MerryHearted

I've got a band that holds 4cc. I started with 1.5cc at my 6-week fill. That didn't help much. A week later I moved up to 1.75cc; that was better and I stuck with that for a bit but I have been stalled for awhile even with a fill to 2.0 and then 2.25. So I just jumped to 2.75 last week and that's much better. The great thing is that whether it's too loose or too tight you can get it adjusted again right away. (unless you've got one of those nutty docs that insist on some arbitrary time between fills whether the fill is working for you or not)

Don't know Melanie -- give it a few weeks though. I've noticed my band is pretty fickle. I'll feel tighter for a few days then looser sometimes. Sticking to Protein & produce definitely lowers my cravings though. Roberta -- chances are you just need more fill and are still feeling hungry like you did pre-band. Getting more fill will cut down on that hunger. Some of it probably is head-hunger, but I bet not all. If your doc has an open door policy on fills, you might want to call and make another appt.

Definitely would go with the band again. And I'm a "turtle" as it were... I lost at a good pace at first, but for the last few months I've been stalled. I just got a good .5 cc fill and hopefully that'll help. But still, the stall is a stall, not a rapid re-gain of my weight lost! With a "regular" diet, I'd have regained it all by now and then some. Or be well on my way anyway. (and NewSho -- congratulations on 154 lbs lost in one year!!! I won't preach at ya though girl, because I know about the frustration of looking at how much is left to lose and getting discouraged. I am looking forward to hearing how you feel about the band when you do reach goal)

Congratulations Amy!!

I did it for 2 weeks I think, or maybe closer to 3. Honestly, it's only the first few days that are hard. After that, your body adjusts and you aren't hungry all the time. I added in veggies & fruits for something to nosh on (except the last day before surgery). Still lost a good chunk of weight and my liver looked great said the doc. I started on OptiFast, but it gave me eczema, so I switched to Glucerna. They sell that in the drugstore alongside Ensure / Boost (not with the SlimFast or diet food). It's formulated for diabetics to not spike your blood sugar and it has fiber in it to help keep you full longer.

They usually use your starting weight when submitting to the insurance. Is the nutritional counseling you mentioned part of the surgeon's program or is it something required by your insurance? One thing to remember is that the surgeon's office / clinic, assuming they specialize in weight loss surgery, *wants* you to have the surgery. They make money from it and from the followup fills. So they will be working with you to get you qualified for the surgery. And they may know the ins and outs of working with your particular insurance company, too, if the surgery center handles any of that for you. (mine did all that paperwork for me)

I tend to lose in spurts. And I've not lost much in the past few months. But it averages out to between 1 - 1.5 lbs per week anyway. Best to keep a spreadsheet or at least mark down your weekly weight in a notebook and track it over a long period.

:hug: You are probably just fine; pb'ing happens to most folks at one point or another. Just make sure to give your band a rest when you PB -- i.e. stop eating / meal is over. And maybe stick to liquids for the next meal or two in case there is swelling from the irritation. What to watch for: if you start vomiting or nothing will go down, call the doctor. If you are worried, please give your surgeon's office a call to talk to a staff member, since we're not qualified to give real medical advice here. :nervous

I'm still at the same weight, even though I got a fill this week. But I think my weight will drop this next week. I wonder if we should do a weekly check in thread instead of adding to this one? It's getting pretty big!

I don't regret having this surgery one bit. I've never PB'd or thrown up. I can eat normally except in smaller quantities. Nobody but immediate family knows I had the surgery. I don't have any issues with my port, although it was certainly sore at first. You can't eat normally the first month as you're still healing, but there are ways around that -- avoid eating out with friends at first. And I was definitely gassier the first few weeks after surgery, but now I'm back to normal. Snarf down those Gas-X tablets, they help. Don't worry - you won't become the "special needs" friend, particularly if you don't want to be. Whether you will regret it or be part of the few % who have problems like erosion or slippage is impossible to tell up front. I haven't heard many folks say they regret doing this, even those who have had to have their bands removed down the road. Good luck on your decision!

That sounds awfully fishy to me!

Sorry, don't know Dr. Neal. But replying to bump your post and hope someone else can comment! If you don't get a response here then definitely try the Yahoo group PNW_Bandsters.

I'll make a suggestion, for what it's worth. Banded or not, I have to try to avoid sugar. If I have sugar, I will crave junk food and make bad choices at meals. Even with the band. And yeah, I can't eat large quantities like I used to, but a cookie here and a cookie there add up. Think about it: one measly little Oreo cookie per day will add up to over 8 lbs per year. A decade later, you're 80 lbs overweight and wondering why. My recommendation: make a commitment to stay away from added sugar for 2 whole weeks. No chocolate syrup in the latte, no Cookies, no ice cream. And then see after two weeks how you feel. Are you eating less? Does the band seem to be working better in keeping you full between meals? Really truly this is what I have to do to stay on track. When I decide to have a little sugar, the ramifications are far beyond just the few extra calories I ingested right then. I have to white-knuckle-detox off sugar again over the course of a couple weeks to get back to feeling normal. It really sucks but that's how it is for me. Not saying it's true for everyone, but it's worth a try if you are frustrated with always craving junk.

