bandfun4me

I have BCBS of FL, I had the 6 month dr/dietian monitoring. Once the Dr office people had all the necessary stuff and fax in. she had the Approval that same day, they poped one in the mail to meso I would have a copy. I was impressed. The thing is, the coordinator in my Dr offfice is an expert at doing this and dealing with the insurance, and she knew from the beginning what I had to have done to get the approval. Kudos to Carmen..Surgery & preop date given as soon as she got the approval. I had the psyc eval done about the same time.1 hr and a lot of similar questions. I had my surgery in Pinehurst, Dr Washington. Great, 13 months out. would not change a thing.

Try to keep your protein up. Dr told us 90 days from surgery we may see some hair loss. Due to being put to sleep and the loss of protein for about 24 hours. This shall pass if you have continue with your proteins at the max 60-90 example. Some hair loss as well will come from the Thyroid issue as well. Hang in there!

Sounds like your swelling is going down. Load up on Sf drinks , water, protein shakes. Right now you need lots of protein to promote that healing. If you are on mushies, try something like cottage cheese, yogurt. This stays in a little better than all shakes. But don't get used to it, cause it is considered a "slider" food and too much of that can put those calories up there. Oh yeah, don't forget that walking will take your miond off of your hunger and put you further away from the fridge. try it out! Good luck!

That same thing happened to me around month 6/7. They withdrew to check the amount and then put right back in wiht the additional .5 cc, I had no restriction for 2 months it was all willpower. no loss, no gain. I pick with my dr as when he drew it out it got out that wrinkle. That is why i had such good restriction prior to that and none after. So slowly but surely I have gotten to restriction, but it is more like a Full feeling, I dont get that hard pain when I take one too many bites. I am 13 months out down 63 lbs. i have lost 2.0 since my dr appt last week. It is my sweet spot for now and may last for another month or so. I am sooooo close to goal. 8-10 lbs. Just breezin now. but workin my patutty off with cardio every day, it gets addicting.. WOO hoo Hang in there it will come back.:confused:

Congrats on your decision. I had BCBS/FL and they requiered the same thing. The paid for all the little office visits, i just pad copays. As soon as the girl at the Dr office filed everything with the insurance, we had the authorization the same day, and they also mailed that in writing to me. They scheduled my pre-op visit and surgery all completed within 3 weeks, from that day. Seemed so slow waiting for that 6 months Dietician and dr stuff and then bang, all set ready for surgery. 2 weeks high protein diet prior to surgery to shrink the liver, lost 6 lbs that week. We were on our way to band land. I am now 13 months out and down to a size 6/8, 10 lbs from goal. love my band.:bananalama: You have found a great website to get a variety of answers for everything you want to know.!!

I am 13 months out. Banded Jan 08. I would do it again. no questions!! I have had 8 fills, 8.5 (i think) in a 10cc band. I have had a sweet spot on every fill as well. Some were tighter than others, so I had to use more caution in what I was putting in my mouth. I have had a steady wt loss. Of course it was more the earlier months, now about 2.5 lbs month, 10 pounds from goal. Did not get a fill this last month at drs. Because I am still tight in the morning. BMI is 26.1. I exercise daily, most times 2x day, lunch evening.

I am 1 yr post-op. I eat 2 slices of Whole Wheat daily, one with my yogurt/cereal and one with dinner. The harder rolls like sour dough do not work well. If I eat cornbread or muffins, it has to be tiny bites and chew till liquid. I don't eat any white bread or white rice or Pasta unless it is a wheat blend or brown rice. That stuff will lump up if you eat too much, usually a spoonful is plenty. I had a really bad time once with a pinch of a wheat roll and suffered for about 3 hours. Not something I want to repeat, especially now that I have 8.5 cc in a 10 cc band. I normally eat a meal about every 4-6 hours, sometimes a snack, sometimes not. LOve my band:tongue2:

Did they do the Flouro light at the fill? My first they did, but not since then. I have had 8 fills. only one time he had to stick 2x. I sorta do a ab crunch and have a pillow under lower back. I feel the push when he hits the port and it sorta fills like a firm push when the needle goes into the Self-sealing stuff on the port. I have had (for whatever reason) some soreness after a fill around the port, both when they have used the novacain and without it. Goes away after a couple days. Not a big deal you become accustomed to what they feel like. Goodluck:thumbup:

I have had 8 fills, some were .5cc and some were 1.0 currently at 8.5 cc in a 10 cc band. the weight loss has been steady over the last year until month 10, stalled got .5 cc, month 11 got 1.0cc week before Christmas. I still have restriction, even a bit tight in the morning, so no fill for Jan. have lost 1.0 lb since dr visit last week. so .5-1.0 lb a week is ok. I am 10 lbs from goal. Currently at 144. super energy. I hike 3.5 miles at lunch and do yoga 3x week and gym 5 x week with cardio, mchines and free wts. At this point it is now a family thing for all of us to attend the gym on a regular basis. So I would say that I am at my sweet spot for right now. Next month or 3months from now I may need another fill to keep me there.Just for the maintenance. I am a happy bandster, I had a few tough times, but hopefully you learn from those and keep on your journey. Good luck to you all.

