He tried draining some of the fluid with a syringe and a little came out. He said it was a hematoma -collection of blood under the skin from the bruising. As of today a little drainage is still coming out but as the swelling goes down I noticed the bruising is going away and there's less drainage. Just keep in contact with your doctor to make sure it doesn't get infected. Hope this helps. God bless -

No loose skin I do work out every other day for about 1hr and I do some weights for my arms...that's what's i was scared about the most to have extra skin but so far so good plus it helps that I'm still young

First my hubby had a Lap Band for 13 yrs. He had problems with not being able to eat or drink even wagter. So we went to a Bariatric Center of Excellance. He was going to have his Band removed and revise him to a RNY. When they got in the band had eroded into his liver and they couldn't finish the revision. He was deathly sick for 9 months with abcesses and had 5 differant bacterias. He can't remember 3 months. Fast forward to his DR that performed his removal dropped him!! Finally he had a ablation and a wound vac was put in. Last June we went to Mexico and he was supposed to have a RNY but...NOT!! His right side was totally scar tissue so he ended up with the Sleeve. It has taken him a year to finally figure out how and what to do. His mind tells him he can eat more than his body will allow. But he has lost 135#'s!! But he is still sad he didn't get the RNY. Things are ok now he still deals with mind hunger and I think he is figuring it out. May he continue to loose even more weight. Congratulations on your journey. I look forward to your future posts.

Please don't take this the wrong way. It only been 5 days. The first 10 pounds (maybe more) was water weight. You now need to either burn 3500 cals or cut 3500 cals from your food intake in order to loose 1 pound.! Also some people gain a few pounds from the surgery itself ( from the IVs's).

well everybody is different. I hit a stall at about 8 Weeks post op and lasted about 3 Weeks. then it picked up slowly, and now I'm 14 Weeks out. this week I lost 7 lbs. last week I lost 4 lbs. hopefully it continues. just remember that no two people loose exactly the same. it depends on your starting weight, and whether or not you are following the nutrition plan. Sweet

I was very worried about loosing to slow, but I had my 6 week post up Thursday and my NUT & surgeon told me I am doing totally fine and that I have lost a good amount of weight. Wednesday i'll be 7 weeks and have only lost 27lbs. Since I was told by my doctors i'm doing fine, I am seeing this the good way and hope it helps you too -> Loosing slowly is better later on because the faster you loose weight the greater the chances you'll get them back. The slower you loose the harder it is in the future to regain. Of course keep in mind healthy eating always. Sent from my iPhone using the BariatricPal App

This board is amazing! I just found it after belonging to a smaller F/B page I am excited that I can get allot more info here because there are so many members and so much experience! I alsso joined OH! About me, I have Medical Insurance but it left me with self pay as there was some kind of exclusion clause. (Bull@*&^@). So I started doing my research. In fact man I did a ton of it. I have had some blood clot issues and was very concerned that surgery in MX would be the last thing I ever did. I found a Surgeon in MX that made me rethink my fear.. You see I got blood clots that became embolisms because I did not walk or move enough after surgery. That is the blood develops clots somewhere usually in your legs and then they break loose and either land in your heart, brain, or lungs. Mine were in my lungs and after a week in the ER I went home to six months of blood thinning shots and pills with weekly blood tests!!!! This Dr. made me feel that he totally understood my fear and assured me I would not have a repeat of this nightmare under his care. Yeah I know "they all say that".. Well,, I got sleeved in early May and am down 25lbs so far and no clots!!! Which brings me to my question and the main reason I joined up here.. I am very happy that it is working for me. I had a band and well that worked in the short term but... Ok my question, I am not really all that hungry but I am freaked out by these damn SUGAR CRAVINGS!!! I know it is all in my head but that doesn't matter I still want a pound of truffles or Hershey kisses or? I make daily shakes with lots of Bananas, strawberries but as you already know it makes me too full! Any ideas? Help me out here, please. Has anyone else used Dr. Juan? The Dr. Juan from Mexicali? I understand from other patients that Dr. Juan was a partner of a Dr. Aceves. I was able to get in on the Mexican Government's program. They picked surgeons from various specialties and then they pay part of the surgery. I believe it has something to do with Mexico's Medical Tourism but I am not certain about that. I just couldn't pay the full price! IThe funds were not there.. So if someone is in need of some help paying for their surgery you should try Dr. Juan. Well that's all for now thanks for listening to my story and I hope you can help with the sugar craving thingy.

