tanderson

Hey all. I am in the process of jumping through the insurance (Cigna) hoops. I have completed my 6 month supervised diet and psychiatric evaluation. Last week I met with my nutritionist. She reviewed a diet plan that is basically a diet plan for someone who has diabetes. She told me to write down everything I eat, how much, what time, how many calories, how many carbohydrates, the place I eat, and my emotion at the time I eat and to come back to see her in a month. She also said, "I don't mean to scare you, but I have declined a recommendation for this surgery to other clients for non-compliance." This is why I am a little worried. She said that she had a woman who did not journal any of her food intake and came back in a month and told her (the nutritionist) that she "didn't have time for that." So the nutritionist did not recommend her. I am worried because I am having a hard time staying under the recommended 1500 calories a day because I get hungry. (I am thinking this is because I have stretched my stomach out so much over the years due to chronic over-eating.) Anyway, my worry is that if I do log down everything I am eating that she won't recommend me and if I don't log everything down, to make it look like I am really eating less, that she will know I have not been truthful because I will not lose any weight. I am curious to know if anyone else has had this dilemma and what they did about it. :help:

I lost my lap band almost a month ago due to a severe slip. By the time it was removed, my stomach was coal black and the surgeon thought he may have to remove the fundus of my stomach. Luckily, the blood supply began to return and my stomach was saved. I am so horribly miserable now...I am still paying on my band, my last hope as I have tried EVERYTHING! In 3 weeks I have already gained almost 15 pounds and I am ALWAYS hungry. I do not want to have another surgery as I am so scared of ever going through what I went through before and the fact that I do not have the money. Not to mention my family would kill me if I decided on another bariatric surgery. I have lost so much, feel so miserable and alone...I don't know where to turn, what to do, I feel sooooo fat and ugly, helpless and hopeless. This was literally my last hope and now is gone...what do I do now?

maybe you misread her post....if you go back and read, everyone of her statements begins with the word "I"....how is that speaking for EVERYONE? No offense, just really curious?

I had the 4.0 cc INAM Lap Band......I am the one who suffered an extreme slip with near gangrene of my stomach. I am now 3 weeks post removal of band and still on pain medication as my stomach is STILL not healed. Please if you are banded, pay attention to your body and do NOT ignore symptoms...it could literally be a matter of life and death!

I had my second fill 5 days ago and went from 2.0 to 2.5 ccs in a 4 cc band. Even with my first fill, from time to time, I would have incredible pain when eating. I spoke to my surgeon about this and he stated it was due to improper chewing, too big of bites, etc. However, since this second fill I am having pain even worse. Sometimes I have this rolling sensation and pain even after just drinking fluids. (Also, he has no protocol about diet after fills) And sometimes, if I push through the pain of the first 3 or 4 bites, then all pain goes away and I can finish eating just fine. I have never pb'd since day one and I have only slimed once since the second fill. I am also experiencing the most embarrasing gurgling/draining noises that are CONSTANT and that I cannot do anything about. And the latest symptom, the reason I am up and not sleeping, is I have awful reflux! I am scared...do you think that I am swollen, too tight, what?!........please help. By the way, the reason I even got the fill was because I had not lost any weight in 3 weeks.

