Rainydayz

Won't it be great to see their faces when you start wearing sexy clothes and look great in them? I'll bet they will be green with envy! But seriously I'm not telling anyone but my immediate family. Not even MIL because I can just hear it now "Oh why don't you just do Weight Watchers? bla blah blah". Yeah whatever.

Please I hope no one jumps down my throat because I did search before posting this but could not find any answers in skimming about 6 pages. My question is if the surgery is covered by insurance (in my case Aetna at 90% after deductible) how do they cover fills? Is it treated like a regular office visit with copay or do I have to pay them out of pocket? I will be asking the surgeon's office but hoped someone had some info before then. I realize that all ins. may be different but if I could just get an idea I would feel a lot better. Thanks!

Wow that sounds great. Right now if I only eat 2 pieces of pizza I'm still way hungry. Like you before the band I can eat just about as many hot wings as you show me! 3 wings and full? Now that's what I'm talking about!

Good advice! I think that a scale will be a must have for me! I am terrible at guessing weights.

How much is 3 oz. of chicken? I've always heard it's about the size of a deck of cards. Does it really take up 1 1/4 cups? I'm sure my proportion perception is way off though, so you're probably right. But 1 1/4 cup of chicken has got to me more than 3 oz. right?

I'm loving all the responses here. Even the ones it didn't work for. My goal is to go into this eyes wide open. FWIW Jachut my dr. never said I would feel full on 1/2 cup of food, that was my thought after seeing the size of the pouch. I haven't had any appts. yet so I'm still in the information gathering phase. I appreciate your knowledge and the fact that your doctor is probably the best in the world at this, and it helps to hear about how you're using your tool. I'm hoping to avoid the disappointment that may come from having too high expectations and too little information. That's why I'm trying to get a lot of responses.

But it's a good source of fiber right? I'm sure there are better sources but when I lost 50 lbs. before I ate popcorn every day and I was very regular if you know what I mean. It was very filling for me as well. I hope I'm still able to eat it afterward. Popcorn and a slimfast was my favorite lunch.

OK, how much does it take to feel full? I ask because at the seminar they showed the model of the stomach before and after. And the pouch size sure looked like 1/2 cup would fill it up. They said the feeling of fullness comes from stretching the top of the stomach where the pouch is. Buy you're saying that you still don't feel full, but you're not hungry? So by full I'm guessing you mean that overstuffed feeling like we get after Thanksgiving when we can't even stuff one more pieces of pie in, right? I guess I'm one of those people who would wonder why 1/2 cup of something wouldn't fill me up after seeing the size of that pouch. I'm just looking for education. Thanks!

I quit smoking 5 years ago. I was going to take Chantix but my ins. didn't pay for it and I couldn't afford it. so my dr. gave me a rx for a mild sedative, like valium but a lot weaker. I don't remember the name. Anyway when the craving got really bad I took one and it helped take the edge off. I was in hell for about 3 days (and so was everyone around me!) then it started getting easier. Haven't smoked since. Glad to hear the Chantix works!

Wow that just sounds scary. I'm going to make sure and ask if my surgeon does that skin fold thing and if he does, I'm running!

Thank you. I tend to agree about the overuse of the term. At least when no clarification is forthcoming. It's usually used by people telling you what the band will NOT do. I'm glad to be getting a lot of answers about what the band DOES do. Thanks!

Wow, 4" heels! I don't think I could handle that even when I was small! I know when people start noticing it makes all the difference doesn't it? That's great!

OK, now that's a metaphor this southern redneck girl can understand!

I see. If you can't eat meat and veggies that would seem to defeat the purpose in my mind. I can see why having it too tight would be a bad thing. Now if they could just invent the band that keeps out chocolate and ice cream I would be all set.

When you say "harder to eat" does that mean it hurts when they eat it or what? If so I would think the band is too tight. Is that right?

How long do you have to be on the all-liquid diet? I thought it was just a couple of weeks.

Really? No one has information about long-term efficacy of this?

Yeah, I would like to know why they said they denied it 2 times then approved it the 3rd. I have Aetna and I think I would just freak out if they did that.

How did you know the band was blown? Your surgeon wouldn't even check it or fix it for you? He sounds like a real jerk. At least there is a clause in my insurance that states that if anything goes wrong with the surgery or something later that requires replacing or more surgery to fix they will cover it. My surgeon asks that you attend his support group twice a year for 5 years after the surgery. So I really feel like he will take care of and keep up with me.I hope you're able to find someone to fix it for you. Good luck!

Hi. I have not been banded yet but at the seminar I went to they showed a slideshow of people that had been banded by that surgeon and told a little about each one's experience. There was one woman who had been banded for quite a while they said never vomited. She has done very well and lost a lot of weight - I can't remember how much. But they said it was because she was very careful, like you, and chewed everything very well. So I think it's great that you haven't vomited and I hope I can be the same way. I HATE vomiting! The yellow pee might mean you're a little dehydrated or if you're taking Vitamins that can turn your pee darker and more yellow too. Please tell your dr. just in case, but I wouldn't be too worried. You probably just need to drink more between meals since you're not drinking with meals anymore. I know most of my liquids come from drinking with meals so I will have to be very diligent about getting liquids after the band. Sounds like you're doing great!

My ins. requires a 6-month supervised diet. What if during that diet I go below the 40 bmi? Will the insurance say then, "Oh you're not fat enough anymore. We won't pay."?

Thank you! That makes so much sense to me. Wow you've done great.

There is something in the insurance that says you have to have tried other weight loss methods that failed before. Do you have to prove that you've done Weight Watchers or whatever or can you just say it? I'm just wondering if I should go try to dig up my old WW journal or some receipts from buying Slim Fast or whatever.

OK that helps some. I know WW claims to give you the tools to succeed and diet pills are a tool and all the other diets advertised claim to be the right tool too.I'm just really trying to decide if this tool is worth the $2K and the pain and risk of surgery. I leaning toward yes, but I want to have as much info as I can get going in. So here's another question: Why did you choose this tool over others?

This is good info and makes sense. But do the fills every completely end? I mean once I hit my goal weight and the fat pad doesn't change anymore do I still have to get it filled even if .2ccs is all it takes? Won't it eventually get to capacity and can't be filled anymore? How many years of fills am I looking at here?