Daddyof4

You don't want to fill up with pool water through your incisions (Courtesy of my then-11-year-old daughter after my surgery one year before yours)

I can't resist - the best scale is the one that shows your weight dropping!

I'm currently struggling to get back in the groove. Counting from going to the seminar at my highest weight, I lost 55 pounds the first seven months, then hit a plateau that stopped me in my tracks. I let my food choices get the better (or worse) of me and held steady for 4 months, now have gained back 8 pounds, have now lost 3 of those after another fill. This sounds like the old rollercoaster before being banded! I had an unfill to take me from 7.2 down to 6.0 and am now back up to 7.0 cc in a 14 cc band. I have started exercising, at least a little bit. I got Harvey Walden's book out of the library and ordered the DVD and have begun swimming some lengths in the pool. My biggest issue is an addiction to potato chips. I never really liked them before, now I can't get enough of them! This is probably longer than Alex had in mind but he did ask.

Falls Church, VA (DC area). Originally from suburb of Rochester, NY

For me it was a few factors. The lapband is the least invasive and is reversible if something goes wrong. I had never considered bypass but if I was much larger I would have gone for that. The sleeve was very attractive because there's no adjustment needed but I decided against it because nobody knows yet what exactly the effects are when two thirds of your stomach is gone. You might need the hormones it produces or something. I saw a graph comparing the rates of weight loss and the fastest was the bypass, followed by the sleeve with the lapband bringing up the rear. However, at three years out, all three showed the same amount of weight lost. Plus, my wife and pcp wouldn't let me do the sleeve!

Hi AmineR8705, I got banded May 21, 2012 and haven't regretted it at all. I was pretty nervous but the actual surgery was the easiest part. I had to stay overnight because of my sleep apnea but did not have much pain at all. The worst for me was the upper chest/shoulder pain that they say comes from the gas they pump you up with affecting the vagus nerve. Remember to walk, walk, walk and try Gas-X or something like that. It usually goes away within a couple of days. Good luck to you - keep posting here so we can follow your success and provide support.

Hey Saww62! Nice to see another guy on the site. I don't know what "too fast" really means - I wish I could wake up tomorrow 45 more pounds lighter! As a rule, men lose fast and the more you have to lose the faster it goes, at least at first. Do your best to work the program and don't worry about how fast it's going. You will look back on these days from your first plateau and wonder why you were worried at all. Ps. watch for the first few non-scale victories (NSV) too. For me, it was cool to be able to bend down and tie my shoes without gasping for breath. Good luck and congratulations on getting the band.

You also don't want to fill up with pool water!

SoccerBlueJ, yesterday I was fortunate enough to have the experience you should have had. My last fill was last October (7.2 cc in a 10 cc band) and I was having a tough time adjusting to that level. I was getting stuck too often, etc. and in December had 0.3 cc removed. I have been trying to adjust to the new level but still getting stuck and pbing more often than I should have been. I have to own up that I was not following the program - too big bites too quickly, eating slider foods. I saw the PA yesterday and she said that getting stuck 5 days out of 7 is clearly too much and my band is still too tight. She said there's no incentive to follow the program when you get stuck anyway and if you're too tight there's no extra reminder to avoid slider foods. She removed 0.5 cc and said to work with that, concentrating on the right size bites, the right portion size and the length of time to eat. I go back in 4 weeks and if I don't have restriction she will add probably 0.1 cc (not 2 full ccs!). I wish your doctor had been like this

Sorry everyone - this post should have been titled Unfill - Physician's Assistant with common sense but I accidentally posted before I finished editing. It started out as a reply to SoccerBlueJ but I decided it should be its own post so that's why it doesn't make complete sense.

I like David's first line. I haven't said that I wish I had told somebody-or-other but I told lots of people and have not had anyone judge me or make a negative comment, at least to my face. I had to ask one of my supervisors for advanced sick leave so I had to tell him and he said he thought I was making a good choice and would support me. I learned that my other supervisor had lost 30 some pounds a few years prior and he was supportive as well. I supervise 14 people and didn't want to just disappear for a week for the surgery so I told them what was happening and all of them said it was a good choice. One said she wanted to be next! It's been since May 21, 2012 and she has not yet gotten her band though . That said, I've read posts from some people who had horror stories but that has not been my experience. If you feel right about your decision to join us in bandster land then it's right for you. Good luck in your upcoming journey.

