bluetigereyes

I had my band placed on a Thursday and was back to work on Monday. It is an out-patient procedure in most cases. Your insurance question will need to be addressed directly with your insurance. Ask if your employer has added bariatric benefits to the plan. Also, ask them what exact criteria is needed to approve the procedure. Mine I did not need prior auth at all, I do drink protein shakes for breakfast (The premier brand from Costco...30 gr protein, 1 gr sugar) since my band is tighter in the mornings. I have 9.25 cc in a 14 cc band and at a great place. I can eat about 1/2 cup of food and I am full. For me, when I have a fill, I cannot tell a difference for almost 3 weeks. That is just how my body reacts to the band. Everyone is different and so its hard to say how you will react and how many fills you will need. Just be patient, it does not happen overnight. You will be on clear liquids for a couple weeks after surgery, then to full liquids, then to mushies, then to regular food. Follow your doctors orders. I dont regret my band AT ALL!!!

Start by going back to your doctor. You will more than likely need a fill. The doctor can take all the fluid out of your band to see how much is in there and start all over with the fills. Taking responsibility is the first step, go forward from here. You already have the tool, now its time to start USING the tool. What works for me is first and foremost, go on a VERY low carb/high protein diet. Get past the point of craving the carbs and sweets. Once you can get that behind you, then you can get to the best part, which is seeing the weight come off. BUT, you have to get in to your doctor first, get a fill, and start over again. The best thing is, today is a new day. YOU have the choice of what you are going to do. Yesterday is gone, you cannot change what happened, tomorrow is not here yet, so make today the first day of the rest of your life. Choose your attitude, remember, your attitude is 9/10's of your success! You CAN do this, remember why you got the band and how you felt when you were making the right choices. That feeling will come back and you will gain that motivation to get the ball rolling again. Dont give up on yourself!!!

Congrats on your beautiful baby! You have come such a long way and I admire your strength and determination!

VERY Cute!!! I keep a candy bowl on my desk filled with all different types of chocolate. I have found that if I have it readily available, I couldnt care less about it. Its those days that I have no candy anywhere to be found that I crave it so badly. Its almost like reverse psychology on myself, because I only want the things I cannot have. Since I have candy available, I dont want it.

They Whey extreme from Wal Mart is ok, and I drank that until I found the Premier ones from Costco.

I LOVE the protein shakes from Costco. They are called Premier and have 30 gr protein and only 1 gram of sugar. Until June 5th, you can use their coupon for $5 off an 18 pack. They are quick and easy to grab and drink in the mornings. Since my band is much tighter in the mornings, this is the easiest way for me to get my breakfast without getting sick

This stage is commonly known as "Bandster Hell" It will continue until you get a couple of fills. Its not necessarily bad to eat every two -3 hours, and dont get discouraged if you even gain a few pounds at this point. Its perfectly normal

It all depends on your policy. I have BC/BS of Michigan and did not even require approval. They called in for the approval and based on my employers policy, there was no pre-auth even needed

I was at a good spot with the fill I had before I had a little more added (.25cc). I just felt that I wanted to be just a touch tighter. Now since this fill (2 weeks ago) I am hungry every couple of hours and not losing at all. I thought getting that extra .25 cc would make a difference for the better, but seems that I dont feel as much restriction. Does that make ANY sense? Anyone else have that happen?

My dr has had problems EVERY time I go in for a fill. I was banded 12/22/11, and when I went for my first fill in Feb, my port had flipped. So, I went in and had then port put back into place. I've had 4 fills since then and everytime, it takes 3-10 pokes to find my port. when I had my last fill, I was told that it has turned a little. The nurse made a note about what position my port is in, but I'm afraid that since its sitting in there sideways, that it will end up flipping again....i sure hope not!!!

I will still have a sip of soda vey now and then. BUT, I have found that it just doesnt taste as good as I remembered. I drink alot of green tea, crystal light, and water now. Brlgrl, why are you not allowed to drink from a straw? I drink ALL drinks from a straw and never had a problem. I even have a 32oz cup at home that has a lid and straw that I use for 'my' cup.I have not heard anything about no straws. I

I guess for me, I feel full after eating a VERY little bit. I can have about 2-3 oz of protein and 4-5 bites of the other parts of my meal then I am full. Feeling full is also quite different. I get a pressure in my chest, almost like I need to burp, then I get the hiccups and a runny nose. If I take even 1 more bite, I will be miserable. If you are still hungry all the time, go in for a fill. I'm at 8.75cc in a 14 cc band right now. I do get hungry every 3-4 hours, but have a small protein snack to hold me over (Like a small handfull of peanuts)

I was banded 12/22/11, I too, am a slow loser. Until I had my last fill, I had only lost 4 lbs (that fill was on April 2nd), since April 2nd, and hitting the green zone, I have lost another 8lbs and feel great. I know its slow, but as long as I see the scale going down, I'm ok with that. I do know that I am losing inches because I have people that havent seen me in a while comment on how good I am looking. I do have more energy, but not as much time as I wish to exercise. I just had my roommate move out, so I have my basement back, which I plan on walking on the treadmill daily as a start to boost my weight loss. I am walking a 5K on Saturday, then next month, participating in the Relay for Life, which I know throughout the night I will be walking at least another 3-5 miles.

Welcome! This board has people of EVERY stage of the band and can answer almost any question you can think of!!

