Cocoabean

You should be able to see your policy online. Your ID card should have the web address.

This, exactly. My surgeon even predicted it. Told me I can drink with meals, but at some point it would become uncomfortable for me. I have never seen a reasonable explanation for this. I've never had this rule, nor followed it.

Your surgeon or PCP can do blood work that checks nutrient levels. Low levels of micronutrients can cause problems. My PCP checks me out yearly. I have come up anemic (long time anemic), B12, and D deficient. Some of the minerals can cause troubles if you are deficient as well, like copper and zinc. Maybe you need some tests run. I just had some done, waiting on results.

The green zone is when you get to a fill level where you can eat solids, they keep you satisfied for 4 or so hours, and you aren't constantly thinking about food. http://www.lapbandce...TMENT_guide.pdf

Welcome to LapBandTalk!! Do you have a hernia or did your band slip? What you are describing sounds like a slipped band. Do you have any health insurance at all? If you do, they will sometimes pay for band removal even if you don't have WLS coverage. They will pay if it is a life-threatening complication, but you might have to fight for it. Is your thyroid being treated? If not, you should do so. If you get it treated and stabilized, that should not be a big issue at least! I've had thyroid disease since i wast 24. I finally had it radiated and now have very little function in gland. I take medication daily to stay alive.

That is generally a sign of a too tight band. Are you able to easily eat solids? Touch base with your surgeon about it, for sure. Meanwhile, try to stop eating late afternoon/early evening. Drink Water in the evening. My band got tight about 4 months after my last fill. It lasted about 6 weeks. Surgeon has requested an endoscopy. He does not know it has loosened back up. I got very ill since I asked for a slight unfill. Long story. Anyway, my primary care doc says the endoscope was approved. Going to call my surgeon on Monday to figure out what we are doing. Hope you feel better soon!

Heating pad, lots of pillows, do not lay flat in bed the first night--unless you have someone to help you sit up (I got stuck, if not for DH I'd probably still be laying there!). Fill your prescription pain meds before surgery if your doctor will give them to you in advance. Have a firm pillow to hold against your tummy when you cough, nice to have for ride home as well, between you and seat belt. The usual food list, already mentioned. Thermometer should be handy to watch for fever post-op. I am just getting over an e.coli Sepsis infection after a minor surgical procedure. Odds against it were high, recovery is long. 30 minute procedure led to 3 weeks out of work and 2 ER visits...keep your eye on it. ER total was $18,000 charged to my insurance. Do your laundry and chores before going to the hospital, it will be a week before you feel like doing it (ok, before you feel up to doing it). Have someone available for help with childcare if you have little ones.

And please don't be picking up that beautiful baby in your avatar. That will not help the pain level! Hope you feel better soon!

If you are 9 of 10 on the pain scale, call your surgeon ASAP. You should not be in that much pain. Or got to the ER. Take your pain meds every 4-6 hours. Stay on top of it. Heating pads help, walking helps tons. Although not as invasive as a gastric bypass or sleeve, band surgery IS abdominal surgery. They move your liver around, go behind your stomach, make holes in fat to thread the band through. Sounds pretty invasive to me.

Where is the pain? Do you still have your gallbladder? And is your surgeon aware that you are in so much pain?

I didn't set a goal, crazy as it sounds. I got my band, followed band rules and settled in at a weight at the top end of a healthy BMI. If I wanted to work harder I could lose more, but I am not that motivated. My PCP would be happier if I lost 10 more, but my bloodwork is good now, so he isn't pushing too hard. For me, getting banded was not about dieting, it was about healthy habits that I can live with. I've been maintaining this size/weight now for coming up on 2 1/2 years. I think I've found it!

Most surgeons don't put any fill into bands when they install them, if they do, it is just a small amount. Of course you can eat. Once the swelling went down, it is like you don't have a band. Does that mean that just because you CAN eat that you SHOULD eat? Of course not. Follow your surgeon's rules. Your band is healing into place. Surgeon's anchor it down with just a few stitches. The post-op diet is designed to keep the stomach from grinding. When you put food down, you cause the stomach to grind, risking tearing the stitches. You are in bandster hell now. I woke up from the anesthesia hungry, I feel your pain, but get yourself back on your post-op diet!

I don't do well at all with ground beef. Whether in a patty or cooked loose. My first and worst stuck to date (one and the same) was on home cooked ground beef in tacos. It went on for 5 hours. My surgeon's explanation is that ground beef has bunches of gristle and even if cooked loose, we tend to not chew those parts well. It can cause big troubles with bandsters. I tend to stay away from it now. If I do eat it, the bites are so tiny that I get bored chewing long before I feel satisfied. I generally do fine with ground turkey or turkey burgers...no buns though or I am doomed.

4 years out and I still get pain in that area from time to time. Please call your doctor about it. For me, it is just gas. I also get it if I have over eaten a bit (so that reflux explanation makes some sense to me, also). I told my surgeon about it, he was unconcerned. That was MY case. Yours may be different, so always good to touch base with your own surgeon.

