ParrotheadCathy

A friend who had a hiatal hernia repaired (but not lap band surgery) said they took a little bit up the very upper part of the stomach and "wrapped" it around the esophagus to get enough "bulk" to stitch the diaphram to so that the gap could be closed. A hiatal hernia is a gap in the space there the esophagus passes through the diagram and because the opening is too big, the stomach can push up through that space. Now, let me add that my friend isn't the best at communicating technical stuff, so that may indeed be Becky's version of what the doctor told her, LOL. But I'm sure it's close.

4 weeks post-op I could eat anything I chose to eat. Please note the word CHOSE. I LOVE Mexican food, love it!!!!! But it is loaded with fat (I mean, those ymmy refried beans may have LARD in them, for pete's sake). My fave Mexican place has yummy fish tacos, grilled fish, and even a "lunch portion" of chicken fajitas. If you don't eat any tortillas, you should be able to eat a small serving of rice (about 1/4 cup is a serving). A taco salad with chicken instead of beef, tell them "no beans", salsa and a little sour cream for the salad dressing is a good option too.

LOTS of us got our first fill as 4 weeks without issue. My first fill was aggressive (4cc on top of the .6 that was left in my band after they tested it before putting it in)....and it was just tooooo tight. They had to remove 1cc. But if you stay at the doc's for a little while after and drink a big glass of Water you will know well before time to go if you are too tight or not:smile:

I took 40 mg. of Prozac for a long time (no longer) and I remember distinctly being told that it MIGHT suppress my appetite some. Not so much, LOL. But I did successfully diet when I was on it once.

Hi, Pjoy! I too was self-pay since my insurance policy has a written exclusion for any weight loss surgery. It's okay though because my monthly payment on the financing is less than my monthly drug copays were costing me and I no longer take any medications at all! Can you tell I'm pleased I went forward with this? Self-pay usually gets into surgery quicker than someone covered by insurance because once you've done the pre-op testing, there is no waiting for the insurance company to approve you. I had my first doctor visit on 1/2 and surgery on 2/10. Not bad! Let me know if I can answer any questions. I'm always glad to try.

Meiko, my prescribed diet is 3 oz of lean Protein and a vegetable (raw or steamed). If I eat that and 15 minutes later, I'm still hungry, I eat a serving of low fat whole grain carb. Most times, I can't eat the carb serving. "Restriction" may not be what you expect it to be. A lot of people seem to expect that they will feel "full" like they are familiar with from before they had surgery. The problem is that most overweight people never really experienced "full" because they ate right past that sensation to "stuffed to the gills". What I've learned by eating the way I was told is that if I walk away from the food I am no longer hungry nor do I feel hunger for 4 hours now that I'm at my sweet spot. That's what restriction means to me. Before I got to my sweet spot, I was told that if I got hungry in less than 4 hours I should eat a small amount of protein like an ounce of low fat cheese or a boiled egg or even some cottage cheese (which is packed with protein).

Parshuter, your port will not even be close to your band ... no chance of puncturing it. The port itself is not soft so they can feel it every clearly (even though you may not be able to). And, the port is self-sealing. They use a special needle, called a Huber needle, that has a bend near the tip. They go into the self-sealing access part of the port at a bit of an angle because of that. I've never read where anybody had a problem with puncturing something by mistake when getting a fill.

I always sleep on my left side (the side my port is on) and I've slept on my left side every night including the day of surgery.

Mom, if you have only 3ccs of fill, you likely are not at your sweet spot and possibly not even close. If you don't have an appointment for another fill, make one. What I was told to do before I reached my sweet spot was to prepare my meal, consisting of 3 oz of lean Protein, raw or steamed veg and a single serving of whole grain carb. If I got hungry again before 4 hours (and you usually will if you aren't to your sweet spot), I was to EAT PROTEIN...a boiled egg, an ounce of low fat cheese, a serving of low fat cottage cheese (which is loaded witih protein). It sounds like you are eating a lot of carbs, which isn't a great thing to do even if you don't have any problem eating them! You should focus on eating a minimum of 60 grams of protein per day.

