paracelsus51

I seem to lose in spurts. On average, I'm at 1.4 lbs per week. I have no fill at all. The stomach didn't tolerate it. It's slow and steady. I sometimes wish I could just sluff the rest off and be done. Be patient. That is the hardest part.

I had surgery last Friday to remove an ovarian cyst. I don't think I've ever had a rougher anesthesiologist. I had a fat lip and lost my voice. Looked like someone had hit me. Just over a week later and my throat is still sore, but the fat lip is almost back to normal. My neck doesn't really hurt, but you should contact your doctor to make sure. They do hyperextend your neck a bit when they intubate and it can be in a weird position for the entire surgery. Ibuprofen is a wonderful thing.

I just watched an episode of The Doctors and a lady called in about choosing between the band and bypass. He gave her this flippant answer about choosing bypass over the band as it's safer and better. I really wanted to just rant at him. Her response was, yea, ok. Really the message people should be getting? Shallow one size fits all quips. One the other note, don't be scared. Surgery is not fun, but this one was not that bad. I am very glad I made this choice and found the right place to manage my health. I am healthier and my doctor is much happier too. I was also off an expensive drug in less than four months. Just make sure you follow the plan. And keep asking questions, even repeat questions to make sure you understand.

There's this thing called the swelly belly band too. It's supposed to be used after a hysterectomy, but it may help.

One possibility is that because fat stores hormones and when you put on weight it affects how your body processes hormones. When you lose fat your body has to metabolize whatever is in it, including hormones. That can cause your cycle to be messed up.

Ah, that's different! I bought the individual blender, kind of like the Bullet, and never used it. I'll probably sell it in the garage sale in the spring. I got some of those blender bottles, the kind with the stainless steel ball inside to mix up the powder and I use them every day. Corelle makes these small divided luncheon plates and I got some of those and haven't used my regular plates since, except to hold bowls. I think they are 8.5 inches. Some people go with the salad plates, but I like the divided sections. My eyes are still bigger than my stomach, so that helps keep the portion size down. I find that I can eat a lot of some stuff, but be full with other foods much more quickly. I also don't get a full signal until well after I am done eating. I have a mini notepad and use a page a day to list everything I eat. That is really helpful. After a while, you can just look at your food and know how many calories. That was a great idea. Find a Protein bar you like and keep one with you at all times. I get places and get off schedule and I have that bar handy to eat. I can't eat extra to make up that protein, so I have to eat when I am supposed to. I still have my Water bottle from the hospital. It's great. I also buy bottled water, as it's really cheap here. I have some everywhere. Getting enough water in a day is a challenge for me.

You need to speak with your doctor's office. Usually each doctor has their own set diet. I didn't have a liquid pre-op. I just had to cut out the carbs. The liquid part afterwords only lasted a couple days, but your's may be different. I suggest you get some Instant Breakfast. That stuff saved me. I still drink this pretty much everyday. It tastes good and is cheaper than Slimfast, which I cannot even cack down by force. The nutrition is pretty much the same too. I haven't found a Protein shake or powder that I can stand either. I still have some in the fridge that I can't take back. I am sure others will have much better ideas that way. I also used my food processor to puree meat and veggies to the desired level. Baby food is another option, but I don't really care for it, except the peaches.

Yep, I have a lovely fat lip. Didn't have that last time. I am feeling pretty good right now. I am tired and a bit dizzy, but I don't really even need pain meds. I have to go out today for the first time. It will be a good test. I plan to go back to work tomorrow. I just sit mostly at my job, so I hope it won't be too bad. Otherwise I will just go home. I am trying to drink a lot. I am bad at that. I have no fill at all in my band, but I am a bit tight. I am eating a lot of oatmeal and find I just can't eat that much. I have been using the protein and granola bars to make up some. I am having some reflux, but that should calm down soon. I am sorry to hear about your parents. That is a tough time. It is also very stressful. As hard as it is don't overdo it and take care of yourself.

I weigh myself several times a day. My day is not ruined by going up a pound. During the day I can gain and lose three or four pounds. It helps me keep in check. If I stay too long at one level, I know I need to work on it. I have found sometimes that I will lose weight when I eat more and gain when I am eating less, which makes no sense. I am not the best at getting enough to drink. That does make a difference.

I contacted the Dr.'s office in March and got a June date. That was more because of my scheduling. I think two weeks was the minimum. I had to have a phone consult and a nutrition appointment. I was going out of state, so both were by phone. The psych consult was not required. My insurance would not have covered that anyway. Everything was included in one price. I will not be buying anything, except new pants for the next few years to pay for this, but it is worth it. Once I get my meds down, I won't be really paying much more per month. The downside is that if there are problems, my insurance won't cover it, but I can't be refused medical treatment based upon my ability to pay. I am hoping that if something goes awry (actually, I am hoping nothing goes awry), it's either minor, or I can qualify for the income adjustment.

I don't PB I just burp. A lot, like a guy. For such a small pouch, there's a lot of air in it. I had my ovarian cyst surgery this morning. It was a much different experience than my band surgery. With the band, surgery was at 3pm and I was in the car by 6:30pm. My stomach hurt, but I didn't feel bad at all. Surgery today at 7am and not out until 1pm. I also felt a lot worse. They didn't quite get all the gas out, so my ribs hurt. I also have stitches in my three new holes, which I think is odd. The anesthesiologist crushed my lip, so it's swollen on one side. I can recommend Dr. K even more now.

