ParrotheadCathy

I really don't know. The best person to talk to is the doctor. I've read where people have "kinda-sorta" followed the supervised diet, lost a very few pounds (but nowhere near what they could have lost) and went on to be approved. I know that's not much help. I was self-pay, so I didn't have to jump through any hoops (just have pre-op tests done), so I'm no authority. Let us know how it goes. Someone else will want to know, I promise!

Pain comes in different forms post-op. 1. Gas pain....you can have gas in your stomach/intestines. Gas-X strips will take care of that. 2. Gas pain from the gas the doc pumped into your abdomen to give him room to work in....move around as much as you feel able. When you sit, sit in a rocking chair and rock, even. If it hurts in your left shoulder. put a heating pad on it. 3. Pain where your port is (that's where the largest incision is) ....that's what your pain meds are for. They anchor the port to muscle and that has to heal.

Please remember that while you are feeling better you are still REALLY healing! LOTS of people don't lose a darned thing right after surgery. I didn't and I was soooo disappointed. But it started coming off and will happen for you too SOON

I would fly because it would mean I'd be home and in my own bed a whole lot faster.

I'm a little tight in the morning and have to be careful what I eat if I don't drink a protein shake for breakfast. But many have said a cup of hot coffee or hot tea helps loosen them up in the mornings.

I knew I had a doctor's appointment coming up (as a Type 2 diabetic, you need quarterly blood tests) and I felt I'd completed my research. Add to that, I knew that my doctor would ALWAYS say something like "if you'd lose some weight, your health problems would probably go away"... So, when he'd finished up the stuff I came for, I said "I want to talk to you about something". He sat down and gave me his full attention. So I told him, I'd done my research and felt that lap band might be the thing I needed to pursue. He told me everything he knew about it (which was considerable) and gave me the names of a couple of bariatric surgeons. He pointed out that my insurance might not cover it and that if it didn't and I needed pre-op testing, to call him and he would make all the referrals so that my insurance would at least cover all that expense. Another doctor in the military system has already mentioned it to you, and it may be noted in your file. Just go to your appointment and at the end, say that Dr. So-and-So had discussed lap band with you at your last doctor visit and that you've done a lot of research and you believe that this is something you want/need to pursue and ask for the necessary referral. Good Luck!

I have re-lost the couple of pounds I gained snacking! Now I'm back to 76 lost...and looking for that to go down now. It's just really hard to walk away from all the holiday snack stuff that shows up in the kitchen at work, LOL. Yesterday, I realized I was just standing there, contemplating it. Just short of shook it off and walked away. I'll be glad when it's January and EVERYBODY has New Year's resolutions to lose a few pound (or more) .... then that stuff won't be staring me in the face. In reality, I'm quite happy to have lost what I've lost and not gained it back. That's a HUGE success...and one we should all be proud of.

A lot of people experience feelins like this, but not all for the same reason. Yeah, it could be weight loss related but it could be something totally different. You say you can't afford a counselor. Are you active in your church? Would you feel comfortable discussing this with your pastor? They are trained in counseling in seminary. If not, why don't you really have a soul search? Write down what good things there are about him.... like, is he emotionally supportive? is he considerate of the feelings of others (not just you)? is he reliable? is he TOO predictable? Are you suffering from stress related to finances? A lot of us are these days and that can take the shine off pretty darned quick! In short, examine the good and the bad. Niobody's gonna see your list but you so be brutally honest. And try to examine the negatives and see if you see them in yourself too. Marriage is a constant job. It never does really run on auto pilot. So maybe now is just a rough spot.

Could be your doctor's preference....lots of us were never told not to consume caffeine. I don't drink a ton of it, but I do drink tea (heck, I'm a Southerner...of course I drink iced tea but I sweeten it with splenda nowadays). I don't think soda is a no-no for caffeine. It's the carbonation that can give you a very uncomfortable bloated feeling from the carbonation!

Have you been to your doc's lately? I've been told that once you reach the "green zone"/"Sweet spot" you should see the doctor at least every six months and occasionally, you may need a very small fill. And, I know how easy it is to let extra calories creep into your diet without realizing it. Like, I was eating a can of Soup for lunch every day (about 225 calories). I got bored with it, so I was making my own at home .... and without knowing for sure the exact calorie count of my homemade soup, I'm betting it's over that 225 range. And probably contributing to my being stuck. Slack up on exercise? Yeah, everybody does that. But if you're eating some extra calories and not exercising as much, you can (and most likely will) gain a bit. Going to the doctor will be a moment of accountability. A chance to talk to someone about what you're doing (or not doing). Start journaling every bite you eat. You may realize that you are nibbling your way along to a few more calories, too. Sometimes, just being honest with yourself and writing it down will make you put that nibble down instead of into your mouth! Good luck!

I had surgery on 2/10/09. I've been at my sweet spot for a few weeks (5.8ccs). Don't try to compare your fill level to mine or anyone else's because we're all different. But you could consider it a sort of reference point. I have days where I feel like the Cookie Monster....my stomach is screaming "feed me, feed me"! And other days, it just doesn't really matter what I eat (or don't eat). The biggest lesson you can learn is to not eat when you're not hungry. We were raised to clean our plates, eat at a set time, eat what our parents put on our plates when we were children.....tons of bad eating habits. If it's 7:00 PM and you're just not hungry, eat a little Protein and leave it at that. You don't have to eat a whole meal. "Nobody's the boss of me, LOL" I've been going through a snacking thing on the weekends and I have to get that back under control. Not gaining but not losing at the moment. I think I'm sort of plateaued and snacking as a result of some sort of head thing. Head hunger is your worst enemy, don't you agree??

Fresh tomato....my recommendation is get rid of the skin. The easiest and most efficient way is to stick it with a fork and submerge it in boiling Water and then the skin just peels right off. Skin on anything (casings on hotdogs or sausages, apples, pears, grapes....) can be a problem because it's hard to really chew it. I'm at my sweet spot and most days I can eat anything. The thing I sometimes have problems with is soft fresh bread. Other than that, SLOW DOWN. Eating fast is a huge issue and it's the hardest adjustment I've had to make. Don't drink during meals? No problem. Eat slow? Dang, but that's a challenge. You THINK you're eating slow and then suddenly realize uh, no, not so much, LOL. People say they have problems with steak....and I did until I started eating is medium rare or closer to rare. chicken dries out easily, especially if you are using boneless, skinless chicken breasts. Try a whole chicken breast with bones and skin. Take the skin off when it's done. It holds the moisture in. Eat dark meat because it's more moist. And if you are wedded to that styrofoam, er, boneless skinless chicken breast, put it on a square of foil; top with a few slices of potato, carrots, a little onion, seasoning, some frozen broccoli and a couple of tablespoons of chicken broth and the wrap it all up in the foil. Put it on a cookie sheet and bake at 375 for about 25 minutes. You have your meat and veggies and you get to throw away the mess!

ANd now you are REALLY on your way!!

It takes different amounts of fill for different people but what you are aiming for (the docs call it the "Green Zone"), is basically that you can go 4 hours or more between meals before you get hungry, you are satisfied with 1 cup or less of food and you are losing weight consistently around 1-2 pounds per week.

Most of us had post-op diets that included 3-4 Protein shakes per day. Look for 20 grams of protein per shake minimum Clear Liquids sugar free Jello sugar free popsicles broth juice (look for ones with no sugar or lite) at least 64 oz. of Water a day -- dehydration is your enemy, post-op or otherwise! I was on liquids for 10 days. Then on mushy food for 7 days. Then started adding solid food a bit each day based on my comfort level. Some docs have longer post-op diets but I think you would be fine with the 10 days of liquids and then mushy foods. If you want to feel like you're getting food, try this. take a whole chicken and put in a large pot and cover with water. Quarter an onion (don't even bother to peel it), chunks of carrots and celery. 1-2 bay leaves, salt and pepper. Cook until the chicken is fallinlg off the bones. Strain all the solids out and drink the broth. This will have a rich taste that you simply won't find in the canned stuff! Try French Onion soup mix. You can take a roast and do the same thing as the chicken and get lovely beef stock, too. When you are on mushy foods, you can puree a large can of tomatoes and add to the beef stock for a different taste. Let us know if we can help with other suggestions!

The goal really SHOULDN'WT be to not be able to eat things like bread, rice and pasta. REALLY. Try this. Make sure you get 20 grams of protein in a meal at the minimum. Have 3 oz of lean protein (about the size of a deck of cards), a vegetable and a serving of whole grain carb. Look at the clock when you start feeling hungry. How long from your meal to the time you felt hunger? If it was less than 4 hours, eat a small protein snack (a boiled egg, an once of low fat cheese, or some deli turkey -- about 70 calories) and that should hold you for a while. Really, you don't "feel" restriction -- you "feel" satiety. And satiety is being able to go at least 4 hours without feeling hunger. Just because you can eat a mountain of mashed potatoes or a quarter pounder doesn't mean you should. Just like, just because you can swallow 10 alcoholic beverages doesn't mean you should.

Yeah, they're expensive but insurance should cover it. You might take the precaution of making absolutely sure that whatever doctor makes the referral is covered by your insurance! My lap band surgery wasn't covered by insurance but my PCP made all the referrals for my pre-op testing and everything was covered except for a couple of co-pays. I didn't pay ANYTHING for the sleep study.

