Acadia

I was shocked at how my reaction was to my first fill. I already had about 2 ccs from a passive fill in my band when I had surgery (no Fluid is injected, a syringe is simply inserted and the band is allowed to pull in the fluid it needs to reach equilibrium). At my fill they added 1.5 ccs. I didn't really notice anything initially. I was able to drink Protein shakes fine, was on fluids for 24 hours, no issues. Then the next day I wasn't really hungry. But I did try to eat some rice - stuck. Another day I tried to eat some linguine - stuck. Potatoes - stuck. But things like oatmeal, toast, popcorn, tortilla chips (crunchy foods or food that was already in tiny pieces) was fine. So I'm having to learn to eat all over again. Tiny bites. Chew really really well. Don't drink at all during meals (doing so now makes eating a painful experience) - I used to be able to drink fine with meals (I know I wasn't supposed to). A great example: I made myself a breakfast burrito yesterday (8 days after my fill) with a very thin tortilla (it was 1" wide and about 5" long) and as long as I took very tiny bites it was fine. Until that last bite - over full, stuck, slimed, PBed for the first time. Needless to say, being stuck sucks horribly, the sliming is horrendous, the PBing is scary because you don't want to start to vomit. So listen to your Dr. Your fill may be fine initially. It may be fine the first night. It may be fine the first two weeks. Then it might hit and you're restricted and it's a hard thing to relearn overnight.

Yea, that sounds crazy high. Their only material costs are a syringe and some saline - total cost about $1. I'd love to know how they justify $400. Fortunately my insurance covers all of my fills.

It is an absolute slider for me. Especially the Trader Joe's Olive Oil popcorn. As an occasional snack I imagine it's fine (I sure hope it is!) but if it is a slider for you then you'll want to ration yourself - and not do what I did by eating a half bag of TJ's OO (325 calories) tonight!

I use sour gummie one-a-days, chewed really well. I find they aren't very sour at all but taste a lot better than the plain ones. I also take: B12 (sublingual) - very important to take for the rest of your life Calcium (petites) - important because you won't digest it quite the same Vitamin D (Gelatin capsule) - important because most people don't get enough anyway B1 (gelatin capsule) - important for the first 90 days Iron (every three days - slow release) - for women this is important if you don't eat much meat Acidophilus (pearls) - this will help keep your intestines happy with beneficial bacteria Prilosec (not the generic) - keeps acid reflux away, suggest for the first 6 months Biotin (sublingual) - will help prevent or reduce hair loss B Complex - good to make sure you're getting all of your Bs as they help with energy Cinnamon (revs metabolism) Magnesium and Zinc (snapped in half) Omega 3 (sublingual)

I just had my first fill last Thursday (the 17th) - no food after midnight then the fill at 0900 then liquid diet for 12 hours, I tried some mushroom risotto at night because I was hungry for solids and it seemed to go down okay. On the 18th I had oatmeal in the morning with blueberries and almond slivers, and then had a crisis with my kitty (diagnosed with Stage 4 Renal Failure) so I didn't eat anything until around 10 PM and then I tried some mushroom linguine and noticed that it got stuck. Despite chewing well. Then yesterday I had oatmeal for Breakfast again, tried some mashed potatoes and those got stuck, then tried some dry ramen noodles as a snack and those got stuck. Then today I wasn't hungry for breakfast, just had crystal light, and then tonight I tried mushroom risotto again and no go except in teeny tiny bites. I can drink fluids just fine, but apparently my band would prefer I don't eat rice anymore. I won't be trying bread, which I was able to eat prior to my fill. So, my guess is that I'm at a good point since I'm not all that hungry, I can stay full on a little for over 5 hours, can still drink fluids fine, and am back to losing. I must say, getting stuck is a horrendous feeling.

Yes, this is normal and you'll likely experience it at a stronger level for 4-5 days after surgery. You may experience varying degrees of it for a few weeks.

How was your fill?

The FMLA entitles eligible employees of covered employers to take unpaid, job-protected leave for specified family and medical reasons with continuation of group health insurance coverage under the same terms and conditions as if the employee had not taken leave. Eligible employees are entitled to: Twelve workweeks of leave in a 12-month period for:the birth of a child and to care for the newborn child within one year of birth; the placement with the employee of a child for adoption or foster care and to care for the newly placed child within one year of placement; to care for the employee’s spouse, child, or parent who has a serious health condition; a serious health condition that makes the employee unable to perform the essential functions of his or her job; any qualifying exigency arising out of the fact that the employee’s spouse, son, daughter, or parent is a covered military member on “covered active duty;” or Twenty-six workweeks of leave during a single 12-month period to care for a covered servicemember with a serious injury or illness who is the spouse, son, daughter, parent, or next of kin to the employee (military caregiver leave).Elective surgery is not covered. Nor is cosmetic surgery. If your employer fudged the paperwork to get it covered then they are doing so illegally. However, if obesity and your coexisting comorbidities were considered serious enough that you would have been eligible for FMLA without surgery (unable to do your job due to your obesity) then it could be covered. However, most employers require that you take all of your earned time off / personal time off before you're allowed to access Short Term Disability (which is sometimes covered as well) or FMLA.

