tonya66

I personally took off 2 weeks, the first week was rough, very nauseas the first 3 or 4 days. I think I could have returned after a week but glad I took the 2nd week off. I personally would plan on 2 weeks to give your body time to heal.

I had BCBS, but when I had the Band in 2007, I had United Healthcare. So when my doc and I discusses a revision his insurance coordinator did her research and found that Anthem BCBS treated it as a total new WLS, they didn't require the 6 mos diet, but required all the test, it took me about 2 months to do everything but once the paperwork was submitted, less than 48 hours to Get my approval. It was worth the wait! Best wishes

I have learned your body is going to do what it's going to do. I'm 7 months out and am down 45 lbs when a lot of people have already reach goal. I'm also a revision patient, had the band in 2007 and converted to sleeve November 20, 2013. Just stick to the rules and you will lose, slow sometime and sometimes fast. I will give you an example, for the past 3 months I have not done anything as far as weight loss goes, I've bounces around with the same 5 pounds for months. Everyone says after month 6 it slows down and I was really worried because it was already slow but suddenly from month 6 to 7 my weightloss has done the opposite and I'm almost down 10 lbs this month, so everyone is different. Focus on you and your journey, that's what I have to keep telling myself as well because it's easy to compare yourself to others. Best wishes to you!

I can't say the sleeve caused my reflux cause I has it before. I have Barrett's esophagus, my reflux is controlled with meds. Once the reflux is no longer controlled or get out of hand, RnY might be a route I have to take, but so far I can control it as long as I takes meds, avoid coffee, no spicy food etc.

I too had great success with the band, was banded in 2007 and then after a slight infill I lost restriction completely, after 23 fills, still no restriction. My doctor recommended switching to the sleeve and said my band simply quit working, they could not find a leak. I started with the band at 250, got down to about 145 and gained back up to 214, that was my weight on my surfer date for the sleeve. I was sleeved 11/20/13, losing weight slower than those younger than me, and those that are virgin bariatric patients (no precious WLS) but I will take it. I'm almost 7 months out and down to 165, 50 lbs in 7 mos. I do have reflux, I have Barrett's esophagus and had this before the sleeve, so I can't blame the sleeve. The only con I can think of is you can't take ibuprofen, ever. And u do have Vitamins to take for the rest of your life. I have arthritis in my knee and the ibuprofen really helped with inflammation. But losing weight is also helping. The pros, (which I used to think was a con) is it's permanent. Once they cut that stomach, it's gone. Dealing with the band and all the fills, I'm glad it's a permanent solution. I can eat anything, just not much of it. I can eat about 3 oz of food at a sitting and I am 7 mos out. For example, I split meals with my hubby and the other day I had my first hamburger since 2007, and I ate 1/4 of his burger and that was all I could eat and about 5 ff. I normally don't eat bread, but I wanted to test the sleeve and see if I could eat it. I never could eat a burger when I had the band. I haven't thrown up once with the sleeve, I have got nauseous a few times, especially in the beginning which is usually due to eating or drinking too fast, according to my nutrition or it's something my sleeve doesn't agree with. Everyone is different. Feel fee to ask any questions. Best wishes to you

I was banded in January 2007, I loved the band in the beginning, but after losing a lot of weight needed more fills, anyhow, long story short I never could find the sweet spot after 23 fills, lost all restriction and gained about 70 lbs back. Finally converted to sleeve on November 20, 2013. Band weight 248 Gastric sleeve weight 214 Today's weight 165 Goal weight 145 Happy? Heck yes I'm happy. Best decision ever.

I have read that people that revise surgeries tend to lose slower, and I am compared to many, a slow loser. However, with that being said, I am happy with my results and I continue to lose. I figure Im not in a race but on a journey. My stats are: Began the lapband at 250 dropped down to 145 Complications arose, and got back up to 214 which is what I was on my date of surgery Gastric sleeve sugery 11/20/13 at 214.5 Today my weight is 165, Im almost 7 months out, so about 50 lbs in 7 months From what I read, most people start to slow down at about 6 months, for me its been the opposite. Ive been at a stall for a few months and barely losing, this month Im going to hit around 10 lbs I think. So I've actually started losing more after 6 months. The thing I like about the sleeve is no more "stuck" feeling, I can pretty much eat whatever I like but not much of it. I try and make healthy choices though and stay away from the carbs and sugar. Let me know if you have any more questions.

