kdlee

Thanks! :tongue2:

Hey everyone. Hope everyone had a good weekend. Is there a support group tonight? If I can leave work early, I might make it.

Knock on wood...even being around all the sick patients at work, I've been lucky and not gotten sick (cold symptoms). I'm sorry to hear that you're having so much trouble with your band, Theresa.

Theresa - What size band do you have and how much fill is in it? I have a 10cc band and am between 7.5-8cc in it and still don't feel like I have enough restriction. After this last fill, it doesn't take me as much to fill up and I'm staying full longer, but I'm still eating without any problems. Maybe you need to have just a little bit taken out (like .25cc)?

Congrats! I know that it seems like a long process right now, but it will go by so quickly when you look back on it. I started this exactly 1 year ago. The last year has been a blur!

I know what you mean! Who knows, she may have already had surgery! My entire process only took 3 1/2 months, because I didn't have the 6 month insurance requirement.

Congrats, Elizabeth! I'm glad your visit went better today. =) Kar- You're welcome!! =)

Dr. Adam Kaplan, MD, FACS : General & Bariatric Surgery I don't think it's been updated for awhile. I know the blog part hasn't been updated since November! :smile:

Theresa- I get pretty discouraged, too. I know the weight is coming off, just not too fast. Winter is a bad time. I can't wait till I can get outside and start running! My goal is to run a complete 5k (not walk!) by fall. He wanted to put 1.5cc in on Monday and I talked him down to 1 because I had to have 1/2cc taken out a couple fills ago. I think it's working. I was busy last night and didn't have time to eat dinner. By the time I realized it, it was 8:30 and I was scared to death to eat because of the abdominal pain I get if I eat too close to bedtime, so I went without. The good thing is, I actually wasn't even hungry. So, maybe something is finally working!

It's 18000 without insurance. That's the figure I was given at my seminar a year ago. Both Jennifer and her husband are having it done. That's where the 36000 came from. :smile: I know if I didn't have insurance I couldn't have done it!

Jennifer- It took me almost a month to get approved, because the correct stuff was not sent in the first time. I have a problem getting ahold of anyone at the office, too. Just keep calling them everyday until you get your questions answered. It's your life their putting on hold, so it's worth making a pain of yourself. After all, they're getting a heck of alot of money out of you and your husband!!! ($36000 if you were cash patients!!!!) Keep your head up. I know how discouraging it is! Elizabeth- Good luck tomorrow! Let us know how it goes. I didn't realize he was doing fills on other days than Mondays. That's good to know!

Congrats on the loss, Theresa! He was cranky yesterday, and rushed. Jeannie wasn't overly friendly, either. They were running late, so maybe that was it? I can't be sure I'll be at the meeting. Keeping my job is most important....:thumbdown:

Elizabeth- He was friendly, but he gave me hell for not going to the support group meeting in January, even though I tried to explain that I didn't get off work in Athens until almost 6pm that night! He basically said that was an excuse?! I have had to leave work early for all the other meetings and I just can't do that right now because we see so many more patients this time of year! As I've said before, the time of the meetings is pretty inconvenient for me but I've managed to make my six, which is better than some.... I didn't lose as much as I wanted, but I still lost 6 lbs, so he wasn't too hard on me for that. I got another 1cc added. I hope this is it!!! :thumbup: Froggi hasn't been on here in well over a month. I don't have any idea what happened to her! I know that she was pretty discouraged because she wasn't losing too much.

I know what you mean. I have been up and down the same 10 lbs for the last month, even though I've been doing more exercise. I know that it's my portion sizes. I'm dreading going in there to weigh, but I know that I need another fill. I think what's hurting me the most is eating out on the weekends. I need to work on that....

Elizabeth- Some days I get too much protein. (Up to 150g at times!!!) I eat a Protein Bar for breakfast (about 15g), drink a protein shake around 10 (about 20g), eat something meat based around noon like tuna salad or chicken salad (usualy 30-40g), eat cheese or nuts for a snack around 3pm (about 10g) and then dinner I always have some meat like chicken or hamburger and will add in beans sometimes (around 40-50g). I also eat small protions of veggies and fruits with my meals. I was having a problem with my hair falling out after surgery, but since I increased my protein, I'm having no problems. In fact, my hair is growing pretty quick. I also take 2 chewable flintstrones a day. I track my portions on livestrong.com, which helps me keep track of the protein and calories. Right now, I'm staying around 1000-1100 calories a day, which is more than I want. I'm hoping that will go down when I get my fill this coming Monday. Just make sure your getting your meats in, and your protein will increase!

