Alexandra

Phenomenal post, Julie. Congratulations on an amazing year!! :biggrin1:

Protein bars are your friend. Look for those with at least 15 grams of protein, and the Atkins has fiber as well. They're really not so bad!!

It sure sounds to me like you have a problem that needs attention FAST. Don't wait for the 20th, go get all your fill removed right now. If you have aspiration pneumonia--a lung infection caused by breathing in regurgitated material--you need treatment for that. WHAT ARE YOU WAITING FOR??? This situation sounds serious and you really need medical attention.

I'm glad to see this article. In my opinion, not enough attention is paid to the consequences of Vitamin deficiency. Only rarely are the potential problems described in any detail, but the fact is that Vitamins are really crucial for all our bodily systems. Bariatric surgery--hell, even a general low-calorie diet--can lead to vitamin deficiencies if we're not careful. So take your vitamins!

Hi Susannah, I don't know anything about the AP band, unfortunately. And with my insurance situation, I probably don't have the option of just waiting until something new is approved. With our FDA, that could take years! There are still only two types of bands approved in the U.S. as far as I know. But thanks for the suggestion!

Under the fluoroscope this morning, there it was, clear as day. My band has slipped down and nothing was going through. Surgery is indicated, since I had so little Fluid in the band that an unfill is unlikely to make any difference. Monday I'll be on the table, and I gather that's when the doctor will determine whether it can be repaired, replaced then, or must be removed altogether for healing. If the last happens, my band days are probably over, since I doubt my insurance will pay for replacement on someone with a BMI of 30. I'll keep you all posted. Thanks for any good thoughts you want to send my way. :nervous

Hi Kayford, I started another thread but I guess you missed it. Surgery was a breeze, relatively speaking, and I was home in four hours. They took the band out but everything inside is healthy and well so I can be rebanded in a few weeks if I decide to. Naturally my family and friends are all saying "oh, you'll be able to maintain your weight on your own, now, right?" but I'm not so sure. One day out and I'm already hungry. But I'm feeling great for a day out of surgery, and as long as I'm healthy that's all that counts!!

Thanks everyone, so much, for your nice words. It's so great to know this community is pulling for us when one of us has a hurdle to get over. It really means a lot! To answer the question, yes, the removal was done laparascopically. I have four little puncture wounds, the bandages come off on Thursday, and then steri-strips that will come off by themselves. Last time I had staples, so this is like a vacation! :biggrin1:

It sure sounds like you're too tight, and could benefit from a total unfill. This situation shouldn't be allowed to continue because it can damage your esophagus and lead to the risk of aspiration pneumonia. Please see your doctor as soon as you can for an unfill. In the meantime, do what you can to ease inflammation. If you have or can get a prescription for Prevacid or Nexium, they can really help. Stick to liquids as much as you can. Be gentle!

That's really good to hear, Jen! Did you have it replaced at the same time your first one was removed? Or was there some time in between? I don't relish the idea of two surgeries, but this one was so easy (relatively speaking) I'm not scared of doing it one more time. Congratulations and it's great to hear that you feel better! I am too. :biggrin1:

I'm feeling about 80% myself today; it is amazing how fast, indeed! My thinking about the VG band is that my original band was always snug. I don't know for sure but according to my doctor's records I never had more than about 1.5ccs of fill. And as time went by, the fit got tighter and tighter and ultimately as it turned out I could tolerate no fill at all. The VG band is bound to be looser at the start and gives much more leeway for fills. My doctor said that if it had been available when I was banded he'd probably have used it in the first place. So all that tells me it would be a better tool for me if (when?) I decide to replace the band. And you know what? I'm already hungry. :confused:

I just heard what he actually said for the first time this morning. Honestly, as DerickM said, "nappy headed hos" is really beyond the pale! What the HELL was he thinking?!? As for whether he should be suspended or not, that is, as it should be, purely a corporate decision. It has nothing to do with the First Amendment. I would hope and think that he'd lose some of his audience, or that his audience would change and become less mainstream. And eventually lose enough money for his employer that they'd sideline him. He's just disgusting, really.