Mine is 1" to the right (when looking at my belly head on) - so on my left side, and 2" down from my navel. Basically at the 4 o'clock position were my navel a clock.

"How can you drop inches if you're not dropping pounds." Your body will redistribute weight, you can be losing fat but gaining muscle (even if you're not working out you're likely moving a little bit more), you could have Water weight gain in some areas but lose fat in others - resulting in steady weight or gained weight but lost inches. There are all sorts of ways.

I'm the same as Kalipso2, I weigh myself daily (morning after urinating - and nude). It keeps me on track for the day and I tend to watch my hunger more when the scale has gone up. I get weighed at every appointment at my Drs, and those are monthly right now.

Looking at my navel from the front mine is about 1" to the right and 2" down from my navel itself. So when I look down I see it left and down 2". The Dr. generally places it where it makes the most sense based on your internal anatomy. Some people are better suited for a higher placement, some for a lower placement. All depends. I would definitely ask and mention the issue you currently have. The worst thing he can do is say no.

The first 4-6 weeks are for healing, not weight loss. If you watched a video of your surgery you'd realise why it's so important to listen to what your Dr says and stay with what's on your list to eat. At this point though, you are very likely ready for a fill. You'll want to make sure to monitor your Protein intake, Fluid intake, weight, etc. to show your Dr. your progress and your current situation. Don't lie about anything. Some people are tempted to say that they're losing weight to make themselves feel good - that won't help you. You likely won't get a fill if you're losing. Conversely, if you lie and say you're not losing but you are - then you risk actually being overfilled. If you go see your Dr with a good track document showing how you're doing s/he'll be able to make the right decision for what you need at this point. If you are super hungry all the time and feel like you could eat anything tell them that. But don't tell them you CAN eat everything if you've just come off of a liquid diet. Chances are you can't eat as much as you think.

Pretty much any ethnic food is better than American for vegetarians. Plus it's much more colorful, which generally means there are more Vitamins and nutrients (e.g. multicolored vegetables vs potatoes and bread). Now if only I could learn how to cook all of that delicious food at home!

FMLA isn't "offered" it's federal law protecting time off for very specific things. This surgery is not covered by FMLA. As for her being fired, the first step is to ask for the reason - in writing, but you have to send them a request in writing - and certified mail - to make this legitimate. Workers may request the reason for discharge by sending a written request to the business for a signed written statement of the reason for discharge and the effective date. Businesses must respond to the request in writing within 10 days of receipt of the worker’s request. If a worker wants to write a letter requesting a written reason for being fired, the worker should be sure to date the letter, keep a copy of it, and send it to the business by certified mail, return receipt requested. This provides evidence of when the request was sent and whether or not the business received it. It will also help to get a voice recorder or an app on your phone to record conversations and record every meeting you have with your boss or HR people from now until the end of your employment (but first you need to look up the law for your state for recording conversations, in some states only one party needs to know, in other states both parties need to know). Document everything from here until you are gone. Before you go, talk with HR and ask them why you are being fired, even though you'll get that in writing you need it orally to know if you're eligible for unemployment. If you were fired for misconduct you're not eligible. Also, you'll want to know all the COBRA information mentioned earlier. That will allow you to continue your medical coverage (at an expense, but cheaper than paying out of pocket for some things).

My preference is Isopure Zero Carb - you can use it for up to 3 'shakes' a day (you have to have something with carbs for the other two). It is 40 grams (160 calories) of pure lactose free Protein, clear like crystal light, and is awesome over ice or made into a slushie, or even used as the cold Water in Jello. Other than that, Aitkins chocolate shakes are okay but not great (for my palette), muscle milk strawberries and creme is fantastic (for me), even the powder. You really have to try all sorts of shakes to see what you like best. Start with a flavor, if you like Nesquick strawberry milk, you'll like Muscle Milk Strawberries and Creme, if you like chocolate milk, you'll probably like Gold Standard chocolate. If you like fruity flavors you'll probably like IsoPure fruit flavors (Orange, Mango, etc.) if you just want something more liquid and like kool-aid you'll like IsoPure Zero Carb. It's all about testing. Fortunately, if you have too much of any one shake that you aren't very keen on you can mix it with one you like until they're gone.

Your nails completely replace themselves over 3-6 months. So if you're seeing changes after a week or month then you have other issues going on. If you're eating more protein and eating better though you'll notice that your nails will come in stronger, harder, and more resilient. But it takes 3-6 months to see those changes.

