faithmd

Mine was three hours, I had an hour interview with the therapist and then had to take the MMPI-2 which took me about two hours. Then I had to go BACK and do it again because I was supposedly portraying myself in too good of a light. Pfffttthththt! That high score is also frequently seen in patients with higher education and a high IQ. Guess the therapist I went to thought that wasn't possible with me. LOL! He never asked what my IQ was tested at.

Tengal, This is what is called Bandster Hell. It is TOUGH, it is HARD, it SUCKS, but eyes on the prize!!! You can do this, you really can. You read all about others going through it before you were banded, now you are here, it's your turn and you've just got to get past it. Renenber when you started considering the band and it seemed so far away? Remember when you got your date and it seemed like it would never get here? Now here you are two weeks out. You can do anything if you know when it will end. It will end in a month. It will be over and you can move on to a new life. I know you just want to chew and eat real food. But it's only one MONTH out of your life! One little month. How many years have you been fat? Can you not give a month back? Yes, you can! Don't cheat, now is the time you have GOT to let it heal, cheating now may not show up until years down the road.

:welcomeB: to LBT! I agree with what Tracy said. Having been through a purely restrictive process once, you know what you are getting yourself into. I'm flummoxed as to where the nothing but problems part of your post comes from. I do not see nothing but problems posted about, in fact I think they are fairly rare. If you include productive burps and getting food stuck as a problem, then I guess I can see where you are coming from. But those are merely consequences of the band and it's what should keep us a bit more conscious of how and what we eat. Just like bypass patients get cramping and dumping with sugar and alcohol in the beginning. That's what keeps them honest. If you've eaten past a restrictive procedure once, I'd be interested in why your doc thinks a second restrictive procedure would be the right choice for you? Are you at a different place in your life now than you were 10 years ago? Would you make different food choices? Are you ready for the work the band is? I'm not getting down on you at all, I'm truly asking because these are questions that come to mind when I was considering the band, and when I read your introduction. I think the band can be very successful, here's a few threads that might give you some different perspective, a couple are polls about whether people are happy they have the band, and in both, the number are higher than 90% that they are happy with their choice. http://www.lapbandtalk.com/f84/happy-lap-band-36259/ http://www.lapbandtalk.com/f17/how-many-happy-sucessful-34980/ http://www.lapbandtalk.com/f84/poll-you-glad-you-were-banded-38781/ http://www.lapbandtalk.com/f15/ten-years-lap-band-38936/ http://www.lapbandtalk.com/f17/share-us-what-has-improved-you-37441/ http://www.lapbandtalk.com/f17/would-you-do-again-30418/ If you are leaning toward a bypass, and your doc won't do it, I would seek out a second opinion about it. You very well may find someone who would agree to do a bypass for you. Different surgeons have different skill and comfort levels. And they would never say to a patient, "I'm not skilled enough in doing RNY on patients with previous abdominal surgeries." They would think it would make them sound bad. To me it would be a breath of fresh air, for them to be honest. If you really don't think the band is for you, then you should expand your search and look into other surgeons and perhaps other procedures such as the duodenal switch. Good luck and again, welcome to LBT, we are glad to have you here. Anything we can do to help, just post!

Check out this thread, which is a few below yours in the same forum: http://www.lapbandtalk.com/f15/ten-years-lap-band-38936/ Realize that when any medical procedure is new, there is uncharted territory. Things will be improved over time, tweaks to surgical technique will be made as instruments are improved and technology improves. If I am destined to lose weight and keep it off for only five or ten years, then so be it. It would give me five or ten years that I will be healthier that I wouldn't have had without the band. In ten years, who's to say that there won't be a pill that we can take, or perhaps they will have perfected some genetic manipulation that will turn off the "fat gene." I'll take a few years if that's what has to be, over none.

aluckygem, are you post-op? If so, the narcotics and the surgery itself can slow your intestines to a crawl for a while. One thing I found that worked was to get baby apple prune juice, it comes in little 4 oz bottles which are the perfect size and I drank one per day, that helped keep things moving until I was on pureed and I ate a jar of babyfood prunes a day. As the poster above me said, don't be surprised if once you get going again, you have the liquids in=liquids out experience.

