NetteInBoulder

Just wanted to let people know that Pacificare was so wonderful about paying for my band. I'm 41, had a 39 BMI, two comorbidities: high blood pressure and asthma. I went to Dr. Johnell in Greeley and once they submitted the paperwork, Pacificare HMO approved it within hours! They have paid for the surgery and for fills. I can't say enough good things about Pacificare!

When you talk about waking up coughing and choking on fluids, be sure that your doc knows about that. That sounds like your esophagus has dialated and is letting fluids back up that are supposed to stay down. I've heard of people (I'm thinking of Malcolm Bywters here especially www.lapbandtransformation.com) who propped the head of their bed higher so they could sleep in the bed and not have that problem. I hope that as the swelling goes down, that side effect goes away! I have had that when fill was too tight and I know how unpleasant it can be. Good luck with it! Congrats on the weight loss!! I think that's the exciting part of all this. As you get used to having the band and getting used to a new way of looking at food, you also get the reward of watching the scale move and soon, clothes will start to feel looser. Enjoy this new stage in your life, Annette

I was in a similar place. If you want advice, mine is to eep getting fills, keep following the band rules and time will pass, the pounds will add up. I'm 10 months out, 54 pounds down now. I just recently got a fill from 2.5 to 2.8 and now the weight is dropping easily. Have patience and keep doing what you know is healthy and right and it will happen. Good luck to you! Annette

Jennye~ I did hear of one couple that both had the band and they found that they both tended to have more or less restriction on the same days and they attributed it to barometric pressure of the air. (LOL...I almost wrote bariatric pressure!! LOL) I dunno but it may or may not work, trying to figure out the patterns of restriction fickleness. Myself, I'm trying to learn to be more Zen about it and not predict it or have expectations about it, but listen to what it tells me and try to cooperate with what it says. Good luck to you on your journey, Nette

Good luck Debra I remember being at that same stage about a year ago. I hope that you get a surgery date soon (even if it's very soon, it may still feel like forever until it's here!), an easy surgery and a smooth and fast recovery. Take care, Annette

The Colorado Rockers are having a clothes swap the afternoon of February 28th in the Denver Tech area. If you want further details, email me at BandedMay03@aol.com

Just wanted to follow up--there were probably 15-20 women who came to the swap, between 150 and 200 items of clothes I'd guess. Some women took away a lot, some just a few things. I scored a couple of dresses, 4 pairs of pants, and a nice business suit. I think about 6 of us had the band. The next meeting will be in Colorado Springs.

I'm no expert but I like your idea of getting unfilled and then sneaking up on the right spot with several small fills. That's my doc's philosophy. He gives around .5 or .7 for the first fill and then generally around .3 for each fill thereafter and I've never had a bad reaction. Just gradually getting more and more restricted. Good luck hun! ::big hug:::: Annette

hi girlfriend Good to see you here! Nette in Boulder

Bobby, Bravo to you for all the exercise. When I referred to cutting back on carbs, I wasn't talking about being a maniac about it. Over the holidays, I was lazy and let myself eat Cookies, candy, etc. Now that I'm back on track, I'm focusing on good, healthy, real food, and avoiding sugary or starchy junk. Keep up the good work, Annette

Forgot to answer the other questions : ) Sorry. When I was first banded, but before I had fills, I'd sometimes get something "stuck." The first time it was a spoonful of chili. It reminded me of taking a large Vitamin pill that gets stuck halfway down your throat. It didn't really hurt, it didn't stop my breathing, but I was conscious of it being there and I certainly didn't want to eat anything for a while. The shortest time it took to go away for me was about half an hour, the longest time was a day and a half. The new feeling of full for me is that when I've eaten enough, I feel kind of a soft tighness in my upper chest. It used to be sort of a bloaty feeling in my belly but now it's more of a tight feeling right in the middle of my chest.

PB stands for "Productive Burp" It's when you eat too fast or don't chew enough and the top of your stomach gets so full that you have to throw up, but it's not the same as throwing up before banding. That's why it's called a productive burp- there are no stomach acids so it doesn't taste foul or hurt. It's like you feel pressure or your mouth starts to salivate heavily and then you get to a bathroom and up it comes, whatever food was "too much." My nurse says that once someone starts to get fills, it's not uncommon to PB once a week. I usually only PB when I am not paying attention to how much or how fast I'm eating and I foget my new good habits and go back to old habits, eat too much, too fast and then I start to get a hint that a PB is coming. At this point I hardly ever do it, maybe once every three weeks. But when you're starting to get used to eating the new way, it's not a bad idea to carry around a little ziplock bag and a napkin in your purse. You don't want to PB too much because it can irritate the stomach and esophagus. Daily PB-ing is okay for a couple days in a row but not as an ongoing lifestyle. I see PBs as reminders to slow down and chew more. Once I've PB-ed, the rest of that day I am gentle on my stomach and will probably just have cream soups and protein drinks, nothing harsh. Good luck!

