staramorcita

You guys are great! Some of these cracked me up!! Thank you all. I guess the issue is that I've really haven't felt the band. I still gulp my liquids and I chew normally. Nothing has gotten stuck and no PBs. Admittedly, a lean cuisine and a small salad and the resulting satiety that lasts for hours is a vast improvement for me. There are times though, especially at night, that I can eat a lot more or I'm hungry for some reason. I went to the get my 4th fill today and found out I had 1.25 ccs and with today's fill I am now 1.50. This one felt strange. I actually felt the fill going in. When I drank my Water, I FELT it going down. So maybe this will be the one that will give me my "sweet spot." As for the head work involved, I love that that the band has given me the ability to exercise enough control to make better food choices. Pre-band, if I was dieting I obsessed so much about the weighing and measuring and the portion size and what the next meal will be that it wore me out. By the time I sat down to eat I had no energy anymore to consider my food choices. I just ate. Then the vicious cyle starts again. I'm so glad that I can hit the circuit breaker now. Rox

Yes I am losing weight. I just thought that I should be eating less and it concerns me beause there are weeks that my scale doesn't move. I had my surgery August 1, 2005 so I'm averaging about 4.5 pds a month which is slower than it should be. I'm scheduled for a fill tomorrow so I have my fingers crossed. BTW, have you ever wondered if the "conservative fill" is really just a scam to bill as much as possible. My insurance paid my surgery so he's making a killing from my fills especially since I have to go so often. Rox

Okay I've had 3 fills so far. I'm not quite sure how many cc's though. I think the first one was 1cc and the rest have been .5cs. I'm still eating what I think is more than I should be able. I don't choke on anything. I don' t need to chew overly well. I still gulp my fluids. I can eat an entire lean cuisine with a salad. Granted I feel very satisfied for a long time after that, for hours and hours. But I still feel I should not be able to eat all that. It's very frustrating. Roxanne

I was banded on August 1st. I'm averaging about a 1 pd a week. I remember the doctor saying that after banding you should be consuming about 1 cup of food at each meal. I'm eating more than 1 cup that's for sure. Should I be concerned about that? I've already had a fill two weeks ago. I'm only now starting to feel a difference in how much I can eat comfortably BUT it still is more than 1 cup. (Is that normal? Too feel restriction days and days after a fill?)

Cathycat, It means that the first $2,250.00 (if you make $30,000.00) of your costs are not deductible. The rest you can claim. Just check to see if there is a capoff. If there is you can deduct anything that exceeds the capoff on next year's taxes. I don't recall ever running across a capoff though during tax season. Roxanne

Eight weeks usually. I just had my surgery in August. Initially I had some restriction but then I noticed that hitting that full feeling was taking longer. I remember that my surgeon said that you should be eating about 1 cup of food at every sitting and I KNOW I'm doing much more than that. I do have to stay that I am eating LESS than I used to but MORE than one cup that's for sure. I went for my first fill last week. It's helping somewhat but I still eat more than I should be able to. During my menstrual cycle I've noticed I go on a rampage. I'll always hungry. It must be hormonal.

It worked!! Yayyyyyy! Thanks!!

Well I have my surgery on August 1st. So I'm about 7 weeks post-op. I didn't experience that WHOOSH of an easy 20 pounds off. But that's okay. I'm down 10 pds which averages out to 1.4 pds a week. I love my band. Initially I felt the restriction. I actually pb'd once. That was very weird. Though I don't feel tightness in my chest I've noticed that I get fuller a lot faster. Not Thanksgiving full but satisfied full and it lasts a long time. Pre-band even one pd a week was an impossibility given my underactive thyroid. I haven't been able to take off 10 pds in I don't know how long. The best part is that I'm maintaining the loss without any real deprivation on my part. When I have a week where I'm grazing a lot and gain 1 pd, somehow it all evens it out b/c I'll have a week where I'm eating on target. The absolute best part of it is that I'm not so food centered. When I feel hungry it usually is really hunger and it hurts which was strange. I don't think I've ever felt true pangs. But once I eat that's it. I'm not thinking about food. Sometimes I look into the fridge in disgust b/c I can't think of a single thing I want to eat. LOL!! I knew this band changed me when I started noting how much food I was throwing out. Especially from my kids. The first time I had to throw out a half eaten cheeseburger and how incredibly hard mentally that was for me, I KNEW. I knew I was eating all of that. Nighttime snack has become a thing of the past. That's quite a triumph since most of my calories probably came from my nightly cravings. When my family goes out to eat I usually just get a salad for myself b/c I know I can pick from my kids plates (they're 7 & 8), a little nugget here or a piece of hamburger and I'm satisfied. I haven't had a fill yet. I go on 9/30 and I'm very excited since my weight has been very steady for the last 3 weeks. I'm glad it's slow because a lot of mental energy does go into this. I'm learning a lot about myself.

