AJW2

I'm not a doctor or anything, but it sounds like you might have a rib out of place. The act of vomiting could do that. A chiropractor can determine if that's the case and can put it back in. Don't know if you're into chiropractors at all, but I swear by them. A rib being out of place can hurt like hell until it calms down. You might want to check that out first to alleviate any concerns.

The band is NOT metal so there's nothing to set off a metal detector.

This hernia thing must be major common, cause same here, found on endoscopy.

I think if people decided against lap-band, they probably wouldn't be posting here in the first place. Continue your investigation and research and talk to the chosen doctor about your concerns, that's really the best way to find out what the best option is for you.

A dry white wine has 120 c. and 5.5 grms of carbs in a 5 oz. serving. A dry red wine has 122 c. and 8.5 grms of carbs in a 5 oz. serving. There aren't that many carbs in wine, it's the calories you have to watch. Source of information: www.calorieking.com

My biopsy came back from my EGD; there is an ulcer with a lot of inflammation in the stomach. They tested for H.Pyloric bacteria; it's negative. They tested for cancer, first time it was positive but after re-testing, negative. The GI doc wants me to take Protonix for 90 days. He "thinks" the inflammation is caused from taking Advil. I didn't take it that much, but apparently if taken in close proximity to the testing I guess it can show up an inflammation. Obivously, the banding has been put off. Now for the truly scary part: I talked to band surgeon today about this. He wants me to see endocrinologist for a nuclear test on the stomach. They want to test for and rule out a carcinoid tumor. Holy crap! NOW I'm scared. :blink:There is a history of cancer on my mother's side, but not stomach - breast/uterine and prostate cancer, but nothing more exotic. My Dad's side, IDK, as he died of renal failure back in the 80s. Has anyone had this situation with an ulcer and being sent to an endocrinologist for this type of testing? How did it turn out for you? :blushing:

Thanks for all the good wishes. I am SO RELIEVED, I can't tell you!:tongue:

GUESS WHAT? My gastroenterologist called me today thinking that he hadn’t already called me. I said, “You called me already.” So he says well is there anything you want to ask me since you have me on the phone and I told him the whole cancer scare story. He said, “Pardon me?!?” Then he proceeded to tell me that the band doctor had me mixed up with another patient and I DON’T HAVE THAT!! Whew!!!! The band doctor then called me and apologized for the scare and confirmed he told me the wrong information.:tongue: Now they'll submit to the insurance company and it should be approved soon, I hope. I am soooo relieved!

Nobody has had this situation? I'm the only one? This can't be good.:thumbup:

I don't take it since discovering this situation. I didn't take it that much to start with. IDK what's going on, but I hope it turns out to be nothing at all......still very concerned, though.:blushing:

The testing was done by my lap-band doctor's choice of gastroenterologists. The results took 9 working days to come back (test done June 5th; results in yesterday.) I'm just very scared of the possibility of anything worse going on. I also have a hiatal hernia, but that's common and will be repaired during the band surgery IF we ever get to the band surgery. An endocrinologist will have to clear me first now that they "suspect" a carcinoid tumor and need the stress test to confirm or deny. I'm terrified if it should come back positive. I'm praying that it will be negative and all for nothing. I just wonder if anyone has been down my path before and what the results were in the end.

Thanks for that.:wink2: I'd take the Lidocaine (numbing meds) any day. I get Lido before IV insertion, too. It gets rid of the big fear factor - needles and being poked.

Thanks so much for alleviating my fear over this. It looks apparently much worse than it feels.:wink2:

I just watched a video of a girl getting her first fill. It did not look like fun. They numbed her, but still did not look like fun. Kind of horrific, actually. Please tell me that after they numb you that you REALLY don't feel the big pokey needle going in because it's big.:wink:

Don't know about all your backgrounds, but if you've never had surgery before this surgery will seem painful, I'm sure. If you've had previous surgeries like a hysterectomy or any cosmetic work, the body remembers that and will not react as strongly to this surgery. At least that's been my experience having had both a hysterectomy and liposuction around the tummy area. I have not been banded yet, but that hysterectomy was a butt kicker back in the 80s, and I KNOW this won't be as bad as that.

As soon as I knew I would be doing this, I started on Medifast. I have 4 (100 c.) meals before the "lean and green" small portion dinner and 1 100c. snack after dinner. Overall it's between 800-1000 c. per day. I've lost 12 pounds following Medifast. I was never a soda drinker so didn't have to quit that. I did enjoy fast food, though, but had cut that down. I think the voluntary weight loss is a good way to wrap your mind around the path you're about to step upon. If you can't do the voluntary weight loss, how are you going to have the most success out of your band? This idea of going out to eat everything you won't be able to have afterward is self-defeating IMHO.

You might want to start a new thread with this question, as this topic is different and might not be seen here. Just a suggestion.

Hi all, I'm in the process of getting approved, so this isn't about me. I have a friend who's 5'-8" and 222 pounds. Her GP says her BMI isn't high enough and even though she is on 3 different BP medications and has insulin resistance and PCOS, he says she's too healthy for WLS and that her HMO Kaiser wouldn't approve her. Now this sounds very odd to me. I told her to go see a WLS and ask him/her about this not her GP. I don't know if she's just telling me this because she doesn't really want to do it (she says she does), or if her doctor is really saying these things. He said Kaiser wouldn't pay for it. What has your experience been in similar situations?

That's the best advice and that's what I told her.

/ Interesting about the estrogen stored in the fat; never heard that before. Should prove fun!

I haven't pressured her at all, nor "swept" her along. I told her what I was doing; she started asking me a lot of questions about it and said she'd like to do it. I told her to do her own research and see if it was something she wanted to get into. She found the Kaiser doctor in her state who does it and wanted to tell her PCP all about it. He's the one who shot it down unless she wants to self-pay which of course she doesn't even though they have the money at the moment to spend on it, but I just don't think it's a priority, and that's fine too. To each their own.

I was required to have the upper GI endoscopy. I was so terrified of that test, but now that it's over I'm like WHAT was the big deal about that? Here's the big difference: there is "conscious sedation" and there is a MAC block. MAC is short for Monitored Anesthesia Care. Anytime you're going to have any "oscopy" procedure be sure that the doctor uses a MAC block which means you are OUT just like during a general anesthesia OUT. It's one step lower than a general in that you breathe on your own, but you are out. You don't know anything or sense anything, OUT. Then they wake you up and it's all done. This is the way to go, folks, so make a note. Oh and before IV insertion, always ask for Lidocaine. It's a little stingy but it numbs the IV insertion point (usually the hand) so that you don't feel the IV go in or you may feel it a tiny bit. I've had it on four different occasions and only the last time did I feel it a little bit, but so much better than feeling like they're sticking a pencil into your vein.

Speaking as a woman, I will answer this with YES, sex drive went out the window when the fat packed on. Nobody wants to be seen naked being heavy, especially not women. You want to feel sexy, pretty, and desirable and you don't feel that way being overweight. I haven't lost enough (still in the waiting process for banding) to feel any different YET. Am hoping as the weight comes off and I start feeling sexy again, the drive will return. However, I am not in my 20s, 30s or 40s, so that could have something to do with it too.

Love this post; thanks so much for sharing. I too am getting nervous, not about the surgery, that'll be fine, but about being warned that it's sewn to your stomach so if you ever get the flu be sure to get anti-nausea medication (this from the shrink-thanks Doc!). I hadn't even thought about such a thing before that conversation.:confused:

Before I get the band, I decided to go on a drastic diet to get used to eating a lot less. I'm on Medifast, the beginner diet package for women. You can order online. I've lost 11 pounds in a couple of weeks. I think it's not the amount of food you're eating, it's what you're eating and calorie count. Nuts are fats; honey mustard has honey (sugar to the body); mayo is fat. You need to cut out the fats. Check your protein shake for the calorie count, keep every meal around 100 calories. This is what Medifast does for you, each little meal is 100-110 calories. You have a lean and green dinner (small portions) at night and a snack before bedtime (Medifast pudding or Cappuccino) and that's it. It sounds like your body has gotten used to less food and thinks it's starving so everything has slowed down. You're exercising which is good, and you should be losing, but you're not. So something is stuck somewhere. Here's a place I also get supplements from: www.womentowomen.com They are mainly trying to help older woman get off HRT, BUT they discuss weight loss and what can be off balance in the body which actually prevents you from losing weight, and they have supplements to help with that. You might want to look into that, because your body isn't getting something it needs so it's refusing to let go of the weight until it does. Check it out; you might be surprised the difference that the right (pharmaceutical grade) supplements can make to weight loss. I used to be a skeptic, but not any more! Best of luck to you!!