Ya know, you might be on that ever famous Plateau! I am a yr out and I remember that about every 15-20 lbs I would get on a plateau. Just remember to keep walking, it does not have to be on the stepper and everything else. There will be plenty of time after your DR says it is ok. Just moving is the name of the game now. heal, eat consiously and move some more and don't for get to drink, drink and drink some more. All that drinking makes you have to move to the bathroom 4x as much. Be paitient and learn to use your new band. make it work for you. If I don't exercise now I really feel guilty. I may, only maybe take 1 day off a week from exercising. I went from a size 16/18 in Jan 08 to now a size 6/8. Love my band. Good luck:thumbup:

I agree with Jacqui, they will just satisfy my current hunger. Even if it is full of fruit and pp. Nothing to hold that in the band. They're great post-op due to the stomach swelling and what not, liquid and goes right through. I love them after a good full circuit workout or yoga. I like them in the morning prio to leaving for work at 5:30 am then eat my bfast at work about 8. I fix mine with 1% milk as well.

Oh no! I was told once I pb'd, that I should go back on fluids for a day or so, just to make sure any inflammation goes away quickly. It seem to work for me, but you have to make that call. Good luck!

Pretty quick procedure. I think it takes longer to check in thatn the procedure itseslf. They told me to bring a driver, due to grogginess. I think I would have been ok to drive after lunch maybe, i had it done 8 am, out by 1130. I had no after problems at all.no throat soreness or anything. piece a cake man.

I had BCBS as well. I have a high tier program, I only had to have the 6 month Dr/ Dietician appt. I had the mitigating problems with Sleep apnea and Thyroid and borderline suger. Once I attended the seminar and started the process, the psyc eval, they required heart dr as well since I had taken the phen-fen 15 yrs ago. The insurance paid for all the visits minus the copay. Once the Dr had all the paperwork it was pretty quick. The he did the Stomach test for the H-pilory germ and then they set the surgery date.. Woo hoo I was stunned, it was fast. BCBS faxed them the Preauth. the same day they sent it in( the 2nd time) first time, a week earlier they sent to wrong fax... Surgery was billed as a $500 copay, a month AFTER my surgery. :thumbup:Mine was done in Pinehurst. Good luck, I would do it again. my bandiversary was Jan 18,09 1 yr. was a size 16/18 and now 6/8. 65 lbs gone forever!! 8.5 cc in 10 cc band.

Whoa, watch that pedicure. I don't think they allow any nails to be painted when going in for surgery. remember to get up and start walking even if you don't feel you can. Walk some every hour, until you check out of that hospital. My usrgery was at 7am and I left the next day at lunch. I had to have a swallowing type xray to make sure theere were no leaks in stitches around the band Then finally something to drink.. Good luck, your new life is right arounf the corner. My fondest memory was a lady doing my recovery care after surgery, she said "ENJOY YOUR NEW SKINNY LIFE" i LOVE IT. She was not a bariatrice nurse, but I guess she knows what it is all about.pass it on!!

Is that the 22nd of Jan? If so you are still in liquids. Hunt around for some Whey protein Powder.I personally like the EAS (23 g protein)(online or Sams). Large bags. Choc or van. Add ice to make it frozen, later you can add fruit, berries or bananas. adding a little ice adds a little more water to your consumption. GNC carries lots of flavors about $15. 1lb bag. We were given a recipe for Fortified fudgesicle. (or other flavors). 8 oz cottage cheese, 1/2 can evaporated milk, 1 pkg Sugar free pudding, blend and spoon/pour into popsicle holders or small(bathroom size paper cups) and put a popsicle stick or toothpick and freeze. 9 grams protein each and they are good, my picky daughter even liked them. works well with butter scotch, vannilla, choco, lemon, whatever flavor you like if you can get it in the SF pudding box. Until you find Protein Powder you like, don't buy large qty. Remember you will be needing this stuff for a great long time, especially after saline fills. when you have to do liquids again for a few days. The more protein you get into your body the faster it will heal and the quicker you will sart burning the fat. I am 1 yr out and now on evenings if I am running late getting home from gym or late walking, I will do a big 12 oz fruit /vanilla protein frozen shake. Wonderful, and then go to bed. It also adds a few extra protein grams for recovery during sleep. Use that tool to your advantage, take care of it and yourself. love my band..Good luck

