MerryHearted

I have wine on occasion with no problem. Not very often though, maybe twice a month? (except when I was on that cruise in Nov; we had wine every night with dinner! lol) With alcohol I try to watch for both calories and impaired judgement -- i.e. I've heard many people say that they end up eating more at dinner when they have alcohol before or with the meal. At support group someone mentioned that they enjoy a glass of wine before dinner when they eat out with friends because they are tight and it relaxes them enough that they don't have problems with anything getting stuck. I'm not tight enough to have had anything get stuck anyway, so I can't corroborate.

I like the longer challenges too, but either way I'll be participating. I'm finding it motivating. Plus, I've noticed that I feel like I'm not losing weight, but when I log my weight here and look what I've lost during the challenge time it reminds me that yes indeed I have been losing, it just hasn't been a steady every-week loss. So count me in! See you next week when our End-of-2005 challenge ends!

A fill (or more than one!) will make a HUGE difference, trust me. That's the way the band works. Just you wait and see. So you've been banded since the beginning of August but have not gotten fills?

I was drinking normally pretty soon after surgery. I just used a regular Water glass and sometimes a straw, for the cold stuff. For hot, I used a regular Soup bowl or coffee mug. Unless you've got extreme swelling, liquid goes right through the band. You should be able to "drink" a normal serving of soup, juice or Protein drink -- no need to be limiting to a shotglass full. [if they are telling you that at your surgery center, then I suspect they are primarily used to working with gastric bypass patients, not bandsters.] Don't "overstock" on liquids, as the phase goes by really fast and then you need to avoid liquid calories after that. For the first couple of days, all I wanted was chicken broth. After that, I tried to have caloric liquids at "mealtimes" and non-caloric the rest of the time, so I didn't end up consuming too many calories. Good luck on your surgery!!

I would love to have this permanently, but I don't think it will happen. I'm guessing somewhere down the line I'll have a complication of some sort. So I'm doing what I can to make the best of it while I have it. If I do lose this, then I'll decide what to do to maintain my loss -- depends on what's available at that time. Maybe they'll make some major breakthroughs in the next several years. After all, obesity is rapidly becoming an epidemic in the US at least -- not sure about Europe/Australia. There's a ton of money to be made on any effective treatment.

Congrats Jodie! I was just wondering how you were doing. Size 16 - wow!

No complications here so far either, but I've only been banded since 8/31/05. Keep in mind that those who have had the band for years and have had no complications are very unlikely to be still hanging around on the boards or Yahoo groups -- they are out living their lives as thin people (or at least "thinner" than they once were)

I think it's a natural worry -- we start to see results, we finally have some hope again, and we are scared we might lose it. Most of us worry about it at some point. Chances are that you just need a small fill. If you are not filled enough, it is very hard to consistently follow the rules. Especially if you are feeling hungry all the time and thinking about food a lot. You can recommit to following the rules when you get the fill, and do what you can until then. Definitely talk to your surgeon or fill doc about your concerns. They will hopefully put you at ease. (or give you the endo for your peace of mind)

Good luck! I hope they approve you! As for the bypass, do research it carefully. It's scary to consider, but there are obviously a ton of people who have been successful with it. Maybe find a bypass-related Yahoo group or chat board where you can read about both the successes and the issues that folks run into. A bypass clinic might also let you sit in on a support group meeting as well, so you can meet people who have had it and listen in on what they discuss in group.

If your insurance paid for the band to begin with, they will almost surely pay for problems you run into like erosion, slippage, infection, etc. Assuming your policy doesn't change between the time you have the surgery and when you run into the problem. If your insurance didn't pay for the band and you are going self-pay, it's highly unlikely that your insurance will cover any problems you run into. Good to have a plan or idea of how you'd pay for a port revision or band removal / replacement if you do go the self-pay route.

Sugarbear -- I've been banded since 8/31 and have no restriction so far from eating any kind of food (bread, steak, salad, etc). I have given up pop completely though, and severely limit my intake of sugar, bread, etc. Besides smaller portions, most docs will tell you to avoid bread, Pasta, potatoes, and junk food even if they will go down just fine. None of those are conducive to weight loss. Lean Protein, veggies and fruits are the best choices. Of course, it ultimately comes down to eating fewer calories than what you need. The band won't do all the work -- you'll still be able to eat junk, so you need to be committed to following a healthy eating plan. Good luck! Hope you get your insurance to pay most/all of this. If not, make sure you have a financial plan for what you are going to do if you are one of the unlucky few who have to have a port or band removal down the road. [plus budget for fills -- they are expensive and the band is worthless without them]. Some docs do them for cheaper/free during the first year after surgery, so don't forget to ask about that.

Oh I hope you get chosen!! Good luck!

hahaha!! Thanks Crystal!

Was great to meet you guys -- too bad it was so short. Hope to get together again sometime. Crystal -- you mentioned a funny Christmas carol with chickens, I hope you post the link for us!

