TSB

Haven't been on the site in a long while. Still maintaining @ a loss of 60/65 lbs a year and a half out. Would like to lose another 15 to 20, but am quite content where I am at. No problems whatsoever w/ a band that is about half full. Actually bought a pair of size 8 misses jeans a couple of weeks ago. Still have to take a 10 in petites, though.

I stuck with my post-op diet. I don't remember now is I was on full liquids for a week or two weeks. But for me, for the first few weeks post-op I really did not have much of an appetite at all. Immediately post-op is not the time to push it. Your body is healing and the post-op diets we are prescribed are aimed at giving your body time to recover.

The only time I have struggled with emotions was for the two weeks immediately post-op. I was uncharcteristically emotional ( crying over little things that would not normally phase me). I was losing weight rapidly in those two weeks, plus my body was recuperating from surgery and anesthesia. One of the PA's told me something about hormones in fat cells and that when you are losing weight rapidly these hormones get released. Dont' remember the exact details of how it was explained to me. But no emotional issue since that time. I think having a realistic perspective about post-band weight loss helps not to get bogged down or too obsessive about slower weight loss and/or plateaus. I try to focus on NSV(s) and the fact that this is going to be a long-term process when things aren't moving as quickly as I would like. Best of luck to you!

My surgeon's policy is no fill until 8 weeks post-op. It can seem frustrating when you read about people getting fills much sooner. Personally, I am glad that my surgeon takes a more conservative approach to fills as I believe this prevents complications over the long term. Good luck!

If you can't get liquid down you need to go back to your doc immediately.

I saw my surgeon at my initial consult, at my last pre-op appt, the day after my surgery in the hospital, at my 2 week post op appt and then not again until my 6 month post-op. I imagine I will see him at my 1 year post op as well. Any other visits to the office, for fills/unfills and any problems, I usually see one of the 3 physician assistants in his office. Typically I get to see the same PA each time, which is nice because it provides an opportunity build rapport.

Great post, Cingulus. Congrats on your terrific progress!

My PCP made a referral in Jan. 2009. I had my consult with my surgeon in March 2009. Completed all of my pre-op requirements for both the surgeon and the ins. co. by late June 2009. Approved by surgeon and ins. co. in July 2009. Had surgery Aug. 11, 2009. My surgery was inpatient -- spent one night in the hospital. My surgeon will not do the procedure on an outpatient basis. Quite frankly, I could not have imagined going home the same day as my surgery.

Men do better with any kind of weight loss, as they typically have more muscle mass which results in a higher metabolism than women. Higher metabolism=burning more calories. burning more calories=more weight loss :sad:

The band is not magic and you do have to work. From my experience. though, you don't have to work nearly as hard to lose and maintain with the band as opposed to without the band. Finding your sweet spot can be frustrating, but once you get there you will be glad. I have restriction and I do not feel sick all of the time. If eat too fast, too much or don't chew my food enough I do feel uncomfortable. For me that little bit of discomfort helps with the whole behavior modification part of weight loss. When I eat Pasta or bread I feel crappy. So then I must decide if eating these foods is worth the discomfort. For me it is not, so I avoid them. My weight loss has not been as dramatic as some, but slow and steady. It took me about 5 months to really feel like I had "good" restriction. At 6 months I had another fill and I do believe I am now at my sweet spot. After pretty much just maintaining for several weeks, I have lost 3 lbs in this week since my fill. The key, I think, is to be patient with yourself and your band :sad::wink2:

I am still taking my Lipitor, which I have been on for a little over a year. I need to get an appointment w/ my primary to decide whether it would be appropriate to stop the Lipitor at this point. I am sorry to hear you had some issues with your port. Congrats on the weight loss and loving your Band!

Hi all. Went for my 6 month check up last Thursday, 2/11. In addition to the weight loss my cholesterol is in the normal range for the first time in my adult life. My triglycerides in particular have been ridiculously high for as long as I can remember and came down from 300 to 180! I am ecstatic with the health benefits of having taken off some of my weight. I thought I was at 5 cc, but turns out I was at 5.5 cc, and they added another 1/2 cc bring me to 6 cc in a 10cc band. I thought I had good restriction before, but HOLY COW have I noticed a difference since this last fill. Made a birthday dinner for my mom over the weekend -- a low fat recipie I have for turkey meatball & penne Pasta casserole. I ate 1 1/2 of meatballs which are probably 1-1/2 in diameter along with a few bites of the ricotta cheese from the casserole(have to stay away from pasta altogether) and I was absolutely stuffed! I have lost 2lbs since last Thurs. Bringing my total weight loss to 52 lbs (18 pre op, 34 post op). I think this might be the elusive sweet spot that I have read so much about! So for those of you who are newly banded....be patient, restriction will happen!