This sounds pretty normal, NJ. My kids thought they were in a terrorist attack once. It does stop, once your body gets used to the new regime but it does take some time. You are all of 2 days out - in a few weeks the unpleasantness should stop. My wife reminds me to tell you about scented candles and air freshener and to reduce the amount of nuts you eat and fewer artificial sweeteners. I can now laugh at the commercials that try to entice you to eat their stuff. Get stuck on a bite of pizza once and the temptation will go away. Although, the new fish bites look pretty good . . . I have a tough time with the water too. I fill a 64 oz container and pour out of that all day to see how I'm doing. The key seems to be sips throughout the day, if you can do that. I know you'll do great - once you see the weight coming off it will be a real inspiration! Don't forget to take pictures and measurements because you won't see the change unless you have something to compare the new you to. Hang in there!

Thank you, M1aman, for posting this. I've certainly felt regret that I waited so long to finally begin to get control over my eating. My therapist calls this type of pity party "kicking the puppy" and I certainly feel like a kicked puppy afterwards. I still have not made the change that so many of us talk about but I'm determined to get there. I'm with tmf too - you can only beat yourself up so long before you realize that it's not helpful and that it's better to focus on the good things you're doing now and the successes you've had along the way. I read the article by Ms. James posted by tmf and it's really frightening that someone can publish such misinformation. Not a single thing in that article is true but such articles do a lot of harm. She is aptly named Cassandra! Keep up the good work M1aman - we're all in this together!

I asked this exact question last May when I had my surgery and I agree with the advice to ask your doctor. I just wanted to share that my 12-year-old daughter was disappointed that I couldn't be the first dad in the pool on Memorial Day but when I explained that I didn't want to fill up with water through the incisions she understood.

I have federal BCBS too - my experience was the same as Blessed12's. The 3 months felt like a huge slog but I realize that if I got the surgery the day I walked into the surgeon's office (which I had hoped for) I would have failed. The three months is a training period when you get used to the idea of losing weight and learn how to use the band. I thought, once I had my third visit pre-op that it would take forever to get approved and, when I hadn't heard from the office in a week or so, I called to find out what the process was from there - and when they called me back to give me the answer they said I'd been approved that day and when could we schedule the surgery! I was amazed but scheduled the surgery. I got another call the next day to ask me if I wanted to switch to another doctor in the practice because he had a cancellation for the next week. I had my lapband installed May 21, 2012 instead of waiting till the end of June. Good luck to all of you.

Momof3, when I read your post it was like I could have written it myself. That's exactly how I was feeling and what I was doing since my last fill. I haven't lost any weight for a long while. I saw the PA December 21 and she removed 0.3 cc because I was eating slider foods and not really working the program. It was because I was so afraid of being stuck yet again that I ate stuff that wouldn't get stuck. I seem to have developed an addiction to Wavy Lays potato chips. My daughter says it's better than a drug addiction but it's still not such a good thing. I've not yet gotten back to the program - maybe I never did it right, even though I'm down 55 pounds. I'm going to need to track calories and measure portions and finally get going on the exercise. Thanks for the inspiration.

I am with the Patent and Trademark Office (Alexandria, VA) and have Blue Cross Blue Shield standard option plan 105. My out of pocket was similar to Suzanne's and they included 3 months of followup visits with no copay. I paid $25 of the $250 for my last fill. The required 3 months of supervised diet and nutrition counseling and a psych evaluation - I think they want to pay for those who are likely to succeed and the extended pre-op regimen helps determine that. It seems like not all plans pay the same so make sure you talk to someone at your local BCBS. The more specific your questions are the better the answers will be. Shelley, I wish you great good luck and hope you can get banded. It is the best thing I've ever done for myself.

