Cocoabean

Yes! We are back to drooling like babies. My favorite position is hanging over the sink letting it run. Paper towels chafe after a while and cloth towels get very soaked. It can be quite comical if you keep your sense of humor. One time my DH and I were camping in our motorhome, so there is not much space for privacy (he normally leaves me in peace when I am stuck). I was leaning over the kitchen sink making my usual faces with a string of goo from my mouth to the surface of the sink. Along the string of slime were bubbles at evenly spaced intervals. Hubs walks by and goes, "oh look, pearls! Guess I don't need to get you anything for Christmas!" So I bust out lauging and slinging slime everywhere. Ah the joys!! I think most of us could write stories about our experiences, but it is all worth it to be healthy!

DITTO!!! Once you get used to the new way your body will insist that you eat, it becomes habit. I no longer pile my plate full of food. Just last night, my hubby and I were sharing a steak. He cut about 3 oz. of meat off for me and I looked at it and said, "oh wow, that's a HUGE piece of meat!" Prior to banding, I could eat an 8 oz. steak on my own. Last night, I didn't finish it. I ate what I could, felt my "satisfied" signal, and I was done. It takes time to get used to it. My mouth battled with my brain for a time. My mouth and appetite were used to a certain amount of chewing and sensation with a meal; suddenly they weren't getting that amount before my pouch was done. My mouth wanted MORE! But over time, my brain got retrained to understand that the smaller portions are the correct amount, and my mouth is OK with it. Now that the adjustment period is over, yeah, I'd do it again in a heart beat. I may have lost a few food choices, but I have gained so much. Normal to low blood pressure (lost blood pressure medication). Normal cholesterol (lost cholesterol medication). Improved blood sugar. More energy. Fit comfortably in airplane seats. Cheaper restaurant bills (hubby and I share). Don't feel like people are looking at what I am eating and judging me. I blend in with a crowd. I am not always the largest person in a room. I can walk much farther because the arthritis in my hips and knees doesn't hurt so much. Size 10 clothes, down from size 20W. Yes, I'll give up chicken breast, soft bread, and large portions for that. :wink2:

Realize bands are also in use in the US. They have 11 and 14cc bands. Some doctors have a preference, some decide once they see your anatomy internally. Your surgeon will tell you what band you have. I have the 10cc AP Standard with 6cc.

:wink2: you go girl!!! How fun! I haven't been hit on in ages! Could be that I am ususally with my hubby. Oh well! Very happy for you!

Yes, the slime happens when food gets stuck over the stoma (hole between the pouch and the stomach). The body makes it in an effort to lubricate the food and allow it to go down. It isn't always successful in helping the food to go down. I am continually amazed that the body can produce so much mucous. Hopefully, it will be a long time before you experience it first hand. :wink2:

Yes, I made a poor choice! Ok, I convinced myself that chili fries were a good choice, but NOT! I'd spent over an hour walking around trying to decide what to eat. There truly were no good choices for a bandster. I found a quiet corner and was alone with my wad of paper towels. Sliming is not like a projectile vomit. It just builds up and then drains out the mouth because it cannot go down. It is also clear. It is very thick saliva that your body produces to help the food go down when it is stuck. It is a very odd sensations, that is a fact!

I didn't experience slime until after my second or third fill. I was 4 1/2 months post-op when it happened. We were at the county fair which is known for its less than healthy food choices. I had no idea what was happening at first then suddenly it dawned on me! DOH! I must say that in my case, most instances of sliming are operator error.

Penguin, may it be a long time until you do experience the joys of slime! Follow the rules, don't try to see how close you can come to breaking them. That will help! Congrats on your band!

I consider it the sliming face! "Ugh, I have something stuck and I am sliming up a storm!!!" :thumbup:

Your second sentence wraps up what the band does for us!! :thumbup: I still fight the desire for more food sometimes. But with the limits of the band, it makes it easier to withstand. Hey, I made a rhyme! Maybe I should write a song about being banded....laaaa di daaaa!