Hi Susan, I had to comment because your journey sounds like mine. I has the band in Jan 2007, I loved it and did great. Then one time I got an overfill and had to take some Fluid out. That's when all my issues began. I had 23 fills trying to find my sweet spot and could not find it. Finally last year in November we removed the band and converted to sleeve. I have Barrett's Esophagus and have been dealing with acid reflux for years, my hernia was removed but I still have the after effects. I do have acid reflux with the sleeve, but I had it worse with the band and had to sleep sitting up. Medication does help and I will be on it for the rest of my life I am sure. Feel free to ask any questions. Best wishes to you Tonya

Thread for January 2007 bandsters (or anyone else who would like to join in) for support, encouragement, and a little of everything else in between.

Wow, long time since I've posted. Winter has gotten the best of me, was diagnosed with SAD (Seasonal Affective Disorder) and its time to get the winter weight off. Will post later when I have more time, just wanted to reactivate my journal!

Has anyone has Smartlipo done? And if so, were you happy with it? I am hearing reports that it is much better than regular lipo and it tightens your skin. I go next month for consultation with a local doctor who does it - Dr. Masters Mexico. I want multiple areas done - so not sure how much it would be. I'm also looking into having it done in Mexico by Dr. Lopez - Versalles Center - Board Certified Plastic Surgeons. I'm looking for anyone who has experience with Smartlipo and how this would affect us with the band.

