tinksmom

I was told that the small bit of metal is titanium. I asked because of having to have an MRI...no problem there either, BTW.

I am planning to dust off my sewing machine so I don't have to buy new clothes until I am at least 2 sizes smaller. I would think that you could stitch wide elastic on the inside of the waist band to temporarily tighten the gap. Check with your friends...someone probably has a sewing machine. Since it would be on top, not inside the waistband, just a couple rows of zig-zag stitches would do...not rocket science.

Good for you! And her, too! I am hoping to get my niece inspired. She has always hated to talk about her weight problems...and my sister put the kibosh on us ever discussing it with her since she was in her early teens. So now she is in her early 20's and has a head-in-the-sand attitude, but we all know what she must be feeling. I hope that being open and positive about the lapband will get her to thinking about doing it. This is one of the reasons i don't believe in keeping it to oneself...it needs to be out there to help others.

Before BCBSTX got rid of the weight history requirement I was told that I just needed a copy of a doctor's record showing weigh in...like for a routine visit...for each year. The complete history wasn't necessary and they didn't have to be evenly spaced. Even non-related visits...for allergies, injuries, pregnancy, etc...will have a record of yor weight. You don't have to submit the times you had lostweight - you can pick and choose. Just so long as they can see that this weight isn't a short term thing. If I missed a year but had visits with high weights before that and after the people who submit the paperwork for the lapband would know how to present it to the insurance with a note about the gap. It seems that you've been to the doctor a fair amount of time in the past few years. My primary care doc was more than willing to comb through my records and find those that were useful once I explained what was needed. Or you can request a copy of records for yourself and give them to the lapband practice for them to look through. CD's are a blessing - no more stacks of folders.

You might want to check with your insurance about fills directly. A friend's doctor told her that her insurance would not cover the first fill, but would cover the rest. My insurance covered my fills from 6 weeks on. We have the same insurance. I rhink her doctor was just mistaken orusing old protocol. So recheck yourself. That seems like a long time before a first fill.

Got it...thanks, Viv.. Have a friend who is also a Woodlands bandee who might be interested as well.

When was the last time you checked the requirements? BCBS of Texas said they just changed the 6 month requirement to 3 months this January which I only learned about when I went into the program. I was braced for the 6 month ordeal since i had just checked the requiements in November.

Also in The Woodlands. I was banded 4/1/2010 by Dr. Wilkenfeld through True Results. About 20 pounds so far, but now am fighting with a new prescription of Lyrica which causes weight gain. haven't gained but am in a snit because I haven't lost yet this week. I'd love to join a local support group outside a Dr's practice...I think peer-driven groups are best.

Some insurance companies will deny almost automatically. I think there is a significant number of people who will just accept itand go away. When it is appealed it seems there is a high rate of turn-around. Having a hernia to repair is a good co-morbidity. Also any little thing...pains in knees, occaisional sciatica, stress incontinence...all thejoys of being overweight. Is your BP ok? Good luck!

They told me it could take 6-8 weeks and it took 1. I was scheduled for two weeks from approval...for pre-op diet (which I didn't really bother with until week 2). So be prepared...I felt swept off my feet.

I think we all have this body image of ourselves that is harder to break through than some of our dieting plateaus. Might even be related. I think I've always felt like I was this size...I look at pictures of myself 30 or 35 years ago and wonder why I felt soooo enormous when I obviously was not. In HS I was a size 9/10 but felt like a blimp. I think I "grew into" my current weight.

I think they put things in the contract so that if someone comes back...say after not following their diet, getting pregnant early, etc...they cannot complain that the band isn't working and it is the doctor's fault. If you have ababy and don't lose weight it will be your fault...worth it though. There are lots of doctors out there who do banding and if your gets too upset and you aren' comfortable with him any more - switch.

No way to stay an extra day or two? I think the extra day would make a big difference, thinking bak on how I felt. I'm sure you'll be OK, but bring some items for comfort...a pillow for your head nd one for your abdomen, a blanket in case they don't have one on the plane. And take your pain med as soon as you get settled in. Use your anti-nausea stuff as well...don't wait to see if you get sick.

Ask your doctor about the anesthesia. I was told it is as light as they can make it and they monitor you at all times...the anesthesiologist will be at your head monitoring you and controlling the drug. He'll talk to you before the surgery. Are you going to a hospital or surgery center? I did the latter...they are amazing! Be brave - the success rate of these operations is astonishing. You have a better chance of getting hit in the head by a meteorite than anythng happening to you during this operation.

My primary care doctor put it this way...how long did it take you to gain the weight? Probably a pound here, two pounds there... I am hoping to lose two pounds week. I've been on programs where I lost more but my skin didn't look good...when I lost more slowly I didn't get the sag as much. And 2 lbs a week for a year - 52 weeks - ...hmmm, sounds great to me!

If you are craving something and don't have it you might subconsciously...or consciously...feel so deprived that you eat more of other things to make up for it. That ends up with more calories than the desired food. I'd find something luscious and just watch the calories. Take something out of your planned menu. I save the craved thing until the end of the day so it's a reward for being diligent. My current guilty pleasure is Blue Bell (in Txas but every area has it's own) fudge bars...110 calories.

Hermann and St. Lke's both ahve rpograms and would probably do your fills. The True Results group also has offices in Houston and they do fills also. I think they are around $160.