Hi Alisabeth, based on your height and weight your BMI is a little over 36, which is where mine was when I had surgery. I can completely relate to your desire to have the surgery and be healthy! I was 43 when I was banded, I wish I could have done it when I was younger. You say your were denied by insurance, does your insurance cover weight loss surgery? If so, what are their requirements? Many companies deny a first request and you have to appeal. I did, and I won. So the fact that you were denied the first time doesn't always mean they won't cover you. Each company has specific requirments, but generally for a BMI between 35 and 39 you need to have a co-morbid condition such as high-blood pressure, diabetes, sleep apnea, joint problems, and the like. Your doctors can determine if you have any. Check out obesitylaw.com they can help with appeals and their services are free. As to the above.... none of the WLS procedures give 100% of weight loss; patients have to do their share of the work. See this link for more info: Weight Loss Surgery Comparison | WLS Basics | Weight Loss Surgery It has a chart of various procedures and pros/cons of each along with percentage of expected weight loss at five years. Band has the lowest percentage of excess weight lost, but to me it has the lowest change of our natural anatomy. If you do your share, you can lose 100% of excess weight, I did, as did many who post here. Productive Burping is not vomiting. It is as the name suggests BURPing. Like a baby spits up milk, sometimes a band patient burps and a bit of stuff comes up. There is no retching involved. Burping doesn't hurt. Food can become stuck with a band, as it can with bypass. You can reduce the risk by taking small bites and chewing well. Having food stuck does hurt. A stuck episode will usually resolve in short order. While you cannot eat more food while the episode is going on, once resolved, you will be able to consume food again. Erosions can occur, I was warned of the possibility. It is a risk we accept when we choose to be banded. Other procedures have risks as well. With malabsorptive procedures you can become malnourised. With bypass it can leak. With sleeve you can get a stricture. Keep researching and asking questions!!

Could you keep up that food plan forever? Could you go out with friends to a restaurant and bring your can of soup and not have anything else? It just isn't practical for the long-term. At some point I believe you'd find yourself tempted to eat and eat and eat. The boredom of it all would also be a factor in a life-time of eating that way. The tool of the band will allow you to eat and still be healthy. It's win-win!

See the link on my post just previous to yummytummy's. Ticker Tutorial is the tracker information. :smile2:

Cunner, I am so pleased you continued the fight and won!! Thank you for updating on your original post. Congratulations to you! Please, please stick around here to help others with appeals. Just your experience with this will help. Being able to point them in the right direction is awesome. I help whenever I see posts such as yours, but my information is somewhat dated now as I went through it a few years ago and won on my first appeal. Please enjoy Disneyworld with your family. The next time you go you will be a healthier you! Just a note, I first started looking into surgery sometime in June or so, had my surgery the following February. So I was about 8 to 9 months in the process. If you get done in one year, that is really not too bad for all the fighting you had to do.

Hi again, Annie, 100 lbs overweight seems to ring a bell as a qualifier for Tricare. But also it seems there is a difference if you have it at a military facility or not. Again, I am far from an expert. Just remember, the band will not help with emotional eating, but it will with portion control. Also, if you are a grazer, you'll need to address that outside of the band, because you can go crazy and eat much more than you need if you graze. But if you've done well with Weight Watchers, the band could well be your answer. Keep asking questions!!

It's me again! :sneaky: I'd do it again in a heartbeat! When I made my decision bypass and band were my choices. Sleeve was not available to me, it is just coming into its own here. I opted for a band because I did not want the malaborption of bypass and the permanence of it. Mind you, the band is not meant to be removed, but it can be in cases of complications. It is also possible to reverse a bypass, but it is much more difficult. Downsides of the band are when food gets stuck over the opening into the larger portion of the stomach. It can be quite painful, and can take some time to resolve. If it happens in a group, you may get questions about what is wrong. Don't get me wrong, it isn't that you are tossing your Cookies at the table or anything, but if you stop eating suddenly or excuse yourself early in the meal people get curious or concerned. I am very open about having had surgery. With the exception of my mother-in-law and one other person who I didn't like and thus didn't want to tell, I have told anyone who asked how I lost the weight. My MIL I did not tell because she is a fuss-budget about everything and will drive you crazy if you have a headache. If you have a cold, she'll call you 85 times a day to be sure you are Ok. Bless her heart, at 95, she means well, but I really didn't want to hear it. I am sorry I don't know anything about Tricare or Germany. But if you do a search of the forums you might find something. My suggestion would be to go to forums for all the different WLS types and ask questions. Granted there will be bias toward whichever type of surgery's board you are on. But ask tons of questions and gather all the information you can. Make the choice that best suits you, your body, and your life.

