AnnetteT

I've been scared to try regular steak, but I have had bison steak. It is much healthier and it was very tender. I did take very small bites and didn't have a problem.

I finally hit onederland today!!! As of this morning i've lost 90 pounds since I was banded on March 1st. The last few months have been a struggle, but this last fill i recieved a few weeks ago really did the trick. Now i know what everybody has been talking about when they mention the green zone. What a great feeling. The only regret I have about this whole experience is not getting it done 10 years ago.

It is not necessary, but if your seminar is like the one i attended...they had packets ready for each person depending on their insurance. Each insurance company requires different things so my packet had a check list of everything that i would be required to do to get approval from my insurance. If you are a self pay then you would get a packet with all of the cost information and what your individual requirements will be.

Have you been to a seminar yet? They are very informative. The number to my doctor is 804-893-8676. They can schedule you for a free seminar and tell you the process. The seminar was very informative...the surgeon spoke as well as one of his WLS patients. Everyone asked lots of questions and they were willing to answer and explain everything that day. There are financial options if you don't have insurance.

Everyone is different, but in January I was on 7 insulin shots every day. I started my pre-op diet in February and had my lap band surgery on March 1, 2012. I put myself on the pre-op diet for the entire month instead of the 2 weeks my doctor recommended. I am happy to say that I have not had an insulin shot since mid February. I was told by my surgeon they would give me a precautionary dose of insulin the morning of my surgery, but when they checked my meter for the previous 2 weeks they said I didn't need it. I've been banded for 6 months and have still not taken any shots or pills for diabetes. When i had blood work a couple of months ago my doctor told me i am borderline of not being considered diabetic anymore. This journey save my life. I wish you luck and look forward to your progress updates.

I live near Tappahannock. I had my surgery done in Richmond. I travel about 2 hours each way for my appointments, but it's well worth the drive. My surgeon is Dr. Schroeder. He is excellent. I would highly recommend travelling to Richmond for your surgery because he is excellent in the bariatric field. If you have any questions about his practice or the hospital, please feel free to ask me. Good Luck!

I really didn't feel any difference until about 2 weeks after my 2nd fill. Up until then I was basically dieting. I've seen people refer to this period as bandster hell. Just continue to follow the rules your surgeon gave you and I promise it will get better. My friend has had 3 fills and still isn't losing. We have a doctor that is very conservative with his fills. He won't give more then .5 cc at each fill and we can only get them every 6 weeks. My fitness pal has helped me tremendously...i track my calories, protein, etc and then print it out and take it in for my appointments so the doctor can discuss it with me and give me suggestions. Good luck...it will get better soon!

I have started drinking the Herbalife shakes with an added scoop of protein. They have a wide variety of flavors. I had not lost any weight in over a month so i decided to switch to shakes to get back on the right track. These are very satisfying for me as a meal replacement.

I've never had one, so i'm a little nervous. Do they need to remove any fluid from the band before doing this? I've had severe pain around my port that is getting worse each day. Any thoughts on what it could be? I've been banded for 6 months.

You were right...the test was a breeze. The results were good. He didn't find any erosion or slippage and he didn't have to remove any fluid...shew!!! The surgeon is now planning on moving my port from the left side to the right and putting it much lower. Now that he knows there is no erosion he says the port is rubbing against a rib or something and causing the severe pain. I will meet with him on Tuesday to schedule the surgery. Thanks for checking on me! I love the support here. Have a great day!

After 2 months of pain around my port area, my surgeon wants to move my port from my left side to my right side and put it much lower this time. Has anyone had to do this? I was curious about the recovery time and how it differs from the initial lap band surgery I had on March 1.

My pain is mostly in the evenings after working all day. I'm unable to do any exercise other then walking per the doctor's instructions. They believe my port tore away from the muscle when i was working out at the gym. I don't have any discomfort from eating or drinking. They think it may be rubbing against my ribs and the only way to fix it is to move it and put it much lower this time. I hope you can find a solution to your pain. The lap band is such a different experience for each person. Good luck on your journey!!!

Thanks for the encouragement...The procedure is in a few hours. I'll be relieved to find out what's going on in there. Have a great day!

Thank you for the replies...If all goes well and they don't find anything, do you think they will add the fluid back immediately. I have not seen my surgeon to ask questions...i called in to tell them i was in a lot of pain and they referred me to another doctor for the endoscopy. I am terrified of not having any fluid in my band...i was just starting to get some restriction after my fill in July.

I know this was posted several months ago...did you try this and if so what were the results?

About 8 weeks ago i started having stabbing pains around my port. The X-ray during my fill showed that my port was turning...probably due to overdoing it on the weights. The dr said to lay off of the gym and it should be ok. The last week or so the pain has spread to my entire left side and this afternoon it started in my back. I'm scheduled for an endoscopy on Tuesday. I was just wondering if anybody had an ideas of what may be going on. I was banded on March 1st and followed all of my doctors instructions

I was banded on 3/1/12 and I've lost 64 pounds so far!

I'm checking in at 212...down 6 pounds Whoo-Hoo!!! Thanks for tracking this month Lisa!

Name, real or screen~ Annette T Goal weight for June 30th~208 Weight on June 1st~218 Age~ 40 Dietary goal for June~ measure EVERYTHING! Exercise goal for June~ 1.5 hours every morning before work Personal goal for June~ Stay motivated every minute of every day and Keep my eye on the prize-MY HEALTH! Date banded~ 3/1/12 Total weight loss since banding/pre op diet~57 What is your favorite summer activity~ boating and spending time at the beach

I received my second fill last Wednesday. I felt absolutely no different until Saturday. I woke up on Saturday morning suddenly knowing what it felt like to have some restriction. My question is...why did it take 3 days after the doctor gave me a fill to tell the difference?

I had the problem with the shoulder pain for at least the first 6 weeks...the only thing that helped was to put a heating pad on the area and lay on it. Good Luck!

I was on 5-7 insulin shots per day in January...i was banded March 1 and i've been off of all diabetes medication since mid March. I did start cutting carbs in mid January so that the liver shrinking diet would not be a big shock when i started it on Feb. 15th. I check my sugar every morning and mid afternoon and it has stayed consistent...110 in the morning and 140-150 in the afternoons...sometimes a little lower. I go for blood work on May 16th, I'm anxious to see how much my levels have dropped. Good luck to you on this journey!

i love spaghetti squash. I use the Morningstar Crumbles, fresh mushrooms and some Ragu...throw in lots of spices and mix it with the squash. I like it so much better then real pasta. I'm scheduled for my first fill on Monday, so this helps to keep me satisfied with very few calories since 1/2 cup of food is not satisfying me at the moment.

I was banded on March 1st as well...i would love to compare notes with someone that had it done the same time.