labwalker

You do not want risk dehydration. That is a trip to ER on a weekend.

You can swallow too much air with straws.

Some typos above... complacency misspelled, need to lose 110#, didn't hit shift on the hash tag key...

Comfort level can be compacency... with a BMI of over 40, and at my age, that is not acceptable. There was a story about a lady in the UK who had her lab band removed because she was more comfortable at her starting weight and felt it was normal. To be realistic, I really need to see my my BMI in the mid 30s. And even at that I would way over the charts for my correct BMI. I'd need to drop below 200 lbs to be under 30 BMI--that will never happen! 250# will get me to a BMI of 35, which to many folks is grossly overweight. I can only do what I can do. I'd be happy to lose another 50 or 60 lbs. Yes, I feel a lot more comfortable where I am at, but I still have clothes that I fit into several years back when I lost weight the old fashioned hard way--extreme physical activity and a very limited diet--nothing that could be substained over the winter months. If I could lose another 1103 I'd be in heaven, but that will not happen, at least for my body. I really want the band to work... I'm considering a fill to achieve my goal, or even to see some movement in that direction. What I don't want is to screw what I have, or to risk the band or my health by pushing the fills too far and ending up with short or long term problems. LW

Well, they will roll you into surgery, and you'll be chatting with the doctors and staff.... and the next thing you know will be when you wake in recovery.... ther first thing through you mind is "did I have surgery?" When you realize you're a bit sore you'll realize that the surgery is behind you!!! It is a great feeling, and a relief! You will be SORE for a few days... the port placement area will be the worst. It will bother you a bit a night.... most doc's perscribe some pain meds--I didn't need them. Everyone is different, and every surgery is a bit different. After several days most of the pain will go away... the pain, at least for me, was very bearable. If I slept in a bad postion, the sutures would let me know! Follow the post op diet! Once you wake up in recovery your journey has just begun. Give your body several weeks to heal and settle in--there are sutures on the band and port, and the body has to heal, and the swelling has to go down. Eventually you will start having fills. Don't get discouraged if you gain a bit of weight back!! The pre-op diet sheds a lot of fluids, and some weight regain is normal. It may take up to three or four months to find the right fill level before you start to see the benefits of the band. Be patient, and you will be fine. Make sure to do your follow up visits!

My surgeon has several offices in this state, and has APRN's who did the fills. Very professional, and the closest office is 3 miles away; the main office is about a 15 mile drive. I can have a fill or unfill scheduled for almost any day of the week... once when I was stuck they took me right in and did a quick unfill (needle left in) and when it passed, then reinjected the removed Fluid. I can understand why a surgeon doesn't do post surgery follow ups, but any good practice should have qualified APRNs to handle post op visits and problems. I see too many posts where unqualified staff are screwing up and mising ports, or injecting fluids into the body instead of the band. That scares the hell out of me. I've always felt that a candidate for WLS should shop for the best surgeon, one with an excellent track record, and an outstanding support staff for post op care. 600 miles is way too far.... if you were stuck, what would you do? Too much risk.

Medically required liquids, such as baby formula and food, breast milk and medications are allowed in excess of 3.4 ounces in reasonable quantities for the flight. It is not necessary to place medically required liquids in a zip-top bag. However, you must tell the Transportation Security Officer that you have medically necessary liquids at the beginning of the screening checkpoint process. Medically required liquids will be subjected to additional screening that could include being asked to open the container. We recommend, but do not require, that medication be labeled to facilitate the security process. You need a letter from your doctor saying the protein drink is medically necessary.

Insurance may pay only to correct a medical problem, but leave cosmetic concerns unpaid. You may have some out of pocket to do other surgery that the insurance may consider to be non-covered. Just guessing. But most surgeons want to make patients well aware that they are responsibile for bills that the insurance does not pay.

On vacation, I tolerate it fine, but some folks can become a cheap date after sniffing a brandy. LOL! The alcohol can enter your system much faster after WLS. Empty calories... think of one hour on a treadmill to burn off what is one mixed drink. That usually keeps me in line, since I do three miles on treadmill everyday. Not worth the wasted effort--unless it is a special occassion.

Our surgeon said coffee is fine... I had lap band, wifey has VSG. My wife only tolerates decaf, but it was that way before surgery. Our doc's only concern was to avoid using sugar or creamers--too many extra calories! But, you have to follow what your doctor advises, since he knows your medical history and other concerns.

I go to Planet Fitness, and they have free training sessions. Some gyms have high fees, and when you walk in the door there are trainers lined up trying to get you to sign up for expensive sessions. I suppose if you can afford the fancy gyms and pay the way, it probably works well for many folks, I pay ten bucks a month, and most of the employees and trainers at PF are more than happy to talk to anyone without having their palms out.

Ten to twenty percent error for a consumer device???? I'd say that is pretty darned good, and gives at least some idea of what is going on. Some writers write to write, and really don't care about accuracy. Getting attention and page views is all that is important.

That is excellent!!! Keep it up!!! You are making me envious! LOL!

Don't feel like the Lone Ranger.... I was banded in Dec 2012, and lost over 60 pounds, but I've been stuck at my current weight for eons. I'd love to lose another 15 or 20 pounds, but I really need to lose another 60. I wish I had easy answers for you, since it would help me as well. I do 60 minutes at a gym at least five days a week, and my weight is not budging. But, you should be able to drink water! That is strange... I can drink bottled flavored Water (Propel) all day without any problems.