The PA I see most often at my sugeon's office has explained to me that as one loses weight the "tightness" of the band can change. The sweet spot is not a stationary thing. That being said, I think it varies from person to person as to how tight is too tight and how tight is just right. For me, I am at 6 cc in a 10 cc band (had a fill of 0.5cc a week ago today) and there is no way in heck I could consume a whole cup of food at one sitting right now. If I were you I'd call and discuss with your surgeon/pa/nurse how much you can eat and how long you feel full after eating. These are the questions they always ask me when we are trying to decide on whether a fill is appropriate. Good luck!

LOL-----but ice cream goes down SO easy! I have noticed since my last fill, though, that a much smaller amount of icecream (sugar free of course ) makes me feel full.

When I was in the early post-op phase I had the same issue the whole time I was on a liquid only diet. As soon as I started mushies, the problem resolved itself.

Pastas and breads are the foods most likely to cause me issues. Initially I could eat any type of food. Now that I am at 6cc in a 10cc band, I have to be a lot more careful with my food choices and make sure that I chew, chew, chew whatever it is that I am eating.

It can be quite discouraging when things slow down. For me I lost 18lbs pre-op and 32lbs since my surgery on August 11th. I am at 5cc in a 10cc band and have good restriction. What I haven't done is manage to get into an exercise routine. But putting it in perspective, I have almost reached my 6 month mark of being post op, and the 32 lbs I have lost averages out to a loss of 5.33lbs per month. That's not dramatic or spectacular, but it is progress that I likely would not have made without the band. It also helps to consider all those non-scale victories. For me -- I can cross my legs comfortably, tuck in my shirts, wear button down shirts, shop for close in the petite section, even my shoe size is a 1/2 size smaller! Slow and steady wins the race....don't give up!

Went shopping about a week ago and was very pleased to buy some slacks in a 14 petite! Before surgery I was in an 18/20 womens. I am only 5'3" and it always seemed that the clothing manufacturers assumed anyone in plus sizes was also 6' tall! Nice not to have to get my pants hemmed :woot: I can't do petites in tops as I am a bit top heavy, but bought some shirts in a Large Misses size. Also got some jeans in 14 misses --- based on the loose way they fit I think I could maybe get away with a 12 misses in pants. I still tended to gravitate toward XL stuff in tops, but once I tried them on I was pleased to find they were too big on me :thumbup:

What a heated debate! As far as the whole is your BMI high enough and/or are your health problems serious enough . . . . that is a determination that should be made between a doctor and their patient. When my pcp made the referral my BMI was between 38 & 39. On the day of my surgery my BMI was between 35 & 36. My only real health issue was high cholesterol for which I was taking medication. I get the whole issue of taxpayer resentment. I work in a social service field. While I do not directly work in entitlement programs such a Medicare, TANF, Food Stamps...the program I work in deals a lot with the same clientele and with the eligibility workers. So, I see first hand some clients who really would do anything within their power to avoid personal responsiblity in all areas of their lives. But I see far many more people who really need help to get through a tough time. When I was young mother I also had the personal experience of having had to rely on public assistance to provide for my children.....it was a degrading position to be in. So, having "been there" and having worked my @ss off to make a better life for my kiddos.........I try really hard not to judge. If an investment in WLS by medicare now will prevent a life time of spending on the various chronic ailments that accompany obesity, I am all for it. Perhaps resolving this person's obesity and related health problems will enable her to become a productive member of society.

My surgeon repaired my Hiatal Hernia at the same time as he installed my band. From what I have read here on LBT and other places, it is fairly common to do both procedures simultaneoulsy. Having the Hernia repaired was huge bonus for me -- no more GERD -- 1st time since I as a teenager that I have not had to deal with reflux!

Time frames vary widely from ins co to ins co and surgeon to surgeon. I had to satisfy my surgeon's pre-op requirements before he would even submit my paperwork to the ins. co. for approval. My pcp referred me in Jan '09. My consult with the surgeon was in March '09 and I had my surgery in Aug '09.

Lifetime liberal here who does not hate anyone. That being said, I don't think running the country should be left to the intellectually inferior. I found GW to be both intellectually and morally impaired. As for Palin, I could give a crap about her religious beliefs. I don't want her as president simply because the woman is number than a pounded thumb!

My doc required 10% loss of excess weight. Toward the end of my pre-op phase I found out that if you didn't hit your target right on the nose he would still submit you for approval to the ins. co. If you lost less than 5% you would be required to go on a stringent liquid diet for a couple weeks prior to surgery to shrink your liver. Because I came very close to my 10% target, I only had to do liquids for the 2 days immediately prior to surgery + bowel prep just to ensure that everything was out of my system prior to surgery. I've heard that some docs/ins co(s) require a 6 month supervised diet. The pre-op diet requirements seem vary greatl from doc to doc and ins policy to ins policy.

My consult was in March. I was approved by the surgeon and my insurance co in late July. Surgery was Aug. 11, 2009.

You are not very far out from surgery, you probably still have swelling. Your surgeon may have also filled your band with some liquid during your surgery. I had pretty good restriction for several weeks after my surgery and didn't really experience the whole bandster hell that you will read so much about on LBT. It really varies from person to person. If you feel so tight that you have trouble getting or keeping liquids down you should follow up with your surgeon ASAP. Good luck!