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I would ask that question when you go for your informational meeting tomorrow. I was one who was always at my dr.'s frustrated with my weight loss attempts, so I had good documentation. I have heard of people that just document their weight loss attempts and get their dr's signature on it. It all goes to your ins. company for approval, thats what they want it for. They are also interested in your BMI being over a certain # and any co-morbitity issues you might be dealing with. I would think that any ins. co. would look at those 2 things with more importance than any weight loss attempt over a 13 year period. Although it is important (don't get me wrong) it is not all there is to this process of getting approval for the surgery. Good luck tomorrow and keep us posted. Carol

Hi Everyone, NOt sure how many of you are from the Rochester area and go to Highland Hospital for your bariatric surgery, but was just reading the death notices in todays paper and saw that Dr. Thad Boss passed away yesterday. I knew he was sick, and had not been part of the practice for a while due to his illness, didn't realize it was a terminal thing. I heard he was an awesome Dr. his patients loved him a lot. I bet he will be missed. Hope all are doing well.....Happy Holidays to all. Carol

Thanks Joann.....I have NEVER been an inspiration to anyone in my life....so those are nice words to hear. After I read your letter I went back and read mine, I actually got teary eyed as I read it.....its all so true, and food has become so unimportant in my life, that sounds strange, and maybe should be worded differently, because I know food gives you life, but its taken a back seat to the rest of my life, and maybe thats how "normal" people look at food. Perhaps I am also becoming "normal" now too? wow....imagine that! I may not post alot on here, but I know all about your wait and struggle to get banded JoAnn, I am just glad your date is finally around the corner for you. Thanks for your response. I can't wait to see your weight go down for you...Just imagine how much more healthy you are going to be when you see your grandbabies in April...oh I am so excited for you:thumbup:

April you sound like I sounded a year ago. Just not sure of where I want to go as far as the lapband was concerned, did I want to go through with it or try once more loosing weight on my own. I was going through menopause, I was quitting smoking and I was gaining weight to the point where I was at my heaviest weight ever, and boy did I feel horrible....I could barely move without a struggle, every joint ached every bone creaked, my clothes looked like hell on me and I didn't want to do a thing except sit and watch TV and eat. I was scared to be without food, I pretty much had no choice but to persue the lapband road. I realized that at 313 lbs and age 51 the only way out was lapband or probably death at an early age, and with my first grandbaby on the way, I wasn't too thrilled with the latter. I was banded in July and I can honestly say that this is the best decision I have ever made for me! I am truly eating to live, and not the reverse anymore. As I sat on the floor last night playing with my 6 month old granddaughter with almost 40 lbs gone, I had a realization that I would not be on the floor with her if I were still 313 lbs, I would not have been able to get down there and get up again. So much of who you are changes for the better with every lb. you loose. I have truly changed my relationship with food and as that relationship has changed and allowed me to loose weight, my relationship with others has changed too, all for the better, my husband just is so proud of me, my kids are thrilled for me, and I am amazed at who I am becoming, The head hunger goes away, I am banded well, I am eating very healthy foods now, I don't want to eat junk, my portions are small, and I am really learning to love myself for the first time in a long time. So trust me as I say what I truly believe....that NOTHING tastes as good as skinny FEELS.....I thank God every day for the path I choose, for I KNOW that I would not be down to the weight I am at now if I had decided not to go with the Lapband. I can't wait to see what I am in for when I reach goal! I am so excited for me:rolleyes2:

Hi Terrilynn, sorry for my stupidity, but what is RNY? If she is looking for Lapband Dr.s I would suggest the group at Highland Hospital, Dr. Johnson is my dr. and is awesome. He's in the phone book under Dr. Joseph Johnson....he's in with Dr. O'Malley. Hope that helps....now tell me what RNY is.