Not sure if you are counting pre Op loss if you were on a liquid diet. The first 10 pounds or so is Water weight now is the hard part. I would stay with egg whites no yolk. There are a lot of fat and cals in one egg yolk. Veggies should be less than 75 cals per serving. Are you doing any exercise? Most doctors say minimum of 30 minutes per day. I'm at restriction do 1.5-2.5 hours moderate cardio a day and loose let than 1 pound per week.

Don't you love waking up in the morning and feeling the skin tightened overnight with inches gone from the sides? You know that feeling, don't you! Even before getting up out of bed you know, you just know and can feel it in your bones, that the scales is going to show something good, that the mirror is going to reflect something good, that the clothes are going to fit just a little better. It happened to me this morning. I got on the scale and was down 5 lb overnight. I could just feel it in my body when I first woke up. Felt great!!!

You look fabulous..may I ask if you had to have plastics done for loose skin? Sent from my iPhone using the BariatricPal App

Hello to all! I've just registered to support my wife who has made the decision to go ahead and do the Lap Band procedure out of pocket. *sigh* I am not overly concerned about the procedure. The facility seems to really care and is in order. What I need to do is to kill my wife's "addiction" to Pepsi. As I sit here typing, I look over at our kitchen table and see four cases of Pepsi. I don't drink soda. The other issue is finding cookbooks for my wife's needs after the surgery. I'm sure I'll find plenty of recipes and books on this site though. My culinary degree will help too! :tongue_smilie: I'm really hoping to be able to excersise with my wife at somewhat of an equal level. Maybe one day I can teach her some jiu-jitsu. I can really see this 4'11" woman throwing some serious ground skills up on someone if she needed! Right now she's just not comfortable enough in her own skin, carrying around all that extra weight. I suppose that it doesn't help that I've been able to absolutely shed weight through my excersise and drive. I've lost around 80 lbs since 2007. I see the hurt and disapointment in my wife that she's going the other way. :thumbup: So...thank you in advance for all the support and ideas.

Laura, I think it may be that they have studies the LAP band and sleep apnea more. Just a guess. And maybe, because patients that have RNY tend to be heavier to start with than band patients so even after they loose weight they are still very over weight on average so the asleep apnea would still be present. Just my guess. cyndi

:typing:I'm one month post op and have lost 33 pounds. I know it says 28 on my ticker but I actually gained 5 pounds before I started loosing so..that's why. I'm doing good, but for 1 month I've had back and shoulder pain. It's gradually going away. They have told me now that I can go to solid food because you will lose weight faster if you are full. So I tried that. We went to dinner last night and I could hardly eat anything. Once the dinner part came I was already full. It's kind of cool, but I know that I am going to lose weight. Trying all kinds of pain meds too, tylenol doesn't cut it, nor ibuprophen. The dr gave me some other non-narcotic med for my back. Hopefully that will help. I get it today. Otherwise. I'm doing great!:clap2:

Hello! Ohhhh Myyyyyy Godddd!! Thank you soooooo much for your wonderful advise! I swear if it weren't for you guys i would begging my doctor to remove the band!! I was really really depressed with the liquid diet but now after reading your posts i have the strenght and motivation to carry on and i feel totally satisfied! (Although i am looking forward to the mushy stage!) I just blend and grind everything i like, then.....Surp....Gulp......BURP!! My mom and dad are really supporting me - they are eating more healthy food now - my dad is slightly over doing it! Pehehehe!!!!!! My clothes have become slightly loose and comfortable!!! Yeahhhh!!! Yahooooooooooooooooooooo!! WooooooooohhhHHH!!!!!! Once again thankyooooooooooouuuuuuuuuUUUUuuuuu!!! You are all sweety pies!! - actually liquid sweety pies!!!!! Peheheh!! ... Okk that was a lame joke!

