TSB

I have had a weight problem since I was child. I lost 18lbs during my pre-op program (March-July 2009) and since my surgery on 8/11/09 I have lost an additional 29lbs. Seems to be working :thumbup: Good luck to you!

I am up to 4.5cc in a 10 cc band. Last Thursday I had a fill that brought me to 5cc, which was a tad too tight, so I went back Friday and had 1/2cc removed. I do believe I am at my sweet spot :w00t: This morning I was 171 which means I have lost 4 lbs since last Thursday after weeks, and weeks of very slow progress!

I went for a second fill last week that brought me from 4cc to 5cc in a 10 cc lap band. 5 was too much because I was having issues getting liquids down....it would go down, but very, very slow. So went back the next day and had a 1/2 cc taken out so am now at 4.5 cc and think I am at sweet spot for now. The PA who does my fills tells me that as you lose, the band can become looser and you will require additional fills to acheive your sweet spot. Good luck!

It took me a good week-and-a-half to two weeks before I felt kind of "normal" again.

I've had subway once since my surgery on 8/11. I had them make my favorite sandwich into a salad. I have not been able to tolerate soft breads since banding. Sometimes I can do toasted bread.

No sweet spot for me yet. I have a total of 3 cc in a 10 cc band (2cc @ time of surgery & one at my first fill). I am scheduled for a second fill on Nov. 12. I find that sometimes I can eat bread if it is toasted, but it is hit or miss. I discovered that under no circumstances will cornbread agree with my band! Pasta can also be a mixed bag. I think with the pasta it might be an issue of eating it too fast because I like it too much <grin> So far those are the only foods I have had issues with.

Why would you encourage someone not to follow their surgeon's instructions? We all have individual health issues and there are a wide variety of pre-op programs. Like you I was required to lose a percentage of my excess weight pre-op. For me it was 10% which would've been 21lbs. I lost only 18 in the 3 or 4 month pre-op phase. I was concerned that because I did not hit 10% exactly that they would not schedule me for surgery. I was advised that the minimum acceptable loss was 5% for the purposes of shrinking the liver and that if I had failed to lose 5% they would have put me on a stringent liquid diet for a period of up to 2 weeks. Because I lost an acceptable percentage of excess weight, I only had to do Clear liquids along with bowel prep for 2 days prior to surgery. So, not knowing the specific health issues of OP nor the specific pre-op work she has done, it is really not a smart move to even remotely encourage her to disregard her surgeon's instructions.

I'm feeling fine here. My surgery was 08/11/09. No stuck episodes for me, per se. I have had a couple of occasions where I was very uncomfortable because I ate something too fast or it was something I shouldn't have been eating. I think I will be avoiding cornbread for the forseeable future:scared2:! I found out at my first fill appt that they had put two cc(s) in my 10 cc band at the time of surgery. My first fill was not until 8 weeks post op, where they added one more cc (my doc won't do more than 1 cc at a time and will only fill every 4 weeks. My next fill is scheduled for 11/12/09. Since my 1st fill on 10/8/09 I have only lost 3lbs, so it is slow going:unsure:. I will be glad to get to that sweet spot....I hope it does not take too much longer to get there!

I agree with the other posters who have advised you do some research on what your insurance company's policy is regarding WLS. As you can see from my stats, my bmi was similar to yours when I started this process. My major/qualifying co-morbidity was high cholesterol. I have BCBS of Maine. Does your doc have a nurse or clinic coordinator? The clinic coordinator at the bariatric center I go to is the one who deals with the insurance companies. Someone like that in the office is often more knowledgable than the surgeon about what the various insurance co. requirements are and about submitting the "right" reports with the "best" wording. In the week or two after I had met the surgeon's pre-op requirements, I was on the phone with the clinical coordinator every other day getting status reports and making sure all the i(s) were dotted and t(s) were crossed.

I've only had one fill thus far, so am not as experienced as others. However, my doc has advised me to report any acid reflux or night coughing to him immediately.

No problems with rice here.

My surgeon required a 10% weight loss prior to surgery. I fell shy of that by 3 lbs. At one of my last pre-op visits I was advised that had I lost less then 5% I would have been required to do the extreme pre-op liquid diet that some folks have posted about here on LBT. With what I did lose, I only had to do liquids along w/ bowel prep for the two days immediately pre-op. From what I have read here, other doctors/ins. companies sometimes require a 6 month supervised diet. I would check with your doc and insurance company to see what their requirements might be.

I can eat bread, but only if I toast it first and even then I have to be careful (small bites, lots of chewing). I've had no problems thus far with any other foods. I currently have 3cc(s) in a 10cc band.

My surgeon repaired a hiatal hernia at the same time as he installed the band. I had chronic acid reflux since I was a teenager. I have had absolutely no reflux since surgery and am no longer on meds for it.