I found this while searching on the net, so I wanted to save it for future reference. I'm down around 70 to 80 lbs and so far the only thing I'm experiencing is lower back pain. I still have more weight to lose, but so far everyone tells me no need for tummy tuck. But you never know, I want to have all the info I can in case I do require one. GET INSURANCE APPROVAL FOR COSMETIC SURGERY Since I previously worked at an insurance company and have discussed what I’ve learned there, I often get inquiries about how to get insurance approval for cosmetic surgery after weight loss. It is possible to have the insurance company approve payment for your reconstructive surgery. The most common type of surgery requested after weight loss is an abdominoplasty.This single surgery can make one of the biggest differences in the body – it removes excess skin and tissue of the abdomen area. This procedure is also often called a “Tummy Tuck.” Do not EVER use the term Tummy Tuck when communicating with your insurance company – they consider this strictly a cosmetic surgery term and they do not like it. Once thing I’ve learned with having worked at an insurance company is that how you communicate with them is as important as what you say. The abdominoplasty is a term used to cover a few different procedures. Two of the terms, panniculectomy and abdominoplasty are often used interchangeably, but the terms actually have some subtle differences. In a panniculectomy, the hanging or excess skin of the pannus (the lower part of your abdomen) is removed surgically.In this procedure, muscle repair may not be done – in most adults who have had weight changes or pregnancy there is often some separation of the abdominal muscles. In an abdominoplasty, this excess skin is removed and often there is a repair of the abdominal muscles if there is separation or loosening of the muscles in this area. Hernias in this area are usually covered by insurance, and the repair of these hernias is often done simultaneously with an abdominoplasty. I think the keys to insurance approval are very simple. It's difficult for one doctor to completely ignore another - so I always try to have my insurance approvals passed on to the clinical doctor in whatever group is in charge of making the decision. To make sure this happens, I include a lot of doctors' letters in any file that is going to be sent to an insurance company. By this I mean letters from your PCP or General Practitioner, letters from your OB/Gyn, your dermatologist - any doctors you have.Add these letters along with the file and photos that your Plastic Surgeon will send to the insurance company. Now after a massive weight loss, it is inevitable you'll have lots of excess skin. For that reason, I suggest you make sure that the insurance company understands that it's not cosmetic reasons that you want this skin removed - but for medical reasons. In other words, you want to make sure that they understand that this excess skin (and excess tissue, especially in the areas of your abdomen, thighs, hips etc - and perhaps even your bust) is interfering with your daily function and life. The things I would stress would be the issues that occur with excess skin. These may seem gross but they are actual medicalresults of excess or hanging skin. If your hanging abdominal skin is forming an apron of skin that hangs toward your pelvic area, then this may cause complications that can be used as justification for approving your abdominoplasty surgery. The idea is if you have any of these conditions to make sure that your doctor notes you've been diagnosed or treated with it. Or if you haven't been diagnosed but the doctor knows you are PRONE to this conditions this can be used as justification for getting your surgery before you suffer from these conditions. For example, if a female has been treated for yeast infections from her OB/Gyn, then it is perfectly acceptable for that doctor to note that the hanging skin might make you prone to that condition (even if it has not yet surfaced.) Letters from your dermatologist noting skin irritations, rashes, infections from your hanging skin or having been treated with medication for these conditions is also a very strong factor