ParrotheadCathy

LOTS of docs do the first fill around 4 weeks post-op. It's a good thing, trust me. Yes, you've lost 14 pounds in the first week post-op but once you make the transition to mushy and then to solid food, that is almost assuredly going to change to a lesser rate. Bandster hell is coming! You don't want to spend weeks and weeks in bandster hell, and by getting started on the fills, you are working toward the end of bandster hell before it can really get started! At 4 weeks post-op, I was HUNGRY. I was losing but only on willpower -- no real help from the band. My first fill was 4 ccs (on top of the .6 that was left in my band when they tested it in the operating room). It was too tight and they took 1 cc out. Let me point out that most docs, from what I've read here, don't start that aggressively so that first fill will be just a stepping stone toward your sweet spot.

Marmar, the truth is that I am really at my sweet spot and have been for a few weeks. And, yes, I can eat more than I need to. Believe me, I've tested it. But, the other side of the coin is that I can eat the prescribed amount of food and do so comfortably AND keep that full feeling for 4 or 5 and sometimes 6 hours. And that is the goal. To eat a meal of about 3 oz of lean protein, a vegetable and a single serving of whole grain carb -- and feel full and keep that full feeling for at least 4 hours. If you're not at your sweet spot, eat the prescribed meal and if you get hungry sooner than 4 hours, eat a small snack of protein -- a boiled egg, an ounce of low fat cheese, a little deli turkey. About 70 calories. Just because you CAN eat more, doesn't mean you SHOULD. After all, eating all you can instead of all you should put you in the surgeon's office in the first place. That goes back to "head hunger" and no weight loss surgery can eliminate that.

I agree with Bama Blondie. Call your insurance company back and ask for a list of bariatric surgeons who do lap band surgery in your area. that way, you're only researach docs who are approved by your insurance. Pick one and make an appointment for a consultation (you've already done a seminar and can probably not have to go to another one). The doc's office will order whatever pre-op testing they require and submit everything to your insurance company for approval.

First make sure you have insurance coverage for the surgery or that your folks are on board for paying the $15,000 or more it could cost out-of-pocket without insurance. Then see your primary care doctor to discuss (and I'm hoping that he/she is well-informed and open to the surgery). Get a referral to a surgeon covered by your insurance (ask the insurance company for names of docs and then ask your primary if he/she is familiar with any of them). Most require you attend their free seminar first, then a consultation. My doc doesn't require the seminar and will do a combined informational visit/initial consultation all at once. From that point, the doc's staff will lead you where you need to go.

I had surgery on Tuesday and went back to work on Friday. I firmly believe that a lot of it is in your head. Regardless of the surgery, I've seen it more than once in friends....they believe it's going to be bad and it is; they treat it like it's nothing more than a speed bump and it usually is just that. Yeah, complications happen here and there but for most, I firmly believe in mindset. How long a process is it? I was self-pay and went from first consultation to surgery in just slightly more than a month. I had to have cardiac stress test, upper GI and chest x-ray, some bloodwork and a sleep study. Because I was self-pay, I didn't have to see the dietician or the psych. But your doctor will be the one to say what pre-op testing is needed. No reason to delay if there is nothing specific holding you back. Breathe in, breathe out .... move on!

That little snack at 5:00 (I get off work at 5:30) makes all the difference in the world. If I don't eat it, I walk in the door feeling like the Cookie Monster .... "FEED ME". With that snack, I'm fine. Who knew about 70 calories could make such a difference?!? Anyway, give it a try and see how it works for you. Let me know how you're doing!

This a true plateau and they happen. If you've fallen into a rut with your food choices, try changing it up. If you consistently eat chicken, try fresh fish or seafood. If you always eat green beans, try different vegetables. Just change stuff around. SOMETIMES (not every time) it can make your body adjust to the changes in what you're eating.

SBerrys, they call it "bandster hell" for a reason .... you've had the surgery, gone through your recovery BUT you're not doing the way you expected you would be. The truth is very simple. You have the band which provides some restriction but not enough to give you that full feeling for 4 hours on a cup or less of food. It sucks. And, on top of that, I'm amazed at how some doctors seem to just cut their patients loose during this period without a whole lot of guidance about what to really expect or how to deal with it. Once you start getting fills and get closer and closer to your sweet spot, it will be different, better, easier. What I was told to do during this period was to eat at least 20 grams of Protein at a meal. Make a meal of 3 oz of lean protein, a vegetable (raw or cooked), and a single serving of a whole grain carb. If I got hungry in less than four hours (which is happening now, right?), I was to eat solid protein only (no Protein shakes...a boiled egg, a little deli turkey, an ounce of low fat cheese. Most of these things are about 70 calories give or take. It worked (and it still works, since I have to go about 7 hours between lunch and dinner so I eat that bit of protein to hold me over so I don't eat the first thing I put my hands on when I walk into my house). Let me know if I can offer any other suggestions!

