JennBand08

A couple weeks after my surgery I got a statement from my insurance telling me I was responsible for $9,800.. for a co-surgeon that I had never heard of. I about fainted. I called them and asked what happened, because I had been told prior to surgery it was covered and had been precertified. She explained that the Co-Surgeon was not in my plan so it was MY responsibility. I said.. "but I didn't CHOOSE her, I don't even know her!" They documented that the Dr. was not selected by me and sent it to 'review'. They then paid it all.. whew!! I haven't seen the total bill yet, I'm sure it's a high amount if the co-surgeon billed for $10,000!

I know it is frustrating, but I'm sure you read up prior to banding that weight loss would be slower. 1-2.bs/week being the average. 24 lbs is awesome. Sometimes it takes a few fills before you are at optimum restriction. Hang in there... the weight didn't go on overnight, nor will it fall off overnight either.

I would like to lose 16 lbs too. So that would put me at 48 pounds total lost. I'd love to just go for 50.. but that might be pushing it.. thats an average of 3 lbs/week. I haven't managed to get into a consistent losing pattern yet. YET! I am upping my exercise.. so we shall see.

Even if your doc is out on Holiday, someone is covering for them. If you don't have a Rx for liquid pain meds, I would call them. There is no reason you should sit around suffering. I was sent home with Roxycet, a nasty tasting liquid, but it did the trick for that first night when I was in pain. After that I was able to swallow the 'fast dissolving' Tyelnol pills. Good luck to you... it gets easier every day..

Yes! I had this very thing at around the same time out from surgery. I was banded 9/4, and just before Thanksgiving I was concerned enough that I paid a visit to my surgeon's office. I too thought maybe my port had moved or something. It just felt different, and I was feeling soreness/pain. They checked me over and said I was fine, that it was just likely a layer of muscle healing. Or that I had slept on it funny and irritated it. It lasted a week or so and then disappeared. I was advised to take Motrin with food if the pain bothered me that much. Hope this helps...

Glad to see this post. I struggle too.. chips and popcorn are my big downfall. I think pre-surgery I was thinking that I wouldn't be able to eat much, I had read so much about people barely eating 1 cup of food at each meal. I didn't realize that the bad carbs would still go down so easily. I'm cutting out caffeine to see if that helps with the cravings. Some days I win the battle, some days I don't. I just try to do my best every day. I'm happy to see that eventually it gets easier.

What does it feel like? Basically.. it hurts. Like a sharp pinching in your chest.. you will feel like drinking to alleviate, but everything I've read says DO NOT do that. I've only had it happen to me once.. I paced around the bathroom for about ten minutes raising my arms up, taking deep breaths, until it passed. I did not bring the food up, eventually it just passed.

I use dailyplate.com. they have calorie/protein info for a lot of foods.

I still get pain in my left shoulder if I over eat. Gas-X usually helps, but I really need to try to look for other clues before its too late. I would mention this to your doc just to be safe, but maybe it is a form of overeating. From what I've read there are LOTS of different ways our bands let us know when we've had enough. ...

I've been diligent about my protein intake, and I still am dealing with some thinning. I just try to stay positive and remember it's only temporary.

Yes, it is normal. It is also referred to as 'Bandster hell" because you are not feeling satisfied for hours and can eat more than you know you ought to. This is a time for learning to chew chew chew and take small bites. Many docs do not expect any weight loss until you've been filled and have restriction. Hang in there.. it's a tough time, but it won't last forever. You can try calling and seeing if they will take you sooner for a fill-- but each Dr. has his own fill schedule he will adhere to. Good luck.

Hi.. I'm 3 months out.. and for the past few weeks I've noticed I am just shedding all over the place. At first I was really upset.. but now.. I just sigh and know it's only temporary. I was really REALLY hoping I'd be one of the lucky ones that doesn't have this lovely side effect. I was diligent about my protein intake.. and took/take biotin.. but still I shed.. I am the only one that notices it though.. and i can't actually see it when I look in the mirror, I just notice all the hair on my clothes and in the drain. I am going to get it cut next week.. maybe if the hairs falling out are shorter it won't look like so much!

I lost very slowly. Try not to compare yourself to others. I would see people with the same surgery date as me losing twice as fast.. but I just kept following the rules, and finally it started being more consistent after my first fill. In the weeks immediately following surgery I was barely getting enough calories, focusing mainly on my protein. It was only after I started eating MORE that I began to lose more weight. I also read that many docs do not even expect you to lose ANY weight until you've had your first fill. I felt better hearing that.. I hope it helps you too.