LOTS of us have had unfills. I've had two. You know your body better than anybody and since you'd experience similar sensations before and knew the cause, you were probably right on the money to decline an unfill. But remember that it may come up again in the future and it may be the right thing! My first unfill was a whole cc because I couldn't swallow anything, not even my own spit, immediately after a very aggressive fill of 4cc. 1 cc gone and I was FINE. The second time, I struggled for weeks, getting stuck at least once every meal, PBing at least once every meal and was resulting to "slider" food and really not losing any weight. Just .2cc out and all the problems went away and I got back on track. Bottom line is, I'm glad you could solve your own problem...and just be aware that an unfill isn't necessarily a bad thing.

Barb, glad to hear you're doing well! You may experience some pain around the port because they attach the port to muscle. As for the gas, move around as much as you feel like you can. Take short walks, wave your arms over your hear sometimes. If the gas pain seems to settle in your shoulder, a heating pad on your shoulder can work wonders too!

I'm with RCruz....rapid weight loss can trigger gallbladder problems. For me, it was a burning pain that went up through my chest and I thought I was gonna die. So ASK the general doc if he thinks this is gallbladder and ask to be screened for gallstones.

No matter WHEN you go for that next fill, emphasize that you get hungy much quicker than in four hours, that you can eat quite a bit more than you were led to believe would be a satisfying meal and point out that your weight loss is pretty much stalled ... and tell them you NEED more than a 1cc fill to move you forward. Lots of docs don't want to do more than a 1cc fill, so you may be up against that mindset but push. Ask for AT LEAST 2 MORE CCS which would take you to 4. Probably not your sweet spot but I'm thinking if you get 2 ccs that's probably going to be a big concession on your doc's part. My first fill was 4 ccs on top of .6cc that was left in my band when they tested it in the operating room. That was too tight at the time and they removed 1cc. Then, a month later, took me right past that 3.6cc with no problem. At 5.8ccs and I've been at that point for a few weeks, I am at my sweet spot. For others it takes more than that. Our physical details are not all exactly the same, so what is enough for one, isn't enough for another and can be too much for a third person. So just work with it. When you get this next fill, make an appointment for as soon as they will let you have another fill. Better to have it on the books!

First thing I"d do is go back to the doc's office. I was told that after you reached your "sweet spot", you should be seen every six months and that they would check the amount of Fluid in my band and "top off" if necessary because a small amount of fluid can (for lack of a better word choice) evaporate. Now, I've had a couple of unfills over the time since I've been banded and I know how much difference just .2cc made so that's a big possibility. Second, go back to the basics. It's way too easy to over time, add a little more food to what you're eating and up your calories without thinking about it. 3 oz. of lean Protein, a vegetable and a serving of whole grain carb. If you're truly hungry in less than 4 hours, you definitely need a fill. If you have to snack, make the snack protein, around 70 calories. A boiled egg, an ounce of low fat cheese. Third, JOURNAL. Write down every bite you're putting in your mouth. You may see exactly where your problem is. Good luck!

Antetz, go to www.tickerfactory.com You willl be asked to choose a PIN number ... pick something you can remember because you will need it each time you update your ticker. Pick the "ribbon" and "marker" that you like, enter your stats that you want to track and when it offers you the URL, copy and past that into your signature on LBT where you created your automatic signature. Then, when you want to update, which I'm bad about not doing, you just double click on your ticker in any post in which it appears, enter your PIN and follow instructions! Save. Then it updates your ticker in every post you've made and all future posts.

Luvmykidz ... you do not mention what size band you have but I'm entertaining the suspicion that it's the 14cc version. If so, 8cc in a 14 cc band is somewhat equal to just over 5cc in a 10cc band (which is what I have). And, we're all different. for me, at 6cc, I got stuck at least once and usually more at every meal. EVERY MEAL. I hung with it for a while but asked for a bit of an unfill, and just .2cc (down to 5.8) fixed it. But ask your doc what size band you have if you don't know .... it's really like comparing apples and oranges when you look at two different size bands. Then remember that Realize bands are 9cc, and there is the older version of the Lap Band that is 4cc. Don't panic over 8cc!

Kiz is so right! My doc gave me 4 ccs on the first fill. LOTS of docs give only .5 or 1 cc. That's a wide spread. 4ccs on top of the .6 that was remaining in my band after they tested it in the operating room was too much at the time and they actually had to remove 1 cc. My next fill was .5, and my third fill was 1.0. EVentually got to 6.1 and had .3 removed and I am at my sweet spot. Any fill is a step in the right direction but I would hazard the guess that nobody hit their sweet spot on the first fill either.