My band was put in on 6-4-07, the happiest day of my life. Over the next year I managed to lose 55 pounds with lots of HARD WORK and EXERCISE....about 3 weeks ago, I began to notice changes in my body. I was having more variations in my diet because some foods went down so much easier than others. And I am sorry, if I have not been able to eat hard Protein all day long, by the time the evening come around, my body is weak and trembling and HUNGRY. Mind you, I had 1.8 cc in a 4.0 band. Anyway, I resorted to eating more high caloric soft foods such as ice cream, so that I could have some caloric intake. This went on for a few days and I knew that I needed to see a doctor as the weight was starting to creep back on. The only problem, was that my surgeon retired 4 months after my procedure and left no follow up instructions. At the time, I was really OK with this because at the time of his retirement, I was losing relatively well and easy and had been told that my body would never need another fill as I had recently had to have a slight defill. So last week I began looking for a doctor and started feeling worse and worse, more tired and more tired. Labor day, I was in the hospital with my daughter who was having surgery the next day, and I began to feel sick. I went/vomited in the bathroom several times and then realized I was having pain. Suspecting a slip, I walked over to the ER to check myself in. The next 24 hours are a blur to me as my pain became so intense. My BP was 175/157, low grade temp., pain so intense it radiated through my abdomen, chest, back, both shoulders, and jaw, sever nausea, vomiting bright red blood spots; at one time they did and ekg because they thought I might be having a heart attack. They did plain xrays on my which showed nothing and told me to go home and follow up with wichever lap band doc i could find, and i forced them to admit me for pain control and to consult with a surgeon. The next mid-morning my pain became more intense, bowel sounds stopped, pain meds were doubled and given twice as often and nothing touched the pain i was in...nothing. I was given a CAT scan to look at the band and was told I did indeed have an extremem slip to where my entire fundus had passed above the band and yes I had the stitch method used to prevent the band from slipping. That night my wonderful surgeon came and removed the band. He said when they first saw the stomack it was COAL black. He was afraid I was going to have it surgerically removed. Luckily, when he removed the band, the tissue above the band began to turn deep purple which meant the blood was beginning to return. There is one small spot on my stomach that did die, but my surgeon says that will scar over in time. I am only 5 days post op from band removal and still very emotional. I am so happy that it's out. I was told about complications of slippage and erosion, but NO ONE every told me about complications of possible neucrosis. I have no an idea of why what happened, happened. I followed ALL band rules to the tee! I keep replaying the whole thing over and over in my head and realize how close I was to losing my life. If I had indeed developed gangrene, I may not be alive right now. NO I WOULD NOT RECEIVE ANOTHER LAP BAND NOR RECOMMEND LAP BAND TO ANYONE. _______ If you have a slippage....please have it removed!

My band was put in on 6-4-07, the happiest day of my life. Over the next year I managed to lose 55 pounds with lots of HARD WORK and EXERCISE....about 3 weeks ago, I began to notice changes in my body. I was having more variations in my diet because some foods went down so much easier than others. And I am sorry, if I have not been able to eat hard Protein all day long, by the time the evening come around, my body is weak and trembling and HUNGRY. Mind you, I had 1.8 cc in a 4.0 band. Anyway, I resorted to eating more high caloric soft foods such as ice cream, so that I could have some caloric intake. This went on for a few days and I knew that I needed to see a doctor as the weight was starting to creep back on. The only problem, was that my surgeon retired 4 months after my procedure and left no follow up instructions. At the time, I was really OK with this because at the time of his retirement, I was losing relatively well and easy and had been told that my body would never need another fill as I had recently had to have a slight defill. So last week I began looking for a doctor and started feeling worse and worse, more tired and more tired. Labor day, I was in the hospital with my daughter who was having surgery the next day, and I began to feel sick. I went/vomited in the bathroom several times and then realized I was having pain. Suspecting a slip, I walked over to the ER to check myself in. The next 24 hours are a blur to me as my pain because so intense. My BP was 175/157, low grade temp., pain so intense it radiated through my abdomen, chest, back, both shoulders, and jaw, sever nausea, vomiting bright red blood spots; at one time the did and ekg because they thought I might be having a heart attack. They did plain xrays on my which showed nothing and told me to go home and follow up with wichever lap band doc i could find, and i forced them to admit me for pain control and to consult with a surgeon. The next mid-morning my pain became more intense, bowel sounds stopped, pain meds were doubled and given twice as often and noting touched the pain i was in...nothing. I was given a CAT scan to look at the band and was told I did indeed have an extremem slip to where my entire fundus had passed above the band and yes I had the stitch method used to prevent the band from slipping. Than night my wonderful surgeon came and removed the band. He said when the first saw the stomack it was COAL black. He was afraid I was going to have it surgerically removed. Luckily, when he removed the band, the tissue above the band began to turn deep purple which meant the blood was beginning to return. There is one small spot on my stomach that did die, but my surgeon says that will scar over in time. I am only 5 days post op from band removal and still very emotional. I am so happy that it's out. I was told about complications of slippage and erosion, but NO ONE every told me about complications of possible neucrosis. I have no an idea of why what happened, happened. I followed ALL band rules to the tee! I keep replaying the whole thing over and over in my head and realize how close I was to losing my life. If I had indeed developed gangrene, I may not be alive right now. NO I WOULD NOT RECEIVE ANOTHER LAP BAND NOR RECOMMEND LAP BAND TO ANYONE.

Absolutely no chance, you have to do the diet...DAMMIT!! I know because I was in the same boat, but just like JOAQUIN says, it WILL go by fast!

I second the request to have them give you something for pain before you leave. I too live about 2 hours from the hospital and I don't remember the ride home at all because I was in La La land...

I too suffer from a very addictive personality....I have smoked off and on for years, currently have been off them completely for over a year, and have used food to bury my feelings. I was just thinking today that I may consider calling my therapist again and starting back into counseling since I feel myself wanting a cigarette A LOT here lately...

280 pounds 6 months out 205 pounds 6 months out 205 pounds

I will reach my goal by Christmas!!!!

We waited about 3 days as well...use pillows, they help!

Sounds like you have nocturnal reflux due to being too tight. During the day you don't notice any problems, but at night when you're laying down, your band is not allowing your saliva to go down, thus causing the reflux. You should have a slight defill as being too tight can possibly lead to erosion or a slip.

The same symptoms happened to me too. I waited 5 days and had to go back in to have a partial defill. I have been told that if you stay too full, it can lead to a slip and or erosion...so go back!

Welcome, justagirl! I used to live in Lufkin myself! I currently live in Willis, just north of Houston and I was banded 6-4-07. I have Cigna insurance and was banded by Dr. Naaman in Houston (he's retiring... I too work for a school district..I am a 7th grade Language Arts teacher. I wish you the best of luck in your journey. I think the hardest part is the insurance approval process. Make sure you have everything they require before you submit. There is a bunch of good info here, so look around and again WELCOME!

Another thing my surgeon told me was that sometimes in the morning you can have pain when you first eat because the band may have "scooted" up a bit during the night when you are laying in bed. This is NOT a slip, but just the natural movement of your stomach. He suggested drinking a warm drink before eating, so maybe you can try that too. I feel for you though...it hurts bad!

Seaman, imo, there has to be something amiss with your band's position or something....it simply is not possible for 6-8 slices of pizza to fit in a pouch! Where did you have your surgery and when they did an unfill, how much did they remove?

What are you eating? This usually happens to me if I am eating a hard protein and don't take small enough bites and or chew long enough. I know it hurts like a bit*&! You have to take really, really, small bites and chew thouroughly until it is completely liquified and wait one to two minutes before taking another bite...hope this helps.

At the 3 month mark I had lost 48 pounds...

I didn't think I would ever be posting on this thread!! I only have 10 more pounds to get to onederland....my goal for Christmas!

Well I called my doctor and went in this afternoon for a slight unfill. He removed .6cc and at that time had instant relief! He had me drink water while he unfilled/refilled me so that I could tell him when I felt the most comfortable restriction. However, this evening, I am again feeling some discomfort when eating solids, so I am thinking that I am inflammed/swollen and should probably go on mushies for a few days? Any feedback?

My surgeon tells me to eat whatever I want as long as I am following ALL band rules. 1. Do not drink 20-30 minutes before or after a meal 2. Eat hard protein first 3. Eat veggies second 4. Eat carbs last (bread, dessert, etc.) 5. Eat 3 meals a day only 6. DO NOT SNACK As long as you follow these rules you should be able to eat whatever your family prepares/buys because by the time you get to the carbs, if you have followed steps 1-3, you will only be able to eat 1-2 bites because your pouch will be stuffed!

But that's OK....I'm laughing with you.

Hey everyone, I had my first fill almost 3 weeks ago (2cc's in a 4cc band). Everything was good the first week after I learned to slow down and take smaller bites. It was taking about 1 to 1.5 cups of food to fill me up. Now I am finding that whenever I begin to eat I feel a tightness usually after the 2nd bite and if I am eating a hard Protein I will actually feel pain. I have tried smaller bites, going slower, even taking minute sips of Water, but the pain stays there sometimes for over an hour. I estimate that I am eating no more than a 1/2 cup of food at a meal. Am I at my "sweet spot" even if I am having this pain? I don't go back to the doctor for 2 weeks, should I call on Monday? Any comments or advice is so needed right about now...