I read an article about Matt & Susie.. He did gain back about half his weight. Susie gained some back too, but also had a baby. I'm sure once you leave the ranch it's hard to dedicate as much time to exercise. It would be nice.. but... not exactly realistic! I love the show too, but I get annoyed sometimes when they get on that scale and act like 3-4 lbs isn't enough of a weight loss.

I'm 3 months out and just went to the Dr.'s office the other day for this very reason. He said I probably slept on it funny or something. It is surrounded by muscles, so it is sensitive sometimes. He advised me to take a mild pain killer if I needed it and that it would go away. I felt better after going in to see the Doc, just to be sure. I'd give yours a call if you are concerned or if it doesn't subside soon.

27 pounds for me!

I drink alot of peppermint tea. I've heard it aids in digestion, and it seemed to help soothe my stomach. Also the Gas-X strips helped too. And walking walking walking! Like another poster said, if it's smaller than an M&M I swallow it. My blood pressure pills are small, and my calcium pills are a bit bigger, neither have ever gotten stuck. (knock on wood). Good luck.. it does get easier with time!

Great to read all the updates and compare notes! Ambra... I feel your pain. I take breaks from the boards sometimes too as I feel I am losing so much slower than most and get discouraged. I too struggle with exercise and just feel like it is some kind of mental issue. The hardest part for me is getting my gym shoes on, lol! If I can accomplish that, the treadmill itself is easy. Makes no sense.. Upping my protein has seemed to help me a bit too. I read that on the boards and am making more of an effort to make sure I hit 80. I go for my next fill on December 1st. I don't want to be so tight I can't enjoy food anymore, but I'm finding myself snacking, so I know I need a small amount in there. I have either 3 or 4cc's in a 10cc Allergan band. I can't remember... I'll have to write it down next time. Cheers to all. We can do this.. bite by bite!

For the first week I was on clears, so I drank the Isopure protein clear liquid. Not tasty, but not terrible. Expensive though, I was glad after that week to move on to protein powder. I would just take it slow and make sure to use skim milk, as that is thinner and will go down easier. Good luck

Hi.. I was banded in Norwalk by Fairfield county Bariatrics, Dr. Neil Floch. They are a great group. I haven't checked out the support group through Norwalk Hospital yet, but have gone to the one run by Greenwich Hospital a few times. They meet once a month too. It was about 50/50 with Lapband vs Bypass patients. I found it very informative, and they seemed to focus alot on food. But I gained good tips. Nice to see other posters from CT. :eek:

Hi.. well the good news is that the 2 week liquid pre op diet was the hardest part of the whole process.. at least for me. My saviour was the Splenda Coffee Flavors.. I added them to the Optifast chocolate/vanilla and it improved thier flavor tenfold. I used the Mocha and the Hazelnut. Hope this helps.

Hi.. just checking in. I had my first fill, haven't noticed much of a difference.I think I got mildly stuck one afternoon on steak, it was painful but only lasted a few minutes and I didn't slime or anything. So I'm not sure if that was officially 'stuck' or not. I took some papaya enzymes and it went away within about 5 minutes. I am losing really slowly, and can eat quite a bit, probably need another fill, but I don't go back until December 1st. My doc is away right after Thanksgiving, and I really didn't want a fill on the day before turkey day and have to be on liquids for the holiday. Sooo.. I just have to hang in there until the 1st. The hardest part is not snacking at night. Those empty carbs do nothing for me! Glad to see everyone doing so well. I know if I exercised more I would lose faster, but I just have such a hard time with that. :: sigh::

Well.. now you know what being stuck feels like. And why they reccomend you advance slowly through each stage of food. I'm sure now you'll be more careful, right? It's hard not to be tempted to eat things we shouldn't, isn't it? I'm certainly not perfect either. As far as damage, it's hard to tell at this point. Just pray that it's fine and try to be more careful. If your stomach is sore, I would go back to liquids/mushies for a few days to let it rest.

I don't have much to add.. but it is nice to know this is normal. I ended up calling my doctor about this after I hadn't "gone" for 5 days.. I was told to take Miralax. Up until this week I had been taking it 1-2x a week. But I am happy to report that things are starting to move on their own again. Yayy! I'm not sure if its the increase in veggies, or the Edamame I've been snacking on.. but whatever.. I'm just happy to not have to take the Miralax.

I have the same problem.. and I do still like an occasional crunchy sallty snack. What I've found recently is Dry Roasted Edamame- 14g of protein for a 1/4 cup. So then I don't feel so bad, because I'm getting in some protein and fiber. It's not delicious, but it's not bad either, it satisfies the urge for me. Good luck.