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If you were told that if your insurance would cover Lap-Band surgery if you were a little bit heavier, would you gain weight in order to get the surgery covered? If so, how much would you consider gaining?

Hey, all! I started the process about 8 months ago, and I have my surgery date in less than 3 weeks! My big question is, how easy or difficult has it been for people to lose weight? Just a little poll here...

Heya, Dr. Brad! Just a quick question out of curiosity... You mention that your theory involves stretching of the stomach wall to shut down hunger hormones. A lot of people on here talk about "stretching the pouch," in terms of overeating to the point that the pouch is permanently (or temporarily, depending on who you talk to) dilated. If stretching the stomach is the key to making the hungry feeling go away, how does one avoid dilating the pouch? There seems to also be two camps on pouch dilation: the one is that it can happen without you knowing it (you can be overeating without any adverse symptoms except for feeling "full") and then there are those that say that if you're overeating to the point that you're stretching the pouch you're going to have vomiting or extreme discomfort at the time. Is either camp right? Or does the truth lie somewhere in between? About me, I'm about 2 years post-op, doing well. Plateaued a bit the past couple months, but I still have satisfactory restriction and am increasing my exercise to bridge the gap. Thanks for your time!

Hey there! Did you ever figure out what it was? I'm having some major pain on my left side, now it's starting to refer up into my shoulder. I've talked to a nurse in my surgeon's office and she thinks it's constipation and/or gas. She gave me the option to come in sooner than my next scheduled appointment (10 days) if I wanted, but said she thinks it'll clear. Did yours resolve? Thank you!

Hey, all! I was going to post a poll here to see how many people in the real world actually have problems with the foods listed as "Common Problem Foods" in the official Lap-Band Literature, but the poll on this site doesn't have enough options to do a really good survey... So I spent a few minutes setting up one of my own on Survey Monkey! The survey I created asks you to rate 16 foods listed as "Common Problem Foods" in the Lap-Band brochure, based on how much trouble you have with them (if any). Even if you can eat all the foods listed here, please take the survey because your data is very valuable too! The survey should only take about 5 minutes to complete, and would be very helpful to those of us considering the surgery to know what real life bandsters can and can't eat! It also asks if problems with certain foods came up after band fills. It's completely anonymous, doesn't collect any personal information, no advertising, etc. I've worked with Survey Monkey for some time now and have found them to be a good company. I will post all the results here once I get a fair amount of responses. Please note that you won't be able to see the results by visting the link, so only visit if you plan on taking the survey! Thanks! Click Here to Take the Lap-Band "Common Problem Foods" Survey! The foods included in the survey are: Beef chicken Shrimp Bread Pasta Rice Peanut Butter Dried Fruit Corn Asparagus Celery Nuts Coconut Popcorn Greasy or fried food Seeds and/or skins of fruits and vegetables

To get a feel for which ones everyone likes. If you have two or more that you like, feel free to vote for them, but only vote for the ones you "love!"

Hey, all! So, I'm probably about halfway through the process now and have been looking at Dr. Billy in Thousand Oaks/Ventura County. I've heard nothing but good things so far, but just wanted to get as many opinions as I can! I know he's well known for taking care of complications caused by other doctors, which is very cool. Just wanted to know about how things went when Dr. Billy was the guy who did your band in the first place! Thanks, all! Nick

Hi there! I was very pleased with my experience. I believe Dr. Billy is a very gifted surgeon. My recovery was smooth, my scars are healing (disappearing, LOL) beautifully, and I've had no problems since surgery. As far as his bedside manner, I have nothing negative to say, but aside from the consult I had with him, I saw him a total of 2 minutes in the hospital before they wheeled me into the OR, LOL. Ever since then I've seen his nurse Jessica exclusively. (And BTW, she is GREAT with fills... No numbing agent needed, you barely feel anything!) If you're getting banded at St. John's (if you're paying through insurance, this is most likely where you'll be), you're in very good hands at that hospital. The staff was wonderful, very friendly and attentive. If you have any other questions, just let me know! Good luck with authorization! Fingers crossed for ya!