Just want to say hello to everyone as I have not posted in forever! I read the posts as often as I can and get so much out of them. Sometimes it's time to pay it forward so to speak and hopefully someone will learn by my mistakes. I went for my 2nd fill on Wednesday the 29th(first one was 9/12) I never felt a really good restriction but lost 8 lbs in that 6 weeks which the Dr. was pleased with. He decided to give me a fill due to my hunger waking me in the middle of the night. He first put 1 CC in and tested it with the fluoroscope...felt it was going through a little too fast and then put in another CC and had me drink again. He said the restriction was better and told me I now had 7CC's total in my band of 14 CC's. I didn't feel any tighter, but burped a couple of times and agreed with him that I was all set. He told me to stay on liquids for 2 days and then resume normal eating. To make a long gross story short here wouldn't do it justice, but I will spare all of you! Thursday wasn't too bad a day, but the night proved something was drastically too tight, I couldn't even keep water down, the sliming was unbelievable. As I got to work on Friday ( I work at a dental office as a manager) I couldn't even talk to patients without burping up slime (sorry) I was so embarrassed. I called the Dr.s office and went over immediately. They put me on the scale and in 2 days I was down 4 lbs. I was severely dehydrated he said and needed to remove some saline. He removed 1.4CC's and I could feel immediate relief. That was scary and as much as I felt like I was on the "biggest loser" loosing 4 lbs in two days it just wasn't fun :wink: I think the burping was an indication I was way too tight. So be careful out there and when you go for a fill and you do any kinda burping.....take some out! I am finding out it is better to be a bit underfilled and sometimes hungry than to go through those 2 days of whatever it is I went through. :cursing:

Nani, I was banded in July and still get shoulder pain to this day, it doesn't last as long as it used to, but I still get it after I eat. It seems when I burp it lessens the pain, and walking helps with the burping, also try a heating pad right on the shoulder. That really helps with the pain. Good luck. Hope something works for you. You might also want to try some GasX.

Terri---so sorry you are in pain and not sleeping! Hope you feel better soon. Gilta--I did try and increase protein, I have not been as hungry but I think my new job keeps me a lot busier and keeps my mind off my stomach. I am definately feeling hunger though and not head hunger, I feel it at work and just go and drink some water or I grab a snack if it's time for a small bite to eat. I have been bringing some cheese and some hummis to work, it helps. I called the office for a fill....oh, can't get in until mid November! How do they expect this to work if we can't get a fill appt. for 6 weeks? I also have watched the scale stop moving, I am actually playing with the same 3 pounds going up and down. So frustrating. Not sure what I am going to do about an appt. I hung up on them I was so mad:cursing: Anyway, hope everyone has a great weekend! Hope it is rain free. Carol

Heather, I checked out those pictures from Barktoberfest, cute dogs, I believe the bigger one is a pug?? My sister has 2 pugs, both fawns, she wants to get a black one next. They are the noisiest things when they are sleeping! They snore like my hubby. I am such a dog lover, we have 2, a golden that is 11 and a shit-zu poodle mix that is almost a year old. They are best buddies. My daughter owns her own dog grooming shop in Fairport, I am there occasionally and always see a dog I want to bring home! I did the same thing Barb when I was growing up, lived with my parents until I got married. My son just moved out at 24 and my 26 year old daughter still lives with us. She wants out so bad (no we are not difficult to live with!!) she just needs to be on her own, she is working hard on becoming independent. Unless you are making lots of money todays financial situations make it difficult for anyone to live on their own. Terri, thats a good weightloss for two weeks. I know what you mean about the hunger though, I had my first fill almost 3 weeks ago now and I am struggling with hunger again as I was 2 weeks post op. I have to call them for a fill, but I am working on increasing my protein. Thanks to Gilta's help, I think my protein might be low, which would cause the hunger, I am going to try to increase protein for a few days, if that doesn't help I will call for a fill. Enjoy your day everyone, are we ever gonna see that sunshine again?:cursing: Carol

Barbie, I live in Webster, grew up in Irondequoit, and now have a daughter that lives in Irondequoit. Did you grow up around this area too?

yeah Gilta!! :thumbup: What an awesome accomplishment! I have a long way to go to get out of the W's, but I too will get there someday! Yes we do have to get together, its been a long time since Eggbeaters at Perkins. Melody, glad you found us. This is definately a journey that needs to be shared with others that are going through the same journey, so welcome aboard. My daughter and I are going shopping for a dress for a family wedding, can't wait to see what size I am in. Enjoy this dreary day:thumbdown:

