ABandCalledWanda

Hi Barb! 44 y/o female, banded 2.5 years ago and have had a few bumps in the road -- also from N'ville! Welcome! Holler anytime!

I loved cottage cheese and clear Japanese Soup. (I strained out the mushroom slivers.). I also had Lipton cream of chicken probably once a day. I guess I was lucky because I love SF jello! As for now I eat a lot of shredded chicken and tuna with light mayo. String cheese (light) is another go to food, along with zucchini and ranch. Ooh, can't forget laughing cow cheese! After a fill I rely on French onion soup and Protein shakes. I'm getting closer to the green zone and look forward to figuring out what works and what doesn't.

I love my nasal pillows -- but I love them because I use the ramp feature on my machine. My pressure starts at 8 and ends up at 18. It took a little getting used to, but anything is better (IMO) than wearing a mask! those hurt!! Can you get in for another mask fitting? Maybe try a different manufacturer? Good luck!

Hello and welcome! I don't have all of the answers, but I can share with you what happened during and after my psych consult. My PCP said I'd do great! And... I 'failed', as I in I was referred for more therapy before I could move forward. I was mad, sad, etc. Turns out, there was something to it - even though I've always thought I was a bit of a picky eater, I had no idea that they were really food addictions. This all came out during that initial visit and I was sent away with a list of therapists. I had to first contact my ins co to see what type of mental health professional they would cover. Turns out, pretty much any, but the girl on the phone thought I wanted a psychiatrist. I ended up flipping through therapists on my phone and found one for eating disorders. I booked an appt for the following Monday (this was a Wed.) and she just had to sign off that I was actively being seen by her. So yes, it added a few days to my plan, but I was still able to have my surgery about three weeks after my initial psych eval. Here's the link for Medicare and lap band coverage -- http://www.medicare.gov/coverage/bariatric-surgery.html Best wishes!

I've only had one fill and not a lot of restriction so far. I looove sushi and didn't even think about the fact that it might cause problems until after I had the band. So far, rice doesn't bother me. I ate some sushi last week and chewed it very well. I did Ok. It was grocery store sushi so on the last few pieces, I removed the outer ring of rice and just ate the inside. Still delicious. I'm right there with you -- not a lot of restriction despite one fill. I've been avoiding rice as well. I only ate it once in a blue moon, but when I wanted fried rice, I wanted it. Now I stick to chicken and broccoli at Chinese restaurants and no rice. I too had a last hurrah -- Steak 'n shake patty melt w/ cheese fries! Before I was on the pre-op diet I thought I'd do a 'Foodie Favorites World Tour' - my nut didn't like that idea. She said I was reinforcing the deprivation feelings. I just wanted to eat my favorites one last time w/o much guilt! I had a few favorites and those that I 'missed out on' during my pseudo farewell tour, I've been able to have in small portions after surgery. I'm actually glad it happened this way because I'm now allowing myself to have a little of what I thought I CRAVED back then and I'm figuring out it wasn't all that great after all. To the chicken salad lunch person -- I hear ya, I'm a Monday-Friday tuna w/ light mayo girl. Easy and yummy!

Surgeon charged $2931 Surgery center charged $28612 Anesthesiologist charged $1826 Hope that helps.

My surgeon said Milk of Mag. I wanted Miralax, but no dice with him. That's too bad -- Miralax was my best friend for the past few months before surgery. I'm sure I'll be able to use it again if necessary. So far, not necessary. But wow -- those first five days post-op I felt totally backed up. Best of luck!

Howdy! It seems I signed up for this site after finally reading enough to see that this is where I belong. I was banded 5 weeks ago and haven't had any major issues except for hunger. I weighed 315 when I decided to make a go of this. I had recently been diagnosed with severe sleep apnea (AHA of 161.5 for those of you playing along at home). I weighed 318.6 at my highest and next to last pre-op appt with my surgeon. I lost 10 lbs as required by him before surgery; however, the day I went in for surgery I was back up to 317 -- Water weight for sure. After surgery I dropped the weight and the water weight and went down to 306 really fast. Like lightning fast. At the moment I'm at 294. I just had my first fill 7 days ago and still feel zero restriction. I have the APL, and assuming it started with the factory/surgery 4cc, with 2 added cc, I'm at 6cc. (My surgeon confirmed there was some saline in there prior to my first fill, but wasn't exactly sure how much as a certain amt can be lost during tubing attachment/length sizing.) I know bandster hell all too well and am trying to keep it sensible. If I can do it, you can do it. Two weeks before surgery I quit smoking, carbonation, and carbohydrates. One week before surgery my elderly mother was put in the hospital with a prelim diagnosis of lung cancer. (She quit smoking 8 months prior.) Three days after surgery I was diagnosed with bronchitis. Three weeks after surgery I was diagnosed with ringworm (WTH???). I'm still mostly carb free, and totally smoke and carbonation free. I do drink about 128 oz of Crystal Light a day!

I'm right there with you. I was banded on Dec 30 and the first two weeks were great! I was struggling to get in my calories and such. Then..... not so much. My scale moved down 0.2 lbs over the past two weeks. I've had a few, "oh wow, did I really just eat that much?", moments. I had my first fill on the 28th of Jan and it was good for about two days, but now I'm back to the same 'diet'. My next appt/possible fill is in exactly one month. It's crazy because I know I'm not eating or drinking nearly as much as I was before the pre-op phase, but I'm not making the scale move much either. (Insert attitude adjustment.) Slow and steady wins the race, of course! I'll take those 0.2 lb losses where I can get 'em! What helps? Lipton cream of chicken cup of Soup 32 oz of Crystal Light by my side at all times 100 calorie Premier Protein snack shakes Atkins double chocolate caramel crunch bars for sweet cravings Aldi's apple/banana fruit puree packs Guacamole Eggland's Best hard boiled eggs (easy to make into deviled eggs for a quick 'treat') Aldi's light string cheese Sunflower kernals (well chewed, of course) Best wishes!

Hello fellow snow bander! Five fills? You're a pro by now! My surgery was Dec 30 and my second fill isn't until March. I'm looking forward to it already! I've pretty much told anyone semi-close to me. No, I haven't put it on Facebook, but I don't plan on it, either. The only person I know "in real life" who had the band, had it removed. We have a monthly support group and I plan on continuing to go to those - weather permitting this week! Thanks for the warm welcome! Congrats to you and your super progress!

Thanks again everyone! I'm having a great time and learning so much! I'm hunkering down for the storm -- I'm in the 12"+ range so this should be interesting. Thankfully there is a ton of cottage cheese, yogurt, and the like stocked in my fridge. Bring it!

Yay! Take care and rest well! Congrats and welcome to the other side!

Sending prayers, you'll do great! Perhaps you're even banded by now! Keep us posted!!

Hi Hoosiers! I was banded on Dec 30, 2013 in Noblesville. We have a support group that meets on the first Thursday of every month. Glad to see so many places around the state have bariatric practices. I've read so many stories of people traveling hours to have their surgery.

Thank you, thank you! It's great to be here! Congrats to you and your success!

I felt a little pain and just general discomfort. I asked for a kleenex to blow my nose (who knows why?). I do remember saying yes to every inquiry of pain and therefore receiving pain meds. I found out later that I was very combative while coming out of anesthesia. That could explain my general discomfort. I was thirsty. Oh my goodness. At some point I talked the nurse into letting me swish and spit b/c I was miserable. It felt much better to be up and moving around, vs lying in bed. My advice? When you get home make sure you have something you can grab onto or anchor yourself with when you try and get in and out of bed. Those stomach muscles are SORE!