Yep, the liquid farting lasted for me for awhile even after I started on solids. I suggest keeping a clean pair of undies at work just in case. :paranoid Eventually it did go away though! So take heart. :confused:

The suggestions I've heard are: 1) take smaller bites - like the size of a pea 2) chew chew chew chew and then chew some more 3) use a lubricating agent, (bbq sauce, ketchup, salsa...) 4) some foods you just have to avoid

Average day for me: Breakfast: cup of coffee with a bit of milk in it (no sugar) + one egg fried in a nonstick pan with Pam olive oil spray OR a latte + fruit. Lunch: cup of protein-based Soup (split pea & ham, various kinds of chili, or lentil) + a small whole grain roll. OR a small salad with 2-3 oz of chicken & regular dressing. This is a work-cafeteria lunch. Mid-afternoon: tall nonfat latte (no sugar) + a piece of fruit -- usually an apple. If I had a latte in the morning, then it'll be a piece of fruit and regular coffee or tea; I generally don't do more than one latte per day. Dinner: a small serving of whatever DH cooks. Tacos, enchiladas, pot roast, corned beef & cabbage, sauerkraut & hotdogs, baked chicken + steamed veggies, spaghetti + meat sauce and salad, Swedish meatballs over brown rice + steamed veggies, etc. We try to cook these items healthily -- leanest ground beef, lowfat or nonfat dairy products, whole grains, steamed veggies with no butter on them, etc. Later in the evening: sliced fruit and either decaf coffee or decaf/herbal tea. Sometimes lite microwave popcorn & Crytal Light lemonade. When we eat out, I don't (can't!) do the "whole meal deal" type package like I used to, i.e. drink, bread, salad, big entree, dessert. Now it's Water before the meal and then just part of the entree. The rest goes into a box if it's something I might want later. I do occasionally have a glass of wine both at home or when out. And a bite of DH's dessert if I really want it. Often I just don't. (bizarre, I know! I was such a sugarhound before)

Ouch! :hug: sorry to hear this. Hoping the PT and the injection give you some relief!

Oops didn't make it in yesterday. C 228 (-60 total) (-2 this week)

Can I join? I know I'm coming in late, I just haven't had a lot of time to spend on the boards lately. But the challenges sure help me stay on track! MollyMolly - H 288 / S 264 / J 230 / C 230 / G 140 (-58 lbs) Oh yes, I've been reading everyone's bios: I'm 36, a software engineer, married to another geek (a skinny junk food fiend, natch!) and we have a daughter, age 2, who was adopted because with my weight issues and PCOS I haven't been able to maintain a pregnancy. We will be adopting a baby boy this year; we just wrapped up the initial paperwork for that and are now waiting for a referral. When I met DH I was a size 16 but rapidly gained 100 lbs -- we ate out a LOT and he introduced me to online gaming, Everquest in particular, which became a hobby we did together. Now he still plays but I don't except very occasionally. I quilt, I read, I work, I play with DD... My weights are from my own scale at home; add about 10 lbs for what they are at a doctor's office.

One of mine came off right away too, and I put a bandaid on it. I did ask my doc about it as they had said to leave them on. He said not to worry about it, that there were stitches underneath holding the incision together anyway. (I was jokingly asking him if any guts were going to come shooting out) That said, I did see steri-strips a month later at the drugstore when I went in to buy scargel. If I had known they sold those at the drugstore I would have gotten a small package and replaced the one that had fallen off.

It's been absolutely worth it to me. And to almost everyone I've talked to (maybe even some who have had complications) But do your research; make sure you are picking a bariatric center that has great follow up care after banding where you get the information and support you need after banding including fills when you need them not on some arbitrary schedule.

Oops, didn't realize this ended last Wed. Well, either way I only lost 10 lbs during the challenge; 240->230. My goal was 16 lbs I believe. My problem was giving up exercise. But I am re-dedicating myself starting this week and will exercise 3+ times a week now. I just do so much better when I do -- more energy, eat better, drink more fluids and lose faster. I guess I need to sniff out where the new challenge is... there is one, isn't there??

:eek: Don't worry, like others said you're not hurting yourself eating 1 cup of food, it's just sliding on down. So are they going to give you a fill at 6 weeks or make you suffer indefinitely? :paranoid

I've not gone before, but I'm thinking of going tomorrow night as I skipped the NWWLS support group this month. Anyone else ever go to this Soup night? Redmond/Bellevue Soup Night Friday February 24, 2006 6:30 pm - 8:30 pm This event repeats on the last Friday of every month. Event Location: Crossroads Mall Notes: Come and join our Soup Night at Crossroads Mall, Bellevue. Meet beside Starbucks at 6:30pm (look for the table with the Butterfly picture) for Fun and Support with your Banded friends. food Court means lots of choices no matter what stage you are at. Come along and have some fun! **Copy this link to your browser for Crossroads Mall information and directions. http://www.crossroadsbellevue.com/directionshours/index.htm

Hi Maria, welcome! If you do decide to do the surgery locally, I'll throw in a recommendation for NWWLS. And a second recommendation that you avoid a center that primarily does gastric bypass. Try to find a surgeon / bariatric center that specializes in LapBand. I assume you're looking at Mexico because you're self-pay. I'm sure the bandsters on the board will help you pick a good one -- there's lots of good advice. Where will you get your fills afterwards? Plan on 3-5 fills the first year, at least, and add that cost on to the Mexico cost to make sure you can afford it. Sometimes US docs charge exorbitant prices for fills/aftercare for people banded in Mexico, so make sure you find a local fill doctor before you leave and make sure they are clear about what they charge for patients that were banded in Mexico. If it's too expensive, I hear some people do fly back down to Mexico when they need fills -- there are some great deals on plane fares if taking a day off work isn't an issue. Best wishes on choosing a doc!