WestCoastFatGuy

You know what? I admit that I came across harsh on my first message.. but I layed out my heart and soul on the second. For someone to say that I "tell it like it is" for "HIMself" only.. is patently offensive. For your information, I sent a PM to Brandy and shared with her how sorry I am if I have hurt her from my post. Brandy has a VERY unique set of circumstances that MOST, if not ALMOST ALL, lapbanders will never encounter. I won't share with you what she shared with me as it is her personal choice if she chooses to do so on an open forum. Here's the the straight up reality.. whether you like it or not or BJ (who told me to "zip it" likes it or not).... Brandy brings to the table a huge huge set of almost insurmountable circumstances to her experience with the band. Her courage to even get the band in the first place... is sooooo amazing to me. She chose to fight through almost impossible odds to be successful with the band. Unfortunately, there are many many many MANY people (I don't know if you are one of those people or not... only you can look inside and know) who will look on the surface of her experience with the band and say "The band isn't working for me"... "I'm able to eat around my band"... "I don't feel full after I eat"... blah blah blah. You know what????!!!??? I DON'T FEEL FULL AFTER I EAT EITHER! I've had ONE fill and it CERTAINLY hasn't taken me ANYWHERE NEAR my sweet spot! But I KNEW from all my research and ESPECIALLY at lapbandtalk.com... that that might be the situation that I would face. But people like wasabubblebut and my dear dear lapband friend gilliebean have kept me going. I WISH my lapband would give me the flashing light that I AM FULL! I WISH my lapband would keep me from wanting to eat things that are bad for me! I WISH my lapband would make me feel better about myself when I crave things I shouldn't have! But you know what? DO YOU?!? I LISTENED when others on the boards told me that life with the lapband wasn't easy. I LISTENED when they told me that the band MAY NOT provide the blessed restriction that I sought! I LISTENED and I ACCEPTED that my lapband couldn't provide my the salvation that I interally sought. I am very very very aware that there are a select few people like the very sincere Brandy II who decided to go with the band against impossible odds. Those people are forever in my heart and my prayers that hopefully their band will start to work for them. Unfortunately, there are tooooo tooo toooo MANY banders who try to say to themselves that THEY are in the SAME situation as Brandy II and LIE to themselves. They THINK because they self-payed thousands of dollars that that PROVES that they were dedicated to working their band. I'm sorry... but it just doesn't. Maybe I will fail even more tomorrow than I did last week. Maybe I won't lose everything I hope to with my band. But that doesn't mean that the band failed ME! I DON'T have all the pre-existing symptoms that Brandy II has to deal with. And MOST don't! In fact, MOST surgeons wouldn't have banded Brandy II in the first place. But her surgeon chose to take a chance and to give her a chance to try to make it work. I hope and pray, as she does, that it does eventually work. But don't you DARE put me down and say that I am ONLY speaking for myself! You have crossed the line.... and WHOEVER flames me for this has CLEARLY not read my past posts (which are numerous) or HAVE ANY IDEA of who I am! I am not a HARD*SS! I am probably the most compassionate person you'll ever meet! I nursed my dying father ALONE from the time I was 14 until he died when I was 18... wondering everyday if that day (or night) was going to be his last. Wondering in my heart if he would ever even be able to see my graduate from High School. Bolting straight up from a dead sleep to his cries in the night that he couldn't breathe. That his heart was racing... that he needed nitro-gylcerin... or needed his oxygen machine cranked up.. or needed his breathing line drained because the condensation was making him feel as though he was drowining. I KNOW what pain is! I KNOW what sacrifice is! Nursing one my dearest friends in the world from the day he was diagnosed with HIV until his eventual painful haunting death of AIDS... looking at his dead body in his bed knowing that I could no longer do ANYTHING to bring him back... to give him one more day... to hold him and hug and him and tell him one more time that he was loved by me and soooo many other people. I ALSO know what it is to latch onto someone else's completely-justifiable pain at not achieving success and convincing yourself that you are experiencing the same thing when you haven't actually experienced an IOTA of their REAL pain and agony. I don't know your story... and I'm not trying to judge you.. but don't you DARE judge ME! You don't KNOW the pain I've gone through and you don't KNOW the sacrifices I'VE made to get where I am. Brandy II and all the others experiencing the same agonizing pain and hurt.... I think about you and pray for you daily. NOONE deserves what you have felt and what you are going through. I would do ANYTHING to take away your pain. Because I don't have that power.. I can only say.. that I will stand by you through thick and thin. Success or not.... to remind you that YOU are INCREDIBLE. That YOU are WORTH IT. Even if you NEVER lose a pound or you GAIN another 100 pounds... you are STILL AMAZING people and NO ONE (including me) should EVER try to make you feel LESS that that!

