bbjerseygirl

I didn't get GP approval either. When I went in and told him I wanted surgery, he told me to see a nutritionist for 6 months. I told him it wasn't his decision how I decided to lose weight and to give me the referral. I would let a bariatric doctor who specializes in weight loss to decide if I am a candidate or not. They don't have to agree with your choice, if you qualify by insurance standards, he needs to give you a referral. He works for you and you must insist. Once I saw my surgeon, he set everything else up and didnt deal with GP after that. Good luck

It doesn't sound like a slip and I doubt a leak since you just had it done. Didn't mention if you had a fluoro or not but that would have told you at the time of the fill. You have been banded a year now so you should have learned good eating habits so try to use them while the band isn't working for you. I know with my fills it can take up to a month before I feel the fill which is disappointing. But I don't wait for the fill to kick in before I eat right cause I don't want to gain. It is hard but you can do it. You have lost 50 lbs - great job. Use what you know to achieve what you can until the band helps you out. Good luck

You are in the beginning stages of healing and as others have told you it is important to follow doctors orders. As the swelling in stomach goes down you will feel hungrier, but that doesn't mean you should eat what is not allowed. You have no restriction and this phase of the lapband process is not about dieting, but about healing. You may be able to eat what you are not allowed, but that doesn't mean you are not doing harm to the stomach or the band. You may not know until later that you have so you really need to follow what you doc has prescribed. It is hard to do and you are not alone. Others have cheated as well, but you are only harming yourself. It is possible to eat the wrong stuff and be okay but is it worth the risk? You didn't go thru all this to have unnecessary complications. Please stick to your doctors instructions so that you have a successful and uncomplicated journey with the band. Do the best you can to comply, it is hard, but you can do it. Before you know it you will be eating regular foods and feeling better. Hang tough and then in a few more weeks you will get some restriction to help you. Take care and congrats on surgery. You will do great! :wink2:

You look wonderful. You have had a successful journey all aruond and you worked hard at it - should be proud of yourself for your accomplishments. Thank you so much for sharing your journey with us and giving us better understanding of what is involved with the plastic surgery. Good luck, you look great.

Julie - thanks for sharing your journey with the plastic surgery. I haven't had it done but considering it when I reach goal so its nice to see and hear all that can be involved - the good, bad and ugly of it. That way there is no surprises. So it is great when people share their stories. Good luck and I can't wait to see pics. You had such a positive attitude thru it all. Take care and enjoy Hawaii

That is a tough call to have them redone. I definitely would complain though. It's not that they are terribly unbalanced or completely abnormal one is different than the other, but you paid $8k and they should be done to your satisfaction. My concern doing them again though could they mess them up more. I am not a firm believer in redoing things cause it could always be worse. Arms down they look great even though there is a difference but if you didn't ask, you wouldn't notice. I don't know when you had them but I do know it can take months before you actually see the final results. I would talk to doc about it and let him know now you may not be 100% satisfied and give it some time and see how they all settle down. You did do this for yourself and it was a big decision I am sure, so do what you feel would make you happy. But in all honesty they aren't terrible and can be left alone - you look wonderful. Good luck

If you get this answer to this I would like to know. Banded 7 months and have noticed without help have the same issue. When I gain weight or am stuck at a weight, I will take some form of laxative and the weight goes away. However, I will not take more than 1 a week cause I don't want to get addicted to them. Plus after taking certain brands, they stop working. I am now using the Fleet to do the trick but that even isn't work. Plus it was recalled and don't want any health issues. Looking forward to the answers from your posts. Going to talk to doc at next visit as well. Once a week of a working bowel isn't good - lol. Take care and Happy Bannniversary!!!

I was banded in October and my throat was the only thing that bothered me as well for a few days. Felt like strep and swollen. Doc said from breathing tube or whatever they use. So don't worry, it's normal for some. Good Luck

The difference is pain and discomfort. If you eat past real "full", you will suffer the consequences for it. So you will learning quickly what full really means. Right now, I don't have restriction so I stop eating on my own and not waiting to get full. Another thing you should teach yourself even before the band is to stop eating when satisfied - not full. With the band you really don't want to eat until you feel full because if it is too much, you won't know until it is too late and you can suffer from that too. Try practicing that now so you don't get yourself in trouble. Good luck with your surgery!

