lisacaron

Many doctors today will send you for some testing, and scheduling those tests could put a bit of a time delay on scheduling surgery. My advice is to call your insurance company and ask them what their requirements are to be approved for lapband surgery. Then when you pick your surgeon, ask him what if any testing he requires and how long he thinks it might take to get on the schedule for surgery. That way you should have a rough idea of how long it might take once you start the journey. Best of luck to you!

Gold star for you my friend! Keep up the good work and have a Happy Birthday!

Deb, The best thing I have ever done for myself has been to get the band. Everyone's experience is different. There are things that can go wrong and there are things that can go right. In the end I think it's all in the way you deal with the experience, that makes it a horror or not. I can't say you won't have any issues, but I have always thought that if you go looking for trouble you will find it or it will find you. Nothing in life is 100% without risk, living every day comes with it's own risks. I was ready to jump into the center ring and be banded. I didn't want to change my anatomy forever, but I needed assistance in losing the weight and getting back to a healthy place. My advice is to take everything you hear, see and read under advisement, make a list of pro's and con's and then make that decision for yourself. Don't base your experience on anyone else. There are factors that we all share in being banded, having a band, having surgery to get the band, getting filled/unfilled etc. but we all have a different experience in each area. That's what makes this board so great, you can read about others and share your experiences as well. Best of luck to you on your journey!

I agree with everyone about waiting till November. If you can get in sooner that would be great to help you move forward. Also the doctor might want you to heal a little more from the swelling...though it has been 4 weeks. I didn't get my first fill until almost 2 months out, everyone is different. Your doing great, and you have a positive attitude about it. Keep up the good work and the positive outlook!!

Insurance companies differ in the way they require information from everyone. Even if it's the same company there could be different tiers of coverage that have different requirements. The best thing to do is to call your insurance company and then give them what they ask for. Sometimes the surgeon's office will find out for you. I like to take an active role in finding out what's needed and getting it to the right places, sometimes there are so many moving parts to getting this done, it can get complicated. I kept a file for myself of all my medical records and tests just in case something was missing I had a copy of it

Just had my 3rd fill. Dr. always advises to do 2 days of liquids and then 2 days of mushy slowly going back to solid Proteins. That always seems to work for me. They say it takes about 2 weeks for the affects of the fill to be noticeable. The first fill I didn't feel anything even a month later, the second one was keeping me pretty well for about 6 weeks, and then I noticed I was eating a little more then I should be. Here's hoping 3rd time is the charm

Great work!!! I didn't take any photo's like that. Good idea to maybe start doing that though!

It might just be a bit of a strain, always be careful when lifting heavy things to be sure that you are not straining your back or stomach muscles. Since we have had abdominal surgery the chance of a hernia is increased. I doubt that is the case for you, but if it continues give the Doc a call and check in. Better safe then sorry in my opinion.

You are doing great. You should not have foods that you can't tolerate. You should be able to eat everything you want to eat without a problem. You want to eat smaller portions of them, but still should not be having issues with the band or tolerating foods or liquids that is not the goal or the way to use the band. Keep on going, we all lose at our own pace. You are still healing inside and out, give yourself some time. I am 4 months out now, and losing slowly but surely. I know that the weight is NOT coming back and that makes me soooo Happy!

Nice sounds yummy!

I get one every year. I work in a large office building and the company brings in a mini clinic to dispense them for us. Those that don't get them in here...always end up getting very sick. I'm thinking of getting it earlier this year, since they are out already and people are already starting to get sick. My son and my step son started college last week, and they are already sick sneezing and coughing.

I take them every day. I was having trouble with my digestion when I first got the band, and the doctor advised me to go back to take the probiotics. They are good for your tummy and your digestion not to mention keeping your immune system healthy. Since I started taking them again, no more digestive issues

You need to remember that you just had MAJOR surgery. Your body, and your mind all need healing still. Try not to beat yourself up about taking time for you to recoup and relax. I know it's not the easiest thing to do, but you want to be successful and healthy in your weight loss. I had a hard time dealing with stress as well without all my favorite comfort foods, but you will get by that. You will find new ways to cope with the stress when it comes along, and you will find that you rely less and less on the foods that are missing. Please give yourself some love 60-70 hours a week is a LONG day. I know I work 10-12 hour days myself, and then go home and take care of a house full of kids and family members. Call in if you need a day, even a mental health day and enjoy it!!!

Did he tell you why he thinks you won't do well long term with the band? I would really ask him to be more specific as to why he thinks you won't do well, and I would speak to a Surgeon who specialists in lapband and ask their opinion about it. While your in the process ask the questions you have of the lapband doctors, get some information and research the other surgeries out there. Doing your due diligence will help you, and will pay off in the long run no matter what you choose to do. Best of luck to you!

