Cocoabean

I think I would next send that same email to the gym manager/owner and explain that you haven't hear from the trainer. I'd say I was very hurt by his unprofessional reaction to your statement that you are having a life saving surgery. To say that you are cheating by having the surgery shows that he wants you to fail at weight loss, and feels himself superior (in my opinion). He obviously does not want you to succeed, at the very least, he could use some education about bariatric surgery. No one deserves to be treated the way you were. I know it happens, but it shouldn't. If you had said you were having open heart surgery, he'd have probably said, "I'll be here waiting for you when you are ready to start again!" But darn you that you are trying to avoid that! Ask that you be lined up with a trainer who has worked with bariatric patients before and understands our needs. If the gym doesn't have anyone like that, it would be a great idea for them to invest in someone who does understand the bariatric community. I think I'd tell them I don't plan to renew my personal training sessions when they run out.

When you are on the liquid stages, you don't have much choice but to drink juices. Just something to consider, juices have a lot of calories without providing much sustaining power. I am sure you are aware of this with the fantastic work you have done so far! My surgeon does not like his patients drinking any liquid calories, to include protein shakes. He prefers I get all my calories from solid foods. And now for my take on food. There are no good or bad foods. Food just is. There are high calorie choices, and low calorie choices. Some choices are healthier than others. Some foods taste better than others. With a band, highly processed foods usually go down VERY well. Bandsters don't get dumping syndrome from high sugar foods like bypass folk. So these foods don't make us sick. As has been said many times here before, the doctor did not band my brain when he banded my stomach. I have to fight every day to make the right choices for a healthier me. BUT, the band helps to keep my physical appetite under control, so I am only fighting the war on one front, the mental one. For me, it has made all the difference in the world. I can still enjoy the occasional high-fat, sugary treat. I just don't do it all the time. Some band rules are universal, like eating slowly, chewing well, and taking small bites. Otherwise, we make our journey into what is best for ourselves. I found what works for me. It might not work for everyone, but I am loving it!

Dang, my computer is giving me fits. I was trying to add a response...it edited my previous...so please see my previous post for more information. Include it in your next appeal. I quoted the 1991 consensus on my appeal letter when BCBS denied me due to the 6 month requirement. I won my appeal, but it was a few years ago. Almost 4 now.

Ok, Here's more for an additional appeal. In 1991 the NIH put out a consensus about the surgical treatment of obesity. They did not mention a supervised diet as part of the criteria for patient selection. The article is here: http://consensus.nih...sity084html.htm Those patients judged by experienced clinicians to have a low probability of success with nonsurgical measures, as demonstrated for example by failures in established weight control programs or reluctance by the patient to enter such a program, may be considered for surgery. Another statement came out in 2004 from the American Society of Bariatric Surgeons. http://www.asbs.org/...e_Statement.pdf "Bariatric surgery candidates should have attempted to lose weight by nonoperative means, including self-directed dieting, nutritional counseling, and commercial and hospital-based weight loss programs, but should not be required to have completed formal nonoperative obesity therapy as a precondition for the operation. So, you have done as much or more than what the National Institutes of Health and the American Society of Bariatric Surgeons say should be the standard diet attempts for patient selection. Find out what the next level of appeal/review is in your state. Your policy should have it written within. FIGHT for yourself. They want you to give up.

Lap band has been FDA approved down to a BMI of 25 now. I believe this question was related to having insurance pay. A surgeon can place a band whenever he feels it is medically needed. Even for 'off label' use. IF the patient is willing to pay for it.

If he felt it were necessary for you, he'd have ordered it. (My opinion only!). Yes, it cannot hurt, that is for sure. But you are torturing yourself! It IS a good jumpstart for weight loss. I lost 8 lbs during the two weeks. But I was also a miserable beyotch. Just ask my hubby. The good thing for you is, if you hate it, you can stop. Since he didn't order it. Or you can add in some lean Protein. That won't affect the liver. Fresh broccoli helps the liver, too. Best wishes to you for a great surgery and speedy recovery!

