Serena

Try spelling it "omnipaque". I know that it is sometimes used in medical imaging because it is high-contrast.

Banded in Cincy, That is incredible! I (and many others) came home from the hospital 10 pounds heavier because of all the extra fluids from the IV's. Those 10 pounds stayed with me for 8 days!

Shegill, Thank you so much for your thoughtful reply. Having an endoscopy is an excellent idea. I wasn't even sure that one could have an endoscopy with the band. I can't lose--either I find reassurance or I'm alerted in time to avoid a potential catastrophe My NSAID is Celebrex which keeps me mobile. I decided to call Pfizer's help line to find out if there was something I could do to minimize irritation, such as take it with Nexium. I was on the phone for 40 minutes but learned nothing. In fact, they transferred me to a pharmacist that turned out to be in India. He asked me what meds I take and then proceeded to ask me to spell them and tell him what they were for. Some expert. Maybe I was naive, but I thought that they might help me to find a way to continue taking their product. My pharmacist thought it might help to take it in 2 smaller doses AM and PM, but Pfizer wouldn't even comment on that idea.

:welcome2: Daniel, You have absolutely come to the right place with your concerns. Although I am twice your age, I can really see myself in much that you have written. Before I talk about the band, though, I really feel the need to ask: Have you seen a professional about your depression? Your user name speaks volumes and it is difficult to get the momentum going for positive change without help from medication (I have taken anti-depressants since I was your age). Do I miss food? Not nearly as much as I thought I would. My downfall was candy/chocolate and I can truly say that I don't miss it or crave it at all. After the first 8 weeks you can eat many things, but only in smaller amounts. There is a real rush you experience with the band because you always have a back-up. For the first time I feel confident ditching my clothes as soon as they get baggy because I won't go back. The dieticians frown on coffee only because caffeine has a diuretic effect, but I drink plenty of Water so that I can have coffee.:cup: Here in the states the first step is an informational seminar that you must attend before making an appointment. Even better than that is this site where you can go back a year and follow a person from his first post expressing doubts and concerns, through the surgery, and further to his weight loss success. Many post before, during, and after pictures. As you may have noticed there are support groups for various countries as well. Very few people regret having the band. You can do this!!!

Faith, I'm so glad that you're back! We miss your support and the newbies need your "tough love" (WASA can't do it all!). How goes it with you?

I bought a sampler pack from Revival. Do you mix yours with water, milk, or something else? Because I'm a life-long vegetarian I've been drinking a soy protein drink everyday for many years. I was really looking forward to the Revival Peach, but I was disappointed. My mainstay has been Universal Soy-Pro in banana, but it wasn't very tasty. I have now been adding DaVinci SF syrup in caramel and it is much, much better.

I took about 9 weeks for me, and it was mostly due to delays with scheduling the various evaluation appointments.

I have been lucky so far. I've taken 200mg of Zoloft daily since 2/1992. I was alerted to the problem by this thread so I began taking the tablets after Breakfast (soy Protein shake w/ skim milk) and have not experienced any pain (I've had 2 fills so far). I have also taken prescription NSAIDs daily for about 10 years. I'm worried about "silent" stomach damage. My best friend in the world died 7 months ago at age 44 of a perforated duodenum. He hemorrhaged (sp.) to death in a matter of seconds, and he had not complained of discomfort. Btw, he did not have WLS.

Kat, You are in the infamous "bandster hell". The focus is on healing, not weight loss. Normally you won't have your first fill for at least 4 weeks (my surgeon waits 6 weeks), and most people don't begin to feel restriction until the second fill. Did you lose the 12 pounds on the pre-op diet, or since you had surgery? It is recommended that we not weigh ourselves every day, but I couldn't stop myself either--and it made me so frustrated because it seemed that the scale wouldn't budge even though I was only eating 600 cal/day. I actually started to lose when I increased my food intake. I had more energy because more food bumped up my metabolism. Your weight loss will definitely come, but probably not for another 5-6 weeks. Good luck!!

A New Me-- I posted before I saw your post. Welcome to you as well! Dr. Curry has a terrific reputation so you're in great hands. Tell us how it went.

:welcome2: BandedinCincy, I was also banded in Cincinnati, but it has been about 9 weeks ago. It sounds as though things have gone well for you so far. My surgeon was Dr. George Kerlakian at Good Sam. I had my second fill 6 days ago. Good luck and welcome to Bandland!

:welcomeB: Nikole! I'm afraid that here in the states it usually takes at least 4 weeks. Most programs require you to attend their informational seminar before you can make an appointment. The majority of programs require: an evaluation by the surgeon; physical exam by your own doc; meeting with the nutritionist; and an assessment by a psychologist affiliated with the program. There is often a pre-op diet required. Your health insurance co. may have additional requirements. The good news is that recovery is quick so you may be able to take off the Wednesday before Thanksgiving and be back at work on Monday. It sounds as if you had a horrible experience at the hospital. Quite a few women who belong to this site have PCOS so if you do a search you should find a great deal of support. Good luck!

Pippz, I just noticed your astounding weight loss. Way to go!!!

