RoscoePColtrane

4 weeks post op. Is it ok to have chia seeds or will they expand too much in the stomach?

Core Power shakes taste like flavored milk, not like a Protein shake. I cannot stress how much better these things taste than ANYTHING else I have ever tried (powder or premade). They are pricey (around $3ea), but it is worth it in my opinion for the short time that we will be dependent on these things. 26g of protein in an 11oz bottle. In order of best to worst, I would rate them Vanilla, banana, chocolate. Be advised these are the full sugar ones, so make sure your doc is ok with it. They also offer a couple light versions if you need to go the reduced sugar route, but I have not tried those flavors. Happy Hunting!

Band slipped in October (clearly seen on xray from upper gi). Causing a lot of night time regurgitation issues and various other bad things that come with a slip. Bummer, because I had sustained excellent weight loss for 5 years leading up to this. Dr. wants to remove the band for sure and left the option up to me if we should convert or not. I decided that I should convert to sleeve and they submitted a claim to have the band and port removed and perform the sleeve. It was denied (bariatric exclusion), they appealed and now no one from Blue Cross will even talk to my doctor. Apparently you cannot have a face to face or discuss anyther after putting in one appeal with blue cross blue shield nebraska. I can live with them excluding the sleeve conversion, but I cannot understand why they won't cover removing the band. Is this common? Anyone else been through this? Do I have any other recourse? Any and all ideas would be helpful at this point.

Hey guys. Looking for feedback from anyone that has had issues with the following: band slip (including how/if it was fixed and costs involved), severe heartburn/acid reflux and conversion from band to sleeve. Any responses are much appreciated as this is difficult time for me with a lot of things in the air. My story so far.... Banded and loving it for over 6 years. Last fill was 4 years ago and it was perfect. Lost nearly 100 lbs total and maintained within 5 pounds the whole time. Over the past 6 months I have gone up in 5 lb increments. 205-210 was no longer the range when I hit the scale. It became 210-215, then 215-220. Also, I have been experiencing strong heartburn and nightime reflux for about one year now. Headed in for a fill on Tuesday afternoon of this week. 4 years ago I was at 5.75. When I went in the other day I was 5.5. They took me to 6.0 and it was ugly. I could drink, but it's like it wasn't making it through the band. A couple of spoonfulls of mashed potatoes and I was fully blocked. Went back in yesterday and they dropped to 5.5. Things were somehow worse. liquids would just build up, had to spit constantly and I couldn't lie down. Went in this morning and barium was just pooling and slowly dripping through. Also, band looked to be horizontal on the xrays. They took out all the fill and I can now drink successfully, haven't tried real food yet. We are going to let it sit for a couple weeks and see it it goes back in place. As you can imagine, I have a million questions about what happens next. What percentage of band slips can be fixed? How many fix on their own? How many need to be moved? How many need to be replaced? Is there long term damage caused by the slip? Do I have to pay the full surgery cost again if they have to replace? Can I switch to a sleeve? If so, is there a cost for that? Millions of questions I am thankful for any answers!

Successfully banded for around 18 months now. Two months ago I went in for a fill. It was tight, but I could eat very small portions for 6 days. On day 7 I ate a normal lunch and then had a soda around 2 p.m. Around 4 p.m. I tried a glass of juice and had trouble drinking it. I started spitting constantly and shortly after that could not even keep Water down. I had my band deflated and all was well. I went back in to be tightened. The water drink test went fine immediately after the fill. One hour later I could no longer drink again and had the same problems I had before. Has anyone had an experience similar to this?

So you went 9 weeks of taking in virtually no calories and still didn't loose any weight? How is that possible? At any rate, the problem here comes when the band is so tight that I can't lay down or swallow my own saliva. It has only happened twice, but I'm interested to see why Water passes fine one hour and not the next. Someone mentioned the inflammation. I'm just wondering what causes inflammation when in both cases, no food was consumed in between drinks spread out two hours apart. Also, a couple people commented on the soda. I have generally heard "no soda" although both of my doctors know that I drink it and never told me to stop. Since soda is a high/wasted source of calories it makes practical sense to tell people with eating disorders not to drink it (or anyone for that matter). I have also read of extremely rare cases where it contributes to slippage. Has anyone ever heard any compelling scientific evidence not to drink soda or is it likely just a calorie issue?

I was banded in early October. First fill came in early November with minimal success. Second fill was in early December and I found out that this thing really works! It's been tough to miss out on holiday foods and special meals while traveling, but I wouldn't trade the 57 lbs I've lost for any of them. I have been playing racquetball three times per week and doing some weight lifting. I think this really helped during the times where the band was not tight, but most of my success has come after finding my sweet spot with the second fill. The bottom line is that I just don't eat much (probably average 1500 calories/day). It is so wonderful not to always be thinking about food. I am prayerful that all of you can achieve your goals. Guys definitely have it easier when it comes to weight loss, but I am convinced that finding the right fill level can work for anyone. Banded 10/03/2007 Male 32 Desk Job Starting Weight: 294, Current Weight: 237, Goal: 195

I went in for surgery this week and the doctor accidentally poked a hole in my intestine after making the first incision. He stitched it up, but did not put the band in due to an increased risk of infection. Has this happened to anyone else? If so, how long was your recovery and how did it go when you actually got the band put in? He wants me to reschedule the surgery in two weeks, is that enough time? Did you get a refund or approach any other type of compensation for the extra time missed from work?