No worries, Birdy! A band is not a set it and forget it procedure as bypass and sleeves are (other than monitoring for nutritional levels of Vitamins and minerals in your blood in years to come). There is general maintenance involved. My surgeon wants me to have an Upper GI every year. He will not do a fill after the first year without one. There is a central coast person on the board. Xavier is the screen name, she was also self-pay. You might reach out to her. Haven't seen her around in a bit, but I've been out for about 3 weeks due to a non-band related illness. I am 4 years out, I get a little top-off fill about once a year. My surgeon will not do a fill without an Upper-GI. They run a few hundred dollars if you were to self pay. My last fill suddenly tightened up after 4 months. It has since gone back to normal, but it was tight for about 6 weeks. My surgeon has ordered an endoscope. That would be quite a bit more money as anesthesia is involved. I am not trying to scare you off, but you need to be fully aware of what you are getting into. Should you have a bad slip and need your band removed, that is another full surgery. If you had insurance that did not cover WLS, they'd cover some of the testing, and they'd cover emergency removal of a band. But without insurance, bands can get costly. Also, don't just go for the bargain. :-) All that said, I love my band and am very pleased with my decision. But I have insurance that covers my fills and tests.

Welcome to the forum! Remember with a band that follow-up care is crucial. Fills/unfills are needed to be successful. It can take 5-6 fills before you start losing. Some surgeons include fills for a year with their band fees, but not all. Fills and unfills can cost upwards of $300 or more. Do you have any specific questions?

We've almost all been there! You might try gas-x or gas-x strips. Remember, even though people say this is an easy surgery, it IS surgery on your stomach. It takes time to recover. Walking is really a good way to help get rid of gas. Hope you feel better soon!

Looking at your ticker and signature info, it appears to be 23 lbs since your surgery Feb 22. 23 lbs in 10 weeks is awesome. The first 6 weeks of being banded are for healing, not losing. Losing really doesn't start until we get our bands to the green zone which can take 5-6 fills. For me it took 4 months. Band literature says 1-2 pounds per week average weight loss. You are average 2.3, you are WELL above average. I think you are doing great.

Do you mean 3 weeks post-op? Chances are it isn't a slip. Most likely you still have swelling from surgery. Here is some info on slippage: Slippage may be mild and intermittent, or it may be severe and may not resolve. Symptoms are nausea and vomiting and a decrease in the ability to take foods or liquids. http://www.thinnerti...s/slippage.html If something feels wrong, call your surgeon.

It IS very convenient. Give it a try, you might like it.

You know, it is all about how you feel. TSH also might not be the best check. I am pleased that they are doing more checks on it even though you are within normal ranges. Some docs would just say, ok, you are normal. They can check Free T3 and Free T4 to see exactly how much thyroid hormone you have, and how well you are converting from T3 to T4 (I think that is the direction it goes). It's been a while since I went through treatment for my condition. You can feel a wide range of difference within the normal range. Before I went through radiation treatment, I made my endocrinologist promise to keep me in the higher range of normal, just because I feel better there. Small changes in dosage can make a huge difference. Ask to see an endocrinologist to fine tune your dosage and check on the full functioning of your thyroid. TSH checks the pituitary gland's level of asking for thyroid hormone. it's a good check, but there can be other issues. A full thyroid panel can give a better picture.

The test is for Thyroid Stimulating Hormone, it checks the level of hormone released by the pituitary asking the thyroid for hormone. So it is inverse. High TSH means you are hypothyroid. My guess would be that they want to know the reason you are hypo before proceeding, and get you treatment. Once that is figured out, then I'd imagine you'll be cleared. I had a nodule on my thyroid, had it radiated and now have minimal function. I take thyroxine daily. As long as I was being treated and my levels were normal, there was no issue. I would be uncomfortable with a surgeon who would proceed without further testing of it. If you had thyroid cancer or something that needed treatment now and they did band surgery without looking for the cause of the hypo?? ....wow...that would be negligent on their part in my opinion.

I did it for my pre-op diet. It pretty well sucks in my opinion, but I lost 8 lbs in two weeks (I was at a lower BMI to start). My doc was very impressed with my achievement and told my DH that he could tell I stuck to it by the looks of my liver. It was very small and easy for him to maneuver around during the surgery, making it much safer for me. I did like the fact that it allowed for a "lean and green" meal each day, so I got to eat some real food.

4 years banded and I still get stuck, granted it is usually operator error. The level of fill in your band does have influence on getting stuck along with bite sizes and chewing. When I was overfilled, I got stuck on mashed potatoes and yogurt. You might indeed have some fill that was put in during surgery, they call it primer. I did not know it at the time, but I had 2cc put in during surgery. When it comes time for your fill talk over with your surgeon what you are eating, how much, and how long it keeps you satisfied between meals. Together you can make the determination of whether or not you need a fill. Your input will help him determine how much you need if you do get one.

My first stuck went on for 5 hours and Water would NOT go down. Walking seems to be the best thing for me. Papaya enzymes are in most Vitamin sections. Walgreens has them. I just got some to carry in my purse, haven't tried them yet. pineapple juice didn't do squat for me. Until you are out of pain, I don't suggest sipping water, but that is me. I've been known to chug some water, which starts the launch sequence and will bring the water and the offending item UP. Immediately. The book answer is to wait it out, though. I hope you feel better soon!