Kat225

Whoa! Slow down. You are fine. No. most people don't lose weight right away. It takes some of us many fills to get to the proper restriction. I had 5. I am practically all the way full. I lost 12lbs right after surgery because I was restricted to clear liquids and all but after that, I didn't lose for a while. My weight loss really didn't start happening til the past few months. Chosing the band meant chosing a slower process. It is not like the bypass. If you read many threads on here, you will soon see that most people struggle at first. It sounds like you just need more fills. You will get there. Just hold on. Read! Read! Read! Read as much on here as possible to educated yourself. I have noticed that everyone has different situations but if you look long enough you find someone on here you can relate to.

Yeah it all depends on what your particular employer decided to pay for under your benefits. UHC probably does cover it but not if your employer chooses not to provide it under their policy. Example: Two people could have the same insurance company like Blue Cross and one person may be able to have the surgery paid for and one may not because they work for different employers. A lot of employers choose to exclude weight loss surgery because it ups their rates.

I usually throw up when this happens. I get that slim and then it just comes up. Maybe everyone's body reacts differently. All my problems end up in the food coming back up. It's like if the food doesn't go don't easly, it comes back up.

Thanks for the tips...

I recently discovered a dandruff problem. I never had this problem before. Is anyone else experiencing this problem? Wondering if it's due to not drinking enough water??? Or lack of food intake or nutrients????

Today I am happy with my band. Other days when I have problems, I might answer differently. I had a rough few weeks when I was overfilled and certain times of the month, I get too tight and I don't like the consequences. My band is very "moody" if that's what you wanna call it lol! Some days I can eat fine with small bites and chewing properly but other days, sipping water is all I can do. I'm an emotional person and my band reflects that. High stress and hormonal changes influences the restriction of the band. All these things need to be considered. But I have lost 50lbs and hope to lose 80lbs by my bandaversary. Just know that it is not easy and good after-care is essential!

Dr. Oz on Oprah says that our poop should float but I forget why. Mine always sinks and is rarely solid but I've always suffered from IBS so I already knew I wasn't normal.

I'm not saying that your PA does not know what she is talking about, but people do fail with bypass. There is a way around any weight loss surgery if one really wants to. I mean with the band when you have the right restriction it forces you to make changes or at least it did for me. Both surgeries have consequence if you don't follow the rules. If you look at the statistics after 3-5 years, the results with both surgeries are comparable. Maybe you don't have good restriction. Did you do after-care? How many fills did you have? Oh and there is the guy on the Biggest Loser that had the bypass and look where he is at!

I hear that burping and spitting during the night is a sign of being too tight.

I too have had days where I cried and wondered why I got the band. I thought I made the worst mistake of my life. For about 3 weeks I was sick everyday! I was not only unable to eat, I was throwing up and in severe pain from acid reflux. I finally had an unfill and life got better. I still PB a few times a week. My band restriction changes daily. Some days I can't eat before 4pm and others I can't eat all day. My Thanksgiving dinner was saltine crackers. I am slowly mourning food. I miss eating a heaping spoon full of food and shoveling it in. I know that sounds crazy, but I watch others eat and I miss it. I have to sit down and take this tiny little bite and chew it very carefully. Then I have to wait a few before taking the next one. Before I know it, it's been 30min and I have only ate less than a half a sandwitch. But then there is the victory of stepping on the scale or trying on a smaller size and I guess it's all worth it. There is a lot more to this thing than just having the desire to be thinner and healthier. It comes with a lot of work and pain, at least in my case.

I am going through something very similar. I don't cough in my sleep but I throw up all the time and my acid reflux is causing me extreme pain. I've been putting up with it for three weeks now since my last fill. I am scheduled tomorrow morning for an unfill because I can't deal with this pain anymore. The only positive thing is that I lost 16lbs in three weeks.

Ok I had a fill on Wednesday. My doc gave me 1cc. I felt fine. I drank my Water and it went down. About 30 min later while driving back home, I started to get pain in my chest and my stomach started to hurt. I tried to keep going but the pain got worse. I pulled over and called the doc office and told the receptionist my symptoms and she told me to come back in. So I turned around and drove back. An hour later I arrive and she takes me back. She removes .5ccs. I feel better and drink the water. Everything was fine. The receptionist recomended I wait a little while in the waiting room to make sure everything stayed ok. I waited about 15-20 min. then headed back out on he road. Got to about the same place as before and the pain started again just not as bad. So I thought, just let me make it home and I will lay down and I will feel better. Well I was in pain for the rest of the night. Although the pain was less, it continued into the next day. All I ate was chicken broth and saltines. So finally today I felt a little better. For dinner I got some chicken corn Soup and ate just a few bites. It seemed like everything went down fine until about 15min later. I got really stuck. Terrible pain in my chest and stomach. My questions are...has this ever happened to anyone else? I thought being too tight would just make it hard to get things down or cause PBs, why am I in so much pain? It's not pain from being stuck, its pain all the time. When I do get suck, is there anything I can do to get unstuck or move things along faster? I heard that meat tenderiser works to get unstuck, does it work? I know I'm really tight right now but do you think I will loosen up or should I go back to the doctor yet again for an unfill? This pain is very uncomfortable at times it keeps me wake all night. Any feedback is appreciated. Oh and at times I have the runs too. I lost 8lbs since Wedneday.

If you go to Mexico it's even less hassle. No psych eval. After-care is the downside, however.

I went to Mexico. Surgeons there are very experienced. They train the US docs in this procedure. Paid $7,500 plus airfare to El Paso, TX where they picked me up. Wonderful care!

It just happens like that sometimes...one day you have good restriction and then it's gone. But slipping is usually followed by pain and not being able to keep anything down from what I've read. You just need another fill. It took me months of fills and to be almost completely full to get restriction. Everyone is sooooo different.

I'm not sure. But I live in PA and I drive about an hour and half to go down to Frederick, MD. Maybe that does have something to do with it.

My lapband doc told me to use the liquid form to avoid the pill sitting in the stomach too long and doing damage. Lapband slows digestion.

You have to realize you have a larger band therefore it is going to take longer to get good restriction. It also seems like your doctor is being very conservative with how much he/she is giving you each time. I only have a 9cc band and my doc gave me 4ccs the first fill. Ask for a more aggressive fill next time.

I have to say, I don't like it. I'm lost. I also miss the links to the right and especially the subscribed thread link. Where is it? I'm so confused with this new style.

Usaually it cost anywhere from $7000-$9000 plus airfare from your state and back. All other expenses are paid for.

I was banded in Mexico. I had a great experience there. I treated soooo well. I don't regret it at all. There are certain things to consider with when going to MX though. You can PM me to ask some questions if you want. Everyone I told about going to MX told me I was crazy and were totally against it. It's just because they aren't educated about it. Show your mom the research and success stories to mind at ease. Explain to her that the MX docs train the US docs in this procedure and are far more experienced.

This is a interesting question. I didn't know there were certain restrictions on what you could use it for. I assumed that I could use it for anything medically related. I've been using mine over the past few months for my fills. I hope its allowed. Let me know what you find out....

I see a lot of people talking about this greek yogurt. What is making it so popular? Is it lower in fat/calories? Taste better? What is the difference?

I know how you feel, believe me! I had to save and self pay for my surgery in Mexico. It took me a long time and I still had to borrow some. I used my income tax return and student loan excess check. It took me 9 months to come up with all the money for the surgery and airfare. It can be done! Even now I have to pay $200 for each fill!

OMG! I always thought the band would last forever! Am I stupid or what? I never asked this question before? I hope I get more than 15 years! I'm only 33...then what????