Jodi_620

I don't think that you feel it when your pouch gets stretched. You would notice that it takes more food to fill your pouch and be satisfied. You stretch the pouch by consistently overeating so considering the small amount you are eating it sounds like you are probably OK. I had that feeling early on when I still had restriction from the swelling. I am working on getting to my sweet spot and I get that feeling right after a fill too.

Woo Hoo! :thumbup:

Hi Matty and Welcome! The insurance requirements sure can be a pain but in the end it will be so worth it. February is just around the corner!!!

Hi Jennfer, I am just posting to say hello...you are not too far away from me; I am about 45 minutes south of you here in Loudoun County Virginia. Good Luck!!!

In the beginning I had planned on only telling immediate family. But word got around and now my entire familyand my husbands family all know. I ended up telling people at work too. I have no regrets, there was a lot of curiosity in the beginning but once I explained it to everyone it wasn't so bad. I work with a pretty good group of people who are mature enough not to hound me or judge me. My advice would be to definitely tell your close family, they need to know that you are going to have surgery and it will be easier if they understand that you will be eating differently. If you have family, friends, co-workers that you feel would be judgemental or unsupportive, I would hold off on letting them in on it...you do not need any negativity.

Yes like others explained it means Productive Burp-It is when your stomach forces the food back up because either you didn't chew it well, ate too fast or you ate too much. You burp the food back up, it is not exactly like throwing up in that there is no stomach acid it is just your food in the same form as when it went down. I have been unable to burp since before the surgery so it is not actually a "burp" for me, I feel the sensation like I need to burp and then it is more like a gag then the food comes up.

This is a point that I wanted to make. Personally I wouldn't go to Mexico but I wouldn't judge your decision to go. You are an adult and you know what is best for you and there are plenty of people here that have had their surgery ther. But I do remember not too long ago someone came here and told their story of going to Mexico and having some pretty serious complications, not necessarily caused by going to Mexico but the issue was that doctors here didn't want to deal with the complications because the surgery was done in Mexico. Just be sure you think about complications and after care...have a good plan in case there are issues like infection, slippage, malfunctions etc.

Yes, it is quite normal, take it slow and it will get easier. LOL, enjoy this while you can...if you are like most people, you will probably be here in a week or two upset because you feel no restriction and you are eating too much!

In the beginning I used Milk of Magnesia and if necessary suppositories to get me moving again. I was told that these products were fine (non-stimulant products). But I was warned not to use these products long term, basically it can cause your bowel to become lazy and you will become dependant on these products in order to be able to go. I take Fiber regularly and I don't really need to use them anymore. It is healthy to get the extra fiber and it keeps your digestive system in check. I drink my Water all day long and in the evening I treat myself to a couple glasses of caffeine free/sugar free iced tea. When I brew the tea, I put in a couple of heaping teaspoons of Fiber Sure or Benefiber. It mixes very well in warm or room teperature drinks (not so well in cold drinks) and once it is mixed in you can't taste it at all. Warning, if you are just starting on fiber, you may need some GasX for the first few days...the initial side affects to adjusting to extra fiber can be VERY painful gas-wise, but it doesn't last too long.

Yeah, your port should be around the largest incision, usually somewhere around your belly button/waisteline. My port incision is right above my belly button, the actual port is about 1 1/2 inches above and to the right of the incision. The port incision pain was the most painful and takes the most time to heal. It took a good two weeks before the pain was really improved for me but it did get better every day. The pain here is worse because of course, number one, the incision is larger. But also, the port is sewn to your abdominal muscles where there are plenty of nerves.

Accidents happen...sometimes people accidentally swallow their gum. Not typically a problem but with the band, it can get stuck and cause some serious issues.

Congratulations on your weight loss!!!! I find that my sweet tooth is usually cuased by insulin spikes and drops brought on by too many bad carbs in my diet. Are you taking in more food with flour, sugar or starches than you should? Are you eating plenty of Protein and high Fiber veggies and fruits? (protein first, then veggies then fruits). Are you following the band rules? (small bites, chew thoroughly and eat slowly, no drinks with meals etc.) On days where you feel like you could eat and eat, is it "head" hunger or are you truly hungry? Head hunger could be due to insulin spikes or emotional. True hunger could mean that you need a fill or are not eating correctly.

I agree with Heather, what you are feeling is perfectly normal. My entire digestive system makes a ton of noise now! gurgling, rumbling etc.

Had steak and shrimp "on the barbie" just last night...no problems at all! But really the intolerable foods are personal. Like Trish said the only way to know is to give it a try. Chew well and eat slowly and see what happens.

I am not from Kentucky but I believe that Medicare is controlled federally. Anyway, from what I have heard they do cover Lap Band surgery but there are of course hoops to jump through before they will approve you... Must be approved bariatric surgeon, patient must be under 65, 3 month medical weight loss program with a nutritionist plus an approved exercise program, smoking cessation (if applicable) and psych evalutation. Along with the typical pre-op medical workups. I also believe that you have to have at least one obesity related illness.