in getting approval. A letter from your urologist might mention if you've been diagnosed as having excess abdominal skin that is pressing or your bladder or urethra. This pressure can cause various urological conditions and disorders. If you’ve been treated by a chiropractor for any lower back pain, any type of alignment difficulties or other conditions that might be affected by hanging or excess skin, get a letter documenting that. It has been studied that every one pound of abdominal tissue add 10 pounds of strain on the disks of the spine and lower back. The extra weight affects the normal curve of the spine and contributes to lower back pain. In other words, an extra five pounds can add 50 lbs of strain to the lower back. And extra ten pounds of abdominal tissue can add 100 lbs of strain to the disks of the lower back and this is another reason this area common suffers abdominal hernias (this is especially true after changes in weight, pregnancy, and abdominal surgeries). Your PCP or Family doctor can also be of great help in helping the insurance company to realize that getting an abdominoplasty is reconstructive and not cosmetic. Having this doctor detail the conditions you’ve experienced is essential to getting approval for this procedure. Insurance companies are often in the business of not approving procedures that they even suspect are not medically necessary but cosmetic. Make sure that your documentation reflects common medical industry terminology (writing panniculectomy or abdominoplasty instead of Tummy Tuck, as discussed earlier) and utilizing the correct codes to document the conditions that you may suffer from. If you have even more significant excess skin that extends throughout your lower body area, then the more severe Belt Lipectomy or even a Lower Body Lift may be needed. This procedure involves a full around-the-world incision that spans your entire body. The surgical and recovery times are also more lengthy in this much more costly procedure and often insurance companies are hesitant to approve a Belt Lipectomy or Lower Body Lift without some significant documentation to show that it is needed. The CPT code for the abdominoplasty procedure is generally CPT 15831 – The excision of excessive skin and subcutaneous tissue. (This is the code that is on my insurance approval letter for my abdominoplasty.) The code for removal of excess hip area tissue is CPT 15834. With other areas included (flanks, back) it is CPT 15839. If this process includes suction-assisted lipectomy (like liposuction) then it can be CPT 15877. (Note: Insurance companies are notoriously loathe to approve CPT 15877 as they consider it cosmetic.) It is important to document that the excess skin is not a cosmetic issue but is “interfering with exercise, hygiene and health” and that it is not cosmetic. The following is a list of common industry ICD-9 codes are descriptive diagnostic codes that used to describe symptoms, in this case relating to excess skin. These can be used in the letters that describe the various conditions and symptoms that are prompting you to seek the surgery. Panniculitis 729.39 - Skin irritation underneath pannus area Large pannus 701.9 - Redundant skin, lower abdominal area Intertrigo 695.89 - Rashes & Irritation of skin in pannus area Back pain 724.1 - Back pain from diminished abdominal muscle Skin Abcess 682.2 - Can result from excess or hanging skin This is just some of the information that can be included in the documentation provided to the insurance company. I know I did not want to wait until my excess skin became a full hanging apron, so I knew I had to be persistent and diligent in seeking insurance approval.

Confused - do you still have your gall bladder? The reason I ask is when I had my gall bladder problems (I didn't know it was gall bladder) I felt like a punch in the stomach, it felt like I had fallen from a high place at times and fell onto my stomach and it would take my breath away at times. Just a thought for you to consider if they find its not your band. I hope everything turns out for the best for you. The brite side is, at least you will find out exactly what is causing the pain, right? Keep us informed on how it turns out.

