Search the Community

It is great to connect with you both! This will allow us to stay in touch and compare notes I wish the best of luck to you both! I am feeling a little anxious! I spoke to a friend of mine who did this last year and she also said that I should go ahead and eat today to my hearts content because it is my last meal! I am afraid to go off of the liquid diet bc I don't know what could happen to me!!! @ Laragarza, who is your doctor?

Because with the patch it’s a one shot deal, taking pills you need multi, iron, calcium, vitamin D, extra Bs and B12 and some people like me suffer from constipation with all these supplements but not with the patch. Those are my reasons and labs have been great so far!

Thanks Issabell for that comment bc I gained 3oz today! I am not a hungry happy camper!:cursing:

I am a type II diabetic and 12 days post op gastric sleeve. For the last 7 days I was able to take just a few units (10 to 15 units) of rapid acting insulin to bring my sugar levels to acceptable (9-13). But now that I am able to eat more substantive foods my sugar levels are of course going up but I feel very scared to take the long acting insulin. Are there any other diabetic sleevers who can share some of your experience on controlling blood sugar after surgery and did you use long acting insulin or only short acting? I am scared of long acting and going to sleep...…...I live alone so there is no one to check on me. Of course I need to keep BS down to help my incisions heal as well as the internal staples. Incisions are healing very well, Thank God! How long did it take before you stopped needing to use insulin?

I'm still not seeing any change an I can eat anything I'm regretting not doing the rny instead of the sleeve I thought i would feel a stop point but i don't I have to just stop bc I'm afraid I'm consuming a lot I spin for an hr a day can't wait to go back to weights but I'm miserable bc I thought I would want food less I went in to my dr today miserable bc if I could lose it via dieting I wouldn't have done this in the first place Sw270 Cw 260 Sleeved 11/17 Sent from my iPhone using the BariatricPal App

I love a good reason to sleep more, but as a south Georgia resident, I'm not turning off the air conditioning. NEW YORK (Reuters Health) - "Super-sized" fast food meals and TV time shouldn't take all the blame for the U.S. obesity problem, according to a research review published Tuesday. <SCRIPT type=text/javascript>if (window.yzq_a == null) document.write("<scr" + "ipt type=text/javascript src=""http://us.js2.yimg.com/us.js.yimg.com/lib/bc/bc_1.7.3.js></scr" + "ipt>");</SCRIPT><SCRIPT type=text/javascript>if (window.yzq_a){yzq_a('p', 'P=uwQlus6.I3oMK09aRKFaWRAYRNwytkSjvdYAB5Ny&T=17b35a3bh%2fX%3d1151581654%2fE%3d7666449%2fR%3dnews%2fK%3d5%2fV%3d1.1%2fW%3d8%2fY%3dYAHOO%2fF%3d4293078391%2fH%3dY2FjaGVoaW50PSJuZXdzIiBjb250ZW50PSJkaWV0O0hlYWx0aDtJdDtjaGlsZHJlbjt3ZWF0aGVyO2l0OyIgcmVmdXJsPSIiIHRvcGljcz0iIg--%2fS%3d1%2fJ%3d4723BECE');yzq_a('a', '&U=139fb8112%2fN%3dMt0BB86.Isc-%2fC%3d378029.7424007.9670348.1442997%2fD%3dLREC%2fB%3d3800058');}</SCRIPT><NOSCRIPT></NOSCRIPT> In fact, a group of researchers contend, a number of aspects of modern living -- from lack of sleep to exposure to environmental chemicals to living with air conditioning -- may be feeding Americans' weight woes. Writing in the International Journal of Obesity, they argue that obesity research and prevention efforts need to look beyond the "Big Two" -- food industry practices, like beefed-up portion sizes and added sugar; and reduced physical activity from factors such as cuts in school gym classes. That's not to say that diet and exercise aren't important, said report co-author Dr. David B. Allison of the University of Alabama at Birmingham. However, he told Reuters Health, the evidence linking obesity to food industry marketing and lack of gym class is circumstantial. It's equally plausible that a range of other factors are also involved, Allison and his colleagues point out. Lack of sleep is one, they say. Research in animals and humans suggests that chronic sleep deprivation boosts appetite and eating, and studies also show that U.S. adults and children are sleeping less than they used to. In recent decades, adults have gone from sleeping for an average of 9 hours to about 7 hours, the researchers point out. There is also evidence that industrial chemicals that act as endocrine disruptors may increase body fat. These chemicals, which are used in products such as pesticides and plastics, alter hormonal activity when they get into the body. Studies suggest that people have been increasingly exposed to these chemicals through the food chain in recent decades. Another factor potentially weighing Americans down is air conditioning. The body burns calories when forced to regulate its own temperature and, Allison noted, people tend to eat less in hot, humid weather. He and his colleagues cite 10 potential obesity risk factors in all, including: increased rates of older mothers, whose children may be more prone to excess weight gain; a range of medications, such as antidepressants, which can promote weight gain; and a decrease in smoking rates, because people often gain weight when they quit and the absence of nicotine, an appetite suppressant. No one is suggesting that people should stop taking their prescriptions, keep smoking or swelter in the July sun, according to Allison. When it comes to any one person's weight, he said, "what ultimately matters is calorie intake and calorie expenditure." That means diet and exercise is still key. But, Allison argued, researchers and policymakers should be "open-minded" about the potential contributors to the obesity problem and not assume that the answer lies in simple fixes like ridding schools of vending machines or installing sidewalks in the suburbs to encourage walking. SOURCE: International Journal of Obesity, June 27, 2006 online.