Ask your doctor but many say no caffeine. It is a stimulant and can stimulate your appetite which you especially don't want when you are having to follow such a strict diet pre-op and post-op. Most will say no caffeine for at least a few months after surgery because it can irritate your stomach. Some say no caffeine ever again.

Yeah I had a couple of really rough days. What kind of diet are you on?

Most require a BMI of 35-40 with comorbities or a BMI above 40. With a BMI of 44 there is a good chance that you will qualify.

For the first few days of solids I ate fresh fish, canned tuna, veggies cooked soft and soft fruits. I slowly added chicken around day 4 and fresh veggies, then beef and the tougher foods sometime during the second week. The key is to start slow and easy and once you know for sure you can tolerate the softer foods, slowly add the denser foods. Breakfast is tough for a lot of people. I can eat eggs but I really am not a big fan. I don't hold myself to just breakfast type foods in the morning. Tuna and Chicken are good Protein items and they fill me up so I will eat them for breakfast, lunch and dinner. I ate alot of those flavored tunas in the foil pouch, canned tuna with FF miracle whip, chicken salad made from canned chicken (canned chicken goes down better in the beginning...at least it did for me). Chicken, fish or tuna on a small salad, oatmeal (cooked in LF milk for extra protein) with berries, refried Beans with FF cheese, chili. Have GasX on hand expecially with bean items. I seem to have gas all the time and it can get painful without the GasX.

That is called fluro. I had that done with my first fill, I think he told me he always does it for the first fill. But he didn't use fluro to find my port, he inserted the needle while I was lying down then had me walk over to the x-ray machine with the needle still inserted I swallowed the barium (just a little) he watched it go down saw that everything was OK then did the fill and had me drink some Water.

Are you happy with your decision to be banded? I am only 2 1/2 months post-op but so far yes I am very happy. Do you have any regrets and if so what are they? No, none at all Would you do it again if you had the choice to make over? In a hearbeat! What are some of the physical difficulties you've faced post op..such as diet, health? My health has already improved...I am already off one of my two prescriptions. Other than recovery which wasn't too bad there have been no physical difficulties. There still is head hunger but it has been easier to combat. Did you have any complications and what was the outcome? No complications from Lap Band, I also had Hiatal Hernia repair and had a few minor complications from that (breathing problems and pain) but I am fine now. Do you feel better or worse now compared to pre banding? I already feel sooo much better. Once the weight is all gone I imagine I will feel like a new person. Did you tell people you were having or had the surgery? I hadn't planned to but I ended up telling family and co-workers. I do not have any regrets in doing so. How did your friends and acquaintances react? Mostly with curiosity, lots of questions. My mom had some concerns but she is OK with it now. Hubby has been very supportive. How hard was it for you to stay on the pre and post op liquid diets? Very hard. Pre-op was harder than post-op when I had less of an appetite but it was hard. But it was only a short time and worth it. How hard has it been for you to learn new eating habits? Very easy. I am not hungry like I was pre-band and the band keeps me from eating too much and that makes all the difference. How do you overcome eating temptations or do you even have them anymore? I think most of my head hunger comes from my addiction to Carbs. I also have PCOS so carbs are truly the enemy. Pre-op diet was low carb high protein so I was able to get the carbs out of my system and have stuck with the low carb not allowing myself any sugar or white flour (I do eat whole wheat wraps sometimes, oatmeal, fresh fruit but no pasta, starches, sugars and I can't tolerate soft breads). I really think that avoiding bad carbs is helping a lot. Why do you think this surgery was successful when so many other dieting attempts failed (assuming you are like me :crying: in this regard) I have dieted my whole life. I have lost up to 50 pounds on my own more than once then lost my willpower and gained it back and then some. In order to lose weight I had to deprive myself of food and endure constant hunger. The key now is that I am not hungry and I can't cheat without feeling discomfort. I really don't feel the deprivation I have always felt on other diets.

When you are overweight you have excess fat around your organs. When you diet, the first place the fat goes away is from around your liver. Most people but not all are put on a liquid protein diet for a week or two prior to surgery. That is the most effective way to shrink your liver quickly. Your liver is in front of your stomach and has to be moved in order to get the band in place, a fatty liver can be damaged or even make surgery impossible. I have heard of people that were opened up then closed with no band due to having a fatty liver.

I thought Slim Fast Optima was the low carb...they have so many different choices now it is confusing! Anyway, I was told that Slim Fast and other products labeled as "meal replacement" were too high in sugar, even the low carb version of Slim Fast, whatever that may be.

I have noticed that some are allowed to but my nutritionist said no (no product that says meal replacement). It would be best to check with your doctor. I was allowed Atkins shakes and I stuck with that along with chicken broth and protein powders.

I also had to pay a program fee. It was $375 non-refundable and had to be paid at the first consultation. It was much like what Cindy explained to cover coordination of insurance, nutritionist etc. No gym or vitamins though.