Maya314

Congratulations! I'm actually and Old-bie? is that a word? OH.. a veteran! nice.. I'm about 2 years out, the best advice I can give you is to stay in contact with your Doctor, they're the only ones that can make sure your band is working to the best of it's ability. I plateued and thought I had it all figured out but I didn't.. I still have some weight to lose to get to my goal weight about 30 more lbs, and I could have done it much sooner if I had consulted with My Doctor sooner. Good luck, you can do it!

I HEART Dr Pepper.. we had a really LONG and Loving relationship. :thumbup: *Sigh.. I was seriously addicted.. got sick when I gave it up.. vomiting, headaches and the shakes.. UGH.. I loved the stuff.. I used to kid that I was going to Marry Dr Pepper.. :thumbup: My Daughter thinks that's hilarious.. I still miss it.. but I had given it up a year before I even considered having the band.. and so it wasn't a huge deal when I was told I couldnt have anymore.. I will have a sip of diet every once in a while.. cuz I miss the fizz.. I feel your pain.. I do however doubt seriously that a teeny bit will cause any damage.. but if it was crack and I was a drug addict.. just a little bit could knock me off the wagon..so.. choose your poison! Good Luck!

Spice.. I had the same problem, he was never able to access the port on the first visit, he poked 3 times and I could hear all this like plastic grinding noise?? I don't know a better way to describe it. Anyway.. I went the following week and a different Dr did it, had no problems at all and I was filled! My Dr doesn't use lidocaine before the fill needle goes in, and I don't think it's bad at all, it's completely tolerable. It's a small price to pay as far as I'm concerned. Good luck next go around!

ProudDad, There is light at the end of the tunnel, soon it'll be time to introduce mushies and then solids again.. then enter Bandster Hell! Good luck with that.. Then once you get a fill.. you go back on liquids again, I'm learning through experience, that the lap band is not our savior, it's our friend, helping to show you the way, but its going to be your job to do what it takes to lose the weight, Still alot of work that you have to do on your own, You have to watch every morsel that you stick into your mouth now, you will be eating with an awareness now that you never did before, these days will pass.. (Pssst.. quit watching them while they eat Silly!) :smile2: Good Luck!

I typed out my letter and took it to my Dr, had her copy it on their letterhead and sign it. I scheduled an appt specifically for that.. figured since I paid the copay.. she was getting paid to do it. That's what worked for me.. Good Luck. DATE To whom it may concern; I am writing this letter on behalf of my patient XXXXXX DOB XX/XX/XXXX. XXXXXXXX is XXXX tall and weighs XXXXlbs. and a BMI of XX.X with a diagnosis of morbid obesity (278.01). XXXXX has been excessively overweight for most of her adolescent and all of her adult life and having attempted and been unsuccessful at many different methods of weight loss, would certainly benefit from some sort of bariatric surgery. In addition to morbid obesity, XXXXX also suffers from the following co-morbid conditions, sleep Apnea (780.57), GERD (530.81), Shortness of breath (786.05), Stress Incontinence (625.6), Back Pain (724.2), Knee Pain (716.98), and has a positive family history of obesity, hypertension, diabetes and hypercholesterolemia. (These are just a few that may qualify you) XXXXX has tried many method of weight loss including a physician administered diet and diet pills with an approximate weight loss of XXlbs only having to gain the weight back plus more. (Weight Watchers, Jenny Craig etc..) XXXX is limited due to her co morbidities in the ability to exercise however she is currently a member of XXX fitness club with a weight loss of 0lbs. I feel that XXXXX would benefit greatly from the Lap Band Procedure (43770) as a tool to help lose the excess weight and lessen the co-morbidities and regain a more healthful life. Sincerely,

Haha.. Wrist bones! that's awsome! I'm looking forward to stuff like that, I can hardly wait! Congratulations ladies!!

I love Juice Plus.. but am afraid to take them now that I'm banded so i've just been doing childrens chewables... I took them for the same reason as you.. my diet sucked.. even now that I'm watching what I eat.. I pay so much attention to protien that I forget about fruits and veggies.. so I do V8 and V8Fusion.. hoping to compensate for my not eating the veggies.

Calondra, I'm so happy for you, I'm glad everything is going better than planned! congratulations.. keep us posted on how things are going!

