Vdander

What's a BodyBugg?

This thread is interesting to me because last month I went for a fill and the first doctor deadened me twice, but couldn't find the spot on my port to fill it, even though I was standing in front of a fluoroscope and drinking barium. So, she asked me who usually fills my band and then called that doctor to come down. I waited for him and he deadened me a third time, but he also had a very difficult time finding the top of the port as I, again, stood in front of a fluoroscope drinking barium. Finally, instead of having me swallow more barium, he told me to swallow my saliva and acted as though he was filling me, but I felt no more restriction than I had when I came in. I followed a liquid diet for the rest of the day, but still felt no restriction. The next day, I felt like I had less restriction than I had the day before the "fill" so to to test it out, I ate minestrone soup with a small loaf of french bread and had no problem at all. In addition, my port was very swollen for a few days, much more than usual. Since that time, I've been gaining weight because I have very little restriction. I think that the second doctor may have put the saline in my tissues instead of in my port. I'm very upset because Thursday, 4/10/08, was my 1 year anniversary of banding and I weigh 187---I weighed 196 on the day of my surgery last year! I thought I'd be closer to my goal of 100 pounds by now...:-(

Tracy, my name is on the list as "Vlander" and it should be "Vdander". Thanks!

Count me in too! My consult weight in February 2007 was 207 (on a slight 4'11" frame). I was down to 196 when banded on 4/10/07. When I had my first fill on 5/8/07, I weighed 197. By June I was down to 188. Now, I am at 194 and will be getting a 2nd fill on 8/14/07. My goal is 99 pounds.

I was banded on 4/10/07 and had my first fill on 5/8/07. That was a nightmare! My doctor and the techs discovered AFTER the needle was in me that the port had flipped. They fooled around (with the needle in my skin!) for 15-30 minutes trying to find the front of the port and it was facing upwards towards my face! Once my doctor found it, she told me that she was making me real tight---at first I couldn't even swallow my own saliva! After drinking the barium and some Water, however, I was fine. I ate bandster-style until a few weeks ago when all hell broke loose! In the past month, I have struggled tremendously with eating large amounts of any-and-everything, and gaining weight, so I'm looking forward to a second fill on 8/14. I hope this one goes much smoother than the first. I've recently joined a health club and want to start losing weight again. I've lost as much as 20 pounds, but have gained about 4 pounds back. This is a struggle, but less of one because of the band.

I received a free pedometer/radio from the Lap-Band System people, but cannot figure out how to calibrate it, so I haven't used it at all. I probably should, however, because I'm very sedentary (I'm a crafter/greeting card designer), and have a desk job during the daytime, and really need to get those 10,000 steps a day... Do you find them helpful?

On my follow-up visit with my surgeon, I asked her about the size of my band and she acted very miffed that I'd ask her a question like that! :oShe said to concentrate on eating properly and not the size of the band. She did finally tell me that I had a small one. So, since that happened, and I was very embarrassed, I did not ask how much of a fill I got the first time. All she told me is that she was giving me a good-sized fill. Other than this, she is just a wonderful doctor.

Hi, Tracy! I was banded on 4/10/07 and started out doing well, but am losing ver-r-r-r-r-y slowly. I lost 11 pounds prior to surgery and now only 7-8 pounds since surgery with one fill. I haven't exercised at all so maybe this is causing the slow weightloss. What I've been doing is walking more when I shop, standing more to do tasks, but this doesn't seem to be helping at all...

I was banded on 4/10/07, lost 11 pounds before surgery, but have only lost 8 lbs. since then. Do I qualify as a slow loser? If so, count me in!

I'm one of the ones who has told everyone and their dog...but I wish I hadn't told some members of my family. Other people are very kind and wish me well all the time, but three of my sisters, my niece, my mother, and my husband keep me under close scrutiny. My sister, who owns the company I work for, stood in front of my office and declared, loudly, "How come you haven't bragged about any weightloss lately? I know---its because you probably haven't lost anything! You're probably not doing like you're supposed to!" I never got a word in edgewise! ...And one of my coworkers said she heard my sister "busting me out" about my weight! I was so embarrassed! I went to a brunch with my mother and fixed my plate with way less food than usual and my mother looked over and declared "That little pouch sure can hold a lot of food!" I just laughed at this one because my mother has always said whatever comes up. :faint: Whenever my hubby sees me eat what he feels is too much, he says "You're going to bust that band!" or "Oh, my God, you're taking too big a bite!" or "Please be careful eating so I don't have to call an ambulance!" or "Now that you have that band, I don't have to worry about my snacks disappearing.":( What am I going to do with them??? Val DOB: 4/10/07 - UIC 207/190/99 Consult/Now/Goal

Hi! I have BC/BS of Illinois (HMO Illinois). It took them almost a month to approve me, but there was no problem. On 2/9/07 my surgeon submitted all the needed data to my PCP for submission to the insurance. In addition, I gave her a list of all diets I'd been on since 1973! I had surgery on 4/10/07 and the $21,000+ bill has been paid and there are no co-pays for anything. I'm 4'11 1/2" tall. My starting weight was 207 and I had 11 out of 13 co-morbidities. Currently, I am 192 and feeling great! I was supposed to have a total knee replacement, but after losing 10 pounds on the pre-op diet, I found I didn't need a cane anymore. Now, after losing another 5 pounds, I'm walking just fine and am going to hold off on the knee replacement for now. BC/BS may seem easy, but I think that when they see that most of a person's illnesses are weight-related, it just makes sense to let them have the surgery. They were spending about $1250 a month on me for my medications and sleep apnea machine + oxygen. I no longer have sleep apnea and several of my medication dosages have been cut in half. I feel just terrific!

Well, I had my first fill on May 8th. Things didn't go as smoothly as I'd hoped because the port flipped and my doctor and the techs had to search quite a while to find the spot for the needle entry. Ouch!! I told her about a bad fall I'd had last Thursday when I landed on my left hip. Luckily, the floor is carpeted. That is probably what caused the port to flip. Anyway, my surgeon said that she made me real tight and, trust me, I'm so tight I can barely swallow my own saliva! After I got used to the feeling, I was okay, but the area is swollen, hard and sore. Is this the way it's supposed to be, or is it because it took so long for them to find the area on the port for the fill with the needle in me?

Anyone using an AbLounge after Lap-Band? Are you successful? Have any problems using it? Val

I'm getting my first fill on the same day, May 8th. I'm not afraid, but hope I feel more restricted. I can eat almost anything, but in smaller quantities than before surgery. I, too, am teetering between numbers in the weightloss area. The weightloss varies between 14 and 15 pounds each day and I'm anxious to lose more. Good luck with your fill!

Tracy, add me to your list! I was happily banded on 4/10/07. Have had no serious complications---it was actually a piece of cake!

Hi, everybody! I'm newly banded as of 4/10/07. I haven't had any problems much except for the shoulder. I was told it is from the gases they pump into you during surgery. When it started, it would come and go. For the last two days, the pain is constant and seems to have lodged itself in my left shoulder and neck. Now the pain seems to be shooting up into my head causing a slight headache. I have not been sleeping very well the last few nights either. I'm glad I have to see my doctor on Friday for my first post-op visit. Mostly, this journey has been much more pleasant that I had expected and I look forward to spending time networking with you guys.

Thanks, Harley Girl! I'll try a heating pad right away! Val