Lana24

well hi there and welcome. This is a wonderful site to be on. You can use the search feature to find threads relating to your doctor and to your after care.

There is a wealth of information already on here, READY, SET, READ!

If not for this site I am sure I would not have had the success I am so proud of thus far.

Again welcome and explore. Lana

10/09(during) and 7/08 (before)

Thank you for sharing! Don't ever let anyone else tell you whats good for you!

Thank you, and I agree! I think it also covers my out of pocket surgery deductible. I read your story and I"m very happy for you! I will move ahead, because next year my insurance changes and I don't want to take any chances!

My fee did NOT cover anything like that. I still got seperate bills from hospital, surgeon and assistant surgeron. Please make sure you ask all of the right questions before you do it. Once its done, your in debt.

Thanks for sharing.

HI there,

I know your pain, two local docs in my area wanted to charge about that much. I had to find another doctor,as I could not afford it nor was I willing to pay it. I did pay 700 for a program fee, its basically giving money away. I never saw the nutricitionist after surgery nor have I gone to any of the meetings... basically I think its a "required" rip off that the insurance companies should not allow. But that is just my opinion.

PB= Productive Burp

PS= Plastic Surgery

Hi,

I did I finally made it to my first goal! It only took a year and a half to lose 40 pounds. From what I can understand from my own body, I was not a HUGE eater before, yes I ate too much and too much of the wrong types of food. Whereas some people consume thousands upon thousands of calories per day, then it only stands to reason when banded and unable to eat they have drastic weight loss results. That is why results vary so with each individual.

The first six months, I had myself pegged as a failure until I remember the saying, THE PAST DOES NOT EQUAL THE FUTURE. I had to stop my own "stinking thinking" because I was undermining my victories. Every pound, every ounce that comes off is a victory.

So instead of sitting around thinking about me and my own ass, I try to get out or stay in but with my mind occupied on something I enjoy like music or playing with my kids. I read more now than ever and I am just generally a happier person inside my own skin.

Think about it like this, any journey even weight loss will be as hard as you make it. If you "think" it is impossible your brain will "set up" impossible scenarios... funny how that works out!

Ask your self, What can I do to have the most effective weight loss and enjoy doing it... Whatever answer you get is the right path for you.

Good luck,

Lana

Hi CC,

Like the other poster, I stay away from negative people. I feel that a negative self image is what really got me stuck in this terrible self hating cycle. Not that I hated myself it was other peoples lop-sided views I let infect my mind and my heart. And the resulting confusing cause comfort eating.

Now that I have shown those poople the door, its all about ME baby!

I was banded in July 09. I have only lost five pounds. No I haven't been exercising like crazy, but I did make several changes such as walking my daughter to and home from school which is a total of two miles a day. On top of that doing another mile walk on Tues and Thursdays. I am still eating a lot because I am hungry. I do PB sometimes, but most of the time I can eat a lot. Its so depressing to have only lost 5 pounds. My husband thinks this was a waist of money. I paid 10k because my BMI was too low to qualify for surgery. I want to believe this is going to work for me, but Im starting to doubt in myself and my band. I just wonder if anyone out there had a slow start but ended up losing the weight. I have read posts from people who the band didnt work for and Im starting to wonder if I am one of those people.

Hi there! So glad to connect with someone else who had similar question to my own...

Thank you for posting. I placed my self in the category of a "slow loser" but now that I have had the band for more than a year and a half I realize that I simply did not have enough restriction. I still don't, but I am getting closer.

As you can see by my signature I had a lot of fills, if your hungry go get a fill. You don't need to become an Olympian for the band to work but you do have to exercise (which you are doing).

So hang in there, it works when you work it!

Lana:thumbup:

Its been 15 months, 30 pounds. For me I realize this is a journey. In the beginning I thought I'll have surgery and lose weight but it has been so much more then that. After 20 years I stopped smoking, I was addicted to fast food as well. I over ate, never exercised and my previous body was a tried and true representation of how I lived my life.

Post band, although I have not lost a lot of pounds I HAVE lost a lot of bad habits.

All you can do is take it one day, one step and one meal at a time. IF you move and eat well those actions will show on oyur body plain and simple.

I don't look pregnant anymore.

Yes, I questioned it...could I or would I. But the fact is I want to lose weight, I had to quit smoking, stop eating out and recover for surgery. Walking is the easy part in my point of view.

