eadreel

MCCLB, My story is almost the same. Only I was doing great until last spring. Since May I have gained 40 pounds. I was unfilled last July and was basically not adjusted correctly since. My doc got sick in October, so I have not had a chance to have an adjustment since September. Over the summer I lived through some pretty nasty stuff and have been emotionally eating to cope, so when I finally went to my doc this week, I was told that I would have to have a barium swallow to see if I distended my pouch and if I did, then I would be unfilled for a while to see if it would heal. If not I will have to have the band taken out. If I haven't distended it he still wants me to see a shrink about the stuff going on. My doc totally understood that it wasn't my fault and I had some REALLY bad stuff happening to me and I coped with it the ONLY way I knew how to.

I have Tricare Prime and only have to pay $70 for my nutritionist appointments. For protein and multivitamins I was given some guidelines and found Designer Whey at GNC and Flinstone Complete chewable at Wal-mart. You have a Health and Wellness center available to you so you can use the exercise physiologist that works in the office. You have free gym membership, so basically I think the doc you chose is ripping you off or isn't a covered provider.

You can always print out the billing page (If it isn't resolved in a couple of weeks) and take it to your Tricare office on base and I would say, toss a fit, but tell them they are paying, especially if you are AD Prime.

It could also be that they used the wrong billing code when they submitted to Tricare. ETA: My whole hospital bill was denied two times while the hospital figured out Tricare billing codes. Also the only out of pocket with Prime for me is the nutritionist.

I have the same problem, just living with it! I'm six month post op.

I don't think that is a good idea. Have you gotten proper restriction yet? I view every pound I lose before finding the sweet spot a miracle and a blessing and when I am not losing, I view it as a chance to learn HOW to eat. I practice chewing, making smaller meals and using smaller dishes. When my H goes away I continue on like normal as far as my diet goes. He just left this morning, and I ate my normal Breakfast, making my normal lunch and dinner. I used to go on crazy diets when he got deployed. When he went to Korea for a year I lost 70 pounds and gained it ALL back when the Korea tour was over PLUS interest! My diet doesn't depend on what my husband wants to eat. HIS diet depends on MINE!

My literature says that when proper restriction is attained that I should be satisfied with half a cup to one cup of food in volume. I double checked with my doc, nut, and support group and they all agree with the half a cup to one cup of food in volume. They also said to first eat a four ounces in weight of my Protein, then my veggies and if I still feel like I am hungry to then eat my starch. I don't have proper restriction yet, so I don't know if the dietary guidelines about the amounts are true. I assume they are since the volume of food I eat now with a 4cc fill is a whole lot less than what I ate with the 2cc fill. My doc said until I get proper restriction to eat when hungry, make good choices, and to chew everything into liquid.

My port is sitting really really wonky and the ultra sound didn't show the tubing, which he didn't want to puncture because he had to come in from the high side. Whatever that means. Basically the syringe has to be laid almost flat on my tummy with the plunger top pointing toward my head and the needle toward my feet. At least I won't have to have another fluoro session (probably took 10 pictures or more)! I have had way over 25 x-rays of varying types, so the risks for me are already on the high side. I am sure that most fills are easy and not too difficult, I just drew the short straw on this one. I did not know about not eating. I will probably start doing that with the next fill.

I just had my first fill and I went from the restaurant to the doctor's office. I never asked my doc if I should or shouldn't eat a normal meal for my current food stage. I am on liquids for 24 hours after a fill. And so far it is satisfying. I have a total of 4cc's in my band right now. I couldn't get my fill on my first appointment because my doc couldn't find the port! I was rescheduled to get it done under a fluoroscope and it still took 30 minutes to get the needle in the port. My port is tilted at an odd angle that was hard to get to because he didn't want to accidentally puncture the tubing. And bring something to do after the appointment. I was too shaky and light headed to drive for about 30-40 minutes after all the poking and prodding and pressing down really hard on my port site.

I was told to NOT shave prior to surgery because shaving leaves microscopic cuts and they could get infected too easily. They use clippers instead of a razor.

I have been on and off steroid shots and oral meds for the last couple of years. You gain weight because it messes with your blood sugar levels and insulin levels. When too much insulin is released it make fat. Plus you are eating a little more because of sugar crashes caused by the steroids. Can't get around this response with diet. Ya just gotta suffer and pray the damage isn't too bad.

I was supposed to have my first fill today, but after my doc dug around and tried over and over to get the needle in the port, I asked him to stop and schedule to do my first fill under fluoroscope. He the thinks my port might of flipped over and the ultra sound showed it is slanted instead of level. The needle would hit the port but skitter off it like it was hitting something hard. :thumbup: He did say I lost 2 pounds in two weeks.

I'm 5'4", 33yo, female, and at my pre-op diet consult I was 245 pounds and my nut said at least 55-65 grams/day. If you know your body fat percentage then you can figure it out. It is 1 gram of Protein for each kilogram (2.2 pounds) of lean body mass. Or you can find a lean body mass calculator online.