*susan*

My doctor said no carbonated drinks. He has gone to medical school for years and been in practice for years. Who am I to second guess him. I paid him a lot of money to get me this band and guide me through the process. So, if he tells me no carbonated drinks, then no carbonated drinks it is. Just my .02.

Hi Christa, I am sorry that you are having that problem. I honestly have not experienced that all, so I cannot offer you any wisdom there. I hope somebody is able to help you with this, though.

Hi and welcome to LBT! I would start by going directly to Inamed's website at http://www.lapband.com/lapband/portal.do and find a surgeon in your area that does lapbands. Next, go to one of their seminars. If possible, take your significant other with you because the more informed he is, the more supportive he will be if you decide to have the surgery. Next, you have made a wonderful start by finding this site. It is loaded with tons of great information. I always recommend reading the "stickies" at the top of most of the forums. They are loaded with valuable information. Lastly, ask questions, lots of them. We have all been where you are at one point or another and are here to help and support each other. I can personally tell you that I think I tried every diet known to mankind. The band was my last hope and I love it. I no longer diet, I don't count calories, points, carbs or anything else. I just listen to my band and when it tells me I have had enough to eat, I stop. I am losing the recommended 1-2 pounds per week and thrilled with my decision. If I can be of any other help, let me know.

Ok, I have to ask...Did you possibly enter in the wrong dates. Because if you were banded in October of 2006 and have lost 55 pounds, I would not be feeling like I should have lost more, I would be at the doctors office demanding to have tests run because I must have some major medical issue wrong with me to have lost that much weight in only 4 weeks.

Hi Lynn and welcome to LBT! Is your family doctor supportive of the lapband? If so, that is great. Mine wasn't, in fact, she was dead set against any type of WLS. Needless to say, I am looking for a new GP. As far as the burping goes, I have just the opposite problem. Sometimes I feel like I would love to burp, but I just can't. It drives me nuts. Do you find that the burps happen when you are eating? If so, that may be your "sign" that you have had enough to eat. I hiccough when I reach my limit. Anyways, welcome, we are glad you are here. If you have any questions, just ask!

Hi and welcome to LBT! I am afraid I am not specifically able to answer your questions, but wanted to say hi anyways. We do have a seasoned lapbandster named whose user name is "Jack" and I think he would be one of your best bets to get the answers to your questions. I will send him a pm for you, in case he doesn't see this post himself.

Hi and welcome! Congratulations on your fabulous success with the band.

I think it depends on the doctor. My port flipped and I had to have revision surgery. I never saw a bill and didn't pay a dime for it. And, no, I did not have insurance, I was self-pay.

Hi Janiee, welcome to LBT! Unfortunately, insurance not covering this surgery is a common problem. Mine didn't either, and we ended up refinancing our home to pay for the surgery because it was worth it to us. As you are deciding what to do, don't be afraid to ask questions. I, and the other members, are more than happy to answer any questions you may have. Best of luck to you!

Actually, you are doing great with your weight loss. The lapband is not gastric bypass. It does not work the same. First off, it really isn't designed to help you start losing weight until you have proper restriction. Secondly, it is designed for you to lose weight at a safe and healthy 1-2 pounds per week. So, I believe you are doing great, congratulations!

Hi Kristi and welcome to LBT! I really didn't have much gas after surgery, but I have heard gasX and walking does wonders for it. My problem was constipation, ugh! If there is anything we can do to help you through this stage, just ask. That is why we are all here, to help and support each other through this journey with our new best friend, the band.

Hi Christina, welcome to LBT and congratulations on your surgery. You have made a wonderful decision to a new life and a healthier you. And, you have definitely found the right place for support and advice. I know this was one of the first sites I found when I first learned about the band. It has helped me through every step of my journey. Warning though, you will soon find yourself addicted to this board, lol. Anyways, if there is anything any of us can do, let us know.

Hi Danielle and welcome to our little corner of the web! :biggrin1: You have definitely found the right place to gather information. If you haven't already done so, I would check out the "stickies" at the top of all the forums. They are loaded with information that I am sure you will find valuable. If you have any questions, just ask. We are all here to help and support one another through this journey.

Hi and welcome to LBT! As far as the experience of the Mexican surgeons, I feel you can get just as qualified doctors right here in the U.S. But, everyone has their preferences. With regards to making sure the surgeon you want is the one who performs your surgery, I would ask them straight out and make my preferences known right up front. If you are paying that kind of money for surgery, then you certainly have the right to determine which surgeon performs your surgery. Best of luck to you.

Hi and welcome to LBT! You have definitely found the right place to get the support and advice you need. It sounds like you are doing wonderfully so far. If there is anything I can do to help, give me a holler!

Hi and welcome to LBT! You sound like me, I wasn't nervous at all, just very excited with my decision and anxious to move forward. If you haven't already, read the stickies at the top of most of the forums because they have a lot of information that I think you will find valuable. And, of course, don't be afraid to ask questions, we are all here to help and support one another. Congratulations on your decision.

