GayleTX

The two different ins. carriers I've had in the past 2 years have both paid for my fills....the first just pd it like an office call (80/20); the second is out of network, but they accept what the co. pays so it really has ended up costing less than the first one. Not all carriers are the same......check with yours or with the ins. clerk at the clinic you are considering.

Very normal.....the swelling keeps your stomach from feeling empty for a few days after surgery. Many people say their hunger comes back with a vegeance when it goes down, but that was not my expereince - I never did have any appetite - still don't after 2 yrs even though i haven't had any restriction for months. I think that is because after we get detoxed from the carbs in our system, part of our cravings go away - our glucose level stabilizes and we don't get 'false hunger signals' from a drop in sugar. That's why I keep my carbs low (eat only good carbs like greens, Beans, etc....no white refined foods - they don't have food value anyhow). Best wishes to you!!

I have the old Inamed 10CC and because of slippages am scheduled to have it replaced with the new Allergan AP. It is having fewer slippage problems than the older bands.

Well, welcome!! But you go first! LOL........what are you eating now? and how much? and how often? and how slow is slow?

And.......we should not use NSAIDS - they are hard on anybody's stomach, but they are especially bad for those of us with little pouches - they irritate the stomach/pouch and can cause ulcer and internal bleeding. Tylenol products are about all we can take safely. (this is from a voice of experience BTW....8 transfusions later)....... NSAIDs : non-steroidal anti-inflammatory drugs Aspirin (Anacin, Ascriptin, Bayer, Bufferin, Ecotrin, Excedrin) Choline and magnesium salicylates (CMT, Tricosal, Trilisate) Choline salicylate (Arthropan) Celecoxib (Celebrex) Diclofenac potassium (Cataflam) Diclofenac sodium (Voltaren, Voltaren XR) Diclofenac sodium with misoprostol (Arthrotec) Diflunisal (Dolobid) Etodolac (Lodine, Lodine XL) Fenoprofen Calcium (Nalfon) Flurbiprofen (Ansaid) Ibuprofen (Advil, Motrin, Motrin IB, Nuprin) Indomethacin (Indocin, Indocin SR) Ketoprofen (Actron, Orudis, Orudis KT, Oruvail) Magnesium salicylate (Arthritab, Bayer Select, Doan's pills, Magan, Mobidin, Mobogesic) Meclofenamate sodium (Meclomen) Mefenamic acid (Ponstel) Meloxicam (Mobic) Nabumetone (Relafen) Naproxen (Naprosyn, Naprelan*) Naproxen sodium (Aleve, Anaprox) Oxaprozin (Daypro) Piroxicam (Feldene) Rofecoxib (Vioxx) Salsalate (Amigesic, Anaflex 750, Disalcid, Marthritic, Mono-Gesic, Salflex, Salsitab) Sodium salicylate (various generics) Sulindac (Clinoril) Tolmetin sodium (Tolectin) Valdecoxib (Bextra) Note: Some products, such as Excedrin, are combination drugs (Excedrin is acetaminophen, aspirin, and caffeine). Note that acetaminophen (Paracetamol; Tylenol) is not on this list. Acetaminophen belongs to a class of drugs called analgesics (pain relievers) and antipyretics (fever reducers). The exact mechanism of action of acetaminophen is not known. Acetaminophen relieves pain by elevating the pain threshold, that is, by requiring a greater amount of pain to develop before it is felt by a person. It reduces fever through its action on the heat-regulating center of the brain. Specifically, it tells the center to lower the body's temperature when the temperature is elevated. Acetaminophen relieves pain in mild arthritis but has no effect on the underlying inflammation, redness and swelling of the joint. Paracetamol, unlike other common analgesics such as aspirin and ibuprofen, has no anti-inflammatory properties, and so it is not a member of the class of drugs known as non-steroidal anti-inflammatory drugs or NSAIDs. * Naproxen Sodium " Naprelan contains naproxen sodium, a member of the arylacetic acid group of nonsteroidal anti-inflammatory drugs (NSAIDs)" "The chemical name for naproxen sodium is 2-naphthaleneacetic acid, 6-methoxy-a-methyl-sodium salt, (S)."

