ParrotheadCathy

I do a heaping tablespoon of Benefiber everymorning... I make my "cocktail" of my vitamin which is a tablet that is supposed to be dissolved in water, the Benefiber and a packet of Crystal Light. No problems here!

I was banded 2/10/09 and I didn't have a stuck episode for many months .... until July 2009. But then I got a fill to 6.0 and every meal meant getting stuck at least once. After 3 months of it, I got .2 taken out and the problem stopped. I recently got filled back to 6.0 and I do get stuck every now and then but not like before.

Well, a lot of people who get a lap band discover in pre-op testing that they have a hiatal hernia. You could claim that...and that would explain the post-op liquid diet comfortably -- you're healing from stomach surgery. And when they notice the weight loss, you can always say that it somehow seems easier to cut back on what you eat when getting the hernia repaired stopped the nighttime heartburn, etc. And the suggestion of "female" stuff usually makes people run in the other direction since they really don't want to know your "plumbing problems" lol.

And, there's something else. It is not so uncommon to love someone and discover that you don't like them very much. The two things are not mutually inclusive. Take a breather. Re-evaluate where you are and what she's done. Make a pros and cons list; sometimes that helps. You may discover that in spite of the love you feel, the like isn't there; that the cons have come to outweight the pros. It is never easy to come to the discovery that you have grown, matured, evolved spiritually or emotionally in a way that veers strongly away from the person you love (loved). But take heart in the good things in life, the positive ones. And, hopefully, the pros will outweigh the cons. Perhaps, couples counseling would help. We are not one of us perfect and many people can and do benefit from counseling.' Good luck and take heart.

LIftingchic is right .... at my sleep study, they told me if I wasn't asleep by a certain time, they would give me a sleeping pill because they really needed me to sleep for a certain amount of time in order to have solid test results. So of course, I didn't fall right asleep as I normally do, and they gave me a sleeping pill. Out light a light.

Thanks for the congrats! But something I'm actually MORE proud of is this...I made it through the holidays, all the parties, big meals and food in the kitchen at work all the time without gaining. Mind you, on January 1 I hadn't lost an ounce since mid-November BUT I DIDN'T GAIN. And I'm as happy with not gaining during the most difficult time of year as I am about losing. Now, I'm back to a regular eating program, drinking all my water and weight is starting to drop again....a pound so far this month. Yeah, I wish it was more, but I'll take that!

Almost everybody who has sleep apnea snores like crazy. I'd get that test out of the way and then spend the money for the pre-op program. Just to be safe on the money. I've never wished anybody to have a medical problem, but I guess here's hoping your sleep study comes back positive.

OnNe thing I've noticed: I'm a texture person and something with the right texture (smooth/creamy) could sucker me into eating way too much pre-band. But now, creamy doesn't ring my chimes??? But when I eat my whole grain carbs, they have to be crunchy... Kelloggs Special K Crackers are my fave at the moment. I religiously count out 17 crackers (equals 90 calories and 1 serving of whole grain carb). For a while, it was a cracker called Crunch Masters, which has a lot of seeds in them but I got over those when I opened the second bag and I got a strong whiff and realized they smelled like the bird seed I feed my parakeets, LOL.

Are you absolutely sure you don't have another comorbity? Obviously, your PCP has done some bloodwork since you know you have elevated cholesterol so not likely that you have Type 2 Diabetes. What I would do before I spent $415 is make an appointment with my PCP. Ask him to do the hBA1c blood test which is an average blood glucose level for approximately 90 days...and if it's elevated you are either "pre-diabetic" or Type 2. Also many overweight people suffer from sleep apnea which is considered a comorbidity. If you PCP refers you for a sleep study and it comes back positive, then you have your second co-morbidity AND you've done the sleep study which is almost 100% going to be a pre-op test you'd need anyway.

I find that if I eat a small snack of Protein (about 70 calories) around 4:30 - 5:00 pm (a boiled egg, an ounce of low fat cheese or a little deli sliced turkey) I am fine until 8:00 om. That gives me time to get home at 7:00 pm, cook dinner for my family and then eat my dinner. At that point, I'm full, no desire to eat as a result of hunger. Head hunger is another thing entirely. Sitting and watching TV is a real problem for a lot of people...that was their time to snack pre-banding and they subconsciously want to continue that habit. Not sure how to tell you to deal with that issue because what works for me may not work for anybody else. I drink some iced tea with Splenda and lime and that fills my tummy back up for a little bit and it tastes good.

