KatieMT

You're doing great! The time between banding and the first fill is all about healing up. My surgeon was thrilled that I'd lost 19lbs before my first fill. He said a lot of his patients don't lose at all before the first fill.

I was excited when I had to do this! Congrats, it's a great accomplishment!

I'm overweight. Not obese. Yay!! I also hit my half way mark, and didn't even notice. I guess maybe I'm on a roll.

I'm a tummy or side sleeper. I hate sleeping on my back. It took me a few weeks to get back on my tummy, but I was able to side sleep within a few days. It'll really depend on how well you tolerate surgery. That being said...a few weeks of not sleeping normally is SO worth the band. You will sleep, and before you know it you'll be back to normal. I didn't even let this be a consideration when I was deciding. I sleep better 50lbs lighter anyway.

I have Tricare Prime, and didn't have to do any orientation, or any of the other things I read about, like the psych evaluation, the diet, etc. But I hear Tricare South is different than the other regions. Wish I could help, though!

The only change I've noticed is that I'm more willing to do certain positions. Everything else is as great as ever.

Congrats!! I'm 10lbs away from that Overweight mark, I can't wait!

I don't live near base anymore, so I use a civilian PCM. He put the referral in April 22nd, Tricare approved it May 14th. I spoke with my surgeons office, and the went ahead and put in the request for the procedure and Tricare approved in on May 19th. So it took about a month to get everything approved. I had the surgery July 13th, and am SO glad I did. Don't worry about being judged. It's not about anyone but you. If you're ready to take this step, forget everyone else.

I have PCOS, but I wasn't banded until after I'd had my children. I was blessed with a son almost 9 years ago, while on the birth control pill. My doctor decided the pill actually straightened out my hormones. Ha. My daughter was a bit harder. Surgery, medications, charting, timed sex. Blah. I can say that my cycle has been slightly better since I've lost a little.

I also think it's great that you're exploring your options. I did a LOT of research before being confident with my decision. I will tell you why I shied away from gastric bypass. Both of my parents had the bypass done years ago. First my mom, then my dad. My mom nearly died. The surgeon nicked her intestine during surgery, and didn't notice. She ended up with a horrible infection in her entire abdominal cavity. They had to open her back up, clean it all out, then let her heal naturally with no sutures. She was supposed to be in the hospital for a week, max. She was there for over 3 months. One complication turned into a handful. She OD'ed on morphine, and developed a blood clot in her shoulder. My dad also nearly died. He lost too much weight too fast. The had to tube feed him for a while. He couldn't keep anything down. He was so sick, nothing but skin and bones. Since their surgeries, they have both had to have surgery again to repair hernias. And they have both gained a considerable amount of weight back. My mom says she'd have the lap band done if her insurance would pay for it. They're the only real life people I know who've had the bypass. I'm not trying to give the worst horror story here, this is just from my personal experience. To me, the risks were to great to lose weight fast. I had the LB surgery in July. I'm losing slowly, but I'm fine with that. I'm completely happy with my decision.

Congrats! And look at that BMI! I can't wait to hit onederland. 11 more pounds for me!

I weigh just about every morning, first thing. Use the bathroom, weigh, brush my teeth, that's my routine. But, I don't record my weighs at home. Only the ones at my surgeons office. I'm sure that will change once I start going less, but right now I'm going once a month, so it works.

I miss Killeen. Going to CTC by any chance? :smile2: I'm in Southeast Arkansas, but had my surgery in Louisiana because no one around me takes my insurance. :thumbup: I'm a stay at home mom, full time student, and a quarter time photographer (when I can find the time ).

I had my first fill this last Wednesday. It didn't hurt at all. The sensation was a bit odd for me, but so is my daughter crawling all over my stomach and poking the port. lol I don't know that I'll get used to it, but it was certainly tolerable.

Tea and coffee are in my diet, but I'm not a huge fan of either. I was a huge Diet Coke addict. I've found a Vitamin Water that has caffeine in it, and it's what I've been drinking to curb withdraws. It was ok'ed by my doctor for the clear liquid diet, so it may be worth a try. It's the Energy one.

Glad to see my comments working! Don't worry, Monica, mines fairly new, too.

I'm going to see if I can take the verification off of it. I only use mozilla/foxfire, maybe that has something to do with it. ETA: I was able to disable the word verification. I hope that helps! Not much fun if you can't leave a comment, eh?

I did have about a 4lb gain while in the hospital. I assumed it was the IV fluids and all the gas. I still have a lot of the gas, but it's slowly getting better. I have lost 3 of those 4lbs though, so it comes right off. :sad:

I checked it out and it's working for me. I'll recheck the settings. ETA: I changed a few settings, if you could try it and let me know, that would be great!

I just started blogging again. I'm still working on the set up and what not, but it's up and running. The Incredible Shrinking Me

My surgeon suggested I quit, but it wasn't a requirement. BT is right, it does effect the anesthesia, and slows down healing. I know how hard it is to quit, I quit for about 5 months last year. I've been terrified to quit again because of the amount of weight I gained in those 5 months. I'm smoking now, but not as much as usual, and so far no complications.

Woohoo, I'm now banded! Didn't get released until around 7:30pm, and just made it home a few minutes ago. A little sore. Right now it's mostly the gas in my shoulders that are bothering me, unless I move around a lot. Don't forget the Gas-X! Also, a pillow for the ride home. Every little bump feels like a huge pot hole. Hope all the other 7/13 banders are doing well!

Wow, that makes 7 of us in one day! Goodluck to everyone going in this morning!

Mines on the 13th. I made sure I have clear liquids for the first few days, and protein stuff and full liquids for the next few weeks. I also made sure there was plenty of food in the house for the hubby and kiddos. And I'm in spring cleaning mode. I want everything spotless when I come home, so I don't have to feel like I should be up doing this or that.

I stocked up today, too! Protein drinks/mixes, yogurt, fruit sauces. I forgot the popsicles and jello, though. Oh well, I'm sure I'll end up at the store before my day anyway. I also filled my prescriptions. Now I'm doing laundry and making sure the house is spotless and easy for hubby to take care of while I recuperate. Many, many preparations!