marfar7

Wow! You look great! WTG!

A night cough and reflux were my ONLY symptoms of my slip. No pain while eating or at all. Had reflux for about 4 mths before I found out I even had a slip (was worried they'd unfill me, and they eventually did). Had an xray where it showed a slight slip. SO they unfilled me by 1/2 (I had 10cc, they took out 5) and let it rest for 4 weeks. You really need to be seen by your dr. a slip doesn't correct itself if you have one. And it can cause lasting problems if not diagnosed. It can cause permanent damage to your stomach (I fear that I will wake up next week after having my sleeve revision without a sleeve cuz there was too much damage to my stomach). Anyway, the only symptom I had was a cough and reflux.

Most insurances (inclduing Medicaid) don't cover plastic unless it's medically necessary (as in a hanging stomach that causes rashes or so big if breasts that they cause back pain. Just for reference, about 10 yrs ago I went to the plactics dr at my local VA medical center. I had 44DDD boobs. MY back was killing me (not really cuz of my chest, other reasons, but since I really wanted a reduction, I said they killed my back). I stood there without a bra on in front of him while he "gauged" my boobs (holding them each in a hand and "weighing" them. Then said he didn't think they were big enuf for a reduction. Wow. A DDD. Granted they eventually did go down to a 40D after losing 100 lbs. I'd still LUV to get a breast life and maybe even a little reduction, but I know my insurance would never pay for it. I went into a plastics office a few months ago to get an estimate on a TT, lipo for my chin (I have a ball of fat there that won't ever go away) and lip for my back fat. She and my hubby agreed that my back didn't need it that bad. I came out with a $7500 price on the TT and $2800 on the chin lipo, 50% off the cheaper one if I had them done at once. So it'll probly never get done. Good luck. I'd try it. You never know. But I doubt if they would cover it

I can't delete posts from my phone. neither can I see the "Recent Topics" that are on the far ride upper side of your computer screen. Everytime I'm on my phone, I misspell everything and can't change it after I've posted! Makes me look like a 6 yr old... Good luck! Oh, and I have an Android, not iphone...

The PA in my office always says "Don't eat when you're not hungry". However, if that starts going into days and days, I would put a little something in my mouth. As long as you're taking in your required liquids, I wouldn't worry about it for a few days. Then, you really need to check your hunger. What I mean by that is do you have a "new hunger"? The only time in my life where I haven't been hungry is during the flu. Never had that problem, wish I did! Good luck! I wouldn't force myself to eat for a few days and then, just enuf to satiate you a little if you're still not hungry

Thanx for the laugh! "my portal" - like it's a hole into another universe! I agree. It's probly that hard spot you feel. When you start losing, it'll get more pronounced. Like an alien attempting to exit!

You MUST have patience with the band. I didn't feel anything different until my 3rd fill (4 mths afterwards). Then the magic started. They either didn't tell me this in the class or I refused to hear it cuz I thought I'd get surgery and BAM - I'd start losing. Nope. Not even close. I ate just the same as I had prior to the band and maybe lost 3 lbs (probly just from the 4 weeks liquid diet!) in the first 4 mths. Then I started losing 8-12 lbs a month. Patience is a must with the band. They need to put this on the consent form - that you understand it before being cut open! Good luck!

Mine either. He drew on a pc of paper everything he was gunna do but never mentioned a bougie. Since I'm a band revision next Tues, I'm not going to the class until Monday morning (same class I took 4 yrs ago for the band except this time it includes sleeves, which it didn't back then). Hope to find out then... I think it's the size of sleeve you get? Maybe a measurement? Correct me if I'm wrong...

Got my surgery prescriptions (Scopolamine patch, Lortab elixer, Pepcid, Celebrex, Zofran and 1 more I can't remember). I don't have insurance for meds. So I called my local Walgreens and found out just my 16 oz of Lortab elixer is $230! Wow. I"m a disabled vet who gets most of my care thru the VA (my surgery is being done by a civilian dr, thru Medicare) and all of my rx's come from the local VA pharmacy for free. I called the pharmacy and they said if my VA primary care provider rewrites those rx's, I can get them thru the VA pharmacy. So I took them into his office today and gave it to the front office lady, with a note of direction for my dr (who doesn't yet know about my surgery) that I needed to pick up the rx's by Fri afternoon, as I'm sposed to be 3 hrs away at the hospital next Monday at 10 am. If anyone here has ever dealt with the VA healthcare system they know how stupid it was for me to drop off my script to the office lady. The dr may never see it. Or he may not approve to give me these meds. And will they call me? Probly not. It'll just get lost in paperwork. What do I do then? Anyone have success in getting civilian scripts filled by the VA pharmacy?