Hello. My husband I both had the surgery last summer. Bes decisions we've ever made! He has lost almost 80 lbs, and you can see what I'm down. I think it makes it easier having him there for support and to push me to exercise. Let me know if you have any questions.

Hi. I'm in South East Ohio in Belpre. Anyone near here that could tell me your experiences? Where did you have the procedure done, etc. Thanks.

At first I really missed fast food, but like some of the other posters, it just doesn't excite me that much anymore. Once in awhile, I'll have apples and Nuggets from McDonalds or Wendy's Chili. I have not had a fast food burger since surgery, but I never really liked them pre-surgery. I also like refried beans from taco bell. Most ff places have some kind of fruit now (apples, oranges, etc.)--if you stick with that and some form of meat without the bread you should be ok. Just watch your portions--we once thought they were "normal" portions, but they're actually huge!

Sorry we missed you guys at the meeting. I didn't get home from work until 6:30. The 6pm meeting time is almost impossible during the winter months for me to make because I work in Athens and it seems all the students here want to come into the clinic at 5pm! It may be March before I make the next one. I have all my required meetings in. My husband has one more.

Congrats, Saundra! I had terrible gas pains about 3 weeks after surgery, so I feel for you! Take care of yourself and get plenty of rest! I had another one of those "attacks" like back in October. It has happened 3 times now. I woke up Saturday morning in the most intense and horrible pain of my life-- worse than childbirth! It started right below my sternum and went all the way across the bottom of my ribcage. Diaphragm pain?? Dunno. Anyways, I rode it out this time instead of going to the ER and once again, like someone flipped a switched, it suddenly stopped about 3 hours later and I was fine. I have figured out what caused it! I ate right before bed and went to bed on a "full stomach". Putting the pieces together, that's what happened the other two times. So, I don't think it's gallbladder after all, I think it's band related. Not sure where the pain is coming from, but it's just like someone flips on a switch and it starts. Everytime it has started between 4-5am, so about 5 hours after going to sleep. I promise and swear that I will never eat again right before bed, which we shouldn't be doing anyway, but it happens (Obviously only 3 times for me since surgery). MY ADVICE TO ALL OF YOU THAT ARE BANDED...do not eat after dinner so this doesn't happen to you! The pain is like nothing I've ever experienced before. Dr. Kaplan was stumped before about the cause, so I'll wait and tell him at my next appointment which is next week. At least I've figured out the trigger to it! Hope all is going well for everyone. Sorry I've been MIA, work and family life have been so busy!

Thanks for the reply. I have the Allergan "lapband" standard size, which is 10cc. The large size is 14cc. It's intersting that we're at about the same fill level. I am having similar problems. It feels like my restriction is getting less and less and that I can eat more and more! I was worried that I may have stretched my pouch. I had planned on doing full liquids for a few days to see if this would help, and your post helped confirm it! I have a regular follow-up with my Dr. in one week, so I think I'll try and see if it helps. After all, as long as I get my protein in, it certainly will not hurt!

Gingerbug- What size band do you have and how much fill did you have in at the time this happened? Thanks!

I started at a 10 and am now 9 1/2. I still have about 50 lbs to lose, so I'll probably end up around a 9. I didn't have wide feet to start with at all. They're normal width. Now they're just starting to look bony.

I hope that everyone had a nice holiday and enjoys the upcoming New Year celebrations! My husband and I both had to pay our out-of-pockets the day of surgery. If you don't pay it, they won't do surgery. Luckily, our out of pockets was only $750 each and then insurance paid 90/10 after that. What's stupid is that our insurance required the nutrition visits before they would approve the surgery, but then wouldn't pay for them by saying it wasn't a covered benefit. That cost us an additional $400 each. In the end, with co-pays, etc, we've spent about $2000 each for the program/surgery.