Sure, I've had the scale jump up as much as six lbs in a day when I was either near my TOM or after a fairly salt-laden day. I wish I could tell you for sure what your surgeon's reaction will be, but I don't hink anyone knows but him. I hope other Coburn patients will chime in here, since they've had more experience with him. How long did you do the Optifast for? If it was two weeks, 12 lbs is nothing to sneeze at even with cheating. In any case, I wouldn't worry too much about it, what will be, will be. The cheating period on the pre-op is over tomorrow, you can't go back and change what you ate. You just have to focus on the future and not cheating on the post-op diet, that's VERY important. Eyes on the prize, eyes on the prize. If for some reason you do get cancelled, you can get rescheduled and try again. Try to take some deep breaths and relax. In either case it will be okay.

Actually, I think your belly looks pretty good. But did you know that on this same forum where you posted this thread, there is a sticky thread called Scar Stages, Share yours? This would be a good place to post this pic, and subsequent ones so we can see how you are progressing. Here's the link: http://www.lapbandtalk.com/f17/scar-stages-share-yours-6117/

Hello Wanda, the best thing to do is to call your insurance company with your card in hand and ask them. While someone else's Humana policy may have dropped the requirement, yours may not have. Or vice versa. Everyone's policy can be different with different riders. If yours has not dropped the requirement, then that's what it is, a requirement. No getting around it. I had to do 12 months. Six months would have been WONDERFUL!

WasaBB, I agree it's her business, BUT my problem was that she wrote a book and did the talk show circuit with the teaser that she was going to tell women how she lost the weight. The implication was she DIDN'T have weight loss surgery.

Two weeks is just way too early, for the reasons outlined above me. I'm amazed someone is filling at three weeks. Though I don't know the dates, could be more like three and a half weeks. I can almost see that. Every surgeon is different. You never know. Please remember that the first fill will likely not gove you restriction for any long period of time. It usually takes a minimum of two, bot more often three or four fills to get good restriction. It is frustrating, but that's the way it works. Time does fly, though. I never would have thought I'd be six weeks out from the band already. It seems like yesterday I went to the informational seminar (that was in February).

HPB, I fail to see where ANYONE has been snotty or rude to the OP. I think Manatee was merely being blatantly honest. Everyone above you offered suggestions for what she could do. Very diverse suggestions. Obviously there are issues with him or her or with the relationship. What husband who completely understands the Band and has learned all he can about how it works (which is what a mate should do) would be exhibiting the behaviors she's telling us he is? Certainly we don't have all of the story, there are many things missing. Actually, it really didn't make a whole lot of sense to me as it was written. I can't tell if the OP is saying he's upset because she's eating too much, or because she's eating too little. I also can't tell if she's saying she vomits because she's so upset at their fighting, or because she eats too much (but she says it isn't a PB-though how could it not be, if it's a quantity issue?). I also can't tell if she isn't eating all day until he gets home because she wants to save her calories until he's in front of her so she doesn't overeat, or if she doesn't eat all day because he doesn't want her eating too much. It's hard to understnd if he's forcing her to eat because he is upset because she's losing weight. Is that because he likes heavy women, was she heavy when they married? Is he insecure and thinks she'll leave him if she loses weight? Is he heavy? Is he jealous because she's losing and he isn't? So many things aren't answered here. Yes, this board is for support, but support encompasses offering reasonable suggestions and asking questions. How would it be helpful to stroke her and say, "We're sorry, it's going to be alright"? Because you know what, maybe it won't be. But we won't be able to help if we don't write our thoughts and ask questions. I also fail to see where anyone points out that something is WRONG with her. I see where people offering suggestions on how to look into herself (BetsyJane for example) and see if something she is feeling or doing-even if unconsciously-could be contributing to what's going on. People that "care a lot about you" and know about your being banded should have taken the time to learn about it and shouldn't be (using the OP's term) forcing her to eat. If it's someone who doesn't know about your band, then what would they care how much you are eating, anyway? I'd call that a busybody.