If there is not an approval number or something similar...just make sure your doctor's office gives to you IN WRITING that the procedure is approved at your insurance levels. With that.. you should be okay. Again... I am so proud of you for persevering even through these difficult times. This shows that are are a candidate who will really really work their band! I can't wait to hear from you post-op and learn of your weight loss success! You go, girl!

The decision about "ratting yourself out about the band" is a very personal one. I weighed my options very carefully given that the business I own requires me to visit the office of doctors and hospitals many times per month. I have very good relationships with all the medical professionals at each facility. Ultimately, I decided that I would be up-front about my surgery.. and to my surprise EVERY SINGLE PERSON has been nothing but supportive. Even during my plateaus (when they always ask me how much I've lost)... they give me encouragement and remind me that losing the weight slowly is much preferred to losing it quickly. They have been soooo incredible and have helped me every step of the way. In fact, my relationships with all the doctors and their staff has actually IMPROVED since I revealed my decision to have the lapband. They just want to me be healthy and to stay that way for as many years as I can. They view the lapband as being a crucial step towards me doing so.

Is there an answering service for emergencies at your doctor's office? If not, the only thing you can do is show up for surgery as planned and confirm with the doctor (in writing) that the insurance has approved you. It is, indeed, possible that the surgeon's office found that the insurance originally denied you.. but they sent in another request with additional information that included co-morbidities. If the surgeon is unable to confirm that you are approved... you will have to reschedule so as to ensure that you are not on the hook for the full amount. I am sooo sorry that you are experiencing this stressful situation so close to surgery. Just try to remind yourself that no matter what happens.. this is just one of the steps in your journey. It may be a rocky, slippery one... but one of the steps, nonetheless. You have been very strong to get this far... you have the strength to see this through to achieve your goal! We are ALL behind you!

Hey there... I was also very very depressed that I had to use the CPAP every night. No matter how hard I tried.. I just couldn't adjust. As stated earlier.. I ended up using the AutoSet machine.. along with the Mirage Swift II pillows AND... most importantly... the warm humidity attachment. Without the humidity... I dry out so badly that I get sinus infections. With this combination... my LIFE HAS BEEN CHANGED! If somebody took my CPAP away frome me now.. I would claw their eyes out. To tell you the truth... when I am sure my sleep apnea is gone (as I lose more weight) I will truly be sad to let it go. I don't wake up with marks on my face unless I have the straps too tight.. and they really don't need to be tight at all if one uses the correct nose piece. Initially I was using the middle size (of the three sizes included with the mask).. but moved up to the biggest. Also... I checked the setting on my machine and found that it was set to the "generic" mask instead of the "swift". Once I changed it to the swift.. I stopped having so many leaks... and my sleep became even better.

Okay folks... here's the scoop. If you do a search on all my previous posts you'll find that I don't usually post such "inflammatory" things. But... the reality is... sometimes when we get really really p*ssed at what someone says or writes... it energizes us. It makes us soooo freakin' mad that we want to prove that "so-and-so" wrong. Whether you agree with my approach or not... that's what my intention was and is. For you people who think that the lapband has been a "honeymoon" for me... I'm happy that you can think so. It has been anything BUT a honeymoon, which my soulmate lapband-friend GillieBean can attest to from our dozens of PMs to each other. For the poster who said that we can't restrict ourselves too much when it comes to calories? You're ABSOLUTELY right! For some people 1200 calories is too restrictive. For others it might be 1800. For me.. I have found that if I don't take in 1500-2000 calories per day... my weight loss stalls. Some people reading this may 'gasp' at that high number of calories... but when I consume less than that.. I stop losing weight. Instead of getting all freaked out about some lines in my post... instead take it for the 'whole' of what it is. Do I believe that every person that has been unsuccessful with the band went into it believing that the band would be their "cure"? NO! Do I believe that there are a significant number of those who did so? Yes. And you know that it is true. For the poster who said that.. if they had willpower... they wouldn't have gotten the band in the first place... I have to say... I'm very sorry that you weren't better informed by your surgeon. Anything in life takes some willpower. It SUCKS! It's NOT FREAKIN' FAIR that some skinny-*ssed b*tches (male or female) can eat anything that they want and not gain an ounce.... and then there are those of us who can walk past a glass of Water and gain a pound! I HATE IT! YOU HATE IT! It hurts to our core! But the reality is.... we HAVE to do what WE HAVE to do to make a change in our lives. WE have chosen the lapband. The lapband, despite what so many of those anti-surgery people say and believe, doesn't make it EASY! In some ways it makes it harder! We aren't able to eat so many of those comfort foods that made us feel vital... that make us feel human... that made us feel alive. THAT SUCKS! IT HURTS! IT MAKES US CRY INSIDE! So what to do? We do WHATEVER we have to do to make the changes in our lives. For some that will be revision surgery to another type of bariatric procedure. For others it will be kicking our band's *ss and MAKING it work for us despite the fact that we need to seek counseling or support or whatever it takes to add the willpower to what the band will agree to help us with. For those that were offended and felt that I was saying that EVERYONE who has the band fail them was a loser or didn't work hard enough or was a quitter.. I sincerely apologize. I was truly speaking to the hearts of only those people who were choosing to give up or give in or let the world of the 'perfect bodies' beat them! I believe that even amongst those of you who are angry at me that you may sense of spark of truth in what I say. For those of you who don't... I again offer my apologies from my heart. All I ever would want is for every one of us to achieve our goals and find an end to the world of pain that we have all felt. I hope that you can find it in your hearts and minds to believe me.

