Maribelle

I'm just starting the process again. Had the band for 6 years and went from 240 to 160. Had emergency removal in January, 2015 (I had an unexpected pregnancy and I think it affected placement). My insurance company at the time had no bariatric coverage so I paid for the removal out of pocket. I regained most of my weight over the next 18 months. Thankfully, my new policy Anthem BCBS does have bariatric coverage. I have talked to my primary care physician and she is on board with me getting the bypass surgery, especially as she just had gastric bypass surgery herself last year. She started to document a medically supervised diet at my appointment last week. I'm confused about a few things, though. First, my current bmi is around 36, so I know the approval process could be trickier. I don't have any of the more serious co-morbs but my doctor thinks my documented history of GERD and depression (only periodic) will suffice. I'm worried Anthem will be picky, though. I haven't had an initial appointment with a surgeon yet bc I'm wondering if I should "gain some weight" before I weigh in again with my pcp. I just need to add 20 lbs, and I am pretty sure I could fake that with a high sodium diet, Water, heavy clothing and some well placed weights. But would that look bad if I gain weight after the documented diet began last week? Has anyone else attempted to get approved with <40 bmi with these less severe co-morbodities? Any suggestions or advice? Thanks!

I am curious to hear what your doc says, too. I did Alli before and had modest results and very little in the way of side effects. I'm thinking I might like to combine it with the band to maximize my loss. Let us know what he says.

I had my second fill three days ago and I tried some regular food tonight. It was awesome! I hadn't had any restriction yet, but I ate about 3/4 c. food tonight and I was very satisfied, and it lasted for several hours. I even had chocolate in the cabinet that I could resist because my stomach said it was already happy. I did not have any problem with food getting stuck, but I was very, very cautious and chewed about a million times per bite. I just hope the restriction sticks, but even if it doesn't, I finally feel like the band is pulling its own weight. I feel a lot more inspired now to follow the diet better and amp up my exercise routine to start seeing some results.

Thanks! I was starting to worry it wouldn't work at all. I will be curious to see if it gets less restrictive or more restrictive over time.

My doctor said I could take the gauze bandages off after 3 days, and that the steristrips below the bandage would fall off on their own after 10-11 days. You have to take the gauze off on your own.

I know exactly what you mean and I had been wondering the same thing. I mentioned once to my nurse at the dr's office that I could feel each bite plopping past some sort of restriction, and she looked at me like I was crazy. I think I have figured it out. We are feeling the food dropping from the end of the esophagus into the stomach. When it drops, it must displace the gas that naturally exists in the pouch. (I saw this occur when I had my first fill via flouroscopy). If the bite is too big or too gooey, it meets the pressure of the gas and cannot drop through. It is painful because the food is sitting there, and the gas is trying to escape. When the mass finally shifts, I can feel it slide in, and I usually burp or feel bubbles. So I think in this case, the food is not stuck in the band at all, but only having problems passing into the upper stomach due to the new design.

Sounds like a pulled stitch. It is painful but will not cause a problem. My doc told me to take pain meds as needed (it HURT!) and it would resolve itself. It did after about 10 days. Hope you feel better soon!

I'm sorry you are feeling bad still. I agree with your doctor taht it sounds like gas. The shoulder pain is a give away on that. Your abdomen is full of gas, so the GasX you are taking won't do anything, since it can only target gas in the stomach. That gas can cause stomach pains because it causes pressure on your organs, your stitches, and the tender area around your band. It isn't dangerous at all, just very painful for some people. IT WILL GO AWAY SOON! I know you are probably thinking that will never happen, but you are in the home stretch now. One morning, you will wake up and feel great! You said when you eat it hurts, but can you drink? If so, keep chugging the Carnation Instant Breakfast to keep your energy levels up. I know this feels awful, but you are going to have an awesome initial weight loss due to this discomfort. Hope you feel better soon!

Wow. If it is always all about the choices you make and not about the band being filled, why does he do band surgery? I think I would have kicked him in the head! LOL.

My doc says it is OK to eventually drink pop. My dietitican says she drinks a lot of Dt. Red Bull. I started drinking some a few weeks out and it is fine. I don't feel very gassy of bloated. In fact, I get much more bloated and gassy from the protein shakes I make in the blender than I do from pop. I guess it all depends on how it affects you.

Sounds like a pulled stitch. I had one and it hurt like crazy! It took about two weeks to heal up and feel better. My doc said it is fairly common. Hope you feel better soon!

I did the same thing. I have been a little better since my first fill, but not much. I can still eat a lot. It is not weird at all to overeat, because our bodies have the satiety signal produced when receptors near the top of our stomach are activated by the pressure of the stomach contents. So, until your fill holds the food in and enables it start the satiety signal to your brain, it will be easy to overeat. I just got my second fill today and I am hoping that it will make me feel satisified more quickly. Good luck to you!