Hello everyone, just checking in. Things are going good, Juno, good for you for getting back to the gym! And 10 lbs per month is great!!!!!!!!!!! I have slacked in the exercise area, but I know I need to get back. I was planning on going last night, but I got a kidney infection and just didn't feel well, been on antibiotics now for a couple of days and it is starting to feel better, so maybe I can head over to the gym after work :smile2:. I have 25 days until I leave for my cruise, so I really need to focus on my exercise.......... I hope everyone is doing good and enjoying the summer!

thank you luckinlove, your welcome for dinner anytime! lol

The slight unfill did the trick, slept like a baby last night for the first time in weeks! No acid reflux at all. I wish now I would have had him only take out 1/2 of a 10th of a cc. It probably would have worked and I would probably have better restriction. But whatever, I'm living with what I have now. I have restriction, just not as good as it was before the unfill. But I just cannot live with the acid reflux. I need my sleep! It was so bad it was coming out my freaken nose. lol. Today's menu: bfast coffee with cream toast & strawberry jam (HOMEMADE WITH SF) Lunch meatloaf (again, homemade and used SF barbque sauce I made) salad Dinner chicken fahitas, no tortillia orange sorbet that I made - SF Wt today 147.4

Todays menu: Bfast coffee & cream - wasn't hungry and didn't eat bfast Lunch meatloaf english cucumber salad snack orange Dinner talapia salad strawberry crumble Wt 147.2

Well, not a bunch......But you do need a mixing needle. and if you are going to inject, you will need a supply of injection needles. Some states sale them in the pharmacy without a perscription, I'm told Walmart does for $6 for a 30 day supply, but I think my state requires a perscription, that is why I actually ordered online. I'm told you can actually get a mixing needle at a pet supply store, but I havent verified that. You might have to spend an additional $15 on the extra stuff to mix with the HCG. You see, the HCG you buy is 2000ius and is mixed for one injection (women use it as a fertility drug) so thats how it is mixed. You cannot take that much so you have to dilute it, either for orally or injections. Have you watched any of the youtube videos? Momaclock has some good ones that explains it. I added my cost up and I spent about $1 a day.

I've done all three - I wanted to try each and every way to see which way I liked. I was very leary of the injections, but now I think I might like them the best because you do it once a day and your done. I did not think I could give myself a shot, and I was afraid it would hurt. I promise you, if you get the right needles, you do not feel a thing. Boy scouts honor! As far as the HCG, they will all say injectible use, however, its the way you "mix" it that makes it sublinqual or injectible. When I did mine, I bought the 5000iu's and mixed with 2cc of colodiul silver and 13 mils of vit b-12. You take .5 cc's 2 x's a day. I did for the sublinqual dosage. However, I now would recommend the 2000 ius. The easiest way to explain it is look at the 2000 ius as the number of pills in a bottle, so 5000 ius will give you more dosage than 2000ius. However because the HCG loses potency after about 2 to 3 weeks, I think its better to mix more often and then you don't have to worry about it losing potency, hence that is why I would recommend 2000iu's. When you get the HCG, you have to mix it - either for injections or to take orally. You will mix each different. If you are doing injections, you won't have to buy as much because you do 1x's per day, sublinqual you do 2x per day so you use twice as much, but you don't have to buy the injection needles, so the cost is about the same. I mixed 2000ius for injection with 4cc of bac water. You must get bac water for injections and nothing else. I got my bac water from bodyinfluence.com - they have the best prices and quick at shipping. I actually bought the "pre-mixed" hucog that had 1cc mixed in it, so I withdrew the 1cc of mixture, added 3 cc of bac water into a seperate sealed vial (I bought my injection needles and sealed vials from researchsupply.net as they have the best prices), I injected .30 cc a day giving me a dosage of 150ius. Dr. S said 125ius works for most, or up to 200ius. I have heard from many that 200ius is too much and it actually will make you too hungry, so I decided to try somewhere in the middle and 150 ius worked for me, probably 125 would have worked too. I bought my mixing needles from ebay. They were cheap. You can also buy hcg kits for sublingual use - comes with everything you need to mix sublingually, momaclock has some on ebay that are reasonably priced. But you really don't need a kit. If you decide to do it, PM privately your address and I will mail you a mixing needle, I have tons of them that are still wrapped sterile. These are just for mixing, not injections. So the first thing is to decide which way you would like to dose, injections or sublinqually? Its up to you which way because they work the same as far as weightloss. It just depends whats easiest for you. Let me know if you have questions, I will be happy to answer what I can. Again, I'm by no means an expert, but I feel very confident in the program and happy to share with anyone that is interested. My mom has started it and for the first time in years she has had to lower her insulin level, her blood sugar is finally becoming "normal". The manuscript says diabetics can be corrected in as short as a week, and this is happening with my mom. She is so excited that she might be able to get off her diabetes medication. It sounds very confusing and trust me, I was totally confused when I first started and I just continued to dig and dig for information and watched a ton of youtube videos, read tons of blogs, and joined a yahoo group called HCGdiet that gave me the best information and there are a lot of women who have maintained for years on the HCG diet and still are on the blog just to help people out. So it depends on what you are wanting to do, or what will be easiest for you, sublinqual or injections. I have found they work the same, even the homeopathic brand works and many take that too, I bought my homeopathic brand from healingpowerwithin.net. I hope I didn't confuse you more :thumbup:

I know, I love her so much! She is so sweet! It can be frustrating to weigh everyday, but is is also kinda fun to see the scale go down EVERY DAY! There were a few occasions that I stalled, like for 4 days, but I knew that was to be expected. Sometimes I even would go up a few ounces but I always knew when the scale went up, that I would be losing the next day. My body will always gain a few before I drop a bunch - its always been that way. weird I know. I sometimes feel the same way. I can do so great for so long then all of a sudden I lose all my mojo and just don't care. Not sure why that is. I thought the same thing, it took me over a year to go ahead and try it after I learned about it. But first let me explain a few things, you really are not living off 500 calories, your body is tapping into your abnormal fat and it is actually supplying you with an additional 2000 to 4000 calories. The study or the discovery that was done on HCG in the 50's was that when a pregnant woman starves herself, your body goes into a protection mode for the fetus. This is what happened to the pregnant women in Africa, they were malnurished, they were hungry, they were pregnant, however when the babies were born, they were at a healthy weight and no malnurished was discovered in them. Thus, this began the study of why that is? So, what the Dr. S found out is our body produces HCG when we are pregnant, if you do not eat properly, the HCG taps into the stored fat/abnormal fat which carries nutrients in it and feeds the fetus so it is healthy. Makes sense to me since God created us that way. Anyhow, if your not pregnant but taking HCG, your body "thinks" you are and when you are eating low cal, it taps into the stored fat. Now, the about 500 calories, you are right, anyone will lose on a 500 calorie diet. The difference is they could not do it long term, you would be weak, you would lose muscle not fat. With HCG this has not happend and I've done it for over 100 days! There is no way in hell I could do just a 500 calorie diet for that long. I would be starving, with HCG, no hunger! I had a little in the beginning but it was a manageble hunger. The biggest problem I had was at about the 15th day, I noticed I just could not stomach another piece of grilled chicken or fish, then I discovered a cookbook for HCG and that made a world of difference, I started making food that tasted really good and discovering a whole different way to eat my chicken and fish, lol. I was not sold on HCG before I started it, I really wasn't, very skeptical. But after tyring it and realizing that there really isn't hunger with it, and for the first time my thighs are shrinking where all other diets, they never would. I'm sold! When your not losing weight, the scale isn't budging, I was still shrinking. Thats why the manuscript is called "Pounds and Inches", you don't just lose pounds but you lose tons of inches. Its crazy. The con to HCG is it is very strict, if you go over the calories, then your body is thinking your getting enough, so the HCG will not tap into the stored fat, and actually will store the extra calories for future starvation, so you will gain. There is no cheating on it, so a little cheat can cost you. Thats the con. I have cheated a few times, but for the most part I stayed pretty true to the plan and this morning I weighed in at 147.4. Maintance is when you end the HCG, you do 3 weeks of basically Atkins style. The rule is you can eat anything you want except no sugar, and no starches. So no breads, no pies, no pasta etc. You do this for three weeks while your body stabalizes - this is when you are reseting the hypothalamus (it controls your thyroid, your body set point). After the three weeks - you move into the next phase for 3 week, this is when you SLOWLY introduce carbs/sugars back into your diet. You see how much your body can tolerate before it gains. You will know how many fruits you can have a day, how many breads ect. Then after you do this for three weeks, you can either 1) do another round of HCG if you have more to lose, or 2) continue maintaining for the rest of your life. The rulse of the maintenance phase is you have to weigh everyday - first thing in the morning after going to restroom and naked, if ever you go over 2 lbs of your last dosage weight you must do a correction day that same day. For example, my last dosage weight was 147, if I ever get to 149.1, I must do a correction day. Dr. S. describes one where you go all day, no food just water or tea, then that evening you have a huge steak and either a small tomatoe or apple. This will correct the gain and you should drop back down within the 2 lb range. I bought a book that gives numerous correction days, like eating eggs all day long, or alternation between eggs and nuts. Anyhow, I've had to do one correction day and it worked. I've been holding steady at my last dosage weight and I am eating more than I ever have. Its weird that my body is letting me stay this way, in the past I've gained weight so easily, but now i'm having a hard time gaining. I love it. That is one thing that appealed to me was being able to reset my body set point, the scale always goes crazy on me and I have never been steady at my weight. But anyhow, sorry to ramble on and on and on, I just think so many people have a misconception of the 500 cal diet. But again, it is not for everyone, some people just are not in a position to eat the strict list of foods you can have. When your traveling etc it makes it hard. Eating out is difficult because you don't know how they are preparing your food. I order my RX HCG from alldaychemist.com. They are out of India and all the reviews I have read is they are the most honest and reliable and cheapest, I've been very impressed with them and I can say that the HCG I've received from them has worked. Some people chose not to do the perscription HCG and chose to use a homeopthic brand. I've also tried that and it works. Its really no HCG in it, but its been mimmicked like the real hcg and somehow works off the vibration of your body, not sure how the whole homeopathic stuff works, but I can say It worked for me. The best place for that is healingpowerwithin.net. Its the cheapest, they are honest and not there to rip you off. A lot of the internet places are charging $160 for a 40 day supply. I buy RX HCG for about $30 plus shipping, the homeopathic cost me about $55 plus shipping - the pro to the homeopathic is you get it within 3 or 4 days. I started with homeopathic until my RX came in, then I switched to the RX. You can do that right in the middle of a round, its not a problem. Well, I hope I explained it better for you, if not, feel free to ask more questions. I'm by no means an expert, and I've learned most of my information from a yahoo group called HCGDiet, also from youtube videos, tons of them out there with hundreds of success stories. Momaclock is one of the youtube people I watch and she has taught me a lot!