I agree, that your weightloss does appear to be a bit slower, with the band being designed for us to lose between 1-2 pounds per week. However, you have not provided near enough information for us to be able to help you. When was your last fill? How big is your band? How much fill do you currently have? What types of meal plans are you following? Do you monitor your calories/carbs? Are you exercising? Are you making healthier food choices or are you still eating junk? Are you following the bandster rules? If you can answer some of these questions for us, and maybe include an example of what your normally eat in a day, I am sure many of us will be willing to try and help you. Have you discussed your slow loss with your doctor or nutritionist?

I am not going to say vanity didn't play a role in my decision, but it was definitely not at the top of my list. For the first time in my life, I was starting to feel lousy all the time and I knew it was because of my weight. My back hurt all the time, I had no energy, etc. I went for my annual physical and based upon some of my complaints, they did some tests and one of the results was that I was borderline diabetic. My grandmother had diabetes and I remember watching her give herself injections. I did not want that to be me. So, health and quality of life were my primary reasons, but, I also want to look good and feel attractive too.

Welcome, both of you, to LBT! We are glad to have you. Be sure and read the stickies at the top of each forum because they are loaded with helpful information. If you have any questions, please don't be afraid to ask, we are all here to help and support one another.

I have been so busy, I never even knew it was down. But, the big meeting I have spent a month preparing for is finally over and my schedule is back to normal, thank goodness. You can probably tell because I have been doing a lot of posting today.

Hi LM and welcome to LBT, am glad you found us! It sounds like things went well with your surgery. As for the constipation, I hear you loud and clear! I have been constipated a lot since having my surgery. I have found that taking a small amount of milk of magnesia just before going to bed works great. How to get a ticker in your signature Using TickerFactory as an example: 1. Go to www.tickerfactory.com 2. Click on Weightloss 3. Select a ticker ruler. Veiw all available by clicking on the page numbers. Once you have selected the one you want to use, click Next. 4. Select a ticker slider. Veiw all available by clicking on the page numbers. Once you have selected the one you want to use, click Next. 5. Select the measure of weight that you use. (pounds or kilograms) 6.If you wish the ticker to show your current weight and count down to your goal weight, select Weight. 7. If you wish the ticker to show only the amount of weight you wish to lose and how much you've lost, (not your current or goal weight) select Weight Change. 8. Enter your starting, current and goal weights, and then click Next. 9. You will now be on the final page with the codes to copy for pasting into your signature line on LBT. There are a couple of ways put the code into your signature line on LBT. Here is one option... 1. Highlight the text in the bbCode box, leaving off the URL codes. See diagram below: 2. Go to LBT and click on the Quick Links button at the top of the page, select Edit Signature. 3. Click in your signature box and type Ctrl+V to paste it in. (Ctrl+V or Ctrl+A or Ctrl+C all mean to hold down the Ctrl and specified letter key at the same time) Another option for pasting the ticker code into your signature line: 1. Highlight and copy all of the text in the url box like this: 2. Go to LBT and click on the Quick Links button at the top of the page, select Edit Signature. 3. Select Edit Signature. 4. Click on the Insert Image icon like this: 5. Before clicking in the box below "Please enter the URL for your image:" hit your delete or backspace button on your keyboard to clear the box. 6. Click inside the box and type Ctrl+V to paste in the copied url. Then click Ok. This will place the ticker into the signature line. Now click on Preview Signature to see if everything is how you want it. If it is, click on Save Signature.

I got to the hospital at 5:00 a.m., my surgery was scheduled for 7:30 a.m. When I got there, I got checked in and changed into a gown. They weighed me and put my little ID band in. At about 6:45 they came and put my IV in and checked all my vitals. At 7:00 they wheeled me down to the surgery waiting area. While there, I had my vitals checked about 3 more times. The nurse spoke with me and asked me a million questions, then the surgeon's nurse also asked me the same questions, as did the anesthiologist and his assistant. My doctor stopped by to check on me. At about 7:20 the anesthiologist came back and said he was going to put a little something in my IV to relax me. I don't know why, I was excited, not nervous. Anyways, I remember a couple of seconds later telling my hubby I felt like I was in the twilight zone. The next thing I remember was waking up in recovery and immediately asking if I had my band. My surgeon was there and said yes, everything went wonderfully. He then told the nursing staff he wanted me transported to my room and up walking within 30 minutes. And, that they did. I spent the night and went home the next day. The pain was tolerable with the medication they gave me. It took me about 2 weeks to really begin feeling "normal" again, but I know many people recovered much quicker than I did.

Hi Everyone! I have been so busy that I didn't even know the board was down the other day until I went on Myspace and had messages from other LBT'ers asking if I was having trouble getting on the board. Anyways, I am happy to anounce that we finally had our big meeting yesterday that I have spent the past month working on projects for, everything went great and I can finally breath a big sigh of relief and resume normal life and activity again. Julie, girl, you continue to amaze me. Running, wow. I am afraid of running for fear of black eyes. You are doing awesome though. Roberta, I hope you get to feeling better soon. Amourette, sorry about your back. You can moan to me about it! 11/1: No exercise. 50 oz. Water 11/2: 40 minutes treadmill. 48 oz. water (48 is my daily goal)

Ginger, not to get too personal, but is it possibly close to TOM time? I get so tight from about 3 days before until a couple of days after it starts that I can do nothing but liquids during that time.

Wow, your doing fabulous!