snowbird

I think the port is supposed to be where you can feel it, for ease in getting fills. Some people have the port repositioned after losing a lot of weight, to make it less noticeable.

"my little angel of the silicon fist" -- Ah, you are waxing poetical again, Jack!

There seems to be a move to more and more of the larger bands. I don't have any real information, but I would guess that the larger bands would allow your doctor to fine tune your fill levels better. I had a small 4 cc band in October 2007, and I think I am just about at my sweet spot with 1.9 after two fills.

Now, one piece of cake and a scoop of ice cream doth not a diet buster make. If you ate half the cake for lunch and the rest for dinner, maybe. I'm always amazed at people who write in here and say, "I ate an M&M! I am such a failure!!!" (I know I am overstating what you said, but it seems to be such a common theme I thought I'd inject my opinion here whether you asked for it or not.) My husband and I often have a treat or two each week. When it becomes a daily occurrence, THEN you are off the wagon. Second point: 1.8 in a 10 cc band is, for most people nuthin. DH's first fill was 4 cc, and the second fill was up to 6 cc. He has some times when he is restricted, but not much. He is on his third fill in four months, at 7 cc, and he can still eat a lot at one sitting. Third, I weigh myself daily. My weight fluctuates up to 3 lb from day to day, even though I am eating under 1200 calories every day. Your body retains Water sometimes, among other things. If you weigh once a month, you don't really have a good gauge on where your weight loss is, IMHO. If you are around the time of your period, by the way, not only your weight fluctuates a lot, but also your level of restriction, so try to time your fills away from that time of the month. Final point: relax, keep up with your fills, and the scale will move down. If you are concerned you are not eating the right amounts, keep a journal of your food intake and don't guess, measure your quantities for a week or so. I am often guilty of underestimating the amount of food I put on the plate.

My husband had his fall off about 10 times, and we were always going on a mad search throughout the house, the car, the yard . . . He finally got one of those little bridge thingies to tighten it up. Maybe I'll get him a new one when he gets close to his goal.

RCG, I would really press BCBS on this, as they say the procedure is covered. I had standard option, not basic, but when I read over the coverage I don't see any difference. I think the claims processor you talked to is wrong; ask for a second opinion on it or talk to a supervisor. My husband and I both had our surgeries paid for by BCBS, but his claim paid more than mine. The difference was just between the two claims processors and how they arbitrarily categorized the different parts of the band procedure. We didn't argue because I was afraid they would lower his payment to my level, rather than vice versa! But I think you have a legitimate reason to have them take a second look at this.

My daughter researched the band and approached her PCP about it. When she told him she wanted to have the band surgery done in Mexico, he said he could not medically agree with that or support her. Then he started doing research into lap band in general and her Mexican surgeon in particular, and changed his tune totally. He now has recommended lap band to other patients and uses my daughter as a reference. when I decided to get the band, I just switched to my daughter's doctor, as she had already schooled him! He supported my decision to be banded, helped write up referrals for insurance purposes, and has been an enthusiastic rooter for both my daughter and me.

Broken rib and you're telling yourself you are just someone who rejects the band????? This does not sound like anything you should be blaming your body for. It sounds like a major surgical screwup. Don't let anyone tell you this is any part of your fault. I bet if an attorney gets in touch with your doctor, he will be much more attentive. Also, ER doctors will treat you for emergencies related to the band, regardless of where you got it or who did it. They have to. They certainly couldn't say "I didn't do your knee replacement, so I'm not treating the life threatening infection from it" can they??

DH and I stopped at a Mexican restaurant last night on our drive home from Georgia. We ordered nachos to share; that's it, no entree. Ate about 1/3 of them between the two of us. We're done. Pre-band, that would have been the appetizer before the meal, which we would have finished. I've turned into a really big tipper percentage-wise, because I feel guilty about ordering so little when we go out. Plus, I feel like I have to pay for the take home box we need every time.

Will you guys give it up? Research your doctor; don't go by a fake testimonial.

You can feel the port, under your skin. In fact, that's how your fill doctor or fill person may find it--by touch. I can't feel the band itself, either internally or by touch. It's tucked up under the ribs, I think.

Grace, I'm with you on the scale thing. I need a constant monitoring to be sure I am on track. I lie to myself too much and need an objective watchdog! trissie, I just want to remind you that gastric bypass patients can also gain back their weight, and they don't have the fill adjustments to turn to. I have a cousin and a friend who lost over 100 lb with gb, but gained it back.