What others have said is great. I wanted to add that my doc gave me the don't drink with your meals thing. I told him that I just couldn't part with my glass of milk with dinner. He said well, go ahead. He didn't really like the idea of drinks with calories, but to take it into account of my overall total. He also said that at some point I might not have room for it. So, every evening I pour my cup of milk. I used to have 2 tumblers of it, now I pour about 6 ounces. I set it by my plate and sip it with my dinner. But as time has gone on, (nearly 3 years post-op here) I find that I don't really drink it with my meal. After I clean up the dishes, then I have it. And enjoy it! For drinking enough during the day? After you are all healed up, you don't have to sip sip sip any more. You'll be able to drink like a normal person. At restaurants, I always get a glass of Water. For me, based on my own experience, wether I drink with my meal or not, I do not get hungrier sooner, or eat more at the meal. Sometimes liquid doesn't go down well with food, sometimes it does. As to foods on the "don't eat" list. Those are guidelines of what tends to get stuck. As you heal and can eat regular foods you will find what works and doesn't work for you. I can eat just about anything except for chicken/turkey breast meat and doughy breads like bagels and french bread. I also know I need to be careful when eating steak, but if I cut it into small pieces, I am fine. When you go to eat those foods for the first time, just be careful. Go slowly and see how you react. Especially after a fill. Each fill will have a learning curve. Take a deep breath! As my husband says, "in with the butterflies, out with the bees!" You will be fine!

I would hope that your doctor has considered YOUR health history and condition in wether or not you were ordered onto a pre-op diet. Not all doctors require one. If I hadn't been ordered to be on one and been told that my surgery would be canceled if I gained weight, I would not have done it. It was a dreadful two weeks in my life. Why are you wanting to do a pre-op if you weren't ordered to do one? Just curious? I've never heard that about not being able to mix your own shakes. Many on here use different powders. Post-op, you'll have to be mindful of adding fruit as the fibers that don't blend well can cause problems during the immediate post-op phases. But then, I am not a shake expert. I was only told to use them for my pre-op diet. My surgeon doesn't want me using them as part of my normal diet. He'd rather I eat my calories than drink them. Solid foods hold us much longer.

I apologized to everyone close to me half way into the first day! I offered my husband a free trip anywhere he wanted to go until the pre-op was over. The headaches should pass about day 4 or 5. I believe that is getting rid of carbs. Keep your focus on the prize. An easy surgery and better health down the road. After my surgery my doc told me that he could tell I stuck to my pre-op diet because my liver was nice and small and very easy to move around. He said it made the surgery VERY easy for him to perform. That made me feel so good about all the hard work of sticking to it. I read on another forum of someone who had her liver split during bypass surgery. Now, she had significant health problems and was super-morbidly obese going into the surgery. She was a high risk patient. But my surgeon said he wanted me to do the pre-op to help him make my surgery have lower risks of complications. He also said he'd cancel if I gained during the two weeks prior to my surgery! Yep, it was brutal, and my head hurt, and I was grumpy, and I went to a Superbowl Party with my shake mixes, and didn't eat any chips and salsa or drink any beer. Now, three years later here I am with normal blood pressure, normal blood sugar, normal body weight, size 10 jeans, joints that hurt less....yes, it was worth it!! You can do it!!

For many surgeons, they put us on liquids post-op to allow our stomachs to heal. Unlike with bypass, our pouches still grind. Most surgeons anchor the band by pulling the stomach over it and putting in a few stitches. By eating solid foods of any kind you are forcing your pouch to grind and putting pressure on those stitches that are trying to heal and form scar tissue to anchor them down. You risk pulling them loose, and needing another surgery to repair it. Liquids don't cause any grinding as they go right down...thus leaving our stomachs empty. Now, not all surgeon's have the same post-op instructions and some people return to solids sooner than others. Each surgeon bases his or her post-op instructions on personal experiences of best outcomes. You should follow what you were instructed to do. If you were to eat something that got stuck at this point, the pain and trauma from that could be extreme. I'd not want to risk losing my band because I pushed the envelope. I was one of the ones who was very hungry immediately post-op. When my doctor called at 3 days post-op to check on me I told him I was ready to eat my dog. He said that would be a bad choice, but since I was doing so well, I could move to full liquids a few days early. Mashed potatoes never tasted soooooo good! If you are nauseous, there are medicines for that, call your surgeon's office and ask. Or ask if the saltines are OK. They might clear you for them.

Melody, you always crack me up! Give your hubby a hug for me for doing that math! I love it!!! Strange laws there eh? Oh, I have the day off for the Harry Potter Opening Day! Just thought I'd share! Elcee, glad it is all said and done! Rest up and feel better. HB, guess that explains the hunger. My surgeon once said that it appears that some of the fluid might somehow disperse through the silicone. Osmosis maybe? And what Melody said, they cannot withdraw ALL the fluid out. But he said that is why we will generally need a tweaking once a year or so. So, I've been eating like a mad woman this week. Dang. Week before I could hardly get anything down, this week, I swear I need a fill. Go figure. BUT, I am not grazing or obsessing about food between meals. My clothes fit fine. So I suppose all is right with the world. If I give a fill serious contemplation I know it will tighten up "tighter than a crab's buttocks." To quote "The Scorpion King."