Hello Nikki... I'm in AZ too.. Tucson that is. It will get better after a fill.. then.. right about 2 weeks out again you start feeling hungry again, it's all about finding a sweet spot, you'll have one someday... Good Luck, keep us posted on your first fill.

Puddin, I'm so proud of your decision to wait a few months, so many things can change between now and then, and if you drop a little weight it might be easier for your Dr to find the port, I think what you're doing is smart.. On the otherhand tho.. didn't you just wanna bonk your Dr on the head and say.. "well you're the one that put it there!" Good Luck Sweetie, we're rooting for you!

Haha.. Quasi.. Love the headline to this thread.. It's amazing the things you would never think of were affected by being overweight huh? I'm certain I'll drop a shoe size before anything else.. haha.. Good luck.. and congrats on the skinny eyes!

Congratulations Brandy!! Keep us posted!

Hello Vivianna, I have a 14cc band and had my first fill last week of 7cc's closer to 7.5, and I definitely feel restriction, what I found interesting, was that he kept asking me how I felt.. I had assumed that he would put in a few cc's (like around 3ish) and that would be it, but he asked me to swallow some water while he was adjusting my band and then stopped when I told him that I could feel it in my throat. I'm getting the feeling that my Dr's are more agressive, they gave me a fill at 5 weeks out and some people have to wait until their 6-8 weeks out (They would have done it at 4 but had trouble accessing my port) It's hard to say what kind of restriction you'll have with 5ccs, everyone is so different. LONG winded reply to your question, Good Luck, I hope you do well with your fill!

I hate the easy way out thing... It's anything but easy. I mean if people think that getting needles poked in your belly regularly, going on a liquid diet ALOT due to fills etc, showing your stretchmarks to cute Dr's on their internship so they can learn how a fill is done they have another thing coming, I have to research everything that goes into my mouth, EVERYTHING is it too gummy? Will I PB if I eat that? Crap I forgot to eat the protien first, I suck at this... OMG I can't chew gum for fear that I might swallow it, I have to watch the clock a few dozen times a day so that I can drink water when I'm supposed to and not when I'm not. People are full of crap if they think this is the easy way, the lap band is actually the most disciplined way of all of the surgeries I think, it's just a tool, you're the one that puts in all the work. Don't let what other people say get you down, just add them to the "Ignorant" pile and feel sorry for them for being idiots. Faithmd said it right when she said.. "Pffffthththt! People!" haha.. love that... Anyway, someone else on here said and I always try and remember when I get the feeling I want to tell someone about it.. "Once you tell.. you can't untell.." that manages to keep my mouth shut. Good luck in your surgery, Keep us posted!

Hello Cindy! Congratulations on your first few steps to a new you! I know it can be scary, I only slept one hour the night before surgery because I was scared and was wondering if I was doing the right thing. I really feel that I have made the right decision for me. I've worked in the medical field for years, I worked in a lab for a few years and we would draw blood panels on people who had previously had other types of Bariatric surgery, and truthfully although they looked thinner.. I can honestly say that they did not look healthy, their hair wasn't shiny and their skin looked gray and pale. Maybe that isn't the majority of BS patients, but I only saw one of the dozens that beat those odds. That was one deciding factor for me, the other was the fact that it was laprascopic, which is safer and third because of the down time, I am the sole bread winner in my home and could not afford to take almost 2 months off to recover from "elective" surgery. I also believe that I am an expert at dieting, My lap band is keeping me honest and I'm actually paying attention to what goes in my mouth first, and I'm reading labels when I go shopping and I'm making smart choices. I'm chewing before I swallow! What a concept! I definitely think it's the tool that I needed. Have you gone to a seminar? Be sure that if you do that they are covering all types of surgeries and aren't "pushing" for a certain type. Good luck in whatever you decide.

Congratulations Erik, I'm in Tucson... I was banded 2/20 and had my first fill on Monday, Good luck in your journey!