I had it, you can still have it with an outward navel, you'll just have a bit of a visible scar, they actually cut just above the belly button (but on people who are overweight it looks like it's on the inside). It's also not always single incision. I had a very tiny extra incision and a little dot incision. The former was to get a better view with the camera, the latter was for a suture to hold the liver out of the way rather than inserting an instrument to do it (less invasive). The recovery is much faster, you can do it as outpatient (reduces costs dramatically), and overall you'll have a better experience faster simply due to having fewer incisions and less moving around inside your body. You may also be able to request that a plastic surgeon come in (your surgeon may be able to do it too) and make your outie and innie at the same time (umbilicoplasty) - they may be able to accommodate that if that's something you're interested in. That way your scar will be completely hidden in your new navel.

It definitely helps to watch the surgery to understand what's going to happen to you. It will remind you why you need to listen to your Dr and take it easy the first 4-6 weeks.

I suggest sticking with what your Doctor suggests. There's a reason he told you to do that particular diet. If you can't handle 7 days without solid food you may want to reconsider surgery. 7 days of inconvenience for the benefit of the rest of your life. If you really want some solids, make Jello with Isopure Zero Carb as the cold Water. It's a semi-solid, will provide you with Protein, and will help you feel full. And the IsoPure tastes great. If you don't know where to get it call a Gold's Gym, GNC, or the hospital where you have your surgery may sell it in their pharmacy. I was on the 7 days preop Protein Drink only diet and it sucks, but you'll lose some weight, and you'll be in a much better position when you have surgery and adapting to what will likely be a liquid diet for a week after surgery. Also - try a few shakes with carbs in them, they will help with your headaches.

For the first few days you may only be able to get down 24 or so ounces easily if that (my Dr figured I'd get down about 8 oz the first day, around 16 oz the second day, and so forth). You're very swollen and healing. Watch the surgery on YouTube to see what kind of trauma you've just gone through. That will put it into perspective. And you don't need to be eating Jello at this point if you aren't able to tolerate it. You likely won't be able to eat much or drink much for the first few days, I was on liquids for 7 days. It's okay to stay on liquids, just be sure to be drinking Protein shakes to get some calories and protein. Don't drink only Water, you need calories, protein, and carbs right now to heal.

I suggest you ask your Dr to do your fills under fluorscopy so he can see the port clearly and you'll only get one stick. Earlier in this board there are mentions of people having their port poked so many times that a hole forms and they have to have a revision. For my fill today they gave me a lidocaine shot, which I don't like because it stings going in and you can build up a sensitivity to it. However, my fill was done under fluoroscopy so it was a single stick and the whole thing was done in about 15 seconds. She did say that if the first three fills go well then she will do blind fills in the office (there's no charge for in-office fills as some Drs can't charge for them when they're done in the office), but will add in a fill under fluorscopy every 3rd fill after the first three to make sure everything is still okay. Fluorscopy may be more expensive (most insurance will cover the total cost) - and there's no copay - but the benefits far outweigh the cost. You get to see if your band is positioned correctly, if the tubing is in good shape, if the port is in the right position, and more. It's nice to have the reassurance that everything looks like it's supposed to.

If your Dr. knows where your port is and is sure there are no issues then going in blind may be fine. But the first 2-3 fills should be done under fluoroscopy. It's the only way your Dr. will be able to see But doing them under fluorscopy allows your Dr to see issues before they happen like port flipping, band twisting, band slipping, too tight a fill etc. Considering how many times I've read on here, and heard from people, about their tubing getting caught up, about their port flipping, about their fill being too much, about their band slipping after an appointment, and on, and on, and on... doesn't it make sense to pay a little more to have the reassurance that everything is fine and you won't be paying for surgery to fix a problem or for an unfill? Or if you do have to pay for something you can find out before it's a huge issue. For those with insurance there are ways that your Dr. can bill so insurance covers fluoroscopy completely.

You may want to consider NOT working out so much. Seriously. If you work out every day you're not giving your muscles time to repair themselves and grow. Instead of working out every day start doing it every other day. Or even every third day. Cardio is fine every day to a point - if you do all leg cardio then you're stunting your leg muscle growth. And when you do weights do heavy weights, so you can only lift them 5-8 times per set. You won't get huge, but you will build muscle, which will burn more fat. You may gain during this phase, but if you're taking your measurements you'll see that they change (and go down where it counts - waist, hips : and go up where it counts - biceps, thighs). If you don't believe this will work do a little research on HIT (High Intensity Training): http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/High_intensity_training Look up Kettlebell swings: http://www.fourhourworkweek.com/blog/2011/01/08/kettlebell-swing/ Less can be much much more when you're working out.

I'd suggest two days of liquids, two days of soft foods, two days of mushies, then ween yourself back to eating full servings. And measure everything to keep your intake around 1.0-1.5 c per meal (depending what you're eating - 1.5 c of Soup may be perfect but 1.5 c of Pasta may be too much). And track your food on paper or online (fitbit.com / thedailyplate.com / sparkpeople.com). You may be surprised what and how much you're eating. Going back to where you started will get you back on track because it will help shrink your stomach a little bit and will make you mindful of what you're eating again.