Can anyone out there in LBT world remember the first incident that triggered the faint click in your mind? The click that echoes and reverberates through the walls of your brain even after you've lost a couple pounds and have vowed to shut your gob, suck in your gut and face the world without your trusty BigMac in hand (brrrr, scary, I know). It's a very distinct sound. It's different for everyone but recognizable nonetheless. The click is what you hear when you can no longer endure living in your own skin because basically it hangs too low and threatens to wipe the floors in your wake, causing many janitors to lose their jobs to redundancy. Good job people! You managed to locate a reason for janitors to hate you for being fat. Congratulations, that leaves...native cannibals on the list of People Who Won't Judge You For How Much You Weigh. You probably wouldn't want to go after the cannibals though...I hear they don't make good BFFs... It happens so fast (ze click), you have to wonder, "Where the hell have I been for the past *insert number of years* of my life?!" Oh yes, it's happened to me. I remember it quite vividly actually. It was a normal day like any other day. I woke up at 5:30 PM (I'm somewhat nocturnal), rolled out of bed, landed on the floor with a loud thud that probably killed the old man with a heart condition living downstairs, laughed at myself for a few idle minutes, then got up to survery the damage done to my already effed up visage. I took one look in the mirror, counted the number of chins a-a-a-and CLICK. The next thing I know, I'm having a nervous breakdown and a jar of peanut butter magically materializes into my palm. I can't even remember if I used a spoon...It's safe to say this emotional eating thing is a vicious cycle that bites you in the ass when you're not looking. And if you are looking, that just makes the guilt a whole lot more insufferable and you just end up eating more to make yourself feel better for eating more. See? Vicious cycle. So anywho, after summoning the jar of PB away, I grabbed the phone and called my mother, who was at work. I had the firm conviction that I had composed myself emotionally enough to talk to my mother in a mature manner to impress her and show off that I, too, can be an adult. When she picked up and said, "Hello?" I broke down sobbing. There's something about your mother's voice that just tugs on your heart strings like, say, caramel apple crumble on a warm summer day would. Naturally, my speech was not coherent enough to be understood by any other Joe, but mothers have acute aural senses when it comes to their kids. She understood everything I was saying and told me to hang up. The minute I did, the sobbing stopped (I know, wtf, right?). She called again and told me that I had an appointment with a well-known surgeon to discuss the lap-band and, of course, I broke down crying once again. Once Niagara Falls passed, I sat down dreaming of the lap-band. 12 days later, they shoved one in me and sent me on my merry, hobbling way. 3 weeks later, still going strong like a rainbow in a gay parade minus the extra hobble. <3 Thank you once again for wasting about 3 minutes of your life to read about mine! For all those who suggested I write my own book (only one person did), I'm proud to say that I already am, lol. I'm not a published writer. Not yet, anyway. Until next time! *Smoke and stealthy getaway*