Hello MissNilsa, :welcomeB: to LBT and congrats on your LapBand! There is an entire forum here dedicated to plastic surgery. You'll find it by going to the home page an just scrolling down a bit. Also, at the bottom of this page are some threads that are related to your thread title (arms, arm flab, etc). Hope that helps!

_Becca's made a great point, it does seem to help when you realize how much work it is to burn off say a slice of pizza. Makes it less worth eating that pizza! For all you folks counting on that first fill. I haven't gotten mine yet, but I read over and over how the first fill RARELY if ever helps you feel any restriction. So try not to put all your eggs in that basket, I'd hate for any of us to be devastated. It seems it takes a minimum of two and usually three or four fills or more to get to that "sweet spot." We can do this!

If you were banded four days ago, are you doing more than drinking? I mean, are you actually eating??? And yes, you'll truly know. The pressure you feel is likely whatever you have ingested sliding through the swollen opening that the band creates. It's normal so early I think to feel something like that.

And yes, you CAN do this diet again if you have to. Eyes on the prize my dear, eyes on the prize. You can do anything you have to if it means the end result is what you desire. Keep that in mind, okay? It's tough, it sucks, but it gets us to the goal we want. Remember post-op sucks, too. The liquids stages and the soft stages seem to last forever, but there is a purpose to them, It is important to follow them more carefully than you did the pre-op diet since this is the time of your healing. Take care!

I'm sorry, I don't think anyone can tell you that for sure but your surgeon or his office. I would bet at your PAT they'll culture your throat and see what the blisters are. You said you get sick when you're stressed? Does it always manifest itself with these same blisters? OR did you mean that your immune system is depleted when you're stressed and you catch anything around? Because if this blistering response is the same every time, and you can express that to the PAT folks, it might be okay. I do not know. I wish you luck!

Name...............................Starting…....Current…......Goal…..........To Go losingjusme..(Christine).........293.............. 287... ..........275..................12 tann.............(Tammy)...........211............ . 208..............198....................10 Josette.................................322....... .......322..............307..................15 RidinMyHDDream.(Carol).. .....264..............264..............254........ .........10 FaithMD............................... 308..............305.4..............299.................6.4 Elisabethsew..(Elisabeth).. ....275....... .......275 .............265..................10 Libra..(Angela)...................... 214...........;...214..............208............ ........6 glindab..................................282...... ........278.6...........265....................13. 6 Inner_me.....(Chris).............. ..295...............295.............280........... ........15 waterlily1072...(Nicole)............279........... ....279.............269...................10 Rainer (Lorraine).....................311...............3 11..............299...................13 staindgal (Bridget)..................319..............316.8. ...........299.................. 17.8 jbtullis (Jonathan)...................317................31 7..............299...................18 Insubordination.......................311......... ......311..............306...................5 GO TANN!!! EXCELLENT, Chris_NJ and welcome insub! I finally broke that 306 pound mark that has been my brick wall the past three weeks. I am actually eating 2000 calories or more a couple of days a week and bam! I dropped a couple lbs. Who'd a thunk?

Adelaide, :welcomeB: to LBT! Take some time, look around here, there's loads of great info. One of those things is a fantastic thread about scar stages, where people post photos of how their scars are doing. Here's the link: http://www.lapbandtalk.com/f17/scar-stages-share-yours-6117/ Also, when you post a thread the software does a search for related threads and provides a list of them at the bottom of the thread page. If you page down, you'll find a few threads about scars. I know many folks try quite a few different things. Some swear by Mederma, other like pure Vitamin E oil from the capsules. Some love cocoa butter, or CCB with E. That's what I'm using. I spent five years working with burn victims and the topical we used to minimize scars was cocoa butter. But the key is to purchase either pure cocoa butter (which is pretty solid), or if you purchase a cream, it MUST have CCB as the number one or number two ingredient on the label, and should smell like a chocolate bar. Hope this helps!

