Shellyac

I was sleeping on my stomach about a week after surgery, it might have even been a little less than a week

I'm also a fan of the premier shake. Boost also taste better but they are higher in sugar and calories, however I saw a Glucose Control version at Target in the diabetic supplies area, they only have 16g protein, 1 carb, and are 190 calories. I don't know how they taste in comparison to the regular Boost but they may be worth a try

You may want to go over to the sister site http://www.verticalsleevetalk.com/ to ask about the sleeve

I have both the band and plication at the same time. Right now the band doesn't have any Fluid in it so I guess it may be fair to say that it's not doing anything for me now but it is there as a back up to the plication. I have pretty good restriction from the plication, and I also don't feel hungry between meals so there isn't a reason for a fill right now. I could have gone with just the band alone but my orginal surgeon made it seem like it wasn't the best surgery for me because I'm diabetic but I also knew that the other procedures (bypass and sleeve) weren't for me. Ideally I think I would have liked a stand alone plication but it wasn't covered by my insurance but the band/plication combo was covered. I am happy with the combo because it seems that some people aren't fully happy with the plication so knowing that I have the band to rely on if the plication stops working gives me some comfort

I will eventually be switching doctors for maintenance because the doctor that I had the surgery with is in Florida but I live in Maryland. I finally found a doctor's office that I think might be a good fit because it's the only practice I have found where the doctor does plications and I have the band with plication so I want to be with a doctor who at least has an idea of what I have. When I called the practice to see what I needed in order to switch over, they said that all they needed were my surgery notes from the original office and that they would review them and let me know if they could take me on and that I didn't need to pay any program fees. I don't think that there should be a problem with switching

I remember seeing somewhere that Starbucks' insurance plan covers WLS

I have both, when I started researching WLS I initally wanted the just the band but because my original surgeon put some doubt in my mind I started researching other options. I then found out about plication and I was excited about it but at the time I didn't know on any doctors in my area that preformed plications at all and I was also discouraged that even if I could find someone that preformed plications it would most likely not be covered by insurance. I then found out that some doctors are preforming banded plications also called iBand and that the procedure is covered by insurance. One of the things that I am enouraged by is that initial studies show that getting the iBand helps to reduce some of the complications of the band alone, like slippage and erosion, that fills are needed less often, and that the band serves as a back up to the plication because if I ever get to the point where I'm either not feeling restricted or I start getting hungry between meals, I can get a fill to help with the weight loss. I have about 5 weeks post surgery and so far I am happy with the results, I rarely feel hungry, even if I have gone a long time between meals, I usualy eat very little but I am not restricted in what I can eat. and I haven't had any stuck episodes

I was told at least 800 but no more than 1000

I think of restriction as not wanting or being able to any more and that the amount of food that it takes to get to that point is greatly reduced after surgery. Like Kelly has said as long as you are eating what is planned for, the amount of time isn't the issue but if you are eating something just because you're in the mood to eat, then you could be heading for trouble

I think it is more of a precaution and it is similar to what they are doing with the banded plication. In theory all you should need is just plication but for some people they lose restriction for whatever reason. I am also surprised to see it done in conjunction with the regular sleeve especially since I haven't seen many studies that many people with the sleeve have stretched out that much that they render the sleeve ineffective (I've seen a few posts about needed to be resleeved). The only logic of doing a band at the start is that you only want to do surgery once so put the back up plan in place from the beginning.

And here is another paper but it looks like it was only based on one case. Laparoscopic adjustable banded sleeve gastrectomy as a primary procedure for the super-super obese (body mass index > 60 kg/m2). Agrawal S, Van Dessel E, Akin F, Van Cauwenberge S, Dillemans B. Source Department of Bariatric Surgery, Homerton University Hospital, London, UK. sanju_agrawal@hotmail.com Abstract Isolated laparoscopic sleeve gastrectomy is increasingly being used for the treatment of morbid obesity. However, doubts still persist regarding long-term weight loss, and the 5-year results are awaited. Whether the aetiology of failed excess weight loss is the result of an inadequate sleeve or attributable to dilatation of the sleeve is not clear. In an effort to prevent gastric dilatation and increase gastric restriction to promote further weight loss in the long term, we performed a combined procedure of laparoscopic adjustable gastric banding with sleeve gastrectomy. The patient was a 39-year-old woman with a life-long history of obesity and a body mass index of 79.8 kg/m(2). The surgical technique of the laparoscopic adjustable gastric banded sleeve gastrectomy is described. There were no immediate complications, and the patient was discharged home on the third postoperative day. She is doing extremely well on clinic follow-up at 6 weeks. To the best of our knowledge, laparoscopic adjustable gastric banded sleeve gastrectomy, as a primary operation, has not been described in the literature. It is hoped that this combined procedure will be most useful in the super-super obese (body mass index > 60) patients. More patients with a long-term follow-up are necessary to provide definitive conclusions regarding long-term benefits and complications of this combined bariatric procedure.

