timetobefree

(I posted this in one of the infrequently-visited forums below, so I am reposting in hopes of getting some more advice or hearing more people's experiences!) I am so freakin' frustrated with this whole process, I could just cry. OK, I actually have cried. I'm almost 5 months post-op with 11cc in my 14cc band. My last fill was 2 weeks ago - 1cc. Prior to that, I had no real restriction. I'd had a few PB's but had no lasting relief from hunger and could still eat all the usual suspects with no problems (most of the time). The last fill made me WAAAAAAY too tight for about 10 days. I could only do liquids and some mushies until a few days ago when I could suddenly eat again. Now that I can eat, I am focusing on solid Proteins (fish, chicken, etc.). I don't drink while I eat nor for an hour afterwards. Yet, I eat my 1 cup of food and am still hungry. I drink at least 100 oz of Water every day. I do everything I'm supposed to, but have no relief from hunger. How in the heck could I go from sooo tight to not tight enough in the matter of days? Anyone experience this? Ideas? Where in the heck is my sweet spot? Am I too tight or too loose? Is the sweet spot just a myth? Have I lost my mind? :smile: I am getting all irrational and feeling like I am going to be the person the band doesn't work for! I have a call into my PA, but she didn't call me back yet. Thanks, Amy

Thanks, Kate. I appreciate the advice and encouragement! I checked out the link and it does seem that I'm not alone in needing lots of cc's for restriction. I just thought it was weird to go from soooo tight to virtually nothing overnight. But you might be right about the swelling and such. My doc's policy is one fill every four weeks, which is frustrating, but only two more weeks and I can try .5cc maybe. Thanks again!

Are you hungry? If not and you are able to stay hydrated, I'd ride it out. But if only being able to eat this little is leaving you hungry, I'd say you might want to get a small unfill. HTH, Amy

I'm sorry. I am frustrated as well, but I don't have the same complications you have, which have to be uber-frustrating, to say the least. Have you tried eating a 'primer' about 20 min before your meal? Like a bite of cheese or something so that when it is meal time, you've already gotten the first bite out of the way, so to speak. I hope this helps - and hoping you start losing soon! Amy

I think the confusion comes from the fact that ounces are a measure of both weight and volume. 1 cup is 8 oz. Fill it with 1 cup of Water and it's going to weight a lot more than 1 cup of marshmallows. By volume, they are both 8 oz. But by weight, they are way different. I would assume for our purposes, they mean volume, not weight. But I could be wrong, so I'd check with your doc.

You have a way of articulating that's very touching and moving. You brought tears to my eyes! Congratulations on reclaiming your life and giving your wife and son the most wonderful gift ever - you. Amy

I was self-pay as well (WLS excluded under my insurance). Mine was in MI - $11,700 which included 3 fills. Fills are $150 each after that.

This is a BAD rumor. PolitiFact | No free health care for illegal immigrants in the health bill From the link above: Page 50, which the e-mail references, is part of Section 152, which includes a generic nondiscrimination clause saying that insurers may not discriminate with regard to "personal characteristics extraneous to the provision of high quality health care or related services." The section says nothing about "non-US citizens" or immigrants, legal or otherwise. In fact, the legislation specifically states that "undocumented aliens" will not be eligible for credits to help them buy health insurance, in Section 246 on page 143. The bottom line here is the e-mail is making things up. The bill does not say anything close to "All non-US citizens, illegal or not, will be provided with free health care services."

While I'm sure there are some people who are lazy or opt not to insure themselves, I get frustrated when people assume they are the majority of the uinsured. I work full-time and have a master's degree. Insurance for a family of 4 through my employer is $1200/month. With $3000 deductibles per person. My husband is self-employed. He paints houses, which I assure you is not a job for the lazy. We checked with 8 different insurance companies because the insurance through my employer is so high. He's uninsurable because of genetically high blood pressure which is nicely controlled on a very low dose of meds. (He's not overweight nor does he smoke - just lost the bet genetically.) No one would insure him. Not a one. So, for those of you who think it's as easy as just going without a luxury or two, I ask you if you have $1200/month to pay for insurance? Even if we rode only public transportation, didn't have cable/internet/phones, and ate only rice and Beans every day, we still wouldn't be able to come up with $1200/month for insurance. I am thrilled this passed. It will allow families just like mine to get the medical care we so desperately need.

Congrats on everything! Your post gives me hope - I'm 2.5 months out and have 7.5cc in a 14cc band which is not providing any restriction. My next fill is next week, and I really hope I can come back and report the same as you! Amy

I, too, was concerned about this, but I'd rather be skinny and poor from having to pay for another surgery than fat and rich but nearly dead. The chances something are going to go wrong are low, while the chances the weight was going to kill me were high. As for fighting your insurance, if there is an exclusion to WLS written in, you are SOL. If they are denying you for other reasons, the fight might be worth it. But fighting an exclusion is an exercise in futility. Amy

Great Lakes Weight Loss in Detroit is $10,700 including first three fills. After that, it's $150/fill. Amy

Congrats! Sounds like you are doing great! Amy

What an interesting read! I have dieted my way fat as well. I can tell you the calorie, fat, sugar, carb, and Protein count of 1000s of foods. I can tell you the serving size. I can serve a perfectly-sized serving of just about anything on the first try. I learned this over the past 10+ years that I've done WWers. So, I respectfully disagree that obese people don't know serving sizes or how to eat healthy. Just because I have the information doesn't mean I use it. Heck, people still smoke and they know it's deadly. I am only 4 weeks in and still fill-less, but I started keeping a food journal as soon as I started full-liquids. I quickly stopped, as I was becoming obsessive with it. It's all I was thinking about. In a word, it was becoming a diet. I can't do that to myself again. I am hoping I can use the knowledge I already have plus the band to be successful. Considering I've already lost nearly 40 lbs, I feel like I am doing it right so far. I am eating what I want, but stopping once the edge of hunger is gone. Once I have a fill, I anticipate this will be even easier. Amy

<raises hand> I, too, am 3.5 weeks out and have Mirena. And have had my period since about 5 days post-op. It's still lingering around. And driving me batty. My guess is it's related to your hormones going wacky with weight loss and surgery. Amy

You know, I have no idea! I'm three weeks out, so it's all new to me. :thumbup: I've used it a bit here and there, but I love this site for all my questions and answers more! Amy

It's my surgeon's opinion that, even blended, meats can be hard on your tummy with regards to digestion. I didn't mind this past week - the list of what I COULD eat after liquids for four weeks seemed HUGE! :thumbup: Amy

The Lap-Band does have an online support system: Lapband.com - My LAP-BAND® Journey Personal Support Guide Amy

Mine was: 3 days clear liquids 1 week full liquids (cream Soups, sf yogurt, sf pudding) 1 week mushies (eggs, soft cheeses, hummus, cream of wheat/oatmeal, mashed potatoes - no meats, fruits, or veggies) 1 week soft Protein (chicken, pork, seafood, fish - no beef) 1 week soft fruits & veggies After that, I'm allowed to add in beef and carbs/starches as tolerated. I think mine's fairly strict as well, but I am following it to the letter. I can't wait to have some meat on Wednesday! It's been 5 weeks!!!! Amy

My doc said almost exactly what btrieger said - getting to and from the hospital was going to be the most dangerous part of my surgery day. Not to say there's no risk, but it's not that high. I read somewhere recently that gall bladder removal has five times more complications and mortality rate than lap-band surgery! Amy

I gained during full liquids and never had more than 900 calories daily! I personally think it was my body catching up after losing 35 lbs in 3 weeks. I haven't really lost yet during mushies either. My mushies consist of eggs, cottage cheese, other soft cheeses, grits, cream of wheat, oatmeal, and baked or mashed potatoes (limited to 1/2 cup daily). I'm following the diet to the letter, eating 70+ grams of protein daily, consuming less than 1400 calories per day, and am still not seeing the scale move much. It's just my body adjusting, I'm sure! Amy

A little shortness of breath is normal, but if it's more than that, you need to seek medical attention. That's nothing to mess around with! The nurses kept encouraging me to breath out hard to get rid of all the junk in my lungs. I kept thinking I had to breath in deep, but it's the hard out breathing that actually clears your lungs. Hang in there - it gets better! Amy

Like the others, I appreciate what you add to the boards. Bristlecone said it well, it's easier to turn it around than to hear something you might not want to hear. It's hard here sometimes, because it's hard to watch people self-destruct and I want to help, but then I get frustrated with the general "It's ok to do XYZ - just get on back on the bandwagon" when XYZ might be cheating pre-op, post-op, etc. I'd rather ask someone "Think about what you were feeling when you did it and how you can work to keep it from happening again." But I usually don't because it usually doesn't sit well with people. So I take what I can, give what I can, and move on! Amy

Everyone is different. I lost 12 lbs the week after banding and then last week, on full liquids, I gained 4 lbs, despite never going over 1200 calories daily. You are still healing. Just be conscious of not eating empty calories, but don't be concerned if you don't lose. It'll happen. (I keep telling myself the same thing.) Amy

I asked my surgeon the same thing. I have the AP large, which holds 12-14 cc. He said he's filled one (not in a patient, but just to see) with more than 60cc! He's never had a patient max out their band, so no worries. Amy