Hello Jeanie! It was a success.. didn't hurt as much as the last time either.. what's strange tho is that the Dr did it while I was standing.. ( I don't know if other Dr's do it this way) It definitely didn't hurt like it did last time, (It was a different Dr) I have a GINORMOUS (that's a word right?) band.. 14cc's I guess.. and so he filled it half way, I definitely feel restriction, not sure if it's cuz of swelling or just the fill.. cuz all I had since 2pm was a Special K protien Water and I feel stuffed. Please keep in touch, I'd like to know how your fill goes as well! Good Luck! :smile:

Hello Officeslave! I was banded the same day as you... I'm scheduled for my first fill today.. I was originally scheduled for my first fill last week but the Dr wasn't able to access my port?? I dunno.. Good luck in your journey! Keep us posted.. Oh btw.. I ate the horse... so you'll need to find something else to munch on! :crying:

I have the same love affair with Dr Pepper, I'll actually drink anything carbonated, I would have a 32oz drink for breakfast another for lunch... and another for dinner, I realized my addiction and I gave it up a year ago, if I had known that I would have to give it up for the band.. I would have waited! But I'm in agreement.. it's a small price to pay for a smaller butt!

In my fam.. we've always made guacamole with cottage cheese, two avocados mashed up really well, and about 8 oz of cottage cheese, salt, pepper, crushed red peppers and garlic powder, Of course we normally do it with chips, but I could totally sit down with a spoon and eat it too! Glad I read this.. I get my first fill tomorrow and I'll be back on mushies soon. Keep the good tips coming!

Yvonne... something similar happend to me.. well.. different but I also got cancelled it was really depressing.. I went in and the hospital was in "Crisis Mode" which meant they had no bed for me (I required an overnight stay) and so I had to reschedule for the next week, when I got there the next week they didn't have me on the schedule! Very frustrating, It's a huge let down because you have to work yourself up mentally and then to be let down... I'm sorry that happend to you.. just take it as one of those things that wasn't meant to be.. and plan ahead for your next date! Good Luck!

No not for medicare, but they're pretty much all the same, (I work in the medical field) be sure to include medical records supporting the information in your letter and you should be good.

I told My Immediate supervisor We're also friends, and one other girl that I work with, She's actually been the one dodging all the questions for me.. about the protien shakes.. about why it takes me so long to eat lunch etc, so I'm actually glad I told her She and my supervisor have both been extremely supportive, I trust that they will keep things confidential.. but if they don't it won't be the end of the world I'll just cross that bridge when I get to it. The best advice I can give though is to not tell anyone that you don't have to, once you tell someone you can't untell them. Good Luck!

I actually found this template somewhere on the web and added a few things to it for my own... What I did for mine was take it to my Dr already typed in and all my Dr did was put it on their letterhead. Good luck! DATE To whom it may concern; I am writing this letter on behalf of my patient XXXXXX DOB XX/XX/XXXX. XXXXXXXX is XXXX tall and weighs XXXXlbs. and a BMI of XX.X with a diagnosis of morbid obesity (278.01). XXXXX has been excessively overweight for most of his/her adolescent and all of his/her adult life and having attempted and been unsuccessful at many different methods of weight loss, would certainly benefit from some sort of bariatric surgery. In addition to morbid obesity, XXXXX also suffers from the following co-morbid conditions, (These are a few that would qualify you) sleep Apnea (780.57), GERD (530.81), Shortness of breath (786.05), Stress Incontinence (625.6), Back Pain (724.2), Knee Pain (716.98), and has a positive family history of obesity, hypertension, diabetes and hypercholesterolemia. XXXXX has tried many method of weight loss including a physician administered diet and diet pills in XXXX with an approximate weight loss of XXlbs only having to gain the weight back plus more. XXXX is limited due to his/her co morbidities in the ability to exercise however is currently (walking approximately XX miles per day) (Or is a member of XXXX fitness club) with a weight loss of XXlbs. I feel that XXXXX would benefit greatly from the Lap Band Procedure (43770) as a tool to help lose the excess weight and lessen the co-morbidities and regain a more healthful life. Sincerely,

Nicole, I'm so glad you emailed your Dr, there's nothing worse than a receptionist with an attitude! I've worked in the medical field for many years, I strive NOT to be a barrier to help that patients need but someone who can bridge the gap wheter or not that come in the way of further educating patients or being the go between for them. Good luck! Please continue to keep us posted, I'll be interested to see how things turn out for you! I'll be sending good thoughts and prayers your way!