Alright, let me be the honest jack*ss and comes out to say exactly what so many on these boards are feeling and don't say because they are too nice or don't want to cause controversy: Is it possible that the band isn't working because of an underlying medical issue? ABSOLUTELY! Is it very likely that the medical issue would have been uncovered BEFORE one resorted to the extreme measure of having SURGERY to install a BAND AROUND ONE'S STOMACH!?! Also, ABSOLUTELY! Is it possible that the medical condition that is causing one to not lose weight started AFTER the installation of the band? Possible? YES! LIKELY? NO! So... when someone comes on these boards complaining about how the band has failed them but they have been unable to uncover any medical reason for it... it is completely understandable that people would start asking questions about diet and exercise and drinking with meals, etc. Here's the reality, folks. All us fatties have to face it (despite plateaus that may last for months)... that CALORIES IN MINUS CALORIES BURNED = NET CALORIC INTAKE. If we consume more than 3500 calories (net intake)... we're going to gain a pound or more of weight. Can we sometimes have stalls... and Water weight issues and complications that cause long long long plateaus? YES! Can we blame the band for them?!? Heck NO! We had them before the band and we'll have them with the band! Yo-Yo dieting is the one major item in our fat gaining/losing history that we all have to face will contribute to plateaus. It doesn't seem fair... but it's our burden to bear. We have to live with it. We can fight it with or without the band... but, personally, I'd rather do it WITH my band. For those people who come on these boards and tell us that they went into this surgery expecting the band to STOP them from overeating... or STOP them from eating the wrong things?!?... I have to say... girlfriend... boyfriend... honey-child... You didn't do your freakin' research! So who the heck is to blame for that?!? If your surgeon told you otherwise... then you were STUPID to have believed him or her. There are dozens and dozens of lapband resources on the web (including this wonderful site) that would have told you otherwise. I'm sorry if I have offended or hurt you.. but the reality has to be spelled out to all of us one day or another. I was (and still am) a fat freakin' slob who would rather sit his fat *ss on the couch and watch TV with a 2-liter of Coca-Cola and a platter of enchiladas than to have to watch my intake of foods and to give up carbonated beverages. I LOVE LOVE LOVE LOVE LOVE LOVE (get my point?) soda and other carbonated drinks! They were my solace... my lifeblood... my rock... my anchor.. my friend and lover. Coca-Cola was, in my old mind, created just for me. I would date its ugly step-sisters... Pepsi and Mountain Dew and Dr. Pepper occasionally... but my steady-friend was the red and white miracle of Coca-Cola. I probably ingested 5000 or more calories weekly just in my sweet bubbly lover. But... NOW? My band (and scars) remind me that soda helped to get me where I am and that I have to remember that and live with the realization that it can no longer provide me comfort when I am down. An occasional slushy coke (from my slushmug) that removes all the carbonation and has only 8-ounces and 100 calories? Sure. but to go back to what I used to consume? NEVER! The same applies to french fries and pizza and and and and and and.... two dozen other yummy high calorie items. Can I consume those things and then come here and complain that my band isn't working for me? NO! I need to to wake up and smell the calories! Maybe if I couldn't get control of these food and beverage items I would have to seek counseling.. or a revision to another form of bariatric surgery. But that wouldn't be the fault of the band... that would be all of my own doing. I would have to accept responsiblity for my band failure and I wouldn't expect others to give me comfort and solace and understanding and praise for doing so. With all that said... I only hope and pray that your band can start to align itself with your mind and metabolism (as it has with mine) so that you can begin to experience in your heart and mind the wonderful feeling of success! I would never wish you anything but that!