2 whey Protein shakes per day (I had one for Breakfast and one late in the afternoon) and two meals consisting of 3 oz of lean protein, vegetable and one serving per day of whole grain carbs. I ate a "real" lunch and then my other "real" meal around 7:30. Frankly, I wasn't really hungry. If it had been all liquid, who knows? Every doctor has his own pre-op requiements (including some who don't require anything). I remained on all my meds until the day of surgery, at which point my internist took me off all my medication. Checked everything 60 days post-op and decided not to put me back on any meds. Now, 11 months later and 80 pounds lost, it has been okay.

THe good news is that this is a process...you won't be at goal weight in a month. The changes will come along and he'll see that you are healthier and happier and that will mean a great deal to him. Couple that with he sees that you still love him as much as ever -- or maybe even more -- will help him too.

I have another suggestion....GO BACK TO YOUR DOCTOR! I was told by my surgeon that once you reach goal you should see your doctor at least twice a year to make sure your fill level is remaining steady and for some accountability. You're not a failure if you are ready to step up to the plate and start taking a little time for yourself and finding out what will help you get back on track. And short term "failures" happen. I hadn't lost anything since 11/17. I was up and down over the holidays. I got on the scale this morning and I am exactly where I was on 11/17. That doesn't make me a failure...but it also means that if I don't start making the effort then I could be gaining some of my weight back instead of losing. The weather has been crappy (I mean, it was 35 in Key West last week...KEY WEST?!?!?) but it's going to start easing up. Take a walk as many days in the week as you can. Build up your distance and speed. Celebrate every positive thing you do and be proud that you didn't just sit down on the couch and give up!!

I don't know a whole lot about it, but I've read posts from people who had problems that necessitated removing their bands who were revised to a vertical sleeve gastrectory. There are threads here about it. As best I understand it, it is a surgical reduction of your stomach but no bypass, which is the second part of a gastric bypass procedure. Why don't you talk to your doctor about possible revision options?

A few things I've learned include you really aren't at your sweet spot unless you can go at least 4 hours without being hungry. If I have to go more than 5 hours, I need a small snack of Protein, something like a boiled egg, an ounce of low fat cheese or a little deli sliced turkey, about 70 calories. This keeps me from eating really fast and not being picky about what I eat ... and end up eating too much and the wrong stuff. The other thing is to have the ability to prepare a meal for yourself that is quick and meets your dietary requirements. If you have a family, it's really nice if you can all eat the same thing. There is a french technique called "en papillote". Sounds really complicated, right? Well, it means the food in cooked in parchment paper. I can do that, crimping the paper and such but I figured out I could do it in foil! Take a piece of fish, put in the middle of a square of foil, add a little lemon, some butter buds, seasoning of your choide (and you can avoid salt if you pick your seasonings well), a tablespoon or two of white wine, seal up the package, put it on a cookie sheet and bake at 350 for about 15 minutes or so depending on how thick the piece of fish is, and you have your entree. Step it up a little. Take the sheet of foil and put a lean ground beef patty, like a Bubba Burger light, in the middle. put a little worscestershire sauce (which has soy sauce as one of its ingredients and is, therefore a little bit salty), put a few slices of potato, some carrots and broccoli, a tablespoon of Water season the vegetables a little, seal it up and bake at 350 for abouto 25 minutes. Do this with a piece of chicken. This only takes about 5 minutes from start to in the oven. Then go change your clothes, short walk with the dog, visit with your spouse and/or kids....and dinner is ready. And the best part about this method is that youo take the food out, put it on your plate and THROW AWAY THE MESS. The other thing I find important is to JOURNAL what you eat and what time of day you ate whatever it was. Even if you were "bad". After about a week, you may see a pattern to when you run off track. It could be because you wait too long to eat (see above, about the snack) or you hit a quiet time in the evening when you are bored. Once you know when the problem it, you're halfway to fixing it.