Hi Melody and welcome. I was banded at Highland on July 29th by Dr. Johnson, just had my first fill 2 weeks ago. I am in the Webster area, there is another lady I met on here that was banded 3 days after me by the same Dr. She and I have become good friends, I am sure you will see her posts on here, her name is Gilta. Small world isn't it~ Just wanted to say hi. I am sure I will talk to you again soon. Carol

I was banded on 7/29/08 and had my first fill 2 weeks ago. I had good restriction but a couple of days ago I noticed my restriction seemed to be gone. He put 2 CC's in my 14 CC band and said I now had a total of 5 CC's. Is it unusual to loose restriction and need a fill so early? I find myself eating what I normally eat, only after an hour I am hungry again, after the fill I would go a good 3-4 hours without feeling hungry. I actually woke up in the middle of the night 2 nights in a row just ravenously hungry, I thank God my house has no "goodies" in it. I ate a FF SF pudding and that held me over until breakfast, I don't want to get in the habit of eating in the middle of the night, I have never done that and don't want to start now, but I could not get back to sleep due to the hunger. Perhaps a fill is what I need? I just didn't think I would need one after just 2 weeks. Is this the norm?

what am I doing wrong with the weight loss ticker, I can't get it download to my profile area. Does it go in the signature area? Help Help Help!!!

Diane is hitting the nail on the head! Thats exactly how I feel. I was banded on 7/29 and just had my first fill last Friday. If I overeat (which isn't hard to do--can't seem to do 1/2 cup of food at a time) I get that stuck feeling Dianne described. I have to say though that I would prefer that over the "bandster hell" I was going through before the fill. I had no restrictions and could eat whatever I wanted, I didn't, but I could have! I got lazy in my chewing, in my bite size and in my portions. I am retraining myself to slow down, not drink with meals and decrease bite size and portion size. I do find myself not so ravenously hungry since the fill, which is awesome, but I have experienced the sliming and PB's 3 times since my fill.........I do not want to do that again! I retrained myself very quickly because of it. Dianne---you are on your 2nd fill already? When was your surgery?

I felt the way you are feeling for a good week or more. The gas pain was in my shoulder and back area and walking did help it a lot. The tired feeling I believe was from a lack of eating correctly and getting in my proteins. I was banded on 7/29 and remember going for a post op check on August 8th, by the time I walked the walk from the ramp garage to my dr.s appt and back again, then grocery shopping to get the foods I needed I came home totally exhausted. The surgery and lack of food took its toll on me. He wanted all his patients on 2 weeks out of work. I can see why. Your body needs time to recover. So don't stress, one of these days you will feel like yourself again, just give it time.

Hi DeeDee, I was banded on 7/29 and did really well with the hunger for about 3 weeks. I was pretty much like yourself eating anything (no carbs) and sticking to about 800 cal. a day. I was starving, but didn't want to gain, so pretty much stuck to the 1/2 cup of food at a sitting, I made sure that I was getting enough protein in, that would curb the hunger for a while, but didn't last from meal to meal. I would drink a protein drink or have a pudding or yogurt in between my main meals. According to the message boards they call this stage "bandster hell" which is the stage you are now in as you await your first fill. I had my first fill last Friday, I couldn't wait to get it. I was so hungry. I am happy to report that I am no longer hungry!!! YEAH!!! Will he fill you at your next appt....hopefully he will. Just tell him the hunger you are experiencing, and maybe he will fill you, but, maybe not, it may be too soon...he's the boss! Just know it will get better. Hang in there!

