kiz

I am so sorry to hear that you've been so sick after getting your band. I'm sure you feel miserable. Did the surgeon's office give you an Incentive Spirometer to use after surgery? I had to use mine for five minutes every hour for at least a few days (I forget now how long I was told to use it), and I could tell my lungs felt clearer after each session. I was worried about Fluid in my lungs, so I used mine religiously. Anyway, I was just wondering, since you ended up getting pneumonia. I hope you feel better soon!! Incentive spirometer - Wikipedia, the free encyclopedia

Congratulations!! With my oldest son, I just knew I was pregnant, although I failed two or three home pregnancy tests. I went to the doctor for a blood test (I was that sure), and I had been pregnant all along. So, like FairyFacade said, for now, you can only go by your last period to guesstimate your due date.

That's great Alex. Another happy camper! :w00t:

OMG and YIKES!! :cursing: (I think that about covers it, lol) Unbutton Your Beast

That's fantastic news, Crystal! I'm very happy for you.

Lynn, I'm sure people are keeping track of their weight loss differently too. I had to go on a liver shrinking diet two weeks pre-op, so part of my weight loss happened pre-banding. A lot of people have a six-month required diet for insurance, and some may include that in their weight loss totals. I know it can be frustrating when you're working so hard and the scale just doesn't seem to want to budge, but we'll get there. There's no way we can eat this little and excercise and not lose the weight. Maybe not as fast as we would like, and maybe not as quickly as others, but we'll get there. One of the things I love about the band is that we can customize the restriction based on our needs. I'm making total health my commitment, so I'm going to be busting my butt to exercise six to seven days a week with lots of cardio now, and at six weeks I want to add strength training. I hope that also will aid in my weight loss. Others aren't so much into exercise, and may need a tighter fill to get the pounds off. Heck, who knows, I may need a tight fill and tons of cardio to get to normal, but I do know that I already feel 100% better than I did a month ago. I'm thankful every day that I'm was able to get a lap band.

This is a small POSITIVE in the grand scale of things, but my rings have not been tight at night since I started this process. In the past, there would be evenings I had to struggle to get my rings off, due to swelling, and that's never a problem now.

nazzy, staples, glue, steri strips, stitches, are all ways doctor's close incisions. Mine used glue for the outside. I'm pretty sure, like 99.5% sure, that the type of closure used is dependent on what the doctor prefers and your needs and not the brand of band. You might be getting confused with the the way the port is attached inside. The Realize port has metal "hooks" that keep the port attached, although, I think the doctor can suture it, if (s)he prefers. The Lap Band, unless there's a new attachment technique, is sutured. When I suggested you research the bands, the port attachment was one tipping point for me. Not the only one, but it was important to me.

Without a fill, chica, and your swelling is probably starting to go down, you really need to try to just stick with the amount of food your doctor has told you to eat. Mine says 1/2 cup per meal, but I have on a couple of occasions eaten closer to a cup. I stay pretty satisfied until it's time to eat again, especially because I drink a lot of fluids starting 45 mins to an hour after a meal. That helps me tremendously. For me, right now, it's about portion size and not the full signal I was getting early on.

Random sneezing is such an odd issue. I've even heard of people who sneeze like that when they walk out in the sun. From your marvelous weight loss, it must have worked for you. Congratulations Steve!! Soon after my surgery, when I was very restricted from swelling, I would have a soft burp when it was time to stop eating. I hope I have a tell like that after I have a fill and I'm restricted again. Better that, than eating too much and having a more painful indicator that it was time to stop.

Thanks chocolate snaps for the good wishes!! I've had so much inspiration from reading the Sep 07 forum, and daydreaming about where I'll be a year from now. terilynn, you are doing so well! I can't believe you're down so many sizes. I just can't wait to get down one size! haha My clothes are feeling a little baggy, but not enough to get into something smaller. It sounds like you have supportive friends, ANKPTA, and/or they LOVE your wardrobe!! How encouraging though, that your friends are rooting for you.

You are so right, Harley. It really helps to hear from long-term bandsters like you. Here's a convo my dh and I had about the cost: me-$13,500 is so much money dh-It's worth it. It could add ten years to your life. me-That's true, but if it cost a million dollars would you still say that? dh-ummm, I'd have to think about it then. At least now I know I'm worth somewhere between $13,500 and a million dollars to him. I haven't got him pinned down on that just yet. lol

Nazzy, if you have the opportunity, ask your surgeon if (s)he has the bands for you to compare side by side. From the info I had found online, I was leaning toward one brand, but being able to compare them sealed the deal for me. But, just like MiniBand said, what's important to me, may not be important to you. My surgeon has done hundreds (700 - 900, I forget the total now), and he sees no appreciable difference in the weight loss between the bands in his practice and in the published literature. If your doctor sees similar results, then you need to make your decision on other factors. Good luck on your decision. Get the facts from your surgeon, and then go with your "gut".