Sure I am not suggesting that any other doctors work on her lap band just that they access her condition of health right now. Make sure she is not suffering from any other aliments while she is having this problem, and to keep extra tabs on the surgeon to ensure that her health and well being is the top priority. If the band has to come out it has to come out, but if she is going to reject a replacement band is not the answer for her. I would want to know that before making the decision to put another one in.

This whole situation is very disturbing. It could be that your wife is having major complications from the band. Perhaps her body is rejecting the material placed in her body. Inflammation is usually the body's response to a foreign object. I would hesitate to replace the band with another one without knowing why this happening to her right now. The situation is serious, and I would be asking as many questions of the surgeon and the rest of her medical team to find out WHY this is happening. It is not just from the trauma of the surgery. Yes the vomiting could cause her to have swelling, but to the point of almost having the stoma close is very extreme. Weight loss is not worth your life! Living the way she is now on IV and vomiting all the time is no quality of life. Reach out to other doctors, not just bariatric surgeons, maybe speak to an internist or a gastroenterologist as well to see what their opinion is on the swelling before making the choice to put in another band or revise to another surgery. Best of luck to you and your wife. Please keep us updated.

Love that skinny cow too!! They are soooo bad cause they are sooooo good

I too use the chewable mulitvite, and take calcium with vitamin D and B12 melts. When I feel a cold coming on I take zinc and vitamin c melts as well.

Did you just have your surgery? Egg drop Soup can be pretty thin and your body maybe tolerating it well...however you really should try and stick to your liquid diet and not over do things. Changing the mind set to "follow the rules" is helpful in working with the band to lose the weight. You don't want to fall back into old eating habits after all the hard work you have done this far.

There could be lots of reasons for the discomfort that you are having. If it continues please give your Dr. a call as it could be something as simple as trapped gas, and something as significant as your appendix. I hope you feel better soon!

I have had that happen to me. Working out too hard and doing too much affects me as well. I don't feel it when I am doing it, I think oh this is great look how much I can do. Then the next few days I always regret it. Sometimes I get physically sick, my immune system crashes. Give yourself a little love, and slow down just a bit. The weight will come off, it didn't get there over night and it's not going to go away over night. Treat your body right and it will comply by doing what you want it to. Feel better and Happy Birthday!

PT has lots of good points for you! If you have come this far into the process, you must have done the research and thought it out more then once. Keep giving yourself the space to think, and be sure you want to take this step. You are young, and right now might be the opportune time for you, and then again that might not be true for you. Think about your past attempts at losing weight. Have you been able to do it and keep the weight off? If you were overweight as you got older would you be able to accept that and all the health ramifications that might come along with the extra pounds? If you did the surgery today would you be able to live with this tool in your life and follow the guidelines and make it work for you as you got older? Surgery is never an easy choice, no matter what our age. I can tell you that I have not regretted making this decision at all so far. I am still in the honeymoon phase with my band Only you know what is right for you and your lifestyle, so don't let anyone talk you into or out of it. Ask yourself some pointed and focused questions, make a list of pro's and con's and then see how you feel about it now, and then again in a few days. Best of luck to you!

The sodium content in cold cuts can affect your weight gain/loss. As will the sodium content of any packaged food. Maybe try not to be obsessive with the tracking of the calories and splurge a bit, and trick your body into thinking differently and see if that helps break the plateau. Our bodies get used to and grow a tolerance to the things we do all the time. The same exercise the same food, so shake it up a bit and give your body something that you don't normally eat every day. Take a break from all the tracking for a day or a weekend and then go back to it. See if that works.

You will be starting the New Year with a new you! Don't be disappointed, you have an opportunity to make some changes now, that you will need once you are banded. Practicing them now will give you a great learning curve that many did not have the opportunity to take. You can practice the mechanics of eating with the band as if you have it already. Drinking Water in between meals,cutting out soda and caffeine if you haven't already done that. Starting a low impact exercise program like walking and get a little further every day and this is good for your heart as well. To build up to a full program slowly not putting undue pressure on the heart. I started this journey with my husband in January of this year and we weren't banded until May. So we took the time to start learning some of the things we needed to, and remove some bad habits from our diet. We also took some time to figure out what Protein shakes tasted the best and had the best texture for us, and we "practiced" the pre-op diet a few weeks before the actual 2 weeks. We slowly replaced our meals and snack with the liquids so by the time we were in pre-op diet phase we were not missing anything or feeling deprived. Your going to get there and your going to be happy and healthy doing it. 2014 here you come!