Just a thought but have you checked into having a gastric sleeve put in instead of the band? There may be fewer reflux problems and you'd still have weight loss. That doctor would probably not charge for a band removal...and some of the advertised package deals look really good. Also, did you get a hernia repair at the same time you got the band? Your symptoms sound a lot like a hernia. Probably you need to have it checked whether o not you get the band removed. My doctor always checks and does them at the same time because he says a lot of his patients have hernias, but it seems that others...especially in Mexico...do not. If you have a hernia insurance will cover a repair - band or no band, and the doctor may remove it for a reduced charge. I was surprised at the amount the insrance paid for hernia repar as opposed to the negotiated price for thebanding...4X as much (an evil and suspicious voice in my head says "no wonder he finds all those hernias" while the sane voice says, "Well, I did have acid reflux pre-banding....").

My lap-band nutritionist recommended this to make it possible to cut down on NSAIDs and other anti-inflammatories. I have Sjogren's syndrome and mild RA so have to deal with inflammation and nerve pain constantly. Tart cherries, according to articles on the internet, have both cox1 and cox2 (think Bextra, Vioxx and Celebrex) inhibitor properties, and enough of them to make it noticable. I was sceptical but tried it anyway and I woke up the next morning without my usual back pain. My husband had taken a glass and the gout pain in his knee and footwas much better. Still wondering about placebo effect, I told several friends about it and they reported that it worked on them as well. Our grocery store now has problems keeping it in stock as the grapevine has worked it's magic. 8 oz is 140 calories so you have to keep that in mind, and I add sugar because it is very tart, though you can use artificial sweetener. I am posting this because it helped a lot with my post-op pain. After a glass I could feel the swelling around the port was smaller...and it hurt less. It got worse after the juice wore off so I drank another glass. It might or might not work for others so I'm passing it on. It has to be the pure "tart cherry juice", not sweet or dark cherries, and not a juice mix. On the net you can order concentrate or capsules to mix with other food which would end up costing less.

Without the band I alway ate less in the warm weather. I think it's natural. I tell my friends and family that I am a cool weather cook. Here in Texas now, that means that meals are lighter, nothing gets baked, and some days we just do sandwiches or salads. When it's so oppressive here ...over 100 degrees we just moan and sip ice tea during the day, then run out for ice cream at night. My summer diets were usually successful but the weight came back over the winter. Coming from Mass it probably felt hotter than it did to natives so your body thought it was summer.

I had never had surgery (except for wisdom tooth removal and a plantar fascitis repair) and was nervous about it. I had gone to the surgery center before for spinal infusions, so I was familiar with their procedures and that helped. What had me flat out terrified was the post-op pan because icannot take anything related to codeine...and that lets out almost all prescription pain meds. So I was left with Tylenol and Aleve, but decided to tough it out anyway. I'm so glad I did. I think the pain fron the foot operation was far worse...and it was bearable. So was this. I had two lousy days and it was like being sick...nothing excruciating, I assure you. If you educate yourself about exactly what they are doing to you during the procedure..maybe visit the facility where it will take place....and what is happening during the post-op period you will be less anxious and feel like you are more in control. I think that makes the pain less. I'd feel a twinge and think, Oh, must be part of the hernia repair, so it just didn't make me scared and tense, which could mke it hurt more. It passed quickly. The worst and longest was the pain from the port...and knowing what it is and learning how to move to avoid it makes it better. Plus, I'm sure you are a normal person who can take a pain med and sail right through those two days. Oh, and another thing, anti-inflammatories are not to be dismissed lightly. Instead of pain meds...or with them...you can ask your doctor for them because a lot of pain is from inflammation. As an Sjogren's sufferer I can attest to that. When I went to the nutritionist I mentioned it and she recommended tart cherry juice. Usually i don't believe magic cures but after researching it I decided to try. Wow! 8 oz a day really made a difference and is a lot eaasier on the stomach than pills. It has to be the pure "tart" cherries...not the sweet. And it is tart...I add sugar to it because I don't use artificial sweeteners but Sweet and Low or any other would probably dissolve better. Think I'll mke another post in the general section come to think of it. But it helped a lot post-op.

My insurance will not pay fpr weight loss programs, but will pay for surgery. Maybe that's because they've crunched enough numbers to decide that the surgery works better. Who knows. anyway, just because your insurance didn't cover one thing, doesn't mean they won't pay for banding. Usually the doctor's office coordinator will check this for you after you attend a seminar. You don't need to make a commitment to the doctor for them to do this...it's part of their job and they know just who to contact.

At almost 20 lbs I am noticing a difference in how my clothes fit. If I pay attention I can see that in certain places...like my midrift, which is oddly, one of the last places I gain...or (sadly) my bust...I am smaller. I tend to start to notice more around 30 lbs.

My doctor told me that if i have headaches to go with Tylenol but since I use Advil for arthritis and am monitored for problems to continue. I take it with food now, however, and have cut down smewhat. I cannot take most pain meds and haven't gotten to the point were I am on injections or infusions.

Ok, OK, I know everyone is different,everything depends on one's individual commitment, etc, etc, BUT one of the things I want to do for motivation is to get a couple "dream outfits". I've window shopped a bit and that's fun but I want one hanging on the closet door to keep me motivated...maybe more than one so I can swap them out. Now...what size do I pick? I was banded in April and have lost about 2 lbs a week...so on track for a nice sane weight loss. I'm looking for average size differences from those who have gone before me on this journey. I'm starting at the dreaded 2X; what was your dress size change at 3, 6, 12 months...or whenever you noticed it? I have found it hard to even visualize the way my body will look in the future, which I never expected.