LynnAnn

Does anyone know how long it takes for your body to get out of starvation mode? What happens when you go from 600 calories a day to 1,000 calories a day? Do you gain weight immediately then taper off? Thanks, LynnAnn

I've given away most of my clothes but I still have some things that I'd like to sell. Things like suits and blouses for a professional job or interviewing. I haven't been able to find a consignment shop that takes larger sizes. Ebay has been suggested on other forums. Do you have any other ideas? Thanks, LynnAnn

I had surgery in Late June. Everything has been as expected so far but lately things have changed. My last fill was 2 days before Thanksgiving. I was pretty happy with the restriction and my doctor and I decided not to add more to my band at my appointment in December. Actually I'd say that I still am happy except there are times when I find myself eating quite a bit. Last Tuesday I ate a full bag of 98% Fat Free Popcorn. I can't remember what I had for dinner, just that I needed something extra that evening. Friday I went to Applebee's with my neices. I ordered the chicken, apple and walnut salad with the dressing on the side. When asked if I wanted the full or half order I got the half. I was happy with my choice. After a few bites I felt like I had to stop, I did. A few minutes later I ate some more and ended up finishing the salad. Three weeks ago I started noticing that when I feel that I must stop after a few bites I need to have more food in 1 hour instead of 3 hours. I have an appointment to see my doctor later this week. I just wanted to know what those of you who have found their sweet spot think about this situation. Thanks, LynnAnn

I have a 4cc band. My doctor only put in 1cc because he was pretty happy with the amount of restriction I already had. During the first 24hrs I had protien shakes and Soup as directed. I'm not trying to eat as much as I possibly can, but the quantity is noticeably more than it was before the fill. Thanks, LynnAnn

I don't understand how a fill may not be felt for a week or more? I had a fill 8 days ago and I don't feel a difference. Actually, I feel as though I require more food to reach the same level of fullness as I had before the fill. Obviously this isn't my sweet spot, but I don't understand how, physically, the level of restriction can increase over time. Can anyone explain? Thanks, LynnAnn

I went to my doc on Friday, Nov. 4th. My primary care physician has been really great during my visits to fulfill the insurance company requirements. Ideally she’d prefer that I lose the weight on my own, but she is also quite willing to write a letter of necessity. I think it will be a good one, she is very supportive of my decision to do something. <?xml:namespace prefix = o ns = "urn:schemas-microsoft-com:office:office" /><o:p></o:p> My next visit is in 5 weeks because my doctor will be on vacation the 3<SUP>rd</SUP> and 4<SUP>th</SUP> weeks in between. I’m anxious and would like to give the letter to the surgeon’s office ASAP. Is it inappropriate/pushy/rude to leave a message asking if my doc can have it for me before she goes on vacation? My doctor doesn’t seem to be a procrastinator and my next visit is her first day back. She’d have to have it done, right? I’m still planning to see her for the scheduled office visit. If you are a nurse or work in a doctor’s office I'd really like to hear from you. What do you think? Thanks, LynnAnn

Doctors will tell you how many surgeries they’ve done, but don’t/won’t talk about the problematic ones. I’ve met with two doctors. Doc #1 didn’t inspire confidence, Doc #2 made a much better impression. I was planning to work with Doc #2 until I talked with a nutritionist affiliated with a local university hospital that is nationally recognized. Apparently the university has an agreement with Doc #2’s facility where the university handles their problem cases. Whoah, wait a minute… BIG RED FLAG!!! Does anyone know where to find real facts? This website is great but almost everything you hear about is good and there are very few people who work in medicine. I don’t really care about the surgeon’s personality at this point. I would just like to find information about a surgeon’s actual record. Somewhere official where the website/office has to be regulated. That information has to be available, doctors and hospitals have to keep some statistical information. Thanks, LynnAnn

I’ve done a lot of things to get myself ready to have LapBand surgery. Researched the LapBand for over a year Researched various doctors and facilities Attended 2 seminars at different facilities and plan on attending a third Checked with my insurance company and they cover 50% if you meet their requirements Talked with my Primary Care doctor Met with a nutritionist Exercising 2+ times a week Going to Weight Watchers (again) I’ve also done some thinking and worrying about whether or not I’ll be able to eat the way I’m supposed to eat for the rest of my life. Like everyone else I’ve done many different diet plans but gained all that I lost and more back. I’ve been on Weight Watchers for the last 3 and a half months and for the last month I’ve been toying with the same 4 pounds. Up and down, up and down and up again. There are no excuses. I’ve been eating too much. Even with the LapBand it won’t be easy. What I’d like to know is - Is it worth it? Does the LapBand help that much? Would you do it again? Even if you only lost 50lbs? I’d really love to hear from those of you who’ve had the LapBand for a year or more, when you’ve gotten over the excitement and newness of it all. Thanks, LynnAnn

My medical insurance is through Aetna. They will pay for half the cost of the surgery if I meet all of their requirements. When I call they point me to their policy bulletin on line and tell me to discuss it with my doctor for clarification. When my doctor reads the policy she says that it could mean different things. For example, one of the policy items is an ‘Exercise regimen (unless contraindicated) to improve pulmonary reserve prior to surgery, supervised by exercise therapist or other qualified professional.’ OK, I have been attending Curves for a year and a half, but I wouldn’t call the people working there a qualified professional. My doctor says that Curves is wonderful exercise for me and that this would meet the requirement if it were up to her. Does my doctor count as a qualified professional in this case since she is monitoring my progress? If I bring my doctor a printout from Curves showing my attendance will this meet Aetna’s requirements? I can’t get Aetna to say that this will or will not meet their requirements. If I wait until I go to get approval and find out that it wasn’t what they had in mind I will be very frustrated and angry at having wasted all that time. Does anyone have any advice on how to get Aetna to be specific? Thanks, LynnAnn

The results are different for everyone. It is also different for the various parts of the body. It isn't laser surgery. The laser applied to the skin with a clear gel to help conduct the laser's light. When a dark hair is treated it sort of pops of the skin and smells like burned hair. Well, that's what it is. Two years ago I had four treatments on my upper lip, five on my underarms and three on my toes. Yes toes. It does hurt, but the direct pain is gone when the laser isn't being applied. I usually ended up with a sunburn. The skin was red, sesitive and tender. The soreness continued until the sunburn was gone. Just like you'd get if you had a real sunburn. There was more pain when the laser passed directly over a tooth with a cap, a sensitive root or bones. My toes were really hard to do until I used the numbing gel. It makes a difference and is definitely worth getting before having the treatments. I think it's worth doing. My upper lip is great except for the occassional dark hair. But you've got to remember how hair grows. The hair that was treated is forever gone, new hair will grow around and near the same areas. My underarms still require shaving, but I do it once a week, it grows more slowly and is not nearly as dark as it used to be. My toes are hair free. They don't have to be shaved anymore and unlike shaving there isn't the dark hair under the skin that you can see a hint of. It's an investment and works best on fair people with dark, course hair.

Good morning, I am interested in having the lap band surgery. I've done the research, understand the cost and know that I would be eligible for the surgery but there is one thing holding me back. If I can't live the kind of lifestyle that this process requires before the surgery why would I be able to do it after the surgery? How do you do it? Is it just that you can no longer physically eat all the same types of food in the same quantities? Is there more to it? Your thoughts and advice would be helpful. Thank You, LynnAnn