mrsto

It happens all the time. Every time I went into a store looking for his herb du jour, they were out of it because of everyone's mad dash to get it.

Bandista - my mistake on the dosage. It is 5,000 mcg, so what you have is double strength.

I agree with all posters above......as far as the reasons some people are not supportive. That's exactly why I do not talk about my surgery. The only people who know, is my family and about 3 close friends. My best suggestion for you is, do not discuss the surgery with your sister. Only talk with those who support you. It's so difficult to deal with the negativity, when you yourself are going through a humongous life change. I'm at a point where I really don't care what people think. I'm so happy with my decision, and my progress. Even though I don't care, I don't discuss it, because I don't have the time or energy to educate the masses. Nor do I have the energy to defend my position. The people who know are very supportive and thrilled with my success. When others acknowledge how much weight I've lost....and ask how I did it, I simply say "eat less, exercise more". End of story.

B-52, what tells you that your pouch has enlarged a bit? After my last fill, I'm getting some weird signals like the original poster of this thread. Sometimes, I'll feel a bit of pain right at the bottom of my sternum.....where the band is. Not excruciating pain, but definitely something. It doesn't last for long periods, but I don't know what to make of it. There are some other weird things, too. I'm curious to know what you feel when your pouch needs a rest.

Sibparaz - my best suggestion is, go pick up a bottle of Biotin - 5,000 mg. Take one every day. I can't say enough about it... No matter what the cause of the hair loss (I've had many cycles of it over the past few years), biotin STOPS it from falling out. I don't know that it stimulates actual growth, but it really helps to keep your hair on your head I just picked up a bottle made by Natrol, which dissolves in your mouth.

Amen to this!

We went out for Chinese last night. I ordered three flavor kung pao, and my husband ordered Sechwan beef and pork fried rice. I had a little bit of everything, and was like a pig in s-hit. What a treat! I was frustrated because I wanted to eat more than I could. At the same time, I was thrilled that I was able to sit down to my favorite Chinese dishes, without inhaling it to the point of being stuffed. Pre-band, I would have eaten until I was stuffed, and then I would have polished off the rest later that evening (probably, right before bed). Thanks to my band/plication, I can enjoy a more normal life when it comes to food.

Biotin helps a great deal with stopping hair loss. I'm not certain in does a lot for regrowth, but it certainly stops if from falling out. I take 5,000 mg per day. I was taking the capsules from Trader Joe's, but I just picked up some that dissolve in your mouth from Natrol. I got them at Costco; also 5,000 mg. http://www.swansonvitamins.com/natrol-biotin-5000-mcg-fast-dissolve-5000-mcg-90-tabs?SourceCode=INTL405&CAWELAID=1466806508&mkwid=1SrwQBbb&pcrid=45563020687&cagpspn=pla&gclid=CJXpiuTfyrwCFcNffgoduk4AkQ

In all of my pre-surgery "training", I was told that it's very common to get thrush after surgery. It's from the heavy doses of antibiotics. You should call your doctor's office and let them know what's going on. You might need an anti fungal medication. Here is a little blurb on it.... Thrush and Yeast InfectionsYou may notice a white, cottage cheese-like coating on your tongue after surgery. Your tongue may also be very red and inflamed. Most likely you have thrush, which is a yeast overgrowth in the mouth. Often, this is due to large amounts of antibiotics taken before surgery. Call your primary care doctor if you have an oral infection or a rash on your skin.

After my last fill, I now understand the whole tight thing. If I eat too much or too fast, my throat gets thick.....like a lump I need to swallow. That didn't happen before the last (5th) fill. I also am really done eating with much less. If I go over, I really don't feel well. I'm coming up on my 11th month, and I'm just now feeling things I've heard others talk about. I believe I'm finally in the green. I've never been stuck where things came back up....or slimmed, but that thick mucosy feeling in my throat is as close as I EVER want to get to it. I've had little stuck things, but they easily go down with a small sip or two of Water. This only happens on the occasional time I go a little brain dead while eating.