I love it when an honest misunderstanding gets resolved. Good luck Sue, and I hope your appeal goes through!! Let us know how it goes, we really care.

Hi Lynn, unless I'm misunderstanding you, I think you mean you're not supposed to drink any liquids during meals, and each meal should keep you feeling sated or at least satisfied for 4-6 hours. 13 pounds in a month is FANTASTIC! That's three pounds/week!!! You lost that seven pounds during the pre-op diet because of a lot of water weight, so much of that wasn't true fat that you were losing. I'm not sure how much you're eating at each meal, but that varies between doctors. Meals, snacks, amounts are all over the map. My doctor wants me to eat 1/2 cup meals (heavy on protein) three times per day, plus one healthy snack. We don't have a lot of restriction now, so we're going to feel hungrier quicker, until we get the proper restriction. Right now, I try to stick with the 1/2 cup meals, but a few times I've eaten a little more but it's been veggies. I've definitely not gone over a cup though. I feel full for about four hours. I was trying to keep my snack very low cal (sf jello, for instance), but the doctor said I should try to add something with protein now for fullness (Greek yogurt, tuna, as examples) until I get my fill.

I can't imagine a major middle America company like Levi's going this route with an ad. I suppose they must targeting an older teen/young adult audience, but it's pretty over the top. I bet old Levi Strauss would be turning over in his grave he he saw it. I'm pretty sure we won't be seeing this one on mainstream TV. It is getting press though. I got the link from the Drudge Report. I don't necessarily think all publicity is good publicity.

I hope you felt the seminar was informative. That's great that you have an appointment already. I hope you can get the support you need from your husband. As far as PB, it's a productive burp. I haven't had one, thankfully, because I've read that they are very unpleasant. It happens after something gets stuck, and can't go down, so it comes up.

That's the office I used, but I saw Dr. Brengman. I would highly recommend either doctor. They've done hundreds of lap bands, and their office is designated as a Bariatric Center of Excellence. I appreciated the time Dr. Brengman took to answer all my questions. I never once felt rushed. I really liked his demeanor, as well. There's a support group that meets at St. Mary's on the first Monday of the month. Dr. Shroder spoke at the last meeting I attended, and I was impressed by him too. If you can go to the support meeting, it was very helpful for me, even before I was banded. So far, everything has gone even better than I expected. I had a quick recovery, and other than the few incisions that are healing, I would never know I had surgery less than a month ago.

My instructions are: "No solid food 2 hours prior, but you can have liquids throughout the day."

I totally agree with lauralee and dacty. Also, I felt like this was a permanent change I was making, and with the help of the band, I won't regain as I had in the past after a diet. I got to the point where the word "diet" = "what's the use, I'm going to fail". With lap band, I feel I finally have a fighting chance. One other thing, is that not every doctor requires as restrictive pre and post op diets. Maybe you'll be lucky! Mine really wasn't too bad. But even if your doctor is one of the more strict ones, you'll find the strength to do it, because the outcome is well worth the initial pain.

Yes, Sherri, it is a little bittersweet. There are a few things I really loved, but I can't wait to be too small for them. I was at the mall today, and I was so excited at the prospect of actually finding clothes that fit, without all the hassle and gnashing of teeth.

pjop, I was worried about that too, and I weigh more than you. For once in my life, I tried to gain weight, but only put on a few pounds. I had my husband measure my height and I was a half inch shorter than the last time I went to the doctor. I think he measured wrong, but I didn't question it. It wasn't on purpose because I didn't tell him why I wanted a new measurement. Anyway, I like my old height better - lol, but I'm officially a half an inch shorter now. When I went for the weigh-in at the doctor, I wore long pants in the summer for that extra edge. I'm self-pay in Richmond too. I've never worked so hard to give somebody so much money!

Cute Name!! Congratulations on your insurance approval. It won't be long until you can be counted among the bandsters and on your way to a healthier life.

For your second question, check the nutrition label. Many of the Protein mixes I bought had Fiber added. If that's the case, your body should soon adjust, especially if you're only having one a day. While I had several options pre-op as far as Protein shakes, for the one week post-op I was on the required liquid diet, we were given one kind to drink, with a second brand as a backup, if we couldn't get the first.

LOL...Liz, they're outa here!! Well, not quite yet. I can't believe I've lost 20 lbs, and they still fit pretty well. EEK, I must have really been pouring myself into them.