My husband and I were banded the same day in Tijuana on October 10. Our kids are grown and out of the house, so it is just the two of us. It makes it so much easier that we are both on the same page about eating out, grocery shopping, even comparing scars. We have our own little private support group, as my daughter was banded a year before we were. The two of us have each lost about 60 lb since our surgery. He had an easier recovery from the surgery, but I have had an easier time getting a good level of restriction and losing weight. We are very glad we are not pulling each other in opposite directions over meals and exercise. Unless you have small children to take care of and no other family members to help you through the first week post op, then I highly recommend doing it together. (I always start to say we were banded together, then I have this image of the two of us shackled at the neck and ankles together . . . .but enough about our marriage

You look fine. You do not look like an overweight person. However, I know with me that once I reach the "normal" look I am probably going to want to go on and see if I can get to the "looking great" stage. If you lose 10 or 20 more I think you have a chance at that!

Elketta, that might possibly be true but I think it is too much of a generalization, since we are all so different. My husband has a 10 cc band and he got 4 cc for his first fill. He has now had three fills, for a total of 7 cc. He will probably need another fill in a month or two, if not right now. The number of fills would depend on how much fat you had around your stomach, and how much fat you lose around your stomach as time goes on. I was banded the same day as my husband, and have 1.9 in a 4 cc band, and I am much tighter than he is. We were both banded 10/10/07.

I think it's interesting your doctors have you coming in regularly for fills. Everyone is so different, how does that work? I have had two fills since my surgery nearly 5 months ago, and I do not need another and don't anticipate needing another in quite a while. My husband was banded the same day, has had three fills, and needs another one soon. I get my fills from Dr. Ortiz in Tijuana, and I can call for an appointment the day before I want to go in. Your experiences are reminding me why I am so much happier with the health care I'm getting in Mexico than the standard US procedures. I know most people don't live close enough to the border to have this luxury, but I am overjoyed that I have the opportunity to go back there. Viva la Mexico!

Are there certain foods you have difficulty eating? When I am in binge mode, I will sometimes eat something that I know I'll have trouble with, which stops my appetite fast. Nothing to the point of actually hacking it back up, but that slightly unpleasant, slightly nauseous feeling of taking a bite of band-unfriendly food is a real appetite suppressant for me.

Weight loss often happens in steps down, rather than a continual slope. If I'm constipated that also slows down the weight loss, so keep up your fluids and moving around. It's very common to hit a plateaus around this time. It will pass. I didn't lose anything from 3 to 7 weeks post surgery but now I'm losing 10 lb per month pretty steadily.

I just tell people. I figure either the askers are fat, or they have loved ones who are, and they might spread the word that LBS is an effective tool for obesity. Maybe I as just past the age of caring whether other people approve or not. I lost 65 lb on Atkins three years ago, and had someone ask me very reticently if I was dieting, or if I was sick and had, like, cancer, you know . . .

Do you need a fill? What are you eating, and how much? Is quantity a problem, or quality? Don't think of the last few months as a failure; think of that time as a break you took from being a bandster, but now it's time to join the club again! The beauty of the band is that we can take a break from it, but not necessarily gain wait like we would have when we would yo yo diet.

My husband, banded in October 2007 also, has 7 cc. in his 10 cc band, and has some restriction but not much. He can still eat an entire restaurant meal with no problem. I was banded the same day and have 1.9 in my 4 cc band, and he can easily eat 3 or 4 times as much as I can.

I would not let him touch any part of my body. Do some research on his history and reputation.

Eating around the band refers to people who have had fills and whose bands are at a good restriction, but who eat things that the band will not restrict, like ice cream, milk shakes, or any other high calorie food that will pass easily through. Once you have fills, you are not supposed to have any more liquids with calories, because they will not fill you up like solid foods will. That includes Protein shakes too, since they are liquid and will leave you hungry again in a couple hours. As Tyanna said, this isn't something you need to worry about until you are on solids. Right now, you should just concentrate on staying with liquids so your stomach heals thoroughly.

yes . . . upper stomach above the band, and yes. Some foods don't pass through the band well. Breads are bad because they turn to a solid doughy plug in your stomach. You feel pain when that happens, start salivating and the saliva has nowhere to go, and then may get to the point that you need to bring the food back up. If you have a lot of restriction due to a tight fill, this can be a common occurrence and can happen with many foods. A lot of women have trouble around their period because that seems to make them tighter. I'm past that time of life so I can't speak from personal experience. I also have trouble with fibrous vegetables like celery, broccoli, or asparagus. Some meats also cause problems. The pain these foods can cause is pretty sharp, and is enough to make me want to avoid them in the future.

There is a prevailing myth that everyone needs 8 glasses of Water a day. It originated from the determination that the body contains that much water, and it got misconstrued. However, I find that good hydration helps keep me from getting constipated, and when I am constipated my weight loss goes down to zero. I live in Arizona part of the year, and we carry water with us at all times, and drink constantly since the dry hot climate just sucks it out of you. With the band and the rule about not drinking with your meals, it is sometimes difficult to keep enough fluids going through. I think we just need to be aware that our bodies do need sufficient water to work correctly and be sure we drink in between meals.