I am surprised at this post. First of all, you should go back and read your posts. There are many grammical errors in all them. When I post, I do run on sentenses, make spelling mistakes etc. That is because one, I am just quickly answering a question or concern of a fellow bandster and not really worrying about spelling, punctuation, grammar, etc. I didn't know the posts were being graded. Some are pretty bad, but I don't feel it is my place to judge someone's ability to write or type. Some people may not even be from the US or have a limited education. People come here to ask questions, not be judged. Don't you think we have had enough of that just with our weight? I am sure many of us, who can write better and spell better, could take the time to do better, but that isn't why I answer a post. I answer posts to help someone with a band question, that's it. Sorry if anything I write is not proper and to your liking - but it wasn't meant for you anyway - it was meant for the person who asked for assistance. We all have pet peeves - believe me. One of mine is people complaining over really silly things, but I would never post a thread about it. I would just move on to what does interest me. Oh, another thing - don't know if any of you have a dyslexic child - maybe this is where my understanding comes from. My son has a severe reading/writing delay - no fault of his own. He brings home A's and B's - but he struggles to get them. So, I would never judge or form an opinion about anyone else. Never know who has what, ya know..........................Good luck on your lapband journey!

My weight loss was slow too and actually still is. I had my 4th fill with a 14cc band and still have no restriction. This time around I finally do feel full after a meal but that is about it. I can eat whatever I want really, so I pre-portion my meals and eat no more than that. I exercise 1 1/2 - 2 hours, 3 times a week and have a physical job. From what my nutritionist said, if you are working out, you cannot eat too little calories and don't go by the scale. When working out the numbers on the scale mean less. The calories count though. I was eating 1200 or less. She did some type of calculations on her device and said I should eat no less than 1400 calories. She said when you work out, the body needs the calories to work efficiently in exercising - eat too little - it stores them as fat - so you will lose less. I don't know what your minimum calorie intake should be, check with your nutritionist - generally add about 300 extra. She also stated about builidng lean muscle weight. I didnt' really believe her but she said to start measuring and I would see a difference. I followed her instructions, went up to 1400, 3 dairies a day and a balanced diet and too my amazement, I started dropping regularly. Before I would go weeks without losing - I am now at least losing 1 lb a week - still not too happy about that - but.... I am losing the inches. Good luck, be patient and don't just rely on the scale. If you are doing what you should be - meaning eating balanced, lower calorie meals and exercising - it will come off. It's not a race and we will be doing this the rest of our lives so learn how to eat right and go with it. I wish you well.

Yup, had to too. It was called Fleet, Phospho-soda. Nasty stuff and I didn't do all of it either. He wanted me to drink 2 bottles of it. I think I drank like half of one, don't remember - but it worked. It's not a big deal so don't worry about. I think it helps with the gas afterward - cause I had none. Others I have talked to who didn't have to do that had gas. So maybe there is some reason for his madness. Good luck with surgery

Just curious - your doc said protien "only" meaning nothing else until 80% of all your weight is gone. It is so interesting how the docs are so different. I do high protein but a balanced diet as well including healthy carbs and very little fat. I eat protein first, then the veggies and will still have some rice, potato - very little if at all and not every meal. Oh, can't forget my dairy and fruit. Amazing the differences. Good luck!

you can do that - I do all the time and they are a great way to get in protein

I would wait - you waited this long - why not wait until the final results are in. You will be looking at those pics forever and you want to be at your best. Remember too - the camera puts pounds on you and you don't want any regrets. If you are getting TT and all, I would wait. You look fabulous now though and would have beautiful shots. Also, i would find another photographer - his pics have shadows and not very good lighting. I did photos in my past and I don't like the way he did his ad shot. He probably will do nice photos, but get the best you can afford. Again, you will be looking at these forever. Enjoy your shoot and good luck !:Dancing_wub:

I am so glad to hear you have restriction. I just received my 4th fill and doing the liquids and soft again so I am not sure if I have real restriction yet. Usually I do good for the first few weeks and then I am really hungry but I still do okay and don't go off my diet. Restriction though doesn't have to hurt either. Just learn the signs of feeling full before it is too late. Chew well and put your fork down between bites so it takes you a while to eat. You'll feel the "signal" sooner and before it is too late. Pain means you overdid it and you don't want to hurt yourself. I eat like this even though I don't have restriction, but after a fill you never know. Hoping this time around, I have it. Glad to hear your tool is now doing its job. Good Luck:smile2::cursing:

My doc was a general surgeon as well. Most of the surgeons started out that way and then specialized. They all have the same training. There are pros and cons. My docs office isn't set up just for weight loss and support groups and does not have all the glitz and glam of Bariatric Centers. They have more to offer I think post op. I was going to change surgeons as well once i found out the difference as well. Insurance wasn't really good at giving me the info regarding Lapband and doctors and there aren't many around here. I was going to switch and found out from all the docs that I fianlly did find that were bariatric only surgeons, I would have had to start the process from the beginning even though I was already insuranced approved so I stuck with my surgeon, and everything is fine and absolutely no complications, no pain, no gas, no anything. I think because he specializes in more than just bariatric and does so many other stomach procedures he new how to advise me more in the stomach healing and stuff. As long as your doc is a great surgeon - he has the training and will do a good surgery. however, if you want all the support groups and all that goes with it - you may want to pick the bariatric only. You'll be fine either way. I was not into all the groups and meetings - I just wanted the surgery. They do have them too, just not so big and organized. Good Luck

