2muchfun

OMG! You're like 1/3 of the person you were 3 years ago!! Incredible!

Seems odd since it's a simple surgical procedure to remove? Especially if you've been able to maintain most of your weight loss since being banded?

You might want to throw out the expediency reasoning to get the band. I love my band but you should select the operation that will give you the best outlook for the future. If you haven't watched this video, check it out when you find time? Dr. Oliak explains how he goes about recommending one surgery over another. http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=3VmvWFu79Ik#t=99

Don't make a habit of the chili relapse this close to your surgery date. Doctor wants you stomach to remain quiet till the sutures holding the band in place heal. You're not alone with the cheating though. Many have cheated and got a way with it. Just don't go eating a turkey leg or something like that.

I didn't have a pre-op diet either. I was told to have Breakfast the day before and then shakes or liquids the rest of the day. I had surgery about 9 am the following morning. My BMI was around 36-37 which may have been a factor. I would assume doctors make the call based on what BMI is and what our food vices might be? The goal is to reduce the weight and size of the liver. I'm thinking that high BMI patients who may have food issues with carbs or soda pop might factor into the decision. Activity may play into the decision too? Someone who is sedentary with poor muscle development may also factor into it? Finally, familiarity with the surgery could also be one of the reasons.

Knees are shot due to being slightly overweight for many years and lots of running but mostly tennis and racquetball. The quick starts and stops just tore up my knees badly. I have no ACLs and have had 5 surgeries on them so it's time for new ones. Since most of my cartilage is gone, the crossfit training requires a lot of quick movements and the knees can't handle it. Burpees kill me.

Once I got to about 30 lbs of my goal I tried it and it does work, but my knees are so shot I couldn't keep up with it.

If you've selected a surgeon, their insurance staff would have a very good idea how appeals work with your insurance. Since bariatric surgery isn't a standard covered item, they appeal and work with insurance companies every day.

Runny nose was also my introduction to the soft stop. Then, hiccups followed shortly after.

Nope and it probably won't be the last time you have this feeling.

Tube socks?

You've lost 13 lbs? How is that not losing any weight? 13 lbs in 18 days is above average, imo. Fills have never been painful for me btw. I've had about 9 adjustments and never experienced any pain.

IMO, most of the problems bandster's face are a result of a band being too tight. The thrill of losing weight fast with a tight band is exhilarating but can have long term problems in the form of erosion, slips, dilation and a variety of swallowing disorders including dysphagia. 3 weeks out you should not be experiencing swallowing problems unless you're not eating small enough, chewing enough or not eating very slow. If you feel like none of these 3 eating habits apply to you I would not wait till the 21st. Don't do any more damage to your esophagus before then? Maybe eat slider foods till you can get in. Check out this thread. Similar problems: http://www.bariatricpal.com/topic/301849-red-zone-is-no-joke/?p=3414867 tmf

Cute pic Angela. Need a lot more info on you? Can you fill in your profile or give us more info? Date of surgery? How much have you lost? How many fills? Date of last fill?

IMO, you would not be a good lap band candidate. We can eat much more food than sleevers. You sound like you'd be better off with the sleeve since it limits how much you can eat. But, as with all weight loss surgeries or even diets, you gotta eat healthy or it aint gonna work. And, a few consults with a WLS nutritionist is a must. tmf

Almond Milk, Soy Milk, Skim Milk,

You're new here so take this as it's intended. For more people to see your post, you need to start a new topic/thread? There are only 9 people following this thread. If you start a new topic, hundreds of people will see it. So, go to the forums page, click on general weight loss surgery forum. You should see a box that says New Topic? Click on it and then paste what you just posted here and you should get a good response. Most of the forum members posting here are lap banders so we may not know enough about what Bypass patients should eat? Hope you find help?

I'm trying to work the math here? How many calories do you consume on a normal day? What do you mean you "net" 800-1000/calories? Not being critical but I too want to work off this extra winter weight I put on. Are you saying you cut out 750 and work off 730=1480/day?

My current calorie intake is around 2500 but is about to go down to 1600-1800 now that cycling season is back. You didn't say anything about how your clothes fit or if you ever tracked inches lost? With all the exercise, especially weights, you could be replacing fat with muscle. 1300 is a bit high for women from what I gather on this forum. Most of the women are around 900-1200. Maybe if you mix it up and only consume 1000/day 3-4 days a week? It sounds like you're almost too tight? It seems like you have plenty of restriction? Carbs are my enemy. I reduce carbs to near nothing when I'm trying to lose weight. I'll eat no crackers, potatoes. Limited rice and Beans. Mostly Proteins and veggies. Lastly, I find it very difficult to track calories. But when I do for a couple of days, I always disappoint myself in how many calories I am consuming. It's never as low as I fantasized. Try counting for a few days. My nutritionist had me do this and I found I was eating 300-500 more calories per day than I thought. I eliminated some unnecessary foods and immediately started to lose weight. Maybe talk to your nutritionist? Otherwise, I'm envious of your journey so far. tmf

Never had their soup but I love Tortilla/chicken soup. I'll be trying this.

Abusing Nsaids can lead to stomach ulcers which are the leading cause of band erosion. Doesn't sound like that's the problem though. Sometimes we never know how or why our bodies react as it does. Too tight is another. Other reasons, who knows? Unfortunately it happened to you. Understandable you would feel like you do but for the vast majority of people, erosion is not a complication. So, doubtful the product will ever be recalled or discontinued. I do believe that more patients should undergo yearly fluoroscopic fills/adjustments. This could target most of these types of complications and avoid such a serious consequence for something that should be so benign. Best wishes for you.

Your symptoms could mean something serious could be going on. Please call and move your date up if you can?

That fear we all had that we were going to lose our best friend, "food", can be overwhelming. But, it goes away just like the fat we lose. I read this from another forum member a few years ago: "In my case, the most fearful thing I had to do in order to succeed with my band wasn't switching to skim milk, surviving a liquid diet, or giving up bread. The most fearful thing was giving up my emotional attachment to food. In the nearly 5 years since I was banded, I've made a lot of progress with that, but the attachment is still there. It forms one of the innermost layers of my turtle shell. Working on that layer will probably be a lifetime job for me. At times I'm not even sure I truly want to get rid of it altogether. At times I'm afraid that if I shed my shell completely, I won't be able to survive. On the other hand, I seem to be doing fine without that thick old bitch layer. So I'm going to pay attention to my dreams rather than my fears and pray for a miracle. And why not? It can't hurt to try!"

1-3 lbs here or there means nothing. You can gain 1 lb by drinking Water combined with something else high sodium. It's just water weight. Or, if you're pushing your muscles, they will retain water to aid in healing themselves from being pushed hard. Or, it could be TOM and you're retaining water. If you gain 5 lbs, then be concerned. jmo