Goldthimble, I've never heard of physical therapy being part of the preop regimen. Why has it been prescribed for you? Are you sure you're not thinking of the psychological evaluation with a therapist?

Beautifully said, Susannah. And 396, your apology is appreciated! I hope we can move forward with debates in peace without attacking one another.

Wow, that is a dumb situation. That carrier has its head, well, you know where.

The six-month supervised period is not about losing weight, it's about compliance. No carrier actually expects a morbidly obese person to lose enough weight in six months to no longer want or qualify for surgery. But their thinking is that if a patient with a dangerous medical condition can't even get it together enough to submit to medical care for six months, why should the carrier pay thousands of dollars for a surgery that the patient may just ruin through noncompliance? Bariatric surgery as a treatment relies very heavily on patient behavior, and if patients don't do what they should it's all just money out the window. And there are lots of OTHER patients who will comply and on whom the money would be better spent. So it's about weeding out people who aren't good candidates, not about trying to get them to lose weight.

This is a not-uncommon requirement, and frankly I think it makes some sense. So many people have this mental image that surgery is a quick fix, and it's not asking too much for them to be under a doctor's supervision for six months prior to surgery. If this is one of the carrier's requirements for qualification, I can't see any reason they'd just waive it. Even for the spouse of an employee. It's really not so bad, and lets you get your mind in the right place to face post-op life. Just get started, and six months will be over before you know it!

Sounds like the answer is the same in both countries, though. :biggrin1:

Are you referring to the fact that homosexuals cannot reproduce naturally with one another? So, tell me, do you think heterosexual couples remaining childless by choice is a sin?

Tnix, I've had my band for 3.75 years, and have just been diagnosed with a slip. I'm having another surgery tomorrow. But even in spite of this, it's been an amazing 3+ years and I've lost a significant amount of weight that I have never and would never have been able to lose on my own. That's what this is all about. Would I do it again? Yes. Thankfully I have insurance to cover the costs, because without that it would have been impossible. But medically speaking the risk of surgery and the complications of banding have all been WELL worth it. I'm as close to normal as I've ever been in my life, and it's just a flat-out miracle.

Bright! I just said hi to you on another thread, it's so great to see your beautiful face! Thanks for the good wishes. I'm trying not to dwell on Monday, just trying to get through the weekend in decent spirits. Hope you have a wonderful Easter, and you know I'll be keeping y'all posted.

[derail] HI, BRIGHT!!! Great to see you, chickie! :biggrin1: [/derail]

396, I'd like to suggest you try a bit harder to rein in your language. There are many ways to discuss your views and thoughts without stooping to name-calling. Thanks.

There is no difference, lap-band IS the gastric band. I'm thinking the poster meant to say "gastric bypass." Anyway, I voted YES even though I'm staring down a second surgery for slippage almost 4 years out. For a person who's been obese all her life, and morbidly obese for most of the last 20 years, the band has been a completely new lease on life. It's the only thing that's ever worked for me, and I hope I don't lose it on Monday.

Thank you so much, everyone, for the kind thoughts and good wishes. I'm really very sanguine about this, for some reason that I don't quite understand. Part of me doesn't even feel like this is a problem at all! It's like, I have a mechanical device inside me that may require a tuneup at some point, and this is the tuneup. Yeah, surgery is scary in itself and yeah, making time for this in my life is a big hassle, but I have family and friends pitching in to help and I really did want a couple of days off from work anyway. Kaybee, I'm glad to hear your surgery went well but sorry it took an ER visit to diagnose the problem. I'm lucky in that the symptoms I had were noticeable but not really disturbing or painful (though esophagitis is no fun). When I couldn't sleep in bed, night after night, I knew there was something more wrong than I'd experienced in the past. Maybe on Tuesday I'll come back with a horror story, or have to say I eroded completely and there's no way I can ever have a band again, but I've explored those possibilities in my mind and know I can face them if they arise. And I really don't think anything like that will happen (especially with everyone here pulling for me!). The important thing is now, as it has always been, my health. So I'll do what has to be done and keep moving forward. I'm just outrageously grateful I have health insurance for this, because otherwise I'd be in DEEP doo doo!!