lrw26

I just went for a second fill and I now have about 6ccs.. Just wonder what most people have?

You can find research that says the band is not effective and you can find the same for counseling. If you look hard enough there are opinions that will suit you. You don't know whether counseling will work, trying could not hurt. As someone said it is another tool. I also think that the band can fail if we have not dealt with WHY we eat to begin with. I have been through lits of therapy before the band and I think I know why I ate and am now able to deal with it and just KNOW that I cannot do what I used to do. Even with the band we are stuck with the same feeling that made us eat. Just think what a shame it is to waste such a wonderful tool, the expense the frustration etc etc...

Hi.. I am just wondering if someone else has had the port seem to move.. Mine seems to have moved from my side towards the center of stomach and I am wondering if this is normal.. Do they do anything to keep it in place?

Hi.. well no I have always been able to feel it and know what it is. It has just moved further toward my belly button. I see the doctor this week and will see what he says...

He is a piece of work and not an expert... but I guess he is laughing all the way to the bank... Takes advantage of desperat people always looking for an easy fix. The band is not an "easy fix" it just helps us along the way and makes behaviors work

Don't be discouraged Zannie.. All the doctors say that we should lose between 1 nd 2 lbs a week, it is not an overnight cure, the weight comes off like in a regular diet, difference is it will stay off!!! Right? I am also self pay like I see you are and yes I am going to get my money's worth, cannot fail, paid 500 more than you but it all includes everything for a year which is good as I think the aftercare is soo important. Please don't feel bad, there are people who are not losing at all, just at standstill so as long as it is going in the right direction everything is fine. With the bypass surgery they lose the weight very fast but sometimes I don't think they look so healthy. Also when you lose a bit more slowly I think it gives the skin a chance to adjust so it doesn't get extra loose..

I just saw this post and will add myself to the group.. :nervous The last few days I have been 199.5 in the am and this evening I am 201 so I am right on the cusp, cant wait for the day when I will never see that BAD number again. I have now lost 32 lbs and my next goal is in about 30lbs when my BMI will no longer be in the obese category but just plain overweight.. then another 25 and I will be about there... get very impatient.

That is weird. I wasn't hungry at all the first weeks after surgery.. can you ask your doctor for an earlier fill. he gave me a fill after 18 days as we are planning fills for when I have to be gone all of June.. So it is not unheard of. Just before my next fill last week I was getting very hungry but now I can barely eat anything that is not mushy.. Good luck..

I feel lucky as well. My doctor and office are just a few miles from my house. The two days I had with a very painful too small band would have been a problem if he was not so close. I called and they told me to come right away and they took out .5cc. I was also self pay and the price included all care and fills and support groups for a full year. I feel very lucky.

I think the average of first fills is 6 weeks. Even if you are losing 1-2 lbs a week you may still need one. If you think it is hard to resist the food and it is a struggle I definitely think you need one. The restriction will make it so much easier to not eat so much..

I am just wondering as I hear alot of people saying they have needed a fill for a long time. Why don't you go get one, I don't understand waiting for 6 months, doesn't the doctor follow you on a regular basis. I thought thta was a must. Just curious..?

The dietitian who said 1200 calories cannot be that familiar with lap bnd patients, we simply cannot eat more, if we were to eat that many calories it would have to be very high calorie foods and sugars, so that makes no sense. I don't think i would listen to her What does make sense though is the high protein if you have a lap band.. In general I agree that of course we also have to have carbs, However because we eat such small amounts if too much of it is carbs you will start loosing muscle mass instead of fat. That is why it is so important to get the required amount of protein in every day.

I guess now I have 6c in the VG 10 cc band. I didn't realize there is also a 14cc band.. Confusing and wonder how they decide which on to give you. I suppose the ones with more room can have more variation in temrs of how much is in it.. I can definitely feel restriction and am now loosing weight again after standing still for a week

I agree with everyone else, You need to remember that they stress Protein at every meal and eat the proteinfirst. Since I had the surgery I ahve not had bread or pasta or anything like that at all altough I love bread. My understanding is that bread has too much gluten and it tends to clump and not dissolve fast enough. The bagel with cheese according to my dietitian is carb and fat, she counts cream chese as fat..

Oh I agree... however after my first fill of 2.5cc it was too tight and I called and it was unfilled 1cc within a couple of hours. I live very close to the medical center where all was done..

Thanks so much fro input... I was just curious about the different sizes etc.. I guess now I have 6cc in the VG band... hope it works as the last week I gained weight..

Thank you... was just wondering because when I asked I couldn't seem to get a straight answer about what size my band is.. I will look at that site as well...

