Dave01

I havent tried any ice cream yet. FF popsicles are my weakness, but they are ok calorie wise. Glad to hear you have found the full feeling. I am still waiting to get there.

At 3.5 weeks,was still on mushies, so my breakfast was and still is a protein shake made with skim milk. For lunch i was having blended soup, such as clam chowder or cream of chicken. Dinner was the same as breakfast and I am still doing that too. Not many calories, but I am never hungry either. Plus I get usually 110-120 grams of protein in per day, along with at least a galln of liquids, either water or crystal light.

Chris, I used the company physicals also and that is what I think made the difference

1 hour and 25 minutes of walking 4.3 miles....BACK on track after a few day delay

I fought with Aetna for about 6 months, after turning in all required paperwork. They are the worse to get approval from. My surgeon, primary dr and myself called them over and over to get it done. Each time they would require another thing. I cannot speak for every case, but with my experiences, without ALL of the required things, they will NOT approve someone. We had to threaten to take them to the insurance commisioner here in Florida to get approval. I hope you are luckier than I was and it goes easier...Dave

I only have 6 in my VG band, but tonight I was told it will hold 14

Aetna required 5 consecutive years, so I went to my company dr that does our yearly physicals and got a letter from her.

The 4cc band only means that it should take 4cc's of liquid in the band and port to close the opening. It really doesnt mean the size of the opening at all. The amount of food you can have is determined by the placement of the band, how large the pouch is and what your dr recommends. Hope this helps. I had wondered the same thing too.....

Mine was 2 weeks liquids, 2 weeks mushies, 1 week soft foodand then regular food. All of this on top of a month long liquid diet that I put myself on. Boy am I glad that is over. Now I have soup cravings....Go figure LOL

I have AETNA PPO. and had to jump thru all kinds of hoops. 5 year weight loss history, 6 month diet/nutrition plan, co-morbidities list, etc etc etc. Then 4 weeks after surgery was done, they called and said I was not covered!!!!! I HATE AETNA

I guess I am one of the lucky ones. I love the protein shakes from Walmart. Lots of good stuff in them and the choclate ones are good. I even have them if I want a small snack at night...LOL

Christy, good questions. I am able to eat anything, but I avoid breads, rice and potatoes, corn, and most red meat. I do well with grilled fish, chicken and soft veggies, like the micro-steam kind. As far as pain, I really didnt have any, other than a little discomfort from the gas after surgery. Walking a lot made it go away in about 5 days. I spent one extra day in the hospital since my surgery was a marathon event, taking 4 hours. All due to scar tissue in the way from a few abdominal surgeries in the past. Most are done within an hour and they go home the same day. For me its the best decision I have made. I only wish I had done it 10 years sooner.

Marieze, Here ya go. My cousin was just 3 years younger than me. He was around 390 lbs, 5'08" tall.Afer he was diagnosed with sleepapnea, he got a cpap machine and used it each night. From what my aunt told me, either he pinched the hose shut by laying on it or the machine quit, which caused him to have a heart attack. He passed away in his sleep. That was enough to scare me into using mine all the time. When I had my sleep study, they said I quit breathing 19 times in 2 hours, and would wake myself up quickly when I was out of air. You may need a different type of mask for yours. I have the full mask which covers the nose and mouth. Not the most comfortable thing but it works. I sleep much better with it. Hope this helps....Dave

Message sent to ya....Dave

Arin, It took me almost 1 year to get all of the required stuff done and get a surgery date. Not long before that my cousin passed away from complications with sleep apnea, so it was a no brainer for me to get the band. I didnt find this site till after mine was done. Wish I would have because I went in not knowing much. Its worth the wait.....

Since its been almost a month after your surgery, call your dr and explain it to him/her. I wouldnt want to guess because I am not that familiar yet with the things that come up. Hope all works out, keep us posted....Dave

I didnt find it hard, but I started the liquid almost a month before surgery since I knew it was coming. Tried to lessen the shock to my system that way. It will have its good days and bad ones, but get the protein and liquids in and you will do fine...Dave

Yep, Just a very few calories with the crystal light, but it adds variety to the daily water intake. Plus I take the single packs with me everywhere in case I am out and want a change from plain water.

I pretty much follow the 1/2 hr before and 1 hr after rule for drinking. I havent found any food I cannot tolerate, but have given up bread, except toasted whole wheat pitas, rice, potatoes, mangos and beef/pork. So far I have not missed any of them.

We are officially LBT addicts...LOL I really missed my nightly and morning fix too.

Patty, nice to see another local person on here. Good luck with your banding. Mine was Aug 30th and its been a trip so far.

I was able to swallow all of my meds the day after surgery. Some are rather large too. I guess it depends on how much swelling you have post-op.

I sip water all day, usually averaging 1.5 gallons, yep gallons per day. This does not include soup or anything else, just water and crystal light. I'm thinking of buying stock in crystal light to get some of my money back. Drink all the liquids you can manage. They pass right thru and will not hurt anything. Just make sure they are sugar free and non carbonated.

I recently had an experience like this. I just told the waitress that I eat slower than most to enjoy the taste and she left me alone. I have found that if the place is really crowded, they like to move you in and out as quick as possible, but I still eat at my slow speed.

I have heard from our local group that its a little hard to be exact on how much of a fill you really get. They fill the needle with a specific amount, inject it and thats what went into the system, but some stays in the port, the tube etc. Just sounds like you needed a little more....Dave