Fill #1 - 3/6/07 - 2.2cc's Fill #2 - 4/17/07 - 3.0cc's Fill #3 - 7/6/07 - 3.5 cc's (I think it was only 2.5cc's because when I went back for fill #4, he could only w/draw 1.8 cc's) Fill #4 - 7/20/07 - filled me back to 3.0 ccs - He should have filled me more! Fill #5 - 8/17/07 - 3.4cc's Fill #6 - 10/08/07 - filled me to 3.8cc's - the best restriction I've ever had,but still could eat big bites of food, so I figured I needed to be tighter. Fill #7 - 11/21/07 filled to 4.0 cc's. By the evening could not hold anything down, not even my saliva. PBing all night - horrilble experieince UNFILL #1 - 11/23/07 - unfilled to somewhere between 2.5 to 3.0 cc's - NO RESTRICTIONS AGAIN :eek: Fill #8 - 1/18/08 Went in and the doc filled me back up to just right under 4.0, according to Flouro, it was perfect. Well, by next morning, could not hold down saliva again, ended up back in hospital UNFILL #2 - 1/19/08 - Doctor had to unfill me to 3.0 again because of the swelling from all the PBing for being too tight. Again, NO RESTRICTION - Fill #9 - 2/12/08 - 3.5 cc's - was tight for about a week, now feel lose again. grrrr, still have "some" restriction, just not quite enough! Next fill scheduled for 4/7/08 - I hate that it takes sooooooo long to get in to see the fill doc. FILL #10 - 4/7/08 The doc just added .4cc's, making me at 3.9cc's. I think this might be the one! FILL #11 - Was scheduled on 6/25/08 - but the doc did not fill me up, I was leaving for a cruise on 6/27 so he didn't want to risk me being too tight, so did not get a fill. FILL #11 - 8/5/08 Went for a fill, this time the doc took all my fill out and all he could get out was 2.4 cc's. Filled me up to 4.0 cc's, I left, had to go right back because I could not drink, he took out a little over .2 cc's, he said I'm somewhere between 3.5 to 3.7 cc's. - I had great restriction for 2 weeks, but It has now loosened some. I feel I might need a tad more. I'm worried I have a very slow leak. UNFILL #3 - 8/5/08 - Took a little over .2 cc's out, had pretty good restriction, but still a tad too lose. FILL #12 - 9/17/08 - Added just 1/10th of a cc - I think I'm somewhere between 3.8 to 3.9 cc in a 4cc band. I am hoping and praying this is the fill that I stop with! I do not have another appointment for another fill, will wait this one out and see. Fill #13 - 10/06/08 - Doc added about 2/10's of a cc. He took everything out and put it all back in and said I was about 3.7 to 3.8cc's. - which is where he said I was last time. FILL #14 - 11/10/08 - Doc took everything out and I had about 3.6cc's, which is pretty good. He then filled me up to just under 4.0cc's I believe I'm about 3.9cc's. I ate some canned peaches and set around the office for a bit, made sure none came back up. Seems to be doing good so far. I hope this is my last fill! FILL #15 - 08/10/09 - Added about 1/10th of a cc. I think I'm right at 4.0 cc. Wt on the morning of my fill was at 165. But was very bloated from steroids I was on for the previous week. FILL #16 - 8/31/09 - My last fill lasted 2 weeks then I felt wide open. Went in for another fill, this time he did not take any out and just added 2/10th's of a cc. I think I'm just a little more than 4.1 cc's in a 4.0 cc band. I feel great restriction so far. I'm hoping this last. I'm sick of fills. lol. - I could tell my fill was wide open, I was starving all the time, wt at the time of fill was 170! grrrrrrr FILL #17 - 10/30/09 - completely drained me, checked for a leak - no leak YAY - added 4.6 cc's - I feel like he didn't add anything, feel wide open! Hungry all the time FILL #18 - 11/09/09 Doc did barium swallow test - I think he thought I was full of it. He saw what I was talking about and agreed I was way too loose. He added 2.5cc's. I feel restriction again, but not a real tight restriction. I have no idea where I'm at these days and I really don't care anymore how much CC's I have, I just want RESTRICTION!!!!!! Fill #19 - 11/23/09 - I had a some restriction, but not enough, the doc added 3/10ths of a cc. I feel pretty good, not too tight, which means it probably will get looser. I will ride this fill out and see what happens. Very discouraged at this point. FILL #20 - 12/28/09 - did not take any fluid out, just added 4/10th's of a cc. Still feel lose, but on the fluro it showed I was tight, so we'll see how it goes......... FILL #21 - 02/01/10 - Doc did not take any fluid out, added 1/2 a mil then I told him it was still too loose, so he added another 1/10th of a cc. Feel really good right now - but as always we will have to wait and see. FILL #22 - 5/17/10 - Decided to get just a little tweak, my last fill is still pretty good, but wanted to go just a tad tighter. Doc added just a little, probably 2/10th of a mil. Unfill #4 - 6/7/10 - Fill #22 has been perfect, except my acid reflux has flaired up. Decided to get a slight unfill to see if that helps with it. doc took out 1/10th of a cc. We'll know tonight if this is going to work, fingers and toes are crossed.