I had my surgery on August 1st. I am 2 weeks post op now (I think!!). I researched the band for many months, bought books on it, avid read mag articles, news blurbs and lurked on this board for many months. It was not a decision I took lightly but after many years of struggling with just getting 10 lbs off and lately I enter every New Year 5 pds heavier than I was the year before, I knew I had to do something more permanent about my problem. I've come to the conclusion that obesity is very much like any other chronic disease such as diabetes or high blood pressure. Something to be managed for the rest of your life. You can get it off but you will always, ALWAYS, be managing it. You will NEVER eat without being MINDFUL of it in some way or other, whether positively or negatively. Just like a diabetic has to monitor their sugar and take medication when their sugar is out of hand, so as obese people we will always be monitoring those pounds. Some of us watch helplessly as we see that number get bigger and bigger and others decide enough is enough and some try and try and get nowhere. Sheezzz!!! What a cross to have to bear. The first step to WLS for me was to ADMIT that I am FAT...not pleasantly plump, not funky chunky, not "Thick" or big-boned...FAT!!! And folks this admission was not due to vanity issues (though I do think I have dimorphic issues because my mental image of myself is always shaken up when I see a pic of myself...LOL!!). I LOVE life...I fully enjoy everything about it and I could feel how the weight was slowly enveloping my simple pleasures in life as I got larger and larger. I want to be one of those 70 year olds that are spry and walking around doing their errands...something that was not going to happen if I didn't manage my disease. The admission about my weight and that it is a physical disease AND a psychological thing as well finally made me own up to myself. To recognize that yeah sure I would like to do this by myself and pat myself on the back for my preserverance and determination...BUT I DON'T WANT TO LOSE NOT ONE MORE MINUTE making this harder than it has to be for myself. People who have irregular heart rthyms get pacemakers, people who have bad knees get knee replacements...Hell, you can even get a new heart altogther if you have to. Whatever it takes to prolong and enjoy what is an already a brief existence. Why? Because you're entitled to it. All of us are. So here I am two weeks post-op and learning the most amazing things about myself and what propels me to eat. It's an eye-opener. Do I UNDERSTAND why I eat or get the cravings I do etc.,? NO WAY!! But at least I've become mindful of them enough to ask, " Why DO YOU WANT THAT chocolate donut when you just had a satisfying meal 1/2 hr ago?" Before in my helplessness I would have probably just eaten it and said "What the hell I'm fat anyway. I'll do better tomorrow..." No more..Tomorrow is today and that's that. Every minute that we spend lamenting and regretting, is one less minute you have on this planet to find love, joy, excitement, satisfaction... So for everyone struggling with the band, for everyone considering the band...Don't waste time...JUST DO IT!!

Finally. Today I woke up feeling like a million bucks. Very little discomfort. I'm starting to feel like my old self. I got up this morning and luxuriated in a long steaming shower. I drove to Dunkin Donuts and had a nice cup of decaf coffee and it hit the spot. The last two days have been miserable because I've been hungry, starving, famished, etc., etc. But today all the food cravings were gone which I'm very happy about. I'm a little nervous about the days ahead because I'm unfilled. I really don't want to overeat once I'm on mushies. My doctor won't fill me at least until 6 weeks from now which puts me at the end of September. I need to keep my motivation going until then. I'm burping a lot though and that's driving me insane. LOL!! Bye.

ewwww, it's so uncomfortable. I had my surgery on Monday and let me tell you I can feel it inside me. There's a funny sensation in my chest. I hope this goes away soon.

and all I can say is: OOOUUUCCCCHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHH!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!

I have NJ BSBC. As long as you meet the BMI requirements and have your referral to your bariatric surgeon at the time of your official consultation you should be approved within the week. Also, make sure you have a referral from your primary to see the nutritionist and the psychiatrist. Otherwise, they will give you a hard time about paying for those services.