Kelloggs Special K Multi-Grain Crackers .... 17 have 90 calories, 2 grams of Protein, 16 net grams of carbs (or one carb exchange if you're still operating on a diabetic exchange mindset). Crunchy. When I want a carb, I can have my whole grain carb, my crunch, and they taste really good. There is another flavor with tomato and basil -- same stats, but I don't like them as much. These are fairly new on the market.

Any of y'all have kids? Did they ever choke? And did you pull their arms over their head and pat their back firmly? Yeppers! Same principle for us. When you stand up, or put your arms over your head, you tend to stand much straighter which can take a little pressure off just at the bottom of your ribcage, expand your ribcage....and help that bite go down easier.

I think most seriously overweight people suffer depression...even those who don't recognize it for depression or won't admit it to themselves. Losing all that unwanted weight will help with self-esteem and that will get people out of their homes and doing more social things and that can and will improve or even eliminate depression. There's no way anybody here and predict the impact on any given individual but I think it's safe to say that help with those problems is an indirect result of weight loss. For me, losing weight and not falling off the wagon and already regaining has been the biggest boost of all!

The very idea that there is something we can do to stop the yo-yo cycle is pretty overwhelming! I think any emotional response is completely normal. Did I cry? No. But I did leave the first visit with the doctor's office with this feeling of OMG...this is what I've prayed for. Nerves right before surgery? Heck, we ALL had that. Lots of people start second-guessing themselves, too. Just take a deep breath! Read some success stories and realize that their beginnings are very similar to your own now!

Probably. And start having a cup of hot tea in the morning before you eat. You'll probably find that makes breakfast go down easier.

Dr. Chris Hart (Atlanta office of True Results) is $15,000 and that includes fills for first year.

Some of that 4 pounds is likely water retention ..... somebody else preparing your food, salt added where you might add none, or less than they did. Drink plenty of water and don't weigh for 3 or 4 days.....

I've flown several times, at different levels of fill, and never had any problem at all.

There is one variety of Crystal Light that actually has some caffeine in it! Focus Natural Citrus Splash. Not sure how much compared to a soda but after I gave up soda cold turkey, I started having one packet of this Crystal Light in the mornings as my substitute.

Probably not a good idea for someone to persuade you BUT I had high blood pressure, Type 2 Diabetes (oral meds but not insulin) and high cholesterol. Now? No meds at all. Even if you are on insulin, you will likely discover that you need less and less -- and if you aren't actually Type 1, you may be able to get off insulin completely. I can tell you that I would have fallen off the wagon months ago and regained every pound I've lost. That's just the way it always worked. But here I am ... down so much and while I haven't been losing fast lately, losing a pound a week is 100 times better than gaining a pound a week!

You may be looking for a sensation that doesn't exist. "Restriction" isn't something you feel. Restriction is supposed to provide satiety sooner than you would experience it if you weren't banded. Satiety is when you feel full. If you can go 4 hours without feeling hunger pangs, then you are probably very close to your sweet spot. It was explained to me that once I had enough fill in my band that I didn't get hungry before 4 hours after a meal, then I was "there" or very close. And sure enough, when I found I could go 4 hours (or even more) between meals, I also realized by eating the prescribed meal quantity that I was indeed full on a relatively small amount of food. Yes, I could eat more, but that didn't mean I should. So, now, if I eat 3 oz of lean Protein, steamed or raw vegetable and a single serving of whole grain carbs, I am full, don't get hungry for at least 4 hours...and if I eat more, it stalls my weight loss.

They can control your blood pressure in the operating room and I believe they take your anxiety into consideration as well when they take your blood pressure. I took my blood pressure medications as always the day before surgery but nothing the day of surgery...and my PCP took me off ALL my medications as of that day and I've never taken another pill of any kind since then. The numbers just get better as the pounds continue to come off. Just take a deep breath. It will be okay.

I had an upper respiratory infection that just wouldn't completely go away. Long after the infection was gone, I still had sinus drainage that dumped a ton of mucus. I feel your frustration! Hot tea with lemon was my salvation. I drank a cup of tea as hot as I could swallow before every meal and that broke up the mucus and made it possible for me to eat. I don't like to take decongestants because they invariably make me too dry but that might be an option for you.

Pre-surgery jitters are completely normal. Here's something to think about...This forum has thousands of subscribers. A few do have problems and many of those who have problems look for something like this forum to find out if they are unique or not. Once here, they will tell you their problems and their solution. But problems are somewhat rare. There are thousands of success stories who never look for anything like this forum because they are happily losing weight and living their lives as they had hoped they would. So take a deep breath. You'll be fine.

Ditto on the eggs! I either poach them or fry them and leave the yolk runny. Soft bread sticks 95% of the time so I just don't eat it. Pasta is okay IF I CHEW IT TO DEATH. Shredded lettuce works great but leafy stuff is risky. That's it. Everything else goes down fine. I do occasionally eat a hot dog but I buy skinless franks anyway so no problem there.

In this case, I think I agree with We3601! Why tell them at all? If anybody asks about weight loss, tell them you started eating healthier and then exercising and that should be enough!