I cannot imagine, but I think they seem like a fantastic family. There are very few folks who could handle four kids, let alone seventeen, but the Duggars do it well. I love the idea of big families if the parents are involved and actually raise their kids aand teach them values and right from wrong. So many people say the Duggars are awful because the older kids raise the younger ones and that the kids aren't allowed to be kids. I think nothing could be further from the truth. Of course the older ones pitch in and help raise the younger ones, that's how it's done. Of course the parents could not and should not have to do it all on their own, what would that teach the kids about work and responsibility? Too many of our young folks have no responsibilities and no limitations placed on them. Good for the Duggars. Though the J name thing makes me quite ill.

Sheesh, I keep teetering and tottering! Back to the 306's. Once I get below that, I'll be happy! Name...............................Starting…....Current…......Goal…..........To Go losingjusme..(Christine).........293.............. 293... ..........275..................18 tann.............(Tammy)...........211............ . 211..............198....................13 Josette.................................322....... .......322..............307..................15 RidinMyHDDream.(Carol).. .....264..............264..............254........ .........10 FaithMD............................... 308..............306.4..............299............. ...7.4 Elisabethsew..(Elisabeth).. ....275....... .......275 .............265..................10 Libra..(Angela)...................... 214...........;...214..............208............ ........6 glindab..................................282...... ........278.6...........265....................13. 6 Inner_me.....(Chris).............. ..295...............295.............280........... ........15 waterlily1072...(Nicole)............279........... ....279.............269...................10 Rainer (Lorraine).....................311...............3 11..............299...................13 staindgal (Bridget)..................319..............316.8. ...........299.................. 17.8 jbtullis (Jonathan)...................317................31 7..............299....................18

Advanced Performance or Advanced Platform (what it's called by the manufacturer) band has been around in Australia and Canada for a while now and was just released to the US surgeons to use at the ASBS conference in June. There are a bunch of threads around here about it. Here's a couple links, one to Dr. Curry's site and one to another lapband site that has a really good thread about it: Here's a link to a thread Dr. C posted on his forum that discusses the AP: Trace W. Curry, M.D. :: View topic - New AP band Here's a link to a thread on another forum that has good info about it as well: Advanced Platform (AP) Band Information - Band2gether.net (b2g) Lap-band Support Forums

Happy Bandiversary!!!!!!!!!!!!

Thank you for updating, Christine! And thank you Molly/Nicole for your kind words of wisdom. I hope that I'll be more successful this month.

It's a cereal. You can usually find it in the States in larger supermarkets that sell various world foods, it's usually in the British section. I think I've also seen it at World Market.

I'm updating as well. I can't seem to get past this same three pounds (306-309) Name........................Starting….......Curren t …...Goal….....To Go losingjusme...................293..............288 ..........266...........22 juliegeraci....................226..............22 6...........206...........20 areellady.....................251.5............240 .5 ...........230...........10.5 punkeyb88...................306..............238.. ..........225..........13 Chris_NJ......................326.............310. ...........290..........20 PaulaD........................222..............222 ............200..........22 MM............................248...............24 8............230...........18 sdakotaRN..................255...............255.. ..........230..........24.6 Babygrl1234...............224................218.. .........199..........19 faithmd.....................312...............308...........285...........23 Jan421......................267...............262. ...........247..........15 Metalband.................203...............197... ..........183...........14 tann........................223................211 ............198...........13 Banannie..................182..............176.8.. .........162...........14.8 Josette....................322...............322.. ..........299...........23 chickatee.................217...............213... ..........199...........16 beachgirl..................270..............220... .............155...........65 Marlluvia...................220.............220... .........200...........20 Jennifur....................222…............219... .........200..........19 KariK.......................179..............179.. ..........155..........24. MarCar.....................296............ 290.............276...........19 Punkeyb88................238............238....... ..... 220......... 18 Jadrad7....................243............230..... .......220..........23 Denise......................265...........259... .........240..........25 Wen.........................303...........299.. ...........285.........14 SWEETY...................217...........211........ ......199.........12 Lochnagar................249...........249.... ........221..........28 glinadb....................285…........282........ .....260..........22 Denise....................330............265...... .......240..........25 mel........................254.4........248.4..... .....230..........18 .4 Amelia40..................285...........288....... .....255...........33 Crabby54.................257...........245........ ....232.........25 Sunny 112...............219...........181.............16 5........16