I read and appreciate all reads from lady’s but having a hard time finding men like myself in late 50s that had success going to sleeve after lap band - I had the band 8 years ago and lost about 40 pounds the first 6 months- lots of problems getting stuck and hungry all the time , after 4 years of bs I just had all the saline taken out ! Just been hanging in there about where I started but now want to take another stab at it with the sleeve - I want the band out because i believe it has caused me esophagus problems , and port seems to have scar tissue making a bump - so I thought kill 2 birds with one stone ! Question: Is failure with band any sign that sleeve will not be successful and I should opt for lobotomy ?

Loved city life in Dallas when I was younger but I just get fed up with the traffic and crowds now. We are close enough to Austin that we can go hear bands and stuff but I can not imagine life there on a daily basis. My best friend has lived there 24 years and she likes it. I don't think I could live too rural either; we have access to a lot of back roads perfect for riding the Harley but there are restaurants and shopping within a mile of our house.

OMG yesterday and today were awful! I told you guys yesterday that I had a new protein shake from GNC, the one that tasted like cherry cream soda- well it didn't agree with me. Actually nothing has been agreeing with me! I talked to the nurse and she said to try switching my birth control pills to nights and try to get down as much protein as I could. I told her that I just couldn't do the shakes right now.. did anyone else get sick during the pre-op diet? I was sick with a little 36 hour stomach bug 2 days prior to starting the pre-op diet and I think the illness and the protein shake just don't agree. I will not be drinking those GNC shakes again.. I HATE throwing up. Yeah, I know might need to get used to it for a while but here is the deal- I have had three kids and with each of my kids I had morning sickness that lasted all day (and night) for 8 very long months. Yes, each kid! So while I can do it, I prefer not to! Anyway, on my pre-op diet today I had a steak with steamed broccolli and lots of tea and water. No protein shake. I took my BC pill tonight. I guess we will see how it goes. I feel like something is wrong. In October (when I was going to do the lapband), I was on the shakes for a week- no problems.. I mean NO PROBLEMS! This time it is just different. It is like my stomach knows I am getting ready to get rid of it and it is trying to punish me. Did anyone else have issues like these? The nurse said to stay low fat, low carb, high protein this weekend and if I can't keep a protein shake down on Monday to call the office. I have a pre-surgery appt with the surgeon on Wednesday to go over everything. I am so nervous that with all that is going on they will postpone the surgery or worse we will go ahead but they will find that my liver has not shrunk enough to do the surgery. I am private pay- I can NOT mess this up, you know? Just hoping that with a break this weekend, maybe it will all fall back into place , my stomach will settle, and I can do so well during the next week that there are not issues with the surgery or my liver! Thanks for listening, if you have any thoughts I would love to hear them!!

