Winning

Hi all! I was banded back in May and am doing great! I'm just having some trouble with some carbs, i.e. baked goods, candy, etc... Once I start, I can't stop! I can go a good while without indulging, but once it happens, WHAM!! The tornado has struck!! The weird thing is, plain bread, rice, juice & sugary drink I'm ok with, and have no trouble having a bit or not having any! It's really weird! I'm afraid the lack of control might eventually lead to streching out the pouch/ causing complications if I'm not careful! Has anyone else been in a similar situation? Any advice, insight or tips would be greatly appreciated! Thanks!

I got banded May 21st!! Currently on the liquid diet this week May all the way!!!!!

I'm 48 hrs. post-op and it's not so fun!! I had to run to the bathroom and barely made it a couple times Maybe it has to do with being on all liquids.. but it also smells not normal (sorry for the overshare) and is green! Is my body just self-cleansing? Do a lot of ppl experience similar occurances? I dont' have a gallbladder- is that a factor? Is this a normal post-op thing? Thanks!

Congrats!!! I heard single incision is awesome! I'm guessing this is #10, so... 10. Think of all the money you'll save on your future health!! (Eating out, Dr.'s visits)

Hi all, I went in for my pre-ops yesterday (all went well) and I told the surgeon "Gosh, I'm so excited- I wish I could do it sooner"... He happened to have a cancellation, and so I went for it!! (Which ended my extended food funeral right then & there!!!) Got up and started walking 1 hr. after surgery (thanks for the suggestion LBT- I'm sure it helped!!) Made it back home the same day (about 10 hrs. later). I'm still walking every couple hours, and am on clear liquids for the next few days, but things are going great! I can already feel the band.. it kinda feels like someone is choking me a bit from the inside (pressure) and the lower part of my stomach hurts so sitting up and down is a bit difficult... Aside from that, I'll live! I had my gallbladder out last year (also laproscopic) and this was a breeze in comparison! Am I in some weird honeymoon phase, i.e. the pain meds haven't worn off yet, or is this possible?!?!/ Did anyone else have a similar (easy) experience? If not, am I gonna hit a wall soon?

Damn Blonde, I'm having the exact same problem!!! I know it may not feel like a big deal later... but I've been having an extended food funeral for about two weeks (this includes eating a whole - medium size- pizza in one sitting, on several occasions :/ I'm getting banded June 4th, and food has been such a big part of my life for so long! The idea of not being able to eat bread, sticky cinammon rolls, buttery pastry anymore, or in very limited quantites feels like a loss, or the end of an era! I'm sure I'll feel differently (and better about my health) later- and I know I can't keep living my life eating this way- but the thought of a big NO later on really makes me want to indulge while I still have the chance. To everyone out there who had this kind of (sick) behaviour, did anything paticular help? Thanks!

Hi all! I'm living in South Korea for the time being. I just went to my first consultation apt. with a Dr. here in Seoul. Living in Asia, I would be completely self-pay (which is about $5K here.) I'm worried that if I fall into the very small margin of patients that have difficulties bad enough to warrant more surgery (e.g. errosion, slippage) I won't be able to afford it. Also, when I come back to the states (next year) will it be covered by a health care plan if there's complications later? I'm pretty overweight (5'5" and weigh 200lbs). The doctor here said he could band me no problem, and that my BMI is 36, and I'm carrying a little over 40 kilos of fat on my body (after they did a full body analysis.) I calculated my BMI on the web, and it said mine should be 33, but the surgeon said I'm actually a pretty petite person. I've already run into medical issues b/c of my weight- I had my gallbladder out last year, and have circulatory problems (my feet swell.) Also, I'm really sick of being the "fat girl", not being able to wear skirts b/c of chaffing, lower back pain from a big belly, acid reflux, my feet swelling if I'm on them too long (all day), feeling tired all the time, and easy things have gotten a lot more difficult lately- like stairs. I feel like I can't keep living my life this way, I've tried diet and exercise but they never work for long. If I have serious complictaions I may not be able to afford to fix them though (b/c I'm self-pay.) If anyone out there has some insight, experience or advice I'd greatly appreciate it!

yeah!! So I feel like if I don't have complications it should be okay- moneywise. So I can do the first year here (more fills) and have the additional fill (probs less after the first year) when I go back to the states.

Apart from the initial cost of surgery, fills are less than $10!

Hi all! I posted this in intros- but then saw the self-pay section. Hopefully between the two- I'll get some good insight. I'm living in South Korea for the time being. I just went to my first consultation apt. with a Dr. here in Seoul. Living in Asia, I would be completely self-pay (which is about $5K here.) I'm worried that if I fall into the very small margin of patients that have difficulties bad enough to warrant more surgery (e.g. errosion, slippage) I won't be able to afford it. Also, when I come back to the states (next year) will it be covered by a health care plan if there's complications later? I'm pretty overweight (5'5" and weigh 200lbs). The doctor here said he could band me no problem, and that my BMI is 36, and I'm carrying a little over 40 kilos (90 lbs) of fat on my body (after they did a full body analysis.) I calculated my BMI on the web, and it said mine should be 33, but the surgeon said I'm actually a pretty petite person. I've already run into medical issues b/c of my weight- I had my gallbladder out last year, and have circulatory problems (my feet swell.) Also, I'm really sick of being the "fat girl", not being able to wear skirts b/c of chaffing, lower back pain from a big belly, acid reflux, my feet swelling if I'm on them too long (all day), feeling tired all the time, and easy things have gotten a lot more difficult lately- like stairs. This is the heaviest I've ever been, and I'm only getting bigger! I don't see myself getting down to a healthy weight w/out serious help in the future. I feel like I can't keep living my life this way, I've tried diet and exercise but they never work for long. If I have serious complictaions I may not be able to afford to fix them though (b/c I'm self-pay.) If anyone out there has some insight, experience or advice I'd greatly appreciate it!

Apart from the cost of actual surgery, the cost of fills here (along w/ most other healthcare) is ridiculously cheap. A fill at the Dr. I consulted w/ is less than $10!