Good luck

I have been getting alot of comments about how great I look. I enjoy the comments and they encourage me to keep on keeping on....but....when I look in the mirror I still see the 301lb woman I was just a few months ago. I can tell that my bras are bigger and some of my clothes are looser, but I can't look at myself and see any change! Do any of you have the same problem?

Um, yeah! I not only can't see it, the longer I stand in front of the mirror the fatter I get.

I know its just my mind playing cruel tricks on me, but its the truth. Weightloss is more psycological then physical in my opinion. The mind has the power and ability to see what it wants.

oh, there is hope for me yet!

congrats, what a huge success!

I'm 16 months out, I used to burp when I got hungry. But that stopped when I had my last fill.

I say don't worry! I have never had a problem not once and the more I loose the better it gets.....

Hell no...

before I do anything I listen in my head to how it would sound while I explain it to an ER doc!

No thanks, to weird for me.

Hi Taz,

I hate to say this but I am not so sure it exist either. This is not to discount the pain and suffering I just think there meybe a reasonable explanation for it all. Sweeteners are in over 6,000 american products, if we all had a few sysmptoms that no one could explain then there you go..someone named it fibromyalgia! What if it was all preventable, what if this was done to us? And on purpose no less.

All I know is I was diagnosed and prayed for a quick death because life in that situation was not livable.

Now here I am healthy, no more co-pays, no more dizziness, mental fog, anxiety, stomache pain, fevers, pain and the like. If I had not done the research I would still be suffering. Please people read your labels, taking meds that you may not need will make it worse. I've been there!

I drank too soon once and thrwe up all over myself. I never made that mistake again...it only happens once you start getting tight. If you take a bite and then drink and have no neg side effects then basically your not that tight yet. So no worries!

LOL, coins...right on!

In my research I found doctors can do basically whatever they want if they don't have to go through medical insurance. Those requirements about weight and BMI are insurance requirements mostly. I read someone on here had a BMI of 35 and had it done in Mexico, it only about 8 grand...my insruance paid double!

Good luck!

You'll be alright. Most of us have been there, your in bandster-hell right now. Hungry and can't eat...head hunger is getting to you. I know been there.

Forgive yourself and move on. The longer you go without that stuff the more you will realize that you don't need it and it really never tasted that good either!

Best wishes along your journey.

I think one of the most important things to remember is, this is not effortless. I read some posts that say things like I have been banded for 3 years and have not lost any weight and they don't know why. Well lets see if you eat crap and have an adversion to exercise then no the band will not work for you.

Its not a magic band this requires thought, meal planning, cooking, eating veggies and exercise. If you can commit to those things then yes you will have a great deal of success.

Remember this is a journey, it could take years to get to to your goal but getting there...now thats the journey!

Its all well worth it and I wish you the very best!

Hi everyone,

I was DX with Fibro- about 7 years ago. I suffered wide spread pain through out most of my body beginning 1991 while I was pregnant. I had good days and bad days, I used crutches when the pain in my legs was unbearable. There were periods that I hardly left the house I was in so much pain. Everything was a choir and I suffered.

When I finally saw a doctor who did not dismiss the pain with just some Ibuprohen I strated to get a little better.

I had lapband surgery 05/21/08 when I had to change my diet I noticved that I not only felt better but I sleeping better and had a lot less pain. As time went on it got better...

I'm not sure how I came to this ocnclusion, but I guess I ate something or read something. But the important point is I discovered I had aspartame poisioning. Every sweet non-sugar treat I ate had it as an ingrediate. I was using it in my coffee, chew it in my gum, crystal-lite, sweetners, chewable Vitamins...basically my body felt like it was drying. I looked up the FDA regs with regard to this product, they list about a couple hundred symptoms this stuff can give the general population.

I had 50 listed symptoms, to date I no longer suffer from what they called fibromyalgia.

I did have a bout of pain three months ago and the only new thing I added was grape juice...although its not listed as an ingrediate I found out that companies could use the law under trade secrets to not disclose what "natural flavors" are...

So I try my best to use as many locally grown fruits and veggies as possible. I stay away from sweets and I read ingrediants! Oh, back in 91 the new thing I added was diet coke...was never the same again but never thought it could cause such pain through out...

Good luck everyone!