I am literally in the same situation as you Adam. 21 years old with a social life! I’m from the UK though. My surgery weight was 266lbs. And I’m 4 weeks post op. My last weigh in over a week ago was 240lbs. I haven’t weighed myself since as I know from experience regular weigh ins mess with my head! I can see inches coming off though so holding back on buying a new wardrobe just yet. I used to drink loads on nights out. With friends. I’m nervous about now in the future bc even drinking water too fast or too much in 1 go physically hurts. Not to mention the annoying-odour-free burping. And then I would always have to what we’d call a “sober munch” before returning home lol. So as to not end up choking on our own sick in bed. Ie a greasy take out to absorb the vodka and sober us up! I’ve no idea how that is meant to happen now with the new sleeve capacity but I’m also not that bothered either like they’re empty calories. My friends have the skinny gene where they’d eat and drink and never gain weight. I wasn’t as fortunate so I ruined my own life going along with the crowd and eating out just to snap it for Snapchat and the gram! (social media) so even if I can get drunk on 2 packs now of vodka and a low calorie drink mix then I’m happy with that but I wouldn’t start drinking until I’m at my goal weight. Ie 7 months I think. I’m aiming for 175lbs. I sometimes have regretted getting the sleeve done because I didn’t have THAT much weight to lose and I did manage to lose 4 stone dieting in 2 years. No exercise. And just eating calories less than my BMR. But I couldn’t live like that for the rest of my life so I wanted to be able to enjoy food but smaller portions so I see that as a positive. I’ve been waiting to get cleared at 6 weeks before going ahead with my personal trainer because I’ve never stepped foot in a gym in my life! My surgery was done in Erdem Hospital in Turkey btw. It was £7000 cheaper than the UK (£10,000). I don’t have any communication with the surgeon or nutritionist so my diet I’m doing myself based on posts and archives from here but also I’m doing my 2nd year of nurse training so it’s part of my career too. I feel like there will be stalls in weight loss but that’s just because our body has gotten used to a certain routine so things need tweaking and changing. The thing about protein and vitamins is true for hair loss. Very true. I already suffered from hereditary hair loss anyway from about 16! So the fact I got this done now 5 years later and I’m 22 in 2 months, doesn’t help either so I’m still looking online for the perfect multi vitamin and protein supplement. I can drink shakes easily (not in 1 go) but the taste doesn’t bother me unlike some but yeah my Hospital were useless like that so I’ve been left to my own devices and find my own tablets for life. But I’m glad to know there’s someone my age on here now who’s going through the same thing as me!

I didn't tell most of my family because I didn't need opinions from the peanut gallery--I knew most would not be helpful and would be against it. And they have reason to be: people do gain the weight back. I know several people (friends, colleagues, family members) who have gained back considerable amounts of weight after WLS, far more than I know people that have been long term successful. And yes, and there are the possible side effects. I am living with one of them right now. I won't BS you, it is a gamble. I knew that going in. At the end of the day, you take your shot, for good or for ill. Maybe you got what it takes to be one of the lucky success stories, maybe not. Sometimes discipline and following the program to the letter does not get you the results you want--sometimes your body is just an a**hole and doesn't care how hard you are trying. However as Wayne Gretzky said, "you miss 100% of the shots you don't take." This is your body, your future, and only your decision. As long as you go into this with eyes wide open, you'll do fine.

After reading a lot on this forum, I realize that I do not know as much about my band as I had thought...With that being said, what sort of questions should I ask my doctor/NP when getting my first fill (9.9.09)? I have a couple questions so far: -What size band do I have? -Do I already have some saline in the band from surgery? (I think its a no, bc they told me after surgery when I was all groggy) -How much will they put in? Any other suggestions?

I have FED BCBS and was just approved the other day. it only took 2 days from the date doctor submitted. Surgery is Oct 24.

This just seems so unreal to me I called insurance, BC/BS TX to see if they had gotten paperwork doctor sent over on Monday (yes 3 days ago) and they not only said they had it but that I had been APPROVED!!!!! That was so unexpected but so darn exciting to hear!! I have the water works going because I am so thankful to know my new life can really begin OMG I am feeling so many different things. Wow Thank you Lord!! 3 days really. The actual letter will be sent out in a few more days but it's approved!!!!

I'm 4 months post op and I'm 46 lbs down and at a stand still. I'm Si depressed that it's not coming off quicker!! I know I eat some of the wrong things but I try and try to stay on track! It's so hard! I'm have issues with my shoulder, I had to be put to sleep for a manipulation on it past week and its keeping me from working out. I can't lift weights I can't get in the floor and do any exercising bc of the arm. I just want the pain to go away so I can start building some Muscle!! Just need a kick in the pants!!!