Bean, sorry to tell you that it's NOT the insurance company that decides whether lap band surgery is covered or not. It is entirely up to the employer when they put together the insurance package they will offer their employees. For example, I have BCBS of GA and I was not covered but my best friend (who works for a different employer) also had BDBS of GA and her surgery was covered. It comes down to what your employer is willing to pay for. If you have a private policy, same thing. By specifically excluding weight loss surgery, my employer saved money on the group premiums. It's a small law firm that split from a bigger firm and starting out new, trying to control overhead, etc., it was entirely a business decision.

Oh, definitely! And it seems a whole lot easier to go to your "regular doc" and discuss depression than it seems to hunt down a shrink, get an appointment, pay for the visit -- and get an antidepressant. There are many good ones on the market, all covered by insurance; some are generic now and can be bought at WalMart at 3 months for $10. There are assistance offers from the drug manufacturers for some drugs (Togetherx is a good one, free, apply on line). Get him this basic and necessary help and when he starts to see things improving somewhat, who knows? Antidepressants take 2-4 weeks to build the appropriate level in your bloodstream, so don't expect him to take 1 pill and start to feel better. But take the pills and things do get better.

He's probably "taking his time" because he's not so sure it will change what the problem is. He's probably at least somewhat aware that he is suffering from depression. I give him credit for not jumping ship for no truly good reason! I think there needs to be some serious communication between you about his problems, a visit to a doctor (doesn't need to be a shrink, any primary care doc will prescribe for depression) for some help -- and tell him you'll go with him because you know it's got to be difficult for him. It's one step at a time...very small steps. Keep up posted

Personally, I think the person doing the fill would have to be somewhat incompetent to completely miss your port. i've NEVER had fluroscopy and I've never had a problem of any sort related to my fills. Hope that's some consolation.

Heck, I went on 16 drop zip line in the middle of the jungle in Roatan just about 6 weeks after my surgery and no problems. I think it was probably just a coincidence.

Something that plays into that Last Supper Syndrome is this: subconsciously, your brain has decided that once you're banded you won't be able to eat anything that's yummy, etc. Please be assured that once you are past the post-op liquids (and let me tell you that instant mashed potatoes will NEVER taste as good as they do when you get to mushy foods), you will be eating NORMAL FOODS, things you like or even love. But the band will help you do something you've not been able to do on your own -- control your portions. I eat a small slice of birthday cake at the office birthday party every month. I have a drink or two occasionally, I nibble 4 or 5 frnech fries when I really crave them and that satisfies the craving ... and you get the picture. You won't be able to go face down in a cherry pie or a carton of ice cream but you will be able to enjoy foods still, and even in a way you didn't before because you will HAVE to eat slowly which will allow to savor the tastes and textures.

Relax and enjoy your occasional glass of wine! The only problem with alcohol is it can represent a lot of empty calories. But a glass here and there isn't a problem. I think, perhaps, they ask if we're drinkers beforehand is that heavy drinkers can actually have erosion of the esophagus (that's what killed my ex) and also addiction (be it drugs, alcohol, food) can swap to another thing to be addicted to. They are trying to screen carefully is all, I THINK.

But a professional counselor deals with that all the time. They will ask probing questions, they will press a little for answers if he doesn't respond. They may want to see each of you alone at least once. If he said he'd go, MAKE THE APPOINTMENT. It's a start of some small amount. My personal take, based on what little you've said is that he may be fighting depression.....

You should see your surgeon at least once every 6 months after you reach goal. You may, indeed, need a small fill. Journal every bite you put in your mouth. Nobody's going to read it, so you're only cheating yourself if you can't even admit what you're eating. I recommend writing down the time of day as well. Give it a week. Then really closely review. You may see a pattern for a time of day when you are at your weakest and giving in to eating improperly. Figure out the reason....are you having to go too long between meals, only to eat anything you can lay your hands on once you are around food? Do you snack after dinner because you're sitting on the couch, watching TV? You get the idea. Then address the situations one at a time. Maybe you need a small Protein snack in that long gap between meals or maybe you need something else besides television to truly keep your mind off the junk in the kitchen.