Your surgeon should require a stress test and other tests to ensure that the surgery will go well. WLS is considered to be an elective surgery... no reputable surgeon will risk a patient's well being when doing elective surgery. Your surgeon should suggest the safest surgery, and what needs to be done pre op to ensure a successful outcome--during surgery, recovery and afterwards. All surgery has risks, but risks can be mitigated.

Any surgery scares me. VSG: you lose a lot of your stomach, and pray that you never have serious issues in the future. Band: you keep your stomach, and hope that nothing goes wrong when you are in your 80s or 90s requiring major surgery to remove the band. It is not an easy question, and it requires a lot of thought and professional advice. For me, losing the weight was paramount, or I risked not having a future to worry about. Good luck to you on whatever road you take!

I've read that the food eventually will get digested enough to pass through... but the biggest fears are damaging the suture that holds the band in place if one vomits, or ending up stuck long enough to become dehydrated! I got stuck on a Friday and went to the dr's office for a quick unfill/fill since I didn't want to risk a run to ER on the weekend. If someone is getting stuck or vomiting on a regular basis, I'd wonder if the band is a bit too tight? My Achilles heel is a Wakeup Wrap from Dunkin Donuts... the combination of the wrap and sausage pattie are instant problems--that is one of the few foods that is a guaranteed problem for me! Or, if eat too fast and forget to chew I get a quick wakeup call... not fun!

The advice on finding the BEST surgeon is darn good advice. If you go with a band, having GOOD followup visits on a regular basis is critical to your success. Some practices don't do good follow ups, and are just interested in getting paid for the surgery. I have the band, and my wife had VSG. She has lost far more weight that I have, and it came off a lot faster. You're surgeon should be the one giving you advise on which surgery is best for your needs. And then let you decide. I wanted to go with the VSG, but my surgeon was dead set against it because of the risks at my age. Most folks lose a bit more with the more drastic surgeries, but any surgery can be made to fail if someone doesn't follow the diet and nutritional needs outlined for post op patients. Likewise, there are lot of banders who have done extremely well.

Well, you lost 22 lbs, and that is a very good achievement. You are seven months out... it was almost four or five months before I even saw any weight loss from the surgery, it took four fills. My APRN advised me to eat four meals a day, and to ensure I had enough Protein at each meal to hold back my appetite until it was time to eat again. The fourth meal was suggested when I mentioned that I would graze late in the evening, and she suggested that eating a small meal with protein later at night would stop my urge to snack on carbs. Protein is what helps to curb appetite. Salads are fine, but they will slide through the band and leave you unsatifisied in a short time. I'd suggest some sort of food log to ensure you are intaking enough protein, at least 60 grams a day, and more won't hurt! Proten first! It takes more calories to digest protein, and proten protects muscle mass and allows the body to burn stored carbs first. There is a lot advice in these forums concerning how to pace, size and time your meals. If you have regular scheduled follow up visits with your doctor, you might ask them for advice... but, 22 lbs. at seven months is still a positive in my book! Four meals of tuna fish or chicken breasts can keep you well under 900 calories while maxing out your protein needs. Your NUT should have given some advice on Calcium and Vitamin supplements.

It will depend on whether he can fit in the seat, with the arm rests down. I usually go for an isle seat. If you two are flying together, let him have the isle, and you take the middle seat. Then the airline can't say too much about the situation. I was able to fly at 360, but it was not comfortable. The tiny restrooms are the worst! One reason I decided to have surgery was so I could fly and be comfortable. So far it has paid off.

I like having Boston baked Beans with turkey keilbasa... but there are a lot of carbs and calories in the darn beans! What I have to do is measure the portions. A large tablespoon or 1/3 cup is more than enough, along with 4 oz of sliced keilbasa on the grill. The barbecue sauce has a lot of sugar, so I have to use it sparingly. The beans seem to stick to your ribs, and that combo seems to keep me feeling full.

Planet Fitness charges ten bucks a month, and has free training sessions.... the good thing is there is NO pressure, and it is a pleasant and clean place. A lot of the more expensive gyms have high pressure sales pitches for personal trainers. I'd research the issue carefully. My weightloss clinic reccommended a few gyms, but they were to far and a bit out of my budget. The biggest thing with gyms is being motivated to go on a regular basis and listen to the trainers. A good one should be able to guide you.

But I have cute feet!!! LOL> But I have cute feet!

A lot of calories, and all carbs. Pre op diets are used to reduce the liver size. Sugar defeats the effectiveness of the diet. Never cheat on a pre op diet. I can tell you that I was in surgery for an extra 15 minutes because my surgeon had difficulty working around my liver to place the band. The insurance hassle for the extra time in surgery was another issue.

I have a band, and I will have a few drinks when on vacation... but just remember every shot you intake is probably worth one or two hours work on a treadmill. It is all empty calories--zero nutrional value and over 100 calories for a 1.5 oz. shot. Alcohol doesn't bother me, but I suspect tolerance is an individual thing; along with the usual caveats about alcohol absorbion being more rapid in folks who've have WLS. Whenever I think about a drink, I think about the long hour I spent on a treadmill at the gym the day before--that is a reality check If my weight was falling off, I'd might be a bit more liberal about indulging in libation. Smoking I gave up thirty years ago.... if I hadn't I wouldn't be here now. But I believe that adults can do what ever they want, so long as it is legal.