Here is another article that I printed out and gave to all the people who are important to me. I think it helps.. What is Morbid Obesity? Though we all use the terms "fat" and "obese" casually in conversation, there is a medical definition of the condition—and yes, obesity is considered a health "conditionAccording to the National Institutes of Health (NIH), a person is considered "obese" when he or she weighs 20 percent or more than his or her ideal body weight. At that point, the person's weight poses a real health risk. Obesity becomes "morbid" when it significantly increases the risk of one or more obesity-related health conditions or serious diseases (also known as co-morbidities). Morbid obesity—sometimes called "clinically severe obesity"—is defined as being 100 lbs. or more over ideal body weight or having a Body Mass Index (BMI) of 40 or higher. <O:p According to the NIH Consensus Report, morbid obesity is a serious chronic disease, meaning that its symptoms build slowly over an extended period of time. Today 97 million Americans, more than one-third of the adult population, are overweight or obese. An estimated 5-10 million of those are considered morbidly obese. <O:p Health Threats <O:p Double the risk of early death if your weight is more than twice your ideal.] 5-7 times greater risk of death from diabetes or heart attack. <O:p High risk of "end-stage" (untreatable) obesity. Numerous negative social, psychological and economic effects. <O:p Obesity-related Health Conditions <O:p Obesity-related health conditions reduce life expectancy. Here are some of the more common conditions. If you would like more information, please speak with your physician,<O:p High blood pressure / Heart disease The heart doesn't work right when the body is carrying around excess weight. So the obese person usually gets hypertension (high blood pressure), which leads to strokes and damages the heart and kidneys. <O:p Osteoarthritis of weight-bearing joints Additional weight placed on joints--especially knees and hips--causes rapid wear and tear, along with pain and inflammation. Similarly, the strain on bones and muscles in the back leads to disk problems, pain, and decreased mobility. Fat deposits in the tongue and neck can block air passages, especially in patients who sleep on their backs. This causes them to lose sleep and results in daytime drowsiness and headaches. Gastroesophageal reflux disease (Hiatal hernia and heartburn Excess weight weakens and overloads the valve at the top of the stomach, which then allows stomach acid to escape into the esophagus. This is called gastroesophageal reflux, and "heartburn" and acid indigestion are common symptoms. Approximately 10-15% of patients with even mild heartburn develop Barrett's esophagus, which is a pre-malignant change in the lining membrane and a cause of esophageal cancer. Depression People who are obese must deal with constant, depressing emotional challenges: failed diets, disapproval from family and friends, remarks from strangers. Plus, they often experience discrimination and cannot fit comfortably in public places. Urinary stress incontinence A large, heavy abdomen relaxes pelvic muscles, compounding the effects of childbirth. This weakens the valve on the urinary bladder allowing leakage when coughing, sneezing, or laughing. Treatment Options <O:p Non-surgical<O:p Traditional weight loss programs rely on a combination of diet, exercise, and behavior modification Unfortunately, even the best programs only work for a small percentage of people—like less than 5% achieve long-term success. According to the National Institutes of Health NIH, more than 90% of all weight loss program participants regain their weight within one year. And it's even more difficult for morbidly obese patients. <O:p often move from diet to diet, subjecting their bodies to a severe cycle of weight loss and gain known as "yo-yo" dieting. We recommend considering surgical weight loss options for these patients. In fact, the risk of death from having surgery is greater than the risks of surgery

Who is this Andres.. aside from being a big jerk.. You had your surgery done in Mexico?

I think I would also be quite direct to her. She is probably somewhat jealous that you are doing it and will look wonderful and be healthy. maybe you can find some articles online that talk about the facts and how it is NOT the easy way out but a helpful tool. I would ask her to read and discuss with you and tell her you don't need the remarks.

Yes I escaped the eastter Bunny... No eggs although I bought some for the family. I was fine without and just hope nothing is left...

Lizrbit... so you went to Houston for the surgery. Are there no surgeons in Maine who do it? So who do you go to for aftercare,,? How does that work.

Oh wow.. I have a friend in York Maine that I email with and he went skiing last weekend... how weird.. Hopefully spring will arrive soon for you. I am in San Diego, so not snow... but I gre up in cold weather, I am from Denmark and actually I went to Maine as an exchange student.. I was in Oakland for a year... in the middle of Maine and boy was it cold in the winter...

I so agree with you... I had an appointment with the doctor about 3 years ago and then cancelled and went back and forth and said I didn't need surgery to get thin, How silly.. then I made another appt and cancelled, thought maybe I wasn't heavy enough. Meanwhile I got to my alltime high which was in the morbid obesity range... now I am just obese and so look forward to jsut being in the "overweight" category... So then I started the process last November and am I ever happy I did, shoudl have done it sooner. I really like you hip replacemnt analogy.. that is so true, who would question having a foreign object in your body if you cant walk. Also my husband broke his arm in shatters many years ago and has had a pin in it ever since and think of all the people who have hardware because of broken bones. It is no different and that makes me feel better too...

=badonkadonkbutt; Hi... I understand what you are saying, it is frustrating sinece the reason we want the band is that we cant do it. Maybe instead of doing something weird, maybe you coudl just join Weight Watchers for the next few months, they are very common sense and more or less just do regular ordinary food and they count in units, forget what they are called. I did it once. Obviosuly as we all do I eventually gained it back but I think it mught be a good way to go...