I weigh daily. That is the recommendation made by the bariatric center where my surgeon practices. This was based on data they collected from their successful bariatric patients (both bypass & band patients). I find weighing daily keeps me honest and focused. For example, right now I am in a semi-plateau and if I was not weighing daily I might not be as careful about what I am putting in my mouth. I suppose if not seeing the numbers going down as much as I'd like made me really mental , I'd cut back to weighing weekly. I say do whatever works best for you in reaching your ultimate goal.

Went for my 1st fill on 10/8. After having been told pre-op my band would be installed empty, I was surprised to find that they had in fact put 2 cc(s) in at the time of surgery. Maybe that explains why I don't believe I experienced bandster hell. I got 1 cc so now have 3cc(s) in a 10cc band. Not really noticing a major difference yet as far as restriction. I bounced between 180 & 182 pounds for about 2 weeks prior to my fill. Since my fill I am bouncing between 178 & 179. I think it is time to start incorporating some exercise. Had dh dig my elliptical out of my mom's garage and bring it home this weekend. Now I just have to motivate myself to start using the darn thing! They were pleased with my progress at the bariatric center. Told me that since my initial consult with them in March I have lost 46% of my excess weight I hope that my weight loss will get steady again soon! I would like to get to the halfway mark to my goal weight by the end of this month.

Congratulations, Mystify!! Best of luck to you as you continue on this journey!

It will vary from surgeon to surgeon and insuranc co. to insurance co. I met with my surgeon in March. He had an extensive pre-op program. I met the surgeon's requirements in July. Was submitted for approval to my insurance company and approved in July. My surgery was done in August. So, for me it was about 5 months between my initial consult and my actual surgery. Best thing to do is find out what your surgeon & your insurance company's requirements are. I've read here that self-pay people tend to get through the process faster.

I was 218 @ 5' 3" in Jan. 2009 when my PCP made the referral to the bariatric surgeon. By the time I finished all of the pre-op requirements of my surgeon I was 200 exactly on surgery day Aug. 11, 2009. Since that time I have lost 21 pounds with a band that was completely empty upon installation. Will get my first fill this Thursday Oct. 8, 2009. I have not for one minute regretted doing this. I have had a weight problem since I was a child. I have done weight watchers countless times, beginning at the age of 12. I have weighed as much as 230 and as little as 155 in my adult life. For me, the band will hopefully be just the tool I need to not only lose the weight, but to keep it off for good this time. There is a forum somewhere on here for low BMI bandsters, you might find useful info there as well. Best of luck to you!

I usually bring left overs from evening meals at home. When I don't have that I do a can of low fat Soup, or mix up som chicken or tuna salad. I also keep a box of Zone Perfect nutrition bars in my desk drawer for those mornings that I don't have time to eat Breakfast before leaving the house. For a morning or afternoon snack I usually bring low fat string cheese.

I am sorry you are having a hard time. I did not experience a high degree of post op pain, so I can't speak to that. From having read a lot here on LBT, though, it seems like there is really a broad spectrum of how people feel (physically & emotionally) and cope with their immediate post-op phase. I DID, however, have the experience of being uncharacteristically overly-emotional for about the 1st week and half post-op.......crying for no reason, etc.....my poor husband thought I was losing my mind. I was assured by one of the PAs at the bariatric center that it was normal to be emotional after the surgery. All I can tell you is it does get better. We are all different, though, as far as the amount of time it takes us to start feeling "normal" again. Follow all of your post op instructions, take any pain meds prescribed to you. Most of all, be patient with yourself. Best of luck to you.

I had surgery 08/11. I am feeling good. I've lost 18-20lbs since surgery......I have been bouncing between 180-182 for about a week and a half now. That's a little frustrating, as I had been consistenly losing up until recently. I have nothing in my band and am scheduled for my 1st fill on 10/08/09. I think I am ready for that. I still get full pretty fast, but within 2 to 2 1/2 hours I can eat again. So, hopefully the fill will help me to feel satisfied for a longer period of time. I need to start incorpoating some exercise. Gotta motivate my husband to go pick up my elliptical machine out of my mother's garage so I can dust it off and start using it I do walk on occasion, but this is Maine and very soon it will be too damn cold to do anything outside!

The set that I have is 3 pieces (wedding band, engagement ring and anniversary band) they have been sodered (sp?) together and my husband just picked up the ring guard at the jewelers this past weekend. It's a slidy sort of thing with two brackets that fit around the rings and can be adjusted for a closer or looser fit.

I lost 18lbs pre-op and 20lbs since surgery on 8/11/09. My wedding set has gotten very loose on me. I've already had mine sized twice; once when it was purchased and then again due to weight gain. I just picked up a ring guard from the jeweler for now as I want to wait until I have lost all the weight I want to before getting it sized again.