OMG! You are going through EXACTLY what I did! Initially I tried to brush it off. Eventually I was falling asleep every time I sat down to watch TV or got in a semi-comfortable position. My end-symptoms included tongue-swelling and EXTREME weight gain! FINALLY I woke up and sought out a pulmonologist. Due to my travel schedule for work I was unable to undergo an overnight sleep study. Instead, she sent me home with a machine to record my breathing status while sleeping and asked me to sleep for 4 hours with it. When I returned the machine and they did the analysis I found that I was waking up around 58 times per hour! My average oxygen concentration which should have been around 98% was less than 67%! I tried a normal CPAP but eventually ended up with an Autoset (adjusts automatically to what my body needs). My CPAP has been a GODSEND! I now sleep MUCH MUCH better and can be up for 16 or 18 hours if I need to be without falling asleep. In fact, I took my machine with me to my surgery (at my surgeon's orders) and used it throughout my hospital stay. PLEASE don't walk, but RUN to your doctor and get a sleep test! If I (or you) were to fall asleep while driving a car we could kill someone! Sleep Apnea is a VERY VERY serious condition and needs to be treated as soon as you experience symptoms (as you are and I was). Don't be afraid... just get tested as soon as possible! There is light at the end of the sleepless tunnel!

My surgeon says to wait six months before trying carbonation..and then to do so ONLY on an empty stomach. WELL... I was a COCA-COLA-AHOLIC! I LOVE IT! I LOVE IT! I LOVE IT! It is the one thing that I truly have cravings for in my new lifestyle. Fortunately, my best friend Jill, bought me a SlushMug (Original Slush Mug). It holds about 8 ounces.. and freezes the Coke to a very satisfying slushy consistency (think "Slurpee"). The 8-ounces is about 100 calories (with regular Coke) and it satisfies my intense urges about once or twice a week. The freezing causes all the carbonation to release but I am left with enough flavor that I am completely satisfied. To be honest, I doubt that even after I achieve my 6-month mark that I will go back to drinking sodas. The SlushMug has been the perfect thing to keep me from indulging and risking pouch stretching or band slippage. BTW, I am not associated with glacierware.com or anyone else related with the site. It just happens that my friend had bought some SlushMugs for her kids and thought that I would love to have one given that I could no longer have carbonated beverages.

OMG! As I've said before... I felt like a freak right after I got my band. I had to eat like a supermodel and felt like I stood out among my peers like a sore thumb! Fast forward a few months... I feel AMAZING! I'm able to eat pretty much anything that I want... only in smaller quantities. It is soooo incredible to me to look back on what I considered a 'normal' meal and now realize that what WAS a single portion (in my warped fat mind).. could now feed me for 2-3 days! I can now say that I actually FEEL like a REAL person without hordes of guilt about overeating! I feel like I FINALLY fit into society. I have a LOT of weight to lose yet, but I already feel like an entirely different person. I no longer look in the mirror and see a fat slob. I now see someone who is slowly, steadily becoming the person he always hoped that he could be. If you had asked me a couple months ago whether or not I thought that I would ultimately feel this way.. and I probably couldn't have given you an answer. NOW? I feel like I have been given a new lease on life. It literally brings tears to my eyes to be given the gift of my dear friend.... MY lapband! Keep chugging along. Things get better far faster than you could EVER imagine! I am thinking of you and sending you warm and fuzzy success vibes so that you can one day feel the same as I do!

Here's where logic has to take over. My surgeon allows patients to 'try' carbonated beverages after 6 months. On further questioning he also recommends doing so on an empty stomach. Here's the deal... on an empty stomach the soda can go through the stoma more easily into the 'lower stomach'. If the pouch is full (the stoma is blocked), the carbonation can build up in the pouch and cause discomfort or more. Bottom line... no one really knows for sure whether or not carbonation can lead to pouch enlargement (and subsequent band slippage). Caution is the best guide. I truly only miss one thing from my old eating lifestyle... Coke and Pepsi. From time to time I'll have a small Coke slurpee or, more recently, use the 'slush mug' that a friend sent me that freezes beverages similar to a slurpee. I don't have the carbonation and (if I count the calories into my daily allotment) I'm able to have a bit of the taste that I miss so much.

I hope you won't be offended when I say that the response in my head to that person (obviously not outloud) would be.. "FU". Nuff said. Go for it, girl! You're experiencing the hardest part of the journey. Keep going... Keep going... Keep going! You have the right attitude!