I posted a few days ago about how my second fill made me feel constant discomfort under my breast bone as though I had indigestion. A few of you predicted that I would loosen up in a few days and you were right. I'm back to feeling no restriction at all (feast or famine.....). I attended our first band-only support group tonight. I didn't realize until now what a wealth of information I have gained from this site. I came across as an expert and everyone wanted my phone number so they could call me with questions. In addition to my number I gave them the LBT address of course. So many important things seemed to be left out of our many handouts, like the reasons for the eating guidelines. If everyone knew that there were potentially serious long-term consequences to not complying 100%, I doubt that anyone would "cheat". One woman thought that she was a band-failure because she didn't feel any restriction from her first (and only) fill. Thank you LBT!

Junies, I wanted to ask you about your fills. I had my second fill on 8/3 so that I now have 2cc's in a 4cc band. Since then I feel a tightness under my breastbone that feels like indigestion. Are you always aware of the feeling of restriction, even when you're not eating or drinking? Has anyone been to a lap-band support group yet? Our program has the first band-only support group Tuesday, but it is led by the dietician. This means that probably no one will bring up the topic of cheating or how to get back on track, which is probably what we most need to discuss. I'll give it a try, though.

More than anything I wanted to convey that I had a realistic idea of what life would be after banding. I told her honestly that in my case I was preparing myself for an onslaught of depressive symptoms once I couldn't bury those feelings under an avalanche of food and so I would continue in weekly psychotherapy. They also want to hear that you see the band as a tool and not a magic bullet yada yada yada...Unlike Mary Jo in "Big Medicine", most are only interested in screening out folks that may not have the capacity or willingness to comply with the program regimen. I've only been banded for 9 weeks but so far I would have to say that from an emotional standpoint, things have been easier than I anticipated.

A lot of us were more comfortable sleeping in our recliners for the first week or two. Hot peppermint tea or even Gas-X strips may help "promote" burping. Good luck on your return to work. Post tomorrow to tell us how it went!

Jkntrk, I was denied because of a WLS exclusion in my policy (but it was not an HMO) and, like your friend, I was referred for additional cardiac testing because of an abnormal EKG. My insurance did pay for those charges. The cardiac testing was done at a different hospital and perhaps they didn't connect the two, but I would think that an abnormal EKG requires further exploration that should be covered regardless of the reason for the initial EKG. I think that the cardiologist's office should have billed it differently. I know that logic and potential long-term savings don't usually factor into insurance determinations, but if this further cardiac testing revealed a problem that early intervention could prevent or mitigate, the HMO would save big. My heart turned out to be fine. I hope that the same is true for your friend.

I had been taking Caltrate for several years. The dietician said that she recommends calcium citrate because it much less constipating than the calcium carbonate. I couldn't find chewable calcium citrate in the stores so I ordered some from Bariatric Advantage. It turns out that these are "lozenges" rather than chewables. You must let them dissolve slowly in your mouth (15-20 minutes) and their texture is very gritty, more like calcium concrete. As soon as I go through the 180 tablets (sigh) I'll be shopping for an alternative.

I am the only overweight person in my family. My father theorizes that I overate because the first 3 months of my life I was always hungry. Everything that they tried to feed me made me sick and I would vomit it back up. I cried all the time because I was hungry until I started on a pre-digested soybean formula, which finally did the trick. When I was in my 20's I saw an overweight psychiatrist who had a similar story about herself, only her deprivation was caused by a sadistic nanny. So who knows? That same psychiatrist put me on Elavil (an older anti-depressant that was notorious for causing massive weight gain--although I didn't know that) and I put on 60 pounds in a year. Then she warned me about it. Also I have a mood disorder that started in childhood: severe, recurrent depression that started at age 7 and much later I was dx'ed with bipolar disorder. Hopelessness and binge-eating "feed" off of each other quite well. My psychologist of 12 years would not write an approval for the band because she feared that I might suffer a psychotic break if I lost food abuse as a coping mechanism. So far, so good. That said, I and only I chose to put every single bite of food into my mouth. It was always a choice, even when I felt powerless. Nothing compelled me to do it.

Deanna, It worked!! I was a little anxious about doing it myself (I kept imagining getting a lecture from the sleep doc if I messed it up) so I enlisted help from a techie friend. What a relief! Thanks again!

I had my first fill today and was told nothing about any dietary restrictions, so I have eaten normally. What problems could I develop? Thanks.

I was denied by Humana because the policy my employer offered had a weight-loss surgery exclusion (although WLS wasn't specifically mentioned in the benefits booklet, it did exclude "treatments for obesity"). This was Humana Traditional rather than their HMO or PPO. Your policy may be more generous. The program contacted Humana and within a week I received an overnight mail informing me of the denial. I hope that you have a better result. Good luck!

I had my first fill today and the doc said that my port was "at a difficult angle". He was able to finally hit the right spot but it took 9 tries. Is that how a port can begin to flip? As soon as I read Barb's post I remember having to lift something very heavy 4 days after surgery.

I haven't yet. I have to leave now for a chiropractor's appointment and I'll try when I get home. I'll report back. Thanks.