That happens to 'most everybody....you had a PB. Leftovers of all kinds gnerally don't work. - even if it was fine the night before, the texture changes and that's what our bodies respond to.....I've had to learn to throw food out - very hard lesson to learn when you are 'frugal' (and when it still tastes so good!!). Pasta is not a good choice anyhow....no Protein in pasta and that's what we are all about with a band, ya know!! Any time you have a PB episode, you are going to have some swelling.....go back on liquids for at least one day and let the swelling go down and any irritation heal, then ease back in with mushies before you try norma food again.

Well, I usually don't agree with ANYTHING MSNBC says, but I do agree with that (I won't get political on you). Too bad they didn't refer readers to the online food journals (thedailyplate.com, fitday.com, sparkpeople.com, etc). I learned so much about food values by using fitday and it helps keep me honest with myself.....I still use it every day even after 2 years. Also, I LOVE seeing the little weight loss graph go down, down, down.

Very few people lose much weight during the mushy stage. Mushies are by their very nature carbs.... so yes, they do add up, but this is not the time to worry about weight - it's the time to heal. (which does not mean pig out....just use common sense!). Your weight lose will get in gear after you heal and after you can begin balancing your diet out with some nice normal foods. Don't be beating yourself up.....just do what you were told and relax. It's also a good time to experiment with shakes, sample different ones, find some you love - they'll mke post op life much easier and much healthier.

Guess what....YOU'RE NORMAL!! did your surgeon not explain that you don't get have any restriction right after surgery? Right now, all you have is an implant in your abdomen. You probably were not hungry the first day or two because of the swelling. When that goes down, you go into the healing period.......usually 6 weeks. That period will be very difficult because you can only have liquids, then mushies (depending on what your surgeon told you....go back and look at your info), then ease into normal or semi-normal foods. That 6 weeks is not called Bandster Hell for nothing! You will be empty and hungry but you must not eat anything not allowed.....it can do serious damage to your stitches, your pouch, your whole possibility of success with the band. Most surgeons wait about 6 weeks before they begin fills (that's what gives restriction). If the first one gives you any restriction, it will be unusual....it sometimes takes 2-3-4 before you can really feel it. It's hard to be patient, but you must. And often it takes a week or so after a fill to feel the restriction. That's why the band is for grown-up, patient people who are willing to play by the rules. Best wishes to you............

The eating guidelines are there for a purpose.....not just to torment you!! They are not designed to help you lose weight....they are designed to protect your surgery, to give you time to heal, to keep from ripping out the stitches with solid or rough food chunks. And, like many other things in life and many other things associated with this surgery, JUST BECAUSE YOU CAN DOES NOT MEAN YOU SHOULD!! You can do damage that you will not recognize until months later when your pouch is dilated or you have a slippage and you puke and hurt and have acid reflux and have to have your band replaced or have a revision. But back to your question.....should you go back to mushies? YES!!!:biggrin: Or better yet, liquids.

People who have gastric bypass often lose their hair if they don't get enough protein because they have the malabsorption issue. However, lapband surgery does not usually cause hair loss unless are having a reaction to the anesthesia used during surgery. Try increasing your protein to 80-100 grams/day - it's hard with a tiny pouch but you can do it easily with good quality bariatric protein supplements (not the kind body builders use!). You also need to be taking a good multivitamin. (Ensure and Boost aren't what wls patients need......we need products like Whey Gourmet, EAS, Matrix, Nectar, etc).

You need to google and watch video's of the surgery and get more info on the aftercare and lifestyle afterward. You might start at www.obesityhelp.com and click on lapband section for information. Word of encouragement.....I was at a meeting this past weekend with some other bandits....one of the girls there was probablya bout 40 - she had been trying to have a baby for 10 years. she was banded at 400 pounds a couple of years ago - she got pregnant after losing about 150 lbs - she's due in october and looks and feels wonderful.

