Cherie Murphy

I was banded on 6/20 and have since lost 19 pounds and a total of 39 since May 1st. I went to see my Dr to have my first fill. After filling out the questionnaire he told me I don't need a fill yet... He said as long as I'm losing a 1 to 1.5 pounds per week I don't need a fill and according to the questionnaire i'm in the green zone. So for who are not getting your fills are you not considered in the green zone? Are you feeling hungry? My Dr placed the largest band and I thought for sure I would need a fill!

Thank you for your replies. I am feeling satisfied between meals and so I'm good at that end. I started at 260 in January banded 6/20. I'm 5'9 and now weigh 222 this morning. I am anxious about getting the fill and maybe that added to the anxiety but I'm more pissed about the lack of customer service! I agree that with the LapBand follow up is the most important thing... I will have my fill next Wednesday and ill tell you all how it goes. My appointment is at 1:20 so ill eat my lunch around 11:00.

Will I be sorry? Unfortunately I'm stationed at a base where the community has no sense of customer service! I have been going to the same Doctors office since January and I have never been seen at the appointed time or even close to the appointed. He has been late to two of my surgeries and my last appointment to get my first fill was changed the day before because he scheduled someone else's surgery. Today I'm in the office 30 minutes early for my first fill of the LapBand (which is suppose to happen 30 days after surgery and now its going to be 60 days!) and I over hear the receptionist rescheduling people on the phone... Saying the "doctor" is in surgery and won't be coming back to the office. After the third phone call I get up and ask if Dr Singh is running late! She proceeds to then tell me he won't be coming back in today! Okay so the Doctor you have been rescheduling for is the one that I have been waiting to see!!! Are you a complete MORON! Oh they call my name... maybe he came in... no....the nurse brings me back to the patient room and tells me I can see another Dr if I would like but they can NOT do the fill only Dr Singh can do that... Omg are you kidding me? I looked at her with complete disdain and said now why would I do that ...it's pointless! Nurse... Oh okay so you just want to reschedule? Really ?....what do you think? When is the next appointment ...next week! Okay how about you bump all the people tomorrow and give us (the people that have actually been waiting in the waiting room?) preference since you people can't get your act together and/or your so greedy you can't stop taking new patients! Totally frustrated! I understand now why he was pressuring me to go gastric... No follow up! Luckily for me I have lost 18 pounds since being banded 6/20 with the largest band. Ive lost 38 pounds total since May 1st. I'm now questioning if I need a fill or not? Since my next appointment is scheduled for 1:20 I asked the nurse if I can eat lunch and she said no problem? I thought I read on here you shouldn't eat before a fill? Correct?

I was banded on 6/20 with a hiatal hernia repair. I tried to sip on my husbands diet coke and it didn't go well! I didn't want to drink it just try and see what happens. My nurse laughed when she asked me on my first follow up if I've tried something that didn't go well... I fessed up! Although I do drink from a straw because I can control my swallows better. I never drank from a straw and I always took too big of gulps! Funny thing is they gave me a straw at the hospital to use when taking my meds? Lol the nurse told me as long as I'm tolerating the straw I should be okay. Now, as my band gets filled things I use to tolerate might not work later! I started to seriously diet on May 1 and since then I've lost 37 pounds! I have 33 more to go to goal and I have not had my first fill yet! I'm off my BP meds and almost off my CPAP!

Tricare's requirement is 35 BMI with two co-morbidities or BMI greater than 40 will get you a referral.

I was 260 when I started my journey in January. I was 239 on 6/20 when I was banded and this morning I am 233! That is 27 pounds all total! I'm thrilled!

Although I've lost during my post-op my surgeon told me at my one week check up to expect a gain during this time! He told me that it is totally natural. So don't give it any mind! Just heal! Drink plenty of fluids and if your like me who mentally feels like I have to go to the bathroom everyday my Dr suggested Miralax in my water! I think about my pre surgery life and if I got on the scale even once a month I most likely wouldn't be in this position! So take a break from the scale and look for some Non Scale Victories (NSV)!!! Like I have not needed a Prilosec since I had my surgery and my BP is almost normal!

Eating Well after Weight Loss Surgery by Patt Levine and Michele Bontempo-Saray That's not a typo her name is Patt.... Lol Enjoy!

I've had no problem. My daughter bought me a book called Eating well after Weight Loss Surgery. It was written by a chef that also happened to have LapBand. The recipes are yummy. She has recommendations for each recipe as to when you can start it and guidelines about how much to purée and so forth. I made a turkey burger in which after grilling I cut in half and then puréed with a Greek yogurt sauce. The next day took the other half and puréed with BBQ sauce! It was very satisfying! Most recipes are broken down into LapBand, bypass and sleeve then broken down to week 1, 2, 3, 4...

Omg! Good for you! I'm so happy for you!

He'll yes!!!

Yep, five days out and at the hospital the nurses gave me ice Water with a straw! No problems!

Actually be glad your doing that... I know sounds weird but I've had colon cancer and had colorectal surgery. A couple of years later I needed a complete hysterectomy due to a genetic reason (I should be as famous as Angelina Jolie, lol) my doc made me do the cleanse which totally pissed me off but I swear my recovery was SO MUCH easier than this surgery and I swear it was because I was so bloated from all the gas and then constipated from two weeks of Protein shakes with little to no fiber! Hope all goes well today for you! It will be so worth it in the end!