Thanks! I've never even emailed from my healthe-vet yet. I just did it tho. I will continually check it until his nurse tells me it's in his hands and it's being filled. Now I'm worried about my meds. For all 6 of them (Why so many, btw?) it's over $360!!! Just for a little ole surgery! Glad I get all my pills from the VA. I'd be broke every month if I had to pay for them! And my VA clinic is about 15 minutes away too. My surgery is 3 hrs away, however. Thanks for the idea!

Never mind my previous post. Didn't even read all the comments before I posted. I've got to start doing that!

I was gunna mention the same exact thing! You'd think that would be the equivalent. I've never even bought powdered milk and no one has every suggested it to me. I mix all my "cream of _____" soups with 1% milk. Skim reminds me too much of breast milk. It's see-thru!

No answer here from me. I just wanted to ask you if y've ever been told you look alot like Melissa McCarthy? In your profile pic I thought it was her for a minute. If you've never heard it, you have now!

Amen!i feel the same way and my hubby is the same. loves me whatever I look like ut I'm sure he'll prefer a sexier wife. When we met (2 1/2 yrs ago), i was at the same weight I am now (had 1 yr previously has my lapband and had lost 75 lbs by the time we met) and lost over 30 more lbs before we got married the following year. He would call me "skinny mini" all the time. Since putting those 30 lbs back on, haven't heard him call me that in a long time. Can't wait to hear that again, soon I hope. My surgery is exactly a week from today. getting scared, excited, nervous (and apprehensive about the 4 week liquid diet) Good luck to you. I'm sure you'll be sexy soon! As will all of us!

All these vitamins need to be separate? My dr requires us to take a chewable muti vit (such as Centrum) but not calcium or iron separately. I' going to Walmart to buy them tonite. Should I get separate vitamins or the multi?

I actually bought some Syntrax cappucino flavor and added my coffee to it already mixed. About 6 oz of coffee to 8 oz of protein drink. I'm still sampling protein drinks, however, before surgery. So plz don't take my word as expertise. Luv coffee and if i can mi it in whatever, I will. oh, btw, my doc approves 1 cup of coffee a day (Im gunna be bummed when I usually drink about 5-6!)

Looking forward to that myself. Next Tues at 8am. I'm a little nervous, however. Either that it won't work or i can't do my part in the equation.

Well, im a week away from band revision surgery. This time instead o weighing 250 I weight 174. If it were me looking at anoanother 174 lb person I would question why they were getting the wls. Can't u just lose 40 lbs? Surely its not that hard.... It is that hard. In the last 18 mths, since my band slipped, I've gained 30 lbs. I've proven I can't be trusted to do this by myself. I need something to help me maintain forever. Just saying hey to other with less to lose...howdy!

You said you were on the heavier side, thats why you can't weigh yourself on a bathroom scale. You've probably lots tons of weight, it just isn't showing up yet in your clothes. When your next drs appt? If it's not for a while, I would either go to the office early and just weigh yourself or buy a better scale, one that would hold your current weight. I think they make them that go up to 500 lbs. That would drive me crazy only weighing in at the drs office only once every few months or so. I'm an everyday weigher, so every 3 mths wouldn't work for me. You're doing fabulously, btw. Drinking lots of Water, cutting back on carbs, eating lotso Protein....nothing else I could add that would help! Congrats! You're doing terrific! Bet you've lost lotso weight!

Wow! WTG! You sure don't look like you have over 30 lbs to lose! If I didn't already know, I'd think you were at goal now!

Exactly why I've NEVER posted on Facebook that I ever even had lapband surgery 4 yrs ago or about my sleeve revision next week. Occasionally people who I don't see often will comment on how great I look in new pics, but other than that, no one in FB world needs to know, therefore opening up myself to detrimental comments. No clue why I was embarrassed at first about my wls, but I was. I was ashamed that I couldn't do it on my own, basically giving up. I'm proud now about how well I've done and have come close to announcing on fb about my surgery. But alas, I had a slip and gained back 30 lbs. SO, so, so glad I never announced it. Can you imagine what I'd be hearing now? and now that I'm planning a 2nd surgery? Wow. My page would be on fire. I wish you luck with that. Really, I do.

