Astrasmom

Great question. I would have to say that it was no more than a 4. The most pain was in the biggest incision on the left hand side, where the port is. But that's what pain medication is for. I had my surgery on Friday and I was back to work on Tuesday. Of course I had to stop the pain medication in order to drive so I only need that for about 2 days after I came home. The pain was pretty much gone after about a week. It took me about 2 weeks to be totally back to normal. And I also had gallbladder surgery, which I have to say was alot more painful than the lapband surgery. I've also had open heart surgery which is probably one of the most painful surgeries that you can have. So lapband surgery was a peice of cake to me.

Even though your food goes down you really should follow the plan that your doctor gives to you. They make you go through stages for a reason. Mainly because of the swelling and to allow yourself time to heal. If you move ahead in the stages you take the chance of getting stuck, stretching your band, or having your band slip because your stitches are not healed yet. Yes the food goes through. Not as quickly as you think it does. But the heavier food on your pouch that has stitches, pulls down on it, and doesn't allow the pouch to heal. I know the liquid phase sucks big time. But, this is a lifestyle change. And in order for the band to work, you have to work too. So give yourself the time to heal. Things will get better for you. I promise.

Great name. That's my sons name. :biggrin: I only had fluro for my first fill. I've had 5 fills and a bit taken out so far. I've had no problems at all. As long as the doctor can find your port and is able to put Fluid in and take some out you should be fine.

Sometimes surgeons put a small amount of Fluid in when you are banded. Did your doctor put any fluid in? If you are not feeling pain and you are able to keep things down, then you are ok. Your more then likely still a little swollen. Just remember to eat small amounts and eat slow. You will find that as you move up in stages you will experience this also. sugar free ice pops are great. They help with swelling and satisfiy your sweet tooth. You don't have a slipped band. Don't worry. What you are feeling is normal. Be happy that you have the feeling of restriction because once that goes away you will start feeling hungry again.

Hi Lisa, I'm Dawn. Congratulations on your surgery and your success. I wish you continued success along your journey. I will check out your blog. And do keep us posted. Thanks so much for sharing.

Congratulations Dave. I wish you much luck on your journey. Do keep us posted on your progress. :biggrin:

Well I finally hit ONEDERLAND today. After 23 years I am FINALLY out of the 200's. It's an amazing feeling. I have 12lbs to go before my doctors goal. I think I want to go another 10 to 15 for my secret goal. And only 9 months into the surgery. I am totally amazed at how great I feel.

600 calories sounds very low. I do 800-1100 calories a day. You might want to up your calorie intake just a bit. Do you have sleep apnea? Have you ever been tested for sleep apnea? Did you feel this way before surgery?

No way. You need to call your doctors office and tell them to submit the code because that's fraud. If they are going to pay for the surgery then your doctors office has to submit the papers. You tell them exactly what your insurance company said. If they still refuse then have your insurance company call them directly doing a 3 way call. You shouldn't have to pay anything out of pocket except your copay and any deductables that your insurance company doesn't cover. That's what insurance is for. Your doctor is totally wrong. And it doesn't matter that they have claims that the insurance company isn't paying. That's because someone at the doctors office isn't doing their job properly. Those aren't claims from you, those are claims from other patients. If the doctors office accepts your insurance and your insurance is going to pay for the hernia surgery, then the doctor HAS to submit it to them.

Restriction is when you can eat about 1/2 to 1 cup of food at every meal and are able to go 4-5 hours between meals without being hungry.

Do you have reflux or heart burn? My doctor also said that a big percentage of people also have a hernia. If you do have one and you don't get it repaired, it could cause major problems and I'm not even sure if they can do the surgery without fixing the hernia. What happens is that your stomach goes back up through the opening. That's what a hietal hernia is. So I don't think they can place the band if you have a hernia. Are you self pay for the lapband surgery? My insurance covered the herian surgery as well. I didn't have to pay in advance. And honestly I have never heard of paying in advance myself.

Not sure of the exact percentage but I can tell you that the rate of success with the lapband is greater than the complications of lapband.

Just tell him that you are on a very strict diet that doesn't allow you to eat too much and you really don't want to screw it up because you have done very well so far. You love his food and you love that he takes you out, but you can only eat so much. After you tell him (when the time is right) about the band, then he will understand. And like everyone else says, if he is Mr. Right and a wonderful guy, he will understand. If he doesn't, sorry then you need to find some else with positive renforcement. Good luck to you. I wish you the best with your relationship and your weightloss.

Hi Vicky. I'm Dawn from NJ. Congratulations on the start of your journey. I wish you much success. Please keep us posted on your progress and if you have any questions please feel free to ask.

Hi Tereasa, I'm Dawn. Congratulations on the start of your journey. You are a couple of years younger than me but let me say that I was borderline everything, plus had sleep Apnea and open heart surgery for an aortic anuerysm and valve replacement in 2001. I will need to have the valve replaced again because I had a pigs valve put in, which unfortunately they don't last for a lifetime. I did this because I just didn't want to take blood thinner for the rest of my life. So next time I'm getting a mechanical and taking blood thinner because I honestly don't want to get it done again after that. Anyway needless to say I had my lapband on Oct. 23, 2009. I have successfully lost 102lbs, am no longer borderline anything and I no longer have sleep apnea. I just went 2 weeks ago to the cardiologist and he told me that my valve is functioning at 100% and that I have probably prolonged my surgery. So my point, it's normal to be nervous and it's normal to ask yourself all of the questions that you are asking yourself. I can't say that you won't be starving because you will be. When you start the liquid diet you will be starving, tired and cranky. Once you have your surgery you probably won't be hungry for the first week. When the swelling goes down you will start getting hungry again. Some people feel relief after the first fill but to be honest with you, it takes about 3-5 fills before you start feeling satisfied. Here's how you get by all of that. You have to make up your mind that you are going to do this. Go into it with the mind set that the lapband is a tool that will help you to reach your goal and keep the weight off. It's not a miracle cure it all. It will not take away your bad habits. I would suggest now trying to educate yourself on the difference between real hunger and head hunger. It will ultimately help you in the long run. As for your family, they will get by. You will be surprise how much your family kind of falls into your good habits after you get banded. My husband is actually losing weight because I am not eating as much and I am not eating all of the bad food that I used to eat. Check out my blog. It might help to answer some of your questions. Right now is the best time for you to read up on everything. That way you will be aware of what is going on and how to deal with things as they arise. In all honesty I only have 1 regret. And that is that I didn't get this done sooner. I couldn't be happier. I haven't been this weight since 1987. You will be so suprised at how your self esteem comes back once you start losing the weight and people start noticing you. I have completely lost a person on the outside but I have gained a person on the inside (my self esteem). You will too. I wish you much luck on your journey. I would also suggest a local support group if you have one in your area as well as coming here. Please feel free to ask questions. And DO keep us posted on your progress. YOU CAN DO IT!!!

Just wondering how you are feeling today?

Sorry I also don't know anything about your surgeon but I wanted to also wish you good luck on your journey. Please keep us posted and if you have any questions along the way please ask.

Sounds kinda like you might have a little bug. Take your temp. If you spike a temp and definately if you have any discharge from your sites I would call your surgeons office before you go to the hospital. Sounds more like a bug to me rather then anything with the band. But I'm not a doctor so I can't really say. Keep an eye on it and try and drink plenty of fluids. If you can't swallow pills you can try some liquid tylenol or something.

Did you have surgery recently?

Thanks so much. After 21 days I have finally lost another 2 lbs. So now I have 17lbs to go. I really would LOVE to get in Onederland. Only 3 lbs to go for that. I haven't been there since 1987. I think when I get on the scale and it says 199 I will literally pass out.

Glad to hear that you have some support and very sorry to hear about your dad. As for your Aunt, I know it's easier when you have support but you have to remember that you are doing this for you, not for anyone else. Alot of times, as someone else stated, you might be suprised how much support you will get. I would also suggest a local support group if you have that available in your area, as well as here. It does help.

May I ask why you had to have a complete unfill? Sorry just curious.

My doctor doesn't tell me how much he puts in either. He feels that if you know how much fill you have in there, the closer you get to max. the more you might panic. So in a way I guess it's good to keep guessing. As for the unfill. It sounds like you definately need some taken out. I felt the same way you did about getting some taken out. I thought I was going to start eating everything in site and gain weight back. It didn't happen that way though. I was also having night regurgitation and night coughing. Plus it was painful for food going down most of the time. So I called and had half taken out of what the doc put in for my last fill. He said we will be taking it slow from now on. The point is that if you don't get an unfill when you are in the redzone, you can start gaining weight back, plus you are also not getting enough nutrients in your system which is also bad for you. Good luck to you.

Sleep Apnea is really nothing to worry about. Even if you have to use a CPAP, you will be off of it in no time. I was on a CPAP for 5 years. I had a moderate case of Sleep Apnea. As of last month (7 months after my surgery) I no longer have sleep apnea. So if you do indeed have a mild case, chances are it won't take you that long to get rid of the sleep apnea. It's common in people who are over weight. Good luck with your cardio and the rest of your tests. You will get there. :cool: I had to wait 6 months for my surgery. And I thought it was forever. But once the day go here I couldn't have been happier. The wait is well worth it. This is the time to ask as many questions as possible and read all that you can so you are prepared when your day arrives. Hang in there.