I have no fill at all right now and am still losing weight. Slow and steady. You should be able to maintain. That is interesting about the port. I had my band put in in June of this year and haven't had any problems, so I hope I got a good one. I am wondering if perhaps it's something to do with how it was put in. I doubt you'd ever get the doctor to admit anything.

I am self pay too. My insurance paid for all the pre-tests. I went to Denver and it cost $9800. The hotel, airfare and car were another $300. I have GERD, which is the main reason I got the band. I couldn't have the only surgery my insurance would pay for, so I went this way. I am overwhelmed with payments and dealing with student loans too. Gads, it's st upid this isn't covered. I worry too that something could go wrong and it could be expensive. I am not sure exactly what my insurance would cover. They will not say until they receive a claim. I am feeling a lot better and am all ready off my cholesterol meds. I have no regrets. I have to say I am glad I shopped around. Locally it was nearly $15,000 for the surgery. That was the price with the 30 day BLISS insurance. I even considered Mexico, but my family was not comfortable with that at all. I know many people are fine going down there, but with the flu and the violence at the time, I decided to not chance it.

Amino acids are what proteins are made of, so I can't see a problem with the band. The pills can't be that huge and this therapy is used by various folks for bariatric patients. I ate a large portion of ice cream tonight trying out my new ice cream scoop from Wilton. It's great. I am a bit stressed out right now. That and I can't have milk at all tomorrow. Which I still don't understand.

I have mysteriously lost 3 pounds in the last week. This even though I did touch the halloween candy. It makes no sense, but I will take it. Good luck on the challenge. This has got to be the hardest part of the year to do it. My surgery is this Friday and I am working on my freakout. I have to do that a couple days ahead of time. I cannot wait until this is over with. I am hoping after surgery I get off the hormones and am able to exercise again, I will actually lose a bit more weight. I have a slight success in that I've moved down one pant size.

Years ago I had a toothbrush that I chewed on. I also used to chew on peach seeds (didn't crack them open, so didn't have to worry about being poisoned). Both seemed to help at the time. I didn't have any candy. I didn't even really want it. Right now I am sore all over from my ribs to my hips. I can't wait for surgery as I have no idea what is cyst caused and what might be something else. My ribs are sore and sometimes it's like I can feel my band, which I know I can't. I was afraid I'd slipped for a bit, but since I have no symptoms of it, I am pretty sure my ribs are loose again. I see my D.O. on Friday for my pre-op check-up. I will have him pop them back in. Seriously, how can something so tiny mess everything up so thoroughly? How's the knee coming? I also haven't seen any updates on the perfect new tummy. My mom and my sister are moving back to Denver next summer, so I will have a free place to stay. It would actually be cheaper to fly there and see him than go here. Plus the shopping is better.

Oh yea. Since I've been on the hormones, I want to eat eat eat. I am full and cannot eat another thing and I am hungry. This can go on for a couple days at a time. This is different from the famous "head hunger" we are always on about. It's almost like a drive. Then it's gone. I try to drink more or give serious thought to getting a chew toy.

Nope. It will be considered weight loss treatment. Sometimes they get around it by taking out your gall bladder or appendix or fixing a hernia. Anything to do with your band is going to be on your dime. That is unless you have new insurance that covers it.

I had a fill at four weeks, which was way too early for me. I had to have a complete unfill and now it will be at least December for a tiny fill if any. That would be six months from surgery and five month from the first fill. Going slowwwwwly this time.

I went with I had surgery on my stomach so I have to watch what I eat. Anything else is much more information than a kid really wants or needs. Especially if you are a person who doesn't want the whole world to know.

My GP is the one who suggested the band. My best friend had it. I did all the research to see how it would work for me. In my case, it was for my GERD, completely uncontrolled with every other measure we'd tried and no one of my many physicians seemed to be able to suggest anything new or helpful. Your doctor is right, this is not something to jump into and you will probably have to jump through hoops for your insurance anyways. Find out what you need to do and then get him behind you. Don't get frustrated, give yourself the tools and knowledge to get you where you want to be.

Congrats! My insurance excludes WLS by my employer's request. It sucks I had to pay on my own. Will be paying for it for years to come. It's sad that a hotel is more progressive than a University.

I can understand your frustration. The local doctor's office got all four of my visits unpaid by the insurance. Their office is totally screwed up. I am so glad I am never going back there. I am sorry I even walked in the door. The doctor was ok, but I got a copy of his notes and I should have made them dictate them in front of me like my GP does. They basically show he didn't listen to anything I said and wasn't paying any attention. I doubt they will do me any good in my appeal. So, just stay on top of the insurance thing and ignore her rudeness. She works for you. Always write your stuff down to ask. I do that and I get all flustered and forget to check my note.

I would say at least a month too. I had surgery and flew two days later and was fine. I was going home and slept all the next day. At a month you haven't had a fill, but should be back on reasonably solid food so you can enjoy yourself.

I am very fair skinned too. It took over a year for my hyster scar, a nine inch incision that was stapled, to fade. Five months is a long time for you, but not your body. I am learning patience with my face, which is scarred from a skin cancer removal and it will be at least eight months before they can try and reduce it surgically. You can try any of the scar treatments, but remember, anything you try will require a good six weeks for it to work. You can also try the vitamin e capsules. Just rub the oil in. I really haven't messed with my large cut as I think it will fade in time and I am never out in a bikini.