MissNilsa

Hi Everyone,

Im not banded yet for a couple of weeks still but I am reading stuff that I do not understand. What does "sweet spot in the band" mean exactly?

There are other terms that I don't understand, like PB'ing. What is that?

thanks to everyone who responds.

/n.:ranger:

I also wanted to mention for the benefit of those people who have been more recently banded or will be banded that this tool is something that I should have treated more carefully. I am not beating myself up here, but I really need to be honest and say that I think my own behavior contributed to my band slipping. I have had it in place for more than 5 years and after a while, complacency sets in and sometimes frustration over not being able to eat like a "normal" person. This truly is a lifelong decision and I was not as diligent as I should have been in caring for this tool over the long term. Five years of Thanksgiving dinners and Christmas dinners and restaurant eating and being surrounded by people who don't know that I had surgery all those years ago and ask me "what was wrong with your food, you didn't hardly eat anything". I started developing bulemic behaviors and would overeat and then go purge. This was partly because I got sick of having to explain to people that I have a band around my stomach and partly because I would go into frustration mode because I could only eat 5 bites of food at a time and then sit there at the dinner table while everyone else ate like a starved football player.

So, the bottom line is that you really, really must stay diligent in not overeating/purging or gulping down large quantities of liquids and learning to manage stress for the rest of your life. I feel that these are the things that eventually contributed to me damaging my band.

Which brings me to another potential poll question: What do you tell people when they ask you in a restuarant or at a party or other dinner party type of function: "What's wrong with your food, you didn't hardly eat anything?"

My answers have ranged from the truth: I had weight loss surgery and this is all I can eat at one sitting, but the food was really good and I enjoyed it.

or: It was really good, but I just wasn't as hungry as I thought.

or: It was so good, I wanted to save some for leftovers tomorrow.

or maybe I should go with: The food was terrible and I want a refund for my dinner. I could save a lot of money this way, ha ha ha. Just kidding.

What is VSG

Probably don't need to worry about Pb'ing on liquids. I still pb quiet often and have been banded 6 months. I haven't quite figured out what to eat and not eat. I think I have got complacent with the band and forget not to eat so much. I have lost 45 lbs and very happy. Avoid PBing at all cost you don't want your band to slip. The key will be when you are on solid chew very well and take baby bites. Good luck..

Jane d

what is PBing?

Hi Everyone. My date is August 13! I can't wait to get the show on the road. I am a bit nervous about the whole thing. I was ready for the surgery 2 months ago but my insurance denied me originally and I had to appeal. Now I have to do liquids all over again but if I got ready once, I will be ready again! best of luck to all.

You are right. It must be detailed though because Aetna will not hesitate to deny you for the slightest reason. They are very very good at that.

Here is Aetna's policy bulletin on their website:

Obesity Surgery

This may help.

hey: congratulations, your surgery is coming up this week. you did loose a lot on your own! good luck.

Hi ListenHard:

I just got approved after appealing a denial from Aetna. I was supposed to have surgery 6/18/07 and they denied me 2 days before my surgery after I was already on my liquid diet. What they require is a minimum of 6 mons of diet/nutrition/health records in the form of a letter or something legible. I have been with my primary care physician for 20 years and he has been treating me for obesity since 1995. Aetna had the nerve to try to deny me even though they had those records because my doctor wasn't writing enough detail for the last 6 months. I had to do the 6 months because alhtough he has been my doctor for years, they still want 6 months minimum, back to back.

anyway, we did an appeal in letter form with all of my history, medications, diet pills, diet advice and all that good stuff. We did it in Word format in a table and so the denial got reversed and now i'm having my surgery 8/13. They just don't want to pay and they will make it really hard for you if they can. Let me know if you would like a version of the letter that we used. I can take out names and information and send it to you so you could show your doctor if you want.

thanks

I have not been banded yet but this is not something that you are going to fail at. Try to be more positive. It seems a lot of people experience the same exact thing that you do. You should take the word failure out of your vocabulary. Seriously.

I hope you have a good experience. keep in touch. Where are you located? I am in New York.

/nilsa

I have not been banded but my friend went through the same thing you went through. it will pass, is all I could tell you. A lot of folks in this forum explain the same thing. I've seen it quite a bit. don't stress out, just go with the flow and try to keep your mental part responsible because that part is really always up to you.

i don't think i would be comfortable picking up anything heavy until at least 4 weeks after surgery! it only makes sense right?

Yep. My doc said that for the first month, I could only walk. No lifting or strenuous exercise. After a month, I should be okay to move on to other forms of exercise. I'm sure we'll know for sure once I go in for my follow-up closer to a month out.

(I do have my one-week follow-up this coming Thursday, 8/2.)

How do you feel after your surgery? I'm so scared, reading all of this stuff about pain in the port area. especially since I tend to have nightmares if i sleep on my back. oh god.

Hey! I got approved today, TOO!!! Surgery is next Thursday!!! Great -- lots to keep me busy getting ready and less time to fret and dread!!

I'm taking this sad, negative litany out of my signature and focusing on the positives now!!!

Began process 10/22/05

Door slams in face 1/13/06

Restarting the process -- at cardiologist's insistance -- 1/25/07

Denied by Aetna 6/6/07

Denied again on 6/19/07

Denied again on 7/15/07

Approved on 7/24/07

don't you just hate aetna?

Congratulations to you both! Slightly envious here until the day I get mine approved. Way to go!!

Aetna denied me and i had to write my own letter. apparently my doctor's letter with my medical history, diet history was not enough. I took matters into my own hands, i wrote an extensive letter and told my doctor he had to sign it! and that's what happened. so i got approved and i'm being banded on august 13!

congratulations. where will you be having the procedure?

Hi guys:

My date is 8/13. I am both nervous and excited. I was originally scheduled for 6/18 but my insurance Aetna denied me the first time.

Anyone else getting banded in August. This will be the 2 1/2 time on Protein pre-op diet. Crazy.:sick

That's interesting. My doctor said 4 weeks but I beleive that is specific to gym equipment though. Walking on a treadmill i think should be ok. We shall see! thanks

Go to tickerfactory.com and follow the directions exactly as they read. After you fill out the info it is kind of a copy and paste exercise. Hope this helps!

shelli:ranger:

Thanks Shel

testing signature

When the scale doesn't do what I want it to, I put it up and forget it for a few days. I then focus on lotsa Water intake and changing up my routine a bit (maybe doing my walking earlier in the day, splitting it up into more than one session or even bumping up the intensity). I know we all get sick of hearing it, but we didn't gain all this weight overnight, so we obviously won't lose it overnight either. ....lots luck to you!

You are right about this. Also note, it is always, always, better to work out in the morning before work. Guaranteed. It is hard especially for me because I am not a morning person at all but I do know that when I lost 150lbs on my own, working out -- my trainers told me to work out in the morning and after a while I saw what they meant!

go for it. change exercises too. your body gets used to your routine after 14 or so days. trick it and do another machine or another weight training method, like doing 1 weight and burning it out immediately with a little higher weight.

I can't get that weight loss chart on my signature...how did you do it?

I would love to learn also, can someone teach us how to do that neat little chart on our profile?

Hi folks:

I am wondering about exercise. I heard at one of my appointments that working out at the gym can begin 4 weeks after surgery.

Yet, I've seen here that some people begin working out 1-2 weeks after surgery. What is the deal with this exactly. isn't it dangerous to workout right after banding?

My name is MissNilsa and my surgery is scheduled for August 13, 2007.:whoo::kiss2::kiss2::kiss2::clap2:

Anyone had any problems with their surgery being covered by Aetna? Any restrictions etc?

Oh my god yes. I had major major problems with Aetna. They denied me and I ended up having to write my own letter (with my doctor's signature). He signed my letter which was brilliant and I got approved after my letter.

What about you?

Wow, that's an awesome website! I started lifting weights recently and this really helps. You don't even need a personal trainer if you follow these exercises. Cool : )

Yes~ Body-for-LIFE. I forgot to put it in. Anyone wanting to learn about weights and definition would benefit from it tremendously.