If your just a vegetarian (not vegan) then your in for a treat. Almost everything you can eat in phase 1 is vegetarian. My Protein shakes are whey based. I can drink milk with them. I will eat cream Soups with milk mixed in. I plan on drinking the 3 oz of Protein shake every hour as recommended by my dr. This, along with the Soup, will basically be my whole protein for the 1st 4 weeks. Then I can start soft foods (eggs, tuna, mashed potatoes, pudding, yogurt - all vegetarian) It's pretty basic during the first phase. IF your dr has you on liquids only during the 1st phase. You can't eat a burger anyway! Good luck! I'm right behind you. July 16th

Is this a 4 wk pre op diet? Wow. never heard of 1 that long. I actually have just 24 hrs of Clear liquids before surgery. Thank God. 4 weeks of liquids afterwards will be enuf for me. Keep you eye on the prize. Focus your thinking on a, say, size 6 pair of jeans. If necessary, buy a size 6 pair of jeans (Goodwill is good for this) and hang them on your bedroom door. Everyday you can wish yourself into those jeans. I did that with a tank top from the week before I had my lapband. By the time I tried it on when I thought it might fit (16 mths later), it was too big! You can do this!

Amen! 4 yrs ago when I decided to get banded, I decided that I'd never diet again. The band would do all the work. For the first 2 1/2 yrs, I didn't diet. I ate whwatever I wanted to and as much as I wanted (very little due to restriction) and never counted or weighed anything. Then my slip happened. I got 1/2 my Fluid out and gained 20 lbs in 14 mths. I still refused to diet. When my band has "fixed itself", I will go back to eating whatever I want to and lose weight. That didn't happen. Actually, my band herniated 3 mths ago and I got all my fluid out and it was recommended that they take it out (where I am now, waiting till July 16 for sleeve revision). i saw my scale creeping up more and more everyday. I have very minimal restriction now and still eat whatever I want. In Feb, I actually tried Atkins induction for 4 weeks. Never cheated once. Hubby is a low carber so I had someone going thru the HELL with me. I would've killed my mother for a cookie (if she had been around!). At the end of the 4 weeks, I had lost 12 of the 30 lbs I had regained. I was so miserable. I majored in nutrition in college and know how silly Atkins really is. Especially induction. The body wasn't meant to survive on basically 0 carbs. While I can't argue the fact that I lost 12 lbs (my husband reminds me daily, still), I gained them back within the next month. Went back to eating whatever I wanted, however much I wanted (I mean, it worked for me while my band was working, why not now?) So here I am 18 mths after being within 9 lbs of my goal, 30 lbs heavier. And "never dieting" is still my mantra. I'm expecting to go thru the sleeve surgery in a breeze and automatically lose weight eating whatever I want, however much I want (knowing that it'll be very little). Every bit of research I do tho recommends actually eating healthy foods and cutting back on junk. Wow. What a concept. I"VE decided that I'm actually gunna give it a try. I'm not gunna cheat on my post op diet (like I did with my lapband), I'm gunna cut back (not eliminate) on simple carbs (sugar, bread, Pasta, rice) and focus more on health and not on being skinny. Heart disease runs in my family and I already have hypertension so I really do need to eat healthy. Anyway, I just wanted to agree with your non dieting tactics. however, going overboard hasn't worked for me for the long haul. yes, it did bring me within 9 lbs of my 135 goal, but I couldn't maintain it. I want to get on the scale everyday and see the same number (now it's 130) without breaking a sweat. Thats not gunna happen. I have to earn it, I guess. And it breaks my heart to admit defeat. Guess I have to "diet" forever.

I've had pancreatitis (in 1995) and it was PAINFUL. Whenever a nurse asks me to rate my pain from 1-10, I never use a 10 cuz that ones saved for pancreatitis! Hang in there. I think I got a popsicle on day 4. I was out and feeling great day 6. Dr gave me 6 weeks off work but was feeling fine and went back after 2 weeks (nurse) Pancreatitis is so rare for non-alcoholics. I'd had a procedure the day before to retrieve stones from my bile duct and the dye irriatated my pancreas causing it. ugh. it's so painful. I remember lying on the gurney in the ER literally hanging out the side of it crying/begging for pain meds. They couldn't give me anything till my labs came back. Ass oon as it was confirmed, you betcha I got some meds in my IV!! Good luck!