travelgirl

Well, my best advice is to keep a food journal, which you probably already do, follow his suggestions to the letter for a couple of weeks, and go back and present him with your results. Could be that you won't need a fill because you'll be losing more (don't expect a fill if you're losing an average of 2 lbs a week) or that you really do need that fill.

My doc used the My Emmi program, too, and it was awesome. IMO, it should be required for ALL patients to watch/participate in prior to banding. SO informative, and I love the fact that I could pause during the presentation and type in a question that was submitted to my doc so I didn't have to try to remember all my questions. When I went for my consult, he had the printout of all my questions, and went right down the list and answered every one, no matter how simple or silly the question might have seemed.

LOL, losing 2-3 shoe sizes is kinda funny, and it makes me wonder if my feet would be big enough to keep me from falling on my face! Actually, though, my feet were this big when I was fairly skinny, so I doubt it'll happen for me. :mad:

I can't even fathom a chatty waiting room... I think it would be nice, at least the time would pass quicker...

I told my employer "minor surgery" and that was more than sufficient. Maybe this will work for you, too?

I was all ready to come in here and blast away that you are not required to tell your employer diddly squat about it, and that you're protected by federal law on this matter, but now I see that you're in the UK, and I can't begin to know how these things are handled there. So sorry! I hope someone can help with this!

I will agree with that. "Healthy Weight" is my #2 goal, right after "Healthy", which is determined by blood tests with the doc for my diabetes and cholesterol, which were both awful pre-band, and are both controlled now with diet and exercise, and NO MEDS! Which is due in part to the scales showing smaller numbers. :mad:

Except that the scale is NOT in any way an indicator of health. There's a gentleman in my office who I'd have considered "healthy" who is actually quite skinny, and he is on light duty right now due to having to have a quadruple bypass.

I've heard of it happening, but I have yet to have it happen for me, I'm still wearing my size 10's. Maybe as I lose more, it'll happen..

That does change things somewhat, but you still have to understand that the cost of your fills for the first year were included in your total cost, and maybe he is just trying to make sure he gets the most out of it. How long ago were you banded? Are you running out of time before your first year is up?

I'm way too embarrassed to run outside yet, so I walk/run on my treadmill. I've started the couch to 5k a few times, but can't seem to stay interested in it. I like to change up my workouts as I get bored doing any one thing very long. My usual walking speed is 3 mph, and my running speed is usually between 4 and 4.5, depending on how winded I am. I call it running, but it's really a jog, it's all I can manage at this point.

I agree with Wheetsin, I think he's just doing what he does best, and looking out for your best interest. I doubt very much if he's sitting there thinking about all the money coming out of your pocket if he holds off on giving you fills until after your insurance quits paying for them.

I've found the same thing in Dr's waiting rooms, there can be 30 people waiting, and except for the cheesy music softly playing, you could hear a pin drop. With the exception of the odd cough, sneeze, crying baby or playing toddler.

Why don't you try his suggestions, and see how you do? You might find that eating less Soups and more hard Proteins will do very well for you, and you'll lose a bit faster. Never know 'till you try! And remember that he gets paid for your fills either way, whether you pay or your insurance pays.

I weigh myself every day, and write the number down. To me, the number on the scale is simply a number. It does not define who I am. It's just another tool on my weight loss journey that helps me to know if there's something about what I'm doing every day that needs to change. I do like to see the numbers getting smaller, but if they don't over time, then I know something's got to change.

You don't have ANYONE you can call that you wouldn't have to pay?? Maybe a co-worker, even? Surely SOMEONE cares enough about you to be available in case of an emergency. Heck, if I was in the same city as you, I'd do it! That being said, I didn't really need much help the first few days except for getting into and out of bed, and I could have done that myself, but my hubby was available, so he helped me. It was just very painful to go from an upright position to a prone position to sleep. A recliner would be helpful in this, though. Unless a complication arises, you should be fine, though. Just be sure to be stocked up on whatever you'll need for the first week or so post-op, in case you aren't able to drive yourself to get supplies and groceries. I was told no driving for one week, and then it was fine, but your surgeon might have a different opinion, so make sure to ask!

First off, I hope no one told you this would be easy, because that's a load of crap. EasIER, maybe, than going it without surgery, but not easy by a country mile. It sounds like you just haven't gotten to the right fill level for you. Be patient, it will happen.

The tubing would not necessarily have had a twist in it if your port flipped. I don't think this is a common occurrance, but it does happen, and from the other people here that have had it happen, it seems like a simple enough revision surgery to turn it back over and re-stitch it in place. You can try doing a search on "port flipped" or "flipped port" and maybe you can find someone else on here that has had the same thing happen to them.

But "rule of thumb" is not an exact science, and can't be applied to all circumstances. Everyone is different!

There are several sources of protein available to people who don't eat meat.

This is a very old thread (from 2005), so don't be offended if you don't get responses from the people that originally participated in this conversation. I don't think any of them are still active on this board. They might surprise me, though.

LOL, we may never be able to stop with the food analogies!

babygrl1234 has been doing a vegan diet lately. She says she's doing well on it, you might PM her and ask her about it.

Sorry guys, I'm not from Australia, but I just wanted to pop in here and let you all know (and Jen) that she's in my prayers for a full recovery. She's surely missed on the main boards, too!

Kat, I use a cookie press when I make my deviled eggs. I mix up the yolks and whatever I'm using for the filling, and put it into the cookie press, and it makes filling the eggs up much easier. That being said, if my mixture is lumpy, it gets stuck in there, and I usually have to end up digging it out. I never made that connection with my band before! That makes perfect sense! Thank you!