So, I'm still on my liquid phase of the post-op diet. Less than 48 hours until mushies! Woo-hoo! But, I'm starting to think of things that I really enjoyed eating before the Lap Band, and one of them was Korean BBQ. My post-op instructions recommend not trying "steak or chops" for the first year after being banded, but does this include the thinly-sliced pieces of beef you'd have at a Korean BBQ? Thoughts? Thanks! Nick

I was banded on July 23... So it's been just under 2 months since I was banded.

So, I had my first fill today and frankly I had been dreading it for a while. I'm not much of a needle-phobe, but the idea of one going into my belly did not sound good! The procedure itself was very similar to all the descriptions I've read, the nurse had me do a mini sit-up to get the muscles of the abdomen tight so she could place the needle. The stick was less bothersome than getting blood drawn! I was pleasantly surprised with how easy it was. And nope, no anesthetic used at all. None needed! Probably a lidocaine shot would hurt more than the fill needle itself, actually! The sensation of the Fluid being added was a little weird but nothing bad. In 15 seconds the whole thing was over and I was on my way! So, for those of you out there getting ready for your first fill with trepidation, no worries! For me it was a piece of cake! :-)

Hey there! Was great to read your post! I'm just under 2 months out now and am having my first fill on Thursday. It's encouraging to know that you didn't start to lose until after your third fill because I've been a little scared the past couple weeks... I dropped a lot of weight on the liquid and mushy phases after the diet, but have only maintained (+/- 1-2 pounds, depending on the day) ever since I started solids. Did you lose any weight in between starting solids and your first, second, third fills? Thanks! Nick

The Universe certainly has a sense of humor. Tonight I had my first episode of something getting stuck. My own fault, number one I took way too huge a bite and number two I think it was time to stop eating anyway. Luckily, a few minutes of sliming, followed by a couple dry heaves and about 2 minutes of jumping up and down got things running smoothly again. So, I sat down to watch some TV and Robot chicken was playing. A woman is feeding her baby mimicking a train with her fork… And if the following clip isn't a good metaphor for what it feels like when something gets stuck, I don't know what is! MilkandCookies - Robot Chicken: The Yum Yum Train

Hey there! I'm getting ready to start mushies in just a couple days... One of my favorite things to get pre-band was tofu sate at a Thai restaurant I like. They grill it, so it develops a bit of a skin on the outside... Is this still a mushy or will that make it more difficult to get down during the initial stages? Anyone have experience with it? Thanks! Nick

So excited, having my second day post-op and feeling quite good! The day of surgery and the first night was a little uncomfortable, but today I feel almost completely human again. Will share the whole surgery day story in the sticky thread a little later. But for now, just sharing my first "WOO-HOO!" moment! :-) Nick :thumbup:

I'm actually getting banded tomorrow (excitement, nervousness, all that good stuff, LOL). But, I'm hoping that my doc does give me one of these cards. I think the thing that it would be most useful for is buffets... I'm not a big buffet person to begin with, but my family loves casinos. So whenever I visit my parents in San Diego or my sister and her fam in New Orleans, we always end up hitting buffets. That personal anecdote aside, I would think that buffets would be the place where they would argue most against you getting the kids' price for entry. And I just couldn't justify paying $20 plus to just eat a few pieces of chicken breast! LOL Nick

I'm on my pre-op liquid diet and just had a vanilla Lindora shake (one of the brands recommended by the doctor's office...). While it tasted good, it was a little... For lack of a better word, lumpy. It wasn't smooth like other Protein shakes I've had, it was more like the consistency of very thin tapioca pudding. It was kinda like the Protein powder part clumped up. I shook it well before drinking, though. Anyone out there drink Lindora? Is this normal? The taste was pretty good, I just wanted to make sure I didn't just drink a food-poisoned shake 48 hours before my surgery. Please let me know! Nick

So, all the paperwork I have to sign mentions the fact that there is the possibility that, after surgery, there may be foods that I could never tolerate again. I've read different stories on here about people feeling absolutely no restriction without a fill and being able to eat anything, and others who never need any fills because they already feel restricted. For those of you who have been there, how much did just getting the band without any fills change what you could and couldn't eat? Thanks!!!