Ok Joann, you asked for it! More postings from me! Thank you all for your kind words. These boards are amazing and along with our bands they are a great tool that we all need. Carol

I am not one to post alot, I guess I have always been the type of person that doesn't have too much to say, but when I do, it hits home. I have struggled all my life with my weight, but as I turned 50 something changed and the weight became such an issue and affected EVERY aspect of my life, from personal to professional. I didn't look at them at that time as being an issue, but as I look back every one of my lifes decisions were definately made with my weight in mind. I was banded on 7/29/08, my preweight had reached an unbelievable 313, I decided in January of 2007 to quit smoking and along with menopause I found my weight out of control. Making the decision to get banded was by far the best decision I had made since quiting smoking. I now weight 283 lbs and can't tell you how much better I feel about myself and my relationship with food, family, friends, etc. I can't wait to experience life at 250 or 200 or better yet at 160! I have not been below 250 since before my daughter was born in 1980! I now can honestly say that I will experience that milestone someday soon. Hopefully it will be my Christmas present to myself and my family. This band has given me my life back,so for all the hoops I have had to go through to get approval and for all the days I spent on liquids, for all the pain the surgery made me feel, and for the first fill I just went through I am grateful. Grateful to every experience I have gone through, because I feel I am now in control of my life, I am now much happier because I feel so much better on the inside and out. I am so grateful for this journey I am on. I just wanted to share all my thoughts with every one of you, whom I am also grateful for! Have a wonderful day. Carol

I agree with Kalia----eat a 1/2 cheeseburger rather than the chicken, or better yet, get some ground turkey and make a turkey burger. When I was first allowed something other than liquids my main problem was with chicken. It does tend to get "stuck" I have grown very attached to turkey burgers, I put a little bit of dried onion mushroom soup mix (liptons) some egg beaters, a little bit of breadcrumbs and grill it(spray the grill first it tends to stick) I have a lot of them in the freezer and pull them out when we are grilling. Whats best about these are that you don't have to puree them....just take your time and chew real slow. Good luck and have a great picnic!

I know every doctor is different, but that seems like a VERY long time on just liquids.....I was eating SF FF pudding and yogurt in the hospital. I can't imagine going 3 weeks on just liquids....it just doesnt make sense that one dr. would let you eat pudding in the hospital 2 hours after surgery, and one has you not eating anything for 3 weeks. I wonder why the complete difference. I am one month post op, eating mushies and some solid stuff...per Dr.s orders. I would call and check with him to see if something isn't right with your paperwork. Good luck to you.

The first 10 days after surgery, before I saw my surgeon post op, he allowed clear liquids, jello's, sf ff puddings,yogurts and protein shakes. While I was in the hospital the same day of surgery the nurse brought me sf ff pudding and yogurt. After my post surgical visit with him (day 10) I was allowed "mushies" which consisted of cottage cheese, oatmeal, egg whites or egg beaters, cream of wheat, tuna, cooked chicken turkey or fish(all meats need to be blended) cream soups, mashed potatoes, winter squash, some canned veggies and fruits and a pureed banana. Next week I get to introduce more foods and the meats do not need to be blended any more. :thumbup:I have had no problems at all with this diet and have lost 20 lbs since surgery on 7/29. Good luck to you~

what is a stone? and how does it compare to US pounds?

baking cookies when you are on Jello-----oh I would have shot him, taken his cookies and ran!:wink2: thats just cruel and unusual punishment! I (except for cookies--always been a cookie monster, always will) agree with the post on here that I am of the mindset that I don't care what he eats, I am ready to do this for myself, I want to be healthy and I am willing to give up what I used to eat to acheive my goals. My husband is being very supportive in my effort to get healthy. Although he does love his chips and nuts and candy bars, he eats them when I am not around. He does know however that if I catch him with a cookie he is a dead man! I do have my limits:biggrin2:

Are you not allowed any protein at all? When I was in the hospital they gave me pudding to eat. I came home and for 10 days post surgery I was allowed protein shakes, puddings, jello, popsicles and crystal lite. Then after the 10 days and a trip to the dr.s for post op check I was on a mushy diet. Only allowed 1/4 to 1/2 a cup of mushy food at a meal, but it was awesome to chew again. I would call your dr. and tell him what you are feeling....see if you are allowed some protein drink to gain your strength back. As for the sticky stuff on the tummy, try some oil, that worked for me. I used olive oil....I smelled great! Good luck, and hope you feel better soon. :biggrin2: