HeatherO

Taking off some of the excess weight should definitely ease the strain on yoru heart down the road. The surgery itself is not too difficult at all. Good luck.

I think mine was 6.8 cc's which was a very agressive fill. It was under fluoro so they filled it until the liquid wasn't flowing and then backed out a little fluid until there was a slow trickle. This helped me to get to a long term sweet spot by the second fill.

I agree with jms462001. Vomiting can actually cause the damage that you are trying to avoid. It is high risk, especially right after banding.

I knew I wouldnt be satisfied at losing only half as well. However, I am OK with being closer to a BMI of 25 than 20 for now. I will pick up again once the baby is here and I am running around like crazy trying to keep up, lol. I wish us all success . . . in whatever that means to each individual :0)

I think you are just not ready for cottage cheese yet. Some people have restriction without a fill. You will probably need to go back to liquids for a couple of days to allow your stomach to settle or it might just happen again. When you do go back to mushies, try something a little different and maybe you can even Water it down a little more. One of my first meals was refried Beans whipped with extra chicken broth until it was a soupy consistency but relatively thin. Just take it easy. Your body will let you know what you are ready for.

I had surgery in Mexico and had a wonderful experience. Lodging was part of the price so it was not an issue. I know nothing about surgeons or hospitals in DR. My stats were somewhat similar to yours . . . 32 at the time, 5'3 and 225 pounds and I have lost 100% of my excess weight in less than a year. My health is phenomenal and it is the best thing I ever did for my health. I wish you the best of luck in finding a great doctor with lots of experience.

One last thing I want to mention. Even if you only achieve 50% excess weight loss after banding, is that not success??? For most of us, our weight continues to creep up over the years. Would our qualities of life not be improved by being 50% closer to a normal BMI as opposed to creeping ever higher into morbid obesity? A 50% reduction also makes a tremendous impact on health as well. I think it is just more food for thought . . . pardon the pun.

I was self pay as well and I have no regrets with the band. I lost 100% of my excess weight in less than a year. Self determination is part of it, that is true. Can you cut out grazing and junk food and focus on eating healthy things such as proteins, veggies and the occasional healthy carb??? This makes all the difference in the world if you also include exercise as well. This doesn't mean never having a piece of birthday cake again, it just means making healthy decisions most of the time. I have yo-yo dieted all my life and the band helped me to beat that through appetite control. I was ruled by hunger in the past, but it is not a big issue anymore. I know I would not have succeeded long term without the band. I think this statistic is misleading. A failure is inability to lose weight after banding . . . almost every person loses weight, the difference is in the percentage of weight lost. Almost every study shows that the average percentage of weight lost can range between 47% to 68% depending on the study. Some statistics are as follows: In one early study involving 271 US patients undergoing lap band surgery the average weight loss achieved 3 years after surgery was 47% of excess body weight, while a second US study of 63 patients showed an excess weight loss of 53%. Several studies involving larger groups of patients from both Italy and Australia over a similar 3 year period show excess weight loss ranging from 49% to as high as 68%. Remember that in every study, there are people who try to be compliant, get the aftercare they need, follow the diet guidelines, etc. and they are the ones that have the most success. There are also those that eat what they want, make slider foods such as ice cream or chips part of their regular diet, don't follow the rules, and don't attempt to have appropriate aftercare and fills as needed (and I am sure you wouldn't be surprised if their weight loss was less than stellar). Your success rate is up to you. Are you willing to follow the banding rules, exercise and be compliant most of the time? If so, there is no reason for you to have less than average weight loss or be considered a failure. Average is just average, people do both better and worse. How dedicated you are and how seriously you take this journey will determine on which side of the fence you land.

I wish you the best of luck for a quick insurance approval. It sounds like surgery is right around the corner. Many people have also had great luck conceiving after banding helped to resolve some fertility difficulties, such as PCOS, through weight loss.

It is definitely the breathing tube that causes the throat discomfort and most of us have had this issue. Different people have different post-op diets. Mine was strictly Clear liquids for the first two weeks . . . and it was just sipping on them until it became more comfortable. He may not be ready for jello/yogurt and it might be easier to do fluids such as broth, low sugar apple juice, tea, Water, etc. It also helps in the beginning to drink things that are warm which go down smoother. Chamomile or mint tea were really helpful for me in the early days. He needs to stay hydrated even if he can only tolerate small sips throughout the day. It helps to always have a bottle of something near so he can keep nursing it as much as possible. After another day or two and the swelling goes down, he will start feeling much better.

My doctor said I can go back within 2 weeks after the baby is born if I am feeling up for it.

I have a full size that I have had forever. I thought about moving up in size when I bought a new pillow top mattress/box spring set but didn't. I will never go king size, it is just too much bed for me but maybe a queen will be nice down the road. Although it seems small for being married, we always sleep spooned and face either left or right on the same pillow. There is constant contact and we like it like that . . . beds always seem so empty and cold when I am at a hotel for a business trip and my DH isn't there. I never upgraded on size because I have been happy enough with what I have . . . but it is harder being pregnant. I can get really hot at night and sometimes don't want to be touched or have covers. I also have been wanting additional pillows lately. It is also a very soft, cushiony bed and for some weird reason it makes me ache sometimes. I have been occasionally sleeping on one of our couches when I am uncomfortable because there is nothing but pillows on it and it is not very soft . . . it just seems to agree with my changing body and it is cooler downstairs at night as well. Kat, it sounds like things are looking up a bit. I am sorry that Manda had to move so far away but happy that she is receiving better care and has her own room now.

8 months with daily pb'ing and staying ultra-tight is a real strain on your stomach. I am really concerned with the pain you are experiencing now as well. I think if anything, you should go for an unfill as soon as possible to at least allow your stomach to recover. I think you probably will also need to have your stomach scoped just in case. If there is any chance of the beginnings of an erosion, you need to have it looked at right away. I agree that H-Pylori does not always need to be present for an ulcer even though it commonly goes hand in hand. Whatever the issue happens to be . . . I wouldn't wait any longer to get it addressed because if it is something serious it will probably not improve with time. I would also give your stomach a rest and go into a lighter, liquid/mushy diet for the time being. Please let us know how it goes. As long as there is no erosion, just staying unfilled for awhile can help to settle a lot of band issues. I wish you the best of luck.

Congratulations, good luck and happy banding!!! I can't wait to here how your surgery goes.

My fill doctor said that saline can evaporate but it is an extremely slow rate of loss and is not of too much concern until the maintenance period. There have been a couple of times where I have had a little more or less in my band then what I had noted. I always have them check the quantity in the band at each fill to be sure. I am happy you are feeling better, being too tight is certainly no fun at all.

I liked the idea of the sleeve but decided against it because there was not enough information out there for long term research that I could find at the time. I liked that the band could be "tweaked" as far as fill level, but this is also the same reason that some people don't like the band because of aftercare. I was more than a little afraid of bypass with risks of complications. Bypass is a great option for some, and banding is also a great option for some . . . it really depends on your particular circumstances. Both will help you lose the weight . . . one may be faster in the beginning, but there are also much larger health complications associated with extreme rates of loss. You are capable of regain on both as well, but anecdotally I have met many people who have regained everything on bypass but those who have regained on the band have only regained partial amounts. One thing you need to be aware of is that doctors have preferences and tend to be strongly supportive of band or bypass and shift the majority of patients towards one of these options. You still need to take an active role in finding the best choice for you. Another thing you have to look at first and foremost are the reasons why you are obese in the first place. Are you a sweet or junk-food 'aholic or graze constantly during the day, if so maybe bypass is better. Are you a chronic overeater that just tends to eat too much at meals, if so maybe banding is better. I chose the band and have lost 100% of my weight to bring me to a normal BMI in less than a year. My biggest weakness before banding was being HUNGRYYY and a chronic overeater . . . the band took away the majority of my insatiable appetite and turned food more into something needed to live rather than the purpose of my existence. Whatever you decide, make sure that you do it after doing all of your research and making lists of pros and cons for either option. There are too many people that say they made the wrong choice and were "pushed" into a specific option when a different option may have suited them better. This is such a personal choice, make sure you make the best one for your own personal lifestyle and situation.

I would recommend banding afterwards. Marriage is a major life event filled with stresses and last minute errands. You really want to be able to focus on the day and your new wife, not the liquid diet and feeling run down. Even if it seems like it will not be a big deal to you, it will also effect your fiance as well who will be worrying about you on top of the stress of a wedding. Afterall, pushing it out a few weeks or month will not make a major difference in your life overall since banding is a long term solution . . . but marriage is a (hopefully) once in a lifetime event that you really want to devote full time and energy towards making it a great experience.

I only received lortab and never finished the script. It helped a bit but really your pain level improves so quickly post surgery that by the time you can fanagle a different script, you are feeling pretty much OK if you take it easy. Tylenol does not do squat for me but I don't know why. I found chewable tablets called Nauzene that were both at my local supermarket and at Walmart for nausea. They taste pretty good, dissolve to nothing in your mouth (kind of like a tums) and work within 15 minutes or less. I highly recommend them. I had a bout of low grade fairly continuous nausea for the first couple of weeks after banding, not enough to vomit but enough to be uncomfortable. This med did wonders for it.

You are doing wonderful with your lost. 5 pounds a month isn't too agressive . . . I think I probably averaged 6-8 during most of my time banded before pregnancy. I was also told 800-1000 calories and daily exercise which I stuck to religiously. However, I started plateauing at that calorie level. I lost more weight at 1000-1250 for some reason. I think everyone's metabolism is a little different.

Wow, I never thought of it that way. Technology improves faster than I am aware of it.

I had grand plans also, but I was very late and all the tests I took kept coming back negative. I didn't actually get a positive until 6 weeks after my LMP and it was very, very faint. My husband was also waiting to find out as well, so when I took it and saw the faint shadow of a second line, I wasn't so much excited as confused. I asked him to take a look at it and he squinted and said maybe he could see another line. Well, it was positively confirmed 2 more tests later that came back increasingly distinct. However, with the uncertainty and the closeness with my husband who was very "involved" in the whole process . . . cutesy ways to relay the information flew out the window.

I exercised religiously pre-pregnancy and tried to keep it up post pregnancy . . . but I had some back discomfort around my bra line which would get a lot worse after doing certain kinds of aerobics. I was also just exhausted the first few months of pregnancy . . . could go to bed at 7:30 at night and still be tired at 8 the next morning. Second trimester is better. I think as long as you are choosing something that is not ultra high impact and you feel good doing it, it shouldn't be a problem. I do exercise occasionally now, but occasionally is the word for it. I try to walk and swim, everything low impact.

Starting a blog is an excellent idea, especially as you are working through the journey from the beginning. :0) I really regret I did not do the same in the beginning . . . because banding is such a full mental shift over time. I am not the same person today as I was in '07, and that is both inside and out.

I forgot to mention, there is a section on complications in this forum. Perhaps you can do a search on erosions to see what has been discussed in the past.

I am shocked it happened so quickly. I am also saddened that he had problems from the get go and it took them so long to diagnose the situation, especially considering that he had a recurring problem that kept showing up. I have to wonder if there was a problem with the initial attachment. My heart goes out to you and your husband.