Well had fill #22 exactly 3 weeks ago and it is the sweet spot I have been searchig for over 3 years! I love the restriction, I love everything about the way I eat, however, I noticed acid reflux at night. Lots and lots of acid reflux lately. grrrrrrrrr. I'm waking up choking and coughing and my lungs are feeling like I'm getting pneumonia, I know I don't have that, but thats the way it feels. I know its time to tweak this fill just a little. I have Barrets Esophagus from years of acid reflux and its very dangerous to have acid reflux once you are diagnoxed with Barrets Esophagus, so my ENT doctor wants me to get just a slight unfil to see if that eases it up. I am going back today to have the band doc take just 1/10th of a cc out. He only added 2/10ths with my last fill so I'm think 1/10th of a cc taken out might do the trick. Weight this morning 147.7. Still would like to get to 145 before my cruise - which I have a feeling I will do it with no problem, my cruise is 5 weeks away. :thumbup: Menu today: Bfast Coffee/cream strawberry jam (homemade sf) toast Lunch mini meatloaf with homemade SF barbque sauce I made and a radish salad Snack orange and strawberry protein drink Dinner fish & salad

I've been banded now for over 3 years. I had the exact same fears, you can read my journey in my blog if you like. I totally freaked out the closer I got to surgery. 3 1/2 years later, I would not change a thing. I do eat bread, occasionaly, I do have a cookie, occasionaly. I still enjoy life, and I still eat things but I eat it all in moderation. Its all portioned controlled. I used to go thru an entire box of oreos - and no I'm not exagerating! I ate the entire package with 2 or three glasses of milk! I no longer can eat the entire package, I might have 2 or 3 very rarely, and only when I really want it. I have gone from a size 18 to a size 6 now. Bought new clothes this weekend and realized, the size 8's are just too baggy so I moved to size 6 and they fit! Let me tell you, I loved food, still love food, but nothing taste as good as being thin is! So don't let the fears stop you from being who you deserve to be. Best wishes to you.

Sula - one thing I now do is weigh myself EVERYDAY. People say you shouldn't do it, but it keeps me honest. The HCG program requires you to weigh yourself everyday and if every you go over the 2 lbs of your last dosage weight, you have to immediately do a correction day. So far I'm staying around the same, I haven't gone over or under the 2 lbs since I started the maintenance phase. I'm going back to my band doctor to get a slight unfill. I love the restriction I have, its perfect. However, I am having too much acid reflux at night, I have Barrets Esophagus and having acid reflux is dangerous especially if you have Barrets Esophagus, so I called and they will take just a little out today and see if that helps. I think 1/10th of a cc should do the trick. I will be leaving on my cruise next month and I'm so excited to be at a size 6 now. I still would like to lose another 10 lbs, but I'm happy if I don't too. I'm pretty happy with my weight now. I still need to do some toning and maybe some nip & tuck - tummy tuck and my arms fixed, and maybe a lower body lift.....but who knows. It all takes money and lots of it and not sure I can do it all. Well, I hope everyone is doing good. I've had a busy summer so far. My daughter and son were involved in a bad car accident, so that was scarey, they are both okay, but going thru physical therapy and still having some back issues and neck pain. My daugthers car was totaled, so we've been sharing cars until we found her a new one. Found her a good deal last night on a car and will pick it up today. So that will make my life a little easier. My son is working full-time in the ER while he is attending medical school, so the wreck was not good since he is on his feet all day long. The pain in his back really gets to him, I bought him a new pair of shoes that were $160 last night, hoping they will ease some of his pain. We also go a new addition to our family. She is the cutest thing ever and I absolutely love her! She is 8 week old Maltese. My pointer is not too fond of her, but we're hoping he grows to love her as much as we already do. She is so good too, no accidents in the house as of yet, she lets us know when she wants to go potty, and she just loves to snuggle up to us. Today is my first day back to work after a week off, and I'm having major withdrawals from leaving her today. I feel like a new mother that has to leave her newborn baby for the first time. lol. I think I might have to make the 30 mile drive back home today at lunch just to see her. Her name is Pearl.

that's great ur doing good after breast reduction. I agree with u on the HCG diet, I don't think anyone should do it unless they are totally commited, it's very strict and any wavering from the diet can cause weight gain. It took me a lot of research and an article I read is what convinced me to try it. It wasn't the article itself, it was a negative article but it was all th comments after the article. Hundreds and hundreds of comments disputing the article. It convinced me to just try it. The first 10 days were he'll, lots of carb withdrawals, but then it got so easy. There us no way I can do it over the next few months because of all the traveling we are doing, so I have ended it and now on a maintenance phase. I am really restricted now too, I am finally to a sweet spot - I love it! Tonight we went out for Mexican and I could only eat about 1/3 or less of my meal. I got very full fast. My band will keep me from over eating during the next few months while I'm doing the maintenance phase. Now I must get back to my exercise routine and hit it hard!