You're fine. Just try to stick to the diet from here on out, but if it didn't cause a problem when you ate it, it is very unlikely that you damaged anything. I am guessing the pain in your kidney area is due to a stitch of the way your band sits. I had a pulled stitch from sitting up too quickly in bed, and sometimes the pain radiated back to that area.

Too funny! Now if that would only happen during sex...

I was banded on Aug 26th and I am really struggling with the diet. I have had one fill a week ago and I have some restriction. I already had a little fluid in the band (dr. wasn't sure how much) and they put 2.5cc in my 10cc band. I eat too often and if I follow the diet exactly, I end up getting frustrated and hungry and bingeing on soft foods like chocolate and ice cream that won't stretch my pouch. I have lost 12 lbs. since surgery, but I have been at the same weight for a month. I see so many replies to this same question that say "You have to be committed to the plan" and "If you are following the plan properly, you will lose weight" but how do people go from being morbidly obese to excellent dieters who can follow a plan? I got so fat because I can't follow a plan. When I do and I don't feel satisfied, I end up going crazy after a few days. I never eat until I feel satisfied because I am afraid I will stretch the pouch, but I can eat almost 2 cups of food before I feel very slightly full (tried it once to see what's going on in there). I get another fill soon, but if I already have some restriction (sometimes chicken gets stuck if I don't chew well enough), then doesn't that mean I am probably never going to get much more help from the band? If that is true, I will have to do my weight loss mostly on willpower and be hungry a lot and that scares me. I don't have much faith in my own weight loss skills after so many years of failure. Can anyone help me? I'm feeling like a loser (and not the kind of loser I want to be...).

Thanks so much for all of the responses! It is good to get a mix of ideas and possibilities. I am very much hoping that it is a case of not being filled to the right spot, as I am exercising restraint, but it only lasts so long. I think therapy is a great idea and I will ask my doctor about it.

My guess is it is gas from swallowing trapped in your pouch and your esophagus. I don't know why, but ever since surgery I have been swallowing more air and it can feel pretty uncomfortable when it builds up, and it is just as you've described. Try a little baking soda in water and see if that helps (instructions on the box). Hope you feel better soon, and alhtough it feels crappy, I am sure there is nothing to worry about.

I don't have it in the house. When I am not satisfied, I start to crave bad things, and while I can resist the urge for 3-4 days, I eventually go out and get it. I never keep junk in my house, but the store is only a few minutes away. This is what I am wondering. Aren't almost all obese people like that? Am I weird to go out and get junk when my cravings get too much to handle? In the past, when I eat enough food to feel full, the cravings don't occur because my mind stops thinking about food, but when I feel like I am "dieting" it gets worse.

Sorry you lost your financing. Banks and private investors are getting very selective about loans now because of the precarious financial state. I think you'd have to be pretty creative now to get financing. Some options are to find local companies who have insurance that covers the surgery or going to work for a local bariatric surgeon in the office. Those are just some ideas. Hope you find something soon!

I think a lot of times it is one of the stitches pulling. A few days after my surgery I was trying to get comfy in bed and I twisted the wrong way. I felt a tugging and a sharp pain in the same place you are describing. My doctor said he put a bunch of stiches to hold the port in place, and that it is easy to pull one. He also said it would get better and it did after about 4 days. I hope it is something minor for you, too. Congrats on you weight loss so far!

I had surgery about a month ago and my first fill 4 days ago. I am into the regular diet stage now. The fill gave me a little more restriction (I got stuck for a second on a bite of biscuit but I could handle well-chewed chicken today). What I am wondering is, as you are adjusting to the band, how do you gauge how much you should eat? Do you follow a specific measurement or go by a feeling? I ate about 1.25 cups for dinner and I felt satisfied and very slightly full (not uncomfortable at all). I was reading on one site that you should never feel your restriction and always stop eating before you can feel it at all, but isn't that how people determine that they are full? Am I that far gone into Fattyland that I can't remember how normal people eat? LOL. Should I just be eating certain measurements now?

LMAO! Sorry you had a bad experiences, but I will remember that "chew chew chew" is only a shortened form of what I should really be doing.

I hadn't heard this before, but you've inspired me! What a simple thing to help me remember what is really going to help me get healthy. Thanks!

My baby was starting to cry upstairs and I was so hungry so I grabbed a small container of applesauce and quickly ate 3 spoonfuls. Then I bounded upstairs and rocked her for a while. After a few minutes, I noticed a stuck feeling in my chest. I can swallow water and it goes down, or at least it doesn't come up...can applesauce get stuck? If not, why do I have that lump feeling behind my breastbone? Thanks for any info!