Congrats! You and I are pretty much the same; starting weight, goal weight and current weight. Although, you got there a lot quicker

Lisa - are you located in Illinois or Alabama? The insurance is by state. If you're in IL, you may need to contact the commissioner in that state. You'll find all states on this link.. http://www.insuranceclaimsconsult.com/Ins.Commissioner.htm

Lisa - here you go.... http://www.aldoi.gov/Commissioner.aspx

Alex - that's good to hear. There was another thread awhile back, and when compared to what others said they "cash paid", it seemed on the high side. Then again, I think location may be a factor. In California (and NY), everything is more expensive.

I'm confused..... Sept 2013 isn't well over a year. It's only 5 months?

It takes two weeks before I know exactly how a fill is working. I notice it right away, but 10-14 days it seems to really settle in.

PS: And that's not under fluro! I'm in there 10 minutes, and it's $250. Go figure.....

Lisa - that is a total drag. There is so much upheaval with health insurance right now. And that is SO ridiculous that your doctor charges the insurance company $1,066, while the cash pay is $175. Does he do fills under fluro? Unbelievable! In answer to your question about flexible spending, there should not be an issue having it paid from that account. It's a medical expense, and that's what the flexible spending account is for. I asked the insurance person in my doctor's office how much a cash pay fill is. It's $250. I'm still covered for bariatric, though, but I was interested since none of us know from day to day, what will be with this insurance mess

Yeah...I miss that stuff too sometimes...but again..it's not that I can't eat it, I just chose not to. Just you watch...when you lose enough weight to not miss things like wearing smaller sizes, fitting into spaces you couldn't before, walking without knee pain, and all that other good stuff, you'll find you don't miss these foods as much as you think you will. This is so true. And (for me), the times that I do choose to eat some of these foods, I have it.....and I'm done. It doesn't become something I'm strung out on, nor does it drive me so far off track that I can't get back on. I think that's one of the most beautiful things about the band.....how easy it is to get right back on track. Not that eating an egg roll is OFF track, but fried foods are not something I would choose to eat on a daily or weekly basis.

My Exception: I haven't had the guts to try a pastrami on rye. OMG...A pile of fresh pastrami on two slices of dark rye bread, lightly buttered with a smear of Dijon mustard, sauerkraut and provolone cheese. Pure heaven. I could eat half of one now but the thought of making the pile of pastrami into a few slices, cutting off the crust of the bread just taints the entire experience. And I'd be an idiot to try it in a restaurant without checking to see if they had several bathroom stalls to slime in Okay - I have to walk away from this thread & go eat some tuna for lunch. All this talk of Chinese food and pastrami sandwiches.......french fries, cheeseburgers, cheesecake.... "lions, tigers and bears - OH MY"

I still have cheesecake on occasion. costco has these frozen cheesecakes. There are 3 flavors, cut into 1.25 in squares. Probably about 90 squares to a box? Maybe once a month I'll pull 3 out and the wife and I split them. One of our only sweet indulgences. I know those cheesecakes.... They're so good, I can't even keep them in the freezer. I'm okay with many things, but when it comes to sweets, it's like crack cocaine to a crack addict.

Hahaha........for many years, I had many planned eating sessions around the "medicinal prep". Then, when sick to my stomach from eating, I'd hit the medicinal pipe again - LOL! Really helped with the after math, but THEN it would giddy me up again for another round. OMG - what we did to ourselves

I'm with Fredric on the sandwiches. I rarely have one, but when I do, I end up taking the bread off. Oh how I used to love taking a big bite out of a sandwich! Now it's just way to frustrating, so I'm like.....why bother? Sometimes I'll order a cheeseburger, and think to myself....I'm going to eat whatever I can, and take the rest. Since being banded, the bread gets in the way, and makes it difficult to control the size of my bite. Especially with the lettuce, tomato & onion

We have a Chinese stir fry a couple times a month. It's good but OMG I loved Chinese buffets. Scary to think how many calories were in those 3 plates of food I devoured? And all the deep fried wings, rolls, crabcheese wontons? Okay TMF, now you just pressed my appetite button! OMG, crab cheese wantons?? Wings??? It must be coming up on lunch time, because I'm salivating

County fair food - yeah! Now, my husband will get something like garlic fries and funnel cake, and I'll have a couple of bites. But the days of having a big county fair food-fest, are long gone. But the best part is that I don't leave the fair feeling bloated & swollen, having to unzip my pants in the car. Ohhhhh.....how I don't miss that. Oh, did I mention how much I love my band?!