Thanks Kayshay. Reading KathyMs post a few others that went to him make me feel better. I think alot of it is in my head. Its not just fear of the surgery but also fear of acid upset, hair loss, and loss of fav foods. I think the post are helpful but some of them scare the hell out of me. I havent told my husband about any of the side effects bc he will freak. This is tuff Im finding myself getting depressed over the whole thing. The surgery is always on my mind 24/7. Im going crazy I think!

It can be difficult to maintain especially if your not consistant and continue to follow this lifestyle change. I remember I was around 185 before my cruise next thing u kno 1 week later im back in the 90's! no way!!!! LOLThats too close to 200...I want to go as low as possible without looking sick. I do believe 160 will look good on me, so I can have a gap to play with (between 160-170 for weight gain) You always want to leave enough room to play around for weight gain bc nobody truly stays the SAME weight forever...If you want to stay away from the 200's, I would say 160 would be extremly safe. For a person whose 5'8, 160 is a good weight

I know u guys have probably did this a thousand times but i have.my appt tomorrow and Im wondering how far in.my past do they go??? I heard things on here saying they have went as far as into their childhood.....is it geared more toward weight in my childhood or my true childhood bc i really don't want to talk about none of that....

@B-52. That's kind of good to hear..... Bc that's exactly how much of it I ate also lol! And I was full and there was so much of it left..... Might eat on some more for dinner lol

The "you are guaranteed to lose your hunger" bs surrounding the sleeve is exactly that, bs. No surgery is guaranteed to make someone lose their hunger sensation. All the Ghrelin "research" isn't solid fact, we still don't understand hunger, how it happens, what *actually* triggers it, etc. Currently the information around Ghrelin is "we believe" not "we know". The sad truth is, the majority of WLS patients, no matter the surgery, will retain some level of hunger sensation or will regain that sensation within a year of surgery. It's rare that someone loses the sensation permanently. And some, never lose it at all. So if someone promised you that the sleeve would kill your hunger because it "removes" ghrelin production... well, they didn't tell you all the facts.

Hello, not to scare anyone but just my experience. Sleeved July 31... No pain or meds since released from hospital. Woke up yesterday with pain on left side and around big incision site. Called Dr and was adv to come to er( only bc never felt this type of pain)... Got to er and was admitted bc of high blood cell count. My body had a reaction to the gtube. Had xrays to verify no leaks and gtube was removed immediately.. was told some people bodies cant handle objects inside( glad i didnt choose the band!) But I feel soooo much better today! Good luck to all

good luck with your ops,,,, i am 6 week post op.. apart from being fed up that despite my first fill i have no restrictions yet - my body is happy. I joined the site yesterday. I am learning that i am no longer alone in the world of lap banding.. hooray !!!!!!!!!! and it may take several fills for restriction to happen... so i have to be patient. now the op.. on the morning i was nervous and excited.. but it went so well.. i was back at work after a week.. i didn't drive for 10 days, and my scars have healed so well... bit of rubbing under my bra on the top scar which took a bit longer to heal.. but honestly i have felt so healthy. also a bit of a numb feeling but that has all but gone too. i get a little discomfort on my right side if i squeeze my body to pick something off the floor or do up my shoe. i guess its the port ? but its minor !!!!! i hope it goes well for you all..

Hi please bare with me I’ll try to explain my best! so I have Medicare as my primary insurance and state medicaid as my secondary insurance. Typically I don’t get a bill bc the state insurance picks up what Medicare doesn’t pay. Well my surgery is approved by Medicare but the Medicaid is saying they won’t approve it bc they require 1 year free from alcohol/ drugs as I use marijuana for pain management that violates there rules. Typically I follow Medicares rules as they are the primary n the medicaid They would cover the part A Deductible and the leftover copayment 20% etc. I feel like the medicaid denial is based on if they were they primary which they are not. So I basically have no idea of I’ll have a huge bill or not. has anyone been through something similar?

I got a lot of warnings that I would be more fertile AND had to go off the pill for 2 months. I've read you aren't supposed to get pregnant for a year. I would call your doctor immediately. https://www.babycenter.com/0_seven-facts-about-pregnancy-after-weight-loss-surgery_1504874.bc Good luck, whatever you do.

Excellent point, and agreed. I felt very taken aback by the response bc I didn’t feel like the OP came here for the straight talk and some of the responses were directed at things I had said. In either case, I realize the forum is open to all types of individuals, some of us need or want positive reinforcement while others are looking for the opposite. Regardless, let’s all make today a great day! 😀