Go Teresa! Do you have your wedding dress already in your goal size? That's a great motivator I bet. My resolutions: * Get a whole bunch of house projects done. I've got a list, cost estimates, and am preparing to apply for the home equity loan and get contractors going as soon as the holidays are over. * Lose as much weight as I can this year. My goal is to drop 75 lbs in 2006! * I have some career-related goals that I'm not going to go into here. * and finally, in 2006 I'm going to do some volunteer work. Even if it's not a lot.

Congratulations!! I'm sure your pregnancy will go great!

The clinic I went to specializes in LapBands and almost everyone on staff is a bandster. I don't think I've had contact with anyone there who wasn't, except the surgeon himself. The staff who do the paperwork, the psychiatrist/counselor, the fill docs, the receptionists, etc. I'm not at all surprised that a clinic specializing in gastric bypass would choose to have full time workers who have had the procedure. That's what I'd do if I were running the business -- they'd be able to better related to patients if they'd been through it themselves. Not only that, but I'd be sure to hire only successful WLS patients; ones who had lost all or most of their excess weight, had little to no complications and were gung-ho about the surgery. But using that to make a hard sell on someone who already said they weren't interested is unethical, imho. Blech! This isn't the first time I've heard something bad about these Barix clinics. As an aside, don't assume that just because a clinic operates in their own center that they don't also work out of a nearby hospital. The clinic I went to does both. I had mine done in the hospital since my insurance would only cover it that way; the docs just schedule blocks of surgeries at the hospital on certain days. don't mind me, I'm just feeling opinionated and chatty tonight /sigh

You can eat a very balanced diet when banded. And if you do find that you are unable to get in what you need during pregnancy, just have him take some of your fill out. That's the great thing about it being adjustable! If there are problems with the band, will you be able to have followup surgeries for free? (removal, port revision, etc)? And is he nearby enough that you will be able to get fills/unfills as needed? Best wishes!!

Tomorrow's the day! I'll be wearing a med blue sweatshirt with snowmen on it and a red fleece jacket with snowflakes. Hard to miss me, I'm still a big girl! Is everyone still going to make it?

I wouldn't worry about the surgery part because of the proctor -- but I'd definitely worry about the aftercare! Especially if it's a center that has been doing all GB until now. Definitely try to switch to a center that has experience banding aftercare. That's at least, if not more, important than the surgery itself as you will be needing support, fills, and instruction on banding rules/eating. Not to mention a doc who has seen complications in his practice and can recognize the symptoms / get you treatment right away if you run into them.

Let's see: the most helpful things my hubby does: 1) Doesn't say a word about my weight unless I say something first. 2) If I say "I've lost another pound!" he congratulates me 3) If I whine that the scale is up he says "you probably just ate something salty" 4) He doesn't pressure me to work out, but he encourages me when I bring it up (things like asking what time to set the alarm in the morning, skedaddling out of the room when I want to do a workout video, watching our toddler so I can run to the gym, inviting me to walk or swim with him for fun) 5) If I have bad gas pains or swallow something too big and get that deer-in-the-headlight look he doesn't play food police -- he just sympathizes and asks "what can I do to help?" 6) He asks me what I want for dinner and makes it. 7) If he wants junk food, he hides it so I don't see it. Pop cans are kept in the bottom crisper in the fridge where they can't be seen when I open the fridge. Candy/chips are heaven knows where. 8) He never comments on serving sizes. He never comments if I bring home something like Cookies. (no food policing again) etc. Such a sweet guy.

Looking forward to seeing the list so I can download them onto my MP3 player. I could use some good music suggestions.

I have been off carbonation since I went on my pre-op diet last August. However, I did try a few sips of DH's pop a couple weeks ago when we were out. That was a BAD idea -- I had such bad gas and cramping afterwards. Ugh. So I am continuing my no-carbonation rule, as I hate gas pain. Just because you can, doesn't mean you should!

If you go to the bandaid aisle in a pharmacy, they will have a few different kinds. I use ScarGel.

I think both are true. Managing your fills is important -- the band is useless without any restriction -- and I'd agree with the word "proactive" but not "aggressive". Being too tight leads to a higher chance of problems. I am being proactive with my fills but definitely not aggressive. I want the least amount of fill possible and I'll ride it until I'm sure I need more fill. i.e. making sure that my weight loss stopping is not because I'm eating crap and/or not following the rules, that it's really because my band is needing more fill. But even someone who has the right fill level and is doing everything right might lose slowly. Our bodies are all so different. I'm of the opinion that anyone who is reading this who is still researching should make sure they know the fill policy of their surgeon's office prior to getting banded. You want one you lets YOU manage your fills, not one who makes you jump through lots of hoops (like putting you on a diet) or wait some arbitrarily long time between fills (like 6 weeks). I feel so grateful for the wonderful folks at NWWLS when I hear some of the stories that get posted here.