Mom2_4

I am just over 2 weeks out from surgery and have been noticing that since my steri-strips have come off, that my incisions are super itchy. I have never had any kind of allergy to bandages or tape. There is no rash that I can see either. Has anyone else had this problem?

I have a 10 cc band and my doc put 2 cc in at the time of surgery and tried to put another 4 cc in during my first fill, but I was only able to tolerate 3.5. All of my fills are free for the first year except for my $20 copay, but I think my doc is pretty aggressive with doing fills so hopefully I won't have to go back very often since I live out of state. I think you will have to see what your body will tolerate. I was drinking Water while he was gradually putting more in and when he got to 4 cc, it just stopped going down and he just gradually backed off until I was happy with the how it felt. I would definitely try to get as much as you can tolerate during your free ones.

What is your exercise level like? I have been noticing that if I back off on the exercise, then my weight loss starts to back off as well. Maybe you should increase it for a few days and see if that helps kick start the weight loss again.

I haven't been banded very long but my heartburn, which was pretty bad, is completely gone. The best side effect is by far the clothes that seem to be melting off of me. Nothing feels as good as going shopping and seeing your size continue to go down!!

I have lost a mid size microwave and a rack of baby back ribs.

I would say that if you have the feeling of food coming back up, then you have eaten too much. I don't know any other way to describe being full other than the regular full feeling.

I think it depends on the size of band you had put in. My surgeon put 2 cc in my 10 cc band at the time of surgery which was pretty good for me until I got my first fill. I think most people feel some restriction initially after surgery but mine went away after about 2 weeks or so. I didn't feel alot of restriction after the swelling went down but I wasn't able to eat as much as I did before surgery. Good luck with your surgery!!

I just had to share my happiness!! I had my first fill on Friday, he gave me 3.5 cc in my small AP band, he tried 4 but I couldn't tolerate it. Adding to the 2 cc he put in during surgery, I have awesome restriction and have lost 2.5 lbs since Friday. Feel like I am finally on my way after a long 5 weeks of bandster hell.

What an awesome birthday present! Congratulations!!

Maybe instead of instantly blaming the mother, they need to check the child for some kind of metabolic disorder or other issue. There was something on Discovery Health not long ago about a kid who was so overweight and he had some kind of health issue that was causing it. I felt so bad for that family. Being overweight myself, I am very vigilant about watching what my kids eat, I would never want them to have to go through what I have gone through for the past 10 years. I really hope these parents are able to make some changes for their kids sake.

I also have UHC Choice Plus. They didn't require a 6 month diet from me either. My plan only required a 5 year weight history with a diagnosis of morbid obesity. If you call them, they should be able to tell you exactly what you need.

Congratulations!! You should be so proud of yourself!!!

I was told that it was a sign of healing. The itchiness was enough to make me crazy and then it just went away one day, around 2 1/2 weeks post op.

This one is so big for me. I was taking my 3 yo daughter to her gymnastics class this morning and we were running late, we get out of the car and she grabs my hand and she usually runs and pulls me walking fast along, today, I started to run with her. I actually ran without my knees screaming or getting out of breath. She was as thrilled as I was I think because we went shopping afterwards and every store we went into, she wanted to run with me. Feels sooooo good!!!

Congrats!!

That is so awesome!! This is so inspiring for those of us who are just beginning this journey Thanks for sharing!!

This question is so lame. For those who you who have their fills under Fluoro and have to swallow the Barium, what does it taste like, it sounds so bad. Hard to get down? I gag really easy and if it is gross, I think I need to start preparing myself so I don't heave in front of my doctor :drool:

At least the stuff is quality, their prices are a bit high but I would rather pay more for something that is going to last longer. I prefer Avenue over LB though.

I was told no swallowing pills until 6 months post op and then only if they are no bigger than a pencil eraser. I would guess that they would be bigger than that.

My PCP is super supportive, said she would do whatever she needed to to get me through the process. Her brother had gastric bypass and she believes that part of obesity is related to genes and not just lifestyle. My FORMER doctor, when I asked her about the surgery, said that she didn't believe in obesity, didn't believe in weight loss meds, and said that gastric bypass was a cop out. I hope your doctor is receptive to you getting WLS

My hiatal hernia was repaired at the same time as surgery and I have not had any problems with reflux since!! WooHoo!!

My insurance covered my surgery but we still ended up paying close to $5000. My doctor was in network but his partner did not take United and we ended up paying like $2500 for out of network doctor for his assistance with the surgery, plus their $900 program fee that was not covered, another $400 for the psych eval that was not covered, and another $500 to the hospital for our copay which wasn't told to us until the hospital called to register me. There were also little fees here and there like the hospital fee for the EGD, etc. The only upside to mine is that all of my fills are included. I would pay it all over again though!

I have never heard of this. I have lupus and was just banded a few weeks ago. My rheumatologist was all for it, even printed a bunch of literature to help me decide between lap band and gastric bypass. I just saw him two days ago for a routine check and he was very happy for me. Where did you hear this info?

I was the same way. Day 2 or 3 I stepped on the scale and I was up 7 lbs from the day before surgery and I freaked out. It went back to normal within a day or so.

I am also very happy so far with Dr. Orris & DeBarros at WLIA.