You need to discuss with your doctor that this is the path that you have choosen and you have done other diets and failed. You want to begin now to start a healthier life and not postponing it any longer. You can do all this through your surgeon as well. My PCP had nothing to do with my surgery at all. I went to him to get a referral and he didnot recommend surgery either and wanted me to see a nutritionist. I gave him the list of the at least 20 diets I have been on and the weight losses. Obviously, they did not work. He was reluctant and I was persistent so he gave me my referral. The preop dieting and nutritional stuff all came from my surgeon, so you really don't need him - there are ways around it. Pick your surgeon and get a referral if you need one. If he doesn't give you one, contact your insurance company and explain your situation. These doctors do have to remember that they work for us, not the other way around. I can see if you were 20 lbs overweight and he wanting you to try dieting, but that is not the case. If he still refuses and the insurance company wont help, find a surgeon and ask them to recommend a PCP who they know is in support of weight loss surgery. You have to be your own advocate - you do not need to accept what doctors say regarding your care - you have choices and you need to use your voice. If you meet the criteria - fight for it. Good luck and I wish you well

Hi and Welcome to LBT. I liked your post it was very honest and inspirational. It doesn't say whether you were banded or not, but I wish you well. I believe what you said to be true for a lot of us. There are ups and downs in everything, but having a little more control of them is a great feeling. Good luck.

Hi Minpin. I love the dailyplate too and log my stuff there and it is a help. The weight can be water, but also be careful eating too little calories. It took a while for my nutritionist to convince me 1200 was too little. She said if you eat too little the body freaks out and will store the fat and cause you to gain. I agree, since the band, this is the slowest weight loss and I am doing it extremely well. She also said to have 3 servings of dairy a day and to up my calories to 1400, especially since I am exercising. I followed her instructions and did see a steady drop. What I do now is I may eat 1200 one day, 1400 the next and maybe 1100 the next. Shake it up a little so body doesn't go into starve mode. But your post reminded of me because this is the first time I am sticking to the calories and plan, and the weight loss is slow. I had surgery 10/11 and lost only 32 but I am not gaining so I wont complain. Usually I would have given up by now, so all is good. Good luck and wish you well

I dont know if I would beat myself up over this. I don't really think you ate too fast or too much. You progressed like your doc said and your pureed your meal as you are supposed to. It could be several things that caused that problem. With this band you will see that one day you can eat a certain food and another day it will cause you problems. I believe it has to do with the band and the body on a particular day and how they want to mesh together. One thing it could have been is the onion soup and the sodium in it - could have bloated the stomach too much. You have to watch what you add to foods to. Any time I try something new. I will eat a very small portion and wait a while and see how it works and if a-ok, I will continue to eat. You did everything right, this is how the band reacts at times so just be careful what you mixed together and take your time. Your doc has your progressing a little fast as well. At this stage wk 2, I was only on creamed soups - blended, grits, oatmeal, cream of wheat - very bland things but all docs are different. Only 2 oz as well. Good luck with everything - hope you don't experience that again. :smile2:

you could have possible pulled the port site. This area is very tender and if aggravated will cause you pain and discomfort. Definitely call the doc but I wouldn't panic yet. When you cough or sneeze - remember to put pressure on that area so that you don't strain too much. i hope it is just a pull. Take care

Trust in your doctors. Anesthesia is scary but it is rare that there are problems. You go in they give you your IV and go over medical history - again. You may have to wait your turn. I went in, got on my gown, they put in IV and I waited and talked to the nurses. Doc went over procedure. I walked into surgery room and got on table. They put my arms out and said they were going to give me my meds and next thing I know I had a woman ask me if I was able to wake up. I said yes and next thing I knew I was in my room. Surgery was 45 mins and it felt like 2 seconds. It is like closing and opening your eyes. IF you are uncomfortable or need pain meds - ask. They will help you. Just stay calm and ask for help when needed and you will get it. The thing is to be patient and calm. Remember, your docs did all kinds of testing and made sure you were right for this surgery. You will be fine and before you know it, you will be 2 weeks post up. It goes that fast. Take care and I wish you the best.

Welcome Moon and good luck on your journey. I am in the Camden County area, outside Philadelphia. Welcome to the site and check out the chat room, will get a lot of good info in there. I was new at all of this too several months back, but the friends I made here were great and informative. Good luck Brenda