Here is a study that did something similar, Banded sleeve gastrectomy--initial experience. Alexander JW, Martin Hawver LR, Goodman HR. Source Center for Surgical Weight Loss, Department of Surgery, College of Medicine, University of Cincinnati, Cincinnati, OH, USA. jwesley.alexander@uc.edu Abstract BACKGROUND: Isolated sleeve gastrectomy is being used with increasing frequency for the treatment of morbid obesity. This study was done to determine the potential benefit of placing a band of processed human dermis around the upper portion of a sleeve gastrectomy to prevent late dilatation and weight gain. METHODS: Twenty-seven patients underwent a sleeve gastrectomy followed by placement of a band of biological tissue (AlloDerm) placed 6 cm from the gastroesophageal junction. The results were compared to 54 patients with a Roux-en-Y gastric bypass (GBP), matched for sex, age, and initial body mass index. RESULTS: All 27 patients had improvement or resolution of their diabetes, hypertension, hyperlipidemia, and sleep apnea after banded sleeve gastrectomy (BSG) similar to the control GBP group. There were no deaths, but one patient had a pulmonary embolus and another had a presumed leak. Symptoms of gastroesophageal reflux disease generally improved. Overall, results were almost identical to patients with GBP. CONCLUSIONS: BSG provides results comparable to GBP in the short-term follow-up, but avoids potential long-term complications including internal hernias, postoperative bowel obstructions, anastomotic complications of the jejunojejunostomy, hypoglycemia, bacterial overgrowth, and a spectrum of malabsorptive problems. While this study documents the feasibility and possible benefits of this modification, prospective controlled studies with long-term follow-up are needed to establish its place in procedures for surgical weight loss.

When I started considering WLS, the band was the only procedure that I wanted to consider. Like you the permenancy freaked me out (it the same reason I don't think I could ever get a tattoo but getting my tounge pierced wasn't an issue). When I finally got to the point of scheduling my surgery by doctor and her coordinator both tried to push me into getting the bypass mainly because of the immediate benefits of improving diabetes. As a result I started looking into getting the sleeve, mainly because my cousin recently had it done and I figured that if I was going to do something permanent I would want to go with the procedure that left most of my digestive system intact. But I one of the other things I wanted to find out was if it was possible to stretch out the sleeve, and that is when I knew that it wasn't the procedure for me. Also in my research, I came across sleeve plication as new procedure. In the end, I ended up going with a combination procedure. I had a banded plication a little over a month ago. Instead of a sleeve being created by cutting the stomach it is created by folding the stomach in on itself and suturing it. (While plication for weight loss is relatively new it is based on a procedure, Nissan fundoplication, that has been used for over 40 years to treat GERD) In addition I also have the band but because of the plication it hasn't been filled yet and initial studies show that there may be fewer fills needed and that there is a reduced risk of complications like slippage and erosion. Because my band hasn't been filled, I haven't had any problems eating any foods. The only times that I have felt uncomfortable after eating is when I have eaten too much or drank something too soon after eating. I also rarely feel hunger pangs, I think I felt some week 2 and 3 after surgery. While it is true that you can cheat the band, you can't really cheat the plication, in many ways it is similar to the sleeve. The advantage of having the band in addition to the plication is that if for some reason you are eating too much you can have the band filled to reduce how much you can eat even more. If I had to guess I would say that I eat about 1/3 of what I used to eat before surgery.

I don't believe that the insurance requirement has been changed but the FDA has appoved the use of the band for people with a BMI of 30 or higher

It's called PruTect

I was banded on the 6th and I have 5 incisions. My biggest worry was keloids and so far I seem to have avoided that. My doctor used dissolvable stiches and covered the incisions with surgical tape that stayed on for a little over a week. The biggest issue I have is that they are darker than my skin so right now I'm using skin whitener and some over the counter scar treatment cream on them. My sister also gave me some perscription stuff that she had but I haven't started using it yet.

It was a first time procedure for me

Sounds like you're doing pretty well. Often people don't lose weight before their first fill so you're ahead of the curve

Try Wonton Soup Broth. Defintely more satisfying than chicken broth. You can also help up the protein value by adding some unflavored protein powder to the broth

I have the banded plication and it was covered by my insurance. I believe that if you had plication alone it wouldn't be covered by insurance. So far I have been banded for a lttle less than a month and I am happy with it. Currently there isn't any fluid in my band, but I have pretty good restriction from the plication. I usually don't have hunger between meals and so far I haven't experienced bandsters hell. The main reason that I went with the banded plication was that was because it has been shown to help prevent complications like erosion and slippage. I have my first fill appointment coming up and I'm not sure if I need a fill but we'll see what the doctor has to say.

Also early studies have shown that plication helps to prevent some band complications like erosion and slippage.

You should try to appeal the denial and mention that ASMBS (www,asmbs,org) issued a position paper in March of last year that said that there is no benefit to a 6 month supervised diet. Here is the quote from that paper It may or may not work but I don't think there is any harm in trying Michelle

I think that you should just give your body a few weeks to adjust to the new routine. It could be that your body isn't used to the increased calorie burning and is just holding on to the weight. You may find that in a week or two things might improve

I lived on Wonton soup for the first few days after surgery, it was a lifesaver. You can even add some unflavored protein powder to it for extra protein, just make sure it's not too hot when you put the powder in