Polly, thanks for posting this. This website is jam packed with good info presented in a sensible way.

Hey Runrunpasspunt, I just wanted to add my support to the others' good advice. It took me a few years from broaching the subject with my wife (and doctor) to her going to the seminar with me and having her questions answered. If you can get your wife at least a little bit on board to go with you to find out why we have the surgery and what the benefits are and why the cycle of diet/exercise/regain more than you lost needs to be broken and how the lapband can do that. Good luck, hang in there and remember that your reason for getting banded is so you can be here a good long time.

Hi Monica, I don't have Tricare but I do have the leg tingling/numbness you describe. I had back surgery in Feb 2010 for sudden pain and lack of response in my right foot; had what they call a discectomy where the surgeon removes enough of the disc to stop the symptoms. This time my primary care doctor advised lose weight first and then if it continues go the MRI route. You don't say where in VA you are but I had my surgery done at Fair Oaks Hospital in Fairfax with Bluepoint. I've heard that Virginia Hospital Center, formerly Arlington Hospital, is now a Center of Excellence for Bariatric surgery so you might try them. My sons were born there and we liked it very much. I'm glad yoiu left that awful first doctor in your dust - she didn't deserve any better. Good luck, I'm sure you'll find the right surgeon who takes Tricare. Hang in there!

Hi Brandy, I just posted an invitation to NoVA bandsters and then saw your post! I was banded May 21, 2012. I don't know how good a mentor I'd be but I'd be glad to share experiences, etc. I wish you great good luck and success!

Hello Northern Virginians!! Our section of the Commonwealth seems very under-represented here. I live in Falls Church, work in Alexandria and see Dr. Moazzez at Bluepoint Surgical at Fair Oaks. I was banded May 21, 2012 and have had some success with the new way of eating but have not yet figured out how to add the exercise part. I'm looking for ideas on how to incorporate something into my schedule. I have a weird problem where my legs and feet start to tingle and begin to go numb so walking is not a great option but I need to do SOMETHING! The plan for treatment is first to lose some weight and see if that helps before going the back MRI - surgery route. I've also not been able to get to the support groups in Fair Oaks so finding local bandsters would be great. Looking forward to hearing from you all. Bob

Hi Monica, Dr. Moazzez put my lap band in on May 21, 2012. He was very good and the practice is pretty good too. They don't say on their website if they take Tricare; I have Federal Blue Cross. They say they take pretty much any insurance so I'd be surprised if they didn't take Tricare. I just saw that Arlington Hospital (or whatever it's called now) is also a Bariatric Center of Excellence. I'm in Falls Church so that would have been closer than Fair Oaks. Go to the seminar, one of the surgeons will be there and can answer any question you can think of. Good luck.

Hello May Bandsters. I haven't posted in a while but neither has anyone else! I'd like to provide an update on me and find out how everyone else is doing. I had my first fill on July 24 and all it has done for me is ensure that I have stuck episodes if I eat slightly larger bites and eat too quickly. I am mostly keeping the portion size to 1 cup, including around 4 oz of Protein but I have not lost any weight since mid June. I have yet to figure out how to work exercise into my schedule but I realize that is necessary for success. I've been to the pool and can swim 6 lengths in a row but have not tried to get on a regular schedule - yes, this is an excuse. Still, I hope to get more of a fill at my next appointment on August 24. So far I'm at 4.2 cc in a 14 cc band. How are you all doing? Let's re-invigorate the May 2012 part of this website!

It's so funny how things can change! I was stuck at 245 with the first fill and wanted more fill. I did get another fill August 28 (misremembered the date before) for 6.2 cc in a 14 cc band and the first few days were very tough with a lot of sliming, some PB, general difficulty getting much of anything down. I stepped back, worked on eating smaller bites and taking my time. Meanwhile, I dropped another 15 pounds and things have pretty much settled down for me. I don't have another appointment till mid-Oct and if things continue the way they are I don't think I'll need another fill. I started a post in the Fill category but moved it to the success stories area instead! Thanks for the encouragement.