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I was banded over a year ago. I lost weight during the first 6 - 8 weeks following surgery. Then I played around with the same 5 lbs for the next 10 months even though I was receiving regular fills. With each fill, I kept thinking, "this will be the one that gives me that restriction I felt after surgery." But it didn't happen and I started losing faith in the band and in myself. I started to think, I've failed again. Then my surgeon told me he would give me a fill under fluoroscopy. This is how it worked. He filled the band completely under xray closing off the opening from my pouch to my stomach. I drank barium and it stayed in my pouch. He then began to slowly withdraw some of the fill, until the barium began to drain into my stomach, leaving the opening from the band at what he felt was good restriction. It's been 2 1/2 weeks since the fill under fluoroscopy and what a difference!!! I have restriction! THIS is what I expected from the band. I'm finally getting the help I wanted and needed from the band. I haven't weighed since the fill but I'm feeling the difference already in my body. My husband was holding me and said, "You're losing weight!" BUT .. over the past year, I developed some bad habits. I've had to go back and review and get my head on straight to work with the band again. I've gotten stuck several times, a couple of really bad ones with slimming and coughing. It hurts and works as a great reminder and reinforcer to do what is right. I really have to pay attention now and really slow down. I can't just eat whatever anymore and I can't eat nearly as much. I get full very quickly. I am now eating the recommended amount of food ... and very carefully. I'm a happy bandster .... at last!

With TRS, you have a catastrophic cap of $1000. You will have to pay the amount of your copays/deductibles until you have paid up to the $1000 for this fiscal year, which started Oct. 1. I had my surgery in December, so I had not put a big dent in my cap yet that year. Total, I probably paid about $800 of copays for everything (psych eval, preop testing, surgery, etc.) until I reached my cap.

Watch out guys. My surgeon said no surgery if I wasn't wihmthin five pounds of the weight I was at my initial consult. A weight gain before surgery is not a good indicator to a doctor that you are ready. That being said, I wouldnt go nuts with food but if you feel like you need to have a "last meal" kind of thing.... Do it once for pizza, once for whatever. Just don't continually say goodbye from now until your surgery! Best wishes!

I'm a pretty open person, and I've been upfront with the guys that I've dated. But that's just me. I tell pretty much everyone it seems. Every guy that I've dated since losing weight hasn't had a problem with it. Honestl, the only person that I've ever had issues with over my surgery is an ex. He just stopped talking to me the week of my surgery. But that's off topic, and a whole other story, lol. Back to the topic on hand, I've found that it's easier for me to tell people ahead of time, if possible. They have all understood, and didn't look at me weird when I ordered a half appetizer, or in the case of my now boyfried, when I will eat a couple bits of whatever he's eating and I'm good. But again, I'm a very open person, and I don't care who knows. In teh end, it's all about you being comfortable.

Hi, I get what you're saying. I had my band unfilled five months ago for cancer treatment, and I can tell you I am LOVING life without restriction. I managed my band very well, hardly ever puked, didnt have much trouble with it at all but I had gotten used to what a pain in the ass being unable to eat totally normally was. I can now eat anything, anywhere, without the pressure of worrying if it will go down, at the most what happened to me was "uncomfortable moments" when eating out etc, where I'd strive to hide the brief stuck/sliming from others I was eating with - I sure as eggs dont miss that one single bit. I'm enjoying bread again etc. Best of all, I havent regained any weight at all. I wouldnt say we're all "food addicts" though, I think very few people are truly addicts. More often, certainly for me, we just plain like eating, we've gotten self indulgent, we never say no to ourselves, we develop bad habits and we dont exercise enough - its as simple as that. I've relearned those things and now practice them all and as a result, I need no restriction for the time being.

You know you are a Bandster when the whole family asks "Is it stuck" just by the look on your face.