WASaBubbleButt

Different reasons. One reason is that some docs are verrrry expensive. I've seen fills as high as $1100.00. I'm really lucky because my doc does fills at no charge for life. Some people have to drive a long distance for fills, I've seen some drive 6 hours each way. It's pretty easy to procrastinate when you have a 12 hour driving day. :mad:

LOL!!! OMG, I really did LOL in real time after reading this. I relate all too well. Yes, it is amazing the quantity of food pre and post banding. Do you know Wendell? He usually posts on that crappy board but he comes over here every now and again. He once posted his recipe for spaghetti sauce. Something like a #10 can of tomato sauce, etc. and 2lbs dry Pasta. Mix in bowl, eat everything. After band, same recipe, mix in bowl, eat 4 bites, enough spaghetti and sauce for next month. The way he writes it is hysterical.

Is his wife an RN or MD?

The whole reason for not drinking liquids with meals is because it makes the food in your pouch soupy. The whole idea of eating solids instead of Soups and such is that it takes so much longer to drain into your big stomach. The longer it takes to drain the longer you stay full and don't want to eat more food. If you drink fluids with your meals the food drains faster and you are hungry sooner. I'm not one for lots of rules and such. If something is working, why change it? If you are not over eating, if you are not eating too often, and most of all if you are losing weight, do what works for you. BTW, you are not going to have a stretched pouch and esophagus with 1/3 cup of food. You are doing fine!

After talking to you for over an hour tonight I feel like you are my new best friend! I absolutely adore you, you are funny, bright, articulate, and most of all, you GET IT! I'd love to meet you in Tucson later this month!

Best thing to do is to get it out of the house and keep it out. That's what I do with food too. LOL

Last time I was in Mexico Dr. Campos gave me an Rx for Chantix but I couldn't find it at any pharmacy. Well, there are only two I'll go to in Mexicali but both of them didn't carry it. I'll try Nogales. I just want to try, it might or might not work. Welbutrin works for me but I can't swallow the tablets and they cannot be broken or crushed.

Good job! Congrats to you!

You do realize that is likely from allergies, right? If you fix the allergy issue the bags usually go away.

Yeah! That's it! Rice Crispies. Yum! I like a few Rice Crispies with my sugar. It's about the only time I put sugar on cereal.

No, that wouldn't be likely. There is such a thing as priming the tubing but that is usually done during surgery. Think of a straw where you have your finger on one end and the other end you suck the air out of there. If you fill it up again with air you would be priming the tubing, kinda. Same thing applies to the band. It comes with no saline in it. They usually fill the tubing with saline but that is about 0.5cc. The rest does fill the bladder of the band. Most docs are pretty conservative with a first fill, most docs feel we need to take fills in stages. It would be very hard to go from no fill to lots of restriction for the first time.

Wait a full two weeks. If you are still too tight get a verrry slight unfill. If you are good, Kewl Beans!

No. Not in Mexico. They have laws protecting them from Americans. We tend to be quite sue happy. In Mexico if you want to sue for medical malpractice you must be a Mexican Citizen. Interesting, they don't have the medical malpractice issues we have in the US. They don't sue as we do in the US. If you are allergic to a drug they don't see that as a medical malpractice issue as we do in the US. Amazingly, they see that as just something that happens.

Rice bubbles, heh... cute. Is that Rice Crispies? I love your language, Jachut. Some of your terms I smile, I just love them!

How long can you wait? That's the real question.

Nope, the best surgeon I found with the most experience and best track record was in Mexico. He happened to be reasonably priced. Keep in mind, the Mexican surgeons TRAINED many of the first US surgeons. They have been doing the procedure for 10 years longer than the US. They perfected the procedure. Don't let ignorance and a lack of education about other countries prevent you from getting the best medical care.

Each person is different. You really can't compare one fill against another unless you know exactly how big the stomach is of another. I don't know how big my stomach is, do you? Give your fill two weeks. If that doesn't work then go back for another fill.

No, it wasn't. I worked really hard and made myself almost neurotic doing my research. "Luck" had nothing to do with it, my work and efforts did. I am very interested in hearing more about this. If there is something we can do to stop these people from practicing medicine, we should. We won't unless we learn how to do that. Thank you, this is what I have been saying. I *did* that yet you call it luck. I call it doing things the right way.

I don't know how to cook, Hag. Fat and crap... what's the crap? Simmer for a long time... how long is a long time? An hour? Six hours? All day? What is round steak? I know T-Bone, what is round? My Mom died before she told me how much a smidgeon is. How much is that?

4-6 weeks after banding. Many docs will not do fills until 6-8 weeks.

I've been wanting to ask how things are turning out but I was afraid to look like I was prying. I'm so glad you gave us an update. Please, keep updating us as time goes on. (HUGS)

Does MK still have the same fingernail stuff line? It was five layers of stuff to make your nails really hard. It works too. Bottom coat, brown stuff, polish, brown stuff, top coat, something like that. It's been years since I used it.

Okay, as I wrote earlier I am no expert in TriCare or military anythings. I was just telling you what a friend experienced through TriCare. I have no clue what the difference is between TriCare and other military medical care. Something I have told people to do before is to stuff yourself with rolls of quarters. Put them in your pockets, your bra, everywhere. You'll be lumpy but most fat folks are.

TriCare doesn't even cover lap bands yet and if you want a lap band you have to show why you "can't" vs. don't want a bypass or the other procedure that is horrible and doesn't work. They will be covering lap bands but not in the near future. I have a friend that works for Tri Care and they have yet to approve a band for anyone and they aren't even approving bypass for people very often. As I recall you have to have a BMI of 40, a documented 5 year history of morbid obesity (you don't have that), and 2 comorbidities. You don't have those either. Even when they do cover bands eventually you will have to show medical records demonstrating you have had a BMI of 40 or more for five years AND two comorbidities such as diabetes, or high blood pressure. Not sure what ankle weights will do for you other than start the five year documentation process but the fact is, as of today you don't and won't qualify. Hopefully they will change their requirements but it isn't likely to happen in the near future. You might be like a great many of us and have to pay privately to have it done.

Deli meats have a lot of fillers in them, I'll bet if you eat the real deal (just turkey) you might have better luck.