I have 8. in a 10 cc band. hopefully will get a little more today at my reg 6 wk appt. I got 1.cc 6 wks ago and I more restriction than I did have after that. just past my 1 yr bandiversary. So It is a gradual change form one fill to the next. I have lost some almost every month. and some months I have been way tighter than others and it lasts as long as I am losing and then it is time for more saline. I have to be close to my sweet spot. I can eat about 1.5 cups and then maybe a slice of WW bread, but I FEEL FULL not restricted. This is where my dr says I should be. I can go about 5-6 hrs without getting hungry most days. I still continue to be be way tighter in the morning after waking, so the 1.5 cup food would come at the last meal of the day. So most times after the gym I opt for a frozen protein shake if it is close to bedtime.:cursing:

Questions: *I have had a fill every 4-5 weeks after the initial 30 visit. Iam 1 year out jan 18. * I have 8 cc in a 10 cc band. I mostly feel full whenI eat. a normal 3 oz protein, and veggies and WW bread, then I am done! *I don't throw up when I overeat. I am normally in pain. this is the only time I tend to have some soreness around my port. It must be due to the over eating, come hand in hand. My restriction normally kicks in on day 6 after a fill, 2 day liquids and 2day mushy, then next couple of days I have to be really carefull how and what I tend to eat.. usually last a couple of weeks. Now I really don't have the hunger I nce did. If I do I eat a pc of fruit, clementime or samll apple and chew , chew chew, great fiber. holds me about 3 hours.

We had a Psycologist in for one of our support group meetings on the same topic. trading one addiction for another. Ican see it happening very easily. I think we all will go through them at some point till we realize the better of the evils. I for one seem to be hung up on the exercise routine now. I really feel really guilty if i dont get to workout at least one time during the day. I would rather go to the gym and work like crazy than have ot go eat again. ThenI normall just cook for my family and have a nice thick frozen protein shake for dinner. another day, another lb closer.!!

What are you eating and How much are you exercising? I am 1 year out and I remember at that time I was walking 2x a day. No sugars, no white anything except for milk. I did the 2 day liquid and 2day mushy after every fill. Do you feel any restriction? Do you stop drinking 30 minutes before you eat andwait 30 minutes after you eat!! I would have the Dr do flouro and barium swallow and see how fast it goes down.. Be patient you are 2 months out, use this time to finish healing and plan your new way of eating, menu plans, move , move and then move some more. We have to re-train our brains, The band is a "tool", make it work for you.Good luck!!:thumbup:

I had something similar that happened early on. Almost daily. Till I figured out I was not taking smal enough bites and chewing long enough. I chalked mine up to "restriction". If I did not pay attention when I was eating, and maybe talking at the same time, it would happen. So now I know if I have this feeling, I just stop eating then and give a few minutes, set my timer for 30 minutes and slow down. Sometimes I would even wait till my family finished eating and return to the table. We live and learn. It almost feels like it it getting stuck at the top of my throat. I think it is actually when the food touches the opening the wrong way. My suggestions is to slow down and chew till it becomes a liquid form. measure out your food, even while you are eating mushies. I am now 1 year out and loving my band. down from a 16/18 to a 6/8. 15 lbss from goal.. Good luck, learn how to use your band. it will work everyday for you and you only.!!

Try just using some Sauer's flavoring, banana or lemon, coconut, etc. That way you can still keep your carbs down. You may think about buying in bulk if you can find one you like. I like the EAS(I get it from Sam's club) in 5/6 lb bag. You will be using alot of the Whey protein powder in the next couple of months. There are lots of Brands, and as many places to buy them. Just try and find one you like. The GNc is really expensive for the 1 lb bags, but they have lots of flavors. Walmart carries an Whey protein I think now. Remember you will need anywhere from 50-90 grams Protein everyday, especially post-op for the healing phase. Good luck!:yikes:

I was told not to have protein shakes as a "meal replacement", but I should consider one each day on heavy exercise days and days I am not getting my 60-70 g protein. If you are not getting enough calories your body will go into starvation mode. I am 12 months out and when I was platuea'ing you have to be patient and continue with good eating and workout habits.

Check your release orders. They should have given you a copy upon leaving the hospital. Post-op instructions usually pretty straight forward.

I was not allowed any oral fluid intake for about 24 hours. This was after Idid the Fluid xray to check for leaks. Then only warm liquids rotated with cold liquids. You are very swollen. Try to get some rest and walk at intervals. They had me up after 4 hours walking the halls to help with the gas and gas pains. Call the Dr office as soon as they open or have someone call them, and you try to get some sleep. Anesthesia probably still in effect. take it easy. Youjust had surgery!