Well, after months of research, the evals, the sleep study, meeting with the nutritionist, getting approval, moving the date around... My date is set for July 23rd. The reality is really hitting me now! I've got the usual combo of excitement and fears... Irrational fear of anesthesia awareness, worried about the pain afterward too, although I know that it's just for a couple of days and the pain meds will help with that. Questions for those of you who have done it... Did you wake up with the breathing tube still in? Were you nauseated after the surgery? What was the most difficult part of the surgery for you? What did you think was going to be a bigger deal than it was? Thanks, all!!! Nick

Hey, all! So, I'm probably about halfway through the process now and have been looking at Dr. Billy in Thousand Oaks/Ventura County. I've heard nothing but good things so far, but just wanted to get as many opinions as I can! I know he's well known for taking care of complications caused by other doctors, which is very cool. Just wanted to know about how things went when Dr. Billy was the guy who did your band in the first place! Thanks, all! Nick

I was just looking for something like this as well... Who can we bug about that? :-) Also, do you guys have any favorite stories that are already posted on the boards that you could send my way? Thanks!

Hey there! These things are difficult to let go of for a reason... Our bodies and minds rely on them and can last for a short while with a rapid change, but after a while they go, "oh, wait! You're serious, aren't you? SOUND THE ALARM!!!" The key in my mind to any change in behavior or dependance on a substance is to do it gradually. Tapering is the key to making sure your body doesn't freak out. All the things you tried are very admirable, and I don't want to discount the courage it took to do what you did! Don't feel bad if the difficulty of going cold turkey jumps up and bites ya unexpectedly... It's not your fault, it's just the way these things work. For any behavior change to be permanent, the slower the better. It can keep you sane and your body from getting too upset. None of these changes need to take place overnight, but the fact that you're committed to changing them is awesome. Just keep on keepin' on, and good luck! :-)

Hey, all! So... I was the dude who started this whole thread, and it was pretty hilarious to see that almost 2 months later it's still going strong! I thought I was the only one facing this problem, but wow... Seems like a pretty big issue! Well, just wanted to share with everyone that I had my weigh-in for the consultation. I did gain a few pounds to try to get my BMI over 40, but I wasn't quite there by my bathroom scale here at home, so I was a little nervous. What I didn't anticipate, though, was that I was actually so nervous about the appointment itself (issues for another post) that I wasn't too concerned about the weigh-in part... Didn't do any major water-drinking beforehand or attempt to use weights or anything. As it turns out, the girl who weighed me didn't really care that I had jeans and a sweatshirt on, and when she measured my height it was actually about 3/4" shorter than I thought (I guess I've always measured my height with sneakers on...) So, it worked out! LOL Anyway, LOOOONG story short, I met the criteria for weight for the insurance company! YAY! While I can't say that it's a good thing necessarily that I'm now considered in the "high health risk" obesity category, it is good that I meet the criteria for my insurance company. :-) Thanks to all who have posted on this thread, and keep it goin'! Nick

Thanks to all who responded! I hope this info will be helpful! And, keep those responses coming, I'll post a new set of results every 25 responses I get. Again, the data is fairly encouraging, depending on how you look at it. Most people don't have problems with most foods on the list. The two foods that "Frequently" give people problems are chicken and Bread. On the other hand, if you look at the average response (with 5 being lots of problems and 1 being no problems), Bread, Beef and Chicken top the list. People also submitted "Other:" For greasy foods, I don't think it was the grease/fried that bothered me, but the chicken nuggets at mcdonalds KILL me. Might be from chicken. eggs apples - can't swallow Steak is an issue donuts---raised glazed donuts And, drumroll please, here's the data!

Hey there! I'll probably post the exact results when I have 25 or more people respond. For now, there's a little summary above to tide ya over! :thumbup: