Jim1967

Yup and that said the Band is not supposed to actually prevent you from eating food but rather it is to help you determine when you've had enough. Jean McMillan wrote a great article about restriction and it has helped me a great deal. I have a link to it in my signature under the ticker. I reference it quite often as a reminder.

For the protein are you taking an actual Vitamin for that or is that what they want you to get daily with a shake or meat? Take the following daily: 1x multivitamin 1x Super B Complex 1x 1000mcg B12 2x 1200mg Citrical 1 per week Vitamin D 2 1.2mg 50,0000 unit I was D deficient in the beginning. I got one more refill left then new blood work to see if I still need it. .

Good to know it was checked. I can eat more then one cup of food as well. In fact last night I had a 4oz boneless chicken breast, 1 cup of salad (lettuce, cucumber and a bit of onion) and 1/2 cup of broccoli. It took me a while to finish it and I wasn't stuff to a point of discomfort. I was satisfied. I don't worry too much about the 1 cup thing as long as I am choosing the right foods and the scale is moving and I am not hungry between meals.

With that said perhaps you ask the Doctor to check the over all health of the Band. Perhaps you have a leak in the Band, tube or port and the band has deflated some if not all.

I am surprised you can get a sub roll down with that much fill in your band. That would get stuck for me regardless how slow I ate it. I can eat toast slowly but soft breads like a sub, hamburger roll would give me a hard time. 5.5cc is a bit but I don't think that is extreme at all. I have 7 ccs in mine and I am finally in the sweet spot. I got 5cc at my first fill alone. I am however a very large person. Every Doctor is different when it comes to these things. Are you losing weight? Are you feeling hungry between meals? These are some of the questions I get asked when I go for fill appts. Before my last fill I would get hungry after about 3 hours and now at 7ccs I can go about 4.5 to 5 without getting hungry. My appetite has dropped to pretty much nothing. Head hunger seems to be gone as well.

I can feel my port as well and the only other time I can feel the band is when I have a stuck episode. Some people say their band tightens up when it gets hot outside but I haven't noticed any differences.

I was banded 4/16/12 and have lost 54lbs. I am one of the larger mammals roaming this site. Us larger folks tend to lose quickly the begining.

Yup sounds llike swelling. My first two weeks I thought I had restriction and then the swelling subsided. After that it all went back to normal until I started getting fills.

Oh yea,, I forgot I did get a folder full of information and the way the Center works. One of the questions I would definitely ask is whether or not they have a "program fee" they require you to pay out of pocket. I was told this was for materials and such that they couldn't bill the insurance for. I had to pay $400.

Hi and welcome to the forum. Only thing I recommend is a pen and a pad of paper and prepare all your questions ahead of time. From what I remember at my seminar the Doc ran through the whole thing and did a Q&A thing at the end. He only answered general questions as it was not the time and place to address personal questions.

If liquid is all your having then I would drink it throughout the day as you want it. Here is a good article to read about restriction and what to look for. It helped me a lot when I was first post op. http://www.lapbandtalk.com/page/index.html/_/support/post-op-support/restriction-the-holy-grail-r51

You're looking great!! Congratulations...

Every Doctor has his/her own way of doing things. My Doctor asks me to do liquids for 24 hours after a fill and introduce solid slowly. Seeing that this is your first fill I doubt you are over filled however we are all different. Not feeling full is normal. Remember you are not looking to get full like Thanksgiving full you want satiety It's good you are not hungry but whether or not you will remain that way will depend on you. How were you on the liquids before surgery? How big is your band and how much of a fill did they give you? I do think you are over thinking it a bit but that is normal. We all do it. Just remember to take everything slow until you learn how your band behaves. As for the water it is not surprising at all. Remember for the most part the fluids just slide on through. If you are having an issue swallowing water then your band is way to tight. I got 4 fills and good "restriction" and I can belt down a 16.9 oz crystal light in 5 minutes but I know my band. So take is slow and explore and treat your knew stomach like a baby.

Good thread and responses!! I am still using mine but have been curious about it. I still have a long way to go before considering giving mine up.

Welcome!! I would contact Cigna directly and ask them for a copy of their bariatric coverage. What I posted above was good through May 2012 however plans can differ depending on the tier of insurance your employer purchased. However, going by your BMI and last years policy in red is what you need to focus on. Your BMI is under 40 so they will cover it if you have comorbidities. Believe it or not the more stuff you got wrong with you the better. It will only improve your chances to get approved. CIGNA covers bariatric surgery using a covered procedure outlined below as medically necessary when ALL of the following criteria are met: The individual is ≥ 18 years of age or has reached full expected skeletal growth AND has evidence of EITHER of the following: a BMI (Body Mass Index) ≥ 40 a BMI (Body Mass Index) 35–39.9 with at least one clinically significant obesity-related comorbidity, including but not limited to the following: mechanical arthropathy in a weight-bearing joint type 2 diabetes mellitus poorly controlled hypertension (systolic blood pressure at least 140 mm Hg or diastolic blood pressure 90 mm Hg or greater, despite optimal medical management) hyperlipidemia coronary artery disease lower extremity lymphatic or venous obstruction obstructive sleep apnea pulmonary hypertension

Mine is dead center on my stomach to the left of the larger incision.