I understand that everyone has different reasons for needing weight loss surgery. We also all have very different problems and triggers. In my case, I am a very A Type personality who lives in a world of black and white. This surgery (and some therapy) is helping me find the grey areas. I am not saying it is easy. I struggle with lack of "perfection" in the things I do every day. However, I think I am doing this in the most healthy way possible. Some of the people that I have seen and spoken to scare me. I asked my NUT yesterday how our bodies respond any different than that of an anorexic. I have asked her this question 3 times and she doesn't like it because she cannot answer it. Yes, we do not have the same mental issues to deal with, but our bodies have been anatomically altered, not physiologically. Due to this, I find that it concerns me when people who can only get in 700-800 calories a day workout so hard that they are running in the negative. Again, I ask my NUT how this can be healthy. Our bodies need both nutrients and calories to function properly. While I understand that our bodies will force us to function at a deficit, how do you sit there and tell people that it is okay to have a daily net that is negative? Calories are how we get energy. I don't mean empty chocolatey calories, I am talking about making healthy choices. I do not understand how people can look me in the face and tell me that it won't have any effects. If someone was eating exactly how we are forced to without the surgery, people would tell them about hair loss, amenorrhea, lower cognitive functioning etc. Yet, people can look me straight in the face and tell me it is ok for me because I am anatomically different now. Can someone please explain this to me? No one else has been able to, and I just am trying to wrap my head around this. Don't get me wrong. I understand the definite need for exercise. Unfortunately, so many people take on this surgery and don't realize they are treating it as though it is yet another one of their DIET attempts to lose weight. I hear about perfection, perfection. I won't ever touch a candy bar, ice cream, cookie, white carb etc. etc again. I completely understand that everyone has a trigger that they may need to avoid permanently, for me it is soda (which I can never have again), but I am talking about every single thing that may not be perfect for your health, but you enjoy. Also, I have seen a lot of people that seem to start off telling themselves "I will work out for an hour a day 6 days a week for the rest of my life" and take no consideration for life happening around them. Not only does this sound like a recipe for disaster, but to me, it just sounds like another diet. I chose this surgery because it is not a diet. As previously mentioned, I struggle for moderation not an all or nothing attitude. I may not have lost 50 lbs in my first month, but I feel as though I am making permanent changes that will serve me (and eventually get me to weight) in the long run. If I did great all week and I want a cookie, I might eat half a cookie (truth be told, I used to be a cookie monster but I don't really like them anymore, but you get the point). If I decide to take my son out for frozen yogurt one Friday, I don't feel guilty as I have made a huge lifestyle change. The choice of frozen yogurt over Baskin Robins is a huge step and I don't feel jilted. I won't sit and eat 16 oz anymore. I might have 4 and I feel satisfied. I have made a lot of friends that have also had this surgery. It really worries me that they treat it like another diet, they never give themselves a break and begin to disturbingly obsess about every single calorie they ingest (again, not saying you don't need to pay attention, but if you accidentally go 10 calories over, so what??). I feel that little changes add up quickly. Walking your child to and from school instead of driving, using your bike to make a run to the corner store, playing outside with the kids, swimming a couple laps while you are out sunbathing on the beach. I feel like I am running a lifelong marathon, not running a sprint to goal weight. It can be frustrating sometimes, watching those around me that had the surgery about the same time lose weight faster. However, I have no extra skin to contend with and I am certain that I am losing a lot of body fat, not just body weight. My struggle is to keep telling myself this. My struggle is to find a lifelong change that isn't necessarily as quick as I may like, but teaches me the moderation that in 32 years I never learned.

I'm 18 days out and think I'm already in a stall. I'm getting upset and depressed over it. I keep saying I didn't go through all this just to loose 25 lbs. I still have at least 80 lbs to go. I end up weighing myself 5 to 6 times a day and am making myself crazy. I'm ready to through the scale out the front door. How do you get out of a stall??????

@@Stevehud - I weight everyday, as well. I went for my first 2 1/2 weeks losing a pound a day. Then the "dreaded stall". I stalled for 4 days straight. UGH!!! I didn't get upset, other that I couldn't say that I've lost a pound a day anymore! With the sleeve, you KNOW it's not gonna just stop! You WILL loose it, probably a couple! Guys are so lucky! Good luck on your journey!!!

a lot of women complain about moodiness the first few months. I'm not sure if there's actual medical research to back this up, but many people have said it's because estrogen is stored in fat cells, and when you lose weight quickly, a lot of that is released. Many women also report screwed-up menstrual cycles the first few months, so I suspect the hormone theory is probably correct. It should all work itself out though - it doesn't seem to last more than a few months - so you may be near the end of it. 45 lbs in 3 months is pretty good. It takes many of us about a year to lose 100 lbs, so you're doing just fine. as far as baggy, saggy skin - some of that will look better eventually because things seem to re-distribute a bit over time - but after a 100 lb weight loss, you'll inevitably have some saggy skin. I had a ton of it. I could easily hide it in clothes so no one knew it was there, but *I* knew it was there, so I had it removed when I was about three years out. So that's an option if you decide you can't live with it..

I definitely noticed a change in my feet. I had some flats that were a tad uncomfortable and would rub on the knuckle part of my big toe. Wore them a couple months ago and they were so loose, that they flipped and flopped on my foot all day and created a nasty blister on my heel.