You have done fantastic! Congratulations! As Llyra said, you might just be on a plateau. Plus remember, the closer you are to goal, the slower the losses become. Are you tracking calories? You might gain some insight if you track calories in and calories out. Just a thought. You might try shaking up the diet. Changing the amount of fat, Protein, and carbs. Or doing a different type of exercise as previously suggested. As to the need for a fill. Are you hungry often? If you need help with hunger, then you need a fill. Otherwise, no. Meanwhile, keep up the great work! You are only 20 lbs from goal. So many people are fighting that last 20 lbs!

Great post! 3 years out myself. I could not have said it better! MegaLou, if your doc does not require a pre-op diet then don't feel that you have to do one. There is no need to punish yourself if your surgeon doesn't see a need for it. A week of Protein shakes is no fun. My surgeon had me do a two-week pre-op diet. I chose medi-fast since I already had the food. It was miserable. If I had the option, I would not have done it. But I was required to do so, and if I had gained weight during that time, my surgery would have been canceled. Each surgeon bases his or her orders on the outcomes seen from what he or she has done. There are plenty of successful people on here who were not required to do a pre-op diet.

Did you have it replaced with the same band that you had before? If it is a larger band, it can take more fine tuning to get to the same restriction you had previously.

My surgeon does not want me using Protein shakes. Or consuming any liquid calories for that matter. He feels that solid foods will sustain me longer and the calories are best spent that way. He also feels that if you are relying on shakes because you cannot eat a variety of solid foods especially Proteins, then your band is too tight. Each bandster needs to find what works for the individual. For some, shakes are an integral part of their diet, for others they aren't. I keep them around for after a fill or after a bad stuck episode when I want to take it easy for a while. Overall, my diet is pretty "normal," just smaller portions than I used to eat, and I don't graze all day long like I used to.

My PCP does blood work checking the normal chemistry and vitamin levels, my surgeon did an upper GI.

Elcee, thinking of you!! You are allowed to stress at the moment!

Melody, I'd pay money to see THAT video! After being stuck most of last week, I can eat just about everything this week. Wish there were some rhyme or reason to it.

You don't say how old your kids are, but you can look at it as being a good example to them. Treats have their place, but they don't need to be a part of their every day diet. It can start as you asking them to help support you in being healthier by getting them out of your house. Then perhaps you can all work on not needing them around at all! As you heal from the surgery your energy will get better. If you are on mushies, your surgery had to have been fairly recent. Perhaps 5 miles a day is too much? Healing takes time!

Often your insurance will state what co-morbities they are looking for. Mine says: BMI between 35 and 40 with a co-morbid condition such as a life-threatening cardiopulmonary condition, severe or uncontrolled diabetes, or sleep apnea. The "such as" leaves a bit of negotiating room for other conditions. Check with your insurance company and see what their requirements are.

For me, the sweet tooth has never gone away! I battle it every day. But at least I am not fighting hunger at the same time. Forgive yourself, but be mindful, the calories can quickly add up. This journey is a marathon, not a sprint, you will make mistakes along the way. Learn from them. Don't just give up. Become stronger. You can win the war.

A few things come to mind. Are you throwing up every time you eat? Your band might already have slipped. If not, you might be eating too fast, taking bites that are too big, or not chewing well enough. If it has gone on for 9 months, you need to check in with your surgeon and get things checked. You might be a little too full, or there might have been some damage done. If it continues, your band might slip--no matter the cause of the vomiting. If you are eating too much, your esophagus can dilate and act as part of the stomach, which can be very damaging to the esophagus. A slip does not automatically mean that your band will be removed, but the sooner it is treated the less likely is a removal. A slip is where the stomach comes up through the confines of the band and gets trapped. The first level of treatment if it is small is to unfill the band and see if it resolves. There are some foods that tend to be harder for bandsters to eat. Some people have problems with dense breads and rolls, dried fruit, nuts, eggs, Pasta, popcorn, oranges and grapefruits with the membranes, fish or shrimp, high-Fiber vegetables, and meats with gristle. Everyone is different though, and what gets stuck for me might not get stuck for you. When I was first banded I had a problem with not eating slowly and chewing well, so I started a ritual when I sat down to eat. Before I take a bite I pause for a moment to remind myself that I need to take my time. I also tell myself to chew well and listen for the whisper that I am satisfied. Satiety means I am done. If I wait until I am "full" then I am miserable.

What Humming Bird said! Welcome!

Y'all are cracking me up! I think I mentioned I ordered a new engagement ring shank that opens on a hinge. My finger behind my knuckle is so tiny that my rings spin like crazy. I should have it soon! Yay!! It's hot here today. Ugh. Very strange for May.