I totally agree. I have also started cutting the carbs since the holidays and I think that's been helpful too. Getting back to the basics: Protein, Water, exercise

I had the same experience but I recently started drinking a lot of Water (about 16 ounces prior to each meal) and doing half an hour of walking a day and that's helped. I was stuck at 32-35 pounds lost for a long time and once I started drinking water and exercising, the weight has suddenly started to fly off. Good luck! I hope you find what helps you. P.S. To make drinking water easier, I purchased on of those cool "Nalgene" water bottles (medical-grade plastic so it doesn't absorb flavors or odors) so my water always tastes great. (www.nalgene-outdoor.com) I got a small, 16 ounce once so it'd be easy to carry with me everywhere and it's not heavy even when full. I fill it up in the morning and drink it down before I let myself have Breakfast, then fill it up again and after waiting about an hour and a half, drink throughout the morning before I have lunch, and then after lunch I fill it up again, wait about an hour and a half again, and drink it till dinner time. Sometimes I'll have some more before bed.

My BMI was close to that but it was approved. I gave my doc a long list of diets/programs/exercise plans I'd followed only to have the weight come back. Good luck! P.S. If you don't get approved the first time out, be sure to contact Don Mills at Inamed.com. He'll help you put together a knock-out appeal. Annette highest weight 257/ 212 now/ 160-ish goal

I've said the same thing myself, many times. It's simply brilliant. I can see how a gastric band itself is a good idea but the "adjustable" part (the inner tube and the port) make it a GREAT idea. Annette

Mine's on the right, just a peck below my ribcage. I can't compare it to having it anywhere else, but I like that I never bump stuff against it or notice it unless I'm looking for it. I like the location.

My first fill was .6 back in June, then .5 more in August, and .5 more last week. That last .5 really helped me (for the past week anyway) be able to eat just 1/2 a cup of food and really feel full. And finally the scales started moving again. I've lost 5.5 pounds in the past week! If I don't keep this feeling of restriction over time, I'm going back in for another fill. This is what I needed! Annette, Banded 5/9/03, by Dr. Johnell 257 highest weight/247 surgery day/221 today/150-ish goal

hey Coloradans! I'm in Boulder and would love some "in person" meetings (lunch, a hike, shopping, whatevah!) with other band-folk. I can drive to other areas (Fort Collins, Greeley, Denver) to help make this wish come true. Post here or email me at BandedMay03@aol.com. Enthusiastically yours, Annette

hi Amber Rose, That's a good question and I don't know a perfect answer for you. I once asked my doctor's office (Dr. Johnell in Greeley) if he did fills for patients of other surgeons. I was told yes, they do and they charge only $100. I thought that was fantastic and I posted that to the Colorado Bandsters list. Then someone called his office and said he had changed his policy because of liability Since then, I've heard people say that Dr. Snyder in Thornton/Westminster will soon start doing fills and that Dr. Brown in Canon City does fills. Post your question to the Colorado Bandsters and see if anyone else has updated info! Go to Yahoo.com, click on "groups" then search for the ColoradoBandsters group and subscribe. Good luck! Annette in Boulder

Clothes swap for Colorado WLS patients!

Just wanted to send an update for anyone thinking of coming next time... I went to the Colorado Rockers lunch today and had a great time. There were two other cool Lap Band women (one of whom had just had her belly button pierced!) in addition to around a dozen other WLS folks. Everybody went around and shared where they were from, what kind of surgery they had or were going to have, and if they were post-surgery how much weight they'd lost. It was fun to connect with people who understood what I'm going through. I think it's also great to be able to share resources (docs, insurance tips, Protein drink suggestions, etc.). There were people from pre-op to one month post-surgery to over a year post-surgery and looking into plastic surgery. Next month's meeting will be September 27th in Lakewood and it'll be a clothes swap! Annette

On Saturday, August 16th, I'll be attending a lunch in Castle Rock for folks who have had (or are interested in) WLS. There will be RNY-ers, DS-ers, and I'm interested in increasing the number of Lap Banders so I don't get teased too much Email me if you want to carpool (BandedMay03@aol.com) or just show up, okay? Where: Pegasus on Plum Creek 313 Jerry Street, Castle Rock (303) 688-6746 When : noon on Saturday, August 16, 2003 :banana

Isn't that ridiculous? From what I understand, the bypass is a much more expensive surgery, not reversable, and higher complication and mortality rate and so many insurance companies are still only paying for that! Hopefully, as there is more research about the effectiveness (not to mention the cost effectiveness) more insurance companies will get on board. That rant aside, don't give up yet. I called my insurance (Pacificare HMO) back in November/December '02 and they said they would only pay for RNY and VBG and specifically not the band. I kept going on with my research and made an appt with my PCP, got him to give me a referral to the only doc in my area who was doing the band who was in their system, even though they said they woudn't do the band. By the time I had my consult with him (3 months later- he had a long waiting list) Pacificare was approving Lap Bands and they paid for the whole thing! On the other hand, not all insurance companies are getting on the bandwagon so quickly. If you need help in getting an approval, be SURE to visit the BandstersInsurance email group webpage on yahoo.com. Look up in their files and database for their suggestions, sample letters, sample appeal letters that have worked, and last but not least, the contact info about the attorney in CA who has helped a lot of MO patients get their insurance companies to pay for WLS. One more resource I just remembered! On ObesityHelp.com, look up the webpage of a woman named HeatherM who is in Colorado, a patient of Dr. Johnell I believe. She has an AMAZING story about how she got her insurance co to pay for WLS (not the Band though) through her hard work. It's inspiring! Good luck! Annette

That's part of what we pay them to do- take our calls when we have a medical concern. What you're describing does not sound like typical healing.