Unfortunately if you have done damage it probably will not show up for a few months. The damage done in early stages shows up down the road in slippages, dilated pouches, etc. Then it's too late to 'start over.' I blame doctors for not emphasising enough to patients that the dietary restrictions during these early weeks has nothing to do with losing weight - it has to do with allowing the surgery to heal, letting the band settle in to the stomach.....they dont explain how dangerous it is. Since you have realized that you have a control problem, you might consider getting some help from a therapist that deals with eating disorders. Since you say your surgery cost you nothing, I'm assuming you may be on Medicaide?...if you are, it should pay for counseling also. Get some help to make this tool work for you and to change your life and your future. We can't all do this by ourselves....it takes a good support program to make it work.

My surgeon generally dismisses the same day. I had expressed concern about that because I live 2 hrs away from anything - he gave me the choice of staying if I felt I needed to. I went in at 10 am, and by 2 pm I felt foolish sitting there, so I got in the car and went home. Never had so much as a gas pain, but I know not everyone is that fortunate.

Is the 40 BMI your insurance co's requirement or your surgeon's? And do they take into consideration any co-morbidities (health issues caused by being overweight). Many people have received approval because of elevated blood sugar, high blood pressure, sleep apnea, even depression, etc. Whatever it takes, I hope you can get control of your weight while you are still young. There is so much pressure on young people to fit the mold now that it is sad. But what's even sadder is the limitations that it puts on your life, as you are already seeing. I am very sad when I think of all the years of fun and great experiences I cheated myself and my family out of because "Mama can't do that, ya know". Best wishes to you, sweetie........

I had LB at age 62 (same as my BMI).....in 18 mo. my BMI was 34 - and I feel like I am 34. So what if I had to take tiny bites and put my fork down between bites and chew the heck out of everything. Not a big deal when you consider it gave me back my health and my life. Just depends on what's important to you. The stoma (the little tunnel between your pouch and your lower stomach) is about the size of a pencil eraser....your food has to be able to comfortably pass from the pouch through the stoma. If it doesn't it hurts like heck, gets stuck, makes you throw up. These episodes will soon teach you to chew your food adequately. It does take practice....sometimes a lot of practice...it's good to begin practicing before you ever have surgery. Use a baby spoon, use a little salad plate for your food, put your spoon down between each bite. Don't ever drink anything with your food, and don't drink anything for 30-60 min. after you finish a meal (that keeps the food in the pouch longer and keeps you feeling full and satisfied longer). YOU CAN DO THIS!!!:thumbup:

Hey, Miss Queen City!!! Don't know how much you need to lose or how your health is......but I wish I could have taken charge of my weight and health when I was your age. It would have save me a lot of money and grief over the years. Your doctor is right.....some people do fail their bands - that doesn't mean the band failed them. ... your mind has to be ready for a permanent lifestyle change. If your surgeon tells you that you can eat what you've always eaten, just a smaller amount, don't believe him. All the successful bandsters I've known have kept their carb count low, their protein count high, and exercised regularly. The best part, though, is with the band - you don't feel deprived. It feels good not to have your thoughts ruled by the obsession with your next meal. Best wishes to you.......... (BTW....bet you know a friend of mine....she used to be Superintendent at QC)

When I had my pannus removal, my surgeon (the band surgeon, not the PS) insisted I have my band emptied - don't ask the PS - he probably won't have an opinion on the topic unless he's acquainted with lots of band patients. My band surgeon's reasoning was that any time you have a band you are subject to PB's and vomiting and you can rip those new stitches, esp. if it's an abdominal surgery. Mine was emptied and he began refilling in just a couple of weeks. I never did lose my restriction and never did feel hungry.

Larinshine......sorry I just now saw your post......guess you are probably at the hospital right now getting ready for your band. PM me when you feel like it and let me know how you are doing. I don't remember even seeing Dr B the day of surgery....I saw the anesthesiologist and then it was lights out!! The hardest part of the whole surgery was trying to pull on those @#$@# surgical hose up on my little fat legs!! Best wishes to you.......let me know if I can be of any help!:rolleyes2:

There are no nerve ending on the stomach so you don't feel the band or the stitches at all. And I had to lose 100 lb before I could even feel my port buried in that fat!! LOL!! The surgery itself was a real non-event.....learning a new lifestyle is the challenge. And, as the others said, I was scared of dying from NOT having weight loss surgery. If I had not done it two years ago, I probably would not be here today....seriously! And now I am unstoppable!! It's nothing short of a miracle.:cursing:

Oh, my.....I'll never forget the first raw carrot I tried to eat - it sounded like a good idea at the time. Never again! I did boil them, however, mashed them up with cinnamon and sweetner and made a good little side dish out of them.