First of all, I would avoid the bread. I usually get that pain anytime I have bread. It does sound like you are in the green zone though. You need to remember to eat slowly and chew ALOT. Put your fork down between bites and dont drink while eating. I have learned with my body if I even take 1 sip while I'm eating, I throw it all up and I'm miserable for about an hour. Everyone's 'full signal' is different, for me, I get a runny nose and the hiccups. If I even eat one more bite past that, I will start with the slimey spit up. I always eat my protein first. I cannot eat chicken breast at all. I stick to some ground turkey, fish, and very tender steak. Then, eat your Vegis, and if you still have room, then carbs. It took me a while to learn my body, and I'm still learning what I can and cannot do since I just got my band on 12/22. I'm learning (the hard way) how to listen to my body!!!!

No one really knows why a port flips. My dr told me this was a new design on ports and when we discoverd that mine had flipped, I was the 3rd on in a matter of days that had it flip. He believes it is a faulty design on that particular port. When I went for my fill a week ago, my port is now sitting sideways.....which I'm hoping doesnt mean that its trying to flip again!!!

I had my band placed 12/22/11, and since surgery I have lost about 15 lbs. I did have some complications with my port flipping, which delayed getting my fills started. I gained 10 lbs after surgery and when I was in 'bandster hell' where I could eat anything. I did not feel any restriction until my 3rd fill, and thats when I started losing. I have a 14cc band, and currently at 8.75 cc in it. I just got my 4th fill last week, and for whatever reason, I dont start to feel it for 2-3 weeks, so I'm hoping that it catches up with me soon and I can start to feel the restriction like I should. The weight loss is slow, but steady. That is what you want anyway. When you take it off slow, you have a higher liklihood of keeping it off. This is the exact reason I did not tell many people that I was having it done. Most people's perception of WLS is that the weight comes off quickly (as with the gastric bypass), and people think the band is a failure if they dont see if coming off so fast. Personally, after much research, the band was the way I wanted to go. I could have opted for the bypass or the sleeve, but my personal choice was the band. I am ok with losing slowly because I realize that I didnt put it on in a month, it wont come off in a month. As long as I can maintain an average of 2 lbs per week lost, I will be perfectly happy with that

That is VERY common. I did not feel restriction until my 3rd fill. This is normal as well as actually gaining a few pounds until you start feeling restriction. Dont get discouraged, you will get there, it just takes time

I have not had any problems with reflux or heartburn since getting my band. Is yours filled a little too tight?

I can eat Ground beef/Ground Turkey with no problems. I cannot eat chicken though. Every time I eat chicken, by the 2nd bite, I am miserable and end up throwing it up. I stick to ground turkey since its much lower in fat and calories and in general healthier for you (Plus, at the stores around me, its actually quite a bit cheaper than the lean ground beef)

I went to the doctor again yesterday for another fill. My last fill was at the beginning of April and with this fill I have been able to notice restriction finally. I have been feeling great and can really tell if I eat too fast or too much. I stepped on the scale at the doctor, and in 4 weeks, I'm down 7lbs. I am so happy with that. I know some people see much faster weight loss, but I am satisfied with how I am progressing. As long as I see the scale moving in the right direction, I will feel like a success. I have been TRYING to avoid stepping on the scale too often, but I have been trying to watch at least once a week to make sure I am on track. I feel so good about where I'm headed. My roommate moved out a week ago, so I have my basement back and can finally start using my treadmill again, which I know will help too. Its been hard with all the rain to get out and walk too much, and I cant leave the kids home, so I havent been able to do as much as I want to. Now at least I can watch tv while walking on the treadmill. I am walking a 5K in 2 weeks, so I would love to get prepared for that as well.

It took 4 fills for me to get to the point of feeling restriction. I was discouraged because as I went back to 'normal' foods, I saw the scale creeping up. In between each fill, I would only see maybe a pound difference. Once I got my 4th fill, I felt restriction and felt more encouraged (I did NOT feel the restriction until 2 weeks after the fill, so dont expect to feel it immediately). I just went in for my 5th fill, and had lost 7lbs in 4 weeks. This was a great motivator for me. I had them add .25 cc this time because I have good restriction, just need to tweak it a tiny bit more. When you get to that green zone, you will know it. Right now you are in whats called "Bandster Hell" You can get through this

I have been a SLOW loser since having my band placed. Dont let it get you discouraged. I too, have had my moments of thinking if I did the right thing or if this is really going to work for me. But once I got to my sweet spot, I am starting to see the scale move. I just got another fill yesterday and in the 4 weeks between fills, I lost 7lbs. That is almost 2lbs per week average, which is perfect. Some people lose faster than others, dont compare yourself to others because your body is different. Once you get to the right amount in your band, you will see results. For me, I dont start seeing a difference from my fills for almost 2 weeks...thats how my body adjusts. I only got 1/4 cc this time, but I am so close to my sweet spot I didnt want to get it too tight. So, for now I will go 1/4 cc at a time until I feel I am at a good place, then stay here until it feels like its getting looser. Just be patient, you CAN do this!!!

I gained after surgery too....dont beat yourself up over it. I got banded in December, and just since this last fill (April 2nd) have I really been seeing some weight loss. Its slow, but steady. I go in today for another fill, but think I'm VERY close to my green zone. I"m not hungry all the time anymore, and feeling great. It took 3-4 fills to get to this point. Dont give up, and dont get discouraged. Journal your food and get some exercise in....see if you can move your next fill up a little sooner and let your doctor know that you are hungry all the time...they can adjust your fill based on that. Good Luck!