My answer is not really other but more of all of the above. Health, appearance, health... My Wife and I are trying to get pregnant and not only do I want to be around for her and hopefully our child but I want to be able to participate in all activities that come with not just being a Father but being a Dad. I have been over weight off and on all my life and when I started this journey I was at my highest weight ever. Males on my fathers side do not have a long lives. My Father is now the oldest and has out lived some of his Brothers and Sisters. My Father is one of 12 in his family. Uncles and Aunts have passed in their late 60's. My Father is currently 72 and is the oldest. He is currently in his 4th battle with Cancer having beaten lung, prostate, bladder cancer. Now they found a tumor in his throat and he is seeking treatment. He also had a heart attack and triple bypass in 2004. Both my Mother and Father are diabetics although my fathers is controlled by diet since having the heart attack. My mother has COPD and is on O2 24x7 and she is only 72. I am only 44 years old and the thought of only possibly having another 30 years on this earth is frightening to me.

Considering I had to work Sunday I had a pretty decent weekend. Weather was great. My Wife and I stumbled on to a great deal at Sam's Club Saturday. IPhone 4 8GB model onsale for $48 bucks each and they were waiving the activation fee for this weekend only. We were due for an upgrade so how could we say no to two IPhones for just under $100. Who cares if they don't have Suri!! It's over-rated anyway. Going from an Android to an IPhone is a world of difference. I am not a Mac guy by any means as this is my first Apple purchase but so far I am impressed. So much more stable then our Androids. I did have a two stuck incidents with the band this weekend. Saturday morning we went to breakfast and I got scrambled eggs with a little bit of home fries and wheat toast. It was near the end of breakfast I ate a half of slice of toast a little fast and it got stuck. I started hiccuping and finally I guess I made a face of some sort and my wife told me to go outside and she would pay the bill. It finally passed but wow I have done this to many times in the past week. Since my last fill on 7/2 I have had 3 stuck episodes. Two of them involving bread. So bread is now out of the picture until I learn to eat slower and chew. I know its not the bands fault. I did it each time by eating too fast and not chewing enough. I really need to buckle down and pay serious attention to my habits or I am going to do some damage to myself or band or both. I don't want to cause a slip. Good news is, I think I am definitely in the zone now. I can eat a little and go a long time before I get hungry and I don't have any head hunger or cravings. I am really enjoying this. I am down another 2lbs this morning for a total of 90lb since October with 54lbs of it gone since Surgery day April 16. I have gone from 6xl t-shirts to 4xl. Here on out until it becomes habit I am going to eat only at the dining room table away from the tv and laptop so I can focus solely on the food and the chewing. Jean mentioned in her book Bandwagon to put the fork down between bites and I need to make sure I do that. Actually, Jean mentions all of that. Don't eat in front of the tv or computer, chew, chew, and chew and put the fork down between bites. If any of you have not read Jean's book Bandwagon yet it is really a must read. Jean has so much valuable information and tips. It's a must have for Bandsters!! Link to Jean's blog and from here you can order the book http://jean-onthebandwagon.blogspot.com/

Thank you :-) I just commented on you're blog too. LOL

Congrats!!

Good luck you all!! I remember when I got my letter of approval from insurance I felt like a little kid at Christmas again. It was a wonderful feeling and reality really set that after 6 months of appts, and dieting that it was truly going to happen.

These are the guidelines I had to go by from Cigna. They could have changed and I did hear a rumor a while back they cut it down from a 6 month to 3 month supervised diet. Call and ask them they will tell you. CIGNA covers bariatric surgery using a covered procedure outlined below as medically necessary when ALL of the following criteria are met: The individual is ≥ 18 years of age or has reached full expected skeletal growth AND has evidence of EITHER of the following: a BMI (Body Mass Index) ≥ 40 a BMI (Body Mass Index) 35–39.9 with at least one clinically significant obesity-related comorbidity, including but not limited to the following: mechanical arthropathy in a weight-bearing joint type 2 diabetes mellitus poorly controlled hypertension (systolic blood pressure at least 140 mm Hg or diastolic blood pressure 90 mm Hg or greater, despite optimal medical management) hyperlipidemia coronary artery disease lower extremity lymphatic or venous obstruction obstructive sleep apnea pulmonary hypertension • Failure of medical management including evidence of active participation within the last two years in a weight-management program that is supervised either by a physician or a registered dietician for a minimum of six months without significant gaps. The weight-management program must include monthly documentation of ALL of the following components: weight current dietary program physical activity (e.g., exercise program) Programs such as Weight Watchers®, Jenny Craig® and Optifast® are acceptable alternatives if done in conjunction with the supervision of a physician or registered dietician and detailed documentation of participation is available for review. For individuals with long-standing, morbid obesity, participation in a program within the last five years is sufficient if reasonable attendance in the weight-management program over an extended period of time of at least six months can be demonstrated. However, physician-supervised programs consisting exclusively of pharmacological management are not sufficient to meet this requirement. Thorough multidisciplinary evaluation within the previous 12 months which includes the following: an evaluation by a bariatric surgeon recommending surgical treatment, including a description of the proposed procedure(s) and all of the associated current CPT codes a separate medical evaluation from a physician other than the surgeon recommending surgery, that includes a medical clearance for bariatric surgery unequivocal clearance for bariatric surgery by a mental health provider a nutritional evaluation by a physician or registered dietician

Hi All, I have Cigna and I also had to do the 6 month monitored diet. Cigna is really good insurance but they want documentation big time. I got denied the first time my weight center submitted because they didn't provide them with food journals and exercise logs. I had to go in and weigh monthly and see the nutritionist or nurse. I was actually approved 5 months after I started but the surgery was in month 6. Cigna did not require a weight loss goal. They just want to see the proof that you made an effort by seeing a doc or nutritionist monthly along with weigh ins and the journals I mentioned above. I was denied on one day and approved the next less then 24 hours due to the missing documentation they wanted. My weight center required I lose 5% before they would submit to insurance. So keep in mind Cigna may not care about that part your Doctor might. They want you to lose to 1. show commitment and 2. shrink your liver to ensure a safe surgery.