Hmmm....that's a lot of calories for no more Protein grams than that. nectar brand makes a Lemon Tea protein powder....lots of protein, few calories, but it sure doesn't taste very good IMO. Their Fuzzy Navel is pretty popular, though (peach flavor). If anyone finds a tea that meets all the bariatric requirements and tastes good, they'll get rich, won't they. It's Tea Time in Texas!!:smile:

So glad to hear you are going to get insurance August 1!! That's just around the corner and you might have to hurry to get things moving by then. Most insurance companies require you to prove that you have had a medically supervised weight loss program for at least 6 months....they are pretty srict about it - most require you see your doctor at least once a month every month, get weighed, have your doctor record your weight and write into your medical records that he has discussed weight loss procedures with you. You'll need to have a doctor that is willing to cooperate with you to prepare for weight loss surgery and then write a letter indicating that he thinks you could benefit from it. Not all PCP's are in favor of wls...make sure yours is on board with you and will support you.

The above poster is correct about the monthly dr. visits...the goal is just to get it on your record every month...not actually to lose weight. The insurance approval is usually based on 'co-morbidities' and diabetes is definitely a co-morbidity of being overweight. Do you think you might have any more....sleep apena, join pain are also in that category. I am not familiar with any medical studies about lapband 'curing' diabetes....there are many, however, regarding RNY gastric bypass as a way to end diabetes....has something to do with the particular part of the intestine that is removed. In Europe, they are now using RNY to control Type II diabetes even when overweight is not an issue. But lapband doesn't work that way. However......I have been a diabetic and on oral meds (lots of them) for 25 years - within 6 mo after having lapband, I was off all my diabetes meds and my glucose levels have been absolutely perfect for the past 2 years. It is more a matter of the old "diet and exercise", though, not the surgery itself. But I could never have done it without the surgery.....I tried for many years. The lapband makes it so much easier to control my eating and I've been able to detox my body from the carbs (which were my downfall)....the greatest surprise to this surgery has been the fact that I have no interest in food any more, there has never been a feeling of being deprived. I don't consider myself 'cured' of diabetes....I am "controlled" and I know if I do not continue to eat the way I should it will be back. But it's so much easier than I ever dreamed it could be. Best wishes to you.....

Regarding your family who says you don't need to lose weight....doctors figure your 'need' for weight loss based on your BMI (body mass index). (google BMI calculator)....at 4'9" and 235 lbs your BMI is 51....that is classified as "morbidly obese." So, yes, you do need to lose weight. I'm betting you are quite young and look really cute and cuddly right now, especially to your family. But along with obesity eventually comes poor health....we don't retain the cute and cuddly when the health begins to go. Your family loves you like you are, but you love yourself enough to want to be the best you can be in the future and to have a long and happy and healthy life. Dallas is a great place to find an experienced, competent weight loss surgeon....some of the most respected ones are right there - Dr. Wade Barker, Dr. Richard Benevides, Dr. Joseph Cribbins, Dr. Steven Hamm are all very well thought of - as well as others. Methodist Hospital and Presbyterian Hospital are both Centers of Excellence for Bariatric Surgery and have outstanding programs and staff for weight loss surgery. However, none of them work for free....not many people do. You say you don't have insurance or any credit at all....are you on Medicaid by any chance? They cover weight loss surgery. If not, you need to begin trying to establish credit of some sort....just a credit card or a store account with a small limit is a beginning - making payments, never be late in making payments (that's the key) to getting a good rating. I hear your frustration about dieting. It's easy to diet, easy to lose weight - and even eaiser to gain it back ....I 'dieted' myself up to 350 pounds.....so much yoyo dieting that my metabolism went haywire and eventually only went one way - UP- on the scale. I hope you can find a solution to your weight problem soon, whatever it may be. Best wishes to you.......