Miranda, I always tell people to call their insurance company for their own peace of mind. There should be a customer service phone number on your insurance card. Ask if they cover lap band. If yes, ask what their requirements are, including pre-op testing, possible pre-op diet, etc. If they say no, it's not covered, ask if there is an appeals process or if lap band is specifically excluded. Once you have these answers, you will know much better what you are facing! Good luck

Erin, Gas-X will help gas in your GI tract. The gas you are describing is probably from the darbon dioxide they pump into your abdomen to make more room to work. It will go away on its own as it is absorbed into the blood stream and then processed out by your body. To help in the mean time, keep moving. Walk whenever you can, as much as you feel up to .... and move your arms. Someone on another forum I belong to said her doc told her to sit in a rocking chair instead of on the couch and rock. She said it helped in addition to everything else. And that pain does respond to heat....a heating pad, a hot shower, etc. And, yes, it really will go away!

Paige, let me just add that there really, truly is nothing to be ashamed of. You are by far not the only person in your situation. Many here and many, many more outside this little forum. If there is any shame in it, it should fall to those who refuse to acknowledge their situation and the need to take action....and you certainly don't fall in that category. There is a thread on here "so I've got a little work to do". Jason was told he had to lose quite a bit to be a surgery candidate. Rather than fall victim to discouragement, he went to work. And he's made it! And, you know what? You will too!!

Unfortunately, you can't pick where the weight comes off at. My stomach, too, is out of proportion to the rest of me right now. Yes, I've lost plenty in my hips but maybe not the samce percentage as in other areas. I figure it will even out sooner or later. Patience is a tough virtue because you want results your way rather than the random way it happens to work out. You will get there if you just keep working on losing and toning.

The Diva's got it right! I went to Dress Barn ... they have plus sizes and others as well. The clerks are very helpful. I explained to her that I'd lost (at that point) 60 pounds and needed a dressy outfit for my high school reunion as well as some basic things like black slacks and a dress. She looked at me to guess size, went and got a bunch of stuff and put me in a dressing room. Some things fit, some needed to be a size up and some needed to be a size down (gotta love that size down, LOL). I walked out with a really cute top, a pair of black slacks, a killer dress-up outfit for my reunion and a really pretty dress that I probably would never have even tried on if it hadn't been in with all the other stuff. It's an ego boost if what you try on is even one size smaller....and you're probably looking at several sizes down. You don't need to buy a lot because you're still losing but sweetie, you SOOOOOOO deserve something cute and fashionable so you can show off! Good luck... Heck post a picture in a new outfit for us!

Here's how to make your own stock: Put a whole chicken in a large pot and cover with Water. Add a little salt, pepper, garlic powder (if you like garlic), a bay leaf, chunks of carrot and celery and cut an onion into quarters -- you don't even have to peel it. Cook until the chicken is falling off the bones. Strain off all the solids and you have a rich stock. You can do the same thing with a beef roast. IF YOU CAN HAVE pureed STUFF, you can puree a large can of tomatoes and add to the stock for a tomato-rich soup without any solids in it. But don't do this if you haven't been cleared for it by your doc. Either recipe will give you a good sized container of stock to simply reheat in the microwave.

Actually, using a tortilla as a crust for pizza is a really good idea. I use the low fat ones! There used to be a frozen pizza on the market called Blue Moon Pizza and the crust was, in fact, a tortilla! It cooks up crispy so the problem with breads that some people has doesn't apply because it is no longer soft and stretchy with soft gluten!

Babekopp, cut yourself a little slack! You're 12 days post-op. Mushy foods. You're still healing AND you're in bandster hell. Yeah, you're feeling pretty good and better everyday and you have no restriction yet. Start adding some exercise to your days and wait for the fills to make your band the tool you want it to be! Good Luck! It WILL work for you.

I'm not a big beer drinker, but I do love Belikin Beer (national beer of Belize) -- and when I was in Belize just 6 weeks after banding I ordered one.....took about an hour to drink half of it and decided it wasn't worth it. My preference is single barrel rum, which you drink straight like you would a good brandy so I just stick with that.

I would think your pre-op diet will have at least three Protein shakes a day. As for other stuff, IF broth is part of the food list after you check with your doc, don't buy the stuff in boxes or cans. Unless it says "low sodium" it's loaded with sodium and none of it has much taste. Try this instead... Put a whole chicken in a large pot and cover with Water. Add a little sea salt, a little pepper, a little garlic powder, a bay leaf, quarter an onion (don't even bother to peel it), some chunks of carrots and celery. Simmer until the chicken is falling off the bone. If you have other people in your household, that chicken can go in a pot pie, chicken salad, etc. Strain off all the solids and you will have STOCK, which has a lot more flavor than broth. Post-op, when you advance to mushies, you can puree a can of tomatoes and add to that stock. Yummy. You can cook a pot roast the same way..... sugar-free popsicles, sugar-free Jello, juice (for sure, post-op but ask to make sure if it's on your pre-op), Crystal Light, 64 oz. of water a day.

Here's a newsflash, something I wouldn't have believed -- sometimes as little as .2cc can make a BIG difference. So trust in the band and let the doctor take you to your sweet spot. 5cc was a pretty aggressive fill and they certainly didn't want to make you too full (trust me, I've been there and you don't want to experience that). You should be close and if you don't try to push it, you may just find that you are full on less than that cup-plus! Most of us overweight people consider "full" to be that Thanksgiving-dinner-two-plates-full-of-food" stuffed to be what "full" feels like. That is overfull. Full is when you eat about 3/4 of a cup of food (I can eat more if it's a salad with meat on it) and you don't get hungry for 4 hours. That's a new way to define full.

I chose to be completely open, although originally I wasn't sure about that. I work in a law firm and not one person has said anything negative, not one word! I get a lot of praise, "how much have you lost now," "you look so good!" The reality is, if someone gives you grief, of course you're going to wonder why they chose to be negative. And if somebody criticizes your choice, tell them this: I've been overweight and truly miserable for years. I've dieted and then regained everything I lost more than once and always with a few extra pounds for good measure ... and more misery. Why would you criticize me for seeking help to end my misery? Do you think I should just be miserable for the rest of my life?

Lisa, a PB is "productive burp". It's a pretty good description, but some people do think it's vomiting. It's not ... your stomach doesn't empty and there's no stomach acid involved at all. But what happens is, you take a bite that is too big, don't chew well enough (eat too fast) ... and the bite just makes it part way down your esophagus and gets stuck. Very uncomfortable feeling. And it just doesn't seem like it's going to move on. DON'T try to wash it down with liquid because if you do PB, all that liquid will come back up too. Usually accompanied by sliming .... lots of saliva and mucus which is essentially smoothing the way for that bite (or bites) to come back up. And come back up it will. Later, when you have more restriction, some foods may not work well for you. LOTS of people can eat anything (ask Restless Monkey), but for some of us, some things "don't work." For me, it's soft bread. So, I just don't eat it. No great loss. Cut your food into bites about the size of a nickel and chew each bite well and this will greatly reduce the chance of getting stuck.

Okay, Beth.....how is taking low MPG vehicles off the roads in whatever numbers a bad thing? And a stimulus to keep people working in car dealerships (which have been very hard bitten by the economy) isn't terrible either. AND, I didn't see where anybody was told they had to trade in their high MPG cars. They've done other things with stimulas dollars that probably didn't help as many people as this did dollar for dollar, that's for sure. But, oh wait, you didn't complain about that, LOL Just about being told what car to drive......

I went to a seminar at my doctor's office earlier in July. They asked me to come as a patient to answer questions for potential questions. Anyway, I was chatting with the Lap Band Advocate and she said that BCBS of Georgia has done away with the requirement for the supervised diet. Obviously, I'm past any changes since I'm post op BUT I suggest that if you haven't gotten a letter you call your insurance provider (there should be a customer service number on your insurance card) and ask them to detail all changes.

I think a lot of overweight people have used their weight at one time or another to create a sort of "wall" against lots of different things. Certainly some of your experiences individually might have triggered weight loss....rape? loss of a child? Some women who have come out of really bad relationships drown their sorrows in food. The main thing is that here no matter what triggered weight gain and supported keeping the pounds on, we've all come a long way! Congrats to you for stepping beyond your past.