Talk with your prescribing doctor about other options. You are correct that time released cannot be crushed. Looking at drugs.com, niaspan has non extended relases versions. You might have to dose more times in a day, but it can be done. As a note, you might not have to crush forever. I actually never had to crush my pills (it is surgeon and pill size dependent). Now, at my current restriction level, I can take some pretty hefty sized pills. This is not true for everyone, though. I do best with gelcaps, worst with tablets. Many drugs are available in liquid form as well as pill form. You can check with your pharmacist. Between pharmacist and doctor, you should be able to find medicines that will work for you. You also might not be on it for long after surgery either. My cholesterol dropped to normal within a few months. I was taken off my blood pressure medicine right before surgery and haven't needed it since!

Hi and welcome! There's lots of info here and a special forum for the men folk in The Men's Room where y'all can discuss issues specific to the fellows if you wish. Your girls will love having a Daddy who can run and play with them!

Welcome to the board! Do you have any specific questions about banding? There's so much information to tell. It's hard to even begin. Which is probably how you are feeling as well. Do as much research as you can, look at all the procedures available to you. I am very happy with my band.

Ticker tutorial: http://www.lapbandtalk.com/f17/ticker-tutorial-pictures-41782/

Shammah, I am truly sorry for your loss. My prayers go out to you and your family. About the Krispy Kreme, the last food I got really stuck on, was a dough nut. Just don't go there! Put them in the trunk, good idea. Oh my gosh, y'all. I thought I was the only one struggling with last-bite-itis! I don't know how many times I've done it. I also don't know how many times I've wondered WHY I could push so hard to put more food down my gullet after undergoing such a drastic measure as WLS to get control of my eating. Even after almost three years I still find myself thinking, oh, just eat this last bite or two on the plate. Why? What are the consequences of I don't? Will the starving children the world over suddenly not be starving? I don't think so. Is my mother going to get mad at me for not cleaning my plate? I don't think so. Butters might just get a treat, he likes that! If I took even a little bit less, I could have lunch for the next day. It took a long time for my head to come to terms with the fact that my mouth was not done chewing when my brain got the signal that my pouch was full. I mean, we were used to "THIS" much food crossing our taste buds, then suddenly "this" much food was crossing them, it just wasn't right. Oh well, life is good just the same. Last night, I listened to the "don't take one more bite or you'll get stuck signal." I was so glad I did!

I have a desk job, too. I have water next to me at all times. I can drink as fast as I always could, with the exception of during or just after a meal. If I drink too quickly then, it will all come up. I don't have the prohibition against drinking with meals that most have, my doctor gave permission to have a bit of liquid with my meals. Honestly, I have tried eating with and without drinks, and I can't tell a difference in my satiety level. Your mileage and doctor's orders may vary. But even so, you should be able to drink after you reach restriction. If you don't feel you are able to drink enough, you need to talk to your doctor about it. As a previous poster said, she has had to slow down her drinks to sips due to her restriciton level--but she should still be getting enough to feel hydrated and satisfied (you can, right, StrangeDz?). It is all a learning experience!

My sister, with whom I am very close, has a medical condition called gastro-paresis where her stomach does not empty right. Along with many other medical conditions she has, it causes her great distress. She is also an RN. When I told her I was having this surgery she was very concerned, and thought I was crazy to have surgery to get a condition where my stomach would not empty normally. She was afraid I'd end up with problems like hers. But now that I am healthy and she's seen the results, she understands why I did what I did. She still thinks it was a huge risk, based on everything she has been through in her life. Not everyone will be a huge supporter, for whatever reasons they might have. It doesn't mean they don't care about you. But their opinions are based on their life experiences, not yours. You have to do what is right for you. I still haven't told my mother-in-law that I had this surgery. She'd just make too big of a fuss over it all. If someone in the family says they have a headache, they get asked about it for weeks on end. Have a cold? Oh boy, the calls don't stop. So, hubby and I decided to just keep quiet and tell her I am watching my diet, which is no lie. I've been at this weight for about eight or nine months now, and she is still commenting on how I look. I cannot imagine the fuss if I told her I'd had surgery.

My biggest problem with burgers is that I tend to take bites that are too big. Also, hamburger can get stuck quite easily. One of my worst stuck episodes was on hamburger. When I do have a hambuger, I use the bun as a handle and tear it away as I eat the meat.

You will most likely be doing a post-op liquid diet. I had to do a 2 week pre-op. I chose Medi-fast, and to me, it was pure torture. If I didn't have to do it (under threat of my surgery being canceled if I gained weight, because it would show non-compliance), I would not have. You have the rest of your life for weight loss. Don't go through the misery of a liquid diet with no band if you don't have to. Just my two cents. :huh2: