Jssc73

I have been banded for almost 2 years and lost 125lbs. The most important thing to remember is that the lap band is a tool not a solution. If you work with it, it will work for you. Good luck on your journey!

I was banded on 10-26-09. Since then I have lost 125lbs only 20 more to go until goal weight......

I was banded October 2009 and I have lost 67 pounds. I have 4.5cc in a 10cc band (I have had 5 fills). I don't have restriction all the time, depends on what I am eating. I limit my intake to no more than 1 cup of food at a meal (since that is the max your pouch should approximately hold). If you don't have restriction then you have to have more control over your diet. Remeber your lap band is a tool and sometimes you have to help that tool to make it work. I would write down your calorie intake each day to see how much you are eating since you do not have good restriction.

I am from Cullman. Dr. Cottingham completed my surgery in Cullman. Prior to using him, I had looked into Dr. Pennington in Birmingham. I have only heard good things about him. I had Blue Cross of Alabama. They required a 6 month Dr supervised diet. Once complete then I had to have a PT and Dietician vist for Cottingham and a Psych visit. After I completed all that, then I was scheduled for Surgery. I started the process at the end of Jan 2009 and I had surgery at the end of October 2009.

I was banded October 26, 2009. Prior to surgery, I could go to McDonald's and eat a quarter pounder with cheese, large Fries, and a sundae with no problems. Now if I go to McDonalds, I usually get one of their chicken snack wraps and that is a meal for me. If I am craving a quarter pounder, I get one and take the top bun off and eat the patty and the bottom bun and even then, I usually cant finish it. The main reason I got the lap band was to help control the amount of food I can eat. Also, I find that I eat less carbs now because I tried to get my protein and veggies in before I eat any potatoes or breads. My problem was a mixture of what I ate and sometimes how much. I never really thought I ate a lot and neither did my husband but when you starting eating with the band, you realize that what you thought wasn't a lot really is a lot. I love my band and I wouldn't change anything.

I was banded on 10/26/09. I have lost 51lbs total (11 of it was pre-op) so I guess that is 40 pounds so far. I have 5cc in a 10cc band (got fill today of 0.5 cc). So far so good with the fills. I don't really count calories, I just watch my food portions. I try to work out 3 to 4 days a week. My doc says I am doing well so I hope to continue on the path. I hope to lose another 95 pounds, that will be my goal.

I would look at the EOB (Explanation of Benefits) from the Insurance. Most likely the cash payment is not the full amount that was paid. Hospital charges are the same whether you are self pay or insurance - just if you are self pay, you never see the high bill because they have agreed on a price with you as self pay. They do not bill you because you pay upfront. The insurance also has a contractual agreement with the hospital and do not pay the full amount of the charges. If you get your EOB, you will see the insurance probably paid (cash outlay) less than the self pay person did. It is part of the hospital world. I know for my procedure, the charges were around $25,000 and the insurance only paid $5,800.

I have flown southwest when I was around 280 pounds. The seat was tight and I had to use a seat extender also. I would sit on the aisle seat and put your child in the middle seat. Then lift the arm between the two of you and you should have plenty of room. Your child probably doesn't need the full seat size anyway. That is what I have done before.

I was banded on a Monday and went back to work on the following Monday. I was out and about on the Friday after surgery but found I got tired quicker. I sit behind a computer all day also. I wish I had taken 1 more week to get used to the lower intake of food and finish healing. You don't realize how much turning and stretching you do at a desk to get into drawers, reach paperwork, etc. If you have the time, I would take 2 weeks.